Stem cell research could help those with muscular dystrophy
A group of UF researchers has discovered a way to reverse the effects of one type of muscular dystrophy by editing the genome of nervous system stem cells.
Two types of myotonic dystrophy — certain forms of muscular dystrophy — affect one in every 8,000 people worldwide but vary among different geographic and ethnic regions, said Tetsuo Ashizawa, the executive director of the McKnight Brain Institute and a professor in the department of neurology at UF.
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 causes muscle wasting and weakness in the lower legs, hands, neck and face.
It is an extremely expensive disease to care for and there is ultimately no cure, Ashizawa said.
“One of the surprising aspects of these diseases is that they appear to cause a problem with sleep regulation,” said Maurice Swanson, a professor in the UF department of molecular genetics and microbiology.
Swanson added that people with myotonic dystrophy constantly feel dysfunctional because they have deregulated sleep patterns.
The UF team used genome editing to correct the origin of myotonic dystrophy type 1.
Researchers inserted a signal to curtail the RNA in the gene in adult stem cells, which blocked the unusually long, repetitive stretches of RNA that cause myotonic dystrophy type 1.
From this, researchers discovered that gene editing reversed the abnormalities found in cells affected by myotonic dystrophy, said Guangbin Xia, an assistant professor in the UF College of Medicine department of neurology.
“Gene editing provides a fundamental provision to the disease by locating the source of it and blocking the expression of the mutation, providing a possible cure,” he said.
These findings are an early but crucial step toward eventually using stem cell therapy to treat myotonic dystrophy type 1.
The next phase is to test the process in an animal model.
Additional studies will allow Xia to examine genetically modified stem cells that could potentially lead to cell-transfer therapy as a treatment for myotonic dystrophy type 1.
-MELISSA BROWN
Geriatric care helps older patients live longer
Older patients with access to a geriatrician are more likely to lead longer, healthier lives, according to a UF health study led by Laurence Solberg, the chief of the division of geriatric medicine in the UF College of Medicine.
The study’s findings are based on more than 20,000 patients in the same age group hospitalized for similar illnesses, such as delirium or dementia, Solberg said.
Data was collected over a two-year period, one year with a geriatric consult service and in-hospital geriatrician and one without either.
The study showed a decrease of 50 percent in the mortality rate of older individuals in the trauma unit and 58 percent in the chronic illness unit, Solberg said.
There was also a 4-percent increase in patients being released to go home with home health care, as opposed to a long-term care facility.
The study illustrates the impact an in-hospital geriatrician can have on the overall health and attitude of the patients, Solberg said.
Unfortunately, only about 20 percent of hospitals have such a service, Solberg added.
The consult service at UF Health was created to ensure older patients receive the appropriate medications and proper care needed to manage any illness, Solberg said.
Prior to the consultations, medication would sometimes be given to older patients in a dosage too large for their bodies to break down, he said.
“I really wanted to be able to give patients that time, listen to their stories and treat them as a whole person looking at all of their functional abilities as well as their quality of life,” Solberg said.
The quality of care a hospital provides is measured by objective benchmarks, said Marco Pahor, the director of the UF Institute on Aging.
Helping the patients helps the hospital, he said.
The results of the study support the idea that new policies should be put in place, Pahor said.
-DAKOTA SUTTON
Media campaign increases oral cancer screening among African Americans
A media campaign led to an increase in the amount of African-American men seeking oral cancer screening for the first time.
UF researchers designed and implemented a media campaign, which was published last month in the “American Journal of Public Health,” to encourage people to prevent oral cancer by getting screened for the disease on a regular basis.
The campaign increased the amount of African-American men seeking an initial screening by 13 percent, said Yi Guo, an assistant professor in the UF College of Medicine’s department of health outcomes and policy.
The campaign cost $68,000, which included designing, printing and distributing the media, Guo said.
It also included the salary of a liaison to provide key connections to the local businesses in the communities.
Oral cancer, a deadly yet preventable disease, is a silent killer affecting nearly one person every hour of every day, according to the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.
Oral cancer is not typically diagnosed until it reaches the later stages when it is far more difficult to cure, said Virginia Dodd, an associate professor in the UF College of Dentistry’s department of community dentistry and behavioral science.
The campaign used posters, brochures and hand-held fans, which were distributed to local businesses in those communities, to reach the target audience.
Photographs were the primary medium used for the campaign, and they were able to design images that have a much stronger appeal to the black male audience, Guo said.
For example, one poster featured a picture of a black family with facts about oral cancer in relation to African-American men, he said.
Focus groups were surveyed to determine what information and media would be most approachable, Dodd said.
The research team wanted to have them involved with the message design.
The focus groups had an average of eight people per group and varied in age and gender, Dodd said.
People from the six counties were recruited for the focus groups.
The participants were surveyed in an effort to learn what they did and didn’t know about oral cancer and to understand what information they would find the most approachable, Dodd said.
-DAKOTA SUTTON
