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University of Washington School of Medicine
Online News
Vol. 11, No. 9
March 2, 2007
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To view an archived version of Online News on the UW Medicine Web site, visit: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:
* UW and Fred Hutchinson researchers uncover targets of HIV in female reproductive tract
* UW's Institute for Surgical and Interventional Simulation (ISIS) holds telemedicine training course in Boise; event is first of planned series of courses for WWAMI regional training sites
* Laligam Sekhar, professor and vice-chair of neurosurgery, receives academic publishing award for book on neurosurgical techniques
* Erika Goldstein discusses medical education and the medical school Colleges Program at the Education in Medicine Lecture on Tuesday, March 6
* David Cummings discusses the hunger hormone at Seattle Central Library on Wednesday, March 7
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RESEARCH UNCOVERS MECHANISMS OF HIV INFECTION IN FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE TRACT
Researchers at the UW and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC) have uncovered the targets of HIV-1 in the human vagina, according to research published last month in the journal Immunity.
The study was led by M. Juliana McElrath, member of the Clinical Research Division of the FHCRC and professor of medicine in the Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the UW, and Florian Hladik, an associate in clinical research at the FHCRC and research assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the UW.
The researchers used the outermost cells lining the vagina, or epithelial cells, to create a model system for how HIV-1 enters the female reproductive tract. They found that the virus simultaneously enters two types of immune cells that come from further inside the epithelium: Langerhans cells and CD4+ T cells. Contrary to previous studies, these findings indicate that infection of the T cells is independent of the virus infecting Langerhans cells.
The research also suggests that the T cells may be responsible for viral shedding in the reproductive tract, which contributes to the virus spreading to other people, and that the Langerhans cells may harbor the virus for some time before spreading to other cells. The findings may help guide scientists as they try to design drugs to block the spread and transmission of HIV.
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UW ISIS HOLDS TELEMEDICINE COURSE FOR STUDENTS IN BOISE
The UW Institute for Surgical and Interventional Simulation (ISIS) held its first medical-simulation telemedicine courses, providing instruction for third-year medical students in Boise, Idaho. The institute plans to regularly provide telemedicine courses in the future for WWAMI medical education sites throughout the Northwest.
Brian Ross, UW professor of anesthesiology and director of ISIS, participated in the instruction via teleconference from the UW campus in Seattle. WWAMI instructor Paula Carvalho, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the UW, led the instruction at the VA Medical Center in Boise. Carvalho is also director of the intensive care unit at the Boise VA. The course was also observed by the UW's John B. Coombs, vice dean for regional affairs, rural health, and graduate medical education, and William J. Bremner, professor and chair of medicine.
The students participated in an airway management course, which uses a patient simulator mannequin and covers the anatomy of the airway and its proper management before, during, and after surgeries or emergencies. Students also took part in central-line placement, which uses a simulation model to teach ultrasound-guided central venous catheter placement.
ISIS is a multi-department institute that uses medical simulation technologies to boost the quality of health education and to improve patient safety and clinical outcomes. Last year, the UW center became one of the first groups in the country to be accredited as a Level I Comprehensive Education Institute by the American College of Surgeons.
For more information about ISIS, visit the institute's Web site:
http://depts.washington.edu/isisinfo/
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LALIGAM SEKHAR RECEIVES PUBLISHING AWARD FOR NEUROSURGERY BOOK
Laligam Sekhar, professor and vice-chair of neurosurgery at the UW and Harborview Medical Center, and one of his colleagues have received the 2006 Clinical Medicine book award from the Professional and Scholarly Publishing Division of the Association of American Publishers.
Sekhar and his co-author, Richard Fessler, professor and chief of neurosurgery at the University of Chicago Hospitals, were recognized for their two-volume "Atlas of Neurosurgical Techniques." The publishing awards honor the highest achievement in academic writing and scholarship, and the award winners are selected by a panel of expert judges and peers.
Sekhar joined the UW faculty and Harborview community in 2005. He is a renowned expert in cerebrovascular surgery and skull base surgery, and has published dozens of peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and authored four books. Sekhar holds a patent for an aneurysm-detecting device and has pioneered many brain surgery techniques. He may be reached at lsekhar@u.washington.edu
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ERIKA GOLDSTEIN TO SPEAK ABOUT UW SCHOOL OF MEDICINE COLLEGES PROGRAM
Erika Goldstein, director of the UW School of Medicine Colleges Program, will discuss the evolution of that program in the Education in Medicine Lecture on Tuesday, March 6.
Goldstein, associate professor of medicine and head of the Rainier College in the School of Medicine, has chaired the UW's Introduction to Clinical Medicine course since 1989. She played a lead role in developing and implementing the School of Medicine Colleges Program and is its founding director. She has received a UW Distinguished Teacher Award and has been voted Distinguished Teacher four times by graduating medical students, making her Teacher Superior in Perpetuity.
Goldstein will talk about teaching and learning clinical skills and professionalism, and the role of the medical school's Colleges Program in that process. The lecture will be held from noon to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, in Hogness Auditorium, Room A-420 of the UW Health Sciences Center.
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HUNGER HORMONE IS TOPIC FOR LIBRARY LECTURE BY DAVID CUMMINGS
David E. Cummings, associate professor of medicine, will speak on the hunger hormone ghrelin on Wednesday, March 7 at the final session of the year in the Medical Lecture Series from UW Medicine and the Seattle Public Library.
Cummings studies the molecular mechanisms that affect body weight. He will discuss the impact of ghrelin, an appetite-stimulating hormone that is produced mainly by the stomach. Ghrelin has been connected to the control of hunger at meal times, and in the regulation of body weight over the long term. Researchers are studying the effectiveness of ghrelin blockers in possibly preventing or reducing obesity, and ghrelin stimulators in treating low body-weight conditions.
Cummings will speak at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, in the Microsoft Auditorium at the Seattle Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Seattle. The event is free, no tickets are required, and the doors for the event open at 6 p.m. Parking is available in the Central Library garage for $5. For more information, call 206-386-4636 or visit http://www.spl.org/
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Online News is published by Health Sciences/UW Medicine News and Community Relations.
Justin Reedy, editor:
206-685-0382, jreedy@u.washington.edu
Online News is copyright 2007. All rights, including electronic redistribution, are reserved.
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