NYU Langone Experts in the News - Archive | Office of Communications & Public Affairs

NYU Langone Experts in the News - Archive

Media appearances and stories are archived for 1-2 months. If you are looking for a specific story that does not appear below, please contact the Office of Communications and Public Affairs, (212) 404-3555.

Science Magazine
July 17
Venturing into New Ventures - By Carol Milano
Intent on starting a business, Loleta Robinson (who has a medical degree and an M.B.A.), enrolled in ACTIVATE, a year-long University of Maryland, Baltimore program for aspiring entrepreneurial women. She and another student, chemical engineer Colleen Nye, M.B.A.-whose pharmaceutical project management background complemented Robinson's biotech and diagnostic experience-co-founded Syan Biosciences in 2006 to develop a lab-on-a-chip for in vitro diagnostic testing. Vikki Hazelwood encourages her biomedical engineering senior project students at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, to solve an actual unmet medical need. In 2004, she met Norman Marcus, a NYU School of Medicine physician, who had patented a unique methodology to identify a pain's myofascial trigger point. "It required a cumbersome, heavy device, making it difficult to provide access and training to other physicians," she recalls.
- Norman Marcus, MD, clinical associate professor, psychiatry
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NBC 4
July 18
Imaginary Friends
Experts at the NYU Child Study Center say that it is very common for young children, especially preschool and early elementary-age children to have imaginary friends. In fact, they estimate as many as 65 percent of children aged 3 to 9 have imaginary friends and according to the American Academy of Pedicatrics some children may have a single make-believe companion for as long as six months, while others will change "pretend playmates" every day.
- NYU Child Study Center
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NY1
July 16
Three City Hospitals Get Top Honors
Three of the city's hospitals get top honors in the annual U.S. News and World Report survey released today on the country's best hospitals. Twenty-one hospitals nationwide made the Honor Roll for earning high scores in at least six specialties, such as cancer and heart disease. Reputation, technology, and patient safety were also deciding factors. New York-Presbyterian University Hospital came in sixth, NYU Langone Medical Center ranked 17th and Mount Sinai Medical Center came in at 19.
- NYU Langone Medical Center
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The New York Times
July 16
Bridging the Culture Gap - By Pauline W. Chen, M.D.
One afternoon not long after I finished my training, two sisters, both well-respected professionals in their late 40s, came to the hospital clinic. Both sisters had hepatitis B, and the older sister, like a fair number of chronic hepatitis B patients, had developed liver cancer. She and her sister were hoping that we might be able to remove the tumor. A physician's awareness of cultural context can also dramatically affect patients' perceptions of the quality of care they receive. "So much research has shown that communication is important to the health care experience," said Nadia Islam, deputy director of the NYU Center for the Study of Asian American Health. "Communication is not just about language or interpreters; it is also being cognizant of what patients bring with them."
- Nadia Islam, MD, deputy director, Center for the Study of Asian American Health
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WCBS-CBS
July 16
Syndicated CBS News broadcast also appeared on KOVR-T, WBZ-TV
Health Alert: Liver Transplants
Every year thousands of Americans need a liver transplant. Unfortunately many patients do not survive because a donor isn't found in time. But an experimental machine is giving some patients another chance, doing the work of a liver until a new one arrives. Doctors say 33-year-old Darius Reszuta is lucky to be alive. Three months ago his liver started to fail with no warning. "He was this close to being dead," said Dr. Lewis Teperman with NYU Langone Medical Center."I didn't feel anything. No pain. Nothing," said Darius. He desperately needed a transplant. A donor liver was found in another state, but it wouldn't arrive in time to save him. That's when Darius was put on an experimental machine called the Extracorporeal Liver Assist Device. One of just six in the country that can temporarily take over liver function. What makes the device unique is the filters contain human liver cells that cleanse toxins from the body and produce vital proteins. "We were able to keep him alive in the operating room on this machine waiting for the organ," said Dr. Teperman. "I feel lucky I was able to be on the machine. It saved my life," said Darius. The machine has been used on about 70 Americans. In some patients the device allowed the damaged liver to heal itself and they didn't even need a transplant. "There are probably 17,000 people on the list. We do 6,000 liver transplants a year," said Dr. Teperman. He says if future testing is successful, and the FDA approves the machine, it could save thousands of lives every year.
- Lewis Teperman, MD, director, transplant surgery

Today Show
July 18
Fitness Footwear vs. Fitflop Sandals
A fashion forward shoe with fitness benefits, Dr. Dennis Cardone, NYU Langone Medical Center describes the shoe's benefits. "They are taking something from the rehabilitation pages," said Dr. Cardone. "But, I think the promises are somewhat far-reaching."
- Dennis Cardone, MD, associate professor, orthopedic surgery
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MSNBC
July 17
Too Old to Give Birth?
The death of a woman who made international headlines is raising a new debate over how old is too old for a woman to undergo fertility treatments. Three years ago, Maria Del Carmen became the world's oldest woman to give birth at the age of 66, but on Saturday she died of cancer and now her twin toddlers are orphans. So should there be stricter limits on fertility treatments for older women? "I know the rule has been broken a couple of times in our clinic, but in general it's not, and because you have rules like that things get done right," said Dr. Nicole Noyes, associate professor, NYU School of Medicine.
- Nicole Noyes, MD, associate professor, obstetrics and gynecology
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Examiner.com
July 17
Yikes! Separation Anxiety! - By Odie Chavez
Caregivers and parents know that separation anxiety can be stressful for all involved especially the child. Alexandra Barzvi, PhD, of the NYU Child Study Center's Institute for Anxiety and Mood Disorders says by 6 months introduce your baby to other regular caregivers such as relatives or a babysitter. "Your child needs practice being away from you, hopefully well before preschool."
- Alexandra Barzi, PhD, clinical assistant professor, child and adolescent psychiatry, NYU Child Study Center
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July 18
Aging 101: What to Know About Your Gray Hair - By Nicole Rivera
What's really going down with gray hair? Most women start finding gray hair in their 30s and 40s but some of us can start graying in our mid-to-late 20s. Why me? Gray hair branches off the family tree. "There's a very strong hereditary link with gray hair," says Diana Bihova, M.D., clinical assistant professor of dermatology at NYU Medical Center in New York City. "If your family goes gray early, it's very likely you will, too."
- Diana Bihova, MD, clinical assistant professor, dermatology
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The New York Times
July 16
A New Understanding of Glaucoma-By Peter Jaret
For years, glaucoma was defined as elevated pressure within the eye that leads to vision loss. And for years experts knew there were glaring gaps in that definition. Many people with abnormally high intraocular pressure never develop glaucoma. As many as one in three people who do get the disease have normal or even low pressure. As researchers have tried to resolve those contradictions, a new paradigm for understanding glaucoma has emerged. Glaucoma isn't simply an eye disease, experts now say, but rather a degenerative nerve disorder, not unlike Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease.
- Robert C. Cykiert, MD, clinical assistant professor, ophthalmology
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San Francisco Chronicle
July 16
12 Ways to Protect Your Skin and Prevent Skin Cancer - By Leslie Pepper
All doctors are not created equal: When researchers from Emory University School of Medicine looked at the records of more than 2,000 melanoma patients, they found that those whose growths had been diagnosed by a dermatologist were more likely to have early-stage cancer -- and to survive their disease -- than those who'd been diagnosed by another kind of doctor. It may be that dermatologists are more skilled at finding smaller tumors -- and less likely to brush them off as "nothing."
- David Polsky, MD, PhD, associate professor, the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology
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July 16
Could Your Child Be Depressed? - By Jeannette Moninger
At first, Andrea Carpenter* blamed preadolescent hormones for her 10-year-old daughter's moodiness. "Allie was extremely irritable at home, and she'd get snippy with her dad and me for no apparent reason," says the Marietta, GA, mom. Life at the Carpenters' home grew so tense that the family started seeing a counselor who, after a few sessions, recommended that Allie visit a psychiatrist. "He mentioned depression, but I thought it was just puberty," Andrea says. Her thinking quickly changed after Allie said she wished she was never alive and talked about cutting her throat. "I was devastated -- I knew she wasn't a happy-go-lucky kid, but I never thought a 10-year-old could be suicidal."
- Harold Koplewicz, MD, director, The Child Study Center, The Arnold and Debbie Simon Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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WCBS-TV
July 16
Syndicated CBS News broadcast also appeared on WAFB-CBS, WWTV-CBS, KXMB-CBS, KMVT-CBS, KFVS_CBS
Health Alert: Liver Transplants
Every year thousands of Americans need a liver transplant. Unfortunately many patients do not survive because a donor isn't found in time. But an experimental machine is giving some patients another chance, doing the work of a liver until a new one arrives. Doctors say 33-year-old Darius Reszuta is lucky to be alive. Three months ago his liver started to fail with no warning."He was this close to being dead," said Dr. Lewis Teperman with NYU Langone Medical Center."I didn't feel anything. No pain. Nothing," said Darius. He desperately needed a transplant. A donor liver was found in another state, but it wouldn't arrive in time to save him. That's when Darius was put on an experimental machine called the Extracorporeal Liver Assist Device. One of just six in the country that can temporarily take over liver function. What makes the device unique is the filters contain human liver cells that cleanse toxins from the body and produce vital proteins."We were able to keep him alive in the operating room on this machine waiting for the organ," said Dr. Teperman. "I feel lucky I was able to be on the machine. It saved my life," said Darius. The machine has been used on about 70 Americans. In some patients the device allowed the damaged liver to heal itself and they didn't even need a transplant. "There are probably 17,000 people on the list. We do 6,000 liver transplants a year," said Dr. Teperman. He says if future testing is successful, and the FDA approves the machine, it could save thousands of lives every year.
- Lewis Teperman, MD, director, transplant surgery
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CNN
July 16
When Doctor's Can't Say No - By Elizabeth Cohen
When singer Michael Jackson asked for the anesthetic, Diprivan, to help him get a good night's sleep, nurse practitioner Cherilyn Lee told CNN, she refused, telling the pop star that if he took the medicine, he might never wake up. When Jackson asked Dr. Deepak Chopra for a narcotic, Chopra said he told Jackson absolutely no. A reason doctors say yes, when they really want to say no, has to do with the changing nature of the doctor-patient relationship. "In the current environment in which patients are supposed to be treated like customers, there is sometimes the expectation that the customer is always right and should get whatever is asked for," said Dr. Danielle Ofri, assistant professor of medicine at NYU School of Medicine.
- Danielle Ofri, MD, assistant professor, medicine
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US News & World Report
July 15
America's Best Hospitals
America's Best Hospitals, an annual ranking of the country's elite medical centers, is a tool for patients who need medical sophistication most facilities cannot offer. Unlike other rankings and ratings that grade hospitals on how well they execute routine procedures like outpatient hernia repair or manage common conditions like low-grade heart failure, the U.S. News approach looks at how well a hospital handles complex and demanding situations-replacing an 85-year-old man's heart valve, diagnosing and treating a spinal tumor, and dealing with inflammatory bowel disease, to name three examples. High-stakes medicine. This year, the 20th for Best Hospitals, institutions are ranked in 16 specialties, from cancer and heart disease to respiratory disorders and urology. A total of 4,861 hospitals were considered; 174, or less than 0.4 percent of the total, were ranked in even one of the 16 specialties. Of the 174 hospitals that are ranked in one or more specialties, 21 qualified for the Honor Roll by earning high scores in at least six specialties including NYU Langone Medical Center who was ranked 17^th. NYU Langone was ranked 25^th for Cancer 25, 18^th for Geriatric Care, 11^th for Heart & Heart Surgery, 41^st for Kidney Disorders, 10^th for Neurology & Neurosurgery, 9^th for Orthopedics, 18^th for Psychiatry, 8^th for Rehabilitation, 24^th for Respiratory Disorders, 11^th for Rheumatology, and 20^th in Urology.
- NYU Langone Medical Center
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New York Daily News
July 16
Three of Nation's Top 20 Hospitals Are In The City: New York-Presbyterian, NYU Langone Medical Center, Mount Sinai - By Helen Kennedy
For the first time, three New York hospitals made the U.S. News and World Report ranking of the nation's top 20 medical centers. New York-Presbyterian was the city's top hospital, as it reliably has been for years, in the 2009 rankings posted to the magazine's Web site Wednesday. But for the first time, two other city institutions joined it on the magazine's "honor roll" of outstanding hospitals: NYU Langone Medical Center and Mount Sinai Medical Center. The magazine looked at 4,861 medical centers, winnowing them down to 170 hospitals that were judged excellent in at least one of 16 specialties. The top 20 were judged tops in six or more specialties. The rankings take into account factors ranging from reputation to death rates to quality of care. For the first time this year, patient safety was included. The magazine's annual rankings carry a lot of influence - both among patients looking for care and doctors looking for work, translating into money and prestige for the hospitals who make the 20-year-old list. "This recognition highlights a tradition of excellence at NYU Langone Medical Center and serves as yet another reminder of how learning and innovation can come together to make our institution one of the best in the nation," said Dr. Robert Grossman, CEO of NYU Langone Medical Center.
- Robert I. Grossman, Dean & CEO, NYU Langone Medical Center
- NYU Langone Medical Center
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CNBC
July 16
NYU Langone Medical Center Receives $100 Million Gift to Establish Neuroscience Institute
NYU Langone Medical Center announced a $100 million gift from the Druckenmiller Foundation to establish a state-of-the-art neuroscience institute at the Medical Center. "Because we already have world-class expertise in neuroscience, I believe the momentum generated by this gift will take us to a new pinnacle in clinical and research excellence in this field," said Robert I. Grossman, MD, dean and CEO of NYU Langone Medical Center. "Knowledgeable and passionate about science and medicine, the Druckenmillers conceptualized this gift out of interest in the healthy brain and understanding how the brain functions," said Ken Langone, chairman of the board of trustees at the NYU Langone Medical Center. Mrs. Druckenmiller noted, "Under the leadership of Ken Langone and Bob Grossman, NYU Langone Medical Center has been revitalized and they have laid a new foundation for significant advances in research and clinical care. It gives us immense pride to support the Medical Center by helping to establish an institute dedicated to advancing new treatments in neuroscience." "NYU is deeply grateful to the Druckenmillers for their enormous generosity," said John Sexton, president of NYU. "Their gift validates the faith we have in the direction set by leadership of NYU Langone Medical Center and in the outstanding quality of its research, care and education. "In a time of such economic uncertainty we are inspired by the many donors who are committed to supporting the transformation of our Medical Center into the world-class institution it aspires to be," said Robert Berne, senior vice president for health at NYU.
- Robert I. Grossman, MD, dean and CEO, NYU Langone Medical Center
- Kenneth Langone, chairman, board of trustees, NYU Langone Medical Center
- Robert Berne, PhD, senior vice president for health, New York University
- John Sexton, president, New York University
- Fiona Druckenmiller, member, board of trustees & Stanley Druckenmiller, founder of Duquesne Capital Management and active volunteer and chairman of Harlem Children's Zone
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Genome Web
July 15
NCRR Awards $171M to New CTSA Centers
July 15, 2009
The National Institutes of Health yesterday named seven new institutions that it will fund to join a consortium focused on translating laboratory discoveries into treatments and therapies. These academic medical centers joining the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) research consortium will receive a total of $171 million over five years from the National Center for Research Resources, bringing the total number of funded centers to 46. The network is working to speed the process that develops lab discoveries into treatments, to engage communities in clinical research, and to train new clinical and translational researchers. "As the world's largest public funding agency for clinical research, it is imperative that the NIH promote scientific innovation and collaboration," NIH Acting Director Raynard Kington said in a statement. "The CTSA consortium exemplifies this approach by bringing together resources and expertise to translate new research discoveries into tangible benefits for the American people." The seven new institutions include the Medical University of South Carolina ($19.9 million); Mount Sinai School of Medicine ($34.6 million); NYU School of Medicine ($29.4 million); the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences ($19.9 million); the University of Florida ($25.7 million); the University of Illinois at Chicago ($20 million); and the University of Texas Medical Branch ($21.5 million).
- NYU School of Medicine
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WCBS-TV
July 15: Broadcasted on CBS 2 News at 5:00
July 16: CBS 2 News this Morning
African 9-Year-Old Comes To NYC For Major Surgery- By Dr. Max Gomez
Even though Dr. Steven Colvin, former Chief of Cardiac Surgery at the NYU Langone Medical Center, has passed away, his legacy lives on in the charitable organization he founded prior to his death. Colvin's widow, Helane Brachfeld-Colvin, now runs Project Kids Worldwide - the group that recently brought 9-year-old Mantoulaye Mbaye to New York City. She came to the US suffering from a potentially-deadly heart condition, and underwent a major corrective procedure last Wednesday. Dr. Ralph Mosca, of the NYU Langone Medical Center, explained that Mbaye's heart was working so hard it had swelled to the size of a grown man's heart. He added that failing to correct the condition would have led to major consequences down the road. "She could then suffer from things like bleeding from her lungs and eventually could have an arrhythmia or a very abnormal heart rate, which might lead to her demise," Mosca said. Mosca performed open heart surgery on Mbaye last Wednesday and successfully repaired the valve. The procedure, as well as any other care the girl may need, will be covered by Project Kids Worldwide. "We pay for their flight, their room, board, their surgery, all the medical costs for the surgery and to get them well again," Brachfeld-Colvin said. Mbaye's repaired valve will never operate perfectly, but the surgery greatly-improved its condition.
- Ralph Mosca, MD, professor, cardiothoracic surgery, division chief, pediatric and adult congenital cardiac surgery
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CBS Newspath
July 15
Syndicated CBS News broadcast also appeared on WTKR-CBS, KGBT-CBS, WSBT-CBS, WBTW-CBS, KYTX-CBS, WRDW-CBS, WMBD-CBS, KCOY-CBS, KFDA-CBS, KTUU-NBC, KFVS-TV
Health Alert: Liver Transplants
Every year thousands of Americans need a liver transplant. Every year thousands of Americans need a liver transplant. Unfortunately many patients do not survive because a donor isn't found in time. But an experimental machine is giving some patients another chance, doing the work of a liver until a new one arrives. Doctors say 33-year-old Darius Reszuta is lucky to be alive. Three months ago his liver started to fail with no warning."He was this close to being dead," said Dr. Lewis Teperman with NYU Langone Medical Center."I didn't feel anything. No pain. Nothing," said Darius. He desperately needed a transplant. A donor liver was found in another state, but it wouldn't arrive in time to save him. That's when Darius was put on an experimental machine called the Extracorporeal Liver Assist Device. One of just six in the country that can temporarily take over liver function. What makes the device unique is the filters contain human liver cells that cleanse toxins from the body and produce vital proteins."We were able to keep him alive in the operating room on this machine waiting for the organ," said Dr. Teperman. "I feel lucky I was able to be on the machine. It saved my life," said Darius. The machine has been used on about 70 Americans. In some patients the device allowed the damaged liver to heal itself and they didn't even need a transplant. "There are probably 17,000 people on the list. We do 6,000 liver transplants a year," said Dr. Teperman. He says if future testing is successful, and the FDA approves the machine, it could save thousands of lives every year.
- Lewis Teperman, MD, director, transplant surgery
Watch more

NBC Today Show
July 16
How old is too old- to have a Baby?
1/2 years ago, Maria Busada gave birth to twin boys with the help of fertility treatments. Now she has left behind two young orphans, and a lot of questions. She became the world's oldest mother after giving birth to twin boys, Christian and Pao in December 2006 at a hospital in Barcelona. She was 67 at the time. To get pregnant, Busada flew from Spain to Los Angeles for fertility treatments at the Pacific Fertility Center. Dr. Jamie Grifo, director of NYU Fertility Center at NYU Langone Medical Center discussed the cut off age of 50 to 55 years of age for doctors in the United States to administer fertility treatments on older woman. He discussed the possible ethical and social concerns for children who have mothers who give birth at a very late age.
- Jaime Grifo, MD, PhD, director, NYU Fertility Center

WebMD
July 15
Pesticides May Raise Alzheimer's Risk- By Charlene Laino
Exposure to pesticides may have long-term effects on the nervous system, increasing the risk of Alzheimer's disease in late life, a new study suggests. Researchers say the findings support evidence of a possible link between environmental toxins and Alzheimer's disease and may help explain why some people with risk factors for the disease get it while others do not. Ralph Nixon, MD, PhD, vice chair of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Council at the Alzheimer's Association and an Alzheimer's expert at NYU Langone Medical Center, tells WebMD that it's been difficult to identify specific toxins that raise Alzheimer's risk. "You can look at environmental toxins as being something that promotes the root cause of the disease, or as a second hit. "If someone is already predisposed to Alzheimer's due to genetics, cardiovascular disease, or some other risk factor, the environmental toxin may push their risk over the top," he says. The American Chemical Society did not offer comment in time for publication. CropLife America, a trade group representing crop protection products and pesticides, could not be reached.
- Ralph A Nixon M.D., Ph.D, professor, psychiatry and cell biology, director, Center of Excellence on Brain Aging and Dementia|
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July 15
Spouse Has Dementia? You're at Risk, Too- By Charlene Laino
A first-of-its-kind study suggests that spouses of people with dementia are at substantially increased risk of developing dementia themselves. Researchers followed more than 1,200 couples for 10 years. They found that wives who cared for husbands with dementia were nearly four times more likely to develop dementia than wives of men who didn't have dementia. Husband caregivers were almost 12 times more likely to develop dementia than husbands of women who were cognitively healthy, says researchers. Dementia isn't contagious, of course. "But the amount of stress involved in caring for a spouse with dementia is tremendous," and stress is a known risk factor for dementia, says Ralph Nixon, MD, PhD, a psychiatrist and Alzheimer's disease expert at NYU Langone Medical Center and vice chairman of the Medical & Scientific Advisory Council at the Alzheimer's Association. People who are stressed out are also less likely to eat a healthy diet and exercise, both of which are critical to brain health, he tells WebMD. Nixon was not involved with the research.
- Ralph A Nixon M.D., Ph.D, professor, psychiatry and cell biology, director, Center of Excellence on Brain Aging and Dementia
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MedPage Today
July 15
ICAD: Int. Conference on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Meeting- By Ed Sussman
An independent study aimed at understanding the mechanism of dimebolin (Dimebon), a controversial, yet potentially beneficial investigational anti-Alzheimer's drug, was long on questions and short on answers, researchers said. Dimebolin is an old Russian antihistamine but an investigational compound for Alzheimer's that is not available for patients outside of a clinical trial. "Our study raises more questions than we have answered," said Samuel Gandy, MD, PhD, professor of neurology and psychiatry at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York, at the Alzheimer's Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease. "This result is highly unexpected in what may prove to be a clinically beneficial Alzheimer's drug," Dr. Gandy added. "If the clinical benefits of dimebolin are confirmed by the ongoing clinical trials, it may give us pause in our belief that amyloid is the major cause of Alzheimer's disease and whether we need to be looking at additional mechanisms," said Ralph Nixon, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry and cell biology at NYU School of Medicine. "Should there be a positive result in these new clinical trials that would confirm the findings in the original trials, it would suggest a plausible link to mitochondria," he said. Dr. Nixon moderated a press briefing at which Dr. Gandy's work was reviewed.
- Ralph A Nixon M.D., Ph.D, professor, psychiatry and cell biology, director, Center of Excellence for Brain Aging and Dementia
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Kommah Seray IBC Foundation Quarterly Newsletter
July 2009
NYU Langone Medical Center researchers identify key gene in deadly inflammatory breast cancer
Aggressive, deadly and often misdiagnosed, inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is the most lethal form of primary breast cancer, often striking women in their prime and causing death within 18 to 24 months. Now, scientists from The Cancer Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center have identified a key gene-eIF4G1-that is over expressed in the majority of cases of IBC, allowing cells to form highly mobile clusters that are responsible for the rapid metastasis that makes IBC such an effective killer. This would be a critical development in the fight against IBC, which respond poorly to chemotherapy, radiation or any other current treatments for breast cancer, according to the study's lead authors Dr. Robert Schneider, associate director for translational research at The Cancer Institute, co-director of breast cancer research, and the Albert B. Sabin Professor of Molecular Pathogenesis at NYU School of Medicine, and Dr. Deborah Silvera, a postdoctoral research fellow. The study is co-authored by Dr. Silvia Formenti, chair of the department of radiation oncology at NYU Langone Medical Center and the Sandra and Edward H. Meyer Professor of Radiation Oncology at NYU School of Medicine, and Dr. Paul Levine of George Washington University, who contributed tissues.
- The Cancer Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center
- Robert Schneider, PhD, associate director for translational research at The Cancer Institute, co-director of breast cancer research, and The Albert B. Sabin Professor of Molecular Pathogenesis
- Deborah Silvera, PhD, postdoctoral research fellow, microbiology
- Silvia Formenti, MD, chair, radiation oncology, The Edward H. Meyer Professor of Radiation Oncology
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Cosmopolitan Magazine
July 15
4 Ways to Prevent Smelly, Sweaty Pits This Summer - By Andrea Lavinthal
Ever since I learned about Piticures I've been obsessed with exfoliating my armpits. But even if you aren't a fan of the Piticure, you have to admit that the current high temperatures are forcing you to pay a little more attention to underarm area. I'll confess that my pits turn into leaky faucets when the heat is on. And I totally do the "sniff test" during the day to make sure that I don't stink.
You can pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about, but I'm willing to bet that you've (discreetly) taken a whiff of your pits on a hot summer day. If you're worried about passing the sniff test, here are some easy tips from dermatologists that'll prevent your pits from becoming totally offensive when it's a zillion degrees outside:1. Wash your underarm area with a benzoyl peroxide face cleaner. It'll kill odor-causing bacteria.
2. Wipe down the entire area with cotton pads that have been soaked in a toner like Olay Refreshing Toner. 3. Brew a superstrong batch of black tea, but instead of drinking it, pour it over a washcloth, let it cool, and then place the compress under each arm for five minutes. Do this every night for two weeks and the tannic acid in the tea will permanently reduce your sweat production, says Darrell S. Rigel, MD, clinical professor of dermatology at NYU Langone Medical Center. 3. Upgrade your regular antiperspirant to one of the new prescription-strength formulas. Dove Clinical Protection and Secret Clinical Strength won't irritate your skin.
- Darrell Rigel, MD, a clinical professor, The Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology
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Crain's Health Pulse
July 15
Mount Sinai, NYU Awarded $64 million
Two New York institutions will be getting $64 million in federal funds through their new membership in the federal Clinical and Translational Science Award consortium. They are the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, which is getting $34.6 million, and NYU Langone Medical Center, awarded $29.4 million. In both cases, the funding will flow over the next five years. Previous New York-based CTSA grantees were the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (2008), Weill Cornell Medical College (2007), Columbia University Health Sciences (2006), Rockefeller University (2006) and the University of Rochester (2006). Funded by the NIH National Center for Research Resources, the CTSA consortium is a collaboration of 46 institutions aimed at improving clinical and translational research to bring treatments more quickly to patients. NYU is using the funds to establish a university-wide Clinical and Translational Science Institute in partnership with the New York City Health and Hospitals Corp. The funding is designed to train medical researchers, more rapidly advance science from the lab to the patient to the community, and allow researchers to explore mechanisms of health disparities and develop evidence-based approaches targeted at their reduction.
- NYU Langone Medical Center
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BioResearch Online
July 14
$29.4 Million Grant Establishes Clinical and Translational Science Institute at NYU in Partnership with NYC Health and Hospitals
NYU and NYU School of Medicine received a $29.4 million, five-year Clinical and Translational Science Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish a University-wide Clinical & Translational Science Institute (CTSI) in partnership with the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC). "Our CTSI is truly innovative and will play a critical role in our shared goal of transforming medical research and reducing healthcare disparities in New York City and beyond," said Robert I. Grossman, MD, dean and CEO of NYU Langone Medical Center. Robert Berne, NYU's senior vice president for health, said, "This grant is not only a great achievement in and of itself, it is also another demonstration of the more than century-long successful affiliation with HHC and our sustained and successful drive for excellence at the School of Medicine and throughout NYU: excellence in research, in clinical practice, in education, and in leadership." The CTSI will be directed by Bruce N. Cronstein, MD, the Dr. Paul R. Esserman Professor of Medicine, professor of pathology and pharmacology, NYU School of Medicine, and co-directed by Judith Hochman, MD, the Harold Snyder Family Professor of Cardiology, NYU School of Medicine. NYU Provost David McLaughlin said, "When scholars of distinction from different disciplines collaborate, the basic, applied, and translational research possibilities are powerful. That is why this grant is so impressive and such a source of pride for the University: it recognizes our researchers' talent, collaborative imagination, and entrepreneurial spirit."
- Robert I. Grossman, MD, dean and CEO, NYU Langone Medical Center
- Robert Berne, PhD, senior vice president for health, New York University
- Bruce N. Cronstein, MD, the Dr. Paul R. Esserman Professor of Medicine
- Judith Hochman, MD, the Harold Snyder Family Professor of Cardiology
- David McLaughlin, PhD, provost and professor, mathematics and neuroscience
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NIH.gov
July 14
NIH Expands National Consortium for Transforming Clinical and Translational Research, Releases First Progress Report
Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs) will be made to seven more academic health centers, bringing the consortium to 46 member institutions, the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), part of the National Institutes of Health, announced today. This national network of medical research institutions is working to accelerate the process that develops laboratory discoveries into treatments for patients, to engage communities in clinical research and to train a new generation of clinical and translational researchers. The institutions receiving new CTSA funding include: Medical University of South Carolina (Charleston), Mount Sinai School of Medicine (New York City), NYU School of Medicine (New York City), University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (Little Rock), University of Florida (Gainesville), University of Illinois at Chicago and University of Texas Medical Branch (Galveston).
- NYU School of Medicine
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AAMC Clinicalmail
July 14
Seven New CTSAs Announced
The NIH and the National Center for Research Resources on Tuesday announced seven new recipients of Clinical and Translational Research Awards (CTSAs).The awardees are: the Medical University of South Carolina, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, NYU School of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, University of Florida, University of Illinois at Chicago, and the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. The University of Cincinnati was awarded a CTSA earlier this year. With this new cohort of recipients, there are now 46 CTSAs, headed toward an announced target of 60 awardees.
- NYU School of Medicine
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Smartbrief
July 14
NYU Hospital CIO on Upgrading For "Meaningful Use"
Hospitals and other health care facilities should have a clear understanding of "meaningful use" guidelines before acquiring or upgrading to health IT systems to avoid or minimize the backlash of digitized health care, Paul Conocenti, CIO of NYU Langone Medical Center, said in an interview with Healthcare Informatics. Conocenti also advises small organizations that have yet to adopt a paperless system to start with computerized physician order entry systems and team up with bigger hospitals.
- Paul Conocenti, CIO, NYU Langone Medical Center
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NY 1 News
July 15, 2009
New Device Works With Stents To Prevent Strokes - By Kafi Drexel
Stroke is the third-leading cause of death in this country, and for those who survive, it can still be a long road to rehabilitation. It was only a few months ago that Paul Enright, 65, learned his carotid artery was nearly 100 percent blocked, and in need of surgery to prevent the serious risk of stroke. "It was mind boggling to think that you're going to have a procedure, because they only operations I've had was as a child," he said. "My tonsils were taken out, and I had a biopsy done on my neck for cancer, as well as colonoscopies, too." Because Enright is a Hodgkins lymphoma survivor, doctors opted to treat the blockage with a stent, a tube placed in the body to unclog the artery. But the procedure that's meant to prevent stroke can pose a major risk at the same time. With stenting, cholesterol plaque can still chip off and debris can travel upstream causing a stroke. Doctors say new technology used with stenting called Fibernet is helping to prevent that and improve outcomes by catching that debris. NYU Langone Medical Center is the first hospital in the area to start using the new device. "Carotid stenting early on was done without filters, without neuroprotection, as we call it," explained Dr. Thomas Maldonado of NYU Langone Medical Center. "And the incidents of strokes in those early experiences were much higher. The introduction of neuroprotection, such as the Fibernet, has dropped that stroke risk dramatically." "There are numerous neuroprotection devices," the doctor said. "Fibernet happens to be the latest in the lineage of technology, and has certain advantages perhaps in that the pore size is smaller than some of the others, and so it captures even smaller debris."More than a month after the procedure an ultrasound shows blood is flowing well through Enright's stent.
- Thomas S. Maldonado, MD, assistant professor, Surgery, Cardiac & Vascular Institute and director, vascular surgery, Bellevue Hospital
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NBC Today Show
July 14
Germs & Your Kitchen - By Hoda Kotb and Kathy Lee Gifford
Hidden germs in your kitchen lurk everywhere. Dr. Philip Tierno of the departments of microbiology & pathology at NYU School of Medicine gives tips on how the best ways to disinfect your kitchen.
- Philip M. Tierno Jr., MD, associate professor of microbiology and pathology
(No weblink.)

WebMD
July 14
Study Shows Housecleaning Habits of Americans Leave Something to Be Desired - By Bill Hendrick
Your home is loaded with disease-causing germs, including some that migrate from bathrooms, a new study shows. The study by the Hygiene Council found that Americans and people in seven other countries are losing the battle of the bugs, mainly because we don't clean up well enough, or we don't wipe down the right stuff. For example, in the U.S., television remote controls are a lot cleaner than kitchen taps or toilet handles, council member Philip M. Tierno Jr., MD, associate professor of microbiology and pathology at the NYU School of Medicine, tells WebMD. Tierno tells WebMD that 80% of all infections are transmitted by direct contact, such as touching a doorknob, shaking hands, touching your nose, or being the target of a sneeze.Few people seem to realize that toilets throw out countless germs every time they are flushed, contaminating toothbrushes and other everyday grooming devices, he says. Thus, toothbrushes should be covered or kept in a drawer."Hand washing in and of itself can be the most important thing people can do," he says. "But people don't practice it, and if they do, they don't do it properly. You should wash long enough to sing 'Happy Birthday' twice."
- Philip M. Tierno Jr., MD, associate professor of microbiology and pathology
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EMaxHealth
July 14
Women Who Drink Moderately Have Lower Cardiovascular Risk- By Ruzik Tuzik
Women who drink moderately may have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and death from CVD in part because of how alcohol affects the body's processing of fats and sugar in the blood, researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. In an analysis of data from the Women's Health Study, researchers compared non-drinkers to moderate drinkers and found that an intake of one-half to one drink a day was associated with: 26 percent lower risk of CVD, 35 percent decrease in total mortality; and 51 percent decrease in CVD mortality. CVD is a term that encompasses all diseases of the heart and blood vessels, including stroke and was defined in this study as a presence of heart attack, coronary bypass or angioplasty, stroke, or death from any of these conditions."The American Heart Association suggests a limit of one drink per day for women who already drink alcohol," said Jennifer H. Mieres, M.D., spokesperson for the association's Go Red For Women campaign and director of Nuclear Cardiology at NYU Langone Medical Center. "However, those who do not currently drink alcohol don't need to start drinking to prevent cardiovascular disease. As the study's authors point out, alcohol can raise the risk of breast cancer, high blood pressure and alcohol abuse. There are many ways women can lower their risk of cardiovascular disease."
- Jennifer H. Mieres, MD, director, nuclear cardiology
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Alzheimer's Association
July 14
Brain Imaging (MRI/PET) and Measurements of Proteins in Spinal Fluid May Improve Alzheimer's Prediction and Diagnosis
Lisa Mosconi, PhD, and colleagues in the Center for Brain Health at NYU School of Medicine, directed by Mony de Leon, PhD, developed and tested an automated method that achieves accurate, rapid sampling of many brain regions, including the hippocampus. Matthews and her team collaborated with NYU to apply the automated method to 250 subjects from the ADNI database (78 female/172 male, age 59-88; 79 healthy, 111 MCI, 60 Alzheimer's). Using the automated approach, rCMglc was measured by PET in 32 brain regions. Participants were divided into seven subgroups across normal, MCI, and AD categories, based upon their initial diagnosis and results of subsequent memory and thinking tests up to 3 years after the scan. The researchers observed a significant correlation between rCMglc in several brain regions and the progression from "stable normal" to "normal with subsequent clinical decline", to subcategories of MCI and Alzheimer's. They also found that HIP rCMglc was a sensitive predictor of decline and discriminator between disease stages. As compared to people considered "stable normal," HIP rCMglc was reduced by 5% in "normal with subsequent clinical decline", 12% in "stable MCI," 14% in "MCI with subsequent clinical decline" (p<0.05), and 24% in Alzheimer's (p<0.001).
- Lisa Mosconi, PhD, research assistant professor, psychiatry, Center for Brain Health
- Mony de Leon, EdD, professor, psychiatry, director, Center for Brain Health
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EarthTimes.org
July 13
Lupus Foundation of America Web Chat Explores "Your Skin and Lupus"
Approximately two-thirds of the 1.5 million Americans living with lupus will develop some type of skin disease. Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system is unbalanced causing it to become destructive to any organ and tissue in the body. Skin disease in lupus can cause rashes or sores (lesions), most of which will appear on sun-exposed areas, such as a person's face, ears, neck, arms, and legs. In addition, 40-70 percent of people with systemic lupus will find that their disease is made worse by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from sunlight or artificial light. For this and other reasons, people with lupus are advised to take steps to protect themselves from exposure to UV light. The Lupus Foundation of America website, www.lupus.org, will host a live chat, "Your Skin and Lupus," on Wednesday, July 15, beginning at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (UTC -4). The guest expert will be Dr. Andrew Franks, Clinical Professor of Dermatology and the Director of the Connective Tissue Disease Section of The Skin and Cancer Unit atNYU Langone Medical Center. Dr. Franks is one of the few physicians in the country who hold board certification in dermatology, rheumatology, and internal medicine. Over the past twenty five years he has earned a distinct reputation in the area of "skin manifestations of autoimmune disease."
- Andrew Franks, MD, clinical professor, the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology, director of the Connective Tissue Disease Section of The Skin and Cancer Unit at NYU Langone Medical Center
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Chronicle of Philanthropy
July 13
Colleges Will See a Decline in Megagifts, Experts Predict - By Kathryn Masterson
The golden age for philanthropy-and the United States-may be over. That was the sobering message delivered late last week at the annual conference for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Speakers at the fund-raising conference, including Robert B. Reich, a former U.S. secretary of labor, predicted that the economic recovery, when it happens, is likely to be weak, and that the number of megagifts to higher education will probably fall and the pace of such giving slow. Major changes are necessary in how campaigns are conducted to meet the challenges of the future, the more than 400 fund raisers and alumni-affairs officers in attendance were told. Yet the message was still optimistic: Philanthropy is not going away, and fund-raising programs that can adapt to the changing environment and redeploy their resources accordingly will continue to raise significant amounts of money. Megagifts are not going to disappear entirely. In fact, NYU Langone Medical Center announced a $100-million gift to its Langone Medical Center the day before the conference started. And fund raisers at the meeting said donors are feeling less skittish than they were in the fall and early part of this year.
- NYU Langone Medical Center
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Crain's Health Pulse
July 14
Redoing Rusk?
Faced with an aging building constructed in 1952, NYU Langone Medical Center is exploring options for replacing the Rusk Building, which houses the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine. "Renovations are cost prohibitive; a solution is long overdue," wrote Dr. Robert Grossman, NYU's Dean and CEO, in a recent staff communication. The hospital has hired a consultant "to help us think about the best way for us to deliver rehabilitation medicine services moving forward and the best way to "house" the Rusk Institute," he adds. "No final decisions have been made regarding the Rusk building, or where rehabilitation medicine services, labs and administrative offices will ultimately be housed."
- Robert I. Grossman, Dean and CEO, NYU Langone Medical Center
- Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine
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The Hospitalist
July 2009
Pediatric Hospitalist Conference Expands Program, Attracts a Crowd- By Brendon Shank
Since its inception six years ago, the Pediatric Hospital Medicine Conference has more than doubled in size and scope. Co-sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the Ambulatory Pediatric Association (APA), and SHM, this year's annual meeting-July 23-26 in Tampa, Fla.-will offer fresh content to more than 300 pediatric hospitalists from around the country. Conference chairman Daniel Rauch, MD, FAAP, FHM, attributes the growth to the conference's mix of programs and the networking opportunities. "When I'm at the conference, I'm stopped almost every hour by hospitalists who thank us for putting the conference together," says Dr. Rauch, director of the pediatric hospitalist program at the NYU School of Medicine. "Many of them are working hard and rarely have the opportunity to network with their peers. When they're here, they say, ‘Oh, my God, I'm not alone.' "The expanded program includes an oral plenary session, a poster session, and pre-courses on critical care and data analysis. For the first time, content for the plenary and poster sessions will be unique to PHM09; in years past, the sessions presented content from the sponsoring societies' annual conferences."All of the annual conferences have great content," Dr. Rauch says, "but if you're a pediatric hospitalist and can only go to one event, this is the one."
- Daniel Rauch, MD, director, pediatric hospitalist program
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Physorg.com
July 13
Grant encourages protected research time for medical fellows
The American Society of Hematology (ASH) announces the five 2009 recipients of the ASH Research Training Award for Fellows, a grant that encourages junior researchers to pursue careers in academic hematology by supporting protected time to conduct research during their fellowship training. A report on the state of U.S. hematology training programs published in Blood indicates that many programs find it difficult to provide meaningful protected time for fellows to do research. Currently, research training accounts for less than 50 percent of the total educational experience in most programs. The 2009 ASH Research Training Award for Fellows recipients include- Laura E. Hogan, MD, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY
This program provides grants of $50,000 for a one-year period to third- and fourth-year trainees.
- Laura E. Hogan, MD, NYU School of Medicine
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Examiner.com
July 14
Alzheimer's disease detected earlier with new tests
Detecting Alzheimer's disease early is essential for slowing the mental and physical declines that accompany the condition. Research reported at this week's international conference of the Alzheimer's Association offers promise for allowing physicians to find and begin treating negative changes in brain structure and function earlier than ever before. Working with funding and data from the U.S. National Institute on Aging's Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, Irish and American scientists developed ways to identify small changes in brain chemistry and memory that indicate Alzheimer's has begun developing. The U.S. researchers from the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute at the University of California, Berkeley, and from Abiant, Inc. and the NYU School of Medicine discovered similar corollaries between brain scans and measures of mental function. The Americans' breakthroughs came in their recognition that using positron emission tomography--PET--to image the hippocampus and measure blood sugar metabolism in the brain provided valuable clues to the progression of early Alzheimer's symptoms.
- NYU School of Medicine
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MSNBC.com
July 14
Hair here, then there: Odd transplants take root- By Diane Mapes
Thanks to advances in technology, hair-transplant procedures are sprouting up all over the country and the human body. While the majority of transplants still involve the scalp (and that remains the primary donor area), doctors are now able to harvest and replant hair follicles into eyebrows, eyelashes, beards, mustaches, sideburns, chests and beyond, allowing a growing number of people to become members of what you might call the "movable hair club." Nearly 99,000 surgical hair restoration procedures were performed in the United States in 2008, according to the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery, a non-profit medical association. Of that number, approximately 93,000 procedures were scalp transplants (hair transplants to fill in bald or thinning areas), followed by 3,484 eyebrows, 1,369 mustache/beard procedures and eyelashes with 531 procedures. "As the technology has changed from the large plugs we saw in the old days to moving single hairs, we can now do reconstruction in other places," says Dr. Ken Washenik, medical director of Bosley, a large hair-restoration surgery provider, and the former director of dermatopharmacology at NYU School of Medicine. "You can transplant hair to any place you have hair."
- Kenneth J. Washenik M.D., Ph.D., clinical assistant professor, The Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology
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KXMB-TV
July 6
Syndicated CBS Newspath broadcast also appeared on KOLR-CBS, WIVB-CBS, KFDA-CBS, WOWK-CBS, WCAX-CBS, KCOY-CBS, KRCG-CBS, WTKR-CBS, WLKY-CBS, KXJB-CBS, WKRC-CBS, WLKY-CBS, WPRI-CBS, WKRG-CBS, WHIO-CBS, WNEM-CBS, KFVS-CBS, KGBT-CBS, WSBT-CBS, WTAJ- CBS, KOLN-CBS, WANE-CBS, KYTX-CBS, WMBD-CBS, WMAZ-CBS, WIBW-CBS, KCTV-CBS, KLAS-CBS, KKTV-CBS, WCBS-CBS, WDBJ-CBS, KMTV-CBS, KFVS-CBS, WCIA-CBS, WMBD-CBS, KXJB-CBS, WSAW-CBS, KLST-CBS & KGWN-CBS
Obesity Epidemic Isn't Getting Any Better
A new study released Wednesday says obese adults have more chronic health problems than smokers, heavy drinkers or the poor. An annual report is showing that Americans are getting fatter, and it's an epidemic that's affecting people of all ages. The battle of the bulge is being fought across the country and Americans are losing. A new report called "F as in Fat" reveals two thirds of the country is overweight--nearly a third is obese, 50 pounds overweight. That's costing the country billions in healthcare. Not one state last year saw a drop in obesity rates, in fact they rose in 23 states and some doctors fear half the country will be obese as next year. To bring down medical costs, the report recommends a coordinated national effort because current policies aren't working. "They are not going to impact on the degree of obesity that we have right now," said Dr. Marina Kurian with NYU Langone Medical Center. The key of course is eating healthier and eating more fruits and vegetables. But as the study shows, most adults don't. However, the news for children is a little better. Childhood obesity rates are still dangerously high but have evened out.
- Marina Kurian, MD, assistant professor, surgery, NYU Program for Surgical Weight Loss

CNN News

July 8

Campbell Brown No Bias No Bull

This is the story that has got everybody talking today. Scientists in the UK have created human sperm cells using stem cells. It could be a breakthrough in treating male infertility. And it is making news all over the world. What they did, they took the embryonic stem cells, added a little vitamin A derivative and they used this green stain. Over time, as they watched the cells over months, they were able to coax the cells there. The stem cells were taken over here. And thawed out, brought up to room temperature under this hood and then added to a chemical soup. And also, crucially, a genetic marker is tagged on to them. This is promising technology for men who have no sperm. What they've done is taken stem cells that can create sperm. They haven't shown that they can fertilize eggs yet. There's still a big leap that has to occur, according to Dr. Jaime Grifo of NYU Langone Medical Center.

- Jamie Grifo, MD, director, NYU Fertility Center

The Chronicle of Philanthropy

July 08

Philanthropy Today: $100-Million Donated to NYU Langone Medical Center

Two prominent financiers have donated $100-million to NYU Langone Medical Center, The Chronicle of Higher Education reports. Fiona Druckenmiller, who has been a trustee at the medical center since 2006, and her husband, Stanley F. Druckenmiller, a chairman of the Harlem Children’s Zone, made the donation, the fourth $100-million gift the institution has received since April 2008. The medical center is named after Kenneth and Elaine Langone, who donated $100-million to the institution last year and had already donated $100-million in 1999.

- Kenneth Langone, chairman, board of trustees, NYU Langone Medical Center and Elaine Langone

- Fiona Druckenmiller, member, board of trustees & Stanley Druckenmiller, founder of Duquesne Capital Management and active volunteer and chairman of Harlem Children’s Zone

Learn more: http://philanthropy.com/news/index.php?id=8809

The Chronicle of Higher Education

July 8

News Blog: NYU Langone Medical Center Gets $100-Million Gift- By Marc Beja

A former portfolio manager at the Dreyfus Corporation and her husband, the founder of Duquesne Capital Management, have given $100-million to NYU Langone Medical Center, the university announced today. Fiona Druckenmiller, who has been a trustee at the medical center since 2006, and her husband, Stanley F. Druckenmiller, a chairman of the Harlem Children’s Zone, have already given more than $46-million to the university, including $45-million in 2008. Their latest gift will help the medical center create a new neuroscience institute. The gift was the fourth of $100-million or more received by the medical center since April 2008. Last year the center raised $506-million, which the university believes is the largest amount collected in one year by any academic medical center. “In a time of such economic uncertainty we are inspired by the many donors who are committed to supporting the transformation of our medical center into the world-class institution it aspires to be,” said Robert Berne, senior vice president for health at NYU. “Our supporters have been incredibly generous, understanding that in difficult times the need for philanthropic endeavors increases as the needs of the community become more complex.”

- Robert Berne, PhD, senior vice president for health, NYU

- Fiona Druckenmiller, member, board of trustees & Stanley Druckenmiller, founder of Duquesne Capital Management and active volunteer and chairman of Harlem Children’s Zone

Learn more: http://chronicle.com/news/article/6752/new-york-u-medical-center-gets-100-million-gift

Fundraising Success Mag.com

July 8

NYU Langone Medical Center Receives $100 Million Gift to Establish Neuroscience Institute

NYU Langone Medical Center announced today a $100 million gift from the Druckenmiller Foundation to establish a state-of-the-art neuroscience institute at the Medical Center. This gift will provide for the recruitment and support of the highest caliber neuroscientists, reinforcing NYU Langone Medical Center's existing strengths and enabling it to become a leader in translational neuroscience, bringing expertise from the research bench to the clinical bedside. It will also help promote the education and training of future generations of neuroscientists—a hallmark of the institution—as well as support a dedicated neuroscience facility. "Because we already have world-class expertise in neuroscience, I believe the momentum generated by this gift will take us to a new pinnacle in clinical and research excellence in this field," said Robert I. Grossman, MD, dean and CEO of NYU Langone Medical Center. "With this gift, Fiona and Stanley Druckenmiller are voicing their confidence in our aspirations of excellence in this field and are endorsing our talented team of faculty, scientists and staff." Knowledgeable and passionate about science and medicine, the Druckenmillers conceptualized this gift out of interest in the healthy brain and understanding how the brain functions," said Ken Langone, chairman of the board of trustees at the NYU Langone Medical Center. "We are especially grateful that they have chosen to support neuroscience, one of the Medical Center's strategic areas."

- Kenneth Langone, chairman, board of trustees, NYU Langone Medical Center

- Robert I. Grossman, MD, Dean and CEO, NYU Langone Medical Center

- Fiona Druckenmiller, member, board of trustees & Stanley Druckenmiller, founder of Duquesne Capital Management and active volunteer and chairman of Harlem Children’s Zone

Learn more: http://www.fundraisingsuccessmag.com/article/nyu-langone-medical-center-receives-100-million-gift-establish-neuroscience-institute-409540_1.html

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20090708005798&newsLang=en

http://www.ad-hoc-news.de/langone-nyu-langone-medical-center-receives-100-million--/de/Unternehmensnachrichten/20335653

http://newsblaze.com/story/2009070808250200002.wi/topstory.html

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/NYU-Langone-Medical-Center-bw-1663124767.html?x=0&.v=1

http://www.streetinsider.com/entities/Duquesne+Capital

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/nyu-langone-medical-center-receives,885772.shtml

http://www.yourhealthtopics.com/34735/NYU-Langone-Medical-Center-Receives--100-Million-Gift-to-Establish---

NYTimes.com

July 9

Consults: Ask an Expert: Understanding Lupus- By The New York Times

In “Patient Voices: Lupus,” New York Times Web producer Karen Barrow brings attention to the varied signs and symptoms of lupus, an autoimmune disease that can affect the skin, brain, kidneys, blood or other tissues in both women and men. Richard Furie, M.D.Do you have questions about lupus? Dr. Richard Furie, chief of the division of rheumatology and allergy-clinical immunology at North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, joins the Consults blog to answer readers’ questions about the diagnosis, symptoms and treatment of this troubling disorder. For the last several decades, Dr. Furie has focused on patient care, physician education and clinical research of new therapies for lupus. He is professor of clinical medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and associate professor of medicine at NYU School of Medicine. He is a member of the editorial board of the Lupus Foundation of America Lupus News as well as the medical and scientific advisory board of the SLE Foundation and serves on many committees of the American College of Rheumatology.

- Richard Furie, MD, associate professor, medicine

Learn more: http://consults.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/expert-qa-understanding-lupus/

US News & World Report

July 9

Many doctors don't provide the right treatments, triggering unnecessary hospitalizations—even deaths- By Deborah Kotz

About 5 million people in the United States have heart failure, and 300,000 die from it every year. (Compare that with the 570,000 annual deaths caused by every kind of cancer.) Indeed, heart failure—the heart can't pump enough blood through the body—is the most common reason older folks wind up in the hospital, and more than 1 in 4 heart-failure patients must be hospitalized again within a month of being discharged, according to a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine. Along with medications, African-American patients should be offered hydralazine-nitrate therapy to cut their mortality risk by an additional 43 percent, says Fonarow. "Yet fewer than 1 in 5 African-Americans who qualify for this treatment are actually getting it," he adds. Women, too, are less likely to be given guideline-indicated therapies. What's worse, research on heart-failure treatments in women is still lagging behind research in men, says cardiologist Nieca Goldberg, director of the women's heart center at NYU Langone Medical Center. Currently the AHA guidelines recommend the same medications for women and men, but that, says Goldberg, may be the result of a lack of studies focusing on discerning gender differences.

- Nieca Goldberg, MD, director, Women’s Heart Center

Learn more: http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/heart/2009/07/08/treating-heart-failure-the-smartest-approach.html

Our Town

July 8

New Unit At NYU Langone Medical Center

The Hospital for Joint Diseases at NYU Langone Medical Center inaugurated its new Elly Hammerman Inpatient Pediatric Unit. The nine-bed unit, which will be used for children recovering from complex orthopaedic and neurological surgeries, features more private patient rooms, allowing a family member to stay overnight. “Our new unit will make post-op recovery more comfortable both physically and emotionally for both patients and their families,” said David Dibner, a senior vice president at the hospital, in a statement.

- David Dibner, senior vice president, The Hospital for Joint Diseases

Learn more: http://ourtownny.com/?p=3557

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wires/2009/07/08/new-unit-at-langone-medic_ws_227627.html

Westside Today

July 8

The Eyes Need To Have It -- Sunblock!- By Amy Sommer

A leading eye doctor and researcher, Dr. Paul Finger, offers Westsiders some useful advice to protect your eyes while having fun in the fun. We reapply it every two and are always searching for an ever high Sun Protection Factor, (SPF). But we could be doing more to protect our families from the sun’s damaging rays according to eye cancer specialist Dr. Paul Finger, Clinical Professor at the NYU School of Medicine and the founder and head of www.eyecancer.com. 'Think of sunglasses as sun block for your eyes," says Dr. Finger, 'and just like good sun block, good glasses must meet certain criteria if they are to really protect your eyes'

1. You must see a UV—blocking label that is. Ultra Violet protection, (UV) coating is clear so it won’t affect what you see through the lens. Make sure that both your regular, clear glasses and your shades are UV coated in order to protect you from the sun’s frontal ray assault. 2. The Right Fit. 'Make sure your sunglasses wrap around the face. Sun can peek in from the sides and above your frames so make sure that your spectacles fit well; this will foil the sun’s attempts to endanger your eyes,' per Finger. So keep slathering on the sun block – and don’t forget to add the shades. '

- Paul Finger, MD, clinical professor, ophthalmology

Learn more: http://www.westsidetoday.com/s11-1228/the-eyes-need-to.html

BusinessWeek.com

July 8

Guest Blog: No evidence that older workers are crowding out younger ones- By Peter Coy

Are older workers crowding out younger ones in this recession? It’s tempting to say so, considering that employment has risen 1% among people 55 while it has fallen 5% among people 20 to 54 (see chart). Andrew Sum and colleagues at Northeastern University wrote a paper last December highlighting the discrepancy. It was called “Out With the Young and In With the Old.”

The poster child for the worker who just won’t quit—though here, child is definitely not the right word—is Emma Shulman, a consulting gerontologist at NYU Langone Medical Center. She is 96 years old and has survived two husbands, more than 70 years of cigarette smoking, and a Scotch habit (“I was a Scotch maniac”), as described in a profile yesterday in The New York Times.

I was gratified to read about Shulman’s continued ventures in the working world because I interviewed her for a 2005 cover story in BusinessWeek called “Old. Smart. Productive.: Surprise!

- Emma Shulman, assistant research scientist, psychiatry

Learn more: http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/economicsunbound/archives/2009/07/older_workers_i.html

Crain's Health Pulse
July 8
NYU Langone Gets $100 Million Pledge - By Gale Scott & Barbara Benson
NYU Langone Medical Center trustee Fiona Druckenmiller and her husband, Stanley, have pledged to make "a transformational gift of $100 million" from the Druckenmiller Foundation to establish a neuroscience institute. Dr. Robert Grossman, the hospital's dean and chief executive, made the announcement to the staff yesterday. "I believe the momentum generated by this gift will take us to a new pinnacle in clinical and research excellence in this field" and support a dedicated neuroscience facility. The couple has already given more than $46 million to support NYU Langone. This is the fourth nine-figure gift for NYU Langone in 15 months.
- Robert I. Grossman, MD, Dean & CEO, NYU Langone Medical Center
Learn more
(Subscription only.)

July 8
NYU Langone and Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers - By Gale Scott & Barbara Benson
NYU Langone and Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers hope to hear by September whether the state funds their joint $25 million collaboration. Under the grant proposal, NYU would expand its inpatient pediatric rehabilitation services by relocating them to the former site of Cabrini hospital. The unit would continue to be part of NYU Langone, but it would also serve the inpatient pediatric rehab needs of Saint Vincent. The two hospitals will integrate pediatric services, with NYU getting an additional 15 inpatient pediatric beds at Saint Vincent. The collaboration calls for a downsized unit at Saint Vincent, clinically managed by NYU's doctors. Meanwhile, Saint Vincent's adult inpatient rehab unit would be integrated with NYU's and operate under the license of the Rusk Institute. In addition, a proposed clinical integration of the cardiothoracic surgery and cardiology services would move advanced procedures to NYU, with other procedures performed at Saint Vincent, which would also open a new cardiology ambulatory care center. Lastly, NYU's 22-bed inpatient psychiatric service would be moved to Cabrini and consolidated with Saint Vincent's 85-bed unit.
- NYU Langone Medical Center
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(Subscription only.)

July 8
Hospitals hope to meet reform goals through clinical ties - By Gale Scott & Barbara Benson
NYU Langone Medical Center and Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers jointly applied for $25 million in state funds to collaborate on clinical programs. The two hospitals hope to tap the state's HEAL 11 grant program, which funds hospital initiatives that foster organizational collaborations, reduce excess inpatient capacity and strengthen plans for restructuring ambulatory care services. The joint application fits in with both state and national health reform goals. It aspires to move services to outpatient settings, reduce the city's medical arms race, and reduce the two hospitals' staffed bed count by 61. "The state is encouraging more efficient provision of health care services," says Dr. Andrew Litt, NYU's executive vice president, vice dean and chief of staff. "We look at this as an opportunity to rationalize services in lower Manhattan." Aside from meeting the state's reform goals, the ambitious collaboration gives the hospitals some financial breathing room. "Saint Vincent realized it can't be a stand-alone entity. It really needs a partner," notes Arthur Webb, Saint Vincent's chief operating officer. The collaboration is not a merger or affiliation. It covers four areas: inpatient rehabilitation, pediatrics, cardiothoracic surgery/cardiology and psychiatry.
- Andrew Litt, MD, executive vice president, vice dean and chief of staff, NYU Langone Medical Center
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(Subscription only.)

WABC-TV
July 7
Stopping Strokes before they Strike - By Dr. Jay Adlersberg
Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States. New technology is helping doctors catch a stroke before it strikes. The carotid artery bringing blood to his brain can narrow due to cholesterol and make a individual at high risk of stroke. Doctors can place a metal stent into the artery to open it again. To prevent pieces of cholesterol from breaking off while putting in the stent, a new tiny sponge can act as a filter. Filters have been used before, but this one is different. "(The sponge) has smaller pore size, and it may collect smaller cholesterol debris that may chip off," Dr. Thomas Maldonado of NYU Langone Medical Center said. Chip off and actually cause a stroke. In the operating room, the sponge is threaded through a leg artery to the carotid and expanded. The stent goes up behind it. The operation is obviously to treat carotid blockage. The idea, though, is to prevent it from happening in the first place. Treating high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, and not smoking reduce your risk. Any fatty particles broken off are trapped in the sponge. After the operation, you can see the particles of cholesterol, which are washed off the sponge after removal. Each could have caused a mini-stroke. Besides carotid disease, there are other causes of stroke, especially heart problems. "Any person who has a stroke should be worked up for the cause of the stroke. Not all are from the carotid artery," said Dr. Maldonado.
- Thomas S. Maldonado, MD, assistant professor, NYU Langone Medical Center and director, vascular surgery, Bellevue Hospital
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ABCNews.com
July 8
Shining a Light on 9 Hair Loss Treatments - By Joseph Brownstein
While many men are fine with hair loss, for others baldness demands a remedy, which they seek in a variety of ways. A wealth of options exist that purport to treat the problem of male pattern baldness. But which ones actually work? Over the years, the number of treatments that have been claimed to cure baldness has been exceeded, perhaps, only by the number of jokes about the condition. But since baldness -- as unappealing a prospect as it may be for many men -- is not an illness, procedures and drugs to treat it may not get the scrutiny given those for genuine medical conditions. For most men, noticeable hair loss begins in their 20s or 30s, but some see it even younger. "The youngest case of male pattern hair loss I have ever seen is age 8," said Dr. Jerry Shapiro, a dermatologist affiliated with NYU Langone Medical Center and the University of British Columbia. However, male pattern baldness tends to start later, affecting, to some degree, 20 percent of men by the time they reach the age of 20.
- Jerry Shapiro, MD, adjunct professor, The Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology
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US News & World Report
July 8
On Parenting Blog: How to Use Tylenol So It's Safe for Your Kids - By Nancy Shute
Too much Tylenol can be a very dangerous thing, for kids and adults. "Tylenol is a safe drug," Bernard Dreyer told me, "But like all medicine, it does have side effects." The most serious one is permanent liver damage, caused by repeated overdosing. (This is why an FDA advisory panel recently voted to ban Percocet and Vicodin, two popular adult painkillers that contain acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol.) Here are five Tylenol take-homes I learned from Dreyer, who's a professor of pediatrics at the NYU School of Medicine: Pick your dose based on a child's weight, rather than age. It's a much more accurate dosing method. Ask your pediatrician's staffers if they have a weight-based dosing chart they can copy for you if there's not one on the box. Don't give Tylenol more than five times a day. Beware of infant Tylenol. It's actually three times as strong as regular children's Tylenol, but many parents presume it's less strong. Dreyer and his colleagues have found that parents often get confused and give, say, a 2-year-old a teaspoon of the infant formula, which is three times as much as she should take. The FDA panel recommended getting rid of infant Tylenol to avoid that risk.
- Bernard Dreyer, MD, professor, pediatrics
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July 7
The Best Life Blog: The Nation's 10 Costliest Medicare Markets - By Philip Moeller
As the friction over healthcare reform has intensified, the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice has become the gold standard of information about the costs of health care. Its studies-which look at variations in the cost, frequency, and outcomes of medical procedures-have taken center stage in a debate that could lead to substantial changes in the healthcare sector.The Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care 2008 contains some amazing and counterintuitive findings about healthcare. First, the amount of healthcare provided in the United States is not related as strongly to patient need as it is to the available supply of healthcare. Using identical patient profiles and medical needs, Dartmouth found that markets with more hospital beds, doctors, and high-end diagnostic equipment provided what amounted to excess healthcare. The primary reason, it said, is that government and private health insurance plans are based on compensating healthcare providers for the procedures they perform, not for the rate at which they cure patients or make them healthier. The 10 hospitals with the highest volume of care, as measured by their HCIs include NYU Langone Medical Center.
- NYU Langone Medical Center
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The Diet Detective
July 7
Getting Off Your Low-Carb Diet Without Gaining Weight - By Charles Stuart Platkin
As predicted, many people are growing tired of low-carb diets because, like all diets, they have a low long-term success rate, offer little variety and - well, I guess people miss carbs. But the truth is that you can continue to lose weight, or maintain the weight you lost on your low-carb diet, if you follow a few simple rules. PATIENCE: You're not going to lose weight as quickly when you go off your low-carb diet, and, in fact, you might actually gain a few pounds at first. "Don't freak out. When you start eating healthy carbs, you may gain some water weight, because some of the weight you originally lost was water, especially in the intro stages," says Samantha Heller, M.S., R.D., senior clinical nutritionist at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City.
- Samantha Heller, M.S., RD, senior clinical nutritionist
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WLKY- TV (KY)
July 7
Inflammatory Breast Cancer Discovery
Most patients with IBC don't survive more than two years. That's because the disease comes on so quickly it's usually not caught until the cancer has spread. To find a way to treat IBC researchers here at The Cancer Institute decided to take a step back and figure out how the disease works. And they believe they made a key discovery. Dr. Robert Schneider studied the DNA of IBC patients and discovered 80 percent of them share a specific abnormal gene. The gene helps cancer cells spread rapidly making it difficult for treatments like chemotherapy to stop the disease. He's now trying to develop a drug that targets the gene and weakens the cancer. "It would probably shut off the gene and enable us to treat with conventional chemo and radiation therapy."
- Robert Schneider, PhD, associate director for translational research at The Cancer Institute, co-director of breast cancer research, and The Albert B. Sabin Professor of Molecular Pathogenesis

Oprah
July 7
Oprah Winfrey Show (Repeat)
So we can all understand what implantation guidelines are for in vitro fertilization, Dr. Jamie Grifo, the program director of the NYU Fertility Center and member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, breaks down the national standard practices when it comes to in vitro fertilization.
- Jaime Grifo, MD, director, NYU Fertility Center

The New York Times
July 7
Well: Reasons Not to Panic Over a Painkiller - By Tara Parker-Pope
Last week, a federal advisory committee raised concerns about liver damage that can occur with overuse of acetaminophen, and the panel even recommended that the Food and Drug Administration ban two popular prescription drugs, Vicodin and Percocet, because they contain it. The news left many consumers confused and alarmed. Could regular use of acetaminophen for pain relief put them at risk for long-term liver damage? To help resolve the confusion, here are some questions and answers about acetaminophen. What prompted the committee to look at acetaminophen in the first place? Every year about 400 people die and 42,000 are hospitalized as a result of acetaminophen poisoning. When used as directed, the drug is not hazardous. But acetaminophen is now in so many products that it is relatively easy to take more than the recommended daily limit, now four grams. "People often don't know what products acetaminophen is in," said Dr. Lewis S. Nelson, a medical toxicologist from NYU School of Medicine who was the panel's acting chairman. "It isn't that hard to go above the four-gram dose. If you took a couple acetaminophen for a headache until you got to the maximum dose, and then maybe later you take Tylenol PM and some Nyquil for a cold. And your back hurts, so you take Vicodin - by now you've probably gotten to a seven-gram dose."
- Lewis Nelson, MD, associate professor, emergency medicine
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July 7
Experience Necessary: She Knows a Thing or Two About Aging - By Ralph Blumenthal
Could there be a more experienced expert on aging than Emma Shulman? A gerontologist at NYU Langone Medical Center, she was, from 1981 to 2005, a senior social worker and research associate at what is now its Center for Excellence on Brain Aging and Dementia, and she is currently a consultant. She did some of the first research on how to care for Alzheimer's patients and co-wrote a training manual about it. She lectures widely on memory retention. Oh, and did we mention that she is 96? What she hates: Everyone's always telling me, "You're a role model." Like I'm an age - there's no person behind me. How she spends her time: I work here. I'm taking a master's in cultural anthropology at Hunter, because I don't know anything about it. My interest is families. I'm not interested in bones. I'm taking a private class in writing, mostly reminiscences. I just wrote something about being on the bus, watching people. You know what writing does for you? It opens up your mind. I'm taking an acting class at John Jay. I'm going to Fordham for English literature, taking courses. I belong to the Philharmonic, the ballet, the Roundabout. If I'm not learning, I get bored.
- Emma Shulman, assistant research scientist, psychiatry
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July 7
A Culprit in Infertility, Overlooked Yet Treatable- By Laurie Tarkan
For more than four years, Joann Citrone of West Deptford, N.J., went through round after round of expensive infertility treatments. But it wasn't until two years after she and her husband adopted their second child from South Korea that she was finally given a correct diagnosis. She suffered from a common yet often overlooked condition that can lead to infertility and a host of perplexing symptoms - yet is easily treated when it is properly diagnosed. The condition is nonclassical congenital adrenal hyperplasia, or C.A.H. - a hormone deficiency that leads to excess production of androgens. In women it can interfere with ovulation; in men it can cause low sperm count. In addition, it can lead to short stature, body odor, acne, irregular menstruation and the excessive hair growth called hirsutism. (Ms. Citrone, now 38, had some of these symptoms, too.) Dr. Jamie Grifo, director of reproductive endocrinology at the NYU School of Medicine, said he tests patients for the disease if they cannot ovulate and fail to respond to ovulation medications. "I think this gets missed not infrequently," he said. "I don't think it's the most common thing, but more common than people realize."
- Jamie Grifo, MD, director, reproductive endocrinology
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Associated Press
June 27
Athletes Use Viagra for Competitive Edge
Athletes looking for a performance boost are increasingly turning to a little blue pill more usually taken for its off-the-field benefits: Viagra. Some sports authorities say the drug is now finding a following among athletes. It isn't clear how many might be taking it in hopes of improving athletic performance, but stashes of the drug have reportedly been found among some professional athletes. "If you have more oxygen going to your muscles, that's more energy and that makes you a better athlete,'' said Dr. Andrew McCullough, a sexual health expert at NYU School of Medicine. "Even if it only gives you a 10 per cent increase, in peak athletes, that is enough to win,'' he said. McCullough said Viagra is only likely to help athletes like runners, cyclists or skiers - sports where endurance and speed are key. Viagra does not work directly on muscles, so will not make athletes physically stronger. Other doctors hypothesized that Viagra's more well-known effects on men's sex lives might be the ultimate explanation for any enhanced athletic abilities. "It could be that athletes are taking Viagra and then having vigorous sexual activity,'' said Dr. Gerard Varlotta, director of sports rehabilitation at the NYU Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine. Varlotta doubted that Viagra itself could improve an athletes' performance. "If athletes are euphoric after sex after taking Viagra, they may be euphoric about their athletic endeavours,'' Varlotta said. "That may make them a better athlete.''
- Andrew McCullough, MD, director, Male Sexual Health Program, Male Fertility and Microsurgery & associate professor, urology
- Gerard Varlotta, DO, clinical associate professor, director of sports rehabilitation, Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Hospital for Joint Diseases
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Crain's Health Pulse
July 7
Diabetes Cure Questioned
A Columbia University researcher is questioning the wisdom of weight-loss surgery as a cure for Type 2 diabetes. Surgeons at New York Hospital/Cornell are pioneering such treatment for diabetics even if they are not obese. But Columbia's Dr. Daniel Rosen told the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery meeting in Dallas last week that while gastric bypass seemed to improve or eliminate symptoms for most patients for as long as five years, some got worse. At the same event, however, NYU researcher Samuel Sultan reported that 53% of patients with Type 2 diabetes no longer needed medication as long as five years after undergoing gastric banding surgery.
- Samuel Sultan, MD, surgical intern
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(Subscription only.)

FoxNews.com
July 6
Syndicated article by Reuters
Flu Has Parents Worried About Sending Kids to Camp
Many of the 12,000-plus summer camps in the United States are ramping up their efforts to guard against the spread of the new H1N1 swine flu, which has caused the first pandemic of the 21st century. While H1N1 influenza has caused mild symptoms that go away without medication in most patients, it has killed 170 people in the United States and more than 300 globally. Dr. Daniel Rauch, a pediatrician at NYU Langone Medical Center, said the risk of catching swine flu is only greater in intimate or group settings, for instance, when kids sleep near each other in bunk beds, tents or cabins.Unless children already have underlying ailments or immunodeficiencies, going to summer camps does not necessary pose a greater risk of catching swine flu than going to public spaces such as playgrounds and shopping malls, he added. Some camp administrators said they would send any sick children home immediately or isolate them in an infirmary and let them play board games while they are being observed.
- Daniel Rauch, MD, assistant professor, pediatrics
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Huffington Post
July 7
A Lesson About Female Friendship From The Ad World - By Irene S. Levine, PhD
Their targeted advice for the ad world: "Because individual relationships are more important to women, they are more likely to develop loyal customer relationships with individual service providers. Conversely, men find group relationships important and are more likely to develop loyal customer relationships with firms and organizations." Thus, advertising strategies focused on personal relationships are more likely to be effective with women.If we extrapolate these results to our friendships, it reinforces what we already know. In general, female relationships tend to be characterized by greater intimacy (and a different kind of loyalty) than those of men.
- Irene S. Levine, PhD, clinical professor, psychiatry
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NBC Today Show
July 3
Michael Jackson Death
Dr. Roshini Rajapaksa of NYU Langone Medical Center appeared live on the Today Show to discuss the final images of Michael Jackson seen in his rehearsal video.
- Roshini Rajapaksa, MD, assistant professor, medicine, gastroenterology

Associated Press
July 4
Michael Jackson Kids Face Hurdles Coping With His Death - By Lindsey Tanner
An attorney for Jackson's cardiologist said the children requested and were allowed to see Jackson's body, after a psychiatrist was consulted. Specialists say that isn't necessarily traumatizing. It can give children a chance to say goodbye after a parent's sudden death, and allow the permanence of death to sink in, said Demy Kamboukas, a trauma expert and scientist at the NYU Child Study Center. Kamboukas and other mental health experts recommended counseling for children who've experienced a parent's death. It gives them a chance to talk about their feelings with an objective observer who isn't also grieving and who can assure them that feelings of fear, anger and loss of control are normal.
- Demy Kamboukos, PhD, research scientist, child and adolescent psychiatry
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New York Magazine
July 2
Life Without Vicoden?
Why is Vicoden prescribed so much? "Originally it was a Schedule III opioid, as opposed to Schedule II. So it could be called in to the pharmacy and refilled. That led to development of a great amount of product loyalty-to physician practice patterns that are very Vicodin-based. It's also effective. As a combination analgesic, it targets two pain mechanisms simultaneously," explains Dr. Chris Gharibo, director of pain medicine at the Hospital for Joint Diseases at NYU Langone Medical Center.
- Christopher Gharibo, assistant professor, anesthesiology
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WebMD
July 6
The Truman Show Delusion: Real or Imagined? - By Suzanne Wright
A few delusional people are convinced they are stars of an imaginary reality show, but doctors disagree on whether it's only an act. Two doctor/brothers, Joel and Ian Gold, have identified symptoms of a mental illness unique to our times: the Truman Show delusion, named for the 1998 movie that starred Jim Carrey as a suburbanite whose movements were filmed 24/7 and broadcast to the world. The two say a handful of individuals are convinced they are stars of an imaginary reality show. Dr. Joel Gold, who is on the psychiatric faculty of Bellevue Hospital and serves as a clinical assistant professional of psychiatry at the NYU School of Medicine, first began to see the symptoms dubbed Truman Show delusion in 2002 with patients at Bellevue Hospital.
- Joel Gold, clinical assistant professor, psychiatry
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MSNBC Live
July 2
July 4^th Health Risks
Dr. Srikala Shenbagamurthi appeared live on MSNBC to discuss the measures in place to ensure that patients receive the same high level of care from the interns and resident joining hospitals and health care facilities to work for the first time in the month of July.
- Srikala Shenbagamurthi, MD, assistant professor, emergency medicine

Shape Magazine
July 2
Age Proof Your Eyes - By Sally Wadyka And Elsa Kruger
Want to look younger? Start taking care of the skin around your eyes. "It's very thin, so fi ne lines and other signs of ageing tend to show up there long before anywhere else," says Dr. Linda Franks, a dermatology professor at NYU Langone Medical Center.
- Linda Franks, clinical assistant professor, the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology
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Reuters
July 3
US Summer Camps on Alert Due to Swine Flu Fears - By I-Ching Ng
Dr. Daniel Rauch, a pediatrician at NYU Langone Medical Center, told Reuters that the likelihood of catching the virus is greatly increased when children spend time in close quarters situations such as sleeping near each other in bunks or tents.However, he added, children do not face any more of a risk of coming down with the virus than they do when visiting a public playground or a shopping mall.
- Daniel Rauch, assistant professor, pediatrics
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KTVN-CBS Channel 2 News
July 2
Inflammatory Breast Cancer
Most patients with inflammatory breast cancer don't survive more than two year. That's because the disease comes on so quickly. It's usually not caught until the cancer has spread. To find a way to treat IBC researchers at the NYU Cancer Institute decided to take a step back and figure out how the disease works, and they believe they made a key discovery. Dr. Robert Schneider and his team studied the DNA of patients with IBC and discovered that 80% share a specific abnormal gene that causes cancer cells to spread rapidly making it difficult for treatments like chemotherapy to stop the disease. Dr. Schneider is now trying to develop a drug that targets the gene and weakens the cancer.
- Robert Schneider, MD, professor, microbiology, NYU Cancer Institute

Fox - The Mike & Juliette Show
July 3
Heart Surgery To Marathon Runner
Dr. Marc Siegel appeared live and explained how someone could go from being obese and having open heart surgery to losing 150+ pounds and running a marathon: "First it is important that everyone realizes that heart health is all about losing weight, eating right, sleeping right, and decreasing stress, and then once you do that and you're in your mid 30s, and you're followed closely by a cardiologist, you might be able to do this. But it's not for everyone."
- Marc Siegel, MD, clinical associate professor, medicine

Science Daily
July 3
Rare Sheep Could Be Key To Better Diagnostic Tests In Developing World
The newest revolution in microbiology testing walks on four legs and says "baa," according to Stanford University School of Medicine researchers. Hair sheep, a less-hirsute version of the familiar woolly barnyard resident, are perfect blood donors for the microbiology tests necessary to diagnose infectious disease in the developing world, according to a new study published July 3. "It's very important," said Bruce Hanna, professor of pathology and microbiology at the NYU School of Medicine who was not involved in the study. "This paper found an alternative that is able to be produced in Africa and provides identical results to the standardized products that are used in this country."
- Bruce Hanna, MD, clinical associate professor, medicine, pathology
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Cape Cod Times
July 4
No matter how popular cosmetic surgery may be for getting ahead, competitive cosmetic giveaways are another, much more complicated issue, some plastic surgeons say. "There are strict regulatory agencies in every state that look very negatively on that kind of thing," said Dr. Minas Constantinides, director of facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center. "It's unethical and should not be done."
- Minas Constantinides, MD, assistant professor, otolaryngology
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The Age
July 2
Swine Flu And The Handshake
Dr. Philip M. Tierno, director of clinical microbiology and immunology at NYU Langone Medical Center has told medical newsletters: "Eighty percent of all infectious diseases are transmitted by contact both direct and indirect -- direct such as kissing, indirect such as shaking someone's hand...Frequent hand washing is the single most important weapon we have against disease."
- Philip M. Tierno, PhD, clinical professor, pathology
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DentalPlans.com
Article Syndicated By HealthDay News
July 4
Sunscreen Smokescreen
Here is some reaction to last year's EWG Sunscreen Report-from beleaguered dermatologists, who were having a difficult enough time getting their patients to use sunscreen in the first place: "Patients are confused," said Dr. Darrell S. Rigel, a clinical professor of dermatology at NYU School of Medicine who is a skin cancer researcher. "I've had patients come in and ask, 'Am I harming myself by using it?' I've spent a lot of time talking to people about it."
- Darrell S. Rigel, MD, clinical professor, dermatology
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The Washington Note
July 3
A Provocation from James Pinkerton: Why the Health Care Debate Is Boring -- And How to Make It Interesting! - By Steve Clemons
And then there's Barack Obama himself. During his June 24 ABC News "town hall" from the White House, the President was asked a pointed question by Dr. Orrin Devinsky, of NYU Langone Medical Center and gave a revealing answer. Devinsky observed that elites often propose health care plans that restrict options for the general public, knowing that they themselves will always have the personal wealth to buy the best possible coverage on the open market. And so Devinsky asked Obama if he would commit to social solidarity, and lead by example -- by pledging not to seek out extraordinary medical help for his family, beyond what his own proposed plan would provide. As reported by ABC's Jake Tapper and Karen Travers, Obama, a multimillionaire even before he became president, refused to make such a pledge, saying, instead, "If it's my family member, if it's my wife, if it's my children, if it's my grandmother, I always want them to get the very best care."
- Orrin Devinsky, MD, professor, neurology
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CBS Newspath
July 1
Obesity Epidemic Isn't Getting Any Better
A new study released Wednesday says obese adults have more chronic health problems than smokers, heavy drinkers or the poor. An annual report is showing that Americans are getting fatter, and it's an epidemic that's affecting people of all ages. The battle of the bulge is being fought across the country and Americans are losing. A new report called "F as in Fat" reveals two thirds of the country is overweight--nearly a third is obese, 50 pounds overweight. That's costing the country billions in healthcare. Not one state last year saw a drop in obesity rates, in fact they rose in 23 states and some doctors fear half the country will be obese as next year. To bring down medical costs, the report recommends a coordinated national effort because current policies aren't working. "They are not going to impact on the degree of obesity that we have right now," said Dr. Marina Kurian with NYU Langone Medical Center. The key of course is eating healthier and eating more fruits and vegetables. But as the study shows, most adults don't. However, the news for children is a little better. Childhood obesity rates are still dangerously high but have evened out.
- Marina Kurian, MD, assistant professor, surgery, NYU Program for Surgical Weight Loss
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US News & World Report
June 30
FDA Advisers Urge Smaller Doses of Acetaminophen- By Steve Reinberg
U.S. health advisers recommended Tuesday to lower the maximum dose of over-the-counter acetaminophen -- the key ingredient in Tylenol, Excedrin and many other pain-killing medications. The advisers' vote followed the release of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration report last month. It found that severe liver damage and even death can result from a lack of consumer awareness that acetaminophen -- which is easier on the stomach than painkillers such as aspirin and ibuprofen -- can cause such injury. Dr. Lewis W. Teperman, director of transplant surgery and vice chairman of surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center, said he supported the panel's decision to recommend lowering doses of acetaminophen. "It's not that the doses can get you in trouble, but the very young and the very old can get into trouble easily," he said. Also if you are sick there is the danger of taking cold remedies that contain acetaminophen plus taking pure acetaminophen drugs as well, he noted.
- Lewis W. Teperman, MD, director, transplant surgery, vice chairman, surgery
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Health.com
June 30
FDA Panel Urges Ban on Vicodin, Percocet
"It seems to me that problems with opiate combinations are clearly more prevalent," Dr. Lewis S. Nelson, chairman of the FDA's Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee, said during a Tuesday press conference held after the two-day meeting. Explaining the panel's 20-17 vote to ban prescription acetaminophen/opiate drugs, Nelson said, "There are many deaths that relate to problems with prescription opiate combination acetaminophen products, whereas the number of deaths clearly related to the over-the-counter products are much more limited." Dr. Lewis W. Teperman, director of transplant surgery and vice chairman of surgery at NYU School of Medicine, said he also supported the panel's decision to recommend lowering doses of acetaminophen. "It's not that the doses can get you in trouble, but the very young and the very old can get into trouble easily," he said. Also if you are sick, there is the danger of taking cold remedies that contain acetaminophen plus taking pure acetaminophen drugs as well, he noted.
- Lewis Nelson, MD, associate professor, emergency medicine
- Lewis W. Teperman, MD, director, transplant surgery and vice chairman of surgery
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MedPageToday
June 30
FDA Panel Backs 'Black Box' Warning for Acetaminophen Prescription Combos- By Emily P.
An FDA advisory panel voted 36 to 1 to recommend a "black box" warning for prescription medications that combine acetaminophen with another drug. If the FDA follows the advice, it would slap its strictest warning on prescription pain medications that combine acetaminophen with hydrocodone (Vicodin), oxycodone (Percocet), or codeine (Tylenol 3). "History has been that some of these medications have [seemed] safe and effective and now we're saying they're not," said committee chairman Lewis Nelson, MD, an emergency medicine physician at NYU Langone Medical Center. The FDA does not have to follow the advice of its advisory committees, but it usually does -- particularly when there is a substantial majority behind a proposal. About 42,000 people visit emergency departments each year with acetaminophen overdoses, half of which are accidental. They often occur when a consumer unknowingly takes more than one acetaminophen product.
- Lewis Nelson, MD, associate professor, emergency medicine
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ABC Nightline
July 1
Prescription Drugs' Potential Role In Michael Jackson's Death
Dr. Lewis Goldfrank appeared on ABC's Nightline to discuss the claim that Michael Jackson was allegedly given diprivan, typically only administered in ICUs under careful medical supervision, in his residence before his death. "In the home, I would not be able to imagine it, anyone who would want to do that would be taking an exceptional risk, and any physician who would do that I would consider irresponsible and unethical," he explained.
- Lewis Goldfrank, MD, professor and chairman, emergency medicine

MSNBC Live
July 1
Painkillers
Dr. Roshini Rajapaksa of NYU Langone Medical Center appeared live on MSNBC to discuss painkillers and possible drug interactions that can be caused by them.
- Roshini Rajapaksa, MD, assistant professor, medicine, gastroenterology

WABC-TV
June 27
Eyewitness News This Morning
Medical experts tell us the dangers such as Demerol and Oxycontin can't be understated. It is dangerous for a patient to be prescribed Demerol in their home and hospital's including NYU Langone Medical Center - no longer use injectable Demerol for pain management. Dr. Christopher Gharibo discussed how it can cause diminished breathing, the patient can have a cardiac arrest and how it can cause seizures. Doctors say serious complications may occur when it is mixed with other drugs like Oxycontin.
- Christopher Gharibo, MD, assistant professor, anesthesiology
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BusinessDay
July 1
HYPERTENSION: How you live can alter the effect of your genes
You may be unlucky enough to be born with genes that predispose you to high blood pressure (known in medical terminology as hypertension), but luckily, that does not mean you are doomed to have it, say US scientists. Hypertension is a common medical condition in SA, as it is in other parts of the world. It contributes to seven million deaths worldwide each year, say the experts. The findings help answer whether genes alone determine high blood pressure, says Dr. Richard Stein, a professor of medicine and director of the urban community cardiology programme at NYU School of Medicine and a spokesman for the American Heart Association. "The answer is, not by a long shot," Stein says. "The actual effect is explained only by adding behavioral and socioeconomic factors into the equation. It is actually more how you live than what you are born with."
- Richard Stein, MD, professor, medicine, cardiology
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Health News.com
July 1
New Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug Shows Promising Results- By Madeline Ellis
In a recent trial, golimumab, approved for use in the U.S. in April and marketed under the brand name Simponi, was shown to reduce the signs and symptoms of RA in a significant number of patients who had failed to benefit from other TNF-a inhibitors.The safety profile of golimumab was consistent with that of other TNF-a inhibitors. After twenty-four weeks, 5 percent of patients on 50mg golimumab, 4 percent on 100mg golimumab, and 10 percent of patients on placebo experienced serious adverse events. "Golimumab reduces the signs and symptoms of active rheumatoid arthritis and improves physical function in patients who had previously received TNF-a inhibitors, which suggests that switching patients from one TNF-a inhibitor to golimumab is effective and generally well tolerated," the authors concluded. "Do we really need another TNF-alpha inhibitor? As long as no available drug is effective in all patients, the answer would seem to be ‘yes.'" said Dr. Yusuf Yazici from NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases in New York in an editorial accompanying the study findings. "For those patients who have failed or had an inadequate response to etanercept, infliximab, adalimumab, or abatacept, golimumab might be a good option," he said, venturing that the drug probably won't be used as a first-line option for RA until its effects have been monitored over time. "We now have four valid anti-TNF-alpha drugs," he concludes.
- Yusuf Yazici, MD, assistant professor, medicine, rheumotology, The Hospital for Joint Diseases
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Science Centric
July 1
Genetically engineered mice yield clues to 'knocking out' cancer
Deleting two genes in mice responsible for repairing DNA strands damaged by oxidation leads to several types of tumors, providing additional evidence that such stress contributes to the development of cancer. That's the conclusion of a recent study in DNA Repair by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) and the NYU School of Medicine. A team under George W. Teebor at NYU School of Medicine engineered mice that were missing either the neil1 or the nth1 gene (nth1 encodes for another DNA glycosylase, the NTH1 protein) or both these genes. These latter are known as neil1/nth1 double knockouts. NIST's Dizdaroglu and guest researchers Pawel Jaruga and Gueldal Kirkali found that both types of knockout mice exhibited significant accumulation of two lesions called formamidopyrimidines in the DNA of the liver, kidney and brain. This indicates that there was a lack of DNA repair in these organs.
- George W. Teebor, MD, research professor, pathology
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PsychCentral.com
July 1
Why Do Kids Behave the Way They Do? Listen to Doctor Radio this July 4^th- By John M Grohol PsyD
Ever wonder why kids behave the way they do? Satellite radio Sirius XM and a team of medical experts from NYU Langone Medical Center have the answer with a special on the Doctor Radio channel on July 4th. Doctor Radio is heard on SIRIUS channel 114 and XM channel 119. 24 Hours About Our Kids is a July 4th weekend marathon of Doctor Radio's weekly child psychiatry and psychology show, exploring important topics that all parents and kids face today including ADHD, mood disorders, the effects of online social networking, issues related to coming out of the closet, autism, depression and more. About Our Kids is hosted by leading doctors from NYU Langone Medical Center, including Dr. Jess Shatkin, Dr. Lori Evans, and Dr. Alexandra Barzvi. Dr. Harold Koplewicz, Director of The Child Study Center, is a regular contributor to Doctor Radio. Dr. Shatkin will host this special. On 24 Hours About Our Kids: Why Kids Behave the Way They Do, the doctors tackle many of the most important issues kids and parents are facing today, and provides expert insight and advice.
- Harold Koplewicz, MD, director, The Child Study Center, The Arnold and Debbie Simon Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Jess Shatkin, MD, assistant professor, child & adolescent psychiatry
- Lori Evans, MD, clinical assistant professor, child & adolescent psychiatry
- Alexandra Barzvi, PhD, clinical assistant professor, child & adolescent psychiatry
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The New York Times
July 1
Ban Is Advised on 2 Top Pills for Pain Relief - By Gardiner Harris
A federal advisory panel voted narrowly on Tuesday to recommend a ban on Percocet and Vicodin, two of the most popular prescription painkillers in the world, because of their effects on the liver. The two drugs combine a narcotic with acetaminophen, the ingredient found in popular over-the-counter products like Tylenol and Excedrin. High doses of acetaminophen are a leading cause of liver damage, and the panel noted that patients who take Percocet and Vicodin for long periods often need higher and higher doses to achieve the same effect. Dr. Lewis S. Nelson, a toxicologist from the NYU School of Medicine who served as the panel's acting chairman, said experts had been warning of the dangers of combination painkillers like Percocet, which is made by Endo Pharmaceuticals, and Vicodin for years.
- Lewis Nelson, MD, associate professor, emergency medicine
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The Wall Street Journal
July 1
Chinese Drywall: Pinpointing the Problems- By Janes R. Hagerty and M.P. McQueen
The odors, respiratory complaints and corrosion blamed on drywall from China used in American homes may have been caused by the failure to remove sulfur and other contaminants from synthetic gypsum, some Chinese experts in building materials say. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in recent months has received more than 550 reports from people in 19 states and the District of Columbia involving odors, health symptoms and corrosion problems they blame on imported Chinese drywall. The complaints involve "rotten egg" smells and corrosion of wiring and other metals in the homes. U.S. officials are still trying to assess the possible health and safety risks. Morton Lippmann, a professor of environmental medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, and Nachman Brautbar, a toxicologist and clinical professor emeritus at the University of Southern California School of Medicine, aren't involved in the litigation but reviewed a recent report prepared by Ms. Williams. Both agree that the chemical emissions reported could cause health problems, but say that depends on the intensity and duration of exposure.
- Morton Lippmann, PhD, professor, environmental medicine
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WSJ.com
June 30
Blog- Deal Journal: Beware the Wall Street Salary Monster - By Michael Corkery
J.P. Morgan Chase is the latest bank to consider boosting salaries for its workers, according to the New York Post, rather than rely on the old bonus system. Citigroup and Bank of America also have signaled their intent to increase salaries to keep talent from jumping ship. Deal Journal asked Kerry Sulkowicz, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the NYU School of Medicine and managing principal at Boswell Group, which consults with chief executives at financial firms and in other industries on workplace culture and leadership, for his thoughts on Wall Street's move toward bigger salaries. When asked if it is a good idea to increase salaries on Wall Street instead of giving employees large bonuses, Dr. Kerry Sulkowicz said, "It seems like a transparent way to circumvent the outcry against bonuses. But it's short-term thinking about a longer-term problem. If you look a few years out, it's going to be hard to roll back these inflated salaries, which don't necessarily have a bearing on how good a job an employee is doing." Dr. Sulkowicz added, "Bonuses have a bad connotation at the moment. But my sense is that as the crisis fades, bonuses will be back."
- Kerry Sulkowicz, MD, clinical professor, psychiatry
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July 1
FDA Panel Recommends Changes to Drug Ingredient- By Jared A. Favole
Medical experts recommended sweeping new limits on acetaminophen, a painkiller that is the most commonly prescribed drug in the U.S., the main ingredient in Tylenol and widely used in a host of cough and cold medicines. Dr. Lewis Teperman, who heads transplant surgery at NYU School of Medicine, said it is unusual for acetaminophen-overdose patients to need liver transplants. Most overdoses are caught quickly and treated with an antidote called n-acetylcysteine, or NAC. Still, he said, NYU gets about 10 referrals a year for liver transplants related to overdoses. Dr. Teperman said that he is carefully following the FDA actions on this area. "I believe the larger dosage should be made prescription strength only." He said, "Extra-strength Tylenol is a very strong dose."
- Lewis Teperman, MD, director, transplant surgery, vice chairman, surgery
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HealthDay
June 30
Syndicated article also ran on various websites including MSN Health & Fitness,Daytona Daily News, EmpowHer, WFIE-TV, KTVN-TV
FDA Panel Urges Ban on Vicodin, Percocet - By Steve Reinberg
The popular prescription painkillers Vicodin and Percocet, which combine acetaminophen with an opiate narcotic, should be banned, and the maximum dose of over-the-counter painkillers with acetaminophen, like Tylenol or Excedrin, should be lowered, a U.S. Food and Drug The dangers from use or abuse of Vicodin and Percocet may be even more concerning, one key panelist said. "It seems to me that problems with opiate combinations are clearly more prevalent," Dr. Lewis S. Nelson, chairman of the FDA's Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee, said during a Tuesday press conference held after the two-day meeting. Administration advisory panel urged Tuesday. The panel's recommendations followed the release of an FDA report last month that found severe liver damage, and even death, can result from a lack of consumer awareness that acetaminophen -- which is easier on the stomach than such painkillers as aspirin and ibuprofen -- can cause such injury. Dr. Lewis W. Teperman, director of transplant surgery and vice chairman of surgery at NYU School of Medicine, said he also supported the panel's decision to recommend lowering doses of acetaminophen. "It's not that the doses can get you in trouble, but the very young and the very old can get into trouble easily," he said. Also if you are sick, there is the danger of taking cold remedies that contain acetaminophen plus taking pure acetaminophen drugs as well, he noted.
- Lewis Nelson, MD, associate professor, emergency medicine
- Lewis Teperman, MD, director, transplant surgery, vice chairman, surgery
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WCBS-TV
June 30
Fireworks Can Ruin 4th Of July Festivities: 7,000 Americans Reportedly Injured In 2008 Reporting- By Kirstin Cole
Many New Yorkers throw caution to the winds and break out the fireworks each year on the Fourth of July. But Dr. Lewis Goldfrank, of NYU & Bellevue Hospital, believes the explosives often add a devastating conclusion onto an otherwise festive holiday. "It used to be one of the worst days of the year," Goldfrank said. "You saw young kids that lost an eye, or kids (that) lost fingers or adolescents who lost a hand." Dr. Goldfrank claimed doctors could not keep up with the injured people that poured into Bellevue's emergency room on July 4, 2008. But the problem is a national one as well. In 2008, 7,000 Americans were treated for firework-related injuries, with 400 losing their eyesight and seven dying. Cuts, bruises and loss of limbs can result from all types of fireworks - whether it be small sparklers that burn at 2,000 degrees or illegal M-1000 explosives. Dr. Goldfrank recalls that most patients who check into the Emergency Department claim their injuries came from firework "accidents." "You see a child without a finger, you see someone without an eye, or with an injured nose, tremendous disfiguring or debilitating. It's always someone that said it was just an accident," Dr. Goldfrank said. The doctor added that everything could have been prevented had the fireworks not been bought in the first place.
- Lewis Goldfrank, MD, professor and chairman, emergency medicine
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AOL Health
June 30
New Thinking on Metabolism - By Mary Kearl
Diane Kress, R.D., C.D.E. and author of the new book "The Metabolism Miracle: 3 Easy Steps to Regain Control of Your Weight ... Permanently" offers unsuccessful dieters a highly appealing explanation for failed weight loss attempts. Kress believes that the weight-loss programs themselves are to blame, claiming that diets don't work for 45 percent of dieters because they have a different kind of metabolism, which she calls "Metabolism B." Kress may be taking liberties with some of the exact science, says Stuart Weiss, M.D. and assistant clinical professor at NYU School of Medicine, but he thinks that her plan has the potential to help dieters. "We do know that people who are at risk for metabolic syndrome do respond to a low-carb diet, with improvements in their metabolic parameters." And while he notes that pancreatic rest has not produced enough solid real-world results in the laboratory, "clinically it seems like it should work."
-Stuart Weiss, MD, assistant clinical professor, medicine
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WREX-TV.com
June 30
Younger People Appear More At Risk From New Swine Flu - By Steven Reinberg
With a worldwide pandemic under way and more than a million Americans sickened by the new swine flu, the special nature of this disease is becoming better understood. Several articles published online Monday by the New England Journal of Medicine show that, unlike seasonal flu, the new H1N1 flu strain attacks younger people and can be more severe and deadly in that group. The reports suggest a possible vaccination policy and also account for some reasons that this strain of flu appears milder than that of other pandemics. "These findings are in keeping with the fact that new strains or pandemic strains tend to be more deadly in younger patients," said flu expert Dr. Marc Siegel, an associate professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City.
- Marc Siegel, an associate professor, medicine
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Endocrine Today
July 1
Data Confirm Long-term Effects of Bariatric Surgery on Type 2 Diabetes
The positive, long-term impact on the resolution of type 2 diabetes following bariatric surgery was confirmed in two studies presented at the 26th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. "This is a strong message to physicians and endocrinologists that gastric banding should be very seriously considered in the morbidly obese diabetic population because it offers the best chance to have better control or remission of their diabetes long-term," Christine Ren, MD, associate professor of surgery at NYU School of Medicine, told Endocrine Today. Ren and colleagues gathered preoperative data on 95 patients (mean age, 49.3) who underwent laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding between 2002 and 2004. Five-year follow-up data were collected beginning in 2008. At the five-year follow-up, mean BMI decreased from 46.3 to 35.0 - a mean value of 48.3% excess weight-loss. "There was a sustained benefit - about 40% of patients had complete remission in their diabetes. This was confirmed with normal fasting blood sugar, normal HbA1c and they were completely off all medications including insulin," Ren said. "In addition, there were another 40% of patients who had improvements in diabetes as shown by a decrease in their medication, improvements in fasting blood glucose control and improvements in HbA1c." Diabetes was resolved in 43% of patients, for a total improvement/resolution rate of 83%.
- Christine Ren, MD, associate professor, surgery, NYU Program for Surgical Weightloss
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My Fox Austin
June 30
Health Edge: MS Treatment
A new drug created by Biogen IDEC has been helping some MS patients forget they have the disease. FOX's Dr. Manny Alvarez explains how it works. Dr. Joseph Herbert of NYU Langone Medical Center was interviewed about how the drug Tysrabi is helping some MS patients at the MS Center located at The Hospital for Joint Diseases.
- Joseph Herbert, MD, associate professor, neurology, director, MS Center, The Hospital for Joint Diseases
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WRAL-TV (NC)
June 30
Syndicated broadcast also ran on KCTV-CBS, KRQE-CBS, KOTV-CBS, WDEF-CBS, KFSM-CBS, KTVN-CBS, KBCI, WWTV-CBS, KXJB-CBS, KOAM-CBS & KXMB-CBS
New IBC Study
Most patients with inflammatory breast cancer- don't survive more than two years. That's because the disease comes on so quickly it's usually not caught until the cancer has spread. To find a way to treat IBC researchers at The Cancer Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center decided to take a step back and figure out how the disease works. And they believe they made a key discovery. Dr. Robert Schneider studied the DNA of IBC patients and discovered 80 percent of them share a specific abnormal gene.
- Robert Schneider, PhD, associate director for translational research at The Cancer Institute, co-director of breast cancer research, and The Albert B. Sabin Professor of Molecular Pathogenesis

Medicine-Net.com
June 30
White-Coat Hypertension Not Benign - By Salynn Boyles
New research suggests that approximately one in six adults exhibit "white-coat" hypertension, meaning that their blood pressure is high when their doctor checks it, but normal the rest of the time. Additionally, close to one in 10 people have a less well understood condition known as "masked" hypertension, in which blood pressure readings are normal in the medical setting but sporadically high in real life. Cardiologist Richard Stein tells WebMD that the study offers good evidence that white-coat hypertension and masked hypertension are clinically relevant. Stein is a professor of medicine at NYU School of Medicine and a spokesman for the AHA.
- Richard Stein, MD, professor, medicine, cardiology
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Quick & Simple
July 1
7 Myths About Sleep
Could some commonly accepted truths about sleep be no more than superstitions? Read on! To function best, you need to get eight hours.Nope, there's nothing magic about that number! Everyone has different sleep needs, and you'll know you're getting enough when you don't feel like nodding off in a boring situation in the afternoon, says Joyce Walsleben, Ph.D., of NYU School of Medicine and co-author of A Woman's Guide to Sleep.
- Joyce Walsleben, PhD, associate professor, medicine, NYU Sleep Disorders Center
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Natural Health
July 1
How Do I Treat A UTI?
Robert Salant, MD, clinical associate professor in the department of urology at NYU Langone Medical Center says-- urinary tract infections are commonly caused by f. coil in the bladder (women are anatomically at higher risk) and the only effective treatment for a full-blown infection is antibiotics. TREATMENT: I take your medical history (noting symptoms like frequent urges to urinate, burning sensation when urinating, pain above the pubic bone, and blood in the urine) and perform a physical exam. I also run lab tests on your urine sample to identify red flags for infection (such as white blood cells) and a urine culture to confirm the UTI and the type of bacteria. In most cases, I prescribe a three-day dose of the antibiotic Macrodantin. SELF-HELP: Along with antibiotics, take an over-the-counter bladder pain reliever like Uristat. Always urinate after sex, which can push bacteria into the urinary system. After swimming, change out of your bathing suit into dry, loose-fitting clothes.
- Robert Salant, MD, clinical associate professor, urology
(No web link available.)

GenEngNews.com
July 1
Genetically engineered mice yield clues to 'knocking out' cancer
Deleting two genes in mice responsible for repairing DNA strands damaged by oxidation leads to several types of tumors, providing additional evidence that such stress contributes to the development of cancer. That's the conclusion of a recent study* in DNA Repair by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) and the NYU School of Medicine (NYUSM). In collaboration with Dr. Lloyd's group, a second research team under George W. Teebor at NYUSM engineered mice that were missing either the neil1 or the nth1 gene (nth1 encodes for another DNA glycosylase, the NTH1 protein) or both these genes. These latter are known as neil1/nth1 double knockouts. NIST's Dizdaroglu and guest researchers Pawel Jaruga and Gldal Kirkali found that both types of knockout mice exhibited significant accumulation of two lesions called formamidopyrimidines in the DNA of the liver, kidney and brain. This indicates that there was a lack of DNA repair in these organs.
- George W. Teebor, MD, research professor, pathology and environmental medicine
Learn more

SunHerald.com
July 1
SIRIUS XM's Doctor Radio to Air July 4th Family Special '24 Hours About Our Kids: Why Kids Behave the Way They Do'
World-renowned child psychiatrists and psychologists from The Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center tackle the most important issues kids and parents face today and give advice and tips on how to deal with issues such as Autism, ADHD, mood disorders, the effects of online social networking and more. SIRIUS XM Radio (Nasdaq: SIRI) will broadcast a July 4th family special, 24 Hours About Our Kids: Why Kids Behave the Way They Do, on Doctor Radio, its 24/7 health and medical channel powered by NYU Langone Medical Center. About Our Kids is hosted by leading doctors from NYU Langone Medical Center, including Dr. Jess Shatkin, Dr. Lori Evans, and Dr. Alexandra Barzvi. Dr. Harold Koplewicz, Director of The Child Study Center, is a regular contributor to Doctor Radio. Dr. Shatkin will host this special.
- Harold Koplewicz, MD, director, The Child Study Center, The Arnold and Debbie Simon Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Jess Shatkin, MD, assistant professor, child & adolescent psychiatry
- Lori Evans, MD, clinical assistant professor, child & adolescent psychiatry
- Alexandra Barzvi, clinical assistant professor, child & adolescent psychiatry
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CBS 2 News
June 29
Syndicated broadcast appeared on 65 CBS local affiliate broadcast across the country
NYU Makes Key Discovery In Rare Breast Cancer Form - By Dr. Holly Phillips
Just a year ago, Sara Sussman was a newlywed ready to start a new life, but today, she's battling to survive. Sussman has inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), a very rare and aggressive form of the disease. "To hear, 'You have cancer,' is hard, and to hear that you have stage four, the highest level of diagnosis, is indescribable," Sussman tells CBS 2. IBC only makes up 3 percent of breast cancer cases, but it's also the most deadly. Now, doctors at the NYU Cancer Institute believe they've made a key discovery when it comes to possibly treating the illness. NYU Langone Medical Center's Dr. Robert Schneider studied the DNA of IBC patients and discovered that 80 percent of them share a specific abnormal gene. The gene helps cancer cells spread rapidly, making it difficult for treatments like chemotherapy to stop the disease. Most IBC patients don't survive more than two years because the disease develops so quickly that it's usually not caught until the cancer has spread. He's now trying to develop a drug that targets the gene and weakens the cancer. "It would probably shut off the gene and enable us to treat with conventional chemo and radiation therapy," Dr. Schneider says. Testing could begin in 3 to 5 years. As Sussman waits for the drug to be developed, she'll continue with conventional treatments like chemotherapy and surgery to slow her cancer down.
- Robert Schneider, PhD, associate director for translational research at The Cancer Institute, co-director of breast cancer research, and The Albert B. Sabin Professor of Molecular Pathogenesis
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The New York Times
June 29
Weight-Loss Surgery May Be Beneficial for Diabetes- By Roni Caryn Rabin
Earlier this year, the American Diabetes Association suggested that obese patients struggling with Type 2 diabetes consider weight-loss surgery. The results of two long-term studies presented this week at a medical conference lend further support to the recommendation. As many as 90 percent of the obese patients experienced resolution of their diabetes within a year of gastric bypass surgery. One study of 95 formerly obese patients who had undergone a less invasive procedure, gastric banding surgery, found that 40 percent were free of diabetes five years after surgery, while an additional 43 percent saw improvement in control of the disease. Patients whose disease went into remission were those who had on average lost more excess weight, said Dr. Christine Ren, associate professor of surgery at NYU School of Medicine and an author of the second paper. "The question is always not just 'Does the band work?' but 'Does it work on helping diabetes, and is [the effect] sustained?'," Dr. Ren said. The papers were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.
- Christine Ren, MD, associate professor, surgery, NYU Program for Surgical Weight Loss
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WebMD
June 30
White-Coat Hypertension Not Benign - By Salynn Boyles
New research suggests that approximately one in six adults exhibit "white-coat" hypertension, meaning that their blood pressure is high when their doctor checks it, but normal the rest of the time. Additionally, close to one in 10 people have a less well understood condition known as "masked" hypertension, in which blood pressure readings are normal in the medical setting but sporadically high in real life. Both conditions have been thought by many to have little relationship to true hypertension risk, but the new study finds otherwise. Cardiologist Richard Stein tells WebMD that the study offers good evidence that white-coat hypertension and masked hypertension are clinically relevant. Stein is a professor of medicine at NYU School of Medicine and a spokesman for the AHA.
- Richard Stein, MD, professor, medicine, cardiology
Learn more

Forbes.com
June 29
Article syndicated by Health Day News
Younger People Appear More at Risk From New Swine Flu
With a worldwide pandemic under way and more than a million Americans sickened by the new swine flu, the special nature of this disease is becoming better understood. Several articles published online Monday by the New England Journal of Medicine show that, unlike seasonal flu, the new H1N1 flu strain attacks younger people and can be more severe and deadly in that group. The reports suggest a possible vaccination policy and also account for some reasons that this strain of flu appears milder than that of other pandemics. "These findings are in keeping with the fact that new strains or pandemic strains tend to be more deadly in younger patients," said flu expert Dr. Marc Siegel, an associate professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City. Siegel thinks that everyone should be vaccinated against this flu. "We still have to protect people with chronic illnesses, pregnant women, the very young and the very old," he said. "The best way to protect any population is with herd immunity," Siegel said. "The goal of getting the vaccine is not to protect you, it's to protect you by getting everybody the vaccine, which decreases circulating virus." Siegel predicted that a large outbreak of the H1N1 swine flu would occur in the fall. "But it is probably the mildest pandemic virus in recent history, and that's a good thing," he said. "I don't expect it to be morphing into a massive killer, but I expect it will come back and spread." A vaccine, however, could stem the tide of the virus, he said.
- Marc Siegel, MD, associate professor, medicine
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Science News
June 29
Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug Clears Hurdle- By Nathan Seppa
A new drug knocks down rheumatoid arthritis symptoms in patients who have failed to benefit from other medications, according to a study released online June 29 in The Lancet. The new findings may clear the way for approval in Europe for the anti-inflammatory drug, called golimumab. The drug was approved for use in the United States in April. People diagnosed with severe rheumatoid arthritis often get methotrexate, sold as Trexall or Rheumatrex, a multipurpose drug that helps most patients. But as many as 40 percent of people fail to benefit from it, says Yusuf Yazici, a rheumatologist at the Hospital for Joint Diseases at NYU Langone Medical Center. Doctors often turn to one of the three existing TNF-alpha inhibitors - etanercept (Enbrel), infliximab (Remicade) or adalimumab (Humira) - or a combination of them. Many patients continue to take other anti-inflammatory drugs. The availability of these three TNF-alpha inhibitors has added an extra layer of protection for many patients, Yazici says, but still leaves 20 to 30 percent of patients without control over their disease, which can be debilitating, he says.The new trial shows that these patients now have an additional option in golimumab, Yazici says, although it probably won't be a first option for rheumatoid arthritis until its effects have been monitored over time. "We now have four valid anti-TNF-alpha drugs," Yazici concludes.
- Yusuf Yazici, MD, assistant professor, medicine, rheumatology, The Hospital for Joint Diseases
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Associated Press
June 30
Abbott Loses Drug Patent Suit
A unit of Johnson & Johnson said Monday that a jury has ordered Abbott Laboratories to pay $1.67 billion in a patent infringement suit over rheumatoid arthritis drugs. Abbott's best-selling drug, Humira, competes with the drug Remicade, an arthritis treatment made by the Centocor unit of Johnson & Johnson. That company and New York University filed a federal patent infringement suit against Abbott in April 2007 in the Eastern District of Texas. The product belongs to a class of drugs known as anti-TNF, which block tumor necrosis factor proteins in the blood. When present in excessive amounts, TNF can cause inflammation." We are particularly gratified that the jury recognized our valuable intellectual property, finding our patent both valid and infringed," Kim Taylor, president of Centocor Ortho Biotech, said in a statement. Humira has been a major success for Abbott, which has been approved for uses psoriasis and Crohn's disease. Abbott had $4.5 billion in Humira sales in 2008.
- NYU School of Medicine
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Wall Street Journal
June 30
Abbott Told To Pay J&J $1.67 Billion Over Patent - By Jonathan D. Rockoff
A federal jury in Texas Monday upheld the patent on Johnson & Johnson's arthritis treatment Remicade and ordered Abbott Laboratories to pay its rival $1.67 billion for infringing on the patent. New Brunswick, N.J.-based J&J had alleged that Abbott's rheumatoid arthritis therapy Humira infringed a patent that J&J's Centocor Ortho Biotech unit held for rival treatment Remicade. The patent is co-owned with New York University. The two companies have been engaged in patent disputes over the competing therapies and a newer product, which belong to a class called anti-tumor necrosis factor, or anti-TNF, all drugs with billions of dollars in yearly sales.
- NYU School of Medicine
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FoxNews.com
June 29
Miracle Drug for MS?
A new treatment for multiple sclerosis has patients forgetting they even have the condition. Dr. Joseph Herbert and his patient at the MS Center located at The Hospital for Joint Diseases was interviewed about the benefits some patients have while taking the medication Tysabri.
- Joseph Herbert, MD, director, MS Center, The Hospital for Joint Diseases
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Women's Health Magazine
June 30
Pregnancy Perks: The Belly-Rubbing High - By Martha Brockenbrough
It's not just in your head. There really is a bumper crop of baby bumps out there, from the famously fertile, like Heidi Klum, who's flirting with her fourth set of stretch marks in five years, to the infamous Nadya "Octomom" Suleman, who earlier this year bore eight babies at once even though she already had six other kids at home that she could barely afford to take care of. In 2007 alone, American women birthed more than 4.3 million babies-the highest number ever. More than a quarter of those were to women having their third or fourth child, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And despite the infertility freak-out the entire country seems to be currently engaged in, only a small number of these babies-perhaps 100,000-resulted from medical interventions such as in vitro fertilization, says Jamie Grifo, M. D., Ph. D., director of the division of reproductive endocrinology at the NYU School of Medicine.
- Jamie Grifo, MD, PhD, director, division of reproductive endocrinology
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King 5.com
June 29
Some Women Suffering From More Severe Form of PMS - By Jean Enersen
The discomfort of PMS is likely not lost on any woman of child bearing age, but now psychologists say some women really do have it worse than others and it has a name. It's called PMDD or premenstrual dysphoric disorder. "It's different from PMS," said Dr. Carol Bernstein, American Psychiatric Association. "We are not talking about something every woman has." The symptoms of PMDD may sound familiar: anxiety, depression, irritability and difficulty concentrating. But Berstein, a professor at NYU School of Medicine and president-elect of the American Psychiatric Association, says with PMDD those same symptoms are so severe it can be emotionally paralyzing. "What one should be looking for in PMDD is how seriously those symptoms interfere with someone's capacity to function. Are they getting into trouble in relationships? Are they getting into trouble at work?" said Bernstein. PMDD is actually not considered an official psychiatric disorder just yet. Researchers are still trying to figure out whether this is only happening to women who have psychological problems and have more severe problems during their period, or if otherwise perfectly happy women are suddenly becoming dysfunctional during that time of the month.
- Carol Bernstein, MD, associate professor, psychiatry
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Cancer Weekly
June 30
While the Dangers of Sun Exposure are Widely Understood Americans Fall Short of Adequately Protection.
Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, so why did 60% of American adults report that they rarely or never put on sunscreen? Dr. Darrell S. Rigel, MD, Clinical Professor of Dermatology at NYU Langone Medical Center, explains, "Under-application of sunscreen can translate to having significantly less sun protection than indicated on the SPF value on the label. If you apply half the dermatologist-recommended one ounce of sunscreen, you get the protection of only the square root of the SPF. So by applying only half-ounce of SPF 70, actually gets you an SPF 8.4."
- Darrell S. Rigel, MD, clinical professor, The Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology
(No web link available.)

Crain's Health Pulse
June 30
New Microbial Science Brings Grants
Two NYU Langone Medical Center researchers received NIH grants totaling $1.56 million for work on microbiomes' role in disease, a relatively new field. Dr. Martin Blaser is studying the role that these microorganisms play in psoriasis; Dr. Zhiheng Pei is investigating their role in esophageal cancer. Both studies are part of the NIH's Human Microbiome Project, which has awarded $70 million in grants since it began in 2007. There were 15 awards nationally this year.
- Martin Blaser, MD, chairman, medicine
- Zhiheng Pei, MD, PhD, assistant professor of pathology and medicine
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Los Angeles Times
June 29
The Unreal World: Few Nurses Are 100% 'Jackie'- By Marc Siegel
Wouldn't a nurse who is addicted to narcotics lose her license to practice? Is it common for this drug to be added to sweetener? Is it likely that a non-addict would get sick from a dose of Percocet that is tolerated by an addict? Are narcotics effective at relieving the symptoms of a heart attack? Is an abdominal aneurysm a possible complication of trauma from a fall? A fall cannot cause an aneurysm (a ballooning of the wall of a major artery such as the aorta), says Dr. Mark Adelman, chief of vascular surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center. But it could cause a different condition known as a dissection (a disruption between the layers of the wall of the artery), which can rupture. "This would almost never be audible by a stethoscope," Adelman says. "A CT scan or ultrasound would be used to make the diagnosis."
- Marc Siegel, MD, associate professor, medicine
- Mark Adelman, MD, chief, vascular surgery, associate professor, surgery
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Associated Press
June 27
Did Toxic Chemical in Iraq Cause GIs' Illnesses? - By Sharon Cohen
What the three men profiled in this article - one sick, one dying, one dead - had in common is they were National Guard soldiers on the same stretch of wind-swept desert in Iraq during the early months of the war in 2003. The area, as it turned out, was contaminated with hexavalent chromium, a potent, sometimes deadly chemical linked to cancer and other devastating diseases. It's the same chemical linked to poisonings in California in a case made famous in the movie "Erin Brockovich." Hexavalent chromium "is one of the most potent carcinogens know to man" and it can "enter every cell of the body and potentially produce widespread injury to every major organ in the body," said Dr. Max Costa, chairman of NYU Langone Medical Center's Department of Environmental Medicine.
- Max Costa, PhD, professor, chairman, environmental medicine
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NY Daily News
June 28
Wife Helped Joe Torre Stay In The Game - By Owen Moritz
"I don't know what I would have done if Ali hadn't been there to get me through it all," Torre told Johns Hopkins. His words ring true as the Daily News wraps up its 10th year of providing free prostate exams for thousands of New Yorkers. One thing is increasingly apparent - men are paying more attention to their health. And often it's wives, girlfriends, sisters who make sure they do. More than 139,000 men came for the PSA tests in the first nine years - of whom 93% passed with flying colors. This year's numbers should be just as strong: The Cancer Institute at the NYU Langone Medical Center, for example, reported 683 men were tested in just four days last week. The NYU Langone Medical Center has three specialists who have made New York magazine's Best Doctors' list: Samir Taneja, Victor Nitti and Herbert Lepor. They're critical to the hospital's breakthrough work on minimally invasive treatment. The team is developing clinical trials with treatments such as HIFU, which use energy waves, and photodynamic therapy, which uses light energy, as "incisionless" ways to treat localized prostate cancer.
- The Cancer Institute, NYU Langone Medical Center
- Herbert Lepor, MD, professor, Martin Spatz Chairman of the Department of Urology
- Victor Nitti, MD, vice chairman and professor, urology
- Samir Taneja, MD, The James M. Neissa and Janet Riha Neissa Associate Professor of Urologic Oncology
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June 27
Michael Jackson's Struggle With Pain: Suspicion Demerol Did Him In- By Larry Mcshane
Toxicology test results are weeks away, but Jackson's fatal collapse in his Los Angeles home suggested the morphine-like painkiller might be involved. TMZ.com quoted a Jackson family member as saying the 50-year-old entertainer was receiving a daily dose of the addictive drug. Jackson's doctor was in the house with the superstar when he stopped breathing and suffered apparent cardiac arrest. "Demerol may be responsible," said Dr. Christopher Gharibo, director of pain medicine at The Hospital for Joint Diseases at NYU Langone Medical Center. "If the respiratory arrest occurred immediately after the Demerol injection, there was an overdose situation that either caused a seizure or respiratory depression leading to cardiac arrest." The prescription drug is available via injection, tablet or banana-flavored liquid. A typical dosage provides relief for three to four hours. Demerol is used to treat post-operative patients or to alleviate chronic pain. It's particularly lethal if mixed with alcohol or drugs - especially sedatives.
- Christopher Gharibo, MD, director, pain medicine, The Hospital for Joint Diseases
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WABC-TV
June 26
Interview ran Friday evening at 5pm, 11pm, and Saturday morning
Eyewitness News
The investigation of a potential demerol injection to Michael Jackson continues. It may be the possible cause of death for the pop singer. NYU Langone Medical Center's Dr. Christopher Gharibo talked about the potential effects of a demerol injection.
- Christopher Gharibo, MD, director, pain medicine, The Hospital for Joint Diseases

Fox News.com
June 29
Billy Mays - Did Head Injury Turn Deadly? - By Karlie Pouliot
It happened to Natasha Richardson in March. After hitting her head on a ski slope in Canada, the Tony Award-winning actress was seemingly fine, laughing about being clumsy before heading back to her hotel room. But a short-time later, Richardson complained of severe head pain and from there her condition deteriorated, she went into a coma shortly after arriving at a Canadian hospital and was taken off life support two days later. Now, some are wondering if that same fate befell TV pitchman Billy Mays, who died Sunday after suffering a head injury Saturday after the airplane he was on had a rough landing at Tampa Bay's airport. "What this implies is that someone hits their head and they are seemingly OK initially," Dr. Steven Flanagan, director of Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, told FOXNews.com at the time of Richardson's death. "But then they get a rapid collection of blood - usually called epidural hemorrhage - and that means bleeding between the skull and the brain." Fifty-year-old Mays, who joked with a reporter about his head injury after the plane's landing Saturday, apparently told his wife later that night he was not feeling well when he went to bed. He was found dead the next morning. Flanagan said a person doesn't always show outward signs of trauma when suffering a head injury.
- Steven Flanagan, MD, professor and chairman, Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine
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Forbes.com
June 26
Many Adults With Asthma Are Skipping Flu Shots
Adults with asthma face a higher risk of complications if they catch the flu, yet many skip their annual shots, new research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows. Many factors might contribute to the low vaccination rates, said Dr. Clifford Bassett, medical director of Allergy and Asthma Care of New York and a clinical instructor of medicine at NYU School of Medicine. "Those with asthma may not realize they are in a high-risk group" for flu complications, Bassett said. Those with asthma might also be overwhelmed because they could already be taking several medications to treat their asthma or don't want to spend more time or money in the doctor's office, he added. Old-fashioned denial could play a role, too, Bassett noted.
- Clifford Bassett, MD, clinical instructor, medicine
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Health Day News
June 29
New Drug Promising Against Rheumatoid Arthritis
The immunosuppressive drug golimumab shows promise in treating rheumatoid arthritis patients who don't respond to other drugs, according to a new study. Golimumab is from the family of drugs called tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) inhibitors. The new study included 461 patients in 10 countries who were randomly selected to receive either injections of placebo, 50 milligrams of golimumab or 100 milligrams of golimumab. The injections were given every four weeks for 24 weeks. In a commentary, Dr. Yusuf Yazici of The Hospital for Joint Diseases at NYU Langone Medical Center, New York City, said that "for those patients who have failed or had an inadequate response to etanercept, infliximab, adalimumab or abatacept, golimumab might be a good option." The study, which was funded by drug makers Centocor, Inc. and Schering- Plough, appears online June 29 in The Lancet.
- Yusuf Yazici, MD, assistant professor, medicine, rheumatology, The Hospital for Joint Diseases
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NYTimes.com
June 26
Blog- Weekend Opinionator: Hawking Health Care in Prime Time- By Tobin Harshaw
It was a bit like planning the dream wedding only to have a hurricane rip away the chapel roof as you make your way down the aisle. ABC News and the White House probably thought they had scored a coup in arranging "Questions for the President: Prescription for America," a prime-time opportunity (with a followup session on "Nightline") for Barack Obama to explain his health care proposal to the voters and for ABC to monopolize an hour-plus with the most famous man in the world. While ABC's Jake Tapper (yes, he's writing about his employer, but didn't seem to do the network or president many favors) and Karen Travers don't think it turned out to be a friendly format at all. President Obama struggled to explain today whether his health care reform proposals would force normal Americans to make sacrifices that wealthier, more powerful people - like the president himself - wouldn't face. Dr. Orrin Devinsky, a neurologist and researcher at the NYU Langone Medical Center, said that elites often propose health care solutions that limit options for the general public, secure in the knowledge that if they or their loves ones get sick, they will be able to afford the best care available, even if it's not provided by insurance. Devinsky asked the president pointedly if he would be willing to promise that he wouldn't seek such extraordinary help for his wife or daughters if they became sick and the public plan he's proposing limited the tests or treatment they can get.
- Orrin Devinsky, MD, director, The Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, professor, neurology, neurosurgery and psychiatry
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Journal News
June 29
Hundreds Gather To Give Thanks to Chappaqua-based Charity- By Aman Ali
Ion Balavrea said he has a lot to be thankful for. He was found to have a brain tumor at the age of 6, and his family went through hardships getting him the care he needed. But 10 years ago, a Chappaqua couple who run a charity for children with brain and spinal cord tumors met Balavrea and found specialized education that would help him to transition into high school. He was among the hundreds of people who went to the Manley home yesterday for a day of festivities, celebrating people who benefit from the Manleys' charity, the Making Headway Foundation. Yesterday was the 17th year the Manleys have held a family fun day at their home, filled with clowns, pingpong, face painting, Lego-building stations and a wide array of games. Edward Manley said he and his wife formed the charity in 1996 after their daughter overcame a brain tumor of her own. "It was our way of saying thank you to those who had helped us," he said. The foundation is partnered with the NYU Langone Medical Center and supports about 300 families in the tri-state area. Making Headway reaches out to families of tumor-stricken children at the hospital by comforting them during a stressful period in their lives. Services include psychological therapy, entertainment and even yoga and massages.
- NYU Langone Medical Center
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Staten Island Advance
June 28
Grace the Field Soccer Tournament Held- By SI Advance
The fourth annual Grace the Field soccer tournament was held at Miller Field Saturday in memory of former McKee/S.I. Tech player Chelsea Tait. Proceeds from the tournament went to Chelsea's Gifts, a foundation established by the Tait family which funds cancer research at the NYU School of Medicine in Manhattan, where Chelsea received treatment. On hand yesterday were, from left, recently retired MSIT coach Tony DiMaggio, Jim, Drew and Donna Tait.
- NYU School of Medicine
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ABC News
June 25
Did President Obama Make His Case on Health Care? - By Jake Tapper and Karen Travers
President Obama made a push Wednesday for evidence-based medicine and a reduction in health care costs in the United States, but skeptics and many Republicans remain unconvinced his plans will work. In a town hall meeting, the president fielded tough questions about his plans. The president faced questions about the rising cost of health care, his proposed "public option" plan and taxing benefits during an ABC News' special on health care reform, "Questions for the President: Prescription for America," anchored from the White House by Diane Sawyer and Charles Gibson. The probing questions came from two skeptical neurologists. Dr. Orrin Devinsky, a neurologist and researcher at the NYU Langone Medical Center, said that elites often propose health care solutions that limit options for the general public, secure in the knowledge that if they or their loves ones get sick, they will be able to afford the best care available, even if it's not provided by insurance. Devinsky asked the president pointedly if he would be willing to promise that he wouldn't seek such extraordinary help for his wife or daughters if they became sick and the public plan he's proposing limited the tests or treatment they can get. The president refused to make such a pledge, though he allowed that if "it's my family member, if it's my wife, if it's my children, if it's my grandmother, I always want them to get the very best care."
- Orrin Devinsky, MD, director, The Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, professor, neurology, neurosurgery and psychiatry
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Associated Press
June 24
Obama Leaves Door Open to Tax on Health Benefits- By David Espo
President Barack Obama left the door open to a new tax on health care benefits Wednesday, and officials said top lawmakers and the White House were seeking $150 billion in concessions from the nation's hospitals as they sought support for legislation struggling to emerge in Congress. Obama also fielded a pointed personal question during an ABC News town hall at the White House on Wednesday. The prime-time program was the latest in a string of events designed to build public support for his plan to slow the rise in health care costs and expand coverage to the nearly 50 million uninsured. Dr. Orrin Devinsky, a neurologist at the NYU Langone Medical Center, challenged Obama: What if the president's wife and daughters got sick? Would Obama promise that they would get only the services allowed under a new government insurance plan he's proposing. Obama wouldn't bite. If "it's my family member, if it's my wife, if it's my children, if it's my grandmother, I always want them to get the very best care," Obama said.
- Orrin Devinsky, MD, director, The Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, professor, neurology, neurosurgery and psychiatry
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WABC-TV
June 24
Diabetes And Gastric Surgery
There is new information on the lasting effects on diabetes from weight loss surgery. It's known that diabetes can be reversed or lessened through surgery, but doctors now have some preliminary numbers on how long those effects might last. "It's very import to see whether the effects that we see in the short term carry over to the long term," said Dr. Evan Nadler, a surgeon at the NYU Langone Medical Center. Dr. Nadler and his colleagues studied 87 patients who had diabetes and went through the same procedure as Jim. They found that after five years, diabetes was resolved in 25 percent and improved in 56 percent. Another weight loss procedure is gastric bypass surgery. A study of 177 patients after five years found that diabetes was resolved in 89 patients early on, but recurred in 43 percent of them. They conclude that maintaining the weight loss is important to keeping the diabetes resolved. What diabetes patients can achieve through these surgeries continues to be the focus of studies throughout the country. "These are both preliminary studies, and the numbers of patients in each study is small," Dr. Nadler said. "So we will be waiting for larger studies from different centers." Doctors who perform these surgeries are meeting at their annual conference in Texas and presented these and many other studies.
- NYU Program for Surgical Weight Loss
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Forbes.com
June 24
Syndicated article by HealthDay News
Weight-Loss Surgery Safe, Effective Type 2 Diabetes Treatment
Researchers from NYU School of Medicine examined 95 patients who had laparoscopic gastric banding between January 2002 and January 2004. About 88 percent were taking oral diabetes medication and 15 percent were on insulin. After five years, about 40 percent of patients were in remission and about 43 percent had improved blood sugar levels. The average fasting glucose level decreased from 146 to 118.5 and the average HbA1c (a measurement of glucose levels over time) decreased from about 7.5 percent to around 6.6 percent, the researchers said in a meeting news release. "Our study contributes to mounting evidence that demonstrates gastric banding can have a sustained and meaningful effect on diabetes and morbid obesity and that the two diseases are interrelated," senior study author Dr. Christine Ren, an associate professor of surgery at NYU School of Medicine, said in the news release. The patients also lost substantial weight -- their mean BMI dropped from 46 to 35. Study participants had diabetes an average of 6.5 years prior to surgery, the researchers said.
- Christine Ren, MD, associate professor, surgery, NYU Program for Surgical Weight Loss
Learn more: http://www.forbes.com/feeds/hscout/2009/06/24/hscout628394.html

Redbook Magazine
June 24
Do Diet Pills Really Work? - By Hallie Levine Sklar
The skinny: Created originally as the prescription drug Xenical, orlistat is now available in a lower-dose version, Alli, which was granted FDA approval to be sold over the counter earlier this year. The risks: If you eat too much fat (more than 30 percent of your calories, or roughly 15 grams of fat per meal), you'll likely experience loose, oily stools, since the excess fat that is blocked from absorption is quickly excreted. People who took Alli were less likely to experience these side effects. Taking either drug may also put you at risk for vitamin loss. "You need enough fat in your diet to absorb fat-soluble vitamins such as A and D," adds Loren Wissner Greene, MD, an obesity specialist at the NYU School of Medicine in New York City.
- Loren Wissner Greene, MD, clinical associate professor, medicine, endocrinology
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Globo TV (Brazil)
June 24
Água Mole Em Pedra Dura...
Dr. John Sarno, a professor of rehabilitation medicine at the Rusk Institute for Rehabilitation Medicine was interviewed by Globo TV about his views on how to treat chronic back pain and the mind/body connection.
- John Sarno, MD, professor, rehabilitation medicine
Learn more: http://especiais.globonews.globo.com/milenio/

BSPCN.com
June 24
12 Things You THOUGHT Were Bad for You - By Jeryl Brunner
Turns out, your guilty pleasures (red wine, video games) may not be so guilty after all. And those pesky side effects of being an adult-stress, anyone?-can actually benefit you too. Read on to learn the positives of your seemingly negative habits. Let the Sunshine In! After all we've learned about the sun's damaging effects-uneven pigmentation, sagging skin, premature wrinkles, and, most insidious of all, melanoma-who wouldn't want to swear off the beach and see the parasol experience a sartorial renaissance. But let's not act too hastily. Turns out, the sun helps your body generate much-needed vitamin D, which can combat osteoporosis. "Vitamin D is necessary because it helps you absorb calcium, which everyone needs," says Alexandra Fingesten, MD, a doctor of internal medicine affiliated with NYU School of Medicine. "If you're working inside all day, it's important to get outside, even for a little bit. And consult with your doctor about taking calcium and vitamin D supplements." Just don't forget your SPF of 20 or higher when you do venture outside-even for the shortest jaunts.
- Alexandra Fingesten, MD, clinical instructor, medicine
Learn more: http://www.bspcn.com/2009/06/24/12-things-you-thought-were-bad-for-you/'

Crain's Health Pulse
June 25
Former NYU Exec Gone Hollywood
At least three new hospital-based TV dramas with a New York angle have hit the air this season. While some may debate the credibility of the drug-addicted Edie Falco character on Nurse Jackie or Royal Pains' cavorting Hamptons doctor, TNT's new show, Hawthorne, boasts serious hospital chops. Lead writer Glen Mazzara is a former NYU Langone Medical Center administrator. In 1998, he had a management job in the NYU emergency department, capping 12 years in NYC hospitals. But he decided to take a chance and follow his screenwriting dream to the West Coast. He's found steady work, including writing for FX's The Shield, which also featured an emergency room nurse as a heroine. Adding to Hawthorne's hospital cred, the mother of its star, Jada Pinkett-Smith, was a nurse in Baltimore. In a recent interview, Ms. Pinkett-Smith lauds the series for not "portraying nurses as sex objects for doctors."
- NYU Langone Medical Center
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Bio-Medicine.org
June 24
NYU Langone Medical Center Awarded NIH Grants Totaling $1,560,000
Two NYU Langone Medical Center researchers have received $1,560,000 in grant support for their first year of studies focused on microbiome and psoriasis and on microbiome and esophageal cancer from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The studies being conducted at NYU Langone Medical Center are two of several projects being conducted through the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research as part of the Human Microbiome Project (HMP) taking place at institutions across the country. As part of that funding, Martin J. Blaser, MD, the Frederick H. King Professor of Internal Medicine, chair of the Department of Medicine, and professor of microbiology, will receive support for his study titled "Evaluation of the Cutaneous Microbiome in Psoriasis." Psoriasis, affecting more than 7.5 million people in the United States, is a chronic disease involving the immune system that appears on the skin, usually in the form of thick, red, scaly patches, and its cause is unknown. The goal of this study is to assess whether changes in the skin microbiome may contribute to psoriasis. Additionally, Zhiheng Pei, MD, PhD, assistant professor of pathology and medicine, will receive a grant to support his study on microbiome and esophageal cancer. Dr. Pei's work focuses on the type of cancer linked to heartburn due to gastroesophageal reflux diseases, the fastest rising malignancy in the United States.
- Martin Blaser, MD, chairman, medicine
- Zhiheng Pei, MD, PhD, assistant professor of pathology and medicine
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New York Daily News
June 24
For Many New Yorkers, Free Prostate Test Provides Peace of Mind - By Owen Moritz
Leon Simkins admits he probably would not have had a PSA test Tuesday if it weren't for his son, but after it was done, he was glad he had the test. "I had an uncle and a close family friend who both passed away from prostate cancer," he explained after his prostate screening at NYU Langone Medical Center. The friend was a doctor, about 35 years old. "He didn't think he was at risk because he was in his 30s," Simkins said. David Simkins, 35, was more to the point: "I brought my father in for peace of mind for both of us. His well-being is extremely important to us." NYU is among 37 hospitals, medical facilities, recreation centers and churches working with the Daily News to provide free, lifesaving prostate exams. Also helping are radio stations like WBLS and WLIB, which have been urging listeners to take advantage of the PSA tests. Bob Lee, who does an overnight radio show and doubles as the stations' director of community affairs, stood for hours Tuesday in Harlem's Adam Clayton Powell State Office Building welcoming listeners and directing them to The News' PSA blood-test table. After taking a PSA exam at Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Center, Gregory Moore reflected on what had brought him there: "I think it's the right thing to do," said Moore, 58, a retired city administrator. "Right now, I have nobody."
- The Cancer Institute, NYU Langone Medical Center
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NY Observer
June 23
The New Male Beauty - By Irina Aleksander
"Everyone has a little bit of facial asymmetry, but these faces barely have any, which is very unusual," said Dr. Minas Constantinides, the director of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center, Google Image-searching while on the phone with The Observer. "They don't have features that can be distracting, like a strong jaw line, so we spend a lot more time around their eyes and mouths when we're looking at them. "There is a trend towards a softer look with younger guys," Dr. Constantinides continued. "Chace Crawford, Shane West, Ryan Reynolds and Zac Efron all share an interesting set of features: heavy upper eyelash and eyebrows, not super-strong cheekbones and very soft jaw lines, which is what really distinguishes them from someone like Brad Pitt or George Clooney. Scott Speedman and Chris Pine have stronger jaw lines, but neither have particularly strong cheekbones."Historically, male sex appeal used to be about just the opposite.
- Minas Constantinides, MD, FACS, director, facial plastic and reconstructive surgery, otolaryngology
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News 10 Now
June 24
NYU Study May Find Better Treatments for MS - By Kafi Drexel
Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a chronic disease that basically attacks the nervous system. Often diagnosed in younger adults in their late 20s to early 30s, the disease can cause mild symptoms such as weakness or numbness of limbs, or be severe enough to cause vision loss or paralysis. "If you are diagnosed with the disease, it's very difficult and very unreliable to try and focus what will your course be, whether you are going to end up in a wheelchair in three to five years, or if you're going to live a happy-go-lucky life for decades," says Dr. Oded Gonen of NYU Langone Medical Center. Gonen is currently running a study tracking 25 MS patients from what appear to be the early stages of disease. David Rice is one of those patients. Because conventional imaging or MRIs only tell part of the story, Gonen brings together a number of imaging techniques to gain more insight into how severe the disease will become. Applying a technique called spectroscopy, he measures metabolic markers in the brain to help better predict what's going on.
- Oded Gonen, PhD, professor, radiology, physiology and neuroscience
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NBC NY Non-Stop
June 22
Inflammatory Breast Cancer
Inflammatory breast cancer, or IBC is the most lethal form of primary breast cancer. Scientists from The Cancer Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center have identified a key gene eIF4G1-that is overexpressed in the majority of cases of IBC. Co-lead author of the new study, Dr. Robert Schneider was interviewed by WNBC-TV about the new findings. Dr. Richard Shapiro was also interviewed about IBC along with a young woman he recently diagnosed with the disease.
- Robert Schneider, PhD, associate director for translational research at The Cancer Institute, co-director of breast cancer research, and The Albert B Sabin Professor of Molecular Pathogenesis
- Richard Shapiro, MD, associate professor, surgery, NYU Cancer Institute
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Queens Ledger
June 23
In NYC, A Crisis in Women's Health Care- By Daniel Bush
David Friedman delivered babies for years in Manhattan, and loved the work he did, before malpractice insurance rates became so high he was forced to stop. In Brooklyn, Dr. Judith Weinstock, who practices at Brooklyn Women's Health Care, is set to lose her malpractice insurance July 1st. Non-doctors more worried over their own rising health care costs might stop to consider a startling fact: Weinstock and Friedman are just two among scores of doctors across the city who are finding it harder than ever to afford delivering care, and especially women's care, to city residents due to skyrocketing malpractice insurance rates. In the past three decades, malpractice rates have grown exponentially. NYU Langone Medical Center's Dr. Mitch Essig said when he began practicing in 1981, he paid roughly $8,000 a year in malpractice rates. That number has now risen to $155,000, a common figure for private practitioners like Essig and Weinstock. According to the American College of Obstetricians (ACOG) District II, which represents more than 4,000 women's health care providers in New York, insurance premium rates for New York-based obstetricians/gynecologists are among the highest in the country.
- Mitchell N. Essig, MD, clinical assistant professor, obstetrics & gynecology
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WSAW-TV
June 24
12 Ways to Fake a Good Night's Sleep Save - By Sarah Van Boven
When you look exhausted, it doesn't matter whether you were up all night working or dancing-dark circles, puffy eyes, and wan skin look the same either way. Try these easy ways to fake it until you wake it. To subtract puffiness: The old tea-bag-on-the-eyes trick works for a reason: The caffeine constricts blood vessels, the tannins reduce inflammation, and the pressure tamps down the puff. But if that sounds like a pain (or a mess), a chilled compress is just as effective. "Cucumber slices, an eye gel you keep in the fridge, or a bag of frozen peas all work the same way," says Dr. Anne Chapas, assistant professor of dermatology at NYU School of Medicine. "It's really the cold that shrinks the capillaries and stimulates lymphatic drainage." (She uses the peas on patients to take down swelling.)
- Anne Chapas, MD, assistant professor, The Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology
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BioResearch Online
June 24
NIH Expands Human Microbiome Project; Funds Sequencing Centers And Disease Projects
The Human Microbiome Project has awarded more than $42M to expand its exploration of how the trillions of microscopic organisms that live in or on our bodies affect our health, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced recently. The human microbiome is all the microorganisms that reside in or on the human body, as well as all their DNA, or genomes. Launched in 2007 as part of the NIH Common Fund's Roadmap for Medical Research, the Human Microbiome Project is a $140M, five-year effort that will produce a resource for researchers who are seeking to use information about the microbiome to improve human health. The Human Microbiome Project's large-scale sequencing centers, their principal investigators and approximate funding levels over four years include: Martin J. Blaser, M.D., NYU School of Medicine Skin: Psoriasis $560,000. This study will assess whether changes in the skin microbiome may contribute to psoriasis, an inflammatory skin disease. Zhiheng Pei, M.D., Ph.D., NYU School of Medicine Mouth and digestive tract: Esophageal Adenocarcinoma $1M.
This team will sample the oral cavity, esophagus, and stomach to study the relationship of the microbiome from these body sites and esophageal cancer.
- Martin Blaser, MD, chairman, medicine
- Zhiheng Pei, MD, PhD, assistant professor of pathology and medicine
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Medical News Today
June 23
Trapping Immune Cells In The Uterus Prevents Anti-fetal Immunity
Why the immune system of a pregnant woman does not attack her developing fetus is one of most remarkable features of pregnancy, and several underlying mechanisms have been described. However, Dr. Adrian Erlebacher and colleagues, at NYU School of Medicine, New York, have now identified a new mechanism to explain why the mouse maternal immune system does not attack the fetuses. Once an embryo implants into the wall of the uterus, a cellular structure known as the decidua forms around the embryo and placenta. In the study, the formation of the decidua was found to prevent immune sentinel cells known as DCs from leaving the maternal/fetal interface and traveling to the local lymph nodes to activate an immune response toward the fetus. The authors therefore suggest that impaired formation or function of the human decidua might allow DCs to leave the decidua to initiate an aggressive immune response toward the fetus, something that might contribute to poor pregnancy outcomes.
- Adrian Erlebacher, MD, PhD, assistant professor, pathology
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Vancouver Sun
June 23
Frequent Vigorous Exercise Raises Heart Risk
New research suggests that as the frequency of vigorous exercise increases, so does the risk of atrial fibrillation."Although vigorous exercise has numerous health benefits, case reports and limited data suggest that elite athletic men engaging in endurance exercise...may be at higher risk for the development of atrial fibrillation," Dr. Anthony Aizer, from NYU Langone Medical Center, and colleagues note in the American Journal of Cardiology. Atrial fibrillation is a heart rhythm disorder, usually involving a rapid heart rate, in which the upper heart chambers (atria) contract in a disorganized and abnormal manner. This can cause an inefficient amount of blood to be pumped through the heart. Although the condition is usually well-controlled with treatment, atrial fibrillation can lead to fainting, heart failure and stroke. As with any observational study, this study does not prove that vigorous exercise is a direct cause of atrial fibrillation; plus it is possible that unknown confounding factors were not considered, the authors conclude. "However, vigorous exercise was directly associated with several atrial fibrillation risk factors, and, therefore, it is also possible that more complete control for risk factors would have strengthened the... associations observed."
- Anthony Aizer, MD, assistant professor, medicine, cardiology
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Winston-Salem Journal
June 24
Tattoos Do Not Lead to Skin Cancer, Several Studies Show- By Anahad O'Connor
The facts: As more Americans tattoo their bodies, some have wondered whether there may be a hidden risk -- other than the risk of regretting the tattoo later. Many inks are made with metals; blue, for example, contains cobalt and aluminum, and red may contain mercury sulfide. That, along with the fact that tattooing can be traumatizing to the skin, prompted suspicion that tattoos might lead to skin cancer. Studies have documented a few cases of cancer at a tattoo site.
But Dr. Ariel Ostad, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at NYU Langone Medical Center in Manhattan, said that does not mean that the tattoo caused the cancer. He said that the ink is unlikely to do any harm because it is confined to cells in the skin called macrophages, whose job is to absorb foreign material.More likely, he said, the tattoo was placed on an existing mole, making any changes in the mole hard to spot. Several case studies have dealt with melanomas that were overlooked because they arose from hidden moles. Ostad said he is often asked whether tattoos can lead to cancer, and the answer "is unequivocally no." "But people should know that they should always leave a rim of healthy skin around a pre-existing mole."
The bottom line: There is no evidence that tattoos lead to skin cancer.
- Ariel Ostad, MD, assistant clinical professor, The Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology
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New York Times
June 23
A Transplant That Is Raising Many Questions - By Denise Grady and Barry Meier
Dr. Lewis Teperman, director of transplant surgery and vice chairman of surgery at the NYU Langone Medical Center, says that transplants are frequently done for people with certain types of liver cancer. About half the center's liver transplants involve cancerous organs, he said, though not usually metastatic cancers. According to one national study, more than half the patients receiving transplants for cancerous livers were still alive after five years. A transplant would be reasonable for treating metastases of the kind of pancreatic cancer Mr. Jobs had, Dr. Teperman said, adding that if Mr. Jobs's liver had had been "full of the tumor," the transplant would prolong his life. "But I can't tell you how much, because I don't know the extent of the tumor," Dr. Teperman said. Unfortunately, Dr. Teperman said, the medicines needed to prevent rejection of the transplant could allow the tumor to regrow. "There may be some cancer cells scattered around, and they tend to come back to the new liver," he said.
- Lewis Teperman, MD, director of transplant surgery, vice chairman of surgery
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DailyPress.com
June 23
Reports Say Apple CEO Jobs Had Liver Transplant, Expected Back To Work Soon - By Candice Choi
Apple Inc. co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs, whose recovery from pancreatic cancer appeared less certain when he had to take medical leave in January, received a liver transplant two months ago but is recovering well, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday. According to the National Institutes of Health, treatment for that form of pancreatic cancer can include the removal of a portion of the liver if the cancer spreads. The cancer is curable if the tumors are removed before they spread to other organs. It's likely that Jobs had part or all of his pancreas removed to "cure" his cancer in 2004, said Dr. Lewis Teperman, vice chair of surgery and director of transplantation at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City. Patients who have part or all of their pancreas removed usually get diabetes, which is treated with medication. Patients often lose weight as a result as well.
- Lewis Teperman, MD, director of transplant surgery, vice chairman of surgery
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Wall Street Journal Blog
June 22
Guest Post: Transplant Vet Sees Jobs Back on Job Soon - By David Bird
Until recently, the only link between Steve Jobs and myself was the ubiquitous iPod. It was shocking to learn I needed a transplant, as soon as possible. My thoughts raced to the 16,000 people on the waiting list and the 2,000 who die each year waiting in vain for a suitable organ. The possibility that I could receive a portion of a liver from a living donor faded as my health degenerated on an algorithmic scale. By early December 2004, I landed at the top of the list in New York University's Mary Lea Richards Organ Transplantation Center. The good news and the bad news was that I was the sickest guy in the Big Apple's liver transplant wards. On Dec. 19, 2004, I received what's known in our household as the Miracle on East 42nd Street. A life-saving transplant made possible by the family of a 53-year-old woman from the Bronx, who registered as an organ donor. Doctors later told me, after my release home to my wife and kids, that I probably wouldn't have lived to see Christmas without the operation. Every transplant recipient feels an incredible bond with their donor, whether it's a relative or a friend who gave a spare kidney, or, as in my case, a still-unknown altruistic family, who made the decision to donate amid the grief of losing a loved one.
- Mary Lea Richards Organ Transplantation Center, NYU Langone Medical Center
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Self Magazine
June 23
Melanoma Or A Mole? The ABCs Of Skin Cancer - By Nicole Catanese
Are you at risk? SELF magazine offers tips to help you safeguard your skin. Healthy moles are typically symmetrical, so both sides of a growth should match if you visualize a line through the middle in any direction. Use a full-length mirror plus a handheld one to examine out-of-sight areas such as your back and rear. Uniformity suggests cells are healthy. If the rim is irregular or indistinct, get a dermatologist to check it, says Darrell S. Rigel, MD, clinical professor of dermatology at NYU School of Medicine in NYC and the co-creator of this A-through-E system. You are also an important surveillance system. "If a growth's characteristics have recently changed, then run, don't walk, to your dermatologist," says Kenneth Mark, MD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at NYU School of Medicine in NYC.
- Darrell S. Rigel, MD, clinical professor, The Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology
- Kenneth Mark, MD, assistant clinical professor, The Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology
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Oprah.com/CNN
June 23
Nagging -- How To Be Effective - By Lisa Belkin
We all hate to be nagged. You're having another piece of cake? When was the last time you exercised? Those cigarettes are going to kill you. Did you clean the basement yet? We all hate to nag, too. Which leads to the final, and most crucial, problem with nagging: It simply doesn't work. "You can't nag someone into permanent change," says Charles Goodstein, MD., a psychoanalyst and clinical professor of psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine. Nagging appears to work, he says, because "it will produce a short-term result that looks positive. But in order for that result to recur, the nagging will have to recur." In other words, the very fact that we feel we must nag is itself evidence that nagging doesn't work. If it did, we would say something once and never have to say it again.
- Charles Goodstein, MD, clinical professor, psychiatry
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Tehran Times
June 23
Syndicated article by HealthDay News
Surging Internet Use Cutting Into Family Time
American kids and their parents are now spending more hours huddled alone around computer screens and cell phone displays, seriously eroding the amount of time families spend together. That's according to a new report that found the time per week that families interact as group has fallen by nearly a third between 2005 and 2008. For all the potential damage involved in Internet usage, there are also numerous benefits, said Dr. Harold Koplewicz, director of the Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center. "Kids have the opportunity to learn, play, socialize and participate in social life. It's communication besides pleasure," he said. "It may look as though they're wasting time, but spending time online is essential. Kids can participate in culture and connect with others with similar interests." But, Koplewicz added, "Parents need to counter the trend towards decreased family time. While there are benefits to Internet usage, it doesn't mean you can let the machine take over."
- Harold Koplewicz, MD, director, Child Study Center
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CBS 3.com
June 22
Health Alert: Alzheimer's Disease Breakthroughs
Seniors Citizens, who lose weight quickly, without trying to, are three times more likely to develop dementia, a precursor to Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study of 1,800 people. Seniors Citizens, who lose weight quickly, without trying to, are three times more likely to develop dementia, a precursor to Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study of 1,800 people. "The part of the brain that gives us an appetite has been destroyed, so the chemicals that make us hungry are no longer being produced therefore the person will just stop eating," said Dr. Michael Freedman, a researcher at NYU Langone Medical Center.Another research discovery is a simple skin test. It may be able to detect Alzheimer's Disease in its early stages. Dr. Mony de Leon says when amyloids build up in the brain microscopic amounts are also deposited in the lens of the eye. "It's a very important discovery that amyloid can be detected outside of the brain," said Dr. de Leon. He's now trying to develop an eye test that can accurately spot them. "It represents one of the many studies being done to find biological markers for Alzheimer's disease," said Dr. de Leon. Finding it early, might allow doctors to slow the progression of Alzheimer's, which would be an important breakthrough for millions of families.
- Michael Freedman, MD, clinical professor, medicine
- Mony de Leon, MD, professor, psychiatry
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WSYM-TV
June 23
Syndicated article by HealthDay News
Nestle Recalls Cookie Dough Products - By Steven Reinberg
U.S. health officials are warning consumers not to eat any Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough products because of the risk of E. coli contamination. In response to the Food and Drug Administration warning, Nestle USA said Friday that it was voluntarily recalling its Toll House refrigerated cookie dough items. "The E. coli outbreak could be from one or a number of contaminates, such as the milk component, the machinery, even the harvested flour," said one expert in infectious disease, Dr. Philip M. Tierno, director of clinical microbiology and immunology at NYU Langone Medical Center. "Whether eaten or handled (causing cross-contamination), the dough is a danger, especially to the elderly, anyone with a suppressed immune system or pregnant women and should be discarded," he said.
- Philip M. Tierno, director of clinical microbiology and immunology
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GenomeWeb
June 23
NIH Awards $42M for More Human Microbiome Studies
Researchers studying the microbes that live on and inside the human body will receive $42 million in new grants from the National Institutes of Health to fund the Human Microbiome Project, NIH said today. These new grants will continue the five-year, $140 million project, launched in 2007, which aims to develop a resource for scientists interested in the human microbiome by conducting metagenomic, DNA analysis, and other studies. This round of grants will support large-scale DNA sequencing centers that were involved in the project from the first phase. These centers are pursuing the goal of sequencing at least 400 microbial genomes. Another roughly 500 microbial genomes are already completed or are in the sequencing pipeline. Currently, researchers working under the HMP funding are studying microbial communities from the mouth, skin, digestive tract, nose, and vagina.These pilot projects include: $560,000 to New York University for a study of the skin microbiome and psoriasis; $1 million to NYU School of Medicine to sample the oral cavity, esophagus, and stomach to study the microbes in these sites and esophageal cancer. Each of these pilot projects will be up for review after a year to determine their progress and their ability to determine a relationship between the microbiome in one body region and a disease.
- NYU School of Medicine
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Healthcare-Informatics
June 18
One-on-one With NYU Langone Medical Center CIO Paul Conocenti, Part II- By Anthony Guerra
In this part of our interview, Paul Conocenti says selecting the right vendor is all about having a clear vision. "Two years ago, we got a new CEO and Dean (July of '07). Enter Dr. Robert Grossman who is a huge believer in integration. While he was the Chair of Radiology, he transformed that department at NYU through the use of integrated technology. So, here I am, the new CIO (to him at least). Just that same year, March 2007, we had implemented this new clinical information system from Eclipsys. The moral of the story is, he came up with it. This is driven by the Dean and CEO, he is so passionate and visionary about the fact that a medical center needs to have an integrated system, not an interfaced system, as there is a huge difference; a medical center needs to have integrated workflow, integrated decision support, integration is where the future is. He said, "Paul, we need to have an integrated system, and I know the Eclipsys system works great on the inpatient side, and it works great in this care setting, but we really need to have one system. Let's see what's out there." And so with that, we put out an RFP to all the big players."
- Robert I. Grossman, dean and CEO, NYU Langone Medical Center
- Paul Conocenti, chief information officer, NYU Langone Medical Center
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WUSA-TV (CBS)
June 18
Syndicated CBS broadcast also appeared on KDFW-TV, WNEM-TV, KTVN-TV, KOLN-TV, WISC-TV, WNEM-CBS, WDEF-CBS, KDBC-CBS, KOLN-CBS, KTVN-CBS, WRDW-CBS, KFDA-CBS
New Developments Help Colon Cancer Patients
It's estimated about 150,000 Americans will be diagnosed with colon cancer this year. It can be deadly when it spreads to other parts of the body. But there is a new treatment that has patients surviving longer than ever. In the 1990's, patients with advanced colon cancer only survived an average of 14 months. Today, that number has more than doubled with people living an average of 30 months. And about one out of three patients survive five years or more. Researchers credit better surgery techniques that allow doctors to remove cancer more precisely. And a new line of chemotherapies that stop the disease from spreading. Before the 1990's doctors only had one drug to fight colon cancer, since then several new treatments have been developed. Oncologists expect even better drugs in the coming years. "An important message to the patient is that the longer they are with us, the greater the chances that there will be even more drugs that will be helpful to them," says Dr. Howard Hochster of NYU Langone Medical Center.
- Howard Hochster, MD, professor, medicine, The Cancer Institute
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Private HealthCare UK
June 19
Cancer treatment boosted by insight into T-All
Cancer treatment of a complex type of childhood leukaemia called T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-All) has been boosted by the findings of a recent study. Researchers at the NYU School of Medicine have unraveled the science behind the cancer, which is carried in the blood and can make its way into the brain and spinal cord of youngsters who have relapsed. They identified a protein called CCR7 and in trials on mice found that those with the chemokine receptor turned off lived for double the length of time than those that didn't. Dr. Ioannis Aifantis, associate professor of pathology and co-director of the Cancer Stem Cell Programme at The Cancer Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center, who led the new study, commented: "We are very proud of this research and very excited about the potential implications for new therapeutic approaches to prevent or reduce the spread of leukemic cells into the central nervous system."
- Ioannis Aifantis, PhD, an associate professor of pathology and co-director of the Cancer Stem Cell Program at The Cancer Institute
- Vivian S. Lee, MD, PhD, MBA, vice dean for science, senior vice president and chief scientific officer of NYU Langone Medical Center
- Silvia Bionomic, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Aifantis, pathology, The Cancer Institute
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Forbes.com
June 18
Syndicated article by HealthDay News
Surging Internet Use Cutting Into Family Time
American kids and their parents are now spending more hours huddled alone around computer screens and cell phone displays, seriously eroding the amount of time families spend together. That's according to a new report that found the time per week that families interact as group has fallen by nearly a third between 2005 and 2008. In a new survey from the center, researchers found that in 2008, 28 percent of people said that being wired has resulted in them spending less time with family members, a threefold increase from the 11 percent reported just two years ago, in 2006. For all the potential damage involved in Internet usage, there are also numerous benefits, said Dr. Harold Koplewicz, director of the Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center. "Kids have the opportunity to learn, play, socialize and participate in social life. It's communication besides pleasure," he said. "It may look as though they're wasting time, but spending time online is essential. Kids can participate in culture and connect with others with similar interests." But, Koplewicz added, "Parents need to counter the trend towards decreased family time. While there are benefits to Internet usage, it doesn't mean you can let the machine take over."
- Harold Koplewicz, MD, director, Child Study Center
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Examiner.com
June 18
Never wake a sleepwalker
You wake up to find a friend or family member quietly wandering around the house, their eyes are open but they appear dazed. Should you wake the person? Some experts say that waking a sleepwalker can give them a heart attack. However, other experts say it is highly unlikely. Dr. Ana C. Krieger, the director of the Sleep Disorders Center at NYU School of Medicine, said the myth probably started because of sleepwalkers' response when they're awakened. Many are confused and terrified, having no idea how they ended up in a dark closet or gliding down a hallway. "At that point, they might not even recognize relatives," Dr. Krieger said. "If this is a well-known friend or child, and the person wakes up and is saying, 'Get me out of here! Who are you?' it can be very frightening." Dr. Ana C. Krieger recommends guiding the person back to bed by an arm or elbow.
- Ana C. Krieger, MD, assistant professor, medicine, director, NYU Sleep Disorders Center and Program Director of the Sleep Medicine Fellowship
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Oprah.com
June 18
Your Skin's New Best Friend- By Jenny Bailly
You think a retinoid will make your skin sun-sensitive. "This is one of the biggest retinoid myths," says Doris Day, MD, clinical assistant professor of dermatology at NYU Langone Medical Center (and a Tazorac user herself). "The ingredient itself is sensitive to sunlight, which is why you should apply it before bed at night." A retinoid shouldn't make your skin any more vulnerable to UV rays than it would be after buffing away dead skin with a face scrub. Summer is actually a good time to start a retinoid: Humidity makes your skin less likely to dry out as it adjusts. Of course, apply sunscreen (SPF 30, at least) as diligently as you always do.
- Doris Day, MD, clinical assistant professor, The Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology
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US News & World Report
June 16
Syndicated HealthDay News article
Lifestyle May Counter Blood Pressure Genes - By Ed Edelson
Being born with genes that predispose you to high blood pressure doesn't mean you're doomed to have it, a long-term study shows. It's an important finding because high blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. The study, reported online Tuesday in Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics, reinforces the message that lifestyle changes can alter the effect of genetics. The findings help answer whether genes alone determine high blood pressure, said Dr. Richard A. Stein, a professor of medicine and director of the urban community cardiology program at NYU and a spokesman for the American Heart Association. "The answer is, not by a long shot," Stein said. "The actual effect is explained only by adding behavioral and socioeconomic factors into the equation. It is actually more how you live than what you are born with."
- Richard A. Stein, MD, professor, medicine, cardiology
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Private Healthcare UK
June 17
Breast Cancer Treatment Boosted By Gene Discovery
Cancer treatment for one of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer has been boosted by a recent genetic discovery. Scientists at The Cancer Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center have identified the gene eIF4G1 to be particularly expressed in most incidents of inflammatory breast cancer, which is a potent form of breast cancer that often leaves patients dead within a time-frame of 18 months to two years. Dr. Robert Schneider, associate director for translational research at The Cancer Institute, co-director of breast cancer research, and the Albert B Sabin Professor of Molecular Pathogenesis at NYU School of Medicine, commented: "The good news is that we're beginning to understand IBC at both a molecular and genetic level. "We believe this gene is a target for new drug discovery, and we also believe it is possible to silence the gene without hurting normal cells." Inflammatory breast cancer is particularly difficult to diagnose as its symptoms do not always include a lump, which would otherwise be detected in an ultrasound or mammogram.
- The Cancer Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center
- Robert Schneider, PhD, associate director for translational research at The Cancer Institute, co-director of breast cancer research, and The Albert B. Sabin Professor of Molecular Pathogenesis
- Deborah Silvera, PhD, postdoctoral research fellow, microbiology
- Silvia Formenti, MD, chair, radiation oncology, The Edward H. Meyer Professor of Radiation Oncology
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AARP Bulletin
June 16
Myth Buster: Can Stress Cause Gray Hair? - By Barbara Basler
Myth: Worry and stress can turn your hair gray. Fact: No science supports a direct link between stress and gray hair, says Jerry Shapiro, MD, professor of dermatology at NYU's Langone Medical Center. "When hair turns gray-and which hairs turn gray-is genetically programmed," he says. Existing hair does not turn gray. When melanocyte cells that produce hair color pigment are depleted-a process controlled by genes-a gray hair will grow in when a regular hair falls out. That gray strand grows from the same hair follicle, where the cells are now simply producing less color. As for stories of people who turned gray almost overnight, Shapiro says, such cases can be attributed to rare diseases. "One disease causes all your regular hair to fall out quickly, leaving only the gray," he says. "So while it looks like the patient turned gray overnight, that isn't what happened."
- Jerry Shapiro, MD, professor, The Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology
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7Online.com
June 15
Syndicated HealthDay News article
At U.S. Colleges, Binge Drinking Is On The Rise - By Steven Reinberg
Binge drinking among American college students is on the rise, along with its consequences of drunk driving and drinking-related deaths, U.S. health officials report. Dr. Marc Galanter, director of the division of alcoholism and drug abuse in the psychiatry department at the NYU School of Medicine, said that binge drinking among college students has far-reaching effects for the students. "The heavy drinking during college not only results in severe consequences at that time, [but] it also primes college students for later alcohol addiction," Galanter said. "Heavier drink at this age is a predictor of later alcoholism and is likely a major causative factor."
- Marc Galanter, MD, director of the division of alcoholism and drug abuse, professor, psychiatry
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(Also appeared in an additional 30 local television affiliate websites around the country)

Crain's Health Pulse
June 17
No Drug Gifts - By Gale Scott and Barbara Benson
The medical schools at Columbia University, NYU School of Medicine and SUNY Syracuse got a B in the 2009 American Medical Student Association PharmFree Scorecard. Mount Sinai School of Medicine was the only New York school in the top rank for policies governing pharmaceutical industry interaction with medical school faculty and students. More than one-fifth of U.S. medical schools improved their conflict-of-interest rules in the past year, according to the 2009 American Medical Student Association PharmFree Scorecard, released yesterday. The scorecard found that 45 of 149 medical schools nationwide now receive a grade of A or B, compared with only 29 last year.
- NYU School of Medicine
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Nurse.com
June 17
NYU Langone Hospital Events Focus on Self-Health- By Tracey Boyd
Like many hospitals across the nation, the Hospital for Joint Diseases at NYU Langone Medical Center held events to honor its RNs during National Nurses Week. In tune with the American Nurses Association's theme, "Building a Healthy America," each day incorporated health and well-being for the staff, such as wellness day on May 4 and self-care day on May 6. Nurses also participated in a staff health fair on May 7 that included screenings for blood pressure and bone density. Hospital staff attend an hour-long session on diabetes presented by Robert Lind, MD. That day's theme, titled "Caring for You," included a lunch-and-lecture event about diabetes presented by Robert Lind, MD, an endocrinologist and medical director of the Diabetes Foot and Ankle Center at NYU Langone.
- Robert Lind, MD, assistant professor, medicine, endocrinology, orthopaedic surgery, Hospital for Joint Diseases
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UroToday
June 17
Does Benign Prostatic Tissue Contribute to Measurable PSA Levels After Radical Prostatectomy? - Abstract
To provide insights into the likelihood that benign prostatic tissue represents a source of measurable prostate-specific antigen (PSA) after radical prostatectomy. From October 2000 to December 2006, 1308 consecutive men underwent open radical retropubic prostatectomy by a single surgeon. Of these 1308 men, 331 (25.3%) met our criteria for having "extremely" low-risk disease as determined by the preoperative and pathologic factors, including a preoperative PSA level < 10 ng/mL, clinical Stage T1c or T2a, a Gleason score of < /=6, an estimated cancer volume in the specimen of < 5%, and no evidence of positive surgical margins. At 3 months to 6 years of follow-up (mean 36.2 months), 0.6% and 0.3% of patients had developed a measurable PSA level or biochemical recurrence, respectively. The single patient with biochemical recurrence responded to salvage radiotherapy, strongly suggesting a malignant etiology for the recurrence. A measurable PSA level or biochemical recurrence was an extraordinarily rare event in our select group of patients with extremely low-risk disease. These results provide compelling evidence that retained benign prostatic elements are an unlikely source of elevated PSA levels in men who have undergone radical prostatectomy.
- Urology, NYU School of Medicine
- Dr. Herbert Lepor, the Martin Spatz Chairman of the Department of Urology, professor of urology and professor of pharmacology
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Reason.com
June 16
Let's Make a Baby - By Katherine Mangu-Ward
From the latest issue of h+ magazine, a look at why people are cool with eliminating diseases, but not cool with choosing eye color for their designer babies: A January 2009 study by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center found that an overwhelming 75% of parents would be in favor of trait selection using PGD - as long as that trait is the absence of mental retardation. A further 54% would screen their embryos for deafness, 56% for blindness, 52% for a propensity to heart disease, and 51% for a propensity to cancer. Only 10% would be willing to select embryos for better athletic ability, and 12.6% would select for greater intelligence. 52.2% of respondents said that there were no conditions for which genetic testing should never be offered, indicating widespread support for [pre-implantation genetic diagnosis]-as long as it's for averting disease and not engineering human enhancement.
- Human Genetics Program
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Women's Health
June 17
Ow! Beware Of Bikini Wax Mishaps
A bikini wax looks great but is not without risks. "Pubic hair is there for a reason - to protect the sensitive skin and mucous membranes in the genital region," explains Linda K. Franks, MD, clinical assistant professor of dermatology at NYU School of Medicine. Waxing can also pull off tiny pieces of the skin's outermost layer, creating a portal through which bacteria can enter the body. What's more, the process creates inflammation, which can trap bacteria beneath the skin. All of this sets the stage for skin infections (including staph), folliculitis (infection of the hair follicles), and ingrown hairs. "Anytime you compromise the integrity of the skin, you're going to increase your risk of infection," Franks says. She advises people who have diabetes, chronic kidney or liver disease, skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis, or weakened immune systems to avoid waxing altogether.
- Linda K. Franks, MD, clinical assistant professor, The Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology
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Inside Healthcare
June 2009
Cover Story: Woven Together- By Jill Rose
What happens when a medical school and a hospital group become truly integrated? NYU Langone Medical Center aims to find out. You might not think one of the oldest healthcare institutions in the US would be the best choice to lead the way into the future-but you'd be wrong. With roots that date back to the establishment of the NYU School of Medicine in 1841, NYU Langone Medical Center is nothing if not steeped in history. But that isn't stopping the team there from revamping the way it thinks about healthcare. In March 2007, Dr. Robert Grossman was appointed both dean and CEO of NYU Langone, one of only a handful of administrators to head both a medical school and a hospital group. One year later, the organization announced it had received a record $506 million in philanthropic donations. Both the dual appointment and the money are being put to good use. Grossman and his team began by formulating a 10-year strategic plan to create a world-class, patient-centric integrated academic medical center.
- Robert Grossman, MD, dean and CEO, NYU Langone Medical Center
Learn more: http://www.inside-healthcare.com/content/view/2319/31/

US News & World Report
June 17
Article syndicated by HealthDay News
Aim at Relapse of Leukemia in Kids
Scientists have identified molecules that enable tumor cells to invade the nervous system of patients with a blood-borne childhood cancer, a finding that may lead to the development of drugs that block these molecules and prevent relapse. In T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), which primarily strikes children and adolescents, the bone marrow makes too many white blood cells. "In general, [T-ALL] is treatable with basic chemotherapy and radiation, so close to 80 percent of kids can be cured," study leader Ioannis Aifantis, an associate professor of pathology and co-director of the Cancer Stem Cell Program at The Cancer Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center, said in a university news release. "But you have a very high rate of relapse. And after the relapse, it is not treatable because the cancer occurs in tricky places, like the central nervous system." In research with mice, Aifantis and colleagues found that a protein receptor (CCR7) embedded on the outer surface of leukemic cells enables the cancer cells to infiltrate the brain and spinal cord. "What we have found is that leukemic cells over-express this receptor," Aifantis said. "If you knock out this receptor, these cells will not go to the brain under any circumstances."
- Ioannis Aifantis, PhD, an associate professor of pathology and co-director of the Cancer Stem Cell Program at The Cancer Institute
- Vivian S. Lee, MD, PhD, MBA, vice dean for science, senior vice president and chief scientific officer of NYU Langone Medical Center
- Silvia Bionomic, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Aifantis, pathology, The Cancer Institute
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CBS Newspath
June 17
Syndicated broadcast also appeared on: WIVB-CBS, WHIO-CBS, KFVS-CBS, KGBT-CBS, WSBT-CBS, KKTV, WCAX-CBS, WNCT-CBS, WBTW-CBS, KCOY-CBS, KLFY-CBS, WIBW-CBS, KLST-CBS & WISC-CBS
New Developments Help Colon Cancer Patients
It's estimated about 150,000 Americans will be diagnosed with colon cancer this year. It can be deadly when it spreads to other parts of the body. But there is a new treatment that has patients surviving longer than ever. In the 1990's, patients with advanced colon cancer only survived an average of 14 months. Today, that number has more than doubled with people living an average of 30 months. And about one out of three patients survive five years or more. Researchers credit better surgery techniques that allow doctors to remove cancer more precisely. And a new line of chemotherapies that stop the disease from spreading. Before the 1990's doctors only had one drug to fight colon cancer, since then several new treatments have been developed. Oncologists expect even better drugs in the coming years. "An important message to the patient is that the longer they are with us, the greater the chances that there will be even more drugs that will be helpful to them," says Dr. Howard Hochster of NYU Langone Medical Center.
- Howard Hochster, MD, professor, medicine, The Cancer Institute
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Time Magazine
June 22
Adolescents 13 to 18- How not to get sick: Diet and Nutrition- By Tiffany Sharples
"Adolescents should have yearly checkups," says Dr. Michael Weitzman, a professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at NYU Langone Medical Center. They should also update their inoculations - including a tetanus booster, the annual flu vaccine and, especially for college-bound kids, the meningitis vaccine. Additionally, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that teenage girls have their first gynecologic visit when they are 13 to 15, and if they haven't done so yet, get the human papillomavirus vaccine. "It's a lot easier not to develop problems than it is to cure them," says Weitzman. One-third of American teens are overweight or obese, which dramatically increases their risk for heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, asthma and other chronic ailments, including depression. While growing teens need extra calories, they should get them from nutritious sources - not high-fat, high-calorie, high-sugar foods like cookies, soda, candy and fast food - and they shouldn't consume more calories than they expend. "On average, if you eat one to two cookies a day more than the energy you need, you'll gain a pound a month," says Weitzman, adding that maintaining a healthy diet is a whole-family affair. After all, kids are not typically the ones doing the grocery shopping. "You can't have foods in the house and ask only one person not to eat them," Weitzman says.
- Michael Weitzman, MD, professor, pediatrics and psychiatry
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Wired Magazine
June 17
Wired Science: How to Stop Yourself From Staring- By DeAnne Musolf
People with disfigurements would probably rather not have strangers staring relentlessly at them. And many starers surely wish they could stop. But experts believe it's a Herculean effort to control such gaping, because it's triggered not by insensitivity but by instinct. People become transfixed due to the work of the amygdala, a primitive part of the brain evolved to sort faces into "safe" or "potentially unsafe" categories. When the amygdala cannot process a face that doesn't fit any it has previously encountered, it simply freezes like a computer unable to process a command. Scientists say that regaining composure requires serious conscious effort. Neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux of NYU School of Medicine, has shown that rats experience a similar kind of involuntary behavior. This suggests the behavior is a primitive one that goes way back into our evolutionary past and is shared by other species. "Because the regions of the brain that are involved in voluntary control have little connectivity with areas like the amygdala involved in certain involuntary primitive emotions, those emotions are very hard to control," LeDoux wrote in an e-mail.
- Joseph LeDoux, PhD, Henry and Lucy Moses Professor of Science; Professor of Neural Science and Psychology; Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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Boston Globe
June 18
Genzyme plight leaves patients uneasy- By Erin Ailworth and Megan Woolhouse
Ten-month-old Hannah Ostrea's life hinges on an expensive drug made by just one company, Genzyme Corp., based in Cambridge. The drug, Cerezyme, combats Hannah's severe form of Gaucher disease, a rare genetic disorder that caused her liver and spleen to swell. After just a few months of intravenous treatments, she was able to roll on her belly and play for the first time, but without the drug she is unlikely to live into adulthood. So when Hannah's mother, Carrie, heard Tuesday that the Allston plant where Genzyme makes Cerezyme had been shut down through July because of viral contamination, she was stunned. Dr. Gregory Pastores of NYU School of Medicine said he treats hundreds of Gaucher and Fabry patients who take regular doses of the Genzyme drugs. The medications help prevent harmful levels of waste from accumulating in their bodies. The impact of missing doses depends on the individual, Pastores said, because they react differently to treatments.
- Gregory Pastores, MD, associate professor, neurology, pediatrics
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MS News Today
June 17
More Power to You, NYU
Oded Gonen of NYU's Langone Medical Center is studying 25 MS patients to determine the factors that predict their disease course -- in order to help find better diagnostic procedures as well as point towards new anti-inflammatory treatments not yet developed (or not yet used) for MS. The study may determine the best treatments to slow the advancement of multiple sclerosis. Gonen is currently running a study tracking 25 MS patients from what appear to be the early stages of disease. Because conventional imaging or MRIs only tell part of the story, Gonen brings together a number of imaging techniques to gain more insight into how severe the disease will become. Applying a technique called spectroscopy, he measures metabolic markers in the brain to help better predict what's going on.
- Oded Gonen, PhD, professor, radiology, physiology and neuroscience
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Health E Blog (L.A. Parent)
June 2009
Building Better Baby Bones- By Christina Elston
Think "strong bones" and you'll likely picture a healthy, growing child. Think "broken hip" and you're probably picturing a stooped senior citizen. But increasingly, bone issues are also a problem for tiny babies, says Patricia Poitevien, MD, medical director of the Bone and Health Initiative at The Hospital for Joint Diseases at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York. In her practice in recent years, Poitevien has seen significantly greater numbers of children with osteoporosis and osteopenia (decrease in the amount of calcium and phosphorus of the bone). This could be due in part to the increase in babies born prematurely, and improvements in neonatal medicine that help more of the earliest-born survive. Babies who miss part of those last three months in the womb also miss out on the large amounts of calcium and phosphorous that would normally be transferred from their mothers' bodies to help the bones grow. They also miss out on a big increase in fetal activity that experts believe is important for bone development. So if your baby was born early, know that her or his bones are at risk. Babies born prematurely are also more likely to suffer from neurodevelopmental impairment such as cerebral palsy, which also puts them at increase risk of bone problems, Poitevien says.
- Patricia Poitevien, M.D., medical director, Bone and Health Initiative at The Hospital for Joint Diseases
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Prevention Magazine
June 17
Tress Management- By Wendy Korn
Fight Frizz: Moisture in the air makes hair prone to frizzing. Even if your locks aren't normally vulnerable, any damage--whether from the sun or from coloring, straightening, or heat appliances--roughens cuticles, enabling water molecules in humid air to penetrate the hair shaft, causing it to swell. How Try a silicone-based smoothing serum. "These styling products temporarily 'glue' hair cuticles smooth, flattening out roughness and preventing the absorption of water molecules from the air," says Deborah Sarnoff, MD, a clinical associate professor of dermatology at NYU Langone Medical Center. Today's more advanced silicone is the ingredient of choice for frizz fighters because it's nongreasy and microfine, allowing for tinier particles to deposit on hair more uniformly than previous silicone products. Work in a dime-size dollop of smoothing serum such as Citre Shine Miracle Polishing Serum ($6; drugstores), which has added vitamins.
- Deborah Sarnoff, MD, a clinical associate professor, The Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology
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delusions result from the loss of these functions, as well as the overactivation of the left hemisphere and its language structures, that 'create a story', a story which cannot be edited and modified to account for reality. Delusions result from right hemisphere lesions, but it is the left hemisphere that is deluded."
- Orrin Devinsky, MD, director, The Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, professor, neurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry
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Renal and Urology News
June 18
A Downside to Angiotensin Blockade?- By Delicia Honen Yard
Researchers concluded that stopping ACE inhibitors or ARBs before cardiac surgery may reduce the risk of such injury. In another similar report, Canadian researchers demonstrated improved renal outcomes in CKD patients undergoing cardiac catheterization, following the temporary discontinuation of RAAS blockade, when compared with historical controls (Clin Exp Nephrol. 2007:11:209-213). But another study does not support Dr. Onuigbo's view. Jordan Rosenstock, MD, a nephrologist and colleagues randomized 220 patients with stage 3 or stage 4 CKD to continuation or discontinuation of ACE inhibitor or ARB therapy. The researchers found no significant difference in the incidence of contrast-induced nephropathy among the three groups and no significant difference among the groups in mean serum creatinine or eGFR values at baseline and post-contrast administration (Int Urol Nephrol. 2008;40:749-755). Furthermore, Dr. Rosenstock, who is also a clinical assistant professor of medicine at NYU School of Medicine in New York City, disagrees with Dr. Onuigbo's characterization of the evidence for renal protection provided by ACE inhibitors or ARBs as "soft."
- Jordan Rosenstock, MD, clinical assistant professor, medicine
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Advance for Physician Assistants
June 18
Identifying Neurologic Disorders
A new study provides a novel theory for how delusions arise and why they persist. Orrin Devinsky, MD, a researcher at NYU Langone Medical Center, performed an in-depth analysis of patients with certain delusions and brain disorders and observed a consistent pattern of injury to the frontal lobe and right hemisphere of the brain. The cognitive deficits caused by injuries to the right hemisphere lead to overcompensation by the left hemisphere, which results in delusions. "Problems caused by these brain injuries include impairment in monitoring of self, awareness of errors, and incorrectly identifying what is familiar and what is a work of fiction," says Devinsky, professor of neurology, psychiatry and neurosurgery and director of the NYU Comprehensive Epilepsy Center. "However, delusions result from the loss of these functions, as well as the overactivation of the left hemisphere and its language structures, that 'create a story', a story which cannot be edited and modified to account for reality. Delusions result from right hemisphere lesions, but it is the left hemisphere that is deluded."
- Orrin Devinsky, MD, director, The Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, professor, neurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry
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