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September 20, 2001 TODAY
Loma Linda University news
Loma Linda University study of pecans shows
they significantly lower cholesterol
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| Sujatha Rajaram,
PhD, co-principal investigator of the recent pecan study, answers
questions posed by the press during a news conference held on
September 6. Looking on is Barry L. Taylor, PhD, vice president
for research affairs at the University. |
The addition of pecans to the step I diet of the American Heart
Association (AHA) significantly lowered cholesterol levels in research
subjects, according to a recent study conducted at Loma Linda University
and published in the September issue of the Journal of Nutrition.
Researchers at the University found that a diet containing pecans
not only lowered total and LDL--or "bad"--cholesterol
significantly more than the AHA diet, but also helped to maintain
desirable levels of HDL--or "good"--cholesterol.
These findings were presented during a news conference at 1:00 p.m.
on September 6, held at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital.
More than 40 news organizations so far, ranging from newspapers
to television, have run stories on the findings.
This is the first controlled crossover metabolic feeding study ever
done with pecans. Conducted by principal investigators Sujatha Rajaram,
PhD, assistant professor of public health and preventive medicine,
School of Public Health, and Joan Sabaté, MD, DrPH, chair
and professor of nutrition, School of Public Health, the study required
all research subjects to eat the majority of their meals in a laboratory
kitchen over a period of eight weeks. This type of study, known
as "the gold standard" among the research community, enables
the researchers to eliminate a number of variables which could potentially
skew their results.
The tightly monitored crossover study of 23 men and women measured
their cholesterol levels while on the step I diet (recommended by
the AHA as a first line of therapy for individuals with elevated
cholesterol levels) with their cholesterol levels when 20 percent
of their calories were replaced with pecans.
In the pecan diet, for instance, pecans were added to cereals, salads,
and entrees such as pasta, amounting to about a handful of pecans
a day.
"We found that the pecan-containing diet lowered ‘bad'
cholesterol more than twice as much as the AHA step I diet,"
says Dr. Rajaram.
Compared to the participants' baseline cholesterol values, the pecan-containing
diet lowered LDL cholesterol levels by 16.5 percent--more than twice
as much as the step I diet, which only lowered LDL levels by 6.7
percent. Compared to participants' cholesterol values while on the
AHA step I diet, the pecan diet lowered total cholesterol levels
by 11.3 percent--more than twice as much as the step I diet, which
only lowered total cholesterol by 5.2 percent.
The U.S. government's National Cholesterol Education Program notes
that for every one percent reduction in LDL cholesterol, there is
a 1.5 percent reduction in the incidence of coronary heart disease
(CHD).
Using this figure, the cholesterol-lowering effects of the pecan
diet correspond with a 25 percent decrease in the risk of CHD.
Findings related to HDL levels were significant as well. According
to the researchers, the step I diet actually lowered HDL levels--an
undesirable result, while the pecan diet increased HDL by 5.6 percent--a
desirable result.
"This cholesterol-lowering effect is similar to what is often
seen with cholesterol-lowering medications," notes Dr. Sabaté.
"We confirmed that the addition of pecans to a basic heart-healthy
diet will yield very desirable blood lipid profiles."
Dr. Sabaté adds, "Many consumers find low-fat, heart-healthy
diets unpalatable and difficult to adhere to."
Study participants found that the pecans added taste, palatability,
and satiety, according to the research team--which should help them
keep their resolve to stay with a heart-healthy diet for the long
term.
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Loma Linda University hosts third annual MITHS
program
The third annual MITHS (Minority Introduction to Health Sciences)
program was held from July 1 to July 19, 2001. Fifteen high school
juniors arrived from all over the country: seven from Pine Forge
Academy, Pine Forge, Pennsylvania; two from Peterson-Warren Academy,
Inkster, Michigan; and one each from Huntsville Academy, Huntsville,
Alabama; Hawaiian Mission Academy, Honolulu, Hawaii; Takoma Academy,
Takoma Park, Maryland; Andrews Adventist Academy, Berrien Springs,
Michigan; Greater Atlanta Adventist, Atlanta, Georgia; and Greater
Miami Academy, Miami, Florida. The MITHS program, which is sponsored
by the BALL (Black Alumni of Loma Linda and La Sierra Universities),
was created to expose students to all of the health-science career
programs available at LLU. Deans from each of the six professional
schools and Faculty of Religion met with the students at specially
arranged meetings to tell them about the opportunities available
to them.
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Steve Green to present concert at Loma Linda
University
The sound of gospel music will return to Loma Linda on Saturday
evening, October 20, when Steve Green returns for the fourth time
to present a concert.
A Christian vocalist from Nashville, Tennessee, Mr. Green heads
up a team who will present the concert in the University Church
of Seventh-day Adventists in Loma Linda.
The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m., and it is expected that all
2,000 seats will be sold in the near future.
Ticket donations are $15 for front reserved seating; $12 for reserved
seating in the back of the sanctuary and the balcony; and $6 for
open seating in the two wings of the church.
Tickets may be obtained by sending your request and remittance and
a stamped, self-addressed envelope to: Concert Series, Box 647,
Calimesa, California 92320.
A special seating arrangement is being offered for the concert.
A section will be devoted to the "founder's circle" for
individuals wishing to support the international mission of Mr.
Green. A $100 donation that is 75 percent tax deductible will include
a preconcert reception and buffet with Mr. Green, a special gift,
and front center seating in the church sanctuary.
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Faculty notes
* Retired professor of microbiology Raymond E. Ryckman, PhD, has
been informed that his three-volume work on Chagas' disease and
triatominae vectors will be published on the Internet. Dr. Ryckman
was informed of the publication status by C. B. Beard, PhD, head
of the division of parasitic diseases, National Centers for Disease
Control, Atlanta. At an international conference in Cartagena, Colombia,
in August, 2001, Dr. Beard, along with several other scientists
met for the purpose of finding how to best place Dr. Ryckman's work
for maximum availability.
Recently, Dr. Beard spent three days at LLU with Dr. Ryckman discussing
this project. Dr. Ryckman's work has more than 24,000 references
and is published in four languages. He is currently collaborating
with the Centers for Disease Control relative to their ongoing research
on parasitic disease.
* LLU was presented with a certificate of recognition by Southern
California Edison for participating in its 2001 voluntary conversation
program. Vice chancellor for financial affairs Verlon Strauss, CPA,
was presented with the "beat the peak" award in August
.
* LLUMC and BioErgonomics, Inc. (BioE), have entered into an agreement
granting BioE an option to acquire an exclusive license to commercialise
certain new technology covered under LLUMC's patent rights for "Iron
Regulating Protein-2 (IRP-2) as a Diagnostic for Alzheimer's Disease
and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases." "The ability to
positively detect Alzheimer's disease in patients at a very early
stage, prior to the onset of symptoms, will contibute greatly to
the success of treatment and provide a very important tool to researchers
toward possibly discovering the cure of this devastating disease,"
says Wolff Kirsch, MD, professor of biochemistry and neurosurgery,
and director of the Neurosurgery Center for Research, Training,
and Education at LLUMC. Over the past year, LLUMC, BioE, and the
National Institutes of Health have participated in a collaborative
research project investigating
proteins that may contribute directly to the development of Alzheimer's
disease. This research is directed towards developing technology
to identify and quantify these proteins in peripheral blood cells
and provide a simple blood test to identify Alzheimer's disease
prior to the onset of symptoms.
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Loma Linda University online faculty showcase
displays online courses available
Faculty packed Wong Kerlee International Conference Center on Wednesday,
July 18, and it wasn't just for the "veggie" enchiladas.
They came to see what their colleagues were doing with online education
across the University. The LLUonline faculty showcase provided an
overview of online courses at LLU.
Vice chancellor for academic affairs Lisa M. Beardsley, PhD, MPH,
raised questions for faculty to consider as they watched the showcase.
"Educational technology is exciting. It is estimated to evolve
at a rate of one generation every 18 months, so it can also be expensive,"
says Dr. Beardsley. "This can be a technological ‘black
hole' that sends both faculty and resources hurtling through it
at an unsettling, uncontrollable speed.
"How do we educate our students for tomorrow's demands rather
than for those of yesterday? How do we as faculty incorporate the
very best of learning theory and educational assessment into this
moving target?" Dr. Beardsley continues, "as Christian
educators, how do we create a supportive learning community that
nurtures spiritual, emotional, and professional maturity and values?"
Some of these questions were quickly answered by demonstrations
from the faculty and staff who showcased what they are doing.
"Students love this," says Jan M. Nick, PhD, RN, assistant
professor of nursing, School of Nursing, demonstrating grade posting
in Blackboard 5.
"You'll love the group e-mail function…but be sure to
organize your material in folders,"she says.
V. Leroy Leggitt, DDS, assistant professor of orthodontics, School
of Dentistry; Ramon R. Gonzalez Jr., PhD, associate professor of
physiology and pharmacology, School of Medicine; and William F.
Colwell Jr., developer, academic computer resources, School of Medicine,
demonstrated to the group QuickTime image rotations, shockwave animations,
and PowerPoint to HTML conversions used in their courses.
Resa L. Chase, MD, associate professor of human anatomy and pathology,
School of Medicine, uses LLUonline to facilitate communication within
her course, "Cell Structure and Function," by utilizing
built-in e-mail and discussion boards.
W. William Hughes III, PhD, professor of physical therapy, School
of Allied Health Professions, spoke briefly on the merits of using
LLUonline for asynchronous distance education, citing a student
he taught in Korea during spring quarter 2001.
Janine Wagner, surgery education coordinator, demonstrated how LLUonline
can aid in the coordination of students while reducing long-term
financial overhead due to copying costs.
"I got a couple of good ideas, but it was more than that,"
says Jean B. Lowry, PhD, professor of speech-language pathology
and audiology, School of Allied Health Professions.
She was one of the 125 who attended the showcase.
"I've been here since 1974. This has been a highly balkanized
institution. Even with colloquium and the education fairs, I have
never felt that there was much hope or desire for across-school
pollination," Dr. Lowry states.
"I came out of this session with a new feeling that people
in a different school may, in time, come to look beyond their specific
school or discipline for collegial interaction…this [was an]
opportunity to meet and learn from my colleagues in other schools,"
she says.
Last fall and winter quarters, Dr. Lowry taught "Introduction
to Speech-Language Pathology" online to 14 students at four
Adventist colleges/universities that do not offer the course. She
will teach it again this fall.
There has been significant shuffle behind the scenes to make LLUonline
viable, according to Dr. Beardsley.
Loma Linda University has been offering online courses through Blackboard
for almost two years. It has enhanced a culture of collaboration
and integration. Two delivery systems have merged into one at <http://lluonline.llu.edu>.
The old addresses will point to the new server, but all access is
only through the "front door" of LLUonline <http://lluonline.llu.edu>.
Older Internet bookmarks such as <blackboard.llu.edu/mybb.html>
or <../courses/COURSE101> or <../admin> no longer work.
There are 4,629 users and 1,903 users/students are enrolled in LLUonline.
Two hundred and forty-four instructors are registered, with 269
courses in production or online. LLUonline receives around 2,000
hits per day.
"This is up from 1,400 just one month ago," Dr. Beardsley
relates. "At 1.3 million page views since January, 2000, LLUonline
gets more student hits than any other campus server."
The AOL merger with Time Warner was driven by AOL's need for content.
Infrastructure and access is only valuable when it links to quality
content.
"That's why faculty are essential partners in the success of
LLUonline," says Dr. Beardsley in a challenge to the faculty
to get their courses online. "I applaud your commitment to
our students and to the mission of Loma Linda University."
Richard H. Hart, MD, DrPH, chancellor and chief executive officer
for Loma Linda University, is personally chairing an "e-University
executive committee" to position LLUonline to better serve
a global constituency.
"We have a global network that is 10 years ahead of most other
universities," he says. "We need to marry that asset with
web technology to take LLU's mission of education, research, and
health care to the next level."
|top| [September 20 , 2001
TODAY]
[News and media page]
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Loma Linda University. All rights reserved.
Revised
Wednesday, October 3, 2001 3:25 PM
Send comments and questions to webmaster@univ.llu.edu
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