The University of Toledo is commemorating the 18^th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks with the second annual Run to Remember, a 22 push-up challenge and a memorial stair climb.

The UToledo Army ROTC Program is inviting the community to participate in its second annual Run to Remember Wednesday, Sept. 11.

Registration and T-shirt pickup will begin at 7 a.m. at the UToledo track by the Health Education Center on Main Campus. An opening ceremony will follow at 7:30 a.m., and the run and walk will begin at 7:40 a.m.

University Hall’s bell tower will chime at 8:46 a.m., the time when the attacks began in 2001, and the event will conclude with a moment of silence.

“We’re running to honor and commemorate the men and women who showed selfless service as they descended to Ground Zero to help in the search and rescue efforts of those who were either injured or killed during the 9/11 attacks,” Maj. Colby Pepon, professor and chair of the Military Science and Leadership Department, said.

The 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb begins at 12:30 p.m. in the Glass Bowl. Participants will climb the equivalent to the 110 stories of the World Trade Center in honor of those lost in the 2001 attacks.

The UToledo Military Service Center will host the 22 Push-Up Challenge from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in front of Memorial Field House.

Campus and community members can stop by and do 22 push-ups — and learn more about the veteran suicide epidemic in the United States.

“We were looking for a way to raise awareness of veteran suicide on campus, and the 22 Push-Up Challenge model has seen great success in raising awareness across the country,” said Eric Buetikofer, UToledo director of military and veteran affairs.

Representatives from the UToledo Military Service Center, University Counseling Center, UToledo ROTC, the Army National Guard, the Lucas County Veterans Service Commission and the Toledo Vet Center will be at the event to provide information.

The 22 Push-Up Challenge started in 2013 when Veterans Affairs announced an average of 22 veterans committed suicide every day. The campaign was started to promote awareness of veteran suicide prevention.

New research from The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences strongly suggests postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, is an autoimmune disorder and may help pave the way for a simple blood test that could help physicians diagnose the condition.

POTS is characterized by large increases in heart rate and sometimes decreases in blood pressure when standing up. That can cause lightheadedness, heart palpitations and even loss of consciousness. In addition to fainting, POTS patients also regularly suffer from a litany of additional symptoms, including fatigue, pain, gastrointestinal issues, bleeding disorders, anxiety and brain fog.

About 3 million Americans are believed to be affected, but because of its wide-ranging and seemingly unrelated symptoms, POTS is notoriously difficult to identify.

“The trouble with diagnosing POTS is that it’s currently principally a clinical diagnosis. It’s based on history, the absence of other illness as well as the finding of increase in heart rate when standing. There is no blood test right now to aid in the diagnosis. It can be an incredibly frustrating process for patients,” said Dr. Blair Grubb, Distinguished University Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics in the UToledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences and director of electrophysiology services at The University of Toledo Medical Center.

In the largest study of POTS patients to date, published Monday, Sept. 9, in the Journal of the American Heart Association, Grubb and UToledo research collaborators found 89 percent of patients they examined had elevated levels of autoantibodies against the adrenergic alpha 1 receptor.

“People have suspected an autoimmune connection for years, and other small-scale studies have suggested it,” said Grubb, one of the world’s foremost experts in syncope and disorders of the autonomic nervous system. “We did a much larger cross-section of patients than has ever been done before, and found that almost all of them tested positive for autoimmune antibodies. That’s a significant finding.”

None of the 55 patients who participated in the study had another recognized autoimmune disorder. Fifty-two were female, with an average age of 30.

Researchers screened the patients’ blood for autoantibodies against nine receptors. A handful of patients showed elevated levels against all nine. But it was the prevalence of adrenergic A1 subtype receptor autoantibodies that make their findings so intriguing.

“I think that we have identified a biomarker. We now might have the ability to diagnosis this, or at least have an inkling. Like other autoimmune disease, we can take a blood sample and detect if there are increased levels of autoantibodies present. According to our results, autoantibodies against this particular receptor should be present in about 90 percent of patients with POTS,” said Dr. William Gunning, a professor of pathology in the UToledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, and the paper’s lead author.

Gunning and Grubb say much more research is needed. However, this study adds significantly to the evidence that POTS is an autoimmune disorder — and it shows it may be possible to give physicians unfamiliar with the condition an easy way to test for it.

“What this does is prove the concept,” Grubb said. “Other studies had used very expensive research tests. What we used are the same kind of testing methods that would be used by regular hospitals. We wanted to do something that would potentially be a test applicable to the general population, not just a research test.”

While Gunning and Grubb caution they’re still investigating the precise methods by which POTS is established, their study does raise the possibility that existing immune modulating medications could be a viable therapeutic method for some patients.

The study was supported by funding from the Dysautonomia Advocacy Foundation, the Life as a Zebra Foundation, and the Virginia Lounsbury Foundation.

The University of Toledo is one of 14 public universities in the state to unite in Columbus today in support of the “Ohio Intellectual Property (IP) Promise,” an initiative led by Lt. Governor Jon Husted.

The event hosted by the Inter-University Council of Ohio showcased how universities are working to strengthen Ohio’s innovation economy, attract researchers, and serve as a magnet for investors and entrepreneurs.

“The University of Toledo is proud to participate in the ‘Ohio IP Promise’ in support of our researchers and intellectual property as a powerful tool for economic development,” said UToledo President Sharon L. Gaber, who serves as chair of the Inter-University Council of Ohio. “As we make discoveries and invent new technologies on campus, we work to provide a clear path for our researchers to navigate the journey from the lab to the commercial marketplace.”

The guiding principles of the Ohio IP Promise are:

• Flexible: Provide industry choices for accessing intellectual property developed through sponsored research;
• Transparent: Publish template sponsored research and license agreements;
• Simple: Deliver fair and streamlined guidelines for faculty creator startups;
• Clear: Communicate licensing processes on university websites in a clear, prominent way;
• Easy: Provide well-defined university entry points for industry, investors and entrepreneurs; and
• Fast: Reduce impediments that hinder the pace of transactions.

“Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted challenged our public universities to bring to life their vision for a stronger economy and IP leadership in Ohio,” IUC President Bruce Johnson said. “Our universities have stepped up in a big way with enthusiasm, creativity and imagination. The residents of Ohio will be the short-term and long-term beneficiaries of this program.”

The Office of Technology Transfer at UToledo helps protect intellectual property and provides professional patenting and licensing services to UToledo’s faculty, staff and students.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETINGS
Monday, Sept. 9, 2019
Libbey Hall, Third Floor Conference Room
5:30 p.m. Board of Trustees Dinner

Monday, Sept. 16, 2019
Libbey Hall, Second Floor Main Dining Room
11 a.m. Clinical Affairs Committee Meeting
1 p.m. Academic and Student Affairs Committee Meeting
1:15 p.m. Finance and Audit Committee Meeting
1:30 p.m. Trusteeship and Governance Committee Meeting
1:45 p.m. Board of Trustees Meeting

A luncheon for the trustees will be held at 12:30 p.m.
in Libbey Hall, Third Floor Conference Room.

Any questions may be directed to the Office of Marketing and Communications
by calling 419.530.2410 or via email to meghan.cunningham@utoledo.edu.