Research News

LAB TESTS INDICATE THAT RED WINE MAY BLOCK CHOLESTEROL ACCUMULATION

Researchers at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School have laboratory evidence that suggests red wine may protect the heart because of its ability to block a cholesterol build-up along artery walls. This finding was published in a recent issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 18, No. 2, 137-143, 1999. The study, conducted by Vincent A. Rifici, PhD, Stephen H. Schneider, MD, and Avedis K. Khachadurian, MD, professors of medicine, and Elias M. Stephan, MD, a postdoctoral fellow, all from RWJMS, found that red wine blocked a type of chemical modification, called oxidation, of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL), both of which carry cholesterol in the bloodstream. "We collected lipoprotein samples from blood and exposed the lipoproteins to cells similar to those found in blood vessels, "says Rifici, who is the primary author of the report. "We added red wine to some samples, white wine or pure alcohol to others." Rifici and his team found that modest amounts of red wine (0.2 milligrams) blocked LDL and HDL oxidation by 85 to 95 percent. "The amount of red wine added was comparable to the concentration of alcohol in the blood of a moderate drinker," he says, noting that white wine also blocked oxidation, but only when the researchers increased its concentration to five times the amount of red wine used. Ethanol, or pure alcohol, had no effect in blocking oxidation. These findings provide evidence to support the "French paradox," which suggests that despite consuming the same high-fat diets as other Europeans, the French are less prone to heart disease. "One dietary difference between the French and other cultures is that the French consume far more red wine," says Rifici. "Our research confirms that this seems to be beneficial by inhibiting the oxidation process."

Professional Activities:
Jeffrey Hammond, MD, MPH, professor, Surgery, and chief, Section of Trauma/Surgical Critical Care, presented "Sports-Related Head Injury" at a conference at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. The conference was co-sponsored by the U.S. Olympic Committee.

William Hait, MD, PhD, assistant professor, Medicine and Pharmacology, and director, CINJ, presented "Genetic Susceptibility to Taxanes and Vinca Alkaloids: The Role of p-53," at a seminar at Dartmouth Medical School, New Hampshire.

Honors:
Peter Amenta, MD, PhD, associate professor, Pathology, and acting chair, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, received the Gallo Award from the Cancer Institute of New Jersey for his outstanding cancer research on the "Role of NF-kB in Prostate Cancer Cell Tumorigenicity." Amenta was also appointed to serve a three-year term on the Editorial Board of Human Pathology.

Gregory Borah, MD, professor and chief, Division of Plastic Surgery, was appointed to the Ethics Committee by the Board of the American Association for Hand Surgery.

Grants
Michael Henry, PhD, assistant professor, Molecular Biology, received a five-year, $1,472,738 grant from NIH to study the "Role of Protein Arginine Methylation in RNA Maturation."

Kersti Linask, PhD, assistant professor, Cell Biology, received a two-year, $300,000 grant from the American Heart Association to study "Asymmetric Flectin Expression and Heart Looping."

Rameshwar Sharma, PhD, professor, Cell Biology, received a three-year, $904,753 grant from NIH to study "Guanylate Cyclase Transduction Systems in the Retina."

Professional Activities:
R. Michael Gallagher, DO, professor and vice dean, Family Medicine, presented "Diagnosis and Evaluation" at the American Association for the Study of Headache Symposium on "Headache Now: The New Role of the Primary Care Physician in the Evaluation and Treatment of Headache" in San Juan, PR.

Honors:
Warren Wallace, EdD, associate dean, Admissions/Student Affairs, received the National Association of Medical Minority Educators Northeast Region award for his outstanding contributions to health professions education. The award was presented at the organization's annual meeting held in Philadelphia.

Grants:
Braz Macedo, DMD, PhD, professor, Pediatric Dentistry, received a two-year, $50,000 grant from the NIH to study "In Vivo Response to Polyanhydride."

Narayanan Ramasubbu, PhD, assistant professor, Dental Research Center, received a four-year, $716,413 grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research to study "Salivary Amylase and Its Role in Caries Pathogenesis."

Professional Activities:
Milton Houpt, DDS, professor and chair, Pediatric Dentistry, presented "Non-pharmacologic Child Management" at the annual meeting of the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology.

Louis Lin, DMD, professor and acting chair, Endodontics, presented "3-D Morphology of a Complex Root Canal System" at the International Symposium on Craniofacial Morphology in Witten, Germany.

James Rynar, DMD, clinical associate professor, Periodontics, presented "Surgical Indexing: State of the Art," and "Future Trends in Implant Dentistry - the Soft Bone Challenge" to participants at the 8th Annual International Implant Symposium held at Boston University.

Van Thompson, DDS, PhD, professor, General Dentistry and Community Health, and associate dean, Research, presented "The News of Operative Dentistry, 1999" to members of the Singapore Dental Association.

Riva Touger-Decker, PhD, RD, assistant professor, Oral Pathology, Biology and Diagnostic Sciences, presented "Upskilling in Dietetics" at the American Dietetic Association's House of Delegates meeting in Indianapolis, and at the annual meeting of the Nevada Dietetic Association in Reno.