http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/uclaen-usWed, 07 May 2008 07:00:00 GMTHealth Sciences: UCLA NewsroomUCLA NewsroomiPressroom.comEnrique RiveroDoes drug product placement on TV require new regulations?http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/drug-product-placement-on-prime-49511.aspx?link_page_rss=49511http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/drug-product-placement-on-prime-49511.aspxWith more and more branded consumer products finding their way directly into popular television sitcoms and dramas, are prescription drugs soon to follow?
 
Pharmaceutical product placement in TV shows is a very real possibility that warrants attention from the federal Food and Drug Administration and other policymakers, a new UCLA report argues.
 
In a paper published in the spring issue of the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, UCLA clinical research fellow Sony Ta and Dominick Frosh, a UCLA assistant professor of general internal medicine and health services research, recommend the development and enforcement of new federal guidelines to protect consumers from misleading or inaccurate information.
 
"There have been numerous examples of drug manufacturers releasing [direct to consumer] campaigns that are later withdrawn because of FDA warnings about misleading and overreaching statements," Ta and Frosch write. "Our observation suggests that drug inclusion in scripts is, at best, poorly supervised and leaves the possibility for aggressive marketers to abuse this potential."
 
The authors, both with the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, argue that the "trusting" relationship some viewers develop with television characters — particularly doctors and nurses — can make them prime targets for the potentially inflated claims of pharmaceutical manufacturers.
 
Currently, pharmaceutical advertisements are ubiquitous during commercial breaks. But with digital video technologies like TiVo allowing viewers to skim through commercials touting the newest cholesterol-lowering and erectile dysfunction drugs, how can companies find a captive audience?
 
Food and beverage companies, car manufacturers and others have discovered that placing their products directly into programs is an effective way of reaching these wily viewers and increasing brand awareness. So, will viewers soon be seeing the good doctors on "ER" prescribe specific cholesterol or acid reflux medications? Or will a "desperate housewife" become suspicious when the well-known blue, diamond-shaped pill appears her new lover's drawer?
 
The FDA regulates prescription drug advertising, but the agency does not have a specific policy regulating how drugs are promoted outside traditional TV commercials. With no policies to guide pharmaceutical product placement, consumers may find that TiVo can't help them avoid drug marketing.
 
The authors suggest three alternatives:
  • Better enforce established federal regulations — sponsors could be identified in the credits at the beginning or end of a broadcast.
  • Recognize that commercial drug placements are advertisements and require them to follow FDA guidelines for traditional prescription drug ads. (This would be unlikely, given that the Federal Trade Commission does not consider product placements advertisements; still, it is the FDA that ultimately regulates prescription drug marketing.)
  • Approach drug product placements as a distinct form of promotion requiring new guidelines.
 
"We believe that prescription drugs, like OTC medications and dietary supplements, are different from other products, including alcohol and tobacco because of the perceived health benefits argued for their consumption, and this warrants distinct recognition," the authors write. "Because product placements are a different form of promotion than commercials, we also believe that new guidelines need to be developed for their use. In the case of drug placements, the third policy alternative discussed may be an appropriate balance between the current regulatory environment and consumer protection."
]]>Wed, 07 May 2008 07:00:00 GMTMark WheelerStudy uses music to explore the autistic brain's emotion processinghttp://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/using-music-to-explore-the-neural-49912.aspx?link_page_rss=49912http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/using-music-to-explore-the-neural-49912.aspxMusic has a universal ability to tap into our deepest emotions. Unfortunately, for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), understanding emotions is a very difficult task. Can music help them?
 
Thanks to funding from the GRAMMY Foundation Grant Program, researchers at UCLA are about to find out.
 
Individuals with ASD have trouble recognizing emotions, particularly social emotions conveyed through facial expressions — a frown, a smirk or a smile. This inability can rob a child of the chance to communicate and socialize and often leads to social isolation.
 
In an innovative study led by Istvan Molnar-Szakacs, a researcher at the UCLA Tennenbaum Center for the Biology of Creativity, music will be used as a tool to explore the ability of children with ASD to identify emotions in musical excerpts and facial expressions.
 
"Music has long been known to touch autistic children," Molnar-Szakacs said. "Studies from the early days of autism research have already shown us that music provokes engagement and interest in kids with ASD. More recently, such things as musical memory and pitch abilities in children with ASD have been found to be as good as or better than in typically developing children."
 
In addition, he said, researchers have shown that because many children with ASD are naturally interested in music, they respond well to music-based therapy.
 
But no one has ever done a study to see if children with ASD process musical emotions and social emotions in the same way that typically developing children do.
 
In this study, Molnar-Szakacs will use "emotional music" to examine the brain regions involved in emotion processing.
 
"Our hypothesis is that if we are able to engage the brain region involved in emotion processing using emotional music, this will open the doorway for teaching children with ASD to better recognize emotions in social stimuli, such as facial expressions."
 
The overarching goal of the study, of course, is to gain insights about the causes of autism. Molnar-Szakacs will use neuroimaging — functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI — to look at and compare brain activity in ASD children with brain activity in typically developing kids while both groups are engaged in identifying emotions from faces and musical excerpts.
 
"The study should help us to better understand how the brain processes emotion in children with autism; that, in turn, will help us develop more optimal interventions," Molnar-Szakacs said. "Importantly, this study will also help us promote the use of music as a powerful tool for studying brain functions, from cognition to creativity."
 
Approximately 15 children with ASD, ranging in age from 10 to 13, will participate in the study, which is being conducted under the auspices of the Help Group–UCLA Autism Research Alliance. The alliance, directed by UCLA's Elizabeth Laugeson, is an innovative partnership between the nonprofit Help Group, which serves children with special needs related to autism, and the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, and is dedicated to enhancing and expanding ASD research. The project is also being conducted in collaboration with Katie Overy, co-director of the Institute for Music in Human and Social Development at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.
 
"The hope, of course, is that this work will not only be of scientific value and interest, but most of all, that it will translate into real-life improvements in the quality of the children's lives," Molnar-Szakacs said.
 
The GRAMMY Foundation was established in 1989 to cultivate the understanding, appreciation and advancement of the contribution of recorded music to American culture. The foundation accomplishes this mission through programs and activities that engage the music industry and cultural community, as well as the general public. The foundation works in partnership year-round with the Recording Academy to bring national attention to important issues such as the value and impact of music and arts education. The $40,000 grant from the foundation's grant program is generously funded by the Recording Academy. Now in its 21st year, the GRAMMY Foundation Grant Program has awarded $5.3 million to more than 250 noteworthy projects.
 
The UCLA Tennenbaum Center for the Biology of Creativity advances knowledge about the biological bases of creativity by studying the molecular, cellular, systems and cognitive mechanisms that result in cognitive enhancements and creativity. The center is part of the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, an interdisciplinary research and education institute devoted to the understanding of complex human behavior, including the genetic, biological, behavioral and sociocultural underpinnings of normal behavior, and the causes and consequences of neuropsychiatric disorders.
 
]]>Wed, 07 May 2008 07:00:00 GMTRachel ChampeauConference explores new technologies for longer, healthier liveshttp://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-conference-to-highlight-latest-49981.aspx?link_page_rss=49981http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-conference-to-highlight-latest-49981.aspx
WHAT:
The UCLA Technology and Aging Conference will bring together academic and industry experts to highlight the latest medical and consumer technologies leading to longer, healthier lives. Panel discussions will explore the intersection of technology and aging in areas such as robotics, operating-room computer advances, diagnostics, health monitoring and consumer product development. Breakout sessions will address the latest developments in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, arthritis, nutrition, diabetes, joint replacement, audiology, memory and eye care.
 
The event is sponsored by the UCLA Center on Aging and the UCLA Office of Continuing Medical Education. For a full schedule, visit www.cme.ucla.edu/courses/event-description?event%5fid=401071.
 
WHO:
UCLA Chancellor Gene D. Block will open the conference. Eric Dishman of Intel Corp. and Joseph Coughlin of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's AgeLab will deliver the keynote addresses. Other panel and session participants include:
New Technology and the Aging Brain
Dr. Gary Small, director, UCLA Center on Aging
 
The Operating Room of the Future
Erin Johnson, Zimmer Inc.
Dr. Peter Schulam, UCLA Division of Endourology
Dr. Carmack Holmes, UCLA Center for Advanced Surgical and Interventional Technology (moderator)
 
Aftermath of Stroke: The Road to Recovery
Kirk Douglas, actor, author and stroke survivor
Dr. Bruce Dobkin, UCLA Neurologic Rehabilitation and Research Unit
Dr. Gerald S. Levey, vice chancellor, UCLA Medical Sciences and dean, Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (moderator)
 
The SilverTech Frontier: Connectivity and Mobility for the Older Consumer
Susan Ayers Walker, SmartSilvers (moderator)
Donald Jones, Qualcomm Inc.
Shannon Lundberg, Elite Care Technologies
Fred Lupton, Toyota Technical Center
 
The Future of Healthcare: Where Will Technology Take Us?
Meera Kanhouwa, Microsoft
Dadong Wan, Accenture Technology Labs
Rajit Gadh, UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science
C. Anthony Jones, Next Lifesciences (moderator)
 
Leveraging the Power of Technological Innovations
Nicole Spelhaug, MayoClinic.com
Deborah Estrin, UCLA Center for Embedded Networked Sensing
Bob Foster, UCLA Anderson School of Management (moderator)

WHEN:
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, May 9
 
WHERE:
Skirball Cultural Center
2701 North Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif. 90049
 
MEDIA CONTACT:
Rachel Champeau, UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 310-794-0777 ]]>Wed, 07 May 2008 07:00:00 GMTKim IrwinStem cell researchers create heart, blood cells from skin cellshttp://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-stem-cell-researchers-create-49637.aspx?link_page_rss=49637http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-stem-cell-researchers-create-49637.aspxStem cell researchers at UCLA have grown functioning cardiac cells using mouse skin cells that had been reprogrammed into cells with the same unlimited properties as embryonic stem cells.
 
The finding is the first to show that induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells — which don't involve the use of embryos or eggs — can be differentiated into the three types of cardiovascular cells needed to repair the heart and blood vessels.
 
The discovery could one day lead to clinical trials of new treatments for people who suffer heart attacks, have atherosclerosis or are in heart failure, said Dr. Robb MacLellan, a researcher at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA and senior author of the study. Researchers also were able to differentiate the iPS cells into several types of blood cells, which may one day aid in treating blood diseases and in bone marrow transplantation.
 
"I believe iPS cells address many of the shortcomings of human embryonic stem cells and are the future of regenerative medicine," said MacLellan, who is also an associate professor of cardiology and physiology at UCLA. "I'm hoping that these scientific findings are the first step towards one day developing new therapies that I can offer my patients. There are still many limitations with using iPS cells in clinical studies that we must overcome, but there are scientists in labs across the country working to address these issues right now."
 
The study, which brought together stem cell and cardiology researchers at UCLA, appears online May 1 in the journal Stem Cells at www.stemcells.com/cgi/content/abstract/2008-0033v1.
 
Last June, UCLA stem cell researchers were among several scientific teams that were the first to create iPS cells by reprogramming mouse skin cells into cells resembling embryonic stem cells, which have the ability to become every cell type found in the body. MacLellan and his team used UCLA's iPS cells in their study.
 
Although iPS cells are believed to be very similar to embryonic stem cells, further study needs to be done to confirm their differentiation potential. MacLellan's study proved that iPS cells can be induced into becoming cardiovascular cells, an important step in the confirmation process.
 
"Theoretically, iPS cells are able to differentiate into 220 different cells types," said Dr. Miodrag Stojkovic, co-editor of Stem Cells. "For the first time, scientists from UCLA were able to induce the differentiation of mouse iPS cells into functional heart cells."
 
In MacLellan's study, the iPS cells were cultured on a protein matrix known to direct embryonic stem cells into differentiating into cardiovascular progenitor cells, immature heart cells that can give rise to mature cardiac cells that perform different functions. The progenitor cells were then isolated from the other iPS cells that did not differentiate using a protein marker called KDR, a growth-factor receptor expressed on the surface of the progenitor cells.
 
Once isolated, the cardiovascular progenitor cells were coaxed into becoming cardiomyocytes, or mature heart muscle cells that control heartbeat; endothelial cells, which form rudimentary blood vessels; and vascular smooth muscle cells, the specialized cells that line blood vessel walls. Once mature, the cardiomyocytes beat in the petri dish.
 
Studies are under way now at UCLA to determine if human iPS cells behave similarly to mouse cells. If they do, the time may come when a person could use their own skin cells to create individualized iPS cell lines to provide cells for cardiac repair and regeneration, MacLellan said.
 
It is vital to be able to grow and isolate progenitor, or partially differentiated, cells that can create the three types of cardiac cells for potential clinical use. When embryonic stem cells are injected directly into the heart in animal models, they create tumors, because the cells differentiate not only into cardiac cells but into other cells found in the human body. Likewise, using embryonic stem cells garnered from sources other than the patient could result in rejection of the injected cells.
 
The use of iPS cells may solve those problems. If the iPS cells come from the patient, rejection should not be an issue. Additionally, the use of cells that are already partially transformed into specific cardiac cell types may prevent tumor growth. The use of iPS cells also sidesteps the controversy some associate with deriving pluripotent stem cells from embryos or eggs, MacLellan said.
 
"Our hope is that, based on this work in mice, we can show that similar cardiovascular progenitor cells can be found in human iPS cells and, using a similar strategy, that we can isolate the progenitor cells and differentiate them into the cells types found in the human heart," MacLellan said.
 
UCLA's stem cell center was launched in 2005 with a UCLA commitment of $20 million over five years. A $20 million gift from the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation in 2007 resulted in the renaming of the center.
 
The Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA, with more than 150 members, is committed to a multidisciplinary, integrated collaboration of scientific, academic and medical disciplines for the purpose of understanding adult and human embryonic stem cells. The institute supports innovation, excellence and the highest ethical standards focused on stem cell research with the intent of facilitating basic scientific inquiry directed towards future clinical applications to treat disease. The center is a collaboration of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the UCLA College of Letters and Science. To learn more about the center, visit www.stemcell.ucla.edu.
]]>Thu, 01 May 2008 07:00:00 GMTAmy AlbinAntidepressant found to alleviate IBS symtpoms in adolescentshttp://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/low-dose-antidepressant-therapy-49432.aspx?link_page_rss=49432http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/low-dose-antidepressant-therapy-49432.aspxResearchers at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA have found that low-dose antidepressant therapy can significantly improve the overall quality of life for adolescents suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS.
 
The syndrome affects 6 percent of middle school students and 14 percent of high school kids in the United States.
 
The study, published in the May issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of Pediatrics, is the first of its kind to look at the effects of amitriptyline, a tricyclic antidepressant, in the pediatric IBS population, researchers said.
 
The research was conducted between 2002 and 2005 and involved 33 newly diagnosed IBS patients, including 24 girls, between the ages of 12 and 18.
 
Irritable bowel syndrome causes discomfort in the abdomen, along with diarrhea, constipation or both. Currently, there is no cure, and treatments only lessen the symptoms.
 
"While research has shown that amitriptyline is effective for adults with IBS, only peppermint oil has been studied in children with this disorder in a double-blind, placebo-controlled fashion," said Dr. Ron J. Bahar, assistant clinical professor of pediatric gastroenterology at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA and lead author of the study. "Our results show that amitriptyline significantly improves overall quality-of-life measurements in adolescents and should be a therapeutic option for these patients. We were actually surprised to reach our conclusion with a relatively small number of subjects."
 
The 13-week study consisted of three phases: two weeks of enrollment and symptom scoring, eight weeks of therapy with amitriptyline or a placebo, and three weeks of post-medication "washout" and symptom scoring.
 
Patients were randomized in a double-blinded fashion to receive the antidepressant or a placebo and were surveyed at two, six, 10 and 13 weeks using a symptom checklist, a pain-rating scale, a pain intensity and frequency scale, and an IBS quality-of-life questionnaire.
 
The results showed that patients receiving amitriptyline were more likely to experience:
  • An improvement in overall quality of life at six, 10 and 13 weeks.
  • A reduction in IBS-associated diarrhea at six and 10 weeks.
  • A reduction in pain near the belly button at 10 weeks.
  • A reduction in pain in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen at six, 10 and 13 weeks.
 
Bahar said that more than half of eligible patients, or their parents or guardians, refused to enroll in the study because they were uncomfortable with using an antidepressant medication of any kind, citing negative reports in the media about their side effects and the Food and Drug Administration's formal 2004 "black box" warnings regarding the increased potential for suicide in children using antidepressants.
 
"However, the dose of AMI (amitriptyline) used in this study, as well as IBS treatment for adults, is far less than the dose to treat depression," Bahar said. "At these low levels, it could be considered a remedy to treat neuropathic pain associated with chronic pain symptoms, rather than an antidepressant or psychotropic medication."
 
The next stage of research will look at the long-term follow-up of these patients to determine who will continue to stay well on the medication, whose symptoms resolve spontaneously and what other medications can be used as an alternative to amitriptyline for adolescents with IBS.
 
The research was funded by James L. Brooks and the Diane Brooks Medical Research Foundation of the California Community Foundation, and by the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.
 
Other study authors included Dr. Brynie S. Collins, Dr. Barry Steinmetz and Dr. Marvin Ament.
 
Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA, one of the highest-rated children's hospitals in Southern California, is a vital component of UCLA Medical Center, which is ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the third best hospital in nation and best in the western United States. Mattel Children's Hospital offers a full spectrum of primary and specialized medical care for infants, children and adolescents. The hospital's mission is to provide state‑of-the-art treatment for children in a compassionate atmosphere, as well as to improve the understanding and treatment of pediatric diseases. For more information, visit www.uclahealth.org/mattel.
]]>Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMTRoxanne MosterStatement on indictment of former Medical Center employeehttp://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/statement-regarding-the-april-49614.aspx?link_page_rss=49614http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/statement-regarding-the-april-49614.aspx"We are deeply troubled that a former employee may have illegally received payments from a news organization in exchange for providing personal medical information," said Dr. David T. Feinberg, chief executive officer and interim vice chancellor of the UCLA Hospital System. "We welcome the U.S. attorney's investigation and stand ready to cooperate in achieving a swift and fair outcome. Meanwhile, we continue to take steps to improve our staff training and information systems to further strengthen the confidentiality of patient records."
 
For more information on steps being taking by the UCLA Health System to strengthen patient privacy, visit www.newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/document/Hospital_Breach.pdf.
]]>Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:50:25 GMTRachel ChampeauWhat puts heart patients in the hospital? Study IDs common factorshttp://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-study-identifies-factors-48778.aspx?link_page_rss=48778http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-study-identifies-factors-48778.aspxNearly two out of three patients who end up in the hospital for heart failure suffer from at least one "precipitating factor," say researchers who examined data on some 49,000 heart failure patients collected during their hospital stays.
 
Among the most frequent factors leading to hospitalization were pneumonia, irregular heart beat and obstructed blood flow to the heart, according to the UCLA study, which appears in the April 28 edition of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
 
Researchers identified these and other precipitating health factors present at hospital admission, which contributed to hospitalization and impacted the length of time patients spent in the hospital, as well as re-hospitalization and mortality rates — both in the hospital and after discharge.
 
"Understanding the factors that can exacerbate heart failure and lead to hospitalizations — especially the ones that are avoidable — are invaluable to clinicians to help us improve management of heart failure," said the study's first author, Dr. Gregg C. Fonarow, UCLA's Eliot Corday Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine and Science and director of the Ahmanson-UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center.
 
According to Fonarow, the study is one of the largest to examine the frequency with which these precipitating factors occur in heart failure patients admitted to the hospital and to assess the impact they have on clinical outcomes. An academic team of researchers across the country contributed to the research.
 
Heart failure affects 5 million Americans, with nearly 3.6 million hospitalizations each year attributed the condition, which occurs when the heart's left ventricle can no longer pump enough blood to the body's other organs.
 
Researchers utilized data from a large heart-failure patient registry known as the Organized Program to Initiate Lifesaving Treatment in Hospitalized Patients with Heart Failure, or Optimize-HF, which includes information on patients from 259 hospitals across the country.
 
Between March 2003 and December 2004, 48,612 eligible heart-failure patients at these academic and community hospitals were enrolled in the registry. In addition, a subgroup of 5,791 was followed for 60 to 90 days after leaving the hospital to collect additional data on post-discharge outcomes, including mortality and re-hospitalization rates.
 
Researchers found that the most frequent factors contributing to hospital admission were pneumonia or respiratory ailments (15.3 percent of patients); obstructed blood flow to the heart, known as ischemia (14.7 percent); irregular heart beat or arrhythmia (13.5 percent); and uncontrolled hypertension (10.7 percent).
 
Additional factors included not adhering to a special diet (5.2 percent), not taking medications (8.9 percent) and worsening kidney function (6.8 percent).
 
"Over 60 percent of hospitalized heart failure patients had at least one of these precipitating factors at hospital admission," Fonarow said.
 
The study authors also determined that patients with none of these factors had lower in-hospital mortality rates than those with one or more of them.
 
Pneumonia, ischemia and worsening kidney function were associated with higher in-hospital mortality and longer hospital stays, while diet and uncontrolled hypertension were associated with lower mortality and shorter stays.
 
"The study offers important insight and points to where we can intervene early, such as making sure patients with heart failure are immunized against flu and pneumonia," Fonarow said.
 
Fonarow said that some conditions are easier to fix, such as getting patients back on blood pressure medication or helping them follow a correct diet, which may help explain why such factors are assocaited with lower mortality and shorter hospital stays.
 
Follow-ups conducted 60 to 90 days after patients left the hospital revealed that the those who had ischemia or worsening kidney function when they were admitted had the highest mortality rates, while those with uncontrolled hypertension had the lowest.
 
"Learning how these factors influence length of hospital stay, mortality and re-hospitalization are key to helping us better manage patients and preventing future hospitalizations," Fonarow said.
 
Fonarow noted that higher-risk patients may benefit from closer monitoring during hospitalization and frequent follow-ups after leaving the hospital. Additional patient education and disease-management strategies may help patients adhere to diet and medications, he said.
 
"In future studies, we plan to target how specific interventions based on these precipitating factors, such as flu vaccinations, may help this high-risk heart failure population," Fonarow said.
 
GlaxoSmithKline sponsored the Optimize-HF registry and funded the study. Fonarow has received research grants and honoraria from GlaxoSmithKine and has served as a consultant to the company.
 
Additional author financial disclosures are available in the paper published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
 
Other study authors include: Dr. William T. Abraham of Ohio State University; Nancy M. Albert and Dr. James B. Young of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation; Wendy Gattis Stough, Pharm.D., and Dr. Christopher M. O'Connor of Duke University Medical Center; Dr. Mihai Gheorghiade of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine; Dr. Barry H. Greenberg of the University of California, San Diego, Medical Center; Karen Pieper and Jie Lena Sun of the Duke Clinical Research Institute; and Dr. Clyde Yancy of the Baylor Heart and Vascular Institute at Baylor University Medical Center.
]]>Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:00:00 GMTKim IrwinEating less fat may prevent prostate cancer, study showshttp://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/reducing-intake-of-dietary-fat-48837.aspx?link_page_rss=48837http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/reducing-intake-of-dietary-fat-48837.aspxScientists with UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center and the UCLA Department of Urology have shown that lowering the intake of the type of fat common in the Western diet helps prevent prostate cancer in mice. The finding is the first of its kind in a mouse model that closely mimics human cancer, researchers said.
 
The study, which appears in the April 15 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Cancer Research, focused on fat from corn oil, which is made up primarily of omega-6 fatty acids — the polyunsaturated fat commonly found in the Western diet. Omega-6 fats are found in high levels in baked and fried goods, said William Aronson, a Jonsson Cancer Center researcher and the study's senior author.
 
Researchers fed one group of mice a diet with roughly 40 percent of its calories coming from fat, a percentage typical in men eating a Western diet. The other group received a diet with 12 percent of calories from fat, considered a very low-fat diet. Researchers found a 27 percent reduced incidence of prostate cancer in the low-fat diet group.
 
Aronson also studied cells in the prostate that were precancerous, or would soon become cancer, and found that the cells in the mice eating the low-fat diet grew much slower than those in the high-fat group.
 
Previous studies in Aronson's lab showed that a low-fat diet slowed the growth of aggressive human prostate cancers in mice and helped the mice live longer. However, whether such a diet could prevent prostate cancer was unknown.
 
"We didn't know what to expect in terms of the role of reducing dietary fat in preventing prostate cancer," said Aronson, a professor of urology. "We think this is an important finding, and we are presently performing further studies in animal models and conducting clinical trials in men."
 
Using a novel mouse model that develops cancer within the prostate over a period of six to nine months, Aronson and his team were able to study cancer incidence and cell growth. The mice were assigned to a dietary fat group at three weeks of age, when they first started ingesting food. Their prostates and prostate cells were studied at seven months.
 
During the growth phase when the precancerous lesions — known as PIN or prostate intraepithelial neoplasia — develop, Aronson found that mice on the low-fat diet had higher levels of a protein in their bloodstreams that binds to insulin-like growth factor, which spurs prostate cancer growth. Aronson believes that lowering dietary fat and increasing levels of the binding protein slows prostate cancer development by cutting off the growth factor that allows the cancer to thrive.
 
"A low-fat, high-fiber diet combined with weight loss and exercise is well known to be healthy in terms of heart disease and is known to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes, so that would be a healthy choice to make," Aronson said. "Whether or not it will prevent prostate cancer in humans remains to be seen."
 
Aronson is now conducting a short-term study in men who are randomly assigned to a Western diet higher in polyunsaturated fat or a low-fat diet with fish oil supplements. The next step is to see how these diets affect malignant and benign human prostate tissue, Aronson said.
 
"We're looking at specific markers and growth factors in human tissue known to be important for development and progression of prostate cancer," he said. "It's this work we hope will lead to longer-term prevention strategies incorporating dietary changes."
 
UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center comprises about 235 researchers and clinicians engaged in disease research, prevention, detection, control, treatment and education. One of the nation's largest comprehensive cancer centers, the Jonsson Center is dedicated to promoting research and translating basic science into leading-edge clinical studies. In July 2007, the Jonsson Cancer Center was named the best cancer center in California by U.S. News & World Report, a ranking it has held for eight consecutive years. For more information, visit www.cancer.ucla.edu.
]]>Tue, 15 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMTUCLA Media RelationsChancellor Block's statement on breaches of patient privacyhttp://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/chancellor-s-statement-on-health-48801.aspx?link_page_rss=48801http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/chancellor-s-statement-on-health-48801.aspxhere (PDF).

In responding to the specific citations received by UCLA Health Systems, Dr. David Feinberg, CEO and Interim Associate Vice Chancellor, UCLA Hospital, said, "We will address the Department of Public Health's findings in a swift, disciplined and effective manner, one that helps ensure all our patients understand our unshakable commitment to the privacy of their care at UCLA." 


]]>Sat, 12 Apr 2008 03:38:10 GMTAmy AlbinUCLA students host annual 5K to benefit Mattel Children’s Hospitalhttp://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-students-host-9th-annual-48553.aspx?link_page_rss=48553http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-students-host-9th-annual-48553.aspx
WHAT:
Actor Michael Chiklis, star of "The Shield" and "Fantastic Four," will host the ninth annual UCLA 5K Run/Walk to benefit the Child Life/Child Development Program at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA. This student-organized event includes a 5-kilometer run/walk through the UCLA campus, live music, a silent auction and more.
 
WHEN:
Sunday, April 13
  • 6:30 a.m.: Registration begins
  • 8 a.m.: Opening ceremonies
  • 8:30 a.m.: Run/walk begins
  • 11:30 a.m.: Closing ceremonies
 
WHERE:
Wilson Plaza, 308 Westwood Plaza, UCLA campus
 
PHOTO/INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES:
  • Michael Chiklis, Emmy Award–winning television and film actor
  • UCLA student organizers
  • UCLA Child Life/Child Development Program staff
  • Hundreds of participants, including students and medical staff
  • Bands: The Elevaters, Burning Tree Project, JP and the Ambassadors, Kazai Rex
 
WEBSITE:
 
BACKGROUND:
Proceeds will directly benefit the internationally renowned Child Life/Child Development Program at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA. When it was established in 1968, the program was one of the first of its kind in the country, and it continues to be a model for other medical centers. The Child Life Program addresses the unique needs of pediatric patients — especially the critically and chronically ill — by offering play therapy, expert consultations and genuine support for patients and their families.
 
PARKING:
Campus parking will be available in Lot 6, at the Ackerman Union turnaround area on Westwood Plaza.
 
CONTACT:
Amanda Maddahi, director of the UCLA Run/Walk, 310-913-3420 (cell)
]]>Thu, 10 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMTSandra ShagatSchool of Dentistry celebrates expansion of Venice Dental Centerhttp://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-school-of-dentistry-celebrates-48191.aspx?link_page_rss=48191http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-school-of-dentistry-celebrates-48191.aspxWHAT:
The UCLA School of Dentistry will formally dedicate the new pediatric dentistry wing at the Wilson-Jennings-Bloomfield UCLA Venice Dental Center, recognizing the project's donors for their longstanding generosity and celebrating the official launch of the new community-based pediatric dentistry residency training program.
 
WHO:
The following project donors will be honored at the event:
  • Bob Wilson '53 and Marion Wilson '50, UCLA alumni whose close relationship with their alma mater goes back more than half a century, as students, volunteer leaders and philanthropists. Bob led Campaign UCLA, the campus's record-setting fundraising initiative, which concluded in 2005. Marion is a past president of UCLA Women & Philanthropy and has served as a member of the UCLA Foundation Board of Governors. In April 2006, the Wilsons received the UCLA Medal in recognition of their extraordinary service to the university.
  • Peggy Bloomfield, a longtime friend of charitable causes in the Los Angeles community, who is particularly well known as a staunch antismoking advocate — a passion she shared with her late husband, William Bloomfield '45, UCLA alumnus and a former member of the School of Dentistry's Board of Counselors.
  • Tom Wilson, who served as the pro bono project manager for the dental center expansion, proudly carrying on his family's tradition of supporting this vitally important community-based clinic.
 
WHEN:
9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 12
  • 9:30 a.m.: Reception
  • 10 a.m.: Recognition and ribbon-cutting ceremony
  • 11 a.m.–1 p.m.: Tours of the clinic and a community oral health fair
 
WHERE:
323 South Lincoln Blvd. (at southwest corner of intersection with Rose Avenue), Venice, Calif. 90291
 
BACKGROUND:
Since 1969, the UCLA School of Dentistry has operated a full-service dental clinic in Venice, meeting the oral health care needs of the Westside community. In the mid-1980s, UCLA alumni Bob Wilson, Gerald Jennings and Bill Bloomfield contributed and raised the funds necessary to purchase and renovate the Venice building where the school's faculty, staff and students currently conduct more than 15,000 patient visits per year. One year ago, the Wilson and Bloomfield families joined efforts once again to fund and manage the creation of a dedicated seven-chair pediatric dentistry wing to serve as the home of a new community-based pediatric dentistry residency program and to provide much-needed care to the children of Venice and surrounding neighborhoods.
 
MEDIA CONTACT:
Sandra Shagat, director of communications, UCLA School of Dentistry, (310) 206-0835
 
PARKING:
Free parking will be available at the CVS store lot at the northwest corner of the intersection of Lincoln Boulevard and Rose Avenue.
]]>Tue, 08 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMTUCLA Health Sciences Media RelationsUCLA Health System statement on patient confidentialityhttp://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-health-system-statement-on-48160.aspx?link_page_rss=48160http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-health-system-statement-on-48160.aspx After news stories first appeared in May 2007 about an unauthorized release of patient information, we conducted a full investigation and determined that a single worker, who is no longer employed, was responsible for that incident, as well as the unauthorized viewings of multiple patient records. Consistent with state law and based on the findings of our investigation, we did not notify the Department of Public Health or the affected patients at that time.
 
Like other medical institutions in California and across the country, UCLA Health System is engaged in a continuing effort to strengthen its information technology infrastructure to protect against the potential of patient information breaches. We continue to take steps to improve security systems designed to preclude access by unauthorized individuals, while also ensuring that properly assigned medical personnel can quickly retrieve the information required for emergency or other treatment decisions to best meet the needs of its patients.
 
Importantly, UCLA Health System has stringent policies familiar to all employees to protect patient confidentiality. All staff and faculty members, contractors, volunteers and other workers are required to sign confidentiality agreements as a condition of their employment and they complete extensive training on federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-related privacy and security issues.
 
As the result of our ongoing efforts, an audit in February resulted in the termination and suspension of several employees in connection with unauthorized viewing of a patient’s record. ]]>Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:43:10 GMTUCLA Media RelationsUCLA statement on report about Farrah Fawcett's medical recordshttp://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/fawcett-48120.aspx?link_page_rss=48120http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/fawcett-48120.aspxIn response to a Los Angeles Times report that claims UCLA fired an employee for looking at TV icon Farrah Fawcett's medical records, the UCLA Health System issued a statement this afternoon:
 
"UCLA Health System considers patient confidentiality a critical part of our mission of teaching, research and patient care. All staff members are required to sign confidentiality agreements as a condition of their employment and complete extensive training on HIPAA-related privacy and security issues. We have stringent policies to protect patient confidentiality and address violations of those policies.
 
"When possible confidentiality breaches arise, UCLA immediately launches an investigation and appropriate disciplinary action would then be initiated. Due to the confidential nature of both patient and personnel issues, no further information is available.
 
"The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) provides national standards to protect the security and privacy of a patient's health information."
]]>Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:17:03 GMTKim IrwinHigh-res technology shows major differences in stem cell lineshttp://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-researchers-use-high-resolution-48032.aspx?link_page_rss=48032http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-researchers-use-high-resolution-48032.aspx 
The study appears in the April issue of the peer-reviewed journal Stem Cells.
 
The researchers used a technique known as array CGH (comparative genomic hybridization) to study the total DNA content of the lines, all the genes on 46 chromosomes. The use of higher-resolution techniques like array CGH and, soon, whole-genome sequencing will enhance the ability of researchers to examine stem cell lines to determine which are best — or least likely to result in diseases and other problems — for creating therapies for use in humans.
 
Array CGH provided a much better look at the gene content on the chromosomes, with a resolution about 100 times better than standard clinical methods. Clinical specialists commonly generate a karyotype — a technique involving the staining and photographing of a cell sample — to examine the chromosomes of cancer cells or for amniocentesis in prenatal diagnosis; karyotyping has a much lower resolution than array CGH, said Michael Teitell, a researcher with the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA and the senior author of the study. Small defects that could result in big problems later on could be missed using karyotyping for stem cells.
 
"Basically, this study shows that the genetic makeup of individual human embryonic stem cell lines is unique in the numbers of copies of certain genes that may control traits and things like disease susceptibility," said Teitell, who also is an associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and a researcher at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. "So, in choosing stem cell lines to use for therapeutic applications, you want to know about these differences so you don't pick a line likely to cause problems for a patient receiving these cells."
 
Differences between individual DNA sequences provide the basis for human genetic variability. Forms of variation include single DNA base-pair alterations, duplications or deletions of genes or sets of genes, and translocations — chromosomal rearrangements in which a segment of genetic material from one chromosome becomes heritably linked to another chromosome. These changes can be benign, but they can also promote diseases, such as certain cancers, or confer increased risk to other diseases, such as HIV infection or certain types of kidney ailments.
 
In this study, Teitell and his team sought to determine copy number variants (CNVs), or differences in the numbers of certain genes, in the two embryonic stem cell lines. The CNVs provide a unique genetic fingerprint for each line, which can also indicate relatedness between any two stem cell lines. Teitell used embryonic stem cell lines that made different types of neurons and studied them with array CGH for comparison.
 
His team found CNV differences between the two lines in at least seven different chromosome locations — differences that could not have been detected using standard karyotype studies. Such differences could impact the therapeutic utility of the lines and could have implications in disease development. More studies will be required to determine the effect of specific CNVs in controlling stem cell function and disease susceptibility, he said.
 
"In studying embryonic stem cell lines in the future, if we find differences in regions of the genome that we know are associated with certain undesirable traits or diseases, we would choose against using such stem cells, provided safer alternative lines are available," Teitell said.
 
Large genome-wide association studies are underway in a variety of diseases to determine what genetic abnormalities might be at play. When the genetic fingerprint, or predisposing genes, for a certain disease is discovered, it could be used as key information in screening embryonic stem cell lines.
 
UCLA's stem cell center was launched in 2005 with a UCLA commitment of $20 million over five years. A $20 million gift from the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation in 2007 resulted in the renaming of the center.
 
The Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA, with more than 150 members, is committed to a multidisciplinary, integrated collaboration of scientific, academic and medical disciplines for the purpose of understanding adult and human embryonic stem cells. The institute supports innovation, excellence and the highest ethical standards focused on stem cell research with the intent of facilitating basic scientific inquiry directed towards future clinical applications to treat disease. The center is a collaboration of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the UCLA College of Letters and Science. To learn more about the center, visit www.stemcell.ucla.edu.
]]>Wed, 02 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMTJennifer MarcusUCLA researchers design nanomachine that kills cancer cellshttp://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/researchers-at-ucla-have-designed-46388.aspx?link_page_rss=46388http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/researchers-at-ucla-have-designed-46388.aspxResearchers from the Nano Machine Center at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA have developed a novel type of nanomachine that can capture and store anticancer drugs inside tiny pores and release them into cancer cells in response to light.
 
Known as a "nanoimpeller," the device is the first light-powered nanomachine that operates inside a living cell, a development that has strong implications for cancer treatment.
 
UCLA researchers reported the synthesis and operation of nanoparticles containing nanoimpellers that can deliver anticancer drugs March 31 in the online edition of the nanoscience journal Small.
 
The study was conducted jointly by Jeffrey Zink, UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and Fuyu Tamanoi, UCLA professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics and director of the signal transduction and therapeutics program at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. Tamanoi and Zink are two of the co-directors for the Nano Machine Center for Targeted Delivery and On-Demand Release at the California NanoSystems Institute.
 
Nanomechanical systems designed to trap and release molecules from pores in response to a stimulus have been the subject of intensive investigation, in large part for their potential applications in precise drug delivery. Nanomaterials suitable for this type of operation must consist of both an appropriate container and a photo-activated moving component.
 
To achieve this, the UCLA researchers used mesoporous silica nanoparticles and coated the interiors of the pores with azobenzene, a chemical that can oscillate between two different conformations upon light exposure.
 
Operation of the nanoimpeller was demonstrated using a variety of human cancer cells, including colon and pancreatic cancer cells. The nanoparticles were given to human cancer cells in vitro and taken up in the dark. When light was directed at the particles, the nanoimpeller mechanism took effect and released the contents.
 
The pores of the particles can be loaded with cargo molecules, such as dyes or anticancer drugs. In response to light exposure, a wagging motion occurs, causing the cargo molecules to escape from the pores and attack the cell. Confocal microscopic images showed that the impeller operation can be regulated precisely by the intensity of the light, the excitation time and the specific wavelength.
 
"We developed a mechanism that releases small molecules in aqueous and biological environments during exposure to light," Zink said. "The nanomachines are positioned in molecular-sized pores inside of spherical particles and function in aqueous and biological environments."
 
"The achievement here is gaining precise control of the amount of drugs that are released by controlling the light exposure," Tamanoi said. "Controlled release to a specific location is the key issue. And the release is only activated by where the light is shining."
 
"We were extremely excited to discover that the machines were taken up by the cancer cells and that they responded to the light. We observed cell killing as a result of programmed cell death," Tamanoi and Zink said.
 
This nanoimpeller system may open a new avenue for drug delivery under external control at specific times and locations for phototherapy. Remote-control manipulation of the machine is achieved by varying both the light intensity and the time that the particles are irradiated at the specific wavelengths at which the azobenzene impellers absorb.
 
"This system has potential applications for precise drug delivery and might be the next generation for novel platform for the treatment of cancers such as colon and stomach cancer," Zink and Tamanoi said. "The fact that one can operate the mechanism by remote control means that one can administer repeated small-dosage releases to achieve greater control of the drug's effect."
 
Tamanoi and Zink say the research represents an exciting first step in developing nanomachines for cancer therapy and that further steps are required to demonstrate actual inhibition of tumor growth.
 
The research team also includes Eunshil Choi, a graduate student in Zink's lab, and Jie Lu, a postdoctoral researcher in Tamanoi's lab.
 
For an abstract and the full-text of the Small paper, visit www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/117949998/ABSTRACT.  
 
The Nano Machine Center for Targeted Delivery and On-Demand Release is a multidisciplinary research center at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. The center is co-directed by four professors who have expertise in different chemical, biological and medical disciplines. Jeffrey Zink, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, studies mechanically, electrically and optically functional silica-based nanostructured materials; Fuyu Tamanoi, professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics and director of the signal transduction and therapeutics program at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, studies signal transduction and the development of anticancer drugs; Dr. Andre Nel, professor of medicine and chief of the division of nanomedicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, is an expert on nanoparticles and their interaction with substrates at the nano/bio interface; and Fraser Stoddart, professor emeritus of chemistry and biochemistry, has pioneered the design and template-directed synthesis of supramolecular and molecular machines. The team has co-authored seven papers on the topics of light activated release, pH-activated release, anticancer drug delivery and cellular uptake mechanisms of nanoparticles.
 
The California NanoSystems Institute was established in 2000 as a joint enterprise between UCLA and UC Santa Barbara, with $100 million in funding from the state of California and an additional $250 million in federal research grants and industry funding. The CNSI is a multidisciplinary research institute whose mission is to encourage university collaboration with industry and enable the rapid commercialization of discoveries in nanosystems. CNSI members at UCLA include some of the world's preeminent scientists working in five targeted areas of nanosystems-related research: renewable energy; environmental nanotechnology and nanotoxicology; nanobiotechnology and biomaterials; nanomechanical and nanofluidic systems; and nanoelectronics, photonics and architectonics. For additional information, visit www.cnsi.ucla.edu.
]]>Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMTAmy AlbinUCLA awarded grant to improve kidney transplant outcomes for kidshttp://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/nih-awards-grant-to-mattel-children-47647.aspx?link_page_rss=47647http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/nih-awards-grant-to-mattel-children-47647.aspxThe National Institutes of Health has awarded Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA and several partner institutions $6 million to explore new ways to make kidney transplants more tolerable for children.
 
The five-year grant, part of the NIH's Clinical Trials in Organ Transplantation in Children program, will support studies on pediatric renal transplantation by researchers at UCLA, Emory University's School of Medicine, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University.
 
Each center will focus on a specific aspect of improving long-term outcomes for kidney transplant patients. UCLA will concentrate on adolescent patients, particularly those between the ages of 13 and 19, who, research has shown, may have less favorable long-term outcomes than other patients.
 
"Adolescent kidney transplant recipients generally do superb at the one-year transplant mark. However, they do less well at the five-year mark," said the grant's principal investigator, Dr. Robert Ettenger, a professor of pediatric nephrology and director of the pediatric kidney transplant program at Mattel Children's Hospital. "We think noncompliance in taking their medications might play a significant role."
 
UCLA's research will center on patients who received kidney transplants during their adolescent years, as well as those who received transplants at younger age and are now adolescents.
 
"We will be looking at cutting-edge ways to understand compliance and organ rejection in this age group, including quality-of-life barriers such as socioeconomic and cultural differences," Ettenger said. "One of our goals will be to develop new medications to help ease the burden of taking medications. For example, maybe we can figure out a way for them to take their medicine once a week instead of three times a day."

In addition, UCLA reserchers will examine the transition period from adolescence to adulthood — a period when patients are at a higher danger of losing transplanted kidneys.
 
Researchers at Emory University and Children's Healthcare Atlanta will study how patients' immune systems evolve as they get older, and those at Stanford will explore the genomics of organ rejection.
 
The groundwork for the study came from a research grant from the Casey Lee Ball Foundation, which provided seed money to conduct the studies needed to become leaders in this NIH initiative, Ettenger said.
 
Started in 1980, the pediatric kidney transplant program at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA is the largest in the county and performs approximately 45 transplants a year. For more information, visit www2.healthcare.ucla.edu/transplant/kidneypeds.html.
]]>Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMTRachel ChampeauConference to explore successful aging in a high-tech world May 9http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-hosts-national-conference-47066.aspx?link_page_rss=47066http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-hosts-national-conference-47066.aspxWhat are the greatest challenges we face as we age? Will our health care and lifestyle improve?
 
What is clear is that advances in technology will impact how older adults interact within their environment in every way — from social relations to health care delivery.
 
In one of the first conferences of its kind, the UCLA Center on Aging will present a one-day symposium featuring national academic and industry leaders who will discuss the interface between aging and new technology. The event will take place May 9 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. 
 
The "UCLA Technology and Aging Conference: Successful Aging in a High-Tech World," will explore cutting-edge innovations in the medical, consumer and lifestyle fields that help people live better longer.
 
"We hope that this conference will capture the imagination of forward-thinking consumers, clinicians and business leaders who want to better understand how advances in technology and medicine will impact us as we age," said Dr. Gary Small, UCLA's Parlow-Solomon Professor on Aging and director of the UCLA Center on Aging.
 
Keynote speakers will include Joseph Coughlin, the founder and director of MIT's AgeLab, and high-tech industry maverick Eric Dishman, director of product research and innovation at Intel Corp. Many other speakers at the conference have been featured in the national media for their work and research on aging issues.
 
UCLA Chancellor Gene Block, who holds appointments in the department of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences and the department of physiological science, will open the conference by addressing issues related to circadian biology and how it affects the aging population.
 
Breakout sessions and speakers from UCLA and around the country will cover the latest technological developments in a wide range of fields, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, arthritis, nutrition, diabetes, audiology, exercise technology, brain games, joint replacement and ophthalmology.
 
Legendary actor and author Kirk Douglas and Dr. Bruce Dobkin, medical director of the UCLA Neurologic Rehabilitation and Research Unit, will address the effects of stroke and discuss rehabilitation options. Their candid lunchtime conversation will touch on the personal and professional impact of stroke disease and the role technology can play in recovery. Following lunch, Douglas will be available to sign his books "My Stroke of Luck" and "Let's Face It." Dr. Gerald S. Levey, vice chancellor for medical sciences and dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, will introduce the two luncheon speakers and moderate the talk.
 
Small, a professor of psychiatry at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, will present new brain-scanning technologies that can detect early and subtle signs of age-related neurodegeneration and help track the effectiveness of interventions designed to protect a healthy brain from future decline.
 
In another session, Small will be joined by Dr. P. Murali Doraiswamy, chief of the division of biological psychiatry at Duke University, to demonstrate how activities to keep the brain alert and fit have evolved from working crossword and Sudoku puzzles to playing electronic brain games that help maintain peak mental function.
 
Lively panel discussions throughout the day will explore larger issues at the intersection of technology and aging. They include:
 
Leveraging the Power of Technological Innovations
During this session, Nicole Spelhaug, chief of product development for MayoClinic.com, will share how the Internet has allowed for entirely new access to and consumption of health care information. Deborah Estrin, director of the UCLA Center for Embedded Networked Sensing, will describe opportunities for innovative health care research and intervention through the leveraging of available mobile devices. Bob Foster, adjunct professor at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, will moderate this discussion.
 
The Operating Room of the Future
This session will focus on current and future technologies to assist surgeons, including robotic surgery, imaging, remote surgery and teleconferencing. Dr. E. Carmack Holmes, executive director of the UCLA Center for Advanced Surgery and Interventional Technology (CASIT) and chairman emeritus of the UCLA Department of Surgery, will moderate the panel. Dr. Peter Schulam, UCLA chief of endourology, associate professor of urology and co-director of CASIT, and Erin Johnson, vice president of research for Zimmer Inc., will cover the latest technological efforts in medical-device research and development.
 
The Future of Health Care
Health care as we know it today has many unique technological interfaces, and this discussion will address future technological platforms that will be available to individuals and the medical community. Dr. Meera Kanhouwa, physician executive of Microsoft's Health Sciences Group; David Whitlinger, president and chairman of Continua Health Alliance; and Dadong Wan, senior researcher at Accenture Technology Labs, will be the featured speakers. Dr. C. Anthony Jones, founder and president of Next Lifesciences, will moderate the panel.
 
Connectivity and Mobility for the Older Consumer
Susan Ayers Walker, founder of Smart Silvers Alliance and a technology reporter for AARP, will moderate a panel discussion that will include Donald Jones, vice president of Qualcomm Inc.; Susan B. Riley, president and chief executive officer of Elite Care Technologies; and Fred Lupton, human factors manager at the Toyota Technical Center. Panelists will discuss the impact of technology on quality of life for the older consumer and will present their newest applications, including wireless and mobile devices that will deliver health care monitoring and coaching, and location-based services. Speakers will also discuss how technology integrates into independent living and assists caregiving and how the automotive industry is stepping up to the challenges of older drivers.
 
Key speakers, including Dr. Gary Small, Dr. P. Murali Doraiswamy and others, will be available to sign their latest books.
 
The Friday, May 9, conference will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Continuing medical education credit is available.
 
For registration and more information, please call (310) 794-2620 or visit www.cme.ucla.edu/courses/event-description?event_id=401071.
]]>Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMTSarah AndersonPaul Krugman to keynote UCLA School of Public Health dinnerhttp://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/noted-new-york-times-columnist-47140.aspx?link_page_rss=47140http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/noted-new-york-times-columnist-47140.aspxWHAT:
The New York Times' Paul Krugman, considered by many to be the most important political columnist in America, will be the keynote speaker at the preeminent health industry event of the year — the Lester Breslow Distinguished Lecture and Dinner hosted by the UCLA School of Public Health. Krugman is the author or editor of 20 books and more than 200 professional journal articles. An exciting and articulate speaker, he has focused much of his recent work on health care issues and their impact on the 2008 presidential elections.
 
WHEN:
Tuesday, March 25
  • 6 p.m.: reception
  • 7 p.m.: dinner and program
 
WHERE:
Beverly Wilshire Hotel, 9500 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, Calif. 90211
 
BACKGROUND:
The annual Lester Breslow Distinguished Lecture and Dinner brings together prominent health care and corporate executives, community leaders, and political dignitaries, along with School of Public Health faculty and alumni. The UCLA School of Public Health is recognized as one of the top public health programs the country, and funds raised during this event support some of the most important and innovative health education and research efforts in the U.S. and around the world.
 
COST:
Tickets are $150 each. To purchase tickets and obtain more information, visit www.ph.ucla.edu.

INFORMATION:
Please call (310) 825-6464 or e-mail publichealth@support.ucla.edu.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Sarah Anderson, (310) 267-0440, sanderson@ph.ucla.edu.
]]>Thu, 20 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMTUCLA Media RelationsDr. Courtney H. Lyder named dean of the School of Nursinghttp://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/new-nursing-head-47049.aspx?link_page_rss=47049http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/new-nursing-head-47049.aspxScott L. Waugh, the acting executive vice chancellor and provost, today announced the appointment of a new dean of the UCLA School of Nursing.
 
Waugh's statement reads:
Dear Colleagues:
 
I am very pleased to announce the selection of Dr. Courtney H. Lyder as dean of the UCLA School of Nursing. His appointment will be effective August 1, 2008.
 
Since 2003, Dr. Lyder has been a faculty member at the University of Virginia (U.Va.). He currently chairs U.Va.’s acute and specialty care department in the School of Nursing, where he leads 25 full-time and 22 part-time faculty members. He is also a chaired professor of nursing and a professor of internal medicine and geriatrics.
 
In 2006, Dr. Lyder was appointed director for diversity initiatives for U.Va.’s School of Nursing and Medical Center, where he sought to develop “a Medical Center staff that looks like the populations they serve.” In the past year, the number of students of color entering nursing graduate programs there increased by 15 percent.
 
Dr. Lyder is also a senior consultant to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he has influenced federal regulations and policies related to elder care throughout the U.S. As principal investigator or co-investigator, Dr. Lyder has received nearly $12 million over the past 15 years in research and training grants related to the care of older adults.
 
Between 1994 and 2003, Dr. Lyder served on the faculty at Yale University in the School of Nursing, where he directed a number of programs specializing in adult, family, women’s and elder care, as well as chronic wound care. Dr. Lyder received his B.S., M.S. and N.D. from Rush University and his B.A. from Beloit College.
 
I believe that Dr. Lyder will make a wonderful addition to the UCLA family and will strengthen our efforts to build and maintain a diverse campus community while building our academic programs.
 
I want to thank the search/advisory committee, chaired by Linda Rosenstock, dean of the School of Public Health, for its role in recruiting Dr. Lyder. Other committee members included Dr. Linda Burnes Bolton, vice president and chief nursing officer, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and president, American Academy of Nursing; Heidi Crooks, senior associate director, operations and patient care services, UCLA Medical Center; Marianne Murphy, UCLA Foundation Board of Governors; and UCLA faculty members: Gautam Chaudhuri (obstetrics and gynecology), Marvin Marcus (dentistry), Jack Needleman (public health), Wendie Robbins (nursing), Victoria Sork (life sciences) and Mary Woo (nursing). Together, they assembled an outstanding pool of candidates for this position that reflects the high regard in which our School of Nursing is held by the profession.
 
Chancellor Block and I are very pleased with this appointment, and we are grateful to Professor Adeline M. Nyamathi, who has graciously returned from sabbatical to serve as acting dean until Dr. Lyder’s arrival, subject to approval by the Regents.
 
We are excited about the School of Nursing’s future under Dr. Lyder’s leadership even as we mourn the recent loss of Marie Cowan. We remain grateful for Dean Cowan’s many outstanding contributions to the School of Nursing and to UCLA, and we believe that Dr. Lyder will maintain the strong trajectory she set for the school.
 
Please join me in welcoming Dr. Lyder to UCLA.
]]>Mon, 17 Mar 2008 22:22:11 GMTUCLA Media RelationsUCLA statement on report regarding Britney Spears' recordshttp://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/britney-statement-47003.aspx?link_page_rss=47003http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/britney-statement-47003.aspxIn response to a Los Angeles Times report that claims UCLA is trying to fire at least 13 employees for looking at pop star Britney Spears' medical records, the UCLA Health System issued a statement this afternoon:
 
"UCLA Health System considers patient confidentiality a critical part of our mission of teaching, research and patient care. All staff members are required to sign confidentiality agreements as a condition of their employment and complete extensive training on HIPAA-related privacy and security issues. We have stringent policies to protect patient confidentiality and address violations of those policies.
 
"When possible confidentiality breaches arise, UCLA immediately launches an investigation and appropriate disciplinary action would then be initiated. Due to the confidential nature of both patient and personnel issues, no further information is available.
 
"The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) provides national standards to protect the security and privacy of a patient's health information."
]]>Fri, 14 Mar 2008 22:56:43 GMTAmy Albin'Shabbat in a Box' delivershttp://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/shabbat-in-a-box-delivers-46864.aspx?link_page_rss=46864http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/shabbat-in-a-box-delivers-46864.aspxFridays are a magical time for Rabbi Pearl Barlev, the Jewish chaplain at UCLA Medical Center.
 
"I feel like the Shabbat fairy!" she says.
 
Each Friday, Barlev and a group of volunteers deliver a special gift to Jewish patients — a clear plastic box filled with traditional items to help patients observe the holy day of Shabbat.
 
Shabbat is the weekly Sabbath, or day of rest, in the Jewish religion. It begins at sundown on Friday and ends Saturday evening. Shabbat is ushered in by the lighting of candles and blessings over bread and wine (or grape juice).
 
"Shabbat in a Box" contains everything the patient needs — two battery operated candles, loaves of freshly baked challah bread, grape juice, a wine glass and a list of the traditional blessings in both English and Hebrew. In a time of profound stress and fear in a patient's life, the gift allows them to keep one of the most-observed Jewish traditions.
 
"When I enter the patient's room and say 'This is a gift from the hospital,' the patient typically responds, 'A gift for me?'" Barlev says. "I watch that idea wash over them, and it really brings tears to people's eyes when they're not expecting it."
 
Barlev has observed that patients find different meanings in Shabbat — whether it's a nice tradition to share with family, a day to rest or the whole notion of making the ritual a "place in time" and giving it the holiness that a person brings to it.
 
"Some Jews are very happy to receive the box because of their strict observance of Shabbat," Barlev says. "On the other hand, some will place the box unopened on their windowsill as kind of a precious icon of their Jewishness."
 
Barlev and the volunteers make about 20 deliveries each Friday. They assemble the boxes on Thursday. Then, early Friday morning, Barlev stops by Jem Caterers at Sinai Temple on Wilshire Boulevard and picks up about five dozen loaves of fresh challah donated by Jem's owner Maury Cohen. The boxes, which are paid for by a combination of donations and funds from the hospital's department of spiritual care, cost about $5 each.
 
During a recent delivery, Barlev went into the room of a patient who was in her late 80s. The room was dark, and the elderly woman was lying in a near-fetal position in bed. Barlev thought she was sleeping but realized the woman was just staring at the wall. The rabbi leaned over and told her, "Hi, I brought you a Shabbat box," and the patient's eyes opened wide.
 
"In a short while, we really connected, and she was sitting up in bed. We lit the candles and said the blessings together. Then, she was singing a traditional Shabbat welcome song, and it was so beautiful," Barlev recalled. "It was indeed a holy moment."
 
To volunteer with Jewish patients at UCLA Medical Center or to donate to the "Shabbat in a Box" program, contact Rabbi Barlev at (310) 794-0542.
 
UCLA Medical Center's Spiritual Care Department offers a diverse pastoral program, including multifaith spiritual care for patients, families and staff, as well as clinical pastoral education training programs.
]]>Wed, 12 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMTUCLA faculty expert advisory: Tainted drinking waterhttp://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/drinking-water-46839.aspx?link_page_rss=46839http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/drinking-water-46839.aspxA five-month investigation by the Associated Press found that drinking water supplies across the country include tiny amounts of pharmaceuticals, raising questions about potential long-term consequences to human health.

Irwin "Mel" Suffet, a professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the UCLA School of Public Health, is a leading authority on the composition of drinking water and bottled water quality and the treatment of wastewater for potable and non-potable uses. An environmental chemist, Suffet focuses his research on the analysis, treatment and fate of chemicals such as chlorinated pesticides, pharmaceuticals and odorous compounds.

Bio and media contact

]]>Mon, 10 Mar 2008 19:15:52 GMTRachel ChampeauStudy finds that broccoli may help boost the aging immune systemhttp://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-study-reports-broccoli-may-46578.aspx?link_page_rss=46578http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-study-reports-broccoli-may-46578.aspxEat your broccoli! That's the advice from UCLA researchers who have found that a chemical in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables may hold a key to restoring the body's immunity, which declines as we age.
 
Published in this week's online edition of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the study findings show that sulforaphane, a chemical in broccoli, switches on a set of antioxidant genes and enzymes in specific immune cells, which then combat the injurious effects of molecules known as free radicals that can damage cells and lead to disease.
 
Free radicals are byproducts of normal processes, such as the metabolic conversion of food into energy, and can also enter the body through small particles present in polluted air. A supercharged form of oxygen, these molecules can cause oxidative tissue damage, leading to disease — for example, triggering the inflammation process that causes clogged arteries. Oxidative damage to body tissues and organs is thought to be one of the major causes of aging.
 
"The mysteries of aging have always intrigued man," said Dr. Andre Nel, the study's principal investigator and chief of nanomedicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "While we have known for some time that free radicals are important in aging, most of the past attention has focused on the mechanisms that produce free radicals rather than addressing the pathways used by the body to suppress their production."
 
A dynamic equilibrium exists in the body between the mechanisms that lead to increased free radical production and those antioxidant pathways that help combat free radicals.
 
"Our study contributes to the growing understanding of the importance of these antioxidant defense pathways that the body uses to fight free radicals," said Nel, a practicing clinical allergist and immunologist at the Geffen School. "Insight into these processes points to ways in which we may be able to alleviate the effects of aging."
 
The delicate balance between pro-oxidant and antioxidant forces in the body could determine the outcome of many disease processes that are associated with aging, including cardiovascular disease, degenerative joint diseases and diabetes, as well as the decline in efficiency of the immune system's ability to protect against infectious agents.
 
"As we age, the ability of the immune system to fight disease and infections and protect against cancer wears down as a result of the impact of oxygen radicals on the immune system," Nel said.
 
According to the UCLA study, the ability of aged tissues to reinvigorate their antioxidant defense can play an important role in reversing much of the negative impact of free radicals on the immune system. However, until this current study, the extent to which antioxidant defense can impact the aging process in the immune system was not properly understood.
 
"Our defense against oxidative stress damage may determine at what rate we age, how it will manifest and how to interfere in those processes," Nel said. "In particular, our study shows that a chemical present in broccoli is capable of stimulating a wide range of antioxidant defense pathways and may be able to interfere with the age-related decline in immune function."
 
The UCLA team not only found that the direct administration of sulforaphane in broccoli reversed the decline in cellular immune function in old mice, but they witnessed similar results when they took individual immune cells from old mice, treated those cells with the chemical outside the body and then placed the treated cells back into a recipient animal.
 
In particular, the scientists discovered that dendritic cells, which introduce infectious agents and foreign substances to the immune system, were particularly effective in restoring immune function in aged animals when treated with sulforaphane.
 
"We found that treating older mice with sulforaphane increased the immune response to the level of younger mice," said Hyon-Jeen Kim, first author and research scientist at the Geffen School.
 
To investigate how the chemical in broccoli increased the immune system's response, the UCLA group confirmed that sulforaphane interacts with a protein called Nrf2, which serves as a master regulator of the body's overall antioxidant response and is capable of switching on hundreds of antioxidant and rejuvenating genes and enzymes.
 
Nel said that the chemistry leading to activation of this gene-regulation pathway could be a platform for drug discovery and vaccine development to boost the decline of immune function in elderly people.
 
"This is a radical new way of thinking in how to increase the immune function of elderly people to possibly protect against viral infections and cancer," Nel said. "We may have uncovered a new mechanism by which to boost vaccine responses by using a nutrient chemical to impact oxidant stress pathways in the immune system."
 
Kim said that although there is a decline in Nrf2 activity with aging, this pathway remains accessible to chemicals like sulforaphane that are capable of restoring some of the ravages of aging by boosting antioxidant pathways.
 
The next step is further study to see how these findings would translate to humans.
 
"Dietary antioxidants have been shown to have important effects on immune function, and with further study, we may be adding broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables to that list," Nel said.
 
For now, Nel suggests including these vegetables as part of a healthy diet.
 
Nel said that these findings offer a window into how the immune system ages.
 
"We may find that combating free radicals is only part of the answer. It may prove to be a more multifaceted process and interplay between pro- and antioxidant forces," he said.
 
The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging, the UCLA Claude D. Pepper Older Adults Independence Center, and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
 
Other study authors included Berenice Barajas and Dr. Meiying Wang.
 
UCLA is California's largest university, with an enrollment of nearly 37,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The UCLA College of Letters and Science and the university's 11 professional schools feature renowned faculty and offer more than 300 degree programs and majors. UCLA is a national and international leader in the breadth and quality of its academic, research, health care, cultural, continuing education and athletic programs. Four alumni and five faculty have been awarded the Nobel Prize.
]]>Thu, 06 Mar 2008 08:00:00 GMTElaine SchmidtObituary: Marie Cowan, 69, dean of UCLA School of Nursinghttp://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/marie-cowan-69-ucla-dean-rebuilt-46532.aspx?link_page_rss=46532http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/marie-cowan-69-ucla-dean-rebuilt-46532.aspx(Note to Editors: Photos and colleagues' contact details available upon request.)
 
Marie Cowan, dean of the UCLA School of Nursing since 1997, died Feb. 22 after a 10-year battle with metastatic colon cancer. She was 69.
 
Cowan joined UCLA shortly after budget cuts had gutted the undergraduate program at the nursing school. During the next decade, she determinedly rebuilt the school into a research powerhouse and persuaded the University of California to reopen the bachelor's program and launch a new master's program to combat the statewide nursing shortage.
 
A few months before her death, the American Academy of Nursing presented Cowan with its prestigious Living Legend award, honoring her as an extraordinary role model within the profession and spotlighting her 46-year career as an influential pioneer of nursing research.
 
"Marie Cowan was a dynamo who loved UCLA and the School of Nursing," said Dr. Gerald S. Levey, dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and vice chancellor for medical sciences. "She was fearless about thinking outside the box, identifying what was best for UCLA and her school, and creating strategies to move purposefully forward."
 
Born Marie Jeanette Johnson on July 20, 1938, in Albuquerque, N.M., Cowan met her future husband, Samuel Joseph Cowan, in Munich, Germany, while both were in their first year of college at a University of Maryland exchange program. When he later pursued his engineering studies at the University of California, Berkeley, she obtained her nursing diploma in San Francisco. The couple wed in 1961, on the day after her graduation from Mary's Help Nursing School; they were married for 46 years.
 
Cowan continued her education at the University of Washington, where she earned a bachelor's in nursing, a master's in physiology and biophysics, and a doctorate in pathology, physiology and biophysics.
 
She launched her academic career in 1972 as an assistant professor at Seattle University's nursing school, then joined the nursing and medical schools of the University of Washington in 1979. Holding a rare triple appointment in the departments of nursing, pathology and cardiology, Cowan rose from assistant professor to the rank of full professor in all three fields.
 
Her mentoring talent blossomed when she was appointed dean of nursing research. She encouraged faculty to attend "modeling parties" — line-by-line peer evaluations of their grant proposals — in order to increase the likelihood of funding. Her hands-on efforts boosted funding so measurably that other schools hired her to teach them how to create similar programs.
 
She continued the tradition at UCLA, transforming the nursing school's culture into one where funded research was a priority. Cowan read every grant proposal and would arrive at meetings with her copy's margins scrawled with questions. Sometimes, she'd closet herself in a researcher's office for hours and help hammer out their grant details until late at night.
 
"When Marie came, she sat down with every faculty member and would say, 'Let's map out your research trajectory. What are you going to do for the next five years?'" said Mary Woo, UCLA professor of nursing. "At a lot of schools, assistant professors teach the classes no one else wants. But Marie protected her junior faculty. She wanted them to start their research programs and actually decreased their teaching workloads."
 
Former UCLA professor Kathleen Dracup credits Cowan's tutelage for influencing her current career as dean of the UC San Francisco School of Nursing.
 
"Marie was an extraordinary person — a brilliant nurse, scientist, administrator, mentor and loyal friend to the many colleagues she developed along the way," she said.
 
Cowan developed a reputation as a gutsy leader with innovative ideas and a knack for building faculty consensus to translate them into reality. She doubled UCLA's nursing faculty by recruiting 22 prominent new researchers, developed the first University of California online degree program in nursing administration, established a bioscience curriculum for the doctoral nursing degree and restored UCLA's reputation as one of the top 10 nursing schools in the nation.
 
"Dr. Marie Cowan's contributions to nursing research culminated with her role as the dean who restored the UCLA School of Nursing to its status as a top-ranked nursing school," said Nancy Woods, dean of the University of Washington School of Nursing, where Cowan completed her training. "Her efforts to develop a new generation of professors dedicated to being scholars as well as clinicians and educators made UCLA a leader in nursing research."
 
As California's nursing pool shrunk, Cowan lobbied fiercely to increase degree programs at the university level. Community and state colleges trained only half of the nurses required to meet California's growing demand — the state has the worst ratio of nurses to patients in the nation. In 2006, UCLA reinstated the first University of California undergraduate nursing program, generating 1,700 applications for 50 slots in the first two years.
 
Cowan also worked with faculty to design an entry-level master's program to train an additional 50 students with bachelor's degrees from other fields. Some 520 people applied in the first two years. The two new programs will double the school's enrollment when they reach full capacity in 2009.
 
"Marie understood all of the issues behind the nursing shortage and was very vocal — on campus, to the Office of the President and state policymakers — about the need for these new programs to be offered by the University of California," said Kay Baker, associate dean of student affairs at the UCLA School of Nursing from 1995 to 2006.
 
On a national scale, Cowan set the agenda for nursing research by serving on the first National Institutes of Health peer-review group for her profession. As chair of the cardiovascular nursing council of the American Heart Association, Cowan also helped alter bylaws to enable nurses to apply for research funding and serve on peer-review and grant award committees.
 
Funded by the NIH since 1977, Cowan's own research focused on cardiovascular science. She published more than 110 articles in peer-reviewed journals and won dozens of professional awards. Her studies explored the use of electrocardiograms to measure the size of a heart attack, examined heart-rate variability, and evaluated whether behavioral therapy would reduce the risk of future heart attacks and death in patients suffering from depression following cardiac arrest.
 
She had planned to step down as dean in June for a one-year sabbatical, then return to the nursing school to teach, mentor faculty and pursue her research. Despite her illness, she continued to work on campus until a few days before her death.
 
"Marie leaves a rich legacy through which her vision, innovation, leadership and commitment to public health will live on," said UCLA Chancellor Gene Block. "We mourn UCLA's loss of a beloved teacher, mentor, leader, colleague and friend."
 
In addition to her husband, Cowan is survived by her son S. Joseph Cowan Jr. of Longmont, Colo.; her daughters, Kathryn Harris of Lynnwood, Wash., and Michelle Schaffner of San Luis Obispo, Calif.; her sister Dee Herrman of Albuquerque, N.M.; her brothers Jim Johnson of Anthony, Texas, and Fr. Jerry Johnson of Belen, N.M.; and five grandchildren.
 
Memorial services will be held at St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church, 11955 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles. The rosary will be said March 7 at 7:45 p.m., and Cowan's brother Jerry will lead the funeral mass the next day at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations (payable to The UCLA Foundation) to the Dean Marie J. Cowan Endowed Scholarship Fund, c/o the UCLA School of Nursing, Box 951702, Los Angeles, Calif. 90095-1407.
]]>Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMTMark WheelerFederal poverty guidelines fail to properly assess needs of seniorshttp://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/federal-poverty-line-grossly-underestimates-45575.aspx?link_page_rss=45575http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/federal-poverty-line-grossly-underestimates-45575.aspxIf you are elderly and live in California, how poor do you have to be to become eligible for public assistance?
 
Too poor, says a new report issued by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. The new Elder Economic Security Standard Index (Elder Index) for California, released today, shows that the federal poverty line (FPL), which is used to determine income eligibility for most public programs, takes into account less than half of the basic costs experienced by adults 65 and older in the state.
 
The FPL is also used to allocate state and federal resources to local communities. In 2007, the federal poverty guideline for a single elderly person (65 or older) was an annual income of $10,210; for an older couple, it was $13,690. But according to the UCLA report's calculations, which are broken down by each California county, the basic annual cost of living for a retired older adult in good health and living in rental housing averages $21,011, reaching a high of $27,550 in San Mateo County. For an older couple, the average is $30,537, with a high of $37,263 in San Mateo.
 
The report recommends that poverty guidelines be adjusted using the Elder Index to adequately reflect the current cost of living. 
 
"Knowing the true cost of living for older adults is vital if we are to ensure that elder Californians can meet basic needs and maintain their independence," said Steven P. Wallace, a professor at the UCLA School of Public Health, associate director of the Center for Health Policy Research and lead author of the report. "The Elder Index is a new way to assess income adequacy for older adults that is designed to replace the federal poverty line in policy and practice."
 
"The Elder Index is a fact-based and comprehensive look at the expenses of elders," said Susie Smith, director of the California Elder Economic Security Initiative (Cal-EESI). "It provides an accurate tool for legislators to evaluate existing and future policy decisions, for direct service providers to assess their communities' needs and secure necessary funding, for advocates to better express their priorities, and for individuals to plan for retirement."
 
Located at the Insight Center for Community Economic Development, Cal-EESI is using the Elder Index as part of a statewide project to raise awareness and promote policies and programs that assure income adequacy for all older Californians.
 
The FPL, the official federal measure of poverty, is outdated, Wallace said. Developed four decades ago, and utilizing consumption surveys from the 1950s, the federal measure is based solely on the cost of the basic food budget needed to meet minimum nutritional requirements. Not only does the FPL fail to account for costs of housing and transportation, Wallace said, but it does not include medical costs, which can be particularly debilitating for the elderly. It also fails to account for the higher costs of living in California. The Elder Index, in contrast, provides a calculation of the basic cost of living for retired adults age 65 and older for every California county.
 
"The Elder Index for California takes into account the actual costs for housing, food, transportation, out-of-pocket medical expenses and other necessary spending," Wallace said.
 
The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research based its calculations using widely accepted and credible national and state data sources, such as the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Geographically relevant data was used for each county in California, reflecting local market rates for items such as housing, food and health care.
 
The policy brief, which will be presented at a legislative hearing in Sacramento on Feb. 27, was made possible by grants from several California foundations and aging agencies to the Insight Center for Community Economic Development and the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. L. Cricel Molina, a graduate student researcher at the CHPR, was a co-author of the brief.
 
A county-by-county listing of the cost of living is in the full report, which can be found at www.healthpolicy.ucla.edu/elder_index08feb.html.
 
The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research is one of the nation's leading health policy research centers and the premier source of health policy information for California. Established in 1994, the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research is based at the UCLA School of Public Health (www.ph.ucla.edu) and is affiliated with the UCLA School of Public Health (www.sppsr.ucla.edu).
]]>Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:30:00 GMTEnrique RiveroNetwork launches to study health care disparities affecting minoritieshttp://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-launches-network-for-multicultural-46373.aspx?link_page_rss=46373http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-launches-network-for-multicultural-46373.aspxThe UCLA Department of Family Medicine, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has launched the Network for Multicultural Research on Health and Healthcare, a group that will study health care disparities affecting minorities with chronic diseases.
 
The network will also mentor and develop a new generation of researchers with an expertise in health care disparities.
 
The new group — to be directed by Dr. Michael Rodríguez, associate professor of family medicine, and William Vega, professor of family medicine, both of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA — will draw on the talents of distinguished faculty from several national universities.
 
"Research has shown us that disparities in health care do exist for certain racial and ethnic groups in the United States," Rodríguez said. "As the population of the United States becomes more and more diverse, it is increasingly important for us to understand the impact of these disparities and devise methods to reduce and eliminate them."
 
The network's primary aims are to:
  • Understand how social, ethnic, linguistic and economic factors affect the way health care providers serve minority populations.
  • Study how personal, cultural and social factors promote or impede adequate health care and disease management.
  • Examine health care system barriers to quality care for chronic conditions.
  • Explore how various factors — including sources of health information, diet and exercise, self-management of chronic conditions, and levels of health literacy among patients and their families — influence minorities' health status.
 
The network's senior investigators are Dr. José J. Escarce, Dr. Carol Mangione, Dr. Leo S. Morales and Ninez Ponce of UCLA; Margarita Alegría of Harvard University; Dr. Bonnie Duran of the University of Washington; Kyriakos Markides of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston; Dr. Eliseo Pérez-Stable of the University of California, San Francisco; and Roberto Suro of the University of Southern California.
 
The project will also support five Healthcare Quality Scholars each year, who will address health issues affecting people from underserved groups, with a primary focus on diabetes and obesity, cardiovascular disease, respiratory illnesses, depression, and cancer. This work will aid in the development of successful, independent scientists and increase the pipeline of researchers addressing quality of care for the underserved.
 
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recognizes the importance of developing solutions tailored to the unique experiences of the individual patient. Understanding how variations in cultural factors such as immigration status, language ability, generational status and acculturation may impact the health and health care experiences of various immigrant groups is an important step toward those solutions. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the quality of health and health care for all Americans, the foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 35 years, the foundation has brought experience, commitment and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems affecting the health and health care of those it serves.
 
The UCLA Department of Family Medicine provides comprehensive primary care to entire families, from newborns to seniors. Its services include low-risk obstetrical care and prenatal and inpatient care at Santa Monica–UCLA Medical Center and Orthopedic Hospital and outpatient care at the Les Kelley Family Health Center in Santa Monica and the Mid-Valley Family Health Center in Van Nuys, Calif. The department is also a leader in family medicine education, for both medical students and residents, and houses a significant research unit focusing on geriatric issues and health care disparities among immigrant families and minority communities in Los Angeles and California.
]]>Tue, 26 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMTUCLA Media RelationsMarie Cowan, dean of the School of Nursing, dies at 69http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/marie-cowan-dean-of-school-of-45606.aspx?link_page_rss=45606http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/marie-cowan-dean-of-school-of-45606.aspxChancellor Gene Block issued this statement today to the UCLA campus community:

I am so sorry to have to report that a dear member of our UCLA family, Marie Cowan, dean of the School of Nursing, passed away this morning, after a long battle with cancer.  Her family was with her when she died.

Marie joined UCLA in 1997 and quickly demonstrated strong and innovative leadership.  She spearheaded the re-opening of our undergraduate nursing program, recruited more than 20 new faculty members, collaborated with faculty to design an entry-level master’s program for graduates of other disciplines and established a bioscience curriculum for the doctoral program in nursing.  Under her leadership, the School of Nursing returned to top-ten status nationally.

Marie was deeply committed to public health and was considered an extraordinary role model within the nursing profession, receiving the Living Legend Award from the American Academy of Nursing in 2007.  Her own research on cardiovascular science had been funded by the National Institutes of Health since 1977.

“Marie loved UCLA and the School of Nursing,” said Acting Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Scott Waugh.  “She gave so much to our community, and I am sure we will miss her grace and leadership.”

Marie had announced that she would retire in June 2008 and, after a one-year sabbatical, would return to teach, mentor faculty and continue her research.

Our thoughts are with her family and friends as we mourn our own loss of a beloved teacher, mentor, leader, colleague and friend.  Marie leaves a rich legacy through which her vision, innovation, leadership and commitment to public health will live on.

Let us reach out and comfort one another as we remember how brightly Marie’s light has shown on us and our campus.

Sincerely,

Gene D. Block
Chancellor




]]>Sat, 23 Feb 2008 01:51:46 GMTKim IrwinBeing physically active at work may reduce prostate cancer riskhttp://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/men-who-are-continually-active-44818.aspx?link_page_rss=44818http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/men-who-are-continually-active-44818.aspxMen with jobs that require them to be physically active may be getting benefits beyond their salary and health insurance — they may be at a decreased risk of developing prostate cancer, according to a study at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center.
 
Researchers studied more than 2,100 men who worked at the Rocketdyne rocket-engine testing facility in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley, many of whom were exposed to radiation and chemicals that may have increased their risk for certain cancers. The research team identified 362 men who developed prostate cancer and compared them with 1,805 men of similar age and socioeconomic status who did not get prostate cancer. The results show that those who developed prostate cancer were less likely to have held jobs requiring high amounts of physical exertion.
 
The study, conducted in conjunction with researchers at the Olive View–UCLA Education and Research Institute and the University of Michigan, appears in the February issue of the journal Cancer Causes Control.
 
"The message from this study for today is that if you're more active, you may be able to prevent this cancer from happening," said senior author Beate Ritz, a Jonsson Cancer Center researcher and associate professor of epidemiology at the UCLA School of Public Health. "If you have a desk job, do something physically active to counterbalance it."
 
The case-control study nested within a larger cohort of more than 10,000 male subjects who worked at the nuclear and rocket-engine testing site from the 1950s to the early 1990s. The cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed between January 1988 and December 1999. Researchers obtained cancer incidence data for the workers from the California Cancer Registry and seven other cancer registries in neighboring states where workers may have moved after retirement.
 
Data from Rocketdyne company records was used to construct a job exposure matrix that ranked job descriptions by the amount of physical activity required and any harmful exposures the workers might have experienced.
 
Physical activity was separated into jobs with low, moderate and high amounts of exertion. Men with low-activity jobs were typically managers, supervisors, analysts, administrators and senior engineers. Those with moderately active jobs included senior mechanics and technicians, inspectors, and engineers. Masons and bricklayers, metal fitters, welders, packers, painters, tool and die makers, truck drivers, lift operators, and janitors were considered highly active.
 
The study found that the men who developed prostate cancer were less likely to have held the more physically active jobs; they were also more likely than the control group to have experienced high exposure to the chemicals that were evaluated, including hydrazine, benzene, mineral oil, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and trichloroethylene (TCE), which are known or suspected carcinogens.
 
The findings are supported by other studies suggesting that continuous physical activity — but not intermittent activity — is required to lower the risk of prostate cancer. The biologic mechanisms by which physical activity lowers prostate cancer risk have not been identified, although some experts have speculated that activity can alter hormone levels in some men.
 
A strength of the UCLA study was that researchers used personnel records, job description manuals, industrial hygiene reviews and interviews with retired workers to develop the job exposure matrix, avoiding problems with subject recall and interviewer bias. Researchers also were able to obtain cancer incidence data and did not have to rely on mortality data. Prostate cancer is largely non-fatal, so mortality rates would not have been good data to analyze, Ritz said.
 
The study was limited in that researchers were not able to account for other potential factors that might affect prostate cancer risk, such as recreational physical activity and diet, said Anusha Krishnadasan, an epidemiologist at Olive View–UCLA Education and Research Institute and first author of the study.
 
"All we can say for sure is that aerospace workers that were highly active on a regular basis for many years while working at Rocketdyne were at a decreased risk of prostate cancer," she said.
 
In a subset of subjects, researchers found that the men who developed prostate cancer were more likely to have a family history of the disease, to be African American and report having participated in routine screening for prostate cancer.
 
UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center comprises about 235 researchers and clinicians engaged in disease research, prevention, detection, control, treatment and education. One of the nation's largest comprehensive cancer centers, the Jonsson Center is dedicated to promoting research and translating basic science into leading-edge clinical studies. In July 2007, the Jonsson Cancer Center was named the best cancer center in California by U.S. News & World Report, a ranking it has held for eight consecutive years.
]]>Tue, 12 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMTAmy AlbinStudy finds good outcomes for older lung transplant patientshttp://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-study-finds-older-patients-43770.aspx?link_page_rss=43770http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-study-finds-older-patients-43770.aspxIn the world of organ donation, it has been common practice to exclude older patients from receiving transplants because of limited donor supply and lower survival rates.
 
However, patients such as Lois Tumanello, who received a successful lung transplant at 65, are proving that perhaps age does not always matter.
 
A new UCLA Medical Center study shows that select patients age 65 and older can safely undergo lung transplantation and have acceptable outcomes. The findings are reported in the February issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.
 
Since 1999, UCLA has been one of the few transplant centers in the country to offer lung transplants to patients 65 and older who were otherwise healthy candidates for the procedure.
 
"Over the past decade, various reports have shown that older recipients undergoing all types of solid-organ transplantation can have good outcomes," said study co-author Dr. Abbas Ardehali, associate professor of cardiothoracic surgery and director of the UCLA Lung Transplant Program. "We wanted to define the short- and medium-term outcomes of lung transplantation in these older patients to determine whether the outcomes were acceptable."
 
The study reviewed records of UCLA patients who received lung transplants between March 2000 and September 2006. During this period, 50 transplant surgeries were performed on 48 patients between the ages of 65 and 72. A group of 50 patients younger than 65 were matched to the older cohort for comparison purposes.
 
Survival rates for both groups were similar. The early survival rate of the older patients was 95.7 percent, compared with 95.9 percent for the younger cohort. The one-year survival rate was 79.7 percent for the older group and 91.2 percent for the younger, and the three-year survival rate was 73.6 for the older group and 74.2 percent for the younger.
 
Researchers found that older patients were