A tall order
(Published 02-28-2005, Philadelphia Inquirer) As growth hormones become more popular, doctors worry that parents will want
it mostly for boys, and that girls will be overlooked. "It used to be accepted that if a parent is short and the child is
short, nothing can be done," says Judith Ross, M.D., professor of pediatrics, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson
University. While a gain of 2 or 3 inches seems modest, "that could make the difference with requiring special foot pedals
for driving a car or being able to buy clothes in a regular store," adds Ross, who has researched growth hormone in short
children and serves on an Eli Lilly advisory board.
Media Coverage:
Philadelphia Inquirer
Younger Women With Knee Injuries
(Aired 2-25-2005, 6ABC) Michael Ciccotti, M.D., director of the division of Sports Medicine at the Rothman Institute at Thomas
Jefferson University Hospital, discusses the growing trend of younger women developing knee injuries.
Department of Orthopedic Surgery
Media Coverage:
ABC News
Ailing Pope Has Tracheotomy
(Published 2-25-2005 Philadelphia Inquirer) Otolaryngologist-Head and Neck Surgeon Joseph Spiegel, M.D., of Thomas Jefferson
University Hospital, discusses why Pope John Paul II, who is ill due to flu complications, needed to have a tracheotomy and
how the procedure is performed.
Media Coverage:
Philadelphia Inquirer
(Aired 2-24-2005 CBS3) William M. Keane, M.D., professor and chair of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Jefferson Medical
College of Thomas Jefferson University,discusses why a very ill Pope John Paul II needed to have a tracheotomy performed by
surgeons today. Dr. Keane said the procedure was likely done to clear secretions from the Pope's lungs and help him breathe.
Department of Otolaryngology
Media Coverage:
KYW 3
Green Tea Helps Reduce Red in Rosacea
(Published 02-23-2005. WebMD) Guy Webster, M.D., Ph.D., vice chairman of dermatology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas
Jefferson University, comments on a study that found a cream made of freshly baked green tea leaves may be a safe and beneficial
treatment for rosacea. He says the study involved only a small number of participants and more work needs to be done before
the cream can be marketed. "However, these results are tantalizing....The faces were looking distinctively red and they are
coming out not distinctively red," adds Dr. Webster.
Media Coverage:
Web MD
Uric acid may limit secondary damage after spinal cord injury
(Published 02-16-2005. Reuters Health) Researchers at Jefferson Medical College have shown that increasing the level of uric
acid in the blood of mice with induced compression injury of the spinal cord prevents secondary nerve damage and promotes
recovery of motor functions. "The upshot is that you don't see the kind of inflammatory damage that you would normally see
in the spinal cord--so you're left with basically the mechanical damage," D. Craig Hooper, Ph.D., associate professor of microbiology
and immunology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University explains. He believes that manipulating blood
levels of uric acid has great potential for treating spinal cord injury in umans.
Media Coverage:
Ruters Health
Yahoo News
ABC News
Health Day
Forbes>
Plam Beach Post
Untangling Alzheimer's
(Published 2-21-2005, Chemical and Engineering News) Samuel Gandy, M.D., Ph.D, director of Thomas Jefferson University's Farber
Institute for Neurosciences, discusses the effect statins may have against Alzheimer's disease. Whatever the exact mechanism,
the results "reveal an unsuspected pathway linking statins and amyloid metabolism," Dr. Gandy says. "This may help unravel
statin action in Alzheimer's as well as point the way toward novel antiamyloid drugs."
Media Coverage:
Chemical and Engineering News
Scientists Explore Meth's Role in Immune System
(Published 02-22-2005, The New York Times) New attention is focusing on the biological relationship between the H.I.V. virus
and methamphetamine (often called crystal meth or speed) due to reports that a New York City man may be carrying a rare strain
of H.I.V. There is mounting evidence that methamphetamine may increase a person's susceptibility to infection by crippling
immune function and facilitating disease transmission. AIDS expert Roger J. Pomerantz, M.D., director of the division of
Infectious Disease and Environmental Medicine, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, comments that "with
this crystal meth you can hurt others by increasing the likelihood of both transmission and drug resistance."
Media Coverage:
New York Times
Staying Heart Healthy
(Aired 2-19-05, A Chef's Table, WHYY-FM) February is National Heart Month. Interventional cardiologist, David Fischman, M.D.,
provided common-sense heart-healthy food tips to listeners of A Chef's Table with Chef Jim Coleman. "Carry around a small
orange or an apple to eat when you need a quick and easy snack," Dr. Fischman advises. This program is also carried on other
National Public Radio stations across the United States.
Media Coverage:
Whyy.org
Chronic Sinusitis Surgery
(Aired 2-19-2005, CBS3) Head and neck surgeons at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital offer a non-invasive procedure for
treating chronic sinusitis- endoscopic sinus surgery. It's done with a thin, optical instrument, called an endoscope that
is inserted in the nose. It shines a light allowing the doctor to see what's causing blockages and then surgical instruments
are used,to remove the blockages and improve breathing.
Department of OtolaryngologyMedia Coverage:
ABC 3
Treating Depression in Teens(Aired 2-17-2005, Your Morning on CN8) Dr. Gail Edelsohn, director of the division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at
Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, discusses how zoloft can safely be prescribed to treat depression
among teens and adolescents.
New AIDS Strain
(Aired 02-15-2005, Your Morning on CN8) Roger J. Pomerantz, M.D., director of the division of Infectious Diseases and Environmental
Medicine, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, discusses an apparently rare, drug-resistant form of HIV
that was found in a New York City man. The fact that it (the HIV virus) was rapidly progressive, we see this. It comes up
every few years in the last 20 years of the AIDS epidemic. The only thing that is new is that it might also be resistant to
many drugs, he explains.
South Philly Reality TV Show Contestant Commits Suicide
(Aired 2-15-2005, Ch. 6) Psychiatrist Dr. Troy Thompson of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital discusses how stress may have
been a factor in the suicide of a South Philadelphia boxer, who was taking part in NBC TV's new reality show, The Contender,;
for up-and-coming fighters.
Assessing danger of a new HIV(Published 02-14-2005, International Herald Tribune) A rare strain of HIV has been found in a New York City man, but scientists
say that much work needs to be done to assess how dangerous the virus is. Every medical center in a major metropolitan area
will have cases like this, says Roger Pomerantz, M.D., professor of medicine, and of biochemistry and molecular pharmacology
and director of the Division of Infectious Diseases and Environmental Medicine at Jefferson Medical College. You've got to
really prove something like this before you go on CNN and scream about a 'super strain,' he adds.
Media Coverage:
Iternational Herald Tribune
http://www.guardian.co.uk/aids/story/0,7369,1412258,00.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/13/health/13virus.html
Space-age medicine for earthly practices
(Published 02-14-2005, American Medical News) Researchers tackling the health concerns of space travelers are finding solutions
for such problems as osteoporosis and sleep deprivation. George C. Brainard, PhD, professor of Neurology at Jefferson Medical
College of Thomas Jefferson University discusses his goal of helping people both on Earth and in space get a good night's
sleep without relying on medications. "Even in short flights, astronauts may go from getting seven to eight hours of sleep
a night to getting only six or less. Something happens to their bodies that leads to sleep reduction," he says. Dr. Brainard
and his colleagues are now working with light treatment to determine whether increasing the power in the short wave length,
or the blue portion, of the spectrum can help maintain astronauts' circadian rhythms and keep sleep cycles at an adequate
level.
President prescribes new course for Jeff
(Published 02-11-2005, Philadelphia Business Journal) Dr. Robert L. Barchi, president of Thomas Jefferson University, talks
to the Philadelphia Business Journal about his plans to reinvent, reshape and reinvigorate the Center City Campus. We are
in the middle of a health-care revolution, Dr. Barchi says. Health care is now being delivered by teams of physicians and
nurses and therapists and healthcare coordinators. He would like to see educational facilities that simulate operating rooms
and intensive-care units where teams can train together. It will also require changes in curriculum, creating new education
facilities and, frankly, breaking some old molds, he explains. We don't want to build new classrooms that suit yesterday's
education needs, he adds.
Media Coverage:
Philadelphia Business Journal
EMT Training Live on Good Day
(Aired: 2-11-05, Ch. 29) Good Day Philadelphia, the Fox Philadelphia's live morning talk show, spends the entire morning broadcasting
from the Jeffstat training facility at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital's Ford Road campus to highlight the Emergency
Medical Technician (EMT) training program and the Jeffstat staff. JeffSTAT, a subsidiary of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital,
has been providing medical transportation services to the Delaware Valley since 1988. With a reputation of providing care
for patients of the highest acuity, JeffSTAT has grown to become one of the most widely recognized critical care transport
programs in the region.
Second Local College Possibly Had Norwalk Virus
(Aired 02-11-2005, NBC10) Roger J. Pomerantz, M.D., director of the division of Infectious Disease and Environmental Medicine,
Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, comments on a Norwalk-type virus that has spread across two local
colleges. There are so many different strains that just because you get sick once, it doesn't mean you won't get sick again,
he says. "That's the problem with viruses, you can almost always get sick again."
Media Coverage:
NBC 10
MSNBC
Runaway Infections
(Aired 02-11-2005, ABC 6)Roger J. Pomerantz, M.D., director of Infectious Disease and Environmental Medicine, Jefferson Medical
College of Thomas Jefferson University discusses an aggressive skin bacteria called Methicillin Resistant Staph Aureus (MRSA),
a super-strong bacteria that standard antibiotics can't stop. MRSA is being found now among athletes. Five years ago, it was
unheard of, two years ago, it was rare. Now I hear about a case almost every week, Dr. Pomerantz says.
Seeking the Truth: Infection Imaging in Nuclear Medicine(Published 02-10-2005, Advance for Imaging & Oncology Administrators) Researchers are searching for faster, better infection
imaging agents and techniques because the major drawback of any nuclear medicine imaging procedure is time. A new radiopharmaceutical,
known as NeutroSpec, may help speed infection imaging with white blood cells by reducing preparation time from a two-to-three
hour procedure to a half-hour procedure. "By the time the patient arrives from the floor, you are ready to image," says Mathew
L. Thakur, Ph.D., professor of radiology and radiation oncology and director of radiopharmaceutical research at Jefferson
Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, who developed the agent.
Parents Advised to Use Eagles' Loss as a Teaching Opportunity
(Aired: 2-7-05, KYW Newsradio1060AM) Dr. Gail Edelsohn, Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Jefferson Medical College
of Thomas Jefferson University, discusses how children depressed over the Philadelphia Eagles' loss in the Super Bowl can
cope with their feelings. Dr. Edelsohn said she sees lessons to be passed on to children, mostly in terms of perspective:
"This is about professional football. The Eagles played well. They showed good sportsmanship. They gave it their best shot
and they'll have another chance. Those are lessons that children can take with them, that they may not win something or master
something this time but there will be other opportunities."
The picture of health
(Published 02-06-2005, Forth Worth Star-Telegram) Physicians increasingly rely on imaging tests to pinpoint illnesses, but
some insurers are concerned that they are unnecessarily driving up costs. There is worry that some doctors may even order
extra tests to generate revenue for their practices. David C. Levin, M.D., former chairman of the department of radiology
at Thomas Jefferson University, says that physicians should be prohibited from "self-referring" patients to their own scanners. "It
drives up costs, and that affects patients nowadays," he notes.
Big game apt to be his last
(Published 02-02-2005, Philadelphia Daily News) Daily News reporter Jill Porter spends the day of the Super Bowl with Tony
Landolfi, a patient of the Hospice and Home Care Program of Jefferson Health System. Mr. Landolfi, a cancer patient at Methodist
Hospital, shares his life story and enthusiasm for Eagles football. "He likes it when people come," says his daughter Rose. "It
keeps his mind occupied from what's going on-what's really going on," she adds.
Media Coverage:
Philadelphia Inquierir
Fort Wayne.com
Ledger Enquirer
MyrtleBeachOnline.com
Tallahassee.com
The State
TimesLeader.com
Charlotte Observer
Grand Forks>
DFW
'Bio-Barcode' Alzheimer's Test Only a 1st Step
(Published 02-01-2005, HealthDay) Dr. Samuel Gandy, director of the Farber Institute for Neurosciences at Thomas Jefferson
University, discusses a new test that may be able to diagnose Alzheimer's disease. If it holds up with a large number of people,
I think that it is going to be very, very helpful in terms of finding ways of predicting and diagnosing the disease, Dr. Gandy
says. Having an endpoint for these drugs would really accelerate drug discovery. A lot of CEOs are afraid to greenlight clinical
trials because they have a drug to target amyloid but absolutely zero in terms of measuring, he adds.
Media Coverage:
Health Day
Yahoo News
Red Nova
Forbes
