July 19,2000
Page A3
iH ealth/E d
American Cancer Society Golf Tournament to
benefit prostate cancer research and programs
for T he P ortland O bserver
O regon G olfC lub in W est Linn will host the third annual
A m ericans C ancer Society Prostate C ancerC hallenge, a
golftoum am ent dedicated to raising funs to fightprostate
cancer. Prostate is the m ost com m on cancer am ong
A m erican m en today, yet prostate cancer receives the
least funding per patient o f all the m ajor cancers. Join us
for this fam ily event June 19,2000 to celebrate life and
love o f the gam e o f golf.
Tom Denhart, ow ner o f H anna A nderson and prostate
cancer survivors, has dedicated this tournam ent to his
father RF Denhart. RF D enhart taught him self to g o lf at
the age o f 14 at the old Inverness G o lf and num ber two-
ranked am ateur in Oregon. RF D enhart has four brothers
and a son. T hree o f them have prostate cancer; one has
died from the disease.
Facts A bout Prostate Cancer; Prostate cancer is second
leading cause o f cancer death in men.
T his year in O regon alone, 2,700 m en will be diagnosed
w ith prostate cancer and 500 will die from the disease.
W ith statistics like these, it is becom ing m ore and m ore
im portant that everyone increase their aw areness o f
prostate cancer, its risk and treatm ents.
W ho:
T he A m erican C ancer Society
W hat:
T he Prostate C ancer C hallenge
W hen: June 19,7:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
W here: O regon G o lf Club
W hy:
To raise funds for prostate cancer thereby
funding life-saving research, education, and patient
program s o f the A m erican C ancer Society.
For resources such as free brochures o r for inform ation
about the A m erican C ancer S ociety’s M A N T O M A N
prostate cancer support program call 24 hours-a-7-
days-w eek 1-8000-A CS-2345 o r visit our w eb site at
w w w .cancer.org.. W e also invite you to visit our W eb
site at w w w .cancer.org
Internships give students hands-on
experience with science
A ssqciaied _E ress
Whi le some o f their friends are flipping
b u rg ers o r m ow ing law ns, E van
S h a p iro an d S um m er A llen are
spending their sum m ers m onitoring
m onkeys and studying rat brains?
T he tw o budding scientists are part
o f the 10-year-old A pprenticeships
in Science and Engineering Program,
w hich has m atched m ore than 1,400
s tu d e n ts fo r e ig h t w e e k s w ith
professional scientists and engineers
in O regon and southern W ashington.
Shapiro, w ho will be a senior at The
C atlin G abel School in Portland this
fall, is researching theeffectsofaging
in rhesus m onkeys at the O regon
R egional Prim ate Research C enter
here.
E very day, Shapiro runs the center’s
o ld e s t rh e su s m o n k e y s th ro u g h
assigned tasks. Sitting a few feet
aw ay, he notes how long it takes for
them to m aneuver through mazes and
pick candies o ff a stick. Later he will
analyze the results and com pile his
findings in a report.
“A lot o fm y friends are jealous. They
say I ju st play w ith m onkeys all day,”
Shapiro said. “B ut it takes a lot o f
patience to sit for long periods o f
time.”
His w ork w ill be fused w ith a long­
term research project by primate center
scientists. The research center is in
the middle o fap ro jec t studying aging
and its cognitive effects on people
who are not suffering from debilitating
diseases like A lzheim er’s.
Allen, w ho w ill be a senior at Jesuit
H igh School, studies rat brains in the
prim ate center’s neuroscience lab for
clues on the cause o f obesity.
The goal is to help the m edical field
understand w hether people are bom
w ith a propensity for obesity that can
be detected — and possibly altered
— in the brain system.
A llen spends eight-hour days in the
lab, slicing brain cells, identifying
them and m ounting them on slides.
It’s tedious work, she says, and it
often do esn ’t stop once she has left
the lab.
A fter she gets hom e, she spends
m uch o f the night looking through
ream s o f research papers.
“ W e d o n ’t w ant students to com e
here and ju st have data to report,”
said Susan Sm ith, director o f the
neuroscience lab in w hich A llen is
w orking side-by-side w ith scientists.
“ W e w ant them to have a bit o f a story
to tell.”
A llen said her experience researching
s u c h a c u ttin g - e d g e to p ic is
fascinating.
“The first day everything seem ed like
a foreign lan g u ag e,” said A llen,
w aving her arm around a slew o f
scien tific tools an d d issected rat
brains. “Y ou ju st d o n ’t get to see this
kind o f stu ff in high school science
classe s.”
A llen’s w ork in the lab also allow s her
tim e to talk w ith scientists, and she
has received advice from them on
s c h o o ls , d e g re e p ro g ra m s an d
internships.
By the end o f the sum m er, A llen and
Shapiro w ill w rite research papers
and present them to scientists who
w ork in the labs w here they studied
as well as to other apprentice program
stu d en ts.
Both Shapiro and A llen are sure their
careers will be in the sciences, even if
not in the specific area they are
w orking in this summ er.
“It’s exhausting m entally, like school
tim es three,” A llen said. “But I feel
really lucky.”
Dreaming May Help Us Remember
AssuciArEcTRtss
G etting a good nig h t’s sleep after
trying to m aster a tough new task
m ight ju st reinforce w hat you have
learned.
E uropean researchers say dream ing
m ight be the brain’s w ay o f replaying
experiences and lessons so that they
are fixed in the m em ory for use later
on.
T h e s c ie n tis ts u s e d a d v a n c e d
im aging technology and found that
the sam e regions o f the brain that are
buzzing w hile w e learn a new task are
also active w hile w e dream . This
heightened activity w as observed
during the b rie f but active stage
know n as rapid-eye m ovem ent, or
REM , sleep.
T he study w as p u b lish ed in the
A ugust issue ofN ature N euroscience
and was led by Pierre M aquet o f the
U niversity o f Liege in Belgium .
A nim al studies had show n sim ilar
results. Rats that ran new routes
regions o f their brains w as m onitored
by PET scans, w hich reveal how the
through m azes show ed increased
activity in the sam e portions o f their
brains w hen they slept afterw ard. But
the hum an brain is m ore com plex.
“ It is w onderful to see such results
dem onstrated in hum ans for the first
tim e,” said D avid Silbersw eig, co­
d ir e c to r
of
th e
fu n c tio n a l
neuroim aging research laboratory at
the New York-Comell Medical Center.
H um ans spend one-third o f their lives
asleep, but sleep ’s purpose is poorly
u n d ersto o d .A m o n g o th e r things,
scientists believe dream ing m ay help
sort out em otions, im pressions and
other ideas.
In the study, 18 volunteers ages 18 to
25 spent several hours learning how
to quickly recognize sym bols as they
flashed on a com puter screen and
press the sam e sym bol on a keyboard.
D uring the test, the activity in several
brain is functioning by w atching its
use o f glucose and oxygen, the fuels
o f brain cells.
G roups o f volunteers w ere tested in
several w ays. T hose w ho took the
com puter test for several hours, slept
and retook the test w hen they woke
up scored the highest, w ith even
faster reaction tim es after they slept.
PET scans show ed that during REM
sleep their brain activity and blood
flow w ere sim ilar to w hen they w ere
taking the test.
R e sea rch ers said th e v o lu n te ers
m ight have been practicing the test in
a REM dream and storing w hat they
learned.
H ow ever, M aquet’s team could not
id e n tif y th e p r e c is e c e llu l a r
m echanism s involved. N or are all
m em ories consolidated only during
REM sleep, the researchers said.
Briefs
M etropolitan
Auditions
Youth
Sym phony
A uditions for new m em bers The M etropolitan Youth
Sym phony will take place A ugust 2,7,8,16,17 and 29. All
instrum ents are needed. For m ore inform ation, visit the
M YS w ebsite at w w w .m entroyouthsym phony.org. please
call the MYS office at 503-239-4566 to schedule an audition.
The M etropolitan Y outh Sym phony w as founded in 1974
with a few dedicated musicians and one visionary conductor
w h o ’s goal were education and com m unity service. Today
with seven conductors. Hie Metropolitan Youth Symphony
develops educate and prom otes m ore than 450 m usicians
from kindergarten through college, from all over the Portland
and V ancouver areas. Each student m usician is assigned
to one o f four levels o f Bands and orchestras based on
ability.
I
News From Legacy Hospital
Preventing H eat Exhaustion/Stroke
1) D rink Lots o fF lu id s. ..W ater is Best
2) A void Alcohol
3) A void H eavy A ctivity or Exercise, particularly from
11 AM to 3PM
4) Stay indoors or in the Shade
5) Check on elderly or disabled fami ly m em bers. Friends
and neighbors
Sym ptom s o f H eat Exhaustion
F aintness
Dizziness
C onfusion
G et the person into the shade and cool them o ff with
lukewarm water
C all 911 for assistance.
Teen who needs double-transplant
gets sendoff
A ssociated P ress
B randy Stroeder, w hose fight to
obtain coverage for a potentially life­
saving liv er and lung transplant
turned into a statewide political battle
over health care, took an im portant
step in her struggle M onday.
The 18-year-oldgirl lefther hometown
on a privatejet for Stanford University
M edical Center, w here doctors will
examine her to determine whether she
is a suitable candidate for the rare
double-transplant.
“ I ju st w ant everybody to know there
are good people in the w orld when it
com es dow n to it and som ebody
needs help,” she said before she left
a b o a rd a j e t p r o v id e d b y
m ultim illionaire M ark H em street,
ow ner o f Shilo Inns. “There are a lot
o f people w ho will step in to do the
right thing.”
to 67,000. That m eans transplant
program s have to be highly selective
o f p atients, factoring in m edical
criteria, the patien t’s com m itm ent to
treatm ents.
A nd money.
Brandy Stroeder, w ho w as born with
cystic fibrosis, has h ealth coverage
th ro u g h th e g o v e rn m e n t-fu n d e d
O regon H ealth P lan for p o o r o r
disabled residents. T he p lan has
refused to pay for the com bined
transplant, w hich probably w ill cost
more than $250,000.
The case prompted som e Republicans
to criticize the state program , started
by D em ocratic Gov. John K itzhaber
w hen he was a state legislator. The
case got more com plicated w hen it
was discovered that lung and liver
transplants are covered separately
under the plan, but not the com bined
procedure.
think about,” Brandy Stroeder said.
The drugs that transplant recipients
m ust take for the rest o f their lives to
prevent organ rejection cost as m uch
as $15,000 a year.
Because o f the shortage o f organs,
the lack o f financing looms large in
transplant centers’ decisions about
who to put on the waiting list, Stum pf
said.
“ Even if you are a candidate, i f you
c a n ’t prove that you can take care o f
your new organ, they won ’ t transplant
you,” Stum pf said. “They w ant to
know y o u ’ve got some backup, how
you are going to pay for the (anti­
rejection) drugs, before they even
p ut you on the waiting list.”
Stroeder also faces scrutiny o f her
personality type and her com mitm ent
to taking anti-rejection m edication
without fail.
precious organ to som ebody who is
going to destroy it,” said Dr. W illiam
B erquist, m edical director o f the
pediatric liver transplant program at
Lucile Packard C hildren’s Hospital at
Stanford U niversity.
There is an extrem ely small supply o f
viable organs, and last year 6,000
people died w aiting for a transplant.
The num ber ofpeople on waiting lists
climbed from 61,000at the end o f 1998
donated more than $60,000.
Y et the young w om an still worries
about money. H er m other, K aren
Stroeder, supports her daughter and
son by working at a m eat-packing job
w ith no health benefits. She and her
d a u g h te r h a v e to c o n v in c e
Stanford’s transplant program that
they can cover costs beyond the
operation itself.
“W e do have the after-expenses to
that w e have to tackle,” said Berquist,
th e S ta n f o rd liv e r tr a n s p la n t
specialist.
N one o f this worries Brandy Stroeder.
“ It’s a big, big surgery. For a lot o f
people I ’m sure that’s intim idating,”
she said. “I look at it as, ‘T h at’s your
second chance.’ I t’s not a cure. Y ou
a re e x c h a n g in g o n e k in d o f
m edication for another. But you are
extending your life expectancy.”
State readying merchant-education
program onyouth smoking
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State officials are aim ing for an autum n launch o f a new
program to help O regon retailers better understand the
health and legal consequences o f selling tobacco to
minors.
Plans for the new education effort w ere announced
M onday as results w ere released o f the latest series o f
visits to m onitor com pliance w ith state law that forbids
sale o f tobacco to minors.
“T he new data show that m inors can buy cigarettes 23
percent o f the tim e,” said B arbara Cim aglio, directors o f
O ffice o f A lcohol and D rug A buse Program s in the
Oregon D epartm ent o f H um an Services. “ W e’ve seen a
vast im provem ent over the past six years but it still isn ’t
good enough.”
The sales rate o f 23 percent com pares with 18 percent a
year earlier, although C im aglio said the difference is not
statistically significant because o f the m argin o f error.
Since 1994, the state has sponsored federally required
co m p lian ce ch e ck s in w h ich a teen ag ed 14-16
accom panied by a plain-clothes state police officer tries
to purchase tobacco. C lerks w ho sell are cited and face
fines o f up to $500. T he 755 com pliance checks began in
N ovem ber and ended in June.
A year ago, federal officials contended O reg o n ’s sale rate
was too high and threatened to pull $ 6m illion in financing
for alcohol and drug treatm ent program s. In a negotiated
settlement, the state agreed to invest $945,000 in improving
retailer education and in greatly increasing the num ber o f
tobacco retailers that are checked for com pliance.
“Retailers are our partners in preventing youth from taking
up a habit that is O regon’s leading preventable cause o f
disability, disease and d eath,” Cim aglio’said. “W e w ant to
encourage continued com pliance by the four out o f five
retailers w ho know and enforce the law w hile assisting the
others.” She sad most addicted sm okers take up the habit
before turning 18.
“W e are seeking ideas from other states, from county
tobacco-free coalitions in Oregon and from retailers to
build an effective program ,” Cim aglio said. The campaign
is expected to incorporate inform ation about tobacco’s
health hazard and the law prohibiting sales to minors as well
as providing signage to let the public know retailers intend
to enforce the law.
In the m ost recent com pliance checks, W illamette Valley
counties averaged com pliance rates o f 70 percent while
those in Southern and Eastern Oregon averaged compliance
rates o f 85 percent.
August 1 is a good night to get out
and meet your neighbors.
'o
w
connect with your neighbors?
Because chances are they're great crime
fighters. We're not talking Clark Kent, but
just keeping an eye out for one another is
one of the best ways to discourage crime on
your block.
PGE supports National Night Out because
we’re more than the electric company—we’re
your neighbors, too.
National Night O ut-the nationwide night
out against crime—is Tuesday, August 1.
Check with your local neighborhood group
to see If a block party or other event is
planned for your area. Or talk to your neigh­
bors and get something going.
C o n n e c t in g
P e o p le ,
Portland General Electric
P o w er
and
P o s s ib il it ie s