APEX MEDICAL GROUP WILL PAY $4.36M TO RESOLVE FEDERAL AND STATE HEALTH CARE FRAUD INVESTIGATION - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., May 3 -- The U.

S. Department of Justice's Federal Bureau of Investigation Knoxville Field Office issued the following press release:

A settlement was finalized this week with Apex Medical Group, P.

C., d.b.a. Nephrology Consultants, a local nephrology physician practice group, and certain affiliated dialysis centers in Knox and surrounding counties. Apex Medical Group (Apex) agreed to pay $4.36 million to settle alleged violations of the federal False Claims Act, the Tennessee Medicaid False Claims Act, and other federal and state laws and regulations.

A government investigation revealed that from at least 2001 through 2006, Apex submitted numerous false and fraudulent claims to government health programs, including Medicare and TennCare, for payment through a pattern of upcoding for various physician services. During that same time frame, the six dialysis clinics owned by Extracorporeal Technologies, Inc., and Fort Sanders Kidney Center, Inc., improperly submitted inaccurate claims to these government health programs for a variety of dialysis services.

'The federal False Claims Act is intended to provide a means for the government to recover moneys paid by federal programs to persons and companies who have knowingly sought and received funds to which they were not entitled.' explained U.

S. Attorney Bill Killian. The payment Apex must now make in connection with this settlement is to compensate both federal and state government health programs, for funds it received as a result of improper billing practices. 'Public funds pay for the largest share of healthcare services provided in the United States and we must ensure that such funds are paid only when authorized by law,' said U.

S. Attorney Killian.

As part of this overall settlement, Apex and Dr. Naseemul Siddiqi have entered into a comprehensive five-year Integrity Agreement with the Office of Inspector General of the U.

S. Department of Health and Human Services to ensure the future compliance of the Apex with federal health care benefit program requirements.

'This settlement is another example of our strong commitment to aggressively pursue health care providers who recklessly bill the Medicare program,' said Derrick L. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge of the U.

S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General in Atlanta, Georgia. 'The Office of Inspector General and the U.

S. Attorney's Office will continue to protect taxpayer dollars.'

Tennessee Attorney General Bob Cooper said, 'The successful resolution of this case required a high degree of cooperation between agencies. The coordinated pursuit of fraud is an essential component of a well-run health care system.'

U.

S. Attorney Killian further noted that this settlement resolves a comprehensive investigation into allegations regarding the Apex billing practices in an action filed on behalf of the United States and the State of Tennessee under the qui tam (commonly known as the whistle-blower) provisions of the federal False Claims Act.

The investigative team whose diligent efforts resulted in this settlement was comprised of representatives from the U.

S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.

S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), and the Tennessee Valley Authority Office of Inspector General (TVA-OIG).

U.

S. Attorney Killian commended all who participated in this complex investigation. He specifically noted the work of lead HHS-OIG Special Agent Tony Maffei, FBI Forensic Accountant/Certified Fraud Examiner LeAnn Lanz, TBI Special Agent Margaret Chiunard, and TVA-OIG Special Agent Elizabeth Sherrod, along with Assistant U.

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR RODERICK HORI OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER RECEIVES $112,266 GRANT FOR PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

MEMPHIS, Tenn., April 18 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news release:

Roderick Hori, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), has received an award of $112,266 from the U.

S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity for a study titled, 'Delineation of Methyl-DNA Binding Protein Interactions in the Prostate Cancer Genome.' The award will fund a one-year study to further prostate cancer research.

Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in American men. About one in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime and about one in 36 men will die from prostate cancer. This study will analyze the activity of DNA of both prostate cancer and normal cells, which are regulated in part by methylation -- the addition of a small chemical group. The pattern of DNA methylation differs between prostate cancer cells and normal cells. These differences lead to the improper expression of critical genes. Methylated DNA can be bound by a family of proteins -- known as MBD proteins -- which determine the eventual consequence of DNA methylation.

The primary goal of Dr. Hori's research is to define and compare the binding of MBD proteins throughout the entire genome of prostate cancer and normal tissues, and identify the differences in MBD protein binding. This information will allow Dr. Hori and his team to identify novel genes regulated by DNA methylation and MBD binding during prostate cancer progression, which could lead to the development of new biomarkers.

'When DNA becomes methylated, it is bound by MBD proteins and results in altered gene expression, which contributes to cancer,' said Dr. Hori. 'This study will both unravel the steps that lead from DNA methylation to altered gene expression and identify new genes that are inappropriately expressed in prostate cancer due to MBD proteins.'

These studies could also provide insight into understanding the steps that regulate genes during prostate cancer progression and lead to designing new directions in therapy.

The U.

S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity is the contracting element of the U.

S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command and provides support to the Command headquarters and its worldwide network of laboratories and medical logistics organizations. For more information, please visit http://www.usamraa.army.mil/index.cfm.

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrated its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care. Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. The UTHSC campus in Knoxville includes a College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and an Allied Health Sciences unit. In addition, the UTHSC Chattanooga campus includes a College of Medicine and an Allied Health Sciences unit. Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state. For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com

PROFESSOR CHRISTOPHER NOSRAT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER PUBLISHES MANUSCRIPT IN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY DESCRIBING DEVELOPMENT OF A RODENT MODEL FOR SUPERTASTING - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

MEMPHIS, Tenn., June 19 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news release:

Christopher Nosrat, DDS, PhD, professor of Dentistry and director of the Oral Cancer Division in the Center for Cancer Research at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), recently published a manuscript in the Journal of Biological Chemistry (JBC), one of the highest impact research publications in the field. The manuscript titled, 'Targeted Taste Cell Specific Over-Expression of BDNF in Adult Taste Buds Elevates pTrkB Levels in Taste Cells, Increases Taste Bud Size and Promotes Gustatory Innervation,' discusses making new models for 'supertasting.' The manuscript, which was featured in the May 11 issue, is the second paper Dr. Nosrat has had published in the JBC.

In 1995, Dr. Nosrat, a dentist by training with doctorate and postdoctorate education in neurosciences, showed that a specific protein, called Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), is found in the developing and adult taste buds of rodents and humans. To prove the importance of BDNF in the taste system, he showed that transgenic rodents that lack this protein lose their taste buds as well as the nerves that connect the taste sensors to the brain.

With his laboratory partner and spouse Irina Nosrat, DDS, and Robert Margolskee, MD, PhD, the team embarked on developing a new genetically modified mouse model, in which taste cells strongly overproduced this protein. Dr. Margolskee is co-director of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, Pa., -- the largest research institute for studies of taste and smell disorders in the United States.

Based on research findings, they hypothesized that these rodents might represent a model for a phenomenon seen in humans known as supertasting. Human supertasters perceive a much greater intensity from tastants* than the average person. About 25 percent of Americans are supertasters, directly correlating with a larger number of taste sensory cells and detection threshold for different taste substances. There is evidence in scientific literature that due to the intensity of their sensory ability, supertasters need to consume less sugary and fatty substances, helping to protect the cardiovascular system. This novel model is significant because it will allow therapeutic strategies to be developed that will improve nerve recovery after injury, where the taste wiring to the brain is damaged.

'BDNF is an evolutionary important protein, not only for the taste system but also for the development and correct wiring of the nervous system. By generating the supertaster rodent model, we are able to study the supertasting phenomenon in detail.'

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrated its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care. Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. The UTHSC campus in Knoxville includes a College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and an Allied Health Sciences unit. In addition, the UTHSC Chattanooga campus includes a College of Medicine and an Allied Health Sciences unit. Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state. For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com

3 FINALISTS SELECTED IN SEARCH FOR DEAN, COLLEGE OF NURSING, AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Jan. 20 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news release:

The search committee charged with finding top candidates to fill the position of dean for the College of Nursing at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) has selected three finalists. During the next few weeks, each of the finalists will visit the main UTHSC campus in Memphis for interviews.

The finalists include:

* Sally J. Reel, PhD, RN, FNP, BC, FAAN, FAANP, associate dean for Academic Practice and clinical professor, College of Nursing, and director, Arizona Area Health Education Centers Program, University of Arizona

* Laura A. Talbot, PhD, EdD, RN, GCNS-BC, Dean W. Colvard Distinguished Professor in Nursing, professor, and director of the Health Services Research PhD Program, College of Health and Human Services, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

* Sarah Ann Thompson, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor and associate dean of Academic Programs in the College of Nursing, and professor in the College of Public Health, Department of Health Services Research and Administration, University of Nebraska Medical Center

Co-chaired by Kennard Brown, JD, MPA, PhD, executive vice chancellor and chief operations officer at UTHSC, and David Stern, MD, executive dean of the College of Medicine and interim vice chancellor of Research at UTHSC, the 14-member search committee represents a broad-based group of faculty, students, alumni and UTHSC hospital partners.

'As a committee, our mission is to recommend to Chancellor Steve Schwab a list of proven leaders who will aggressively promote the continued success of the College of Nursing's academic programs, research initiatives and national reputation of excellence,' Dr. Brown said.

* 'We are pleased with the initial, diverse pool of applicants we reviewed. We think each of the three finalists is a well-qualified, capable leader, and we look forward to hosting them on our campus,' he added.

Each finalist will take part in two full days of meetings in Memphis. The campus visits will provide UTHSC administrators, faculty and staff a chance to familiarize themselves with each candidate, as well as give each candidate an opportunity to get acquainted with the main UTHSC campus.

The search for a new dean began in August 2011. The search committee, with the assistance of Parker Executive Search, an Atlanta-based firm, considered 14 candidates. Six were chosen for a round of preliminary interviews in December. From that group, the three finalists were selected. After the campus interviews, the committee will provide Chancellor Schwab with its evaluation of the candidates.

The dean for the College of Nursing is the chief academic and administrative officer who provides inspirational leadership for the College of Nursing, administers the annual budget, and serves as the principal external representative of the college. The dean is expected to develop an effective, collegial environment that supports excellence in education, research, clinical care and public service. The dean reports to the chancellor of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and will be part of the leadership team.

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrated its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care. Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. UTHSC has additional colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy plus an Allied Health Sciences unit in Knoxville, as well as a College of Medicine campus in Chattanooga. Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state. For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com

JAMES DALE, PROFESSOR AND CHIEF, DIVISION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER RECEIVES $315,000 GRANT FOR VACCINE DEVELOPMENT - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Nov. 21 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news release:

James Dale, MD, Gene H. Stollerman Professor of Medicine and chief, Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), has received a grant for $315,000 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a subsidiary of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Funding will be used to continue the development of vaccines against one of the most common bacterial infections in humans, streptococcal sore throat, more commonly known as strep throat. Subject to funds availability and project progress, the grant is renewable annually over five years with a projected total value of $1,575,000.

The project titled, 'Vaccine Prevention of Group A Streptococcal Infections,' is an extension of ongoing work by Dr. Dale and his research team. Their work has resulted in the discovery, development and clinical testing of highly complex recombinant M protein-based vaccines to prevent streptococcal infections in North America and Europe. The new funding will allow Dr. Dale and his colleagues to identify a new generation of vaccines that can extend the potential coverage of treatment in areas of the world where group A streptococcal infections account for 90 percent of the global disease burden.

Group A streptococcal infections cause a number of clinical syndromes, ranging from uncomplicated strep throat and skin infections to serious infections that include sepsis, toxic shock syndrome, and pneumonia. In some individuals, infections can also trigger acute rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease or acute kidney disease.

'The world needs a safe, effective and affordable vaccine to prevent streptococcal infections and their most serious complications,' said Dr. Dale. 'The new funding from the NIH will support the basic research needed to develop a vaccine for the entire world that could have a major impact on the health of millions of people.'

In the United States, the economic toll of streptococcal sore throat alone is estimated to be $2 billion. However, the most significant burden resulting from these infections is rheumatic heart disease, which remains rampant in poorer countries and results in nearly one million premature deaths annually.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.

S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrates its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care. Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. The UTHSC campus in Knoxville includes a College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and an Allied Health Sciences unit. In addition, the UTHSC Chattanooga campus includes a College of Medicine and an Allied Health Sciences unit. Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state. For more information, visit www.uthsc. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com

PHYSIOLOGY PROFESSOR ANJAPARAVANDA NAREN OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER RECEIVES $1,217,250 GRANT FOR DIARRHEAL DISEASES RESEARCH - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Oct. 25 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news release:

Anjaparavanda Naren, PhD, professor of Physiology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), has received a research grant totaling $1,217,250 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, a subsidiary of the National Institutes of Health. The award will be distributed over a four-year period to fund his study on diarrheal diseases. Diarrhea is a common cause of illness and death globally, especially among the elderly and young children in developing countries. The condition can lead to physical dehydration and chemical imbalances.

Worldwide, four billion diarrhea episodes occur annually, leading to 4 percent of all deaths each year. In the United States, approximately 300 million episodes of acute diarrhea occur annually, resulting in about eight million physician visits and more than 900,000 hospitalizations. Many of these cases involve the activation of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), a protein that functions as a channel across the membrane of cells and produces digestive enzymes and the secretion of body fluids.

Using a mouse model, Dr. Naren's research will examine the formation of the macromolecular complexes* of CFTR under physiologically healthy conditions, as well as diseased states. By reviewing the condition at the molecular level, Dr. Naren and his team will determine ways to control fluid loss, and thus cure secretory diarrheal diseases, which cause secretion of water through the intestine.

'Secretory diarrheas affect a large number of people worldwide, and it is important to study the disease at the molecular level,' said Dr. Naren. 'Results from this study will help us to better understand the pathogenic process of deadly secretory diarrheas and assist us with discovering new treatments.'

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) conducts and supports research on many of the most serious diseases affecting public health. Studies include a array of metabolic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, inborn errors of metabolism, endocrine disorders, mineral metabolism, digestive and liver diseases, nutrition, urology and renal disease, and hematology. For more information about NIDDK and its research, visit http://www2.niddk.nih.gov/.

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrates its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care. Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. The UTHSC campus in Knoxville includes a College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and an Allied Health Sciences unit. In addition, the UTHSC Chattanooga campus includes a College of Medicine and an Allied Health Sciences unit. Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state. For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com

PROFESSOR LAWRENCE PFEFFER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER FINDS STRATEGY FOR MAKING ANTI-CANCER DRUGS WORK BETTER - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Nov. 18 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news release:

Lawrence Pfeffer, PhD, Muirhead Professor of Pathology and director of the Center for Cancer Research at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) has identified a pathway that is proving successful in making several anti-cancer drugs work more effectively in cancer cells. His study was published in the journal, Cancer Research, in October.

In his study, Dr. Pfeffer and his UTHSC research team (assistant professors Chuan He Yang, PhD; Meiyun Fan, PhD, and Junming Yue, PhD) learned that a specific member of a class of small, genetic molecules referred to as microRNAs* (miRNAs) regulate the sensitivity of cancer cells to anti-cancer drugs. MiRNAs regulate the expression of genes, and in human cancers, certain miRNAs are over-expressed and may function as oncogenes (genes that contribute to cancer). Dr. Pfeffer found that anti-cancer drugs, including Interferon** (IFN), increase the levels of a specific miRNA called miR-21, which is already at high levels in many cancers. Since IFN is useful for treating some cancers, Dr. Pfeffer became concerned that IFN was not as effective as hoped for treating prevalent cancers such as prostate, brain, skin and breast cancer.

Determined to make IFN and other anti-cancer drugs more effective, Dr. Pfeffer targeted his research on IFN to treat several malignancies, including prostate cancer, the leading cancer in males in Tennessee. He confirmed that in cancers where IFN was ineffective for killing cancer cells, IFN rapidly increased the levels of miR-21. In response, Dr. Pfeffer developed a strategy (infusing a specific virus into the cancer cells) to lower the levels of miR-21. The strategy was a success and proved that IFN is quite effective for killing cancer cells when high levels of this specific miRNA were lowered. In addition, lower miR-21 levels makes more cells sensitive to IFN, as well as to a variety of other anti-cancer agents, such as camptothecin and staurosporine.

Dr. Pfeffer's study is moving into the next phase of research which will be conducted over the next two to three years. If the researcher continues to find success with his strategy, he will test his discovery in human clinical trials.

The research is partly funded through a $500,000 five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health that is shared between Dr. Pfeffer and Andrew M. Davidoff, MD, chair of Surgery at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Dr. Davidoff is directing the clinical study as it relates to brain cancer, while Dr. Pfeffer is leading the basic science component. Both scientists are in their second year of this study. Additional funding of $80,000 to $100,000 annually derives from the UTHSC Muirhead Endowed Chair of Excellence held by Dr. Pfeffer.

*MicroRNAs - Short, RNA genes in plants and animals that are transcribed from DNA, but not translated into protein. MicroRNAs regulate the expression of genes and are usually 20-25 nucleotides in length (a small fraction of the width of a human hair). Although microRNAs generally act within the cell, recent reports show that microRNAs can also be released into the bloodstream.

**Interferon - A protein which triggers the immune system to eradicate pathogens or tumors.

About the University of Tennessee Health Science Center

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrates its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care. Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. UTHSC has additional colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy plus an Allied Health Sciences unit in Knoxville, as well as a College of Medicine campus in Chattanooga. Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state. For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR KENICHI TOKITA OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER RECEIVES $444,000 GRANT FOR TASTE PROCESSING RESEARCH - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Oct. 28 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news release:

Kenichi Tokita, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), has received a grant totaling $444,000 from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, a subsidiary of the National Institutes of Health. The grant will fund a study examining the role taste perception and function play in brain function. Funding for the study titled, 'The Role of the Thalamus in Taste Processing,' will be distributed over a three-year period.

Many sensory functions are linked to the thalamus, which is a symmetrical structure located in the center of the brain. Once the thalamus detects a sensation, such as taste, sound or movement, it then, through neurological connections, relays the perception throughout the brain. In this study, Dr. Tokita and his research team will examine how taste perception and behavior contribute to brain functioning as a whole, using rodents as research models.

The rodent has become a vital research model, due to the obvious advantages of genetically modified strains. However, from an anatomical, physiological or behavioral perspective, relatively little is known about the function of the rodent gustatory system, the sensory system for the sense of taste known as VPMpc.

'In this project, we take a multi-level approach towards clarifying the function of the mouse VPMpc,' said Dr. Tokita. 'These basic studies will also set the table for future studies in taste processing utilizing genetically targeted lines of rodents.'

In this novel project, each experiment represents the very first study of VPMpc function in the mouse, a species of burgeoning use in the gustatory field.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.

S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR JUNLING WANG OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER RECEIVES $886,742 GRANT TO FURTHER MEDICATION THERAPY MANAGEMENT RESEARCH - US Fed News Service, Including US State News

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Sept. 27 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news release:

Junling Wang, PhD, associate professor of Health Outcomes and Policy Research in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), has received a grant totaling $886,742 from the National Institute on Aging, a subsidiary of the National Institutes of Health. The award will be used to further her study on medication therapy management (MTM) and its effects on racial and ethnic disparities. The award will be funded over a three-year period for the study titled, 'Health Implications of MTM Eligibility Criteria.'

The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act -- implemented in 2006 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services -- requires prescription drug plans for Medicare beneficiaries to establish MTM programs with a purpose to 'optimize therapeutic outcomes by improving medication use and reducing adverse events.' However, Dr. Wang and her team's recently published analyses of historical data demonstrate that racial and ethnic minorities are less likely to be eligible for MTM than Caucasians.

'Our long-term goal for this project is to determine the types of government policies and congressional legislation that can reduce disparities,' said Dr. Wang. 'To understand the health implications of MTM eligibility criteria for minorities, we will determine whether the racial and ethnic disparities in health status, health services utilization and costs, and medication utilization patterns among MTM-eligible individuals are different from the disparities among MTM-ineligible individuals.'

This research proves important because significant differences among MTM-ineligible individuals would suggest that the MTM eligibility criteria have the potential to aggravate racial and ethnic differences.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.

S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrates its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care. Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. The UTHSC campus in Knoxville includes a College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and an Allied Health Sciences unit. In addition, the UTHSC Chattanooga campus includes a College of Medicine and an Allied Health Sciences unit. Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state. For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com