Category: Health

Members of the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery discussed design plans Monday to add a new University of Wisconsin research building that would host various projects and programs to enhance human health.

The project will cost approximately $150 million, split evenly among the state of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, and John and Tashia Morgridge, according to Carl Gulbrandsen, chair of the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery.

Researchers from the UW-Madison have identified a key step that the avian flu virus would have to take to be able to transmit easily from person to person — which could result in an international pandemic.

The researchers, led by internationally known virologist Yoshihiro Kawaoka, have identified a single change in a viral protein that facilitates the virus’ ability to infect the cells of the upper respiratory system in mammals.

By adapting to the upper respiratory system, the virus could infect a wider range of cell types and would be more easily spread.

Dr. John Kuo, a UW Hospital brain surgeon, knows all too well what frequently happens after he removes a cancerous tumor from a patient.

The tumor grows back, despite post-surgery radiation and chemotherapy.

Researchers have identified a new reason for such recurrences: cancer stem cells.

A new study supports the effectiveness of an innovative form of colonoscopy that relies on a CT scanner that’s sent through a patient’s colon.

When it comes to detecting polyps that might become malignant, this so-called “virtual colonoscopy” is just as effective as the traditional approach of using a fiber-optic device, explained study lead Dr. David Kim, assistant professor of radiology at the University of Wisconsin.

NEW YORK – Having an X-ray to look for signs of colon cancer may soon be an option for those who dread the traditional scope exam.

Two of the largest studies yet of “virtual colonoscopy” show the experimental technique works just as well at spotting potentially cancerous growths as the more invasive method.

“This is ready for prime time,” said Dr. Perry Pickhardt, one of the researchers at the University of Wisconsin Medical School who are reporting the results in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine.

Dear Editor: In addition to the ethical issues raised by animal research, more and more members of the medical research community are calling attention to the fundamental problems with animal experiments (“Doc: Testing on animals obsolete”).

As a neurologist and public health specialist, I know there is ample evidence that underscores the urgent need to move away from using animals in research.

Dear Editor: At a public debate on Sept. 26, Dr. Ray Greek made the argument, supported by much data and clear logic, that animal research does not and cannot help us cure human disease or find safe and effective drugs for humans. His debate opponent, Eric Sandgren from the UW-Madison, failed to present a meaningful rebuttal.

NEW YORK — The more educated you are, the less likely you are to become chronically ill or disabled, but the amount of money you make plays a bigger role in whether your illness progresses, a new study shows.

Based on the findings, the most effective single policy strategy for improving health might be to make higher education more accessible, Dr. Pamela Herd of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the study’s lead author, told Reuters Health.

Virtually nothing stirs up the human emotions more than the practice of using animals in medical and scientific experiments that have become so commonplace on many of our university campuses.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is no exception. Scientists there experiment on everything from pigs to monkeys in researching the causes and cures for human disease.

The UW-Madison conducted research on the deadly Ebola virus in 2005 and 2006 in a lower-level security facility than is recommended until the National Institutes of Health told the university to stop.

John Hammond, director of the Sunshine Project, a watchdog group for biological research, said Wednesday that researchers at the University of Wisconsin made and manipulated copies of the entire Ebola virus genome without proper safety precautions.

Many patients don ‘t do what science says they should, from people at risk for heart disease taking aspirin to prevent heart attacks to men taking drugs to stave off osteoporosis, a bone disease.

A $41 million federal grant awarded to UW-Madison aims to bridge such gaps by improving the way campus discoveries are spread to the public.

The National Institutes of Health has awarded the UW-Madison Medical School a $41 million grant to help get medical research findings to patients more quickly.

The goal of the effort, known as translational research, is to move biomedical and health sciences discoveries into practical use in doctors’ offices, clinics and hospitals, where the knowledge can be used more rapidly and effectively to improve people’s health, officials said.

Why do 10 million Americans carry the genetic mutation that causes cystic fibrosis, even though they don’t have the frequently fatal lung disease?

The answer could lie in 2,500-year-old bones from Europe being tested at the State Laboratory of Hygiene.

An international effort, led by Dr. Phil Farrell, a pediatric pulmonologist from UW-Madison, is analyzing bones from ancient Celtic people.

Why should Wisconsin invest millions of dollars to build and operate a UW school of public health in Milwaukee, when a school of public health already exists at UW-Madison?

That question should prompt lawmakers to delete from the state budget a proposal to spend $500,000 on planning for a UW-Milwaukee school of public health and to deny the university ‘s request to start hiring faculty and staff.