Study finds widening disparities in infant mortality and life expectancy between Appalachia, rest of US
August 8, 2017 A new study co-authored by Dr. Rebecca Slifkin confirms a widening gap in health equity between Appalachia and the rest of the United States. Slifkin and colleagues call for policy changes and financial support to help people who live in economically depressed regions. Photo courtesy of Virginia State Parks.
Aggressive breast cancers may contribute to racial survival disparities
August 4, 2017 A higher proportion of aggressive breast cancer subtypes are seen in black women, according to a study led by Dr. Melissa Troester. The study findings help to explain a gap in mortality that exists between black and white women with breast cancer and could lead to improved treatment approaches.
Climate change expected to increase premature deaths from air pollution
July 31, 2017 A new study by Dr. Jason West estimates that future climate change, if left unaddressed, is expected to cause roughly 60,000 deaths globally in the year 2030 and 260,000 deaths in 2100 due to climate change’s effect on global air pollution. The study adds to growing evidence that the overall health effects of a changing climate are likely to be overwhelmingly negative. Photo by Global Panorama.
Home test for HPV may be lifesaving for women who do not receive regular cervical cancer screenings
July 25, 2017 A new study, led by Dr. Jennifer Smith and published in the journal Sexually Transmitted Diseases, finds a convenient at-home test for human papillomavirus (HPV) to be a promising tool for preventing cervical cancer in underscreened women in the United States.
Too few pre-teens receive recommended vaccinations, especially for HPV
July 24, 2017 A new study led by recent alumna Dr. Nadja Vielot finds that too few adolescents in the U.S. are obtaining recommended prophylactic vaccines against human papillomavirus (HPV), a known and preventable cause of cervical and other cancers in females and males.
Clinical trials framework proposed to bring cancer treatments to sub-Saharan Africa
July 20, 2017 In a PLOS Medicine article, Dr. Satish Gopal outlines a framework to design studies and bring cancer therapies to sub-Saharan Africa in the absence of clinical trial data specific to the region’s population and health care infrastructure. Photo by Caitlin Kleiboer.
Largest study of Hispanics/Latinos in US presents new findings about lung capacity in people of Dominican, Puerto Rican ethnicity
July 14, 2017 A new study led by Gillings School researchers has determined reference parameters for measuring lung capacity in non-Mexican American Hispanics. Accurate reference values for such measures are important for diagnosing common chronic lung diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and predicting mortality.
Paper records recommendations to improve safety of drinking-water wells in NC
July 13, 2017 A new paper by Dr. Jackie MacDonald Gibson offers recommendations that could improve the health of North Carolinians who rely on private drinking-water wells. The paper summarizes recommendations made by the Research Triangle (N.C.) Environmental Health Collaborative at a two-day well-water summit.
Symposium gathers research teams to address opioid addiction, overdose
June 30, 2017 Drug overdoses are among the few causes of death on the rise in the United States, and more than half of these deaths are attributed to opioids. At a recent symposium, Dr. Steve Marshall urged researchers from diverse backgrounds to work together to solve what many call the worst drug crisis in American history.
New drug holds potential to defeat coronaviruses
June 28, 2017 Scientists at the Gillings School have confirmed that an experimental antiviral treatment prevents the development of SARS coronavirus disease in mice. The drug, GS-5734, also inhibits MERS-CoV and multiple other coronaviruses (CoV), suggesting that the treatment may inhibit all CoV.
