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Released: 16-Apr-2015 8:05 AM EDT
Scientists Use Brain Stimulation to Boost Creativity, Set Stage to Potentially Treat Depression
University of North Carolina Health Care System

UNC researchers have published the first direct evidence that a low dose of electric current can enhance the brain’s natural alpha oscillations to boost creativity by an average of 7.4 percent. Next up: using the method to treat depression.

   
7-Apr-2015 12:30 PM EDT
Researchers Find New Approach to Treat Drug-Resistant HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
University of North Carolina Health Care System

Resistance to therapy is a major problem in the cancer field. Using human cell lines of the HER2-positive breast cancer subtype, researchers detailed the surprising ways in which resistance to the drug lapatinib manifests and how to defeat resistance before it happens.

Released: 9-Apr-2015 11:00 AM EDT
Lower Survival Rates Connected with High-Risk Melanoma with Mutations, Study Finds
University of North Carolina Health Care System

A UNC Lineberger-led study found that people with higher-risk melanoma containing either BRAF or NRAS gene mutations had lower survival rates.

Released: 6-Apr-2015 12:05 PM EDT
Functional Brain Organization of Newborns Altered by Prenatal Cocaine Exposure
University of North Carolina Health Care System

A new study of newborns with prenatal drug exposure finds cocaine-specific disruptions in a part of the brain circuitry thought to play an important role in arousal regulation.

Released: 31-Mar-2015 9:05 AM EDT
Drug Strategy Improves Survival for Aggressive Breast Cancer Type in the Brain, Study Finds
University of North Carolina Health Care System

A UNC Lineberger-led pre-clinical study evaluated the impact of a drug treatment strategy on survival for BRCA1-mutated triple negative breast cancer models with brain metastases, and compared those findings to the outcomes for models lacking the mutation. The findings were published online Monday in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics.

Released: 26-Mar-2015 1:05 PM EDT
Faculty Recruited to UNC Lineberger to Launch T-Cell Cancer Therapy Trials
University of North Carolina Health Care System

Two faculty members have joined the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center to help launch a clinical research program in T-cell immunotherapy. The program will be the first of its kind for UNC Lineberger.

Released: 17-Mar-2015 3:00 PM EDT
A Single-Cell Breakthrough
University of North Carolina Health Care System

Researchers figure out a way to isolate and grow thousands elusive intestinal stem cells at one time, a high throughput technological advance that could give scientists the ability to study stem cell biology gastrointestinal disorders like never before.

Released: 12-Mar-2015 10:15 AM EDT
New Gene Therapy for Hemophilia Shows Potential as Safe Treatment
University of North Carolina Health Care System

New Research from San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy and the University of North Carolina showed that a reprogrammed retrovirus could successfully transfer new clotting genes into animals with hemophilia B to safely and dramatically decrease spontaneous bleeding.

Released: 10-Mar-2015 11:05 AM EDT
Repeated Exposure of Children to Secondhand Smoke Is Child Abuse, Goldstein Argues
University of North Carolina Health Care System

Purposefully and repeatedly exposing children to secondhand smoke — a known human carcinogen — is child abuse, according to an opinion piece written by Adam Goldstein, MD, MPH, a professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

6-Mar-2015 3:05 PM EST
Protein in the Brain Can 'Put the Brakes' on Binge Drinking
University of North Carolina Health Care System

A new study identifies both where in the brain and how a protein in the brain, called Neuropeptide Y or NPY, can act to suppress binge alcohol drinking. These findings suggest that restoring NPY may be useful for treating alcohol use disorders and may also protect some individuals from becoming alcohol dependent.

Released: 2-Mar-2015 2:05 PM EST
Osteoarthritis Action Alliance Relocates to UNC Thurston Arthritis Research Center
University of North Carolina Health Care System

Management of the alliance, which was created by the Arthritis Foundation and the CDC in 2011, has been transferred to the UNC Thurston Arthritis Research Center.

2-Mar-2015 10:30 AM EST
Genetically Speaking, Mammals Are More Like Their Fathers
University of North Carolina Health Care System

A novel research study from the UNC School of Medicine shows that although mammals inherit equal amounts of genetic mutations from their parents – the mutations that make them unique and not some other person – they actually “use” more of the DNA that they inherited from their dads.

23-Feb-2015 12:15 PM EST
Scientists Find a Key Protein That Allows Plavix to Conquer Platelets
University of North Carolina Health Care System

UNC researchers found that the blood platelet protein Rasa3 is critical to the success of the common anti-platelet drug Plavix, which breaks up blood clots during heart attacks and other arterial diseases. The discovery could prove important for creating drugs to alter platelet function.

Released: 23-Feb-2015 9:00 AM EST
Researchers Pin Down Genetic Pathways Linked to CF Disease Severity
University of North Carolina Health Care System

Mutation of one gene is all it takes to get cystic fibrosis, but disease severity depends on many other genes and proteins. For the first time, UNC researchers identified genetic pathways that play major roles in why one person with CF might have severe symptoms while another person might not.

9-Feb-2015 9:30 PM EST
R2d2 Beats Mendel: Scientists Discover Selfish Gene That Breaks Long-Held Law of Genetic Inheritance
University of North Carolina Health Care System

UNC School of Medicine researchers discovered a gene called R2d2 – Responder to meiotic drive 2 – that breaks Gregor Mendel’s century-old “law of segregation,” which states that you have an equal probability of inheriting each of two copies of every gene from both parents.

Released: 12-Feb-2015 11:30 AM EST
Bubonic Bottleneck: UNC Scientists Overturn Dogma on the Plague
University of North Carolina Health Care System

Researchers discover that the accepted theory of how Yersinia pestis microbes travel from fleabite to lymph node is off base. Most bacteria get trapped in a bottleneck and never make it to the lymph node, where infection takes root. Finding out why could lead to new ways to stop the pathogen.

Released: 10-Feb-2015 2:45 PM EST
Epigenetic Breakthrough: A First of Its Kind Tool to Study the Histone Code
University of North Carolina Health Care System

UNC scientists have created a new research tool, based on the fruit fly, to help crack the histone code. This research tool can be used to better understand the function of histone proteins, which play critical roles in the regulation of gene expression in animals and plants.

4-Feb-2015 11:15 AM EST
Another Breastfeeding Benefit: Preparing Baby’s Belly for Solid Food
University of North Carolina Health Care System

Researchers found that a baby’s diet during the first few months of life has a profound influence on the composition, diversity, and stability of the gut microbiome. These factors influence the baby’s ability to transition from milk to solid foods and may have long-term health effects.

Released: 4-Feb-2015 11:00 AM EST
Brain Scans Predict Effectiveness of Talk Therapy to Treat Depression
University of North Carolina Health Care System

UNC School of Medicine researchers have shown that brain scans can predict which patients with clinical depression are most likely to benefit from a specific kind of talk therapy.

Released: 3-Feb-2015 8:00 AM EST
Simple Strategies Used by Parents Lead to Improvements in One-Year-Olds at Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder
University of North Carolina Health Care System

A new study by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers finds that a collection of simple strategies used by parents can lead to significant improvements in one-year-olds at risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Released: 30-Jan-2015 1:00 PM EST
UNC Researcher Co-Leads Effort to Map Genomic Changes in Head and Neck Cancer
University of North Carolina Health Care System

In an analysis of 279 head and neck cancer tumors, researchers with The Cancer Genome Atlas identified subtypes of head and neck cancer based on their genomic characteristics, changes in smoking-related tumors, as well as genomic differences in head and neck cancer tumors linked to HPV, the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States.

27-Jan-2015 4:00 PM EST
New Deep-Brain Imaging Reveals Separate Functions for Nearly Identical Neurons
University of North Carolina Health Care System

New deep-brain imaging shows activity of individual, genetically similar neurons to particular behaviors of mice. Scientists watched as one neuron was activated when a mouse searched for food while a nearly identical neuron next to it remained inactive until the mouse began eating.

26-Jan-2015 11:15 AM EST
Researchers Pinpoint Two Genes That Trigger Severest Form of Ovarian Cancer
University of North Carolina Health Care System

Researchers create first mouse model of ovarian clear cell carcinoma using data from human cancer genome atlas. They show how when the genes ARID1A and PIK2CA are mutated in specific ways, the result is ovarian cancer 100 percent of the time. They show that a known drug can suppress tumor growth.

26-Jan-2015 11:45 AM EST
MRIs Link Impaired Brain Activity to Inability to Regulate Emotions in Autism
University of North Carolina Health Care System

Researchers found that – when it comes to the ability to regulate emotions – brain activity in autistic people is significantly different than brain activity in people without autism. Researchers showed that symptoms including tantrums, irritability, and anxiety have a biological, mechanistic basis.

Released: 22-Jan-2015 2:55 PM EST
Patient Older Age Not an Issue in Revision Cochlear Implantation
University of North Carolina Health Care System

Sometimes patients with coclear implants need to have a second or "revision" implantation surgery because of device failure. A new study finds that adults age 65 and older do just as well in speech perception after revision cochlear implantation as those younger than 65.

Released: 22-Jan-2015 1:00 PM EST
Breast Cancer Prevention Drug Benefit Varies Among at-Risk Women, Study Finds
University of North Carolina Health Care System

The findings of study led by a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researcher may help women and their doctors make decisions about who may get the most benefit out of a breast cancer prevention drug.

Released: 15-Jan-2015 2:00 PM EST
Women Who Experience Postpartum Depression Before Giving Birth May Face Greater Risk
University of North Carolina Health Care System

Postpartum depression (PPD) may have a diverse clinical presentation and this has critical implications for diagnosis, treatment and understanding the underlying biology of the illness, a new study finds.

Released: 3-Dec-2014 8:00 AM EST
UNC Researchers Pinpoint Chemo Effect on Brain Cells, Potential Link to Autism
University of North Carolina Health Care System

University of North Carolina scientists discovered how the chemo drug topotecan affects individual neurons to potentially cause "chemo fog." A similar long-term affect in the developing brain could trigger autism.

13-Nov-2014 9:00 AM EST
High Mortality Associated with STEMI Heart Attacks That Occur in Hospitalized Patients
University of North Carolina Health Care System

A new study by University of North Carolina School of Medicine researchers confirms their surprising earlier finding: Patients who suffer a STEMI heart attack while while in the hospital for something else are more likely to die than patients who have the same type of heart attack outside the hospital.

Released: 13-Nov-2014 10:00 AM EST
UNC Researchers Silence Leading Cancer-Causing Gene
University of North Carolina Health Care System

Researchers have developed a new approach to block the KRAS oncogene, one of the most frequently mutated genes in human cancer. The approach offers another route to attack KRAS, which has proven to be an elusive and frustrating target for drug developers.

Released: 3-Nov-2014 11:00 AM EST
UNC Research Trio Teams Up to Fight Cancer Drug Resistance
University of North Carolina Health Care System

A dynamic team of cancer researchers at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center have been funded by The V Foundation for Cancer Research to focus on finding new treatments for cancers of the head, neck, lung and esophagus while better understanding why these cancers can become resistant to new therapies.

Released: 31-Oct-2014 11:00 AM EDT
Improved Mouse Model Will Accelerate Research on Potential Ebola Vaccines, Treatments
University of North Carolina Health Care System

Researchers develop first genetic strain of mice that can be infected with Ebola and display symptoms similar to those that humans experience. This work will significantly improve basic research on Ebola treatments and vaccines.

   
Released: 27-Oct-2014 8:00 AM EDT
Partnerships, Cancer Research in Malawi to Expand with New Grant
University of North Carolina Health Care System

Funded from a newly established NCI grant program, the award will fund the UNC-Malawi Cancer Consortium, a collaborative effort aimed at expanding current efforts in Malawi to address a growing cancer burden. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is one of only eight institutions in the country to receive this award.

Released: 22-Oct-2014 2:00 PM EDT
Baby Cries Show Evidence of Cocaine Exposure During Pregnancy
University of North Carolina Health Care System

A new study conducted by University of North Carolina School of Medicine researchers provides the first known evidence of how a similar acoustic characteristic in the cry sounds of human infants and rat pups may be used to detect the harmful effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on nervous system development.

20-Oct-2014 4:30 PM EDT
UNC Scientists Discover Hidden Subpopulation of Melanoma Cells
University of North Carolina Health Care System

UNC researchers discover a subpopulation of melanoma cancer cells in blood vessels of tumors. These cells, which mimic non-cancerous endothelial cells that normally populate blood vessels, could provide researchers with another target for cancer therapies.

   
14-Oct-2014 4:00 PM EDT
UNC Researchers Boost the Heart’s Natural Ability to Recover After Heart Attack
University of North Carolina Health Care System

UNC researchers discovered that fibroblasts, which normally give rise to scar tissue after a heart attack, can be turned into endothelial cells, which generate blood vessels to supply oxygen and nutrients to the injured regions of the heart, greatly reducing the damage done following heart attack.

Released: 13-Oct-2014 10:00 AM EDT
Would You Eat That Doughnut if You Knew You Had to Walk Two Miles to Burn It Off?
University of North Carolina Health Care System

The National Institutes of Health recently awarded researchers from the UNC School of Medicine and the UNC Gillings School of Public Health more than $2 million to study the effects of physical activity food labeling on consumer food choices and exercise.

Released: 10-Oct-2014 8:00 AM EDT
All the Cell’s a Stage
University of North Carolina Health Care System

UNC researchers discovered that one gene-regulating protein called Bre1 must be maintained in the proper amount for other epigenetic players to do their jobs properly. It’s a key coordinator in the sort of cellular scenes that can turn a healthy cell into a cancer cell.

Released: 29-Sep-2014 11:00 AM EDT
Patrick F. Sullivan Awarded 2014 Lieber Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Schizophrenia Research
University of North Carolina Health Care System

Patrick F. Sullivan, MD, FRANZCP, M. Hayworth & Family Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Professor of Genetics and Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, is one of two researchers awarded the 2014 Lieber Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Schizophrenia Research.

Released: 29-Sep-2014 10:40 AM EDT
UNC Researchers Launch Study of Experiences and Outcomes of Women Sexual Assault Survivors
University of North Carolina Health Care System

A new study led by University of North Carolina School of Medicine researchers is the first large scale effort to longitudinally evaluate health outcomes after sexual assault.

Released: 24-Sep-2014 12:10 PM EDT
Diabetes Researchers Urge for New Screening and Management Approach
University of North Carolina Health Care System

Doctors at three leading research institutions and the American Diabetes Association report that treating patients with prediabetes as if they had diabetes could help prevent or delay the most severe complications associated with this chronic disease.

Released: 24-Sep-2014 9:05 AM EDT
Many Elite College Athletes Return to Play After ACL Surgery
University of North Carolina Health Care System

The majority of athletes included in a new study by researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine were able to return to play after having knee surgery to repair an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.

Released: 22-Sep-2014 10:00 AM EDT
Blood Test May Help Determine Who Is at Risk for Psychosis
University of North Carolina Health Care System

The study led by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers reports preliminary results showing that a blood test, when used in psychiatric patients experiencing symptoms that are considered to be indicators of a high risk for psychosis, identifies those who later went on to develop psychosis.

Released: 18-Sep-2014 11:00 AM EDT
UNC Researchers Link Gene to Increased Dendritic Spines – a Signpost of Autism
University of North Carolina Health Care System

UNC scientists discover that knocking out the gene NrCAM increases the number of dendritic spines on excitatory pyramidal neurons. Other studies have confirmed that the overabundance of dendritic spines allows for too many synaptic connections – a phenomenon strongly linked to autism.

Released: 18-Sep-2014 9:15 AM EDT
Living in a Disadvantaged Neighborhood Worsens Musculoskeletal Pain Outcomes After Trauma Exposure
University of North Carolina Health Care System

People living in lower-income neighborhoods have worse musculoskeletal pain outcomes over time after stressful events such as motor vehicle collisions than people from higher-income neighborhoods, a new study finds.

12-Sep-2014 9:45 AM EDT
UNC Researchers Find Final Pieces to the Circadian Clock Puzzle
University of North Carolina Health Care System

UNC researchers discovered how two genes – Period and Cryptochrome – keep the circadian clocks in cells in proper rhythm with the 24-hour day. The finding has implications for drug development for various diseases including cancer and conditions such as jetlag and season affective disorder.

4-Sep-2014 5:30 PM EDT
UNC Researchers Find New Genetic Target for a Different Kind of Cancer Drug
University of North Carolina Health Care System

Human genes are spliced together in different ways to create various kinds of messenger RNA to produce the many proteins we require. UNC researcher Zefeng Wang, PhD, found a protein that controls how genes splice together, and it’s a protein that’s drastically decreased in cancers.

   
Released: 4-Sep-2014 1:20 PM EDT
Common Diabetes Drug Not Linked to Short-Term Risk of Pancreatic Cancer
University of North Carolina Health Care System

UNC researchers found that DPP-4 inhibitors--drugs to treat diabetes--do not increase the short-term risk of pancreatic cancer.

Released: 28-Aug-2014 10:00 AM EDT
Researchers Identify Five Medical Conditions That May Contribute to Sudden Unexpected Death in North Carolina
University of North Carolina Health Care System

A new study – the first to be released by UNC researchers in the SUDDEN study – finds the five highest comorbidities of sudden unexpected death in North Carolina are hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, coronary heart disease, and cardiomyopathy.

Released: 25-Aug-2014 9:30 AM EDT
UNC Lineberger Researchers Develop New Approach to Identify “Drivers” of Cancer
University of North Carolina Health Care System

UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers have developed a new integrated approach to pinpoint the genetic “drivers” of cancer, uncovering eight genes that could be viable for targeted breast cancer therapy.



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