A.
Changing The Biology Of Prostate Cancer
Narrator:
This is Science Today. Historically, prostate cancer
was thought to be a disease which could not be stimulated
or enhanced by the body's immune system. But Dr.
Robert Figlin of UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center says
an new experimental gene therapy treatment now underway
may change that.
Figlin:
It's really been through out laboratory work over
the last five years that we and others have started
to show that a cancer that is historically thought
to be not immunogenic, can become immunogenic with
the proper manipulations.
Narrator:
In this case, doctors are injecting into the prostate
gland a product called Leuvectin. This is a mixture
of fatty molecules and genes which produce interleukin-2,
a potent tumor fighting substance.
Figlin:
This is early clinical trials, but what we've shown
is one, you can administer cytokines inside the
prostate gland safely. Nobody even believed that
you could do that. Secondly, we've been able to
demonstrate that in fact, an immune reaction does
occur.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
B.
Studying The Aging Process In Space
Narrator:
This is Science Today. The recent, historic space
flight of former astronaut and retired U.S. Senator
John Glenn will help scientists better understand
the aging process. Kenneth Baldwin, a physiology
professor at the University of California, Irvine
says space travel produces physical symptoms similar
to the aging process.
Baldwin:
One of the primary experiences that astronauts encounter
when they're in space, due to the fact that they're
not able to exert force on their muscle systems
is that the muscles do atrophy. And atrophy refers
to a shrinkage of the muscle fiber. Protein is lost
and along with the loss in muscle protein, is a
loss in strength.
Narrator:
Baldwin is helping NASA come up with effective muscle
strengthening exercises which will not only help
astronauts, but the general population as well.
Baldwin:
The more that we can do to enhance the motor skills
of an individual, the greater rewards as they get
older in terms of being less prone to accidents
and debilitating injuries.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
C.
Asking Mom What's For Dinner
Narrator:
This is Science Today. A University of California,
Berkeley nutrition study may result in a California
campaign targeting high income African-American
women. Joanne Ikeda, who led the study, found the
diets African American moms were more deficient
than those of lower income women. Besides lacking
the time to cook, Ikeda says these women may be
sacrificing for their family.
Ikeda:
It very well can be that mothers probably pay attention
to what other members of the family are eating but
not so much attention to themselves.
Narrator:
Ikeda's campaign is working to focus on African-American
working moms between ages 33 and 50.
Ikeda:
One of the things we need to say is as well as taking
care of your family, you need to take care of yourself
because you are getting in that age range where
you're going to be at greater risk. Some of these
chronic diseases, that is diabetes, cancer, coronary
heart disease. So it's time to pay attention to
what you're consuming.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
D.
A Computer Program Let's You Do The Talking
Narrator:
This is Science Today. Decades ago, Dr. Louis Gottschalk,
a neuroscientist at the University of California,
Irvine co-developed the Gottschalk-Gleser scale
which accurately measures various emotional and
cognitive brain disorders. It works by analyzing
and scoring a subject's speech sample against a
set of norms.
Gottschalk:
The problem with these scales was they're very time
consuming. Somebody has to learn what gets scored
in certain ways and the computer came along and
I was swept up by the computer and decided wouldn't
it be great if we could develop a computerized version
of the scoring?
Narrator:
Now, some fifteen years later, such a program has
been developed.
Gottschalk:
The computer program can be improved. The software
has a dictionary. It knows every idiom or slang
term that communicates something about the scales
the we're involved in. It has an interaction so
you can bring it up to date.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
E.
HELP Is On It's Way
Narrator:
This is Science Today. A University of California,
Irvine psychologist has developed the Health Enhancing
Lifestyle Program, or HELP, to train people to function
better under duress. Dr. Salvatore Maddi says HELP
teaches people to develop skills and attitudes needed
to cope with stressful situations.
Maddi:
The coping skills are probably the easiest starting
point. Basically what you need to do there is make
a list of all the circumstances in your life that
seem stressful to you. Try to ask yourself whether
they are stressful because there's a big change
going on or whether they're stressful because there's
kind of ongoing conflict between what you want and
what you get.
Narrator:
Maddi admits people often say they're too overwhelmed
to go through such a list.
Maddi:
Part of the reason they are overwhelmed and too
busy is that they haven't dealt specifically and
effectively with the stresses one at a time. Once
you start doing that, you realize what a difference
it makes.
Narrator:
Maddi's program is based on a 30-minute hardiness
survey he developed to measure how stressed a person
is and how the body responds to stress. For Science
Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
