Category Health & Wellness
As ticks expand, new areas may become prone to Lyme disease
Last summer, after returning home from a walk in Madison's Dudgeon-Monroe neighborhood, Susan Paskewitz was astonished to find a deer tick crawling up her dog's hind leg. It was the first time Paskewitz, a University of Wisconsin–Madison entomologist, had collected a tick in the city. Within the month, she learned of two other such cases.
HealthDay writer named biomedical writer in residence
HealthDay writer Amanda Gardner has already made the transition many other journalists now face — from writing for the print media to the virtual world. Gardner will be the School of Medicine and Public Health’s biomedical writer in residence the week of March 30.
Predicting the future spread of infectious-disease vectors
As global warming raises concerns about potential spread of infectious diseases, a team of researchers has demonstrated a way to predict the expanding range of human disease vectors in a changing world.
Patient-derived induced stem cells retain disease traits
When neurons started dying in Clive Svendsen's lab dishes, he couldn't have been more pleased. The dying cells - the same type lost in patients with the devastating neurological disease spinal muscular atrophy - confirmed that the University of Wisconsin–Madison stem cell biologist had recreated the hallmarks of a genetic disorder in the lab, using stem cells derived from a patient.
Will the economy prompt greater use of generic drugs?
The expense of the daily dose of medicine is a bitter pill for many Americans. Yet, more than half of those taking prescription drugs are not taking advantage of an economical option: generic drugs.
For food industry leaders, a meeting worth its salt
It's no secret that Americans eat too much salt, a habit linked to numerous health problems. At first glance, the solution seems simple: stop eating so much of the stuff. But, as it turns out, salt-a.k.a. sodium chloride-can't easily be cut from the American diet.
Family medicine increases visibility through YouTube channel
The Department of Family Medicine (DFM) has further broadened its online presence by launching an expanded channel, http://www.youtube.com/WIFamilyMedicine.
Can love change your mind? New project explores neuroscience of ‘positive qualities’
What is happening in the minds of people who have developed a greater capacity for forgiveness and compassion? Can a quality like love — whether it’s shown toward a family member or a friend — be neurologically measured in the brain? A new research project at UW–Madison offers the opportunity to apply hard science to these seemingly ethereal questions.
Professor tracks mosquitoes for the sake of public health
Under a cloud of mosquitoes on a muggy June morning, Susan Paskewitz sits down in the grass, rolls up her pant leg and extends her calf as bait.
The biology of obesity: Do these genes make me look fat?
Scientists are probing the complex relationship between our DNA and our diets to unravel the root causes of obesity. But for those seeking a simple solution to the worldwide fat epidemic, their answers may be hard to swallow.