A drug used to treat cancer may also be effective in diseases that cause scarring of the internal organs or skin, such as pulmonary fibrosis or scleroderma.

The drug, with the generic name bortezomib, stopped the production of fibrotic proteins in human cells and the development of fibrous scarring in a mouse model of fibrotic disease, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study published in the journal Thorax.  Studies have not yet been done in humans.

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Researchers have converted stem cells from the human endometrium into insulin-producing cells and transplanted them into mice to control the animals’ diabetes.  The endometrium, or uterine lining, is a source of adult stem cells. Normally, these cells generate uterine tissue each month as part of the menstrual cycle. Like other stem cells, however, they can divide to form other kinds of cells.

Menopause has little to no impact on whether women become more susceptible to diabetes, according to a one-of-a-kind study.