Health and Medicine

News about UB’s health sciences programs and related community outreach. (see all topics)

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  • Beauty of Butterfly Wing Patterns May Hold Key to Understanding Morphological Evolution
    3/7/02
    The beautiful patterns on butterfly wings are emerging as exceptional model systems that may reveal much about how the shapes, sizes and colors of specific organisms have evolved, a type of study called morphological evolution, according a paper featured on the cover of the March issue of Trends in Ecology and Evolution that is co-authored by Antonia Monteiro, Ph.D., University at Buffalo assistant professor of biological sciences.
  • Study Finds No Relationship Between Respiratory Illnesses and Frequent Exposure to Mists from "Dental Aerosols"
    3/7/02
    A study by dental researchers from the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine offers a preliminary answer to the question of whether breathing in mists spun off by dental drills causes respiratory illness.
  • Novel Peptide May Possess Antifungal Activity, Study in Mice with Vaginal Candidiasis Shows
    3/6/02
    A novel peptide derived from a molecule found in human saliva may be effective in treating a fungal infection, researchers in the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine have found. The peptide, labeled MUC7 16-mer, has shown the capacity to kill strains of fungi in vitro that are resistant to most current antifungal treatments, making it a potential candidate for a new fungicide.
  • UB Part of Demonstration Project Developing Model Pediatric Palliative-Care Programs
    3/6/02
    In response to concerns that the American health-care system offers almost no palliative care for terminally ill children, psychologist James Donnelly, Ph.D., of the University at Buffalo, is conducting an assessment of the palliative-care needs of terminally ill children and their parents. The needs assessment will be conducted, in part, through brainstorming sessions over the World Wide Web between palliative-care workers, medical personnel and patients' families.
  • UB Dental Researchers Find Novel Peptide in Saliva that Kills Broad Range of Fungi and Bacteria
    3/5/02
    A small piece of protein from one end of a larger molecule found in human saliva has been shown in laboratory tests to have potent antimicrobial activity against several types of bacteria and fungi, some of which are resistant to current drugs. If these findings hold up in animal and human trials, the peptide could form the basis for promising new drugs for treating a wide range of infections.
  • Study Suggests Gum Disease, Cardiovascular Disease Link Common Phenomenon in Developed Countries
    3/4/02
    A study of a group of Germans conducted by researchers in the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine suggests that the relationship between gum disease and cardiovascular disease may be a common phenomenon in developed countries. The study found periodontal disease bacteria in samples of fatty plaque removed from the carotid arteries of 106 German subjects undergoing a procedure to unclog the large arteries in the neck. The bacteria were the same types as those found in carotid plaque from an earlier study of U.S. residents.
  • A Diet Rich in Red, Green and Yellow Fruits and Vegetables May Help Maintain Healthy Lungs, UB Study Shows
    2/25/02
    A dietary study by University at Buffalo nutrition researchers has shown that lutein and zeaxanthin, rather obscure antioxidant vitamins in the carotenoid family, have a significant positive effect on lung health.
  • UB Study Shows Those With Less Than 12 Years Education Face Twice the Risk of Dying from Stroke
    2/21/02
    If policymakers need one more reason to press for a good education for all Americans, here it is: Education is a boon to public health. University at Buffalo researchers have found that as education level goes up, risk of death from stroke and brain hemorrhage goes down. The relationship likely exists for other chronic diseases, as well.
  • Habitually Sleeping More Than 8 Hours, Need for Daytime Nap Signal Increased Risk of Death From Stroke, Study Finds
    2/15/02
    Daytime nappers and people who routinely sleep more than eight hours a night have a greater chance of dying from stroke than those with more standard sleep habits, a study by stroke researchers at the University at Buffalo has shown.
  • UB Team Finds Effectiveness of Steroids Drops Sharply as "Severe" Tolerance Occurs Within Hours of Exposure
    2/12/02
    A team of University at Buffalo researchers that has been at the forefront of quantifying and predicting the complex effects of drugs, now has found in animal studies that there is a "severe" tolerance to steroids that occurs soon after their initial use that blunts the effects of the drugs.