*****
University of Washington School of Medicine
Online News
Vol. 12, No. 11
March 14, 2008
*****
To view an archived version of Online News on the UW
Medicine Web site, visit:
http://www.uwmedicine.org/Global/NewsAndEvents/somnews/index.htm
*****
This week’s news:
* Adult children of parents with Alzheimer's disease seem to have higher risk of developing the neurodegenerative disease, UW researchers find
* Robert Knopp appointed to the Robert B. McMillen Professorship in Lipid Research
* UWMC sponsors one-day symposium for area physicians on treatment innovations in cardiovascular disease and musculoskeletal conditions
* New findings on pro-inflammatory cell death reported this week
*****
ADULTS WITH TWO PARENTS WITH ALZHEIMER'S MAY BE AT HIGHER RISK FOR THE DISEASE
Adults whose parents have both been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease seem to have a higher risk of the disease than the general population, UW researchers report in the March issue of the Archives of Neurology, a journal published by the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Alzheimer’s disease is a common cause of dementia in the U.S. population and the leading cause of cognitive impairment in the elderly population. If both spouses in a couple have the disease, their offspring may presumably have a higher burden of Alzheimer's-related genes, the researchers said.
The study examined the frequency of Alzheimer's disease in adult children of 111 families in which both parents had been clinically diagnosed with the disease. Of the 297 children who reached adulthood, 22.6 percent developed Alzheimer’s disease, compared with an estimated 6 percent to 13 percent of the general population. The risk of developing the disease went up with age: it affected 31 percent of those older than age 60, and 41.8 percent of those older than age 70.
Most of the adult children in the study were younger than age 70, so the researchers suggested that the actual lifetime risk associated with having two parents with Alzheimer's may be higher than the 22.6 percent found in this study. The authors added that the role of family history and the specific genes involved in Alzheimer's disease need to be studied further.
The study was led by Thomas Bird, UW professor of neurology and of medicine in the Division of Medical Genetics and a physician at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System. Suman Jayadev, UW acting assistant professor of neurology, was the lead author on the study.
*****
ROBERT KNOPP APPOINTED TO MCMILLEN PROFESSORSHIP IN LIPID RESEARCH
Robert H. Knopp, UW professor of medicine and head of the Section of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition at Harborview Medical Center, has been named the first holder of the Robert B. McMillen Professorship in Lipid Research at UW Medicine. Knopp, director of the Northwest Lipid Research Clinic, is a national leader in the study of diabetes, lipids, cardiovascular disease, and related issues of prevention and treatment. He is an active teacher and mentor, investigator, and clinician.
A graduate of Cornell University Medical College, Knopp trained at Harvard and Northwestern. He served on the faculty of Harvard Medical School before coming to the UW in 1974 as associate professor and deputy director of the Northwest Lipid Research Clinic. He has been director of the clinic since 1978. He is the author of more than 400 research papers, chapters, textbooks, and other educational materials. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and of the American College of Physicians, a past president of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine, and a past board member of the National Lipid Association, among many other national and local leadership positions in his field. He has received the Lester R. Sauvage Hope Heart Award, the Distinguished Service Citation of the American Diabetes Association, the Meritorious Service Award of the American Heart Association of Washington, the Harborview Cares Award, and numerous other honors.
The McMillen Professorship is intended to support research on the causes and treatments of lipid disorders, such as high blood pressure. Funds supporting it were donated by Michael D. Garvey, Frederick M. Goldberg, and Leonard H. Shapiro of Saltchuk Resources, Inc., in honor of their associate at Saltchuk, the late Robert B. McMillen. McMillan, who died in 2002, was a patient and longtime supporter of Harborview and of the Northwest Lipid Research Clinic. He served on the UW Foundation board of directors. Saltchuk Resources is a Seattle-based company that invests in the maritime industry.
*****
UWMC SPONSORING SYMPOSIUM ON CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AND MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS
UW Medical Center and the UWMC Physician Liaison Program are sponsoring a one-day symposium on treatment innovations for cardiovascular disease and musculoskeletal conditions. The event is scheduled for Thursday, March 27, from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and will be held in the auditorium of the Foege Building, 1705 N.E. Pacific St., Seattle.
The morning session will focus on cardiovascular disease and will cover topics such as coronary CT angiography, congestive heart failure, and management and treatment of cardiovascular disease. The afternoon session will focus on musculoskeletal conditions and will cover topics like treatments for low-back pain and technology used in spine surgery. Attendees may register for either of the sessions or the entire event.
The symposium is free and open to physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants from the local area, but space is very limited and pre-registration is required. To register or get more information, call 206-598-5693 or visit:
http://tinyurl.com/2cc6z5
*****
FINDINGS ON CELL DEATH PATHWAYS REPORTED THIS WEEK
An enzyme inside cells, caspase-1, plays a critical role in inflammation and in resistance to infection, as well as in many medical conditions characterized by organ damage. The enzyme helps initiate programmed cell death, and the production of inflammatory proteins released from the dying cell. A UW lab led by Brad T. Cookson, associate professor of microbiology and of laboratory medicine, has done many studies of how caspase-1 mediates the pathway of pro-inflammatory cell death, and coined the term "pyroptosis" (going down in flames) to describe it and distinguish it from apoptosis, or non-inflammatory cell death.
The lab's most recent study was published this week in the early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Conducted by graduate students Susan Fink and Tessa Bergsbaken, the research looked at how two different noxious stimuli, anthrax toxin and Salmonella infection, triggered the caspase-1 mediated cell death pathway. They found that, although each of these stimuli took a different route to activate caspase-1, the mechanisms converged on a common pathway. This pathway features cleavage of the cell's DNA, activation of inflammatory chemical messengers, formation of nano-scale pores in the cell membrane, and spillage of the cell's contents.
Understanding cell death pathways, and how to redirect them, may lead to new therapies against serious infections, heart attack, cancer, and stroke. The Cookson lab is part of the NIH-funded Microscale Life Sciences Center, collaboration among scientists and engineers from the UW, FHCRC, University of Arizona, and Brandeis University. In an effort to design biotechnology to combat widespread diseases and environmental threats, the center studies the basic mechanisms of the formation, growth, and decline of human cells.
Cookson can be reached at cookson@u.washington.edu, 206-598-6131.
*****
Justin Reedy, editor:
206-685-0382, jreedy@u.washington.edu
Online News is copyright 2008. All rights, including electronic redistribution, are reserved.