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RESEARCH

injury, further damaging an already injured   Center, Navicent Health can be the first Level        corporations contributing to Medcen's
                                                                                                    Research and Education Fund.
brain. However, there is really not any       1 Trauma Center to speak to this topic. We are
                                                                                                    “High quality medical care is built upon years
significant literature that speaks to                      optimistic that our research can         of effort by medical professionals investigating
                                                                                                    the causes of and potential treatments for
how long is long enough for                                 improve the care of patients with       disease. There is still much work to be done
                                                                                                    and philanthropic support of this work is vital,”
active fever prevention. We            “I am hopeful that   traumatic brain injury. The             said Jack Schwartz, Chief Development Officer
are hoping that by                                            ability to complete this project      for Medcen.

following the trend of a                                    would not be possible without           For more information on Medcen Community Health
                                                                                                    Foundation, Navicent Health or to find out how you
particular brain                  we will find the answers  the Medcen grant, and I am              can play a role in funding local research, please visit
                                                                                                    NavicentHealth.org and choose “Give Back.” Medcen
neuromarker, we will                                        so thankful that Navicent               will accept applications for Research and Education
                                                                                                    Grants May 1 – July 1, 2015.
identify a time period       and be able to contribute      Health not only supports
in which we see a                                           best care for patients, but

decrease in the                   to the knowledge base,”   also supports care for
production of brain                                         patients worldwide through

inflammation in such                                        advancements in research.”

patients. If we are able to            Dr. Amy Christie.    The grant program would not be
narrow down a time period

in which the brain                                          possible without local support.

inflammation tends to subsides,                            Since 1998, Medcen has contributed

we could use this as a potential              more than $1.2 million to research and

indicator as to how long we should be         education projects. Many of the awarded

preventing fever in traumatic brain injury,” said grants are funded in joint partnership between

Dr. Christie. “We are hoping that Medical     Medcen and MUSM, with individuals and

                                  A Sample of Research Happening Now

1  “The predictive value of neuromarker S-    2  “Investigating the role of TRPV4 in                3  “Demographic Distinctions in Immune
   100B protein in determining optimal           asthma.”                                              Mechanisms of Heart Failure”

   duriation of targeted normothermia in                   a) Research Team: Qihai Gu, MD;             a) Research Team: Peter N. Uchakin,
                                                               Sabry A. Gabriel, MD; Carolyn A             PhD; Ahmed I. Shah, MD; Hemant
   traumatic brain injury.”                                    Gilbert, BS; Kristen Kettelhut,             Goyal, MD
                                                               MUSM student
   a) Research Team: Amy Christie, MD;                                                                 b) Amount: $20,000 divided by
       Dennis Ashley, MD; Richard Rowe,                    b) Amount: $20,000 divided by                   Medcen and MUSM
       MD; Joey Jarrard, MD                                    Medcen and MUSM
                                                                                                       c) Summary: Pro- and anti-cytokines
   b) Amount: $20,000 from Medcen                          c) Summary: Recent research indicates           are released by specific immune cells
                                                               that asthma occurs through                  and play a key regulatory role in the
   c) Summary: Trauma critical care                            bidirectional signaling between the         development of all inflammatory
       physicians will conduct blood tests                     immune and nervous systems.                 reactions. If, due to genetic and
       to determine the levels of S-100B in                    Researchers hypothesize that                social factors, a person's immune
       traumatic brain injury patients, with                   receptor TRPV4 plays a direct role          cells fail to balance these cytokines,
       hopes of determing how long fever                       in this communication. By studying          it could damage any organ,
       should be prevented in such patients.                   TRPV4, researchers hope to discover         specifically the heart. Researchers
                                                               new information in the development          are investigating the demographic
                                                               of asthma and offer new therapeutic         distinctions of underlying immune
                                                               strategies for treatment.                   molecular mechanisms that may lead
                                                                                                           to heart failure.

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