Petrie Dish

One of the handiest tools in our immune system is an enzyme called apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme, catalytic polypeptide — better known as APOBECs.

The same mRNA technology President Trump called a medical miracle is now under attack by his own administration, and the stakes go far beyond vaccines. TPR's Bonnie Petrie talks with two San Antonio scientists about the technology's history, its current uncertainty, and its future potential.

A new center for the study of chronic infectious diseases aims to develop treatments for illnesses like Valley fever, tuberculosis, HIV, and Long COVID that disproportionately affect South Texas communities. Led by Dr. Barbara Taylor, the center seeks to attract top researchers and serve as a hub for clinical trials and community-focused care.

In March, around 90% of Americans are deficient in vitamin D, which has been linked to serious physical and mental health challenges. What is vitamin D? How do you get it? What can happen if you don't get enough? What is enough? TPR's Bonnie Petrie talks about her own March madness with a Boston University doctor who has been studying this chemical — that isn't actually a vitamin — for decades.

Exercise can improve function and slow disease progression in people with Parkinson's disease, but why? A UT Health San Antonio researcher is studying patients who exercise and play virtual reality games to see if she can figure out the answer.

A study of two groups of 70-year-olds found that branched-chain amino acids combined with exercise improve physical function and quality of life. Exercise alone did not.

Many medications ease the constellation of symptoms that define Parkinson's disease, but the only treatment that slows the progression of the neurological movement disorder can't be purchased at a pharmacy. It's high-intensity, cardiovascular exercise, like boxing, and it's changing lives.

The chemical cross-communication between the guts and other organs that occurs when a person metabolizes nutrients begins before we open our mouths, when we see or smell food. The answer to why some people develop obesity, diabetes, and other metabolic disorders, and why some people respond so well to medicines like Ozempic, might lie in those signals. UT Health San Antonio endocrinologist Dr. Marzieh Salehi is studying that communication in patients with spinal cord injury.

Jannine Cody, PhD, founded and leads the Chromosome 18 Clinical Research Center, which has revolutionized the understanding of and care for disorders caused by alterations in chromosome 18 in humans. However, Cody began this mission as a mom with a baby with a chromosome 18 disorder who needed care.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. has ordered a dramatic reduction in the number of vaccines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control. Does this mean you should change the number of vaccines your child receives? A practicing pediatrician in Texas is among the large number of children's health experts who say no.

New research from UT Health San Antonio finds a link between obstructive sleep apnea and persistent pain, suggesting that the intermittant lack of oxygen caused by apnea decreases a person's ability to recover from painful stimuli.

Research from an expert in sleep disorders at UT Health San Antonio has revealed that sleep disorders are common in the military, and the most common disorder impacts men and women in the military equally. It's COMISA, which is an acronym for comorbid insomnia and sleep apnea.

From announcing then backtracking on a cause for autism to slashing federal public health funding to changing childhood vaccine recommendations, the appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services triggered an earthquake of change in U.S. public health policy. Infectious diseases doctor Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, assesses the still rattling landscape with TPR's Bonnie Petrie.

People who eat a strict keto diet are at risk for an accumulation of aged cells in their organs, but taking intermittent breaks from the diet can prevent these detrimental effects.

In a Petrie Dish collaboration with Public Health Watch, we explore what happens if you have a chronic illness like epilepsy in a state that has rejected the Medicaid expansion.

Heading into the holiday season this year, nearly half of U.S. adults said they expected the season to be more stressful than last year. San Antonio's Mental Health Officer offers advice on how to navigate this joyful but often fraught period.

Many people dismiss alternative therapies like auricular — which means ear — acupressure as unscientific, but a UT Health San Antonio researcher thinks it may be an effective way to reduce chronic pain for people with dementia that doesn't carry the risks associated with opioid medication.

UT Health San Antonio researchers have teased out why some lipids spike in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease and what that may mean for cognitive function, revealing a new target for potential treatments.

A newly constructed center for studying and treating diseases of the brain will open in San Antonio at the end of the year. The Center for Brain Health could revolutionize how we understand disorders like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and ALS.

People who live near the Houston Ship Channel live shorter, unhealthier lives than those who don't. One scientist has dedicated his career to understanding and exposing the threat, under great pressure to stay silent. We'll meet The Scientist Who Refused To Be Intimidated.