December 2006
A Half-Century Later, Jefferson’s Hilary Koprowski, M.D., at the Top of His Game
(Published 12-7-2006) In an environment of flat federal spending on science, renowned Thomas Jefferson University virologist
Hilary Koprowski, M.D., continues to amaze. Last month, Dr. Koprowski – the first scientist to develop the oral polio vaccine
– was honored by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony Fauci, M.D., for 50 years of continuous
funding from the National Institutes of Health.
Blood Pressure Drugs Could Help Halt Pancreatic Cancer Spread, Jefferson Researchers Find
(Published 12-8-2006) Common blood pressure medications might help block the spread of pancreatic cancer, researchers at the
Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia have found. The scientists showed in laboratory studies
that two types of pressure-lowering drugs – ACE inhibitors and AT1R blockers – may help reduce the development of tumor-feeding
blood vessels, a process called angiogenesis. Such drugs, they say, may become part of a novel strategy to control the growth
and spread of cancer.
Protein Shows Promise for Spinal Cord Injury Patients Regaining Partial Movement
(Published 12-12-2006) A study of a protein applied to the spinal cord for totally paralyzed patients during surgery shows
some promise for spinal cord injury patients with some regaining partial movement. A one-year clinical study of Cethrin(R),
performed by neurosurgeons at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia and other medical centers in the United
States and Canada, indicated positive interim results for the treatment of acute spinal cord injury (SCI). The study was designed
to determine if the protein was safe and well tolerated by SCI patients.
Holiday Cheer Not Blues
(Published 12-12-2006) The holidays can be one the best times of the year, with lights and decorations lifting the spirits
and many occasions to be with friends and family. But for many, it is a period of unnecessary stress and even sadness. Rajnish
Mago, M.D., Director, Mood Disorders Program, Thomas Jefferson University , Philadelphia , offers some tips for determining
if you have the blues and how to cope during the holiday season.
Jefferson Chair of Surgery’s Latest Book Considered Essential Medical Reference
(Published 12-14-2006) Charles J.Yeo, M.D., Samuel D. Gross Professor and Chair of Surgery at Jefferson Medical College of
Thomas Jefferson University, has authored the latest (sixth) edition of Shackelford’s Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, considered
to be an essential reference for general surgeons, surgical residents and gastroenterologists, with a special focus on alimentary
tract diseases.
Olive Oil Emulsion Eases Insertion of Coronary Stents into Problem Arteries, Jefferson Scientists Find
(Published 12-20-2006) 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.
That’s the finding of a study to be published in the January issue of the journal Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions
led by Michael Savage, M.D., director, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia.
Jefferson Researchers Uncover New Way Nature Turns Genes On and Off
(Published 12-27-2006) Peering deep within the cells of fruit flies, developmental biologists at the Kimmel Cancer Center
at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia may have discovered a new way that genes are turned on and off during development.
If they're right, and the same processes are at work in higher organisms, including mammals, the findings could eventually
have implications for improving the understanding of a range of diseases, including childhood cancer.
