Media Coverage
|
2011
|
Link discovered among spectrum of childhood diseases
October 31, 2011 Adapted from ScienceDaily
An international collaboration of scientists has identified a genetic mutation that causes a rare childhood disease characterized by inflammation and fat loss. The research suggests that chronic atypical neutrophilic dermatosis with lipodystrophy and elevated temperature (CANDLE) represents a spectrum of diseases that have been described under a variety of names. Since no effective treatment exists, the findings may have uncovered a target for treatments. When National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases rheumatologist Raphaela Goldbach-Mansky, MD started seeking the cause of inflammatory skin lesions, fat loss and fevers in two young patients, she learned about recent publications by two other groups -- one led by Antonio Torrelo, MD from the Boy Jesus Hospital, Madrid, and Amy Paller, MD from Northwestern University and Children’s Memorial Hospital, and the other by Abraham Zlotogorski, MD from the Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem -- describing similar conditions. She immediately emailed them. “They had found each other and were looking for a genetic cause and additional cases,” said Goldbach-Mansky. The researchers suspected that the children must have the same disease, and subsequent analyses confirmed this. All but one child had at least one mutation in the gene PSMB8. The discovery, described in Arthritis & Rheumatism, could enable doctors to identify more children and develop a better understanding and treatment of the disorders.
|
 |
Why black children may be more likely to develop food allergies
September 5, 2011 Adapted from Time Healthland
Rajesh Kumar, MD and colleagues reported in the October 2011 issue of Pediatrics that black children are more than twice as likely as white children to have sensitivities to foods that commonly cause allergic reactions, and are especially vulnerable to peanut allergies. African ancestry was associated with peanut sensitization. The results suggest that race and ancestry may play an important role in food allergies. Kumar acknowledges that the findings probably won’t translate into useful guidelines for parents or pediatricians yet. But they serve as a good foundation for a better understanding of which factors related to race and ancestry might affect how we react to common allergens. “Once we identify the genes or environmental factors specifically responsible, we will be in a better position to pinpoint individuals at risk,” he says. “This opens the door to that work.” Kumar is associate professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, attending physician in Allergy and Immunology at Children’s Memorial, and a member of the Mary Ann and J. Milburn Smith Child Health Research Program of Children's Memorial Research Center.
|
|
Too few food allergies confirmed by oral food challenge
by Ashley Mattys
November 5, 2011 American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI)
Oral food challenges are the gold standard for diagnosis of food allergy, yet few physicians are using the diagnostic method, according to a study presented at the ACAAI Annual Meeting in 2011. Among the 40,104 children surveyed, 3,339 cases of food allergy were identified. Only 61.5 percent received a formal physician diagnosis. About 15 percent of these children underwent an oral food challenge. The authors conclude that food allergy may be under diagnosed in the U.S. When it is suspected, ACAAI recommends patients be referred to an allergist to determine which tests to perform and determine if food allergy exists, and counsel patients on management. “Oral food challenge provides a definitive diagnosis which is critical to providing proper disease management and prevents unnecessary avoidance of certain foods,” says Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH.
|
 |
Much child abuse is unreported
December 16, 2011 Adapted from UPI
Laws that could punish adults who keep silent when they suspect a child has been abused go largely unenforced in the U.S., research shows. A USA Today investigation into police and court records found that irregular enforcement and small penalties mean adults face little repercussions for concealing abuse. Child welfare agencies estimate that at least 695,000 children were abused or neglected in the past year -- but much abuse is not reported. Of the 222 cases USA Today reviewed, 102 people were convicted and only 14 served jail time. Most often, people who knew of abuse and didn’t report it were given probation or a fine if they weren’t acquitted. A 2008 study published in the journal Pediatrics found that many doctors chose not to report physical injuries they suspected were “likely” or “very likely” caused by abuse. “That really surprised us,” said Emalee Flaherty, MD, a pediatrician at Children’s Memorial, one of the study’s authors. “The doctors told us that they didn’t report because they weren’t certain. The laws are written so that they don’t have to be certain to report it. But they don’t want to be wrong.”
|
 |
One in every four high school students is sexually active
August 26, 2011 Adapted from FOX Chicago News
This statistic has been generating a lot of talk, especially among parents – one in four high school students is having sex. The survey was conducted by the Cook County Department of Public Health in collaboration with the Child Health Data Lab of the Mary Ann and J. Milburn Smith Child Health Research Program. The questionnaire was completed by 1,718 students in 20 public high schools in suburban Cook County during the fall of 2010. The survey asked questions about a variety of topics including drug usage, smoking and obesity. Thirty-seven percent of students surveyed said they had ever had sexual intercourse. Six percent of students said their first sexual encounter was before the age of 13. Seven percent said they were raped. Some other key findings: 14 percent of boys admitted carrying a weapon at least once in the past month and 12 percent of high school students consider themselves smokers.
|
For sleeping babies, softer isn’t safer
August 23, 2011 Adapted from Reuters Health
Lots of African American moms put soft bedding where babies sleep, despite warnings that the cushioning increases the risk of infant death, according to a new study. That’s because many parents are under the impression that a soft sleeping environment means the baby will be more comfortable or protected from injuries. Researchers know that black babies are at least twice as likely as white, Latino and Asian babies to die of accidental suffocation, strangulation or sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Much of that higher incidence is probably due to parents unknowingly putting infants in a dangerous sleeping place or position. To find out whether black families know about the risks, a group from Children’s National Medical Center asked women if they used soft bedding -- and why or why not. More than half of the moms reported using soft bedding for their baby, according to findings published in Pediatrics. “People use it because they think it’s going to make their baby safer,” said lead author Rachel Moon.
Although the interviews were only done with black mothers, parents of all races may misinterpret a pediatrician’s recommendations on what constitutes a safe sleeping environment, said Debra Weese- Mayer, MD. The study “is a humbling lesson that even though we think we’re giving a very clear message, if the parent and the caretaker are interpreting it in a way different from what we intended, we’re not doing a good job,” Weese-Mayer said. “If it can save babies because we do a better job of translating our
recommendations, that’s wonderfully important.”
|
 |
Comprehensive report of Chicago’s health and health resources
A Profile of Health and Health Resources within Chicago’s 77 Communities credits the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children (CLOCC) with:
“leading the enhanced evaluation for the suburban Cook County Communities Putting Prevention to Work project (CPPW). The CPPW is part of a national initiative to change policy, systems and environments to support healthy diet, physical activity and reduce tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke across the U.S. Funded by the CDC, the enhanced evaluation has led to the development of a data set of nearly 20,000 cases for Body Mass Index for suburban Cook County school-aged children. This is one of the largest data sets available for obesity surveillance in the U.S. CLOCC also serves as bona fide agent of the Chicago Department of Public Health and manages Healthy Places, a CPPW obesity prevention initiative in the City of Chicago.”
Part of the Smith Child Health Research Program of the research center, CLOCC is a nationally recognized leader in childhood obesity prevention and advocacy.
|
Young gay men who use meth may risk HIV
August 3, 2011 Adapted from Reuters Health
Young gay and bisexual men who use methamphetamine are more likely to take sexual risks that boost their chances of contracting HIV. Methamphetamine triggers a massive release of the feel-good chemical dopamine in the brain, making users feel disinhibited and energized. Studies of gay and bisexual men have found that roughly 43 percent have ever used meth, and that the habit is strongly linked to their risk of contracting HIV.
Much less has been known about meth use and HIV risk among teenagers and young men. In a new study researchers surveyed 595 12- to 24-year-old gay and bisexual males from eight U.S. cities. They found that 31 percent had ever used hard drugs, onethird of whom had used methamphetamine. Young men who’d used meth were more likely to report a range of risk factors for HIV, including having sex with multiple partners, with an injection-drug user and/or with someone who was HIV-positive; and being less consistent with condom use. That’s concerning, Robert Garofalo of Children’s Memorial told Reuters Health, and it also points to a large public health need. “There are not a lot of proven HIV prevention programs for this age group,” Garofalo said. More programs need to be piloted, he said. The findings, which appear in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, are not representative of all young gay and bisexual men in the U.S. The researchers recruited their participants from venues where they might find higher-risk young men. But, said lead researcher Peter Freeman, also with Children’s Memorial, “it tells us something about where to find these young men, and where we might be able to run some type of intervention.” In 2004, Americans between the ages of 13 and 24 accounted for 13 percent of new HIV diagnoses. Gay and bisexual males, especially
minorities, have been particularly vulnerable.
|
|
Cancer drug may also work for scleroderma
September 22, 2011 Adapted from Northwestern University News
A drug used to treat cancer may also be effective in diseases that cause scarring of the internal organs or skin, such as pulmonary fibrosis or scleroderma. Bortezomib stopped the production of fibrotic proteins in human cells and the development of fibrous scarring in a mouse model, according to a new study in the journal Thorax. “This drug appears to put the brakes on abnormal development of scar tissue in the lungs and skin and may also work in other organs,” said lead author Manu Jain, MD, Associate professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at the Feinberg School and a physician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Children’s Memorial. “These diseases have a high fatality rate, and there is no truly effective treatment for them.” Scleroderma is an autoimmune disease that causes progressive thickening and tightening of the skin and can lead to serious internal organ damage and, in some cases, death. Scleroderma affects an estimated 300,000 people in the U.S. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a scarring or thickening of the lungs without any known cause that makes it increasingly difficult to breathe. It may affect up to 200,000 people in the U.S. Jain said the drug appears to inhibit a protein called transforming growth factor beta, which is essential for the growth of the scar tissue. Patients with fibrosis have increased levels and activity of the growth factor. Bortezomib is currently used to treat multiple myeloma and lymphoma.
|
 |
Study: Food Allergies Affect One in 13 Children
June 20, 2011 Adapted from CBS Chicago News
A new study by researchers in Chicago finds food allergies in children are much more common than previously believed. As WBBM Newsradio 780’s Regine Schlesinger reports, the study, published in the journal Pediatrics finds that about one in 13 U.S. children suffers from food allergies. The figure is double the latest government estimate. Researchers say about 40 percent of the children have severe reactions — a finding they hope will erase misconceptions that food allergies are just like hay fever and other seasonal allergies that are troublesome but not dangerous. The findings suggest that food allergies affect two kids per classroom, said lead author Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH, a pediatrician and researcher with Children’s Memorial. She provided WBBM 780 with an explanation of why the numbers were so high. “It is partially genetic and partially environmental, and something in our environment has changed to cause this increase over the past 20, 30 years,” she said. Read more.
|
 |
Excessive Pregnancy Weight Gain Raises the Risk of Having a Fat Baby
June 7, 2011
Adapted from ScienceDaily
Women who gain too much weight during pregnancy tend to have newborns with a high amount of body fat, regardless of the mother’s weight before pregnancy, a new study finds. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society’s
93rd annual meeting in Boston. High fat at birth is a possible risk factor for childhood obesity, said the study’s principal investigator Jami Josefson, MD, a pediatric endocrinologist at Children’s Memorial and assistant professor at the Feinberg School. “Previous studies have shown that children of mothers who gain too much weight during pregnancy are more likely to be overweight for their age,” Josefson said. “However, not all these studies accounted for the mother’s diabetes status during pregnancy, which is a known risk factor for offspring obesity.” The new study evaluated only pregnant women without gestational diabetes, therefore ruling out the chance that this disorder could account for their findings.Read more.
|
 |
Children’s Memorial is One of 12 Sites in U.S. to Evaluate Liver Cell Infusion in Children with Life-Threatening Urea Cycle Disorders
April 25, 2011
Children’s Memorial News Room
Children’s Memorial is enrolling patients in a national clinical research trial which, for the first time in the U.S., is using an investigational liver cell infusion to treat urea cycle disorders (UCDs) in children. UCDs are congenital and often life-threatening disorders of ammonia metabolism in the liver. Neurotoxic ammonia accumulates in the body, which may lead — depending on the severity of the disease — to massive damage of the nerves and the brain and can be fatal. Children who remain untreated rarely experience normal physical and mental development. The only cure is liver transplantation, which may be difficult for very young children and neonatal patients. Additionally, there is a shortage of suitable organs available for transplantation. “We are pleased to be participating in this trial because it has the potential to provide a treatment option for children with a rare and complicated diagnosis for which there are few options now. We are looking forward to conducting this clinical trial and learning more about this investigational product,” said Barbara Burton, MD, attending physician, Genetics, Children’s Memorial. The clinical trial, called SELICA III, is sponsored by the biotechnology company Cytonet and is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of liver cell therapy in infants to children up to 5 years old with UCD. Read more.
|
Nancy Young, MD
|
Newborn Hearing Screenings Do Not Appear to Identify All Children At Risk for Hearing Loss
March 21, 2011
adapted from ScienceDaily
Although universal newborn hearing screening programs appear to identify children with hearing loss at a younger age, nearly one-third of pediatric cochlear implant recipients pass newborn screening only to be diagnosed later in infancy or early childhood, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. “When universal newborn hearing screening programs (UNHS) were initially conceived, it was presumed that most hearing-impaired children, especially those without risk factors for progressive hearing loss, would fail the objective screening performed during the newborn period, thus making early diagnosis and intervention possible on a widespread basis,” the authors write. In Illinois, UNHS became mandated by law in 2003 for use in all birthing hospitals. Nancy M. Young, MD and colleagues examined data for 391 children who received cochlear implants in Illinois from 1991 through 2008. Implant patients were divided into those born before mandatory UNHS and those born after the screening became legally required.
Children born after the law was implemented were screened at a much higher rate than those born before. Of those born after the UNHS mandate, 65.4 percent had a known cause of or at least one risk factor for hearing loss, and 25.3 percent of those children passed hearing screenings. Overall, children screened after the mandate were significantly younger at diagnosis of hearing loss, age at diagnosis of severe to profound hearing loss and age at implantation than children born prior to passage of the law. Additionally, children who failed screenings were diagnosed and underwent implantation significantly earlier than those who passed or were not screened as newborns. “Almost one-third of our pediatric implant recipients pass UNHS and are older at the time of initial diagnosis and implantation than their peers who fail UNHS,” the authors conclude. “Delayed onset of sensorineural hearing loss [hearing loss stemming from the inner ear or central processing centers in the brain] limits our ability to achieve early diagnosis and implantation of a significant number of deaf children.”
|
 |
Berg Biosystems Working to Make Available Potassium Iodide to Japanese Children
March 18, 2011
Adapted from Vocus/PRWEB
Berg Biosystems, a Boston-based biopharma firm and the Chicago-based non-profit Center for Applied Innovation (CAI) announced that they are accelerating the transfer of more than fifty kilograms of potassium iodide active pharmaceutical ingredient to Japan, seeking to protect Japanese children and nursing mothers in the wake of the recent nuclear disaster. The donation was the brainchild of Carl E. Berg, chairman of Berg Biosystems and Silicon Valley visionary. The material will be used to manufacture thousands of potassium iodide pills to combat radiation due to leaking radioactive iodine. The ingestion of iodide can help to prevent the accumulation of radioactive iodine in the thyroid. Paul Y. Song, president-chief medical officer of Cytotech Labs and a Los Angeles-based radiation oncologist, explained that potassium iodide is a safe and easy preventative step recommended for kids, nursing mothers and pregnant women because of their increased susceptibility to the potential carcinogenic effects of radiation. Mary J.C. Hendrix, PhD, president and scientific director of the research center and a CAI Fellow, served as a technology advisor to the transaction. |
 |
Debra Weese-Mayer is Revolutionizing Pediatric Respiratory Medicine
American Thoracic Society News May 2011
In this feature article, Debra Weese-Mayer, MD discusses her decision to become a doctor, how she founded the Center for Autonomic Medicine in Pediatrics at Children’s Memorial Hospital, her research and her awesome family.
|
2010
|
Marleta Reynolds, MD
|
Surgical Disparities
November 16, 2010
adapted from Medical News Today
Thyroid cancer is the third most common malignancy in children, and the incidence is rising approximately one percent per year. Now a new analysis published in the October issue of Annals of Surgical Oncology indicates that although the proportion of young patients undergoing total thyroidectomy (TT) increased by 34 percent between 1985 and 2007, a variety of hospital and patient factors including disparities in access to surgeons and state-of-the-art care affect whether a child actually receives TT or another less extensive operation. Lead study author Mehul V. Raval, MD was an American College of Surgeons research fellow at the time the analysis was performed and is a surgical resident at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. According to coauthor Marleta Reynolds, MD, head of the Department of Surgery at Children’s Memorial Hospital, the study is valuable because it characterizes some of the disparities in access for children across the country. “I’d like to think that all children could have access to physicians who are practicing surgery based upon the latest medical data,” she said.
|
Cochlear Implant on Young Toddler First Step in Long Journey
December 17, 2010
adapted from FOX Chicago News
It’s been said that a journey of 1,000 miles begins with the first step. This fall, 13 year old Skye Carter danced the tango at the Alfred E. Mann Foundation Gala in Santa Monica, California. With every beat, every move and every turn, Skye proves miracles are just steps away. “I said if we just touched one parent it would have been worth it, and I’ve seen her touch so many families,” Skye’s mother Cheryl Carter said. Thirteen years ago, Cheryl didn’t even know if her daughter would walk. “She wasn’t sitting up, she wasn’t alert as other children were, so in denial I had her hearing checked and she ended up having a profound sensorineural hearing loss,” Cheryl said. Doctors told Cheryl her little girl would never hear or speak. But through the silence, Cheryl found a voice of hope from doctor Nancy Young at Children’s Memorial. At two years old, Dr. Young performed a successful cochlear implant surgery. Cheryl vividly remembers the first time Skye could hear. “They said, ‘Okay mom, we’re ready for her to feel her first words,’ and I got myself together and said, ‘Hi Skye,’ and she looked at me and laughed and dove into my chest, and it was just a miraculous moment.”
|
Mark Wainwright,
MD, PhD
|
Boy Who Was in Coma 3 Years Ago Returns to Hospital as Santa
December 21, 2010
adapted from the Chicago Tribune
Charlie Benson recalls a past holiday season when his life seemed bound by an unending streak of good luck: terrific job, great marriage and, above all, a happy, healthy son, Sam. “We were living the perfect life,” said Benson. “Like most people, I thought nothing bad could ever happen to us.” But that idyllic life began to unravel in October 2007, when Sam, then 10, was stricken by a barrage of grand mal seizures. Soon, doctors at Children’s Memorial would be presenting the Bensons with a heartbreaking decision. “They had done every test you can think of, and they still couldn’t get a handle on what was causing the seizures,” Charlie Benson said. “The doctors were worried about the damage the seizures were doing to Sam’s brain, so they suggested that the best thing was to put him in a coma to stabilize him while they searched for an answer.” Three weeks later, doctors had solved the mystery: A rare autoimmune disease was causing Sam’s body to produce deadly antibodies that were attacking the blood vessels of his brain. The diagnosis was a breakthrough, but as doctors slowly brought Sam out of the drug- induced coma, it was clear that the family’s challenges were not behind them. While halting the seizures had protected Sam from further permanent brain damage, he awoke
unable to talk, walk or swallow.
Three years after he was forced to reboot his young life, Sam returned to Children’s Memorial walking proudly alongside his dad as the pair delivered Christmas presents for critically ill children who will spend their holiday season in the pediatric intensive care unit. “Sam has got a tremendous sense of humor, and he takes everything in stride,” said Dr. Mark Wainwright, Sam’s pediatric neurologist and director of the neurocritical care program at Children’s Memorial. Wainwright described his patient’s amazing recovery as “a credit to Sam’s parents and a whole team effort at the hospital.” “Sometimes he still gets sad, and he asks, ‘Dad, why did this happen to me?’” added Benson, “and I always tell him, ‘Sam, you are a miracle.’”
-by Karen Ann Cullotta
|
Genetic Abnormalities Found in Stem Cell Lines
January 6, 2011
adapted from the Los Angeles Times
Pluripotent stem cells, because of their amazing capacity to morph into other cell types, have been touted as a potential source for replacement tissues that might someday help reverse spinal cord injuries, Alzheimer’s disease, and even the damage caused by heart attacks. But so far only two companies have been granted permission by the FDA to move ahead with trials in humans. A new study, published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, may illustrate part of the reason why. Scientists still haven’t figured out how to make sure most stem cells are safe. Using a molecular technique called single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis, the researchers found that both embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells — adult cells rewound to an embryonic state — had more genetic abnormalities than other cell types. ES cells tended to have duplications, while iPS cells were more likely to have deletions. In ES cells, the duplications were near genes that allow the cells to turn into any other kind of cell. In iPS cells, duplications involved cell proliferation genes, and deletions involved tumor suppressor genes.
The danger of such genetic abnormalities? They are often associated with cancers, said senior author Jeanne F. Loring of the Scripps Research Institute. The changes would not have been detected by traditional microscopic techniques. “SNP analysis has not been a part of routine monitoring of these cell cultures, but our results suggest that perhaps it should be,” Loring said. “We don’t know yet what effects, if any, these genetic abnormalities will have on the outcome of basic research studies or clinical applications,” said lead author, UC San Diego professor Louise Laurent. “We need to find out.” Until they do, don’t expect an explosion of ES- or iPS-based cures for disease. Vasil Galat, PhD of the Department of Pathology at the Feinberg School and director of the iPS and Human Stem Cell Core Facility of the research center, contributed to the study.
-by Eryn Brown
|
 |
Sleep Centers for Kids Grow in Suburbs — For Some Children, Bedtime Brings Grown-Up Problems
September 8, 2010
adapted from the Chicago Tribune
Many parents have stories of children’s sleep difficulties, from the babies who wake up every hour to the toddlers who try to delay bedtime with requests for a glass of water, another story, or an answer to just one more question. But for some, the problems go deeper. Sleep apnea or periodic limb movements keep children from sleeping deeply. Some can’t fall asleep easily or stay asleep. Some are chronic bed-wetters. Others sleepwalk or have night terrors. And, like adults with sleep issues, they might find help at a sleep center. “During an initial visit, I’ll get to know the patient and family,” said Dr. Darius Loghmanee, attending physician in the Sleep Medicine Center at Children’s Memorial and Assistant professor of Pediatrics at the Feinberg School. “I’ll ask about the bedtime routine: ‘What time does the child go to sleep and wake up, is there sleepwalking, is the child sleepy during the day?’ I’ll also take a medical history and ask if the sleep problem is impacting the family.” Poor sleep can contribute to mental and developmental health issues as well as underperformance in school.
In recognition of the growing desire for specialized care, some hospitals are creating sleep centers designed especially for kids. Children’s Memorial, which already offered children’s sleep services at Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, opened a stand-alone pediatric sleep medicine program in July at its outpatient center in Westchester. Loghmanee agrees that one was needed. “There are very few pediatric sleep specialists in the country, much less in Illinois,” he said. “We felt it was our responsibility to increase our availability to families and pediatricians in the western suburbs.” Children’s Memorial’s Westchester location provides the same services as the sleep program on the hospital’s main campus in Lincoln Park, he said. Those services include initial and follow-up consultations, behavioral and medical treatments, and the recording and interpretations of sleep studies that closely monitor patients while they sleep. Read the full story.
--by Karen Schwartz
|
 |
Topczewski Featured in DePaul Magazine excerpted from Go Fish! by Elizabeth Gardner
DePaul researchers take “fishing trips” as far as Ecuador and as nearby as Chicago’s Children’s
Memorial Hospital, unraveling mysteries of evolution and genomics. Even though DePaul is nowhere near the ocean, its Department of Biological Sciences has spawned a cadre of fish researchers. They bypass Lake Michigan to study vertebrate fauna in Alaska, Ecuador or the aquaria in their own labs. And, they collaborate with local medical researchers to push the boundaries of knowledge for both fish and humans. Elizabeth LeClair, Associate professor at DePaul, has teamed with Jacek Topczewski, an Assistant professor of Pediatrics at the Feinberg School, to explore how mutations cause defects in cartilage development. She recently spent 15 months under DePaul’s paid leave program to study craniofacial development in mutant zebrafish. Because zebrafish and humans share many embryonic processes, studying such mutations may lead to understanding the genetic basis of common human birth defects like cleft lip and cleft palate. LeClair did the work under Topczewski’s NIH grant, and is now waiting to hear whether she’ll receive her own NIH support. She says the primary goal of further funding will be to train students in handling, breeding and raising zebrafish and in studying genetics and cell biology. “I want to teach them all the methods they need to be well-rounded biomedical scientists.” |
Adjusting for Genetic History Would Improve Results for Asthma
July 7, 2010 -- adapted from HealthDay News
The lung function tests used to diagnose conditions like asthma may need to be adjusted to account for differences in patients’ genetic ancestry, a new study suggests. Now, physicians adjust the test results to account for factors like age, sex, race and weight, but not for mixed ancestry. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine indicates more adjustments may be necessary because many people have mixed ancestry, which influences the test results. “People throughout the world have a richer genetic heritage than can be captured by our current definitions of race,” said study senior author Esteban G. Burchard. “When we force patients into an individual box, such as ‘African-American’ or ‘Caucasian,’ we’re missing a lot of genetic information,” added Burchard, director of the University of California, San Francisco’s Center for Genes, Environment and Health.
In the study, which looked at data from more than 3,000 patients, the researchers found that genetic ancestry significantly affects performance on the lung function tests. The breathing tests can detect signs of illness like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Test results can help doctors make decisions about disability claims and eligibility for lung transplants. “Taking genetic ancestry into account could result in more appropriate treatment for patients,” said lead author Rajesh Kumar, attending physician in Allergy and Immunology at Children’s Memorial, Associate professor of Pediatrics at the Feinberg School and a member
of the Smith Child Health Research Program of the research center.
-- by Randy Dotinga
|