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Discoveries in Genetic Variation Creating Possibilities for Predictive Medicine
Four years ago, anonymous people in various populations of America, Nigeria, Tokyo and Beijing allowed for samples of their DNA to be obtained for an extensive genetic study. Researchers hoped to navigate and catalog the patterns of genetic variation that are common in the world's population.
The results have provided overwhelming evidence that variation in the human genome is organized into local neighborhoods, called haplotypes, which usually are inherited as intact blocks of information. This momentous achievement has already accelerated the hunt for genes involved in common diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
BY HOLLI W. HAYNIE |
Mississippi Universities Help Birth Biotech Companies
Not long ago, the rivalry between the University of Southern Mississippi and Ole Miss ran so deep, it was unthinkable for students from both schools to agree on most anything.
Today, graduate students from both schools' polymer science and medicinal chemistry departments are not only working well together, they're birthing a young crop of biotech companies.
"Three years ago, the people involved at Ole Miss and Southern Miss came together with the realization that the biotech industry was booming and that many of the innovations were to be found at the interface of polymer science and medicinal chemistry," said Ken Malone, program director at Southern Miss. "Having great science, protecting intellectual property, researching the market, obtaining financing, scaling up production and addressing regulatory issues are all important parts of creating a viable biotech business.
BY LYNNE JETER |
Viruses Prove an Ally in Delivering Targeted Medicine
A decade-long collaboration that began from examining the protein function of viruses has yielded the technology to use viruses as containers for helping the body, rather than harming it. Professors Trevor Douglas and Mark Young saw the possibilities of viruses working as containers for inorganic material and have proven an effective method to redesign viruses and activate protein cages to work as molecule delivery systems. Basically, using the protein cage architecture, synthetic cargos take a ride on the backs of viruses undetected by the rest of the body. The cages can be controlled to release therapeutic agents directly at a target, consequently reducing negative side effects.
BY HOLLI W. HAYNIE |
Mississippi Leads the Way for National Eldercare Model
What began as a radical new vision for caring for elders in Mississippi has now become a national trend, based upon the huge success of The Green Houses at Traceway in Lee County.
In 2004, the National Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) presented the National Citation Award to The McCarty Company of Tupelo for its innovative design concept in nursing home care, The Green Houses at Traceway in Tupelo, the first project of its kind in the nation.
BY LYNNE JETER |
Senior Housing Alternatives
Not too long ago, it was an omen for the elderly: when it was time to leave home, the next stop was an old folk's home.
Today's aging population, including the burgeoning group of baby boomers, has brighter alternatives than simply "being put out to pasture."
BY LYNNE JETER |
Under the Knife
Over the next 25 years, the number of American adults 65 and older will double, topping 71.5 million. Yet sufficient numbers of professionals to deliver their healthcare is far from assured.
A study last year by the American Geriatrics Society concluded that the current shortage of geriatricians and other healthcare professionals trained to care for older adults could reach "crisis proportions" during those same 25 years. Meanwhile, Congress has slashed federal funding to help train the next generation of geriatricians.
BY SHARON H. FITZGERALD and Lynne Jeter |
Physician Spotlight: Dr. Erika C. Goodloe
Multi tasking is a way of life for busy professionals, and it's certainly something Dr. Erika C. Goodloe knows well. The 35-year-old dentist runs a busy solo practice and a lively family consisting of husband Marcus Goodloe and four beautiful daughters.
She admits that managing everything is enjoyable work. "I started the practice so I could be more accessible to the girls. Maybe that was naïve," she said. "I'm the flexible person. My husband was a farmer and now works in construction so that means sunup to sundown for him."
BY LYNN LOFTON |
Five Minutes with AANA's New President
He's known around the Mississippi sports world as simply "the knee doctor."
But on an international level, Dr. Walter R. Shelton, a staff physician at the Mississippi Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center, is known for his diligent work bettering the environment for arthroscopic surgeons.
Shelton recently took over as president of Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA), a 25-year-old organization that was formed in response to a growing need for information and research on the technique that is now involved in approximately one-third of all orthopaedic procedures.
BY LYNNE JETER |
Flu Pandemic Precautions Being Taken to Protect Mississippians
The difficulty in providing assistance after Hurricane Katrina could seem like a summer breeze compared to the response that would be needed if avian influenza (bird flu) or another virus creates a pandemic. Healthcare providers could be overwhelmed.
But it is important to keep in perspective that currently avian flu is spread through domestic poultry and the wild bird population. There have been 216 cases of humans contracting the avian flu since 2003, with 122 deaths.
BY BECKY GILLETTE |
Healthcare Providers Capitalize on GOZA Incentives
Mississippi healthcare providers are capitalizing on benefits provided by the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act (GOZA) of 2005, passed by Congress eight months ago to supply significant economic incentives to rebuild the Gulf Coast and to attract new investments to the affected areas.
"In general, incentives that can best be utilized by the medical community include the fact that GO Zone bonus depreciation will make it less costly for a medical group to expand or build a new clinic building or to purchase expensive diagnostic equipment," said Paul Varner, leader of the tax group at Butler Snow O'Mara Stevens & Cannada, PLLC.
BY LYNNE JETER |
New Studies Cast Fresh Light on MS Drugs
Researchers typically focus on the value of new drugs that are being pushed through the pipeline. But a pair of new studies on a 10-year-old therapy for multiple sclerosis is underscoring some hidden long-term gains for patients.
Dr. Omar Khan, an associate professor of neurology at Detroit's Wayne State University and a prominent MS expert, has concluded that a new study of Copaxone® (glatiramer acetate injection) shows that the drug — made by Israel's Teva Pharmaceutical Industries — continues to help protect patients after they fail to respond to Avonex®.
BY TRACY STATON |
Small Healthcare Providers Struggle with Latest HIPAA Compliance
Rural hospitals and clinics paid little notice to the April 21 deadline for the latest security compliance part of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
HIPAA, the sweeping healthcare administrative reform bill passed in 1996, mandated that by the spring deadline, small health plans under $5 million in revenue must meet the United States Department of Health & Human Services standard for the administrative, technical and physician security of electronic health records (EHRs).
BY LYNNE JETER |
Supreme Court Ruling Blocks Ocean Springs Hospital Expansion
The need for an expansion of Ocean Springs Hospital is greater than ever post-Katrina. But the transfer of 60 hospital beds from Singing River Hospital in Pascagoula to Ocean Springs Hospital has been stymied by a Mississippi Supreme Court ruling.
The city of Ocean Springs has asked for the help of Gov. Haley Barbour in getting the expansion approved for the hospital that currently has 136 beds.
"I find it very frustrating that this extremely important expansion was halted on the basis of a technicality," said Ocean Springs Mayor Connie Moran. "The expansion is absolutely necessary.
BY BECKY GILLETTE |
When Disaster Strikes
In May, U. S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt predicted in a CNN interview that the bird flu virus strain will make its way to the United States in the next few months — and then he said America isn't ready. Yet advocacy organizations for older citizens are working to help change that and to better meet the unique demands of the aged during any crisis.
"I think preparedness for any of the potential disruptions or disasters lends itself one to the other.
BY SHARON H. FITZGERALD and Lynne Jeter |
Benefield Eye Care, P.C. Offers New LASIK Technology for Reducing Nightime Glare
Benefield Eye Care now offers the ALLEGRETTO WAVE™ with PerfectPulse Technology™, the only FDA-approved LASIK technology specifically built to address certain optical distortions that are the chief cause of nighttime vision and glare.
The ALLEGRETTO Wave's PerfectPulse Technology automatically determines each individual's unique pre-operative corneal curvature and provides a treatment that not only corrects nearsightedness and farsightedness, but also maintains the cornea's natural shape following treatment.
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Dr. Nixon Named Physician of the Quarter at CMMC
Larry James Nixon, Jr., MD, an anesthesiologist at Central Mississippi Medical Center and in practice with Surgical Anesthesia Associates, PA, received the hospital's Physician of the Quarter award for the second quarter.
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