A selection of health news from the University of Chicago and around the globe curated just for you.
Technology commercialization expert to head Polsky Center
Jay Schrankler has been appointed associate vice president and head of the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Schrankler transformed the University of Minnesota’s technology transfer office, generating more than $550 million in revenue over 10 years and helping launch startups that have raised $420 million to date. (UChicago News)
Rotavirus vaccine also apparently reduces risk of type 1 diabetes
Babies fully vaccinated against rotavirus in the first months of life have a 33 percent lower risk of developing type 1 diabetes than unvaccinated peers, according to a new study from the University of Michigan. The babies also had a 94 percent lower rate of hospitalization for rotavirus and a 31 percent lower rate of hospitalization for any reason. (NYTimes)
A vaccine against stress may be one step closer to reality
University of Colorado Boulder scientists identified a soil-based bacterium (Mycobacterium vaccae) that “vaccinated” immune cells against inflammation and thereby tuned down the flight-or-fight response in mice, both in the short run and longer term. (Psychology Today)
Findings link gut bacteria and fibromyalgia
Long a mystery disease that causes widespread chronic pain, fatigue, and cognitive difficulties in two to four percent of the population, fibromyalgia has no known cure. McGill University researchers found that people with fibromyalgia have a distinctive makeup of gut bacteria, and the more severe the symptoms, the more pronounced the microbial differences. (Psychology Today)
How do your food choices influence your microbiome?
Food label nutrition facts are important, but don’t tell you much about how they affect your gut microbes. Scientists at the University of Minnesota hope that greater specificity in food labeling may one day help us fine-tune our diets to our gut needs. (The Conversation)
