CPR-AED could save 522 lives a year
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) combined with bystander use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) could save 522 lives a year, an international research study shows. Data for the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium project was provided by The University of Iowa, along with several Iowa communities and their Emergency Medical Services agencies. Dianne Atkins, MD, a pediatric cardiologist with UI Children's Hospital, noted that Iowa's contributors included Bettendorf, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Des Moines, Dubuque, Mt. Pleasant, Sioux City, Waterloo, West Des Moines, and Johnson County.

Runner's high could save your life
It appears that endorphins and other morphine like substances known as "opioids" which are released during exercise don't just make you feel good, they also protect you from heart attacks. In a manuscript released in the American Journal of Physiology, a team of University of Iowa researchers showed that blocking the receptors that bind morphine, endorphins, and other opioids eliminates the benefits of exercise. Moreover, the UI team showed that exercise was associated with an increase in several opioid genes that appear to be critical in protecting the heart. "We have known for a long time that exercise is great for the heart, now we better understand why," said Eric Dickson MD, the lead investigator on the study.

TRIALS OPEN TO PATIENTS

Male urinary problems
The University of Iowa is participating in a nationwide study comparing an investigational medication to placebo in reducing the following symptoms in men aged 45 and older: weak or intermittent urinary flow; straining to urinate; feeling that the bladder does not completely empty; urgent or frequent urination (especially at night). The study medication(s) and all study tests will be provided at no cost to the participant. Compensation for each completed visit and parking also is available.

LEAD UI INVESTIGATOR: Karl Kreder, MD

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Call UI Health Access and ask for study coordinator Mary Eno, call Eno at 319-384-9265, or send e-mail to mary-eno@uiowa.edu

Age-related eye disease
A University of Iowa study sponsored by the National Eye Institute is testing whether two nutritional supplements (lutein and zeaxanthin) and two omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (DHA and EPA) found in fish oil can prevent or slow vision loss in age-related macular degeneration. Eligible participants must be between ages 50 and 85 and have large drusen in both eyes or large drusen in one eye and advanced AMD in the other.

UI LEAD INVESTIGATOR: James Folk, MD

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Call UI Health Access and ask for Barbara Taylor in the Department of Ophthalmology, call Taylor at 319-356-0453, or e-mail barbara-taylor@uiowa.edu

From Bench to Bedside

University of Iowa Health Care researchers have discovered the first two genes involved in moisture sensing (hygrosensation), revealing a "two-sensor" hygrosensing system in fruit flies that may allow the flies to detect subtle changes in humidity—an ability that is critical for the flies' survival. The results appear in the Nov. 8 issue of Nature. The findings: a) open the way to a better understanding of hygrosensation; b) provide important clues for learning how mechano-sensation works, and c) may offer new insights into how sensory systems work in living creatures, said Lei Liu, PhD.

When a treatment works for one person's depression, it does not always work for another's. UI Health Care research findings may one day help doctors have a better idea of who will benefit from specific anti-depressants, increasing the likelihood of successful treatment, said Robert Philibert, MD, PhD. The study focused on a gene associated with seratonin, a chemical that at low levels can affect mood and sleep. Among people with a variation in this gene, women were found to be more likely than men to have altered processes related to serotonin. While the finding is exciting, the researchers caution that they have not found a "depression gene," as genes alone cannot cause behaviors.