Health and Medicine

The Obama administration's push to move health care from handwritten charts and prescriptions into the electronic age is getting a boost in Western New York with new funding to establish a Medication Management Research Network in the University at Buffalo's New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences.

On April 9, the University at Buffalo Asian Studies Program will present a free public seminar by McCabe, "Autism and Education in the People's Republic Of China," at 7 p.m. in the Unitarian Universalist Church of Amherst, 6320 Main St., Williamsville, across from the ECC North Campus.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), the pathogen that causes mononucleosis, appears to play a role in the neurodegeneration that occurs in persons with multiple sclerosis, researchers at the University at Buffalo and the University of Trieste, Italy, have shown.

A new, recently licensed medical device developed by University at Buffalo researchers would introduce into intensive care settings the powerful and effective method of anesthetizing patients that works so well in the operating room.

Capsaicin, the active ingredient in chili peppers, generally is viewed as an irritant that produces a burning sensation when applied to a sensitive area of the body, such as the cornea. Paradoxically, the same compound also may reduce pain. Scientists at University at Buffalo now link the analgesic effects of capsaicin to a lipid.

Research carried out at the University at Buffalo has shown for the first time that a recently identified type of Th cell, known as Th-17, is the principle defense component required for immunity to oral thrush.

Statins, used widely to treat elevated cholesterol, have been shown to prevent progression of coronary narrowing and to have other beneficial effects on the heart, such as reducing inflammation, that are independent of cholesterol. Now, adding to this list of multiple effects, researchers at the University at Buffalo have shown that the drug pravastatin, one of the oldest statins, may be able to prevent the development of heart disease by regenerating diseased heart muscle.

The namesake of Fay's Drugs, Faye Panasci, has given $1 million to the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, where her husband and father-in-law began their quest to build the highly successful chain of pharmacies that catered to their customers' every need.

A nasal spray shown to numb the upper jaw is set to be tested in an FDA Phase 3 trial, which will assess the spray's effectiveness compared to the current "gold standard" treatment -- painful anesthesia injections. The Phase 3 trial will be carried out later in 2009 at the UB dental school and other clinical sites.

After a collective trauma, such as Thursday's crash of Continental Flight 3407, an entire community (or even the nation) can be exposed to the tragedy through media coverage and second-hand accounts, according to Mark Seery, Ph.D., University at Buffalo assistant professor of psychology.