CHMPR Distinguished Lecturer Series

Stepping Away From the Edge of Illness

Dr. Ancha Baranova, George Mason University

4:30-5:30pm Thursday, 6 April 2017, UC 310, UMBC
3:30-4:30pm Reception, UC 310

The human body may be afflicted by a multitude of chronic diseases. In principle, any chronic ailment develops along with one or more of the four fundamental pathophysiological processes, namely Insulin Resistance, Systemic Inflammation, Metabolic Deficiency and Tissue/Organ Involution and Degeneration. All of these four fundamental processes are known harbingers of the aging process. Borders between health and disease are blurry, and typical diagnostic cut-offs are arbitrary and in the recent past were subjects for revision. Therefore, neither physicians nor patients should wait until clear signs of crossing the border between health and sickness manifest themselves. To the contrary, they must constantly at all times consciously apply their efforts to ensure the maintenance of proper body homeostasis. By doing so, they can best resist the metabolic derangement which defines an “aged” state. Optimally, for humans to remain healthy throughout inevitable process of aging, biochemical parameters must be monitored longitudinally and balanced with available means. For relatively healthy individuals, these means should be centered on non-pharmacological, predominantly nutritional and nutraceutical approaches. Accordingly, it is reasonably foreseeable that a novel “Health Integrator” profession is anticipated to emerge in order to support the growing need for life-long health maintenance.

Dr. Ancha Baranova is an Associate Professor in School of Systems Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax VA. Dr. Baranova runs both experimental and computational research programs in highly interdisciplinary and collaborative field of Personalized Medicine. She is an expert in systems biology driven analysis of human metabolism, with an emphasis on diseases associated with the process of ageing. She is an author of more than 150 research papers, reviews and opinion pieces in the field of human systems biology.

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"A traditional Japanese haiku is a three-line poem with seventeen syllables, written in a 5/7/5 syllable count. Often focusing on images from nature, haiku emphasizes simplicity, intensity, and directness of expression.

Haiku began in thirteenth-century Japan as the opening phrase of renga, an oral poem, generally 100 stanzas long, which was also composed syllabically. The much shorter haiku broke away from renga in the sixteenth-century, and was mastered a century later by Matsuo Basho, who wrote this classic haiku:

     An old pond!
     A frog jumps in—
     the sound of water."

https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/haiku-poetic-form

Today, the Women’s Center and University Health Services will host an Overdose Response Training. The training is run by the Baltimore City Health Department and it teaches individuals how to respond to opioid overdose and gives them the tools needed to reverse the effects of opioid overdose. Each attendee will be certified to administer Naloxone (or Narcan) and receive a prescription card for a Naloxone kit.

Is opioid overdose really that big of a deal?

Unfortunately, yes. Opioid use, whether prescription or otherwise, has skyrocketed in the US over the last few years, especially in Baltimore City. In the year 2015, 748 people died of heroin overdose and 351 people died of prescription opioid overdose in Baltimore City. That’s 1,099 deaths, not including overdoses which did not result in death.

Okay so it’s a big deal but like…why is the Women’s Center concerned about it?

Addiction and substance abuse are social justice issues. According to the CDC, LGBTQ populations are significantly more likely to engage in substance use– 20 to 30 percent compared to about 9 percent of the general populations. Women are more likely than men to be addicted to prescription painkillers, and people living in poverty are significantly more likely to be addicted to opiates. Although the rate of opioid use has not dramatically increased for people of color (as opposed to whites), this is not due to lack of use, but due to underprescription of opioid pain medication for people of color. Often, doctors underestimate and undertreat the pain experienced by people of color. This is an issue that disproportionately affects the communities we serve.

Wait, what do you mean when you say addiction and substance abuse are social justice issues?

There are several social and structural factors which contribute to substance use. Populations who lack access to healthcare may turn to illicit substances as a way of managing pain, stress, or mental health issues. These are the same populations which are unable to afford recovery programs or end up in prison instead of treatment.

One of the major factors contributing to the disproportionate rate of substance abuse among LGBTQ populations is the concept of minority stress. Minority stress is the idea that “sexual minority health disparities can be explained in large part by stressors induced by a hostile, homophobic culture, which often results in a lifetime of harassment, maltreatment, discrimination and victimization and may ultimately impact access to care.” This concept can apply to racial issues as well as issues of poverty, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Basically, the stress of experiencing discrimination, harassment, violence, housing and job insecurity, poverty, and a general sense of social stigma and isolation drives people to self-medicate, which, can result in addiction. Addiction and substance use are a direct result of policy and social dynamics.

Whoa, okay, it sounds like this issue is way bigger than training a few people on overdose response.

You’re right, there’s a lot of factors at play here. Ultimately, overdose deaths will only go down when we fix the major issues that cause substance abuse in the first place.

But while we work on all of that, overdose response is part of an approach called harm reduction. Harm reduction is based on the idea that people who use drugs are people and the best way to reduce the harm that comes to those people is to meet them where they’re at and with compassion. According to Harm Reduction International, “Harm Reduction refers to policies, program
s and practices that aim primarily to reduce the adverse health, social and economic consequences of the use of legal and illegal psychoactive drugs without necessarily reducing drug consumption. Harm reduction benefits people who use drugs, their families and the community.” Harm reduction understands all the factors that contribute to substance abuse and rejects the idea that drug users are good or bad. It focuses instead on making sure that people have what they need and are supported as human beings.

Harm reduction focuses on the things people need right now. A person can’t get help if they’re dead, and overdose response can prevent that from happening.

Can’t we just make drugs illegal?

Short answer? Nope.

Most drugs are already illegal, but that obviously doesn’t stop people from using them. In fact, laws are huge barriers which prevent people from seeking or receiving treatment. Many people are afraid of being arrested or institutionalized for seeking help for drug addiction. Many people are arrested for substance use and go to prison instead of rehab, or only receive treatment while in jail. Besides, laws don’t change the social factors that cause people to use drugs in the first place.

Okay, so who should attend an Overdose Response Training?

Well, it’s sort of like CPR. Knowing how to do it and having the tools can save a life, so everyone should do it.

Anyone who is likely to work with opioid users (like people who work with the general public, in medicine, or with homeless and LGBTQ populations) should be trained. That means if you’re a social worker, someone who works in a hospital or medical facility, a campus RA, a health educator, or a volunteer, this training is for you.

If you know someone in your personal life who uses opioids, or if you are part of an at-risk community, this training is also for you.

If you don’t have any of these experiences, this training is still for you. Opioid use (and overdose) occurs frequently and everywhere. Frankly, everyone and anyone should receive this free training.

Where can I learn more?

Naloxone and Overdose FAQ

Baltimore City Overdose Response Program

Baltimore City Overdose Prevention and Response Information

Exodus 6:6-7 (NIV) - “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.”

I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.
I will free you from being slaves to them
I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.
I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God.

We are free because of what God has done! He has done it all to rescue us! Our Father God is mighty and strong to save us! Perhaps we feel helpless today in facing our fears, doubts, weaknesses and challenges that weigh us down. In moments when we feel helpless and lost, may we be reminded that it’s God who came to our rescue and His rescue is certain.

Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.
He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.
Psalm 107: 19 - 20

God hears our cries and the prayers of our hearts. Wait upon the Lord! He will come to our rescue.

Let’s sing this song and celebrate God’s great rescue in our lives!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRd0Pkk_vBY

-DP

UMBC CSEE Seminar Series

Quantum plane and plucking polynomial of rooted trees

Józef H. Przytycki
George Washington University

1:00-2:00pm, Friday, 7 April 2017, ITE 231

We describe here a new invariant of rooted trees and following up state sum invariant of pointed graphs. We argue that the invariant is interesting on it own, and that it has connections to knot theory and homological algebra. Another reason that we propose this invariant is that we deal here with an elementary, interesting new mathematics and after the talk everybody can take part in developing the topic, inventing new results and connections to other disciplines of mathematics (and likely statistical mechanics and combinatorial biology). The staring point of the talk is the well known formula for $(x+y)^n$ in the quantum plane ($yx=qxy$).

Józef Henryk Przytycki is a mathematician specializing in the fields of knot theory and topology.  A native of Poland, Przytycki received a Master of Science degree in mathematics from Warsaw University in 1977 and, after emigrating to the United States, a Ph.D. in mathematics from Columbia University, where his advisor was Joan Birman. He is currently a professor of mathematics at George Washington University in Washington, DC. He has supervised nine Ph.D. students and has authored and co-authored many mathematical publications, including more than 100 research papers, 10 conference proceedings and 2 books.

Host: Samuel Lomonaco

Seminar Organizer: Tulay Adali

About the CSEE Seminar Series: The UMBC Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering presents technical talks on current significant research projects of broad interest to the Department and the research community. Each talk is free and open to the public. We welcome your feedback and suggestions for future talks.

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