An OHSU-led study uncovers how specialized cells surrounding small blood vessels contribute to blood vessel dysfunction in chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes and fibrosis.

Continued media coverage on a team of OHSU researchers led by Jared Fischer, Ph.D., and Jose Montoya Mira, Ph.D., who have developed a new blood test that identifies hard-to-detect pancreatic cancer with 85% accuracy. Montoya says, “The big difference with this test is the cost: It takes only 8 microliters of blood and 45 minutes to run the test at a cost of less than a penny per sample. This could easily be used in rural and underserved settings, where traditional tests are not or cannot be used.”

Beth Edmunds M.D., Ph.D., joins OPB-Radio to discuss their work treating blindness in Bangladesh, which included a trip to the country to teach local doctors a minimally invasive operation for adults and children with glaucoma.

The Beacon News reports on the role federally funded Title X programs have in family planning services. Blair Darney, Ph.D., says, “So because of that requirement for becoming a Title X clinic, we found in our research, and others have found as well, that patients have better access to long-acting, reversible contraception like IUDs and implants in Title X clinics than in non-Title X community health clinics.”

Pancreatic cancer has a low survival rate and is usually found too late — this new test may help change that

In an article from Eating Well, David Clarke, M.D., shares the benefits of Greek yogurt on gastrointestinal health: “For those suffering from diarrhea and it begins to improve after a few days, introducing Greek yogurt with active cultures might help restore the balance of gut bacteria.”

Dawn Nolt, M.D., shares insight with Huff Post about the most common COVID symptoms, including the familiar ones like cough and shortness of breath. Nolt says, “If you are sick, you shouldn’t push yourself to do things that you can otherwise easily complete when you’re well. Instead, you should prioritize rest.”

In a Washington Post story about the Trump administration using various means to reduce or halt funding that has made America’s medical research enterprise the envy of the world since World War II, Bita Moghaddam, Ph.D., says, “Things aren’t going to get slowed down for six months — they may get slowed down for years. It’s not like you’re working on a car and you can stop working on the car and return to it. Science is a process. Experiments are a process. If you halt it, you cannot just start and resume.”

Justin Merritt, Ph.D., weighs in on a genetically engineered dental rinse might permanently ward off cavities and the challenges around bringing it to consumers. Merritt says, “This is a perfect example of science progressing faster than regulation.”

Nima Nabavizadeh, M.D., and Tom Beer, M.D., provide insights for a Nature article on multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests. Nabavizadeh says, “I know cancer patients who now have an early-stage cancer diagnosis that they wouldn’t have known about otherwise.”