Newsroom

Researchers at North Carolina State University and the Georgia Institute of Technology have received a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to study whether and how video games can boost memory and thinking skills in the elderly - and then to use their findings to develop a prototype video game to do just that. Continue Reading »

Researchers from North Carolina State University and Mayo Clinic have developed a computer model that medical doctors can use to determine the best time to begin using statin therapy in diabetes patients to help prevent heart disease and stroke.

“The research is significant because patients with diabetes are at high risk for cardiovascular disease and statins are the single most commonly used treatment for patients at risk of heart disease and/or stroke,” says Dr. Brian Denton, “and this model can help determine the best course of action for individual patients based on their risk of developing cardiovascular disease.” Denton is an assistant professor in NC State’s Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering and lead author of the study.

Statins are a key component of current cardiovascular medical treatment guidelines, Denton says. They lower cholesterol levels and may significantly reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke, particularly in patients that are considered to be at high risk.

The researchers developed a new mathematical model that examines various possible treatment policies to see how they influence short-term and long-term health outcomes for patients. The model shows how people are affected by diabetes, and how their health changes over time as the disease advances and patients age.

The new model incorporates patient-specific data. An established risk model calculates each patient’s probability of heart attack and stroke based on risk factors, such as their cholesterol, blood pressure, etc. This overall risk “score” is used to weigh the medical advantages of beginning statin therapy against the financial cost of the statins.

Overall, by accounting for the progression of diabetes, the patient’s specific risk score and the cost-benefit analysis, the new model may help patients and doctors decide on the optimal time to begin statin therapy.

Denton says the new model has not yet been put into practice, but that the research team plans to develop a pilot to put the tool into the hands of medical professionals.

The research, “Optimizing the Start Time of Statin Therapy for Patients with Diabetes,” was funded in part by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the National Science Foundation, and was published earlier this month in the journal Medical Decision Making. The research was co-authored by Denton from NC State; Nilay D. Shah, Sandra C. Bryant and Steven A. Smith of the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine; and University of Pittsburgh graduate student Murat Kurt.

- shipman -

Note to editors: The study abstract follows.

“Optimizing the Start Time of Statin Therapy for Patients with Diabetes”

Authors: Brian T. Denton, North Carolina State University; Murat Kurt, University of Pittsburgh; Nilay D. Shah, Sandra C. Bryant and Steven A. Smith, the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine

Published: June, 2009, Medical Decision Making

Abstract: Background. Clinicians often use validated risk models to guide treatment decisions for cardiovascular risk reduction. The most common risk models for predicting cardiovascular risk are the UKPDS, Framingham, and Archimedes models. In this article, the authors propose a model to optimize the selection of patients for statin therapy of hypercholesterolemia, for patients with type 2 diabetes, using each of the risk models. For each model, they evaluate the role of age, gender, and metabolic state on the optimal start time for statins. Method. Using clinical data from the Mayo Clinic electronic medical record, the authors construct a Markov decision process model with health states composed of cardiovascular events and metabolic factors such as total cholesterol and high density lipoproteins. They use it to evaluate the optimal start time of statin treatment for different combinations of cardiovascular risk models and patient attributes. Results. The authors find that treatment decisions depend on the cardiovascular risk model used and the age, gender, and metabolic state of the patient. Using the UKPDS risk model to estimate the probability of coronary heart disease and stroke events, they find that all white male patients should eventually start statin therapy; however, using Framingham and Archimedes models in place of UKPDS, they find that for male patients at lower risk, it is never optimal to initiate statins. For white female patients, the authors also find some patients for whom it is never optimal to initiate statins. Assuming that age 40 is the earliest possible start time, the authors find that the earliest optimal start times for UKPDS, Framingham, and Archimedes are 50, 46, and 40, respectively, for women. For men, the earliest optimal start times are 40, 40, and 40, respectively. Conclusions. In addition to age, gender, and metabolic state, the choice of cardiovascular risk model influences the apparent optimal time for starting statins in patients with diabetes.

Randall C. “Randy” Ramsey of Beaufort, N.C., founder, president and CEO of Jarrett Bay Yacht Sales, has been appointed to the North Carolina State University Board of Trustees by Gov. Bev Perdue. Perdue also reappointed E. Norris Tolson to the board.

An active member of numerous local and regional boards, Ramsey has served on the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament’s Board since 1983, serving as president in 2003 and 2004. He also serves on the board of the North Carolina Manufacturer’s Association.

Ramsey serves as vice president of the NC State Student Aid Association, is a current member of the NC State Alumni Association, the State Club and the NC State Council on Athletics.

The board of trustees is composed of 13 members: eight elected by the UNC Board of Governors, four appointed by the governor and the president of the student body.

- 30 -

North Carolina State University Student Health Services has received confirmation that two additional students have the novel H1N1 influenza virus. These cases are apparently not related to two previous cases reported on campus June 12. The students are recovering and are in self-isolation at home.

Since H1N1 is now the most common influenza virus in North Carolina, NC State will no longer send e-mail notifications to the general university community to report new cases on campus, unless there is some significant new development. NC State will continue to notify people who have had close contact with those who are diagnosed with the virus so they can monitor themselves for flu symptoms, which may include fever over 100 degrees, respiratory symptoms such as cough and sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headaches, fatigue and diarrhea or vomiting.

Student Health Services is leading the university’s response in collaboration with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and Wake County public health officials.

Influenza is spread person to person (when an infected person coughs or sneezes sending contaminated droplets through the air that can be deposited in the mouth or nose of people as far as 6 feet away) or from contaminated objects to a person (when something is touched that has been contaminated with the virus, and then hands are brought to the mouth, nose, or eyes). The virus can survive for minutes to hours on surfaces. Incubation period from contact with the virus to symptoms is usually within 7 days.

An individual with influenza is considered potentially contagious from 1 day before onset to 7 days after onset of the illness and is advised to stay at home for a minimum of 7 days after symptoms develop or for 24 hours after symptoms resolve, whichever is longer.

Those who are ill should cover their mouth or nose when coughing or sneezing and discard tissue, should wash their hands after handling respiratory droplets from the nose or mouth, and should periodically sanitize surfaces (such as remotes, doorknobs) that may have been contaminated with droplets. Many household cleaners, such as bleach-containing cleaners, Lysol, or alcohol-based products should be effective.

Remember that there are many illnesses with symptoms similar to influenza that are not influenza at all. For example, a common cold or allergies can cause nasal symptoms and cough. If you have questions about your symptoms or feel that you need to be seen because of symptoms, contact your healthcare provider.

Influenza is treated with a variety of over-the-counter products effective at reducing fever, sore throat, and cough. The prescription anti-viral medications, Tamiflu and Relenza, may be effective at shortening the course of influenza if given within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms. Anti-viral medication might not be necessary for all patients with novel H1N1 infection, such as those with mild symptoms.

Students, staff, and faculty of NC State should be aware that cases of H1N1 influenza have been reported in other locations in North Carolina, throughout the United States, and internationally. Good health practices can safeguard those who are well. Stay away from sick people. Wash hands frequently with soap and water, especially after being out in public (handling grocery cart, money, using ATM machine, touching doors). Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available. Do not share personal items, such as drinks. If you have had known close contact with a confirmed or suspected case of influenza, contact your healthcare provider to consider whether prophylactic anti-viral medication is warranted or monitor yourself for symptoms of influenza. If worrisome symptoms develop, contact your healthcare provider.

Visit the NC State home page (http://www.ncsu.edu) for information and updates about influenza activity.

On the morning of June 24th, the North Carolina Information Sharing and Analysis Center (NCISAAC) will be conducting a full-scale exercise entitled “RED WOLF” on North Carolina State University’s campus. The purpose of the drill is to exercise the state’s information sharing and operational response capabilities to a terrorist attempt.

The exercise scenario will include role players/actors conducting “suspicious activity” on the campus of NC State – mainly in the Carter Finley Lot, near the corner of Varsity and Western, and outside of Burlington Labs. All participants, including role players/actors, will be clearly marked with color-coded lanyards stating, “NC ISAAC Red Wolf” and ID badges at all times. All radio, telephonic and electronic communications during the exercise will begin and end with, “Exercise, Exercise, Exercise.”

Media is invited to attend the exercise. Those interested in covering the event should contact Caroline Barnhill, NC State News Services, ahead of time at 919/515-6251 or caroline_barnhill@ncsu.edu for exact times and locations. For on-site assistance, please call 919/244-1130.

Participants in the exercise, which is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, include: NC State Bureau of Investigation, NC Alcohol Law Enforcement Division and the NC State University Police Department. Other state law enforcement agencies may play a limited role.

NCISAAC is North Carolina’s state homeland security fusion center and serves as a liaison with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies whose goal is to reduce North Carolina’s vulnerability to terrorism and criminally motivated events. NCISAAC encompasses criminal information analysis, planning, crisis management and consequence management to secure the state of North Carolina from terrorist and/or criminal threats and attacks.

- barnhill -

New research from North Carolina State University and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) shows significant reproductive health effects in rats that have been exposed to bisphenol-A (BPA) at levels equivalent to or below the dose that has been thought not to produce any adverse effects.

BPA is a chemical found in baby bottles, water bottles, canned foods and an array of other consumer products. The potential health effects of BPA are currently the subjects of intense debate.

The study found that female rats exposed to a BPA dose of 50 micrograms per kilogram of body weight (µg /kg) in their first four days of life experienced early onset of puberty. Female rats exposed to 50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight (mg/kg) during their first four days of life developed significant ovarian malformations and premature loss of their estrus cycle.

“The 50 mg/kg level is important,” says lead researcher Dr. Heather Patisaul, “because it is equivalent to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ‘Lowest Observable Adverse Effect Level’ for BPA. So, by definition, we should not have seen significant effects at or below this level, but we did.”

Patisaul, an assistant professor of biology at NC State, explains that the 50 µg /kg level is also significant because it is EPA’s listed reference dose for BPA - meaning it is the level of BPA that EPA says a person can be exposed to on a daily basis without expecting any adverse effects after a lifetime of exposure.

Patisaul stresses that the research was done on rats, making it difficult to determine its applicability to humans, but notes that “this adds to a growing body of evidence that exposure to low doses of BPA during development can impact female reproductive health.”

The female rats in the study were exposed during the first four days of life because that is a sensitive developmental window for the rats, similar to a sensitive developmental stage that takes place for humans when they are still in the womb.

While exposure to the lowest dose, 50 µg /kg, resulted in early onset of puberty in the rats, exposure to higher dose had more complicated results.

When exposed to the higher 50 mg/kg dose, the female rats developed cyst-like formations in their ovaries. The ovaries also developed fewer so-called “corpora lutea” structures than normal. Corpora lutea appear after ovulation and are essential to fertility because they produce a hormone called progesterone. If an ovary does not produce enough progesterone, it is impossible for a female to sustain a pregnancy. The lack of corpora lutea likely indicate that the female rats were no longer ovulating and would probably be infertile.

Exposure to the higher 50 mg/kg dose also resulted in the female rats prematurely losing their estrous cycle. The researchers determined this by observing a lack of change in the skin cells of the female reproductive tract of the rats across the estrous cycle. These cellular changes indicate a normal estrus cycle.

The study, “Neonatal bisphenol-A exposure alters rat reproductive development and ovarian morphology without impairing activation of gonadotropin releasing hormone neurons,” was funded by NIEHS and published online June 17 by the journal Biology of Reproduction. The study was co-authored by Patisaul and Heather B. Adewale of NC State and Wendy N. Jefferson and Retha R. Newbold at NIEHS.

- shipman -

Note to editors: The study abstract follows.

“Neonatal bisphenol-A exposure alters rat reproductive development and ovarian morphology without impairing activation of gonadotropin releasing hormone neurons”

Authors: Heather B. Adewale and Heather B. Patisaul, North Carolina State University; Wendy N. Jefferson and Retha R. Newbold, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Published: online June 17, 2009, Biology of Reproduction

Abstract: Developmental exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) is hypothesized to adversely affect female reproductive physiology by interfering with the organization of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis.  Here we compared the effects of neonatal exposure to two environmentally relevant doses of the plastics component bisphenol-A (BPA; 50 µg/kg and 50 mg/kg), with the ESR1 (formerly known as ERa) selective agonist 4,4′,4”-(4-Propyl-[1H]-pyrazole-1,3,5-triyl)trisphenol (PPT; 1 mg/kg) on the development of the female rat hypothalamus and ovary.  An oil vehicle and estradiol benzoate (EB, 25 µg) were used as negative and positive controls.  Exposure to EB, PPT or the low dose of BPA advanced pubertal onset.  67% of females exposed to the high BPA dose were acyclic by 15 weeks after vaginal opening compared to 14% of those exposed to the low BPA dose, all of the EB and PPT treated females and none of the control animals.  Ovaries from the EB treated females were undersized and showed no evidence of folliculogenesis, while ovaries from the PPT treated females were characterized by large antral-like follicles which did not appear to support ovulation.  Severity of deficits within the BPA treated groups increased with dose and included large antral-like follicles, and lower numbers of corpora lutea.  Sexual receptivity, examined after ovariectomy and hormone replacement, was normal in all groups except those neonatally exposed to EB.  FOS induction in hypothalamic gonadotropic (GnRH) neurons following hormone priming was impaired in the EB and PPT treated groups, but neither of the BPA treated groups.  Our data suggest that BPA disrupts ovarian development but not the ability of GnRH neurons to respond to steroid positive feedback.

Three North Carolina State University faculty members have been chosen to participate in the Fulbright Scholars Program to teach and study abroad in the 2009-2010 academic year.

Each year Fulbright grants are awarded to researchers, teachers and administrators of universities around the world. The grants allow for up to one year of research abroad at host universities. The recipients are chosen on the basis of academic or professional achievement, and leadership potential in their respective fields.

This year’s Fulbright Scholars are Dr. William J. Kinsella, an associate professor in the Department of Communication, Dr. Nora Haenn, an associate professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, and Dr. Bronson Bullock, an associate professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources.

Haenn received the Fulbright Council for International Exchange of Scholars grant to commence researching the effects of international migration alongside Mexican colleagues at El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR) in Mexico. She will be looking at communities located in the country’s rural and tropical south where she will consider how women take on full household responsibility once their husbands migrate. Haenn will be researching farm families to document how they spend finances and whether these expenditures entail investments in new kinds of land use that change tropical ecologies. Also, she will be examining how local governments plan for the social and economic changes that are associated with migration.

Kinsella will study in Germany at the University of Stuttgart from March to June of 2010. He will undertake a research project titled “Nuclear Energy in Germany: Institutional, Political, and Public Communication in a Changing Social Context.” He will also lecture on “Communication Perspectives on Energy and Environmental Issues.”

Bullock will perform research and lecture at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Umeå, Sweden, where he will collaborate on forest biometrics research and teaching with faculty in the Department of Forest Resource Management. The Fulbright Scholarship will be used to refine current forest growth models used in estimating growth in Swedish forests. This research will increase the accuracy of forest growth projections that are used to make natural resource management decisions in Sweden. Bullock will also co-teach two graduate level courses and one undergraduate course.

The Fulbright Scholar Program was established in 1946 under the late Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas’ proposed legislation and is the most prestigious international exchange program for Scholars. The U.S. Department of State sponsors the program and the Department of Education administers the Fulbright-Hays award. The program’s purpose is to build a mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the rest of the world.

- shipman -

North Carolina State University’s students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends will hold a celebration welcoming Chancellor Jim Woodward on June 16, at 12:30 p.m., in the North Plaza behind Talley Student Center. In the event of rain, the celebration will be moved to the Talley Student Center’s ballroom. Continue Reading »

North Carolina State University announced that 6,253 undergraduate students earned Dean’s List honors at NC State during the spring 2009 semester. Continue Reading »