UF Health Podcasts

Canine distemper — a viral infection that’s often deadly in dogs—is surging in some parts of the country. Here’s how to keep your pooch safe.

First and foremost, stay up to date with your dog’s vaccinations. The canine distemper vaccine is super effective, but dogs need periodic boosters to maintain strong immunity.

Infection is transmitted through respiratory droplets from other dogs as well as raccoons — and sometimes foxes and skunks. Contaminated objects can also spread the virus, so keep food and water sources away from wildlife and other dogs.

You can also help by reporting raccoons that are active during the day (they’re usually out only at night) or any susceptible wild animals exhibiting abnormal respiratory or neurologic signs.

Golfing, yard work, hunting and woodworking are enjoyable weekend pastimes for some men. Now, it turns out those activities may heighten the risk of neurodegenerative disease.

Researchers at the University of Michigan have found that certain recreational activities are linked to a higher risk of amyotrophic [ey-my-uh-trof-ik] lateral sclerosis, which is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The incurable disorder affects nerve cell function in the brain and spinal cord.

Scientists already knew that working in manufacturing or trade industries is linked to an increased risk of ALS. After work activities that affect the odds of ALS are now coming into focus. The researchers found that golf was associated with a three times greater risk of developing ALS. Yardwork and hunting also heightened the risk, although to a lesser degree than golf.

The risk is notably gender specific. When the researchers looked at women’s recreational activities, there was no significant association with ALS.

None of the hobbies were linked to earlier onset of ALS in men or women.

While the researchers aren’t quite sure what’s driving the higher risk among men who take part in certain activities, they have a theory. Other studies have pointed to lifetime environmental exposures as a precursor to ALS. That means golfing and yardwork could carry more ALS risk due to things like pesticide exposure.

Next, the researchers want to learn more about which activities present the greatest ALS risk, and why men are disproportionately affected. They also caution that much more research needs to be done — so don’t put those clubs away just yet.

Whether it’s an overly zealous use of air conditioning or a frigid January morning, you and other mammals have one thing in common: You can sense when it’s cold. But until recently, science had lagged in figuring out just precisely how we know we need an extra sweater.

Now, researchers from the University of Michigan have drilled down into what, exactly, allows us to “detect” that the temperature has dropped — specifically below 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Using prior research that identified the first cold-sensing receptor protein (in a tiny worm, no less), researchers conducted experiments to examine animals’ behavior in reaction to temperature changes and other stimuli.

In this case, mice that were missing a protein called GluK2 showed no response to icy temperatures, but responded normally to hot, warm and even cool temperatures.

Interestingly, the protein is typically found in the brain, where it acts as an operator — triaging various chemical signals to enable communication between neurons.

But GluK2 is also found in sensory neurons across the peripheral nervous system — outside the brain and spinal cord, in other words — where it takes on its cold-sensing properties, processing temperature cues instead of chemical signals to let us know when we feel cold.

Why does this matter? First, it simply adds to the knowledge base scientists have about thermosensation, in general.

As one example of why it’s relevant: Patients undergoing chemotherapy tend to feel cold in an acute, even painful way — and this could help us understand why.

For now, that’s pretty “cool” on its own — pun intended.

Broccoli is the vegetable some of us love to hate. The first President Bush famously banned it from Air Force One. Kids make faces at it. Few dogs keep it on their list of acceptable table scraps.

Ice cream it is not.

We all might want to re-evaluate our broccoli angst. This power vegetable continues to prove it is one of the healthiest foods. Broccoli contains an abundance of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. It is thought to reduce inflammation, support heart health and slow aging. Broccoli does everything but drive the kids to school.

Now scientists have discovered another potential benefit: preventing and treating a stroke.

Australian researchers say they’ve found a natural compound in the vegetable that can help prevent blood clots leading to strokes. Better still, the compound appears to enhance other clot-busting medications often given in a stroke’s aftermath.

One agent often given stroke patients is a blood-thinner called tissue plasminogen [plaz·mi·nuh·jn] activator, or tPA.

The compound found in broccoli sprouts, called sulforaphane [suhl·faw·ruh·fayn], triples tPA’s effectiveness at busting clots. And the compound didn’t have the side effect sometimes seen with tPA — brain bleeding.

This natural compound opens the door to potential medications that could one day benefit millions of people globally.

And to be fair to broccoli, many people love it. Its popularity has soared in the last 30 years. It does have its presidential fan club. Thomas Jefferson planted broccoli seeds at Monticello. And President Obama once called the veggie his favorite food.

Take that, carrots.

Everyone knows the potential harm from vehicles’ tailpipe emissions. Now, scientists are turning an eye to the lesser-known particles created by brakes.

When it comes to brake particles, it’s a classic good news-bad news situation. Researchers don’t know a lot about brake particles, although some evidence suggests they may be more harmful than tailpipe emissions. But because most of those brake particles are electrically charged, they might someday help reduce tailpipe emissions.

Scientists at the University of California, Irvine determined that 80% of the aerosol particles created by vehicle braking carry an electric charge. In fact, many of them are highly charged. To learn this, the researchers attached a brake rotor and caliper to a large lathe and analyzed the particles.

The California team is just starting to understand the health effects and toxicity of brake particles. Early findings suggest the particles may play a role in oxidative stress, which can lead to cell damage.

The amount of electrically charged particles varies with the composition of brake pads. And because they carry a charge, removing them from the air could be relatively easy. The researchers say the removal could be as simple as collecting the particles with an electrostatic device that whisks them away.

The recent findings have important implications for lower-income neighborhoods. Because those areas tend to be traffic-heavy, the effects of brake dust on urban air pollution may be more pronounced.

Until science delivers a firm solution, consider heeding the well-worn advice for new drivers: Easy on the gas, easy on the brakes.

The adage about an apple a day aside, it turns out that an avocado a day just may be enough to improve the nutritional quality of your diet.

According to a new study from Penn State University, the average American diet leaves much to be desired — and poor diet quality is one of the risk factors for several diseases, including heart disease.

When it comes to the agreed-upon key dietary recommendations put together by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, most of us fall short. Now, new research indicates that a single avocado could save the day — and how much nutrition we pack into it.

Typically, only 2% of the population consumes avocados regularly. Researchers wanted to see if regular consumption of the nutrient-dense, fiber-rich food could have a positive impact on diet quality.

The study included more than 1,000 participants who were placed in two groups: In the first group, folks continued their usual diet and limited their avocado intake during the 26-week study. In the second, each participant incorporated a daily avocado in their diet.

Researchers noted that not only did those who ate an avocado daily show an increased adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans — they also found that participants were substituting avocadoes, packed with healthy fats, vitamins and minerals, in place of common food items high in sodium or other undesirable nutritional traits.

Of course, more research is needed, but while an avocado a day is no cure-all, it’s certainly a tasty place to start.

Scientists around the world who hope to avert the next pandemic have a plan.

A team of 25 international scientists wants to do so by conserving natural areas and protecting biodiversity. They believe this might be a better strategy than containing a pathogen already circulating in humans.

In short, they want to keep animal populations fed and safe to limit their contact with humans and, consequently, their ability to transfer pathogens to us.

Pandemics begin when disease-harboring animals, such as bats, come in proximity to people, livestock or other critters. Viruses that have spread to humans via bats include several varieties of the coronavirus, Nipah [knee-pah], Hendra and, likely, Ebola. The consequences can be deadly.

The international team of researchers, led by Cornell University, devised its strategy after two scientific papers in 2022 examined how the fatal Hendra virus moved from bats to horses to people. The research found that when bats lose their natural habitats and sources of winter food, their large populations fracture into smaller groups that migrate to agricultural and urban areas.

And when bats become stressed, whether by not getting enough to eat or being forced to leave their roost, they shed more virus in their urine. When the food supply returns, so do the bats, and they stop shedding virus.

The team of scientists calls for protecting lands that buffer bats from people. This could ensure they have enough food and that humans and animals in contact with bat populations have sufficient protection.

If an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, just imagine the payoff in avoiding another pandemic.

Picture this: You sit down at a gourmet restaurant. The candelight is warm. The atmosphere is posh. And your dinner plate holds the entrée that’s been the talk of the town — an array of vegetables, carefully seasoned around the piece de resistance: mold.

Before the record screech, let’s clarify: We mean the humble mushroom. In a recent study, researchers at UC Berkeley have been fiddling with genes in koji mold, the substance used in East Asia to ferment different starches into consumables like sake, soy sauce and miso for hundreds of years.

Using gene editing software, researchers are tweaking the fungus to contain nutritional traits commonly found in meat — like increasing the production of heme [heem], an iron-based molecule most plentiful in animal tissues, and what gives most meat its unique taste. The scientists also boosted the koji mold’s ability to produce an antioxidant unique to fungi that is associated with a healthy cardiovascular system, giving the fungi the best of both worlds.

Though more work is needed, the study points to fungi as an easy-to-grow protein source that doesn’t require a laundry list of fillers and other ingredients commonly found in many existing meat substitutes. It also demonstrates the improvements in the field of synthetic biology as a whole, highlighting the profound impact a gene-editing software like CRISPR-Cas9 [Crisper-Kaz-9], the one used in the study, can have on future research.

Now, eating a mushroom patty may never be quite the same as chowing down on a medium-rare burger, but maybe it doesn’t have to be. At this rate, it’s possible that soon, you might not even notice the difference.

Just like humans, dogs are susceptible to an eye disease known as glaucoma, which causes high pressure inside of the eyeball. Have you noticed changes in eye size or color, such as a really red or cloudy or bluish appearance? Those are among the clinical signs that could indicate your dog has developed glaucoma, a painful condition that can cause blindness if left untreated. On this show, Dr Caryn Plummer, a veterinary ophthalmology specialist, will discuss causes of the disease, which breeds are most susceptible to it, common treatment practices and why it’s important to contact your veterinarian immediately if you see signs of eye trouble in your pet.

For licorice fans, this news might be hard to swallow: Even small amounts of the soft, chewy candy can cause high blood pressure.

It has been well known that large servings of licorice can spike blood pressure. Now, it turns out that even a little bit can do the same. The culprit is the plant root that is used to make licorice. The root contains a specific acid that acts on the body’s fluid balance through an enzyme in the kidney. That, in turn, boosts high blood pressure and can heighten the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Researchers in Sweden concluded that up to 100 milligrams of the plant acid found in licorice is probably a safe amount for most people. However, it’s not so easy to determine how much glycyrrhizic [glyss-yr-rhi-zick] acid is in each licorice brand. Its concentration can vary based on where the candy is made, how it’s stored and what licorice root species is used. To further complicate matters, labels don’t always note the amount of acid.

During the study, women and men 18 to 30 years old were told to eat either licorice or a control product that contained no licorice. The control product contained an ingredient that tasted like licorice. Participants were randomly assigned to eat the licorice or the control product for two weeks and then switch to the other variety for two weeks.

Participants recorded their blood pressure at home every day. The researchers then measured various health metrics, including heart workload, salt balance and several key hormones.

The message is clear for licorice lovers: Aim for quality and enjoyment over quantity.