WHSC News Releases for February 1999

Feb 23 '99	EMORY NEUROSCIENTISTS USE BRAIN IMPLANT TO HELP PARALYZED AND SPEECH-IMPAIRED PATIENTS COMMUNICATE VIA COMPUTER Neuroscientists at Emory University School of Medicine who last year implanted a neurotrophic electrode into the brain of a paralyzed, speech-impaired patient, continue to help the patient learn to communicate by moving a cursor on a computer screen. Following the brain implant almost a year ago in March 1998, the patient first learned to express himself by indicating phrases on the computer screen such as "I am thirsty" and "It was nice talking to you." More recently he has learned to move the cursor to letters of the alphabet and spell his own name and the name of his doctors. FULL STORY
Feb 21 '99	EMORY UNIVERSITY CO-SPONSORS 1999 NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND AIDS African-Americans are now more than eight times as likely as white Americans to become infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. African-Americans represent 13% of the U.S. population, yet make up 45% of total AIDS cases. FULL STORY
Feb 11 '99	LACK OF "HEALTH LITERACY" MAY AFFECT TREATMENT OUTCOMES FOR MANY SENIOR CITIZENS One out of three senior citizens does not have the health literacy skills necessary to understand instructions for prescriptions, medical forms and doctors' directions on self-care, according to a new study published Feb. 9 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). FULL STORY
Feb 7 '99	HEART CENTER OPENS IN HIAWASSEE EMORY HEALTHCARE, Cardiac Disease Specialists PC and Chatuge Regional Hospital (CRH) have recently joined together to open the Heart Center in Hiawassee, Ga. The 1,600 square foot Heart Center, located on the second floor of Chatuge Regional Hospital, will provide area residents with access to experienced cardiologists dedicated to the latest in diagnostic cardiac treatment and technology. FULL STORY
Feb 5 '99	LONG-TERM IMMUNE MEMORY HOLDS CLUES TO VACCINE DEVELOPMENT Individuals who acquire immunity to diseases such as measles, yellow fever, polio or rubella, either through exposure to disease or through vaccination are in many cases capable of retaining that immunity for many years or for an entire lifetime despite lack of re-exposure or revaccination. Rafi Ahmed, Ph.D., director of the Emory University Vaccine Center, is working to uncover the specific mechanisms of long-term immune memory that are essential to the development of new, effective vaccines, particularly for diseases like HIV, malaria and tuberculosis. FULL STORY
Feb 5 '99	CAN AN OSTEOPOROSIS DRUG PREVENT HEART DISEASE? Recruitment is beginning in Atlanta and some 200 other sites worldwide for the Raloxifene Use for The Heart (RUTH) study, a clinical research trial evaluating use of the osteoporosis drug raloxifene for possibly preventing coronary death and heart attack in postmenopausal women with coronary disease or at high risk for its occurrence. FULL STORY
Feb 5 '99	WOMEN OVER 55 AT RISK FOR HEART DISEASE NEEDED FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDY Women aged 55 and older are being recruited for participation in a large, international study co-chaired by Emory University cardiologist Nanette Kass Wenger, M.D. FULL STORY
Feb 5 '99	FREE OSTEOPOROSIS SCREENINGS ARE PART OF EMORY STUDY Women may receive free osteoporosis screenings as part of an Emory University School of Medicine study involving investigational ultrasound technology. FULL STORY
Feb 1 '99	PERSONS WITH RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME NEEDED FOR EMORY STUDY Researchers in the Movement Disorders Program of the Emory Unviersity's Department of Neurology are testing a new medication, ropinirole, for its ability to help alleviate symptoms of restless legs syndrome.. FULL STORY
Feb 1 '99 *previously embargoed*	INNER-CITY HIV PATIENTS FAIL TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AVAILABLE THERAPIES Despite the increasing availability of combination drug therapy proven to be highly effective at controlling the HIV virus, most inner-city HIV patients who are sick enough to require hospitalization choose not to receive outpatient care, according to a study by Emory University infectious disease specialists. Results of the study were presented on Feb. 1 at the 6th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Chicago. FULL STORY

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