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The Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI), in partnership with the Center for Health Equity Research at UNC-Chapel Hill and Community-Campus Partnerships for Health, has received an $80 million award to serve as the coordinating and data collection center for a four-year program that will overcome barriers and increase uptake of testing among underserved and vulnerable populations across the U.S.

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Wide swings in blood pressure readings among young adults are associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease by middle age, a new analysis led by Duke Health researchers shows. The finding, publishing Jan. 22 in JAMA Cardiology, suggests that the current practice of averaging blood pressure readings to determine whether medications are necessary could be masking a potential early warning sign from the fluctuations themselves.

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For people with difficult-to-control diabetes, adding intensive weight management counseling to group medical visits provided extra health benefits beyond improved blood-sugar control, according to a study led by researchers at the Duke Diet & Fitness Center and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

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An inherited genetic tendency appears to increase the likelihood that a person can successfully fight off antibiotic-resistant staph infections, according to a study led by Duke Health researchers.

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A potential carcinogen that has been banned as a food additive is present in concerningly high levels in electronic cigarette liquids and smokeless tobacco products, according to a new study from Duke Health.

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A specific gene associated with autism appears to undergo changes in the sperm of men who use marijuana, according to new research from Duke Health. The gene change occurs through a process called DNA methylation, and it could potentially be passed along to offspring.

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-- A drug used to slow cognitive decline in adults with Alzheimer's disease appears to reverse brain inflammation and neuron damage in rats exposed to alcohol during adolescence.

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In small, community hospitals that don’t have resources for a dedicated staff to oversee the proper use of antibiotics, turning to staff pharmacists showed promise in a model study conducted by Duke Health.

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Children afflicted with medical emergencies during commercial airline trips tend to have common ailments such as vomiting, fever or allergic reactions – events that should be easily treated, according to a study led by Duke Health researchers. But few airlines stock first-aid kits with pediatric versions of therapies that would help, including liquid forms of pain relievers or allergy medications.

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Scientists studying poison ivy rashes in mice have identified two proteins and a neurotransmitter involved in poison ivy itch in mice. They could be potential drug targets that could lead to treating the aggravating itch in people.

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In adults already at a healthy weight or carrying just a few extra pounds, cutting around 300 calories a day significantly improved already good levels of cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar and other markers.

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Efforts by the FDA and some cities to limit the availability and appeal of e-cigarettes to young users could drive some existing users to smoke more tobacco cigarettes to get their fix, according to new research from Duke Health.

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About a million times a year, Americans with a torn meniscus get surgery, but certain tears don't heal well. Duke scientists have developed a scaffold from a pig’s meniscus that performed better in lab tests than healing without a scaffold.

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Duke researchers describe a previously unidentified route for antibodies to be transferred from the mother to the fetus, illuminating a potential way to capitalize on this process to control when and how certain antibodies are shared.

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Aging adults often show signs of slowing when it comes to managing their finances, such as calculating their change when paying cash or balancing an account ledger. But trouble managing money can also be a harbinger of dementia and, according to new Duke research in The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease, could be correlated to the amount of protein deposits built up in the brain.

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Hospitals that perform the highest volume of transcatheter-aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures have significantly lower mortality rates than centers that do fewer of the minimally invasive surgeries.

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A study of more than 200 people at the Duke Eye Center suggests the loss of blood vessels in the retina could signal Alzheimer’s disease.

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Results from a large, multi-center study suggest that cardiac magnetic resonance, or CMR, has potential as a non-invasive, non-toxic alternative to stress echocardiograms, catheterizations and stress nuclear exams in identifying the severity of coronary artery disease.

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A Duke Health pilot project suggests that in the near future, a blood test could show whether arteries carrying blood to the heart are narrow or blocked, a risk factor for heart disease.

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Computer-based guide aims to help families with life-and-death treatment decisions

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New research from Duke Health suggests men in their child-bearing years should consider how THC could impact their sperm and possibly the children they conceive during periods when they’ve been using the drug. Much like previous research that has shown tobacco smoke, pesticides, flame retardants and even obesity can alter sperm, the Duke research shows THC also affects epigenetics, triggering structural and regulatory changes in the DNA of users’ sperm.

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Patients with arthritis in their knees experienced significant improvement in pain and mobility after undergoing a weekly, whole-body massage for two months, according to a study led by researchers at Duke Health.

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A team led by Duke Human Vaccine Institute researchers, publishing online Dec. 11 in the journal Immunity, reported that they have filled in a portion of the roadmap toward effective neutralization of HIV, identifying the steps that a critical HIV antibody takes to develop and maintain its ability to neutralize the virus.

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Duke Health researchers have previously shown that introducing bone marrow stem cells to a bone injury can expedite healing, but the exact process was unclear. Now, the same Duke-led team believes it has pinpointed the “youth factor” inside bone marrow stem cells -- it’s the macrophage, a type of white blood cell, and the proteins it secretes that can have a rejuvenating effect on tissue. Nature Communications will publish the findings online on Dec. 5.

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Umbilical cord blood stem cells that are cultured and expanded outside the body before being used for bone marrow transplant in adult blood cancer patients appear safe and restore blood count recovery faster than standard cord blood. The findings, led by a Duke Cancer Institute researcher, advance efforts to improve cord blood use among adults who have been diagnosed with blood cancers.

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A study including health data for more than 500,000 children in the U.S. suggests obesity might be to blame for about a quarter (23 to 27 percent) of asthma in children who are obese. This could mean about 10 percent of all kids ages 2 to 17 with asthma -- almost 1 million children in the U.S. -- might have avoided the illness by maintaining a healthy weight, according to researchers at Duke University and collaborators with the National Pediatric Learning Health System (PEDSnet).

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Researchers at Duke Health, publishing in the Nov. 9 issue of the journal Science, used mouse models to track how immune cells are triggered during anaphylactic shock. They describe a previously unknown mechanism in which a newly identified immune cell basically mines the blood vessels for allergens and then utilizes an unusual mechanism for rapidly delivering the blood-borne allergens to mast cells

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People younger than age 40 who have high blood pressure are at increased risk of heart failure, strokes and blood vessel blockages as they age, according to a study in JAMA led by Duke Health.

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New research from Duke and Yale universities shows flavorings are transforming more than marketing. The chemical additives react to e-liquid, or e-juice, creating new compounds that could trigger irritation and inflammation when inhaled.

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or adults over age 65, surgical complications can dampen not only their physical health but also their mental sharpness, with more than half of high-risk cases declining into delirium. In new Duke University research, scientists show in a mouse model that a current treatment for seizures can also reverse brain inflammation, such as inflammation after surgery, and the subsequent confusion or cognitive decline that results.

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A bacterium known for causing stomach cancer might also increase the risk of certain colorectal cancers, particularly among African Americans, according to a study led by Duke Cancer Institute researchers.

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Up to two years following elective, arthroscopic hip surgery, a substantial proportion of patients reported troubling new health issues ranging from sleep problems, to arthritis to cardiovascular disease.

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In the quest to develop a vaccine that triggers the immune system to prevent HIV infection, researchers have focused on identifying and eliciting a particular type of antibody that is capable of neutralizing the virus.

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Using a clinical checklist to identify eligible patients, doctors were able to shorten the antibiotic duration for patients with uncomplicated staphylococcal bloodstream infections by nearly two days, Duke Health researchers report.

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In a study of 1,978 older adults publishing Sept. 21 in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers at Duke Health and the Duke Clinical Research Institute found people with irregular sleep patterns weighed more, had higher blood sugar, higher blood pressure, and a higher projected risk of having a heart attack or stroke within 10 years than those who slept and woke at the same times every day.

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IVF experts disagree about whether transferring a fresh or frozen embryo to a patient’s womb offers the best opportunity for healthy babies. According to a study of almost 83,000 IVF patients published August 20 in the journal Fertility and Sterility, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. The best technique may vary, depending on how many eggs the patient produces.

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Researchers at Duke Cancer Institute have tracked the missing T-cells in glioblastoma patients. They found them in abundance in the bone marrow, locked away and unable to function because of a process the brain stimulates in response to glioblastoma, to other tumors that metastasize in the brain and even to injury.

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Immune cells that normally rush in to protect the eyes from infection might actually be disrupting moisturizing glands and causing dry eye, a disease that afflicts more than 30 million people in the United States.

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A research team led by Duke Cancer Institute scientists has found that this blood cancer infiltrates the central nervous system not by breaching the blood-brain barrier, but by evading the barrier altogether.

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A genetically modified poliovirus therapy developed at Duke Cancer Institute shows significantly improved long-term survival for patients with recurrent glioblastoma, with a three-year survival rate of 21 percent in a phase 1 clinical trial.

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African-American men with advanced prostate cancer might be more responsive than white men to an anti-androgen drug and steroids, according to a study led by Duke Cancer Institute researchers.

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Contrary to current perceptions, certain African-American men with advanced prostate cancer have as good a chance of survival as white men and might actually have a small advantage, according to a new analysis of more than 8,000 patients who participated in clinical trials.

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A software tool to automatically calculate how extensively bones have been infiltrated by prostate cancer is both accurate and speedy, capturing key prognostic information related to survival and the development of symptoms over time.

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Do metastatic cancer tumors "break bad" or are they "born bad"? In a study publishing the week of May 14 scientists found that in the colorectal tumors they examined, invasive cancers are born to be bad, and this tendency can potentially be identified at early diagnosis.

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Approach could guide research for inherited blindness treatment in humans

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Women still at higher risk; new research could improve prevention

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A simple, one-page form given to patients ahead of their doctor visit can significantly improve satisfaction with the care they receive, according to a study by Duke Health researchers.

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Using chemotherapy along with aptamers -- lab-made molecules that function like antibodies -- Duke Health researchers showed that they can zero in on and kill prostate cancer tumors in mice while leaving healthy tissue unscathed.