In our bodies right now, messenger RNA, or mRNA, is sending genetic instructions for cells to make proteins—the machines of life that make heart muscles beat, hair follicles grow, and many other biological process happen. This mRNA is a long molecule that contains instructions that a cell uses to create proteins. Knowing this, in January … Read more

Headlines and social media feeds have been abuzz in recent weeks with the news regarding the promising results of the Pfizer and Moderna coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine trials. Clinical trials show the first two vaccines are about 95 percent effective at preventing people from getting sick with COVID-19. With a continued surge in cases in the United States and … Read more

The article “Helping Hip Fracture Patients” published in ACP Hospitalist this month features a UNC retrospective study led by John R. Stephens, MD. The study found that patients admitted to the hospitalist service had shorter lengths of stays and a lower risk of 30-day readmission compared with patients admitted to orthopedics or other services. Read … Read more

David Weber, MD, MPH, professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases, spoke to WTVD-11 News about the upward trend of COVID-19 cases in North Carolina. He said if the numbers worsen, certain figures project the nationwide number of a half-million deaths by April. “To put it in perspective…that is Charlotte or Raleigh just … Read more

William Wood, MD, professor of medicine in the division of hematology, and Nigel Key, MD, the Harold R. Roberts Distinguished Professor of Medicine, authored abstracts that were highlighted at American Society of Hematology press events. Alisa Wolberg, PhD, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, served as the scientific co-chair of the meeting. Learn more from … Read more

Obesity is a known risk factor for various cancers, and its rise over the past few decades has contributed to a rise in hormone receptor positive breast cancer rates that is greater in Black women than White women. At the same time, as overall breast cancer mortality rates have declined, the decline has been less … Read more

Seth Berkowitz, MD, MPH, assistant professor in the division of general medicine and epidemiology, co-published a research study letter in JAMA Internal Medicine, focused on unemployment insurance, health-related social needs, health care access and mental health during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Results showed unemployment insurance benefits may help mitigate economic disruption wrought by the pandemic. The … Read more

The Infectious Diseases Society of America, the nation’s leading infectious diseases professional society, has elected Joe Eron, MD, Anne Lachiewicz, MD, MPH; and Christopher Hurt, MD, to its latest cohort of Fellows of IDSA. As the highest honor in the field of infectious diseases, IDSA fellowships recognize those who have achieved professional excellence and provided … Read more

Emily Sickbert-Bennett, PhD, MS, told the News & Observer that outdoor dining tents could be safe if well-vented and distance kept between tables. She pointed to dining with people one doesn’t live with as a concerning spreader of the virus. “Proximity likely matters; that’s the rationale for having reduced capacity in restaurants,” said Sickbert-Bennett, associate professor of … Read more

Although health care workers are slated to be first to have access to the COVID-19 vaccine, the employees at local hospitals are split when it comes to enthusiasm for getting vaccinated. WRAL interviewed David Wohl, MD, professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases, who will be one of the first to have access to … Read more

Klara Klein, MD, PhD, a fellow in the division of endocrinology and metabolism, recently published “The Trials and Tribulations of Determining HbA1c Targets For Diabetes Mellitus,” in Nature Reviews Endocrinology, the highest impact journal in endocrinology. Following is a summary of the review, published with John Buse, MD, PhD, chief of the division of endocrinology. … Read more

Nigel Mackman, PhD, FAHA, has received an R35 grant from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute of the NIH. This grant is for seven-year study with a total budget of $6 million. The grant will fund “Tissue factor-dependent coagulation in thrombosis and immune responses,” studying the mechanisms of thrombosis in cancer and viral infections, … Read more