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Petrie Dish

Why does a new study on depression have people asking their doctors about their SSRI medications? Will sequencing the human genome soon be affordable for almost everyone? On Petrie Dish, join host and veteran reporter Bonnie Petrie for deep dives into a wide range of bioscience and medicine stories.

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  • A new UT Health San Antonio study finds that any amount of physical activity can slow cognitive decline in older adults, with Mexican Americans showing the greatest benefit. Researchers say the findings highlight a need for community investment in accessible spaces for movement and social connection.
  • Do you ever think about all that’s involved in just swallowing a bit of breakfast taco or a sip of coffee?
  • Kirsten Eom studies everything that goes into getting a cancer survivor from their front door to a doctor's office: insurance, transportation, follow-up care, and more. The UT Health San Antonio researcher has found that a surprising number of survivors stop seeing doctors once initial treatment ends. Now she's working to build a statewide registry to track the barriers keeping them away.
  • Selina Morgan holds a doctorate in physical therapy, a board certification in neurological physical therapy, and is an assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at UT Health San Antonio. She believes that there are thousands of people out there in wheelchairs who don’t have to be.
  • Loneliness doesn't just feel bad. It appears to raise the risk of heart disease, dementia, and early death. In part one of a two-part Petrie Dish series on the loneliness crisis, Bonnie Petrie talks to a researcher separating marmoset monkeys from their mates to study the body's stress response, and a psychiatrist mapping what isolation does to the human brain.
  • A UT San Antonio researcher warns that dementia cases could triple by 2050 and that no health system on earth is ready for it. But Dr. Claudia Suemoto says the outlook isn't hopeless: everyday choices around exercise, diet, and community can meaningfully lower your risk, especially if you start by around age 35.
  • A cutting-edge technology and an exciting recent hire hint at exciting developments in the future of precision medicine in the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
  • In the nearly half of Texas counties considered maternity care deserts, few health care workers are trained to handle a pregnancy emergency like maternal cardiac arrest. A simulation-based training program from an expert at UT San Antonio's Kate Marmion School of Public Health aims to change that, and reduce preventable deaths in the process.
  • A month after flu shots became voluntary, influenza began to burn through boot camp at Lackland Air Force Base. Hundreds have been sickened, and infectious diseases experts are not surprised.
  • Around 20% of teens who have experienced emotional trauma don't respond to talk therapy. UT Health San Antonio is using neuroimaging to track brain changes in traumatized teens during a course of therapy to see if they can figure out why, which could lead to the development of more personalized treatments that will help more teens heal.