Monday, February 9, 1998
Community Briefs
New chancellor
elected for UCSF
Nobel laureate J. Michael Bishop was selected as the new
chancellor for UC San Francisco last Friday by the UC Regents.
A longtime member of the UCSF faculty and a leading advocate for
science education, Bishop will take the post July 1.
Bishop, 61, will be UCSF’s eight chancellor. UCSF is the only
one of the nine campuses devoted entirely to health sciences.
"I have been serving UCSF for 30 years," Bishop said. "I
consider it one of the finest public institutions in the world. I
will do my best to keep it that way and even make it better."
Bishop comes in at a crucial time for UCSF. In the next few
years, it will undergo the first few stages of a controversial
merger with Stanford’s hospital.
Bishop won the Nobel prize in 1989 in microbiology/physiology
for his participation in research that discovered the cancerous
potential in all cells.
Drug blocks HIV-related infections
Researchers at UC San Francisco have reported a dramatic decline
in the number of HIV-patients effected by common opportunistic
infections.
The proposed explanation for this decline has been the use of
protease inhibitors with new antiretroviral drug combinations.
Protease inhibitors prevent HIV infection of a patient’s immune
system, allowing T-cells to fight potential infections better.
At the UC San Francisco AIDS clinic the decline in certain
common infections decreased at rates up to 93.8 percent when
protease inhibitors were administered.
"The decrease in opportunistic infections is remarkable in this
study," says Christopher Holtzer, a doctor of Pharmacology and the
leader of this study.
However, San Francisco General Hospital reported that the cases
of HIV infection are steadily rising and some patients taking
protease inhibitors do not respond to them.
"We need to clarify the true impact of these new antiretroviral
regimens," says Holtzer.
Research looks at quake injuries
Fewer serious injuries occurred as a result of the 1994
Northridge earthquake, according to a study conducted by UCLA’s
School of Public Health.
The study found that 171 people were seriously injured, rather
than the 1,200 reported in the weeks after the earthquake. The
ratio of serious injuries per death, 4 to 1, was similar to the
ratio after other large earthquakes in industrialized
countries.
This is the first study that reviewed individual medical records
of those hospitalized or killed with injuries related to the
earthquake. Not only did the study look at the number of injuries,
it also looked at the type and their causes.
"Understanding the number and nature of the injuries that
occurred during the Northridge quake will both help us design
prevention programs to safeguard people and help emergency
responders prepare for the next major temblor," said Corrie
Peek-Asa, a UCLA epidemiologist who led the study.
Elderly were found to be most at risk with 75 percent of those
hospitalized over 65 years of age. The most common causes of injury
were falls, being hit by household objects, and burns.
Approximately one-third of the injured delayed seeking medical help
until days after the earthquake. Caution is also necessary after
the shaking stops to prevent injuries said Peek-Asa.
The results of the study, supported by the state Department of
Health Services and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, also
showed the quick response of emergency services.
Compiled from Daily Bruin staff reports.