| In this issue: | December 2, 2004 |
A newsletter by any other name |
| Things are moving and changing at the Health Sciences Center…but there is at least one constant, namely the spirit of pride in the amazing accomplishments of our faculty, staff, residents and students. This newsletter needs to reflect that excitement and collaboration that defines our colleges of medicine, nursing and public health and our school of physical therapy. So, here's my offer. In the true spirit of faculty and staff involvement as well as playing to the competitive spirit that I know exists out there, whoever submits the name for the HSC News that we end up using will get a free dinner for two at their favorite Tampa restaurant. Be creative and send your suggestions by Dec. 15 to our editor, Sarah Worth at sworth@hsc.usf.edu. The winning name will reflect what our HSC communications strive to do, namely bring us closer together in a spirit of collaboration that reflect our finest accomplishments. |
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The name should also be appropriate for both our hard copy and on-line versions of the newsletter. Our goal, as with everything else we will do, is to bring technology as a resource to bring the different missions and colleges closer together. An integrated news site will allow you to find out what your colleagues are doing and where USF Health Sciences Center is going. | |
NIH gives USF $1.1 million to improve Alzheimer's disease vaccine |
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By Anne DeLotto Baier |
New lab proves breathing problems triggered by the environment |
| By Anne DeLotto Baier Breathing. It's something we do without thinking – unless it becomes a struggle. The USF College of Public Health has opened a respiratory laboratory that uses new technology to study breathing problems with little patient discomfort and effort. Researchers are delving into the inner workings of the lungs to investigate whether biochemical changes in lung defenses, as people age, make older populations more susceptible to respiratory tract infections and air pollution. |
 Dr. Stuart Brooks (right), director of the USF Breath Lab, measures exhaled breath nitric oxide concentration as Callie Kabrick breathes into an analyzer. Photo by Eric Younghans. |
| "There are definite changes in the lungs as we age — the tissue becomes less elastic, muscle endurance declines and immune response to foreign microorganisms may decrease," said Stuart Brooks, MD, director of the USF Breath Lab. "No one has really looked at the underlying reasons why older people may be at greater risk for lung injury from environmental exposures. We want to understand these differences so we can identify better ways to prevent and treat the potentially damaging effects of inhaled pollutants and other irritants." The researchers also plan to study those with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a medically monitored setting. James McCluskey, MD, MPH, assistant professor of occupational medicine, and Thomas Truncale, MD, assistant professor of pulmonary medicine, work with Dr. Brooks in the interdisciplinary breath research lab. Dr. Brooks, a professor of environmental and occupational health, said he expects to draw on the expertise of faculty from medicine, public health, chemistry and engineering. Physicians from USF's occupational medicine residency and a post-doctoral fellow in pulmonary medicine will train in the lab. The 480-square-feet facility houses more than $200,000 worth of state-of-the-art equipment to noninvasively collect and analyze components of exhaled breath or sputum samples. Initial funding came from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health through the National Occupational Research Agenda. A new pulmonary function test allows patients to breath normally into a mouthpiece and uses different sound wave frequencies to measure air flow resistance and determine how well their lungs are working. This oscillimeter replaces the traditional breathing test, spirometry, which requires patients to blow forcefully into a tube for several seconds to register a reading. By having patients breath into a tube covered by a below-freezing jacket, the researchers can capture very small droplets of condensed breath. The condensation may contain certain indicators of lung injury such as inflammatory chemicals or free radicals — byproducts of cell metabolism that can damage cells and tissue. This technique replaces washing out the lungs with fluid, which requires inserting a bronchoscope or obtaining lung samples by making small snips in the tissue during the bronchoscope examination. An inhalation chamber will help researchers track in real-time the respiratory effects of low concentrations of fly ash, the byproduct of coal-burning power plants. The Plexiglass chamber, designed by USF industrial hygienist Yehia Hammad, ScD, generates and circulates airborne pollutants at concentrations significantly less those currently approved as safe by federal air quality standards. Volunteers who spend time in the chamber will be tested to determine whether inhaling different levels of invisible pollutants subtly impacts the lung's defenses at the molecular level. Dr. Brooks has obtained approval from the Food and Drug Administration to use capsaicin, the active ingredient in chili pepper, to study cough reflexes in older and younger persons. The researchers will determine if people over age 55 have a weaker cough reflex than adults under age 30. Coughing is a basic way to clear foreign particles from the airway, and if that protective capacity declines harmful secretions may accumulate in the lungs, Dr. Brooks said. The Breath Lab team will look for evidence of lung membrane injury and inflammation and try to define how pulmonary defense mechanisms, such as the ability to neutralize damaging free radicals, change with age. The findings may have implications for an increasingly older workforce. "In the next 20 years, workers over age 55 will invariably be performing industrial jobs for longer periods in place of younger workers," Dr. Brooks said. "The question remains are older workers at greater risk for illness from inhaling particulates, gas, vapors or fumes than younger workers?" Dr. Brooks and his colleagues have applied for grants from the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Energy to support their innovative research. Return to top | |
A positive sign |
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| More than 500 folks from HSC picnicked under the oaks on the corner of Holly and Magnolia, the site of the future Center for Advanced Health Care. The new facility will offer clinical services in an environment that has collaboration at its core. The official groundbreaking is set for the spring, but the unveiling of an impressive sign was the high note of Nov. 22 lunch gathering. Dr. Stephen Klasko, vice president for Health Sciences, donned an apron and served fresh onion rings. Hungry staff lined up and ate well. And HSC leaders posed with USF President Judy Genshaft (rigth) in front of the larger-than-life sign. From left is Dr. Sandy Quillen (School of Physical Therapy), Dr. Donna Petersen (College of Public Health), Dr. Klasko (HSC and College of Medicine), Dr. Patricia Burns (College of Nursing), and Genshaft. Photo by Eric Younghans. Return to top |
In the News |
| • The USF College of Medicine was featured in a front-page Oct. 21 Tampa Tribune story on the nationwide influx of women into medical schools. For the first time in the school's history, women are in the majority. Peter Fabri, MD, associate dean and director of USF's residency programs, commented on how the increase in women is impacting graduate medical education. Also quoted were second-year medical student Jennifer Beckman, president of the local chapter of the American Medical Women's Association, and fourth-year student Myra Carreon, who balances medical school and raising a family. • Patricia Gorzka, PhD, ARNP, associate professor and manager of the Nursing Continuing Education Program, was profiled in the Oct. 22 Tampa Bay Business Journal as the winner of the journal's 2004 Health Care Heroes Award in the Health Care Educator category. Health care hero finalists mentioned in the same issue included USF's Thomas Freeman, MD, professor of neurosurgery, Health Care Innovation & Research category; Alexander Rosemurgy, MD, director of general surgery, Physicians; Ronald Schonwetter, MD, professor and director of geriatric medicine, Lifetime Achievement; and Estrellita "Lo" Berry, project director of the federal Central Hillsborough County Healthy Start Project at the Chiles Center, Community Outreach. • USF vascular surgeon Brad Johnson, MD, commented on a less invasive alternative to carotid endarterectomy, a treatment to reduce risk of stroke, in the Oct. 22 Tampa Bay Business Journal. Dr. Johnson participated in FDA trials for the carotid stents, designed to prop open the carotid artery and ease blood flow to the brain. Dr. Johnson said he expects the new stenting procedure, initially approved only for high-risk patients, to become more widely accepted. • Richard Lockey, MD, professor and director of the Division of Allergy and Immunology, discussed the health effects of indoor mold Oct. 25 on ABC Action News Ch. 28. Dr. Lockey said mold is not as toxic as the public fears and mold allergies rank far behind allergic reactions to dust mites, cockroaches and dog and cat dander. • USF pediatrician and child health policy expert Lisa Simpson, MB, BCH, MPH, commented for a Nov. 1 American Medical News story on the challenges of translating research into clinical practice. The article cited Dr. Simpson's own struggles to get evidence-based care for her child's ear infections. By Anne DeLotto Baier abaier@hsc.usf.edu |
Combination antibiotic therapy improves Chlamydia-induced arthritis |
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By Anne DeLotto Baier |
Cannabis may combat cancer-causing herpes virus |
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The compound in marijuana that produces a high, delta-9 tetrahydrocannbinol or THC, may block the spread of several forms of cancer causing herpes viruses, USF College of Medicine scientists report. The findings, published Sept. 15 in the online journal BMC Medicine, could lead to the creation of antiviral drugs based on nonpsychoactive derivatives of THC. |
PT class commits to professionalism |
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| With friends, families and community clinicians in attendance, 29 members of the USF School of Physical Therapy's master's class of 2006 formally accepted the responsibility and obligations of entering the profession in a ceremony Oct. 21. Keynote speaker for the event was Dr. Andrew Guccione, senior vice-president of the American Physical Therapy Association. Each student received a white coat, a copy of the oath written by their class, and a USF pin. R. Neil White (Class of 2006) received the inaugural Student Professionalism award which is given to a second-year student whose classmates believe most exemplifies the values of professionalism. Representatives from hospitals and centers in the greater Tampa Bay area that served as founding community clinical education centers were also recognized. Return to top |
Arts and Crafts Show Dec. 10 and HSC Holiday Party Dec. 17 |
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The annual HSC Arts and Crafts Show will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 10 in the HSC breezeway between the USF Medical Clinic and the HSC Human Resources. Lots of great gift ideas: gift baskets, ornaments, stained glass, jewelry, wood crafts and baked goods. New this year is lunch by Travieso Catering: For $6.40, you'll get a choice of baked chicken, roasted pork or shredded beef, served with yellow rice, red or black beans, and plantains. Sold separately will be empanadas, stuffed potatoes and drinks. |
Mark your calendars for Mini-Med School |
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The USF Health Sciences Center is sponsoring Mini-Med School Jan. 31 and Feb. 7 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in the Louise Lykes Ferguson Hall at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. Mini-Med School is a free community outreach program where USF professors, researchers and clinicians tell of the latest medical advances and the future of medicine. Speakers include faculty of the USF colleges of medicine, nursing, public health and school of physical therapy. |