Wednesday, August 10, 1994 - The Michigan Daily - 3 nr:i'U' treatment may aid coronary surgery MOLLY STEVENS/Daily Cat Woman Virginia Smith gets her Persian cat ready at the Mid-Michigan Cat Fanciers Convention and Competition. MSA changes student health-care plan By Naomi Snyder DAILY STAFF REPORTER A new genetic treatment developed by University scientists and research- ers may significantly cut down the cost of coronary angioplasty surgery. TheworkoftheUniversityresearch- ers, which is published in the Aug. 5 issueofScience,mayaffectthe500,000 Americans who undergo coronary angioplasty annually. The surgery, also known as the "balloon therapy,"uses a balloon cath- eter to unclog blocked arteries that cause heart disease. But 40 percent of those who undergo the surgery require further angioplasty surgery because smooth muscle cells build up in their arteries, blocking them again. University researchers, working in the laboratories of Elizabeth and Gary Nabel, are working to combat the re- blockage problem, called restenosis. Restenosis cannot be cured using drugs, because cell-killing medication used to attack the buildup of smooth muscle cells also damage normal cells and pass through the body too quickly. "No other attempts have worked to stop restenosis.None of our drug thera- pies have worked. This new procedure holds some promise, but it will take sometimetodevelopit,"saidDr. David Muller, a cardiologist who performs angioplasty procedures with the Uni- versity Medical Center. The new technique will affect the problematic cells while leavingnormal tissueuntouched.Theresearchershave found a way to introduce a virus con- taining the gene thymidine kinase into the DNA of the smooth muscle cells, which makes the cells susceptible to cell-killing drugs. In the research, smooth muscle cell growth was reduced by 50 to 90 per- cent in pig arteries. Pig arteries are 'This new procedure holds some promise but it will take some time to develop it.' - Dr. David Muller University cardiologist similar to humans because they also experience re-blockage after coronary angioplasty. But the research will take time to reach those with heart disease. "It will take a couple of years to test (the new procedure) on humans," said Dr. DavidGordon, an associate profes- sor of pathology who was involved in the study. "We have to get involved with the Food and Drug Administra- tion and they have rules about who you can use as test subjects and so forth." First the researchers must do more tests on 25 pigs, which will be fed a high-fat diet until their arteries are clogged. Plaque and lesions only take a year to build up in the arteries of pigs, while in humans they take 30-40 years. Researchers have tested the proce- dure on healthy pig arteries and will now have to test the effect of the new gene therapy on arteries grown rigid and narrow by plaque buildup, which is the cause of heart attacks. Researchersremainoptimistic about the viability of the new procedure. "We're very excited about it," Gor- don said. "This is a treatment that has been suggested regarding tumors, but it is the first time it has been used to go after arterial disease. I would speculate that this treatment, if it can be trans- formed into the clinical arena, should create substantial savings." By Cathy Boguslaski DAILY STAFF REPORTER Health care reform has hit Ann Arborasthe MichiganStudent Assem- bly changes the health insurance plan it offers to students as of Aug. 24. The new policy should provide more complete, easier-to-understand cover- ge, said Heather Lowman, adminis- trative coordinator of MSA. The premiums students will pay for thenewinsurancehave increased, from $388 for a single student under the old policy to $443 under the new one. Lowman said the changes in the prices are a result of the better coverage stu- dents will get. Under the new policy, students will 4 longer have a $150 limit on pre- scription drugs per illness. The new policy provides 80 percent of the pay- ment for unlimited prescriptions, with the student responsible for paying the TEXTBooKS Continued from page 1 prices were unfair, if anything could be done about them and who should bear gsponsibility. "Books are expensive," said Ned Shure, vice president of the Michigan College Book Company. "The fact is books come at a low discount com- pared to most other retail products." The College Board estimated three years ago that, on the average, students spend less than $500 a year for books and supplies. "We don't pick the books or set nces," Shure said. "It's all done by faculty and publishers." "In the past where books had not had graphs, colors and what not, books now have (such features) ... and of other 20 percent. The coverage for wisdom teeth re- moval has also been changed. The old policy only provided $100 per tooth, which often did not meet the cost of the procedure.Thenewpolicywouldcover the "reasonable andcustomary cost"of having that procedure done in this area, meaning the policy would cover most wisdom tooth removal completely. Lowman said MSA insures about 2,000 students, most of them graduate students. Many undergraduates are still covered under their parents' policies, she said. Maureen Feldman, an LSA senior, said that MSA should publicize its in- surance programmore. "I think there's only like one pamphlet out on it. There definitely should be more information available. I think that that's hard, be- cause a lot of people are not very inter- ested in MSA," Feldman said. MSA members decided to change the insurance when they looked at the old policy and found that they wanted better coverage. The assembly is happy with the new coverage, Lowman said. "It's like a breath of fresh air," she said. "I think we have better communication with this new company." Lowman saidthatthe new company seems to be more efficient and that its policy is easier to understand. "There was kind of a hidden deductible in the old policy. In the new policy, the de- ductible is more up front," she said. Twelve companies bid on the cov- erage MSA said it wanted, including the company that provided the old policy, Security Life Insurance Com- pany of America. MSA accepted the lowest bid that gave them the coverage they wanted. The new policy will be from Lamar Life Insurance Company. course that impacts the price," said Mildred Wilson, a policy analyst for the Higher Education Committee. "The University of Michigan has one of the highest estimated price for textbook costs." Another complaint is the low resale value of books, which some say is due to publishers printing unwarranted re- visions, and faculty choosing different books each term and turning in late book orders. "The life of a textbook is 1.5 semes- ters," said Bill Marshall, a representa- tive from Oakland University. But Shure said the edition changes are not that relevant. "Students could use a previous edition," he said. "The University ofMichiganisnotorious for being one of the worst schools in the whole state for late reporting of text- book orders to bookstores in compari- son to Michigan State, where there's been a policy where there is some pres- sure from the administration to the faculty to get their book lists in." Early book orders increase the chance a student can sell back a book and receive a higher price for it. Sue Hammersmith, a dean at Ferris State University, said that because of the high cost of books, many students do without them, cope in other ways or drop out of school for lack of funds. "Don'trequire studentstobuy books if you're not going to use a substantial majority of the books," she advised. "If you're going to assign a chapter or two put it in a library.... A number of (our) faculty have donated money or books to a lending library students can check out," ..._. DON'T BE A DREAMER WORK FOR THE MICHIGAN DAILY'S CLASSIFIED SALES DEPT. THIS FALL! Someday, I want to be in . ad vertising.-- Gain practical & valuable business & advertising experience as an Assistant Account Executive Applications are due by Fri., Aug. 19, 5 p.m. sharp. Come by 420 Maynard to pick up an application. Call 764-0557 if you have any questions.