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Tag Health & medicine

Documentary connects multiple sclerosis, Vikings and Nordic skiing

December 12, 2013

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. Read More

Poverty influences children’s early brain development

December 11, 2013

Poverty may have direct implications for important, early steps in the development of the brain, saddling children of low-income families with slower rates of growth in two key brain structures, according to researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Read More

Tip: The 12 days of experts

December 11, 2013

For many, the holiday season brings joy, fun and cookies. Lots of cookies. Read More

Study reveals gene expression changes with meditation

December 4, 2013

With evidence growing that meditation can have beneficial health effects, scientists have sought to understand how these practices physically affect the body. Read More

Researchers discover early step in blood stem cell development

December 2, 2013

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. Read More

Rare disease yields clues about broader brain pathology

November 20, 2013

Alexander disease is a devastating brain disease that almost nobody has heard of — unless someone in the family is afflicted with it. Alexander disease strikes young or old, and in children destroys white matter in the front of the brain. Many patients, especially those with early onset, have significant intellectual disabilities. Read More

New look identifies crucial clumping of diabetes-causing proteins

November 11, 2013

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. Read More

Discovery sheds light on how changes in lungs can hurt the heart

November 8, 2013

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. Read More

Mackie’s goal: use what we’ve learned to help humanity

November 4, 2013

The Wisconsin Institute for Discovery's monthly Tools for Discovery profile features Rock Mackie, director of the medical devices research group at the Morgridge Institute for Research. Read More

WARF Innovation Award winners offer a better oat, infection disrupter

October 18, 2013

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. Read More

Zinc discovery may shed light on Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s

September 30, 2013

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. Read More

John Hawks explores how celiac disease evolved

September 25, 2013

Celiac disease is an evolutionary paradox, says University of Wisconsin–Madison anthropologist John Hawks. Read More

Statewide poll demonstrates overwhelming support for healthy choices

September 16, 2013

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. Read More

UW-Madison alumnus wins major award for exploring chemistry of the nervous system

September 11, 2013

Richard Scheller, who graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison with a B.S. in biochemistry in 1974, has shared the 2013 Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research for work explaining how messenger chemicals move between nerve cells. Read More

Microbiome and human health workshop

August 29, 2013

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. Read More

UW Health and VA will work together to improve veterans’ health

August 28, 2013

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. Read More

Tasty Solution: Better beverages for people who have trouble swallowing

August 23, 2013

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. Read More

Tuberculosis genomes portray secrets of pathogen’s success

August 21, 2013

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. Read More

Q&A: Adjusting sleep to school start

August 20, 2013

Getting ready for school includes shopping for new clothes, pencils and notebooks, but there’s another critical step parents can take to get their kids ready: focus on sleep. Read More