Dr. Ignarro, the Jerome J. Belzer, M.D., Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology at the UCLA School of Medicine, will visit the Health Science Center April 12 and 13 as the Brackenridge Visiting Scholar. He will give both public and scientific talks. The George W. Brackenridge Foundation and the Health Science Center are the visit sponsors.
A distinguished pharmacologist from UCLA's Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, Dr. Ignarro and two scientific colleagues jointly received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for foundational discoveries about the role of the molecule nitric oxide. The other Nobel Laureates are Drs. Ferid Murad of The University of Texas Houston Health Science Center and Robert Furchgott of the State University of New York (SUNY) Health Sciences Center in Brooklyn.
The three were honored for discovering that nitric oxide acts as a signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system. The prize was the result of decades of work by the scientists, working independently much of the time and sometimes together.
Through a series of experiments and analyses, Dr. Ignarro concluded in 1986 that a signaling molecule called "endothelium-derived relaxing factor," identified earlier by Dr. Furchgott, was identical to nitric oxide.
When Drs. Ignarro and Furchgott presented their conclusions at a conference in July 1986, they set off a cascade of research activities around the world. It was the first discovery that a gas can act as a signaling molecule in an organism.
According to a 50-word citation on his work, Dr. Ignarro discovered that nitric oxide:
Holder of a Ph.D. in pharmacology from the University of Minnesota, the April 1999 Brackenridge Lecturer was a faculty member at the Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans from 1973 to 1985, when he joined the UCLA School of Medicine. He was a staff scientist for the CIBA-GEIGY Corp. from 1968 to 1972.
His many awards include the ROUSSEL UCLAF Prize for Cell Communication and Signaling, the CIBA Award for Hypertension Research and the Basic Research Prize of the American Heart Association.
Difficult to do, yes, but that is what scientists at the Health Science Center's Research Imaging Center (RIC) accomplished during PET studies of the brain and musical performance. PET, short for positron emission tomography, is a multimillion-dollar technology that enables scientists to pinpoint the brain's functions during various test activities.
A photo of the unusual music study, taken for an article published in the German magazine Stern, is so captivating that it recently captured an honor which, overseas, is the equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize for photojournalism.
The World Press Organization awarded first prize in its Single Scientific/Technology Photograph Category to Dr. Stephan Elleringmann's photo of pianist Sarabeth Pridgen.
"The Stern photographers and reporters first came to visit after hearing from researchers in Europe that we were doing interesting imaging work on music," said Dr. Lawrence Parsons, assistant professor at the Research Imaging Center. "They were so impressed that they came back two months later to do an article on all the center's studies. The published article inspired Panorama, an Italian magazine with half a million circulation, to produce its own article on the RIC."
Not to be outdone by the German and Italian press, a reporter from the French magazine VSD (translated "Friday, Saturday, Sunday" in French) subsequently visited the RIC. She wrote a story from the point of view of being a subject in the imaging center's various experiments, which included trans-cranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies of fine motor control, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies of sensory functions of the cerebellum, and electrical potential recording (ERP) studies of selective attention.
The RIC music performance study yielded provocative results. Eight right-handed professional pianists were brought to the Research Imaging Center, where they were scanned while playing scales, resting, and playing Bach's Italian Concerto. The third movement of the concerto was played from memory. "Perhaps our most surprising result was that during the Bach performance only, but not during the scales, many areas throughout the brain were deactivated," Dr. Parsons said.
"Many of these cortical regions are associated with the processes of self-consciousness, judgment, goal setting and rationalization, and their deactivation appears to be associated with a mental state of full conscious absorption in performance that musicians reported to be related to superior performance."
The study was the first view of whole brain function during purely music performance. A previous study, published in Science in 1992 by the late Justine Sergent, looked at musicians sight-reading a piece performed by the right hand only. Sergent also was a co-author on the RIC study.
RIC scientists noted increased activity in the brain's right temporal auditory cortex during the Bach concerto. This same activity was greatly reduced during the scales. "We were able to isolate brain functions processing the meaning and rules of music," Dr. Parsons said.
One of the sessions of the study was filmed for "Music and the Mind," a British Broadcasting Co. science documentary aired around the world.
A native of the Philippines, Dr. Grossman received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila in 1977. Moving to the United States, she added her MSN in adult health nursing and nursing education at the University of Miami, Fla., in 1985. The capstone was her Ph.D. in nursing from the University of Pennsylvania in 1989.
Dr. Grossman moved here from Miami, where she was chair of the Department of Adult/Gerontological and Psychiatric Nursing at the Florida International University School of Nursing. She was with the University of Miami School of Nursing from 1985 to 1990, when she joined Florida International.
Her many honors and awards include the 1997 Excellence in Nursing Research Award presented by the Miami Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the 1996 Ada Sue Hinshaw Award, conferred by the Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research. She was named 1996 Nurse Educator of the Year by the Florida Nurses Association. Dr. Grossman is an honored alumna of the University of Santo Tomas.
Courses taught by Dr. Grossman at Florida International University included Pharmacologic Basis for Nursing Practice; Adult/Gerontological Physiologic Nursing; Culture and Advanced Nursing Practice; Research Methods in Nursing; and Role Synthesis in Advanced Nursing Practice.
Cultural diversity in nursing is one of Dr. Grossman's emphasis areas. She authored a chapter on Cuban Americans in a 1997 text by Purnell and Paulanka, Trans-cultural Health Care: A Culturally Competent Approach. She is author or co-author of more than 50 scholarly articles and abstracts.
In demand as an invited speaker, Dr. Grossman has presented on many major nursing topics, including interventions for fever, biological rhythms of infancy and childhood, blood pressure rhythms, research in clinical practice, nursing education, the future of medical-surgical nursing, pathophysiology of sepsis and trans-cultural patient assessment.
"I am thrilled to be in a dynamic health science environment within a vibrant multicultural community," Dr. Grossman said of her new assignment.
Her husband, Dr. Joel Grossman, is a psychiatrist. They have two daughters, Regina, 10, and Claire, 9.
Acute Nursing Care
"Student Nurse Preparation Program,"
Dr. Nancy Girard, University Health System (UHS), $38,556, 1 year.
"Student Nurse Preparation Program: Surgical Services," Dr. Nancy Girard, UHS, $38,556, 1 year.
Anesthesiology
"Scarce Medical Specialist Service Contract for Anesthesiology Services,"
Dr. Joseph Naples, South Texas Veterans Health Care System (STVHCS), $247,409, 3 months.
Cellular & Structural Biology
"Subcontract with Baylor College of Medicine,"
Dr. Susan Naylor, Baylor College of Medicine/National Institutes of Health (NIH), $200,000, 1 year.
"Development of a Laser Scanning Microscope for Combined One- and Two-Photon Excitation Fluorescence Imaging," Dr. Brian Herman, National Science Foundation, $3,448, 1 year.
Center for Health Economics & Policy
"Presentation of EGS Methods,"
Dr. Antonio Furino, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, $44,000, 6 months.
Clinical Immunology
"Study of the Outcome of Hip and Knee Replacement,"
Dr. Agustin Escalante, San Antonio Area Foundation (SAAF), $31,000, 1 year.
Emergency Medical Technology
"Devine EMS," Dr. Donald Gordon,
Devine Emergency Medical Services, $6,000, 1 year.
"Medical Control Service," Dr. Donald Gordon, Golden Aluminum, $2,550, 1 year.
Family Practice
"Sports Medicine Fellowship,"
Dr. Walter Calmbach, Health By Design, $5,000, 1 year.
"Longitudinal Study of Mexican American Elderly Health," Dr. David Espino, UT Medical Branch/NIH, $89,147, 9 months.
"HIV Program Evaluation & Development for the Bureau of HIV & STD Prevention," Dr. Alfonso Holguin, Texas Department of Health (TDH), $288,036, 1 year.
Institute of Biotechnology
"DNA Nucleotide Excision Repair in Eukaryotes,"
Dr. Alan Tomkinson, Council of Tobacco Research, $50,000, 1 year.
Medical Dean's Office
"National Hispanic Medical Association Mentorship Program,"
Dr. Martha Medrano, National Hispanic Medical Association, $74,369, 10 months.
Medicine
"A Phase II Study to Determine Efficacy & Safety of LY315920 in Patients with Severe Sepsis,"
Dr. Antonio Anzueto, PPD Pharmaco/Eli Lilly, $167,420, 1 year.
"Glycine Antagonist in Neuro-protection," Dr. Oscar Benavente, Columbia University, $99,600, 1 year.
"Community Clinical Oncology Program/Prevention," Dr. Powel Brown, Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC), $69,445, 1 year.
"Community Clinical Oncology Program," Dr. Powel Brown, CTRC/NIH, $11,339, 1 year.
"Impaired Cytochrome c Oxidase in Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury of the Heart: Role of 4-Hydroxynonenal," Dr. Juanjuan Chen, American Heart Association, $260,000, 5 years.
"San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium," Dr. Charles Coltman, National Cancer Institute, $15,000, 1 year.
"Predoctoral Fellowship to Study an ER Variant Identified from Breast Hyperplasia," Dr. Linda De Graffenried, U.S. Department of the Army, $61,212, 3 years.
"A Multicenter, Phase II Evaluation of Targretin Capsules in Patients with Advanced Breast Cancer," Dr. Richard Elledge, Ligand Pharmaceuticals, $72,001, 1 year.
"Effect of Electrolyzed Drinking Water on Autoimmune Disease," Dr. Gabriel Fernandes, Advanced H20, $55,200, 1 year.
"PTHRP & TBF Beta in Breast Cancer Metastases to Bone," Dr. Theresa Guise, International Bone & Calcium Institute, $20,000, 1 year.
"A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study to Evaluate the Efficacy, Safety & Tolerability of Human Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor in Subjects with ALS," Dr. Carlayne Jackson, Amgen Inc., $324,000, 2 years.
"Hormonal Regulation of IRS-1 Expression in Early Breast Cancer Disease & Invasive Breast Cancer," Dr. Adrian Lee, Susan B. Komen Foundation, $196,566, 2 years.
"Genetics of Atherosclerosis in Mexican Americans," Dr. Michael Stern, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, $344,809, 1 year.
"Intermediates in Gene Amplification," Dr. Daniel Von Hoff, National Foundation for Cancer Research, $50,000, 1 year.
"General Clinical Research Center," Dr. James Young, NIH/National Center for Research Resources, $4,290,571, 5 years.
Microbiology
"Crucial Difference Between Coxsackievirus-Induced Acute-Resolved vs. Acute-Chronic Myocarditis Models
in Mice," Dr. Charles Gauntt, American Heart
Association, $165,000, 4 years.
Ophthalmology
"Detection of Early Diabetic Retinopathy Using Flicker-Induced Blood Flow,"
Dr. Joseph Harrison, SAAF, $15,475, 1 year.
Orthopaedics
"Use of Different Models to Examine Collagen Networks as Determinants of Bone Biomechanical Properties,"
Dr. Xiaodu Wang, The Whitaker Foundation, $209,800,
3 years.
Pathology
"Clinical Utility of EBV Viral Load Assays in HIV Patients,"
Dr. Margaret Gulley, CTRC, $44,138, 1 month.
"Determination of the Activity of Linezolid Against Recent North American Surveillance Isolates of Streptococcus Pneumoniae," Dr. James Jorgensen, Pharmacia & Upjohn Co., $12,000, 6 months.
"Assessment of the Activity of Gatifloxacin Against Fluoroquinolane-Susceptible & -Resistant Clinical Isolates of Streptococcus Pneumoniae," Dr. James Jorgensen, Bristol Myers Squibb, $12,000, funded through study completion.
Pediatrics
"HIV/AIDS Education & Prevention Program for High-Risk Minority Youth,"
Dr. Anthony Scott, TDH, $49,500, 1 year.
Periodontics
"Evaluation of a New Collagen Barrier Membrane
for Localized Ridge Augmentation in Mongrel
Dogs,"
Dr. David Cochran, Geistlich Biomaterials,
$39,964, 1 year.
"A Double-Blind, Placebo- & Haloperidol-Controlled, Multicenter Study Evaluating the Safety & Efficacy of SR 48692 I in Schizophrenic Patients," Dr. Larry Ereshefsky, Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Inc., $180,000, 1 year.
"Brain Tumor Distribution of CPT-11 in Transgenic Mice," Dr. John Kuhn, University of California, San Francisco, $21,753, 21 months.
"Chemoreceptor Input to Non-Respiratory Cells in NTS," Dr. Steven Mifflin, NIH/National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute, $1,222,818, 5 years.
"Intergovernmental Personnel Agreement (IPA) for Marco Cecchi," Dr. David Morilak, Biomedical Research Foundation of South Texas Inc., $51,660, 2 years.
"Naetrexone Treatment of Schizophrenia & Alcohol Dependence," Dr. Gerald Overman, Bristol-Myers Squibb, $1,500, 1 year.
"IPA for Timothy Haggerty," Dr. John Strong, Biomedical Research Foundation of South Texas, $17,360, 1 year.
Physiology
"Regulation of Cholecystokinin Secretion by
Ethanol," Dr. Gary Green, Alcoholic Beverage Medical Research Foundation, $34,700, 1 year.
Psychiatry
"Psychiatrists' Services," Dr. Charles Bowden,
Southwest Mental Health Center, $134,581, 1 year.
"South Texas AIDS Training for Mental Health Providers: Project II," Dr. Cervando Martinez, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services/Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration, $848,573, 3 years.
"Schizophrenia Module of the Texas Medication Algorithm Project (TMAP): Phase 3," Dr. Alexander Miller, Texas Department of Mental Health/Mental Retardation, $59,315, 1 year.
"Iloperidone Study #ILP3000," Dr. Alexander Miller, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., $879,500, 4 years.
Research Imaging Center
"Phase I, Open-Label, Dose & Regimen Escalation Study of CP-358,744 in Subjects with Advanced Solid Tumors: PET Scan,"
Dr. Chuck Martin, CTRC Research Foundation, $120,420, 1 year.
"A Probabilistic Reference System for the Human Brain," Dr. Peter Fox, University of California/NIH, $146,450, 1 year.
"Occlusive Dressing/Drug Delivery Vehicle for Psoriasis," Dr. Bakul Bhatt, Biomedical Development Corp., $9,801, 16 months.
Surgery
"Clinical Perfusionist Services: Supplement,"
Dr. John Calhoon, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, $11,698, 1 month.
"In Vitro Co-Carcinogen Models of Oropharyngeal Carcinomas," Dr. Mary Pat Moyer, Smokeless Tobacco Research Council Inc., $126,186, 1 year.
"IPA from U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research," Dr. Basil Pruitt, U.S. Department of the Army, $24,200.
For diabetics, a tiny wound can turn into a huge one in no time because of poor blood circulation. Before the laser, keeping close tabs on such a wound proved to be challenging.
The laser measures wounds more accurately than other standard methods. "It's non-contact, and it takes no more than a few seconds to scan the wound with the laser," said co-inventor Leon Bunegin, associate professor, Department of Anesthesiology. "The laser not only is faster, but it provides a more reproducible measurement of the wound."
Nicholas Villarreal is one diabetic patient who has benefited from the Wound Imager. He is 47 years old and has been a participant in the experimental protocol of the laser measuring device. Recently, a small injury in his left foot turned into a massive one almost overnight. "I felt my leg getting bigger and the pain was excruciating," Villarreal said.
Prior to the laser, Villarreal had his wounds measured with a ruler or underwent "casting," which involves putting a gel-like substance into the wound, allowing physicians to get an idea of the depth of the wound. It is an uncomfortable procedure but is the only option to determine if treatments are healing the wound.
"With the laser imager, I can get accurate measurements of Mr. Villarreal's wounds daily and those measurements can help me determine if the current hyperbaric chamber treatment is working," said Dr. Adrianne Smith, assistant professor, Department of Surgery. "Also, when I see a rapid healing rate through the measurements, I can look into more conventional wound care techniques. The best news is it's not expensive nor does the patient experience any pain."
The idea for the laser imager of wounds has been around for a decade, but it took shape when Bunegin and co-inventor William Rogers, instructor of rehabilitation medicine, came together and figured out a way to apply the technology.
"The system is technically a structured lighting system," Rogers said. "The laser projects a plane of light and that light intersects a surface, the wound, producing a line. By viewing the line at an angle, we can determine the position of the line space, and by measuring the position of a number of lines, we can then reconstruct the shape of the wound."
The laser is not on the market, but Bunegin and Rogers expect it to be available in a few years.
The AFAR Board of Directors named Dr. Chatterjee to a three-year appointment on the Research Committee, which selects awardees for AFAR research grants. "The committee makes the final funding recommendations after initial evaluations by expert reviewers in respective fields," she said.
This May, Dr. Chatterjee will attend a meeting in New York for the 1999 selection of grantees. "This meeting is lively and gives insight into what is going on in the aging research community," she said.
Dr. George Martin, who spoke at the Aging Research & Education Center's first Age Day held in December, chaired the Research Committee in 1998. The other UT member, besides Dr. Chatterjee, is Dr. Jerry Shay of the UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.
Deserving nominees can be found in every area, whether the job is typing grants on tight deadlines, conducting experiments in laboratories, grooming huge areas of landscaping, or buffing and waxing floors. Anyone who improves service in his or her area, or who saves time, money or materials, is worthy of consideration.
The revised 1999 nomination package is available in the Office of Human Resources. Questions may be directed to the Office of Employee Development & Training, ext. 2323.
Five winners will be recognized at the annual Service Awards Ceremony in the fall.
The 1999 series will explore the theme of "The Beginning and End of Life," covering the wonders and complexities of human development on the one hand, and the aging process on the other. The three weekly sessions will last from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays in lecture hall 3.102B.
The lecture series is a free-of-charge gift to the South Texas community for its generous support of the Health Science Center--support that furthers the university's missions of teaching, research, patient care and service. A science background is not required and persons of all ages are welcome.
Registration is required because of limited seating capacity, and enrollment is on a first-come basis. To register or for a copy of the registration form, call ext. 1925 or send e-mail to <ramonj@uthscsa.edu>.
The program provides informative and interesting presentations from the different points of view that are unique to the Health Science Center: basic research, medicine, nursing, dentistry and the allied health professions.
The March 30 session will explore "The Beginning of Life and Its Challenges," including presentations on human embryology, birth defects and surgical repair of congenital hand defects. On April 6, speakers will shed light on "How the Body Changes at the End of Life." Topics will include cell death, rheumatoid arthritis and disease prevention in the elderly.
Mini-Medical School students present for the closing April 13 session will be treated to a talk by 1998 Nobel Laureate Dr. Louis Ignarro. He will relate how the Nobel Prize-winning discoveries in medicine will influence health and disease in the new millennium.
U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) representatives will present an overview of non-resident alien income tax requirements, answer individual tax questions and assist with the preparation of U.S. income tax forms.
Non-residents with all visa types are welcome. The following are times and locations of the help sessions by specific country groups:
Group I
China (PRC)
March 11
1-4 p.m.
Room 2.018 (near library)
Group II
India
March 11
1-4 p.m.
Room 2.020 (near library)
Group III
All other countries
March 12
2-4:30 p.m.
Room 409L (Med. Bldg.)
International visitors are asked to attend the session for the country of their residence. They must bring tax information, such as W-2 forms received from the Budget & Payroll Office and/or 1042S forms received from the Accounting Office.
U.S. income tax forms will be available at the workshop sites the days of the sessions, and afterward in international affairs. Individuals with questions may call the office, ext. 6241.
Important note: Form 1040NR (U.S. non-resident alien income tax return) must be completed by non-resident alien international visitors who hold F or J visas if they received income from U.S. sources, or if their income is exempt from U.S. taxes due to a tax treaty. All others must complete Form 8843.
The tables are in the third-floor Medical School lobby, second-floor bookstore foyer, and the lobby of the Allied Health/Research Building.
Event organizers must schedule these locations with Facilities Scheduling at ext. 2655. Use of other locations will require payment of a housekeeping set-up fee.
