Tag School of Medicine and Public Health

In young mice, gregariousness seems to reside in the genes

April 4, 2007

In a groundbreaking study, researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison have found evidence that social interactions among young mice result from basic motivations to be with one another. What's more, the researchers say, the extent of a young mouse's gregariousness is influenced by its genetic background.

Stem cell therapy shows promise for rescuing deteriorating vision

March 28, 2007

For the millions of Americans whose vision is slowly ebbing due to degenerative diseases of the eye, the lowly neural progenitor cell may be riding to the rescue.

Study focuses on closing school achievement gap

March 13, 2007

Despite decades of interventions and billions of dollars spent, a large gap in school achievement stubbornly persists between underprivileged children and their more advantaged peers. With funding from the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery seed grant program, UW–Madison scientists will now bring their collective expertise to bear on one important, but overlooked, cause of this troubling problem.

UW launches study testing adult stem cells for heart damage repair

March 12, 2007

The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health is among the first medical centers in the country taking part in a novel clinical trial investigating if a subject's own stem cells can treat a form of severe coronary artery disease.

Study looks at benefits of two cochlear implants in deaf children

February 13, 2007

Nature has outfitted us with a pair of ears for good reason: having two ears enhances hearing. University of Wisconsin–Madison scientists are now examining whether this is also true for the growing numbers of deaf children who've received not one, but two, cochlear implants to help them hear.

Fragile X protein may play role in Alzheimer’s disease

February 13, 2007

A brain afflicted by severe Alzheimer's disease is a sad sight, a wreck of tangled neural connections and organic rubble as the lingering evidence of a fierce internal battle. A new study has now uncovered an unexpected link between this devastating neural degeneration and a protein whose absence causes a different neurological disease - the inherited mental retardation disorder called fragile X syndrome.

Medical School announces findings in diabetes therapy

November 3, 2004

Forty-two years ago, Dan Quigley injected his first insulin shot to treat his Type 1 (juvenile) diabetes, a routine repeated three times a day, every day until recently. On Oct. 29, the 55-year-old Door County man stood with Medical School physicians Luis Fernandez and Jon Odorico to announce that he is finally insulin-free after receiving the first islet cell transplant performed in the state. Quigley had the transplant in 2002.

Obesity, smoking and inactivity top health concerns

January 14, 2003

In a recent informal poll of UW Health primary care experts, obesity, smoking and inactivity were ranked the health problems most patients need to take seriously. Depression, diabetes and hypertension were not far behind. The good news: tackling even one of these problems will likely improve your health in several areas.