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Current and Breaking News for Professionals, Consumers and Media |
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| Current and Breaking News for Professionals, Consumers and Media |
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MELANOMA VACCINE: A cancer vaccine developed by Dr. Nina Bhardwaj of the NYU Cancer Institute is showing promise in patients with melanoma. One patient, who did not respond to traditional chemotherapy, tried the experimental cancer vaccine and has had a remarkable response. Her cancer regressed, and she is confident the condition is “beatable, treatable and manageable.” CARDIAC COOLING: NYU has been a pioneer in cooling the bodies of patients after heart attack in order to help them survive. This is a huge breakthrough because it has saved the lives of numerous patients arriving to the emergency room in a comatose state. NYU has created a protocol for cooling, and a remarkable number of patients have woken up after 48 hours of cooling with minimal neurological problems. We have five 5 patients with amazing success stories. STOPPING STAPH IN ITS TRACKS: NYU Langone Medical Center has solved the problem of dangerous staph infections in the hospital. Before arriving for joint replacement or spinal surgery, patients do pre-operative testing to see if they have staph. They get their noses cultured and if they are infected, they are given an antibiotic. Under the direction of surgeon Dr. Joseph Bosco, over 1200 patients have been screened before muscular-skeletal surgery and none of them have developed a MRSA infection in the hospital. PRIMARY CARE TRAINING: Professor Mack Lipkin has said NYU Medical Center has the answers when it comes to teaching residents how to become doctors who are more satisfied and less burnt out than their peers. A unique program -- including more direct contact with teachers and special training in problem situations -- has resulted in higher satisfaction among doctors. A recent survey including graduates over the past 23 years found that 87% of them practice as primary care physicians, 83% teach, 90% work with the underserved, 54% engage in research, 36% actively advocate on health issues and 30% publish research. ZEBRAFISH USED FOR MEDICAL STUDY: Zebrafish are small, translucent and inexpensive fish that are invaluable research tools. Since they have eggs that mature outside the mother’s body, it is possible to see the organism develop from a one-celled embryo to a fish in just a week. The formation of individual organs such as the eyes and heart, even single nerve cells, can be observed clearly under a microscope. Already, hundreds of zebrafish genes influencing early development have been discovered, some even at NYU. These genes have counterparts in humans, and studies may lead to a better understanding of diseases, as well as possible treatments. Get a tour of our zebrafish laboratory with Dr. Deborah Yelon. ANTS USED TO DETERMINE HOW AND WHY PEOPLE AGE: NYU School of Medicine researcher Dr. Danny Reinberg says studying ants can help unravel the impact lifestyle and environment have on genes. Worker ants die young. Queen ants who spend more time reproducing, live ten times longer than worker ants. Dr. Reinberg is working on sequencing the genes of three different species of ants and will try to identify changes in gene expression based on their different roles in the community. He is confident his studies will help unlock the secrets of human aging. CRACKING THE GENETIC CODE FOR MALARIA: Jane Carlton cracked the genetic code for the parasite that is responsible for up to 40 percent of the world’s 515 million annual cases of malaria. The parasite is called Plasmodium vivax is the most common type of the disease outside of Africa. It is not a deadly form of malaria, but it is more difficult to treat because it often remains dormant, often remerging in warmer weather. The discovery could lead to new targets for drugs and vaccines for this type of malaria. It’s Nature’s October cover story. PREGNANT WOMEN IN WAR ZONES MORE LIKELY TO HAVE BABIES WITH AN INCREASED RISK OF SCHIZOPHRENIA: Dr. Dolores Malaspina studied pregnant women in war zones and found out they were more likely to give birth to a child who develops schizophrenia. This supports a growing body of literature that attributes maternal stress to an increased risk of schizophrenia in offspring. The data came from 88,829 people born in Jerusalem from 1964 to 1976. EARLY DETECTION OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE: NYU is pioneering the use of early detection tools to screen patients for Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms appear. Dr. Mony de Leon uses PET and MRI scans to look at differences in size and regions of a person’s brain to determine if they are at risk for Alzheimer’s. Dr. Lisa Mosconi found that patients with Alzheimer’s don’t use glucose as efficiently and that those with a maternal link to the disease are more at risk at getting it. FEWER STOMACH BUGS, MORE ASTHMA FOR KIDS: A July 15, 2008 study by internist Martin J. Blaser, MD found that the absence of a stomach virus called H. pylori may be the reason for an increased risk of childhood asthma. Blaser found that kids between the ages of the ages of 3 and 13 are nearly 60 percent less likely to have asthma if they carry the bug. With asthma rates steadily rising, rates of H. pylori have been steadily decreasing due to antibiotics. Scientists believe that less H. pylori results in fewer T cells in the stomach that control the body’s response to invaders. Without the T cells, the child can be more sensitive to allergies. NEW GENE MACHINE: A new $1.5 million RNAI facility at NYU is providing scientists with a time and cost effective way to look at the function of large genes in a variety of biological processes and to compare their functions between species to find the genetic basis of disease. This “gene scan” will hopefully lead to targeted drug therapies. Dr. Ramanuj dasGupta, who has spearheaded the center, says that research once taking years could now be done in a matter of weeks or months. PARENTAL INTERVENTION DECREASES AGRESSION IN CHILDREN: An NYU Child Study Center study by Dr. Laurie Miller Brotman shows that aggression in preschoolers can be decreased with family intervention. As few as 16 sessions of teaching parents how to play and discipline their children worked to change their child’s behavior. MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS OF 2008 CHANGING CLINICAL PRACTICE AT NYU NEW OPTION FOR HIP REPLACEMENT: The anterior total hip replacement results in a smaller scars, less pain and quicker recovery than traditional hip replacement. A special table called HANA (Hip & Knee Arthoplasty Table) allows surgeons to rotate and flex the leg and hip in a way that is not possible with regular operating tables. Dr. Roy Davidovitch is the first surgeon at a NYC academic medical center to use HANA. ROBOTIC KNEE SURGERY: The robotic knee replacement is a new procedure that uses CT scanning to get the exact shape of the patients knee to allow for the right shape and size of implants – allowing for better patient knee function. The scanning is done before the operation and then a robotic device remembers the calculations during surgery. Dr. Joseph Bosco can discuss. 128 SLICE CT SCAN: The new 128 slice CT scanner by Siemens is the world’s fastest source CT scanner. The scanner is capable of routine diagnostic work, as well as advanced examinations in cardiology, neurology and oncology. The big news is that it uses LESS radiation than other 64-slice machines, and that means less risk to the patient. SENSORHAND: It’s the newest, most high tech prosthetic hand – allowing for muscles in the extremities to signal movement in the “hand.” The relationship between muscle signal, speed and grip more closely mimics the natural hand. It enables patients to perform everyday tasks with greater control and confidence. Dr. Jeffrey Cohen can discuss. DIABETES: A 2008 study showed that aspirin use in broader diabetic population without cardiovascular disease may cause harm to patients – but Dr. Michael Bergman says there is still subgroup of patients that could still benefit. Also, doctors are now treating patients with mild gestational diabetes as a result of a 2008 landmark study of 23,000 women. www.HealtNewsDigest.com Top of Page 
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