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Epigenetic drugs that have shown promise in cancer trials significantly reduce scarring in the cells of patients with scleroderma, a new study shows. Results reveal that drugs that inhibit BRD4, known to play a role in cancer, also affect fibrosis in scleroderma. Researchers tested BRD4 inhibitors on the skin fibroblasts of scleroderma patients and in mouse models of skin fibrosis, finding that the treatment stopped scarring in both human-derived cells and in animals.

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Hospital at home programs, and remote patient monitoring from home, hold promise for discharging patients earlier or keeping them out of the emergency room or hospital. But policy decisions will affect their future.

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A new study finds that the normal-appearing skin of lupus patients contains the same inflammatory signals that are detected when the skin develops a rash, sometimes at even higher levels. Researchers say immune cells undergo an inflammatory transformation that primes the skin without rashes for disease flares.

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First-year surgery residents, and first-year medical residents in all fields who are members of sexual minorities such as LGBTQ, are more likely than others to develop depression during the stressful training period.

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Despite the ability of any Michigan pharmacy to dispense medication to combat opioid overdose without writing prescriptions, slightly more than half of pharmacies in the state offer the drug in such a way.

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A firearm injury researcher and emergency physician provides information on firearm injuries, deaths, risk factors and attitudes among adults over 50, and gives tips for individuals and families to reduce risk of suicide and other firearm-related harm.

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Firearms have surpassed motor vehicles as the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the United States, according to new federal data analyzed by researchers at the University of Michigan.

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A new poll shows most adults over 50 want to stay in their home as they age, but many haven't taken steps that could help them do so. Two experts give advice on ways to prepare, plan and make adjustments gradually.

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A new study finds that some children with cerebral palsy scoliosis do not require pelvic fixation when undergoing growing rod treatment. Researchers say if the pelvic tilt and lower lumbar spine tilt are small enough, screws may not need to be inserted into the pelvis to anchor growing rods, potentially avoiding several complications.

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Each year, a team from University of Michigan Health's Department of Orthopaedic Surgery travel to the Dominican Republic for a medical mission, where the operate on local patients at an under-resourced hospital. Ahead of another mission, leaders are looking to grow the program by adding more trips and resources, as well as partnering with more institutions.

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Most parents have given their child dietary supplements, a new national poll suggests.

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The improvements in care for older adults from the Accountable Care Organization movement haven’t reached all older Americans equally. ACOs that include a higher percentage of patients who are Black, Hispanic, Native American or Asian have lagged behind those with higher percentage of white patients in providing preventive care and keeping patients out of the hospital. Now, a new study shows that some of this inequity stems from how an ACO’s patients get their primary care.

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Study helps explain how xanthan gum, a common food additive, is processed in the gut.

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The vast majority of people over 50 say it’s important that they keep living in their current homes for as long as possible. But a new poll shows many of them haven’t planned or prepared for “aging in place,” and a sizable percentage might have a hard time paying for in-home help.

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A team at the University of Michigan Health Rogel Cancer Center, in partnership with the statewide Michigan Radiation Oncology Quality Consortium (MROQC) lung cancer collaborative, found that raising awareness about the risk of radiation exposure to the heart and standardizing cardiac exposure limits reduced the average dose to the heart by 15% and reduced the number of patients receiving the highest heart doses by half without minimizing tumor treatment or increasing dosage to other at-risk organs in the chest

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A new study shows the majority of older adults are not prescribed disease-modifying medications for rheumatoid arthritis, despite guidelines that call for early and aggressive treatment of the inflammatory autoimmune disease. Researchers say rheumatologists and primary care providers must be prepared to care for older adults with rheumatic diseases while addressing polypharmacy and multimorbidity.

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Nearly half of all older adults now die with a diagnosis of dementia listed on their medical record, up 36% from two decades ago, a new study shows. But that sharp rise may have more to do with better public awareness, more detailed medical records and Medicare billing practices than an actual rise in the condition, the researchers say.

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The largest study to investigate the role of inflammatory biomarkers in hospitalized COVID-19 patients uncovers risk factors for worse health outcomes in those with diabetes.

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With second boosters becoming available, schedules for first boosters recently changed, and new evidence about the protection offered by boosters in the Omicron surge, a guide for those who have not yet been boosted or are considering a second booster.

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Police and fire first responders are often first on the scene during an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, and a new study finds that their intervention correlates with significantly higher chances of patient survival and hospital discharge with good neurological outcomes. Researchers say non-medical first responders are likely underutilized as lifesaving resources in these cases.

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Rehabilitation psychology is a field that focuses on assessing and treating cognitive, emotional and functional difficulties for patients in a rehabilitation setting. In a recent state of the field survey paper, researchers conclude that providers need to communicate the value they bring to organizations through saving costs from decreased hospitalizations, assessing the likelihood of successful interventions and recovery, and more. Authors also call for broad and simultaneous promotion and recruitment in the field.

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$20M Frankel Innovation Initiative set to kick off third round of funding for high risk, high-reward research

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With spring in the air and COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations far below where they were even a few weeks ago, a lot of Americans may have a sense that things are back to normal and the pandemic is in the rearview mirror. But a panel of University of Michigan experts who spoke in a recent livestreamed event say that’s not quite the case.

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Community health workers employed by Medicaid health plans can help low-income people who face barriers to care rely less on the emergency room, and more on outpatient care, a new study finds.

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Treatment for glioma has long relied on MRI imaging to track tumor markers and treatment response. But findings from a team at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, led by Carl Koschmann, M.D., pediatric neuro-oncologist at University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and researcher with the Chad Carr Pediatric Brain Tumor Center, suggest a new method could provide additional data about tumor markers before changes appear on an MRI, indicating possible strategies to help clinicians address this aggressive form of cancer. The recent study appeared in Neuro-Oncology.

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Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is rare in children and known to cause inflammation and recurring, potentially fatal, blood clots. Researchers found that two-thirds of children with the autoimmune disease experienced additional symptoms not formally associated with APS, including low platelet counts, hemolytic anemia and livedo reticularis, a rash indicating abnormal blood flow to the skin. Investigators say the findings underscore the importance of creating pediatric-specific criteria for the diagnosis of APS.

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Screening and navigating the mental health care system remains difficult for many parents, a national poll suggests.

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An athletic trainer from University of Michigan Health received a call to join USA Hockey at the 2022 Winter Olympics last February. He has spent 24 years working with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program.

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The two-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic came and went without much fanfare, thanks to a lull in cases and deaths, and the start of a war in Ukraine that has grabbed the world’s attention. But for medical historians who led an exhaustive study of the 1918 influenza pandemic, the recent milestone offers a chance to look back on the parallels, and differences, in how the nation responded to both massive infectious threats.

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Millions of Americans have needed hospitalization for COVID-19 since the pandemic began, including hundreds of thousands in the recent Omicron surge. And on top of the bills for their hospital care, a new study suggests that many of them could face hundreds or thousands of dollars in costs after they leave the hospital.

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A new clinical trial from a team at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center uses innovative basic science research methods to offer hope and a new treatment to glioblastoma patients. A collaborative team of Rogel physicians, led by Daniel Wahl, M.D., Ph.D., hopes that grounding their trial in rigorous and innovative biology from the very beginning will help this approach succeed where so many other potential glioblastoma treatments have failed.

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Andrew Ackerman was the first COVID-19 patient to be treated with an experimental filter that reduced his inflammation, helping to save his life.

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With mask mandates being lifted and case counts dropping, University of Michigan experts reflect on living with ongoing COVID-19.

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They were the first to answer the call in March 2020. Here, several University of Michigan Health faculty and staff members reflect on their personal and professional experiences during the pandemic, sharing hardships most may not have felt or seen outside of the hospital walls.

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They’re old enough to qualify for Medicare, and their incomes are low enough to qualify them for Medicaid. And when they have surgery to remove a cancerous tumor, a new study finds, they suffer more complications and incur higher costs than patients with Medicare alone, even at top hospitals.

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Whether they need a knee replaced, a hernia stitched up, a cataract in their eye removed or their gall bladder taken out, a new poll shows many older adults harbor concerns about scheduling elective surgery. But once they’ve had it done, most are glad they did, the poll shows. COVID-19 has affected surgery scheduling but many hospitals are now getting back on track.

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Heart attacks mean energy deprivation. Could a fatty acid found in energy drinks, then, help recovery? A preclinical study explores this question.

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A new study found that for telemedicine visits related to acute respiratory infection, contractor-supplied physicians prescribed antibiotics to patients nearly twice as often as emergency physicians employed by the hospital system. As the majority of acute respiratory infections are viral, researchers say the findings highlight concerns of antibiotic stewardship amid growing antibiotic resistance.

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Researchers found a unique immune cell plays a key role in the chronic inflammation and scarring in the lungs and skin of people with scleroderma, or systemic sclerosis. After injecting mice with biodegradable PLG nanoparticles, which are used in medical sutures, researchers found that the nanoparticles specifically targeted these inflammatory cells and prevented skin and lung fibrosis. Researchers say it's a promising step towards targeted treatment for patients with early scleroderma.

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No matter what your heritage or age, the new Ukraine-related stress comes just as our nation comes down from a dizzying height on the two-year roller coaster ride of COVID-19. Many people still have unprocessed anxiety, grief and loss. So, with all this going on, what can you do? Two experts offer advice.

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Mice that received treatments with peanut-coated microneedles had significant increased rates of desensitization to peanut allergy compared with epicutaneous immunotherapy (EPIT), a new study found. The microneedle treatment success was achieved despite applying a dose of peanut protein 10-times lower than the dose delivered by EPIT. Researchers say the findings demonstrate the potential for peanut microneedles to improve food allergen immunotherapy through the skin.

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Researchers at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center found that a cytokine, a category of protein that acts as messengers in the body, and a fatty acid can work together to trigger a type of cell death previously defined by studies with synthetic molecules.

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New study provides insights into how the microbiome processes seaweed, consumed around the world in various forms, including sushi and as a processed food additive.

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Crowdfunding has become a means for people with cancer to get help managing the financial impact of their disease. But while there’s relief in paying bills, a new study finds that it comes at a cost: a sense of shame and stigma from asking for help and revealing personal health details. The issue is particularly critical for young adults with cancer, a specific group that is understudied and yet faces distinct needs.

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Lymph node removal surgery for patients with high-risk melanoma has become less common over the past few years while the use of targeted and immune therapies developed through clinical trials to treat the dangerous skin cancer has risen rapidly at melanoma referral centers worldwide, an international group of researchers found.

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About one in six older Americans who’d undergone an operation to repair a hernia had repeat hernia surgery less than 10 years later. These rates have barely improved since the 1990s, when similar data revealed that about one in five patients underwent at least two surgeries to address the problem.

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A group of Michigan hospitals share data to better understand how COVID-19 risks affect diverse pregnant individuals, exploring both possible racial disparities and how COVID-19 may impact birth outcomes.

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COVID-19 patients from areas with higher social vulnerability index scores were sicker when hospitalized, suggesting social determinants of health play a major role in COVID care access and outcomes.

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National poll gets parent perspectives on using CBD in children.

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Scientists have discovered that “rogue” antibodies found circulating in the blood of COVID-19 patients have the potential to cause endothelial cells to lose their resistance to clotting. These antiphospholipid autoantibodies can trigger blood clots in the arteries and veins of patients with autoimmune disorders, including lupus and antiphospholipid syndrome. The findings provide an even stronger connection between autoantibody formation and clotting in COVID-19.