HEALTHY DOSE of information

CHIMP HAVEN TAKES IN 50 CHIMPANZEES

Chimp Haven, The National Chimpanzee Sanctuary, applauds Dr. Francis Collins and the National Institutes of Health for their decision to retire the last 50 NIHowned chimpanzees reserved for research.

“Yesterday was great day for chimpanzees and those of us who have worked diligently to secure their retirement,” Chimp Haven President and CEO Cathy Spraetz said. “It has been a long road, but Chimp Haven, along with many other advocates, thanks Dr. Francis Collins and the National Institutes of Health for doing what was right – offering all NIH-owned chimpanzees a home to live out the rest of their lives in peace and dignity.”

The retirement of the 50 additional chimps comes more than two years after Collins retired 310 chimpanzees still being used in research. In that announcement, 50 chimpanzees were reserved for research in the event of public-health emergencies. This milestone confirms the end of NIH-funded chimpanzee research.

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS OPEN AT LSU HEALTH

LSU Health Shreveport is opening its doors to community members once again with the return of the Citizens Science Academy and Mini Med School. Both programs are designed for people without a science background interested in learning more about research and health topics.

Citizens Science Academy was created to give community members a better understanding of LSU Health Shreveport’s research and the science behind it. The 2nd Citizens Science Academy will take place from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Jan. 23. It will feature lectures by Nicholas Goeders, Ph.D, on addiction, and Karen Stokes, Ph.D, on viruses and heart disease, a microscopy demonstration, as well as a tour of research areas. Register at lsuhsfoundation.org/ academy. It is open to all ages. A $20 fee includes refreshments.

Mini Med School at LSU Health Shreveport gives community members the opportunity to learn from the same faculty who teach medical students and residents. Registration is now open for the winter session, which will take place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Feb. 16 and 23 and March 1 and 8 (all Tuesdays). Topics this session are heart disease, healthy eating & nutrition, personalized medicine in cancer care and medical shock. The cost to attend is $40 for first-time participants (includes a white coat) and $20 for Mini Med alums. The fee includes all classes in the session. Register at www.lsuhsfoundation.org/minimed and Like Mini Med on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ LSUHealthMiniMed for updates.

WK ADDRESSES GLAUCOMA WITH MEDICAL DEVICE

WK Eye Institute surgeons Dr. Christopher Shelby and Dr. Wyche T. Coleman III are the first in our region to offer the iStent Trabecular Micro-Bypass Stent as a treatment option to reduce eye pressure for patients who have both cataracts and glaucoma.

The iStent is implanted during cataract surgery to reduce eye pressure in adult patients with mild-tomoderate open-angle glaucoma being treated with glaucoma medications. In clinical trials, the FDAapproved device has been shown to safely reduce eye pressure, which is the primary cause of open-angle glaucoma. Studies have shown that more than 90 percent of patients with glaucoma do not comply with their ocular medication dosing regimens and nearly 50 percent discontinue taking their medications before six months, which can lead to serious problems, including vision loss.

“The eye drops used to treat glaucoma can be difficult to administer and expensive. With iStent, many patients will need less medication to control their eye pressure and some may not need prescription eye drops at all,” Shelby said.

iStent is termed as “microtechnology” and is the smallest medical device ever approved by the FDA. “Because it is so small, the patient cannot see or feel it after the procedure,” Coleman said. “While it is not apparent to the patient, it can be successful in reducing eye pressure. And it doesn’t significantly extend the length of the surgery and has a similar safety profile to cataract surgery alone.”

More information on the iStent is available at http:// www.wkeyeinstitute.com/istent.