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ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT Printing the news, sounding the alarm, and raising hell since 1899
MONDAY, APRIL 15, 2013
Professors work on socks for diabetics
VOLUME 106 • ISSUE 137
DAILYWILDCAT.COM
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MONICA CONTRERAS Arizona Daily Wildcat
MARK ARMAO Arizona Daily Wildcat
Two UA researchers are teaming up to study the use of SmartSox, a cutting edge technology for the detection and prevention of diabetic foot ulcers that can lead to amputation. More than $2 million in research grants was awarded to the UA Department of Surgery’s Southern Arizona Limb Salvage Alliance, and the Interdisciplinary Consortium on Advanced Motion Performance, as well as the Qatar-based Hamad Medical Corporation. The groups will collaborate in studying the effectiveness of socks that can help detect the development of ulcers. Dr. David G. Armstrong, a UA professor of surgery and director of SALSA , and Bijan Najafi, a UA associate professor of surgery and director of iCAMP, are the principal investigators of the study, which is funded by the Qatar National Research Fund. Twenty-six to 30 million people in the U.S. have diabetes, and the treatment of foot ulcers is one of the most common reason diabetics go to the hospital, according to Armstrong. One of the symptoms of diabetes is the loss of nerve function, especially in the lower extremities. With what Armstrong calls the “gift of pain” absent, patients may not feel the formation of ulcers, which is another effect of diabetes. Diabetic foot ulcers can become severely infected which can lead to amputation. “This is a worldwide epidemic,” Najafi said. “Every 20 seconds, a limb is lost to diabetes.” SmartSox have fiber-optic strands embedded in the fabric that can detect changes in temperature, pressure, and joint-angle, all of which signal the development of ulcers. Patients will put the socks on, walk around the exam room, and the data would be instantly available. Doctors could detect changes in walking patterns, signifying a possible problem. “This is a game-changer in measuring how people move through their world,” Armstrong
SMARTSOX, 2
UA staff focus on Native students
RYAN REVOCK/ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT
AN AIR FORCE PARARESCUER brings up a simulated casualty to the rim of the Grand Canyon at an Air Force run multi-agency rescue mission at Yaki Point in the Grand Canyon National Park Saturday afternoon. The operation was called Resolute Angel and was part of a larger operation called Angel Thunder.
UA cadets participate as simulated casualties in multi-agency rescue operation on Saturday
A UA graduate and a faculty member are focusing on strengthening the representation of Native American students pursuing higher education through their contribution to a recently published book. Karen Francis-Begay, assistant vice president of tribal relations in the UA Office of the President, and Amanda Tachine, a doctoral student in higher education, helped coauthor the first chapter in the book, “Beyond the Asterisk: Understanding Native Students in Higher Education,” which delves into the issue of a lack of research on Native American and Alaska Native university students and details the challenges they face. The book’s title has a significant meaning, because it alludes to the issue of the asterisk commonly found in current research studies. Asterisks refers to sample numbers of Native American populations who are often too small to provide any significant research statistics. The first chapter, “The First Year Experience for Native Americans: The University of Arizona First-Year Scholars Program,” addresses the steps Native American students should take to be successful, while detailing their experiences in the First-Year Scholars Program at the UA. Started in 2004, the program aims to help Native American students adjust to college life and improve retention rates. Tachine said she realized detailing the first year of student’s lives was critical to highlighting these challenges. As a former participant in the First-Year Scholars program, she said she saw the benefits that come with having similar programs available to Native American students. “This project has inspired me as a student and equipped me with more knowledge to pursue this matter
BOOK, 2
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RYAN REVOCK Arizona Daily Wildcat
T
wo cars and a bus collide at the Grand Canyon, injuring many passengers and bystanders, even throwing some victims over the rim of the Grand Canyon. There was an earthquake the day before, so emergency responders were already taxed. The vehicles were fleeing from the epicenter of the earthquake and did not realize that they were coming up on such a hairpin turn. This was the scenario for a multi-agency rescue operation known as Operation Resolute Angel, which is part of a larger exercise called Operation Angel Thunder. Angel Thunder was put together by the U.S. Air Force and used simulated casualties from the University of Arizona, Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University ROTC
programs, among others such opportunity, and just also the camaraderie it builds of going as U.S. Air Force Airmen. through something like this Cadets, wearing ripped with each other.” clothing, pretended to be Operation Resolute Angel casualties and had to undergo simulated medical treatment. was conducted Saturday afternoon at Yaki Point in the “The value in having our Grand Canyon National Park cadets participate is they get and Operation firsthand Angel Thunder, experience I have to just which will be seeing attribute this to running until the emergency 20th, is being held responders the character; at several different from various very, very good locations. levels of professional “It [Resolute government, cadets. Angel] is one of Department — Brandon Daugherty, our exercises of Defense, Angel Thunder Logistical within our different Manager large exercise, nations we have over respond to a 3,000 participants total. crisis and in particular, they got a ride on a Air Force C-130 Here at the Grand Canyon we have approximately … up here from Flagstaff,” said 150 working just here at U.S. Air Force Lieutenant the Grand Canyon,” said Colonel Brandon Doan, Brandon Daugherty, the the NAU Air Force ROTC Angel Thunder Logistical detachment commander. Manager who is a Department “They got to interact with Air Force pararescue men, ROTC, 5 which is a rare and valuable
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MARK ARMAO/ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT
BIJAN NAJAFI, BIOMEDICAL ENGINEER, is one of the principal investigators in a study on socks that can detect the precursors of diabetic foot ulcers.
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