BLR&D Research Career Scientist Award Application

中风是美国残疾的头号原因。这是身体缺陷的结果， 中风后痴呆的风险增加。高血压是中风的首要危险因素， 糖尿病高血压、糖尿病和中风在我们的退伍军人中非常普遍。高血压是 最常见的血管风险因素退伍军人中风。此外，在退伍军人中， 最常见的慢性疾病，影响超过37%的退伍军人人口。25%的退伍军人 患有糖尿病。尽管多年来进行了广泛的研究，但所有保护神经元免受缺血性中风损伤的努力， 失败.中风只有一种治疗方法，那就是用血栓破裂术打开闭塞的血管 药中风后发生的痴呆症没有治疗方法。失败的原因可能有几个 倍：1）研究人员在研究中使用了健康和年轻的动物模型; 2）大多数研究 利用雄性动物;和3）研究人员试图挽救和修复只有“神经元”。它现在正越来越多 认识到脑血管对于急性中风损伤和慢性中风损伤都是极其重要的。 复苏当流向大脑的血液受到损害时，认知障碍就会出现，并从中风中恢复过来。 是受损的新疗法的目标可能在女性和/或糖尿病和高血压等疾病中有所不同。 中风或认知障碍患者的常见血压。这也是相当 与VA使命相关，因为我们的女性退伍军人在我们的退伍军人中稳步增加， 这些疾病迫使退伍军人事务部发起“妇女健康倡议”。厄古博士，一位多才多艺的 VA研究职业科学家和奥古斯塔大学董事会教授，使用她独特的组合 内分泌学、生理学、药理学和血管生物学方面的专业知识，通过研究 糖尿病和高血压与相关并发症（如中风和认知障碍）的相互作用 男女都有缺陷。她非常致力于改善我们的退伍军人和我们的生活质量。 在过去的5年里，研究职业科学家的认可巩固了这一承诺。她致力 VA和心血管疾病研究的证据是：1）国家卫生部连续的壁外发现， 美国卫生研究院、美国心脏协会、美国糖尿病协会和退伍军人事务部 过去20年，2）她发表了150多篇出版物（仅在过去5年的RCS任期内就有59篇），3） 在目前的RCS奖励期间，两次成功更新VA优异奖，4）获得额外的 解决补充性科学问题的校外资金，5）她作为该领域领导者的地位，6） 她指导下一代科学家的成功

Stroke is the number one cause of disability in the US. This is a result of physical impairments as well as increased risk of dementia after stroke. High blood pressure is the top risk factor for stroke followed by diabetes. High blood pressure, diabetes and stroke are highly prevalent in our Veterans. Hypertension is the most common vascular risk factor among Veterans with stroke. Moreover, among Veterans, hypertension is the most common chronic condition, affecting more than 37% of the Veteran population. 25% of our Veterans have diabetes. Despite years of extensive research, all efforts to protect neurons from ischemic stroke injury failed. There is only one treatment for stroke and that is to open the occluded blood vessels with a clot-busting drug. There is NO treatment for dementia that develops after stroke. Reasons for this failure may be several fold: 1) researchers have used otherwise healthy and young animal models in research; 2) most studies utilized male animals; and 3) researchers have tried to salvage and repair only "neurons". It is now increasingly recognized that blood vessels of the brain are extremely critical for the acute stroke injury and chronic recovery. When blood flow to the brain is compromised, cognitive impairment ensues and recovery from stroke is impaired. Targets for new treatments may be different in females and/or diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure that are commonly found in patients with stroke or cognitive impairment. This is also quite relevant to VA mission as our female Veterans are steadily increasing among our Veterans and suffering from these diseases necessitating the VA to launch the “Women’s Health Initiative”. Dr. Ergul, a well-accomplished VA Research Career Scientist and Regents’ Professor at Augusta University, uses her uniquely combined expertise in endocrinology, physiology, pharmacology and vascular biology to address these gaps by studying the interaction of diabetes and high blood pressure with associated complications such as stroke and cognitive impairment in both sexes. She is extremely committed to improve the quality of life of our Veterans and our society, a commitment solidified by Research Career Scientist recognition in the last 5 years. Her commitment to VA and cardiovascular disease research is evidenced by 1) continuous extramural finding by National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, and Veterans Affairs in the last 20 years, 2) her over 150 publications (59 alone during the tenure of the RCS in the last 5 years), 3) success of renewing VA Merit Award twice during the current RCS award period, 4) receiving additional extramural funding to address complementary scientific questions, 5) her stature as a leader in the field and 6) the success of her mentoring next generation of scientists.