Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

New Award: Carah And Germantown's Center In The Park Awarded $2.2 Million To Study Mental Health Of Older African-American Adults

CenterPieces

Why do older African-Americans tend to report less depression than Whites although they have poorer health and higher rates of chronic illness?

Research from the past 15 years consistently shows health disparities between Whites and minorities in the United States. African-Americans, in particular, are at higher risk than Caucasians for serious health conditions such as stroke, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease and mild cognitive impairment. These chronic conditions typically contribute to depression in elders as a whole. However, the rates of depression for African-Americans are unclear with many studies reporting lower depression than in Whites and others reporting the reverse.

This …

Project Able Featured By Reuters Health Service

CenterPieces

CARAH's randomized trial, Project ABLE (Advancing Better Living for Elders), funded by the National Institute on Aging, and published in the May, 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatric Society, was recently featured by Reuters Health service, the world's leading provider of medical and healthcare news.

This study tested a six-month intervention in which people received four 90-minute visits with an occupational therapist, as well as one 20-minute telephone contact, and one 90-minute physical therapy visit and home modifications provided by the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging. Of 319 men and women 70 years of age and older, half …

Geriatric Education Update

CenterPieces

Despite extensive government cutbacks in funding for aging research and elimination of federal support for geriatric and gerontological training, Jefferson has launched exciting new programs in this area. The year-old Division of Geriatric Medicine, housed within the Dept. of Family and Community Medicine, is under the directorship of Dr. Christine Arenson. In collaboration with CARAH, the Dept. of Occupational Therapy and the Dept. of Nursing, the Division has received funding for a Geriatric Education Center. In addition to Drs. Arenson and Gitlin, participants in this initiative include Dr. Cecelia Borden (Dept. of Nursing), Stephen Kern (Dept. of Occupational Therapy), Nancy …

2005 Dementia Conference Attracts Record Turn Out

CenterPieces

The 6th annual Dementia Management Conference - "New Directions in Providing Care to Patients and their Families" - was held on February 4, 2005 in the Bluemle Auditorium. This successful conference was co-sponsored by the Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and the Farber Institute for Neurosciences. In attendance were over 115 health care professionals, including physicians, nurses, occupational and physical therapists, social workers, researchers, and family members.

Attendees had the opportunity to learn from and ask questions of a panel of nationally recognized experts in the field of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. …

Message From Dean Erdman, James B. Erdman

CenterPieces

Congratulations to the Center and its Director, Dr. Laura Gitlin, on the inaugural issue of CARAH’s newsletter. In our discussions of the development of CARAH, one of the principal goals of the Center is its educational mission as is clear from the other information contained in this publication. Committed as the Center’s research professionals are to improving the health and quality of life of our seniors, it is not enough to conduct research that has the potential to provide significant help and support for patients and their caregivers. Those findings must also be disseminated, must be translated into action, must …

Graduating "Seniors" Of Center In The Park's Harvest Health Program

CenterPieces

"I have been to many health classes but none like this. This class was great and well organized."

"When I wake up I start exercising in bed. The Harvest Health classes have motivated me. I am now exercising 6 days a week."

"I use a motorized wheelchair, and I walk only a few steps. Thanks to the support from my classmates and the instructors, I achieved my action plan and am now walking in the corridor at Center in the Park. The program has motivated me to achieve my goals."

These are the accolades that Project Director Delores Palmer hears …

Message From Dr. Laura Gitlin, Director Of Carah, Laura N. Gitlin

CenterPieces

Welcome to the first issue of CenterPieces, the newsletter of the Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health.

Aging is a highly personal phenomenon. It obviously affects each of us on an individual, familia, and socio-political-economic level. Only a short 50 years ago, aging was viewed as a disease rather than a natural and important stage of human development. Although older people are at increased risk for heart disease, cancer, stroke, falls and cognitive impairments, more so than any other age group, new scientific breakthroughs show that frailty and physical and cognitive decline is a complex phenomenon and not …

P5l Mutation In Ank Results In An Increase In Extracellular Inorganic Pyrophosphate During Proliferation And Nonmineralizing Hypertrophy In Stably Transduced Atdc5 Cells, Raihana Zaka, David Stokes, Arnold S. Dion, Anna Kusnierz, Fei Han, Charlene J. Williams

Center for Translational Medicine Faculty Papers

Ank is a multipass transmembrane protein that regulates the cellular transport of inorganic pyrophosphate. In the progressive ankylosis (ank) mouse, a premature termination mutation at glutamic acid 440 results in a phenotype characterized by inappropriate deposition of basic calcium phosphate crystals in skeletal tissues. Mutations in the amino terminus of ANKH, the human homolog of Ank, result in familial calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate deposition disease. It has been hypothesized that these mutations result in a gain-of-function with respect to the elaboration of extracellular inorganic pyrophosphate. To explore this issue in a mineralization-competent system, we stably transduced ATDC5 cells with wild-type Ank …

Sixty-Four-Slice Multidetector Computed Tomography: The Future Of Ed Cardiac Care, Alexander T. Limkakeng, Ethan Halpern, Kevin M. Takakuwa

Department of Radiology Faculty Papers

Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) imaging, a technological advance over traditional CT, is a promising possible alternative to cardiac catheterization for evaluating patients with chest pain in the emergency department (ED). In comparison with traditional CT, MDCT offers increased spatial and temporal resolution that allows reliable visualization of the coronary arteries. In addition, a "triple scan," which includes evaluation for pulmonary embolism and thoracic aortic dissection, can be incorporated into a single study. This test will enable emergency physicians to rapidly evaluate patients for life-threatening illnesses and may allow safer and earlier discharges of many patients with chest pain in comparison …

New Publications From The Department Of Health Policy

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Forum Fall 2006

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Welcome To Our Newest Senior Scholars

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Jefferson Medical College And Widener University Join Their Cohorts At The Fourth Annual North American Md/Mba Conference, Caryl E. Carpenter

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

The Power Of Goal Setting, Claresa Levetan

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Predictors And Outcomes Of Physician Lifelong Learning, Mohammadreza Hojat, Joseph S. Gonnella, J. Jon Veloski

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Department Of Health Policy Hosts 12th Annual Summer Seminar

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Can The Internet Help Combat Obesity At The Workplace?, Sandra Yetman, Christopher N. Sciammana

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Jmc Students’ Knowledge Of The U.S. Healthcare System, Daniel Z. Louis

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Disciplinary Action By State Medical Boards And Unprofessional Behavior In Medical School, J. Jon Veloski, Susan Rattner

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Delaware Valley Schweitzer Fellowship Program To Be Launched, Neil Goldfarb

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Professionalism And Patient Safety, Sara Thier, David B. Nash

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Celecoxib Decreases Prostaglandin E2 Concentrations In Nipple Aspirate Fluid From High Risk Postmenopausal Women And Women With Breast Cancer, Edward R. Sauter, Wenyi Quin, Lisa Schlatter, John E. Hewett, John T. Flynn

Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics Faculty Papers

Background

Celecoxib inhibits PGE2 production in cancerous tissue. We previously reported that PGE2 levels in nipple aspirate fluid (NAF) and plasma were not decreased in women at increased breast cancer risk who received celecoxib 200 mg twice daily (bid). The endpoints of the current study were to determine if a short course of celecoxib 400 mg bid would decrease PGE2 levels in women 1) at increased breast cancer risk, and 2) with established breast cancer.

Methods

NAF and plasma samples were collected before, 2 weeks after taking celecoxib 400 mg bid, and two weeks after washout from 26 women who …

Nurses Alumni Association Bulletin, Fall 2006, Paula Levine, Elizabeth K. Prisnock, Sally H. Wagner, John J. Wagner

Nursing Alumni Bulletins

2006 - 2007 Meeting Date Calendar

2007 Annual Luncheon & Meeting Notice

Officers, Committee Chairs, Satellite and Volunteers

The President's Message

Treasurer's Report

Resume of Minutes

Office News

Committee Reports

• Relief Trust Fund
• Satellite - Harrisburg Satellite Area
• Scholarship
• Nominating
• Bulletin
• Social
• Development

Annual Giving

Janet C. Hindson Award Recipients and Nominees

Janet C. Hindson Award Qualifications

Quotes from Janet C. Hindson's Recipients Letters

Quotes from Janet C. Hindson's Nominees

Recipient's Acceptance Speech

Happy Birthday To Be 80 or More

Luncheon Attendees

Center page

50th Anniversary Class

Reflections on Fifty Poignant Years of Nursing

News About Graduates

Memories

Louisiana Bound: …

Download Full Pdf Issue Of Thomas Jefferson University Mph Public Health Link Newsletter, Vol. 2, Iss. 7, October 2006

Public Health Link

Vol. 2, Iss. 7 includes a description of the The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship, a faculty spotlight on the Thomas Jefferson University and the Rwanda Healing Project and new course offerings for the spring.

Mild Cognitive Impairment, Activity Participation, Functional Difficulty, & Adaptations , Laraine Winter, Laura N. Gitlin

Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health Research Papers

No abstract provided.

Current Health And Preferences For Life-Prolonging Treatments: An Application Of Prospect Theory To End-Of-Life Decision Making, Laraine Winter, Barbara Parker

Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health Research Papers

No abstract provided.

Mild Cognitive Impairment, Activity Participation, Functional Difficulty, And Adaptations In Functionally Vulnerable Elderly People: A Closer Look, Laraine Winter, Laura N. Gitlin

Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health Research Papers

No abstract provided.

A Focused Telephonic Nursing Intervention Delivers Improved Adherence To A1c Testing, Patty M. Orr, Matthew A. Mcginnis, Laurel R. Hudson, Sadie S. Coberley, Albert Crawford, Janice L. Clarke, Neil I. Goldfarb

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

Compliance with hemoglobin A1c (A1c) testing is suboptimal despite the clear national recommendations and guidelines established for care of patients with diabetes. Recent studies have demonstrated a relationship between participation in a diabetes disease management (DM) program and improved adherence to A1c testing. A focused intervention study was initiated to investigate the ability of a DM program to drive improvement in A1c testing. A cohort of 36,327 members experienced a statistically significant increase (29%) in A1c testing while participating in the 6-month focused intervention. This finding demonstrated that a focused DM intervention is able to deliver improvement in a clinical …

Jefferson Alumni Bulletin – Volume 55, Number 3, Fall 2006

The Bulletin (formerly the Jefferson Medical College Alumni Bulletin)

Jefferson Alumni Bulletin – Volume 55, Number 3, Fall 2006

Dean’s Column: The Ties that Bind; Page 2

Findings: Gene Mutation Potentially Involved in Breast Cancer Initiation, New Potential Drug Targets for Metastatic Breast Cancer, “Miracle” Cancer Drug Can Be Toxic; Page 4

On Campus; Page 6

Global Initiative: Jefferson Abroad, Page 10

Into Africa: An International Health Elective; Page 16

JUREI: World Class, Right At Home; Page 17

You’re In The Military, Then…And Now; Page 18

Alumni Weekend; Page 22

Class Notes; Page 24

In Memoriam; Page 31

Giving; Page 32

By The Numbers: Jefferson in the World; Page …

Locus Ceruleus Regulates Sensory Encoding By Neurons And Networks In Waking Animals, David M. Devilbiss, Michelle E. Page, Barry D. Waterhouse

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

Substantial evidence indicates that the locus ceruleus (LC)–norepinephrine (NE) projection system regulates behavioral state and state-dependent processing of sensory information. Tonic LC discharge (0.1–5.0 Hz) is correlated with levels of arousal and demonstrates an optimal firing rate during good performance in a sustained attention task. In addition, studies have shown that locally applied NE or LC stimulation can modulate the responsiveness of neurons, including those in the thalamus, to nonmonoaminergic synaptic inputs. Many recent investigations further indicate that within sensory relay circuits of the thalamus both general and specific features of sensory information are represented within the collective firing patterns …