LOCAL ANGLE: A former Bradford resident has made the news in a
story reported in the Cleveland (Ohio) Plain Dealer a couple months
ago.

The story was about a team of researchers at the University of
Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, N.Y., who made a link
between certain hormone replacement therapies and hearing loss.
Leading the team was Dr. Robert Frisina.

The clipping came to us from Fred Holly of Cleveland, a member
of Bradford High’s Class of 1947. He wrote: “I believe that this
gentleman is the same Dudy Frisina who was a star basketball player
on Harold Brace’s 1942-43 championship team.”

We found the study itself interesting.

The story quotes Frisina concerning the results of the study
published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Science.

A study of 124 postmenopausal women had found that those taking
hormone replacement therapy that included progestin had poorer
speech understanding than women who were not taking hormones or who
were using estrogen only.

The team previously had reported indications of hearing problems
associated with hormone therapy, and the new study says progestin
is the likely culprit.

The research found problems in the inner ear and in some
measures of brain function after hearing in women using hormone
therapy with progestin, Frisina had said in a telephone
interview.

Since hearing problems can affect quality of life, including
family and business activities, he had urged increased hearing
testing for women using this therapy.

He was quoted: “I tell women to have their hearing tested if
they are going to start” hormone replacement therapy, and to have
it rechecked every six months.

The story said Frisina’s next step was to have been looking at
women who stop using progestin and see if the hearing damage is
reversible.

Meanwhile, the Bradford High Alumni directory does list a Robert
Frisina, class of 1943, as employed at the International Center for
Hearing-Speech Research, Rochester Institute of Technology.

That certainly matches up with the other information we received
so we’d have to assume the two are one and the same.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “Open government is something that most people
are for until they have the reins of power. Then it’s a pain in the
neck,” said Terry Francke, general counsel, Californians Aware,
2004.