UIC Health and Medicine News

UIC Health and Medicine News http://www.news.uic.edu UIC News Bureau Health and Medicine related news en-us Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:02:02 -0600 UIC Health and Medicine News http://www.uic.edu/favicon.png http://www.news.uic.edu UIC News Bureau Health and Medicine related news UIC Demographer Writes on Aging for World Economic Forum http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3414&fromhome=1 Noted University of Illinois at Chicago biodemographer S. Jay Olshansky is the author of two essays assembled by The World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on an Ageing Society to address the challenges and benefits of population aging. Olshansky's work is part of a book titled "Global Population Ageing: Peril or Promise?" released at the World Economic Forum meeting today in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland. The book consists of 22 essays divided into four themes: setting the stage for policy decisions on aging; investing in ourselves; pursuing healthy aging; and redesigning our environment. The central theme that emerges is the increasing need to adapt to population aging, identify and take advantage of the opportunities it offers and find ways to unlock the human capital resources that population aging and longer lives make possible. "The book is designed to change the way the world looks at the aging of individuals and populations," says Olshansky, who is professor of epidemiology in the UIC School of Public Health. "The traditional view is one of loss, decline, decay, and high cost. The new view is to look at aging as an opportunity." Olshansky's first chapter is "The Elders," about a small group of independent-minded elders brought together by Richard Branson, Peter Gabriel, Nelson Mandela, Graça Machel, Desmond Tutu and others to actively engage in society to resolve global issues at the highest levels. The group, as Olshansky shows, provides an example of leadership attributes common in older people that should be nurtured. In the second chapter, "The Longevity Dividend: Health as an Investment," Olshansky, John R. Beard and Axel Börsch-Supan advocate investing in health to live better, not just longer. "The economic value of a rapidly growing healthy older population is so large that healthy aging should be aggressively pursued, on its own merits, as a societal investment," say the authors. The Ageing Book is available at: http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GAC_GlobalPopulationAgeing_Report_2012.pdf Olshansky can be reached at <a href="mailto:sjayo@uic.edu">sjayo@uic.edu</a> or (847) 537-7278. For more information about UIC, visit <a href="http://www.uic.edu">www.uic.edu</a>. smcginn@uic.edu (Sherri McGinnis González) http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3414&fromhome=1 Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:15:48 -0500 Entry Point for Hepatitis C Infection Identified http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3408&fromhome=1 A molecule embedded in the membrane of human liver cells that aids in cholesterol absorption also allows the entry of hepatitis C virus, the first step in hepatitis C infection, according to research at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine. The cholesterol receptor offers a promising new target for anti-viral therapy, for which an approved drug may already exist, say the researchers, whose findings were reported online in advance of publication in Nature Medicine. An estimated 4.1 million Americans are infected with hepatitis C virus, or HCV, which attacks the liver and leads to inflammation, according to the National Institutes of Health. Most people have no symptoms initially and may not know they have the infection until liver damage shows up decades later during routine medical tests. Previous studies showed that cholesterol was somehow involved in HCV infection. The UIC researchers suspected that a receptor called NPC1L1, known to help maintain cholesterol balance might also be transporting the virus into the cell. The receptor is common in the gut of many species -- but is found on liver cells only in humans and chimpanzees, says Susan Uprichard, assistant professor in medicine and microbiology and immunology and principal investigator in the study. These primates, she said, are the only animals that can be infected by HCV. Uprichard and her coworkers showed that knocking down or blocking access to the NPC1L1 receptor prevented the virus from entering and infecting cells. Bruno Sainz, Jr., UIC postdoctoral research associate in medicine and first author of the paper, said because the receptor is involved in cholesterol metabolism it was already well-studied. A drug that "specifically and uniquely targets NPC1L1" already exists and is approved for use to lower cholesterol levels, he said. The FDA-approved drug ezetimibe (sold under the trade-name Zetia) is readily available and perfectly targeted to the receptor, Sainz said, so the researchers had an ideal method for testing NPC1L1's involvement in HCV infection. They used the drug to block the receptor before, during and after inoculation with the virus, in cell culture and in a small-animal model, to evaluate the receptor's role in infection and the drug's potential as an anti-hepatitis agent. The researchers showed that ezetimibe inhibited HCV infection in cell culture and in mice transplanted with human liver cells. And, unlike any currently available drugs, ezetimibe was able to inhibit infection by all six types of HCV. The study, Uprichard said, opens up a number of possibilities for therapeutics. Hepatitis C is the leading cause for liver transplantation in the U.S., but infected patients have problems after transplant because the virus attacks the new liver, Uprichard said. While current drugs are highly toxic and often cannot be tolerated by transplant patients taking immunosuppressant drugs, ezetimibe is quite safe and has been used long-term without harm by people to control their cholesterol, Uprichard said. Because it prevents entry of the virus into cells, ezetimibe may help protect the new liver from infection. For patients with chronic hepatitis C, ezetimibe may be able to be used in combination with current drugs. "We forsee future HCV therapy as a drug-cocktail approach, like that used against AIDS," Uprichard said. "Based on cell culture and mouse model data, we expect ezetimibe, an entry inhibitor, may have tremendous synergy with current anti-HCV drugs resulting in an improvement in the effectiveness of treatment." The study was supported by NIH Public Health Service grants, the American Cancer Society Research Scholar grant, the UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science NIH grant, the UIC Council to Support Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease, and a grant from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan. Naina Barretto, Danyelle Martin, Snawar Hussain, Katherine Marsh and Xuemei Yu, of UIC; Nobuhiko Hiraga, Michio Imamura and Kazuaki Chayama, of Hiroshima University in Japan; and Waddah Alrefai of UIC and the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago also contributed to the study. [Editor's Note: Images available at <a href="http://newsphoto.lib.uic.edu/v/uprichard/">newsphoto.lib.uic.edu/v/uprichard/</a>] For more information about the University of Illinois Medical Center, visit www.uillinoismedcenter.org jgala@uic.edu (Jeanne Galatzer-Levy) http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3408&fromhome=1 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:59:46 -0500 'Transformational Gift' Will Modernize UIC College of Dentistry http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3399&fromhome=1 The largest gift in the history of the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry will modernize outdated clinical facilities and allow the college to assist more patients and better educate its students. The donation of $8.2 million of KaVo Group dental equipment and technology was made possible by a gift from the Guy D. and Rebecca E. Brunetti Foundation. The college has raised $37 million during its "Brilliant Futures: Educating a New Dentist for America" capital campaign, surpassing the $35 million campaign goal. UIC Chancellor Paula Allen-Meares expressed her gratitude to the foundation. "This is a wonderful example of how private donors and public universities can come together for the greater good," she said. "I am excited for the long-range impact this gift will have on the UIC College of Dentistry." The KaVo Group, one of the top three manufacturers of dental equipment in the world, will equip the college with operatory delivery systems, handpieces, digital imaging equipment, and more. "This gift will transform our college," said dentistry dean Bruce Graham. "We will now be able to update our clinical facilities and create a new state-of-the-art Integrated Clinical Technology Center, which will encompass all of the college's undergraduate and postgraduate clinics within the first three floors of our building." The Integrated Clinical Technology Center will encompass all 300 clinical operatories at the college, including the Delta Dental of Illinois Predoctoral Pediatric Dentistry Clinic and postgraduate orthodontic clinic (which already utilize KaVo equipment), the ProCare Dental Group Implant and Innovations Center, the Astra Tech Implant Clinic, and all other undergraduate and postgraduate clinics. The Guy D. and Rebecca E. Brunetti Foundation is an independent philanthropy that supports elementary, secondary, and higher education; health care; fine arts; and religious education and other religious institutions in Illinois. Dr. Robert G. Brunetti, chief executive officer of ProCare Dental Group, which operates 14 dental offices in the Chicago area, is its president. "I have seen over the past decade how UIC has assumed a role as a national leader in clinical dental education," Brunetti said, "and helping to provide the resources to continue its mission and renew the clinical facilities was the right thing to do." KaVo Group President Vicente Reynal said he was "excited about the opportunity" when Brunetti approached him about working together to support the Integrated Clinical Technology Center. "As KaVo introduces new advances in patient delivery systems, treatment care, and imaging, we will look to UIC to be a place where we can evaluate these new technologies in a highly productive and multi-layered clinical environment," Reynal said. samhos@uic.edu (Sam Hostettler) http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3399&fromhome=1 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:32:07 -0500 Secrets of Medicinal Plants Stored in Database http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3396&fromhome=1 The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy is hosting one of two new online databases in the U.S. that store valuable information on the medicinal properties of plants useful to treat a wide array of diseases. The Medicinal Plants/Human Health Consortium includes plant scientists and bioinformatics specialists who are mapping the genetic makeup of 45 different plant species, many already used for their potent medicinals. The mapping project was made possible by recent revolutionary advances in probing the blueprints of various medicinal plants so that key genetic information can be rapidly accessed. The online databases -- the second is housed at Michigan State University -- are funded by the National Institutes of General Medical Sciences through the American Recovery and Re-investment Act (ARRA). The three-year projects were funded as part of a $10 million initiative from the National Institutes of Health. "This work offers a valuable data resource for understanding the genes, enzymes and complex processes responsible for the biosynthesis of important plant-derived drugs," says Warren Jones, chief of biochemistry at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and the project's coordinator. "The collaborative effort should greatly contribute to our ability to understand and exploit the rich biochemistry found in plants." Along with UIC, the consortium includes scientists from the Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, the National Center for Genomics Resources in Santa Fe, N.M., and Washington State University. The consortium is led by Norman Lewis of Washington State. As a member of the consortium, UIC plays a key role in the identification and documentation of the plants being studied, both in living form at the UIC Pharmacognosy Field Station in Downers Grove, Ill., as well as in the form of dried specimens curated at the John G. Searle Herbarium of the Field Museum, said Doel Soejarto, professor of pharmacognosy and project coordinator at UIC. Researchers, led by Soejarto, also study flora at the Dorothy Bradley Atkins Medicinal Plant Garden at UIC, which contains 150 species of medicinal plants, many of which are producers of mainstay drugs used in clinical practice worldwide. Plants have been a traditional source of medicine throughout history, Soejarto said. For example, snakeroot has been used in India to treat a variety of ailments for at least 3,000 years. While still used around the world in traditional medicines, plants are also the basis for some of the most potent modern medicines. Taxol, for example, is one of the most prevalent and powerful anti-cancer treatments; it is derived from the yew tree. Other plants in the two databases include ginseng, foxglove, opium poppy, periwinkle and may apple. The 45 species represent plant-derived medicines currently used to treat cancer, infection, Alzheimer's disease, inborn errors of metabolism, hypertension and inflammation. Researchers in the two consortia represent a broad spectrum of expertise, from plant biology and systematics, to analytical and natural-products chemistry, to genetics and molecular biology, as well as drug development. The databases can be accessed at <a href="http://uic.edu/pharmacy/MedPlTranscriptome/">http://uic.edu/pharmacy/MedPlTranscriptome/</a> and <a href="http://medicinalplantgenomics.msu.edu">http://medicinalplantgenomics.msu.edu</a> samhos@uic.edu (Sam Hostettler) http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3396&fromhome=1 Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:44:59 -0500 Curriculum Innovations Earn UIC College of Dentistry National Award http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3393&fromhome=1 The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry was selected to receive the 2012 William J. Gies Award by the American Dental Education Association for its innovative clinical curriculum. Over the past nine years the college has implemented a sequence of improvements in clinical education to prepare students to provide oral health care to traditionally underserved patients and to advocate for universal oral health care for all Americans. "It’s been a long voyage to completely change the way we do clinical education," says Dean Bruce Graham. "I give all the credit to our faculty. They were creative and courageous enough to try new things and believe in what we were trying to do. This award goes to them." In 2002, UIC was one of 15 U.S. dental schools chosen for a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation initiative to improve the curriculum and improve access to dental care for underserved populations. The $1.5 million grant allowed the college to focus on educating dentists committed to treating oral diseases of vulnerable urban, rural and special-needs populations, including minority, economically disadvantaged and developmentally disabled. That same year, separate discipline-based clinics were eliminated at the college, and three group practice clinics were created to provide students with a "real world dental practice." Each clinic consisted of 50 operatories. A managing partner was chosen for each, to lead an interdisciplinary team of faculty comprised of restorative dentists, prosthodontists, periodontists, endodontists and oral and maxillofacial surgeons, Graham said. In addition, the college also eliminated outdated preclinical teaching laboratories and replaced them with a simulation clinic, made up of 70 patient care units identical to those in the group practice clinics. In the 2003-04 academic year, the college added a summer term of instruction between the first and second years of the predoctoral program that allowed students an earlier introduction into clinical education. The curriculum also changed to substitute mandatory clinical attendance rather than clinical procedure requirements for third- and fourth-year students, Graham said. "At that time, our students weren’t spending any time at all outside of the college's walls," Graham said. The college has partnered with 20 community dental clinics throughout Chicago and Illinois to provide students with the opportunity to treat patients outside of the college clinics. Under the guidance of Dr. Caswell Evans, associate dean for prevention and public health sciences, the extramural rotation program provides fourth-year students with 50 to 100 days of experience. Students can also participate in rotations in Colorado and Guatemala. In 2010, fourth-year dental students provided 12,500 patient appointment visits in the community clinics. The third-year students now have as many clinical experiences in their college clinics as the fourth-year students who graduated 10 years ago, Graham said. Not only has the number of student clinical experiences increased, but clinic revenue has as well. Income from the predoctoral student clinic has grown from $850,000 in fiscal 2001 to $4.5 million in 2010, Graham said. In 2009, the college ranked sixth among 57 dental schools in clinic revenue generated per dental student. The Gies Awards, named after dental education pioneer William J. Gies, honor individuals and organizations for vision, innovation and achievement in dental education, research and leadership. This is the second award in two years for UIC; last year Evans received the award for achievement by a dental educator. The award will be presented at the American Dental Education Association meeting in March in Orlando. UIC ranks among the nation's leading research universities and is Chicago's largest university with 27,000 students, 12,000 faculty and staff, 15 colleges and the state's major public medical center. A hallmark of the campus is the Great Cities Commitment, through which UIC faculty, students and staff engage with community, corporate, foundation and government partners in hundreds of programs to improve the quality of life in metropolitan areas around the world.For more information about UIC, please visit www.uic.edu. samhos@uic.edu (Sam Hostettler) http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3393&fromhome=1 Tue, 20 Dec 2011 09:29:18 -0500 UIC Researchers Discover How Cells Limit Inflammation In Lung Injury http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3392&fromhome=1 Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine have found in an animal model of acute lung injury a molecular mechanism that allows cells of the immune system to reduce tissue damage from inflammation. The study is reported in Nature Immunology. Inflammation is part of the normal response to infection. One aspect of inflammation is the production of negatively charged oxygen-rich molecules by specialized white blood cells called phagocytes. The molecules, called reactive oxygen species (ROS), help to break up bacteria, allowing the phagocytes to "mop up" the broken pieces and clear out the infection. Unfortunately, ROS can also cause damage to normal tissue. The UIC researchers found that a channel through the cell membrane of phagocytes is able to modulate this destructive phase of inflammation. "Although the channel, called TRPM2, is found in many cell types in the immune system, including phagocytes, it’s function in these cells has been unknown," said Anke Di, UIC research assistant professor in pharmacology and first author of the study. The researchers were able to show that TRPM2 had a protective anti-inflammatory role in the animal model of ALI, and, further, it played a previously unknown role in protecting against inflammation and tissue injury generally. TRPM2’s protective effect was a result of its ability to dampen the production of the negatively charged ROS by modulating the electrochemical gradient -- the difference in charge between molecules within the cell and outside the plasma membrane of the cell. ALI and its more severe form, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) result from pulmonary edema (leaky blood vessels) and inflammation. Both direct lung injury from infection and indirect lung injury from trauma, sepsis, pancreatitis, transfusions, radiation exposure and drug overdose can trigger ALI. It is fatal in almost 40 percent of cases. Inflammation plays an important role in ALI and a number of other human diseases, said Dr. Asrar Malik, UIC Schweppe Family Distinguished Professor and head of pharmacology and principal investigator of the study. Understanding how inflammatory damage to tissues is controlled normally may help develop therapies in the future, he said. The study was supported by the Francis Families Foundation through the Parker B. Francis Fellowship Program, and the National Institutes of Health. Malik, Di, Xiao-Pei Gao, Feng Qian, Takeshi Kawamura, Jin Han, Claudie Hecquet, Richard Ye and Stephen Vogel, all of the UIC department of pharmacology and Center for Lung and Vascular Biology, contributed equally to the study. For more information about the University of Illinois Medical Center, visit www.uillinoismedcenter.org jgala@uic.edu (Jeanne Galatzer-Levy) http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3392&fromhome=1 Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:25:51 -0500 Most U.S. Presidents Live Beyond Average Life Expectancy http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3390&fromhome=1 Contrary to claims that U.S. presidents age at twice the normal rate, a new study finds that most U.S. presidents live longer than expected for men of their same age and era. The research letter, by noted University of Illinois at Chicago demographer S. Jay Olshansky, is published in the Dec. 7 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association. Olshansky became interested in the subject when, in the summer of 2011, President Obama celebrated his 50th birthday, and a flurry of news reports focused on his graying hair, pronounced wrinkles, and rapidly aging appearance. "In the world of biology, we know that you can't actually measure the aging of an individual," says Olshansky, professor of epidemiology at the UIC School of Public Health. "There isn't any single test to actually measure how long you've aged from point A to point B, nor is it possible to predict specifically how long an individual will live." Using the assumption that presidents age at twice the normal rate, Olshansky calculated how long U.S. presidents would have been expected to live based on their age and the year they were inaugurated -- and compared it to how long they actually lived. Aging at twice the normal rate was estimated by removing two days of life for every day in office (for example, a 4-year term led to a reduction in estimated remaining lifespan of 8 years). Olshansky found that 23 of the 34 U.S. presidents who died from natural causes lived longer, and in many instances significantly longer, than predicted. Their average age at inauguration was 55.1 years. Four presidents who were assassinated were excluded from the analysis. Conventional wisdom suggests that the longevity of U.S. presidents is shortened due to the stresses of the office, but the average lifespan of the first eight presidents was 79.8 years -- during a time when, for men, life expectancy at birth was less than 40. "This is about how long females born in the U.S. today live," Olshansky said. The study also found that living ex-presidents have either already exceeded their predicted longevity at the time of their inauguration, or are likely to do so. "We know that socioeconomic status has an extremely powerful effect on longevity now," Olshansky said, "and it was likely to have been a factor in the past." All but 10 U.S. presidents were college educated; all were wealthy; and all had access to health care. "We don’t die from gray hair and wrinkled skin," said Olshansky. "What we're seeing in President Obama is really not inconsistent with what we see for any other man his age in the U.S. or elsewhere." Editorial note: An extended interview as MP3 audio file is available at <a href="http://bit.ly/vtQqBN">http://bit.ly/vtQqBN</a> smcginn@uic.edu (Sherri McGinnis González) http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3390&fromhome=1 Tue, 6 Dec 2011 15:44:30 -0500 Patient Receives First Prescription for FDA-Approved Brain Tumor Treatment http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3388&fromhome=1 The University of Illinois Hospital is the first center in North America to prescribe a new FDA-approved treatment for patients with the most common and aggressive type of brain tumor, glioblastoma multiforme, or GBM. The hospital is one of the first centers in the U.S. to receive training and certification to treat patients with recurrent GBM with a new therapy called Tumor Treating Fields. This novel, non-invasive therapy is provided using a portable device, the NovoTTF-100A System made by Novocure, which uses alternating electrical fields to disrupt the rapid cell division exhibited by cancer cells. David Messmer, 50, of Indiana is the first patient in the country to receive a prescription for the device outside of a clinical trial. He began treatment with the Novocure device Nov. 28 at the University of Illinois Hospital. Messmer was diagnosed with GBM in November of last year. His tumor has continued to progress despite two surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation. With the support of his family, he says he was “willing to try anything." "Chemo is just not working for me," Messmer said. "This is my next best hope." GBM affects approximately 10,000 Americans each year. The median survival time from initial diagnosis is 15 months with optimal treatment, and median survival from the time of recurrence is only three to five months without additional effective treatment. "Patients with recurrent GBM present a significant treatment challenge,” says Dr. Herbert Engelhard, chief of neuro-oncology at the University of Illinois Hospital, which was one of the primary clinical research sites for the approval trial. The clinical trial, Engelhard said, showed that patients treated with the NovoTTF had comparable median overall survival times, fewer side effects, and better quality-of-life scores compared to patients treated with chemotherapy. "We are proud to work with Novocure to make this state-of-the-art therapy available to those GBM patients who need it," he said. TTF therapy provides physicians with a fourth treatment option for cancer in addition to surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. It has been shown to effectively inhibit tumor growth by inducing cell death. The NovoTTF is a portable, non-invasive medical device designed for continuous use throughout the day by the patient. The device is placed directly on the skin near the tumor. It creates an artificial, alternating electric field within the tumor, which disrupts cancer cell division and can cause complete destruction of the dividing cancer cells. The most commonly reported side effect was a mild-to-moderate rash beneath the electrodes. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the NovoTTF-100A System for use as a treatment for adult patients with recurrent GBM. The device is intended to be used alone as an alternative to standard medical therapy for GBM after surgical and radiation options have been exhausted. Photos of Messmer and Engelhard are available at http://newsphoto.lib.uic.edu/v/messmer/ For more information about the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System, visit www.uillinoismedcenter.org smcginn@uic.edu (Sherri McGinnis González) http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3388&fromhome=1 Fri, 2 Dec 2011 15:53:52 -0500 Improving Access to Healthy Food for Chicago's Latinos, African-Americans http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3383&fromhome=1 The University of Illinois at Chicago's Midwest Latino Health Research, Training and Policy Center has received a $850,000 grant to address health disparities in Chicago. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded the one-year grant, which builds on previous funding to UIC's Center of Excellence in the Elimination of Disparities to help reduce diabetes and cardiovascular disease among Latino and African-American populations in the Chicago area. The UIC center "is working to ensure that food contributes to health among Latinos and African Americans rather than to chronic diseases," says Sheila Castillo, associate director of the Midwest Latino Health Research, Training, and Policy Center and principal investigator on the grant. The UIC center is one of 18 grantees addressing health disparities nationwide. Castillo said the UIC center has built a coalition of businesses, institutions, and individuals dedicated to changing social factors underlying health disparities. "We are looking to change policies and systems that will result in changes in the environment, so that there is more access to healthy food," she said. Castillo said the center focuses on increasing the equitable distribution of healthy food and increasing health literacy, but also funds community projects. The center provided grants to organizations operating in the Pilsen, Englewood, Humboldt Park, Roseland, Austin, and Logan Square neighborhoods of Chicago. "Through our work to increase health literacy, we will increase demand for healthier food -- and through our work to increase the equitable distribution of healthy food, we will increase supply," she said. "Everyone eats." In 1999, the CDC announced the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health 2010 (REACH 2010) Initiative. UIC, in partnership with community-based organizations, received a five-year grant to address diabetes disparities in Southeast Chicago and also collaborated with the Chicago Department of Public Health to address cardiovascular disease disparities in the North and South Lawndale areas. In 2007, UIC received a REACH U.S. grant that supported the creation of national centers of excellence in the elimination of disparities and the continuation of community initiatives. UIC ranks among the nation's leading research universities and is Chicago's largest university with 27,000 students, 12,000 faculty and staff, 15 colleges and the state's major public medical center. A hallmark of the campus is the Great Cities Commitment, through which UIC faculty, students and staff engage with community, corporate, foundation and government partners in hundreds of programs to improve the quality of life in metropolitan areas around the world.For more information about UIC, please visit www.uic.edu. jboynes@uic.edu (Jeffron Boynes) http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3383&fromhome=1 Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:52:50 -0500 UIC Researchers Test Effects of Vitamin D on Asthma Severity http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3384&fromhome=1 Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago are recruiting volunteers with asthma for a study of whether taking vitamin D can make asthma medication more effective. The study is called VIDA (Vitamin D add-on therapy enhances corticosteroid responsiveness in Asthma). “A number of people with asthma have low vitamin D levels,” says Dr. Jerry Krishnan, professor of medicine, pulmonary, critical care, sleep, and allergy. “Patients with asthma and low vitamin D levels tend to have worse lung function, and tend to have more asthma attacks.” The researchers are looking for participants who are 18 years or older and are using medications to control their asthma. Volunteers whose baseline vitamin D levels are low and whose asthma is not well controlled may enroll in the study. Study participants will receive vitamin D or a placebo and will continue on asthma medications. They will monitor their lung function at home as well as having regular clinic visits over the course of nine months. Participants will be compensated for their time. “We want to understand if taking vitamin D allows their asthma to get better,” Krishnan said. The researchers hope that for people with low levels of vitamin D, supplements of the vitamin will make it possible to use less asthma medication. “Improving your asthma control may be as simple as taking a vitamin a day,” Krishnan said. Taking vitamin D may result in side effects, so Krishnan warned against taking vitamin D for asthma outside of a study. In the study, researchers carefully monitor patients to detect potential side effects, Krishnan said. Krishnan urged anyone interested in learning whether low vitamin D is the reason their asthma does not get better to consider enrolling in the study. The researchers will enroll 25 people at UIC and 400 people nationwide. The study is supported by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute through AsthmaNet, a nationwide clinical research network. The UIC AsthmaNet Clinical Center is part of the Chicagoland Metropolitan AsthmaNet Consortium, which includes Northwestern University, Rush University Medical Center, the University of Chicago, and Children’s Memorial Hospital. If you are interested in participating or for more information, please call 1-855-I-WHEEZE (1-855-494-3393). [Editors note: Extended interview as MP3 audio file available at <a href=" http://www.uic.edu/depts/paff/newsbureau/podcasts.html"> www.uic.edu/depts/paff/newsbureau/podcasts.html</a>] jgala@uic.edu (Jeanne Galatzer-Levy) http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3384&fromhome=1 Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:09:20 -0500 $1.5M Grant Addresses Health Disparities in Rural Illinois Women http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3377&fromhome=1 The University of Illinois at Chicago Center for Research on Women and Gender, in partnership with the Southern Seven Health Department, has received funding to improve the health of women and girls in the seven southernmost counties of Illinois. The five-year, $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services expands on previous funding from HHS's Office of Women's Health to address health disparities in the counties of Alexander, Hardin, Johnson, Massac, Pope, Pulaski, and Union in rural Illinois. UIC and Southern Seven Health Department completed a regional health assessment of the area earlier this year and concluded that women in this southernmost region face significant health disparities compared to women in the rest of the state. Women in this region report higher rates of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and obesity when compared to Illinois women overall. In order to address the multiple factors that affect women's health in this region -- access to health care, lifestyle choices, attitudes and beliefs about health, and community resources -- the project will implement Heart Smart for Women, an evidence-based lifestyle intervention to increase physical activity and improve nutrition among women, at 12 local churches. Heart Start for Women classes will be offered for 12 weeks. The classes will be followed by monthly maintenance programs for women, as well as men, to sustain behavior change in the long term. Cooking demonstrations and walking groups will be part of ongoing maintenance activities. "This grant provides an opportunity for the Center for Research on Women and Gender to collaborate with our partners in southern Illinois, a traditionally under-resourced area of the state, to improve the health of rural women," said Stacie Geller, director of the UIC center and professor of obstetrics and gynecology. When compared to Illinois women overall, a higher percentage of women in this region do not meet the recommended standard of five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day, report less physical activity, and have almost double the state's adult female smoking rate. "We are extremely pleased to continue our partnership with UIC for five more years," said Patricia Moehring, community health education director for Southern Seven Health Department. "I am really excited for the women we serve in our region to have the opportunity to move themselves to healthier lifestyles." The HHS funding is part of a national initiative entitled the Coalition for a Healthier Community. The Office on Women's Health awarded grants in 2010 (phase I) and 2011 (phase II) to improve community health policies and programs for women and girls. UIC and Southern Seven Health Department have partnered on health promotion initiatives since 2007. smcginn@uic.edu (Sherri McGinnis González) http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3377&fromhome=1 Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:37:24 -0500 Study Looks at Bike Seats' Effect on Men's Pelvic Blood Flow http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3349&fromhome=1 Is it just an urban myth, or can long-term bike riding cause sexual dysfunction in men? Previous studies have not shed much light on the question, says Dr. Craig Niederberger, professor and head of urology at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, because they have not shown whether bike riding actually cuts off blood flow to men's genitals. It had not been possible to measure exactly where and how much pressure a bike seat exerts during a ride. Some earlier studies had measured the pressure on the bike seat, but not on the men's anatomy. "And we really aren’t concerned with what the bicycle is feeling," said Neiderberger, who is also professor of engineering at UIC. Niederberger and colleagues in engineering, urology and radiology designed a study to precisely measure pressure on the male anatomy. Volunteers will ride their bikes out on the street while a device designed and patented by the UIC researchers records data in real time as they try out six different seat designs. The device, designed by the researchers working with UIC engineering students, can measure pressure on the artery supplying blood to the penis. The thin, flexible sensors are comfortable to wear and send information to equipment compact enough to wear in a backpack while riding. A radiologist uses ultrasound to determine how much pressure completely blocks blood flow in each volunteer. That amount can differ for each man, according to Niederberger. With four sensors attached to the skin above the blood vessels, the men ride for five minutes on the six different seats -- some of classic design, and some modified in shape or with padding intended to improve comfort. Many new bicycle seats are designed to be more comfortable, but whether they are better for the men riding them is pretty much just a guess, Niederberger said. "So far, we’re seeing a surprising amount of variation in how different seats affect different men, depending on their anatomy, their riding posture, and their riding habits," Niederberger said. "The question we would like to answer eventually is whether we can design a universal seat that is good for each and every man." The researchers are looking for more volunteers for the study. If you are interested, please call Christine Corpuz at (312) 996-9330. [Editors Note: Video report available at <a href="http://youtu.be/LbTIQlOP2Zk">youtu.be/LbTIQlOP2Zk</a>] jgala@uic.edu (Jeanne Galatzer-Levy) http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3349&fromhome=1 Wed, 2 Nov 2011 15:29:53 -0500 Evolution Offers Clues to Leading Cause of Death During Childbirth http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3365&fromhome=1 Unusual features of the human placenta may be the underlying cause of postpartum hemorrhage, the leading cause of maternal deaths during childbirth, according to evolutionary research at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Defined as the loss of more than a pint of blood during or just after vaginal delivery, postpartum hemorrhage accounts for nearly 35 percent, or 125,000, of the 358,000 worldwide annual maternal deaths during childbirth. Despite its prevalence, the causes of postpartum hemorrhage are unknown, says Julienne Rutherford, assistant professor of oral biology at UIC, who along with Elizabeth Abrams, assistant professor of anthropology, co-authored a theoretical synthesis published in the journal American Anthropologist. While common in humans, postpartum hemorrhage is rare in other mammals, including nonhuman primates. "Understanding the underlying cause of the increased risk of postpartum hemorrhage in humans is a critical step toward discovering new treatments and eventually preventing it on a global scale," Rutherford said. Previous studies on postpartum hemorrhage have focused on how it can be treated and on recognizing its associated risk factors, Abrams said. Less has been done to discover its cause. In humans, the invasiveness of the placenta into the uterine wall and the subsequent takeover of maternal blood vessels appear to be greater than in nonhumans, Rutherford said. This suggests a link between placental invasiveness early in pregnancy and blood loss at delivery, when the placenta separates from the uterine wall. Research by Abrams and Rutherford suggests that hormones produced by trophoblasts -- cells formed during the first stage of pregnancy that provide nutrients to the embryo and develop into a large part of the placenta, and that guide the interaction with the uterus -- may provide an early predictor of risk. "Biomarkers of postpartum hemorrhage that could be used early in pregnancy would allow women to make informed decisions about their choice of birthing site and medical care based on their risk," Abrams said. This biomarker hypothesis has not yet been studied. Many women in poor countries don't give birth in hospitals or clinics, said Abrams, who has conducted research on childbirth in the sub-Saharan countries of Malawi and Tanzania. By the time postpartum bleeding occurs, it may be too late to reach a health center. In a normal birth, the placenta begins to separate from the uterine wall before delivery. Bleeding at the site is normally stopped by the constriction of blood vessels due to the contraction and retraction of uterine muscles. Hemorrhage can occur weeks after birth, but most deaths occur within four hours of delivery. There are two major risk factors for postpartum hemorrhage, said Rutherford. The leading factor is uterine contractions that are too weak to stop bleeding. The cause of this is unclear, but it could delay delivery of the placenta -- which is the other known risk factor, she said. The best predictor for any woman is previous postpartum hemorrhage, "which has disturbing implications for women in resource-poor settings," Abrams said. Understanding how the human placenta differs from that of other primates is a new approach, and according to Abrams and Rutherford, it is one that might help explain the mechanisms underlying risk factors in humans. The research was partially funded by a Wenner-Gren Foundation grant to Abrams (and UIC anthropology colleague Crystal Patil) and a UIC Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) faculty scholarship to Rutherford from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women's Health. For more information about UIC, visit <ahref="http://www.uic.edu">www.uic.edu</a>. samhos@uic.edu (Sam Hostettler) http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3365&fromhome=1 Tue, 1 Nov 2011 16:13:59 -0500 UIC College of Nursing Hosts 14th Annual Power of Nursing Leadership Event http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3363&fromhome=1 Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher will serve as the keynote speaker at the 14th Annual Power of Nursing Leadership Event on Nov. 4 at the Hilton Chicago, 720 S. Michigan Ave. Satcher, who was sworn in as the 16th Surgeon General in 1998, will address new challenges and opportunities facing nurses in the 21st Century. The event, sponsored by the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing and a host committee of local nursing leaders, brings together around 500 of the most innovative nurse leaders from academia, health systems, government, entrepreneurship and business throughout Illinois. In this era of health care challenges, it is more important than ever to recognize strong nursing leadership, said Terri Weaver, dean of UIC's College of Nursing. "The Power of Nursing Leadership is an opportunity to celebrate the impact of the most outstanding nurse leaders who are shaping healthcare throughout Illinois," Weaver said. Several awards will also be presented to nurse leaders at the event. The Joan L. Shaver Illinois Nurse Leader Award recognizes an outstanding nurse leader who is highly influential in shaping quality health care in Illinois through hard work, dedication, supremely skilled leadership and the courage to break through barriers. The SAGE Award recognizes nurses who have made a significant impact on the lives and careers of others through their actions as role models, facilitators and mentors. Several extraordinary nurses will also be selected and recognized as Pinnacle Nurse Leaders. Satcher, a 1963 graduate of Atlanta's Morehouse College, currently serves as director of the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at his alma mater's medical school. The Institute's mission is to develop a diverse group of public health leaders, foster and support leadership strategies, and influence policies toward the reduction -- and ultimately the elimination -- of health disparities. During his tenure as surgeon general, Satcher also served as assistant secretary for health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, only the second person to hold both positions simultaneously. He has also served as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and administrator of the Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Satcher is the first person to have served as CDC director and then surgeon general. Following his graduation from Morehouse, Satcher received both a medical degree and doctorate of philosophy degree from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Throughout his distinguished career, Satcher has received more than 40 honorary degrees and numerous distinguished honors, including awards from the National Medical Association, the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Family Physicians. He is also the recipient of the Symbol of H.O.P.E. Award for health promotion and disease prevention. For more information on the Power of Nursing Leadership Event visit <a href="http://web.nursing.uic.edu/pnle/registration.html"> web.nursing.uic.edu/pnle/registration.html </a> For more information about UIC, visit <a href="http://www.uic.edu">www.uic.edu</a> samhos@uic.edu (Sam Hostettler) http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3363&fromhome=1 Thu, 27 Oct 2011 15:58:44 -0500 UIC Opens Residence to Patients' Families in the Illinois Medical District http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3262&fromhome=1 The University of Illinois at Chicago is partnering with the IMD Guest House Foundation to provide housing to family members of patients in the hospitals of the Illinois Medical District, including the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System, Rush Medical Center, and Stroger Hospital. The Guest House is the only facility in Chicago serving both children and adult patients, and families of children and adult patients. Previously, the foundation offered space in a motel several blocks west of the medical district. The area around the motel was mostly office space, deserted at night and forbidding to families. “Our old space really wasn’t working well for our families,” said Margaret Price, director of IMD Guest House residence. UIC worked with the foundation to find a way to accommodate patient families in the west side residence hall, which houses graduate students, visiting professors, university lecturers and guests. The 10 new suites for patient families have a bedroom, living room with sleeper sofa, and a kitchen. They are fully furnished and equipped with flat-screen TVs, dishes, pots and pans and linens. There is 24-hour security and someone at the front desk at all times. The suites are connected to the UIC Student Center West, whose amenities include several places to eat, a laundry, a bookstore, and a convenience store. Campus security, the well-lit campus, and the many people around at all times are much more comfortable for resident families, Price said. Guest House has seen a tripling in the demand for housing since the new rooms became available in August, according to Price, who said they are already hoping to increase the number of rooms available at the residence hall. Four of the rooms are reserved for UIC families, four for Rush, and two for families from Stroger. The IMD Guest House Foundation started in response to a critical need for affordable accommodations where family members can stay while their loved one receives medical treatment in the Illinois Medical District area. Families with relatives requiring long hospital stays are generally referred to the foundation through medical personnel. Other families find the foundation through hospital guest services or online, said Price. “We’re very pleased to be able to work with the Guest House in their mission to help the families of our transplant, heart surgery and other patients and those of the other hospitals within the medical district remain near their loved ones to provide the support they need for the best possible outcomes,” said John DeNardo, chief executive officer of the UIC Healthcare System. The University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System is a leader in patient care, research and education, with a 491-bed hospital, an outpatient facility, specialty clinics and six health science colleges including the College of Medicine. For more information about the IMD Guest House Foundation or to secure a room, call (312) 996-1167 or visit www.imdguesthouse.org. jgala@uic.edu (Jeanne Galatzer-Levy) http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3262&fromhome=1 Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:06:34 -0500 Boaters' Risk of Illness on Chicago River Similar to Other Waterways http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3362&fromhome=1 Chicago area residents have wondered for years about the health risks of using the Chicago River for recreation. According to a University of Illinois at Chicago study, canoeing, kayaking, rowing, boating and fishing on the Chicago River pose the same risk of gastrointestinal illness as performing these same activities on other local waters -- a risk that turns out to be higher than that intended for swimmers at Lake Michigan beaches. The study is the first in the U.S. to evaluate health and environmental factors associated with these "limited-contact" water recreation activities. Federal regulations protect people who swim at beaches, but national water-quality standards do not exist for those who row, paddle, boat or fish on waterways not approved for swimming. Since the Chicago River is mostly wastewater discharge, "it was a surprise that the occurrence of illness was similar" for limited-contact users of the river and other local waterways, says Dr. Samuel Dorevitch, associate professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UIC School of Public Health and principal investigator of the study. The study was funded by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, a regional taxing body responsible for treating wastewater. The results are published online today in Environmental Health Perspectives. Results of the Chicago Health, Environmental Exposure, and Recreation Study, or CHEERS, found that on average, about 14 people per thousand who use the Chicago River developed gastrointestinal illness attributable to using the river, similar to the rate among limited-contact users of other waters in the study, which included the Fox River, Des Plaines River, and several small inland lakes such as Tampier Lake, Busse Woods Lake, Skokie Lagoons, Crystal Lake, and Lake Michigan beaches. The U.S. EPA criteria for water quality at swimming beaches allows a level of bacteria based on a targeted risk of approximately eight people per thousand getting sick after swimming. The CHEERS study found that people participating in limited-contact water recreation exceeded this level of risk risk -- not only on the Chicago River, but on other area waters -- but Dorevitch is not sure why. The comparable risk levels may be "because people are more likely to capsize in cleaner waters and ingest more water than they do at the Chicago River, where people are generally aware of water quality problems on the river and are careful not to fall in the water or to swallow water," he said. "The fact that 14 people per thousand, instead of eight per thousand, on average, are getting sick due to their use of the water is concerning," Dorevitch said. "It means that we may have a higher rate of illness at inland waters than would be acceptable at coastal waters. This raises the question, should the EPA be doing more to protect people in those inland waters?" The CHEERS study did not track illness rates among swimmers at beaches. The researchers enrolled more than 11,000 people in the study. One group used the Chicago River system for recreational activities, another group did the same recreational activities on waters approved for swimming, and a third group participated in non-water recreational activities such as jogging, cycling, or walking. The study was conducted in the summers of 2007, 2008 and 2009. The water recreation participants were interviewed before and immediately after activities on the water. They were followed over three weeks to see if they developed gastrointestinal, skin, eye, ear or respiratory conditions. Users of the Chicago River system -- which receives wastewater from treatment plants that use an activated sludge process, but no disinfectant such as chlorination -- did not have gastrointestinal illnesses more severe than that experienced by users of waterways where swimming is permitted -- a finding Dorevitch called unexpected. However, users of the Chicago River were at higher risk for developing eye symptoms than people who used other rivers or inland lakes or beaches. Co-authors of the study are Preethi Pratap, Meredith Wroblewski, Daniel Hryhorczuk, Hong Li, Li Liu, and Peter Scheff, all of UIC. UIC ranks among the nation's leading research universities and is Chicago's largest university with 27,000 students, 12,000 faculty and staff, 15 colleges and the state's major public medical center. A hallmark of the campus is the Great Cities Commitment, through which UIC faculty, students and staff engage with community, corporate, foundation and government partners in hundreds of programs to improve the quality of life in metropolitan areas around the world. Editorial note: An extended interview as MP3 audio file is available at: <a href="https://blackboard.uic.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/web/news/podcasts/PdCst87-Oct26%2711-Dorevitch.mp3">https://blackboard.uic.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/web/news/podcasts/PdCst87-Oct26%2711-Dorevitch.mp3</a> smcginn@uic.edu (Sherri McGinnis González) http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3362&fromhome=1 Wed, 26 Oct 2011 09:40:17 -0500 College of Pharmacy to Develop Programs to Improve Patient Safety http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3358&fromhome=1 The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy has received a $4.25 million federal grant to develop programs for safer medication use, including tools for detecting drug risks, training physicians, preventing medication errors and making drug information easier to understand. "Patients are not as safe as they should be," said Bruce Lambert, professor of pharmacy administration and director of UIC's Center for Education and Research on Therapeutics (CERTS), which will manage the program. "Medication errors and inappropriate use of medicines, by health professionals and patients, cause a great deal of harm." The UIC center will develop, test, and distribute tools and training materials in four areas: statistical methods for large-scale studies of comparative drug safety and effectiveness; opioid prescribing and dosing for acute pain; methods for preventing and detecting drug name confusion errors; and plain-language drug information. The grant is a continuation of a study begun in 2007, when UIC was named one of 10 new centers in the country. Funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, part of the U.S. Health and Human Services department, UIC was tasked to design and test systems to optimize drug choice, drug monitoring and drug safety. The new grant is one of only six that were awarded in the current round of funding, and the UIC center is the only one headquartered in a college of pharmacy. The CERTS program was authorized by Congress in 1997 to examine the benefits, risks and cost-effectiveness of therapeutic products and to educate patients and caregivers. UIC will continue to host the center, and will be assisted by Rush University Medical Center; Northwestern University; University of Chicago; the Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston; the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, Horsham, Pa.; and the National Patient Safety Foundation, Boston. For more information about UIC, visit <a href="http://www.uic.edu">www.uic.edu</a>. samhos@uic.edu (Sam Hostettler) http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3358&fromhome=1 Thu, 20 Oct 2011 10:19:53 -0500 U of I VP Elected to Institute of Medicine http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3346&fromhome=1 Dr. Joe G. N. “Skip” Garcia, vice president for health affairs at the University of Illinois and vice chancellor for research at the University of Illinois of Chicago, has been elected a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. Garcia is an internationally-acclaimed physician-scientist and innovator in the genetics, prevention, and treatment of inflammatory lung disease and pulmonary edema. “This is a very well-deserved honor. Dr. Garcia is not only a world-class researcher and physician, but also a visionary when it comes to charting the future for healthcare,” said University of Illinois President Michael Hogan. “In just a few months, he’s brought all these talents together as our new vice president for health affairs to expand the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System’s visibility and effectiveness in delivering state-of-the-art healthcare to citizens in Illinois and beyond.” Each year up to 65 new members are elected to the Institute of Medicine based on their distinguished professional achievement in medicine and health and their demonstrated and continued involvement with the issues of healthcare, prevention of disease, education, or research. New members are nominated and elected by the current membership and announced at the annual meeting in October. “It is an honor to be joining the Institute of Medicine, an organization recognized as the nation’s premier advisor on issues relating to biomedical science, medicine, and health,” said Garcia. “Membership in the IOM certainly represents the pinnacle of academic recognition in my field. More importantly, however, is the opportunity to share at the national level the expertise that we have at the University of Illinois for translating research-driven insights into disease toward the delivery of better healthcare, particularly to those who experience significant health care disparities.” “Dr. Garcia’s election to the Institute of Medicine is confirmation of our belief that he is an extraordinary leader who sees what healthcare can be in the 21st century and has begun to build the infrastructure for that vision here,” said UIC Chancellor Paula Allen-Meares, a member of the IOM since 2004. Garcia joined the faculty of UIC in February 2010 as vice chancellor for research and as the Earl M. Bane Professor of Medicine, Pharmacology and Bioengineering. He was named vice president for health affairs in February. Author of 370 peer-reviewed publications, he is widely recognized as a leading NIH-funded scientist with a boundary-crossing approach to both science and medicine. Through his accomplishments at Johns Hopkins University, the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois, he has achieved national recognition for his depth of leadership in building academic programs, for implementing innovative strategies that have increased the number of nascent physician-scientists, and for advancing diversity within the biomedical research workforce. Garcia serves as an extraordinary academic role model, nurturing the pipeline for under-represented minorities, guiding minority students into M.D. and Ph.D. programs as well as serving as a mentor for physician-scientists. He is well-known for his commitment to protecting the quality of care for the medically underserved. Under his leadership as vice chancellor for research, UIC’s sponsored research portfolio has realized significant growth. The Research Resources Center was able to obtain $6.8 million in federal funding to increase its equipment inventory. The Institute for Human Genetics, The Institute for Health Informatics and The Institute for Minority Health Research, all programs specifically designed to improve the medical management of human disease, were launched during his tenure at UIC. In addition, an aggressive Biospecimen Banking initiative for the large-scale acquisition of biospecimens for research use was initiated to serve as an institutional resource for accelerating the delivery of personalized medicine to patients cared for across the UI Hospital & Health Sciences System. Garcia is the recipient of many prestigious awards, including the 2009 Diversity Award from the Association of Professors in Medicine, American Thoracic Society Distinguished Scientist Award, the Henry F. Christian Award for Meritorious Research from the American Federation of Medical Research and the David M. Levine Excellence in Mentoring Award from the Johns Hopkins University. Garcia received his B.S. from the University of Dallas and his M.D. from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in 1980. He joined the faculty of the University of Texas Health Center in 1985, moving to Indiana University School of Medicine in 1988. He joined the faculty at Johns Hopkins University in 1998 where he served as the David Marine Professor and Director of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. He also served as professor in the biomedical engineering, and in environmental health sciences in the Bloomberg School of Public Health and director of the Center for Translational Respiratory Medicine. In 2005, he was appointed as the Lowell T. Coggeshall Professor and Chair of the department of medicine at the University of Chicago and led an increase in diversity and academic excellence of that department rising to the top 10 of NIH-funded departments of medicine. The Institute of Medicine is the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences, which was chartered under Abraham Lincoln in 1863. Since 1970, the IOM has served as an independent, non-profit organization outside of government to provide unbiased and authoritative advice to decision makers and the public. UIC ranks among the nation's leading research universities and is Chicago's largest university with 27,000 students, 12,000 faculty and staff, 15 colleges and the state's major public medical center. A hallmark of the campus is the Great Cities Commitment, through which UIC faculty, students and staff engage with community, corporate, foundation and government partners in hundreds of programs to improve the quality of life in metropolitan areas around the world. Photos available: <a href="http://newsphoto.lib.uic.edu/v/garcia/">newsphoto.lib.uic.edu/v/garcia/</a> jgala@uic.edu (Jeanne Galatzer-Levy) http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3346&fromhome=1 Mon, 17 Oct 2011 12:31:22 -0500 UIC Awarded $14 Million to Study Tobacco Pricing and Media http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3355&fromhome=1 The University of Illinois at Chicago has received $14.2 million from the National Cancer Institute to study how mass media and tax and pricing affects tobacco use and behavior. The two five-year studies at UIC’s Institute for Health Research and Policy build on previous tobacco research conducted by the institute to better understand what factors influence smoking behaviors. In one study, senior research scientist Sherry Emery and colleagues will measure the extent to which people are exposed to, search for, and exchange both pro- and anti-tobacco information in mass media, how these activities are related to one another, and ultimately, how these actions are related to smoking behavior, beliefs and attitudes. In evaluating pro- and anti-tobacco information the researchers will use existing data to assess passive exposure to television advertisements, banner ads that pop up on the internet, and sponsored text messaging; what people actively search for on the internet; and what people exchange via social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. "The hypothesis is that if you're exposed to, for example, an ad that says you should quit smoking your level of engagement with that information will be substantially lower than if you actively search the Internet for ways to quit smoking; in turn, engagement will be even greater if you share your experience with quitting via social media. These different levels of engagement may be associated in important ways to tobacco-related attitudes, beliefs and behavior," says Emery, principal investigator of the $7.2 million NCI-funded grant. Emery's study will also collect new data from an online survey of 15,000 people in the country's top 75 media markets to obtain media market estimates of people's behavior and their consumption of pro- and anti-tobacco information from a variety of mass media, as well as smoking behavior information and demographics. The tobacco industry is prohibited from advertising on television, but they are not prohibited from providing information about their products that can be actively searched for on the internet, says Emery, whose previous research has examined the impact of tobacco-related television advertising on youth and adult smoking attitudes and behaviors. Watching television, while still the dominant source of information for many people, is a different behavior than it was five years ago, Emery said. In the other study, Frank Chaloupka, distinguished professor of economics and director of the Health Policy Center at UIC, and colleagues will assess policies affecting retail tobacco prices over a 10-year period; evaluate the impact of price-reducing promotions on tobacco purchasing behaviors, such as choice of product and brand; and determine to what extent consumers will avoid paying tax on tobacco products by crossing county or state borders, or by purchasing online or by phone or mail order. The study will also investigate how pricing and tax policies impact tobacco behaviors, including prevalence, frequency and intensity of use, youth uptake, cessation, and substitution among products. "Tobacco tax increases are widely recognized as the most effective policy governments have for reducing the death, disease and economic costs imposed by tobacco use,” said Chaloupka. “Findings from this project will help to ensure that these policies are designed and implemented in a way that maximizes their effectiveness in reducing tobacco use and its consequences.” Chaloupka has conducted extensive research on the economics of tobacco use and found that increases in cigarette prices -- including tax hikes -- lead to significant reductions in smoking. This research has led to many substance-abuse policy initiatives and has been cited by the U.S. surgeon general's office. Co-investigators on Chaloupka's $6.9 million NCI grant are Emery, Jamie Chriqui, Jidong Huang, David Merriman, Sandy Slater, and John Tauras, all from UIC; Andrew Hyland, Roswell Park Cancer Institute; Chuck Alexander, Burness Communications; and Dianne Barker, Barker Bi-Coastal Health Consultants. Co-investigators on Emery's grant are Chaloupka, Jidong Huang, and Robin Mermelstein, all from UIC; Joseph Cappella, University of Pennsylvania; and Kurt Ribisl, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The results of the research will be disseminated to policy makers, advocates, public health practitioners, researchers, and the general public. UIC's Institute for Health Research and Policy has been recognized by the country’s foremost research funding agencies, including the National Institutes of Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, for leadership and expertise in conducting ongoing tobacco research. smcginn@uic.edu (Sherri McGinnis González) http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3355&fromhome=1 Mon, 10 Oct 2011 10:41:23 -0500 New Book Explores Latino Gay Activists http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3296&fromhome=1 A new book by a University of Illinois at Chicago health sociologist and educator examines how gay, bisexual, and transgender (GBT) Latino activists and volunteers are transformed by the AIDS epidemic. In "Compañeros: Latino Activists in the Face of AIDS" (University of Illinois Press, 2011), Jesus Ramirez-Valles, UIC professor of community health sciences, writes about the life histories of GBT Latinos who come together to fight racism and homophobia, and in the process change themselves. "'Compañeros' tells us what it's like to be an activist, a volunteer, and get involved in community affairs," says Ramirez-Valles. "The book is about Latino gay men and transgender individuals, but it speaks to the broader idea of getting involved in the community -- not only to change major social forces that shape our lives, but to change ourselves, to connect with others, and in the process become better individuals and better citizens." As a public health researcher, Ramirez-Valles has studied gender and race in health promotion and HIV/AIDS and substance abuse prevention in the United States and Latin America. "The voices of Latino gay men in the AIDS epidemic have not been heard, and in many instances have been distorted. I felt a responsibility to share them with a larger audience," said Ramirez-Valles, who also produced a documentary, funded by the National Institutes of Health, featuring individuals in his book. The book and film are based on scientific research on discrimination and stigma and the consequences of these behaviors on GBT Latinos. In the late 1990's, Ramirez-Valles became interested in how HIV/AIDS patients transformed their lives by becoming activists -- from protesting against the inaction of the federal government to volunteering in the neighborhood to distribute food and take care of patients. He soon realized there were positive effects on self esteem, decreased depression, and improved health outcomes associated with volunteerism and activism, and he began writing about the subjective experiences of these individuals, or compañeros. Ramirez-Valles hopes the book will change negative attitudes, particularly in the heterosexual community, about HIV/AIDS and that readers will find inspiration in the personal stories. "Unlike other works, 'Compañeros' succeeds in allowing the activists to speak for themselves and shares with readers an intimate connection to their lives, thoughts, and emotions," said Rafael M. Díaz, author of "Latino Gay Men and HIV: Culture, Sexuality, and Risk Behavior," in writing about the book. "The life stories of gay men and transgender women are movingly presented with both passion and clarity, giving a feeling of great respect and admiration for a group who heroically turns oppression into a source of resilience and strength, as well as a solidarity seldom seen in contemporary social movements." A book signing will be held Nov. 3 at the Center on Halsted, John Baran Senior Center, 3656 N. Halsted St. from 6:30-8:30 p.m. The book is available at: <a href="http://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/catalog/54qmf8px9780252036446.html">www.press.uillinois.edu/books/catalog/54qmf8px9780252036446.html</a>. Photos of Ramirez-Valles are available at <a href="http://newsphoto.lib.uic.edu/v/Compañeros/">newsphoto.lib.uic.edu/v/Compañeros/</a>. Audio of Ramirez-Valles is available at: <a href="https://blackboard.uic.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/web/news/podcasts/PdCst86-Oct5%2711-Ramirez-Valles.mp3">https://blackboard.uic.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/web/news/podcasts/PdCst86-Oct5%2711-Ramirez-Valles.mp3</a>. (Spanish version available upon request) For more information about UIC, visit <a href="http://www.uic.edu">www.uic.edu</a>. smcginn@uic.edu (Sherri McGinnis González) http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3296&fromhome=1 Wed, 5 Oct 2011 11:30:12 -0500 Hispanic Center of Excellence Celebrates 20th Anniversary http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3347&fromhome=1 Alumni and friends will gather Oct. 15 for “Ayer, Hoy y Mañana: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow,” a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine’s Hispanic Center of Excellence (HCOE). An expected 120 Latino alumni and local physicians will learn more about opportunities for professional mentoring of current Latino medical and premedical students and the expansion of the HCOE Scholarship Fund, which assists Latino medical students in need to realize their dream of becoming physicians. The celebration, at the Crowne Plaza Chicago Metro Hotel, 733 W. Madison St., will begin at 6 p.m. with a reception, followed by a short program, dinner and dancing. The program will highlight HCOE pipeline programs and established partnerships. Alumni and friends will be invited to assist by mentoring local high school, college and medical students. “We hope to reconnect Latino alumni and friends with the college and current students,” said Dr. Jorge Girotti, associate dean of the college and director of admissions and special curricular programs and director of the Center. “The cost of medical school has gone up dramatically, and I would urge everyone to support our scholarship fund, even if they can’t join us Saturday evening.” HCOE reaches out to high school and college students to increase the number of applicants in the health care professions, Girotti said. Financial support is vital since many talented students come from financially disadvantaged families. “Spanish-speaking, bicultural professionals are key to improving care for Latino individuals who face linguistic and cultural barriers in accessing quality health care,” Girotti said. The Hispanic Center of Excellence was established in 1991. Through its efforts, UIC graduates the largest number of Latino physicians in the U.S. The UIC College of Medicine awards 60 percent of all M.D. degrees earned by Latinos in Illinois. More information on attending “Ayer, Hoy y Mañana: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow,” becoming a mentor, or contributing to the Hispanic Center of Excellence Scholarship Fund can be obtained by contacting Girotti at (312) 996-4493, <a href="mailto:jorgeg@uic.edu">jorgeg@uic.edu</a> or Juan Mosqueda, information resource specialist, at (312)996-4493, <a href="mailto:mosqueda@uic.edu">mosqueda@uic.edu</a>. jgala@uic.edu (Jeanne Galatzer-Levy) http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3347&fromhome=1 Mon, 3 Oct 2011 16:06:47 -0500 Knockout of Protein Prevents Colon Tumor Formation in Mice http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3342&fromhome=1 A protein that regulates cell differentiation in normal tissue may play a different role in colon and breast cancer, activating proliferation of damaged cells, according to researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine. The protein, called PTK6, is found in normal skin and gut cells -- and in cancerous, but not normal, breast tissue. "Our research has primarily focused on the normal function of this protein in the gut, where it regulates growth and differentiation," said Angela Tyner, professor of biochemistry and molecular genetics. Epithelial cells, such as skin cells and the cells that line the colon, turn over rapidly. To replace them, new cells must be continuously produced that become specialized, or differentiated, to perform specific functions. To further their investigation of PTK6, Tyner and her colleagues developed a mouse that lacked the PTK6 gene. Based on their observation of increased growth in the intestine, Tyner's group suspected that mice lacking PTK6 would be more susceptible to cancer. Using a carcinogen, the researchers induced colon tumors resembling human sporadic colon cancer in mice lacking the PTK6 gene and in normal mice. "Mice lacking PTK6 were highly resistant to the carcinogen and developed fewer tumors," Tyner said. "It was an unexpected result." Tyner and her colleagues were able to establish the reason for this unexpected result. They found that PTK6 was activating a protein responsible for turning genes on and off called STAT3. Previous studies have established a role for STAT3 in proliferation and found that it plays an important role in many epithelial cancers, including skin cancer and colon cancer. PTK6 seems to be playing opposite roles in normal and cancer cells, Tyner said. "We believe that PTK6 may play a role in initiation of cancer in the colon, but we don’t yet know what role PTK6 may play in metastasis." Tyner's laboratory is continuing to investigate the role of PTK6 in cancer, which may provide a future target for therapies not only for colon cancer but breast cancer as well. The study, published in Gastroenterology, was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the American Gastroenterological Association. Jessica Gierut was the study's first author, and Yu Zheng, Wenjun Bie, Robert Carroll, Susan Ball-Kell and Andrea Haegebarth also contributed to the study. For more information about UIC, visit <a href="http://www.uic.edu">www.uic.edu</a> jgala@uic.edu (Jeanne Galatzer-Levy) http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3342&fromhome=1 Thu, 29 Sep 2011 13:08:48 -0500 UIC Launches Program to Address Community Violence http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3343&fromhome=1 Chicago youth often witness community violence, such as fights, shootings, burglaries, and gang conflict. The Urban Youth Trauma Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago's Institute for Juvenile Research has launched a program aimed at reducing and preventing community violence affecting youth and families. The initiative, Youth Overcoming Urban Trauma & Healing: a Community Action Network (YOUTH-CAN), is a network of community representatives striving to share information, strategies, and resources to address urban violence. The center will host a conference focusing on how violence affects youth and communities on Sept. 29 at the UIC Forum, 725 W. Roosevelt Road. Invited participants include residents of communities affected by violence, as well as clinicians and counselors, case managers, school personnel, faith-based representatives and law enforcement professionals who will come together to share ideas, resources and tools for violence prevention. Exposure to community violence affects the physical, emotional and social well being of youth and families, says Dr. Liza Suarez, a clinical psychologist and co-director of the Urban Youth Trauma Center at UIC. "These youth may display negative behaviors, such as hostility and aggression, that are frequent survival tactics," Suarez said. They may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and show reckless and risk-taking behavior that embodies a "live for today, and not tomorrow" attitude; academic underachievement and school failure; and long term difficulties, such as delinquency, violence, and substance abuse, she said. Most families in high-violence areas are already experiencing financial strains and lack resources. "These neighborhoods often suffer additional socio-economic stressors such as vandalism, open-air drug dealing, homelessness, and joblessness that directly impact family functioning," said Dr. Jaleel Abdul-Adil, a clinical psychologist and co-director of the Urban Youth Trauma Center. “Consequently, parents’ own distress resulting from exposure to violence may impact their ability to provide safe environments, consistent parenting, and social connection.” Public health efforts to ameliorate community violence need to target entire communities and service systems, Abdul-Adil said. Collaborative approaches are more likely to have an impact. The Urban Youth Trauma Center is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, as part of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, a unique nationwide collaboration of academic and community-based service centers whose collective mission is to raise the standard of care and increase the access to services for traumatized children and their families. For information about the conference, contact <a href="mailto:uytc@psych.uic.edu">uytc@psych.uic.edu.</a> For more information about UIC, visit <a href="http://www.uic.edu">www.uic.edu.</a> smcginn@uic.edu (Sherri McGinnis González) http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3343&fromhome=1 Mon, 26 Sep 2011 15:40:55 -0500 Parents Play Key Role in Child’s ICU Care in New Program http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3327&fromhome=1 Parents are often left on the sidelines when their child is admitted to a hospital's neonatal intensive care unit -- spectators, not players, in their own baby's treatment. A new, advanced-practice neonatal nurse practitioner specialty at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing will educate students in a new model of care. The model forms a critical partnership with parents through the use of information sharing, decision-making and care, making parents an integral part of the team. UIC received a $1.15 million, three-year federal grant to develop a new curriculum that will be incorporated into its doctorate of nursing practice program. The curriculum will better prepare nurses to treat infants within the framework of patient and family-centered care, particularly those in community-based referral centers serving rural and medically underserved areas. "Patient and family-centered care is a strategy to improve patient safety and patient outcomes, as well as patient, family and staff satisfaction," said Rosemary White-Traut, professor and head of the department of women, child and family health science, and the grant's principal investigator. "It is based upon four principles: dignity and respect, information sharing, participation in care, and collaboration." Recent recommendations from the Institute of Medicine support changes in the education of health care providers to ensure they have the essential attitudes, knowledge and skills to partner with families, White-Traut said, and one critical area is in patient and family-centered care. "Unfortunately, the health care system has failed to provide that treatment to newborn infants and their families," she said. Five new courses, to be taught online and through distance-learning by videoconferencing, will be developed for nursing students at UIC and its four regional campuses (Rockford, Quad Cities, Urbana and Peoria). One of the courses will be devoted entirely to patient and family-centered care. Twenty-four graduate nursing students from UIC and its Urban Health Program will be selected for the new curriculum, White-Traut said. The UIC Urban Health Program, created in 1978, recruits and supports students from groups underrepresented in the health professions, specifically African Americans, Latinos and Native Americans, who want to practice in medically underserved areas, she said. During the three years of the grant, 24 clinical sites will be selected for students to learn and practice. The sites will be part of community-based medical centers serving as referral sites from rural areas, intensive care units, long-term care organizations, medical center systems and outpatient developmental clinics. A unique part of the new curriculum is the establishment of an advisory board that will provide counsel on projected trends in patient and family-centered care in neonatal services, White-Traut said. The board will be comprised of parents of high-risk infants, patients who have been treated and released from neonatal intensive care units, and parents whose children have been treated multiple times in neonatal intensive care units. It will also include UIC faculty, neonatalogists, community leaders, UIC's patient safety office, and hospital executives from regional sites. The advisory board will collaborate in the development of the courses, White-Traut said. The grant is funded by the Health Resources and Services Act, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For more information about UIC, visit <a href="http://www.uic.edu">www.uic.edu</a>. samhos@uic.edu (Sam Hostettler) http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3327&fromhome=1 Thu, 22 Sep 2011 10:38:48 -0500 $3.3 Million Grant Expands UIC Disabilities Training Program http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3330&fromhome=1 A successful University of Illinois at Chicago-based interdisciplinary effort to train leaders in programs that help children with developmental disabilities and autism has won a $3.3 million five-year grant from the Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration-Maternal and Child Health Bureau. The grant will be used to expand UIC's Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and other related Disabilities, or LEND, program which trains healthcare providers and administrators who work with families that include children with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Since its beginning in 2008, the LEND program has graduated 50 students representing 14 academic disciplines. The expanded program this year has 26 students from 15 disciplines. The continued funding will also provide more training for community health care professionals on disability issues, especially early identification of Autism Spectrum Disorders. "The program is unique because it completely embraces the interdisciplinary approach by training one or two graduate students or professionals from each of the disciplines," said Ann Cutler, clinical assistant professor of disability and human development and the program's principal investigator. Weekly seminars bring together speakers and students from the varied disciplines -- disability studies, nursing, nutrition, occupational and physical therapy, psychology and psychiatry, the family and self-advocate disciplines, public health, and social work -- to foster wide-ranging discussion of issues from different perspectives. "This is an important element of the program," Cutler said. "It's so rare to have representatives from 15 different disciplines in the same room, engaging in discussion." Admission to the LEND program is competitive. Participants are graduate students or professionals in their field. The program includes seminars, didactic and clinical training, readings, projects and other assignments. UIC partners with the University of Chicago, Rush University, Southern Illinois University and The Autism Program among other area institutions and schools for clinical training. LEND has exceeded its initial goals by providing training to students and professionals in many areas of maternal child health; published over 200 peer-reviewed articles, books or chapters on neurodevelopmental and related disorders; and provided over 4,000 hours of tailored, special assistance to healthcare agencies, groups and professionals, in addition to other services. Cutler said that those who have already completed the LEND program have been hired for top administrative, academic and clinical positions at hospitals, clinics and universities around the country. "Many health care providers and decision makers don't receive adequate training to address the diverse needs of the growing number of families with children with developmental and intellectual disabilities," she said. LEND can change that for the better, "and make a difference for children and families." For more information about UIC, visit <a href="http://www.uic.edu">www.uic.edu</a> francuch@uic.edu (Paul Francuch) http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3330&fromhome=1 Tue, 20 Sep 2011 10:02:53 -0500 Bears’ Bennett, UIC Pharmacy Team Up to Fight the Flu http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3329&fromhome=1 Chicago Bears wide receiver Earl Bennett believes an influenza vaccination is just as important as shoulder pads and headgear in protecting his body. The fourth-year veteran is teaming up with the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy to encourage people to stay healthy by getting a flu shot. Pharmacy students will be giving flu shots from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 26 at the UIC Student Recreation Facility, 737 S. Halsted St. The vaccination is $20, and the event is open to the public. Those who receive a flu shot will be able to meet Bennett and receive his autograph on a miniature football. Pharmacists will be available to answer questions about flu vaccines and other medication-related issues. Light refreshments will be served, and validated parking will be available in a UIC lot adjacent to the facility. People wanting a flu shot after the event can do so at the following UIC locations: University Village Pharmacy, 722 W. Maxwell St.; and Wood Street Pharmacy, 840 S. Wood St. About 200,000 people are hospitalized each year for complications from flu, says Janet Engle, professor and head of pharmacy practice. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, 5 percent to 20 percent of Americans get flu each year. In the past 31 years, annual flu-related deaths have ranged from 3,000 to 49,000. The CDC recommends everyone over the age of 6 months get a flu shot this year, Engle said. "The agency recommends individuals receive a flu shot every year, because last year's flu shot won't protect them this year," she said. "The immune protection a person receives from the flu shot declines over time." Bennett agrees. "As a football player, staying healthy throughout the season is critical to success. Maintaining your health can be as much about taking necessary preventative steps more than anything," he said. "The same goes for preventing the flu. A simple vaccination can keep you healthy and productive. That's why I get my flu shot every year and everyone should too." The influenza virus is spread by coughing, sneezing or nasal secretions. Anyone can contract the disease, but it is especially prevalent in children. For most people symptoms last only a few days, but it can disrupt a person's life for up to two weeks, Engle said. Symptoms include fever and chills; cough; sore throat; headache; muscle aches; fatigue; and runny or stuffy nose. For more information, visit the UIC Pharmacy Facebook page at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/uicpharmacy">www.facebook.com/uicpharmacy</a>. For more information on UIC, visit <a href="http://www.uic.edu">www.uic.edu</a>. samhos@uic.edu (Sam Hostettler) http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3329&fromhome=1 Mon, 19 Sep 2011 09:23:35 -0500 Study to Examine Direct-to-Consumer Drug Ads on TV http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3328&fromhome=1 Do pharmaceutical ads educate patients and improve health -- or merely spur drug sales? Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago's Institute for Health Research and Policy will conduct the first comprehensive study of televised drug commercials using Nielsen Media Research and health care utilization data. The research is funded by a $3 million, four-year grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The U.S. is the only country that allows televised ads for prescription drugs. Direct-to-consumer drug commercials are the fourth most common category of television advertising. "The increase in the amount of advertising has coincided with huge increases in health care costs," said Sherry Emery, principal investigator of the project at UIC, who notes that advertising has not likely caused the entire rise in health care costs. "On the one hand, the pharmaceutical industry claims that these advertisements provide a public service by educating consumers and giving people information to take to their doctors that might improve their health and ultimately result in lower health care costs," Emery said. "But there are a lot of economists who would suggest that you don't advertise a product unless you expect to make money from it -- and these ads might be driving excess demand." Previous research has not demonstrated either effect conclusively, said Emery, a senior research scientist at the UIC institute, perhaps because such studies have focused on single categories of drugs. Several studies have examined the effect of direct-to-consumer advertising on consumers' behavior and health outcomes, but most have used aggregate spending rather than more refined measures of ad exposure. "It seems reasonable that an advertisement for a cholesterol medication that treats a non-symptomatic condition might be different than an advertisement for an asthma medication, where if you don't adhere to the medication, you may end up in the hospital with a flare-up of your asthma," she said. Emery and colleagues will use the Nielsen data to examine direct-to-consumer advertising on health care utilization and pharmaceutical sales of eight therapeutic classes of drugs promoted in the top 75 U.S. media markets from 2005-2009. The drugs include those for allergies, asthma, arthritis, depression, erectile dysfunction, hyperlipidemia, sleep disorder, and smoking cessation. Data from millions of patients will be examined for doctor visits, hospitalizations, new prescriptions, and prescription refills. The study will take into account different patient characteristics and regional differences in access to physicians. The researchers will also evaluate the content of the ads to see how they vary among drug classes -- and whether these differences affect their impact. There are three types of pharmaceutical ads, which are subject to different levels of regulation by the FDA: product claim ads, which include the drug name, an FDA-approved use, and the most significant risks; reminder ads, which give the name of the drug but not its uses, which do not have to contain risk information; and help-seeking ads, which describe a disease or condition but do not recommend a specific treatment. "It's conceivable that the different types of advertising are used differently by drug class and that they might affect the way people respond to the advertisement in terms of their health-seeking behavior and their demand for the medication," said Emery. Co-principal investigator of the study is Caleb Alexander and co-investigator is David Meltzer, both from the University of Chicago. An <a href="https://blackboard.uic.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/web/news/podcasts/PdCst85-Sept14%2711-Emery.mp3">audio recording</a> on this subject is available. A photo of Emery is available at <a href="http://newsphoto.lib.uic.edu/v/emery/">http://newsphoto.lib.uic.edu/v/emery/</a>. For more information about UIC, visit <a href="http://www.uic.edu">www.uic.edu</a>. smcginn@uic.edu (Sherri McGinnis González) http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3328&fromhome=1 Wed, 14 Sep 2011 08:47:35 -0500 Medicinal Plant Researcher Norman Farnsworth, 1930-2011 http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3326&fromhome=1 Norman R. Farnsworth, distinguished professor of pharmacognosy at the University of Illinois at Chicago, died Sept. 10. He was 81. Farnsworth, who directed UIC's Program for Collaborative Research, was a pioneer who spent more than 50 years studying the medicinal properties of natural plant products. Farnsworth served on the UIC faculty for more than 40 years and as head of pharmacognosy for 12 years. Jerry Bauman, dean of the UIC College of Pharmacy, said Farnsworth's recruitment from the University of Pittsburgh brought a "culture of sophisticated research" that has persisted. "We are consistently rated one of the top five research colleges of pharmacy in the United States, and that can be traced back to Norm," Bauman said. "When he came to UIC, it transformed us from being predominantly a teaching-oriented institution to one making major scientific contributions that complement our educational programs. Norm had the ability to recruit extremely talented colleagues and get them to work collaboratively toward common research and scientific goals." In 1982, Farnsworth became director of UIC's Program for Collaborative Research in the Pharmaceutical Sciences, an internationally renowned center for the study of biologically active natural products. The center was established to unite faculty within the University of Illinois system in the biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences. Under Farnsworth's direction, UIC's department of medicinal chemistry and pharmacognosy in 1999 became one of six research centers established by the National Institutes of Health to study dietary supplements. Investigations at the UIC/NIH Center for Botanical Dietary Supplements Research focuses on products that may improve women's health and quality of life, specifically in the areas of menopause, premenstrual syndrome and persistent urinary tract infections. Along with the NIH, Farnsworth's research was funded by the National Science Foundation, the World Health Organization, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, industry and private donations. His research led to more than 500 scientific publications and reviews. Farnsworth continued to play a pivotal role in the field of pharmacognosy until his death. He was a longtime member of the World Health Organization Expert Advisory Panel on Traditional Medicine and was director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Traditional Medicine Program at the UIC College of Pharmacy. He also served as editor-in-chief of the Natural Products Alert Database (NAPralert), a system he established in 1975. NAPralert is a collection of more than 150,000 scientific articles available on-line and serves as an important resource for scientists. Throughout his distinguished career, Farnsworth was the recipient of numerous awards. In 2005 he was awarded the Research Achievement Award from the American Society of Pharmacognosy. The following year he received the North American Menopausal Society/Enzymatic Therapy Botanicals Research Award for his contributions to understanding the role of botanical therapies in the health of peri- and postmenopausal women. In 2010, Farnsworth and 18 other research scientists who serve on the PDQ Complementary and Alternative Medicine Editorial Board were selected to receive a Merit Award from the NIH. He also served on the National Research Council's Committee on Comparative Toxicity of Naturally Occurring Carcinogens, on President Bill Clinton's Commission on Dietary Supplements Labels, and as the first vice president and second president of the American Society of Pharmacognosy. Farnsworth was born in Massachusetts and was a veteran of the Korean War, drafted into the Army infantry at 18 in 1949. Seriously wounded the following winter, he was awarded the Korean Ribbon with Four Battle Stars, the Combat Medical Badge, and the Bronze Star with a "V" device. Farnsworth received a bachelor's degree from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and a doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh. He also holds three honorary doctorates and three honorary professorships in the U.S. and abroad. Farnsworth is survived by his wife, Priscilla; one brother, Bruce; and nieces and nephews. A service will be held in Chicago on Sept. 14. A second service will be held Sept. 16 in his native Lynn, Mass. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be directed to the University of Illinois Foundation/University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Pharmacy, for the Norman R. Farnsworth Endowed Professorship in medicinal chemistry and pharmacognosy. Note: Photos are online at <a href="http://newsphoto.lib.uic.edu/v/Farnsworth"> newsphoto.lib.uic.edu/v/Farnsworth </a>. samhos@uic.edu (Sam Hostettler) http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3326&fromhome=1 Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:57:16 -0500 UIC Receives $1.5M Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3299&fromhome=1 The University of Illinois at Chicago has been selected to develop and execute a strategy for integrating the private sector with the emergency management community during a regional catastrophic event. The City of Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) chose UIC through a project funded by a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program. The project will focus on the Illinois-Indiana-Wisconsin Combined Statistical Area, consisting of 10 Illinois counties, Chicago, five Indiana counties and one Wisconsin county in conjunction with local, State, and Federal established practices and procedures. "We need to address the specific critical infrastructure sectors that have been prioritized based on the first 72-96 hours of a catastrophe, and identify a common understanding of the combine statistical area's operational requirements and gaps related to communications and resource inventory systems," said David Ibrahim, principal investigator of the project and adjunct assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UIC School of Public Health. The UIC project will involve completing a regional needs assessment that includes an inventory of government, private sector, and other essential communication systems; development of a region-wide private sector communications plan; establishment of an automated emergency response network to alert the private sector to major emergency situations; creation of a template to inventory available critical resources in the private sector that may be needed to support government operations during a major disaster; and development of software specifications for the resource inventory database system. The project will rely on voluntary participation from private sector partners and will assess utilities, communications, public health and health care, banking, drinking water and water treatment, and mass transit. "We want to maximize the knowledge and expertise of the region's top 500 companies" in the preparedness planning efforts, said Ibrahim. Faculty from UIC's School of Public Health, College of Business Administration, and Emergency Management and Continuity Planning Certificate Program are co-collaborators on project. Other partners include OEMC, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Cook County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and 10 regional catastrophic planning team subcommittees. For more information about UIC, visit <a href="http://www.uic.edu">www.uic.edu</a> smcginn@uic.edu (Sherri McGinnis González) http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3299&fromhome=1 Thu, 8 Sep 2011 10:54:06 -0500 Medical Center Receives Bariatric Surgery Center Accreditation http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3285&fromhome=1 The University of Illinois Medical Center's bariatric surgery center has received reaccreditation as an American College of Surgeons Level 1 Accredited Bariatric Center -- the only such center in Chicago. Accredited bariatric surgery centers provide not only the hospital resources necessary for optimal care of morbidly obese patients, but also the support and resources necessary to address the entire spectrum of care and needs of bariatric patients, from the pre-hospital phase through the postoperative care and treatment process. UIC was first accredited by the ACS Bariatric Surgery Center Network in 2008. Physicians at the medical center perform robotic-assisted laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, robotic-assisted laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, and laparoscopic adjustable gastric band surgery. In the past two years, more than 500 bariatric procedures were performed. "Obesity plays a critical role in type II diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and many other medical complications," said Dr. Subhashini Ayloo, UIC assistant professor of surgery and director of bariatric surgery at the medical center. "For some patients, the only effective, lasting treatment for severe obesity is weight loss surgery." The medical center offers patients a multidisciplinary approach to bariatric surgery with a state-of-the-art facility, the latest technology to minimize complications, and successful weight loss maintenance through the Nutrition and Wellness Center, said Ayloo. Body contouring procedures and psychological counseling are also available. More than 11 million people in the U.S. suffer from severe obesity. "As an accredited bariatric surgery center we are dedicated to providing the resources necessary to achieve the best outcomes for our patients with an experienced team of caregivers who have combined expertise in nutrition, weight management, diabetes and robotic surgery," said John DeNardo, chief executive officer of the UIC Healthcare System. Accreditation is voluntary and requires an on-site survey by experienced bariatric surgeons. Accredited centers are required to report their bariatric surgery outcomes data to the ACS. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recognizes medical center and allows expanded Medicare coverage of bariatric surgery for beneficiaries of all ages who have been diagnosed with other health problems associated with obesity. Medicare coverage has been limited to procedures performed in facilities certified by the ACS or the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. For more information about the University of Illinois Medical Center, visit <a href="http://www.uillinoismedcenter.org">www.uillinoismedcenter.org</a> smcginn@uic.edu (Sherri McGinnis González) http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau/cgi-bin/index.cgi?from=Releases&to=Release&id=3285&fromhome=1 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 15:50:44 -0500