Assumption College
Micheal A. McLellan East Lyme
Marissa C. Charles Mystic
Elizabeth C. Perkins Niantic
Ryan E. Kitlinski Norwich
Gina M. Casadonte Norwich
Marie E. Leone Norwich
Ryan E. Kitlinski Norwich
Justin R. Scott Voluntown
Amanda L. Brax Waterford
Berkeley College
Christy Cassidy Ledyard
Berklee College of Music
Peter Brown Essex
College of Saint Rose
Heather Thibdeau Pawcatuck
Victoria Fleury Groton
Elms College
Natalie Palmer Waterford
Ricky Wezner Lisbon
SUNY Geneseo
Robert Brooks East Lyme
Trinity College
Emma W. Sternlof New London
Caroline M. Blanchard Norwich
Caleb C. Homiski Preston
Anna H. Seidner Old Lyme
Savvas J. Constantinou Lyme
University of New Haven
Caitlin Bolduc Mystic
Melanie Chopp Uncasville
Samuel Cox Colchester
Justin Crawford Waterford
Justin Curcio New London
Jennifer Dahlgren Groton
Samantha Davidson Groton
Stefanie Deane Norwich
Nicole Denny Waterford
Shivani Desai Groton
Evan French Norwich
Laura Garstka Taftville
Ketlyne Gerve Norwich
Lindsey Gomes Pawcatuck
Sara Guzzo Pawcatuck
Benjamin Harkins Niantic
Carla Henrici Salem
Jennifer Hynds Norwich
Kelly Janus Niantic
Kaitlyn Johnson Uncasville
Crystal Kosman Groton
Brandy Morneau New London
Thomas Morris Niantic
Joanne Muick New London
Kirsten Olsen Salem
Brittany Reed Lisbon
Sara Ryan Voluntown
Amanda Sager Groton
Koryn Sarrica Groton
Robert Swansen Waterford
John Telford Waterford
Robert Tompkins Groton
Christopher Vaillancourt Uncasville
Shane Wilcox Uncasville
University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
Timothy Poole Stonington
Villanova University
Margaret Banker Pawcatuck
Andrew Cardin Lisbon
Corinne Henk Norwich
Washington University in St. Louis Marina
Isabel Lizarralde Quaker Hill
Joshua Ira Morris East Lyme
William Harris Slater Norwich
Coffee lovers may be raising their cups-and perhaps eyebrows-at the recent news (in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry) that the drink contains soluble fiber, the type that can help lower cholesterol. With about 1 gram per cup, coffee’s fiber impact is modest. But the report is the latest in a growing stream of positive news about coffee.
Some of the most promising findings come from studies of diabetes. When Harvard researchers combined data from nine studies involving more than 193,000 people, they found that regular coffee drinkers had a significantly lower risk of type 2 diabetes than those who abstained. The more they drank, the lower their risk.
And, despite coffee’s reputation for being bad for the heart, recent epidemiologic studies haven’t found a connection; some even suggest coffee can be protective. A study in February’s American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that healthy people 65 and over who drank four or more cups of caffeinated beverages daily (primarily coffee) had a 53 percent lower risk of heart disease than non-coffee-drinkers.
Governor M. Jodi Rell submitted testimony to the Legislature’s Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee in support of her proposal to create a landmark new partnership on March 15. This would reinvigorate the UConn Health Center, bolster the schools of medicine and dentistry at the UConn and reinvent the way health care is delivered throughout CT.
The plan calls for construction of a new, state-of-the-art patient tower and renovation of the UConn Health Center campus in Farmington. The updated teaching hospital will have increased classroom and lab space – training space that will help offset an expected shortage in medical and dental professionals. It will also have a nationally recognized cancer center and specialized institutes and advanced training open to health care professionals across CT.
Projections call for as many as 5,000 new jobs to be created through new UConn Health Network by 2020 and up to 6,800 new jobs by 2030 – not including associated jobs in the private sector.
Vicki Tashman, a breast cancer surviver “Why should it be easier to find a date online than a compatible mentor who can help you get through chemo?”
Vicki Tashman didn’t just survive breast cancer, she beat it. Commanding all the resources and support available to her, she was a prime example of the active and pro-active patient. She interviewed different doctors, attended different support groups, signed up for different studies and never took “no” – or “I don’t know” – for an answer. All this worked to her advantage and she is alive today because of it.
The one thing she felt was missing however during her battle with the disease, was a way to find another woman who had the same type of cancer, was considering the same treatments, feeling the same side effects and processing the same fears. When she finished her treatment she decided to do something about that.
“It just occurred to me one day that here we had this unbelievable tool, the Internet, at our disposal, but there was no way for me to find someone who was going through, or had already gone through, the same kind of cancer as me,” Tashman says. “Why should it be easier to find a date online than a compatible mentor who can help you get through chemo?”
Pink-Link (www.pink-link.org) is the outgrowth of this idea and is now the only online searchable database of breast cancer patients and survivors on the Internet. Completely FREE and CONFIDENTIAL, Pink-Link allows women to enter as much detail as they like about their particular diagnosis and then search for other women who are the same age, living in the same part of the country, taking the same medications, facing the same treatment options. The site can match women who’re going through treatment simultaneously or can pair a patient with a survivor … or both.
DEAR PAW’S 4 PETS: My 4-year-old Dachshund, “Miss Itzy,” is very aggressive with all of my neighbors, friends and some of my family. However, she’s a sweetheart around my granddaughter and great-grandchildren. She has to wear a muzzle when she gets her nails trimmed or goes to the vet. I’m so afraid she will bite someone. I love her to death and don’t want to get rid of her. Can you help? – Maria, Marion, IN.
DEAR MARIA: You should find out what your granddaughter and great-grandchildren are doing that makes Miss Itzy so calm around them. (Do they have dogs of their own? How do they train their dogs?) There’s something about the way they interact with your dog that really calms her down. Miss Itzy is likely aggressive due to anxiety. The clues in your letter — aggression toward strangers, the groomer, the vet — show that she’s got a lot of worries about these strange people. The groomer and vet are easy to spot — most dogs do not like nail trimming or getting exams and shots. Another question is, how do you act around neighbors, the vet or groomer? Do you get anxious (maybe because you’re worried that Miss Itzy will get anxious)? Dogs are really good at reading owners’ emotions, and Miss Itzy, devoted to you as she is, will get more anxious, and even take a protective posture, if she thinks you’re afraid or in danger. Talk to the veterinarian about prescribing anti-anxiety medication for Miss Itzy, and talk with a professional trainer, if possible, about ways to train your dog to settle down in unfamiliar situations. Also, observe your own behavior in different situations and try to keep a calm and level voice, even when your dog is barking her head off.
