Thursday, January 30, 2020
UMSOM Pediatric Infectious Disease Experts Sound Alarm Over Risk of Outbreaks in U.S. Border Detention Centers
Over the past year, at least seven children have died from diseases including influenza while being detained by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency. Infectious disease experts at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) called for protections like influenza vaccinations to prevent serious outbreaks.
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
University of Maryland School of Medicine Mobilizes Virus Experts to prepare for Potential Coronavirus Outbreak
As public health officials around the world are monitoring a new coronavirus strain (2019-nCoV) first identified in the Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) is mobilizing its physicians and scientists in the UMSOM’s Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD), and in its Department of Microbiology & Immunology, to study the virus and test potential vaccines and other therapies. In addition, the UMSOM is collaborating with the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) on rapid response and preparedness planning in the event of a growing outbreak.
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
What Does the Future Hold for Gene Editing Technologies?
University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) will be holding an expert panel today with Harvard Medical School Dean George Daley, MD, PhD, and UMSOM Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, to confront the promise and peril of the gene editing technology CRISPR. While the innovative technology holds enormous potential for treating and curing diseases caused by genetic mutations, it is also fraught with controversy as scientists and medical experts debate the full ethical implications of editing the genomes of human embryos to permanently alter the human species.
Monday, January 27, 2020
UM School of Medicine's Shock, Trauma and Anesthesiology Research (STAR) Center Announces Leadership Transition
University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, announced today that the UMSOM”s Shock, Trauma and Anesthesiology Research (STAR) Center will begin the next phase of its history with new leadership.
Thursday, January 16, 2020
University of Maryland School of Medicine Research Shows That Older Patients With Untreated Sleep Apnea Need Greater Medical Care
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common and costly medical condition leading to a wide range of health risks such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, depression, diabetes and even premature death. Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) found that the medical costs are substantially higher among older adults who go untreated for the disorder.
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
New Nanoparticle Therapy Appears More Effective Than Standard Therapy at Treating Aggressive Breast Cancer
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) developed a new nanoparticle drug formulation that targets a specific receptor on cancer cells and appears to be more effective than a standard nanoparticle therapy currently on the market to treat metastatic breast cancer, according to a study published today in the journal Science Advances. The new ‘DART’ nanoparticles bypass healthy cells and tissues and bind to tumor cells, dispersing evenly throughout the tumor while releasing the chemotherapy drug paclitaxel.
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Dr. Andrea Meredith’s Research is the Cover Story in The Physiologist Magazine
One night just before bed in August 2018, Andrea Meredith, PhD, was reading the New York Times Magazine on her iPad when she came across an article about a six-year-old girl in South Dakota named Kamiyah who had a mysterious disorder. Over 300 times a day, the little girl would fall or slump forward, with large portions of her body paralyzed. An episode would last anywhere from three to 20 seconds. Then, suddenly, she would pop back up and resume whatever she was doing. The article mentioned that Kamiyah had paroxysmal dyskinesia, a type of movement disorder. But the cause was unknown.
Monday, January 13, 2020
University of Maryland Medicine's Novel Critical Care Resuscitation Unit Improves Patients' Chances of Survival, Study Finds
Patients with acutely life-threatening health conditions who were treated in the innovative Critical Care Resuscitation Unit (CCRU) received faster treatment and had better health outcomes, including a 36 percent lower risk of dying than those who were transferred from a hospital’s emergency department then evaluated and treated in a traditional intensive care unit, according to a recent study in the Journal of Emergency Medicine conducted by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM).
Thursday, January 09, 2020
UM School of Medicine Research Shows Less Severe Cases of Diarrheal Illness can Still Lead to Child Deaths, Even Weeks Following Onset of the Illness
Diarrheal diseases are a leading cause of death for young children, accounting for nine percent of all deaths worldwide in children under five years of age, with most occurring in children under two years of age. Now, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) found that even milder cases of diarrheal diseases can lead to death in young children.
Thursday, January 09, 2020
Researchers Identify Key Structure of Bacteria that Could Lead to Future Treatments for Healthcare-Associated Infections
Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and their colleagues have identified the structure of the most lethal toxin produced by certain strains of Clostridium difficile bacteria, a potentially deadly infection associated with the use of antibiotics. The finding, published last week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, used cryo electron microscopy, X-ray crystallography and other biophysical methods to identify the microscopic structures of the bacteria. The researchers mapped out the delivery and binding components of the toxin, which could pave the way for new drugs to neutralize it.