| Show Number |
Air Week |
Title |
Program Description |
| SHOW #131 |
December 28, 1997 |
Sleep Apnea |
An estimated twenty million Americans suffer from a disorder known as
obstructive sleep apnea. People with this illness stop breathing frequently during a
night's sleep, up to 20 to 30 times per hour. In its severe form, it can be a serious,
life-threatening condition. Our story focuses on two among many developments regarding
sleep apnea. First, a researcher has designed a mouthpiece for patients to wear while they
sleep, which delivers continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), one of the preferred
treatments. It represents a potential improvement over the most common present method,
which utilizes a more cumbersome mask apparatus. Second, there is a growing recognition
that children can and do experience sleep apnea. Those who do typically present with
fatigue and learning problems, and are frequently misdiagnosed. That erroneous diagnosis
is often attention deficit disorder (ADD), which can result in inappropriate treatment.
CONTACTS: M.A. Malone, Office of Communications, Stanford University Medical Center,
(650)723-6912; American Sleep Apnea Association, (202)293-3650; American Sleep Disorders
Association, (507)287-6006, website: http://www.asda.org
National Sleep Foundation, (202)785-2300, email: natsleep@haven.ios.com
National Center on Sleep Disorders Research, (301)435-0199; National Heart, Lung, &
Blood Institute (NHLBI) Information Center, (301)251-1222 |
| |
|
EVERYDAY BREAKTHROUGH: Kid-Friendly ER |
A new trend in emergency care is the establishment of Children's
Emergency Rooms, tailored to the unique wants and needs of kids. This piece profiles the
new facility at Wake Medical Center in Raleigh, NC CONTACT: Kylie Meyer Snyder, Public
Relations, Wake Medical Center, (919)250-7975 |
| |
|
Cataract Surgery |
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, cataract surgery is
the most performed procedure in the US, and one of the most successful, with over 90% of
patients regaining useful vision. Now, there are new developments that promise even more
success, with faster, safer, less painful operations, and quicker recoveries. Among the
many improvements is a procedure called phacoemulsification, in which a vibrating,
hollow-bored tube with a microscopic tip shatters the cloudy lens into small pieces. At
the same time, the probe suctions the broken pieces from the eye. CONTACTS: John Moran Eye
Center, University of Utah, (801)581-2352, website: http://www.insight.med.utah.edu American
Academy of Ophthalmology, website: http://www.eyenet.org
|
| |
|
Questionable Medical Devices |
A brief piece in which we pay a visit to the Museum of Questionable
Medical Devices in Minneapolis, curated by collector and enthusiast Bob McCoy. We will
occasionally feature McCoy showing us some of the more unusual and interesting pieces in
his renowned collection. CONTACT: Bob McCoy, (612)379-4046, website: http://www.mtn.org/~quack |
| SHOW #132 |
January 4, 1998 |
Instrumented Laparoscopic Spinal Fusion |
ILSF is a new, minimally invasive procedure designed to relieve back pain
from herniated or collapsed discs and degenerative disc disease. By accessing the spine
laparoscopically from the front of the body rather than cutting through the large back
muscles, smaller incisions are used, and recovery time is much faster. Small, tapered
titanium tubes called "cages," packed with a small amount of bone material from
the patient's hip, are screwed into place on both sides of the affected disc, at which
point the disc is removed. The grafted bone will then eventually fuse to the vertebrae,
stabilizing the spine. The cages, specifically designed for use with the laparascope, are
currently in FDA clinical trials at a dozen sites around the country. CONTACT: Triangle
Spine & Back Care Center, (919)876-7676 |
| |
|
FUTUREX: Ultrasound Drug Delivery |
Researchers at Stanford University are developing a way to deliver
chemotherapy to a tumor more specifically using ultrasound. First, they inject the drug.
Then, they aim a focused ultrasound beam at the tumor, which opens up the nearby blood
vessels, essentially making the tumor "leaky." In this state, the drugs can
better penetrate the tumor and destroy the cells. CONTACT: M.A. Malone, Office of
Communications, Stanford University Medical Center, (650)723-6912 |
| |
|
Oklahoma Bombing: Psychological Aftermath |
Following the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, the Department of Psychiatry
at the University of Oklahoma began a study of the school children in the area, in order
to assess the effect of the tragedy on their psychological well-being. Through structured
interviews, researchers were able to gather information on how children were coping with
the bombing, and identify children in need of further counseling. The study helped
generate a Crisis Intervention Plan for the Oklahoma City Schools, and all of this
material should serve as a model for other cities in crisis. CONTACT: Stacy Smoot, Media
Relations, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, (405)271-2323; Book entitled
"One Family Under the Same Sky" (featured in the story) can be obtained by
calling (800)858-2264 |
| |
|
BREAKTHROUGHS IN HISTORY: Tuberculosis |
A brief look at the history of tuberculosis, from the perspective of
National Jewish Hospital in Denver, the first institution in the US dedicated to the care
of needy TB patients. CONTACT: Jordan Gruener, Media Relations Director, National Jewish
Research & Medical Center, (303)398-1002, website: http://www.njc.org
|
| SHOW #133 |
Week of January 11, 1998 |
Geriatric Care: Sticht Center |
With Americans aged 65 and older comprising the fastest-growing segment
of the population, and with the aging of the Baby Boom generation increasing that trend,
new approaches to geriatric care will be a necessity in the 21st century. The
recently-opened J. Paul Sticht Center on Aging and Rehabilitation, conceived by the Wake
Forest University/Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, may represent a
model of fresh ideas on elderly care. It's the only facility in the world offering acute
care, rehabilitation, geriatric psychiatry, and transitional, or subacute care all under
one roof. In addition, the Sticht Center is closely associated with two local nursing
homes, providing a continuity of care. Basic research activities are also part of the
comprehensive package. CONTACTS: Mark Wright, Senior PR Writer/Media Manager,
(910)716-3382; Dr. William Hazzard, Director, Center on Aging, (910)716-2020 |
| |
|
EVERYDAY BREAKTHROUGHS: Breast-Feeding |
Doctors may finally be catching up to what women have known about all
along - the benefits of breast-feeding. Dr. Gary Freed at the University of North Carolina
School of Medicine has instituted a pilot program to make sure all medical students and
residents at the school learn about breast-feeding as part of their education. He has
developed a variety of teaching tools, and hopes to interest other schools in including
the instruction in their medical curricula. CONTACT: Nancy Kochuk, Public Affairs, UNC
School of Medicine, (919)966-6046 |
| |
|
New Cancer Drug |
Tirapazamine is the first drug to target so-called hypoxic cancer cells -
cells deep at the core of solid tumors, far away from the blood vessels that feed tumor
growth. As such, they are low in oxygen content, and divide slowly. These characteristics
make them resistant to radiation, which requires oxygen, and chemotherapy drugs, which
target rapidly dividing cells. Tirapazamine, developed by Dr. Martin Brown at Stanford and
researchers at SRI International, specifically reaches and destroys these cells, filling a
gap in cancer treatment, and allowing some patients to avoid otherwise inevitable surgery.
The drug is currently in clinical trials at Stanford University Medical Center and other
research facilities around the world. CONTACTS: M.A. Malone, Broadcast Media Manager,
Stanford University Medical Center, (650)723-6912; Stanford University Medical Center
Referral Center, (800)756-9000; Stanford Oncology, (800)-4-CANCER, website: www-radonc.stanford.edu/tirapaz.html;
American Cancer Society, (800)ACS-2345 |
| |
|
GENEWATCH: Preeclampsia |
Geneticists at the University of Utah have discovered a gene that appears
to put some women at greater risk of developing preeclampsia, a potentially dangerous
condition that usually appears during the second trimester of pregnancy. Left untreated,
it can lead to complications or death of the mother or the baby. Soon, there should be a
test to determine whether a woman carries the gene, and the discovery could lead to
improved treatments in coming years. CONTACTS: Dorothy Dart, Director for Communications,
University of Utah, (801)585-3470; Researchers would like to hear from families who have
two or more members who have experienced recurrent toxemia or premature labor - email: disease@genetics.utah.edu, Clinical
Coordinator email: sheryl.martin@genetics.utah.edu,
telephone: Dr. Kenneth Ward, Eccles Institute of Human Genetics, (801)581-5522; For more
information on preeclampsia or pregnancy: American Academy of Family Physicians, website: www.aafp.org/patientinfo/health1.html
or www.aafp.org/patientinfo/preeclam.html;
Alexian Brothers Medical Center, website: www.alexian.org/babies/2ndindex.html
or www.alexian.org/babies/secondtri/toxemia.html
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