May 2008
Double Duty: Loss of Protective Heart Failure Protein Causes High Blood Pressure
(Published 5-2-2008) Scientists at the Center for Translational Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia have
found that a protein that appears to have protective and perhaps healing effects for failing hearts also plays a similar role
in high blood pressure. They found lower-than-normal levels of the protein S100A1 in cells that line blood vessel walls in
animals with high blood pressure.
Jefferson Physician Wins Prestigious Curtis Hames Research Award from Society of Teachers of Family Medicine
(Published 5-5-2008) Howard Rabinowitz, M.D., the Ellen M. and Dale W. Garber Professor of Family Medicine in the Department
of Family and Community Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University, has been selected as the 2008 recipient of the Curtis Hames
Research Award in Family Medicine. Dr. Rabinowitz formally received his award May 3rd at the 41st Annual Society of Teachers
of Family Medicine (STFM) Spring Conference, which was held in Baltimore.
Traditional Herbal Medicine Kills Pancreatic Cancer Cells, Jefferson Researchers Report
(Published 5-19-2008) An herb used in traditional medicine by many Middle Eastern countries may help in the fight against
pancreatic cancer, one of the most difficult cancers to treat. Researchers at the Kimmel Cancer at Jefferson in Philadelphia
have found that thymoquinone, an extract of nigella sativa seed oil, blocked pancreatic cancer cell growth and killed the
cells by enhancing the process of programmed cell death.
Study Finds It Pays to be Heart Smart if Considering Hormone Therapy
(Published 5-22-2008) A research study has found that a simple blood test may indicate whether post-menopausal hormone therapies
present an elevated risk of a heart attack. The study, part of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), sponsored by the National
Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, was conducted in 40 centers nationwide and included
271 cases of coronary heart disease in the first four years of the trials of estrogen alone and of estrogen plus progestin.
Corresponding author Paul F. Bray, M.D., the Thomas Drake Martinez Cardeza Professor of Medicine, Director, Division of Hematology
at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University and his co-authors report their findings in the June 1st edition
of the American Journal of Cardiology.
Summer Brings Thunderstorms and People with Joint Pain Can Forecast Them, Science Backs It Up
(Published 5-30-2008) The summer brings many thunderstorms to the east coast of the United States, and Javad Parvizi, M.D.,
Ph.D., of the Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, says you should believe your grandmother, friend
or co-worker when they tell you it' going to rain--even if it' simply because their aching knees, hips, hands or shoulders
"say so."
Jefferson, Ohio State Team Find Gene Signature
Profile for Metastasis
(Published 5-30-2008) Researchers at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson in Philadelphia and Ohio State University Medical
Center in Columbus have identified a common signature of tiny, specific pieces of non-coding genetic material known as microRNAs
(miRNAs) that may be directly involved in the spread of cancer to other parts of the body. The findings, reported at the annual
meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago, may represent a novel diagnostic tool in characterizing gene
targets in metastatic cancer.
Blocking Signaling Protein Prevents Prostate Cancer Spread, Jefferson Scientists Find
(Published 5-30-2008) Researchers at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson in Philadelphia have shown that by blocking a signaling
protein, they can prevent prostate cancer cells from metastatic dissemination. The work opens the door to future studies examining
the protein as a target for therapies aimed at keeping prostate cancer at bay.
