Helical CT scans reduce lung cancer mortality by 20% compared to chest X-rays A national study of more than 53,000 current and former heavy smokers has demonstrated that helical CT scanning reduced lung cancer deaths by 20 percent compared to using chest X-rays. Constantine Gatsonis and colleagues at Brown’s Center for Statistical Sciences contributed methodologic […]

Continue reading "Helical CT scans reduce lung cancer mortality by 20% compared to chest X-rays" >>

Religious leaders, Brown researcher fight HIV infection in Philadelphia A Brown University researcher and religious leaders in Philadelphia are organizing a citywide attack on the stigma associated with HIV infection. More than 100 pastors and imams are reaching out to their congregations to encourage HIV testing, education, and compassion in Philadelphia, where the rate of […]

Continue reading "Religious leaders, Brown researcher fight HIV infection in Philadelphia" >>

Would convenient access to affordable fresh produce improve eating habits? If your employer made fresh produce available at reasonable prices just down the hall, would you eat more fresh fruits and vegetables? Would a few health tips sweeten the deal? A new Brown University study will investigate what it takes to help people eat better. […]

Continue reading "Would convenient access to affordable fresh produce improve eating habits?" >>

Lead poisoning maps in R.I. reveal huge disparities, guide cleanup Rhode Islanders under six years of age who lived in the state’s lowest income areas or in neighborhoods with lots of pre-1950 housing faced a threat of lead poisoning several times higher than average, according to a new study of data from 1993 through 2005. […]

Continue reading "Lead poisoning maps in R.I. reveal huge disparities, guide cleanup" >>

Size of protein aggregates, not abundance, drives spread of prion-based disease In a study that challenges the conventional wisdom about infections caused by proteins called prions, Brown researchers report in Science that the size of protein structures, rather than their abundance, determines their transmission among cells. PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Mad Cow disease and […]

Continue reading "Size of protein aggregates, not abundance, drives spread of prion-based disease" >>

Concussions: Giving brain injuries the attention they deserve No more “Just shake it off” advice. Sports organizations from Pop Warner to the NFL are starting to treat concussions as the serious injuries they are. PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — An estimated 300,000 high school athletes suffer concussions on the playing fields annually. The brain is […]

Continue reading "Concussions: Giving brain injuries the attention they deserve" >>

Discovery opens new window on development, and maybe potential, of human egg cells Egg cells hold the key to many mysteries about reproduction, and knowing about the genetic makeup of individual eggs is important in fertility treatment. A new method of looking at genetic material egg cells discard offers a way to learn more about […]

Continue reading "Discovery opens new window on development, and maybe potential, of human egg cells" >>

Deadly virus reveals a potential weakness A new study of the JC polyomavirus, a devastating pathogen that attacks brain cells in patients with compromised immune systems, has revealed how it binds to its targets, providing a basis for developing drugs to interrupt that process. PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — The JC polyomavirus doesn’t strike very […]

Continue reading "Deadly virus reveals a potential weakness" >>

$7.5M grant to fund research on interaction of drinking and HIV infection Individually, HIV and excessive alcohol consumption are international health crises, but when they intersect they can be uniquely troubling. Scientists at the Brown Alcohol Research Center on HIV, a new federally funded center, will explore physiological and behavioral questions raised by the combination, […]

Continue reading "$7.5M grant to fund research on interaction of drinking and HIV infection" >>

Research team identifies new mechanism with suspected role in cancer Researchers at Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital have identified a process in which prolactin receptors can be drawn together and begin working in pairs called dimers. Overexpression of prolactin receptors in patients has been linked to cancer. PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — If women […]

Continue reading "Research team identifies new mechanism with suspected role in cancer" >>