Every face is unique. Genetics helps to determine our features, but sometimes genes have errors, which, in early fetal development, can result in babies with facial differences such as a cleft lip or cleft palate. If not treated, these craniofacial conditions can have a major impact on a baby’s quality of life by interfering with a baby’s ability to see, breathe, speak clearly, and avoid ear infections. 

Cancer Center at Illinois researchers are leading a multi-institutional partnership to improve minimally invasive imaging technology for lung cancer treatment. The implications of this new technology are significant as lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. More people die of lung cancer than of colon, breast, and prostate cancers combined, according to the American Cancer Society.

Parenteral nutrition (PN) is a lifesaving means of nutritional support for thousands of hospitalized infants who cannot tolerate normal oral feeding due to the immaturity or surgical removal of the intestine due to congenital or disease-related causes. PN is a method of delivering nutrients directly into the bloodstream via an intravenous catheter, bypassing the digestive system entirely.

A serious complication of PN is the risk for a metabolic condition called parenteral nutrition-associated liver disease (PNALD), which can lead to liver failure if not managed. PNALD can affect up to 50% of premature infants given total PN for prolonged periods. This study investigated a way to protect the liver from long-term injury that occurs when bile flow from the liver is obstructed.