Has '50' Become the New '30'?
(Published 6-29-06, Jewish Exponent) People these days are living longer than ever. And as they go through their longer, fuller,
richer lives, they're taking better care of themselves and aging gracefully, so much so that even at 50 years of age and older
- once upon a time considered "over the hill" - many are more like 30-year-olds in their thinking, behavior, viewpoint, attitude
and even physique.
From a psychological perspective,psychiatrist Mitchell Cohen, clinical associate professor of psychiatry and human behavior
at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, noted that for 50-year-olds today, there isn't the same pressure
there used to be 20 to 25 years ago.
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior
Media Coverage:
Jewish Exponent
Smoking debate filters back to the casino floors
(Published 6-28-06, Gloucester County Times)A report was recently published stating that separate smoking sections do not
prevent secondhand smoke damage and only smoke-free public places can truly protect non-smokers from secondhand smoke.
Frank Leone, M.D., director of the Center for Tobacco Research and Treatment at Thomas Jefferson University says that, "the
population risk in a state where there are laws restricting smoke is much lower than the risk in a state where there is more
secondhand smoke exposure."
Dr. Leone added that in California - which enforced smoking restrictions 20 years ago - the rate of heart disease among residents
has gone down in the past 15 to 20 years in accordance with the smoking law.
"It is important for people to know that this issue is not just about smell," Dr. Leone said. "The issue is side-stream smoke
that has all the same constituents of mainstream smoke."
Media Coverage:
Gloucester County Times
Mammogram Doesn't Catch All Breast Cancer Forms
(Published 6-27-06, NBC10) Mary Elmer is a nurse practitioner and even she was puzzled about some strange symptoms with her
breast.
"My symptoms were a swelling in my left breast. I also noticed a rash and I had itchiness to the skin on that side," Elmer
said.
Elmer was diagnosed with stage-three inflammatory breast cancer.
"I was told that it was an aggressive form of cancer, so I knew I needed to develop a plan with the help of my doctors to
treat it and beat it," Elmer said.
Inflammatory breast cancer doesn't usually have a lump. Its findings are so subtle that on a mammogram it might be difficult
to see.
Breast surgeon Anne Rosenberg said inflammatory cancer involves the lymphatic system.
CancerCARE at Jefferson
Department of Surgery
Media Coverage:
NBC10
Study targets protein seen as indicator of Alzheimer’s disease
(Published 6-26-06, Associated Press) Brain deposits of a small protein known as amyloid beta long have been associated with
Alzheimer’s. Scientists are hoping that a new test enabling them to monitor the protein will help determine whether the body
begins producing too much of the protein or loses the ability to clear it away.
Six healthy volunteers were recently tested and it was determined that the protein is quickly produced and quickly cleared,
keeping it in balance with the central nervous system. While the researchers next turn to patients with Alzheimer’s, Sam Gandy,
M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Farber Institute for Neurosciences of Thomas Jefferson University says that the challenge is
to find clues to the developing disease before symptoms begin to appear. For now, Dr. Gandy says that this development “is
much more likely to be useful as a research tool than as a clinical diagnostic test.”
Farber Institute for Neurosciences
Department of Neurology
Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience
Media Coverage:
Associated Press
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New York Times
Forbes.com
Boston Globe
Washington Times
Seattle Times
Los Angles Times
Philly.com
Artificial light increases breast cancer risk
(Published 6-20-06, The Daily Mail) Women who sleep with the light on or stay up late at night could be at a greater risk
of breast cancer, according to scientists. Researchers have long suggested that being exposed to too much light at night disrupts
crucial hormones and raises the chance of developing breast tumours.
If the link between tumour growth and light is confirmed by more studies, it could result in a change in working patterns.
Professor George Brainard, of the Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, aded: "Humans evolved on a planet without electric
light over thousands of thousands of generations. "The body is designed to be alert and awake during the daytime hours and
to sleep at night. "Now we have a 24-7 society that isn't in harmony with our biological design."
Department of Neurology
Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience
Center for Integrative Medicine
Media Coverage:
The Daily Mail
A Sunny Day Can Mean All Sorts of Distress
(Published 6-19-06, New York Times) Summertime is not so easy for people living with certain autoimmune diseases. The sun,
heat and even air-conditioning can intensify symptoms and cause problems that linger for months, if not years.For doctors
who manage those diseases, primarily lupus, scleroderma and Raynaud's phenomenon, the challenges of educating their patients
about sun avoidance become greater, too.
Covering the entire body, even in the heat, is critical for scleroderma patients because they have greater susceptibility
to skin cancer. And since the blood vessels can also become sclerotic, or thickened, full coverage helps protect people from
the shock of entering an air-conditioned environment. "The problem is that in the summer these patients go from dramatic warm
to cold, and they can become very symptomatic from that," said Dr. Chris T. Derk, an assistant professor of medicine in the
rheumatology division at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.
Department of Medicine
Division of Rheumatology
Media Coverage:
New York Times
At-home program lowers mortality among elderly
(Published 6-19-06, Reuters Health) A training program of occupational and physical therapy individually tailored for older
people living on their own not only helps them stay independent longer; it may help them live longer, too.
Dr. Laura N. Gitlin of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and her colleagues had previously reported
that among 319 men and women 70 and older, those who participated in the six-month program had an easier time with activities
of daily living such as bathing and going to the bathroom, and were less afraid of falling. In a 14-month follow-up, they
found that 1 percent of the people who participated in the intervention had died compared with 10 percent of those who received
no treatment.
Media Coverage:
Reuters Health
CNN.com
Tennessean.com
Prostate Cancer Vaccine Tested Here
(Published 6-19-06) A vaccine to fight prostate cancer is in its final tests, right here in the Delaware and Lehigh Valleys.
inal tests are underway on Provenge, which is designed for men who already have prostate cancer. It uses the patient's own
immune system to seek out and destroy cancer cells.
Dr. Leonard Gomella, chair of Urology, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, said, "Patient's blood cells are taken, and processed
in such a way that they can recognize prostate cancer."
Department of Urology
CancerCARE at Jefferson
Media Coverage:
6ABC (Ch.6)
No age limit for pancreatic cancer
(Published 6-13-06, UPI) Records of pancreatic surgery performed over the last 35 years at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore
indicate there need be no age limit on the surgery.
Pancreatic-cancer surgeon Dr. Charles J. Yeo, chairman of surgery at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University
and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, examined records of nearly 2,700 cases of the standard operation
for pancreatic disease, including cancer.
Department of Surgery
CancerCARE at Jefferson
Media Coverage:
UPI
Semior Journal.com
Senior Journal.com
South Jersey Faces
(Published 6-11-06, Courier Post) Rae Fierro, 49, of Somerdale has been a nurse at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in
Philadelphia for more than 25 years.
Fierro graduated from Cherry Hill East High School in 1974 and went to nursing school at Jefferson.
During her career, Fierro has been an operating room nurse and spent a decade in orthopedics and sports medicine. A move into
scheduling coordinator was not a good fit so Fierro moved back into patient care in August 2004, focusing on breast health,
as charge nurse at the Jefferson Surgical Center.
CancerCARE at Jefferson
Nursing at Jefferson
Department of Surgery
Media Coverage:
Courier Post
From curse to cure
(Published 6-8-06, Nature) Hilary Koprowski, M.D., professor of cancer biology at Jefferson Medical College and director of
the Biotechnology Foundation Laboratories and the Center for Neurovirology at Thomas Jefferson University, and his colleagues
infected tobacco plants with DNA that codes for antibodies against a tumor-signaling molecule. The molecule, a sugar marker
known as Lewis Y antigen, is expressed by breast, colorectal and other cancers. As in previous studies, the plant-produced
antibodies attacked tumor cells in culture and cut tumor progression in mice.
Media Coverage:
Nature
Michael P. Lisanti, M.D., Ph.D., Joins Jefferson
(Published June 2006, Association of American Cancer Institutes) Michael P. Lisanti, M.D., Ph.D., renowned cell biologist,
brings his wide-ranging expertise to the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson. Dr. Lisanti, professor of cancer biology at Jefferson
Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, comes to Jefferson from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York,
where he was professor of molecular pharmacology and medicine.
Media Coverage:
Association of American Cancer Institutes
The Energy Healer Will See You Now
(Published Summer 2006, Better Health & Living) Daniel A. Monti, M.D., director of the Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center for Integrative
Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital discusses using the “revolutionary concept” of combining alternative and
traditional medicines. “In our practice, we assess the whole person - body, mind, and spirit - and offer a broad range of
healing approaches tailored to his or her needs.”
Dr. Monti feels that people with chronic medical problems can improve their overall wellness by using this integrative approach.
“The patient’s conditions can improve using an integrative approach that includes lifestyle assessment, stress management,
and complementary ways to manage symptoms and support immunity and overall wellness.”
Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center for Integrative Medicine
Media Coverage:
Better Health & Living
The Fine Art of Healing the Sick
(Published 6-5-06) In this article that looks at the benefits of writing, music and art, Daniel Monti, M.D., medical director
of the Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center for Integrative Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, is featured. Dr. Monti
was the lead investigator of a study that looked at 111 women with various types of cancer. These women participated in a
support group called Mindfulness-Based Art Therapy. The group combined meditation training with art tasks, from sketching
self-portraits to sculpting with clay.
Women in the group experienced significant drops in their stress levels and improvement in their health-related quality of
life, including less pain, better sleep, and fewer general physical complaints.
Department of Emergency Medicine
Center for Integrative Medicine
Media Coverage:
US News & World Report
Oldest Jefferson graduate a man fulfilling a mission
(Published 6-2-06, Philadelphia Inquirer) Most people in their 80s enjoy retirement and traveling. They usually don't go back
to college, let alone get a graduate degree at the age of 83 so they can start a new career.
But George Rayl of Berwyn had a promise to keep.
As his wife, Olga, lay dying from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also called Lou Gehrig's disease, Rayl told her he
would work for a cure. That was 11 years ago.
Now Rayl is making good on his pledge.
Jefferson College of Graduate Studies
Thomas Jefferson University
Jefferson Medical College
Media Coverage:
Philadelphia Inquirer
NBC10
6ABC
MSNBC
Suburban and Wayne Times
Main Line Life
