August

Fort Worth Star-Telegram: UT-Southwestern study seeks to understand addiction (Aug. 31, 2008)
The brain may have a built-in defense mechanism that wards off the physical effects of cocaine addiction, according to researchers at UT Southwestern. Read More

Science News: New insights on new neurons (Aug. 31, 2008)
Two studies on mice shed light on the role of neurogenesis in memory, olfactory sensing and antidepressant efficacy. A study on mice in the Aug. 14 Neuron shows that neurogenesis in the hippocampus depends on the action of a protein called TRKB, and that neurogenesis is required for the antidepressant effects of SSRIs. Dr. Luis Parada led the study with colleagues at UT Southwestern. Read More

The Dallas Morning News: Editorial — Hits and misses/Bulletin from the diabetes front (Aug. 30, 2008)
UT Southwestern's groundbreaking work on Type I diabetes may show the way to treatment without insulin injections. Read More

Austin American-Statesman: Leave that ear wax alone (Aug. 29, 2008)
When it comes to ear wax, it's best to leave it alone, new national guidelines state. While many people feel they need to remove ear wax — technically called cerumen and a mixture of secretion, hair and dead skin — it is actually protective since it has lubricating and antibacterial properties, said Dr. Peter Roland, an ear specialist at UT Southwestern. Read More

MSNBC: Now hear this: don't remove earwax (Aug. 29, 2008)
The gooey, golden stuff that builds up inside your ears should stay there, according to national guidelines on earwax removal released today. "[Earwax] is not intrinsically evil stuff, and consequently does not have to be removed merely because it's present," said Peter Roland, an ear, nose and throat doctor at the UT Southwestern. Read More

HealthDay: Magnesium sulfate reduces threat of cerebral palsy (Aug. 28, 2008)
Compound given to women at risk of preterm birth cuts risk in half, study finds Magnesium sulfate, given to mothers at risk of preterm delivery, cut the rate of cerebral palsy in their babies by nearly half, a new study found. Dr. William Zinser, associate professor of pediatric neurology at UT Southwestern, comments. Read More

The Dallas Morning News: UT Southwestern doctor reports 'intriguing' diabetes breakthrough (Aug. 26, 2008)
A Dallas-based researcher says he's pulled off a medical first: successfully treating mice and rats dying of insulin-dependent diabetes without using insulin. Dr. Roger Unger, chair of diabetes research at UT Southwestern, comments. Read More

Science News: Looking beyond insulin (Aug. 26, 2008)
A new gene therapy study suggests that it can also treat diabetes, the first demonstration that the disease can be treated without replacing insulin. Roger Unger and colleagues at the UT Southwestern used adenovirus to insert extra copies of the leptin gene in diabetic mice and rats. Read More

Reuters: Two experiments suggest new direction for diabetes (Aug. 26, 2008)
Two experimental treatments suggest new directions for treating diabetes, both using compounds already made by the body, researchers in the U.S. reported on Monday. Roger Unger of UT Southwestern and colleagues used gene therapy to treat mice with damaged pancreases that made no insulin at all and were dying. Read More

FW Star-Telegram: Opinions — Public universities in North Texas should work together on Tier 1 status (Aug. 24, 2008)
On Friday, UTA will open its new optical medical imaging center at UT Southwestern, four labs where five of its engineering professors will work on leading-edge biomedical research that one day could help doctors perform intricate surgeries or get a better view of cancer cells. It’s the first time that UT Southwestern has dedicated space exclusively to an engineering school, and it’s an important new collaboration between these two institutions. Read More

United Press International: Alternatives available for peanut butter (Aug. 22, 2008)
As more schools ban peanut butter from lunch boxes because of allergy concerns, consider another nut butter or seed butter. Joyce Barnett, a registered clinical dietitian
at UT Southwestern, said spreads made from other nuts or seeds provide a nutritious alternative to peanut butter. Read More

Reuters: New antibiotic may block toxins from bacteria (Aug. 22, 2008)
In a new approach to serious stomach bugs like salmonella, U.S. researchers said on Thursday they have developed an antibiotic that works by blocking the bacteria's communication signals, keeping it from releasing toxins that make people sick. Dr. Vanessa Sperandio of UT Southwestern comments. Read More

The New York Times: Men, women and speed. 2 words: Got testosterone? (Aug. 22, 2008)
For a variety of intrinsic biological reasons, the best women can never run as fast as the best men, exercise researchers say. “To a large extent, it’s a matter of testosterone," said Dr. Benjamin Levine of UT Southwestern. Read More

HealthDay: Molecule keeps bacteria like salmonella in check (Aug. 22, 2008)
A molecule that tames bacteria that cause gastroenteritis, tularemia and severe diarrhea has been identified by researchers at UT Southwestern. "What we have here is a completely novel approach to combating illness," study senior author Dr. Vanessa Sperandio, an associate professor of microbiology and biochemistry, said in a news release. Read More

The Dallas Morning News: UT Southwestern buys part of office campus in northwest Dallas (Aug. 22, 2008)
UT Southwestern has purchased two large sections of the Exchange Park office campus in northwest Dallas. The acquisition from a Houston investment group includes an office tower, low-rise building, parking garages and other properties in the development just south of Mockingbird Lane. Read More

New Scientist: Gentle approach could cripple drug-resistant bugs (Aug. 22, 2008)
An experimental drug that doesn't kill bacteria, instead it transforms them into docile lambs, could be the weapon of choice for the post-antibiotic era. This approach should forestall drug resistance, which is rendering "silver bullets" such as penicillin useless for stamping out infection, says Vanessa Sperandio, a microbiologist at UT Southwestern, who led the development of the new drug. Read More

Reuters: Impotence drug treats prostate enlargement, according to study (Aug. 19, 2008)
Impotence drugs may be able to help reduce the symptoms caused by enlarged prostates, such as trouble urinating, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday. The research was led by Dr. Claus G. Roehrborn, chairman of urology at UT Southwestern. Read More

Dallas Business Journal: UT-Arlington and UT Southwestern team on medical imaging project (Aug. 21, 2008)
The University of Texas at Arlington and the UT Southwestern have partnered on a project that will provide five UT-Arlington engineering professors with UT-Southwestern laboratory space to further their research into medical imaging. Read More

HealthDay: ED drug relieves lower urinary tract symptoms (Aug. 19, 2008)
A daily dose of the erectile dysfunction drug tadalafil (Cialis) helped relieve lower urinary tract symptoms in men with signs of enlarged prostates, according to a new study. The research was led by Dr. Claus G. Roehrborn, chairman of urology at UT Southwestern. Read More

The Dallas Morning News: Beijing Olympics watchers lose sleep over games (Aug. 18, 2008)
Call it Olympic fanaticism, bleary-eyed passion or simply China fever. As you stumble through work this week, know you're not the only one living in a time zone 13 hours ahead of your own. Round-the-clock coverage and live late-night viewings have turned Dallas residents into workplace zombies. Dr. John Herman, a sleep specialist, provides medical expertise.

The Dallas Morning News: Rain brings North Texas a splash of relief from heat (Aug. 16, 2008)
To sense the extent of the change in the weather, one only had to look down — squishy lawns, rain-soaked sidewalks and on this casual Friday, the reappearance of cowboy boots, signaling a meteorological shift and, for some, psychological relief. The causes of summertime depression are not clear. Dr. Madhukar Trivedi, professor of psychiatry, comments. Read More

The Dallas Morning News: How one boy and his family fight obesity and diabetes (Aug. 12, 2008)
The news about the health of American kids hasn't been good. That's why it's so heartening to see a child, with the help of a devoted family, buck the trend. Dr. Bassil Kublaoui, an endocrinologist and assistant professor at UT Southwestern, comments in continuing coverage of a boy's battle to become healthy. Read More

The Wall Street Journal: Waiting it out: antibiotics are unlikely to help sinusitis (Aug. 12, 2008)
Sinus infections are among the most common and aggravating medical conditions, diagnosed in around 31 million Americans each year. And for most patients, treatment has long included an antibiotic. Now, medical experts are pushing for a less-aggressive approach. Dr. Bradley Marple of UT Southwestern comments. Read More

The Washington Post: New therapy freezes out esophageal cancers (Aug. 8, 2008)
A new method of freezing damaged cells in the esophagus to prevent them from turning cancerous is being used by gastroenterologists at UT Southwestern. "The goal of this therapy is to literally freeze the damage in its tracks and stop it before it turns to cancer," Dr. Jayaprakash Sreenarasimhaiah. Read More

HealthDay: Light exercise prevents atrial fibrillation in elderly (Aug. 6, 2008)
Light to moderate exercise — just walking a few blocks or even dancing — can help prevent the abnormal heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation in those most vulnerable to it — older people, a new study finds. Meanwhile, a separate trial looking at the effect of exercise on atrial fibrillation from a different angle is being done by Dr. Jose A. Joglar at
UT Southwestern. Read More

Science News: Eat less, weigh more (Aug. 6, 2008)
Worms have it all backward. According to the diet books, it’s supposed to be eat more, weigh less. But when roundworms fall on tough times, they bulk up while eating less. Now researchers at the University of California, San Francisco have genetically dissected the brain circuits responsible for that paradox. UT Southwestern behavioral geneticists Dr. Leon Avery and Dr. Young-jai You comment on the research. Read More

The Dallas Morning News: Are you ready for your newborn? (Aug. 5, 2008)
Expectant moms and dads spend months preparing for and anticipating the birth of a child. But it's those first six weeks of baby's life that no one can prepare you for. Experts, including UT Southwestern's Dr. Rashmin Savani, offers key advice for the first six weeks. Read More

Fort Worth Star-Telegram: AIDS workers aim to lift black community's shroud
of silence (Aug. 4, 2008)
While 13 percent of the U.S. population is African-American, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 49 percent of Americans with HIV and AIDS are black. Anne Freeman, assistant professor at UT Southwestern, comments. Read More

Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Researchers take a new look at existing drugs (Aug. 4, 2008)
After more than two decades and 150 prevention trials, there’s still no vaccine against AIDS. Infectious disease expert J. Victor Garcia, a member of the UT Southwestern team that is studying how the virus affects mice and how that information could lead to advances in preventing HIV, provides update. Read More

Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Home health tests make it easy to self-diagnose (Aug. 4, 2008)
Home health tests are making do-it-yourself doctoring easier than ever. But is it safe to take testing into your own hands? Two UT Southwestern experts — Dr. R. Doug Hardy, associate professor of internal medicine and infectious diseases, and Dr. Karen Bradshaw, professor of obstetrics and gynecology — weigh in. Read More

Newsday: Researchers find pill that could help cut fat (Aug. 1, 2008) 
Scientists have discovered what could be the ultimate workout for couch potatoes: exercise in a pill. "It's an amazing piece of pharmacology," said David Mangelsdorf, a
UT Southwestern pharmacologist. UT Southwestern's Dr. Benjamin Levine also comments. Read More

WebMD: Fructose may make you fatter (Aug. 1, 2008)
Dieters know to limit their sugar intake, but new research suggests that not all sugars are equal when it comes to packing on the pounds. Research from UT Southwestern shows that the body turns fructose into fat more efficiently than it does other sugars. Read More