The Scope Radio

It’s important to make sure your children are safe and supervised when they’re swimming, but it’s important to protect them from the unseen dangers too. Cryptosporidiosis, or crypto, is a microscopic parasite that can lurk in public pools and other recreational bodies of water. Symptoms include diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain and fatigue. In this podcast Dr. Cindy Gellner talks about how to avoid contracting crypto and what to do if you think your child has it.

Med Student Mentor, Andrew Meschter, talks to Ryan Craig MD-PhD about the program, what it’s like, his experiences, and the advantages of the dual degree. He also gets some tips for someone considering becoming a research scientist.

It’s been years—even decades— since puberty and your first period, so why do you still break out like a teenager? Dr. Kirtly Jones says although many people think it’s an issue for a dermatologist, it’s also a hormonal issue. She talks about the science behind hormone changes throughout your life and how that can affect your skin. She also gives some tips that can help clear up your skin.

Dr. David Mandell at the University of Pennsylvania conducts research on autism programs and benefits to try to find out what’s working and what isn’t. Knowing this information will help you know what to advocate for when it comes to your child with autism based on the latest research shows is the most effective.

In 1980, a landmark paper described restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), a method predateding high volume DNA sequencing, that could be used to identify disease-causing genes. Ray Gesteland, Ph.D., professor emeritus of human genetics at the University of Utah, remembers hearing about the technology from his colleagues as they were still working it out. He explains how the idea came about, what it is, and how it made modern genetics possible. In a second interview, Gesteland talks about what brings some of the world’s best geneticists to the University of Utah.

Did you know risk for hip fracture runs in the family? As we grow older, our bones become less dense, but if you have osteoporosis, it means your bones are degrading faster than normal. In this podcast, Dr. Tom Miller talks with Dr. Hanadi Farrukh about the risk factors for osteoporosis and what you can do to keep your bones strong during your later years in life.

It can be horrifying to see your child’s face start to swell and realize they’re having an allergic reaction. If your child has severe allergies to certain insects, medications or food, you should have a prescription for injectable epinephrine. Dr. Cindy Gellner talks you through the signs of anaphylaxis and what to do if you think your child is in danger.

Dr. Carolyn Meltzer, Associate Dean of Research at Emory University, talks to Dr. Carrie L. Byington, University of Utah Health Care, about how they’re addressing some of the challenges facing the research mission at their institution. They discuss the changing role of the physician scientist, balancing the research and clinical mission, the importance of leveraging their core facilities and what they’re doing to further the research mission in a post-healthcare reform world.

Many people take language classes at some point in their life, but there’s a big difference between passing required language tests and being proficient in a language in a working environment. Dr. David Gontrum is a physician who speaks Spanish every day in his clinic. In this podcast, he talks about the best way to learn Spanish and other foreign languages. He shares his experience with how, even after many years of speaking a language, some words can still get lost in translation—and that’s okay.

It can be hard to tell if problems like vaginal itching or changes in your discharge are minor issues that will go away on their own, or if they’re the result of something more serious. Dr. Kirtly Jones, expert on all things woman, gives if/then scenarios for potential vaginal issues. Listen to find out if your problems require a doctor visit or a simpler solution.

Thanks to large amounts of research, doctors and parents are getting better at identifying and working with children with autism. But it can be difficult to transition all that research into clinical and school settings. It’s a challenge Dr. Aubyn Stahmer has undertaken. In this podcast, she talks about some of the new findings and the difficulties and benefits of implementing coaching for parents and therapists.

On TV shows like CSI, pathologists are the ones who do the autopsies. But Dr. Jerry Hussong is a clinical pathologist who says the job entails much more than that. He says most of the work pathologists do involves trying to figure out what diseases are affecting living patients. Dr. Tom Miller discusses the pathologist job description with Dr. Hussong, including testing and the amount of quality control involved in a diagnosis.

Many people on the autism spectrum find it difficult or scary to deal with other people. You may feel like people don’t like you. Social worker Court Allred says this is actually rarely the case. He shares some tips for practicing interacting with people and says the most important and helpful thing you can do is smile. Try it and tell us about your experience in the comments!

Grocery stores may not realize it, but they wield unparalleled insight into their customers’ eating habits. Each swipe of the loyalty card records food brought into the household, which makes up 60 to 70 percent of a person’s calories. John Hurdle, M.D., Ph.D., professor of Biomedical Informatics at the University of Utah, has developed QualMART, a tool that translates bar codes into USDA-based dietary data that gauges the healthfulness of what’s in a shopping cart, and how diets change over time. He is developing an opt-in program where customers with an eye toward improving their health can evaluate their choices and monitor their progress. Hurdle explains how such programs can be a smart way for health care providers, wellness programs, health insurance companies, and grocery store chains to provide incentives to encourage healthy living.

As the weather warms up, hopefully your kids will want to go outside to play. Dr. Cindy Gellner shares some tips for keeping your kids safe while they have fun on the playground: using age-appropriate play areas, constant supervision, and the importance of teaching children to share and play nicely with other kids. This summer, take your kids to the playground regularly for some fun (and safe) outdoor playtime!