Latest News: HEALTHDAY NEWS Picked up by WEBMD; MONTHLY PRESCRIBING REFERENCE. MEDPAGE TODAY Also covered by MEDICAL DAILY; GLOBAL DISPATCH; DAILYRx NEWS; THE SCIENTIST (Blog). LOS ANGELES TIMES Wafaa El-Sadr has spent her career on the underserved populations -- from the inner city to sub-Saharan Africa -- that require greater attention when it comes to preventing infectious disease. As head of ICAP, El-Sadr has helped an estimated 1,000,000 HIV patients to receive the services they need and has helped 500,000 patients access the anti-retroviral treatment they require. Geneticist and Higgins Professor of Neuropsychology at Columbia University, Nancy Wexler, Ph.D. is most well-known for her research surrounding Huntington's Disease, a genetic condition that causes parts of the brain to degenerate. Wexler's study of the world's largest family with the disease has led to identifying the gene responsible for Huntington's. Picked up by TOTAL E-CLIPS. ANGINA.COM “We tried to help them really think through what does it take to take a pill every day; what does it take to talk to a person about painful feelings and do homework, and really consider what will fit into their life,” said Dr. Davidson. “And every six to eight weeks, we revisited how their chosen treatment was working for them, and helped them make adjustments based upon their feedback.” MANHATTAN TIMES GUARDIAN (UK) SPECTRUM PUBLISHERS LIFE SCRIPT MIAMI HERALD CBS NEWS CBS NEWS CNN HEALTH CENTER OF GLOBAL HEALTH POLICY RESEARCH GRANTS William S. Blaner, PhD, Medicine, received $420,000 through November 2014 from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism for “Alcohol Consumption and Brown Adipose Tissue.” Herbert Chase, MD, Medicine, received $302,726 through July 2013 from the New York State Office of Science, Technology, and Academic Research for “Timely Training of Workers Competent to Support HER Deployment and Meaningful Use.” Rudolph L. Leibel, MD, Pediatrics and Medicine, received $298,345 through May 2013 from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust for “Understanding the Molecular Pathogenesis of Beta Cell Failure in Diabetes.” Timothy C. Wang, MD, Medicine, received $994,065 over five years from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for “GI Tract Dysbiosis and Breast Cancer.” AWARDS & HONORS Stephen G. Emerson, MD, PhD, Medicine, was awarded the Légion d’Honneur by the French Ambassador François Delattre for returning to the Institut de France an original letter by René Descartes, written in 1641. Uptal B. Pajvani, MD, PhD, Medicine, received $60,000 from the Edward Mallinckrodt Jr. Foundation to cover the first year of research on his study of how notch regulates hepatic glucose and lipid metabolism. Elizabeth Shane, MD, Medicine, was named CUMC Mentor of the Year by the Office of Academic Affairs and the Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. IRVING INSTITUTE AWARDS As part of its mission to transform the culture of biomedical research, accelerate the discovery of new treatments, and train the next generation of research investigators, the Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, home to Columbia University’s Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA), funds pilot programs and career development initiatives. The Irving Institute is proud to announce the selection of award recipients for the following programs: COLLABORATIVE AND MULTIDISCIPLINARY PILOT RESEARCH (CaMPR) PHASE I PLANNING GRANTS A two-phase program that provides planning and start-up funds to newly configured, multidisciplinary investigative teams to support the planning of novel, multidisciplinary projects. The four recipients of the 2012–13 CaMPR Phase I Planning Grants are: Rachel J. Gordon, MD, MPH (PI), assistant professor of clinical medicine and clinical epidemiology, “Staphylococcal skin and soft tissue infections in MSM: Risk factors and US-wide molecular epidemiology with an internet-based randomized OTC intervention.” IRVING INSTITUTE/BIOMEDICAL INFORMATICS HEALTH PRACTICE RESEARCH PILOT AWARD Co–sponsored by the Department of Biomedical Informatics, this program provides an individual, with a one-year health practice research pilot award of $25,000 to apply operational interventions such as information technology, operations research, and simulation, to improve the practice of health care with the result of improved outcomes and efficiency. The recipient of the Irving Institute/DBMI health practice research pilot award is: Katherine D. Crew, MD, MS, assistant professor of medicine and epidemiology, “Increasing Breast Cancer Chemoprevention in the Primary Care Setting.” PHILANTHROPIC GIFTS (Gifts received November 27, 2012 – January 23, 2013) A bequest of $582,000 was made toward a professorship in the Department of Medicine. A foundation made a contribution of $300,000 to fulfill a $1,200,000 commitment to the Department of Medicine to support gastrointestinal research in the Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases. A donor made a gift of $275,000 to the Department of Medicine to support junior faculty in the Division of Cardiology. A gift of $136,770 was made to the Department of Medicine to advance research in the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Aging. A donor made a gift of $100,000 to the Department of Medicine to advance kidney disease research in the Division of Nephrology. A donor made a gift of $100,000 to the Center for Translational Immunology in the Department of Medicine to advance research in type 1 diabetes. ASSOCIATED PRESS 2 Americans, 1 Swede share Crafoord science prize January 17, 2013 Peter Gregersen of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research near New York, Robert Winchester of Columbia University and Lars Klareskog of Stockholm's Karolinska institute were cited for discoveries related to rheumatoid arthritis. The academy said Thursday that the three scientists, who will share the award, "contributed to a basic understanding of how the most common and serious form of rheumatoid arthritis develops." BLOOMBERG NEWS Rheumatoid Arthritis Discoveries Earn Prize for Three Scientists By Makiko Kitamura January 17, 2013 Discoveries that may lead to prevention and better treatment of rheumatoid arthritis earned two Americans and a Swede the Crafoord Prize in Polyarthritis, awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Peter K. Gregersen at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset, New York; Robert J. Winchester at Columbia University; and Lars Klareskog of Stockholm’s Karolinska Institute will share the 4 million-kronor ($618,000) annual prize, the academy said in a statement today. SCIENCE Podcast Tabas and Glass, 339 (6116): 166-172 January 11, 2013 Ira Tabas [of Columbia University’s Department of Medicine] reviews recent advances in anti-inflammatory therapies in treating and preventing chronic disease. “Inflammation, once it gets going, can lead to tissue destruction. So the very elements of inflammation that can destroy the invading organisms can also destroy host tissue. And when tissue gets damaged, it can lead to tissue disfunction, according to Dr. Tabas. REUTERS Poor people participate in cancer trials less often By Andrew M. Seaman January 9, 2013 Poor people are less likely to take part in clinical trials for new cancer drugs… according to a new study. … “As a result of patients not participating in clinical trials, it takes a lot longer and it's much more expensive to develop new therapies," said Dr. Dawn Hershman, who worked on the study. "In this study we found one factor that contributes to that is patient income," Hershman, from Columbia University in New York, told Reuters Health. USA TODAY Winter falls, bone fractures may point to osteoporosis By Janice Lloyd January 6, 2013 If you're unlucky enough this winter to slip on an icy surface and break a bone, you may need to do more than just treat the injury. … "People break bones, go to the emergency room, get the fracture fixed and are sent home,'' says Ethel Siris, director of the Toni Stabile Osteoporosis Center at Columbia University Medical Center in New York. "The fracture fixers are good at what they do, but their job is not to prevent the next fracture." That's up to you and your family physician, Siris adds. Bloomberg DNA of Newtown Gunman Unlikely to Yield Clues of Violence — December 20, 2012 Connecticut investigators planning genetic studies of the body of Adam Lanza, who shot himself and 27 other people in the Dec. 14 school massacre, are unlikely to find clues about mental illness or violent behavior. While a number of genetic mutations have recently been linked to autism, Asperger’s syndrome and other related disorders, the vast majority of cases have no known cause, according to Wendy Chung, a clinical geneticist at Columbia University in New York. “Everyone is trying to play this back and figure out if there’s a way to avoid it in the future.” PSYCH CENTRAL For a Few, Kidney Defects May Be Linked with Mental Illness By Janice Wood November 18, 2012 About 10 percent of kids born with kidney defects have alterations in their genomes known to be linked with neurodevelopmental delays and mental illness, according to a new study. … Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center predict that an evaluation for genomic alterations will eventually be part of the standard clinical workup. … “This changes the way we should handle these kids,” said kidney specialist Ali Gharavi, M.D., associate professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, associate director of the Division of Nephrology, and an internist and nephrologist at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. … “If you talk to clinicians, they tell you that some of these kids behave differently,” said Dr. Simone Sanna-Cherchi, an associate research scientist in CUMC’s Department of Medicine. MEDICAL XPRESS Surprising genetic link between kidney defects and neurodevelopmental disorders in kids November 15, 2012 About 10 percent of kids born with kidney defects have large alterations in their genomes known to be linked with neurodevelopmental delay and mental illness, a new study by Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers has shown. … "This changes the way we should handle these kids," said kidney specialist Ali Gharavi, MD, associate professor of medicine at CUMC, associate director of the Division of Nephrology, and an internist and nephrologist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. The current study … was led by Dr. Gharavi and his colleague Simone Sanna-Cherchi, MD, an associate research scientist in CUMC's Department of Medicine. [Picked up by SCIENCE NEWSLINE.] SCIENCE DAILY Low Levels of Donor-Specific Antibodies Increase Risks for Transplant Recipients November 15, 2012 Kidney transplant recipients who have even very low levels of preformed antibodies directed against a donated kidney have a significantly increased risk of organ rejection and kidney failure, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). … Sumit Mohan, MD, Amudha Palanisamy, MD (Columbia University Medical Center) and their colleagues pored through the medical literature to find studies that looked at the health outcomes of kidney transplant recipients with such preformed donor-specific antibodies. [Picked up by SCIENCE NEWSLINE; SCIENCE CODEX; MEDICAL XPRESS.] ABC6 WLNE-TV (Providence, RI) Largest Prospective Study Shows IVUS-Guided Stent Placement Improves Patient Outcomes with Current Generation of Stents November 14, 2012 Volcano Corporation (Nasdaq: VOLC), a leading developer and manufacturer of precision guided therapy tools designed to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of coronary and peripheral vascular disease, today announced that results from the largest study of its kind show that stent procedures guided by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) resulted in better patient outcomes and fewer complications at 30 days and 12 months compared to procedures without IVUS, and were safe. … "The ADAPT-DES IVUS sub-study provides the strongest evidence to date that use of IVUS to guide optimizing placement improves patient outcomes," said Gregg W. Stone, M.D., FACC, FSCAI, Professor of Medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Director of Cardiovascular Research and Education at the Center for Interventional Vascular Therapy at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. [Picked up by DEVICE SPACE; DAILY MARKETS.] THE STREET What Can Healthcare Professionals Learn From Art? A Columbia University Physician Finds Answers At The Met November 14, 2012 In an article published in the November 15 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, Rita Charon, MD, PhD, professor of clinical medicine at Columbia University's College of Physicians & Surgeons (P&S) and executive director of the Program in Narrative Medicine at Columbia University, examines the ways in which both the physician and the artist inform their practice through recognition of the self in their work. [Picked up byFOX28;QUINCY HERALD; NEW JERSEY HERALD.] HEALTH NEWS DIGEST Ovarian Cancer Patients Have Lower Mortality Rates When Treated at High-Volume Hospitals November 8, 2012 A study by researchers at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC) at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, recently e-published ahead of print by the Journal of Clinical Oncology, suggests that women who have surgery for ovarian cancer at high-volume hospitals have superior outcomes than similar patients at low-volume hospitals. … “It is widely documented that surgical volume has an important effect on outcomes following surgery,” said lead author Jason D. Wright, MD, the Levine Family Assistant Professor of Women's Health and the Florence Irving Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at CUMC, a gynecologic oncologist at NYP/Columbia, and a member of the HICCC. … “Our findings suggest that targeted initiatives to improve the care of patients with complications can improve outcomes,” said Dawn L. Hershman, MD, associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at CUMC, an oncologist at NYP/Columbia, co-leader of the Breast Cancer Program at the HICCC, and a co-author of the study. Picked up by MEDICAL XPRESS; HEALTH.AM. DIAGNOSTIC AND INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY Predicting the Cath Lab of the Future By Dave Fornell November 6, 2012 Hospitals constantly try to predict what the future holds when planning new facilities and equipment purchases that will need to last for the next decade. Martin Leon, M.D., director of the Center for Interventional Vascular Therapy, Columbia University Medical Center / New York-Presbyterian Hospital, attempted to answer that question for interventional cath lab technologies during Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) 2012, making predictions through 2020. Leon is the founder and a director of TCT. … He said the biggest change will be in the types of procedures performed in the cath lab. New types of more complex procedures and devices, recently introduced or currently in trials, will increase cath lab volumes. TIME Chelation for Heart Disease: Study Shows Promise, but Experts Are Divided By Alexandra Sifferlin November 5, 2012 A government study raises more questions than answers about the validity of cleansing the body of heavy metals in order to prevent heart disease. … Even the study’s primary author, Dr. Gervasio A. Lamas, chief of the Columbia University Division of Cardiology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, Florida said in an AHA statement that the medical community needs to “look carefully at these unexpected results.” He said a definitive answer will require further research, and the study authors need to understand whether “the signal is true, or whether it occurred by chance.” FORBES NIH Trial Gives Surprising Boost To Chelation Therapy By Larry Husten November 4, 2012 With a result that is likely to surprise and baffle much of the mainstream medical community, a large NIH-sponsored trial has turned up the first substantial evidence in support of chelation therapy for patients with coronary disease. Known as TACT (Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy), the highly controversial trial was presented today at the AHA by Gervasio Lamas . Also covered by THE NEW YORK TIMES; BLOOMBERG ; REUTERS ; CNN ; USA TODAY ; MEDCITY NEWS ; ORAC . BLOOMBERG NEWS Taming Stomachs With Fodmap Diet Spurs $8 Billion Market By Jason Gale October 29, 2012 Sue Shepherd says she never expected to become famous for taming cantankerous stomachs. The 38-year-old Australian dietician invented a food regimen with a bizarre name in her early 20s to relieve symptoms of bloating and stomach cramps. It’s now being adopted internationally, changing the way doctors manage a set of digestive troubles known as irritable bowel syndrome. … There’s a “slow diffusion of knowledge” among physicians about food intolerance, said Peter Green, director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University in New York. Picked up from the San Francisco Chronicle. BLOOMBERG BUSINESS WEEK St. Jude Device to Close Heart Holes Fails to Prevent Stroke By Michelle Fay Cortez October 25, 2012 St. Jude Medical Inc. (STJ)’s device to plug openings in the heart after a stroke failed to definitively prevent repeat incidents in patients under age 60 compared with non-surgical drug treatment, two studies found. … “I don’t think it will change practice a whole lot,” said Ajay Kirtane, director of the interventional cardiology fellowship program at Columbia University Medical Center/New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York, said at the meeting. “I would like as a physician to have the option to discuss it with the patient and be able to use it if the patient elects to do so,” he said. “That would be the ideal scenario. To use it in everybody, I don’t think you can do that on the basis of this data.” MEDICAL XPRESS NY-Presbyterian Hospital announces participation in trial for hard-to-treat hypertension October 25, 2012 Patients with hypertension whose blood pressure cannot be brought down to safe levels despite taking three or more medications may have some relief coming their way. An innovative, first-of-its-kind clinical trial for a device representing a dramatic shift in treatment approaches for the toughest-to-treat patients is currently being conducted at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. … "Hypertension is a serious health problem, and those with drug-resistant hypertension are at the greatest risk of developing organ damage, including heart attack, stroke and death," says Dr. Ajay J. Kirtane, an interventional cardiologist and chief academic officer of the Center for Interventional Vascular Therapy at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center. BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK Life-Saving DNA Test Overlooked in Rise of Colon Cancer By Robert Langreth and John Lauerman October 24, 2012 Genetic testing is becoming cheaper and more widespread, promising to usher in a revolution in cancer treatment. Yet, long-standing DNA tests are often overlooked for reasons including doctors’ ignorance and financial incentives discouraging companies from marketing them. Fifty years ago, Henry T. Lynch, then a medical resident in Nebraska, started tracking families with a high incidence of colon cancer and other tumors. While some were skeptical when he suggested the risks were inherited, geneticists proved him right in the mid-1990s by finding the genes that caused the condition. Lynch syndrome may account for about 3 percent of all colon cancer, or more than 4,000 cases a year in the U.S., said Heather Hampel, an Ohio State University genetic counselor. … “Lynch syndrome has been around for so many years, and we’re still not prepared to tackle it,” Fay Kastrinos, director of the hereditary gastrointestinal cancer program at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, said in a telephone interview. ABC Reported at TCT 2012: InspireMD MGuard Stent Meets Primary Endpoint of MASTER Trial, Significantly Improving Prospects of Heart Attack Survival October 24, 2012 InspireMD, Inc. (OTC: NSPR) ("InspireMD" or the "Company"), announced its proprietary MGuard™ Embolic Protection Stent (EPS) was shown to be significantly superior when compared to standard bare metal and drug eluting stents in achieving complete ST resolution and restoring normal blood flow in a major study of 432 randomized patients undergoing emergency coronary intervention for potentially fatal heart attacks. The data was reported at the Late Breaking Trials Session at the 24th Annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific meeting in Miami, FL today by Gregg W. Stone M.D., the study's chairman and the Director of the Cardiovascular Research and Education Center for Interventional Vascular Therapy at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. SCIENCE NEWSLINE Mesh-covered Stent Helps Restoration of Blood Flow in Heart Attack Patients Undergoing PCI October 24, 2012 A clinical trial found that the use of a next generation, micronet, mesh-covered stent demonstrated improved restoration of blood flow to heart tissue, compared to the use of either bare-metal or drug-eluting stents in heart attack patients undergoing angioplasty. …"Among heart attack patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention, the micronet, mesh-covered stent compared to conventional bare-metal and drug-eluting stents resulted in superior rates of epicardial coronary flow and complete ST-segment resolution," said study chairman, Gregg W. Stone, MD. Dr Stone is Professor of Medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Director of Cardiovascular Research and Education at the Center for Interventional Vascular Therapy at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. [Picked up by SCIENCE CODEX] [Also covered by MEDPAGE TODAY; MED COMPARE] BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK St. Jude Faces Boon-or-Bust Verdict on Heart-Plug Studies By Michelle Fay Cortez October 24, 2012 For two decades, doctors have used a dime-sized plug made by St. Jude Medical Inc. to close holes found in the hearts of stroke victims in a surgery that’s based largely on a medical theory. … New data from two studies testing whether the surgery stops repeat strokes could either cripple sales for the device made by St. Paul, Minnesota-based St. Jude, or send revenue surging. … With positive data “everyone in the world will be looking for patients” to do the surgery in, said Gregg Stone, director of cardiovascular research at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center for Interventional Vascular Therapy. Negative results “will truly challenge” using the procedure “in any patient.” DAILY MAIL Why leaving the heating off and avoiding the gym could help you lose weight By Peta Bee October 22, 2012 Unlike the more familiar, yellowish-white body fat you pile on if you eat too many calories, brown fat — apparently the colour of chocolate — does the opposite, burning excess energy to generate heat and maintain the body’s core temperature. … In one study, published in the journal Cell in August, researchers at Columbia University medical school managed to ‘brown’ white fat with the use of a class of drugs called thiazolidinediones (TZDs), sometimes used to lower blood sugar in type 2 diabetes. ‘Turning white fat into brown fat is an appealing therapeutic approach to staunching the obesity epidemic,’ says lead researcher Professor Domenico Accili. ‘But so far it has been difficult to do so in a safe and effective way.’ JAGRAN POST Green tea extract may prevent breast cancer: Study October 19, 2012 Green tea has long been known for its medicinal benefits and now researchers have found that it also contains an extract which can inhibit mechanisms that promote tumour cell growth in breast cancer. Researchers from the Columbia University Medical Center in New York found that the extract Polyphenon E, appears to inhibit vascular endothelial growth factor and hepatocyte growth factor, both of which promote tumour cell growth, migration and invasion. … "Many preclinical studies have looked at epigallocatechin-3-gallate, or EGCG, which is one of the main components of green tea, and the various possible mechanisms of its action against cancer, but it is very difficult to do those same kinds of studies in humans," researcher Katherine D Crew, said. [Also covered by SHORT NEWS; MEDICAL DAILY; EMAX HEALTH; GLAMOUR HEALTH & DIET; HEALTHLINE] TIMES OF OMAN New York Times News Service High stress could be damning By Amanda Shaffer October 10, 2012 For years, researchers have investigated how the body loses the ability to produce enough insulin, a hallmark of diabetes. … [T] the body can become resistant to insulin, and the beta cells of the pancreas, which produce the hormone, must work harder to compensate. Eventually, the thinking goes, they lose the ability to keep up. … In mice with Type 2 diabetes, the researchers showed that beta cells that had lost function were not dead at all. Most remained alive, but in a changed form. They reverted to an earlier developmental, “progenitor,” state. It’s as if these cells are “stepping back in time to a point where they look like they might have looked during their development,” said Dr. Domenico Accili, director of the Columbia University Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Center, who led the new work. … In the new work, published in September in the journal Cell, Dr. Accili, Chutima Talchai, then a postdoctoral fellow in his laboratory, and their colleagues genetically engineered mice that lacked FOXO1 in beta cells. REUTERS Picked up by MSNBC News Women who have heart attacks more likely to call 911 By Amy Norton October 9, 2012 Women suffering symptoms of a heart attack are more likely than their male counterparts to dial 911 - but there's a lot of room for improvement for men and women, alike, a new study finds. … "I think you should have a low threshold for calling," lead researcher Dr. Jonathan D. Newman of Columbia University Medical Center in New York told Reuters Health. "Rather than ‘watching and waiting.'" In the new study, Newman and his colleagues looked at how often New Yorkers with heart symptoms called 911. They found that among 184 heart attack sufferers, women were more likely than men to call: 57 percent did, versus 28 percent. ABC NEWS Tomatoes Linked to Lower Stroke Risk By Julielynn Wong October 8, 2012 Tomatoes are linked to a decreased risk of stroke in men, a new study finds. … his study further supports the importance of consuming fruits and vegetables rather than nutritional supplements in the prevention of conditions like stroke and heart disease, said Dr. Lori Mosca, professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center and director of preventive cardiology at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, who was not involved in the study. ASSOCIATED PRESS NYC bans big, sugary drinks at restaurants By David B. Caruso September 15, 2012 Over a decade, New York City has outlawed smoking in bars and offices, banned trans fats, and forced fast-food restaurants to list calorie counts on their menus. Now, the Big Apple has set its sights on sugary beverages with a first-in-the-nation rule barring restaurants, cafeterias and concessions stands from selling soda and other calorie-rich drinks in containers larger than 16 ounces. … "We are dealing with a crisis ... we need to act on this," said Board of Health member Deepthiman Gowda, a professor of medicine at Columbia University. [Also covered by REUTERS] NEW YORK TIMES Health Panel Approves Restriction on Sale of Large Sugary Drinks By Michael M. Grynbaum September 14, 2012 Seeking to reduce runaway obesity rates, the New York City Board of Health on Thursday approved a ban on the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks at restaurants, street carts and movie theaters, the first restriction of its kind in the country. … Dr. Deepthiman K. Gowda, a professor of medicine at Columbia University and a member of the Board of Health, said he recognized that the public had concerns about the plan. DISCOVER MAGAZINE Why type 2 diabetes is a bit like The Bourne Identity September 14, 2012 In The Bourne Identity, the eponymous hero is presumed dead by his former employers, but turns out to have merely lost his memory. Thus unburdened, he attempts to change his fate. Which reminds me of diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes face two problems, both related to insulin – the hormone that regulates the levels of sugar in our blood. They don’t respond properly to it (they become insulin resistant), and they don’t make enough of it… The typical explanation is that the beta-cells – a type of insulin-making cells within the pancreas – die off. But Domenico Accili from Columbia University has a different idea. By studying diabetic mice, he has found beta-cells do indeed disappear over time, but not because they die. Instead, they revert back to a more basic type of cell that doesn’t produce insulin. BIOWORLD Beta Cells Turn Younger, Not Older, During Type II Diabetes By Anette Breindl September 14, 2012 In findings that, in the opinion of senior author Domenico Accili, turn the current approach to treating Type II diabetes on its head, researchers at Columbia University have discovered that in Type II diabetes, the insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells whose failure is at the core of the disease do not die. Quite the opposite: They become more stem cell-like. That's the conclusion that Accili, who is at Columbia University, and his colleagues reached after performing lineage tracing studies on pancreatic beta cells in mouse models of Type II diabetes… In fact, the findings, which appeared in the Sept. 13, 2012, issue of Cell, are pretty much the opposite of what the team expected when they started their tracing studies. THE SCIENTIST Transformer Cells in Diabetes By Ed Yong September 13, 2012 As cases of type 2 diabetes progress, people get increasingly worse at making their own insulin, a hormone that controls levels of sugar in the blood. The usual explanation is that the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas are dying. But according to a study published today (September 13) in Cell, the beta cells of several breeds of diabetic mice don’t die at all. Instead, they de-differentiate into a less specialized cell type. If a similar mechanism is occurring in humans, it might be possible to ease the progression of diabetes by finding new ways of preventing dedifferentiation, the authors suggest. “This piece of work is not only thorough and methodologically superb but highly original and relevant,” said Ele Ferrannini, a diabetes biologist from the CNR (National Research Council) in Pisa, Italy… For Domenico Accili of Columbia University in New York, the prevailing idea about dying beta cells never quite fit all the available data. SCIENCE DAILY Study explains decrease in insulin-producing beta cells in diabetes September 13, 2012 Scientists generally think that reduced insulin production by the pancreas, a hallmark of type 2 diabetes, is due to the death of the organ’s beta cells. However, a new study by Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers shows that beta cells do not die but instead revert to a more fundamental, undifferentiated cell type. … “The prevailing theory is that the death of beta cells is responsible for the decline in insulin production in type 2 diabetes,” said study leader Domenico Accili, MD, professor of Medicine and the Russell Berrie Foundation Professor at CUMC. “But when you look at a diabetic pancreas, you find very few, if any, dead beta cells. So, the organ dysfunction is out of proportion with the number of dead cells. Nobody has had a plausible explanation for this.” Dr. Accili and co-author Chutima Talchai, PhD, suspected that some answers might lie in the activity of FoxO1 protein. FoxO1 - a transcription factor, or protein that controls when genes are switched on or off - serves as a kind of gauge of the body’s nutritional status. [Picked up by HEALTH.AM; HEALTH CANAL] BLOOMBERG Fumbled DNA Tests Mean Peril for Breast-Cancer Patients By Robert Langreth September 10, 2012 More than 2,700 diseases can now be identified through gene testing, compared with fewer than 800 in 2000, according to the government-funded website GeneTests. … About 74 percent of internists said their knowledge of genetics was somewhat or very poor and 79 percent wanted more training on when to order the tests, according to a Columbia University study surveying 220 internists. “Even if you have been out of medical school for five years, you are totally out of date,” said Wendy Chung, a pediatrician and geneticist at Columbia University Medical Center who was a co-author on the study. Ira Goldberg, MD, Medicine, has received $1.76 million until 2016, in a competitive renewal, from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for “Mechanisms of Fatty Acid Uptake By Cardiac Muscle.” Shonni J. Silverberg, MD, Medicine, has received $269,000 over four years from the University of Miami and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for “FGF23 and the Risk of Stroke and Cognitive Decline.” Siddhartha Mukherjee, MD, DPhil, Medicine, has been invited to speak before the Congressional Biomedical Research Caucus on Sept. 12, 2012, in Washington, D.C. Another foundation made a gift of $450,000 toward a $2.25 million commitment to the Division of Endocrinology to advance research in osteoporosis and other bone diseases. A contribution of $200,000 was made to advance research and clinical care in the Departments of Surgery and Medicine. REUTERS More Strokes After Bypass Than Stent Procedures – August 22, 2012 People undergoing bypass surgery to improve blood flow to the heart are more likely to suffer a stroke afterward than those who have a stent inserted instead, according to a new look at past evidence. “There are some patients with coronary artery disease where clearly angioplasty (inserting a stent) is the best, least invasive way to go,” said Dr. Gregg Stone from Columbia University Medical Center in New York, who worked on the study. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATON Study: Acute Coronary Events Linked With PTSD By Rebecca Voelker July 11, 2012 … PTSD is most commonly perceived as resulting from exposure to such disturbing events as military combat, sexual assault, and man-made or natural disasters. Common symptoms include intrusive thoughts, nightmares, elevated heart rate and blood pressure, and avoiding reminders of the triggering event. “It is also quite common among patients who have had a severe coronary event,” said lead author Donald Edmondson, PhD, of the Columbia University Medical Center in New York, NY, in a statement. WASHINGTON POST ABC launches a medical documentary; magazine offers heat-specific training tips By Maggie Fazeli Fard July 9, 2012 The eight-episode series, a follow-up to “Boston Med” and “Hopkins,” focuses on doctors, nurses, employees and patients at two of the hospital’s units, the Columbia University and Weill Cornell medical centers. Heart surgeon Mehmet Oz is among the doctors featured on the show, but producers say the series is more than a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a famous talk-show host. [Also covered by NEWSDAY 'NY Med' with Dr. Oz: Beautiful and moving; LOS ANGELES TIMES Review: ABC's 'NY Med' brings medicine to life; VANCOUVER SUN ABC's Wrong returns with NY Med; KANSAS CITY STAR The doctor will see you now on 'NY Med'.] NEW YORK DAILY NEWS ABC documentary series 'NY Med' follows dramatic events at a New York hospital By David Hinckley July 8, 2012 It’s mid-April 2011, and producer Terence Wrong and his team are ensconced in an office on the 12th floor at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. Camera operators dressed in green hospital scrubs get their gear and head out for various corners of the hospital, where they will spend hours looking over the shoulders of doctors, nurses and patients to get the raw material for what will become ABC News’ “NY Med,” an eight-part series set to launch Tuesday at 10 p.m. … One of the elements that sets “NY Med” apart from Wrong’s earlier medical shows is the presence of a face TV viewers will recognize: Dr. Mehmet Oz, one of the two or three most prominent “TV doctors” in the country thanks to his long stint with Oprah and now his own show. HUFFINGTON POST Celiac Disease Under-Diagnosis Could Be Attributed To Low Biopsy Rates: Study July 4, 2012 Celiac disease -- the condition that triggers an immune response to foods containing gluten -- has a reputation for being under-diagnosed in the United States. But why? Columbia University Medical Center researchers may have a reason. … "This study shows that some of these undiagnosed patients may be coming to see a gastroenterologist and still are not getting the biopsy they need for a diagnosis," said study researcher Dr. Benjamin Lebwohl, M.D., M.S., in a statement. Lebwohl is an assistant professor of clinical medicine in the Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases and a gastroenterologist and epidemiologist at the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia. WALL STREET JOURNAL Staving Off Repeat Fractures With Bone Tests, Counseling By Melinda Beck July 3, 2012 It’s bad enough that osteoporosis causes two million broken bones in the U.S. each year, as WSJ’s Health Column reports. But many of those are repeat fractures that could have been prevented if older people had been counseled about osteoporosis after their first bone break, experts say. … “Orthopedic surgeons do a really good job of fixing broken bones, but they don’t take time to go through the whole calcium discussion or talk about medications that could stop bone loss,” says Dr. Ethel Siris, director of the Toni Stabile Osteoporosis Center at Columbia University and a member of the NBHA’s executive board. WALL STREET JOURNAL Dutifully Taking Your Calcium Pill? It May Be Too Much By Melinda Beck July 2, 2012 While many people aren't getting enough calcium, new research cautions that some people may have the opposite problem: They could be getting too much. … "It's gotten very confusing but it doesn't need to be," says Ethel Siris, director of the Toni Stabile Osteoporosis Center at Columbia University Medical Center in New York. YAHOO NEWS!/HEALTHDAY NEWS Prenatal Exposure to Common Household Chemical Linked to Eczema June 28, 2012 Babies born to women who were exposed to the common household chemical butyl benzyl phthalate (BBzP) during pregnancy are at greater risk for childhood eczema, new research suggests. BBzP is used in vinyl flooring, artificial leather and other materials, and can be released into the air, the researchers said… "We know allergies are a factor with some childhood eczema, but our data suggests that is not the case when BBzP is involved," senior study author Dr. Rachel Miller, an associate professor of medicine and environmental health sciences at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, said in the news release. "However, these are important findings, given that eczema is a common and uncomfortable disease of early childhood." ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT Alex Trebek Recovers From Mild Heart Attack June 25, 2012 …There is also news about the role of stress for those recovering from heart disease. Gary Dorman says his heart attack has robbed him of everything he loved – doctors diagnosed him with PTSD. Dr. Donald Edmondson of Columbia University Medical Center, “Just like in war, heart attack is an individual who is experiencing a life-threatening event.” NEW YORK TIMES Brain Banks for Autism Face Dearth By Benedict Carey June 25, 2012 Clare True’s was one of 150 specimens stored in a Harvard brain bank that was ruined because of a freezer failure, doctors acknowledged this month. The loss, while a setback for scientists studying disorders like Huntington’s disease, Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia, especially mortified those working on autism, for it exposed what is emerging as the largest obstacle to progress: the shortage of high-quality autopsied brains from young people with a well-documented medical history. The malfunction reduced by a third Harvard’s frozen autism collection, the world’s largest… “There’s just no question that human tissue is the gold standard for research, said Dr. Gerald D. Fischbach, a professor emeritus at Columbia and director of life sciences at the Simons Foundation, which promotes autism research. EGYPT INDEPENDENT Q&A with Wafaa El-Sadr: Leading HIV expert on the global epidemic and its bearing in Egypt By Steven Viney June 23, 2012 Egyptian-born Wafaa El-Sadr — originally a graduate from Qasr al-Aini Medical School in 1975 — is currently the director of the International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs (ICAP), and the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Epidemiologic Research at Columbia University. She has been at the forefront of the battle against HIV since reports of the epidemic first surfaced in the 1980s. In 2009, Scientific American listed her as one of ten visionaries ‘Guiding Science for Humanity,’ and the Utne Reader listed her as one of fifty ‘Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World.’ This week, El-Sadr was back in her hometown of Cairo to receive an honorary doctor of science degree from the American University in Cairo. Egypt Independent took the opportunity to speak with her about her current views on the HIV epidemic, both globally and in Egypt. U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT/HEALTHDAY NEWS Effects of High Blood Pressure Drug May Mimic Celiac Disease June 22, 2012 A new report suggests that the common blood pressure drug olmesartan (Benicar) can cause symptoms that mimic celiac disease, leading to misdiagnosis and unnecessary treatment. It's not clear how often people who take the blood pressure-lowering drug will develop the gastrointestinal problems that are similar to those caused by celiac disease. For the moment, though, the side effects appear to be unusual, said Dr. Peter Green, director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University Medical School [sic], who was not involved with the study. Still, Green noted, his center has seen patients who developed celiac disease-like symptoms while taking olmesartan and some have been quite ill. "One went into kidney failure and needed dialysis," he said. EVERYDAYHEALTH.COM When A Health Crisis Leads to PTSD By Sushma Subramanian June 22, 2012 …One in 8 heart attack survivors develop PTSD, according to study from Columbia University Medical Center, published online in the journal PLoS One… Patients in their 50s or younger — under the typical age for heart attack sufferers — are more likely to experience PTSD after a heart event. Donald Edmondson, assistant professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University and a researcher of the PLoS ONE study, adds that people who feel more in danger during a medical trauma, or who feel they have less control of their health, also are more likely to experience the disorder. [Also covered by: YAHOO! PTSD and Heart Patients: More Common Than Once Thought; MEDICAL NEWS TODAY: PTSD Caused By Heart Attack Raises Recurrence And Mortality; ISCIENCETIMES.COM: Heart Attack Patients Often Develop PTSD; PSYCHCENTRAL: For Some, Heart Attack May Lead to PTSD; NEWSER: Heart Attack Side Effect: PTSD] O, THE OPRAH MAGAZINE How Storytelling is Changing The Way Doctors Treat Illness By Abigail Rasminsky June 1012 In the early '80S, a few years into her career treating patients in a cramped clinic in New York City's Washington Heights, Rita Charon felt overtaxed. Every case was a puzzle, and more often than not, at least one of the pieces didn't seem to fit. But the Harvard-educated internist, now 62, says her problem wasn't a lack of scientific knowledge: "I wasn't a good enough listener." … Charon is the founding director of the Program in Narrative Medicine at Columbia University, where future MDs participate in writing workshops and examine texts by authors like Camus, Tolstoy, and Walt Whitman (who was a nurse during the Civil War). The idea is that these literary exercises will enhance the students' ability to interpret stories—and to take the imaginative leap into a world other than their own. "When doctors can see illness from their patients' eyes," says Ronald Drusin, MD, vice dean for education at Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons, "they become better doctors." … Sayantani Dasgupta, MD, who teaches narrative medicine at Columbia University, says the key to sharing your health history is thinking of it as a story… NBC NIGHTLY NEWS Obesity epidemic stems from environment, panel says May 8, 2012 The Institute of Medicine is recommending that schools and workplaces encourage people of all ages to exercise more, and suggested industry-wide guidelines on marketing food to children. NBC’s Robert Bazell reports... Dr. Robin Goland of Columbia University Medical Center, states, “Our pediatricians are seeing obese two-year-olds and four-year-olds. We have five-year-olds with impaired glucose tolerance. We have eight-year-olds with type 2 diabetes. This is a catastrophe.” NEW YORK TIMES Aspirin Seen to Be as Effective as Warfarin By Nicholas Bakalar May 7, 2012 People with congestive heart failure are often treated with warfarin to prevent blood clots, but a large randomized double-blinded trial has found that aspirin works just as well. … “The advantage is that aspirin is easier to take,” said Dr. Shunichi Homma, the lead author and a professor of medicine at Columbia University. NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Aspirin works as well as blood thinners warfarin, or Coumadin, in heart patients May 7, 2012 Aspirin works as well as the blood thinner warfarin, or Coumadin, in most patients with heart failure when it comes to preventing death, stroke or brain hemorrhage, said a major international study on Wednesday. The findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine came from a landmark clinical trial that lasted 10 years and tracked 2,305 patients in 11 countries... "Since the overall risks and benefits are similar for aspirin and warfarin, the patient and his or her doctor are free to choose the treatment that best meets their particular medical needs," said lead investigator Shunichi Homma of Columbia University Medical Center. ABC World News Tonight Domino's to Make Gluten-Free Pizza May 7, 2012 Pizza chain will offer option for customers who avoid wheat. … Dr. Peter H.R. Green, director of Columbia University’s Celiac Disease Center, warns, “A gluten-free diet is not entirely healthy; often it lacks fiber. And the manufacturers of wheat flour fortify wheat flour with vitamins and minerals... It’s been demonstrated that if you’re on a gluten-free diet long-term, you can actually become B- vitamin deficient.” Yong-Guang Yang, MD, PhD, Department of Medicine-Immunology, has received $1.84 million over five years from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for “Role of CD47 in Xenograft Rejection by Macrophages.” Henry Ginsberg, MD, Department of Medicine-Preventive Medicine, has received $1.6 million over three years from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for “Pathways of Fenofibrate Effects on Cardiovascular Outcomes in ACCORD.” Nir Uriel, MD, Department of Medicine-Cardiology, has received $696,000 over five years from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for “Insulin Resistance in Chronic Heart Failure: Pathophysiology and Potential for Reversal.” Milan Stojanovic, PhD, Department of Medicine-Nephrology, has received $474,000 over two years from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering for “Isolation of Narrow Subpopulations of Cells using Molecular Computing Cascades.” Mathew Maurer, MD, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, received $450,000 over three years from the Komen (Susan G.) Breast Cancer Foundation for “A Novel Combination Therapy for Triple Negative Breast Cancer: Erlotinib And Metformin.” He also has received $250,000 over one year from the Hope Foundation for “CSI-Lethality: A Novel Strategy for Cancer Therapeutic Target Discovery.” NEW FACULTY Jennifer Amengual, MD, as assistant professor, Department of Medicine-Oncology. Suzanne Lentzsch, MD, PhD, as assistant professor, Department of Medicine-Oncology. Markus Mapara, MD, as assistant professor, Department of Medicine-Oncology. NEW YORK TIMES ONLINE Can Running Make Us Happier? By Ilena Silverman April 19, 2012 Siddhartha Mukherjee … tells us about researchers at Columbia University who discovered that feeding mice Prozac made them less anxious and more adventurous — but only when there was simultaneous brain-cell growth in the hippocampus. UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL One-third of U.S. not getting colon screen April 14, 2012 The No. 2 U.S. cancer killer -- colon cancer -- is often preventable and highly curable if caught early, U.S. researchers said. … However, despite the availability of effective screening tests, about one-third of U.S. adults are not getting screened for colorectal cancer, said Dr. Benjamin Lebwohl, a gastroenterologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center. U.S.NEWS & WORLD REPORT/HEALTHDAY Mouse Study Hints at New Path for Diabetes Treatment By Serena Gordon April 12, 2012 A potential new treatment for type 2 diabetes targets the hormone glucagon instead of insulin, according to a new study in mice… What's more, the researchers didn't see any adverse effects from the treatment… "A new target for the adverse effects of glucagon on diabetes has been identified, and with treatment we got rid of all the bad stuff, but didn't cause side effects," said the study's lead author, Dr. Ira Tabas, a distinguished professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, in New York City. Picked up by: [MSN HEALTH & FITNESS, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, HEALTH.COM, DOCTORS LOUNGE, EVERYDAY HEALTH]. Also covered by: Imperfect Parent New study reveals non-insulin diabetes treatment and HealthCanal.com Targeting Glucagon Pathway May Offer a New Approach to Treating Diabetes]. ABC NEWS ONLINE Should You Go Gluten-Free? By Katie Moisse April 10, 2012 Miley Cyrus is the latest celeb to go gluten-free, a move some experts are calling the low-carb diet of the decade… one in 100 Americans suffers from a severe gluten allergy called celiac disease, and many more have gluten sensitivities that leave them feeling tired, achy and bloated. … “Many people with celiac disease would get the label of irritable bowel syndrome,” said Dr. Peter Green, director of Columbia University’s Celiac Disease Center in New York. GENETIC ENGINEERING & BIOTECHNOLOGY NEWS Immune Mouse that Fully Recapitulates Individual Human Immune System Developed March 15, 2012 Scientists report on the development of a mouse model that recapitulates the immune system of a single adult human. In contrast with existing humanized mouse models with immune systems derived from transplanted fetal and Columbia University Medical Center team is derived from a relatively few adult human HSCs. These could effectively be taken from any human volunteer or patient. Megan Sykes, M.D., and colleagues, say the the resulting "personalized immune" (PI) mice generated a robust and diverse repertoire of fully functional T cells that were self-tolerant, and exhibited immune responses that mimicked those of the adult CD34+ cell donor. MANHATTAN TIMES ‘Partners in Research’ presents new collaboration for Columbia and community By Sandra E. Garcia March 14, 2012 Columbia University, with its extensive resources for experimental, social and field research, among many such rigorous pursuits, has often turned to local organizations in northern Manhattan to conduct its studies. … The research study also included findings from the Washington Heights-Inwood Council on Aging (WHICOA) and the Columbia University Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. … Romero worked alongside Dr. Joyce Moon-Howard, Academic Principal Investigator of the Partners in Research Program and Mailman School Assistant Professor of Clinical Social Medical Sciences. … Dr. Rafael Lantigua, Professor of Clinical Medicine and Associate Director of the Division of General Medicine, has decades of experience in the medical field and a long history of community activism in Washington Heights. .. Sandra Harris, Assistant Vice President for Government and Community Affairs for Columbia University was enthused also about the collaboration, and spoke to the University's commitment to its success. MEDICAL NEWS TODAY Gut Cells Turned To Insulin Factories - New Type l Diabetes Treatment March 13, 2012 According to a study conducted in mice by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center and published 11 March 2012, in the journal Nature Genetics, cells in the intestine of patients with type 1 diabetes could be lured into generating insulin, eliminating the need for a stem cell transplant. … The study was carried out by Chutima Talchai, Ph.D, a New York Stem Cell Foundation-Druckenmiller Fellow, and Domenico Accili, M.D., professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center. FOX NEWS ONLINE NEW YORK TIMES WALL STREET JOURNAL ONLINE BBC ONLINE USA TODAY Too many rheumatoid arthritis patients inactive, study finds By Steven Reinberg January 27, 2012 More than 40 percent of rheumatoid arthritis patients live a sedentary life, a new study finds. … Dr. Jon Giles, an assistant professor of medicine in the division of rheumatology at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City, said that "the most striking aspect to me about the paper is that although we generally consider joint pain and damage as the reason that rheumatoid arthritis patients may not exercise, this does not appear to be the primary driver of lack of exercise in the group studied.” Joan Bathon, MD, Department of Medicine-Rheumatology, has received $2.9 million over five years from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases for “Inflammation and Cardiovascular Disease in RA.” Robin Goland, MD, Department of Medicine-Endocrinology and the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center, and Raphael Clynes, MD, PhD, Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, have received $1.9 million over five years from the NIH and University of Pittsburgh for “Nutritional Primary Prevention of Type 1 Diabetes.” Siddhartha Mukherjee, MD, Department of Medicine-Oncology, has received the Guardian First Book award for his nonfiction book, The Emperor of All Maladies. A bequest of $1.456 million will fulfill a pledge to establish a professorship in the Department of Medicine. A bequest of $208,450 will support cardiovascular research in the Department of Medicine. The Breast Cancer Research Foundation made a payment of $112,499 toward a commitment of $224,999 to support studies in cancer survivorship in the Department of Medicine. NPR BOOKS U.S. Behind The Curve In Drunk Driving, Author Finds November 17, 2011 When Barron Lerner was writing his book on the history of drunk driving in America — and efforts to control it — he carried out an experiment at home that involved a bottle of vodka, a shot glass and a Breathalyzer. He was the guinea pig. "I was trying to figure out just how drunk you had to be in order to not drive safely," says Lerner, a professor of medicine and public health at Columbia University, who wrote One for the Road. He decided to drink and test his levels — but he didn't actually get into a car. THE NEW YORK TIMES U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT NEW YORK TIMES A Reminder on Maintaining Bone Health By Jane E. Brody November 1, 2011 … Most of the news about osteoporosis concerns the side effects of current therapies and preventives. But it is important to put these effects in perspective — and to focus on treatment benefits and practical measures that can help to prevent costly and debilitating fractures in fragile bones. … “Age is itself a major risk factor for fracture,” said Dr. Ethel Siris, director of the osteoporosis clinic at Columbia University Medical Center in New York. ABC NEWS Obama’s Cholesterol Should Be Lower, Doctors Say By Carrie Gann November 1, 2011 When it comes to President Obama’s health, some cardiologists recommend that his cholesterol levels go the way of his approval ratings: low. … Although his new numbers are an improvement, Dr. Lori Mosca, director of preventive cardiology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, said the president’s score could be lower. BLOOMBERG NEWS Heart-Device Makers May Find Shrinking-Stent Flaw Hurts $4 Billion Market By Michelle Fay Cortez November 1, 2011 A complication that causes drug- coated heart stents to weaken and shrink will be reviewed at a medical meeting next week, researchers said. The stent flaw, known as longitudinal compression, was added to the agenda at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics meeting that starts next week in San Francisco, said Gregg Stone, director of cardiovascular research at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center and director of TCT. WALL STREET JOURNAL Painting the Town Pink to Raise Millions By Marshall Heyman October 18, 2011 The ninth annual Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, which took place this weekend in New York, was big business. … Sitting with two of the day's beneficiaries—Ms. Miller from CancerCare and Dawn Hershman, a professor of medicine at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center—Ms. Kurzig was wearing a magenta leather jacket and a pink ribbon necklace. NEW YORK TIMES ONLINE Well Friends Still Let Friends Drive Drunk By Barron H. Lerner, M.D.. October 18, 2011 Drunken driving remains among the most preventable of violent injuries. … Barron H. Lerner, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine and public health at Columbia University Medical Center, is author of “One for the Road: Drunk Driving Since 1900,” just published by the Johns Hopkins University Press. NEW YORK TIMESThe Shortfalls of Early Cancer Detection By Barron H. Lerner, MDOctober 11, 2011The outcry among many physicians and patients over a government panel’s recent announcement that healthy men should no longer receive P.S.A. blood testing to detect prostate cancer is rooted in a long and impassioned history among cancer screening advocates that early detection must always save lives. But as science has taught us, that’s not always the case. … Dr. Barron H. Lerner, professor of medicine and public health at Columbia University Medical Center, is the author of “The Breast Cancer Wars” and, this month, “One for the Road: Drunk Driving Since 1900.” NY1 NEWS Coffee Grinds Down Risk Of Depression In Women, Study Finds By Kafi Drexel September 27, 2011 Perhaps beating any drink special for ladies, a new study suggests that coffee fix might give women more than a temporary boost. Women who drank four cups or more a day over a long period of time had a 20 percent lower risk of depression. "There may be something in coffee that makes the body feel better or give you an endorphin or what they call neurotransmitter that's improved in the body," said New York Presbyterian Columbia Internist Dr. Seth Feltheimer. USA TODAY FDA to review safety of osteoporosis drugs By Steven Reinberg September 13, 2011 U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisers recommended Friday that osteoporosis drugs such as Fosamax, Actonel, Boniva and Reclast come with revised labels, clarifying how long a patient should take a drug before potential health risks set in….While these side effects shouldn't be downplayed, "when you consider the number of very dangerous, life-threatening fractures that are prevented by these drugs, the benefits dwarf the side effects," said Dr. Elizabeth Shane, also a professor of medicine at Columbia University in New York City. WABC-TV Celiac disease and Pregnancy September 8, 2011 An illness that's becoming better understood is celiac disease, and one effect is infertility. Interview with Dr. Peter Green. WALL STREET JOURNAL (log-in required) FDA Panel to Weigh Osteoporosis Drug Risks By Jennifer Corbett Dooren September 6, 2011 A widely prescribed class of drugs for osteoporosis has been shown to prevent common hip and spine fractures associated with the bone-destroying disease, but there are concerns that the drugs might cause a different set of problems….Elizabeth Shane, who was co-chairwoman of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research's task force that looked at atypical thigh fractures last year and is a professor of medicine at Columbia University, says the risk of an atypical thigh fracture is very low and doctors need to balance the need to protect patients with osteoporosis against common, often debilitating hip and other fractures. NEW YORK TIMES F.D.A. to Review Safety of Popular Bone Drugs By Duff Wilson September 5, 2011 Two advisory panels of the Food and Drug Administration will consider on Friday whether to recommend requiring women who use popular bone drugs like Fosamax to take “drug holidays” because of rising concerns about rare side effects with long-term use, according to people involved in the review….“The risk-to-benefit ratio strongly favors biphosphonate therapy,” said Dr. Elizabeth J. Shane, a Columbia University professor and bone specialist who was co-chairwoman of task forces on the femur and jaw issues for the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. “And while we are upset and worried and do not want to do anything that would cause anybody harm, we don’t want to go back to 1990 and just have nothing for osteoporosis.” CBS NEWS Study shows rise of cancer in 9/11 firefighters By Jonathan LaPook September 1, 2011 The Lancet Medical Journal report is the first comprehensive cancer study of New York City Firefighters after 9/11. This federally funded study shows firefighters working at the site had ten percent more cancers than the general public and 19 percent more cancers than firemen not involved. In all, there were 263 cancers among almost nine thousand exposed firefighters…. "I would draw no definitive conclusion from it at this point. One wouldn't expect to see an elevation in solid tumors so early in seven year period. Usually it takes decades," said Columbia's Dr. Alfred Neugut who studies the link between environment and cancer. PBS CHARLIE ROSE Video: A Biography of Cancer August 30, 2011 Joining me now is Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee. He's a cancer physician and an assistant professor of medicine at Columbia. The book is called the Emperor of all Maladies; A Biography of Cancer. Drawing upon his own experiences with patients, he presents a textured portrait of this disease in its 4,000 year history. NEW YORK TIMES Op-Ed The Annals of Extreme Surgery By Barron H. Lerner August 30, 2011 More and more doctors are now using an extremely aggressive procedure to treat certain colorectal and ovarian cancers called Hipec, in which patients first undergo surgery to remove any visible cancer, then have heated chemotherapy pumped into the abdominal cavity for 90 minutes to kill any remaining cells….We shouldn’t be surprised by the sudden emergence of this therapy. Heated chemotherapy is the latest in a long list of very toxic treatments used by well-meaning cancer doctors who have confused doing more for patients with doing what is best for them. Barron H. Lerner, a professor of medicine and public health at Columbia, is the author of “The Breast Cancer Wars: Hope, Fear and the Pursuit of a Cure in Twentieth-Century America” and the forthcoming “One for the Road: Drunk Driving Since 1900.” NPR Talk of the Nation More Not Always Better When Treating Cancer August 30, 2011 As more doctors turn to an aggressive treatment for certain forms of cancer, Dr. Barron Lerner warns that when it comes to treating cancer, more isn't always better. … NEAL CONAN, host: Dr. Lerner is a professor of medicine and public health at Columbia University. NPR Planet Money When Cancer Treatments Do More Harm Than Good By Jacob Goldstein August 30, 2011 An op-ed in today’s NYT looks at the long history of aggressive cancer treatments that became widely popular before they were proven effective. Often, studies ultimately showed those treatments were useless, or even harmful. That history continues today. The author, a Columbia med school [sic] doc named Barron Lerner, singles out a treatment that uses heated chemotherapy drugs along with surgery to treat certain colorectal and ovarian cancer patients. NEW YORK TIMES SUNDAY MAGAZINE The Letting Go By Siddhartha Mukherjee August 28, 2011 Our experience of death has become disembodied. The corpus has vanished from the most corporeal of our rituals. The corpus has vanished from the most corporeal of our rituals — and we are left standing with our hands outstretched and taut but with no counterweight to bear, like the man on the riverbank holding air….Siddhartha Mukherjee is an assistant professor of medicine in the division of medical oncology at Columbia University. He is the author of "The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer." WALL STREET JOURNAL Lovelorn in a Facebook Age By Elizabeth Bernstein August 23, 2011 I woke up one day last week to an anguished email from a friend whose girlfriend had just broken up with him.… "It's not a heartbroken thing, it's a brain-broken thing," says Marianne Legato, a cardiologist and founder of the Partnership for Gender-Specific Medicine at Columbia University….The level of neurotransmitters in the brain are affected in a romantic split, producing a range of symptoms from sadness and anxiety to changes in sleep, appetite and even motor coordination. NBC NIGHTLY NEWS ‘Superfoods’ May Ward-off-diseases August 22, 2011 Columbia University cardiologist Dr. Lori Mosca says you can find healthy ingredients to make a superfood salad. CNN Marriage helps survival after heart surgery By Carina Storrs August 22, 2011 Marriage is thought to have a number of health benefits, including greater longevity, less stress, and a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, and depression. Now, a new study suggests you can add a better survival rate after heart surgery to the list of health perks.…It's possible that women may have less to gain from marriage because they tend to have larger support networks than men, notes Matthew M. Burg, Ph.D., associate clinical professor of medicine at Columbia University, in New York City. CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION PEN Literary Awards for 2011 August 11, 2011 The accolades continue for Siddhartha Mukherjee, a physician and an assistant professor of medicine at Columbia, who won a Pulitzer earlier this year and has now won the PEN/E.O. Wilson literary science writing award, also for his The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer (Scribner). MSNBC When extreme exercise turns deadly By Linda Carroll August 9, 2011 The heart-related deaths of two New York City triathlon competitors has once again opened the question of whether extreme exercise can be dangerous, or even deadly...Part of the problem is the frigid water that the triathletes plunge into, said Dr. Ajay Kirtane, a cardiologist and an assistant professor of medicine at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia Medical Center. PBS NEWSHOUR Telling the Story Behind Cancer August 8, 2011 Health correspondent Betty Ann Bowser talks to Siddhartha Mukherjee, author of "The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer," a history of the search for ways to treat cancer and how it has been perceived…Dr. Mukherjee knows that reality well. He's an oncologist and cancer researcher at the Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. |
