Economic Penalty of Extra Pounds
University of MichiganExtra pounds can be expensive for middle-aged women, according to University of Michigan researchers analyzing data on more than 7,000 men and women in their 50s and 60s.
Extra pounds can be expensive for middle-aged women, according to University of Michigan researchers analyzing data on more than 7,000 men and women in their 50s and 60s.
Experts know a lot about what heart attack patients need. But at many hospitals, there's a troubling gap between what experts say is best, and what patients actually get. Two new studies report on an effective way to get patients the therapy they need far more often.
University of Michigan professor and materials scientist, has discovered an inexpensive and relatively non-toxic method for producing a variety of silicon-based chemicals from sand or rice hull ash and antifreeze. (J. American Chemical Society)
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's most important criterion for assessing the safety of the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository can be misleading, due to large uncertainties in its results.
Having a second child may have an even greater impact than the first baby on the carefully balanced lives of dual-career, middle-class couples, according to a University of Michigan study.
University of Michigan scientists have identified genetic mutations that cause a serious medical condition called hereditary lymphedema-distichiasis or LD. (American Journal of Human Genetics, 12-00)
Women with breast cancer who carry the BRCA 1 or 2 genetic mutation might not have to fear having radiation therapy, as previously thought. In fact, such women may get the same benefit from radiation therapy with no greater incidence of short- or long-term side effects.
Two prominent scientists---a biochemist from the U-M and a cell biologist from the University of California, San Diego---will serve as lead scientists and co-directors of the U-M's new Life Sciences Institute.
Using a new technique that is revolutionizing the way scientists study ancient climate and temperature change, researchers at the University of Michigan and Syracuse University showed that colder winters along the Gulf Coast resulted in the mass extinction at what is known in geological time as the Eocene/Oligocene boundary.
University of Michigan researchers have found that a gene recently implicated in liver, skin and pancreas cancer can cause an especially deadly kind of breast cancer, and may help explain why it grows, spreads and sometimes proves deadly so quickly. (Cancer Research, 10-15-00)
Study finds hospital doctors weren't sure of patients' urinary catheter status more than a quarter of the time. And, perhaps as a result, nearly one-third of their patients using catheters didn't need them, putting them at increased infection risk. (American Journal of Medicine, 10-16-00)
A third of people with epilepsy may also have undiagnosed sleep apnea, a potentially serious but treatable condition marked by interruptions in breathing during sleep. The finding may help the understanding of the interplay between brain activity and sleep. (Neurology, 10-10-00)
Flu vaccine deliveries are late this year. And yes, in most years the vaccine isn't cost effective for working adults, but the vaccine still has positive health effects and should be administered when available.
People with bipolar disorder have an average of thirty percent more of an important class of signal-sending brain cells, according to new evidence being published this week. The finding solidifies the idea that the disorder has unavoidable biological and genetic roots.
Women who have a breast reconstructed after a mastectomy gain large improvements in their well-being, regardless of the technique or timing they choose, a new study finds. But the biggest psychological boost comes to those who choose reconstruction in the same operation.
Urinary catheters are the most common source of hospital-acquired infections. A new analysis suggests that silver-coated catheters could cut that rate in half while still trimming costs.
The U-M School of Public Health will host a symposium on Sept. 18 that will feature---among other notables---Francis Collins, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, as its keynote speaker.
A program for non-alcoholics who want to reduce their drinking and lower their health risk has helped more than 260 participants cut their alcohol intake by an average of 66 percent, new statistics show. A new program will help drunk drivers cut risky drinking.
After screening some 150,000 compounds, a University of Michigan College of Pharmacy team has found an especially promising prospect -- a compound that is 10,000 times more effective than other known inhibitors of a key enzyme in Gram negative bacteria (Journal of the American Chemical Society, 9-27-00).
The University of Michigan Medical School has appointed noted breast cancer specialist Marc E. Lippman, M.D., to chair its Department of Internal Medicine, pending the approval of the U-M Board of Regents.
University of Michigan scientist Denise Kirschner has developed a new mathematical model that shows how HIV---the virus that causes AIDS---slowly destroys its victim's immune system by accelerating a normal process called homing.
A team that includes University of Michigan School of Information researchers has been chosen by the National Science Foundation to design a Web-based, national network for collaboration in earthquake engineering.
Hospitals nationwide are enhancing the healing process through the arts. A $50,000 grant to the Society for Arts in Healthcare will help establish arts programs inside healthcare institutions.
Surgery to repair a leaky heart valve can help even the sickest heart failure patients live longer, enjoy a better quality of life, and avoid or postpone a heart transplant, University of Michigan physicians report (Italian Heart Journal).
In a pioneering effort to bridge the chasm between mental and physical health care for Medicaid recipients and indigent patients, the University of Michigan and a local county have launched a new program that may become a model for the state and nation to follow.
Instructors wishing to incorporate interactive demonstrations in their classrooms will soon be able to retrieve high-quality, peer-reviewed learning materials from the Web because of a partnership between educational institutions called the Multimedia Education Resource for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT).
Being in charge of their own finances can overwhelm college students. The financial officer at the University of Michigan Office of Financial Aid has some hints for college students from their first year to graduation.
Polymers containing tiny silica particles that release low levels of nitric oxide gas have been developed by University of Michigan analytical chemists. The polymers are designed to mimic human endothelial cells, which produce nitric oxide to relax blood vessels and inhibit blood coagulation.
Despite the edging upward of unemployment, inflation and interest rates, the U.S. economy should remain strong over the next couple of years -- although growth will slow, say University of Michigan economic forecasters.
A research team led by University of Michigan scientists has found that gadolinium zirconate is much more resistant to radiation than the ceramic currently being considered for disposal of plutonium from dismantled nuclear weapons in the U.S.
A molecular switch that controls the formation of fat cells in mice has been discovered by University of Michigan Medical School scientists. If the switch is on, fat cells will not develop; switch it off, and even would-be muscle cells turn to fat (Science, 8-11-00).
Being low on energy during the day might be caused by trouble breathing while you sleep, even if you don't actually feel sleepy, a University of Michigan study suggests. Doctors and patients may be missing the real cause of daytime fatigue: sleep apnea (Chest, 8-00).
Czech Republic President Vaclav Havel will receive the honorary doctor of laws degree from the University of Michigan on Sept. 5. Havel will participate in a panel discussion titled "Globalization's Intellectual Challenge."
Color-coded labels placed on supermarket shelves to mark healthier food choices are effective in helping guide African Americans and others in their grocery shopping, a new study shows. The program may help shoppers lower their risk of diet-related health problems.
Cultural differences in the way the mind works may be greater than most people suspect, according to a University of Michigan psychologist who presents new research on culture and cognition Aug. 6 at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in Washington, D.C.
As concerns mount over the integrity and ethical standards of the journals in which medical and scientific results are published, JAMA editor Catherine DeAngelis will address the topic Sept. 13 in a lecture at the University of Michigan.
The University of Michigan is helping launch a new national study for patients with chronic hepatitis C. The study will examine the effects of long-term antiviral therapy in slowing or halting the advance of liver disease.
New research by a team of researchers from the University of Michigan School of Nursing confirms what health-care professionals suspected about depression: It inhibits short-term memory and directed attention, or concentration.
University of Michigan scientist Steven Clark has taken a major step toward understanding one of life's oldest mysteries---how genes work together in plants to turn generic cells into specialized cells destined to become leaves, stems or flowers.
A drug called oxcarbazepine that is safe and effective enough to be used alone in patients with partial epilepsy who do not respond to other anti-epileptic drugs is demonstrated by a study led by a University of Michigan neurologist (Neurology, 6-00).
Although weapons violence in Israeli schools is low compared with the U.S., school violence is nevertheless a serious problem among Jews and Arabs in Israel, according to a new study by University of Michigan and Hebrew University in Jerusalem researchers.
A new experimental drug is shown to reverse the effects in mice of a hereditary, incurable disorder called Fabry disease. This genetic mutation prevents cells from removing waste products that accumulate within the kidneys, heart and blood vessels (Journal of Clinical Investigation, 6-00).
It takes a lot to quit smoking. But a new study finds that even diehard puffers can kick the habit when faced with the life-changing news that they have diabetes, and the realization that because of the disease, every puff increases their risk for major health problems.
Public policy to reduce poverty among inner-city African Americans requires more than just simple job creation -- it also must address the social contexts of neighborhoods, work places and families in which the poor live, say University of Michigan researchers.
The members of the University of Michigan Medical School's 150th graduating class will embark on their medical careers June 9 with the words of the nation's genetic research leader, Francis Collins, echoing in their ears.
Scientists have identified a sequence of amino acids found in a common blood protein that accelerates healing of hard-to-treat skin wounds in mice (Journal of Clinical Investigation, 6-00).
New data from meteorites support the idea that planets, as they formed, received materials from very broad regions of the solar system rather than localized regions as previously thought (Science, 6-2-00).
In time for Father's Day: contrary to popular perception, stepfathers do invest significant amounts of both money and time in their stepchildren, according to University of Michigan researchers studying the life histories of American stepfathers.
With all the pressures America's doctors are facing, are they losing their longstanding professionalism? Will the pressures overwhelm physicians' traditional professional roles of providing care, taking on responsibility and dedicating themselves to the public's health?
Learning how Antarctica has responded to changes in the past is a key to understanding the global climate changes that concern us today.