‘Airway bypass’ may help with emphysema

People with advanced stages of emphysema suffer a poor quality of life. There is no cure. Yet glimmers of hope remain. An exciting, new investigational treatment called airway bypass may significantly improve the quality of life for those suffering advanced widespread emphysema. University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics is a leading clinical research center investigating airway bypass, a minimally invasive procedure that creates new pathways in the lung for trapped air to escape and in turn, may relieve emphysema symptoms including shortness of breath.For more information, call UI Health Access toll-free and ask for Kimberly Sprenger, RN, call 319-353-8862, or send e-mail to kimberly-sprenger@uiowa.edu.

A case of black and white

Black Medicare patients who have had heart attacks are less likely than white patients to receive heart bypass surgery or angioplasty even after being admitted to hospitals that provide those services. These are the conclusions of a nationwide study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association by Ioana Popescu, MD, and research +-colleagues at the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and the Veterans Affairs (VA) Iowa City Health Care System. The fact that black patients were less likely to receive specialized heart care even when transferred to hospitals that provide this level of service suggests that the difference is not simply one of access to life-saving treatments, Popescu said. Some other factors, likely a combination, are at play.

—Becky Soglin

TRIALS OPEN TO PATIENTS

Smallpox vaccine

Adults born after 1971 who have never received a smallpox vaccine and are in overall good health are invited to participate in a smallpox vaccine study. The study will compare the effectiveness and safety of a new study vaccine called IMVAMUNE, an FDA-approved vaccine called Dryvax and certain combinations of the two vaccines.

UI LEAD INVESTIGATOR: Patricia Winokur, MD, associate professor of internal medicine

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Call 319-384-7245 or 319-384-9569 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or email mailto:geraldine-dull@uiowa.edu.

Painful bladder syndrome

Men and women age 18 and older with interstitial cystitis (sometimes known as painful bladder syndrome) that has not responded to three or more different types of treatments in the previous six months are invited to participate in a research study. The study will investigate the safety and effectiveness of an investigational immunosuppressant called CellCept in treating interstitial cystitis.

LEAD UI INVESTIGATOR: Karl Kreder, MD, professor of urology

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Call toll-free (866) 309-0834 or (319) 384-9265, or send e-mail to mary-eno@uiowa.edu.

FROM BENCH TO BEDSIDE

In nearly one-third of the people with chronic constipation, the muscles used for bowel movements do not work well (a condition called dyssynergic defecation). But good news comes from a University of Iowa study which shows that biofeedback treatment can successfully retrain muscles— better than standard therapies, including muscle relaxation and coping strategies. “People with dyssynergic defecation cannot sense stool or they have difficulty expelling it,” said Satish Rao, MD. “However, they often don't seek help beyond over-the-counter laxatives.”

Iowans with traumatic brain injury have a better chance of survival thanks to a statewide trauma system, according to University of Iowa researchers. Their study found that implementation of Iowa’s trauma system was associated with a significant decreased death risk overall—and a nearly 50 percent decreased risk of death in the 72 hours after a traumatic brain injury—for both patients directly admitted to Level I and II hospitals and those transferred from local hospitals.

Recent studies seem to suggest that the adverse side-effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like aspirin and Celebrex outweigh the potential benefit. However, certain NSAIDs may be better suited to treating cancer, in combination with standard therapies, rather than preventing it, according to new research by University of Iowa scientists.