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Show IHC's Caring Magazine 1HC undertakes original research and LDS Hospital and Primary Children's from the implementation of medical abo mokes substantial contributions to national clinical research studies. While much of this clinical research is conducted by physicians practicing at IHC's two largest research hospitals Medical Center physicians practicing at other IHCfaciliP.es are increasingly involved in these efforts. 1HC patents ultimately benefit from new or improved medical techniques and best practices. Below are just a few of the research studies published recently or in progress. wiiRMnMiMManmiiiMMiMwiiMiiMiaiMinBvw"1 1 h i " ' 1 i fr"7 Growing new arteries. Cardiac researchers at LDS Hospital are launching launch-ing an exciting new clinical trial to study the effectiveness of a futuristic gene therapy procedure that may actually actu-ally help grow new arteries around clogged ones. LDS Hospital is the only research center cen-ter in the Intermountain West and one of only a handful of medical centers cen-ters in the nation to participate in the study. In the study, LDS Hospital researchers will inject the gene for recombinant fibroblast growth factor (rFGF) directly into areas of unresponsive heart muscle to stimulate new blood vessel growth in patients who are no longer candidates candi-dates for bypass surgery. Researchers will then test to see if there is improved blood flow to areas of the heart that appear to be dead, but which researchers believe may only be "hibernating." Researchers suspect it may be possible to restore blood flow in these damaged areas. "This is one of the first times that I'm aware of that direct injections of these gene compounds into the heart muscle are being tested to see if they can significantly sig-nificantly improve blood flow to the heart. This is very exciting and promising promis-ing research," said J. Brent Muhlestein, KD, director of cardiac research at LDS Hospital. Patients most likely to benefit from this new procedure if proven effective are those are who are not candidates for bypass surgery, or heart attack patients who've already had bypass surgeries but whose arteries are so clogged they've run out of options. Breast cancer. Oncologists at LDS Hospital are evaluating the benefit of "sentinel node" biopsy in the treatment of breast cancer. The trial seeks to resolve an important question: Is it clinically effective to remove only the sentinel node the first node or nodes to which the cancer is likely to spread in women whose sentinel node biopsies are negative for cancer? The answer could expand treatment options. Cancer data base. Data on outcomes of the treatment of common tumors such as prostate and colon cancer are being collected as part of a very large data base which will be used to determine deter-mine the best techniques for treating these cancers via surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. Infections and cardiovascular disease. In a study of nearly 900 heart disease patients, researchers at LDS Hospital, 3ohns Hopkins University, and the Washington Hospital Center found a link between certain infectious viruses and bacteria and the risk of heart attack. LDS Hospital is one of some 26 U.S. medical centers participating in a study to examine the effectiveness of antibiotic treatment for patients with coronary artery disease. Heart disease and diabetes. A six-year six-year study of more than 1,500 cardiac patients at LDS Hospital showed that even patients deemed "borderline" diabetic, dia-betic, with slightly elevated blood glucose glu-cose levels, are at a significantly higher risk for early death. The study will help physicians identify and treat at-risk at-risk patients. Detecting Down's Syndrome. Obstetrical researchers at three TEC hospitals (LDS, Utah Valley Regional, and McKay-Dee) and the University of Utah Health Sciences Center have joined in a new clinical study that could improve prenatal detection of Down's Syndrome. Genetics registry. As genetic research proceeds around the world, scientists have been hampered by the lack of a registry for rare and previously unde-scribed unde-scribed birth defects and genetic disorders. disor-ders. To overcome this, researchers at Primary Children's have created the International Clinical Genetics Research and Consultation Program, which includes such a registry. Genetic causes of heart disease. The GENECARD study at LDS Hospital seeks to identify a gene or set of genes that may contribute significantly to the early onset of coronary artery disease. Traditional risk factors account for only about 50 percent of all heart disease cases, so genetics may play a key role, especially in the population that develops devel-ops the disease at a younger age. The study focuses on siblings who have experienced early onset of coronary artery disease. The study, the largest of its kind in the nation, involves 15 medical centers throughout the United States and four centers in Europe. LDS Hospital is the only research center from the Intermountain West participating in the study. |