Research Digest

Attacking Heart Attacks

Distinguished University Scholar Roberto Bolli has discovered that "late-phase preconditioning"  helps to reduce the risk of heart attacks.   His work is elevating U ofL's cardiology division to premier status in both experimental and clinical areas.

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Parents Still Tops with Adolescents,
U of L Scholar Says

Assistant Professor
Rhunette Diggs

Contrary to what most parents might think, Assistant Professor of Communication Rhunette Diggs has found that adolescents primarily rely on parents and close relatives—not peers—as sources of self-value. A child surrounded by relatives who enjoy successful, positive relationships will learn self-esteem by observing that environment, she says. Diggs has completed a second study exploring communication environments that help adolescents create self-esteem. Results will be compiled in a co-edited book with the working title Communication, Race and Family: Understanding Black and White Family Communication in a Diverse World. In U of L’s Department of Communication, Diggs teaches courses such as Interpersonal Skills, Small Group Process, and Introduction to Interpersonal Communication. Diggs’ study of urban middle-school students suggests that adolescent definitions of self-esteem include a variety of concepts such as ability, recognition or acknowledgment, uniqueness, a caring God, and self-love. Surprisingly, teens interviewed rejected physical beauty as a defining characteristic of self-esteem. Definitions were collected from journals the adolescents kept for 10 days, focus groups, students’ interviewing of their parents, and phone interviews. The study supports the premise that daily interactions create a sense of self and a positive assessment of oneself, Diggs says. She encourages parents to use constant reinforcement with a lot of positive messages when children are young. As the children reach adolescence, Diggs recommends a balance between positive and negative messages. The most important message that parents can relay to their children is that they are loved and appreciated, Diggs says.

New Pin Means Less Pain

U of L orthopedic researcher
Michael Voor

An innovation by U of L orthopedic researcher Michael Voor may reduce the pain and bone damage experienced by patients who must wear a spine fixation device. Called a cervical halo orthosis, the gear is designed to restrain a patient’s head and neck after surgery or injury. The halo is traditionally held in place by nail-like pins that press into the skull. Over time, bone around the pins deteriorates and the connections loosen. Tightening the pins can cause severe headaches and additional deterioration. Voor, research and technical director of U of L’s orthopedic bioengineering lab, has invented a screw-like pin that allows it to bore, rather than press, into bone. Although it penetrates no deeper than conventional pins, tests indicate that it may reduce bone deterioration and infections that occur in 30 percent to 60 percent of patients. "The same concept and technology could be applied to other bones in need of fixation pins," he says.

George Nichols, et. al., $200,143, Kentucky Justice Cabinet, "Infrared Videography and Its Use in Clinical Forensic Medicine."