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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 11, 1996)
* . • • BS * A . * « Sv l V f r f t v r / s •* ,^ % -t. í .’ a *».: AïpçîW * f t • • • > % «• a ' * • ' k«* • % V • . ¿ . * F • , • * • » »“ » ‘*^ » Z .' «• • 7 • • * • ? • * • * *. X A N R w r o n g P .'.tt* . 3»^' AW t>9^W í!»PrfiTA P age A4 " a i . ’ &• * ?. . . 1 9 i W M U M K D ecember 11, 1996 • T he P oru and O bsi rver ■ « ■ N i Virulent spread of HIV infections among Minorities A comprehensive report that sheds new light on the terrible severity of drug-related AIDS epidemic among African Americans and Latinos and the need for an appropriate govern mental response is being released on December 1,1996, World A IDS Day. Joycelyn Elders, M D , formerUS Surgeon General, in her foreword to he study, zeroes in on the devastation to African American and Latino fam ilies in the United States where AIDS is now the leading cause o f death among persons between 25 and 44 “The shocking fact is that half of those deaths are injection-related." Said Dawn Day, Ph D., the study’s author. Among persons who inject drugs, African Americans are four times more likely than whites to have con tracted AIDS, and Latinos are at least one and a halftimes more likely than whites to have contracted AIDS. All racial/ethnic groups begin at the same point: almost no AIDS cas es per ni i 11 ion among those ages 16 to 20. The rate o f increase with age is relatively slow for whites and more rapid among Latinos and African Americans. Thus by the time people reach the ages o f 4 1 to 45. the inci dence o f injection-related AiDS among African Americans is eigh teen times that of whites, and among I atinos it is eight times that o f whites Fortunately, there is prevention technology available. Clean needle programs are very inexpensive. Treat ing people with AIDS is not. The cost to society o f treating the 25,000 cas es o f injection-related AIDS diag nosed last year will be over $3 bil lion. "This powerful report brings home the severity o f the problem o f AIDS spread through dirty needles.” “ It makes me angry!” "We do not allow M cD o nald House o f P o rtlan d , D o e rn b e c h e r H ospital, L egacy Emanuel Children’s Hospital, and Shriner's Hospital have joined forc es in an exciting project to enable communications between children and families via new video phone technology. Intel and IBM provided eight IBM Aptiva personal computers equipped with Intel Video Phone w ith Proshare technology tothe Ronald McDonald House o f Portland. Each o f the V ideo Phone sy s tem s allow users to transform a reg u lar phone call into a video phone call. A video phone system will be located at the Ronald McDonald House and each o f the local chil ravage every minority community across the country.” "W e have the tools and know-how to stem the in travenous spread of HIV." “The only missing factor is the determination by our public officials to make sav ing lives a higher priority than sloganeering about ‘zero tolerance for drugs. ” Said Dr. Day The report, titled Health Emer gency 1997: The Spread o f Drug- Related AIDS Among African Amer icans and Latinos, presents many new statistics on the spread o f HI V among African Americans and Latinos and realistic prescriptions for policy mak Genetic discoveries during the last three years are enabling doctors to test for four hereditary ataxias. Ataxia involves a loss o f muscle coordination often characterized by balance and walking problems, clum siness in reaching and slurred speech. Many o f its varieties are progressive "Knowing the type o f ataxic dis ease can make a big difference in disease m anagem ent,” said Dr. Tetsuo Ashizawa, director o f The Axalia Clinic at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. In addition to its heredity forms, ataxia can also be caused by diseases such as stroke, multiple sclerosis or brain tumors or by drug or alcohol overdose. Baylor’s clinic, Ashizawa says, focuses on inherited ataxias and ataxias with no known cause. "Once we make a genetic deter mination o f ataxia type, we can pro- dren’s hospitals. Additional Video Phone Systems will be located in the homes o f patients staying at the Ronald McDonald House. The Ronald McDonald House provides a home away from home for families with ill children who have traveled a distance to receive medical care in Portland area hos pitals. “As a result o f technology pro vided by Intel and IBM, w e’ll be able to keep children and their fam ilies close when they need it most, not only at our current location also but as a service to families at our new house scheduled to open in April,” said Jan Stranski, O per ations Manager, Ronald McDonald House o f Portland, Oregon. vide genetic determination o f ataxia type, we can provide genetic coun seling as to risk o f passing it on to your children," Ashizawa said. “If needed, we can do testing and coun seling for other family members and prenatal testing.” Knowing the specific ty peofatax- ia, also alerts the doctors to any pos sible complications. “There are different rates o f pro gressive and different risks,” he said. "A patient with Friedreich ataxia will be at greater risk for heart, nerve and glucose metabolism complications.” Baylor’s clinic and Kleberg DNA diagnostic lab currently test for spinocerebellarataxiatype I (SCAI), Machado-Joseph disease (SCA3), F rie d re ic h a ta x ia , and dentatorubropallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA). Patients at the ataxia clinic also benefit from ‘one-stop’ access to Relief for Parkinson’s disease tremors An electrode implanted in the brain allows doctors and patients to “turn o ff' Parkinson's disease tremors. “The procedure, deep brain stim ulation, is still in the research phase in the United States,” said Dr. Rich ard Sim pson, a neurosurgeon at BaylorCollegeofM edicine in I lous- ton. The technique requires patients to be awake under local anesthesia while doctors implant an electrode into the deep portion oftheir brain called the thalamus. Once placed, the electrode is connected to a transm itter and test ed at different frequencies. Teenagers risky behavior Four leading risk categories make the teen years especially fraught with hazards. “ Drinking alcohol while doing other activities, failure to use safety devices, access to firearms and sports are the big four," said Dr. Albert C. Hergenroeder, chief o f ado lescent and sports medicine at Bay lor College of Medicine and Texas Chil dren’s Hospital, both in Houston. In the 1940's, school “dangers” for teens included being caught chew ing gum. running in the hallways or wearing improper clothing. Today’s teen must contend with drug abuse, date rape and assault W hat's a parent to do? Talk, in quire and wait, Hergenroeder said. “ Don’t wait for them to talk to you. he said. “Talk with them first. Many parents fall for the ‘not my child’ myth and fail to realize their teen could be engaging in risky be havior.” When talking, ask specific, some times blunt, questions: What do you do for fun? Do you drink and drive? Do your friends? If your teen's be havior is not risky, congratulate them. Even the best teenagers will do dan gerous things. Hergenroeder urges parents not to give up. Researchers believe the high-fre quency stimulus generated by the electrode jam s the brain impulses that create the tremors. “ T he re su lts are d ra m a tic ,” Simpson said, “with tremors stop ping while the current is in and start ing once the current if off." I he best candidates are Parkinson's patients in good overall health who have tremors as their main problem and do not respond to medications. The procedure has been success ful in Europe and is being tested at Baylor and five other U S medical centers. Children and cancer Childhood cancer is extremely rare, but parents can have a healthy awareness about possible symptoms by remembering the acronym Chil dren. “Childhood cancer can be diffi cult to recognize because the symp toms are similar to other childhood illn e sse s,” said Dr D avid G. Poplack, head of the Texas Chil dren’s Cancer Center at Baylor College o f Medicine and Texas C hildren's Hospital in Houston; however, parents can know the eight warning signals of possible child hood cancer by thinking “Children”: Continued, unexplained weight loss • Headaches with vomiting in the morning • Increased swelling or persistent pain in hones or joints • Lump or mass in the abdomen, neck or elsewhere • Development of whitish appear ance in the pupil o f the eye • Recurrent fevers not due to infec tions • Excessive bruising or bleeding • Not iceahle paleness or prolonged tiredness Department o f Energy (DOE) and will be partially funded by DOE. The two organizations have partnered to foster production and use o f alter native fuel vehicles. “ We are proud to be a partner in this project, which will kick-start the medium-duty vehicle market for al ternative fuels,” said Lee Slezak, Federal Fleet AFV program manag er for the DOE. "The dedicated CNG two-ton delivery vehicles are a viable option to diesel and gasoline trucks, especially when used in high annual mileage applications. The knowledge and experience we gain with these vehicles will help make future offerings even better.” "W e were drawn to Freightliner because it is the only manufacturer that offers a dedicated CNG package in a walk-in van," said Han Dinh, USPS project manager for vehicle and carrier equipment. “ Freightliner also has a long tradition of building durable, reliable trucks The combi nation o f Freightliner's reputation with the CNG technology will result in a superior product.” “ W e're moving intoa new area by building in the CNG technology from the ground up. In the past, all CNG vehicles have been conversions,” said Marv Hoff, president o f Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation. “This is a significant new market for us as urban areas across the country work to meet new emission standards and improve air quality.” The new USPS truck engines will be built by Cummins, which has pio neered production o f the CNG en gine. The Cummins B5.9-I50G en gine will be installed in the USPS vehicles. By building a truck with a dedicated CNG engine, the USPS expects vehicles to be more efficient and las, longer. Engines that have been converted to natural gas often do not have the extensive modifica tions necessary to optimize perfor mance. Both the USPS and the DOE will be collecting data on the Freightliner Exercise alone, not diet and ex ercise, is the key to keeping the weight off. According to a two-year study conducted at Baylor College of M edicine's DeBakey Heart Center in Hou, ¿on, people who exercise without following a restricted diet maintain their weight. “This confirms what we have known all along-people who diet fail at it because they feel deprived,” said Dr. Ken Goodrick o f the Be havioral Medicine Research Center at Baylor. “By overcoming nega tive attitudes about exercise, people can learn to enjoy it and appreciate the benefits." The study consisted o f 127 over weight men and women who were placed in one o f three groups: a diet-and-exercise group,a diet-only group and an exercise-only group. During the first year o f the study, the diet-only and diet-and-exercise groups lost the most weight. But by the second year, both groups re gained the weight. I he exercise-only group mem bers were taught by psychological and physical benefits o f exercise. I hey lost weight and maintained the loss. The study findings were pub lished in the Journal o f the Ameri can Dietetic Association. 3------------ 5» ENTER TO WIN §1,000 and other “ It’s always a good idea to see tour pediatrician if you have con cerns,” Poplack said. CNG trucks. The Gas Research Institute has received a grant to as sist in the monitoring o f the vehi cles’ performance, durability and emissions. The 50 Freightliner trucks will be delivered to USPS in July 1997. The USPS currently has the larg est alternative fuel fleet in the nation It has converted some 7,000 mail delivery trucks to compressed natu ral gas. Freightliner Corporation, head quartered in Portland, Oregon, pro duces and markets commercial vehi cles in Class 4-8 and is a member of the Mercedes-Benz AG group, the world's largest commercial vehicle manufacturer. Freightliner entered in 1995 the Class 3-7 bus and chassis market serving the delivery walk-in van, school bus, shuttle bus, motor home and commerc ial air freight segments. Freightliner is building on the CNG experience to provide similar prod ucts to other customers. multi-disciplinary services. “The monthly clinic provides neu rological evaluations, genetic evalu ation and counseling, physical reha bilitation, psychological services,” Ashizawa said. “Most patients come to the clinic every three to four months.” Bringing ataxia patients together on one day allows more communica tion between patients, Ashizawa says It also will promote better patient awareness o f research opportunities. "Baylor has a strong background in ataxia research with discoveries of the genetic mutations linked to two major form s-SCA I and Friedreich ataxia,” he said. “The ataxia clinic, one ofthe few in the nation, is anoth er way to build on our base o f infor mation." Clinic senior advisor is Dr. Hilda Zoghbi, who discovered the SCA I gene. Keeping the weight o ff great prizes! New alternative fuel trucks in production Freightliner has been awarded a contract to build 50 alternative fuel delivery trucks with Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) technology for the United States Postal Service (USPS). The two-ton mail trucks will be used for daily delivery in New York City The vehicles will be some o f the first medium-duty trucksoftheirtype built by an original equipment man u fa c tu re r (O E M ) to include a Cummins CNG engine. To date, the majority o f medium-duty trucks have been converted to alternative fuel and only buses and light-duty vehi cles have been available from OEMs. The Freightliner model MT 45 chassis has a Cummins 5.9-liter nat ural gas engine which achieves a maximum o f 150 horsepower at 2,500 rpm The truck will have a 148" wheelbase, a gross vehicle weight o f 15,200 lbs., and two 16" by 54" fuel tanks. The contract is par, o f a joint venture between the USPS and the ers. Focusing heavily on authorita tive studies that support clean needle programs as a critical preventive for the spread o f HIV infection among drug-injectors and their wives, hus bands and newborn babies. Dr. Day presents a social, moral, and public health policy analysis o f the AIDS epidemic. Dr Dawn Day is currently Direc tor o f the Dogwood Center, and inde pendent research organization in Princeton, New Jersey. She is an activist scholar with almost 30 years experience as a research and writer on social issues. Ataxia testing improves Ronald McDonald house children see and talk to loved ones back home Intel and IBM are providing vid eo p h o n e sy ste m s to R onald McDonald House o f Portland. The Ronald McDonald House o f Portland, Oregon unveiled a new program for children being treated at local hospitals to use the latest video phone technology to see and hear their loved ones back home. In many cases, children at these hospitals cannot have visitors dur ing their treatment and recovery, which can involve long periods o f time away from home. F o ra child away from home and faced with difficult challenges, see ing and hearing your loved ones can help in the child’s recovery. IBM Corporation and Intel C or poration along with the Ronald people to get clean needles that would reduce the spread o f HIV disease.” "Yet we do not mind spending the $ 119,000 or more for each person who develops AIDS to take care of them, to watch them die....... That makes no sense!” “ We have got to be about preventing problems, not fix ing things after they are broken." said Dr. Elders. Professor, Universi ty o f Arkansas Medical Center "Unless we find the moral com mitment and political will to carry out proven prevention methods like clean needle programs and to make clean needles accessible. AIDS will Play MEGABUCKS DOUGH Second-Chance Drawing! November 13 ,1996 through June 14,1997 Just send in four nonwinning Megabucks tickets from four drawings in a row for a chance to win these prizes each month: See broohuro available at Oregon Lottery Cervice Center« for detail«. 1 st prize - $ 1,000 plus jacket 11 prize awarded) 2nd prize - $500 plus jacket (1 prize awarded, 3rd prize - $100 plus jacket (5 prizes awarded, 4th prize - Megabucks Dough denim baseball jacket ,25 prizes awarded, MEGABUCKS DOUGH S e co n d -C h a n ce D ra w in g Send four consecutive nonwinning Megabucks tickets for drawings dated N ovem ber 13, 1996, through June 14, 1997, with this entry fo r a chance to win! Enter as many times as you like.This entry is good for one drawing only. Name Address City__ State Zip ’hone Cull (503) 2X8-0033 To Advertise ht (The ^Invikuib (iDhscrucr k & Name & location of store where you bought your ticket(s): Send entry in a plain white envelope no larger than 4 ' ' / ’ x 9 ,;," to. MEGABUCKS DOUGH Second-Chance Drawing, PO Box 14280, Salem, OR 97309.
