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A.
A Hormone that Helps Prevent Heart Muscle Death
Narrator:
This is Science Today. A hormone that's similar
to insulin has been found to help prevent heart
muscle death. Dr. Ping Wang of the University of
California, Irvine, says this hormone, called insulin-like
growth factor 1 or IGF-1, could someday be used
in gene therapy to improve the survival of cardiac
muscle after a heart attack.
Wang:
Adult cardiac muscle doesn't regenerate. Once
you lose one muscle cell, you have a permanent loss
of a function unit inside the heart. Therefore,
one goal would be to try to preserve as much cardiac
muscle cells as possible since you don't regenerate,
you have to live with what you got.
Narrator:
Wang says this protective hormone could one day
be added along with current interventional treatments
to offer heart muscle the most protection.
Wang:
This myocardial protection idea is a relatively
new concept. It has been developed mainly in the
laboratory setting during the last few years, but
I think we are now in the stage that we have enough
information - we might be able to try to contemplate
clinical studies to test our hypothesis.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
B.
A Study Finds Inadequate Treatment for Mental Health
Disorders
Narrator:
This is Science Today. For years, there's been concern
about the quality of mental health care in this country
and whether or not people are receiving adequate treatment.
Alexander Young, an assistant professor of psychology
at UCLA, recently published one of the first national
studies evaluating the quality of mental health care.
Young: We found that about two-thirds
of people with serious depression or anxiety disorders
weren't getting any treatment that's likely to be
helpful. So it provided an opportunity to really get
a more definitive national sense of what's going on.
Narrator: Young says there are a few
major reasons why this is, including the type of health
insurance people have, but also because of a sense
of stigma in our society over mental health conditions.
Young:
So I think
that it's not that these are particularly difficult
disorders to offer treatment for, I think it's that
there's some sensitivity around these disorders and
neither the physician or the patient wants to see
them as a psychiatric disorder. They'd rather see
it as, you know, chronic fatigue syndrome or some
medical problem or some reason why they're feeling
tired or having all this anxiety.
Narrator:
For
Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
C.The
Potential Risk of Plant Biotechnology
Narrator:
This is Science Today. One of the most controversial
aspects of genetically modified crops is the natural
transfer of genetic material from one plant population
to another and the potential consequences. Norman
Ellstrand, a professor of genetics at the University
of California, Riverside, reviewed the world's twenty-five
most important crops and found all but three naturally
hybridize with their wild plant relatives.
Ellstrand:
And it doesn't really matter whether the gene
that's created by traditional breeding or genetic
engineering, the risk is essentially the same. It's
just that perhaps some of the genes associated with
genetic engineering will be especially the kind of
genes we wouldn't want to get into wild populations.
Narrator:
Ellstrand says his research is in no way against
biotechnology - instead, its emphasis is to raise
awareness.
Ellstrand:
It's very important that we're aware of the fact
that pollen can blow, contamination can occur and
it's very easy to lose track of the transgenes unless
people have their material checked.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
D.
Experts Call for Better Staffing in Nursing Homes
Narrator:
This is Science Today. A national study has found
nursing homes on average, are too short staffed to
provide quality care. Charlene Harrington, a professor
of social and behavioral sciences at the University
of California, San Francisco, says inadequate staffing
causes more resident health problems and even death.
Because of this, Harrington asked a panel of experts
what kind of minimum standard for staffing should
be set.
Harrington:
The expert panel decided that we should have four
point five hours per resident day of staffing, instead
of the current standard which is on average nationally,
it's about three point five hours per resident day.
Narrator:
Of the one point eight million people in nursing homes,
one third are receiving below standard care due to
poor staffing.
Harrington:
The situation is unacceptable and yet everybody just
kind of puts it out of their mind because they don't
want to think about it. And everyone thinks, "well,
I would never end up in a nursing home." And
yet, if you live to be eighty-five, the odds are 45%
that you're going to be in a nursing home at some
point.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
E.
Some Helpful Dietary Advice for Diabetics
Narrator:
This is Science Today. Protein in the diet has been
a controversial subject with diabetes because excess
protein may increase the risk of kidney disease -
the second major cause of death among diabetics. Clinical
nutritionist Lisa Scott of the University of California,
San Francisco, says there've been some studies suggesting
diabetics restrict dietary protein, while others have
recommended eating more protein to avoid having too
many carbohydrates.
Scott:
But there really is no scientific evidence at
this time to say that you should restrict or have
more protein than what is recommended to all Americans.
Narrator:
Scott says with diabetes, keeping track of carbohydrates
is an essential part of nutrition therapy.
Scott:
Carbohydrates are found in fruit, fruit juices, they're
found in milk and yogurt and also starches like bread,
cereal, pasta, rice, potatoes. All of those things
turn into sugar in your body, which will raise your
blood sugar levels.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
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