CU Anschutz Newsroom

Social media rumblings and high-profile celebrity comments suggest more people than ever are popping beta blockers, a medication traditionally used in cardiac care, when they face something anxiety-provoking.

The takeaway: A CU Anschutz-led review examined whether spinal cord stimulation can help manage chronic pain in people with spinal cord injuries. Researchers found only 10 eligible studies involving 43 patients, but many participants reported substantial reductions in pain, along with improvements in sleep and quality of life. Because the available evidence is limited and based largely on small c…

A new study published today in JAMA Network Open projects that reductions in federal funding for syringe service programs (SSPs) could lead to substantial increases in mortality among people who inject drugs in the United States.

The takeaway: Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium to maintain strong bones and supports muscle movement. Vitamin D also assists nerve function to carry messages between the brain and body. It contributes to immune health and may help control inflammation and blood sugar. Vitamin D may also have positive impacts on some cancers. Some groups of people are at higher risk for deficiency and may …

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted routine health care in unprecedented ways, forcing providers and patients alike to delay or forgo preventive services. At the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Dental Medicine, those disruptions allowed a team of oral health and informatics researchers to better understand what happens when routine periodontal maintenance is paused, and what those findings …

When alcohol is taken away from individuals who are dependent on it, they tend to consume more when alcohol is reintroduced. A new drug developed by researchers at CU Anschutz has shown promise in the lab to reduce this escalation of drinking.

A chemical sunscreen available in Europe and Asia for decades is coming to U.S. beaches, pools, barbecues and anywhere people enjoy the outdoors. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) June 9 approval of bemotrizinol “is a really big deal” and will offer more robust skin protection for consumers, says a CU Anschutz dermatologist.

Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz have published a proof-of-concept study in Fertility and Sterility demonstrating that injectable semaglutide may offer meaningful reproductive benefits for women with polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), f ormerly known as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

When asked if she could walk unassisted after taking part in a clinical trial, Lynn Montgomery-Haga jumps up from her chair and does a quick lap around the tables of her small town’s only coffee shop. At the end, the longtime Milliken, Colo., resident throws her arms in the air, taking a “ta-da!”-like pose. The answer was a definite yes.

When the 2026 FIFA World Cup begins on June 11, 2026, matches will be played across 16 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Millions of fans will arrive through multiple airports and will pack into stadiums, airports, hotels, bars and public transit systems over five weeks.

In each cell of your body, DNA is stored in structures called chromosomes. When cells divide, these chromosomes are copied, but over time, the copying process degrades. After many cycles of making copies, the ends of the chromosomes become shorter and can sometimes get damaged. Thankfully, we have telomeres, which are like protective caps on the ends of our chromosomes that help to decrease the d…

For a long time, the likelihood of surviving pancreatic cancer has been extremely low. For patients who were diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic cancer between 2015 and 2021, about 97% died within five years of their diagnosis.

The Takeaway: A retrospective review of more than 7,300 midwife attended births in three Colorado hospitals found that labor induction did not increase the likelihood of cesarean birth compared to expectant management. Researchers from the CU Anschutz College of Nursing found that prolonged pregnancy beyond 41 weeks – not induction itself – was associated with higher C-section rates. The study al…

In the month following a psychiatric discharge after an attempted suicide, a person is up to 300 times more likely to make another attempt than the general population. The risk is highest in the first hours and days – when the individual is often overwhelmed or hopeless.

Research from the University of Colorado Anschutz suggests that stress experienced by a father before conception may influence an offspring’s growth by altering small molecular signals in sperm.

Five years after the start of the COVID 19 pandemic, many people still say they feel more anxious, emotionally exhausted or socially disconnected than they did before 2020. Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz say these lingering effects may be tied to prolonged pandemic stress, a form of chronic uncontrollable stress that can reshape both brain and immune system function over time.

Welcome to Science Snapshot , a quick digest of the latest research happening across the CU Anschutz campus. Hear from researchers as they briefly explain one of their recent studies and how it could improve healthcare. This installment explores the effects of acid reflux medications on the gut microbiome and whether standard use of component blood tranfusions in trauma settings is better than us…

The Takeaway: A CU Anschutz-led study suggests acetaminophen may relieve pain by interacting with the body’s endocannabinoid system, which regulates pain and inflammation. In knee replacement patients, changes in cannabis-like molecules were linked to both acetaminophen use and reported pain levels. These findings could inform more targeted pain therapies in the future. Despite acetaminophen’s po…

The takeaway: A group of four faculty presenters detail the work behind their startups at a Fast Pitch event for a $10,000 award: mindLAMP Care, Retro Nephrix, NeuroVesica, Parley Neurotech. The CU Anschutz Innovations event provides a window into how ideas move from the lab to improving health for patients. How would you convince a room of strangers you had the next great idea in healthcare in u…

The takeaway: Orforglipron is an FDA-approved non-peptide oral GLP-1 pill, offering a potential alternative to injectable weight-loss drugs. Demand for GLP-1 medications has surged in recent years, but cost and injectable delivery have limited access for many patients. A CU Anschutz researcher is overseeing a clinical trial for orforglipron, and a patient shares her experience in the trial. Every…