Health and medicine
August 22, 2012
Low-dose sedative alleviates autistic-like behavior in mice with Dravet syndrome mutation
UW researchers have found that a low dose of the sedative clonazepam alleviated autistic-like behavior in mice with a mutation that causes Dravet syndrome in humans.
August 20, 2012
Molecular and protein markers predict liver transplant failure in hepatitis C patients
Researchers have discovered molecular and protein signatures that predict rapid onset of liver damage in hepatitis C patients following a liver transplant. The markers appeared soon after transplant and well before clinical evidence of liver damage. Such early detection of susceptibility to hepatitis C virus-induced liver injury could lead to more personalized monitoring and treatment…
August 7, 2012
Study to identify best blood transfusion practices for trauma patients
UW medical researchers are launching a study to help determine which of the two most common blood product combinations provide the best outcomes for trauma patients who require massive blood transfusions. Dr. Eileen Bulger, UW professor of surgery and chief of trauma at Harborview Medical Center, is the principal investigator for the clinical study. The…
August 5, 2012
Muscle cell grafts keep broken hearts from breaking rhythm
Researchers have made a major advance in efforts to regenerate damaged hearts. They discovered that transplanted heart muscle cells, grown from stem cells, electrically couple and beat in sync with the heart’s own mucle. The grafts also reduced the incidence of arrhythmias (irregular heart rhythms) in a guinea pig model of myocardial infarction (commonly known…
August 3, 2012
Americans gaining more weight than they say
Despite the increasing awareness of the problem of obesity in the United States, most Americans don’t know whether they are gaining or losing weight, according to new research from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, also known at IHME, at the University of Washington. Obesity increased in the U.S. between 2008 and 2009, but…
August 1, 2012
UW researchers urge integrating deworming into HIV care in Africa
HIV care centers are an important and highly accessed point of care for HIV-infected children and their families in sub-Saharan Africa, but opportunities to address other health issues are being missed. Proven interventions, including routine deworming among children, could be effectively integrated into HIV care according to a new paper by University of Washington researchers…
July 27, 2012
Seattle researchers to engineer kidney tissue chip for predicting drug safety
Seattle researchers will be part of the new federal initiative to engineer 3-dimensional chips containing living cells and tissues that imitate the structure and function of human organs. These tissue chips will be used for drug safety testing. Tissue chips merge techniques from the computer industry with those from bioengineering by combining miniature models of…
July 26, 2012
Chemical makes blind mice see
A chemical that temporarily restores some vision to blind mice has been discovered. Its discoverers are working on an improved compound that may someday allow people with degenerative blindness to see again. Read the paper in Neuron News release on earlier study A team of UW Medicine researchers, in collaboration with scientists at the University of California, Berkeley,…
July 20, 2012
UW Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center take top two spots in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals state, metro rankings
U.S. News latest hospital rankings UW Medicine’s two academic medical centers are ranked the best in the region and the state of Washington in U.S. News & World Report’s 2012 edition of America’s Best Hospitals. UW Medical Center holds the No. 1 rank and Harborview Medical Center is No. 2 out of 35 hospitals in the…
July 17, 2012
UW Medicine hospitals ranked best in region, state
July 13, 2012
UW Medicine opens comprehensive Multiple Sclerosis Center at Northwest Hospital
The public is invited to an open house from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday July 21 at the facility, which has one of the regions strongest concentrations of MSspecialists.
June 11, 2012
Offspring of older fathers may live longer
Study suggests life-extending benefits of longer telomeres if recent male ancestors reproduced at older ages.
June 4, 2012
New statistical model lets patient’s past forecast future ailments
Analyzing medical records from thousands of patients, statisticians have devised a statistical model for predicting what other medical problems a patient might encounter.
May 28, 2012
Engineered microvessels provide a 3-D test bed for human diseases
Bioengineers have developed the first structure to grow small human blood vessels, creating a 3-D test bed that offers a better way to study disease, test drugs and perhaps someday grow human tissues for transplant.
May 17, 2012
Slew of rare DNA changes following population explosion holds clues to common diseases
Scientists try to find which single-letter switches in the genetic code influence health risks.
May 9, 2012
Portable diagnostics designed to be shaken, not stirred
A textured surface mimics a lotus leaf to move drops of liquid in particular directions. The low-cost system could be used in portable medical or environmental tests.
April 26, 2012
Cells in blood vessel found to cling more tightly in regions of rapid flow
The cells that line the pipes leading to the heart pull more tightly together in areas of fast-flowing blood. The cells’ mechanical response to their environment could aid understanding of heart disease.
April 4, 2012
Autism mutations, scattered across genes, merge into network of interactions
New findings on the molecular biology of autism spectrum disorders are reported today in Nature.
UW leads NIH-funded consortium to train global health researchers
The UW is one of five consortia of colleges and universities to receive National Institutes of Health funding to foster the next generation of global health scientists.
March 19, 2012
Pediatricians' pain-medication judgments affected by unconscious racial bias, says UW study
Pediatricians who showed an unconscious preference for European Americans tended to prescribe better pain-management for white patients than they did for African-American patients, new UW research shows.
March 8, 2012
Study shows benefit of gun cabinets in homes in Alaskan villages
Installing a gun cabinet dramatically reduces unlocked guns and ammunition in the home, according to a study in rural Alaska villages.
January 30, 2012
Ferroelectric switching discovered for first time in soft biological tissue
The walls of the aorta, the largest blood vessel carrying blood from the heart, exhibits a response to electric fields known to exist in inorganic and synthetic materials. The discovery could have implications for treating human heart disease.
January 12, 2012
Surgical robots to provide open-source platform for medical robotics research
Seven identical robots created and built at the UW will be flown to campuses across the country, where they will provide the first common research platform to develop the future of surgical robotics. The robots will be display Friday at an open house.
December 7, 2011
Device promises nutrition diagnosis in minutes
A new plasma pencil promises to give nutrition status in minutes that used to take 24 hours, and could improve health in developing world.
October 31, 2011
Children of deployed military at greater risk of engaging in violent behavior
Adolescent boys with at least one parent in the military are at elevated risk of engaging in school-based physical fighting, carrying a weapon and joining a gang, according to researchers at the University of Washingtons School of Public Health.
October 25, 2011
Movember is coming
Movember—the “mo” stands for moustache—is an international month-long event aimed at increasing awareness of the cancers that men face.
October 18, 2011
The UW’s next generation of infertility treatment
Scientific advances are assisting prospective parents unable to to have children on their own. Also emerging are methods to try to protect a young person’s ability to make a baby in the future.
Urology aims to get ‘Lean, improve patient care
Urology Department Chairman Hunter Wessells, Dr. Bill Ellis, Clinic Manager Nancy Eberhardt and Dr. Tom Walsh are leading a quality improvement project to improve patient and staff satisfaction.
August 15, 2011
UW Medicine study finds caffeine guards against certain ultraviolet-induced skin cancers at molecular level
Caffeine guards against certain skin cancers at the molecular level, according to a study appearing online August 15, 2011, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
August 5, 2011
Around the world, with medical genetics
Mercy Laurino, a graduate student in the Institute for Public Health Genetics, has had an illustrious career at a young age. She was part of a team -— including collaborators from Seattle Children’s — that helped launch the Pediatric Neurogenetics Clinic at the UW Center on Human Development and Disability in November 2005.
August 4, 2011
Consumers who follow federal nutrition guidelines may have higher food costs, UW researchers say
If you try to eat healthier these days, and follow federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans, its likely that youre eating more vegetables, fruits, whole grains and low-fat dairy products. It also means that your grocery bill is increasing, according to University of Washington researchers from the Center for Public Health Nutrition.
July 14, 2011
UW will lead $18.5 million effort to create mind-machine interface
The National Science Foundation today announced an $18.5 million grant to establish an Engineering Research Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering based at the UW. The interdisciplinary center will combine neuroscience and robotics to develop new rehabilitation technologies.
July 12, 2011
Wireless power could cut cord for patients with implanted heart pumps
A new system to send electricity over short distances has been shown to reliably power a mechanical heart pump. The system could free patients from being tethered to a battery or external power source, lowering their chance of infection and improving their quality of life.
May 16, 2011
Digital imaging software creates a ‘Google Earth view of the bladder
A more automated approach to bladder exams could be cheaper, more comfortable and more convenient. The system would use the UWs ultrathin laser endoscope, which is like a thin piece of cooked spaghetti, in combination with software that automatically creates a 3-D panorama of the bladder interior.
April 4, 2011
High dose of oxygen enhances natural cancer treatment
An environment of pure oxygen at three-and-a-half times normal air pressure adds significantly to the effectiveness of a natural compound already shown to kill cancerous cells.
March 14, 2011
UW study finds adolescent alcohol use associated with altered ability to evaluate risk
A new study from researchers at the UW concludes that adolescent alcohol use corrupts decision-making later in life.
December 1, 2010
Prostate cancer: To screen or not to screen
To make an informed choice, men should consider the limits of prostate cancer screening and what they would do if test results are positive.
November 24, 2010
Finger-trap tension stabilizes cells’ chromosome-separating machinery
Scientists have discovered an amazingly simple way that cells stabilize their machinery for forcing apart chromosomes.
November 1, 2010
Molecular imaging and therapy center to develop, commercialize technologies
Ultrasound could soon be a way for spotting cancerous cells before a tumor develops, precisely monitoring how a person responds to treatment or delivering genetic therapies.
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