Best Paper Award
Section compiled by Carole Walker

The 2007 Jack Walker Award from The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) for the best clinical paper published in 2006 went to Judith Deutsch, PT, PhD, professor and director of Rivers Lab in the Department of Developmental and Rehabilitative Sciences at UMDNJ-School of Health Related Professions, and colleagues Margaret Schenkman PT, PhD, professor and director, Physical Therapy Program in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, and Kathleen M. Gill-Body, PT, DPT, NCS, adjunct clinical associate professor, Graduate Programs in Physical Therapy at MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston.

The paper entitled “An Integrated Framework for Decision Making in Neurologic Physical Therapy Practice ” was published in Physical Therapy: 2006:86:1681-1702, the official journal of APTA. The paper presents their framework for clinical decision-making and illustrates its application with a case description of a person with Parkinson’s Disease.

The award, named in honor of Jack Walker for his many contributions to the profession, encourages the publication of outstanding articles on
physical therapy. Its goal is to foster advancements in physical therapy
practice, research, and education. A plaque and a monetary award were
presented to the authors by the APTA Board of Directors at the
association’s annual conference in June. APTA is a national professional organization representing more than 66,000 members.

Alzheimer's Disease Markers in the Eye

A research team led by Peter Frederikse, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology and the Rutgers/UMDNJ Integrative Neurosciences Program at UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, and a collaborator at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), has been awarded a $1.1 million grant from the NIH-National Eye Institute to study Alzheimer protein disease mechanisms in the lens of the eye, and to better understand the relationship between Alzheimer-related changes in the eye and the brain.

In 2005, Frederikse was also awarded a substantial grant from the Neuroscience Education and Research Foundation for related preliminary studies. His group, working with Gordon Thomas, PhD, professor of physics at NJIT, is developing methods for assessing protein biomarkers in the lens for the early diagnosis of cataract, and for providing critical early-warning diagnostic information about
corresponding changes in the development of Alzheimer's disease in the brain.

Previously, his lab made the exciting discovery that fundamental cell biology processes, which are centered on the normal function of the Alzheimer precursor protein (APP) in neurons, are also uniquely utilized to a remarkable extent in elongated fiber cells in the lens. APP, acting with kinesin proteins, provides the link for membrane vesicles to attach to the microtubule “railroad tracks” in neurons for the transport of cargo and synaptic vesicles to distal cell surfaces. This process is key to cell elongation in lens cells as well as neuronal cells.

“We demonstrated that to a striking degree, the lens utilizes the same large group of ‘neuron-specific’ synaptic and cargo vesicle transport proteins to move all manner of cellular components in these elongated cell types. That work provided much of the conceptual basis for an increasing number of more recent studies investigating Alzheimer biology in the lens and its relation to the brain,” explains Frederikse.

The team will use this new grant to define and understand the accumulation of specific Alzheimer amyloid disease protein species in age-dependent disease in lenses, and will work to determine how their formation corresponds with parallel Alzheimer disease processes in the brain.

Function of Calcium Sparks in Skeletal Muscle

Jianjie Ma, PhD, University Professor of Physiology and Biophysics at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, has been awarded two five -year grants from the National Institutes of Health. The first is a $2,131,176 grant from the National Institute on Aging for "Ca Sparks in Muscle Aging and Dystrophy." Calcium (Ca) sparks are the elementary units of Ca-induced Ca-release (CICR) in striated muscle cells. While Ca sparks are well defined in cardiac muscle, there has been a general belief that these localized Ca release events are rare in intact adult mammalian skeletal muscle. As a result of the difficulties in monitoring Ca spark activity in intact mammalian muscle, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of CICR in muscle function and the adaptive changes of CICR in muscle aging and dystrophy remain largely unexplored.

"We discovered that stress generated by membrane deformation induces a robust Ca spark response spatially confined in close proximity to the sarcolemmal membrane in healthy young mammalian muscles,” Ma explains, noting that these induced Ca sparks are repeatable and reversible in young muscle fibers, but become transient and static in aged skeletal muscle.

In dystrophic muscle with fragile membrane integrity, induced Ca sparks are irreversible and penetrate from the periphery to the fiber interior. Thus, uncontrolled Ca spark activity could potentially lead to partial depletion of the SR Ca store, triggering increased store-operated Ca entry (SOCE) and providing a dystrophic signal in mammalian skeletal muscle.

“We hypothesize that Ca sparks can be used as a measure of the plastic nature of CICR in muscle health, aging and dystrophy,” he said, adding that he and his team’s experiments proposed in this project have focused on addressing the following fundamental questions regarding the physiological function of Ca sparks in skeletal muscle:

First, what are the cellular factors that are responsible for the peripheral distribution and the plasticity of Ca sparks in young, healthy skeletal muscle? Second, is there dynamic bidirectional coupling between Ca sparks and SOCE, and does alteration of this coupling produce muscle dysfunction? Third, how do triad-junction resident proteins influence Ca spark function in health, aging and disease?

As defects in control of CICR have been linked to numerous pathologic states, including heart failure and neurodegenerative conditions, the team hopes the knowledge gained from their studies will not only help establish the physiological function of stress-induced Ca sparks inskeletal muscle fibers, but also point to potential therapeutic targets.

The second grant for $1,904,875 was awarded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute for “Bi-directional Calcium Signaling in Striated Muscles.”

Better Cancer Care for Elderly Latinos

Ana Natale-Pereira, MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine, Division of Academic Medicine, Geriatrics, and Community Programs, and director of community-based networks at UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School (NJMS), was awarded a four-year, $2.8 million grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for "Addressing Cancer Disparities for Latino Medicare Beneficiaries." The medical school is one of six nationally funded CMS-CPTD (Cancer Prevention and Treatment Demonstration) sites established to reduce cancer health disparities among racial and ethnic populations.

The CMS Cancer Prevention and Treatment Demonstration Project is tremendously significant at a national level, and it is our privilege to be a part of this congressional mandate,” said Natale-Pereira. “The results of this project will have health policy implications for the Medicare community.” At the local level, it builds a trusting collaborative relationship between NJMS and community organizations, physicians, churches, businesses, and other institutions and community leaders and individuals who have agreed to participate, she says.

The project uses a MATCH (multi-level approach to community health) planning model to integrate community outreach, education, and patient assistance programs with the aim of helping Latino seniors in the metro Newark area and surrounding communities in Union and Hudson counties navigate the health care system and facilitate screening for the diagnosis and treatment of breast, cervical, colorectal, and prostate cancer. It also provides patient assistance in all aspects of the cancer care continuum, including cultural and linguistic competency training for a multi-disciplinary care team. To demonstrate a statistically significant improvement between control and intervention groups, the project’s target for participation includes 1,284 cancer-free/screening participants, and 100 cancer positive/treatment participants.

Estriol and Multiple Sclerosis

Suhayl Dhib-Jalbut, MD, professor and chair of neurology, and director of the Robert Wood Johnson Center for Multiple Sclerosis at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, is the New Jersey site principal investigator of a new study to "Evaluate the Efficacy of Estriol in the Treatment of Women with MS." This study, which involves seven centers nationwide, received a $4.7 million grant, co-funded by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, including support from the Mid-Jersey MS Chapter, and the National Institutes of Health.

According to Dhib-Jalbut, multiple sclerosis (MS) disease activity is known to be significantly decreased during pregnancy. The clinical trial will establish whether oral treatment with Estriol, the major estrogen of pregnancy, will reduce disease activity in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients. In a pilot study, it was demonstrated that treating RRMS patients with oral Estriol for six months resulted in a significant reduction in disease activity as measured by brain MRI, and caused a favorable shift in immune responses.

“What we are working on now is an add-on study aiming to extend the previous findings by longer treatment and focusing on clinical outcomes,” said Dhib-Jalbut, noting the combination of a Copaxone injection (an approved treatment for MS) plus an Estriol pill (8 mg per day) will be compared to a Copaxone injection plus a placebo in130 MS patients at the medical centers. The team began enrollment of 18-20 patients in May, who will undergo clinical, MRI, and immunological
evaluations for about two years.

$19.2 Million to Fight Chemical Warfare Agents

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently awarded a five-year, $19.2 million grant to UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) and Rutgers University to support the creation of a Center of Excellence focusing on the development of new and improved medical countermeasures against high priority chemical threats. Its official name is the UMDNJ/Rutgers University CounterACT [against chemical threats] Research Center of Excellence. The Center's primary goal is to develop drugs to treat sulfur mustard poisoning, a potent chemical warfare blistering agent. Although it has been studied for more than 80 years, there are no effective medical countermeasures.

Collaborating with researchers from Battelle Memorial Institute, members of the Center are optimizing lead compounds to determine which molecules are medically active against sulfur mustard. The team is initiating studies to evaluate the efficacy of these potential countermeasures in model systems of sulfur mustard toxicity. Also, projects are underway to identify specific mechanisms of action of sulfur mustard and potential new targets for therapeutic intervention when this chemical agent attacks the eyes, skin and lungs.

The team’s major players include RWJMS and Rutgers researchers, who are members of the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI), a facility jointly sponsored by RWJMS and Rutgers University. A Training and Education Program directed at healthcare providers at Rutgers University, UMDNJ-School of Public Health, RWJMS and the Health Sciences Program at Lehigh University has been established.

The Center’s work will eventually target:

• Neurotoxic agents such as organophosphorus nerve “gases”
• Blistering agents such as sulfur mustard
• Pulmonary agents such as chlorine gas
• Metabolic/cellular poisons such as cyanide

Jeffrey Laskin, PhD, RWJMS professor of environmental and occupational medicine, and Donald Gerecke, PhD, professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers, are the co-directors.

New Jersey Dental School Publications:

“The Effect of Gingival Retraction Procedures on Periodontal Indices & Crevicular Fluid Cytokine Levels: A Pilot Study,” by Hoda Yousef, DMD, MS, associate professor, Restorative Dentistry in Journal of Prosthodontics, Implant, Esthetic and Reconstructive Dentistry 2006:15:1-5.

“Anesthetic Risks in Obese and Eating Disorder Patients” by Vincent Ziccardi, DDS, MD, associate professor and chair, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, and Shahid Aziz, DMD, assistant professor, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, in OMS Knowledge Update: AAOMS Publishing Vol. 4: AOA:134-142, 2006..

New Jersey Dental School Special Recognition:

Michael Glick, DMD, chair, Diagnostic Sciences, was the moderator for “Oral and Systemic Health: Exploring the Connection” at AMA and ADA Media Brief, New York City.

Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Appointments:

Edmund Lattime, PhD, professor, Surgery and Molecular Genetics, Microbiology, and Immunology, and associate director, Education and Training at CINJ, appointed by the NIH to serve as a chair of the Cancer Immunopathology and Immunotherapy Study Section, Center for Scientific Review.

Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Special Recognition:

Ann Stock, PhD, professor, Biochemistry, associate investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and member, CINJ, and Gaetano Montelione, PhD, named as new Fellows by The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Christopher Salgado, MD, assistant professor, Surgery, selected by the Consumer's Research Council as one of the nation's Top Doctors in Plastic Surgery 2006.

Daniel Wartenberg, PhD, professor, Environmental and Occupational Medicine, invited by former French President Jacques Chirac to be a delegate to his “Citizens of the Earth” Conference (Feb. 2-3, 2007), Paris, France.

Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Grants:

Victor Jin, PhD, assistant professor, Pharmacology, awarded $466,500 by the U.S. Dept. of Defense Breast Cancer Idea Award for “The Role of Autophagy in Breast Cancer Chemotherapy.”

Masayori Inouye, PhD, professor and chair, Biochemistry, awarded a three-year, $583,125 grant from the U.S. Dept. of Defense for “Gene Therapy for Prostate Cancer Using Bacterial MazF Suicide System.”

Daniel Wartenberg, PhD, professor, Environmental and Occupational Medicine, awarded a two-year, $299,982 grant from the N.J. Governor’s Council on Autism for “An Exploratory Epidemiologic Study of Autism in New Jersey and Possible Environmental Risk Factors.”137(6):710-716.

John Pintar, PhD, professor, Neuroscience and Cell Biology, awarded a two-year, $299,930 grant from the N.J. Governor's Council on Autism for “Opioid System Contributions to Autism Linked Behavior.”

Lorna Rodriguez-Rodriguez, MD, PhD, associate professor, OB/GYN and Reproductive Services, awarded a three-year, $466,374 grant from U.S. Dept. of Defense United States Army Idea Award for “Mechanisms of CD44 Enhancement of P-gp Induced Drug Resistance in Breast Cancer.”

New Jersey Medical School Special Recognition:

James Wall, Sr, FACHE, chief operating officer, The University Hospital – New Jersey Medical School Cancer Center, named a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the nations leading professional society for healthcare leaders.

Frank Liporace, MD, Orthopedics, received the Zimmer Orthopaedic Career Development Award. He is one of seven physicians
nationwide to receive the award.

New Jersey Medical School Appointments:

Stanley Cohen, MD, professor and chair, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, elected vice president of the American Society for Investigative Pathology, one of the largest professional societies for academic pathologists.

School of Public Health Special Recognition:

Adam Finkel, ScD, MPP, CIH, professor, Environmental and Occupational Health, profiled in the January/February 2007 issue of The Environmental Forum, a magazine of the Environmental Law Institute in Washington, D.C.

Barry Schlegel, EdD, CIH, assistant professor, HEBS, awarded $250,000 of a five-year, $1,274,200 grant from N.J. Dept. of Education for “Occupational Education and Safety, and Health Training and Standard Updating.”

School of Public Health Publications:

“Public Health Emergency and Disaster Preparedness” by Drew Harris, DPM, MPH, assistant professor, Environmental and Occupational Health, and assistant director, N.J. Center for Public Health Preparedness at UMDNJ, a chapter in Public Health and Podiatric Medicine: Principles and Practice, 2nd Edition, Arthur Helfand, DPM, ed., Washington, DC: American Public Health Association, 2006.

School of Health Related Professions Publications:

Julie O’Sullivan Maillet, PhD, RD, professor and chair, Primary Care, guest editor for Topics in Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 22. No.1. January -March 2007. Also co-authored “Empowerment of Registered Dietitians Who Work in Clinical Positions” with Riva Touger-Decker, PhD, RD, FADA, associate professor and program director, Clinical Nutrition, and Linda Buckley, MS, RD, and S. Von Hagen, PhD, in Topics in Clinical Nutrition 22. (2007): 9-19. (2006).

“Massage Therapy for Osteoarthritis of the Knee: A Randomized Controlled Trial” by co-author Adam Perlman, MD, MPH, executive director, ICAM, and David Katz, MD, Valentine Njike, MD, MPH, Alyse. Sabina, MPH, and Anna Leila-Williams, all of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center, in Archives of Internal Medicine, 2006; Vol. 166; 2533-2538.

School of Nursing Special Recognition:

Susan W. Salmond, EdD, RN, interim dean, received the 2007 C.A.R.E. Award for Excellence in Education, the highest honor bestowed by the New Jersey State Nurses Association.

School of Nursing Publications:

“The High-Risk Postpartum Woman” by Della “Dee” Campbell, PhD(c), APRN-C, assistant professor, in Maternal, Newborn, and Women’s Health Nursing: Comprehensive Care Across the Lifespan, Chap. 19: 745-784.

“Psychiatric Nursing Liability” by Wanda Mohr, PhD, RN, FAAN, associate professor, in Nursing Malpractice, PP.407-422.

“The Context of a Legacy of Diabetes: Correlates of Self-Care Behavior” by Melissa Scollan-Koliopoulos, EdD, APRN, assistant professor, KA O'Connell, and EA Walker, in Diabetes Educator Journal. Also “The Legacy of Type 2 Diabetes and Self-Care Behavior” in Research in Nursing and Health.

School of Osteopathic Medicine Publications:

“Indecency/Decency in Cardiac Surgery: A Memoir of My Education at a Super-Esteemed Medical Place,” by Edmund Erde, PhD, professor, Family Medicine, in Journal of Cardiac Surgery, Vol. 22, Jan. 2007.

“Histochemical Alterations in One Lung Ventilation” by Kingsley Yin, PhD, assistant professor, Steve Emmanuel, graduate student, and Jean Walker, research teaching specialist, Cell Biology, Manucher Fallahnejad, MD, clinical professor, James Weese, MD, professor, Surgery, and E. Gribben, R.Orndorff, in Journal of Surgical Research, Vol. 137, Jan. 2007.

“Ab Peptides Can Enter the Brain Through a Defective Blood-brain Barrier and Bind Selectively to Neurons” by Peter Clifford, Shabnam Zarrabi, Gilbert Sui, Kristin Kinsler, Mary Kosciuk, Steven Dinsmore, DO, associate professor, Medicine, Robert Nagele, PhD, associate professor, Molecular Biology, Venkateswar Venkataraman, PhD, assistant professor, Cell Biology, and M. D’Andrea, in Brain Research, Vol 1142, Mar. 2007.

“Patterns of Neuropsychological Impairment in Frontotemporal Dementia” by David J. Libon, PhD, associate professor, Medicine, NJISA, S.X. Xie, P. Moore, J. Farmer, S. Antani, G. McCawley, K. Cross and M. Grossman, in Neurology, Vol 68, Jan. 2007.