Let’s be careful out there

            COLLEGE STATION, TX - The College of Medicine in the Texas A&M Health Science Center cautions “don't take lawn-mowing safety for granted.” A Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health study found 80,000 Americans require hospital treatment yearly from lawn mower injuries. Most occur in children under 15 and adults 60 and older, and result from debris (i.e., rocks and branches) propelled by mower blades. Dr. Robert Wiprud, associate professor of family and community medicine, has several tips: wear goggles, pants and close-toed shoes with gripped soles; clear yard of debris beforehand; keep everyone from the yard while mowing; never fix a running mower; mow only in good weather, not high heat; and don’t ride a mower on steep hills or embankments. "Most injuries are caused by flying debris and reaching under the platform to clear grass with the mower running," Dr. Wiprud said. "A walk over the area to be mowed - looking for material such as rocks and metal that could be thrown - and wearing safety eyewear is smart. Never reach under the mowing platform with it running, even a little. This will keep fingers and toes attached." The American Academy of Pediatrics advises no child under age 16 use a riding mower, and no child under age 12 use a push mower.

            WASHINGTON - Monday Morning in Washington, DC noted Iowa State University is interested in doctoral students who want to become change agents in supports and services for young children with disabilities and their families. In the Dept. of Human Development and Family Studies in the College of Human Sciences , this program provides a leadership program in early childhood special education. It is newly funded by the U.S. Dept. of Education and will recruit and train doctoral students to begin in the fall (the grant goes until spring 2011). Funds will cover five full-time and five part-time students. Seminars and coursework will focus on early literacy, families, cultural competence, special education policy, and behavioral supports. Field experiences are an integral part of the program and will give students time to work with research projects, state initiatives, and university teaching. Go to www.hdfs.hs.iastate.edu and click on Leadership Training Opportunity Announcement on the right hand side.

            MADISON , WI - With a common form of brewer's yeast, University of Wisconsin scientists uncovered novel functions of a key protein that allow it to act as a master regulatory switch that determines gene activity and that, when malfunctioning in humans, may add to serious neurological disorders. The work in the journal Molecular Cell shows how a mutation in a single gene can have widespread effects on regulation of the genetic program in a cell, causing some genes to be read more than normal and others less so. While nearly every cell in an organism contains a complete set of DNA , each cell uses only a small fraction of that information at any moment, explains David Brow, senior author of the study and professor of biomolecular chemistry in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. Many proteins are responsible for controlling which genetic messages are read and how much information is used. Working with yeast, Brow and colleagues show a protein called Sen1 plays an important early role. Mutations in the human version are linked to neurological diseases, including a rare form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a.k.a. ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, and motion disorders.

            WASHINGTON - Monday Morning in Washington, DC noted the Five Practical Tips for Providing and Maintaining Job Accommodations from the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) Presentation Library (join.buddywalk.org). This 14-minute video (Windows media) highlights job accommodation issues related to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and practical ways for employers to address these issues. The Employer Assistance & Recruiting Network (EARN, join.buddywalk.org) has a fact sheet which provides programs and resources to assist students with disabilities in gaining valuable work experience and refining career choices before graduation.

            ROCHESTER , NY  - MedPage Today disclosed low doses of Mifeprex, at the heart of the abortion pill, shrink uterine fibroids and improve quality of life for women with the condition. In a randomized, placebo-controlled trial, women getting Mifeprex had less bleeding and lower rates of anemia, Dr. Kevin Fiscella, of the University of Rochester , and colleagues, noted in Obstetrics & Gynecology. Improvements were so dramatic that 19 of the 20 women in the treatment group at the end of the study correctly guessed they had received Mifeprex versus nine of 17 in the placebo group who guessed correctly they weren’t receiving the drug, authors said. The six-month study of 42 women with at least moderate fibroid symptoms and a uterine volume of greater than 160 mL, used doses of 5mg daily. The dose of Mifeprex used to terminate a pregnancy is 600mg at one time, followed two days later by 400mcg of Cytotec. The women were evaluated using the standard Uterine Fibroid Symptoms Quality of Life Questionnaire and Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form survey.

            `WASHINGTON - Monday Morning in Washington, DC noted the National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities Summer Leadership Institute will be held July 15-20 at the University of Delaware in Newark, DE. The institute has 20 future leaders from U.S. organizations meet with experts on progressive supports for people with disabilities. For more data, visit www.nlcdd.org/week-long-institute.html, or www.nlcdd.org/pdfs/nlcdd-brochure.pdf.

            HOUSTON - After a traumatic brain injury (TBI), medical professionals tend to focus on the patient; research shows a great impact on family, too. Studies in the 1990s identified tremendous levels of stress on caregivers and family. The April issue of NeuroRehabilitation covered substantial advances in family and caregiver research, exploring where interventions are targeted for optimum effectiveness. Despite more evidence of family/caregiver distress after TBI, appropriate strategies to help families/caregivers lags. Dr. Angelle Sander, of the Dept. of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Baylor College of Medicine/Harris County Hospital District, writes, “Research provides evidence of the need for well-designed intervention." Caregivers whose approach to problem-solving was negative, avoidant, or impulsive were more likely to be depressed. If the coping style was emotional, caregivers felt more burdened. On the other hand, the amount of behavioral control within the family and the social support given tended to reduce the burden felt by caregivers.

      ` WASHINGTON - Monday Morning in Washington, DC noted the United Healthcare Children's Foundation offers to meet the needs of U.S. children with grants for medical services not covered fully by health insurance. Parents and caretakers may apply for up to $5,000.00 for healthcare services that improve their children's health and quality of life. Examples are speech therapy; physical therapy and psychotherapy sessions; medical equipment - wheelchairs, braces, hearing aids and eye-glasses, and orthodontic and dental treatments. Children must be 16 or younger. Families must meet economic guidelines, live in the U.S. , and be covered by a commercial health insurance plan.  For more data, visit www.uhccf.org.

            WASHINGTON - Monday Morning in Washington, DC noted grant notices from the U.S. Dept. of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) in the Federal Register: Model Demonstration Centers on Early Childhood Language Intervention, deadline for application: May 7, data at www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/announcements/2007-1/032207a.html; Technical Assistance Center for Practices to Improve Development of Young Children With Disabilities, deadline May 7, data at a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/E7-5377.htm; Center on Response to Intervention, deadline May 4, data at www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/announcements/2007-1/032007a.html.