Q&A with Sara McCoy on innovative treatment for Sjögren’s disease
Dr. Sara McCoy, a rheumatologist in the Department of Medicine, is one of the nation’s leading experts on Sjögren’s disease, an autoimmune disorder that affects moisture-producing glands in the eyes, mouth and other parts of the body.
Football helmet covers do not reduce concussions for high school players
A study of 2,610 Wisconsin high school football players found that wearing soft-shell helmet covers, marketed as Guardian Cap helmet devices, during practice had no effect on the rates of sports-related concussions.
Experimental cell therapy trial treats first Sjögren’s disease patient
The first person in the world to receive a dose of a novel cell therapy for a symptom of the immune disorder Sjögren’s disease has been treated during a clinical trial conducted by researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
A path for safer opioid prescribing
An approach to prescribing opioids that pairs clinician education with patient-centered monitoring and feedback could help primary care doctors minimize prescribing opioid medications to manage patients’ chronic pain, according to a University of Wisconsin–Madison research team.
Study launches to test effects of vaping on cardio-pulmonary health
The National Institutes of Health have awarded a five-year, $5.7 million grant to UW to study the long-term effects of vaping on heart and lung health.
Mixed dose radiation enhances immune response to cancer
A new study in mice shows that delivering different doses of radiation to a tumor revs up the immune system and allows it to detect not only the treated tumor but distant tumors that were not irradiated. When mixed dose radiation is followed with immunotherapy drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors, it makes the drugs more effective at killing cancer cells throughout the body than when radiation was delivered at a single dose level.
Radiology set to recruit and support top talent
Dr. Thomas (“Tom”) Grist comes from a family of engineers and inventors. His great-grandfather was a co-inventor of the pop-up toaster, patented in 1927 — which may help explain how this native of Appleton, Wisconsin ended up pushing the boundaries of knowledge in the fields of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT).
Brain scans begin for nationwide Alzheimer’s disease study
Research participants have begun volunteering for brain scans at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison for a national study on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
Maternal blood pressure program expands to help women facing health risks
A UW Health and UnityPoint Health – Meriter program designed to monitor blood pressure during pregnancy and after birth to decrease health complications and hospital readmissions is expanding outside the hospital walls.
Trust is key to collaborating with Native community
From their home near the forested lakes of Mole Lake, Wisconsin, the Tribal Council of the Sokaogon Chippewa Community (SCC) traveled to the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where they were welcomed by health sciences and biomedical researchers and staff.
‘Forever chemicals’ show up in Wisconsin residents
A large, population-based study shows that while most Wisconsin residents have some “forever chemicals” known as PFAS in their blood, those who have the highest levels are higher income, older white men who have eaten locally-caught fish.
Noninvasive ventilation better for patients
Recently published results from a clinical trial showed that for critically ill adults needing tracheal intubation for emergency airway support, the method health care providers choose to use for providing supplemental oxygen before the intubation procedure affects the patient’s risk of hypoxemia, or potentially life-threatening low levels of blood oxygen.