I
BREAKING NEWS!!!
FYI-PAPANICOLAOU CORPS AUGUST-SEPTEMBER, 2009
(Please note-- all of the physicians listed are with
the University of Miami/ Miller School of Medicine)
- Source—Communications Dept.
Pap President, Tutsie Lipkin, has
received a letter of thanks from
Jerry Goodwin,
M.D., F.A.C.S.,
Director of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center,
for our generous gift of $3,000,000 this past year.
An example of our gift, designated for cancer
research, has been the recruitment of a renowned
physician and researcher to lead the adult stem cell
transplant program. This work promises to help us
develop better understanding of how the immune
system reconstitutes itself after stem cell
transplantation, leading to better patient outcomes.
Pap Corps members can be proud of their
accomplishments.
Some 650,000 people are alive today
because of the advances in cancer prevention,
detection and treatments over the past 15 years,
according to a 2009
cancer report.
Ralph Sacco,
M.D., professor and chairman of neurology is quoted
in an article about the effectiveness of
graduated
compression stockings. These stockings
not only fail to prevent deep vein thrombosis after
stroke, but also damage the skin.
Ray Hershberger,
M.D., professor of medicine and associate chief of
the Cardiovascular Division is the principal
investigator of a project working to identify the
genetic cause of
cardiomyopathy and
heart failure. The inherited heart
muscle disease results in an enlargement of the
heart and a weakening of the hearts pumping action.
Sara Czaja,
M.D., professor of psychiatry and behavioral
sciences and co-director of the Center on Aging has
joined other researchers in developing a new
screening system that helps provide intervention for
caregivers of
dementia patients.
Zapping away abnormal precancerous
cells in the throat may lower the risk of later
developing esophageal cancer. This procedure may
work on some patients with
Barretts esophagus
which occurs when stomach acid backs up in the
throat (heart
burn).
A multicenter research team has
announced encouraging results for an experimental
therapy using elements of the body’s immune system
to improve cure rates for children with
neuroblastoma,
a cancer of the nervous system. After treatment the
survivors are still fit regardless of the treatment,
age or body mass.
Cutting back on carbohydrates appears
to slow the growth of
prostate tumors,
even if pounds aren’t lost.
While cancer cells need
genetic mutations
to thrive, a new study finds that they also rely
heavily on normal proteins to deal with stress and
maintain their deviant state.
An experimental drug derived from
cottonseed shows promise in treating the recurrence
of
glioblastoma multiforme, widely
considered the most lethal
brain cancer.
Lee Sanders,
M.D. associate professor of pediatrics found that
many parents in South Florida mistakenly use over
the counter cough and cold medicines to babies under
age 2.
Taking
aspirin
reduces heart attack risk in people with no previous
history of vascular disease but increases the risk
of internal bleeding.
One month after mandating stricter
warning labels about the risk of liver damage from
the painkiller
acetaminophen,
regulators are contemplating even tougher standards.
Stimulant chewing gum
can be dangerous if used excessively by children and
teens.
Scientists are exploring the
possibility that drugs that affect the immune system
might one day serve as potent weapons to fight the
flu, even the
swine flu that is currently circulating
around the globe.
A new
lung cancer
therapy employing a vaporized viral vector to
deliver a cancer-inhibiting molecule directly to
lung tissue shows early promise in mouse trials.
Aerosol delivery targets the lungs specifically and
represents a noninvasive alternative.
Despite a steady decline in
colorectal cancer
rates in the United States in the past two decades,
new research indicates that the disease is actually
on the upswing among people under 50, especially
those in their 20’s. This age group does not
routinely get screening and clinicians should be
aware of the symptoms when they occur in this age
group.
Alexandre Rocha Abreu,
M.D., assistant professor of medicine in the
Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep
medicine spoke about excessive time spent playing
computer games leaving some people sleep-deprived.
Bruno Gallo,
M.D., assistant professor of clinical neurology
discussed the completion of patient implants in a
pivotal clinical study of deep brain stimulation for
the symptomatic treatment of
Parkinson’s
disease. Dr. Gallo is an investigator in
the study using Libra and LibraXP neurostimulators,
which are surgically, implanted devices that
generate mild electrical pulses to targeted areas of
the brain.
Clinton Wright,
M.D., associate professor of neurology, agrees with
the theory that there is potential increased risk
for cognitive impairment in older people who take
common over-the counter
drugs
for pain, cold symptoms or sleeplessness. Drug
mixing can be fatal to the senior population as
well.
Intensely lowering blood sugar in the
early years of
diabetes
may reduce the chance of heart problems and
premature death. However, the same aggressive
treatment does not appear to help as much in
long-time type 2 diabetics.
Older adults with mid cognitive
impairment or Alzheimer’s disease have a shorter
life span
than other older adults; however, race has no
bearing on life expectancy.
One quarter of supplements tested by
an independent company over the last decade have had
some sort of problem. Some contained contaminants,
while others had contents that did not match label
claims.
Researchers have found links between
an individual’s
genetics
and their response to treatment with
chemotherapy.
The findings show how a genetic variant located in
the SOD2 gene may affect how a person responds to
the chemo drug
cyclophosphamide.
This drug is used in the treatment of breast and
other cancers.
For most patients with
acute myeloid
leukemia (AML) who come out of
remission, donor stem cells appear to offer the best
shot at survival.
Scientists have discovered a
molecular mechanism that plays a pivotal role in
controlling cancer growth in the brain. The
discovery could be the basis for potentially
effective therapies for the treatment of
brain metastasis.
W. Garrard Goodwin,
M.D, director of Sylvester, and
Pascal J.
Goldschmidt, M.D., senior vice president
for medical affairs and dean, presented
State Senator Ted
Deutch with an award, thanking him for
his support of the tobacco surcharge which will help
yield millions of dollars in cancer research funding
at Sylvester.
Researchers have zeroed in on the
cause of a deadly type of
ovarian cancer,
a finding that could lead to successful treatment of
the rare granulose cell tumors.
Men with moderately advanced
prostrate cancer
who get hormone-blocking drugs after radiation
therapy do better when the drug treatment is
continued for two or more years after an initial six
month regimen. Longer
hormone treatments
may improve the outlook for prostate cancer
patients.
UM/Miller School of Medicine
has embarked on a partnership with
Microsoft
to determine if computer technology can help manage
patients with chronic diseases. A pilot project has
been started to help diabetics in Overtown learn how
to manage their disease. This can perhaps change the
future of
primary care.
The World Health Organization
raised its flu warning to the highest level,
declaring the first
flu pandemic
in 41 years.
The
nicotine
in cigarette smoke may promote insulin resistance
and lead to a condition known as
prediabetes.
Two new studies suggest that
chronic poor sleep
can actually boost your odds for dying prematurely,
while another study finds that more than half of
older Americans aren’t getting the recommended eight
hours of slumber.
Eating a diet rich in
carbohydrates
that boost blood sugar levels---foods such as
cornflakes or white bread---may hamper the
functioning of your blood vessels and raise your
risk of developing
cardiovascular
disease.
Gaetano Ciancio,
M.D., professor of surgery and urology, has
incorporated
liver transplantation techniques for the
resection of large renal tumors, with or without,
inferior vena cava involvement.
Scientists have discovered that a
waste disposal protein is the key to cancer tumor
suppression in a process known as
autophagy.
The cancer cells actually eat themselves.
Scientists in Europe are reporting
“convincing evidence” that
marijuana
smoke damages the genetic material of DNA in ways
that could increase the risk of
cancer.
A new study suggests that cancer may
be stopped by delivering replacement therapy, known
as microRNAs,
control genes commonly lost in
cancerous tumors
Nicotine receptors
drive the urge to smoke and increase susceptibility
to lung cancer.
In a study of mice with lung cancer, a treatment
that target nicotine receptors more than doubled the
animal’s survival time.
Stimulant medications commonly
prescribed to treat
attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is
associated with an increased risk of sudden death,
but these deaths are rare.
The FDA has requested that
asthma drugs
get “precaution” labeling for possible psychiatric
side effects. Some of these drugs are Singular,
Accolate and Zyflo.
The American Academy of Pediatrics
wants doctors to take an active role in preventing
bullying in schools and violence among dating
teenagers and is giving physicians tips for doing
that.
David Zambrana,
chief nursing officer at UM Hospital has been named
Chief Operating Officer of the 560 bed flagship
hospital of
UHealth.
Naomi Prever - Vice President of
Education
