From Bench to Bedside

If patients with spinal cord injuries are to benefit from a future cure, the work of Richard Shields, PhD, and colleagues may hold a vital key. Shields, a University of Iowa professor of physical therapy and rehabilitation science, has found that early intervention and long-term treatment with electrical stimulation can significantly reduce the loss of bone mineral density in patients with spinal cord injuries. "The long-range issues relate to helping people injured now remain good candidates for a future cure," Shields says. "The short-term effects are improving the patient's health quality and preventing secondary complications." The Iowa Cochlear Implant Clinical Research Center will receive $10 million over five years to continue research on cochlear implants in children and adults. The ICICRC is one of the world's premier centers for cochlear implant clinical research. Understanding the meaning behind a person's posture or body movement comes easily to many people and helps guide how we react to others socially. But people with schizophrenia, even those who have mild to moderate symptoms and take medications, are not fluent in understanding body language, according to a UI-led study published in the April 2006 issue of Schizophrenia Research.

Advanced heart technology

A UI Heart and Vascular Center physician who helped lead a large international research trial said the results show that patients might benefit from using advanced technology to help regulate the beating of their hearts.

Brian Olshansky, MD, UI professor of internal medicine and director of cardiac electrophysiology at UI Hospitals and Clinics, served as the co-principal investigator of the international INTRINSIC RV study.

The research advances the understanding of a proprietary feature that minimizes unnecessary right ventricular pacing in patients who received the Boston Scientific Company's market-released dual-chamber implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs).

A dual-chamber ICD can pace or sense in both the upper and lower chambers of the heart.  The results showed benefits of dual-chamber pacing in a majority of patients.

"INTRINSIC RV refutes the notion that dual-chamber ICD programming poses an inherent safety risk," Olshansky said. "In fact, by using AV Search Hysteresis, outcomes with dual-chamber programming performed as well as, if not better, than single-chamber programming."

—Tom Moore

TRIALS OPEN TO PATIENTS

Herpes vaccine

Healthy non-pregnant women between the ages of 18 and 30, without a history of herpes, are invited to participate in a 20-month study. The research will compare an investigational herpes vaccine to hepatitis A vaccine to determine if the vaccine will prevent herpes infection. Compensation and lab work provided.

LEAD UI INVESTIGATOR: Jack Stapleton, MD

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Call UI Health Access toll-free, or 319-384-4531 locally, and ask for Tracy Peters, UI research nurse, or Tobey Kelly, or e-mail tracy-peters@uiowa.edu.

Menopause

Women with menopausal symptoms who are contemplating or have made a decision in the past six to 12 months about how to manage their symptoms are invited to participate in a University of Iowa research study. The study will contribute to a greater understanding of women's experiences of menopause and available treatments.

PRINCIPLE INVESTIGATORS: Mali Bunde and Jerry Suls, PhD 

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Call 319-335-0594 or e-mail menopause-study@uiowa.edu.