Medical Student Research Fellowship for Summer 2006

Mentor: Ildiko Lingvay, MD
Department: IM/Endocrinology
Room number: Aston Center U8.304
Mail Code: 8858
Phone number: 214-648-2779
E-mail: Ildiko.lingvay@utsouthwestern.edu

1. Project title: Description of the thyroid cancer population treated at Parkland and University Hospitals in the last 10 years.

Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable):

Animal subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable):

Project Type (patient-based research, animal-based research, or basic research; this characterization is only to permit a general classification for grouping similar types of projects)

Brief Description of Project:
Retrospective review of charts from patients with thyroid cancer diagnosed in the last 10 years at Parkland and University hospitals. The aim is to describe the population demographics, extension of disease at the time of diagnosis, recurrence rate, determinants of recurrence, type of treatments received, survival rate - and compare these with the national statistics.

2.Project title: Preservation of Beta-Cell Function in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable):

Animal subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable):

Project Type (patient-based research, animal-based research, or basic research; this characterization is only to permit a general classification for grouping similar types of projects)

Brief Description of Project:
The study evaluates longitudinally the beta-cell function in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus treated with insulin and metformin versus a triple combination or oral hypoglycemic agents (metformin, glyburide and pioglitazone). We hypothesize that early insulin treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes is beneficial for slowing down or preventing the beta-cell failure that occurs in the course of this disease.

3. Project title: Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy evaluation of the pancreas

Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable):

Animal subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable):

Project Type (patient-based research, animal-based research, or basic research; this characterization is only to permit a general classification for grouping similar types of projects)

Brief Description of Project:
The study is designed to validate a new technique for the measurement of pancreatic triglyceride content. We plan to perform the MRS for quantification of pancreatic triglycerides in lean, young healthy volunteers, obese young healthy volunteers, and obese young patients with type 2 diabetes.
In a second phase we plan to correlate the pancreatic triglyceride content with measurements of beta-cell function, in an attempt to evaluate if the new method is able to predict beta-cell function in patients with or at risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Previous Research Activities or Publications with Medical Students:

Summer 2004 - Poster presentation at Student research forum

Return to Student Research Projects Index