Vital Signs Archives | Page 5 of 120

The annual Dean’s Performance Awards honor employees whose work helps the UNC School of Medicine achieve its vision of becoming the nation’s leading public school of medicine.

Published in Neuron, new research demonstrates how a high-fat diet, even short-term, can rapidly affect brain health, but there are ways to reverse this and prevent long-term cognitive decline.

The parents of twins Amelia and Makenzie Kahn, who have been battling Batten disease, a rare genetic disorder, for eight years, are now celebrating signs of progress one year into a first-in-kind clinical study at UNC Health. Led by Yael Shiloh-Malawsky, MD, the new personalized treatment, Zebronkysen, is helping to better manage the disease.

Joseph Piven, MD, the Thomas E. Castelloe Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics and director of the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities was given the award for his fundamental contributions to research on autism spectrum disorders.

Four North Carolina families share their journey in experiencing Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome, a rare condition that can result in fetal loss. Read their stories of hope, fears, and overwhelming gratitude for expert care at UNC Hospitals.

Led by UNC School of Medicine’s Weili Lin, PhD, researchers document cognitive milestones revealed in children from birth to toddlerhood in brain imaging study.

From advancing community care, pursuing competitive specialties, to becoming a first-generation student, these are the stories of four medical students as they persevered to Match Day 2025.

A study now published in Nature Communications Earth & Environment, reveals how global warming could exacerbate lung diseases by dehydrating and inflaming human airways. UNC Marsico Lung Institute members Brian Button, PhD, is senior author and Alessandra Livraghi-Butrico, PhD, is co-author.

Randomized, placebo-controlled trial finds that low-dose semaglutide reduces amount of alcohol consumption, alcohol cravings, and heavy drinking days. Reductions in cigarettes per day were also seen.

Dr. Joe Grisham passed away on January 29th, 2025. Dr. Grisham was the Chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine from 1973-1999. He oversaw the creation of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory medicine, along with Bill McLendon, conducted impactful NIH research in liver pathology, and was a recipient of the American Society of Investigative Pathology’s highest honor, the Gold-Headed Cane Award.

Lead author Chineme Enyioha, MD, MPH, and colleagues were published in BMC Public Health, aiming to design effective communication strategies to support health warning labels (HWLs) on little cigars and cigarillos (LCCs), a tobacco product increasingly popular among young adults. The study established four types of messages for the graphic HWLs: explanatory, testimonial, inquisitive, and recommendation, each illustrating the health risks tied to LCC usage.

Drug work one of “7 Medical Breakthroughs that Changed Medicine in 2024.”

Category: Vital Signs

2025 Dean’s Performance Award Winners Announced

Junk Food Puts Memory at Risk—Here’s How to Protect It

Family Experiences Unexpected Improvements of Personalized Treatment for Batten Disease

Piven Earns Prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society for Autism Research

A Fight to Bring Life into the World with Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome

Study Reveals Key Roles in Developmental Milestones of the Brain in Children

The Road to Match Day. Four Medical Students Share Their Journeys.

UNC Study Reveals Possible Effects of Air Quality Changes Associated with Global Warming on Human Airways

Semaglutide Shows Promise in Reducing Cravings for Alcohol, Heavy Drinking

Remembering Dr. Joe Grisham

Enyioha-Led Study Highlights Effective Communication Strategies to Support Health Warning Labels on Little Cigars and Cigarillos Among Young Adults

UNC ‘Breakthrough’ Research on Food Allergy Drug Featured in National Geographic