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University of Washington School of Medicine
Online News
Vol. 12, No. 8
Feb. 22, 2008
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To view an archived version of Online News on the UW
Medicine Web site, visit:
http://www.uwmedicine.org/Global/NewsAndEvents/somnews/index.htm
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This week’s news:
* Health-care expenditures related to back and neck problems increasing, UW researchers find, but health outcomes do not appear to be improving
* Kevin Grigsby, vice dean at Penn State medical school, to speak about difficult conversations in this month's Education in Medicine Lecture, Monday, Feb. 25
* Vitamins E and C do not reduce risk of Alzheimer's or dementia, UW and Group Health study finds
* Harborview's new Inpatient Expansion Building to be named in honor of the late Norm Maleng, longtime King County prosecutor
* UW Institute for Translational Health Sciences and Washington National Primate Research Center sponsoring new Ignition Awards to support pilot research in non-human primates
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EXPENSES FOR BACK AND NECK PROBLEMS GOING UP, BUT OUTCOMES NOT IMPROVING
Health-care expenses related to back and neck problems have increased in recent years, but health outcomes do not appear to be improving, according to a UW study appearing in the Feb. 13 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The UW researchers examined data from 1997 to 2005 in a national survey on medical expenditures. They found that, in each year of the survey, people with spine problems reported higher medical spending than people without such problems. Inflation-adjusted medical expenditures by people with spine problems increased about 65 percent from 1997 to 2005, a more rapid increase than overall health expenditures.
The estimated proportion of people with back or neck problems who reported limitations of physical functioning increased during the surveyed years, from 20.7 percent in 1997 to 24.7 percent in 2005. Those adults' reported measures of mental health, physical function, and limitations in work, school or social settings were also worse in 2005 than in 1997.
The study was led by Brook Martin, a research scientist in the UW Center for Cost and Outcomes Research, a joint venture of the School of Medicine and the School of Public Health and Community Medicine.
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PENN STATE'S KEVIN GRIGSBY TO SPEAK AT EDUCATION IN MEDICINE LECTURE
Kevin Grigsby, vice dean for faculty and administrative affairs at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, will speak about difficult conversations in the latest Education in Medicine Lecture at the UW. The lecture will be held from noon to 1 p.m., Monday, Feb. 25, in Turner Auditorium, Room D-209 of the UW Health Sciences Center.
The lecture is open to all; no registration is required. The event will also be televised live at Children's Hospital, Room A-7932, and at Harborview Medical Center, Room 115 of the Research and Training Building.
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VITAMINS E AND C DO NOT PREVENT ALZHEIMER'S OR DEMENTIA, STUDY FINDS
Older adults who use over-the-counter vitamin E or C supplements do not reduce their risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study by UW and Group Health researchers. The results run counter to previous research, which suggested that vitamin supplements could protect against the diseases.
The study tracked nearly 3,000 Group Health members, age 65 or older, using vitamin E or vitamin C supplements over a follow-up period of more than five years. In addition to finding no protective effects from either vitamin, researchers found that the combined use of vitamins E and C, which was previously thought to offer even greater protection against the diseases, also did not reduce the risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s.
Scientists do not know the exact cause of Alzheimer's disease. Some theorized that it might be caused or exacerbated by high brain levels of free radicals, which are highly reactive molecules thought to be damaging to cells in the body. Some vitamins, such as vitamin E, can neutralize free radicals, leading to some hope that the vitamins could prevent free-radical damage to brain cells.
Vitamin E had also been touted as beneficial for protecting against a wide variety of diseases, like some cancers and cardiovascular disease. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that the vitamin does not protect against those diseases.
The new study appears in the February issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. It was led by Shelly Gray, UW associate professor of pharmacy, and Eric Larson, director of the Group Health Center for Health Studies and UW clinical professor of medicine.
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HARBORVIEW BUILDING NAMED IN HONOR OF THE LATE NORM MALENG
The Metropolitan King County Council voted this month to name the new building at Harborview Medical Center in honor of former King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng.
Maleng, who died last year, was a longtime advocate for Harborview. In 1989, Maleng’s daughter Karen received care in the Harborview trauma center for injuries suffered during a sledding accident. Following her death, Maleng and his wife Judy became community ambassadors for the medical center in appreciation of Harborview's work to save lives after devastating injuries and to help families heal following the death of a loved one.
The county council approved the request by the Harborview Board of Trustees to name the medical center's new Inpatient Expansion Building named in his honor. When it opens this summer, the Norm Maleng Building will include eight operating rooms and additional inpatient beds, along with acute care, rehabilitation and clinic facilities.
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UW IGNITION AWARDS TO SUPPORT PILOT RESEARCH PROJECTS
The UW's new Institute for Translational Health Sciences and the Washington National Primate Research Center are co-sponsoring a new grant program designed to support pilot research leading to further study. The Ignition Award will support innovative non-human primate research projects aimed at generating preliminary data that can be used for future grant applications or clinical studies.
The program is open to investigators from the primate center, the UW, Seattle Children's Hospital, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and other institutions and schools in the WWAMI region. Projects will be conducted on-site at the Washington National Primate Research Center in Seattle.
Initial abstracts from applicants are due by Friday, Feb. 29. For more information or to get application forms, contact Kathy Long at ithsapps@u.washington.edu or 206-598-4700, or visit:
http://www.iths.org/PilotFunding/ITHSIgnitionAwards.aspx
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Justin Reedy, editor:
206-685-0382, jreedy@u.washington.edu
Online News is copyright 2008. All rights, including electronic
redistribution, are reserved.
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