Science And Research Show

There are 26 million Americans with diabetes, and nearly 80 million with pre-diabetes. Though pre-diabetes may sound relatively harmless, it’s not. Patients with the condition are at risk for developing not only diabetes, but also heart disease and stroke. Dr. Timothy Graham, Director of the University of Utah Diabetes and Heart Disease Prevention Clinic describes what pre-diabetes is, why there has been a rise in the condition over the past twenty years, and how he is working both in the clinic and the laboratory to reverse its effects in patients.

MacArthur Fellows, recipients of the highly-regarded “genius grants”, are chosen for their extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits. So, what makes someone a “genius”? In a conversation with 2020 fellow and U of U Health evolutionary geneticist Nels Elde, PhD, he explains his scientific research and how it unleashes his creativity.

Headlines are talking about a new one-size-fits-all type of cancer treatment. Are these claims real or are they just hype? Dr. John Phillips, professor of hematology at University of Utah Health has been involved with the potentially groundbreaking research. Learn more about what this study really means for cancer treatment and patients.

Millions of Americans with diabetes inject themselves with insulin every day, or multiple times a day, to manage their disease. While that’s hard enough the soaring price of the drug has made things that much harder. Nurse practitioner and researcher Dr. Michelle Litchman discusses the plight of people with diabetes who are having to undergo extremes such as foregoing basic needs and taking part in underground trading just to stay healthy.

Despite major advances in treating and preventing heart disease, the condition is still a leading cause of death in the U.S. At the Utah Cardiac Recovery Symposium, Dr. Gary Gibbons, director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, outlined the institute’s strategic vision for improving the health of Americans in a conversation with Dr. Stavros Drakos, a cardiologist and professor of Internal Medicine at University of Utah Health. Photo credit: National Institutes of Health

The United States infant mortality rate ranks among the worst for wealthy nations, a clear sign that our nation’s health needs improving. This year’s Frontiers in Precision Medicine III symposium will focus on combining the best approaches from two seemingly disparate disciplines—population health and individualized medicine—to pave the way toward a brighter future. Symposium organizer and assistant professor of Population Health Sciences Adam Bress, Pharm D, explains controversies that will be addressed in dynamic and interactive panel-based discussions led by national experts in the fields of health disparities, big data, direct-to-consumer genetic testing, and more. The symposium will be held on March 16, 2018 on the University of Utah campus. Registration is free, and CME credits are available.

A new study reveals that patients receiving radiofrequency catheter ablation compared to traditional drug therapies for atrial fibrillation (AF), a contributing factor to heart failure, have significantly lower hospitalization and mortality rates. The findings are published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study's lead author, cardiologist Nassir F. Marrouche, M.D., discusses the research and its implications.

Anyone who has had back pain—and that’s nearly all of us—knows how debilitating it can be. Even more frustrating is that for many, that pain comes back, again and again, no matter what they try. Julie Fritz, Ph.D., associate dean for research in the College of Health talks about what makes back pain, and back pain treatment, different. She explains why the way to make progress is to match the right methods—be it physical therapy, mindfulness, or a combination of approaches—to the right person.

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and can lead to potentially life-threatening heart attacks and strokes. A clinical trial called SPRINT has changed the way doctors look at blood pressure for long-term patient health. The Scope Radio's Julie Kiefer speaks with Dr. Brandon Bellow and Dr. Natalia Ruiz-Negrón about their new research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, supporting new guidelines to lower blood pressure for long-term health-related quality of life.

There’s a real problem within the medical science community regarding reliability. Today, more and more science articles are being published, but many lack the reliability we can rely on. The Scope Radio’s Julie Kiefer talks with Melissa Rethlefsen and Melanie Lackey from University of Utah Eccles Health Science Library to discuss the problem of unreliability in modern science and the collaborative ways the University is working to address the problem.

Infection from a common virus, cytomegalovirus (CMV), is the leading cause of non-genetic hearing loss in U.S. newborns. Even though the virus is far more prevalent than Zika, it remains relatively unheard of. ENT specialist Dr. Albert Park explains what can happen when infants are exposed to CMV while in the womb and steps that pregnant women can take to avoid infection. Park is carrying out a national clinical trial to determine whether he can lessen the impact of CMV in infants by treating them with antiviral medications.

Building a road map of all the nerve connections in the brain, including in the eye, is key to understanding what makes us who we are. Bryan Jones, Ph.D., an investigator at the Moran Eye Center, talks about his research building a connectome of the retina. He explains how he and his colleagues are approaching the massive project and how such work will inform an understanding of the way that the brain makes sense of the outside world and what goes wrong during disease.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are a big public health concern. These so-called superbugs are resistant to life-saving drugs that we take for granted. Dr. Barbara Jones, a pulmonologist with University of Utah Health and the VA IDEAS Center for Innovation, explains how the habits and attitudes of some doctors are fueling the problem and what can be done to change things.

Mice destined to get cancer live longer when they have plenty of social interactions, mental activity, and exercise. Huntsman Cancer Institute investigator Dr. Melinda Angus-Hill led a research study that revealed this surprising finding. She explains how an enriched lifestyle impacts cancer, what changes biologically, and the potential implications for people with cancer.

Recent studies show the majority of published research cannot successfully be replicated. This could potentially question the validity of tens of thousands of scientific studies. Hilda Bastian, chief editor of PubMed Commons, talks about what this means to the scientific field and how it could impact the general public.

For most people, a diagnosis of advanced heart failure signals an inevitable decline with no chance for recovery. However, a few years ago, doctors found a small yet signiLicant proportion of these patients can bounce back if their heart is given a chance to rest with help from a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). Scientist Sarah Franklin is investigating the responses of different sets of patients. She explains what she's searching for and how what she Linds may one day beneLit patients.

The White House has proposed a major budget cut in government agencies that fund scientific research, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Bryan Jones, Ph.D., a scientist at the Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah, says the mere idea keeps him up at night. “I’m terrified,” he says. “The prospect of a 20 percent cut to the budget would be devastating to science and careers.” He explains why supporting scientific research is an investment in our future.

An aquatic snail from the Caribbean Sea could hold the secret to a new type of pain killer in its venom. Dr. Michael McIntosh, a scientist at University of Utah Health, is working to isolate pain-killing compounds that could serve as a non-addictive replacement for opioids. In this episode, Dr. McIntosh talks about what his early research has found, how these venoms work and the major changes it could make in the way doctors treat pain.

A three-foot shelled “worm” that looks like a unicorn’s horn? It just goes to show that the great blue planet we live on still holds some surprises. Naturalist Margo Haygood from the College of Pharmacy at the University of Utah tells the tale of how she and her colleagues came upon the odd beast and what it has taught them about the diversity of life on Earth. Learn more here.

In science, you may never know where your research will take you, and the results might be a surprise. Wesley Sundquist, Ph.D knows this as well as anyone. Dr. Sundquist is a University of Utah Professor of Biochemistry, and his research on how viruses function may hold the key to a new “delivery system,” which could allow for the transfer of small molecules between cells. On this episode of The Science and Research Show, we’re discussing how the research and understanding of viruses could lead to the next generation of nanomedicine and gene therapy.