Scientists from Schepens Eye Research Institute are the first to regenerate large areas of damaged retinas and improve visual function using IPS cells (induced pluripotent stem cells) derived from skin. The results of their study, which is published in PLoS ONE this month, hold great promise for future treatments and cures for diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa...

William Talman admits he was never really good at jigsaw puzzles, but that didn’t stop him from a career in biomedical research and science advocacy. During his first year of medical school, Talman recalls, “One of my professors challenged us one day, saying ‘Do any of you like to solve jigsaw puzzles? If so, you will probably like neurology because you can logically put the pieces together.’”...

A conversation is a lot more than words.And Rupa Gupta, a University of Iowa graduate student, said she wants to unravel the intricacies of interaction, such as eye contact and timing.“I’m just interested in how people interact with people,” said Gupta, who is working toward a Ph.D. in neuroscience.Her advisers call her a standout in her field, but the 25-year-old was hesitant to praise her...

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to track how brain volumes change over time, researchers at the University of Iowa have found that antipsychotic medications commonly used to treat schizophrenia appear to contribute to the loss of brain tissue that sometimes occurs in patients with this condition. The findings, which are published in the February issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry...

The Knights Templar Eye Foundation, Inc., awarded its $40,000 Pediatric Ophthalmology Research Grant to Steven Stasheff, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of pediatrics and ophthalmology and visual sciences with University of Iowa Health Care, during its meeting on Oct. 23 in Des Moines. Stasheff presented a report to the Knights Templar members on his proposed research as well as other vision...

Daniel O'Leary, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry at the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, has received a five-year, $2.6 million grant from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to study brain development in adolescents with genetic risk factors for alcoholism. The researchers will use advanced...

By Leslie Tamura Washington Post Staff WriterTuesday, July 20, 2010 Police officers in many jurisdictions use stun guns to incapacitate suspects, but the weapons have started to show up in hospital settings as well, a migration that has raised some concerns.On July 8, a security guard used a stun gun on the 25-year-old nephew of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas after he allegedly became...

The National Institutes of Health has invited Timothy Brennan, M.D., Samir D. Gergis Professor of Anesthesia, Vice Chair for Research, to serve as a member of the Surgery, Anesthesiology and Trauma Study Section, Center for Scientific Review. Dr. Brennan will serve in this capacity from July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2014. Please take a moment to read more about this appointment.

Timothy Brennan, M.D., Ph.D., Samir Gergis Professor of Anesthesia, Vice Chair for Research, will receive the Frederick W. L. Kerr Basic Science Research Award from the American Pain Society (APS) during the group’s annual meeting held May 6-8, 2010. This award was established in 1987 in honor of Frederick W. L. Kerr, an APS founder, to recognize individual excellence and achievement in pain...

"When pain gets chronic, people do less," says Kathleen Sluka, professor of physical therapy and rehabilitation science at the University of Iowa. "Their muscles get weaker and their bodies get tighter, and they think about pain a lot more. Movement techniques help them relax, make them stronger and reduce stress levels, so maybe they can think about something other than pain for a bit."Read more...