Vodcast 2007 Show Notes

Episode #0005 — September 7, 2007
Time: 00:28:35 | Size: 78.7 MB

Welcome to i on NIH!

In this month’s episode: recent graduates who will be getting clinical research training in developing countries, a follow-up report from Josh Elder who rode across America to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s disease, and in our eye-to-eye interview we talk to an Alzheimer's expert to better understand the disease.

NARRATOR: FROM THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH IN BETHESDA, MARYLAND – AMERICA’S PREMIERE MEDICAL RESEARCH AGENCY – THIS IS “I ON NIH”! COVERING HEALTH-RESEARCH TOPICS IMPORTANT TO YOU AND THE NATION, THIS PUBLIC SERVICE VODCAST IS YOUR INFORMATION SOURCE FROM INSIDE ALL 27 INSTITUTES AND CENTERS AT NIH. HALF AN HOUR, ONCE A MONTH, WE’LL SHOW YOU THE EXCITEMENT OF ADVANCES AND THE IMPORTANT INFORMATION THAT COMES FROM MEDICAL RESEARCH. AND NOW, HERE’S YOUR HOST, JOE BALINTFY.

HOST: WELCOME TO ANOTHER EPISODE OF I ON NIH. THANKS FOR JOINING US FOR THIS, OUR FIFTH PRODUCTION. IN THIS MONTHS’ EPISODE, WE HAVE A STORY ABOUT RECENT GRADUATES WHO WILL BE GETTING CLINICAL RESEARCH TRAINING IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. WE ALSO HAVE A FOLLOW-UP REPORT FROM JOSH ELDER WHO RODE ACROSS AMERICA TO RAISE AWARENESS FOR ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE. AND IN OUR EYE-TO-EYE INTERVIEW WE TALK TO AN ALZHEIMER’S EXPERT TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE DISEASE. BUT FIRST, WE HAVE A NEWS UPDATE. HERE’S HARRISON WEIN FROM THE NIH NEWS-DESK.

HARRISON: THANKS, JOE. A NEW STUDY SHOWS THAT THE LIKELIHOOD OF BECOMING OBESE INCREASES NEARLY 57% IF A CLOSE FRIEND HAS BECOME OBESE. RESEARCHERS HAVE LONG KNOWN THAT BOTH GENES AND OTHER FACTORS INFLUENCE OBESITY. THIS STUDY FOUND THAT ONE OF THESE OTHER FACTORS IS FRIENDSHIP. EXACTLY HOW SOCIAL NETWORKS - LIKE FRIENDSHIPS - AFFECT WEIGHT WILL BE EXAMINED IN FUTURE RESEARCH.

A RECENT PAIR OF STUDIES HAS REVEALED 2 GENES THAT INFLUENCE THE RISK OF GETTING MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, OR MS. SINCE THE FIRST GENE WAS LINKED TO MS IN THE MID-1970S, SCIENTISTS HAVE REALIZED THAT OTHER GENES ALSO PLAY A ROLE. THE RESEARCHERS FOUND TWO ASSOCIATED WITH MS AND NEARLY A DOZEN OTHERS THAT MAY ALSO BE LINKED. THESE RESULTS GIVE SCIENTISTS NEW WAYS OF LOOKING AT THE BIOLOGY OF MS AND MAY LEAD TO NEW STRATEGIES FOR DEVELOPING TREATMENTS.

AN INTERNATIONAL TEAM OF RESEARCHERS HAVE UNCOVERED GENETIC CLUES TO EXPLAIN WHY SOME PEOPLE INFECTED WITH HIV HAVE LOWER LEVELS OF VIRUS IN THEIR BLOOD AND ULTIMATELY PROGRESS TO AIDS MORE SLOWLY. VIRUS LEVELS CAN VARY BETWEEN PEOPLE BY UP TO 100,000-FOLD. IN GENERAL, THE LOWER THE LEVEL OF HIV IN THE BLOOD, THE LONGER THE IMMUNE SYSTEM CAN KEEP FIGHTING AND THE SLOWER THE PROGRESSION TO AIDS. SCIENTISTS ANALYZED DNA SAMPLES FROM PEOPLE WHOSE VIRAL LOAD LEVELS HAD BEEN MEASURED MANY TIMES. THEY FOUND GENETIC DIFFERENCES THAT THEY SAY CAN EXPLAIN NEARLY 15% OF THE VARIATION IN VIRUS LEVELS. THIS RESEARCH PROVIDES NEW LEADS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF VACCINES AND IMPROVED HIV THERAPIES.

INSPIRED BY TWO CREATURES THAT HAVE REAL STICKING POWER, RESEARCHERS HAVE CREATED A NEW TYPE OF ADHESIVE THAT HOLDS TIGHT BOTH IN AND OUT OF WATER AND CAN BE REPEATEDLY REMOVED AND RE-ATTACHED. THE SCIENTISTS NAMED THEIR NEW ADHESIVE "GECKEL," BECAUSE IT COMBINES THE MECHANICAL STICKINESS OF A GECKO LIZARD'S FOOT WITH THE CHEMICAL STICKINESS THAT LETS A MUSSEL HOLD ONTO THINGS UNDERWATER. THE RESEARCHERS USED NANOTECHNOLOGY TO MIMIC THE GECKO'S FOOT HAIRS. THEY ALSO USED A SYNTHETIC POLYMER THAT IMITATED MUSSEL "GLUE" PROTEINS. FURTHER IMPROVEMENT MAY LEAD TO MORE DURABLE AND LONGER-LASTING BANDAGES AND DRUG-DELIVERY PATCHES.

YOU CAN READ MORE ABOUT THESE STUDIES AND OTHER NIH RESEARCH AT THE “NIH RESEARCH MATTERS” HOME PAGE. GO TO WWW-DOT-NIH-DOT-GOV. LOOK FOR THE LINK ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE, UNDER “IN THE NEWS,” THAT SAYS, “E-COLUMN: NIH RESEARCH MATTERS.”

AND IN THIS MONTH’S HEALTH NEWSLETTER, “NIH NEWS IN HEALTH”… IT WAS CALLED SOLDIER’S HEART IN THE CIVIL WAR. SINCE THEN, IT’S BEEN CALLED SHELL SHOCK, BATTLE FATIGUE AND POST-VIETNAM SYNDROME. NOW WE CALL IT POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER, OR PTSD. AND WE KNOW THAT IT AFFECTS PEOPLE OTHER THAN THOSE WHO’VE BEEN TO WAR. READ ABOUT WHAT CAUSES PTSD AND HOW TO GET TREATMENT AMONG OTHER HEALTH TOPICS IN “NIH NEWS IN HEALTH” AT NEWS-IN-HEALTH-DOT-NIH-DOT-GOV. THIS IS HARRISON WEIN AT THE NIH SCIENCE DESK.

JOE: THANKS HARRISON! SOME MORE NEWS HERE AT NIH WAS A VISIT FROM THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. HE CAME TO TALK TO STUDENTS WHO HAVE STARTED A YEAR-LONG FELLOWSHIP FROM THE FOGARTY INTERNATIONAL CENTER. WALLY AKINSO HAS THE STORY.

V/O – WALLY: A HOT SUMMER DAY IN THE STONE HOUSE HERE AT NIH, MARKED THE START OF A RESEARCH ADVENTURE FOR A GROUP OF INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE STUDENTS.

PRIMACK: WE CHOOSE, THROUGH A VERY COMPLICATED APPLICATION PROCESS A GROUP OF 25 U-S GRADUATE STUDENTS IN HEALTH SCIENCES THAT INCLUDES MEDICAL PHD AND VARIOUS PROGRAMS, NURSING DENTAL, AND WE THEN CHOOSE 25 COUNTER PARTS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. ALL OF THEM COME TO NIH FOR THESE THREE WEEKS FOR AN ORIENTATION PROGRAM AND THEN ALL OF THEM TOGETHER THEN GO TO THE FOREIGN COUNTRIES WE HAVE PICKED OVER THE LAST YEARS.

V/O – WALLY: DR. ARON PRIMACK IS THE FOGARTY INTERNATIONAL CENTER PROGRAM OFFICER WHO OVERSEES THE SCHOLARSHIPS PROGRAM.

PRIMACK: THE GOAL FOR U-S STUDENTS PARTICULARLY IS TO PICK PEOPLE AT AN EARLY STAGE OF THEIR CAREER BEFORE THEY’VE CHOSEN WHAT THEY’RE GOING TO DO WITH THEIR TOTAL CAREER GOALS. AND HOPEFULLY ENCOURAGE THEM TO CONSIDER RESEARCH AND PARTICULARLY GLOBAL HEALTH RESEARCH. THE FOREIGN STUDENTS, IN THE SAME WAY, WE HOPE TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO DO RESEARCH AS OPPOSED TO CLINICAL, ONLY CLINICAL WORK AND WE WANT THEM TO THINK IN A GLOBAL WAY AS WELL.

V/O – WALLY: TO ADDRESS THE STUDENTS AND GIVE A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES DR. JOHN AGWUNOBI SHARED INSIGHT FROM HIS PUBLIC HEALTH POSITION.

AGWUNOBI: AT THE END OF THE DAY, GLOBAL HEALTH IS ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS. YOU CAN’T STAY AT HOME AND BUILD THOSE RELATIONSHIPS… THEY ARE ABOUT HORIZONTAL, NOTION OF EQUALITY… PEERS SPEAKING… WHERE THEY MIGHT COME FROM OR WHERE THEY MIGHT END UP.

V/O – WALLY: UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS STUDENT ERIK ANTENSON IS GOING TO END UP IN ZAMBIA FOR A YEAR.

ERIK: FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, AND THERE HAVE BEEN TWO OTHER STUDENTS FROM MY UNIVERSITY THAT HAVE DONE THIS PROGRAM IN THE PAST, THIS IS A LIFE CHANGING EVENT BOTH IN TERMS OF CAREER AND IN TERMS OF HOW WE LOOK AT THE WORLD. AND I’M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE THOSE CHANGES. IN TERMS OF MY CAREER AND SCIENCE THAT I GET TO DO, I’D BE LEARNING TOTALLY NEW THINGS – TECHNIQUES, DIAGNOSTICS – AND LEARNING HOW TO DO CLINICAL RESEARCH, WHICH IS SOMETHING I’VE NEVER HAD A HAND IN BEFORE. THIS IS SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT TO ME IN TERMS OF DEVELOPMENT THAT I WANT TO EXPERIENCE.

V/O – WALLY: JOHNS HOPKINS PHD CANDIDATE DEVAKI NAMBIAR, WHO WILL TRAVEL TO TANZANIA, ECHOES SEC. AGWUNOBI.

DEVAKI: I THINK SO FAR WITH THE NIH FOGARTY PROGRAM, IT’S REALLY BEEN THE PEOPLE, AND DR. AGWUNOBI SAID THIS IT’S REALLY ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIPS. AND BOTH AMONG MY PEERS AT US INSTITUTIONS AND ALSO WITH MY COLLEGES AT THE LOCAL INSTITUTIONS, I’M JUST FINDING INCREDIBLE HUMAN CAPITAL IN THE COURSE OF MY INTERACTIONS. AND THAT’S REALLY EXCITING AND THAT’S WHAT I’M MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO IN DAR ES SALAAM AS WELL.

V/O – WALLY: DR. PRIMACK EXPLAINS THAT WHILE U-S STUDENTS WILL BE TRAVELING ABROAD, THIS FELLOWSHIP EXPERIENCE IS DIFFERENT FROM AN EXCHANGE PROGRAM.

PRIMACK: THE FOREIGN STUDENTS AND RECENT GRADUATES WHO ARE CHOSEN DON’T, THEY ONLY COME TO US FOR THE 3-WEEK ORIENTATION THEN ALL OF THEM TOGETHER GO BACK TO THE LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES WHERE THE SITES FOR CLINICAL RESEARCH ARE AND THEY WORK AS TWINS AS OPPOSED TO EXCHANGE PROGRAM.

V/O – WALLY: VIVEK NARABHAI FROM DURBIN SOUTH AFRICA ALSO APPRECIATES THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK TOGETHER.

VIVEK: ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS I’VE ENJOYED IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS BEING HERE IS THE INTERACTIONS WITH FOREIGN STUDENTS AND LOCAL STUDENTS LEARNING ABOUT THEIR HEALTH SYSTEMS. AND BUILDING WHAT WILL PROBABLY BE A VERY USEFUL NETWORK AND ALSO SOME VERY STRONG FRIENDSHIPS.

V/O – WALLY: THABO DIPHOKO WHO’S ALREADY WORKING WITH THE BOTSWANA-HARVARD PARTNERSHIP LOOKS FORWARD TO RESULTS.

THABO: I HAVE HUGE EXPECTATIONS FROM THE PROGRAM. GIVEN THAT MY INTEREST IS MOSTLY WITH BASIC SCIENCE SO I HOPE FOR AND AM LOOKING FORWARD TO DEVELOP IN ME PROBABLY UP TO PHD AND ABOVE. I HAVEN’T DONE IT YET BUT AM ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT IT. I HOPE IT WILL INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF KNOWLEDGE OUR COUNTRY HAS ON HIV AS WELL AS OTHER DISEASES. SO I BELIEVE IT’S A GOOD PROGRAM.

VIVEK: WHAT’S MOST EXCITING IS THE WIDE VARIETY OF READINGS THAT DIFFERENT PEOPLE DO AND SHARING THOSE SORT OF THINGS THE SORT OF COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE THAT THINK IN A SIMILAR WAY BUT HAVE DIFFERENT WAYS OF LOOKING AT THINGS. AND THAT SORT OF COMMUNITY THAT WE BUILT THROUGH THE PROGRAM SEEMS TO BE WHAT I’M GOING TO ENJOY FOR THE YEAR.

V/O – WALLY: AFTER THESE BRIGHT STUDENTS WORK ABROAD A YEAR, SECRETARY AGWUNOBI AND DR. PRIMACK HOPE THAT THEY WILL CONTINUE ON A PATH OF GLOBAL HEALTH RESEARCH REMEMBERING…

AGWUNOBI: IT’S NOT JUST WHAT YOU GIVE TO THEM, BUT WHAT THEY GIVE TO YOU… GLOBAL HEALTH IS ABOUT WHAT WE CAN DO TOGETHER.

V/O – WALLY: FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE FOGARTY INTERNATIONAL CENTER AND ITS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS, VISIT WWW-DOT-FIC-DOT-NIH-DOT-GOV. FOR EYE ON NIH, I’M WALLY AKINSO.

JOE: THANKS WALLY. NEXT, WE’RE TURNING AGAIN TO JOSH ELDER WHO RODE ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO PROMOTE ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE AWARENESS.

JOE: JOSH’S LONG CAMPAIGN MAY BE OVER, BUT THE FIGHT AGAINST ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE IS STILL GOING ON. FOR THIS MONTH’S EYE-TO-EYE INTERVIEW, WE DECIDED TO TALK WITH DR. NINA SILVERBERG. SHE’S THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF THE ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE CENTERS PROGRAM AT THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING HERE AT NIH. WE STARTED BY ASKING DR. SILVERBERG HOW SHE GOT HER START IN ALZHEIMER’S RESEARCH.

NINA: I DID MY GRADUATE WORK IN SOMETHING CALLED PSYCHO-LINGUISTICS… HOW WE UNDERSTAND AND SPEAK WORDS. MY PARTICULAR INTEREST WAS IN TIP OF THE TONGUE PHENOMENON… TENDS TO BE, CAN BE AN EARLY SIGN OF AD.

JOE: WHAT EXACTLY IS AD?

NINA: AD IS… NOT A NORMAL PART OF AGING… IT’S ASSOCIATED WITH AGING BUT NOT A NORMAL PART OF AGING.

NINA: THE DISEASE STARTS WITH DAMAGE TO THE BRAIN… MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT… AS THE DISEASE PROGRESSES, THREE STAGES, MILD MODERATE AND SEVERE… THEY REALLY NEED COMPLETE CARE AT THAT POINT.

JOE: HOW LONG CAN SOMEONE LIVE WITH AD?

NINA: THE AVERAGE IS 8 TO 10 YEARS… MY GRANDMOTHER HAD AD AND LIVED WITH IT FOR 14 YEARS BEFORE SHE PASSED AWAY. SO IT CAN GET QUITE DIFFICULT AT THE END.

JOE: WHAT KIND OF TIPS CAN YOU OFFER REGARDING AD?

NINA: I THINK THE MAIN CONCERN IS SAFETY… BRACELET WITH ID INFORMATION… WANDERING IS ONE OF THE EARLIER SYMPTOMS… FAMILIES WORRY A LOT WHEN THEIR LOVED ONE GETS LOST… ONE GOOD OPTION.

NINA: THE OTHER ONE THAT I THINK IS VERY IMPORTANT IS FOR THE CAREGIVER… SOMETIMES PEOPLE DON’T REALIZE HOW MUCH MORE THEY’RE TAKING ON… AA HAS SUPPORT GROUPS… HELPING YOURSELF AS A CAREGIVER IS VERY IMPORTANT TO HELPING THE PERSON WHO HAS THE DISEASE.

JOE: HOW MANY AMERICANS ARE AFFECTED BY AD?

NINA: THERE’S AN ESTIMATE… 4.5 MILLION AMERICANS… EXPECT MORE AND MORE CASES TO BE COMING UP.

WHAT IS SOME OF THE LATEST RESEARCH TELLING US? DO YOU HAVE ANY EXAMPLES?

NINA: THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT APPROACHES BEING TAKEN CURRENTLY… TO SEE IF THERE ARE ANY CONNECTIONS… WE’RE ALSO CONDUCTING GENETIC RESEARCH… THERE’S ALSO SOME INTERESTING WORK ON IMAGING, BRAIN SCANS… IT LOOKS LIKE THOSE COMPOUNDS ARE ABLE TO SHOW US… WHO’S GOING TO DEVELOP AD… WE DO HAVE MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF MEDICATIONS… TO PREVENT AD.

HOST: THANKS FOR WATCHING ANOTHER EDITION OF I ON NIH! NEXT MONTH WE’RE WORKING ON STORIES ABOUT DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION, AND BACK-TO-SCHOOL STRESS. HOPE YOU’LL JOIN US AGAIN THEN! FOR “i ON NIH” I’M JOE BALINTFY.

MUSIC

NARRATOR: “i ON NIH” IS A PUBLIC SERVICE VODCAST FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, PRODUCED BY THE NIH NEWS MEDIA BRANCH OF THE OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC LIAISON. THANKS FOR TUNING IN. WE’LL BE BACK NEXT MONTH WITH ANOTHER EPISODE OF “i ON NIH.”