OU Medical Center-Health Matters

What if you could build a microscopic smart missle that would carry medication right into the cells responsible for vision loss in millions of Americans? Researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center believe they have done just that. As Theresa Green reports, it's a finding that could result in new, more effective treatments for several debilitating diseases of the eye.

It began 24 years ago when Edmond Memorial High School's principal promised to kiss a pig if the students raised $5,000 to help cover the medical expenses of an ill classmate. Many a swine has been smooched for a good cause in the years since...And in 2010 - with a Willie Wonka theme - students punched a "Golden Ticket" of Hollywood proportions for young cancer patients at the Jimmy Everest Center.

Healthy teeth are an important part of overall health. Unfortunately, dental health is hard to come by in many rural areas of Oklahoma. Part of the problem is there just aren't many dentists in these rural areas, but another big part of the problem is awareness. Now, the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry and the American Dental Association are launching a pilot program right here in Oklahoma aimed at solving the dental health care crisis in these areas. The OU College of Dentistry will train 18 Community Dental Health Coordinators as part of the five year pilot program, with the effectiveness of each participant and the overall program evaluated each step of the way. Six individuals have already been selected from remote areas of Oklahoma. Researchers say they were chosen because of their strong connections to the communities in which they live and because they live in communities burdened by high levels of poverty with few dental health professionals available to provide care.

For a lot of older adults, memory issues are more serious than a lost set of keys or a misplaced TV remote. But what if there were a way to battle memory loss from inside our own bodies. Researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center are working toward that goal. Their research is focused on a hormone already produced by our bodies.

Did you know that half of Oklahomas will develop cancer at some point in their lifetime and one in four will die from the disease? The statistics are sobering, but you can fight back. Experts at the OU Cancer Institute say we should al resolve to protect ourselves from cancer.

It's an ailment with potentially deadly complications. In fact, those complications lead to more deaths each year in this country than breast cancer and HIV combined. It's called Deep Vein Thrombosis and it affects more than a half million people a year in this country. Now, new research by a team of international scientists, including a leading researcher from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, shows a new drug can make treatment more convenient, but just as effective.

How much turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie will you pack away on Thanksgiving this year? A lot of people will tell you they gain five or ten pounds on Thanksgiving or Christmas alone, but dietary experts at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center say what we eat on those holidays isn't as big a problem as everything else we eat the entire holiday season. Here are some tips to help win the holiday battle of the bulge.

Did you know that more than 9 in 10 Americans purchase candy for Halloween? Did you also know that each American devours about 25 pounds of candy each year and much of it is eaten in the days surrounding Halloween? The sheer volume of candy consumed by little ones at Halloween is enough to send shivers up the spine of any dentist. Now pediatric dentists at the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry offer some safe and sane tips for sweet treats this Halloween.

As parents, we want to protect our children from painful experiences. But as parents we also want to protect them from disease and that sometimes brings a painful test or treatment - like shots or blood tests. Now, though, experts at the OU MEDICAL CENTER have found a way to test for dangerous levels in the blood - without drawing a drop of blood.

School brings many challenges at many ages and stages. But the transition from elementary school to middle school can be one of the most difficult for both the children and parents. Now child development experts at the University of Oklahoma Child Study Center offer some tips to make the transition a little easier on both.

What would you do if you knew your child faced a risk three to four times greater than other children of getting diabetes? Right now, parents who face that frightening reality are teaming up with researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in hopes of finding a way to protect their children and others too. It's research that may bring answers that could move these children toward a lifetime of better health.

Most people tend to think of bladder infections as something that occur in adults, particularly adult women. But children, even some just months old, are not immune. In fact, one in every 100 children has something known as bladder reflux, a condition that can lead to bladder and even kidney infections. Now, researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center are among an elite few selected by the National Institutes of Health to help determine how to best treat these children.

Most of us vow we will get more exercise. And for most of us that commitment quickly dissipates. But adults over 50 have more reason than ever to find a way to keep moving. Here are some tips from top senior health experts at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center to help seniors get in step with improved health.

Every year, people flock to the gym to lose weight. Some may turn to low-carbohydrate diets. Others will choose a more traditional weight loss plan. The question is: which one is really best?

Baby fat isn't just about baby anymore. New research at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center reveals there's a mommy connection too. Utilizing a special high tech machine - one of only a few in the world - their work shows that even small newborns can have a high percentage of body fat - and that baby fat is tied to just how fat or skinnny mom is.