UCi researchers probe protein with ties to Alzheimer's

Researchers from the University of California, Irvine, say their work on a brain protein could affect the way treatments for Alzheimer's disease are investigated.

Frank LaFerla and Malcolm Leissring, both UCI neurobiologists, found that a protein called AICD helps regulate calcium signaling, which is how brain nerve cells communicate by relaying chemical messages through a cell. Calcium signaling is considered a vital part of maintaining cell health.

Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia-more than 4 million Americans have the disease. Most cases are sporadic-meaning people with no hereditary connection can get the disease. The sporadic form of Alzheimer's generally afflicts people 65 years of age and older.

Inherited Alzheimer's generally comes from passing on a defective copy of a gene called presenilin-1, which leads to an aggressive form of the disease. Inherited Alzheimer's usually begins decades before the sporadic version-people who develop the disease are often as young as their 30s or 40s.

In one set of tests, LaFerla's team studied calcium signaling in cells in which presenilin function was inactivated either by the removal of presenilin genes or by using drugs that interfere with creating beta-- amyloid, a protein that gets deposited in memory-related brain regions, or AICD. They found that calcium signaling was diminished in both cases.

Later, the team concluded that the AICD protein was a signaling molecule that traveled to the cells' nucleus and presumably induced the expression of other genes involved in calcium signaling.

"We have been able to describe an important physiologic function for this AICD fragment, which was previously unknown," LaFerla, a UCI associate professor and researcher, said in a release. According to LaFerla, identifying new roles for any Alzheimer's related protein is important because it could provide a new avenue for treatment.

LaFerla and Leissring's study appeared in the April 2 edition of the Proceedings, the National Academy of Sciences' journal. Healthcare Facilities Bought

Health Care Property Investors Inc., Newport Beach, said it made $124 million in new healthcare real estate investments in the first quarter.

The real estate investment trust paid $73.2 million for two retirement communities in Houston and Jacksonville, Fla., and three assisted-living facilities in Cleveland, San Antonio and Delray Beach, Fla. They were bought from American Retirement Corp. of Brentwood, Tenn.

Health Care Property Investors then leased the facilities to affiliates of American Retirement under a 15-year master lease.

Health Care Property also plans to pay $6 million to American Retirement for a 92-unit assisted-living facility in Boynton Beach, Fla., once a refinancing of the property is done.

In a separate deal, Health Care Property bought a 204,000-square-foot office building in Las Vegas for $45 million. That building was built in 1998 and is leased to Sierra Health Services Inc., a Las Vegas-- based managed healthcare service plan company.

Former PacifiCare Exec at Health Net

Chris Wing, former president and chief executive of Cypress-based PacifiCare of California, is the new president of Health Net of California, Woodland Hills.

Wing takes a position that was being handled on a temporary basis by Cora Tellez, president of parent company Health Net Inc.'s health plans division.

Health Net of California is the largest business unit of Health Net, with some 2.4 million commercial, Medicare and Medicaid health maintenance organization members statewide. In Orange County, Health Net has around 180,000 HMO and preferred-provider organization members.

Wing, 44, had been with PacifiCare Health Systems Inc., Santa Ana, since 1994. James Frey, a former PacifiCare branding executive, succeeded Wing as head of PacifiCare of California.

Besides PacifiCare of California, Wing also worked for PacifiCare of Washington and Utah. His previous positions include stints with Blue Cross of California and Prudential Health Care Plan Inc.

Bits and Pieces:

Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center, Mission Viejo, and the Mission Viejo Chamber of Commerce are hosting a May 8 luncheon and talk about healthcare benefits. The discussion is set to include representatives from the Hospital Association of Southern California, the California Association of Physician Organizations and Lockton Insurance Brokers Inc. Information: (949) 635-1634 Health Net Inc., Woodland Hills, launched Women Matter, a health information component, on its Web site ... CaliforniaChoice, Orange, said it introduced "Medi-Watch a Web-based service that allows insurance brokers updated details on the status of contractual relationships between health plans and their independent practitioner associations and hospitals ... National Medical Products Inc., Irvine, said the University of Illinois at Chicago Hospital was the first facility to use its J-Tip injection system. The J-Tip system does not use needles for injection; National Medical Products touts it as a way to reduce injuries from needle sticks ... The Los Angeles Jewish Home for the Aging, Los Angeles, opened a new Alzheimer's and dementia care facility in Reseda named after Paul Goldenberg, founder and owner of Paul's TV and Video, La Habra, and Richard and Daphna Ziman. Richard Ziman is chief executive of Los Angeles-based Arden Realty Inc.