Autopsy will reveal damage
(Published 3-30-05, The Philadelphia Inquirer) Brain experts say an autopsy of Terri Schiavo, the Florida patient who has
been in a persistent vegetative state for a number of years, will likely reveal that much of her brain is shrunken and scarred.
David Brock, M.D., Director of the Neurologic Intensive Care Unit at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, looked at a 2002
scan of Schiavo posted on the Internet. "The scan shows 'catastrophic' injury to the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain
that controls all higher functions," he said.
Dr. Brock said the scan is consistent with laminar necrosis, in which layers of the brain become disconnected and unable to
communicate.
A Jefferson neuropathologist, Lawrence Kenyon, M.D., Ph.D. who is also assistant professor of Pathology at Jefferson Medical
College of Thomas Jefferson University said an autopsy will show which parts of the brain are missing or damaged. The process
usually takes three to four weeks.
Department of Neurology
Department of Pathology
Media Coverage:
Philadelphia Inquirer
Treating Bipolar Disorder in Teens
(Published 3-30-2005) Your Morning on CN8/Comcast, 9-11 a.m.) Gail Edelsohn, M.D., director of child and adolescent psychiatry
services, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, discusses a new study she is conducting called the "Bipolar Disorder (BD)
Center for Pennsylvanians." The study's goal is to
investigate Bipolar Disorder among adolescents, ages 12 to 17, to determine what treatment approaches are most effective.
Bipolar Disorder (BD) in teens is now on the rise. The trial is being funded by a $770,000 grant for the state Dept of Health
and Jefferson in the only site studying BD in adolescents.
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior
Child Adolescent Psychiatry Outpatient Services
News Release: Jefferson’s New Bipolar Disorder Center is Studying Safe Treatments for Adolescents
Stormy Weather May Mean Agony For Migraine Sufferers
(Aired 3-24 -05, WCAU-TV Ch. 10) Not many people enjoy stormy weather. But those who suffer from migraines may have an additional
reason to dislike stormy weather.
“I can see when the fronts are coming and I know that they might be a bad day for me,” said Sharon Kane, a migraine sufferer
from Drexel Hill, Pa.
At the Jefferson Headache Center, doctors suggest keeping a record of when your migraines happen. “Find out what days you
have the headache and then go and get the barometric pressure weather report, and you can see if the weather triggered your
headache, said Stephen Silberstein, M.D., professor of Neurology, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University.
Department of Neurology
Headache Center
Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience
Media Coverage:
NBC 10
** Also picked up by NBC affiliates nationwide.
Stethoscope's practicality grows fainter
(Published 3-27-2005, Chicago Sun Times) A raft of studies has found an alarming decline in doctors' stethoscope skills. The
most recent evidence comes from the University of Chicago, where a study of fourth-year medical students found that students
using stethoscopes reported accurate findings only 33 percent of the time. A lead author of such studies, Sal Mangione, M,.D,
of Jefferson Medical College, said doctors perform better when listening to the lung. Abnormal lung sounds are easier to detect,
and there's more time between breaths than between heartbeats. Moreover, portable ultrasound devices don't work well on lungs.
Nevertheless, Dr. Mangione says new technology eventually will replace stethoscopes. "We have better tools," he said.
Division of Critical Care, Pulmonary, Allergic, Immunologic DiseasesDepartment of Medicine
Media Coverage:
Chicago Sun Times
Dehydration death seen as peaceful
(Published 3-27-05, The Philadelphia Inquirer) The condition of Terri Schiavo, the Florida patient who has been in a persistent
vegetative state for a number of years, was in the news after her feeding tube was removed.
Paul Marik, M.D., director of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, discussed
the situation. Schiavo may react reflexively to pain, he said, since only the most primitive part of her brain, the brain
stem, is working. The higher parts of her brain are incapable of perceiving that pain.
Pain is a conscious interpretation of what's happening. If you can't interact with the environment, if you're not awake and
you're not conscious, you can't perceive pain, Dr. Marik said. It's a very painless and very compassionate way of dying.
Division of Critical Care, Pulmonary, Allergic, Immunologic Diseases
Media Coverage:
Philadelphia Inquirer
Macon.com
Ledger Enquirer
SanLoisObispo.com
TimesLeader.com
Duluth News Tribune
Bradenton Hearald
FortWayne.com
MyrthleBeachOnline.com
Sun Hearld
Tallahassee.com
Grand Forks Herald
Pennsylvania Department of Health Awards Jefferson $3.5 Million from Tobacco Settlement Funds to Establish a New Center of
Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases
(Published 3-17-05, PR Newswire) Sam Gandy, M.D., PH.D. is principal investigator of a four-year, $3.5-million grant from
the Pennsylvania Department of Health to support a Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases at the Farber Institute
for Neurosciences at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. The health research grant is awarded from Pennsylvania’s
share of the national tobacco settlement.
The new Jefferson center, co-directed by Barry Rovner, M.D., and Laura Gitlin, PH.D., will work in collaboration with the
Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, in order to conduct several research projects, each focusing on a different aspect of
the Alzheimer’s disease equation.
“The unique aspect of this project is the focus on developing a convenient diagnostic test that many caregivers and case workers
can administer, and on training caregivers in non-drug related strategies that can help keep patients at home longer prior
to nursing home placement,” says Dr. Gandy.
Farber Institute for Neurosciences
Media Coverage:
PR Newswire
WIVB
Black Enterprise
Volunteertv.com
WECT
Dcbank.com
KPHO
KPTV
Nurse Week
For Jeff med students, the alternative is a requirement
(Published 3-11 to 3-17-05, Philadelphia Business Journal) Medical students at Thomas Jefferson University receive extensive
exposure to complementary and alternative medicine before graduating. Steven Rosenzweig, M.D., medical director of the Jefferson-Myrna
Brind Center for Integrative Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and associate professor of Emergency Medicine
at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, discusses the current medical school curriculum and how it has
been revamped over the years. "In 2005, we are teaching integrative medicine. We are giving students a coherent framework
in which there is a good rationale for integrating complementary and alternative therapy within a mainstream setting," he
says.
Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center for Integrative Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
More women turn to cesarean section
(Published 3-20-05, Philadelphia Inquirer) Louis Weinstein, director of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jefferson Medical College
of Thomas Jefferson University, speaks about the trend against vaginal births after a previous cesarean. "It is not difficult
to direct a patient" when discussing methods of delivering a baby, he says.
Media Coverage:
Philadelphia Inquirer
Cancer Society's "Daffodil Day" Overflows into Jefferson Hospital
(Aired 3-18-05, KYW Newsradio 1060 AM) Thomas Jefferson University Hospital employees participated in the local American
Cancer Society's "Daffodil Day" that brought much-needed smiles to cancer patients. Flowers were donated to brighten up the
rooms of cancer patients who are in the hospital as well as to patients who are receiving treatment on an outpatient basis. "We
were overwhelmed by the response of Jefferson employees. Actually, we were really overwhelmed, because we didn't expect as
many (donations) as we got," said Ann Delengowski, oncology nurse at Jefferson University Hospital. "The daffodil is for hope,
and anyone who comes to the cancer center has the hope of being cured," said outpatient Carol Conte of Blackwood, N.J.
Department of Radiation Oncology
Media Coverage:
KYW 1060
Morley's descent began at tender age
(Published 3-20-2005, Philadelphia Inquirer) Gail Edelsohn, M.D., director of child and adolescent psychiatry services at
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, discusses case of 15-year-old Justine Morley, who led a young boy to his death. Dr.
Edelsohn wondered what role drugs and group dynamics played in the murder and the girl's behavior. "People who otherwise would
not do horrible things will do them in drug-related situations," she said.
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Outpatient Services
Media Coverage:
Philadelphia Inquirer
Do MDs or MBAs Make Better Leaders?
(Published March, 2005, HealthLeaders) In the cover story of the March issue of HealthLeaders, the question of whether physicians
or MBAs make better CEOs of health-care organizations is examined. David Nash, M.D., MBA, chair of the Department of Health
Policy at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, is highlighted for his role as a leading advocate for
combining medical and business education.
Media Coverage:
HealthLeaders.com>
Rendell Administration Announces Health Research Grants From Tobacco Settlement Funds
(Published 03-16-2005, Yahoo! Finance) On behalf of Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell, Health Secretary Dr. Calvin
Johnson announced that five health research grants totaling $20 million will be awarded from Pennsylvania's share of the national
tobacco settlement. These grants will develop Centers of Excellence to reduce disparities in neurodegenerative diseases and
tobacco use. Thomas Jefferson University, in collaboration with the Philadelphia Corporation of Aging, will receive $3.5
million to test biological markers and a community-based screening tool to identify dementia in a racially and economically
diverse community. The project will also test the efficacy of a home-based caregiver kills-training intervention to delay
nursing home placement and improve the quality of life for caregivers. "This year's grants reaffirm the Rendell Administration's
commitment to identifying and funding projects that will have a positive impact on our residents and their health," says Secretary
Johnson.
Farber Institute for Neurosciences
Media Coverage:
Yahoo Finance
KPHO
PR Newswire
Volunteertv.com
WIVB
Forbes
Black Enterprise
PR Newswire
WECT
WNBS 10 TV>
Advanced Radiation for Hard-to-Treat Brain Tumors
(Aired 03-11-2005, Ch. 6) Walter J. Curran, M.D., professor and chair of Radiation Oncology at Jefferson Medical College
of Thomas Jefferson University and clinical director of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson and David Andrews, M.D., professor
of neurosurgery at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University and director, Division of Neuro-oncologic Neurosurgery
and Stereotactic Radiosurgery, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, discuss Shaped Beam Surgery, a new type of targeted radiation
for hard-to-treat brain tumors. "We have the ability to define a target, and give a dose to that target with relatively little
dose to the surrounding structures," says Dr. Curran. "We have had a marvelous experience, treating patients with tumors encasing
the optic nerve. Patients are going blind, and after this treatment, they may regain vision during the treatment, or their
vision is restored in the first three months," adds Dr. Andrews.
Department of Neurology
Department of Neurosurgery
Department of Radiation Oncology
Media Coverage:
ABC 6
The Most Depressed City in U.S.?(Published 3-17-05, 9:45 a.m., Your Morning on CN8,Comcast,) Psychiatrist Troy L. Thompson, II, M.D. of Thomas Jefferson University
comments on a new Men's Health magazine study, indicating that Philadelphia is the most depressed city in the nation. Dr.
Thompson says the survey may be askew. He notes there is a public stigma regarding depression and some doctors in other cities
may be reluctant to diagnose and treat the illness, and patients there may be reluctant to accept treatment or medications
for depression.
But in Philadelphia, doctors may be more willing to be responsible and diagnose and treat patients for, and educate patients
about, depression, thus accounting for more reported cases of depression here.
Lack of Insulin Linked to Alzheimer's
(Published 03-07-2005, HealthDay) Two discoveries about insulin may shed new light on how Alzheimer's disease ravages the
brain, and might one day lead to new treatments. One discovery, made by a team at Brown University, is that insulin is produced
in the brain; the second is that Alzheimer's patients have impaired insulin production in their brains. Samuel Gandy, M.D.,
director of the Farber Institute for Neurosciences at Thomas Jefferson University, comments on these recent findings. He
says that while the suggestion of insulin's role in Alzheimer's is interesting, there are problems with the Brown study that
make the link less than convincing. Part of the problem is using brain tissue of deceased Alzheimer's patients, because that
makes it impossible to tell at what point changes in the tissues occurred. "There are lots of changes that are very late and
very far down the pathogenetic stream, so it's hard to tell what's the chicken and what's the egg," he notes.
Media Coverage:
Health Day
Red Nova
Dcbank.com
The Kindest Cut?
(Published 03-08-2005, The Washington Post) Stephen Silberstein, M.D., director of the Headache Center at Thomas Jefferson
University, comments on the results of a study done by Bahman Guyuron, a plastic surgeon, which used plastic surgery to treat
migraines. One concern, he says, is Guyuron's reliance on Botox, which has been shown to have a high placebo response. About
40 percent of patients in some studies did as well after being injected with a dummy liquid as with Botox, one reason the
Food and Drug Administration has not approved the wrinkle smoother as a migraine treatment.
Department of Neurology
Headache Center
Media Coverage:
Washington Post
Non-Invasive Device Shown To Help Heart Failure Patients
(Published 03-08-2005, Excite.com) Heart failure patients who underwent a non-invasive therapy designed to improved blood
flow, called external counterpulsation therapy (EECP), were able to exercise longer after six months of treatment. "The results
showed that six months after treatment with EECP therapy, significantly more patients increased their exercise time compared
with those receiving optimal drug therapy alone," says Arthur Feldman, M.D., professor and chair, Department of Medicine,
Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, who was the principal investigator. "That improvement, together
with improvements seen in symptom status and quality of life, support the use of EECP therapy as an adjunctive treatment for
chronic stable heart failure patients," he adds.
HeartCARE at JeffersonDivision of Cardiology
Media Coverage:
My Way - Finance
Excite Money
IWon.com - Money
Dcbank.com
Stockhouse.com
Pharmacy Times.com
Yahoo - Finance
Clinton to Undergo New Surgery
(Aired 03-08-2005, NBC 10) Former President Bill Clinton will undergo surgery on Thursday to remove scar tissue and fluid
from his chest cavity, a complication from his open-heart surgery. Cardiologist Howard Weitz, M.D., Thomas Jefferson University
Hospital, gives insight about the condition. "It's the typical way these patients present. After open heart surgery, sometimes
fluid compresses the lung and prevents the lung from expanding fully. The patient experiences a shortness of breath and realizes
that something is wrong," he says.
HeartCARE at JeffersonDivision of Cardiology
Media Coverage
NBC 10
New Drive Brings Awareness To DVT
(Aired 03-04-2005, NBC 10) Geno Merli, M.D., Director, Division of Internal Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, discusses
the symptoms of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) which can lead to dangerous blood clots in a person's lungs. "The most common symptoms
of deep vein thrombosis are leg swelling, pain in the leg or increased warmth of the leg. And the most common symptom of
pulmonary embolism is the sudden onset of shortness of breath," he says. A recent study finds that 74 percent of Americans
have never heard of deep vein thrombosis although more than two million people suffer from the condition each year. A new
Public Service Announcement and website have been created to raise awareness, and Congress has passed a bill proclaiming March
DVT Awareness Month.
Division of Internal Medicine
Media Coverage:
NBC 10
MSNBC
NBC 11
AIDS Killer
(Aired 03-03-2005, ABC 6) Roger J. Pomerantz, M.D., director of the division of Infectious Disease and Environmental Medicine,
Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, and his team have found a way to eradicate more of the HIV virus
in patients. They have found a protein called IL-7 that can "trick" HIV out of its hiding spots in cells. "I think it's important
to realize the old saying that close only counts in hand grenades and horseshoes. It doesn't count in HIV therapy. We can't
get most of it. We have to get all of it to win," he says.
Division of Infectious Disease and Environmental Medicine
Media Coverage:
ABC 6
ScienCentral
http://www.wnep.com/Global/story.asp?S=3021584
Raising Awareness of Deep Vein Thrombosis
(Published 03-03-2005, Yahoo! Finance) Geno Merli, M.D., Director, Division of Internal Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University,
discusses a resolution in the United States Senate sponsored by Senators Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Byron Dorgon (D-ND) to raise
public awareness of deep-vein thrombosis.
"It will take all our collective efforts to continue to raise the level of awareness about this common yet preventable condition.
The resolution passed today is a broad step towards our goal," he says.
Division of Internal Medicine
Media Coverage:
Yahoo - Finance
Bipolar Disorder in Teens
(Aired 3-6-2004, KYWNewsradio1060AM) Dr. Gail Edelsohn, director of child and adolescent psychiatry services, Thomas Jefferson
University Hospital, discusses a new study she is conducting called the "Bipolar Disorder Center for Pennsylvanians." The
study's goal is to investigate Bipolar Disorder among adolescents, ages 12 to 17, to determine what treatment approaches are
most effective. Bipolar Disorder in teens is now on the rise.
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior
Child Adolescent Psychiatry Outpatient Services
Media Coverage: KYW 1060
In the Womb
(Aired 3-4-2005, ABC's Good Morning America) Ultrasound Specialist Dr. Anna Lev-Toaff of Thomas Jefferson University will
discuss the latest technology and her research in 3D and 4D ultrasound fetal imaging.
Department of Radiology
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
