Signaling Protein Helps Limit Damage in Heart Attack, Jefferson Scientists Show
(Published: 3-18-2008) Scientists at the Center for Translational Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia
have shown that a specific signaling protein is crucial to protecting the heart and helping it to adapt during a heart attack.
Jefferson GI Researchers Use SpyGlass System To Provide Better Diagnoses of Digestive Problems
(Published 6-13-2007) Patients in the Digestive Disease Institute at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital can benefit from
a new generation of endoscopes that enable physicians to provide an earlier and better diagnosis of diseases involving the
bile duct.
Jefferson Scientists Use Gene Therapy to Reverse Heart Failure in Animals
(Published: 5-23-2007) Heart researchers at the Center for Translational Medicine at Jefferson Medical College have used
gene therapy to reverse heart failure in animals. In addition, they found that this gene therapy strategy had “unique and
additive effects” to currently used, standard heart failure drugs called beta-blockers.
Jefferson Researchers Report Heart Care at High-Volume Hospitals May Matter More to African American Patients
(Published: 5-11-2007)
Jefferson Researchers Warn that Combining Common Blood-Thinning Therapies After Coronary Angioplasty May Cause a Deadly Problem
(Published 5-4-2007) Physicians should examine the risk factors—for example, whether the patient is likely to experience a
stroke—before giving patients undergoing interventional heart procedures a combination of anti-blood clotting therapies, according
to a study from Jefferson Medical College.
Identify the Cancer to be Treated, Jefferson Researchers Recommend
(Published 5-4-2007) With the increase in specifically tailored therapies for individual cancers, Jefferson doctors suggest
that making a proper diagnosis takes on even greater significance.
Holistic Medicine Pioneer, Rachel Remen, M.D., to Present ‘Becoming a Blessing: Living as if Your Life Makes a Difference’
(Published: 04-06-2007) Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D., nationally-recognized pioneer in the mind/body holistic health movement
and one of the first to recognize the role of the spirit in health and the recovery from illness, will present a benefit lecture
for the Jefferson-Myrna-Brind Center for Integrative Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital on Friday, April 20.
Targeting the Adrenal Gland Could Be Key Strategy Against Heart Failure, Jefferson Scientists Show
(Published: 2-18-2007) Scientists at the Center for Translational Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia
have staved off heart failure in animals by using gene therapy to shut down the adrenal gland’s excessive output of fight
or flight hormones such as epinephrine and norepinephrine. By blocking GRK2, an important regulatory enzyme, they cut the
hormone production that forces the heart to pump too hard, leading to heart failure. Such a novel approach – targeting the
adrenal gland in addition to the heart – provides a potential new strategy against heart failure, and could lead to a new
class of drugs.
Novel Therapies in Kidney Disease Is Focus of new Jefferson Initiative
(Published: 1-17-2007) Building on the success of its Center for Translational Medicine, the Department of Medicine at Thomas
Jefferson University has created the Center for Novel Therapies for Kidney Disease, a program to combine basic research, clinical
research and care for patients suffering from diabetic kidney disease.
Geno Merli, MD, Named Chief Medical Officer, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
(Published: 01-02-2007) Thomas J. Lewis, president and chief executive officer of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital has
named Geno Merli, MD, FACP, as its new Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Merli replaces Jonathan Gottlieb,
MD, who left the post to be the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Clinical Affairs at the Washington School of Medicine in St.
Louis, Missouri. Dr. Merli will begin his new responsibilities on February 1.
Joseph Cheung, M.D., Ph.D., Named Director, Division of Nephrology at Jefferson
(Published: 12-11-2006) Joseph Cheung, M.D., has been named director of the Division of Nephrology at Jefferson Medical College
of Thomas Jefferson University and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He is also the Capizzi Professor of Medicine at Jefferson
Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University.
Come to the Great American Smokeout at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Have you considered breaking your smoking habit? Is it that the cost of cigarettes is becoming prohibitive? Are you having
trouble breathing--or have begun coughing for no reason? Whatever the reason, you can learn successful methods of smoking
cessation. The stop-smoking experts at Thomas Jefferson University are sponsoring a free 'how to stop smoking event' on Thursday,
November 16.
Jefferson Researcher Awarded Grant for Nearly $180,000 to Study Biological Processes Behind Cancer Growth
(Published 10-9-06) Molecular biologist Nianli Sang, M.D., Ph.D., of Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University
in Philadelphia has received a two-year grant for nearly $180,000 from the prestigious W.W. Smith Charitable Trust to study
the role of a unique molecular switch in the development of cancer.
John R. Cohn, M.D., Named to Head Adult Allergy Division at Thomas Jefferson University
(Published 9-25-06) John R. Cohn, M.D., has been named to head the Adult Allergy Section in the division of Critical Care,
Pulmonary, Allergic and Immunologic Diseases at Thomas Jefferson University.
Jefferson Scientists Find Boosting Protein Levels Staves Off Heart Failure
(Published 9-20-06) Boosting levels of a protein in the heart might help protect against the development of heart failure,
particularly in those who have had heart attacks. Cardiology researchers at the Center for Translational Medicine at Jefferson
Medical College found that increasing levels of the protein S100A1 above normal helped protect animal hearts from further
damage after simulated heart attacks. In some cases, the animals' heart function hardly changed at all. At the same time,
other animals with heart cells lacking the gene for the protein couldn't handle the stress of a heart blockage; they went
on to develop heart failure.
Paul Bray, M.D., Named Director, Division of Hematology at Jefferson
(Published 9-05-06) Paul Francis Bray, M.D., has been named director, Division of Hematology at Jefferson Medical College
of Thomas Jefferson University and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He is also Thomas Drake Martinez Cardeza Professor
of Medicine and Director of the Cardeza Center for Hematologic Research at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University.
Jefferson Researcher Awarded $200,000 Grant for New Anti-Hypertension Therapy
(Published 8-25-06) Hypertension researcher Andrea Eckhart, Ph.D., of Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University
in Philadelphia has received a two-year, $200,000 grant from the prestigious W.W. Smith Charitable Trust to study the molecular
roots of high blood pressure, a condition which affects one in four Americans.
Featured in the Media
Diabetes evolution
(Published 8-14-06, The Philadelphia Inquirer) Diabetes care used to be dominated by insulin, but today more than a half-dozen
new drugs are crowding pharmacists' shelves along with a handful of improved devices to monitor blood sugar or deliver insulin
more efficiently.
If you look in the early 1990's, there was not much available,†says Barry Goldstein, M.D., Ph.D., director of the division
of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases at Thomas Jefferson University. It's not that long since we've had a lot
of choices, and that gives patients more options.
Media Coverage:
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Philly.com
RedOrbit.com
CentreDaily.com
Jefferson Scientists Show “Miracle” Cancer Drug Gleevec Can be Toxic to the Heart
(Published 7-23-06) Gleevec, the wildly successful poster-child of a new generation of cancer drugs aimed at specific targets
in the cancer cell, can be dangerous to the heart. Not only that, but other similarly based drugs - called tyrosine kinase
inhibitors - could lead to heart problems as well, say researchers at the Center for Translational Medicine at Jefferson Medical
College in Philadelphia. Featured in the Media
HIV Treatment
(Published 07-10-06, CBS 3) Kathleen Squires, M.D., Director of Infectious Diseases and Envionmental Medicine at Thomas Jefferson
University, discussed a new pill for HIV patients that is awaiting FDA approval. Dr. Squires says the new pill, which will
be taken once a day, will make treatment less complicated and will combine three different drugs that many HIV patients are
already taking.
“That makes it more possible to be adherent or compliant with your regimen and to really fit it into your lifestyle and not
let the drugs control you, but you control the drugs and your infection,” said Dr. Squires.
Media Coverage:
CBS 3
Jefferson Researchers Awarded Portion of Pennsylvania Tobacco SettlementMoney to be used to study obesity in African Americans
(Published 7-7-06) The Commonwealth grants focused on a specific priority--to develop centers of excellence (COE) to research
the prevention and treatment of obesity and its complications, placing emphasis on populations that are at high risk for and/or
disproportionately affected by obesity. At Thomas Jefferson University, the grant will fund the creation of the Center of
Excellence for Research on Obesity at Thomas Jefferson University. Featured in the Media
Monitoring dose crucial for anticoagulants
(Published 7-3-06, American Medical News) Patients who were surveyed by a Washington, D.C., based advocacy group, the National
Consumers League, revealed that they need more help from their physicians or other health care professionals in managing their
warfarin therapy successfully. Physicians who were also surveyed indicated that monitoring patients on anticoagulants often
was a challenging undertaking.
John Spandorfer, M.D., associate professor of medicine at Jefferson Medical College said that primary care physicians can
set up their own office-based anticoagulation clinics. The clinic head, whether a nurse or other staff member, would ensure
that patients return for periodic blood test.
“This is very helpful for primary care physicians,” Dr. Spandorfer said. Having a point-of-care monitor in offices would mean
that test results would be available immediately and that medication could be adjusted as needed.
Media Coverage:
American Medical News
Featured in the Media
A Sunny Day Can Mean All Sorts of Distress(Published 6-19-06, New York Times) Summertime is not so easy for people living with certain autoimmune diseases. The sun,
heat and even air-conditioning can intensify symptoms and cause problems that linger for months, if not years.For doctors
who manage those diseases, primarily lupus, scleroderma and Raynaud's phenomenon, the challenges of educating their patients
about sun avoidance become greater, too.
Covering the entire body, even in the heat, is critical for scleroderma patients because they have greater susceptibility
to skin cancer. And since the blood vessels can also become sclerotic, or thickened, full coverage helps protect people from
the shock of entering an air-conditioned environment. "The problem is that in the summer these patients go from dramatic warm
to cold, and they can become very symptomatic from that," said Dr. Chris T. Derk, an assistant professor of medicine in the
rheumatology division at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.
Media Coverage:
New York Times
Featured in the Media
High Blood Pressure and Your Teen(Published 5-19-06, Health Day) A new study presented at the American Society of Hypertension, shows that teens with prehypertension
or high blood pressure are more likely to have high blood pressure and its related complications when they grow up unless
they make some changes now.
Prehypertension means that one does not have high blood pressure now but is likely to develop it in the future.
Bonita Falkner, M.D., professor of medicine and pediatrics at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University says,
“Knowing which youngsters are most likely to progress to hypertension would provide the ability to target preventive interventions.”
Media Coverage:
Health Day
Excite.com
Forbes.com
United Press International
WebMD.com
Reuters Health
Health Scout
Procedure for Patients at Risk for Esophageal Cancer being studied at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital(Published 5-19-06) A new nonsurgical procedure for people who suffer from Barrett’s Esophagus is being studied at Thomas
Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.
U.S.News & World Report Ranks Jefferson’s Family and Community Medicine Department Among the Nation’s Best
(Published: 05-17-2006) U.S.News & World Report has ranked the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University as
one of America’s best Departments of Family Medicine.
Featured in the Media
RNA test might reveal early cancer, offer drug target
(Published 4-22-06, Science News) By analyzing snippets of genetic material called microRNAs in the intestinal cells of people
with colorectal cancer, researchers have devised a technique that might reveal which cancers are at the highest risk of recurrence.
Bruce Boman, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Division of Genetic and Preventive Medicine at Jefferson Medical College, studied
the fast-growing cells that are embedded in tube-like crypts lining the colon, testing the activity of microRNAs in cells
in the crypts. Dr. Boman said that the test predicted whether cells were cancerous or healthy.
The results could also open the way for new drugs targeting aberrant microRNAs that contribute to the cancer. MicroRNAs, Dr.
Boman said, “are going to be excellent candidates for targeted therapeutics.”
Media Coverage:
Science News
Featured in the Media
Minority Cancer Week: Leading Women’s Health Organizations Challenge African American Women to Confront Deadly Disease(4-19-06, CBS 46 Atlanta) Ninety-six percent of African American women do not consider themselves to be at high risk for colorectal
cancer (CRC), according to a new Harris poll that was recently released. This misperception has resulted in deadly inaction,
with 70 percent of African American women over the age of 45 not getting life-saving screenings for CRC.
“African American women face many barriers to screening, detection and treatment of colorectal cancer, but getting beyond
our own fear and learning the facts can go a long way in improving our survival and quality of life,” said Edith Mitchell,
M.D., clinical professor of medicine at Jefferson Medical College and Program Leader in Gastrointestinal Oncology at Thomas
Jefferson University Hospital.
Media Coverage:
CBS 46 Atlanta
KPHO-TV CBS 5 Phoenix
KTRE.com
Seattlepi.com
Nationally Recognized Jefferson Diabetes Researcher, Physician Named to Association of American Physicians(Published 4-17-06) Barry J. Goldstein, M.D., Ph.D., director, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases
at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, has been elected to
the Association of American Physicians (AAP).
Timing of Radiation Treatments for Colon Cancer May Need Adjusting, Jefferson Researchers Say(Published 4-7-06) Scientists have unexpectedly discovered that mice with the gene defect that causes colon cancer in humans
can differ from normal mice in how they respond to radiation treatments. The large intestine carrying the gene defect in mice
that received staggered doses of radiation was three to four times more resistant to the radiation than in control mice.
Jefferson Researchers Uncover Genetic Signature that Predicts Colon Cancer
(Published 4-4-06) Researchers at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia have uncovered a genetic “signature” that accurately
identifies colon cancer--a key, they hope, to better understand how the cancer develops. Featured in the Media
More cancers in the eye of the vaccine needle
(Published 3-28-06, U.S. News and World Report) David Berd, M.D., a medical oncologist and professor of medicine at Jefferson
Medical College has been working on developing an effective melanoma vaccine, M-Vax, for many years. Dr. Berd’s idea is to
remove a patient’s own melanoma cells, add a chemical called a hapten to every protein found in that melanoma, and then put
the cells back in the patient. The added hapten – a foreign object in the patient’s body – looks suspicious to the immune
system. “This is how you can trick the body into responding to a tumor protein that it won’t normally respond to,” Dr. Berd
says.
Dr. Berd has conducted some preliminary tests in cancer patients and has seen the vaccine stimulate a reaction between the
immune and melanoma cells. The immune cells have gone after the melanoma cells. Although there is a reaction, Dr. Berd concedes
that his work isn’t ready for prime time. “We’ve talked to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and they made it very clear
that we have to do more and bigger trials under better-controlled conditions,” he says.
Media Coverage:
U.S. News and World Report
Featured in the Media
The Healing Canvas(Published 3-20-06, Los Angeles Times) By harnessing creative processes of the mind, art therapy has been used for more than
50 years to treat mental and physical health problems. But, only now are studies being conducted to show its effectiveness.
Daniel Monti, M.D., director of the Center of Integrative Medicine of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, led a NIH-funded
study addressing the influence of mindfulness-based art therapy on cancer patients. Participants received group treatment
sessions of mindfulness-based art therapy for eight weeks. The study found that these cancer patients experienced a significant
decrease in distress, anxiety, and depression, as well as an improved quality of life and vitality.
The study did not determine whether the art therapy or meditation component was beneficial, but "one informs the other," said
Dr. Monti, "The two sort of work together."
Dr. Monti speculates that meditation and art making engages more of the brain than merely talking. "It provides a means of
conceptualizing and expressing the illness experience and ways to cope," he said.
Media Coverage:
Los Angeles Times
Featured in the Media
New device for fixing holes in hearts of young stroke patients(Published 3-14-06, News-Medical.net) Patent Foramen Ovale, or PFO, is an opening in the upper wall of the heart which did
not close completely after birth. As many as one in four adults have this condition, yet they won’t know it until after they
suffer a stroke.
“We are all born with a PFO,” says Michael Savage, M.D., director, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at Thomas Jefferson
University Hospital. “For most of us, the opening closes within months after birth.” This opening may cause the blood in the
heart to be rerouted from the right to left side. As a result, if a clot forms in this rerouted blood and passes through the
PFO to the brain, a person may experience a stroke.
A study, led by researchers at Thomas Jefferson University found that a PFO closure device, delivered via catheter and positioned
on both sides of the PFO had a 99 percent closure success rate, and proved the device to be highly effective in preventing
a recurrent stroke.
Media Coverage:
News-Medical.net
At Jefferson HealthCARE-Voorhees: Meet Vince Papale, former Philadelphia Eagle, and his colon cancer specialists from Thomas
Jefferson University Hospital(Published 3-14-06) Vince Papale, a former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver who beat the odds to become the oldest rookie
in NFL history, will share his inspiring life story -- including his triumphant battle with colorectal cancer -- at Jefferson
HealthCARE-Voorhees, on Wednesday, March 29 from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
Results of Multicenter Study: Jefferson Scientists Test New Device for Fixing Holes in Hearts of Young Stroke Patients(Published 3-10-06) As many as one in four adults is walking around with a “hole” between the upper chambers of the heart.
Most of them will never know it. The person who learns about the “hole” in his or her heart does so when he or she suffers
symptoms of a mini-stroke (TIA) or a more-debilitating stroke. And it is usually only then that the person learns the term
Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO), a persistent opening in the upper wall of the heart which did not close completely after birth.
Jefferson Scientists Find Topical Lubrication Improves Outcomes of Coronary Stent Procedures
(Published 3-10-06) An emulsion of olive oil, egg yolk and glycerine might be just the recipe to keep heart patients away
from the operating room and cardiac bypass surgery.
Jefferson Bone Marrow Transplant Expert Receives Top Award from Leukemia & Lymphoma SocietyNeal Flomenberg, M.D., to be Honored at Philadelphia Gala March 11(Published 3-10-06) Internationally renowned bone marrow transplant specialist Neal Flomenberg, M.D., will receive the prestigious
Service to Mankind Award from the regional Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at its annual gala at the Hyatt Regency Philadelphia
at Penn’s Landing on Saturday, March 11, 2006.
Featured in the Media
5 Pains Women Should Not Ignore
(Published 3-1-06, CBS3) Millions of women get so caught up in everyday activities that they don't always stop to listen when
their body is sending out an alarm. A seemingly inncocent stomach ache. Pain in the arm or shoulder. These symptoms may be
your body’s way of telling you to seek medical attention, according to Barbara Berko, M.D., cardiologist at Thomas Jefferson
University Hospital.
52-year-old Janet Green is the perfect example. For weeks she thought it was just a simple stomach ache and indigestion, until
the pain became severe.
“I was getting ready to have a massive heart attack,” said Green.
Jefferson cardiologist Dr. Barbara Berko said that is not the only heart related issue. The second symptom to watch is a pain
near your arm.
“Many people may experience pain in their arm or shoulder and think its something related to their arm or shoulder rather
than their heart,” said Dr. Berko.
Women account for nearly half of all heart attack deaths, but recognizing and responding quickly to your symptoms drastically
increases your chance of survival, she adds.
Media Coverage:
CBS3
Bone Marrow Transplant Specialist Matthew H. Carabasi, M.D., Joins Jefferson’s Division of Medical Oncology(Published 3-1-06) Matthew H. Carabasi, M.D., a specialist in bone marrow transplantation, has been named associate professor
of medicine in the Division of Medical Oncology in the Department of Medicine at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson
University in Philadelphia. He is also clinical director of the Bone Marrow Transplant Program at Thomas Jefferson University
Hospital and the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson.
Jefferson Liver Specialist in New England Journal of Medicine: New, expensive, widely-used drugs continue to cause liver problems(Published 2-17-06) In an article published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine, lead author Victor J. Navarro,
M.D., clinical associate professor of medicine at Jefferson Medical College, writes that liver injuries continue to plague
the nation’s drug development system, proving very costly to pharmaceutical companies that spend millions of dollars on development.
The federal Food and Drug Administration now wants better ways to detect these problem drugs before they reach the market
and injure users.
Featured in the Media
Man Gives Stranger Valentine's Gift Of Kidney
(Published 2-14-06, NBC10) A man from Philadelphia wins the prize for giving the most loving gift on Valentine's Day.
Paul Wagner gave one of his kidneys to a total stranger. Wagner just happened to read about Gail Tomas, who needed a kidney,
on MatchingDonors.com. The surgery took place on Valentine's Day at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and you can read
all about it in stories below on NBC10, 6ABC, MSNBC and in the Philadelphia Daily News.
Media Coverage:
NBC10
6ABC
MSNBC
Philadelphia Daily News
New Infectious Agents Pose New Risks for People with Bleeding Disorders, Jefferson Hematologist Says
(Published 2-13-06) An international team of scientists, including a hematologist from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia,
has concluded that people with bleeding disorders such as hemophilia remain at risk from emerging infectious agents in plasma
and blood transfusions. For this reason, recombinant therapies, that is, those produced in the laboratory, must always be
an option.
Jefferson Heart Failure Specialist Offers Hope Against a Once Intractable Disease(Published 2-10-06) Heart failure is the only cardiac related disease that is actually growing in the United States. Yet even
though it is striking more and more patients at younger ages, there is reason for hope according to Sharon Rubin, M.D., a
heart failure specialist at the Jefferson Heart Institute at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.
Featured in the Media
Babies' Cells Linger, May Protect Mothers
(Published 2-8-06, NPR) Scientists have proposed that when a woman has a baby, she gets not just a son or a daughter, but
a gift of cells that stays behind and protects her for the rest of her life. It's not a far-fetched idea. These cells may
behave like those famous embryonic cells: They can turn themselves into any cell mom needs.
Everybody is whispering that something like repair is what they are seeing in mice and in humans. Carol Artlett, Ph.D., research
assistant professor of medicine at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, comes right out and says so.
But so far, it's very, very preliminary, and in Dr. Artlett’s mind -- and everybody else's -- it's too early to know if baby
cells are really repairing moms. They hope so. But hope is not proof and these folks are too professional to get ahead of
their evidence.
Media Coverage:
NPR
Featured in the Media
Go Red For Women(Published 2-3-06, CBS3) “Go Red For Women” campaign is aimed at alerting women that they may be as prone to heart disease
as men. Women’s heart problems, though, are often more difficult to diagnose.
“In men heart disease is usually easy to see, but women can have heart trouble that does not show up on an angiogram,” says
Marc Tecce, M.D., cardiologist at Thomas Jefferrson University Hospital.
He recommends that women should have heart imaging during a stress test, “Whether we do a nuclear stress test or an echocardiogram
or an ultra sound stress test we always pretty much have to do some type of heart imaging.”
Media Coverage:
CBS3
Are You at Risk for Breast Cancer?(Published 2-6-06) Learn what your risk is for breast cancer. Attend a free seminar at Thomas Jefferson University sponsored
by the division of Genetic and Preventive Medicine. Featured in the Media
PA's Hospital-Acquired Infection Battle
(Published 2-1-06, Physician's News Digest) As the patient safety movement continues to evolve as a national priority in health
care, a particular focus on hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) has intensified in Pennsylvania. While hospitals have for
years included infection control as part of their quality improvement programs, release of the state’s first HAI reports –
last July and November – by the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4) has called into question the adequacy
of those efforts by tallying HAI frequency, decrying their cost, and heightening public awareness of their existence.
PHC4 has partnered with the Pittsburgh-based Jewish Healthcare Foundation to fund demonstration project grants to control
these infections. One grant recipient is Philadelphia’s Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, which is performing a rapid-cycle
work flow analysis of the materials, insertion and care of catheters inserted through the skull to relieve pressure on the
brain of severe stroke patients, several hundred of whom Jefferson treats each year, according to Jonathan Gottlieb, M.D.,
Jefferson’s senior vice president for clinical affairs.
Media Coverage:
Physician's News Digest
Featured in the Media
Nice stethoscope. Now, learn to use it
(Published 1-30-06, Los Angeles Times) The stethoscope may be a staple of the medical profession. But as a tool of the trade,
many veteran physicians fear it is becoming a useless prop of doctorhood.
“A lot of people have talked about the lost soul of medicine, how medicine has changed,” says Salvatore Mangione, M.D., associate
professor of pulmonary and critical care at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. “The demise of the bedside
examination and the refuge we seek in powerful technology is a symptom of that — we're becoming more technicians and less
healers.”
As few as 20 percent of new doctors and 40 percent of practicing primary-care doctors can discern the difference between a
healthy and a sick heart by simply listening to the heartbeat with a stethoscope. As a means of compensating for a lack of
proficiency with a stethoscope, many physicians are calling for an echocardiograph— basically an ultrasound imaging of the
beating heart that can cost up to $1,000 a shot.
“The stethoscope is really a symbol of medicine. And to have a symbol of medicine become a vestigial device is very surprising,”
Howard Weitz, M.D., associate professor of cardiology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University says.
Media Coverage:
Los Angeles Times
The Baltimore Sun
Thomas Force, M.D., Named Clinical Director of Jefferson Center for Translational Medicine(Published 1-25-06) Internationally recognized cardiologist and researcher, Thomas L. Force, M.D., has been named clinical
director of the Center for Translational Medicine, an initiative of the Department of Medicine of Jefferson Medical College
of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia. Featured in the Media
Side Effects of Anti-Inflammatories
(Published 1-9-06, KYW-TV(CBS)) Anti-inflammatories are taken by millions of Americans every day, including Vice-President
Dick Cheney. Yet, warns Marc Tecce, M.D., cardiologist at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, they do have some side effects
people who take them should be aware of.
Anti-inflammatories are used to reduce painful swelling customarily for things like arthritis and headaches. “In healthy people
they do not typically cause a problem,” Dr. Tecce clarified, “although for people with heart disease, such as the Vice-President,
anti-inflammatories may have some side effects. The most common side effect customarily attributed to anti-inflammatories
is an upset stomach.
“They also tend to decrease the amount of blood flow to the kidney which can cause a fluid buildup.” The fluid build-up and
shortness or breath are often related to the heart and apparently the reasons why Vice-President Cheney was rushed to the
hospital.
Media Coverage:
KYW-TV(CBS)
