Policies & Procedures
NIH Funds Manev RO1 Study on Aging and Brain 5-lipoxygenase
Hari Manev, M.D., Ph.D., received funding for a new R01 NIH grant, “Aging and brain 5-lipoxygenase.” 5-Lipoxygenase is an enzyme putatively involved in Alzheimer’s disease and in the comorbid cardiovascular pathologies and depression. This study, funded by the National Institute on Aging, will investigate how aging and epigenetic mechanisms influence the 5-lipoxygenase gene.
Kraus: Imaging Shows Structural Changes in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
In the October issue of the journal Brain, Marilyn Kraus, M.D., and colleagues, report that diffusion tensor imaging can identify structural changes in the white matter of the brain that correlate to cognitive deficits even in patients with mild traumatic brain injury.“We studied patients with all severities of traumatic brain injury -- mild to severe -- and found that abnormalities in white matter existed on the spectrum,” said Dr. Kraus, lead author of the study. “Even in patients with mild TBI -- those identified as having minimal or no loss of consciousness -- there were structural deficits.”
Thirty-seven TBI patients (20 mild and 17 moderate to severe) and 18 controls underwent DTI and neuropsychological testing. All subjects were at least six months post-injury, and the majority were high-functioning people employed or in school at the time of evaluation. Dr. Kraus and her colleagues found that structural changes in the white matter correlate to observable cognitive deficits related to thinking, memory and attention. Patients with more severe injuries had greater white matter abnormalities, representing a permanent change in the brain. “We know that discreet brain areas are important for specific types of functioning,” she said. “But what's also very important is that the white matter serves as the connection between these significant areas of the brain.”
Deborah Little, director of MRI research in the Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine and aco-author of the study, likened the brain to a computer. “You have the CPU and the memory, but they are worthless unless they are connected to each other. The white matter of the brain has the same function as the cables of the computer.” John Sweeney, Ph.D., is a co-author of the report.
Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act Passes US House
Nafisa Ghadiali, M.D., represented UIC, the Illinois Psychiatric Society, and the American Psychiatric Association at an Oct. 19 press conference. The event involved a coalition of elected officials, non-profit organizations, and community activists at the Ralph Metcalf Federal building to celebrate passage of H.R. 20, the Melanie Blocker Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act out of the U.S. House of Representatives. The act is sponsored by Congressman Bobby L. Rush (the bill passed by a vote of 382-3 on October 15 and will provide $18 million for postpartum depression, research, and education). Media coverage from multiple local news sources recorded and highlighted the event.
Policies & Procedures
Over the next few months we will be providing and implementing Department Electronic, Network, Computing Policies and Procedures. All Department Policies and Procedures will be reviewed and endorsed by the Information Technology Steering Committee (ITSC) prior to presenting to the Department.
Because of our relationship to UIC and College of Medicine there are some Policies we automatically inherit. Two such policies:
- Information Security Policy - The University of Illinois
- University Guidelines on the Sale, Donation, or Transfer of Computer Hard Drives and Other Magnetic Media
These policies can be found on our web site using the following link: https://intranet.psych.uic.edu/is/ you will be required to “log-in” to access these policies.
We will make both of these policies (along with others forth coming) a part of new employee orientation, but to those of us already in the system we are asking that each of you please take the time to read these policies.
If you have any questions concerning any policy or procedure please contact Lloyd Keith, thank you.
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