Caduceus Newsletter: Spring 2004.12, Week of April 19
DON'T FORGET! Coming up on Tuesday, April 20, we will be having a chocolate tasting session, featuring Godiva Chocolates.(!) (See item #4)
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Caduceus Newsletter: Spring 2004.12, Week of April 19 |
DON'T FORGET! Coming up on Tuesday, April 20, we will be having a chocolate tasting session, featuring Godiva Chocolates.(!) (See item #4)
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è1. SCIENTISTS DETAIL HORMONE'S ROLE IN THE IMPULSE TO EAT from The Washington Post (Registration Required), appearing in the April 2, 2004 issue of Science in the News, a daily science digest from Sigma Xi. |
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è 1. SCIENTISTS DETAIL HORMONE'S ROLE IN THE IMPULSE TO EAT from The Washington Post (Registration Required), appearing in the April 2, 2004 issue of Science in the News, a daily science digest from Sigma Xi. |
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Scientists today are a step closer to understanding why it is so hard to lose weight. In papers published in the journal Science, two research teams describe newfound powers of leptin, the mysterious hormone that helps govern hunger and satiety. It appears that the substance, produced by fat cells, plays a crucial role in establishing the brain's circuitry before birth, and retains the ability to subtly rewire those neural connections throughout life. Those observations, made in mice but which scientists believe may also apply to humans, offer a peek at the cellular workings of one of life's few essential impulses: the drive to eat. The papers also shed light on why many people seem to have a physical "set point" -- a weight their body seeks to maintain despite their efforts to change it. |
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è 2. U.S. WON'T ALERT PARENTS, DOCTORS ON MERCURY IN FLU SHOTS FOR KIDS from The Los Angeles Times, appearing in the April 2, 2004 issue of Science in the News, a daily science digest from Sigma Xi. |
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Hundreds of thousands of infants and toddlers who get flu shots starting this fall could be exposed to a mercury-laced preservative that has been all but eliminated from other pediatric vaccines because of health concerns. Saying there is no proof of harm from exposure to the preservative thimerosal, officials with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have confirmed that they won't advise parents and doctors to choose a mercury-free version of the flu vaccine. This year, flu shots are being added to the government's "recommend" list of vaccines that should be given to all young children. The CDC's decision on thimerosal, made despite pleas from parent activist groups and some experts, appears to be at odds with recent federal warnings about exposure to mercury, a potent neurotoxin, and with the government's successful effort to have it removed from other childhood vaccines. |
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è 3. RESEARCHERS SEEK TO CREATE A LIVING CELL from The Wall Street Journal, appearing in the April 2, 2004 issue of Science in the News, a daily science digest from Sigma Xi. |
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As any geek who ever soldered together a circuit board from off-the-shelf parts can testify, if you truly want to understand how something works, you need to build it yourself. That approach doesn't raise any eyebrows when applied to gizmos and gadgets, but now a loosely organized band of scientists is extending it in an audacious way. In hopes of answering the age-old question "what is life?" they are trying to assemble -- from off-the-shelf, nonliving molecules -- a living cell. "Creating a cell from scratch is probably at least 10 years away, but it is going to happen," says Mark Bedau of Reed College, Portland, Ore. "We're in for some very interesting, very profound new ways of thinking about what life is, and about where you draw the boundary between life and nonlife."
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è 4. Coming up on Tuesday, April 20, we will be having a chocolate tasting session, featuring Godiva Chocolates.(!) |
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On Tuesday, April 20, we will be having a chocolate tasting session, featuring Godiva Chocolates. This session is sponsored by the students of NSCI 193, and will be held in S201, from 2 p.m. to 4:50 p.m. At 9:30 a.m. that today, Marian Badger, Manager for Godiva Chocolatier at Oak Court Mall, will be presenting a guest lecture in S214 on chocolate, including its biology, history, and manufacturing process. All are invited! |
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è 5. STUDY ADVISES AGAINST DRUGS FOR CHILDREN IN DEPRESSION from The New York Times (Registration Required), appearing in the April 8, 2004 issue of Science in the News, a daily science digest from Sigma Xi. |
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Pediatricians and family physicians should not prescribe antidepressants for depressed children and adolescents because the drugs barely work and their side effects are often significant, Australian researchers have concluded. The researchers analyzed data from five published trials of three antidepressants, Prozac, Zoloft and Paxil, in depressed patients under age 18. They found that the drugs offered only a "very modest" benefit over placebos. At the same time, the drugs carry significant risks, the researchers said in their report, published in today's issue of the British medical journal BMJ. |
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è 6. A LEADING KILLER AMONG WOMEN from Newsday, appearing in the April 14, 2004 issue of Science in the News, a daily science digest from Sigma Xi. |
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An epidemic of lung cancer among American women has been quietly growing for decades, and an end to the upsurge appears nowhere in sight, doctors report today. For women, deaths due to lung cancer now outstrip those caused by breast cancer and all gynecologic cancers combined, the researchers report today in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The team of medical scientists who assessed the scope of lung cancer in women say mortality has continued to climb in women even as smoking and deaths from the disease have declined in men. Deaths caused by lung cancer rose 600 percent in U.S. women between 1930 to 1997, and continue to rise, the team of scientists said. Drawn to cigarettes largely as a method of weight control, young women are as attracted to the habit as their counterparts were in the era of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Although doctors have linked some lung cancers to industrial exposures and a small percentage to secondhand smoke, more than 80 percent of cases are associated with a smoking habit. A minuscule number of the cancers occur annually in people who have no known risk factor. |
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è 7. Received this week. |
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AMA (American Medical Association) Press
Association of American Medical Colleges
St. George's University (Grenada, West Indies) Advisor Pack, containing:
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è 8. Year-long internships, sponsored by AmeriCorps, will be available at the Church Health Center. From an e-note distributed by Pam Detrie, Ph.D., Behavioral Health Promotion Psychologist, Church Health Center. |
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Greetings from the Church Health Center in Memphis, Tennessee! At this point, we are still awaiting official approval through the AmeriCorps program (anticipated decision April 30). I wanted to remind you that upon approval, a stipend will be offered for year-long interns through AmeriCorps. The corps placement starts on Aug. 1, with presite training required on July 21-22. Corps members get paid through AmeriCorps and get an educational fee at the end, to go toward student loans. Cash payout (lower amount) is also available if an individual has no educational loan needs. Some of the placements available for the fall are as follows: AmeriCorps members will be placed at Hope & Healing, our prevention and wellness Center, in the areas of Child Life and Education (2), Exercise and Movement (2), Wellness Education (2), Membership Services (1), and Program Development /Active Choices (1). Faith Community Ministries will host one member, as will Public Affairs. At Hope & Healing, associates and specialists will actually teach health education and wellness sessions, run exercise and movement classes, conduct tours and orientation sessions, triage to appropriate assessment level, complete exercise and movement assessments with members, lead "Prescription for Health" sessions, conduct graduate level research and evaluation projects and help with recruitment for Active Choices (a telephone counseling program designed to decrease sedentary behavior in people 50 and older). In Child Life, the Corps members will teach, implement program offerings and administer the "Child Prescription for Health." The Corps member will support FCM staff via administrative, training, communication and educational roles. The Corps member placed in Public Affairs will assist in developing materials for newsletters or other media, preparing computer design graphics and other materials to promote the CHC, touring guests/donors/volunteers through all campuses, recruiting volunteers and donors and assisting in special events coordination and implementation. This is an excerpt from a "Frequently Asked Questions" page to provide additional information regarding our program: What is Church Health Center? Begun in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1987, Church Health Center is an organization that seeks to reclaim the Church’s biblical and historical commitment to care for the poor who are sick. Church Health Center provides medical, dental, and optometry care, as well as pastoral counseling and an extensive health and wellness program called Hope & Healing. Church Health Center is supported by donations, grants, and more than 200 congregations in Memphis. What is Hope & Healing? Hope & Healing is a ministry of the Church Health Center based in a state-of-the-art wellness facility at 1115 Union Avenue in Memphis. Participants at Hope & Healing learn how to cultivate healthier lifestyles through nutrition classes, health education seminars, and exercise and movement plans designed for each individual’s needs. Children are welcome at Hope & Healing as participants in the center’s Child Life programming. What kinds of internships are available? Church Health Center continually seeks people who desire a ministry of caring for the whole person – spirit, mind, and body. Internship opportunities are available in Aquatics, Child Life Education, Exercise & Movement, Wellness, Health Education/Nutrition, Physical Therapy, Research, Senior Adult Active Choices, and Administration. One-year internships through AmeriCorps are also available (upon final approval notice5-3-04). Interns who qualify for the AmeriCorps program receive a modest living allowance and an education award upon completion of the one-year commitment. What do you expect of interns? Interns are people who join the Church Health Center staff in an unpaid full-time position for one year. Interns are expected to follow the same rules and guidelines that employees follow. Each intern has a job description that lists duties and responsibilities. All interns are asked to sign a covenant affirming commitment to the program. Interns are expected to participate in occasional small group activities (e.g., common meals, social activities) with other interns at the center. What do you provide for interns? Church Health Center provides a spiritual and experiential growth opportunity from working with excellent professionals. The internship experience will also prepare the intern for their career following their service with us. Interns are provided free housing for the duration of their stay. St. John’s House, a facility across the street from the Church Health Center clinics, serves as the home-away-from-home for interns. To facilitate growth, interns participate in individual and group activities and educational sessions. Who’s in charge of interns? Each intern is assigned to a specific area, with a supervisor and job description appropriate for the nature of the tasks of the position. The internship program has an internship coordinator that works with the supervisors and interns to ensure a positive experience for the intern and Church Health Center. The liaison works with interns at St. John’s House to coordinate group activities, community service projects, common meals, and programs. Interns are expected to be self-motivated individuals who can function independently, with appropriate training, supervision, and support. How do I apply for an internship? Internship forms are available via e-mail by sending a request to detriep@churchhealthcenter.org. Contact us at: Internship Program, Church Health Center, 1115 Union Avenue, Memphis, TN 38104. Call us by phone at (901) 259-4673.
You or interested students may also choose to visit the Church Health Center website, www.churchhealthcenter.org to find out more information about our organization. Please let me know if you have any additional questions regarding the internship program here at the Church Health Center. Sincerely, Pam Detrie, Ph.D. |
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è 9. INSOMNIA IN KIDS LINKED TO LATER DRUG USE from The Toronto Globe and Mail, appearing in the April 15, 2004 issue of Science in the News, a daily science digest from Sigma Xi. |
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Young children with sleep problems are more likely to grow up into teens who drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes and use illegal drugs, a new study has found. Researchers have already made the connection with sleep problems and alcohol abuse in grownups, but this is the first study to draw the link between children who have trouble sleeping and the later use of alcohol and drugs. Maria Wong, a researcher in the psychiatry department at the University of Michigan, looked at data from a study of 275 boys that began 16 years ago. When the boys were aged three to five, their mothers were asked if their child had had trouble sleeping in the past six months, or if he seemed overtired. |
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è 10. You've heard the term "Steel Magnolias" to describe strong-willed Southern women? Don't ever, ever, mess with Analice Sowell, the School of Science secretary, AKA The Science Queen! |
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If Analice Sowell looks like she's laying on a bed of 1100 6-inch timber tie nails, you're right! This fundraiser event was sponsored by the CBU Society of Physics Students, who, like rugby players, eat their dead. When asked, "How did you get suckered into laying on a bed nails, Ms. Sowell replied, "It was my idea." |
MANY THANKS TO DR. JOHN VARRIANO, MODERATOR FOR SPS, FOR ENDORSING THIS PROJECT AND FOR DRILLING MORE THAN HALF OF THE HOLES IN THE WOOD!! |
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Hey, it takes time and effort to construct a bed of nails, as shown below. |
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Dr. Johnny Holmes, Dean of the School of Science, and Brian Brown, CBU senior computer science major, hammering nails into the wood. |
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Dr. Stan Eisen, Director
Preprofessional Health Programs
Biology Department
Christian Brothers University
650 East Parkway South
Memphis, TN 38104
E-mail: seisen@cbu.edu
http://www.cbu.edu/~seisen/
Caduceus Newsletter Archives: http://www.cbu.edu/~seisen/Caduceus.html
