August 17, 2011
Newsmakers, Aug. 18
RIGOR ON THE RECORD: Ignatius G. Rigor of the UW Applied Physics Lab and Polar Science Center appeared as a sort of guest blogger in Andrew C. Revkins “Dot Earth” column in The New York Times on Aug. 10. He commented on Revkins recent post about new insights into Arctic ice retreats in the last big northern warm period. Read Rigors entire post online.
A BETTER MED?: Writing by Dr. Gregory J. del Zoppo, professor of medicine at Harborview Medical Center, was quoted recently in U.S. News & World Reports HealthDay column, on the subject of rivaroxaban, a new drug developed to lower stroke risk among patients with irregular heartbeats. A medication called Warfarin has been considered the gold standard, but often requires monitoring and a strict diet. A trial pitted rivaroxaban against warfarin in a blind study of more than 14,000 patients and proved to be as effective with its one-size-fits-all dose, and required less monitoring.
del Zoppo wrote in an accompanying journal article that multiple analyses in the new study had “muddied the waters” regarding rivaroxabans effectiveness. “Some people do well with warfarin and dont complain about one blood draw a month and watch what they eat. For those folks, warfarin is still the standard.” But on the other hand, he said, the new medication might be an answer for people who are difficult to manage on warfarin. “There are a number of people who are difficult to control and for whom the monitoring is complicated and intrusive, and they have to go monthly or weekly to have blood drawn,” he said. Read the story online.
Karina L. Walters, an associate professor in the School of Social work who has an adjunct appointment in Global Health and directs the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute, was quoted in an Aug. 10 New York Times article about the Suquamish Tribe formally recognizing same-sex marriage. She is also the leader of a national study on homosexuality among Native Americans.
The articles author, William Yardley, stated that the tribe approved the measure with a simple, enthusiastic voice vote — “No court fights. No ballot measures. No billionaires behind the scenes.” He added that homosexuality was not necessarily viewed negatively among Native Americans before their contact with Christian missionaries.
Walters said, “It went from tolerated in some tribes to very highly regarded in others.” She said that in the last couple of decades some gay Native Americans have worked to revive the idea that gay tribal members — now often referred to as “two-spirit” — sometimes served heightened spiritual roles.
“It wasnt thought of as homosexual, necessarily,” Walters said. “It was thought of as another type of gender. The whole idea behind it is tribes never excluded people.” Read the story online.
SOUTHERN LIFE: An Aug. 3 article in The Los Angeles Times explores the town of Emporia,Va., where women live an average 10 years less than their sisters in the next county over, according to research conducted by the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.
No UW individuals are quoted directly, but this article by writer Faye Fiore is a charming and revealing look at the changing lifestyles of the South, where, it states, many begin their sentences with “I declare …”
“The bad news from the life expectancy study was that women’s vices are robbing them of valuable years. The good news is the data gathered over the last two decades showed that a community can change its stars.”
And none of those quoted in the article deny its basic truth: “The very conventions that have defined them as Southern are costing some their golden years.” Read this well-written article online.
