Delaram Safarpour, M.D., discusses the growing body of evidence that Parkinson’s disease begins in the gut. She says, “We absolutely need to keep an eye on these patients who have a history of mucosal damage on their endoscopy. Early detection of Parkinson’s disease would allow doctors to treat these patients before they have motor symptoms, when neuroprotective treatments become available in the future."

A Scientific American story discusses new research that harnessed the highly absorbent dye tartrazine to turn tissues in living mice clear, temporarily revealing organs and vessels inside the animals. Rajan Kulkarni, Ph.D., M.D., who led another optical tissue clearing research project in 2014, says, “That was always a limitation; it required something to be ex vivo. We had to remove the tissues or remove the organ, or the organism itself was no longer living. This method is interesting because it does allow the skin, or the epidermal layer, to be made transparent so that you can visualize what is underneath.”

An OHSU study finds additional iron supplementation has no significant impact on maternal or infant health outcomes. Amy Cantor, M.D., says, “There’s a lot of marketing out there targeting various vitamins and supplements for pregnant people, and it can be overwhelming. It’s best to keep it simple: If you don’t have any risk factors outlined by your clinician, then a standard prenatal vitamin should be sufficient to ensure a healthy pregnancy.”

Article covers research suggesting tube tying isn't as permanent or effective as once thought. Julia Tasset, M.D., says, “This is an important new finding that will help gynecologists better counsel patients.”

Ahmad Masri, M.D., speaks to HCP Live regarding a new study on the safety of aficamten in treating patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

The Association of American Cancer Institutes elects Tom Sellers, Ph.D., to its board of directors.

In an article about the longstanding trend of Washington patients coming to Oregon for abortion care, Alyssa Colwill, M.D., says OHSU has always been a "hub for SW Washington patients," and that Washingtonians represent the largest share of out-of-state abortion patients treated at OHSU.

News outlets continue to cover OHSU-led research that reveals a promising approach to developing a universal influenza vaccine, a platform that also could be useful against the next pandemic. Jonah Sacha, Ph.D., says, “There is no doubt that we are on the cusp of the next generation of vaccines against these emerging infectious diseases."

Healio writes about a new study led by David Reichenberger, Ph.D., that finds later bedtime and shorter sleep duration for children 5 to 9 years old were associated with a greater likelihood of these children trying alcohol or marijuana by age 15. He says, "By protecting sleep throughout childhood, we may protect long-term health and encourage positive health behaviors later in life. Pediatricians should speak with families about children’s bedtime routines and sleep habits at home and ensure that children get adequate and high-quality sleep.”

Katie Au, M.D., and Katherine Jorda, M.D., speak to OPB about OHSU's Perinatal Trauma Clinic, one of only a handful of clinics nationwide that aims to support parents who have experienced trauma around birth or pregnancy.