October 22, 1996
Health Source: Medical News from the University of Washington
Health Source: Medical News from the University of Washington
INJURY RATES AMONG URBAN AMERICAN INDIANS are more than four times higher than those of whites, according to a study by University of Washington researchers at the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center in Seattle. Researchers analyzed trauma records at Harborview from 1986 to 1992 to gain an understanding of injury patterns. “We are alarmed not only by the overall high rates of injury to Native Americans in urban areas, but also by the high proportion of intentional injuries,” said Dr. Jonathan Sugarman, UW clinical associate professor of family medicine and epidemiology.
PREVENTING INJURY/ILLNESS among foresters, farmers and fishers throughout the region is the goal of a newly opened health center in the Department of Environmental Health at the University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine. The Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center, funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, will serve Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska. “Farmers, foresters and fishers in Washington had the highest rates of occupational fatalities in the last decade,” said Dr. Richard Fenske, center director.
A PROTEIN MAY PROTECT against brain tumors. Researchers at the University of Washington have discovered a strong relationship between lack of a protein that repairs DNA damage and the development of primary brain tumors. “The level of (this protein) appears to be the only mechanism identified thus far that accounts for the increasing incidence of brain tumor with age,” said Dr. Mitchel S. Berger, professor of neurosurgery and co-investigator on the study.
PROVIDING A STABLE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT for at-risk students is the goal of the Raising Healthy Children Project at the University of Washington School of Social Work. For the past six years, researchers have been working with a group of students in five Seattle schools to use new instructional strategies and develop stable learning environments at school and at home. Dr. Kevin Haggerty, project director, explains that researchers provide staff development sessions, parent workshops and home visits with families to strengthen and enrich a child’s educational experience.
ANALYZING RATTLESNAKE MUSCLES can help in studying muscle tone and function in the elderly. University of Washington researchers using a special magnetic resonance (MR) technique have discovered that the rattlesnake’s tail muscles can sustain rapid movement over a long period of time ‹ a feat that few other muscles in the animal kingdom, including those of humans, can achieve. “We use the rattlesnake as a model for understanding how muscles function,” said UW researcher Dr. Kevin E. Conley.
A CRASH COURSE IN PARENTHOOD may make becoming parents easier for first-time mothers and fathers. A new program offered by the University of Washington School of Nursing will teach expectant parents communication skills, how to take care of themselves, and how to understand and care for their baby. Pam Jordan, UW associate professor in the Department of Family and Child Nursing, says while many couples take classes to prepare them for labor and birth, few are taught skills to help them deal effectively with the reality of becoming parents.
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