University of Minnesota Academic Health Center http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu Faculty experts at the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center provide information on their research and perspective on today's health news. http://www.ahc.umn.edu/img/assets/8442/HTY-Web.jpg http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu Academic Health Center at the University of Minnesota experts provide information on their research and perspective on today's health news. Thur, 03 Nov 2005 15:37:20 +0000 en http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html March 24, 2006 - The University of Minnesota's Center for Spirituality and Healing and Twin Cities Public Television have created My Health Planner, a free online resource that provides interactive tools for planning and tracking one’s health. http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/img/assets/9920/Kreitzer.jpg http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html March 14, 2006 - An increase in sex and labor trafficking in Minnesota has prompted the formation of the Minnesota Human Trafficking Watch, a group of organizations and individuals that includes the University of Minnesota’s Deborah E. Powell Center for Women's Health. http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/img/assets/9920/ http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html March 7, 2006 - The American Cancer Society estimates that about 55,000 people will die this year in the United States from colorectal cancer. Still, the death rate has declined over the last 15 years, due, at least in part, to increased awareness and cancer screening http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/img/assets/9920/Madoff_Robert-72.jpg http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html Feb. 24, 2006 - The 3M Foundation has contributed $1 million to the University of Minnesota to renovate 30-year-old teaching labs for beginning dentistry students. http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/img/assets/9920/Lloyd_Patrick.jpg http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html Feb. 21, 2006 - Researchers at the University of Minnesota have successfully reversed diabetes in monkeys using transplanted islet cells from pigs. http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/img/assets/9920/Hering_Bernhard-72.jpg http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html Feb. 16, 2006 - Kids who are teased about being overweight are more likely to become binge eaters or engage in unhealthy dieting, according to public health researchers at the University of Minnesota. http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/img/assets/9920/ http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html Feb. 10, 2006 - February is National Pet Dental Health Month and a reminder for owners that oral disease is the most common health problem in dogs and cats today. Gary Goldstein, a veterinary dentist with the U’s Veterinary Clinical Sciences department, says dental problems in pets go way beyond bad breath. http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/img/assets/18361/Goldstein_Gary.jpg http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html Feb. 7, 2006 - In 1985 Dr. Samuel Levine started work on the concept of an implantable hearing aid. More than 20 years later, Levine implanted the first Minnesota patient with a completely internal hearing aid as part of a national clinical research trial. http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/img/assets/18361/Levine_Sam.jpg http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html Feb. 3, 2006 - Petra Mertens with the College of Veterinary Medicine in St. Paul is a rare breed of expert. Mertens, a veterinary animal behaviorist, helps dog owners battling with unruly behavior – a pet shrink so to speak. Mertens says aggression is the most common form of canine misbehavior. http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/img/assets/18361/Mertens_Petra.jpg http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html Feb. 1, 2006 - There’s hope for pathological gamblers in the form of a new treatment. In a University of Minnesota study, nearly 60 percent of those who took the drug nalmefene reported significant reductions in their gambling urges, thoughts, and behaviors, according to Dr. Jon Grant, a researcher in the Medical School’s Department of Psychiatry. http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/img/assets/18361/Grant_Jon-72.jpg http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html Jan. 24, 2006 - Researchers at the University of Minnesota have discovered the gene responsible for a type of ataxia, an incurable degenerative brain disease affecting movement and coordination. Laura Ranum, a geneticist in the Medical School, says the discovery will lead to improved patient diagnoses and give insight into the causes of ataxia. http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/img/assets/18361/Ranum_Laura-72.jpg http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html Jan. 20, 2006 - The National Cancer Institute has issued new post-surgery treatment guidelines for women with advanced ovarian cancer. The new treatments extend the life of cancer victims, on average, by 16 months. Doctor Linda Carson, a physician and cancer researcher at the University of Minnesota, led local research that contributed to the new recommendations. http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/img/assets/18361/Carson_Linda-72.jpg http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html Jan. 13, 2006 - About 1 percent of Americans suffer from hyperhydrosis, or excessive sweating of the palms, armpits, and soles of the feet. Unfortunately, January's sub-zero temperatures provide no relief to patients. But according to Dr. Rafael Andrade, a University of Minnesota surgery professor, treatments are available. http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/img/assets/18361/Andrade_Rafael-72.jpg http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html Jan. 11, 2006 - Is your skin a little dry and flaky these days? If so, you’re not alone. It’s another consequence of living in a cold environment for several months a year. But it’s not the cold. It’s the low humidity, says Dr. Jeff Lander, a resident in the University of Minnesota’s Department of Dermatology. Who is most susceptible? http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html Jan. 9, 2006 - It’s a new year, and food manufacturers must now list on product labels the amount of trans fatty acids contained in their products. This comes after years of research linking higher consumption of trans fatty acids to coronary heart disease, says University of Minnesota epidemiologist Lisa Harnack. http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/img/assets/8442/The_Atkins_Diet_image001.jpg http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html Jan. 4, 2006 - Below-zero temperatures are hard on dogs and cats, but the cold is not the most dangerous part of winter for our pets. The #1 danger? Anti-freeze, says Dr. Justine Lee, an emergency-room veterinarian at the University of Minnesota. http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/img/assets/18361/Lee_Justine-72.jpg http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html Jan. 3, 2006 - The holidays are over, it's a new year and now you want to start an exercise program. Here are some tips. http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/img/assets/18361/Pereira_Mark-72.jpg http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html Nov. 4, 2005 - Hurricane Katrina and fears about the Avian Flu have prompted many cities and states to ponder what they would do if an emergency struck close to home. http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/img/assets/18361/OBoyle_Carol.jpg http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html Oct. 31, 2005 - Halloween is a fun evening for kids, but should parents be worried about their children eating too much candy? After all, Halloween comes just once a year. http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/img/assets/18361/Zimmerman_Jason.jpg http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html Oct. 27, 2005 - Cancer researchers led by Kristin Anderson, School of Public Health, have found further evidence that avoiding grilled or fried red meat that is very well done, burned, or charred may help reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer. http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/img/assets/8442/Look_at_the_Data_and_Ban_Smoking_image001.jpg http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html Oct. 19, 2005 - Recently, the Bird Flu has been at the top of minds of health professionals and the public alike. National expert Mike Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, says that concern over the bird flu is justified. http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/img/assets/8442/osterholm-2.jpg http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html Oct. 17, 2005 - Stem cell researchers, led by Dan Kaufman, have coaxed human embryonic stem cells to create cancer-killing cells in the laboratory. http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/img/assets/9920/Kaufman_Dan1.jpg http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html Oct. 11, 2005 - Going to a concert? Wear ear plugs, advises Dr. David Opperman. In a study that demonstrates the benefits of ear plugs, Opperman was surprised to find many opposed to wearing them. http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/img/assets/9920/Opperman_David.jpg http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html Oct. 4, 2005 - The Cancer Center's Dr. Doug Yee discusses breast cancer screenings and leading-edge treatment for breast cancer. http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/img/assets/18361/yee.jpg http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html Sept. 27, 2005 - It's the flu season once again. Dr. Elizabeth McClure, Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, provides prevention tips to stay healthy. http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/img/assets/18361/mcclure.jpg http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html Sept. 23, 2005 - Vivek Kapur, head of the University's BioMedical Genomics Center, has developed tests that can rapidly detect the bacteria that causes Johne’s disease, a chronic wasting disease found in cattle. http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/img/assets/9920/Kapur_Vivek.jpg http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html Sept. 19, 2005 - Dorothy Hatsukami, director of the University's Tobacco Use Research Centers, talks about how the state's new health impact fee could deter smoking. http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/img/assets/8442/Quitting_or_Reducing_Smoking_image001.jpg http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html Sept. 15, 2005 - John Finnegan, interim dean of the University's School of Public Health, discusses the U's hurricane relief efforts. http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/img/assets/9920/Finnegan-1.jpg http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html Sept. 14, 2005 - Dr. Mark Schleiss, professor of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Minnesota, says it’s important that children of all ages have their vaccinations updated. http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/img/assets/9920/Schleiss_Mark1.jpg http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html Sept. 9, 2005 - A study by psychiatry professor Matt Kushner shows those who have an anxiety disorder when starting treatment for alcohol dependence have a significantly greater risk for relapse. http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html Sept. 6, 2005 - A recent national study shows that obesity among teens is on the rise. University of Minnesota's Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, author of the book “I’m Like So Fat,” explains why. http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/img/assets/9920/Neumark-Sztainer_Dianne1.jpg http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/healthtalk/radio/home.html