With 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 […]
Read MoreOpioids and opiates are the most effective painkillers available to contemporary medicine. In the late 1990s, physicians began prescribing the newly available OxyContin, a semi-synthetic long-lasting opioid, to treat chronic pain. And Pandora’s box was blown wide open. During the past 20 years, more than 350,000 people have died from an opioid-related drug overdose. A sobering comparison, […]
Read MoreWhen 6-year-old Harper Clyde looked through the microscope, she immediately burst into tears. She knew she was looking at a tiny replica of the injury that caused her brother Tyler to nearly die as a newborn and continued to cause him suffering. On the microscope slide was a cross section of a mouse diaphragm — a […]
Read MoreThree common antidepressants – Paxil® (paroxetine), Lexapro® (escitalopram), and Prozac® (fluoxetine) – could be less effective at high elevations, suggests research involving lab rats and led by scientists at University of Utah Health. When rats were placed in conditions that simulate moderate-high altitudes, the three pharmaceuticals failed to suppress behaviors that model human depression. By […]
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