Research by Stephen Back, M.D., Ph.D., reveals for the first time that a form of cell death known as ferroptosis — caused by a buildup of iron in cells — destroys microglia cells, a type of cell involved in the brain’s immune response, in cases of Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia.

A fact-checking article about COVID-19 vaccine benefits and side effects cites a 2022 article co-written by Jennifer Huang, M.D., that reads “In cases of myocarditis following COVID-19 vaccination, the vast majority of cases are mild and resolve quickly.”

In a story describing the different ways that people experience periods, Alison Edelman, M.D., says: “If something’s not working for you, even if your period is ‘normal,’ you need to be talking to your provider about it.”

A 2015 study by OHSU and others found patients who combined in vitro fertilization treatment with traditional Chinese medicine had more live births than those who received standard IVF care alone.

In a story about the first over-the-counter birth control pill, Alison Edelman, M.D., discusses how innovation for female contraception has been slow and challenging. She says “Big Pharma has decreased their footprint in contraceptive research and development over the years and now. Much of the current innovations are being pushed forward by nonprofits, small startups, the NIH NICHD [National Institute of Child Health and Human Development] and individual researchers.”

Benjamin Hoffman, M.D., says a child is better protected during a crash while being in a rear-facing seat because the crash forces are distributed across the entire back side of their bodies.

A phase 3 clinical trial suggests biweekly cabazitaxel regimen may be an alternative treatment option for men 65 years or older with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Tom Beer, M.D., and Mark Garzotto, M.D., both commented on the study findings. Garzotto says, “Though the investigators suggest this study may be ‘practice changing,’ I believe that further investigation of this regimen is still warranted.”

A 2022 study by Jamie Lo, M.D., found marijuana use is associated with “significant adverse impacts to the animals’ reproductive hormones, including decreased levels of testosterone and severe testicular shrinkage."

David Huang, M.D., Ph.D., who received a 2023 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award for co-inventing the biomedical imaging technology optical coherence tomography, is named one of Oregon’s 25 inspiring people of 2023.

Born without a normal opening in her airway, 9-year-old Delayza Diaz recently underwent a rare, complex surgery at OHSU to reconstruct her vocal chords and give her a voice. Derek Lam, M.D., who has cared for Diaz since birth and performed the surgery, says she could have easily gone through her life with the help of a breathing tube but no voice, but he was determined to give her a better option. He says, “I think it certainly can open a lot of doors for her that maybe would have stayed closed before.”