Device keeps brain alive, functioning separate from body

Researchers led by a team at UT Southwestern Medical Center have developed a device that can isolate blood flow to the brain, keeping the organ alive and functioning independent from the rest of the body for several hours.

Nerve block can reduce need for postsurgical opioids

A preoperative nerve block used in combination with other medications can reduce the need for opioids to manage pain following spinal surgery, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers found. The findings, published in European Spine Journal, suggest a way to lessen the reliance on opioids to reduce postoperative pain and help patients become ambulatory sooner.

Traditional Chinese medicine reduces risk after heart attack

A traditional Chinese medicine whose name means “to open the network of the heart” reduced the risk of heart attacks, deaths, and other major cardiovascular complications for at least a year after a first heart attack, a study led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers shows. The findings, published in JAMA, reveal the promise of this compound, one of the first traditional Chinese medicines tested in a large-scale, Western-style clinical trial.

Study reveals how estrogen exerts its anti-diabetic effects

The quintessential female sex hormone estrogen stimulates cells that line blood vessels to deliver insulin to muscles, lowering blood sugar and protecting against Type 2 diabetes, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report. The findings, published in Nature Communications, could eventually lead to new therapies for Type 2 diabetes, a disease that affects hundreds of millions of people around the globe and continues to grow more prevalent.

Catherine Spong, M.D., elected to the National Academy of Medicine

Catherine Spong, M.D., Chair and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) in recognition of her contributions to the field of maternal-fetal medicine, her leadership in women’s health research, and her dedication to advancing health care for mothers and babies.

UTSW researcher receives NIH Director’s New Innovator Award

Ravikanth Maddipati, M.D., Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and in Children’s Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern, has been awarded $1.5 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support research investigating positional heterogeneity in cancer, or how tumors in the same organ can behave differently based on where they form.

UT Southwestern biochemist Zhijian ‘James’ Chen to receive prestigious Horwitz Prize

Zhijian “James” Chen, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Biology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, has been awarded the 2023 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize in recognition of his groundbreaking work on innate immunity.

Iron supplements provided in prenatal visits improved outcomes

Giving free prenatal iron supplements to medically underserved pregnant patients rather than only recommending them significantly reduced anemia and postpartum blood transfusions, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Parkland Health report in a study published in JAMA Network Open.

UTSW researchers identify driver of inflammatory bowel disease

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered an intracellular mechanism that converts protective intestinal cells into disease-driving pathogenic cells, a finding that could lead to improved treatments for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Intestinal bacteria release molecular ‘brake’ on weight gain

Bacteria that live in the intestines inhibit a molecule that limits the amount of fat absorbed, increasing weight gain in mice fed a high-sugar, high-fat diet, researchers from UT Southwestern Medical Center report. The findings, published in Science, could eventually lead to new ways to combat obesity, diabetes, and malnutrition – health problems that plague hundreds of millions worldwide.

Fish oil supplement claims often vague, not supported by data

Your daily dose of omega-3s may not be doing what you think it is. Most fish oil supplements on the market today have labels boasting health benefits that aren’t supported by clinical data, according to a study published in JAMA Cardiology by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Cause of ‘brain freeze’ a bit of a mystery, but not to worry

You’re eating or drinking something frozen, like a snow cone, ice cream, or ice pops – probably a bit too eagerly – and you get one of those sudden-onset, painful headaches known as “brain freeze.” Man, does it hurt, but usually not for long, and it’s not harmful, according to an expert at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Study identifies characteristics specific to human brains

Researchers led by a team at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified cellular and molecular features of the brain that set modern humans apart from their closest primate relatives and ancient human ancestors. The findings, published in Nature, offer new insights into human brain evolution.

Research pinpoints inflammation source behind atherosclerosis

Scientists at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Medical Center Dallas have discovered in mice how high cholesterol causes blood vessels to become inflamed, a necessary prerequisite for atherosclerosis – the “hardening of the arteries” responsible for most heart attacks and strokes. The findings, published in Nature Communications, could lead to new interventions to protect against cardiovascular diseases (CVD), the leading cause of death globally.

Most pancreatic cancer patients don’t get lifesaving surgery

Only 22% of Texas patients with early-stage pancreatic cancer received standard-of-care surgery to remove their tumors, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center report in a new study. The findings, published in the Journal of Surgical Oncology, are a call to action to improve treatment in the Lone Star State for this deadly disease, the authors say.

Less is best with caffeine, energy drinks during pregnancy

Millions of people drink coffee, soda, and/or tea daily, making caffeinated beverages the most commonly consumed stimulants in the world. Highly caffeinated energy drinks also have been a hugely popular pick-me-up for more than two decades, especially among younger adults and teens. But pregnant individuals should be careful regarding energy drinks and their overall intake of caffeine, according to an expert at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

College students help aging patients who are hospitalized

Valentina Harmjanz often tapped into music on her smartphone to connect with older patients she visited at William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital. The UT Southwestern medical student met with patients as part of the Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP), a joint effort between UTSW and the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College at the University of Texas at Dallas.

Gene that regulates immune activity in the retina identified

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified a gene called Lipe that appears to be pivotal to retinal health, with mutations spurring immune activation and retinal degeneration. This is important because the retina is responsible for detecting the light that is transformed into vision. The findings, published in Communications Biology, provide clues about the mechanisms behind a variety of disorders affecting the retina, including macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.

Early diagnosis of pelvic floor disorders key for health

Pelvic floor disorders (PFDs), which occur when women’s pelvic floor muscles are weakened or injured, significantly affect quality of life and require surgery for hundreds of thousands in the U.S. each year. Now a study led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers has found a noninvasive test that could identify women at risk for these conditions and improve treatment.

CRI’s Sean Morrison elected to European Molecular Biology Organization

Stem cell biologist Sean J. Morrison, Ph.D., Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and founding Director and Professor of the Children’s Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern (CRI), has been elected by his peers as an associate member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO).

Public-private consortium will fund three gene therapy clinical trials at UT Southwestern and Children’s Health

A consortium of government, industry, and nonprofit partners will fund gene therapy clinical trials for three different rare diseases at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Health, where scientists are working on gene therapies to treat neurodevelopmental disorders in children.

Warfarin use should not disqualify stroke patients from lifesaving clot-removing surgery

Most stroke patients taking the anticoagulant warfarin were no more likely than those not on the medication to experience a brain bleed when undergoing a procedure to remove a blood clot, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report in a new study. The findings, published in JAMA, could help doctors better gauge the risk of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT), potentially expanding the pool of eligible patients for this mainstay stroke treatment.

Public-private consortium will fund three gene therapy clinical trials at UT Southwestern

A consortium of government, industry, and nonprofit partners will fund gene therapy clinical trials for three rare diseases at UT Southwestern Medical Center, where scientists are working on gene therapies to treat neurodevelopmental disorders in children.

Noboro Mizushima, M.D., Ph.D., awarded inaugural Beth Levine, M.D. Prize in Autophagy Research from UT Southwestern

Japanese biochemist and molecular biologist Noboru Mizushima, M.D., Ph.D., has been named the inaugural recipient of the Beth Levine, M.D. Prize in Autophagy Research from UT Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Mizushima is an internationally recognized scientist who has made significant strides in unraveling the complex processes of mammalian autophagy, a fundamental cellular mechanism responsible for maintaining cellular health and functionality.

Former UTSW Otolaryngology Chair recognized for pioneering cochlear implant contributions

Peter Roland, M.D., Professor Emeritus of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center, has been honored by the American Cochlear Implant Alliance with its 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award for his groundbreaking work in advancing the use and benefits of cochlear implants (CI).

Start screenings at age 45 to prevent colorectal cancer, UT Southwestern experts advise

Colorectal cancer is on the rise among younger adults. According to the American Cancer Society, the proportion of cases among people under 55 increased from 11% in 1995 to 20% in 2019, and it is now the leading cause of cancer-related deaths for men younger than 50.

New study sheds light on complex genetics of autism in East African families

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified hundreds of genomic variants associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in East African families who have a markedly higher prevalence of the neurodevelopmental condition than other populations worldwide. The study, published in Cell Genomics, is the first to investigate the genetics of ASD in an African population, an important step toward decreasing racial and ethnic health disparities for this condition, the authors said.

Some cervical cancer patients at higher risk for UTIs after radical hysterectomies

Women with early-stage cervical cancer had significantly higher chances of developing catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) after radical hysterectomies if they were smokers or used a catheter for more than seven days post-surgery, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers found in a study.

UT Southwestern researchers discover mechanism responsible for genome rearrangements

The goal of every dividing cell is to accurately segregate its genome into two genetically identical daughter cells. However, this process often goes awry and may be responsible for a new class of chromosomal abnormalities found in cancers and congenital disorders, UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists report in a new study. The discovery, published in Nature, sheds light on how cancer cells rapidly evolve genomic changes that fuel their proliferation.

Poor sleep can lead to long-term health problems for older adults, UTSW specialists say

It’s a common misconception that older adults need less sleep than those younger, but many get fewer hours due to insomnia and various health problems, including sleep apnea and heart trouble. In addition to a reduced quality of life, long-term health consequences of poor sleep include high blood pressure, weight gain, stroke, heart attack, diabetes, memory problems, and even increased risk of death, said Deborah Freeland, M.D., Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and a member of UTSW’s Division of Geriatric Medicine.

UT Southwestern Q&A: Experts offer tips on talking to kids about traumatic events

Following the latest mass shooting at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas, on Saturday and other violent incidents across the country, parents may find themselves trying to navigate difficult conversations with their children. What to say is just as important as what not to say, according to experts at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Children are naturally curious and may have questions, or they may be worried about their own safety.

UT Southwestern Medical Center at Coppell offers convenient adult and pediatric care in northwest Dallas region

UT Southwestern Medical Center is expanding its footprint to better serve the northwest Dallas region, offering primary care visits ranging from management of chronic health issues to women’s health exams at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Coppell.

UTSW researchers generate cattle blastoids in lab to aid farm animal reproduction

UT Southwestern Medical Center stem cell and developmental biologists and colleagues have developed a method to produce bovine blastoids, a crucial step in replicating embryo formation in the lab that could lead to the development of new reproductive technologies for cattle breeding.