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Medical School Watercooler Newsletter - October 9, 2011, Lindsey Lyle

Watercooler Newsletter

This is the October 9, 2011 edition of the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine's newsletter, Watercooler

Contents Include

• Internal Medicine Interest Group Provides Mentoring Opportunities

• Medical Center Now Accessible Via Mobile Street

• College of Medicine Welcomes Dr. Zhiqing Xing

• COM Faculty Member Helps USA’s Bass Fishing Team

• Medical Student Lounge Renovations Completed

• USA Biomedical Library to Host Activities for National Medical Libraries Month

Enacting Social Justice: Perceptions Of Educational Leaders, Linda R. Vogel

Administrative Issues Journal

This qualitative study examines how educators who are either currently enrolled or who have completed an educational leadership preparation program in the past five years at one Rocky Mountain university understand social justice—as a concept and operationally—and the role of multicultural education in promoting social justice in P-12 school settings. Less than half (44%) of the educational leaders in this study were familiar with the concept of social justice, with those leaders who were familiar with the concept identifying full and equal participation (17%) and equal distribution of resources (11%) as the focus of school programs. Less than one third …

Helping Teachers Be Successful: Lessons For Administrators, Steven W. Neill, Paul Bland, Edwin Church, Climetine Clayburn, W. Michael Shimeall

Administrative Issues Journal

The goal of this study was to identify areas of teacher performance that were lacking to the point that the teacher was nonrenewed. Individual school districts can gain insight into why teachers are failing and make adjustments to their training and teacher induction programs that will improve professional practice. The study found that teachers failed primarily in the area of classroom management. Of the 22 possible teaching skills in which teachers could be deficient, four of the top five causes for nonrenewal came within the category of classroom management (Creating an Environment of Respect and Rapport, Managing Student Behavior, Managing …

2011-10-07 Library Impact Statement For Neu 501, Joanna Burkhardt

Library Impact Statements

Library Impact Statement submitted in response to new course proposal for NEU 501. New course was supported with no need for additional resources. Responding library faculty member: Joanna M. Burkhardt. Requesting faculty member: Gabrielle Kass-Simon

Microarray-Based Cancer Prediction Using Single Genes., Xiaosheng Wang, Richard Simon

Journal Articles: Genetics, Cell Biology & Anatomy

BACKGROUND: Although numerous methods of using microarray data analysis for cancer classification have been proposed, most utilize many genes to achieve accurate classification. This can hamper interpretability of the models and ease of translation to other assay platforms. We explored the use of single genes to construct classification models. We first identified the genes with the most powerful univariate class discrimination ability and then constructed simple classification rules for class prediction using the single genes.

RESULTS: We applied our model development algorithm to eleven cancer gene expression datasets and compared classification accuracy to that for standard methods including Diagonal Linear …

Toward Collaborative Print Retention, Sue Woodson, Steven Douglas, Todd J. Puccio, Karen Grigg, Sylvia Mcaphee, Jan Orick, Martha Whaley, Mary Willams, Sheila Snow-Croft

HPD Library Presentations, Speeches, Lectures, Posters, Events, etc.

Background: :In order to serve the many member libraries who were faced with the loss of space and the subsequent need to downsize and discard print collections in a very short time, the NN/LM SE/A formed a task force on print retention in the spring of 2010. This group carried on online discussions and met twice between the Spring of 2010 and The Spring of 2011. The task force recommended, among other things, that a committee be formed to identify the potential for a collaborative print retention project in the region, develop educational resources on the topic of print retention, …

Deregulation Of Micrornas By Hiv-1 Vpr Protein Leads To The Development Of Neurocognitive Disorders, Ruma Mukerjee, J Robert Chang, Luis Del Valle, Asen Bagashev, Monika M. Gayed, Randolph B. Lyde, Brian J. Hawkins, Eugen Brailoiu, Eric Cohen, Chris Power, S Ausim Azizi, Benjamin B. Gelman, Bassel E. Sawaya

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Studies have shown that HIV-infected patients develop neurocognitive disorders characterized by neuronal dysfunction. The lack of productive infection of neurons by HIV suggests that viral and cellular proteins, with neurotoxic activities, released from HIV-1-infected target cells can cause this neuronal deregulation. The viral protein R (Vpr), a protein encoded by HIV-1, has been shown to alter the expression of various important cytokines and inflammatory proteins in infected and uninfected cells; however the mechanisms involved remain unclear. Using a human neuronal cell line, we found that Vpr can be taken up by neurons causing: (i) deregulation of calcium homeostasis, (ii) endoplasmic …

About The Authors

Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry

Biographical information for authors for Volume 7, Number 1, 1989 issue of the Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry.

Letters To The Editor

Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry

Letters to the Editor Volume 7, Number 1, 1989 for Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry

Book Review: Making All The Difference. Psychotherapy: The Art Of Wooing Nature, Nora M. Kramer, Md

Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry

Book Review:

PSYCHOTHERAPY: THE ART OF WOOlNG NATURE

Sheldon Roth, M.D.

Jason Aronson Inc. Northvale, N.J. (1987), 294 pages.

Book Review: Assessing The Risk, Suicide Risk: The Formulation Of Clinical Judgement, Michael Gray, Md

Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry

Book review of:

SUICIDE RISK: THE FORMULATION OF CLINICAL JUDGEMENT

John T. Maltsberger

New York University Press, New York, 1986

174 pp . $26 .95

In Response: Maintenance Ect, Max Fink, Md

Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry

Therapy resistance, relapsing illness, and rapid cycling are aspects of chronic affective illness that continue to frustrate us. ECT was re-introduced to answer the problem of therapy resistant depression. In their recent review, Matzen et al. (I), report their experience in eight cases treated with maintenance ECT. They argue that maintenance ECT should also be considered for relapsing depressive illness.

No systematic study of maintenance ECT has been undertaken since the early I950s, and yet, as reported by Kramer (2) it continues to be used. Kramer directed inquiries to members of the International Association for the Advancement of Electrotherapy. Of …

Commentary: The Hiv-Positive Resident: Questions And More Questions, Marguerite Blythe, Md

Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry

The resident physician who is infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) faces unique problems. In addition to the difficulties caused by a chronic and lethal disease, HIV-infected physicians-in-training face ethical, educational and practical problems that are unique to the interplay between residency training and the infection.

To date, physicians who have been found to be infected with HIV have faced public discrimination, many with devastating results. Dr. Hacib Aoun, a Venezulean-born cardiologist who contracted AIDS from a boy with leukemia while he was a resident at Johns Hopkins, overcame rumors about how he had contracted the disease only to …

Working With The Homeless: The Psychiatric Resident's Experience, Ronald J. Koshes, Md, Lance D. Clawson, Md

Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry

HOMELESSNESS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

The latter years of the twentieth century have witnessed a phenomenon unparalleled since the depression of the 1930's. Legions of homeless, disadvantaged, often mentally ill poor have emerged thronging cities, crowding public places and presenting perplexing complex, social, political, economic, and medical/psychiatric service delivery issues ( I ). Counting the homeless, and among them the mentally ill homeless, is a task fraught with difficulty, as some studies have illustrated (2 ,3). Estimates of mental illness among the nation's homeless range from 10% to 70% (4). In the District of Columbia, there are an estimated six to …

Loss And Termination In The Development Of A Resident Group, Teresita A. Mccarty, Md, Kate M. Hendrickson, Md

Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry

Separation and loss experiences are major issues in psychotherapy, but role identity and intimacy are considered the tasks of therapists in training. Experiential groups are advocated during training to enhance coping skills and to teach group process. Focusing on separations in a group setting can highlight that loss is inevitable at any stage of life. The group experience also adds personal meaning to the importance of loss as a training issue. If the group has sufficient time to develop, the members will be able to observe the wide range of responses possible in their peers. We describe the effects of …

Seasonal Affective Disorder: Sad Or Fad?, J. Thomas Pichot, Md, Peter S. Jensen, Md

Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and phototherapy have recently been the subject of a great deal of interest in the psychiatric literature. First described in 1984 (I), SAD is now defined as "a cyclic illness characterized by recurrent episodes of fall/winter depression alternating with periods of spring/summer euthymia (normal mood) or hypomania (mild elation and behavioral activation)" (2) . Recent findings indicate that there may be at least two additional patterns of seasonal depressions, one characterized by annual summer depressions with euthyrnic, hypomanic or manic symptoms in the winter, and the other characterized by depressive episodes occurring in both winter and …

Brief Remarks On Some Linguistic Features Of "Empathy" And "Sympathy", Emanuel E. Garcia, Md

Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry

The use of words by an individual or culture is subject to the very same psychological forces that drive man's other activities . Hence, the history of a word's usage becomes a telling record of the mental processes of its creators and users, both conscious and unconscious. Etymology, as Freud has observed in his dreambook (1900), contributes significantly to our understanding of the deeper layers of the psyche . Let us take the word "rival," for example, and see how we may make use of etymological data. It is derived from the Latin "riva lis," I which originally meant "one …

Clonidine In The Treatment Of Tardive Dyskinesia: A Case Review, Vikram Khot, Md, Jean Goodwin, Md, Mph, Geoff Wandry, Md

Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry

Over the past several years, a number of cardiovascular preparations have become widely used in psychiatry. For example, propranolol, introduced for its anti-anginal properties, is now used for stage-fright, lithium tremor and neuroleptic induced akathisia (1,2). Calcium channel blockers are expected to prove useful in the treatment of bipolar affective disorders (3,4). Clonidine exemplifies the rapidity and variety with which a cardiovascular agent has been applied to psychiatric syndromes. Clonidine, a centrally acting anti-hypertensive drug with both alpha-l and alpha-2 adrenergic agonistic properties, has already been used in the treatment of narcotic with drawal, benzodiazepine withdrawal, Tourette's syndrome, akathisia, depression, …

Mechanisms And Therapeutic Implications Of Neuroleptic Atypicality, Daniel C. Javitt, Md

Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry

Neuroleptics have proven effective for the overall treatment of schizophrenia. The neuroleptic therapy of schizophrenia, however, has been limited by tardive dyskinesia and by the relative inability of neuroleptics to ameliorate the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Intensive research has been conducted to identify atypical neuroleptics which would not cause TD and which would have relatively greater efficacy in treating negative symptoms. Based upon animal models of TD and negative symptoms, four neuroleptics have been identified which may have these properties: clozapine, thioridazine, sulpiride, and molindone. Clinical studies of TD suggest that these four potentially atypical agents may have lower dyskinetic …

Mead Johnson Award-1989

Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry

The editorial board of the Journal is proud to announce the recipient of the 1988 Mead Johnson Award: Althea Donovan, M.D. a graduate of the residency program in psychiatry at Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University. Dr. Donovan's article entitled Termination and Transparencyin Group Psychotherapy: A Resident's Perspective, can be found in the most recent issue (Vol.6, No.2) of the journal.

Editor's Column, Elizabeth Trefzger, Md

Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry

At the recent American Psychiatric Association meeting in San Francisco I found myself enjoying the strain of walking the hills. The trolley car lines were too long; I assured myself. .. I didn't have time to wait. This of course served another purpose. It gave me an opportunity to reflect on my thoughts. Enjoying a brisk walk while contemplating various philosophical issues is a luxury which I rarely find time for, my schedule being far too busy.

Resident Editorial Board

Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry

Resident Editorial Board for Number 7, Issue 1, 1989 issue of Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry.

Countertransference And Inpatient Psychiatry: Theoretical And Clinical Aspects, Edward Kim, Md

Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry

Few aspects of psychiatric training are more troubling to beginning residents than the emerging awareness of their own countertransferences. This is often viewed with a mixture of disgust and embarassment as a sign of incompetence and lack of professionalism. Conflicting views on the origins of, and appropriate responses to countertransference further add to the difficulty and anxiety of psychiatric training. The frustration and sense of helplessness which often accompany these feelings can lead to disillusionment and various degrees of acting out which ultimately compromise patient care and resident education. Ironically, the feeling of being overwhelmed by countertransference can often occur …

Superintendent Length Of Tenure And Student Achievement, Scott Myers

Administrative Issues Journal

This quantitative study, utilizing the backward method of multiple regression, examined the relationship between the length of tenure of a superintendent and academic achievement as defined by the percentage of students who scored “Proficient” or better on the 2008 Third Grade Kansas Reading Assessment. To put this relationship into context, five other predictive variables were included as a part of this study: the individual’s total length of experience as a superintendent, the superintendent’s total length of experience in education, each district’s assessed valuation per pupil, each district’s percentage of students who qualified for free or reduced meal prices, and each …

Neuroprotective Effects Of Bilobalide Are Accompanied By A Reduction Of Ischemia-Induced Glutamate Release In Vivo, Dorothee Lang, Cornelia Kiewert, Alexander Mdzinarishvili, Tina Maria Schwarzkopf, Rachita K. Sumbria, Joachim Hartmann, Jochen Klein

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Neuroprotective properties of bilobalide, a specific constituent of Ginkgo extracts, were tested in a mouse model of stroke. After 24 h of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), bilobalide reduced infarct areas in the core region (striatum) by 40–50% when given at 10 mg/kg 1 h prior to MCAO. Neuroprotection was also observed at lower doses, or when the drug was given 1 h past stroke induction. Sensorimotor function in mice was improved by bilobalide as shown by corner and chimney tests. When brain metabolism in situ was monitored by microdialysis, MCAO caused a rapid disappearance of extracellular glucose in the …

International Evidence On Medical Spending., Robert D. Lieberthal, Phd

College of Population Health Lectures, Presentations, Workshops

The 46th Actuarial Research Conference, Poster session I, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT. August 11, 2011.

Poster conclusions:

• U.S. spending is high.
• Long tailed medical linked insurance may be easier to write in the U.S.
• U.S. healthcare cost curve is not outrageous.
• Average spending
• Low volatility

Poster is associated with this paper: http://jdc.jefferson.edu/healthpolicyfaculty/45/

International Evidence On Medical Spending., Robert D. Lieberthal, Phd

College of Population Health Lectures, Presentations, Workshops

Presented for the American Statistical Association Health Policy Statistics Section.9th International Conference on Health Policy Statistics, Cleveland, OH.

14 PowerPoint slides

Presentation associated with this paper: http://jdc.jefferson.edu/healthpolicyfaculty/45/.

Childhood Loss And Ad/Hd: Program Implications For Education Administrators, Helen Wilson Harris, Marlene Zipperlen

Administrative Issues Journal

Evidence-based practice and evidence-informed practice are not just buzzwords in education. It is essential that administrators encourage both the development and the application of new knowledge in the field. This study of 1755 elementary age children in Central Texas indicates a positive association between the experience of childhood loss and grief and a diagnosis of AD/HD. Implications of this information for administrators in education are explored, including the training of counselors and classroom teachers in grief interventions and accommodations for grief related attention problems in children.

Human Glial-Restricted Progenitor Transplantation Into Cervical Spinal Cord Of The Sod1 Mouse Model Of Als., Angelo C Lepore, John O'Donnell, Andrew S Kim, Timothy Williams, Alicia Tuteja, Mahendra S Rao, Linda L Kelley, James T Campanelli, Nicholas J Maragakis

Department of Neuroscience Faculty Papers

Cellular abnormalities are not limited to motor neurons in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). There are numerous observations of astrocyte dysfunction in both humans with ALS and in SOD1(G93A) rodents, a widely studied ALS model. The present study therapeutically targeted astrocyte replacement in this model via transplantation of human Glial-Restricted Progenitors (hGRPs), lineage-restricted progenitors derived from human fetal neural tissue. Our previous findings demonstrated that transplantation of rodent-derived GRPs into cervical spinal cord ventral gray matter (in order to target therapy to diaphragmatic function) resulted in therapeutic efficacy in the SOD1(G93A) rat. Those findings demonstrated the feasibility and efficacy of transplantation-based …

Neonatal Vitamin A Supplementation For The Prevention Of Mortality And Morbidity In Term Neonates In Developing Countries, Batool A. Haider, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Woman and Child Health

Background:Vitamin A deficiency is a major public health problem in developing countries. Vitamin A supplementation in children greater than six months of age has been found to be beneficial, with no effect of supplementation between one to five months. Supplementation in the neonatal period has been suggested to have an impact by increasing body stores in early infancy.
Objectives: To evaluate the role of vitamin A supplementation in term neonates in developing countries with respect to the prevention of mortality and morbidity.
Search strategy: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library, May …