News
Experts from 80 countries cite time-limited opportunity, endorse comprehensive new Polio eradication strategy
Polio eradication is achievable and urgent, declare 400+ global scientists, doctors and experts including UNC Health Care's Dr. William L. Roper.
UNC researchers engineer 'protein switch' to dissect role of cancer’s key players
In the first application of this approach, the UNC researchers showed how a protein called Src kinase influences the way cells extend and move, a previously unknown role that is consistent with the protein’s ties to tumor progression and metastasis.
International study confirms multiple genes contribute to schizophrenia risk
By better understanding the molecular and biological mechanisms involved with schizophrenia, scientists hope to use this new genetic information to one day develop and design drugs that are more efficacious and have fewer side effects.
UNC study finds that hot and cold senses interact
This discovery has implications for how people perceive hot and cold temperatures and for why people with certain forms of chronic pain experience heightened responses to cold temperatures.
For the first time, researchers isolate adult stem cells from human intestinal tissue
The accomplishment provides a much-needed resource for scientists eager to uncover the true mechanisms of human stem cell biology. It also enables them to explore new tactics to treat inflammatory bowel disease or to ameliorate the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation, which often damage the gut.
Hepatitis A virus discovered to cloak itself in membranes hijacked from infected cells
A team led by Dr. Stanley Lemon discovered that hepatitis A virus does not have an envelope when found in the environment, but acquires one from the cells that it grows in within the liver. It circulates in the blood completely cloaked in these membranes.
Review: Few Effective, Evidence-Based Interventions to Prevent Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
The review summarizes the results of a systematic review of clinical interventions for adults exposed to at least one traumatic event such as war, a natural or manmade disaster, motor vehicle accidents, community violence, sexual assault or domestic violence.
Johnston Health selects UNC Health Care as strategic partner
On Monday, April 1, the Johnston Health Board of Commissioners announced that it is entering into exclusive negotiations for a partnership with UNC Health Care.
Newly approved blood thinner may increase susceptibility to some viral infections
A study led by UNC researchers indicates that a newly approved blood thinner that blocks a key component of the human blood clotting system may increase the risk and severity of certain viral infections, including flu and myocarditis.
African Americans experience longer delay between prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment
The study is the first published population-based examination of racial disparities in prostate cancer treatment delay.
Innate immune system can kill HIV when a viral gene is deactivated
Study published in PLoS Pathogens suggests new target for treatment and the eventual cure of HIV/AIDS
RN: Real Nurses - Bren Sparling
Bren Sparling, an RN in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, says she has always been a creative person.
UNC Health Care and High Point Regional Complete Merger
High Point Regional announced it has completed its merger with the UNC Health Care System effective April 1, 2013. “We proudly welcome High Point Regional’s trustees, physicians, staff and volunteers to the UNC Health Care team. With our shared mission and values, this partnership will further a comprehensive approach to health care that connects communities with the health care resources they need, provided by the local hospitals and doctors they trust,” said Gary Park, President, UNC Hospitals.
Sidney C. Smith, Jr. MD, receives the 2013 Joseph Stokes, III, MD Award from the American Society for Preventive Cardiology
The award honors those who have made significant contributions in the field of preventive cardiology through research, teaching, clinical activity and leadership.
Storming the gates: UNC research probes how pancreatic cancers metastasize
Researchers in the lab of Carol Otey, PhD, found that the protein palladin enhances the ability of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) to assemble organelles known as invadopodia to break down the barriers between cells and create pathways for tumors to spread throughout the body.
Smithies named to first class of the Fellows of the AACR Academy
Dr. Oliver Smithies, Weatherspoon Eminent Distinguished Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, is a 2007 Nobel Laureate whose work revolutionized research into the genetic basis of cancer.
Researchers identify genetic sequence that helps to coordinate synthesis of DNA-packaging proteins
Research conducted in fruit flies at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine has pinpointed a specific DNA sequence that both triggers the formation of the “histone locus body” and turns on all the histone genes in the entire block.
Alterations in brain activity in children at risk of schizophrenia predate onset of symptoms
Brain scans of children who have parents or siblings with the illness reveal a neural circuitry that is hyperactivated or stressed by tasks that peers with no family history of the illness seem to handle with ease.
UNC study shows how two brain areas interact to trigger divergent emotional behaviors
The findings could lead to new mental health therapies for disorders such as addiction, anxiety, and depression.
Don and Cindy Sills: Fighting Disease, Raising Awareness
A Craven County woman is diagnosed with a rare soft-tissue cancer on her 35th wedding anniversary. Together, she and her husband are raising awareness about cancer while she fights the disease.
