January 28, 1997
Health Source Medical News from the University of Washington
HORMONES MAY PLACE WOMEN AT GREATER RISK for facial pain, according to research conducted at the University of Washington School of Dentistry. Researchers studying a group of post-menopausal women found those receiving hormone replacement therapy were more than 70 percent more likely than non-users to be suffering from temporomandibular disorders (TMD). “These findings suggest that a woman’s own hormones could also increase her risk for TMD,” said Dr. Linda LeResche, research associate professor.
HELPING SOLVE THE MYSTERIES OF HEPATITIS C is a goal of a newly established research center at the University of Washington. The center, one of four such centers funded by the National Institutes of Health, will devote research efforts to the study of experimental and clinical aspects of hepatitis C — an emerging infectious disease infecting more than 200,000 people nationwide each year. Dr. Nelson Fausto, center director and chair of the Department of Pathology, explains researchers will analyze serum samples collected from a population of Alaskan Native Americans and work to develop a system to replicate the virus ‹ a process essential for discovering possible treatments.
USING A “VIRTUAL” SPIDER TO TREAT ARACHNOPHOBIA — fear of spiders — has proven helpful for a patient involved in a test of virtual reality therapy. Spider World, developed at the University of Washington Human Interface Technology Lab, exposes patients to a computer-generated spider that can be controlled by the patient or therapist. Dr. Albert Carlin, associate professor of psychiatry, said the treatment has helped a patient with arachnophobia who had become fearful of leaving home. “The patient now has new hobbies, such as camping outdoors, which she could never have done prior to therapy,” he said.
AN IMPROVED COCHLEAR IMPLANT TO RESTORE hearing is being tested at University of Washington Medical Center. The new device, CI-24, has an increased number of channels and can be more finely programmed. Dr. George Gates, director of the UW Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Research Center, said cochlear implants are appropriate for people with profound hearing loss as well as those with severe hearing loss who receive only marginal benefit from hearing aids.
USING DENTAL X-RAYS TO SCREEN FOR OSTEOPOROSIS may be as effective as using standard diagnostic tests, according to a study by researchers at the University of Washington School of Dentistry. The findings were gathered after a comparison of several diagnostic methods for osteoporosis. Dr. Anne-Marie Bollen, assistant professor of orthodontics, said dental x-rays may prove a helpful tool for early diagnosis of osteoporosis, offering a more common, less expensive method of screening.
IMPROVING OPPORTUNITIES FOR MINORITY AND disadvantaged trainees in medicine is the goal of a new project at the University of Washington School of Medicine. With input from representatives of minority advocacy groups, clinics and hospitals throughout a five-state region, the UW will focus on encouraging minority students to pursue medical careers and achieving more diversity among faculty, fellows and graduate students. The program, supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will fund three new projects this summer for disadvantaged high school students.
