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News Releases
MARRTC Researcher Quoted in The New York Times
Columbia, Mo. (June 26, 2001) - Sara E. Walker, M.D., a Missouri Arthritis Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (MARRTC) researcher, was quoted and her research cited, in a recent article in The New York Times.
Walker is a physician with the Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans Hospital in Columbia, Mo., and a professor with the University of Missouri-Columbia’s Department of Medicine - Immunology & Rheumatology.
As a researcher with MARRTC, Walker is co-investigator on a project looking at depression and rheumatoid arthritis and a project to develop a model curriculum for arthritis health-care professionals.
The article, "Studying the Autoimmune Puzzle," focused on the fact that autoimmune diseases affect women at much greater proportions than men. For example, the article notes, for systemic lupus erythematosis, the disease Walker studies, the ratio is 9 to 1.
Lupus is an autoimmune disease that affects approximately 40 to 50 people per 100,000. The American College of Rheumatology lists its symptoms as follows:
- A butterfly-shaped rash over the cheeks
- A skin rash appearing in areas exposed to the sun
- Sores in the mouth and nose
- Arthritis involving one or more joints
- Kidney inflammation
- Nervous system disorders including seizures, mental disorders and strokes
The Times article outlines the process of autoimmune diseases and notes some research suggesting that women’s unique reproductive role may contribute to the development of autoimmune reactions.
The article includes information on other research, including Walker’s, which suggests that hormones play a role in autoimmune diseases. The article notes Walker’s success in treating people with lupus with a particular hormone suppressant.
Being quoted and cited in the June 19, 2001 Times is a considerable accomplishment. With a circulation of about 1.1 million, the paper has international recognition, respect and global status. The Times has won 81 Pulitzer Prizes, 38 more than any other news organization.
In addition to being published in The Times, the article also was posted to the front page its online publication, which receives 6.7 million visitors.
The article also notes that Walker presented at the 167th annual national meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in February 2001 in San Francisco.
The Annual Meeting and Science Innovation Exposition draws more than 5,000 scientists, engineers, educators, policy makers and students, according to the AAAS website at . The meeting featured more than 150 symposia, plenary, topical lectures, seminars and poster presentations.
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