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Health & Wellness Healthbeat Agency seeks to honor mental health champions The Annual Meeting and Awards presentation of the Mental Health Association in Forsyth County will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 30 beginning at 6 p.m. at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 520 Summit St. The guest speaker will be Dr. _ _ William Satterwhite, a local pediatrician, and the agency will present its annual awards to rec ognize and honor indi viduals, groups, agen cies, schools, churches and businesses for their mental health advocacy. The public is being invited to submit names of nominees. The only iBHSB* qualification is someone who has worked quietly with dignity and with compassion on behalf of those with mental illness. Nominees can be: volunteers, interested citizens, professionals, persons with mental illness, family members, leaders in business and industry, civic organizations and/or groups. Award nomination forms are available at the Mental Health Association in Forsyth County, 1509 S Hawthorne Road. Nominations are due by Tuesday, Oct. 9. For more information, call 336-768-3880 or go to http://triadmentalhealth.org. WSSU receives NSF grant Dr. Charles Ebert, assistant professor of chemistry at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU), has received a two-year grant for $199518 from the National Science Foundation for a research project to expand the potential to improve the understanding of peripheral nerve regeneration and the treatment of peripheral nerve injuries. "Peripheral nerve injuries, most often seen as a result of automobile accidents and bat tlefield injuries, create the loss of sensation and function in thousands of people in the U.S. annually," Ebert explained. "The gold standard for treatment has been to implant a donated nerve fiber to repair nerve Bhtrt gaps. Unfortunately, this is expensive and relies on donors. Now, recent successes have suggested that keratin isolated from human hair may support the repairing of damaged nerves, and human hair keratin is plentiful and inexpensive to refine." Studies have indicated that the keratin serves as a scaffolding to induce damaged nerves to grow togeth er and regenerate the peripheral nerve by interacting with nerve cells known as Schwann cells. Ebert's research is designed to demonstrate that keratin does specifically interact with the Schwann cells and then examine the molecular basis of that interaction. Working in collaboration with the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the project will continue to study the structure and function of the Schwann cells. Additionally, the project will include a strong educational component by involving under graduate students from WSSU in the research. The grant is part of the Research Initiation Award efforts of the National Science Foundation that pro vides support for research by a faculty member in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Mayor signs on to safe texting initiative Mayor Allen Joines is partnering with AT&T to promote AT&T's "It Can Wait" campaign that asks citizens to pledge to stop texting while driving. Joines issued a proclamation designating Sept. 19 as "NoText on Board Pledge Day" in Winston-Salem. AT&T is calling on Americans ? ? r ? to mane a nreiong commit ment to never text and drive, and to share that commitment through Twitter, Face book and other social networks. The company offers its customers a free "Drive Mode" phone app that sends an automatic reply that the user is driving and cannot respond when texts, emails 1_1 1? . . ? M ana pnone cans are receivea. "I applaud AT&T for tak ing the lead in doing something constructive to reduce the incidence of this dangerous practice," Joines said. 'Tenting while driving not only endangers the lives of the driver and any passengers, but also those in other vehicles who are sharing the road with a texting driv er. According to research by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, texting drivers are 23 times more likely to be in an accident. Texting drivers are involved in more than 100,000 automobile accidents a year, according to the National Safety Council. North Carolina prohibited texting and driving in 2009. Cynthia Marshall, the president of AT&T North Carolina, said the "It Can Wait" campaign is intended to make all drivers, but especially teens, recognize that no text message is worth dying for. To support the campaign, WSTV 13, the city TV station, will run public service announcements and a 10-minute documentary produced by AT&T to pro mote its "It Can Wait" campaign. The videos can be seen at www.itcanwait.com. Joints Church and Community Fitness Day slated for Sunday CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT The nonprofit U-Fit2 Health & Wellness Inc. and Union Baptist Church will host Church and Community Fitness Day on Sunday, Sept. 30 from 11 ajn. - 2 pjn. at the church, 1200 N. Trade St. With "Yes We Can Be Healthier" mmm ?anKTTI -ra as its tneme, tne event is designed to motivate members of the local church community to take better care of them selves. It is free and open to the public, and parishioners from all churches and of all denominations are strongly encouraged to attend. There will be free health screen ings, prizes, food, fitness exercise ses sions for all levels and a panel discus sion led by Dr. Joanette McClain, retired professor of Nursing at Winston-Salem State University. Other presenters will include profes sional fitness trainer Bienda Smith, Life Coach Winifred Giddings, WSSU Coach James Baswell and counselor Cheri Evans. Exercise session instruc tors will include Katina Jones-Rice, FUe Photo U-Fit2's Sharon D. Cunningham leads a session. LaTonya Smalls and Sharon D. Cunningham, the founder and head of U-Fit2 Health & Wellness. Tracey McCain of WFMY News2 will serve as the emcee and City Council Member Denise "DD" Adams will be on hand to exercise and support the effort. The U-Fit2 philosophy is that one's faith has the power help them overcome the barriers that are faced in achieving optimal physical and emotional health through the demonstration of exercise-related activities and a conscientious meal plan. Professor trains coaches to tackle sexually offensive talk SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE Imagine what would hap pen if a high school teacher encouraged students to per form well by alluding to sexu al violence or derided a stu dent's efforts in the classroom by using slang for a woman's body part. Few, if any, school systems would tolerate such abusive language in the class room. Donna Duffy, a UNCG fac ulty member, argues the same standards should apply to coaches interacting with their players. She has created a one hour workshop, "Coaching Coaches: An Educational Workshop to Reduce and Prevent Sexually Violent Language in Coaching," that encourages high school coach es and athletic directors to use language that is corrective and constructive when teaching and motivating their athletes, rather than language that is derogatory, sexually violent or blatant name calling. The use of rough language - such as encouraging players to "rape" their opponents - desensitizes people from the real trauma of sexual violence, Duffy said. "Language is learned. Language sets the tone. Language creates the culture. It allows people to communi cate in groups effectively. No athletic director would ever argue with reducing the amount of sexually violent language in the school day. "High school sports are an interscholastic event, an exten sion of the school day," Duffy See Coaches on A5 NCCU Receives Cancer-Fighting Tools NCCU Photo North Carolina Central University can cer researcher and Associate Professor Xiaoxin "Luke" Chen holds some of the more than 500 catalog antibodies that were recently donated to the school by the medical firm AbD Serotec. The antibodies will be distributed for use across five labs researching four differ ent cancers ? oro-esophageal, prostate, breast and pancreatic cancer ? at NCCU's Julius L. Chambers Biomedical!Biotechnology Research Institute (BBRI). The scientists use the antibodies to test for the presence or absence of particular cancer genes that characterize cancer development. Study to explore if black, white cancer patients receiving equable care SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE A five-year national study now underway in Greensboro and Pittsburgh attempts to deter mine if technology and other tools can make C|ir? tkot ouiv tuai nil ivun American breast and T lung cancer patients receive the same I level of care as | white Americans. Earlier research has shown that although a higher percentage of white Americans are diag nosed with breast and lung cancer, a higher proportion of || African-Americans actually die from these diseases. The Accountability for Cancer Care through Undoing Racism and Equity (ACCURE) study is funded by the National Cancer Institute and is being led as a collaborative effort between the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), The Partnership Project Inc., Cone Health and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). "It is critical that we lead this study in an equitable, partnership manner, using the community-oasea Participatory Research' approach, in order for our findings to have relevancy to the communities we hope to positively impact the most," explained Eugenia Eng. co-principal investigator and pro fessor of health behav ior at the UNC Oillings School of Global Public Health. ACCURE aims to optimize transparency and accountability to achieve racial equity in the completion of cancer treatment among patients with early stage breast and lung cancer. See Cancer on A7 Let's Talk About Ovarian Cancer Although ovarian cancer is not discussed as frequently as some other cancers, it affects many of our mothers, daughters, and sisters each and every day. In 2012, it is estimat ed that more than 22,000 new cases of ovarian cancer will be diagnosed, and 15,500 women in the United States will die from the disease. September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, so please read on to learn mote about ovarian can cer, its symptoms and treatments. What is Ovarian Cancer, and bow is H detected? Ovaries are reproductive glands in women that are responsible for producing eggs and are the main source of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. There are three main types of ovarian tumors: Epithelial tumors, which start from the cells that cover the outer surface of the ovary; germ cell tumors, which start from the cells that SSfe. TlaNjplrtCWc. produce the eggs (ova); and stromal tumors, which start from structural tissue cells that hold the ovary together and produce the female hormones estrogen and proges terone. When ovarian cancer is diag nosed early, it has a greater than 90 percent 5 year survival rate, howev er, only about 20% of ovarian can cers are diagnosed at this early stage. These are some potential signs and symptoms of ovarian can cer bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, trouble eating or feeling full quickly, feeling the need to urinate urgently or often, fatigue, upset stomach or heartburn, back pain, pain during sex and/or constipation or menstrual changes. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to diagnose ovarian cancer, as its non-specific symptoms are fre quently similar to other health con ditions. When the symptoms are persistent, and when they do not resolve with normal interventions (like diet change, exercise, laxa tives, rest) it is imperative for a woman to see her doctor. Persistence of symptoms is key. Signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer have been described as vague or silent, and they typically occur in advanced stages when tumor growth creates pressure on the bladder and rectum. What are the risks for Ovarian Cancer? Certain factors may increase a woman's risk of developing ovarian cancer, but it is essential to note that it can affect any woman. Factors that may put a woman at increased risk include: - Increased Age - Ovarian can cer is more common after menopause and is rare in women younger than 40; - Personal or family history of breast, ovarian or colon cancer, - Genetic predisposition - pres ence of mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes (this is strongly linked to increased risk of breast cancer); - Use of some fertility or hor mone treatments; - Reproductive history - women who have had a child have a Iowa risk than women who have not had a child; infertile women also may be at increased risk - Obesity/diet - Some studies show that women who eat healthy diets and have healthy lifestyles have a lower risk of developing ovarian cancer. What are the latest treatment options for ovarian cancer? There are many factors that are considered when creating a treat ment plan for a woman with ovarian cancer, and it depends largely on the type of ovarian cancer and the stage of the disease. The most common treatment plans for ovarian cancer include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. In some cases, two or possibly all of these treat ments will be recommended. It is important to consider all of your available information before decid ing on a treatment plan. TUk to your healthcare provider to make sure they answer any questions you may See Ovarlm aa AS
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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