Category Health & Wellness
Stem cell advance yields mature heart muscle cells
A team of University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers has induced human embryonic stem cells (hESC) to differentiate toward pure-population, mature heart muscle cells, or cardiomyocytes.
Wisconsin Partnership funds five new studies
Five researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (UWSMPH) have received grants through the Wisconsin Partnership Program’s New Investigator Program.
Students to vote on campus recreational sports improvements
A significant upgrade to the campus’ heavily used recreational sports facilities will be one of the options facing students during the University of Wisconsin–Madison spring student elections, held March 3-5.
UW-Madison scientists to use high-density EEGs to benefit epilepsy patients
University of Wisconsin researchers pioneered the use of high-density electro-encephalograph (HD-EEG) technology to study sleep patterns and the effects of meditation. With support from a local grassroots organization, Lily's Fund for Epilepsy Research, UW–Madison researchers will now evaluate how this advanced technology might benefit people with epilepsy.
Spinoff joins fight against prostate cancer
A spinoff business launched by a University of Wisconsin–Madison cancer researcher is attempting to harness the human immune system to fight prostate cancer.
Article by UW–Madison expert highlights 50th anniversary of surgeon general’s smoking report
An article co-authored by the University of Wisconsin–Madison's Dr. Michael Fiore marking the 50th anniversary of the first U.S. Surgeon General's report on smoking was published Tuesday by the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Documentary connects multiple sclerosis, Vikings and Nordic skiing
Multiple sclerosis (MS), a neurological disease that affects more than 400,000 Americans, attacks the nervous system and causes many symptoms, including difficulty moving. But many who suffer from the disease defy its effects by maintaining an active lifestyle.
Study reveals gene expression changes with meditation
With evidence growing that meditation can have beneficial health effects, scientists have sought to understand how these practices physically affect the body.
Researchers discover early step in blood stem cell development
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) researchers have discovered a very early regulatory event that controls the production of blood stem cells and the adult blood system.
New look identifies crucial clumping of diabetes-causing proteins
People get type 2 diabetes. So do cats. But rats don’t, and neither do dogs. Subtle differences in the shape of proteins protect some and endanger others.
Discovery sheds light on how changes in lungs can hurt the heart
A team of University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers has discovered important biomechanical changes in human arteries that could increase understanding of how pulmonary hypertension leads to heart failure.
WARF Innovation Award winners offer a better oat, infection disrupter
A new oat offering tasty ways to lower cholesterol and compounds capable of disrupting serious bacterial infections earned top honors in this year's Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation Innovation Awards program.
Zinc discovery may shed light on Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have made a discovery that, if replicated in humans, suggests a shortage of zinc may contribute to diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, which have been linked to defective proteins clumping together in the brain.
John Hawks explores how celiac disease evolved
Celiac disease is an evolutionary paradox, says University of Wisconsin–Madison anthropologist John Hawks.
Statewide poll demonstrates overwhelming support for healthy choices
Transform Wisconsin today released findings of a statewide public opinion poll on attitudes toward healthy living and disease prevention. The survey of 600 likely voters in Wisconsin was conducted from Aug. 1-3 by Public Opinion Strategies.
Microbiome and human health workshop
The opportunity to couple this emerging field and a traditional strength of UW–Madison — large longitudinal studies such as the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study; the Beaver Dam Eye Study; MIDUS, Midlife in the United States; and the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort — will be explored in a small, one-day workshop to be sponsored by the Center for Demography of Health and Aging and the Center for Demography and Ecology.
UW Health and VA will work together to improve veterans’ health
The UW program will receive $1.9 million from the VA to participate in a project called Sustainable Engaged Relationships for Veterans Integrative Clinical Education (SERVICE) to work with clinicians in the VA on how to change the way they practice medicine from a focus on disease to a focus on the whole health of the veteran.
Tasty Solution: Better beverages for people who have trouble swallowing
After having a stroke in 2008, Jan Blume lost the ability to swallow for two full years. As she slowly regained that vital function, she faced a new challenge: drinking the thickened beverages that are recommended for people with swallowing problems, or dysphagia. She found the drinks almost intolerable.
Tuberculosis genomes portray secrets of pathogen’s success
By any measure, tuberculosis (TB) is a wildly successful pathogen. It infects as many as two billion people in every corner of the world, with a new infection of a human host estimated to occur every second.