March 2006
Bone Marrow Transplant Specialist Matthew H. Carabasi, M.D., Joins Jefferson’s Division of Medical Oncology
(Published 3-1-2006) 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 Offers Minimally Invasive Surgery for Removing Brain and Skull Base Tumors
(Published 3-3-2006) A state of the art program has opened at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital offering a new alternative
for people with brain and skull base tumors. The Jefferson Center for Minimally Invasive Cranial Base Surgery and Endoscopic
Neurosurgery is a comprehensive center in the Philadelphia area where surgeons are able to remove skull-based tumors through
nose and nasal sinuses instead of the traditional, more invasive surgery which required opening up the brain and skull.
Results of Multicenter Study: Jefferson Scientists Test New Device for Fixing Holes in Hearts of Young Stroke Patients
(Published 3-10-2006) 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.
High Blood Sugar Sets Off Cellular Cascade Leading to Diabetic Retinopathy
(Published 3-13-2006) It is becoming increasingly clear that angiogenesis – the process by which blood vessels form to nourish
cell growth in tumors – plays vital roles in the development of a number of diseases, including cancer and diabetes. In a
recent issue of Cell, a leading scientific journal, a team of scientists including Richard G. Pestell, M.D., Ph.D., director
of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, has shown a clearer path for the role of high
glucose levels in angiogenesis, and in turn, diabetic retinopathy.
Match Made in Medicine — The Most Important Day in a Young Doctor’s Life
(Published 3-14-2006) Graduating medical students from Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, as well as
other medical schools across the country, will learn whether and where they’re moving to begin practicing medicine; an emotional
climax to their medical education.
Jefferson Graduate and Medical Students Display Research at Sigma Xi Research Day March 21
(Published 3-21-2006) Some of the most sophisticated and advanced student research in science and medicine will be on display
at Thomas Jefferson University on Tuesday, March 21, 2006. The Jefferson chapter of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society,
is holding its annual Student Research Day from 12:30 P.M. to 3 P.M. in Bluemle Life Sciences Building, 233 S. 10th Street.
Jefferson’s pioneering Genitourinary Cancer Program Marks 10th anniversary as national model
(Published 3-22-2006) As one of the first multidisciplinary programs in the United States for patients with genitourinary
malignancies, The Genitourinary (GU) Cancer Program at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson in Philadelphia will celebrate
its 10th anniversary in April. The Jefferson GU program has evaluated and treated 5,000 patients and, today, serves as a recognized
successful model for the trend in the multidisciplinary approach to GU cancer treatment across the nation.
Hepatitis C: Learn All About the Epidemic
(Published 3-24-2006) A free seminar to provide timely and important information to people who suffer from hepatitis C, along
with their friends and families, will be held on Saturday, April 22, from 8:15 am to 1 pm at Thomas Jefferson University.
Jefferson Scientists Reveal New Mechanism That Causes Spread of Colorectal Cancer
(Published 3-31-2006) Researchers have known for years that the enzyme MMP-9 plays a key role in the spread of colorectal
cancer. Now, scientists at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia have found out how the enzyme helps initiate the process,
known as metastasis. Their discovery of a new molecular mechanism by which MMP-9 promotes cancer spread may provide a new
target at which to aim anti-metastasis drugs.
