health and well being

Nov 18, 2015

Experiencing Major Stress Makes Some Older Adults Better Able to Handle Daily Stress

A new study finds that dealing with a major stressful event appears to make some older adults better able to cope with the ups and downs of day-to-day stress. 

Nov 17, 2015

NC State Completes Healthier Initiative Early

NC State completes healthier campus initiative goals two years ahead of schedule. 

Sep 29, 2015

Researchers Disguise Drugs as Platelets to Target Cancer

Researchers have for the first time developed a technique that coats anticancer drugs in membranes made from a patient’s own platelets, allowing the drugs to last longer in the body and attack both primary cancer tumors and the circulating tumor cells that can cause a cancer to metastasize. 

Sep 28, 2015

New Tech Automatically ‘Tunes’ Powered Prosthetics While Walking

Biomedical engineering researchers have developed software that allows powered prosthetics to "tune" themselves automatically, making the devices more functionally useful and lowering the costs associated with powered prosthetic use. 

Sep 16, 2015

Researchers Isolate Possible Ovarian Cancer Biomarkers; Find Biomarker Loads Can Vary With Disease Stage

Researchers from North Carolina State University utilized a highly sensitive mass spectrometry analysis to identify and measure difficult-to-detect N-glycan biomarkers associated with ovarian cancers in stages I – IV. In a surprising finding, the researchers determined that the level of biomarkers associated with ovarian cancer does not simply increase or decrease over the course of… 

Sep 9, 2015

Spheroid Stem Cell Production Sows Hope for IPF Treatment

Researchers have found a rapid, simple way to harvest and grow a patient's own lung stem cells, for possible use in disease treatment. 

Aug 19, 2015

Vomiting Device Offers First Direct Evidence That Vomit Aerosolizes Norovirus-Like Particles

Using a vomiting device of their creation, researchers are reporting the first direct evidence that vomiting can aerosolize virus particles similar to human norovirus. 

Aug 19, 2015

Algorithm Interprets Breathing Difficulties to Aid in Medical Care

NC State researchers have developed an efficient algorithm that can interpret the wheezing of patients with breathing difficulties to give medical providers information about what’s happening in the lungs. The research is part of a larger, ongoing project to develop wearable smart medical sensors for monitoring, collecting and interpreting personal health data. 

Aug 18, 2015

Biomedical Engineer Zhen Gu Named to Tech Review’s Top Innovators Under 35

Zhen Gu, an assistant professor in NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill’s joint biomedical engineering program, has been named one of MIT Technology Review’s “Innovators Under 35” for his work on developing novel drug-delivery systems for treating cancer and diabetes. 

Aug 18, 2015

Proof-Of-Concept Study Shows Potential for Using Ultrasound to Detect Early Signs of Preterm Labor

An international team of researchers has conducted a proof-of-concept study that raises the possibility of using ultrasound techniques to detect cervical stiffness changes that indicate an increased risk of preterm labor in pregnant women. 

Jul 29, 2015

The Evolutionary Link Between Diet and Stomach Acidity

Researchers have found that scavengers, or species that eat food at high risk of microbial contamination, have more acidic stomachs. Learn how the new findings relate to human health. 

Jul 20, 2015

Study: the Angelina Jolie Effect on Breast Cancer Screening

Angelina Jolie received widespread media attention in 2013 when she told the public that she’d tested positive for a gene associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, and subsequently had a double mastectomy. Now research shows that this publicity did influence some women’s intentions to seek out similar genetic testing. 

Jul 10, 2015

Early Lead Exposure Affects Gene Expression Throughout Life

NC State researchers links between lead exposure in children and alterations in regulatory regions of genes critical in growth regulation and brain development. 

Jun 23, 2015

Smart Insulin Patch Could Replace Painful Injections for Diabetes

Painful insulin injections could become a thing of the past for the millions of Americans who suffer from diabetes, thanks to a new invention from researchers at NC State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who have created the first “smart insulin patch.” 

May 1, 2015

Study Finds Guidance Improves Food Safety Practices at School, Community Gardens

School and community gardens have become increasingly popular in recent years, but the people managing and working in these gardens are often unfamiliar with food safety practices that reduce the risk of foodborne illness. Now researchers have developed guidelines that address how to limit risk in these gardens – and a pilot study shows that the guidelines make a difference.