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Medical School Watercooler Newsletter - February 14, 2010, Lindsey Lyle

Watercooler Newsletter

This is the February 14, 2010 edition of the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine's newsletter - Watercooler.

Contents Include:

• Gumbo Chili Showdown T-Shirts - On Sale NOW!
• AOA Visiting Professorship Scheduled
• 2010 Summer Medical Student Program Proposal Deadline Extended
• Howard F. Mahan Lecture - "Race, Medicine and Research: Re-examining the Infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Study and Its Legacy"
• COM Alum, Former Family Medicine Chair To Be Honored
• Retirement Reception Slated
• College of Nursing Recognized for Influenza Prevention Efforts
• Press Register - Medical School Romance
• Med School Cafe' - Surgical Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes
• Distinguished Scientist Seminar: “Mechanotransduction in Acute …

Dual-Task Interference: The Effects Of Verbal Cognitive Tasks On Upright Postural Stability In Parkinson's Disease, J. D. Holmes, M. E. Jenkins, Andrew M. Johnson, S. G. Adams, S. J. Spaulding

Occupational Therapy Publications

Although dual-task interference has previously been demonstrated to have a significant effect on postural control among individuals with Parkinson's disease, the impact of speech complexity on postural control has not been demonstrated using quantitative biomechanical measures. The postural stability of twelve participants with idiopathic Parkinson's disease and twelve healthy age-matched controls was evaluated under three conditions: (1) without a secondary task, (2) performing a rote repetition task and (3) generating a monologue. Results suggested a significant effect of cognitive load on biomechanical parameters of postural stability. Although both groups increased their postural excursion, individuals with Parkinson's disease demonstrated significantly reduced …

A Restless Soul At The Hd Research Meeting, Kenneth P. Serbin

At Risk for Huntington's Disease

No abstract provided.

Smart Density: A More Accurate Method Of Measuring Rural Residential Density For Health-Related Research, Peter M. Owens, Linda Titus-Ernstoff, Lucinda Gibson, Michael L. Beach, Sandy Beauregard, Madeline A. Dalton

Dartmouth Scholarship

Studies involving the built environment have typically relied on US Census data to measure residential density. However, census geographic units are often unsuited to health-related research, especially in rural areas where development is clustered and discontinuous. We evaluated the accuracy of both standard census methods and alternative GIS-based methods to measure rural density.

Algal Biofuel, Feb. 12, 2010, Harry Reid Center, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Biofuels

News in Brief

1. Fatty Acids Protect Against Aging (Feb. 8, 2010)

Nurse To Nurse Communication: Conveying The Patient's Story, Cheryl Fisher Laine

Theses and Graduate Projects

The focus of this project is to gain a better understanding of report given from nurse to nurse at the change of shift, in an effort to make this process more efficient and satisfactory to the nursing staff. The importance of precise shift-to-shift communication is essential to safe care for the patient. Shift report can be a multi-faceted process that serves to provide nurses with vital patient information to facilitate clinical decisions and patient care planning. A shift report also provides nurses a forum for functions, such as patient problem-solving and collaboration. The author conducted a literature review which indicates …

Findings From The Nevada Business Summit On Early Childhood Investment, Nevada Institute For Children’S Research And Policy, The United Way Of Southern Nevada, The Nevada Head Start State Collaboration, Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Office, The Agassi Foundation, The Children’S Cabinet, Denise Tanata Ashby, Amanda Haboush

Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy Reports

On February 10, 2010, a partnership of the United Way of Southern Nevada, the UNLV Nevada Institute for Children’s Research and Policy, the Agassi Foundation for Education and the State of Nevada Head Start State Collaboration Office, with support from The Lincy Foundation, hosted the Nevada Business Summit on Early Childhood Investment. The summit met to discuss effective ways to invest in early childhood education and health, in hopes of creating solutions that would provide long term human capital development through early intervention. The summit tied issues of employment opportunities, job readiness and economic trends with the need to invest …

Charge Switch Nucleotides, John G. K. Williams, Gregory R. Bashford, Jiyan Chen, Dan Draney, Nara Narayanan, Bambi L. Reynolds, Pamela Sheaff

Biomedical Imaging and Biosignal Analysis Laboratory

The present invention provides compounds, methods and systems for sequencing nucleic acid using single molecule detection. Using labeled NPs that exhibit charge-switching behavior, single-molecule DNA sequencing in a microchannel sorting system is realized. In operation, sequencing products are detected enabling real-time sequencing as successive detectable moieties flow through a detection channel. By electrically sorting charged molecules, the cleaved product molecules are detected in isolation Without interference from unincorporated NPs and Without illuminating the polymerase-DNA complex.

Recapitulating Osteoblastogenesis With Electrospun Fibrinogen Nanofibers And Adipose Stem Cells And Electrospinning Adipose Tissue-Derived Basement Membrane, Michael Francis

Theses and Dissertations

To repair, replace, or regenerate damaged or diseased tissue has been a long-standing, albeit elusive, goal in medical research. Here, we characterize patient-derivable mesenchymal stem cell types, termed adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs). These cells, which can be derived from liposuction fat and lipoaspirate saline, are sources for patient-derivable extracellular matrix (ECM), fibrinogen (Fg) and adipose tissue extracellular matrix, and may prove useful for synthesizing new bone tissue analogues in vitro. Traditionally and rapidly isolated ASCs were thoroughly characterized as multipotent, having osteogenic, adipogenic, and chondrogenic differentiation potential, and they exhibited comparable proliferative lifespans. These ASCs also shared an indistinguishable immunophenotype …

Mechanisms Of Er Stress-Mediated Mitochondrial Membrane Permeabilization., Sanjeev Gupta, Lorraine Cuffe, Eva Szegezdi, Susan E Logue, Catherine Neary, Sandra Healy, Afshin Samali

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

During apoptosis, the process of mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP) represents a point-of-no-return as it commits the cell to death. Here we have assessed the role of caspases, Bcl-2 family members and the mitochondrial permeability transition pore on ER stress-induced MOMP and subsequent cell death. Induction of ER stress leads to upregulation of several genes such as Grp78, Edem1, Erp72, Atf4, Wars, Herp, p58ipk, and ERdj4 and leads to caspase activation, release of mitochondrial intermembrane proteins and dissipation of mitochondrial transmembrane potential (DeltaPsim). Mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) from caspase-9, -2 and, -3 knock-out mice were resistant to ER stress-induced apoptosis …

Hepatitis D: Scenario In The Asia-Pacific Region, Z Abbas, Wasim Jafri, Sajjad Raza

Department of Medicine

Hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection is present worldwide and affects all age groups. Around 18 million people are estimated to be infected with HDV. An important trend in HDV infection is global decline. HDV prevalence has decreased significantly in Europe since the 1970s and 1980s when it was first reported. The Asia-Pacific region now seems to be where HDV is a major health concern. There is a lack of available data from most of the countries from this region, hence, the true status of HDV cannot be determined. In South Asia, most of the countries have conditions that are favorable …

Brain-Selective Overexpression Of Human Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Type 2 Attenuates Neurogenic Hypertension, Yumei Feng, Huijing Xia, Yanhui Cai, Carmen M. Halabi, Lenice K. Becker, Robson A. Santos, Robert C. Speth, Curt D. Sigmund, Eric Lazartigues

HPD Articles

RATIONALE: Angiotensin converting enzyme type 2 (ACE2) is a new member of the brain renin-angiotensin system, that might be activated by an overactive renin-angiotensin system. OBJECTIVE: To clarify the role of central ACE2 using a new transgenic mouse model with human (h)ACE2 under the control of a synapsin promoter, allowing neuron-targeted expression in the central nervous system. METHODS AND RESULTS: Syn-hACE2 (SA) transgenic mice exhibit high hACE2 protein expression and activity throughout the brain. Baseline hemodynamic parameters (telemetry), autonomic function, and spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity (SBRS) were not significantly different between SA mice and nontransgenic littermates. Brain-targeted ACE2 overexpression attenuated the …

A Super Sunday Hd Story, Kenneth P. Serbin

At Risk for Huntington's Disease

No abstract provided.

A Robust Gene Selection Method For Microarray-Based Cancer Classification., Xiaosheng Wang, Osamu Gotoh

Journal Articles: Genetics, Cell Biology & Anatomy

Gene selection is of vital importance in molecular classification of cancer using high-dimensional gene expression data. Because of the distinct characteristics inherent to specific cancerous gene expression profiles, developing flexible and robust feature selection methods is extremely crucial. We investigated the properties of one feature selection approach proposed in our previous work, which was the generalization of the feature selection method based on the depended degree of attribute in rough sets. We compared the feature selection method with the established methods: the depended degree, chi-square, information gain, Relief-F and symmetric uncertainty, and analyzed its properties through a series of classification …

International Migration Of Doctors, And Its Impact On Availability Of Psychiatrists In Low And Middle Income Countries, Rachel Jenkins, Robert Kydd, Paul Mullen, Kenneth Thomson, James Sculley, Susan Kuper, Joanna Carroll, Oye Gureje, Simon Hatcher, Sharon Brownie, Christopher Carroll, Sheila Hollins, Mai Luen Wong

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background: Migration of health professionals from low and middle income countries to rich countries is a large scale and long-standing phenomenon, which is detrimental to the health systems in the donor countries. We sought to explore the extent of psychiatric migration.

Methods: In our study, we use the respective professional databases in each country to establish the numbers of psychiatrists currently registered in the UK, US, New Zealand, and Australia who originate from other countries. We also estimate the impact of this migration on the psychiatrist population ratios in the donor countries.

Findings: We document large numbers of psychiatrists currently …

South, Lillian Harreld, 1879-1966 (Sc 2180), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2180. Application to secure historical highway marker for Bowling Green, Kentucky native Lillian H. South, a female physician with a distinguished career as State Bacteriologist with the Kentucky State Board of Health. Includes application and supporting material.

Initial Findings On Visual Acuity Thresholds In An African Elephant (Loxodonta Africana), Melissa R. Shyan-Norwalt, Jeff Peterson, Barbara Milankow King, Timothy E. Staggs, Robert H.I. Dale

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

There are only a few published examinations of elephant visual acuity. All involved Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) and found visual acuity to be between 8′ and 11′ of arc for a stimulus near the tip of the trunk, equivalent to a 0.50 cm gap, at a distance of about 2 m from the eyes. We predicted that African elephants (Loxodonta africana) would have similarly high visual acuity, necessary to facilitate eye-trunk coordination for feeding, drinking and social interactions. When tested on a discrimination task using Landolt-C stimuli, one African elephant cow demonstrated a visual acuity of …

Today - February 3, 2010, Loma Linda University

TODAY

Inside this issue:

-- Center for Biodiversity and Conservation Studies to open
-- Two additional LLU medical teams arrive in Haiti; Hopital Adventiste d’Haiti endures additional seismic activity
-- Documentary to be shown on growth of fundamentalism among young Adventists
-- Loma Linda University faculty and students prepare report for Cambodia
-- School of Medicine dean looks forward to Alumni Postgraduate Convention
-- Pharmacy students raise funds for Haiti relief efforts
-- New study to examine weight loss
-- Public health investigators and student publish in international journal
-- Academic credit to be available at Healthy People 2010
-- On …

Running Enhances Spatial Pattern Separation In Mice., David J Creer, Carola Romberg, Lisa M Saksida, Henriette Van Praag, Timothy J Bussey

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Increasing evidence suggests that regular exercise improves brain health and promotes synaptic plasticity and hippocampal neurogenesis. Exercise improves learning, but specific mechanisms of information processing influenced by physical activity are unknown. Here, we report that voluntary running enhanced the ability of adult (3 months old) male C57BL/6 mice to discriminate between the locations of two adjacent identical stimuli. Improved spatial pattern separation in adult runners was tightly correlated with increased neurogenesis. In contrast, very aged (22 months old) mice had impaired spatial discrimination and low basal cell genesis that was refractory to running. These findings suggest that the addition of …

Traveling Exhibit: The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases From A State Hospital Attic, Laura J. Hall

Posters and Presentations

The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic was a traveling exhibit that explored the stories of patients from the Willard Psychiatric Center in New York, whose personal belongings were discovered after the institution closed in 1995. The exhibit highlighted the intersection of mental health, poverty, and systemic failures in care. Through a series of public events including panel discussions on homelessness, health equity, and mental health policy, the exhibit aimed to raise awareness and promote dialogue on mental health issues. Curated locally by Laura J. Hall and funded by the New Mexico Humanities Council, it was …

Inhibitory Role Of Sphingosine 1-Phosphate Receptor 2 In Macrophage Recruitment During Inflammation, Jason Michaud, Timothy Hla, Dong-Soon Im

UCHC Articles - Research

Macrophage recruitment to sites of inflammation is an essential step in host defense. However, the mechanisms preventing excessive accumulation of macrophages remain relatively unknown. The lysophospholipid sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) promotes T and B cell egress from lymphoid organs by acting on S1P receptor 1 (S1P₁R). More recently, S1P₅R was shown to regulate NK cell mobilization during inflammation, raising the possibility that S1P regulates the trafficking of other leukocyte lineages. In this study, we show that S1P₂R inhibits macrophage migration in vitro and that S1P₂R-deficient mice have enhanced macrophage recruitment during thioglycollate peritonitis. …

Clock In Breast Tumorigenesis: Evidence From Genetic, Epigenetic, And Transcriptional Profiling Analyses, Richard G. Stevens

UCHC Articles - Research

As transcriptional regulators, the genes responsible for maintaining circadian rhythm exert influence in a variety of biological processes. Recently, it has been suggested that the core circadian genes may play a role in breast tumorigenesis, possibly by influencing hormone regulation or other cancer-relevant pathways. Here, we examine the role of the central circadian regulator CLOCK in breast cancer by conducting a genetic and epigenetic association study, as well as transcriptional profiling arrays and a pathway-based network analysis. Significant associations were detected between CLOCK tagging SNPs and breast cancer risk, with apparent effect modification by ER/PR status. Furthermore, hypermethylation in the …

Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Low Birth Weight Delivery Associated With Maternal Occupational Characteristics, John D. Meyer, Nicholas D. Warren, Susan T. Reisine

UCHC Articles - Research

Objectives

Work characteristics and maternal education have both been associated with low birth weight (LBW) delivery. We sought to examine the relative contribution of these two factors to LBW delivery and determine whether ethnic/racial differentials in educational attainment and work characteristics might play a role in well-described disparities in LBW.

Methods

Scores for work substantive complexity (SC) derived from the O*NET were imputed to maternal occupation for Connecticut singleton births in 2000. Risks for LBW were estimated separately for black, Hispanic, and white mothers using logistic regression controlling for maternal covariates.

Results

Using white mothers as a referent, working is …

White Matter Hyperintensities Predict Functional Decline In Voiding, Mobility And Cognition In Older Persons, Dorothy B. Wakefield, George A. Kuchel, Richard F. Kaplan, Leslie I. Wolfson

UCHC Articles - Research

Objective

To compare MRI data to functional assessments of mobility, urinary control, and cognition to determine common or distinctive features in the distribution of brain white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) associated with functional decline/impairment.

Design

Baseline data from subjects 75-89 years enrolled in a longitudinal study. Assessors and subjects were blinded to group assignment.

Participants

99 subjects were enrolled using a balanced 3×3 matrix stratified by age and mobility performance. Exclusion criteria included: medication, systemic conditions, and neurologic diseases which can compromise mobility.

Setting

Healthy community-dwelling volunteers.

Measurements

WMHs were identified using semi-automated segmentation method and regional burdens were assessed utilizing …

Prognostic Value Of Ishak Fibrosis Stage: Findings From The Halt-C Trial, Herbert L. Bonkovsky

UCHC Articles - Research

Background and Aims

Studies of the prognostic value of Ishak fibrosis stage are lacking. We utilized multi-year follow-up of the Hepatitis C Antiviral Long Term Treatment Against Cirrhosis (HALT-C) Trial to determine whether individual Ishak fibrosis stages predicted clinical outcomes in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Methods

Baseline liver biopsies from 1,050 patients with compensated chronic hepatitis C who had failed combination peginterferon and ribavirin were reviewed by a panel of expert hepatopathologists. Fibrosis was staged with the Ishak scale (ranging from 0=no fibrosis to 6=cirrhosis). Biopsy fragmentation and length as well as number of portal tracts were recorded. We …

Recent Experimental And Clinical Findings In The Skeleton Associated With Loss Of Estrogen Hormone Or Estrogen Receptor Activity, Eric P. Smith, Bonny Specker, Kenneth S Korach

Ethel Austin Martin Program Publications

Studies on rodent models and rare human disorders of estrogen production or response have revealed an increased complexity of the actions of estrogen on bone. ERalpha disruption in human males results in delayed epiphyseal maturation, tall stature, trabecular thinning, marked cortical thinning, genu valgum and significantly reduced cortical vBMD, but trabecular number is preserved and there is normal to increased periosteal expansion. Aromatase deficiency results overall in a similar phenotype, although less is known about skeletal architecture. Importantly, estrogen replacement in these individuals, even if provided late in the third decade, may normalize aBMD. Less certain is whether there is …

The Concurrency Hypothesis In Sub-Saharan Africa: Convincing Empirical Evidence Is Still Lacking. Response To Mah And Halperin, Epstein, And Morris, Mark N. Lurie, Samantha R. Rosenthal

Health & Wellness Department Faculty Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Using A Participatory Research Process To Address Disproportionate Hispanic Cancer Burden, Pamela C. Hull, Juan R. Canedo, Michelle C. Reece, Irma Lira, Francisco Reyes, Erandi Garcia, Paul Juarez, Elizabeth Williams, Baqar A. Husaini

Public Health, Health Administration, and Health Sciences Faculty Research

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) offers great potential for increasing the impact of research on reducing cancer health disparities. This article reports how the Community Outreach Core (COC) of the Meharry–Vanderbilt–Tennessee State University (TSU) Cancer Partnership has collaborated with community partners to develop and implement CBPR. The COC, Progreso Community Center, and Nashville Latino Health Coalition jointly developed and conducted the 2007 Hispanic Health in Nashville Survey as a participatory needs assessment to guide planning for subsequent CBPR projects and community health initiatives. Trained community and student interviewers surveyed 500 Hispanic adults in the Nashville area, using a convenience sampling method. …

Ada News - 02/01/2010, American Dental Association, Publishing Division

ADA News

Established in 1970 as the official newspaper of the American Dental Association, the ADA News serves practicing dentists and others allied to the dental profession in the U.S. and internationally. It is the No. 1 source of news and information about the many benefits and services the ADA delivers to members daily as well as timely information on scientific, social, political and economic developments affecting dentistry and health care.

Toxicity Testing In The 21st Century: A Vision And A Strategy, Daniel Krewski, Daniel Acosta Jr, Melvin Anderson, Henry Anderson, John C. Bailar Iii, Kim Boekelheide, Robert Brent, Gail Charnley, Vivian G. Cheung, Sidney Green Jr, Karl T. Kelsey, Nancy I. Kerkvliet, Abby A. Li, Lawrence Mccray, Otto Meyer, Reid D. Patterson, William Pennie, Robert A. Scala, Gina M. Solomon, Martin Stephens, James Yager, Lauren Zeise

Experimentation Collection

With the release of the landmark report Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century: A Vision and a Strategy, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, in 2007, precipitated a major change in the way toxicity testing is conducted. It envisions increased efficiency in toxicity testing and decreased animal usage by transitioning from current expensive and lengthy in vivo testing with qualitative endpoints to in vitro toxicity pathway assays on human cells or cell lines using robotic high-throughput screening with mechanistic quantitative parameters. Risk assessment in the exposed human population would focus on avoiding significant perturbations in these toxicity pathways. Computational systems …