Each year, almost 500,000 open heart surgeries are performed in the United States. During these operations, surgeons rely on heart-lung machines to keep patients alive while they transplant healthy arteries and veins onto an ailing heart. However, these machines aren’t perfect. Often oxygen doesn’t flow or reach organs as well as it would naturally. As […]
Read MoreLou Gehrig, the legendary “Iron Horse” of baseball known for his durability on the diamond, is among the most famous people to develop amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a rare progressive neurodegenerative disease. In fact, 80 year after his death, ALS is often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Then, as now, there is no cure. […]
Read MoreAn experimental treatment can essentially reverse type 1 diabetes in certain types of laboratory mice. An injection of the therapeutic agent converts cells that normally control glucose production into ones that generate insulin. What this implies for millions of people who have type 1 diabetes is that there is a chance that individuals could eventually […]
Read MoreUniversity of Utah scientists have developed an injectable drug that blocks HIV, the virus that causes the life-long disease acquired immunodefiniciency syndrome (AIDS). The new drug potentially offers long-lasting protection from the infection with fewer side effects. The drug, which was tested in non-human primates, could eventually replace or supplement combination drug “cocktail” therapies currently used […]
Read MoreWith the COVID-19 pandemic in full swing, there is a clear need for new treatments and a vaccine against the disease. Animal research has long been one of the first steps in medical discovery. In the battle against COVID-19, the approach remains crucial for developing strategies to understand and combat the disease. Mice and monkeys are […]
Read MoreAbout one in 54 American children are diagnosed with autism by age 8, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Utah’s prevalence rate is even higher, with about one in 50 8-year-old children identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Only New Jersey has a higher rate in the United States. Some people with this developmental […]
Read MoreWhen things get rough, many Americans turn to prescription pills. About one in eight over the age of 12 take antidepressants for mental disorders such as depression and anxiety, and a quarter of those have done so for 10 years or more, according to a 2017 study by the National Center for Health Statistics. But what […]
Read MoreWithout binocular vision, it’s harder to judge distances or depth, or see an image in 3D. As a result, everyday activities such as catching a ball, driving a car, reading or even walking or running are challenging. Now scientists at University of Utah Health have found that a gene, called Arc, is critical for cells in the […]
Read MoreHibernation is one of nature’s strangest quirks, inducing bears and other mammals to pack on massive weight—amounts that would be unhealthy for humans—so they can survive months of slumber. Yet when these animals reemerge, they are as fit as ever. Now University of Utah Health scientists say they have detected new genetic clues about this phenomenon that […]
Read MoreMany first-time pet owners quickly learn how many diseases and conditions affect our four legged friends just as they do people. Dogs get urinary tract infections and cancer. Cats develop cataracts and hyperthyroidism. But researchers have developed ways to help pets—often using the same treatments originally designed for their human counterparts. Watch the video to […]
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