Illinois News Bureau

blog posts

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  COVID-19 mobility restrictions effective for short duration, study finds

  Apr 22, 2021 12:00 pm716 views

  Attempts at restricting people’s mobility to control the spread of COVID-19 may be effective only for a short period, researchers said. A new study examines people’s mobility for seven months during the pandemic in the United States using publicly available, anonymized mobile phone data.

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  K-12 Shield Playbook offers guidance for reopening schools amid ongoing pandemic

  Apr 14, 2021 2:15 pm1127 views

  A new resource is available to help guide teachers and school administrators as they reopen schools amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, assembled by researchers and experts at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The K-12 Shield Playbook is based on the SHIELD Illinois program used to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic at the university.

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  Young adults may provide care for older relatives much more frequently than thought

  Apr 12, 2021 9:30 am774 views

  Young adults and teens may provide care for adult relatives much more often than previously thought, according to a new study, though they worry about detriments to educational or career goals and would like more training and support. 

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  Study links prenatal phthalate exposure to altered information processing in infants

  Apr 6, 2021 7:30 am19392 views

  Researchers have found evidence linking pregnant women’s exposure to phthalates to altered cognitive outcomes in their infants.

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  Machine learning helps spot gait problems in individuals with multiple sclerosis

  Mar 26, 2021 11:00 am2846 views

  Monitoring the progression of multiple sclerosis-related gait issues can be challenging in adults over 50 years old, requiring a clinician to differentiate between problems related to MS and other age-related issues. To address this problem, researchers are integrating gait data and machine learning to advance the tools used to monitor and predict disease progression.

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  More protein doesn't mean more strength in resistance-trained middle-aged adults

  Mar 25, 2021 7:30 am4206 views

  A 10-week muscle-building and dietary program involving 50 middle-aged adults found no evidence that eating a high-protein diet increased strength or muscle mass more than consuming a moderate amount of protein while training. The intervention involved a standard strength-training protocol with sessions three times per week. None of the participants had previous weightlifting experience.

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  How does COVID-19 affect the heart?

  Mar 23, 2021 8:30 am1461 views

  While many think of COVID-19 as primarily a respiratory disease, its effects on the heart contribute to nearly 40% of deaths – and can strike even healthy children and athletes, says Mariam Bonyadi Camacho, a student in the medical scholars program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Camacho co-wrote a recent report on the coronavirus’ cardiac effects, both short- and long-term. She discussed the risks to heart health and possible treatments in an interview.

   

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  Vaccine study now open for student enrollment

  Mar 22, 2021 11:15 am3343 views

  Students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who have not yet been vaccinated against COVID-19 can enroll in a study to help understand the effectiveness of vaccines in reducing the spread of the coronavirus. Participants will be paid and could receive the vaccine as soon as April 1.

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  Electronic health record system increases clinicians' cognitive workload, study finds

  Mar 22, 2021 10:15 am5064 views

  Adopting a new electronic health records system doubled the amount of cognitive effort clinicians at two urgent care clinics expended during the first six months after implementation, researchers found in a recent study.

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  Microscope that detects individual viruses could power rapid diagnostics

  Mar 19, 2021 11:30 am1412 views

  A fast, low-cost technique to see and count viruses or proteins from a sample in real time, without any chemicals or dyes, could underpin a new class of devices for rapid diagnostics and viral load monitoring, including HIV and the virus that causes COVID-19.

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  'Hunker down' stress genes boosted in women who live in violent neighborhoods

  Mar 11, 2021 9:00 am1219 views

  The chronic stress of living in neighborhoods with high rates of violence and poverty alters gene activity in immune cells, according to a new study of low-income single Black mothers on the South Side of Chicago.  

  The changes in stress-related gene expression reflect the body’s “hunker down” response to long-term threat. This has implications for health outcomes in communities of color and other marginalized populations, said researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and collaborators.

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  Study compares discrimination claims of younger and older Americans with cancer

  Mar 10, 2021 8:00 am613 views

  Researchers assessed the employment discrimination claims made by younger and older American adults with cancer and found substantial differences in the nature – and outcomes – of their claims.

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  Division of labor within regenerating liver maintains metabolism, mouse study finds

  Mar 1, 2021 2:00 pm701 views

  The liver has a rare superpower among body organs – the ability to regenerate, even if 70% of its mass is removed. It also keeps up its metabolic and toxin-removing work during the process of regeneration, thanks to a subset of cells that expand their workload while the rest focus on multiplication, a new study in mice found.

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  Virtual reality program lessens physical side effects of hemodialysis

  Feb 24, 2021 12:00 pm1202 views

  A virtual reality program on mindfulness/meditation helped hemodialysis patients alleviate the physical side effects and tedium of their treatments in a new research project led by social work professor Rosalba Hernandez.

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  Carle Illinois College of Medicine granted provisional accreditation

  Feb 22, 2021 9:00 am3949 views

  The Carle Illinois College of Medicine, a partnership between the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Carle Health, has been granted provisional accreditation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education.  Provisional accreditation affirms that a medical school meets nationally accepted standards of educational quality and can move forward with plans to build a sustainable medical education program.

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  Study: Preschoolers with higher cardiorespiratory fitness do better on cognitive tests

  Feb 18, 2021 8:15 am2100 views

  Researchers report that 4-6-year-old children who walk further than their peers during a timed test – a method used to estimate cardiorespiratory health – also do better on cognitive tests and other measures of brain function. Published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, the study suggests that the link between cardiorespiratory fitness and cognitive health is evident even earlier in life than previously appreciated.

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  3D microscopy clarifies understanding of body's immune response to obesity

  Feb 17, 2021 1:00 pm1255 views

  Researchers who focus on fat know that some adipose tissue is more prone to inflammation-related comorbidities than others, but the reasons why are not well understood. Thanks to a new analytical technique, scientists are getting a clearer view of the microenvironments found within adipose tissue associated with obesity. This advance may illuminate why some adipose tissues are more prone to inflammation – leading to diseases like type 2 diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disorders – and help direct future drug therapies to treat obesity.

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  Study links prolonged sedentary time to distractibility in adults with obesity or overweight

  Feb 17, 2021 8:15 am656 views

  Scientists used accelerometers to track daily activity levels for a week in 89 adults with obesity or overweight and, in a series of tests, measured their ability to multitask and maintain their attention despite distractions. The study revealed that individuals who spent more sedentary time in bouts lasting 20 minutes or more were less able to overcome distractions.

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  Patient education program with mental health component reduces cardiovascular disease risks

  Feb 11, 2021 9:45 am570 views

  Participants in a health education program that included both mental and physical health information significantly reduced their risk factors for cardiovascular disease and maintained most of those improvements six months later.

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  Lipid epoxides target pain, inflammatory pathways in neurons

  Feb 10, 2021 4:00 am1892 views

  A process known as epoxidation converts two naturally occurring lipids into potent agents that target multiple cannabinoid receptors in neurons, interrupting pathways that promote pain and inflammation, researchers report in a new study. The findings open a new avenue of research in the effort to find alternatives to potentially addictive opioid pain killers.

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  Childhood trauma could affect development, treatment of multiple sclerosis, mouse study finds

  Jan 29, 2021 8:30 am3118 views

  Childhood trauma could affect the trajectory of multiple sclerosis development and response to treatment in adulthood, a new study in mice found.

  Mice that had experienced stress when young were more likely to develop the autoimmune disorder and less likely to respond to a common treatment, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign found. However, treatment that activated an immune-cell receptor mitigated the effects of childhood stress in the mice.

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  Medicaid expansion helps uncover undiagnosed HIV infections

  Jan 26, 2021 8:00 am765 views

  The Medicaid expansion facilitated by the Affordable Care Act led to a 13.9% increase in the identification of undiagnosed HIV infections, says research co-written by a team of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign experts who study health care and public policy.

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  Online smell, taste challenge offered as early detection tool for COVID-19

  Jan 25, 2021 3:00 pm3967 views

  The smell and taste challenge, developed by the Global Consortium for Chemosensory Research, is a web-based tool people can use to easily monitor changes in these senses using their favorite morning beverage.

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  COVID-19 cases, deaths in U.S. increase with higher income inequality

  Jan 25, 2021 9:45 am1484 views

  U.S. counties with higher income inequality faced higher rates of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the earlier months of the pandemic, according to a new study led by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign sociology professor Tim Liao. Counties with higher proportions of Black or Hispanic residents also had higher rates, the study found, reinforcing earlier research showing the disparate effects of the virus on those communities.

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  Study: Negative mental health effects of pandemic lockdowns spike, then fade

  Jan 25, 2021 8:00 am1810 views

  Social distancing policies correlated with immediate increases in interest in information about “isolation” and “worry” – but those effects tapered off two to four weeks after their respective peaks, says new research co-written by Dolores Albarracín, a professor of psychology and of business administration at Illinois, and Bita Fayaz Farkhad, an economist and a postdoctoral researcher in psychology at Illinois.

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  Gut bacteria help digest dietary fiber, release important antioxidant

  Jan 19, 2021 11:00 am2044 views

  Dietary fiber found in grains is a large component of many diets, but little is understood about how we digest the fiber, as humans lack enzymes to break down the complex molecules. Some species of gut bacteria break down the fiber in such a way that it not only becomes digestible, but releases ferulic acid, an important antioxidant with multiple health benefits, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

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  Retracted scientific paper persists in new citations, study finds

  Jan 5, 2021 9:00 am1522 views

  Information sciences professor Jodi Schneider is leading an effort to prevent the spread of retracted research.

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  What happens when the coronavirus mutates?

  Jan 5, 2021 8:15 am4104 views

  New mutations to the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 are emerging, including a more-infectious variant first found in the United Kingdom, even as vaccines containing bits of viral genetic material are beginning distribution. In an interview, crop sciences professor Gustavo Caetano-Anollés discusses viral mutation and what it could mean for vaccinations.

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  What is the new variant of coronavirus in the UK?

  Dec 23, 2020 8:00 am2345 views

  New mutations to the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 are emerging, including one in the United Kingdom with higher infection rates that has sparked new travel bans. Erik Procko, a professor of biochemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has been studying mutations in the spike protein, the part of the virus that binds to human cells. In an interview, Procko discussed the new variation and whether mutations to the spike protein could create resistance to vaccines or other treatments.

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  Antifungal drug improves key cystic fibrosis biomarkers in clinical study

  Dec 17, 2020 9:15 am1497 views

  A drug widely used to treat fungal infections improved key biomarkers in lung tissue cultures as well as in the noses of patients with cystic fibrosis, a clinical study by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Iowa found.

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  Study adapting HIV/AIDS behavioral interventions to mitigate COVID-19

  Dec 8, 2020 9:45 am875 views

  A research project funded by the National Institutes of Health is exploring whether interventions effective at engaging high-risk populations in HIV/AIDS testing and treatment can be adapted to mitigate COVID-19.

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  Projects offer COVID-19 testing, explore virus transmission's social factors

  Dec 2, 2020 9:45 am1459 views

  U. of I. researchers, local clinicians and volunteers are providing pop-up COVID-19 testing clinics in Rantoul, Illinois, to essential workers and other high-risk residents, and are exploring the behavioral factors behind infection clusters.

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  Team uses copper to image Alzheimer's aggregates in the brain

  Nov 24, 2020 11:00 am3134 views

  A proof-of-concept study conducted in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease offers new evidence that copper isotopes can be used to detect the amyloid-beta protein deposits that form in the brains of people living with – or at risk of developing – Alzheimer’s.

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  Study: Gut hormones' regulation of fat production abnormal in obesity, fatty liver disease

  Nov 24, 2020 8:00 am1361 views

  Gut hormones play an important role in regulating fat production in the body. One key hormone, released a few hours after eating, turns off fat production by regulating gene expression in the liver, but this regulation is abnormal in obesity, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign found in a new study.

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  Cocoa flavanols boost brain oxygenation, cognition in healthy adults

  Nov 24, 2020 4:00 am5754 views

  The brains of healthy adults recovered faster from a mild vascular challenge and performed better on complex tests if the participants consumed cocoa flavanols beforehand, researchers report.

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  Enrollment open for study comparing COVID-19 testing methods

  Nov 18, 2020 12:00 pm2078 views

  Students, faculty members and staff at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who are asked to quarantine after COVID-19 exposure or a positive test now have the opportunity to participate in a study that will help inform the national effort to manage the pandemic.

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  Study of non-COVID-19 deaths shows 2020 increase in several demographics

  Nov 17, 2020 8:00 am2668 views

  March through May saw a significant increase in deaths over previous years – and not just from COVID-19, says a new study from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

  When deaths attributed to COVID-19 were removed from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention totals, the death rate in several demographics outpaced the same period in 2019, the study found. The timeframe represents the first three months of response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

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  Does hunting with lead ammunition endanger human, environmental health?

  Nov 12, 2020 8:45 am3312 views

  A recent study from Wesleyan University found that 48% of ground meat samples made from white-tailed deer killed with lead shotgun slugs in Illinois were contaminated with lead, while meat from deer killed by archers contained no lead. Illinois Natural History Survey human dimensions scientist Craig Miller spoke to News Bureau life sciences editor Diana Yates about the risks associated with lead ammunition in hunting.

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  Exercise and nutrition regimen benefits physical, cognitive health

  Oct 19, 2020 4:00 am2490 views

  Researchers studied the effects of a 12-week exercise regimen on 148 active-duty Air Force airmen, half of whom also received a twice-daily nutrient beverage that included protein; the omega-3 fatty acid, DHA; lutein; phospholipids; vitamin D; B vitamins and other micronutrients; along with a muscle-promoting compound known as HMB. Both groups improved in physical and cognitive function, with added gains among those who regularly consumed the nutritional beverage, the team reports.

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  Octopus-inspired sucker transfers thin, delicate tissue grafts and biosensors

  Oct 16, 2020 2:00 pm4824 views

  Thin tissue grafts and flexible electronics have a host of applications for wound healing, regenerative medicine and biosensing. A new device inspired by an octopus’s sucker rapidly transfers delicate tissue or electronic sheets to the patient, overcoming a key barrier to clinical application, report researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and collaborators.

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  Repurposed anti-malarial compounds kill diarrheal parasite, study finds

  Oct 1, 2020 8:45 am1086 views

  A class of compounds used for malaria treatment also kill the intestinal parasite Cryptosporidium, a leading global cause of diarrheal disease and death in children that has no cure, a multi-institution collaboration of researchers found in a new study.

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  Gene expression altered by direction of forces acting on cell

  Sep 29, 2020 8:00 am1010 views

  Tissues and cells in the human body are subjected to a constant push and pull – strained by other cells, blood pressure and fluid flow, to name a few. The type and direction of the force on a cell alters gene expression by stretching different regions of DNA, researchers at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and collaborators in China found in a new study.

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  How is campus adjusting HVAC systems during the coronavirus pandemic?

  Sep 28, 2020 12:15 pm989 views

  As temperatures drop and more people gather indoors, concerns about coronavirus particles floating in the air are on the rise. Officials at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign have made adjustments to heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems to provide adequate ventilation, says Mohamed Attalla, the executive director of Facilities and Services. He spoke with News Bureau physical sciences editor Lois Yoksoulian about the proactive measures taken to assure that campus HVAC systems are operating correctly and supplying fresh outdoor air to buildings.

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  Do-it-yourself COVID-19 vaccines fraught with public health problems

  Sep 17, 2020 1:00 pm1443 views

  “Citizen scientists” developing homemade COVID-19 vaccines may believe they’re inoculating themselves against the ongoing pandemic, but the practice of self-experimentation with do-it-yourself medical innovations is fraught with legal, ethical and public health issues, says a new paper co-written by University of Illinois law professor Jacob S. Sherkow.

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  Most homemade masks are doing a great job, even when we sneeze, study finds

  Sep 17, 2020 9:30 am6050 views

  Studies indicate that homemade masks help combat the spread of viruses like COVID-19 when combined with frequent hand-washing and physical distancing. Many of these studies focus on the transfer of tiny aerosol particles; however, researchers say that speaking, coughing and sneezing generates larger droplets that carry virus particles. Because of this, mechanical engineer Taher Saif said the established knowledge may not be enough to determine how the effectiveness of some fabrics used in homemade masks.

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  Culturally adapted exercise program helps Hispanic older adults be more active

  Sep 14, 2020 9:30 am891 views

  A study of 565 Hispanic older adults found that a culturally adapted exercise program improved physical functioning among a population who believe that being sedentary and in poor health is inevitable in later life.

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  Cholesterol metabolite causes immune system to attack T cells instead of breast cancer, study finds

  Sep 14, 2020 9:00 am1245 views

  In breast cancer tumors, a molecule produced when the body breaks down cholesterol hijacks the myeloid immune cells that normally arm T cells to fight cancer, a new study in mice found. Instead, the hijacked myeloid cells disarm the T cells and even tell them to self-destruct.

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  Cell-autonomous immunity shaped human evolution

  Sep 9, 2020 8:00 am648 views

  Every human cell harbors its own defenses against microbial invaders, relying on strategies that date back to some of the earliest events in the history of life. Understanding this “cell-autonomous immunity” is essential to understanding human evolution and human medicine, researchers report.

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  Study: Portable, point-of-care COVID-19 test could bypass the lab

  Aug 31, 2020 2:00 pm7739 views

  In a new study, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign researchers have demonstrated a prototype of a rapid COVID-19 molecular test and a simple-to-use, portable instrument for reading the results with a smartphone in 30 minutes, which could enable point-of-care diagnosis without needing to send samples to a lab.

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  Will a coronavirus vaccine be a cure-all?

  Aug 25, 2020 8:15 am3104 views

  Global health authorities are frantically pursuing a vaccine against the novel coronavirus in the hope that it will allow everyone to get back to a pre-COVID-19 reality ASAP. Thomas O’Rourke, a professor emeritus of community health, says those expectations are probably overblown.