FOCUS TOPICS AUTOIMMUNE/ALLERGY & ASTHMA APRIL 2015 / $5
Serving a 24 County Area, Including Birmingham, Huntsville, Montgomery & Tuscaloosa
On Rounds Excitement Brewing for Local Gastro Physician Though “medicine” and “microbrewery” may be near one another in a dictionary, for most people the two words are not a combination of pursuits that immediately come to mind. But Rajat Parikh, MD is having significant success with both ... page 3
AUTOIMMUNE/ALLERGY & ASTHMA
Reversing Diabetes
Could a Four Dollar Generic be the Answer? By Laura Freeman
Rogue T- cells that attack the body’s own pancreatic beta cells have long been known as the primary villains in the autoimmune process that becomes Type 1 diabetes. Several years ago, a second culprit was discovered lurking behind the scenes. Its role in contributing to beta cell death and diminished function was unmasked in research led by Anath Shalev, MD, director of UAB’s Comprehensive Diabetes Center. “We started by looking to see which gene in human islet cells seems to be most affected by the high glucose levels that are a hallmark of diabetes,” Shalev said. “That’s what brought our attention to a strong over-expression of thioredoxin-interacting protein, or TXNIP. As we continued to investigate, we found that high levels of TXNIP destroyed beta cells through a mitochondrial death pathway, and it seems to be involved in inflammation related to some of the more serious complications of diabetes, including cardiomyopathy, retinopathy and kidney damage.” The center’s continuing research recently identified a second critical role TXNIP plays in diabetes when it found (CONTINUED ON PAGE 6)
Practicing Medicine in Britain (No, they don’t prescribe tea) America’s healthcare system landed at the bottom of a list of 11 industrialized countries last year. The report, the fifth one produced by the Washington-based Commonwealth Fund in the last ten years, evaluated the systems based on quality, efficiency, access to care, equity, and healthy lives ... page 10
Anath Shalev, MD (right) and a researcher in Shalev’s lab.
The Increasing Stress of Practice Administration By Jane Ehrhardt
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn
Jimmy Norman sits in the dunking tank.
“You have to wear so many hats,” says Jimmy Norman, practice administrator at University Orthopeadic Clinic (UOC) in Tuscaloosa. He has run five practices in his 22-year career. “No job is too small that you may find yourself a part of as a practice administrator.” Norman has cleaned toilets and kept out-of-line patients at bay while security was called. “I never thought I’d be a bodyguard,” he says. “I never thought I’d be cleaning the gutters,” says Jim Carson, practice administrator at Southside Pain Specialists in Birmingham. A leaky roof called for temporary patching while roofers were enroute. “I never thought I’d be setting an IT network either.” Practice managers run the business side of medical practices. From equipment pur(CONTINUED ON PAGE 12)
Read Birmingham Medical News online at www.birminghammedicalnews.com We welcome our newest Nurse Practitioner,
Brooke Carter, CRNP
205-870-0256 FOR AN APPOINTMENT | WWW.GASTRODOCS.INFO
PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID FRANKLIN, TN PERMIT NO.357