national dental health month

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Skin Diseases (NIAMS), a research center at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Case Medical Center a $6.37 million award to establish a Center of Research Translation (CORT) for the skin disease psoriasis.

This is one of the largest grants ever given to a medical institution in the United States for the study of psoriasis.

With a five-year grant from NIAMS, the Psoriasis CORT will bring a multidisciplinary team of translational physicians scientists, nurses, community clinicians, laity and basic scientists from different departments and disciplines together. This team will apply the intellectual and scientific resources of their institutions to new therapies to provide relief to patients with the skin disease that has long-term health and psychosocial consequences.

Researchers discover link between oral cancer and ethnicity

Clinicians from the USC School of Dentistry unravel connection between the incidence of oral cancer and race and ethnicity-- as part of first epidemiological study of oral cancer in California. Dr. Satish Kumar and Dr.Parish Sedghizadeh, clinical professors in the school�s Division of Diagnostic Sciences, gleaned through 20 years of records from the California Cancer Registry (CCR)�the state�s cancer surveillance database�for the incidence rates of invasive squamous cell carcinoma, the most common form of oral cancer. .

The culture of cross country

This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press on Thursday, November 22, 2007.

By DAN GOLDBERG
Valley Press Staff Writer
The chute at the end of the course at Mount San Antonio College is made up of ropes that stretch for about 30 yards from the finish line to a large tent where runners turn in their numbers to be scored. As the athletes finish, a dozen handlers wearing latex gloves and standing on both sides of the ropes push them along so as to prevent a backlog.

After running three miles, conquering hills, twists and turns - all at near top-speed - some runners can barely stand, but they musn't stop. Herded along, the agonizing screams and moans that escape the lips of these tired and pained athletes is frightful.

It is not unusual to see kids bent over, dry-heaving or vomiting, often with the reassuring hand of a parent firmly on their backs.

FEMA: Decreasing Temperatures, Increasing Flood Risks for Western Residents

Winter brings more than just cold temperatures. It also brings an increased flood risk and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is warning residents of Idaho to prepare now -- well ahead of rising waters. This year, predictions for La Nina call for an even wetter-than-average 2007-2008 winter season in parts of the Northwestern United States, including California, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Montana. The time to prepare for this year's rainy season and possible flooding is now.

"Recovering after a flood can be overwhelming. With flood insurance, you have the financial support to get back on your feet as quickly as possible," said David Maurstad, assistant administrator of mitigation and federal insurance administrator for FEMA. "Too often, people mistakenly think flood damage is covered by a homeowners policy.

Letters to the Editor

Phallic inspiration or not, I often admire the esthetics of well-designed tall buildings and even understand some of the benefits of denser land use. However, I seem to have missed one obvious question in these several years of passionate debate about downtown Berkeley height limits: How are persons rescued from “16-story point towers" in case of earthquake or fire? Gerta Farber • NATURE OF DEATH Editors, Daily Planet: In his thoughtful “Sonata on Important Things" (Nov. 2) Marvin Chachere offers a formulation, for himself and for the rest of us, on the nature of death. It invites contemplation and, perhaps, some further assessment. He first relates an assertion by Professor George Wald that “death does not exist in the non-human world and must therefore have meaning only among humans." While this seems generally true, there is convincing evidence that elephants and the gorilla Koko have shown clear awareness of death as well as empathy for the dead, if not actual mourning.

Strike bill support declining: poll

The Tory government spent $39,500 on a series of six public opinion polls that show Nova Scotians support anti-strike legislation for health-care workers. The polls, conducted by Thinkwell Research, also suggest the public's resolve has weakened slightly through the course of the year. "We believe the majority of Nova Scotians want to see such legislation," Premier Rodney MacDonald said. "There was some polling done, but I can assure you, I don't make decision based on polling." Labour Minister Mark Parent introduced the government's anti-strike bill in the legislature yesterday. Shortly afterward, he admitted the government had polled Nova Scotians on the issue. The Public Service Commission released the results later in the day. The first poll was conducted in February. It found 61 per cent of Nova Scotians agreed with the idea that "hospital employees should not be able to go on strike during a labour dispute because they perform an essential service." Another question showed 52 per cent supported binding arbitration as an alternative.