Cadenas Awarded Tobacco Disease Grant
Photo/Kukla Vera
The award, totaling $394,380 over three years, supports Cadenas’ proposal titled “Role of Oxidative Stress and Mitochondria in COPD.” The study examines the observation that apoptosis, or cell death, continues to occur in patients with the disease even after they have stopped smoking.
Cadenas will explore the idea that once mitochondria are damaged by smoking, a vicious cycle is unleashed that spreads and intensifies the already damaging effects of cigarette smoke.
“This impairment of mitochondrial function ultimately causes cell death, which often leads to emphysema,” Cadenas said. “During the course of the project, we will consider compounds that can offset this destruction by improving mitochondrial function and thus halt or minimize the damaging effects of past smoking.”
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease damages and obstructs the lung airways, making it hard to breathe. Cigarette smoking is commonly associated with the disease, causing more than 90 percent of the cases. It is estimated that more than 24 million Americans have the disease, many of them undiagnosed.
The Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program was created in California in 1989. Funded by cigarette surtax revenues, the program supports research projects on tobacco-related diseases.
Cadenas is known for his work on cellular dysfunction in the aging process and age-related, degenerative diseases. His work, funded by the National Institutes of Health, considers events that produce free radical injury and the ultimate development of therapeutic models that prevent free radical damage and the effects of aging.
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The Chronicle of Higher Education mentioned USC’s $6 billion fundraising campaign. The story noted that USC had already raised $1 billion in a “quiet phase,” including the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College.
The Guardian (U.K.) highlighted two major gifts to USC in a list of the 10 biggest philanthropic benefactors in America. The list included the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College, and the $110 million gift from USC Trustee and USC Viterbi School alumnus John Mork and wife Julie to create the USC Mork Family Scholars Program.
The New York Times featured the USC U.S.-China Institute documentary “Assignment: China — The Week that Changed the World.” The documentary, part of a series, examines media coverage of the 1972 Nixon trip that reshaped U.S.-China relations after a quarter century of isolation and hostility. “People look back now and take it for granted that the outcome was preordained,” said the institute’s Mike Chinoy, who produced the documentary. Voice of America also featured the story.
Los Angeles Times featured the Oscar Senti-meter, a tool developed by the USC Annenberg School, Los Angeles Times and IBM that analyzes thousands of tweets about the Academy Awards nominees. The story noted that Mexican actor Demian Bechir received an enormous boost on Twitter the day of the nominations, with a total of 6,893 tweets mentioning him, a 47-fold increase from the day before. The story noted the tool uses language-recognition technology developed in collaboration with USC Viterbi School’s Signal Analysis and Interpretation Lab.
The Times of India (India) featured a three-day medical emergency training workshop organized in association with USC. At the workshop, held at GCS Medical College in India, 50 doctors and more than 100 paramedics learned how to improve emergency support systems. William Mallon of the Keck School of USC said that discussion topics included the use of portable ultrasonic devices to scan patients. “The ultrasound applications help physicians make accurate and timely decisions,” he noted. Daily News & Analysis (India) also featured the workshop.
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