health and well-being

Apr 15, 2010

NC State Study Examines Geography of Human Disease

If your home region has a hot, wet climate and a lot of different kinds of birds and mammals living in it, there’s a really good chance the region will also contain numerous kinds of pathogens that cause human diseases. A new study examining the geography of human disease, led by Dr. Rob Dunn at… 

Apr 8, 2010

Researchers Find Compound Effective In Destroying Antibiotic-Resistant Biofilms

Researchers at North Carolina State University have found a chemical compound that, when used in conjunction with conventional antibiotics, is effective in destroying biofilms produced by antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria such as the Staphylococcus strain MRSA and Acinetobacter. The compound also re-sentsitizes those bacteria to antibiotics. Infections from antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as MRSA are especially… 

Apr 7, 2010

Researchers Improving Clinical Trials to Get Cancer Therapies to Patients Sooner

Researchers from North Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University have teamed up to find ways to design more powerful clinical trials for cancer treatments, effectively getting better and more personalized new therapies to cancer patients sooner. The researchers have been awarded a $12.5 million, 5-year grant from… 

Mar 31, 2010

Electroactive Polymer Design Opens Door To ‘Full Screen’ Displays For The Blind

Imagine if your computer only allowed you to see one line at a time, no matter what you were doing – reading e-mail, looking at a Web site, doing research. That’s the challenge facing blind computer users today. But new research from North Carolina State University is moving us closer to the development of a… 

Mar 30, 2010

Day By Day: Why We Forget To Take Our Medicine, And What We Can Do About It

For many people, remembering to take a daily medication can be the difference between life and death. Yet, people forget all the time. Now a landmark study from North Carolina State University has found that changes in daily behavior have a significant effect on whether we remember to take our medication – and that these… 

Mar 22, 2010

Paper Describes Functional Nanomaterials For Medical, Health Devices

A team led by researchers from North Carolina State University has published a paper that describes the use of a technique called atomic layer deposition to incorporate “biological functionality” into complex nanomaterials, which could lead to a new generation of medical and environmental health applications. For example, the researchers show how the technology can be… 

Mar 15, 2010

Wealth Buys Health – Even In China

Studies in the United States have long shown that rich people tend to be healthier than poor people, and that this “health gap” between the haves and have-nots gets worse as people get older. But is that because the U.S. is a capitalist society? Apparently not. A new study from North Carolina State University shows… 

Mar 10, 2010

Get Up, Get Out and Go!: NC State Research Tackles Childhood Obesity

Getting children involved in finding ways to become more physically active can not only make them more aware of local recreational opportunities, but can even help increase their own physical activity. 

Mar 4, 2010

From Jellybean to Licorice Whip: Tracing Development of the GI Tract

Researchers at North Carolina State University have found the method by which the “gut tube” – the primitive structure in all vertebrate embryos that eventually becomes the entire gastrointestinal tract – changes from a short, solid cylinder into an elongated hollow structure that loops and coils. Their research paves the way toward greater understanding of… 

Feb 22, 2010

Small Amounts of Endocrine Disruptors May Have Multi-Generational Effects

Fetal exposure to small amounts of natural and man-made “hormone mimics,” or endocrine disruptors, like soy products and plastics appears to have strong, multi-generational effects. Those are the results presented by North Carolina State University faculty members at a symposium held during the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in San… 

Feb 16, 2010

New Material Mimics Bone To Create Better Biomedical Implants

A “metal foam” that has a similar elasticity to bone could mean a new generation of  biomedical implants that would avoid bone rejection that often results from more rigid implant materials, such as titanium. Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed the metal foam, which is even lighter than solid aluminum and can be… 

Feb 3, 2010

Smart Coating Opens Door To Safer Hip, Knee and Dental Implants

Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a “smart coating” that helps surgical implants bond more closely with bone and ward off infection. 

Jan 15, 2010

Following the Glow: NC State Researchers Use ‘Fluorescent Fish’ to Study Gene Function

Researchers at North Carolina State University are using fluorescent fish as a molecular “beacon” to study the early stages of animal development. The researchers focused their attention on a gene – known as Sp2 – that regulates the expression of other genes, and the fluorescent fish they created may also provide hints to the causes… 

Jan 13, 2010

NC State Experts Can Offer Insight On Haiti Disaster

The eyes of the world are now focused on Haiti, and the effects of the recent earthquake disaster on the island nation are still unfolding. North Carolina State University researchers can help explain what happened and what it could mean for Haiti’s political and economic future. 

Dec 15, 2009

Study Shows Health Care Spending Spurs Economic Growth

As the national discussion of health care focuses on costs, a new study from North Carolina State University shows that it might be more accurate to think of health care spending as an investment that can spur economic growth. The study also shows that government projections of health care costs and financing may be unduly…