Two UC San Diego researchers elected to Institute of medicine

 

Newswise - University of California, San Diego medical school researcher the researchers Joseph G. Gleeson, MD, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Professor of neuroscience and Pediatrics and Richard D. Kolodner, PhD, Professor of medicine and Ludwig Cancer Research scientist, have been appointed new members of the Institute of Medicine (IOM), considered among the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine.

Gleeson and Kolodner were among 70 new members and 10 foreign partners announced today the IOM annual meeting, bringing the total membership of the IOM to 1966 worldwide. Forty-six members of the Faculty of UC San Diego, current and Emeritus, are members of the IOM.

Joseph Gleeson

Gleeson is the principal investigator at the Center for the development of the brain, a laboratory that seeks to understand the genetic basis of diseases of the brain such as mental retardation, epilepsy and autism using genetic tools. He is also director of the UC San Diego neuroscience Core, Co-Director of the master of Biomedical Sciences and a member of the Institute of genomic medicine at UC San Diego.

He is also a member of the Child Neurology society, the society for Neuroscience and the American Society of human genetics and has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Child Neurology, Journal of Pediatric Neurology and human Molecular Genetics.

Gleeson got his Bachelor's degree in chemistry from UC San Diego and his title of doctor at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. He came to UC San Diego in 1999. His awards and recognition include award Klingenstein Fellowship in neuroscience, a Searle Scholar Award and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Clinical Scientist Award in translational research.

Richard Kolodner

Kolodner, Professor in cellular and molecular medicine of the Faculty of medicine at UC San Diego and UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, has made seminal contributions to understanding the connection between cancer and the repair of the DNA mismatch - the ability of cells to correct the genetic DNA.

It is member of the National Academy of Sciences (2000), the Academy American of Arts & Sciences (2008), the American Society of Microbiology, the Genetics Society of America and American Association for Cancer Research. He has served on numerous boards advice and review, including the Board of scientific advisors of the national cancer Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute criticizes Scientific Council.

Among his awards are the research award of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Morse, the Prix Charles S. Mott of the General Motors Cancer Research Foundation and the Landon-AACR Prize for basic cancer research.

Kolodner received his titles of Bachelor's degree and doctorate in biological sciences from UC Irvine and he worked at the medical school of Harvard to the UC San Diego in 1997.

About the Institute of medicine
Founded in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, the IOM serves as an independent, science-based, authoritative advisory group to the federal Government of the United States on various topics ranging from the effects on the health of the intake of salt, cancer care and abuse of minors in the armed forces mental illness and gun violence.

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Loyola University Chicago Professor Named American Academy of Nursing Fellow

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Newswise — MAYWOOD, Ill. – Sue Penckofer, PhD, RN, was inducted as a fellow into the American Academy of Nursing on Oct. 19, 2013. This event took place at the Academy’s 40th Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. Dr. Penckofer is a professor at Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing (MNSON).

“I am honored to join this esteemed group,” Dr. Penckofer said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance the profession of nursing and improve health care nationwide.”

Selection for membership in the academy is one of the most prestigious honors in the field of nursing. The academy fellows represent the top nurse researchers, policymakers, scholars, executives, educators and practitioners. This new class of fellows represents all 50 states, the District of Columbia and 19 countries. Dr. Penckofer was among 172 fellows inducted in to the academy. She was named a fellow for her contributions to the field of nursing for her work in improving women’s cardiovascular health, particularly for women afflicted with diabetes who are at greatest risk for cardiac morbidity and mortality.

The academy is composed of more than 2,000 nurse leaders in education, management, practice, policy and research. Selection criteria include evidence of significant contributions to nursing and health care and sponsorship by two current academy fellows. Applicants are reviewed by a panel of elected and appointed fellows, and selection is based, in part, on the extent to which nominees’ nursing careers influence health policies and well-being.

Dr. Sue Penckofer earned her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in nursing and her doctorate from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has been an educator and researcher for more than 30 years and is recognized nationally and internationally for her expertise in women’s cardiovascular health, depression, diabetes and vitamin D deficiency. Dr. Penckofer’s research on how emotions can affect overall health and quality of life has helped to transform the care delivered to women with diabetes. She also has made substantive contributions to promoting awareness and understanding of key health issues, which disproportionately affect women in minority and underserved populations.

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The Loyola University Chicago Health Sciences Division (HSD) advances interprofessional, multidisciplinary and transformative education and research while promoting service to others through stewardship of scientific knowledge and preparation of tomorrow's leaders. The HSD is located on the Health Sciences Campus in Maywood, Illinois. It includes the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, the Stritch School of Medicine, the biomedical research programs of the Graduate School, and several other institutes and centers encouraging new research and interprofessional education opportunities across all of Loyola University Chicago. The faculty and staff of the HSD bring a wealth of knowledge, experience, and a strong commitment to seeing that Loyola's health sciences continue to excel and exceed the standard for academic and research excellence. For more on the HSD, visit LUC.edu/hsd.

No Known Hominin Is Ancestor of Neanderthals and Modern Humans

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**Photos of the researcher will be available Monday, Oct. 21 at 12 p.m. Eastern.**
**Full research paper and figures, including visuals of the teeth studied, available now under embargo, upon request.**

Newswise — WASHINGTON—The search for a common ancestor linking modern humans with the Neanderthals who lived in Europe thousands of years ago has been a compelling subject for research. But a new study suggests the quest isn’t nearly complete.

Researchers, using quantitative methods focused on the shape of dental fossils, find that none of the usual suspects fits the expected profile of an ancestor of Neanderthals and modern humans. They also present evidence that the lines that led to Neanderthals and modern humans diverged nearly 1 million years ago, much earlier than studies based on molecular evidence have suggested.

The study, which will be published on Oct. 21 at 3 p.m. Eastern by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was carried out by an international team of scholars from the George Washington University (GW), Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research in Austria, Indiana University (IU) and Atapuerca Research Team in Spain.

“Our results call attention to the strong discrepancies between molecular and paleontological estimates of the divergence time between Neanderthals and modern humans," said Aida Gómez-Robles, lead author of the paper and a postdoctoral scientist at the Center for the Advanced Study of Hominid Paleobiology in the GW Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. “These discrepancies cannot be simply ignored, but they have to be somehow reconciled.”

P. David Polly, professor in the Department of Geological Sciences in the IU Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences, is a co-author of the study. Other co-authors are Spanish researchers José María Bermúdez de Castro, Juan-Luis Arsuaga and Eudald Carbonell, co-directors of the excavations at Atapuerca sites. The study resulted from a collaboration that developed when Dr. Gómez-Robles spent a semester at IU studying with Dr. Polly while she was a graduate student at the National Research Centre for Human Evolution and at the University of Granada, both in Spain. It also makes use of statistical methods developed by IU Bloomington biologist Emilia Martins.

The article, "No known hominin species matches the expected dental morphology of the last common ancestor of Neanderthals and modern humans," relies on fossils of approximately 1,200 molars and premolars from 13 species or types of hominins—humans and human relatives and ancestors. Fossils from the well-known Atapuerca sites have a crucial role in this research, accounting for more than 15 percent of the complete studied fossil collection.

The researchers use techniques of morphometric analysis and phylogenetic statistics to reconstruct the dental morphology of the last common ancestor of Neanderthals and modern humans. They conclude with high statistical confidence that none of the hominins usually proposed as a common ancestor, such as Homo heidelbergensis, H. erectus and H. antecessor, is a satisfactory match.

“None of the species that have been previously suggested as the last common ancestor of Neanderthals and modern humans has a dental morphology that is fully compatible with the expected morphology of this ancestor,” Dr. Gómez-Robles said.

The study also finds that the potential human ancestors discovered in Europe are morphologically closer to Neanderthals than to modern humans. This suggests the line leading to Neanderthals arose around 1 million years ago and the divergence of humans took place much earlier than previously thought. Other studies have placed the divergence around 350,000 years ago.

The researchers argue that quantitative and statistical methods provide a better way to settle debates about human origins than the descriptive analyses that have been used in the past. "Our primary aim," they wrote, "is to put questions about human evolution into a testable, quantitative framework and to offer an objective means to sort out apparently unsolvable debates about hominin phylogeny." They also suggest applying their methodology to study other body parts represented in the hominin fossil record.

What comes next? Answers to the ancestry question could come from studying hominin fossils from Africa, the researchers say. But the African fossil record from the era of interest is sparse.

“The study tells us that there are still new hominin finds waiting to be made,” Dr. Polly said. “Fossil finds from about 1 million years ago in Africa deserve close scrutiny as the possible ancestor of Neanderthals and modern humans.”

The Center for the Advanced Study of Hominid Paleobiology
The Center for the Advanced Study of Hominid Paleobiology is a research center at the George Washington University. CASHP’s mission is to undertake strategic research that addresses fundamental problems in human evolution that cross disciplinary boundaries, to act as a catalyst for interdisciplinary research programs involving scientists from other centers around the world and to promote interdisciplinary research through training and education.

The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences
Established in 1821 in the heart of the nation’s capital, the George Washington University Columbian College of Arts and Sciences is the largest of GW’s academic units. It encompasses the School of Media and Public Affairs, the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration and more than 40 departments and programs for undergraduate, graduate and professional studies. The Columbian College provides the foundation for GW’s commitment to the liberal arts and a broad education for all students. An internationally recognized faculty and active partnerships with prestigious research institutions place Columbian College at the forefront in advancing policy, enhancing culture and transforming lives through research and discovery.

The George Washington University
In the heart of the nation’s capital with additional programs in Virginia, the George Washington University was created by an Act of Congress in 1821. Today, GW is the largest institution of higher education in the District of Columbia. The university offers comprehensive programs of undergraduate and graduate liberal arts study, as well as degree programs in medicine, public health, law, engineering, education, business and international affairs. Each year, GW enrolls a diverse population of undergraduate, graduate and professional students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and more than 130 countries.

Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington is the flagship residential, research-intensive campus of Indiana University. Its academic excellence is grounded in the humanities, arts and sciences and a range of highly ranked professional programs. Founded in 1820, the campus serves more than 42,000 undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in more than 300 disciplines. Widely recognized for its global and international programs, outstanding technology and historic limestone campus, IU Bloomington serves as a global gateway for students and faculty members pursuing issues of worldwide significance.

- GW -

Shorter Sleep Duration and Poorer Sleep Quality Linked to Alzheimer's Disease Biomarker

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Newswise — Poor sleep quality may impact Alzheimer’s disease onset and progression. This is according to a new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health who examined the association between sleep variables and a biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease in older adults. The researchers found that reports of shorter sleep duration and poorer sleep quality were associated with a greater ß-Amyloid burden, a hallmark of the disease. The results are featured online in the October issue of JAMA Neurology.

“Our study found that among older adults, reports of shorter sleep duration and poorer sleep quality were associated with higher levels of ß-Amyloid measured by PET scans of the brain,” said Adam Spira, PhD, lead author of the study and an assistant professor with the Bloomberg School’s Department of Mental Health. “These results could have significant public health implications as Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, and approximately half of older adults have insomnia symptoms.”

Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills. According to the National Institutes of Health, as many as 5.1 million Americans may have the disease, with first symptoms appearing after age 60. Previous studies have linked disturbed sleep to cognitive impairment in older people.

In a cross-sectional study of adults from the neuro-imagining sub-study of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging with an average age of 76, the researchers examined the association between self-reported sleep variables and ß-Amyloid deposition. Study participants reported sleep that ranged from more than seven hours to no more than five hours. ß-Amyloid deposition was measured by the Pittsburgh compound B tracer and PET (positron emission tomography) scans of the brain. Reports of shorter sleep duration and lower sleep quality were both associated with greater ?ß buildup.

“These findings are important in part because sleep disturbances can be treated in older people. To the degree that poor sleep promotes the development of Alzheimer’s disease, treatments for poor sleep or efforts to maintain healthy sleep patterns may help prevent or slow the progression of Alzheimer disease,” said Spira. He added that the findings cannot demonstrate a causal link between poor sleep and Alzheimer’s disease, and that longitudinal studies with objective sleep measures are needed to further examine whether poor sleep contributes to or accelerates Alzheimer’s disease.

“Self-reported Sleep and ß-Amyloid Deposition in Community-Dwelling Older Adults,” was written by Adam P. Spira, Alyssa A. Gamaldo, Yang An, Mark N. Wu, Eleanor M. Simonsick, Murat Bilgel, Yun Zhou, Dean F. Wong, Luigi Ferrucci and Susan M. Resnick.

The research was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Brain Science Institute. Dr. Spira is supported by Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01AG033195) from the National Institute on Aging.

Presidential Medal of freedom recipient Dr. William Foege talks about the "practical lessons to plan for your life"

Newswise - Alumni Dr. William H. Foege, winner of the Presidential Medal of freedom to lead the fight for the eradication of smallpox, successfully returns to PLU on November 21 for a free public lecture and book-signing.

Dr. Foege, an epidemiologist, worked on the successful campaign to eradicate smallpox in the 1970s. Introducing Dr. Foege with highest civilian honor of the nation at the ceremony in the White House Medal of freedom the year passed, President Barack Obama called it a leader in "one of the greatest successes of the medicine".

After his talk PLU November 21, Foege signed copies of his book, the burning house, which explains how the smallpox, a disease that killed, blinded and healed by millions of people, was completely eradicated in a spectacular triumph of medicine and public health. Part autobiography, part of mystery, the book describes the experiences of Dr. Foege in public health, and details the extraordinary program that people from countries around the world participating in pursuit of a single goal: eliminate smallpox forever.

About Dr. Foege
Dr. Foege served as head of the Centers for Disease Control and prevention smallpox eradication program and was named Director of CDC in 1977. He graduated from PLU in 1957 and later received his medical degree from the University of Washington and a master's degree in public health from Harvard University. It also has honorary degrees from numerous institutions and he was appointed a member of the Faculty of Tropical Medicine in London and the hygiene in 1997. He has written more than 125 professional publications and is the author of the House on fire.

Details of the event
Date and time: 19:30 Thursday, November 21, 2013.
Location: Karen Hille Phillips Center for the performing arts, campus of PLU, 12180 Park Avenue S., Tacoma.
Admission: Free; reservations preferred.
Read more about the presentation of Dr. Foege 2012 Medal of freedom: http://www.plu.edu/news/2012/04/foege/home.php

Media Advisory: James C. Tyree Diabetes Education Library dedication

What: dedication of the James C. Tyree Diabetes Education Library
Who: The University of Chicago medicine Kovler Diabetes Center
When: 18:30 Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Where: Duchossois Center for advanced medicine, 5758 S. Maryland Ave., Chicago
How: RSVP by 9 Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Diabetes at the University of Chicago medicine Kovler Center will dedicate a new diabetes education library to honor the legacy of the late James C. Tyree, former President and Chief Executive Officer of Mesirow Financial Holdings, President of Sun-Times Media Group and member of the Board at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

The library which patients and their families have access to educational materials and provide space for classes and support groups. It is the last component of the program for Diabetes Care and innovation to promote clinical programs for diabetes, collaboration in research and education and outreach to patients and professional doctors James C. Tyree.

Tyree, who suffered from diabetes for about 25 years, was an advocate for patient counseling and wellness and behavioral health services. He died in March at age 53 from complications of cancer of the stomach while being treated at the medical center of the University of Chicago.

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About the medicine of the University of Chicago

Medicine of the University of Chicago, and their eating of the children's Hospital of rank among the best in the country, in particular for the treatment of cancer, according to survey by US News & World Report of the hospitals in the country. Faculty of Medicine of the University of Chicago Pritzker has been named one of the medical schools in the Top 10 in the nation, in the poll of "Best graduate schools" U.S. News. Scientists from the University of Chicago conducted the first organ transplant and the first transplant of bone marrow in animal models, donors living successful first transplant liver, first hormone therapy for cancer and the first successful application of cancer chemotherapy. The researchers discovered REM sleep and were the first to describe several of the stages of sleep. Twelve Nobel Prize winners have been affiliated with the medicine of the University of Chicago.

Visit our research blog at sciencelife.uchospitals.edu and our uchospitals.edu/news press room.

Twitter @UChicagoMed
Facebook.com/UChicagoMed

UIC Chancellor Receives $1.4 Million to Recruit Transfer Students in Sciences

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Newswise — Backed by a $1.4 million federal grant, the University of Illinois at Chicago will launch a new program to increase the number of underrepresented students who pursue degrees and research careers in the behavioral and biomedical sciences.

The five-year grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, one of the National Institutes of Health, partners UIC with the City Colleges of Chicago in an effort to bolster recruitment, training, mentorship, and degree completion in health-related fields for students from underrepresented backgrounds.

Beginning in 2014, UIC’s Behavioral and Biomedical Sciences Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program will recruit 58 students, 18 in the first year and 10 in each of the remaining four years, who qualify to transfer to UIC from the City Colleges. Participants will pursue their UIC degree in one of three areas aligned with their research and career interests: nursing; public health; or liberal arts and sciences, in subject areas such as biology, chemistry, psychology or physics.

“Researchers from underrepresented populations are in high demand, given persistent societal health disparities,” said UIC Chancellor Paula Allen-Meares, the grant’s principal investigator.

“As one of the most diverse universities in the nation, UIC is well-positioned, and eager, to offer this program that will give transfer students from underrepresented backgrounds the skills to be successful not only in their academic career, but as professional health scientists,” Allen-Meares said.

The program will offer students an intensive summer research skills workshop, an assigned research mentor, access to peer-tutors, and support for science and academic skill development through group activities. A health science conference is also being planned.

Students selected for the program will begin preparation for baccalaureate studies at the conclusion of their freshman year.

The program’s public health track seeks to advance knowledge and skills not only in basic sciences, but in two disciplines — epidemiology and biostatistics — that are considered critical to understanding public health problems.

Students who bridge to the undergraduate nursing program will be trained in research methods and statistical analysis along with skills in managing the health-care needs of individuals and communities.

Students in any of the liberal arts and sciences subject areas will prepare for professional and graduate study in diverse specialties such as cancer biology, tissue engineering and neuroscience.

“This program will enhance the students’ basic research skills, such as quantitative and qualitative analysis, critical thinking and innovation,” Allen-Meares said. ”These skills, and the capacity for leadership and collaboration, will be gained by working alongside faculty members in their respective programs.”

Retention and graduation rates will be tracked during and after the funding period to gauge the success of the program’s student support system.

The participants’ educational and career paths after graduation will be followed to gauge the program’s success in elevating the number of students from underrepresented backgrounds that enter graduate programs, receive doctoral degrees and pursue research careers.
The program also aims to foster collaborations and professional development opportunities between UIC and City Colleges of Chicago faculty that will enhance the educational experience for participating students, Allen-Meares said.

Current partnerships between UIC and the City Colleges include the Guaranteed Admission Transfer program, which offers City Colleges students guaranteed undergraduate admission to UIC after successful completion of their first two years of college, and a NIH-sponsored Bridges to the Doctorate for Minority Nursing Students program in the UIC College of Nursing.

The new program is also tied to UIC’s role directing the Illinois State Board of Education’s Health Science Learning Exchange, which began in 2012 as part of a $10.3 million public-private partnership to better prepare Illinois students for careers in science, technology, engineering and math fields. Allen-Meares and Bruce C. Neimeyer, associate vice chancellor for special programs, are co-investigators for a five-year $833,090 grant from the Department of Education to coordinate the exchange’s statewide network of businesses, employer associations, education partners, and other stakeholders.

Co-investigators on the new National Institute of General Medical Sciences grant include Neimeyer, Karin Opacich, Brian Kay, and Julie Zerwic of UIC and Michael Davis of the City Colleges of Chicago.

The City Colleges of Chicago is the largest community college system in Illinois and one of the largest in the nation, with 5,800 faculty and staff serving 120,000 students annually at seven colleges city-wide.

UIC ranks among the nation’s leading research universities and is Chicago’s largest university with 27,500 students, 12,000 faculty and staff, 15 colleges and the state’s major public medical center. A hallmark of the campus is the Great Cities Commitment, through which UIC faculty, students and staff engage with community, corporate, foundation and government partners to improve the quality of life in metropolitan areas around the world.

More about UIC.