Health & Wellness
Health be
Berga to take on dual
role at Medical Center
A renowned clinician and researcher in th
of women's health is joining Wake Forest
Medical Center in a dual role. ?
Dr. Sarah L. Berga. the I
James Robert McCord
Professor of Gynecology and
Obstetrics and professor of
psychiatry at Emory
University School of
Medicine, has been named
professor and chair of the
Department of Obstetrics and
Gynecology of Wake Forest
School of Medicine and vice
president for Women's
Health Services, a newly ere- Dr- Str?a
ated position, for Wake
Forest Baptist Health.
The appointment is effective Nov. 1 and ?
announced by Dr. John D. McConnell, chief*
utive officer of Wake Forest Baptist.
Beiga, who is an internationally recogn
expert in reproductive endocrinology, wi
responsible for developing a cornprehe
women's health center that will integrate
enhance existing patient care, research,
and community health.
Crisis Control Photo
Runner take part in last year's event.
Crisis Control seeks runners
The 28th annual Mercy 5K race will benefit i
fiee pharmacy run by Crisis Control Ministry.
The race is slated for Saturday. Nov. 5 at 9 a.11
the Salem Trail Greenway. which is across the
from the Gateway YWCA. There will also be i
mile tun run/walk beginning at 8:30 a.m. There i
also be a Kids Zone with family-oriented activitie
children, such as face painting and games.
The Mercy race has been sponsored by Our ]
of Mercy since 1984. Since 1991, the
Columbus Council 10504 of Our Lady of 1
sponsored, facilitated and organized the raoe to I
Crisis Control.
New this year is a Corporate Challenge. A team I
of four runners who work at the same company will |
compete for cash prizes of $300, $200 and $100.
Entry fees for the 5K arc $20 in advance and?
on race day, and $10 for the one-mile Fun Ri
Award, are given to the top finishers in seve
groups, which makes this a race that is not only I
for the amateur, but also competitive for the i
runner. Those who arc running their first 5k
given a Certificate of Completion. An entry
can be downloaded at www.crisisc0ntrol.015
ners can register at www.active.com.
MHA presents awards
The Mental Health Association in Forsyii,
County presented several awards Oct. 11 diring it*
annual meeting. More than 120 people attended the
event, which was held at St. Paul's Episcopal!
Church.
The Lena C. Godwin Memorial Award was prej*
sen ted to Mary Dame and her staff at the Amos
Cottage Therapeutic Day Program for their leadership
in providing high quaM
ity mental
treatment to chili
ages 3-7.
The ProfeMiC
Service Award i
Katie Every,
licensed profess
counselor who
Mentaffleal*
in the
Coordii
Association ?75 ?
Rmsyth Coumty Health Depa
Noath Camouma '"orsyth Medic
The J.1
Business & Inc
was presented to Firebirds Wood Fire Grill Re
for providing the lunches on the last day to tl
I enforcement officers participating in CIT
Intervention Team) training.
The Mental Health Media Award was |
;1 Cottingham. public affairs
oint Human Serv ices for his
ekly communication that provides info
tide range mental health of topics. The 1
Bant Jr. Volunteer of the Year Awanfe
^^Hpringer. a young adult volunteer v
l's Home and Lisa Kay, a longtin
th Association volunteer.
Elizabeth RomingerCuningham Fu
presented to Kristen Zaks for I
help the Association raise dolla
rent to Hank Marsh, a staffer will
ve Community Treatment Team) |
LLIjC, who freely gives his tin
e in need.
5r?'
Family Risk of
Breast and
Ovarian Cancer
Although most cancer occurs by
chance (also called "sporadic" cancer), in
some families, there are more cancers
than one would expect to see by chance.
Out of all the breast cancers diagnosed
each year, approximately 7-10% are due
to heredity, which means the transfer of
genetic characteristics from one genera
tion to the next. Approximately I in
5(X) women and men have a mutation in
certain genes which makes them more
susceptible to getting cancer. This
means that approximately 250,000
women (and men) are mutation carriers.
What is hereditary breast
and ovarian cancer?
Hereditary breast and ovarian cancer
(or HBCX") is an inherited condition that
causes a significantly high risk for devel
oping these two cancers, often before age
5 0 .
Most
HBOC
i s
c a u s e d
by a
change
(called a
muta
tion) in
one of
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wake Forest
VHIVIIIITY
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genes. BRCAI or BRCA2. Everyone
has these genes, but in some people, the
genes don't work properly. These genes
are involved in eel I growth and division;
they act like the brakes on a car to keep
cells from growing out of control. If the
genes are not working properly, cells can
continue to grow and reproduce
unchecked, allowing a cancer to develop.
Unlike sporadic cancers, these mutations
can be passed from parent to child.
Since we inherit one copy of each gene
from both the father and the mother, the
mutation can come from either parent.
It is now possible to test for these muta
tions by looking for mistakes in these
genes through a process known as genet
ic testing.
Who should consider having
genetic testing?
A personal or family history that
includes any of the following should
consider testing: breast cancer prior to
age 50; ovarian cancer at any age; in^je
breast cancer at any age; bilateral (cancer
in both breasts) breast cancer; both
breast and ovarian cancer; relative with
known BRCAI or 2 mutations;
Ashkenazi/Eastern European Jewish
descent: or multiple family members
with breast andfor ovarian cancer (all on
mother's or father's side of the family).
What is involved in genetic test
ing?
Anyone who is considering genetic
testing should plan to meet with a genet
ic counselor first. During this visit,
family and personal cancer history will
be assessed and benefits as well as limi
tations to testing will be discussed.
Cancer risks associated with the heredi
tary syndrome and implications for fam
ily members will also be reviewed. If
genetic testing appears to be appropriate,
an informed consent will be obtained and
a blood specimen (one tube) will be
drawn for testing. The turnaround time
for receiving test results is approximate
ly 3 weeks.
Risks associated with mutations?
Women who have mutations in these
genes are believed to have a lifetime
breast cancer risk of approximately 55
87%. The risk for ovarian cancer ranges
from 27-44%. depending on which gene
is involved. Males who have mutations
in these genes have a 6-7% risk of devel
Scc Cancer on AX
Warriors in the Fight
October Is c.
Breast Cancer /
Awareness Month N
+ Wear Something Pink 4 >
I'' October 21, 20U L
ly S^battimn Htmlth C?nwr
NC A&T Photo
N.C. A&T Stale University students, faculty and staff pose after march
iifi fr"m the Sebastian Health Center to the Memorial Student Union to
heighten awareness , commemorate lives lost and celebrate survivors of
breast cancer in conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Local professor also not a
fan of toddlers watching TV
American Academy of Pediatrics says parents should
unplug electronic devices
CHRONICLE STAFF RHPORT
Wake Forest University Professor of
Communication Marina Krcmar (Krutch-mar)
says the American Academy of Pediatrics' rec
ommendation last week that parents limit
their kids' television-watching and computer
usage is nothing new.
Krcmar. a national expert on the effects of
television on very
young children, says the
AAP's suggestion is
virtually the same rec
ommendations it gave
back in 1999. The dif
ference now, according
to Krcmar, is there is
more evidence to back
up the AAP's assertion
that television provides
1 ? ? few benefits to infants
Krcmar and toddlers.
During its annual
meeting in Boston last week, the AAP
released a report that strongly discouraged par
ents from allowing their kids to use any kind
of electronic media. Even popular kiddy
shows like "Sesame Street" received a thumbs
down from the group. The AAP said such
shows are detrimental for kids under two
because they don't yet have the attention span
and intellectual capacity to fully understand
them.
Krcmar 's own research also shows a lack
of educational benefit for young children
watching TV. Children younger than age
two tend to learn better from a real person
than when identical material is presented on a
screen .
"Television and screen time may not be
bad for very young children, but it takes away
from things that arc good for them... like
crawling around and playing," she says. "We
have known for years that children ages 3 and
older can learn from programs like "Sesame
Street. " Krcmar said. But, it seems televi
sion programming for children under the age
of two does not help them learn.
Krcmar 's comments and research have
been featured on FOX News, Reuters and in a
variety of other media outlets, including par
enting magazines. Her book, "Living without
the Screen." takes a look at families who do
not have televisions in their homes.
Dating with HTV
From NN PA /Black AIDS Institute
Earlier in my adulthood. I met a guy who I actually
thought was "the One." He was charming, educated and sexy.
We had great conversations and an even better friendship.
But, as happens, a prob
lem arose: he asked me to
stop e&icating people about
HIV and to cover up my
AIDS-awareness ribbon and
live a "normal" life. The
crazy thing is that his
request was not the prob
lem; 1 believe in freedom of
speech, and he certainly had
a right to his opinion. The problem was that those words
came from one of my own. No. not a Black man? one who
is HIV positive.
I have never stopped dating since being diagnosed with
HIV eight years ago. HIV does not limit me from doing any
thing. I do have options when it comes to men. and when dat
See Brown on A 10
Marvelyn
Brown
Guest
Columnist
Study: Blacks more burdened by large joints osteoarthritis
SPECIAL TO 1 HI CHRONICLE
New rcscarch from the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill suggests
African Americans"7 have higher rates of
multiple, large-joint osteoarthritis (OA)
that may not he recognized based on the
current definition of "generalized OA."
African Americans were also more
likely to have knee OA. hut less likely to
be affected by hand OA than Caucasians,
according to the findings reported today in
Arthritis & Rheumatism, a peer-reviewed
journal of the American College of
Rheumatology (ACR).
OA is the most common type of arthri
tis and typically affects multiple joints.
The National Institute of Arthritis and
Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
(NIAMS) estimates that more than 27
million adults 25 years of age and older are
burdened by OA. With the percentage of
those affected by OA increasing as the
population ages. NIAMS projects that 67
million individuals will have doctor-diag
nosed arthritis by 2030. While previous
studies have investigated radiographic or
symptomatic OA patterns using combina
tions of joint sites, research of multi-joint
involvement has mainly been limited to
Caucasian women.
For the current study, part of the
Johnston County (N.C.) Osteoarthritis
Project, Dr. Amanda Nelson from the
University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill-UNC Rheumatology/Thurston
Arthritis Research Center and her col
leagues analyzed radiographic data for the
hands, knee, hips and spine in African
American and Caucasian men and women
45 years of age and older.
The analysis showed that African
Americans had significantly less frequent
OA in finger tip joints, but were twice as
likely as whites to have knee OA and had
77 percent greater odds of knee and spine
OA together.
"Racial differences in OA phenotypes
were more significant than gender dispari
ty," concluded Dr. Nelson. "Our findings
suggest a substantial health burden of
large-joint OA. particularly hip and spine,
among African Americans and further stud
ies that address this concern are warrant
ed."