Cellular Membrane Remodeling

Cells are continually severing, fusing, and reshaping their membranes. One of the essential cellular membrane remodeling systems is the ESCRT (Endosomal Sorting Complexes Required for Transport) pathway, whose cellular functions include endosomal membrane remodeling, membrane repair, enveloped virus budding, closure of the nuclear envelope, and cytokinetic abscission. Continue reading → Cellular Membrane Remodeling

Blood Pressure Treatment Target

Researchers have long debated the optimal blood pressure for people older than age 50, especially in older adults who might not tolerate lower blood pressure. Alfred Cheung, MD, and colleagues at University of Utah Health led one of five national Clinical Center Networks to design and conduct the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT). Continue reading → Blood Pressure Treatment Target

Age-Related Sarcopenia and Recovery Following Muscle Disuse

Aging coincides with frequent periods of muscle disuse and, when combined with subsequent poor muscle recovery, contributes to sarcopenia, loss of muscle during aging. In order to develop effective interventions to offset deficits in muscle mass and function, Micah Drummond, PhD, and colleagues studied the cellular and molecular events that accompany muscle disuse in older adults. Continue reading → Age-Related Sarcopenia and Recovery Following Muscle Disuse

Genetic Risk for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is characterized by excessive androgen hormone, irregular menstrual cycles, and polycystic ovaries on ultrasound. Affected women also frequently experience metabolic disturbances, including obesity, and face increased risk for type 2 diabetes. University of Utah Health investigator Corrine Welt, MD, and collaborators performed an international meta-analysis of whole genome association studies combining over 10 million genetic markers in more than 10,000 European women with PCOS and 100,000 controls. Continue reading → Genetic Risk for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Genetics of Alcohol Abuse – from Flies to Humans

In an unbiased screen, the lab directed by Adrian Rothenfluh, PhD, isolated flies lacking a certain gene (Rsu1) that produces a strong liking for alcohol, even before repeated exposure. Their investigations in Drosophila showed that Rsu1 and downstream signaling molecules regulate actin dynamics; genetic manipulations that increase actin filament turnover lead to accelerated development of alcohol preference, while manipulations that increase actin filament stability abolish the development of preference. Continue reading → Genetics of Alcohol Abuse – from Flies to Humans

The Role of IDH Mutation in Human Brain Tumors

Sheri Holmen, PhD, was the first to show that IDH mutations, on the appropriate genetic background, resulted in glioma initiation and growth. This discovery provided the basis of a pre-clinical model for testing the contribution of other molecular alterations to the pathogenesis of, and the effects of various treatments on, these tumors. Howard Colman, MD, PhD, and colleagues subsequently demonstrated that increased DNA alterations were associated with higher-grade gliomas and worse prognoses. Continue reading → The Role of IDH Mutation in Human Brain Tumors

Lowering Body Temperature After Cardiac Arrest

Hypothermia (lowering the body temperature to subnormal levels) after cardiac arrest became standard practice in adult and neonatal critical care in the early 2000s, but its benefits in children were unknown. To answer this question, University of Utah Health researcher J. Michael Dean, MD, and colleagues conducted two randomized trials (in-hospital and out-of-hospital) at 38 U.S. and international sites, comparing hypothermia with normothermia—maintenance of normal body temperature—after cardiac arrest. Over 4,000 children were screened and 624 participated in the trials. In both trials, researchers found no benefit from hypothermia versus normothermia. Continue reading → Lowering Body Temperature After Cardiac Arrest

Readmission Destination and the Risk of Mortality Following Major Surgery

University of Utah Health investigator Benjamin Brooke, MD, PhD, and colleagues sought to determine whether patients who are readmitted following major surgery achieve better outcomes if they return to the same hospital and surgeons who performed their initial operation. Continue reading → Readmission Destination and the Risk of Mortality Following Major Surgery