HJLR Mar/Apr 2019

46 MAR / APR 2019  I  Healthcare Journal of little rock   Healthcare Briefs moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity every week, or 20 to 45 minutes per day. If it seems too difficult to find 20 to 45 minutes per day to exer- cise, you can always split it into multiple sessions whenever you have time. Take a walk over lunch or a break, or a stroll after dinner. Additionally, the new guidelines add recom- mendations for preschool-aged children (three through five years) to be engaged in some kind of physical activity throughout the day. The guide- lines also recommend at least 60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous intensity aerobic activ- ity among children and adolescents aged six through 17 years. Quit tobacco and nicotine. The ADH’s Be Well Arkansas program can help smokers quit tobacco and nicotine products. It’s easy to get connected by calling (833) 283-WELL or going online at www. bewellarkansas.org . Control diabetes and high blood pressure. Be Well Arkansas can also connect you with resources in your area of the state to help you get your diabetes or high blood pressure under control. Call (833) 283-WELL or go online at www. bewellarkansas.org . Increase worksite wellness. Healthy Active Arkansas has many programs and initiatives for every type of organization and group to get involved in improving their own health, from becoming breastfeeding friendly to increasing physical activity and access to healthy foods. Learn more at www.healthyactive.org . Make sure you and your family are up-to-date on your vaccinations. Vaccines are the safest way to protect you, your children, and your commu- nity from a long list of serious and potentially life- threatening illnesses. For example, the HPV vac- cine can prevent a variety of cancers in both men and women. There are recommended vaccines for children, adolescents, and adults. Diabetic Pain Study at UAMS Enrolling Participants to Test Spinal Cord Stimulation Device People with chronic painful diabetic neuropa- thy are being enrolled in a University of Arkan- sas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) research study of a spinal cord stimulation device designed to reduce the pain. Led at UAMS by Erika Petersen, MD, a neurosurgeon and researcher, the study is part of a clinical trial being conducted at sites across the United States.  “Implanted spinal cord stimulation devices have been shown to relieve chronic pain, but this study is the first to test a device’s effectiveness when used specifically for continuous diabetic neurop- athy pain in the legs and feet,” said Petersen, director of Functional and Restorative Neurosur- gery and associate professor in the UAMS Col- lege of Medicine. About a quarter of Americans with diabetes have painful diabetic neuropathy, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Pre- vention. In Arkansas, where an estimated 363,000 people have type 2 diabetes, about 73,000 of those residents (20 percent) would be expected to have painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy. The number could be higher; a National Insti- tutes of Health-funded study in five rural Arkan- sas counties concluded that diabetic peripheral neuropathy was alarmingly underdiagnosed. "Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is a debilitat- ing, painful disease for which there are few effec- tive treatments,” said Johnathan Goree, MD, a sub-investigator on the study and director of the Chronic Pain Division of the Department of Anes- thesiology in the UAMS College of Medicine. “If this spinal cord stimulation system proves to be effective, it could provide excellent pain con- trol without many of the side effects of opioid medications." The device, Senza® Spinal Cord Stimulation system, was developed by Nevro, a medical device company based in Redwood, California. It works by sending electrical pulses to interrupt pain signals and provide pain relief. The system’s implantable pulse generator is placed under the skin of the abdomen or but- tocks along with the leads—thin wires that deliver the electrical pulses from the pulse generator to the spinal cord. Study participants will be randomly placed in one of two groups: One providing conventional medical treatments, such as medications and physical therapy; and the other using the spinal cord stimulation device.  Eligibility requirements for participating in the study include: A diagnosis of painful diabetic neuropathy of the feet and/or legs Having tried standard treatments Be 22 years of age or older Those interested in learning if they are eligi- ble may contact the UAMS Translational Research Institute study coordinator at (501) 398-8622. The project described is supported by the Translational Research Institute (TRI), grant 1U54TR001629-01A1 through the National Cen- ter for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH. NYITCOMat Arkansas State Welcomes Two Assistant Deans New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State Uni- versity has hired Kristin Cohen, PhD, as assistant dean of student administration and Rajendram Rajnarayanan, PhD, as assistant dean of research. The announcement was made by Dean Shane Speights, DO. Erika Petersen, MD Kristin Cohen, PhD Rajendram Rajnarayanan, PhD