Search for tag: "younger"

The following is a summary of this episode.

The scientific laboratory is the birthplace of new ideas, rooted in a fundamental understanding of how nature works. While impactful on its own, sometimes discovery is just the beginning. Translatingideas to interventions for improving human health takes added insight and dogged perseverance.

Achieving this milestone is a rarity, but within the past year, three clinical trials have begun testing disease treatmentsbuilt from basic science discoveries at University of Utah Health. It could take years to determine whether a novel therapy for the deadly amyotrophic lateral syndrome (ALS) and two for a familiar foe, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), could become broadly available. But without a start at the lab bench, these possibilities wouldn’t even exist.

In this episode, host Kyle Wheeler interviews Wesley Sundquist, PhD. Dr. Sundquist is the Samuels Professor and Co-Chair of the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Utah. He is also a member of the Cell Response and Regulation Program at Huntsman Cancer Institute.

Kyle and Dr. Sundquist discuss the ordeal of discovery and how a career’s worth of workcan lead to interventions. Additionally, they discuss Dr. Sundquist’s work on HIV that has led to Gilead developing a new intervention. Dr. Sundquist also shares thoughts on the impressive work on HIV done by the Michael Kay, MD, PhD lab.

For more on these discoveries and others from University of Utah researchers that have led to medical interventions, visit Pioneering the Future: From Basic Discovery to Bedside.

Don’t miss out on all the discoveries happening at University of Utah Health. Visit the Discovery & Innovation Digital Collection.

Dr. Gellner: A new study revealed that the presence of smartphones, tablets or laptops in the children's bedroom may negatively affect their quality and quantity of sleep. I'll discuss what this means for your electronically-wired child today on The Scope. I'm Dr. Cindy Gellner.

Announcer: Keep your kids healthy and happy. You are now entering "The Healthy Kids Zone" with Dr. Cindy Gellner on The Scope.

Dr. Gellner: It's no secret that using an electronic device at night can lead to reduced sleeping time. I mean, how many times do you have to tell your child to put away the phone and get to bed? The recent study shows that the mere presence of these devices in the bedroom could also disrupt sleep quality and quantity in kids. Kids need sleep and often parents don't realize how much of it they need. It's an undervalued but important part of their development and not sleeping well can cause a variety of health problems, especially behavior problems.

More and more, schools are replacing books with computers and tablets so the poor sleep problem is likely to get worse. This study shows that for kids between the ages of 6 and 19, 41% who had their mobile device in the bedroom didn't sleep enough hours. Forty-five percent of children who used their electronic device before sleeping had the highest percentage of reduced sleep hours.

But only 31% of kids who did not have access to their mobile devices had sleep deprivation. In addition, 52% of kids who used their mobile devices reported poor sleep quality and 44% of kids who had access to their mobile devices had poor sleep. About 34% of the children with no access to their devices at night reported poor sleep.

So while the results do not show that device use causes sleep quality issues, the researchers noted parents should be aware of how the mobile device influences keeping their kids awake at night. There is a theory that the digital content of the devices could psychologically stimulate children, making them more awake. Also, the light coming from these devices could disrupt the body's circadian rhythm. So the best advice, make sure all electronics are out of your child's bedroom. They will get better overall sleep and that will make for a happier, healthier child.

Announcer: Thescoperadio.com is University of Utah Health Sciences Radio. If you liked what you heard, be sure to get our latest content by following us on Facebook. Just click on the Facebook icon at thescoperadio.com.

Interviewer: You may have heard of the news stories about the dramatic rise in colorectal cancer in younger adults. Some perspective and what you need to know next on The Scope.

Announcer: Health tips, medical news, research, and more for a happier, healthier life. From University of Utah Health Sciences, this is The Scope.

Interviewer: Colon cancer used to be something that most people didn't really start worrying about until after they turned 50 or maybe 40 if they had a family history. But doctors are seeing more and more younger people developing the disease earlier in their lives. Dr. Andrew Gawron is a gastroenterologist at University of Utah Health and some perspective on this. First of all, the headlines that I'm seeing about "Dramatic Rise in Colorectal Cancer in Younger Adults," is that accurate?

Dr. Gawron: It is accurate. The data that was published recently this year does show that, especially in younger patients, there has been an increase in the incidence, which is the new cases, of colorectal cancer in young adults. I think it's important to remember that colon cancer is still very rare in this population, and so, therefore, it's hard to know how many new cases we're going to see in the future. But we did see an increase of about 1% to 3% in those younger patients with this new study.

Interviewer: I feel like maybe there are two things going on in this study, and help clarify this for me. I feel like one issue is that Gen-X and millennials are going to be more likely to develop colon cancer than other generations after they turn 50. And then I think the second part felt to me like there are more people under the age of 50 than normal developing signs of colorectal cancer as well.

Dr. Gawron: I think that's accurate, based on the reading of the study, that we are going to see more. I think that the important thing to take home from this study is that colorectal cancer is a preventable, but serious disease. Right now, even though there's this what we call "dramatic increase," even though that dramatic increase is basically an increase from, like 1% to 3%, which translates into about 10,000 cases per year.

So on a population level, meaning that if you look at the entire population of young people, it's not a very common cancer. Now, again, if you're that one person, though, that develops colon cancer, you don't care about statistics.

Interviewer: Right. The statistics don't do you much good. So for those that are going to be more likely to develop it after 50 or you expect to see more people after 50 develop it, they would have a colonoscopy probably, some sort of screening that would protect them. But what about these cases before the screening happens at 50, you know, people that are developing in their 20s or 30s? What can they do?

Dr. Gawron: So right now, I think there are a number of things that we can do as both patients and doctors. First is just to be more acutely aware of symptoms of colorectal cancer.

One, dramatic change in your bowel habits, bleeding from your bowels, unexplained weight loss, loss of appetite as well as any type of change in your bowel habits that is not related to bleeding, such as prolonged constipation or diarrhea. These are all symptoms that may kind of be brushed off as an infection or essentially food intolerance, but if they occur for a period of time, even, you know many, many weeks, it'd be good to see a doctor or get yourself checked out.

Interviewer: And even if you see a doctor, I've read a couple . . . there was a "Times" article, for example. They talked about a 24-year-old woman. She had blood in her stool, and she went in. And the doc couldn't see any hemorrhoids, but that's what he diagnosed her with. And is it true that doctors . . . it's unexpected, so they're not really looking for it, so you might have to get a second or third opinion if you're that concerned.

Dr. Gawron: I think it's very important to be your own advocate, and younger people with symptoms often have delays in diagnosis because cancer is rare and not usually the first thing we look for or treat for. But if you're concerned and worried, be your own advocate. Don't feel afraid to get a second opinion. Don't feel afraid to go to your primary care doctor and say, "I really want to get referred to a specialist to have this evaluated." As a patient, as a young adult, you want to make sure that the most serious diagnoses are not missed if you are really concerned about your symptoms.

Interviewer: Got it. And if you have a family history of it, you should probably be more acutely aware. Screening guidelines say you should start at 40 in that case. But I've read a statistic somewhere, and tell me if this is true, 70% of colorectal cancers aren't related to family history.

Dr. Gawron: That's true. So we don't quite know all of the genetic factors that are playing a role in these cancers that are developing in young people. In fact, it appears that most of the cancers may be what we call "sporadic," meaning that they just are onset. But I think that's because we don't yet understand the genetic risk factors, and that's something that, hopefully, in the future will allow us to personalize screening.

I do want to say one thing, that family history is important, and I think it's important to, along with those warning signs and symptoms, to understand your actual family history. Many patients that I see do not know if somebody had polyps or somebody had cancer in their family, so having an understanding of what people actually had. For example, your parents when they had a colonoscopy, just ask them what was found, and so that you know to tell your doctor. And that will then allow us to have a better risk assessment when you come to see us in the office.

Interviewer: Got it. So I feel like the two takeaways are, one, that you should be aware of the warning signs, and even if you're a younger adult, pay attention to those warning signs in a way that you might not have normally done so because the research is showing people are developing it younger and younger. And then lifestyle choices make a huge different.

Dr. Gawron: Right. Again, the main point is to remember is I don't think you need to be walking around being scared you're going to develop colorectal cancer. It's still very rare in patients that are young, and you should go about your life as you normally would.

But be aware of these very serious symptoms that might need to be evaluated, and healthy lifestyle choices are important, not smoking, avoiding processed meats, having a healthy diet, exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, and again, understanding your family history and asking your older relatives about their colonoscopies and what was found.

Announcer: Want The Scope delivered straight to your inbox? Enter your email address at thescoperadio.com and click "Sign Me Up" for updates of our latest episodes. The Scope Radio is a production of University of Utah Health Sciences.

Announcer: Need reliable health and wellness information? Don't listen to the guy in the cube next to you. Get it from a trusted source, straight from the doctor's mouth. Here's this week listener question on The Scope.

Interviewer: All right, this listener question is about youth specializing in a particular sport. This is from a parent who is wondering. They said that their kid just loves football and that's what they want to specialize in. So they want to do everything, the football camps, playing football. This parent doesn't think that that's necessarily a good idea and wants to know if that is the case. We've got an expert here to tell us. Nick Monson is a sports medicine expert here at University of Utah Health Care. Dr. Monson, what about this notion of kids specializing in just one sport, playing just one thing?

Dr. Monson: Yeah, we're getting just mounds of data on this issue. We're watching a lot of burnout in the younger athlete not only mentally but also physically. We have good evidence to show that we need to give a patient rest from a particular activity. Often for a baseball player I like to see three months where they're not out there throwing. That also means three months where they're not out there trying to be a quarterback because that's going to be the same type of motion that's going to cause that same wear and tear to their elbow or to their shoulder.

So doing a lot of different activities is what we were meant to do. It's how kids maintain that happiness and it's how they actually develop skills that they can translate into their sport of preference in the future as well. A baseball player should be able to enjoy swimming, or they should be able to enjoy playing basketball or picking up another outlet where they can maintain their health and their activity level but not causing the same overuse of their body.

Interviewer: Because it seems to me that the kind of common thought might be well if I want to get really great at this sport I need to really practice this sport. But, what you're saying is especially in kids if they do that they could actually hurt themselves.

Dr. Monson: Yeah, undoubtedly.

Interviewer: More so than an adult could?

Dr. Monson: Yeah. Well, you know, I think part of the problem is as a kid you're so heavily influenced by your parents' desires for what they want you to do. You're influenced by what you want to do at that age as well. But, you don't always have the best intuition as to what you're feeling or as to what is healthy or safe for you. So the parents play a very big role in that situation of helping mold their kids into the athlete that they want to be and that they foresee their child being as well.

You know, no doubt every parent thinks their kid is going to play in the NFL, and some of those kids actually do. They just have to make sure that when they're training and practicing and growing their abilities that they're doing that in a safe manner, which we know is done by not just one sport but in multiple activities.

Announcer: Have a question? Ask it. Send your listener question to hello@thescoperadio.com.

Recording: Medical news and research from University of Utah physicians and specialists you can use for a happier and healthier life, you're listening to The Scope.

Interviewer: We're talking with Marjean Barnett, Director of Medical Imaging here at Teton Valley Hospital. Is there a lot of misunderstandings, do you think, with women as to how often they should get mammograms , when they should start? Do you feel that there's some confusion?

Marjean Barnett: I think there is, probably because the recommendations in the news change very frequently and there are national organizations that say, "Well, you don't need to start until you're 50 and you don't need to go more than every couple of years," but we sometimes will see a cancer appear that wasn't there just the year before.
I've seen a couple of cases of that just here recently. You really should get a baseline around 40 years old. Some of the more aggressive cancers occur in younger women, so if you're around 35 to 40 you need to be talking with your doctor about getting that baseline just to establish where you are.

Interviewer: So 40 is when women should really start worrying about it unless, I suppose, there's a family history of a particularly aggressive cancer then maybe earlier.

Marjean Barnett: That's correct, 40 is generally what's recommended. If you have family history like what's called a first degree relative would be a mother, a sister, a daughter, then you want to get your first mammogram earlier than the age at which they were diagnosed. Say if your mother was diagnosed at age 50 you definitely should have a baseline by the time you're 40, so ten years is a good window.

Interviewer: At 40 then how often after that?

Marjean Barnett: Usually yearly, our radiologist when they dictate the reports always recommend yearly.

Interviewer: Are there any disadvantages for a woman if she's like, "I really would like to start at 35," is there anything wrong with that?

Marjean Barnett: The only problem that might come up there is that younger women who are still producing a lot more of the female hormones estrogen and stuff, their breast tissue can be more dense which makes it more difficult to see clearly on a mammogram.

Interviewer: So it really doesn't make much sense because you're not going to be able to really see anything anyway.

Marjean Barnett: No.

Interviewer: Any final thoughts for our listeners? If there's one thing that they would take away and tell another woman what would you have that thing be?

Marjean Barnett: It's inconvenient at most. Some people think it's going to be horrible, but it's over quickly. It can save your life.

Recording: We're your daily dose of science, conversation and medicine. This is The Scope, University of Utah Health Sciences Radio.

Announcer: Medical news and research from University of Utah, physicians and specialist you can use for a happier and healthier life, your listening to the scope.

Interviewer: Your fat tends to get a bad rap but there is good fat, it's called brown fat and not only does it help you stay thin it has amazing healing powers that you might not know about. Dr. A Patel, director of clinical regenerative medicine at the University of Utah, Tell me about brown fat and how fantastic it is.

Dr. Patel: It's a great question, everyone thinks fat is fat, and really there's two types of fat, there's white fat and there's brown fat. White fat is the big cells that make you gain weight give you heart disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, all these bad things. But if you think of little kids, they can eat thousands of calories and until they start getting older they don't lose that, everyone thinks their metabolism is slowing down but what it is, is they're losing their brown fat. When you're really young you have what's called brown fat and brown fat is very unique, it's very metabolically active so that's a fancy term that means it has a lot of horsepower in it,. It's having a little car with basically a big v8 engine, where white fat is a really big car with basically a 2 cylinder engine.

Interviewer: Yeah, it takes up a lot of space but moves real slowly.

Dr. Patel: And that's how most people feel when they get to fat, so what we've done is we've been able to identified a brown fat stem cell in actual patients. And everyone believes it's in kids but we found actually that you could find this even in patients who are 80 years old. The problem is as you get older you get fewer and fewer cells, these cells start dying off. So our goal was how do we one; identify these cells because then we can say can we look at this brown fat stem cell as a potential target for new drugs or new therapies where we can take grown ups who actually have diabetes, metabolic syndrome, all these bad things that can make you die from heart disease and look at a drug that could actually make you increase your own brown fat stem cells or can we grow these brown fat stem cells outside your own body and put them back into you and use them as a target for the diabetes, the weight gain.

Interviewer: So just to be clear, up until just recently it was believed that brown fat existed really in adult humans

Dr. Patel: Yeah, and that surprising, it's one of things that just because no one was able to identify it no one believed that you could actually find it or did it exist. This is incredible because this is something where obesity is an epidemic in the U.S. and there are millions of drugs, medications, fad diets and everything there but there's so little science to support it. This is where science is finally starting to catch up in saying what are we missing? Or what was there when we were younger; or what do bears have that lets them hibernate, and that's brown fat, that's what they have too? So, how do we harness the power of brown fat and not just say well we need more of it but how do we actually develop this in a safe reproducible manner that potentially may actually become not only a cell therapy but also a drug therapy to increase your body's own ability to produce more brown fat as you get older.

Interviewer: What's the biggest challenge that you're facing? You said this is in very early stages.

Dr. Patel: The biggest challenge with brown fat stem cell is that there's so few of them so how do you safely grow them in a large enough, make billions of these so we can study them better and actually make them potentially available for therapy because the goal would be you'd need trillions of cells to start looking at how could you use this as a therapeutic model or basically how would you treat patients with this. So growing them we've been able to identify them now how do you scale up to do the experiments to say does this really work in patients

Interviewer: So children have a lot of brown fat, as you grow older it decreases so your body is getting rid of it for some reason apparently.
Dr. Patel: Well one of the reasons the brown fat originally is what's called a thermal regulator, basically regulates heat, so when you have a shiver response when your young and you don't have a lot of fat, it generates heat. That's even in small animals and things like that. That's what brown fat is used for is to generate heat, regulate body temperature, and as you get older because you get more white fat you basically form your own insulation and you don't need , so it's a natural way of the body to say well if i don't need this cell I'm going to start getting rid of it. the problem is when your own body starts decreasing the amount of brown fat it's thinking I don't need it to produce heat, but we lose the ability to regulate a lot of other things such as fat, sugars, and all that so it's sort of a bad side effect of getting the white fat on board. So the more insulation you have the less metabolically functional or the less efficient you are. You become energy inefficient by having too much insulation.

Interviewer: So if I was to stay very lean and thin and keep the white fat off, would I be more likely to have more brown fat then?

Dr. Patel: You would be, the thinner you are the potential to more brown fat as you get older is much higher.

Interviewer: What's your final thought on this?

Dr. Patel: So brown fat has huge potential both for therapy, for diabetes but also just studying how the body works so we can find better ways to safely develop therapies to treat obesity, type II diabetes, and heart disease which is the number one killer of patients in the U.S.

Announcer: We're your daily dose of science, conversion, medicine. This is the Scope. University of Utah Health Sciences radio.