"One of the realities of aging, and illnesses that are more common with age, is that our abilities change," said Dr. Hillary Lum of the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora. "Activities that we've done our entire lives, such as driving, managing our own finances, and owning and using a gun, can also be affected," Lum told Reuters Health by email.
The Colorado School of Public Health and the Colorado School of Mines released the results of the first widespread blood tests of residents in southern El Paso County. In doing so, the researchers strengthened the link between the chemicals found in Widefield aquifer and Peterson Air Force Base’s use of the foam. “If you’ve lived here for a long time and you’ve been drinking the city water, particularly in Security, where the levels are highest, there’s a good chance your levels are elevated,” said John Adgate, a Colorado School of Public Health researcher who led the study.
For the last 15 years of her life, Potter carried a card with these words: “It is my wish to have my body used for purposes similar to those used in the Visible Human Project, namely that photographic images might be used on the Internet for medical education … In the event of my death … page Dr. Victor M. Spitzer, Ph.D. … There is a 4-hour window for the remains to be received.” Potter knew because she visited the room where her body would be taken, saw the machinery that would grind her tissue away one paper-thin section at a time for imaging, and heard Spitzer, the director of the Center for Human Simulation at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, explain the process more than a decade before she died. Spitzer didn’t volunteer to show her the room; Potter demanded it.
The new Institute will work directly with the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and other leading research organizations to understand the dynamic balancing act of the human immune system, how it senses friend from foe and what goes wrong when we’re ill. Kevin Deane, M.D., Ph.D., and Michael Holers, M.D., investigators at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, will lead a collaboration with colleagues at the University of California San Diego. The fundamental goal of the research program is to identify novel mechanisms by which rheumatoid arthritis develops so that the disease can be halted before symptoms begin, and if not, reversed to the normal state once arthritis begins.
Researchers at the Colorado School of Public Health examined 97 relatively healthy adults living in an area of Northeastern Colorado with pockets of dense oil and gas activity, including extensive truck traffic, pipelines, and both fracking and traditional well pads. "To date most of the research on the health impacts of oil and gas development has used data from existing health registries," lead author and assistant research professor at the Colorado School of Public Health Lisa McKenzie told EHN. "For this study, we actually went out and took direct measurements from people, which meant we knew a lot more about them."
"We predict that FUT2 is one of numerous genes with variants that make one prone to middle ear infections, and our goal is to eventually identify as many genes and variants as possible in various populations so we can predict who is at risk for infection and requires more careful management," Dr. Regie Santos-Cortez of the University of Colorado School of Medicine told Reuters Health by email. For the study, online October 25 in The American Journal of Human Genetics, Dr. Santos-Cortez and colleagues obtained DNA samples from 609 multi-ethnic families and simplex cases with otitis media. Those with known genetic, craniofacial, and immunodeficiency syndromes were excluded.
Dr. Brenda Bucklin, associate dean for CME and professional development at the University of Colorado Medical School, said she isn’t sure a minimum requirement would make a big difference in the state. “I think most people participate anyway,” Bucklin said. She said 27,000 physicians participated in CU’s continuing education program last year, although not all were from Colorado.
