Category: Research Briefs

CT Scan Best at Predicting Heart Disease Risk in Middle Age

CT scans are better at predicting a middle-aged person’s risk for a heart disease, such as a heart attack, than genetics, reports a Northwestern Medicine study.
Secondary Bacterial Pneumonia Drove Many COVID-19 Deaths

Machine learning finds no evidence of cytokine storm in critically ill patients with COVID-19.
Understanding the Role of Octopamine in Neurodegeneration

Scientists have discovered how octopamine, the major “fight-or-flight” neurotransmitter in invertebrates, communicates with other cells in mammalian brains to prevent cell death.
How Aggressive Thyroid Cancer Evolves

Scientists have shed new light on how the deadliest form of thyroid cancer transforms from slow-growing to aggressive.
New Immune Culprit Discovered in Alzheimer’s Disease

Immune cells in brain and spinal fluid become dysregulated and ‘a little angry’ as we age.
Study Uncovers Potential Therapeutic Approach for Advanced Prostate Cancer

Elevated PALI1 in advanced prostate tumors mediates crosstalk between two primary epigenetic silencing mechanisms, suggesting that dual epigenetic inhibition may be an effective therapeutic strategy.
Novel Mechanisms Regulate Inflammatory Skin Diseases

A newly identified role for an intracellular trafficking pathway in regulating epidermal developmental processes could serve as a future therapeutic target for inflammatory skin diseases.
Understanding How Childhood Brain Tumors Develop

A team of scientists has identified a new cell type implicated in the development of the most common type of malignant childhood brain tumor.
New Therapeutic Approach Could Prevent Injury to Fragile Transplanted Lungs

Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered a potential therapeutic target in the donor lung that can prevent primary graft dysfunction in lung transplant recipients.
Investigating the Role of Dopamine Circuits in Habit Formation

Scientists have uncovered how dopamine connects subregions of the striatum essential for habit formation, according to a Northwestern Medicine study.