Stanford University School of Medicine News

Unit focuses on neurology care for babies at risk of brain injury

Erin Digitale — Mon, 20 May 2013 07:00:00 GMT

Protecting the brain health of premature and dangerously ill newborns is the focus of an ambitious new effort at Packard Children's Hospital.

Mom gets in shape to give kidney to daughter with rare illness

Erin Digitale — Mon, 20 May 2013 07:00:00 GMT

Lori Vargas committed herself to lose almost 40 pounds -- climbing stairs "like a madwoman" so that she would be fit enough to give a kidney to her 15-year-old daughter.

Frogs in California harbor deadly amphibian pathogen, researchers find

Ruthann Richter — Wed, 15 May 2013 07:00:00 GMT

Researchers have provided the first evidence that African clawed frogs in California harbor a deadly fungal infection that is decimating amphibian populations across the globe.

Moore, Deisseroth named HHMI investigators

Rina Shaikh-Lesko — Thu, 09 May 2013 07:00:00 GMT

Tirin Moore and Karl Deisseroth are among 27 scientists newly appointed by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute as investigators. The medical school now has 17 faculty supported by HHMI.

Blocking protein expression delays onset of multiple sclerosis in mice, study says

Krista Conger — Thu, 09 May 2013 07:00:00 GMT

Blocking the expression of just one protein in the brain delays the onset of paralysis in mice with a form of multiple sclerosis, say researchers at the School of Medicine.

Symposium showcases broad scope of research by student scientists

Tracie White — Thu, 09 May 2013 07:00:00 GMT

From future stem cell researchers to budding international health experts, Stanford medical students displayed the fruits of their scientific endeavors at an annual symposium.

New technique tracks cell interactions in living bodies

Rina Shaikh-Lesko — Mon, 06 May 2013 07:00:00 GMT

Scientists have developed a technique to see how different types of cells interact in a living mouse. The process uses light-emitting proteins that glow when two types of cells come close together.

Protein complex may play role in preventing many forms of cancer, study shows

Krista Conger — Sun, 05 May 2013 07:00:00 GMT

Researchers have identified a group of proteins that are mutated in about one-fifth of all human cancers, suggesting that they work to suppress tumor development in many types of tissues.

Linda Boxer appointed vice dean of medical school

Ruthann Richter — Mon, 06 May 2013 07:00:00 GMT

Linda Boxer, MD, PhD, a distinguished clinician, educator and researcher, has been named the school's new vice dean. The appointment is effective Sept. 1.

5 Questions: Gaba on nuclear-power industry's lessons for health care

Ruthann Richter — Mon, 06 May 2013 07:00:00 GMT

David Gaba discusses the similarities and differences between health care and the nuclear power industry, including technologies and human factors that affect risk and reliability.

Symposium focuses on approaches to improving global health

Kris Newby — Mon, 06 May 2013 07:00:00 GMT

If extreme poverty is a disease, then smart phones are the cure. That was the message delivered by economist Jeffrey Sachs at the C-IDEA global health symposium.

Study reveals probable role of Parkinson's protein in healthy brain

Bruce Goldman — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 07:00:00 GMT

Researchers have exposed the possible function, in the healthy brain, of a mysterious molecule that has been strongly implicated in Parkinson's disease.

New chapter opens for Stanford Hospital

Ruth Schechter — Wed, 01 May 2013 07:00:00 GMT

Scores of community members and leaders gathered for the May 1 groundbreaking that marks the formal start of construction for the new Stanford Hospital & Clinics.

Size, wiring of brain structures in kids predict benefit from math tutoring, study says

Erin Digitale — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 07:00:00 GMT

The size and wiring of specific brain structures predicted how much a child would benefit from math tutoring, but traditional intelligence measures like IQ tests did not, a new study shows.

Discovery alters understanding of long-distance intercellular communication

Krista Conger — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 07:00:00 GMT

Researchers have discovered a type of cellular structure that directly delivers and receives payloads of signaling molecules between distant neighbors in a developing embryo.

Study examines cost-effectiveness of helicopter transport of trauma victims

Sara Wykes — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 07:00:00 GMT

A new study has for the first time determined how often medical helicopters need to help save the lives of seriously injured people to be considered cost-effective compared with ground ambulances.

Firefly protein lights up degenerating muscles, aiding muscular-dystrophy research, scientists show

Bruce Goldman — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 07:00:00 GMT

Scientists have created a mouse model of muscular dystrophy in which degenerating muscle tissue gives off visible light, permitting precise monitoring of the disease's progress.

Researchers develop new method to assess options for heart-disease surgery

Rina Shaikh-Lesko — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 07:00:00 GMT

Researchers have developed a method of predicting which patients with heart disease would benefit more from surgery and which would benefit more from angioplasty.

May 22-24 Stanford/Oxford conference will highlight big data's role in biomedicine

Bruce Goldman — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 07:00:00 GMT

A three-day conference in May at Stanford will highlight the burgeoning opportunities for those who can creatively mine the rich veins of data steadily accumulating in biomedical databases.

Change diet, exercise habits at same time for best results, study says

Rina Shaikh-Lesko — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 07:00:00 GMT

Researchers have found that focusing on changing exercise and diet at the same time gives a bigger boost than tackling them sequentially.