TREATMENT slows progression of eye damage in people with diabetes
Medical School
Mauer also studied the same drugs as a treatment to prevent kidney damage, also a common complication of diabetes. “Although neither medication delayed early kidney tissue injury or early loss of kidney function, the advantage to a study with negative findings such as this one is that physicians now know that this treatment is ineffective for this purpose, and they can pursue other treatment options,” he said.
Listen to a podcast about the research
Teens who believe they'll die young more likely to engage in risky behavior
A new study by pediatrics researchers shows that kids who believe they are going to die young often engage in the very behavior that can lead to an early death. Iris Borowsky, M.D., Ph.D., and her colleagues studied survey responses from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. She found 15 percent of adolescents believe it's highly likely that they will die before age 35. These same teens then had a higher incidence of dangerous behaviors such as illegal drug use, suicide attempts, and unprotected sex.
“While conventional wisdom says that teens engage in risky behaviors because they feel invulnerable to harm, this study suggests that in some cases, teens may take risks because they overestimate their vulnerability, specifically their risk of dying,” Borowsky said.
Read the Star Tribune, Los Angeles Times, and National Public Radio articles.
OBAMA SIGNS SMOKING PREVENTION LAW
President Obama signed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act on June 22nd giving the Food and Drug Administration broad authority to regulate the marketing and manufacture of tobacco products. The law bans fruit- and spice-flavored cigarettes, requires expansive new warnings on packages, and gets rid of the labels “light” and “low-tar.” It also allows the FDA to order manufacturers to reduce — though not eliminate — the amount of the addictive chemical nicotine that's in cigarettes.
Dorothy Hatsukami, Masonic Cancer Center and Medical School tobacco researcher, co-authored a 2005 study showing light cigarettes are just as harmful as regular cigarettes, despite common belief. People have long believed that light cigarettes are the healthier smoking option, but this new law acknowledges the previously hidden dangers of all tobacco products.
"Ask Us" Question and answer program to debut
Have a question you’d like to ask someone in the
Send your questions to Nick Hanson at hans2853@umn.edu. Be sure to include your name and a contact phone number. We’ll begin gathering answers to your questions and posting responses in News Capsules later this summer.
SUN PROTECTION AND SKIN CANCER
Sun protection is important. In the United States, skin cancer is the number one form of cancer. This may be due to the fact that we live in a society that views tanning as desirable. But in reality, tanned and pink skin are indicators of skin damage, which may lead to skin cancer.
The $292 million Minnesota Biomedical Research Program will add nearly 400,000 square feet of critically important research space near TCF Bank Stadium and Mariucci Arena. The biomedical research district is already home to the Lions Research Building wrapped by the McGuire Translational Research Facility and the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research.
