The Willow Glen Resident

Around The Glen

Hyaluronan treatment approved for arthritis

Forty million Americans are affected by arthritis, and for those who have osteoarthritis in their knees, a new treatment has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Hyaluronan, a substance that is produced by the body and lubricates cartilage within the joint, is injected into the knee in a treatment called viscosupplementation.

Osteoarthritis is a condition in which lubrication in the knee joint is lost due to inflammation from the breakdown of cartilage and other structures in the knee. The hyaluronan injection replaces or supplements the body's natural hyaluronan that is broken down by inflammation.

The Arthritis Foundation reports that while hyaluronan treatment may provide pain relief, there is no evidence that the treatment alters the progression of osteoarthritis and it is not a curative therapy.

For more information about arthritis, contact the Arthritis Foundation, Northern California Chapter, 203 Willow St., Suite 201, San Francisco, 94109, 415/673-6882 or 800/464-6240.

--Michelle Ku

Students explore art through technology in 'All Hands on Tech'

Children of all ages can exercise their creativity through the San Jose Museum of Art's "All Hands on Tech" Kids' Interactive Lab.

From now until Oct. 18, 1998, the interactive lab allows children who visit the "Alternating Currents: American Art in the Age of Technology" exhibit to unleash their artistic sides. By using new technological tools--such as Goo software--and familiar low-tech tools, such as paper and scissors, children can create their own artistic renditions of the themes and ideas represented in the exhibit.

Using Goo software, children can morph faces. They can also learn more about how computers work at various puzzle stations like "The Tessellator!" which shows how computers use triangle-shaped building blocks to draw three-dimensional objects.

At the "Ravin' Flavin" station--inspired by Dan Flavin's artwork using colored fluorescent light tubes--children create their own color effects. By arranging various light tubes in different combinations, they can cast different color mixes on the surrounding walls.

One section of the lab pokes fun at the idea that artists and scientists are known to wear distinctive glasses. Given paper eyeglass frames to cut out, children are encouraged to use colorful pens and colored cellophane to design their own creative eye wear.

The San Jose Museum of Art is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.) It is closed on Monday. Admission ranges from $4 to $7. For more information, call 271-6840.

--Michelle Ku

Exhibit displays photographs of San Jose buildings

Images of important architectural landmarks in and around the San Jose area are on display in Joseph Schuett's "San Jose: A Museum of Reflections" exhibit at the San Jose Museum of Art.

From now until Jan. 25 the 20 black-and-white photographs are in the Museum's Focus Gallery. The photographs present a city in transition as it enters the 21st century, from civic structures to the windows of new office buildings.

Schuett has been photographing important landmarks in the San Jose area for the last six years. He has also photographed other American cities, including Anchorage, Miami, Seattle and Tucson.

For more information call, 271-6840.

--Michelle Ku

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