GSDM Resident Takes Top Honors at Boston Periodontal Residents Meeting
The Boston Periodontal Residents Meeting hosted by Tufts University School of Dental Medicine welcomed periodontal residents from Tufts, Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM), and Harvard School of Dental Medicine.
GSDM resident Srinivas Ayilavarapu DSC 08, PERIO 10 won the research poster award for his work titled, “Novel Inflammatory Pathways in Diabetes and Periodontitis-Role of iPLA2 in Superoxide Generation in Neutrophils,” which was based on research completed for his thesis. Professor & Director of the Center for Clinical Research Dr. Thomas Van Dyke served as Ayilavarapu’s mentor and research advisor. Associate Professors Dr. Alpdogan Kantarci and Dr. Hatice Hasturk also advised Ayilavarapu on this project.
Ayilavarapu described his research, “Briefly, we elucidated the priming mechanism in neutrophils from people with diabetes. In this first of its study we established the role of iPLA2 as a mediator of oxidative stress in people with diabetes and we hope that this mediator will be a pharmacological target in preventing the complications of diabetes.”
His research was also published in the February 1, 2010 issue of the Journal of Immunology in an article titled, “Diabetes-Induced Oxidative Stress is Mediated by Ca2+ Independent Phospholipase A2 in Neutrophils”.
Other GSDM residents competed in the poster contest, including Eleni Kanasi PERIO 11, Terinder Chahal PERIO 10, and Konstantina Thomadaki PERIO 12. Anuradha Deshmukh PERIO 10 and Maha Bahammam PERIO 11 delivered oral presentations.
“I am very proud to see this honor awarded to one of our residents,” said Professor and Chair of Periodontology & Oral Biology Dr. Frank Oppenheim. “The resurrection of the Periodontics Residents Meeting comprising our three local residency programs of Tufts, Harvard, and BU is a most welcome development. Similar to our long standing tri-school meeting with NYU and Penn, the residents always learn and profit from the competitive component of such meetings.”
Submitted by Laura Mackin.