Cornea Cell Density Predictive of Graft Failure
at Six Months Post Transplant
A new predictor of cornea transplant success has been identified by the Cornea Donor Study (CDS) Investigator Group. New analysis of data from the 2008 Specular Microscopy Ancillary Study (SMAS), a subset of the CDS, found that the preoperative donor cell count of endothelial cells, previously considered to be an important predictor of a successful transplant, did not correlate with graft success.
Instead the study found that a patient's endothelial cell count six months post-cornea transplant is a better indicator of subsequent failure of the graft rather than the donor’s cell count. These results offer an additional, reliable indicator of success that surgeons can use for monitoring patients at the six-month milestone after transplantation.
"These new findings of the SMAS are excellent examples of evidence-based medicine impacting clinical practice," says Jonathan H. Lass, M.D., senior author of the study and professor and chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Case Medical Center. Read more.
Campus News
The payroll department is no longer accepting direct deposit authorization from bank branches. The authorization now needs to come directly from the employee or student. Contact the payroll department at 368-4290 with questions.
The Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations seeks nominations for the 2010 John A. Yankey Student Community Service Award. The award will be presented to a current Mandel Center student who has been actively engaged as a volunteer in a successful community service activity or project. The award is accompanied by a $1,000 prize. The nomination deadline is noon, Thursday, Feb. 18. Call Arlene Sheeran at 368-4211 or go online for more information.
The SAGES Café is now serving soup. All soups are made fresh at the Souper Market in Ohio City, and ingredients are all free range and organic.
For Faculty and Staff
Case Western Reserve University is completing its university-wide e-mail transition from mail.case.edu (iPlanet) to webmail.case.edu (Google mail). All @case.edu accounts need to be moved before Jan. 31. To avoid any interruption of e-mail delivery, Information Technology Services (ITS) is encouraging campus members to update their e-mail settings to CWRU Google mail as soon as possible. ITS will not be automatically moving any e-mail for campus clients. ITS recommends that campus members move their accounts before January 31. Go online for details and documentation on how to make the transition. Campus members who have questions or need assistance moving to CWRU Google mail should call local IT support or the ITS Help Desk at (216) 368-HELP (4357). There are a series of short training sessions open to all faculty and staff.
For Students
Top third- and fourth-year students are scheduled to receive applications for the Mortar Board Honor Society this week. Applications are due Tuesday, Feb. 2. Selected members will be notified in mid-February.
Marc Canter, CEO of Broadband Mechanics and founder of MacroMind, will be the guest speaker for "Case Entrepreneurs," at 5 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 20, in the second floor student lounge at the School of Law. In addition to Canter, two students will pitch their new product innovations to the group. Join students from design, engineering, business and medicine to discuss entrepreneurship issues, share business ideas and work together to launch real products. Send an e-mail to the group for more information.
Information sessions on spring semester DJ training at WRUW-FM will be held at 1 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 24, and at 7 p.m., Monday, Jan. 25, in Mather Memorial 125. Students interested in being on the radio should attend one of these sessions.
Project Club, a campus organization dedicated to the support of student projects, will hold a meeting at 2 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 23, in the Project Club Lab, Olin 101. The lab serves as both a space for storage of projects-in-progress, as well as a repository of tools, materials and advice. More information about the group is available online. Contact members by e-mail through the Project Club Discussion list.
Events
Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Week events
for Wednesday, Jan. 20:
- Kelvin Smith Library (KSL) will host a "A Word, A Song," a performance tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahalia Jackson, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Dampeer Room. A light lunch will be provided. RSVP to Susie Hanson or Earnestine Adeyemon.
- The "United We Stand : Justice as Fairness or Who Gets the Good Stuff?" dinner and discussion will take place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence. The program will be led by Shannon French, the Inamori Center's director. Open to students, faculty and staff. Register online today.
- Ongoing events: the "I Have a Dream Display" at Thwing Center and the "Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr." traveling trunk exhibit at KSL.
The Office of General Counsel is hosting the Great Lakes Higher Education Law Symposium on Tuesday, Feb. 2. The event, designed for attorneys and administrators involved in higher education, will cover challenging issues in higher education and best practices. Approximately 30 speakers will be presenting. CLE credit is pending. Go online for information and to register.
The Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative (CTSC) invites the campus community to attend its seminar series presentation at 4:30 today in Frohring Auditorium. Michael Simonson, associate professor of medicine and oncology, will discuss "Endothelin as a Novel Therapeutic Target for Fibrosis and the Complications of Diabetes." The seminar will be broadcast live.
The views and opinions of those invited to speak on campus do not necessarily reflect the views of the university administration or any other segment of the university community.
Et al.
History majors Laura Ansley and Paul Niebrzydowski presented at the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society 2010 Conference. Ansley's paper, "Women West of the Imagination," contrasts western dime novels and the cowgirls found in them with real women in the American west. Her mentor is Renee Sentilles, associate professor. Niebrzydowski's paper, "Understanding Energy Independence," examines how the concept of energy independence was employed by the Nixon and Ford administrations. His faculty mentor is Peter Shulman, assistant professor. Their research was made possible with Support of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors (SOURCE) funding.
