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A shorter regimen is scientifically sound, but most women still get the longer therapy  More than half of older women with early stage breast cancer received more radiation therapy than what might be medically necessary, adding additional treatment and health care costs, according to a study led by Duke Cancer Institute researchers. (Image of Rachel A. Greenup, M.D. to left and E. Shelly Hwang, M.D. to right)

Professors of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology Raphael Valdivia, PhD, and Alejandro Aballay, PhD, were recently elected as fellows of the American Academy of Microbiology, an honorific leadership group within American Society of Microbiology. A total of 73 new fellows were elected this year. Election into the prestigious academy exemplifies a member’s scientific achievements and original contributions that have advanced microbiology.

The findings advance progress toward HIV vaccine design A Duke Health-led research team has described both the pathway of HIV protective antibody development and a synthetic HIV outer envelope mimic that has the potential to induce the antibodies with vaccination.

The Duke University School of Medicine is ranked number 7th among all medical schools in the nation, up from eight last year. The rankings were published by U.S. News & World Report. Several specialty programs in the School of Medicine also were ranked among the best in the country: Internal Medicine (fifth); Geriatrics (tied for fifth); Family Medicine (ninth).

Anticoagulants were not used according to guidelines, despite evidence they prevent strokes More than 80 percent of stroke patients with a history of atrial fibrillation either received not enough or no anticoagulation therapy prior to having a stroke, despite the drugs’ proven record of reducing stroke risk, according to a Duke Clinical Research Institute study.

  ​ (left to right) Rheaya Willis, Medical Student; Laura Previll, MD; Jeff Marcotte, PA; Elizabeth Mathenge, Medical Student; Iris Padilla, PhD, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC; Mackenzie Tulleners, Nurse Practitioner Student; Deanna Griffie, Nurse Practitioner Student

Scoring points for health: Former All-American Female Duke basketball player transitions to career in medicine By Aliza Inbari

Overall survival and development of infants born at 23, 24 weeks improving, study finds Babies born at just 22 to 24 weeks of pregnancy continue to have sobering outlooks _ only about 1 in 3 survive.

IBM Health Corps team shares ideas on how to better connect and coordinate Durham’s efforts to make our community healthier    Members of the IBM Health Team with staff from Urban Ministries, one of the many organizations they visited while in Durham, NC. Photo courtesy of IBM.  

Scientists identify biomarkers in mucous that verify viral infection from cold or flu It may seem obvious, but the key to confirming whether someone is suffering from a cold or flu virus might lie at the misery’s source -- the inflamed passages of the nose and throat.