OHSU researchers have uncovered how a molecule found on certain bacteria may drive blood clotting in sepsis, a life-threatening condition that causes about 8 million deaths per year.

“OHSU has been partnering with POIC on violence prevention for several years, work that’s incredibly meaningful to our patients and our staff,” Steve Stadum, OHSU interim president, said at the office opening, calling the Healing Hurt People program at OHSU “extremely innovative” and crediting it with saving lives “by reducing retaliatory violence.”

Flavio Rocha, M.D., is interviewed by the Dallas Morning News for a story on the U.S. Surgeon General’s recent advisory calling for warning labels highlighting the risk of cancer from alcoholic beverages. Rocha says: “Alcohol can also increase inflammation through reactive oxygen species that we know can damage DNA. Alcohol hormonal changes particularly in estrogen, which is the mechanism thought to be causative for breast cancer and potentially liver cancer, as well.”

Diane Stadler, Ph.D., R.D.N., shares insight on the FDA's recent ban of Red Dye No. 3. She says, “I think it takes the public being aware of the concerns and supporting organizations that serve as watchdog organizations that promote health for the citizens of our country. I can’t explain why it’s taken this long but I just think it has not been raised to the level of urgency and priority, sometimes once it hits that recognition that this is something we can change."

OHSU will lead a new database project designed to track the normal expression of genes in organs and tissues from prenatal development through adulthood, a process called Genotype-Tissue Expression. Victoria Roberts, Ph.D., says, “The goal is to assemble a vast base of knowledge about how genes are expressed in the normal course of development. When you know what’s normal, then you can look at what’s abnormal in diseases and pathologies and, ultimately, develop new tools to treat or prevent those conditions.”

OHSU is noted as a contributor in coverage of an $11.9 million grant from the Department of Defense Hermes program to Oregon State University to invent new drug delivery technologies for protecting members of the military from a range of health threats in combat areas. Gaurav Sahay, Ph.D., says, “To do what the Hermes program is looking for, we need to enable intracellular delivery of messenger RNA to diverse cell and tissue types while overcoming the negative side effects and other challenges associated with broad systemic delivery.”

News outlets highlight the six new sneakers designed by this year’s Doernbecher Freestyle XX patient-designers, which will become available for retail purchase Jan. 25.

An Axios story on the hidden health effects of wildfire smoke mentions an OHSU study that investigated the impact of smoke exposure on IVF outcomes.

Domenico Tupone, Ph.D., joins OPB-Radio's Think Out Loud to share insight from a recent study looking at hibernation in rats, raising questions about how these methods could be used in non-hibernating species, including humans. He says, "So what we have done in these rats is we have blocked the activity of the original thermostat, the one that will respond normally to cold and warm ambient, and allow us to maintain our body temperature. And when we have done so, we discovered that the system is now responding in a completely different way."

As telehealth platforms grow, they may be attracting clinicians from community settings with the promise of flexible hours and better conditions, said Dr. Jane M. Zhu, an associate professor of medicine at Oregon Health and Science University who studies the accessibility of mental health services.