Though the diversity of the United States continues to grow, the disparity of women and people from racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in medicine pursuing careers in the field of radiation oncology persists. A recent study conducted by New York Medical College faculty and students and published in Advances in Radiation Oncology demonstrated that medical students showed little to no difference in considering radiation oncology as a specialty across races and ethnicities, making more education and exposure to opportunities in radiation oncology and further research into barriers to entry into the field paramount to addressing these inequities in the future. Learn more.

 

The activity of a gene called CIART is a key factor in the establishment of the viral infection that causes COVID-19, according to a study from researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York University Grossman School of Medicine. In the study, which appears March 13 in Nature Cell Biology, the researchers used multiple models of human organs, called organoids, to search for general host factors that influence infections by SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Learn more.

 

Research conducted at SUNY Upstate Medical University and recently published in Nature Metabolism found that commonly used sweeteners may cause cancer, and also that it may be possible to prevent the growth of cancer with medication. Liver cancer is the fifth most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. In a study conceived and designed by SUNY Distinguished Professor Andras Perl, MD, PhD, researchers studied how mice with a genetic mutation also found in humans progress from cirrhosis to liver cancer. Learn more.

 

NYITCOM Associate Professor of Clinical Sciences Maria Pino, Ph.D., has co-authored a new research paper that makes a strong case for why a golden spice commonly found in curry could enhance ovarian cancer treatments. Ovarian cancer is the second most common gynecological cancer among women in the United States, with an estimated 20,000 women in America expected to receive a new diagnosis of ovarian cancer this year. Learn more.

 

An automated system that flags the patients who could most benefit from an underused yet lifesaving cardiology drug more than doubled new prescriptions, according to a pilot program test by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. “Our findings suggest that tailored electronic notifications can boost the prescription of lifesaving drugs,” said study lead author and cardiologist Amrita Mukhopadhyay, MD, a clinical instructor in the Department of Medicine. Learn more.

 

Even after high-intensity statin therapy, a considerable residual risk exists for heart attack and stroke among adults with coronary artery disease (CAD). A clinical study led by Mount Sinai offers strong evidence that aggressive lipid lowering with a proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin type 9 inhibitor (PCSK9i), along with a statin, can significantly reduce that threat and potentially help doctors identify patients who would benefit most from intensification of treatment to change their coronary plaque morphology and composition. Learn more.

 

A common and widely used chemical may be fueling the rise of the world’s fastest growing brain condition–Parkinson’s disease. For the past 100 years, trichloroethylene (TCE) has been used to decaffeinate coffee, degrease metal, and dry clean clothes. It contaminates the Marine Corps base Camp Lejeune, 15 toxic Superfund sites in Silicon Valley, and up to one-third of groundwater in the U.S. TCE causes cancer, is linked to miscarriages and congenital heart disease, and is associated with a 500 percent increased risk of Parkinson’s disease. Learn more.

 

Every six minutes, a person in the United States will be diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that affects the nervous system and the parts of the body controlled by the nerves. Approximately one million Americans today are living with Parkinson’s. April is observed as Parkinson’s Awareness Month in honor of the birth month of James Parkinson, the London physician who first identified the disease in 1817. Learn more.

 

A very subtle and seemingly random type of eye movement called ocular drift can be influenced by prior knowledge of the expected visual target, suggesting a surprising level of cognitive control over the eyes, according to a study led by Weill Cornell Medicine neuroscientists. The discovery, described Apr. 3 in Current Biology, adds to the scientific understanding of how vision—far from being a mere absorption of incoming signals from the retina—is controlled and directed by cognitive processes. Learn more.

 

An analysis of human brain cells provides new evidence in support of the “amyloid hypothesis,” the prevailing idea that Alzheimer’s is caused by the accumulation of beta-amyloid proteins in the brain. In the study, Columbia University researchers found that amyloid sparks an alliance between two proteins in the brain’s neurons and this pairing is linked to about half of the gene changes that are known to occur in the disease, triggering the rapid accumulation of tau proteins, a primary driver of neurodegeneration in the disease. Learn more.

 

A team of scientists from the Renaissance School of Medicine (RSOM) at Stony Brook University have identified a distinct role of retinoic acid, a metabolite of vitamin A, during the immune response of the gut. This finding, detailed in a paper published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, and highlighted in a broader piece in the journal, could help lead to ways to control the retinoic acid response and therefore be used as a therapy or for vaccine development against infection or even to treat GI tumors. Learn more.

 

Genes long known to control the formation of bones before birth also control bone healing later in life, a new study found. Led by researchers at NYU Langone Health, a new study pinpointed key Hox genes, specific to each location in the body, as the controllers of stem cells involved in both forming and repairing bone. Learn more.

 

While previous studies have focused upon identifying potential school shooters, little is known about the mental health and associated characteristics of students who make threats in schools. A study by a team of Stony Brook child psychiatry experts uncovers the wide range of psychiatric diagnoses, learning disorders, educational and treatment needs of this population. The findings are published early online in a paper in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Learn more.

 

Studies have shown that a specific non-drug treatment of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) developed by researchers at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences can be effective for a range of pain problems and lead to significant improvements in functioning, quality of life and symptoms resistant to medical treatments. Learn more.

 

Using a new computational approach they developed to analyze large genetic datasets from rare disease cohorts, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and colleagues have discovered previously unknown genetic causes of three rare conditions: primary lymphedema (characterized by tissue swelling), thoracic aortic aneurysm disease, and congenital deafness. The work was done in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Bristol, UK; KU Leuven, Belgium; the University of Tokyo; the University of Maryland; Imperial College London, and others from around the world. Learn more.

 

Several medical students at New York Medical College gained more than just hands-on experience in the gross anatomy lab during their first year of medical school. They also had the opportunity to impact future medical practice with the recent publications of case studies on Petit’s (inferior lumbar) hernia in the Medical Student Research Journal and on renal and gonadal vasculature in the International Journal of Medical Students. Learn more.

 

Gary Chan, PhD has been awarded a five-year $3.2 million grant National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases to find a treatment for one of the most dangerous infections for transplant recipients. Chan, an associate professor of microbiology and immunology at SUNY Upstate Medical University, said his lab is focused on studying host-pathogen interactions involving human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and understanding how HCMV-mediated alterations to cellular function lead to human disease. Learn more.

 

With a transformational gift from the Bezos Family Foundation, Columbia University will launch the Center for the Transition to Parenthood in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology. Supported by the most advanced scientific knowledge in the field, the center seeks to reinvent prenatal care, address the mental health of parents, improve the overall health of infants, and promote family well-being. Learn more.

 

University at Buffalo researchers who study what makes people buy and eat healthy foods are teaming up with Instacart, the leading grocery technology company in North America, to test nutrition intervention programs for families at higher risk for obesity. Their upcoming project aims to enroll 70 families, about half of whom will be low-income. Learn more.