VCU scientist leads research effort that discovers mechanism that could reduce obesity

AFP

Approximately 68 percent of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, according to the National Cancer Institute, which puts them at greater risk for developing cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and a host of other chronic illnesses. But an international team of scientists led by Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center researcher Andrew Larner, M.D., Ph.D., has successfully reversed obesity in mice by manipulating the production of an enzyme known as tyrosine-protein kinase-2 (Tyk2).

Court on climate-research case: UVa. cannot be served with CID

AFP

The Supreme Court of Virginia ruled on Friday that the University of Virginia and all other state agencies cannot be served with civil investigative demands which compel agencies to provide information for fraud investigations involving government funds. Although the court recognized Virginia’s Fraud Against Taxpayers Act contains “functional inconsistencies” on the issue, in its ruling,…

Federal law slashed needlestick injuries, new UVa. research shows

AFP

A federal law enacted to protect healthcare workers from being stuck by needles dramatically reduced the number of such injuries, decreasing the possibility for exposure to bloodborne pathogens, research at the University of Virginia School of Medicine has found. The UVA researchers examined 10 years of injuries – more than 23,900 in total – from…

EMU alum’s research on land development wins award

AFP

The use of antiquated means to value and develop land always puzzled Eastern Mennonite University alum Matt Gnagey ’05. Gnagey went to work to find answers, spending two years in research, culminating in a 2011 Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics Best Doctoral Research Manuscript award. The award is based on Gnagey’s work as a graduate…

Research discoveries lead to hope for better prevention, treatment for lung diseases

AFP

An international group ofscientists, including University of Virginia researchers, have discovered 16 new sections of the genetic code that relate to lung health – opening up the possibility for better prevention and treatment for lung diseases. An international consortium of 175 scientists from 126 centers in Europe, the United States and Australia identified genetic variants associated…

$25M grant to help UVa. researchers study strokes

AFP

Researchers at the University of Virginia Health System have received a $25 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to lead a 50+-center national clinical trial investigating a promising new treatment that could greatly benefit thousands of acute ischemic stroke patients every year. More than 750,000 people in the United States suffer from…

Augusta Health enters into research agreement with Duke

Chris Graham

The Augusta Health Cancer Center has entered into an agreement with Duke Medicine to become a research affiliate of the Duke Cancer Institute. Established in 1972 as one of the eight original comprehensive centers designated by the National Cancer Institute, today the Duke Cancer Institute is one of only 40 centers that holds that distinction….

VCU researchers’ study finds major U.S. newspapers are warming up to Wikipedia

AFP

Major newspapers in the United States are referencing Wikipedia more often and framing the online encyclopedia more positively in stories, according to a study by a pair of faculty researchers in the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Mass Communications. In the study, published in the April issue of “Journalism Practice,” researchers analyzed the framing of…