A pair of medical students at the Wayne State University School of Medicine will climb a few steps – actually 1,035 steps -- for a worthy cause

Christopher Cooke, 27, of Troy, and Andrew Isaacson, 25, of Dearborn, will take part in the American Lung Association of Michigan’s Climb Detroit event March 8, racing up the 70 floors of stairs in the Detroit Marriott Tower of the Renaissance Center.

The duo, taking part as Team Wayne State Medical School, are seeking pledges for their effort to raise funds for the Lung Association., which supports lung health research, education and advocacy in Michigan.

The second-year medical students both plan to go into orthopedic surgery.

Isaacson competed in the challenge two years ago, and placed in the top 10 for his age group and in the top 20 overall. This year marks Cooke’s third consecutive appearance in the challenge. Last year he placed 20th overall.

“And I beat Andy, which is the most important thing,” he joked.

Cooke trains for the event by climbing 20 flights of stairs while wearing a 20-pound weight vest three times a week. Isaacson said he has been climbing stairs and cycling to build stamina for the event.

“I originally did this because climbing 70 flights of stairs sounds completely crazy and I am overly competitive,” Cooke said, “but it is a great day for a great cause, and that keeps me coming back.”

“It’s a good cause, and I like the physical challenge,” Isaacson added.

Next year, Isaacson and Cooke hope to recruit 10 to 20 classmates to join the School of Medicine team in the climb.

The pair admitted that fundraising is going a bit slower than in past years, perhaps because of the economy. Donations can be made to support their effort to assist the Lung Association by visiting http://www.mrsnv.com/evt/home.jsp?id=2211 and searching for the pledge site for either student.

Jeanne M. Lusher, M.D., Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics and the Marion I. Barnhart Chair of Hemostasis Research for the Wayne State University School of Medicine, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hemophilia & Thrombosis Research Society.

Dr. Lusher, who also serves as co-director of the Division of Hematology/Oncology and medical director of the Special Coagulation Laboratory of Children’s Hospital of Michigan, will accept the award at the society’s annual meeting April 17 in Chicago.

“I feel very honored to be receiving the society’s major award, which has been awarded only three times before,” Dr. Lusher said.

Her major field of work is in hemostasis -- clinical, laboratory methodology and clinical research -- with particular interest in Factor (F) FVIII and FIX inhibitors in hemophilia. She has written numerous scientific articles concerning inhibitors, their antibody nature, detection, kinetics, etiology, natural history and management. She has also written articles covering variations in FVIII assay results depending on reagents and standards used, and on the unique properties of FIX inhibitors in people with Hemophilia B (F IX deficiency).

The Wayne State University School of Medicine Aesculapians student group will poke fun at the school, faculty and themselves in the 2009 edition of Lampoon to raise money for two causes.

Last year Lampoon, with the help of 600 audience members, raised $5,000 to benefit bone marrow donor registry efforts. The organization hopes to raise that much this year to benefit two projects run by the Capuchin Soup Kitchen in Detroit. EarthWorks Urban Farm aims to promote sustainable agricultural practices, as well as provide nutrition in the form of fresh vegetables for those who might otherwise not be able to procure them. The Aesculapians have also chosen the Kitchen’s Rosa Parks Children Program, which offers a library, programming and activities for urban children.

Lampoon consists of tongue-in-cheek skits and videos produced by members of each of the four medical classes. Each class produces about 20 minutes worth of material for the evening’s entertainment. This year’s theme is “Wayne State: Backwards to the Future,” a play on the film that starred Michael J. Fox, “Back to the Future.”

“It’s a lot of fun and everybody takes it in stride,” said Bianca Gruber, 25, a fourth-year medical student who serves as the Lampoon coordinator for the Aesculapians.

“There’s always a competition to see which class produces the best skits,” said Rachel Shields, 23, a second-year medical student who serves as publicity chairwoman for Lampoon. “Last year the first-years won, so the competition should be heating up.”

Set for March 14, the show begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Majestic Theater, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit. Tickets, which cost $15, may be purchased in the cafeteria in Scott Hall from noon to 1 p.m. March 2 through March 13, or online at http://www.med.wayne.edu/aesculapians/lampoons.asp. If you are unable to attend but wish to donate to the cause, you can do so at the same site.

A new book edited and co-written by Wayne State University School of Medicine physicians and researchers explores a developing shift in how research is conducted, a move that requires stronger relationships with the community and community organizations.

“The Uncharted Path from Clinic-Based to Community-Based Research” was edited by Bonita Stanton, M.D., Schotanus Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the Wayne State University School of Medicine and pediatrician-in-chief at Children’s Hospital of Michigan Center; Linda Kaljee, Ph.D., associate professor of the Wayne State University Pediatric Prevention Research Center; and Jennifer Galbraith, Ph.D., a behavioral scientist at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

Other School of Medicine contributors to the book include Xiaoming Li, Ph.D., professor and director of the Prevention Research Center in the Carman and Ann Adams Department of Pediatrics; Angulique Outlaw, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Pediatric Prevention Research Center; Monique Green Jones, M.P.H., a research assistant in the Pediatric Prevention Research Center; and Sylvie Naar-King, Ph.D., associate professor in the Pediatric Prevention Research Center.

Published by Nova Science Publishers, the 291-page book is expected to be used by researchers and instructors teaching upper-graduate and graduate-level health education.

“Community-based research is so important in our efforts to move scientific discovery from basic science venues to platforms in which it can improve the health and well-being of individuals,” said Dr. Stanton, who also served as editor of the 18th edition of “Nelson’s Textbook of Pediatrics.”

“Despite its enormous importance in public health, community-based research is currently relatively neglected in medical education,” she added. “It is our hope that by sharing our experiences and integrating the lessons derived from them, we can advance the field and improve the health of our population.”

Dr. Stanton and Dr. Kaljee wrote the first chapter, an introduction to a new research paradigm emerging in community-based research, one that moves beyond the traditional lab-bound research and engages and encompasses the community and established groups working in the community.

Dr. Outlaw, Dr. Naar-King and Ms. Green-Jones wrote Chapter 2, which focuses on how to implement a community-based intervention research project, including the challenges and success of such a project. They examine a project targeting young African-American men engaging in sex with men to help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS using outreach efforts with established community organizations.

In Chapter 6, Dr. Kaljee examines international community-based research and prevention program implementation within the context of a rapidly changing economic and socio-cultural environment. She reviews an HIV-related prevention program for adolescents and young adults in a province in 21st century Vietnam.

Contributors to Chapter 8, Community Partnerships in Adolescent HIV Prevention Research: The Experience of Project IIppacs, include Dr. Stanton. The chapter explores the complex partnerships between communities and academic research groups. Dr. Stanton and her colleagues explore the challenges in preparing for and conducting HIV-prevention intervention in four cities, a project that involved six universities, an array of community organizations, a national media agency and federal funding.

Dr. Stanton and  Dr. Kaljee teamed up for Chapter 14, Charting a Path in Community-Based Research, a summary of previous chapters that advances a successful emerging model of public health community-based research involving members of the community, academic and research organizations, and funding agencies.

A third-year resident in the Wayne State University School of Medicine’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology has won a national honor for a paper outlining how cervical canal cells can indicate problem pregnancies, and perhaps more importantly has possibly developed a simple test to screen for abnormal pregnancies.

Anthony N. Imudia, M.D., has won the Donald F. Richardson Memorial Award from the AmericanCollege of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) for his paper, “Retrieval of Trophoblast Cells from the Cervical Canal for Prediction of Abnormal Pregnancy.”

The ACOG annually sponsors 10 different district meetings across the nation and the best paper from each district is submitted for the national Donald F. Richardson Memorial Award. The two best papers annually receive the award. Dr. Imudia has won the ACOG District V first paper award for two consecutive years, and this year received the college’s top national honor.

The paper details a research group’s findings that may lead to a simple diagnostic test to identify problem pregnancies earlier.

“Using a simple method similar to a PAP test, we discovered that fetal cells can be obtained from the cervix of pregnant women and that by identifying these fetal trophoblastic cells by staining them with a specific antibody and quantifying the amount of cells identified, we have been able to reliably distinguish normal pregnancy from abnormal pregnancy very early in gestation with more than 90 percent certainty,” Dr. Imudia said.

After the findings are validated through a clinical trial, the method could become a tool to screen pregnant women for abnormalities such as ectopic pregnancy, blighted ovum and prenatal diagnosis of chromosome problems very early in pregnancy. Dr. Imudia said the group is now seeking funding to conduct a clinical trial to validate its initial findings.

The research, he said was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from ongoing research projects at Wayne State University’s C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth & Development.

While Dr. Imudia is the lead author of the paper, D. Randall Armant, Ph.D., professor of the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Anatomy and Cell Biology, and an adjunct scientist in the Program on Reproductive and Adult Endocrinology at NICHD, served as principal investigator. Michael P Diamond, M.D., the Kamran S. Moghissi Professor and Associate Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, is Dr. Imudia’s mentor, and offered guidance.

Others involved in the research include Roberto Romero, M.D., chief of the Perinatology Research Branch of NICHD/NIH, and professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Molecular Medicine and Genetics; Frank Yelian, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility; Yoko Suzuki, M.D., who graduated from the Obstetrics and Gynecology residency last year and is now performing a fellowship in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Mass.; and Brian Kilburn, research assistant in Dr. Armant’s laboratory.

Gary W. Abrams, M.D., professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology for the Wayne Sate University School of Medicine, and director of the Kresge Eye Institute, has been named a 2009 Gold Fellow by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO).

The honor recognizes current members for their accomplishments, leadership and contributions to the association.

Dr. Abrams qualified for the honor for his participation in ARVO as a former Retina Program Committee member and chair; as a former member of the Board of Trustees of ARVO as the Retina Section trustee; as former president of ARVO and as current chairman of the Board of Trustees of the ARVO Foundation for Eye Research. He will be inducted at the organization's 2009 annual meeting in May.

"I presented my first scientific paper at the ARVO meeting in 1974 and have attended nearly every meeting since then," Dr. Abrams said. "It is the greatest scientific forum in all of vision science, so I am most appreciative to be honored as an inaugural ARVO Gold Fellow and I look forward to many more years of participation in this great organization."

Young adults showing signs of suffering a stroke are being misdiagnosed in hospital emergency rooms, a mistake that prevents them from receiving early effective treatment that can prevent serious stroke damage.

In a study called “Misdiagnosis of Acute Stroke in the Young During Initial Presentation in the Emergency Room,” Wayne State University School of Medicine researchers reviewed data covering 57 patients between the ages of 16 and 50. The patients were enrolled in the Young Stroke Registry at the Comprehensive Stroke Center at the School of Medicine.

Four males and three females (average age 34) in the study were misdiagnosed with migraine headaches, vertigo, alcohol intoxication or other conditions. They were discharged and later found to have suffered a stroke. One 48-year-old woman with sudden blurred vision, lack of muscle coordination, difficulty speaking and weakness in her left hand was told an inner-ear disorder caused her symptoms.

“Accurate diagnosis of stroke on initial presentation in young adults can reduce the number of patients who have continued paralysis and continued speech problems,” said Seemant Chaturvedi, M.D., senior author of the study. Dr. Chaturvedi is a professor of Neurology and director of the WSU/DMC Stroke Program. “We have seen several young patients who presented to emergency rooms with stroke-like symptoms within three to six hours of symptom onset, and these patients did not get proper treatment due to misdiagnosis.  The first hours are really critical.”

Dr. Chaturvedi is presenting the study’s findings Feb. 18 at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2009 in San Diego, Calif.

Stroke is the third leading cause of death and one of the top causes of disability in the United States, according to the American Stroke Association.

Dr. Chaturvedi said intravenous delivery of the clot-busting drug tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is the only U.S. government-approved treatment for acute stroke. The drug must be administered within three hours of symptom onset to reduce permanent disability. He noted that some experimental interventional stroke treatment, such as intra-arterial clot busters and mechanical clot retrieval, may be effective for some stroke patients three to eight hours after symptoms develop.

“Part of the problem is that the emergency room staff may not be thinking stroke when the patient is under 45 years old,” Dr. Chaturvedi said. “Physicians must realize that a stroke is the sudden onset of these symptoms.”

Patients arriving with “seemingly trivial symptoms like vertigo and nausea” should be assessed meticulously, he said.

After 48 to 72 hours, there are no major interventions available to improve stroke outcome, Dr. Chaturvedi said.

“Early intervention is the most critical component of effective stroke care,” said Abraham Kuruvilla, M.D., the study’s lead author and a stroke fellow in the School of Medicine’s Neurology Department. “Early intervention will reduce the burden of disability of young patients afflicted with stroke disability and the associated high cost of medical care in this population.”

Young adults showing signs of suffering a stroke are being misdiagnosed in hospital emergency rooms, a mistake that prevents them from receiving early effective treatment that can prevent serious stroke damage.

In a study called “Misdiagnosis of Acute Stroke in the Young During Initial Presentation in the Emergency Room,” Wayne State University School of Medicine researchers reviewed data covering 57 patients between the ages of 16 and 50. The patients were enrolled in the Young Stroke Registry at the Comprehensive Stroke Center at the School of Medicine.

Four males and three females (average age 34) in the study were misdiagnosed with migraine headaches, vertigo, alcohol intoxication or other conditions. They were discharged and later found to have suffered a stroke. One 48-year-old woman with sudden blurred vision, lack of muscle coordination, difficulty speaking and weakness in her left hand was told an inner-ear disorder caused her symptoms.

“Accurate diagnosis of stroke on initial presentation in young adults can reduce the number of patients who have continued paralysis and continued speech problems,” said Seemant Chaturvedi, M.D., senior author of the study. Dr. Chaturvedi is a professor of Neurology and director of the WSU/DMC Stroke Program. “We have seen several young patients who presented to emergency rooms with stroke-like symptoms within three to six hours of symptom onset, and these patients did not get proper treatment due to misdiagnosis.  The first hours are really critical.”

Dr. Chaturvedi is presenting the study’s findings Feb. 18 at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2009 in San Diego, Calif.

Stroke is the third leading cause of death and one of the top causes of disability in the United States, according to the American Stroke Association.

Dr. Chaturvedi said intravenous delivery of the clot-busting drug tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is the only U.S. government-approved treatment for acute stroke. The drug must be administered within three hours of symptom onset to reduce permanent disability. He noted that some experimental interventional stroke treatment, such as intra-arterial clot busters and mechanical clot retrieval, may be effective for some stroke patients three to eight hours after symptoms develop.

“Part of the problem is that the emergency room staff may not be thinking stroke when the patient is under 45 years old,” Dr. Chaturvedi said. “Physicians must realize that a stroke is the sudden onset of these symptoms.”

Patients arriving with “seemingly trivial symptoms like vertigo and nausea” should be assessed meticulously, he said.

After 48 to 72 hours, there are no major interventions available to improve stroke outcome, Dr. Chaturvedi said.

“Early intervention is the most critical component of effective stroke care,” said Abraham Kuruvilla, M.D., the study’s lead author and a stroke fellow in the School of Medicine’s Neurology Department. “Early intervention will reduce the burden of disability of young patients afflicted with stroke disability and the associated high cost of medical care in this population.”

The Wayne State University School of Medicine Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, and the Kresge Eye Institute Department of Ophthalmology, have scheduled a seminar for Feb. 18.

William Foster, M.D., clinical associate professor of the Department of Ophthalmology at Weill-Corneal Medical College, will present “Translational Research on Intraocular Materials and Vitreous Substitutes: Biophysics and Mechanotransduction” at noon in Room 8366 of Scott Hall.

Bhanu P. Jena, Ph.D., the George E. Palade University Professor and Distinguished Professor of the Wayne State University School of Medicine’s Department of Physiology, has been appointed associate secretary general of the International Federation of Cell Biology.

“There are many fine molecular and cellular biologists, so it is a great honor to be chosen to serve as the associate secretary general of this international scientific society,” Dr. Jena said. “I am deeply moved by the citation in my appointment letter.”

That letter, from federation President Denys Wheatley, Ph.D., M.D., reads: “In view of your pioneering contribution to cell biology, numerous academic contributions to the field, and continuing help and presence at IFCB meetings over many years, I am delighted to appoint you as the Associate Secretary General of the International Federation of Cell Biology.  …

"(T)he society and its members will immensely benefit from your service and contributions. Your discovery of a new cellular structure, the porosome, the universal secretory machinery in cells, and your elucidation of the general molecular mechanism underlying cell secretion and membrane fusion, has resulted in a paradigm shift in our understanding of this very fundamental and critical cellular process.

“Our official journal, Cell Biology International, has been greatly privileged and enhanced by your contribution of no less than eight of your seminal papers on the porosome, and made you an obvious person to have some years back on its editorial board. These discoveries have resulted in the birth of a new field in cell biology, Nano Cell Biology. Internationally, we are well aware of your continued global effort to educate and train both students and scientists in the field, which is highly commendable. … I firmly believe your participation as the associate secretary general of the International Federation of Cell Biology will greatly serve and advance the society.”

The main goal of the IFCB is to promote international cooperation and contribute to the advancement of cell biology. In his position as associate secretary general, Dr. Jena, who has belonged to the American Cell Biology Society for many years, will promote research and education in the field.

Dr. Jena recently received the Ranbaxy Research Award in the field of basic research in medical sciences from the Ranbaxy Science Foundation for his discovery of the porosome.

Discovered 14 years ago by Dr. Jena, the porosome is the universal secretory machinery in cells. Cell secretion is responsible for numerous activities, including neurotransmission, and the release of hormones and digestive enzymes. Secretory defects are responsible for a number of debilitating conditions, including growth defects, diabetes and neurological disorders. Dr. Jena’s discoveries have opened a gateway for the possible development of future treatments for such disorders at the very basic level of life.

Dr. Jena works to expand his research and cross-disciplinary partnerships as founder and director of the Wayne State University NanoBioScience Institute. The institute’s overall objective is to prepare U.S.-trained scientists to provide the next generation of leadership roles in U.S. academics and industry.

Preventing the progression of the most common and serious eye-related complication of diabetes is the aim of three separate studies by researchers at Wayne State University’s School of Medicine. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation awarded nearly $900,000 in three separate grants to School of Medicine faculty for research focusing on different aspects of retinal damage in the early stages of diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness in young adults.

Diabetic retinopathy is characterized clinically by the appearance of small, dot-like hemorrhages in the retina and the development of new blood vessels. These new vessels are delicate and hemorrhage easily, causing blood to leak into other parts of the eye. In its most severe stages, scar tissue around the vessels can cause the retina to detach from the back of the eye, resulting in blindness.

Ninety-five percent of people with diabetes develop some form of diabetic retinopathy, typically after about 20 years of living with the disease. Of those, 20 percent to 30 percent reach the advanced form that can lead to blindness.

Renu Kowluru, Ph.D., professor of ophthalmology and anatomy/cell biology, received $453,750 to investigate the role of enzymes called metalloproteinases in the collapse of retinal capillaries in diabetes patients. Dr. Kowluru’s hypothesis proposes that metalloproteinases are activated due to an increase in oxidative stress, which occurs as a result of high glucose levels early in the progression of diabetic retinopathy. Activated metalloproteinases accelerate cell death in the capillaries of the retina, which then causes the blood vessels to collapse and ultimately results in retinal detachment and blindness.

Dr. Kowluru’s research focuses on how changes in the activation of the metalloproteinase MMP-2 results in the loss of capillary cells. Understanding the signaling mechanisms of MMP-2 that modify the course of retinopathy could reveal important molecular targets and help in the design of specific therapeutics.

“This is one of many metabolic pathways that contribute to the development and progression of diabetic retinopathy,” she said. “If we can block that pathway, we may stop the condition from progressing any further. This would be a tremendous step forward because it may stop irreversible damage.”

Bruce Berkowitz, Ph.D., professor of anatomy/cell biology and ophthalmology, received $297,516 to identify the window of time during the pre-clinical phase of diabetic retinopathy in which drug intervention would be the most successful. Dr. Berkowitz will use a manganese-enhanced MRI method to measure retinal ion activity – an indicator of the retina’s overall health. In a previous study, irregular ion activity preceded clinical signs of diabetic retinopathy. Although it is not yet clear how ion activity and blood vessel damage are related, the study showed that correcting the impairment in ion activity in the retina prior to the onset of clinical symptoms prevented the development of diabetic retinopathy in animal models.

“With diabetic retinopathy, there is functional damage to the retina that occurs well in advance of clinical, detectable damage,” Dr. Berkowitz said. “It’s during this stage, which we refer to as ‘emerging diabetic retinopathy,’ in which we have the best chance to intervene. The goal of this study is to determine when in this stage it is best to intervene, and what type of intervention would be most useful.”

Pukhrambam Singh, Ph.D., assistant professor of anatomy/cell biology and ophthalmology, received $109,854 to investigate the role of the protein TXNIP in early endothelial dysfunction in diabetic retinopathy. Endothelial cells line the inner walls of blood vessels, forming tight junctions to prevent leakage. In diabetes patients, endothelial cells fail to function properly, causing blood vessels in the capillaries to leak. Dr. Singh believes endothelial dysfunction is in part caused by high glucose levels activating TXNIP.

“TXNIP could be one of the triggering proteins for diabetic retinopathy,” he said. “By silencing this protein, we could prevent blood leakage and subsequent molecular events, preventing the progression of the disease.”

A Wayne State University School of Medicine researcher will use a new grant, coupled with science developed by eye researchers, to develop improved hearing prosthetic devices for those experiencing deafness and related conditions.

Avril Genene Holt, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, received a $100,000 grant from the Ralph C. Wilson Sr. and Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Medical Research Foundation. She will use the two-year grant to further her research on the effects of modulation of neuronal excitability on hearing loss and related conditions.

“With the proliferation of cochlear prosthetic devices becoming a routine treatment for profound deafness in both young people and adults, developing the best possible device for implantation as well as providing the best possible platform for the reintroduction of hearing by understanding the effects of deafness and long-term implantation on neuronal plasticity becomes critical,” Dr. Holt said.

More than 20 million people in the United States experience some form of deafness or related conditions such as tinnitus.

Prosthetic devices to assist those with hearing disabilities now use electrical current to stimulate neurons in the inner ear or the brain. One problem with such devices, Dr. Holt explained, is that the electrodes must be in direct contact with neurons to achieve stimulation. This can damage neurons over time and cause the effectiveness of the prosthetic to slowly decrease. Perhaps worse, the condition could leave patients ineligible for new prosthetics because of the damage caused by removal of the devices after long-term implantation.

Dr. Holt will use recent findings from researchers studying methods of combating blindness. Scientists in that area of research have used proteins similar to those used by the eye that allow neurons to be stimulated by light, creating visual images. In her study, Dr. Holt plans to introduce one of these modified proteins, called channel rhodopsin 2, into auditory neurons of the cochlear nucleus in an animal model. She will control the activity of the proteins and neurons with wavelengths of light.

“Unlike electrical current, light-driven stimulation should be gentler, and the fiber optic electrode that will be implanted will be capable of emitting several different wavelengths of light, allowing for updating the capabilities of the device as technology advances,” she said.

She will determine which cell types within the cochlear nucleus are capable of expressing channel rhodopsin 2 and develop a device that will allow for stimulation of neurons with light that also allows physiological recording of activity from the neurons. The anticipated result, Dr. Holt said, will be the development of a device for stimulating neurons with light and simultaneously recording from these neurons, laying the groundwork for a light-driven cochlear prosthesis capable of long-term use and technological updates in humans.

The findings could provide the basis for application for federal funding targeted at creating “designer” channel rhodopsins capable of activation by different wavelengths of light, ultimately creating better hearing and quality of life for the deaf using implanted cochlear prostheses.

A team of Wayne State University School of Medicine researchers has unraveled the secret of interactions between the human genome and the nuclear matrix, a finding that could lead to genetic treatments for myriad diseases and disorders. The findings were published in and featured on the cover of the journal Human Molecular Genetics.

The authors of the findings are Stephen A. Krawetz, Ph.D., the Charlotte B. Failing professor of Fetal Therapy and Diagnosis; director of Translational Reproductive Systems, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, and the Institute for Scientific Computing; Amelia Linnemann, Ph.D., of the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics; and Adrian Platts, of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics.

Dr. Krawetz’s laboratory tries to understand how the genome is organized in the three-dimensional space of the nucleus to orchestrate gene activity. Using rapid large scale genomic techniques, the researchers defined key context dependent interactions of genes with specific regions of the nuclear matrix organizer. The interaction between the two played a role in gene expression. The finding may lead to methods that switch on or switch off genes that are at the root of diseases or disorders.

The research and resulting published paper formed the cornerstone of Ms. Linnemann’s doctoral thesis. Mr. Platts is the lab’s primary biosystems informatician. Initially trained as a physicist, he is “naturally quite at home developing novel analytical tools suited to this voluminous data and the statistical rigors that are required for these large scale projects,” Dr. Krawetz said.

“The contribution of these individuals highlight the breadth, yet focused nature of my research program, which, since its inception, has been dedicated to using Systems Approaches to develop self-help therapeutics,” Dr. Krawetz explained. “My laboratory strives to realize bench-to-beside personalized medicine at Wayne State University.

“For some time now the majority of the human genetic code has been known,” Dr. Krawetz said. “But how this information is used by the body -- to choose which genes within the cell to activate or leave dormant -- still remains largely unknown. In this recent work we have shown that structures within the cell's nucleus partner with the DNA in the functional regulation of the genome.”

Understanding how DNA is switched between active and dormant states, he explained, “opens a new door to the mechanism by which cells acquire their distinct specializations.” The knowledge provides the structural “mechanistic link to genome reprogramming,” essential in a healthy child and life.

“This opens up new possibilities for indirect (epigenetic) treatment therapies for diseases, including, dystrophies, premature aging, several types of cancers and reproductive fitness,” Dr. Krawetz said.

Michael Kleerekoper, M.D., a professor at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, will receive a prestigious teaching award from the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.

Dr. Kleerekoper will receive the association’s H. Jack Baskin, M.D., Endocrine Teaching Award at the organization’s annual meeting in Houston in May. The award is presented to a member “who has made a profound impact in teaching fellows-in-training and who is actively involved in teaching either in a university or through AACE."

This is only the second year the association has presented the award.

"This award came as a major surprise since I did not know I had been nominated and there are many outstanding teachers in endocrinology," Dr. Kleerekoper said. “In all walks of life the knowledge base is expanding rapidly, and medicine is no exception. It is now not possible to retain all the information we have learned, nor all the new information needed for day-to-day patient care. As clinicians, we need to become comfortable saying ‘I don't know, I will have to look that up and get back to you,’ whether the inquiry comes from a patient or a colleague. As teachers we need to change our approach from information transfer to get our students through an upcoming exam to a more basic understanding of the material that will allow for better assimilation of new knowledge as it becomes available."

Dr. Kleerekoper served the School of Medicine as a tenured faculty member from 1992 to 2006. He is currently a clinical professor in the Departments of Internal Medicine, and Obstetrics and Gynecology.

AACE is a professional medical organization with more than 6,200 members in the United States and 92 other countries. The association is dedicated to the optimal care of patients with endocrine problems. AACE clinical endocrinologists’ specialized training enables them to be experts in the care of endocrine disease such as diabetes, thyroid disorders, growth hormone deficiency, osteoporosis, cholesterol disorders, hypertension and obesity.

The Wayne State University Faculty Affairs Committee of the Academic Senate and the Office of the Provost will sponsor “Financing Your Retirement in Turbulent Times” on Feb. 25, beginning at 1:30 p.m.

The two-hour retirement forum will take place at the Spencer Partrich Law School Auditorium. Participants will hear retirees share their financial planning, receive financial tips from TIAA-CREF and Fidelity, learn about health care options and costs, and will be able to ask questions. Coffee and refreshments will be served.

While there is no charge for the seminar, organizers do want to estimate attendance. If you are interested in attending, send an email to wcrossla@med.wayne.edu.

The Wayne State University School of Medicine’s Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology will present a seminar Feb. 11 at noon.

Associate Professor Rod D. Braun, Ph.D., will speak on “Treating Uveal Melanoma with a Novel Non-Peptidic Small-Molecule Inhibitor of Bcl-2” at noon in Room 8366 of Scott Hall.

There is increased awareness that drinking during pregnancy is harmful and can lead to a range of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs), including the serious Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). However, linkages between maternal-drinking measures and child outcomes have been inconsistent. A team of researchers at the Wayne State University School of Medicine designed a "metric" or combination of measures that appears better able than individual measures alone to predict prenatal neurobehavioral dysfunction and deficits in children.

Results from this collaborative study at Wayne State University will be published in the April issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are available at Early View. The School of Medicine co-authors of the ACER paper, "A Metric of Maternal Prenatal Risk Drinking Predicts Neurobehavioral Outcomes in Preschool Children," included Lisa Chiodo, Ph.D., research associate of pediatrics; James Janisse, Ph.D., assistant professor of family medicine; Virginia Delaney-Black, M.D., M.P.H., professor of pediatrics; Robert J. Sokol, M.D., director of the C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development, and distinguished professor of obstetrics and gynecology; and John H. Hannigan, Ph.D., professor of obstetrics and psychology, and principal investigator on the study.

"The number of children being born with FAS remains unnecessarily high," said Lisa M. Chiodo, Ph.D., first author for the study. "In part this is because it is difficult to identify patterns of drinking during pregnancy that put women's children at risk for FAS and other FASDs."

Dr. Chiodo said that although there are several measures of maternal drinking during pregnancy, their ability to predict child outcomes -- particularly cognitive and behavioral problems -- has been inconsistent. "We thought that combining many of the clinical and research measures of alcohol drinking into a single metric might help us find every child in our study who had been exposed to levels of alcohol that put them at risk.

“It is imperative that health care professionals ask pregnant women about their alcohol and drug use in order to provide appropriate care for the women, and to provide anticipatory guidance for their children," she said. "Knowing that a woman has a substance-abuse problem or is an alcoholic is likely to be highly related to later developmental problems in the children."

The research team examined a sample of 75 African-American mothers as well as their 4- to 5-year-old children. The mothers self-reported peri-conceptional and repeated in-pregnancy maternal drinking in response to a number of semi-structured interviews and standard screening instruments, which were then used to construct a metric of "maternal prenatal risk drinking." The children were tested for IQ, attention, memory, visual-motor integration, fine motor skills and behavior. The metric was then assessed against these outcomes.

The metric identified more than 62 percent of the mothers as drinking at risk levels; 23 percent more than the individual selection criteria identified.

"We had good reason to think that risk drinking was more common than thought," said Chiodo, "so detecting more risk drinkers was not that surprising. The real surprise was how successful the metric was in predicting deficits and problems in the children. In fact, our metric predicted poor child cognition and behavior problems better than any of the individual measures of maternal alcohol consumption or screens for problem drinking alone."

The paper reinforces the idea that alcohol use during pregnancy, particularly at levels that would identify a woman as a potential alcohol abuser or problem drinker, has serious consequences for the developing baby. For clinicians, it reinforces the idea that pregnant women must be questioned about their drug and alcohol use, and that reliable and quick methods for identification of those at risk are available.

"Clinicians must be able to identify risk levels of drinking in their pregnant patients because that is a critical time for possible treatment and prevention," Chiodo said. "After the children are born, we also need to be able to identify which children were exposed to 'risky' alcohol levels during pregnancy to allow correct diagnosis of, and early intervention with, children with FASDs. We do not know how or if our current metric might be adapted in practice for clinicians. However, our results suggest that it might be useful for health care providers to use more than one measure of drinking in a more thorough examination of risk patterns and problem drinking."

The study was funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the Gerber Foundation, and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

When the directors of the film “Gifted Hands” needed an expert to ensure realism in the operating room, they turned to the capable hands of a Wayne State University School of Medicine specialist.

Sandeep Mittal, M.D., a neurosurgeon and assistant professor of the School of Medicine’s Department of Neurological Surgery, was tapped to serve as a technical advisor and consultant for the medical and surgical aspects portrayed in the film, which premiers at 8 p.m. Feb. 7 on Turner Network Television (TNT).

“I worked closely with the special effects people in California to get the props ready -- and realistic -- for the close-up scenes,” said Dr. Mittal, who also co-directs the Neuro-Oncology Multi-Disciplinary Team at the Karmanos Cancer Institute. “I was quite amazed at the props they created based on the pictures I sent them from my surgical cases collection.”

“Gifted Hands” is the story of world-renowned pediatric neurosurgeon and Detroit native Ben Carson. Based on his book of the same title, the film traces Dr. Carson’s rise from abject poverty in the slums of Detroit and the false assumptions that he was mentally retarded to his struggle to become a surgeon and director of Pediatric Surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He is most noted for his 1987 successful operation to separate conjoined twins who were joined at the head. Such previous attempts had resulted in the deaths of either or both twins. The surgeon has gone on to write three books and has won the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

In the film, Dr. Carson is played by Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr., who Dr. Mittal met and worked with, both before and during filming.

After meeting with the film’s directors and producers, Dr. Mittal said, Cuba Gooding Jr. came to his office for a few hours to receive a “crash course” in neurosurgery. “He is a very nice guy,” Dr. Mittal said.

The surgeon said he was approached about advising the film makers by Emery King, chairman of the Michigan Film Office Advisory Council and director of marketing for the Detroit Medical Center.

Harper Hospital operating room nurse coordinator Carol Ciminelli, Dr. Mittal said, helped secure personnel and equipment for filming, which took place in October at the old Detroit Riverview Hospital. Dr. Mittal and the extras endured three to four 12- to 14-hour days to complete the operating room scenes.

“It was certainly a very interesting experience,” Dr. Mittal said. “I have seen a preview of the edited operating room scenes -- I think they've done an excellent job.”

In addition to advising the film’s directors and having his own hands stand in for Mr. Gooding’s in the surgical scenes, Dr. Mittal was asked to assist in finding extras for the film. “Naturally, I thought that medical students, residents and nurses from the Department of Neurosurgery would be the most logical choice,” he said. “Therefore I contacted some of the Wayne State University medical students that I have mentored over the past few years to see if they would like to participate in the movie.”

One of those students, Amy Buth, who had performed a summer research rotation with Dr. Mittal, jumped at the chance.

“What was interesting was that the director wanted real medical personnel during the surgery scenes so that it looked as real as possible,” said Ms. Buth, a first-year M.D./Ph.D. student at the School of Medicine. “So there were a lot of nurses and surgical techs from Harper that gave their time to be on the set. I agree that having people play their real professions on film is more effective that trying to teach actors what to do.”

Ms. Buth, who has not yet seen the film, does not have any speaking lines, but does assist Dr. Mittal in the surgical scenes. “I was used as an extra walking down the hallways or standing in the operating room,” she explained. “I also am in a scene with Cuba Gooding Jr. I'm the assisting surgeon next to Cuba during a surgery when the patient wakes up. However, all of this occurs while I'm wearing a mask.”

She also appears in a conference scene – without mask – playing the role of a plastic surgeon while Mr. Gooding’s character discusses the separation of the twins. “It was nothing too major, but it was still super fun,” Ms. Buth said. “I got to talk to Cuba a lot during the filming. I’m excited for this Saturday!”

Ms. Buth, who while in high school played the role of a frustrated piano student in the Grand Rapids Symphony production of “Beethoven,” said the filming was “fun, but stressful” because it took place right before exams. The tension, however, was worth it, she said, because she not only met Mr. Gooding, she also met a longtime role model Dr. Carson, who visited the set during the filming of the surgical scenes.

“Dr. Carson has been a role model of mine since I was very young,” she said. “I have all his books and have seen him speak many times before. In fact, I was able to have him sign one of my books during the filming. I also asked him various questions and for advice as a first-year medical student. He is so down to earth and puts God before anything else. It was such a wonderful experience being around him.

“Not only was it amazing to be a part of my childhood role model's movie, it was also a rewarding experience to able to work more closely with my current role model, Dr. Mittal, and the Neurosurgery Department,” added Ms. Buth, who plans to go into neurosurgery. “I have really enjoyed getting to know Dr. Mittal. He is a wonderful mentor and definitely another important figure in my life. He is extremely patient and always welcoming me to the OR. The stereotype is that surgeons are arrogant and have no time for interacting with others. It is completely opposite with this neurosurgery department. I have never met such wonderful physicians who are eager to teach.”

Richard Gallagher, Ph.D., has been asked to participate in an advisory committee for a training program that has the potential to make a significant difference in the lives of minority cancer patients in the U.S. as well as international populations.

Dr. Gallagher is professor and director of the Division of Medical Education in the Wayne State University School of Medicine’s Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, as well as an adjunct professor at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute.

He recently accepted an appointment to the External Advisory Committee for the University of Michigan master’s program in cancer epidemiology in its School of Public Health. The objective of the program, said Dr. Gallagher, is to develop a competency-based educational program to prepare master’s students in public health for careers in cancer epidemiology research in special populations.

Dr. Gallagher said that developing countries with unique contrasts in lifestyles, environmental exposures and diverse cancer profiles provide a promising opportunity for studying the mechanisms of environmental carcinogenesis. Cancer research is much more difficult to conduct in developing countries due to lack of registries, poor or lacking infrastructure and a shortage of trained cancer researchers. Dr. Gallagher believes that the University of Michigan program is designed to prepare cancer epidemiology researchers to work successfully in these types of environments.

Dr. Gallagher’s expertise in curriculum was the driving force behind the invitation to join the committee, which was formed by U of M to include experts from around the country.

Dr. Gallagher is a pioneer in the teaching of cancer prevention concepts and skills to undergraduate medical students. He has served as the principal investigator on one of five national contracts that was funded in 1979 by the National Cancer Institute to test the feasibility of teaching cancer prevention to U.S. medical students. He is a lifetime fellow and recent past-president of the American Association for Cancer Education.

Said Maryjean Schenk, M.D., Chair of the Department of Family Medicine, “Dr. Gallagher cares deeply about the quality and outcomes of medical and graduate education programs. Further, he has expertise and a keen interest in competency-based education. I am delighted that he will contribute to the oversight of the cancer/epidemiology program at U of M and know that the program will be of the highest quality with his involvement.”

Dr. Gallagher joined the School of Medicine faculty in 1968 and, over the years, has played a primary role in helping to define the school’s current medical curriculum. In addition to the many accolades he has received as a respected member of the Family Medicine faculty, the university community has recognized him in the past for his outstanding service as president of the WSU Academic Senate.

The Wayne State University School of Medicine Department of Immunology and Microbiology will present Joshua Reineke, Ph.D., assistant professor of the WSU Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, on Feb. 24.

Dr. Reineke will speak from noon to 1 p.m. on “Mechanisms of Nanoparticle Internalization and Resulting Organ Fate.” The seminar will take place in Room 7364 of Scott Hall.