March 11, 1998
Aging and Cholesterol Research to be Disclosed at Health Science Center
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Results from the landmark cholesterol-lowering study
conducted at the University of North Texas Health Science Center will be
presented by the keynote speaker at the sixth annual Research Appreciation Day on
March 25.
Dr. Michael Clearfield, chief of internal medicine at the UNT Health Science
Center, will present the keynote address at noon in the Main Auditorium of the
health science center on how the cholesterol-lowering study will impact
cholesterol-level management by physicians. Dr. Clearfield was primary
investigator of the research that ran for almost five years and involved 6,605
participants in Texas.
The Air Force/Texas Coronary Atherosclerosis Prevention Study (AFCAPS/TexCAPS),
sponsored by Merck & Co., was brought to an early close because of overwhelmingly
positive results in the prevention of first-time coronary incidents such as heart
attacks and the onset of severe chest pain, or angina. The title of Dr.
ClearfieldÕs presentation is:
Extending the Benefit: Primary Prevention of Acute Major Coronary Events, Results
of AFCAPS/TexCAPS
Research Appreciation Day is an opportunity for students, faculty and staff to
share research results, encourage potential joint research projects, and enhance
the public's knowledge of the type of research conducted at the health science
center. Other investigative efforts relate to:
- Discovering specific proteins involved in the loss of memory in Alzheimer's
patients
- Improving the delivery of anti-cancer drugs decreasing drug
toxicity on healthy tissues
- Identifying genes that may increase the risk for
atherosclerosis
- Determining the effect of sleep restriction on blood flow
and heart function
- Decreasing the annual death rate of influenza in the
elderly
- Increasing the recovery rate of heart attack survivors
- Preventing heart disease by removing cholesterol from tissues using new
methods
Poster and oral presentation competitions for students are also part of the day.
The posters will be on display from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. in the Interdisciplinary
Lab at the health science center. A panel of judges will select the top three
presentations in each student category and one presentation for the fellows.
First place in the oral presentation category receives free travel to any
national scientific meeting.
Research Appreciation Day is free and open to the public. The health science center
is located at 3500 Camp Bowie Boulevard in Fort Worth's Cultural District, and
free parking is available in the health science center's Lot A on Clifton Road,
off Camp Bowie Blvd. For more information, contact the health science center at
(817) 735-2560.