Portrayal of patient offers rewards
(Published: 01/29/2007, Courier Post) I'm always on the lookout for interesting careers and jobs, especially ones that incorporate
the requisite that many of you say you want: doing something meaningful. Here's one job that fits the bill on that and other
fronts too: Standardized Patient, also known as an SP. These are people who are carefully trained to "portray patients during
an interview and physical examination with a medical student or doctor in training," says The Journal of the American Medical
Association.
You could be asked to act out various scenarios from a hypertension case to diabetes or asthma. You're given your profile,
whether "you're married, have siblings, on drugs or you smoke," explains Carol Trent, administrator at the Dr. Robert and
Dorothy Rector Clinical Skills Center, Thomas Jefferson Medical Center in Philadelphia.
Jefferson Medical College
Media Coverage:
Courier Post
Arctic Blast Pummels our Area
(Published: 01/26/2007, KYW-1060) On the coldest day since last winter, a doctor says there are things we can do to help
our bodies deal with the sub-freezing temperatures.
James Davis, M.D., Division of Internal Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, says in freezing weather your body
will tell you when the cold has crossed from a nuisance to a serious health problem.
"You can get an increased pulse rate, increased blood pressure. All of these things, and especially in patients who are elderly
or have pre-existing medical problems, can put a strain on their heart and basically cause otherwise stable problems to become
unstable and dangerous."
In the bitter cold weather, Dr. Davis advises to dress warmly in layers with wool or synthetic materials -- not cotton, which
doesn't hold the heat that well. He also says to stay hydrated and nourished.
Medicine
Media Coverage:
KYW-1060
Local Expert Says 'Depression Formula' Is Too Simple
(Published: 01/22/2007, KYW 1060AM) A Welsh psychologist says, according to his formula, this is the most depressing time
of the year. But a local psychiatrist says the formula doesn't add up.
University of Cardiff psychologist Cliff Arnall has a complex formula for depression, combining such variables as weather,
personal debt, and failed New Year's resolutions (which reach their peak now).
Dr. Rajnish Mago , director of the Mood Disorders program at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, says the
formula has no scientific value -- but some of the items in it do.
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Mood Disorders Program
Media Coverage:
KYW 1060AM
"Saving Your Life"
(Published 01/18/2007, CNN.com) CNN this month is airing a special report on cancer called "Saving Your Life: Is the government
stopping us from ever finding a cure for Cancer?" hosted by Lance Armstrong and CNN Medical Editor Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
CNN has also established a website to highlight this show and cancer programs nationwide including the Kimmel Cancer Center
at Jefferson.
CancerCare at Jefferson
Media Coverage:
CNN.com
Largest-Ever Recorded Decline in Cancer Deaths
(Published 01/17/2007, ABC News) The number of deaths from cancer saw the largest drop ever recorded between 2003 and 2004,
according to an American Cancer Society report. The report found that there were 3,014 fewer cancer deaths in the United States
in 2004 than there were in 2003. The numbers represent a dramatic drop from those seen in 1990 and 1991, when death rates
from cancer hit their peak. Cancer death rates since then have declined by 16 percent among men and 8.5 percent in women.
"This success is the outcome of an investment made by the U.S. and other governments in medical research," said Richard Pestell,
M.D., Ph.D., director of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson. "Cancer, like every problem, can be beaten through determined
wills, clear thinking and collaboration."
Cancer Biology
Media Coverage:
ABCnews.com
Outcomes Improve for Pancreatic Surgery Patients Over 65
(Published 01/11/2007, HealthDay) A study by researchers at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson and Jefferson Medical College
has shown that pancreatic cancer patients age 65 and older who have lived at least five years after surgery have nearly the
same chance of living another five years as someone the same age in the general population.
Of the 890 pancreatic cancer patients whose records were reviewed, 201 lived five years after surgery, more than half of whom
were 65 or older at the time of their procedure. Of those who survived five more years after surgery, 65 percent lived at
least another five years, compared with the 87 percent for the rest of the age group.
"A decade ago, many clinicians thought that there was a little reason to operate on patients with pancreatic ductal cancer,
that surgery does little to extend life and improve the quality of life," said pancreatic cancer surgeon Charles Yeo, M.D.,
Samuel Gross Professor and Chair of Surgery at Jefferson Medical College. "Not too long ago, few lived for five years after
diagnosis. Today, that's not true."
Surgery
Media Coverage:
HealthDay
Washingtonpost.com
KRON-TV Channel 4 (San Francisco,CA)
and nearly 100 media websites around the world
Microscopic Fat Bubbles Fight Cancer
(Published 01/4/2007, HealthDay) Scientists using microscopic fat bubbles to carry a chemotherapy drug were able to target
and kill tumor cells in animals quickly with few side effects. The bubbles, called liposomes, transport the medication to
areas with the most heat, and the researchers used MRI to track the drugs progress.
"The truly unique aspect [of this research] is the temperature-sensitive liposomes," said Dennis Leeper, Ph.D., professor
of radiation oncology at Jefferson Medical College and the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson, commenting on the study.
Radiation Oncology
Media Coverage:
HealthDay
DrKoop.com
Healthy Lifestyle Is Best Way To Prevent Illness
(Published 01/02/2007, NBC 10) The illness affecting many people in the unseasonably warm weather is probably not allergies,
but instead a common cold passed from person to person and exacerbated by the recent dampness and weather.
John Cohn, M.D., a Thomas Jefferson University Hospital allergist, said the best way to fight these colds and keep them from
turning into a more serious illness is simply to make good lifestyle choices.
"Rest, eat well, weight down, don't smoke and lower stress," he suggests. "You can have a cold go on to become a chronic sinus
infection. [It] can turn into bronchitis or even pneumonia."
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Department of Medicine
5K Walk/Run in Philadelphia Raises Money for Stroke ResearchGround Zero Salon Celebrates 20 Years with FundraiserJefferson doctor advances DNA analysisA link between race and breast cancerJeff Docs On The Hunt For A Revolutionary Epilepsy Helper Media Coverage:
NBC10
