Latest news with #NationalInstituteofAging
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
'A real inspiration': Fallen Bloomfield officer donates organs to three people
Jun. 4—Even after dying, Bloomfield police officer Timothy Ontiveros continued to give to others. On Sunday, the 33-year-old died after being shot by Dennis Armenta, 58, during a traffic stop in Bloomfield on May 26. Armenta was fatally shot by another officer. After being taken off life support, Ontiveros' kidneys and liver were donated to three people, New Mexico Donor Services spokesperson Celina Espinoza said in a phone interview Wednesday. "To lose an officer in the line of duty is really, really difficult," she said, "and for him to continue to give even after serving his community so valiantly is just a real inspiration." Espinoza did not identify the recipients or disclose where they lived, but said the transplants were successful and everyone was "doing well." Ontiveros was not a registered organ donor, Espinoza said. If a person is not registered, their family may make the decision on the dying person's behalf to donate their organs, according to the National Institute of Aging. Ontiveros' family said "he had a true heart for service and would have wanted to continue to help others," Espinoza said. Only 1 in 1,000 hospital deaths happens in a way that allows for an organ donation, according to the Baylor College of Medicine. "It's rare people are able to give the gift of organ donation," Espinoza said. "It's a true miracle every time it happens." Ontiveros had served with the Bloomfield Police Department since December. He was also a volunteer firefighter with the Aztec Fire Department. He previously worked for Farmington police. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham ordered flags to be at half-staff for five days starting Thursday. "Officer Ontiveros exemplified extraordinary bravery and unwavering dedication in serving and protecting his fellow New Mexicans," she said in a statement. "He will be greatly missed by his family and community and will be remembered as a dedicated father to his two daughters, a fighter and a true public servant. "It is appropriate and proper to acknowledge Officer Ontiveros' life and service through a public period of mourning across New Mexico."
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
$2.8M grant awarded for study on gum disease and Alzheimer's link
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – A doctor at the Dental College of Georgia has been awarded a grant to continue research on the connection between gum disease and Alzheimer's disease. The $2.8 million competitive grant was awarded to Dr. Ranya El Sayed by the National Institute of Aging. Dr. El Sayed said there is a strong relationship between gum disease and Alzheimer's disease, which led to the question – how does this happen and is there a cause-and-effect relationship? El Sayed said, 'During periodontal infection in the gums, the immune cells release small particles that are called exosomes. These exosomes are capable of traveling through the blood stream to cross the blood brain barrier and when they enter the blood brain barrier, their taken up by the immune cells of the brain which are called microglia cells and this causes neuroinflammation and inflammation of the brain.' According to the Alzheimer's Association, nearly 7 million Americans are living with the disease, by 2050 that number is projected to reach almost 13 million. Dr. Babak Baban, Professor and Associate Dean of Research for Dental College of Georgia, says it's an honor to have their research be noticed and appreciated by such a large organization. 'A topic like this which can secure the competitive funding really at the national level, that means a lot, that speaks for itself that our faculty and our researchers are basically discovering the innovative ways to improve our health quality and our life quality in general.' Dr. Baban said. Over the course of her research, Dr. El Sayed says the most fascinating thing she learned was how interconnected the brain and mouth truly are. She said Alzheimer's is such a devastating disease and hopes their findings will impact people in the future. She said, 'We are still working on it, we have very promising data from human data, mice data, and that we are still working on it, there is a lot more to answer and I'm very optimistic we are going to find something by the end of the research period.' She continued to say, 'If we treat the root cause from the beginning, if we are able to raise awareness in Alzheimer's patients or in the early stages, or elderly patients or the whole population in general to take care of their teeth and do the maintenance visits, the routine dental visits, we can eliminate the problem, maybe.' Dr. El Sayed's team has been researching this correlation for the past 3 and a half years and this grant will allow them to continue their research for the next 5 years. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
