HJAR Nov/Dec 2021

32 NOV / DEC 2021  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS   Healthcare Briefs “Being able to speak to patients in their own language makes it easier to help them under- stand the issues with their health and what they need to do,” said Cruz. Baptist Health La Clínica del Pueblo is open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Same-day appointments are available, and walk-ins are welcome. UAMS Research Team Finds Potential Cause of COVID-19 Long-haulers A UAMS research team has identified a poten- tial cause of long-lasting symptoms experienced by COVID-19 patients, often referred to as long- haulers. The findings were published in the jour- nal, The Public Library of Science ONE (PLOS ONE). At the heart of the team’s findings is an anti- body that shows up weeks after an initial infec- tion and attacks and disrupts a key regulator of the immune system, said lead researcher John Arthur, MD, PhD, professor and chief of the Divi- sion of Nephrology in the UAMS College of Med- icine Department of Internal Medicine. As many as 30% of COVID-19 patients experi- ence lingering fatigue, brain fog and shortness of breath. The cause of long COVID-19 has eluded scientists, but the UAMS team’s discovery sheds important new light on the molecular-level mech- anisms behind it. “Everything that we’ve found is consistent with this antibody as the instigator of long COVID, so it’s an exciting development that merits further study,” Arthur said. The antibody creates problems for the immune system by attacking the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). The ACE2 enzyme helps regu- late the body’s response to the virus by metabo- lizing a peptide that activates the immune system. The attacking antibody interferes with ACE2’s work, which makes the antibody a prime suspect for the long-lasting illness. The research team was brought together quickly this spring by the UAMS Translational Research Institute to test the hypothesis that developed through discussions between Arthur and UAMS’ Terry Harville, MD, PhD, a professor in the Col- lege of Medicine Department of Pathology and medical director of the Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Laboratories. Researchers Karl Boehme, PhD, Craig Forrest, PhD, and Shana Owens, PhD, in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology developed the assay (test) used to identify the two antibodies. Researchers tested plasma or serum for ACE2 antibodies in 67 patients with known SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) infection and 13 with no history of infection. In 81% of blood sam- ples from patients in Arkansas and Oklahoma with a history of COVID-19, the samples had the anti- body that attacked the ACE2. In participants with no history of COVID-19, no antibodies were created to attack the ACE2 enzyme. “If we show that the whole hypothesis is right, that this interference of ACE2 really does cause long COVID, then it opens up many potential treatments,” Arthur said. “If our next steps confirm that this antibody is the cause of long COVID symptoms, there are medications that should work to treat them. If we get to that phase of research, the next step would be to test these drugs and hopefully relieve people of the symptoms they’re having.” ADHAwarded Research Contract with the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH), Arkansas Central Cancer Registry, was awarded a base contract for research support by the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program to collect high quality population-based cancer data and report on cancer incidence, treatment and survival on patients in Arkansas. This award was granted by NCI for the application submit- ted in collaboration with the University of Arkan- sas for Medical Sciences Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. Cancer remains the second leading cause of death in Arkansas and the United States. The Arkansas Central Cancer Registry receives approximately 18,000 newly diagnosed cancers annually. Arkansas ranks high among U.S. states in cancer deaths, with an estimated 6,000 deaths every year. During 2019, the state ranked seventh in the country in cancer mortality. Each year, it is estimated that more than 1,797,983 Americans die from cancer. This NCI award will run through April 30, 2028 and allows the ACCR to participate in selected cancer research activities with NCI. This award will enhance infrastructure for cancer surveil- lance, treatment and research in the state and improve cancer care and survivorship for resi- dents of Arkansas. Arkansas is one of the seven states to receive this prestigious NCI SEER research award, along with Missouri, Tennessee, Colorado, Oregon, New Hampshire and Michigan. Vascular Surgeon StevenMeadors, MD, Joins CHI St. Vincent Cardiovascular Surgery Clinic CHI St. Vincent announced that vascular sur- geon Steven Meadors, MD, has joined the CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute and is currently seeing patients at the CHI St. Vincent Cardiovascular Sur- gery Clinic in Little Rock. Meadors attended medical school at the Uni- versity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He com- pleted a residency in general surgery at the Uni- versity of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, where he also completed fellowship train- ing in vascular surgery. Meadors is now seeing patients at the CHI St. Vincent Cardiovascular Surgery Clinic at 5 St. Vin- cent Circle, Suite 501 in Little Rock. Statewide Community Flu Vaccine Clinics Ongoing The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) is providing flu vaccines across the state in prep- aration for the 2020-21 flu season. Each county Steven Meadors, MD