In a powerful demonstration of how animal research can help humans, a pair of scientific teams is reporting the discovery of a deafness gene in mice that led to the identification of similar genetic defects in people with hearing loss.
A new $10 million grant will help develop medical-imaging scans that may tell future cancer patients where their tumors are, how fast their cancer is growing, what genes have mutated, what treatments might work best, and how they're responding to treatment.
Scientists at the U-M Medical School have found neural crest stem cells -- primitive cells that generate the peripheral nervous system -- in the gut of adult laboratory rats. The U-M discovery upsets the belief that neural crest stem cells disappear before birth.
Results of a new University of Michigan study suggest that junk DNA, dismissed by many scientists as mere strings of meaningless genetic code, could have a darker side -- possibly knocking out genes or creating devastating mutations.
A new study shows that a gene linked to one eye disease, retinitis pigmentosa, also causes a form of macular degeneration. The finding raises an intriguing question: How can a single gene cause two very different eye diseases, each affecting a different segment of vision?
A protein that interacts with the gene for Huntington's disease could also help physicians diagnose and more effectively treat patients with two of the most common and deadly forms of cancer, according to a new University of Michigan study.
If hearing loss runs in your family and the doctor says it's otosclerosis, it may be important to see a genetic counselor as well as a surgeon, according to new research from the University of Michigan Medical School.
A new $750,000 gift to the University of Michigan Depression Center will accelerate new programs to help people with depression get the treatment they need, and sow the seeds for a potential future network of depression centers across the United States.
In 1999, the Institute of Medicine's scathing report on the deadly toll of medical errors spurred a movement to increase patient safety. Now, a new book picks up where the IOM left off, diagnosing the causes of errors and offering new ways to think about them.
An innovative new video teaches about the dangers of fire through the first-person stories of children and teens who have suffered painful burn injuries. Now, it has won a prestigious national award for educational films and is available to schools nationwide.
Along with space suits, freeze-dried food and barf bags, tomorrow's astronauts may travel with nanomolecular devices inside their white blood cells to detect early signs of damage from dangerous radiation or infection.
An artificial lung that uses tiny hollow fibers and the heart's own pumping power to oxygenate blood is showing promise in pre-clinical studies, and may reach clinical trials in a year. And a new survey of lung transplant programs shows such a device is badly needed.
A new brain study confirms what fibromyalgia patients have told skeptical doctors for years: They're really in pain. In fact, they feel severe pain, and have measurable pain signals in their brains, from a gentle finger squeeze that barely feels unpleasant to others.
University of Michigan scientists reported this week that they have discovered how graft-versus-host disease, a common and deadly complication of life-saving bone marrow transplants, attacks and often kills its victims.
A new study looks at why some physicians are willing to lie to insurance companies in order for their patients to receive medical treatment. The higher the "hassle factor" of the insurer's appeal process, the larger the number of physicians willing to lie.
Emergency room physicians can deliver clot-busting drugs to appropriate stroke patients as quickly and safely as dedicated stroke teams, a new study finds. But patients are still taking too long to get to the ER and receive the clotbusting drugs in time.
Many hospitals test newborn babies' hearing, but such programs don't catch every child, ensure follow-up care or spot late-onset hearing loss. Now, a new Michigan program aims to address those issues and ensure early detection and treatment for all kids with hearing loss.
Junk DNA is the Rodney Dangerfield of the genetics world. It makes up nearly half of all human DNA, but many scientists dismiss it as useless gibberish. A new study, however, suggests that segments of junk DNA called LINE-1 elements deserve more respect.
Across the U.S., more kids are going to hospital ERs than ever, and many visits are for non-urgent problems. But new data show that providing Medicaid through HMOs may be helping reverse some trends, narrowing gaps between Medicaid kids and privately insured ones.
A e-mail system that "triages" messages from patients to their doctors can help overcome concerns that doctors have about electronic communication, and increase the amount and quality of communication between providers and patients. But it's not perfect.
Colonoscopy rates have increased 20 percent since Katie Couric had her live, on-air cancer screening, University of Michigan researchers report. The results the show the power of having a celebrity spokesperson draw attention to a disease.
A new, innovative, hospital-based program being launched nationally this week could help prevent fire-setting and accidental burns among America's children and teens, reducing the devastating effect that arson and fire currently have on the nation's property and health.
A new laboratory study suggests that a tiny protein called RhoC found in breast tumors could be used as an early warning system, potentially spotting dangerously aggressive breast cancer before it begins to spread, and identifying the need for aggressive treatment.
The University of Michigan Medical School is one of the 10 best research-oriented medical schools in the country, according to the annual "Best Graduate Schools" rankings released by U.S. News & World Report.
High levels of leptin, a hormone produced by fat cells in the body, could explain why obese people develop dangerous blood clots -- which can cause heart attacks and strokes -- more often than people who are not overweight.
Using the power of advanced DNA microarray technology, scientists have found a gene that triggers production of large amounts of a specific protein in cancerous prostate cells. The protein is present only in malignant cells and is easily visible when stained.
Faced with skyrocketing health insurance costs, many companies are looking seriously at new health benefit plans, such as medical savings accounts and "defined contributions". This emerging trend will be discussed at an April 12 forum at the Univ. of Michigan.
Biomedical researchers at U-Michigan Medical School received a record $213M in funding from the NIH in federal fiscal year 2001, making the school eighth in the nation and third among public universities in total NIH grants. Last year, U-M Medical School was ranked number 10; this is the first time the school has achieved the eighth-ranked position.
Nearly three-quarters of heart patients surveyed in a new study used some kind of alternative medicine approach to help them heal. But dietary supplements chosen by one-third of them could interact with their heart medications to raise their risk of health problems.
Despite huge advances in heart attack care in recent years, many American heart attack victims never get all the tests, treatments and counseling they should. But a new study at 10 Michigan hospitals shows there may be a way to close this gap, through simple reminders.
Children who snore often are nearly twice as likely to have attention and hyperactivity problems, and the link is strong for other sleep problems, a new study finds. The results provide some of the most solid evidence ever of a link between sleep and behavior.
A new study by University of Michigan scientists shows that germination of anthrax spores requires the coordinated activity of several genes, receptor proteins and amino acids in at least two simultaneous signaling pathways.
U-M Medical School launches a 3-tiered approach to CAM education. A $1.5M, five-year NIH grant funds a CAM learning thread into M.D. program, a graduate sequence in holistic health and healing, and creates a CAM faculty development program.
When it comes to cooling the burning pain of gastritis, reducing the amount of acid in the stomach may seem like a good idea. But two new studies with laboratory mice, conducted by scientists at the U-M Medical School, indicate it could be exactly the wrong thing to do.
Movie critics and audiences are applauding "A Beautiful Mind", whose central character has schizophrenia. But the film may achieve a higher purpose than entertainment, one expert says: it could raise the public's awareness about a common but overlooked mental illness.
Internet sites devoted to melanoma may seem trustworthy, but the information they provide is often only skin-deep. In fact, the majority of sites have incomplete facts about the potentially deadly form of skin cancer, and about one in eight had an inaccuracy.
New U-M Medical School Program helps students value patients' cultural differences, appreciate the impact of culture, spirituality and other uniquely personal attributes on health and healing, recognize the role of communication in treating patients.
Patients whose overall health is good - aside from clogged arteries - do fine if they have a bypass at a hospital that does less than 200 of the operations a year. But moderate- and high-risk patients, such as those with diabetes, should be sure to seek out a major hospital.
Some doctors who care for children are expressing concerns that a new vaccine is too expensive, adds yet another injection to infants' already vaccine-heavy office visits, and initially wasn't covered by many insurers, creating an unequal situation for some kids.
More than 40 percent of randomly surveyed physicians say they would help execute a prisoner by lethal injection, despite the fact that their acts would go against their sworn oath and the guidance of nearly all major professional societies, a new study finds.
The nation's first comprehensive center devoted to treatment, research and education in depression will be established at the University of Michigan Health System, pending approval by the U-M Regents on Nov. 15.
Oxygen may be good for you, but it's not so great for your stem cells. A new study shows that exposure to oxygen levels in a typical laboratory can kill stem cells, slow growth and trigger an alternate developmental pathway that converts pre-muscle cells into fat cells.
Scientists report that they have found a gene for a rare leg weakening nerve disease that robs children of their ability to walk - a finding that opens the door to better diagnosis and treatment of the disorder, and to insights into other spinal cord problems.
Many Americans now pay a few dollars each time they go to the pharmacy - a small "copayment" to cover part of the prescription. Now, researchers say, the time is right for "benefit-based" copays that will help get medications to those who need them most.
Absence of a genetic mutation that protects people from HIV infection could be a major factor responsible for the current AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a new model developed by University of Michigan scientists.
A new study from the University of Michigan Medical School offers scientists their first look at the genetic and molecular profile of prostate cancer.
The University of Michigan and the World Health Organization are co-sponsoring a scientific symposium, "State-of-the-Art Telemedicine/ Telehealth: An International Perspective" to set the direction for telemedicine on a local, regional, national and international scale.
A dramatic rise in the utilization of prescription drugs, especially newly introduced ones, is the biggest reason for double-digit increases in the overall cost of prescription drugs for American workers - not inflation in the price of established drugs.
A unique experiment that studied chemical activity in the brains of human volunteers while they experienced sustained pain and reported how they felt is providing new insights into the body's natural painkiller system - and why each of us experiences pain differently.
Elderly people who have recently had treatment for cancer need more care from family members, which translates nationally into an often-overlooked cost of nearly $1 billion a year, a new study finds.
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