| Show Number |
Air Week |
Title |
Program Description |
| SHOW #134 |
January 18, 1998 |
Prosthetic Sensors |
A company called NovaCare-Sabolich in Oklahoma City has developed new
electronic sensor systems for use in prosthetic limbs. The Sense of Feel System gives
amputees the ability to feel pressure in both their upper and lower prostheses. It helps
them maintain their center of gravity when walking. The Hot and Cold Sensory System
contains a temperature probe in the tip of the finger of the prosthetic hand. It sends
signals to electrodes attached to the residual limb, from which nerves send signals to the
brain, which correctly interpret the temperature of the object. Neither of these systems
are as yet available to the public. CONTACTS: Kristen Thomas or Kim Tefertiller, Public
Relations, NovaCare-Sabolich Prosthetics, (405)525-4000; Patient Services Department,
(800)522-4428, email: NovaCare@oandp.com, website:
www.novacaresabolich.com; Limbs For Life
(service organization), (888)235-5462 |
| |
|
BREAKTHROUGH PROFILES: Dr. Maclyn McCarty |
In 1944, Dr. McCarty and his colleagues at The Rockefeller University
Hospital published a paper that showed that DNA is the carrier of hereditary information.
Previously, it had been assumed that protein was the genetic material. Dr. McCarty's
discovery laid the groundwork for Watson and Crick's subsequent discovery of the
double-helix structure of DNA. CONTACT: The Rockefeller University, Office of Public
Affairs, (212)327-8967 |
| |
|
Ulnar-Mammary Syndrome |
Researchers have identified genetic mutations responsible for a rare
birth disorder called ulnar-mammary syndrome, which is characterized by abnormal limb,
breast, and genital developments. Although the condition is extemely rare, the discovery
of this genetic information could lead to important increased understanding of how normal
limbs develop, what triggers the onset of puberty, and other vital functions of this
particular group of genes responsible for some aspects of embryonic development. 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 birth
defects in hands or fingers - email: disease @genetics.utah.edu, telephone: Dr. Michael
Bamshad, Eccles Institute of Human Genetics, (801)585-3384, Dr. Peter Armstrong, Shriners
Hospital for Children, (801)536-3500; For more information on ulnar-mammary syndrome and
other birth defects - National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc. (NORD), (203)746-6518
or (800)999-6673, email:orphan@nord-rdb.com,
website: www.nord-rdb.com/~orphan;
NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, (301)496-5133, website: www.nih.gov/nichd/; NIH/National Institute of
Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, (301)496-8188, website: www.nih.gov/niams/; NIH Office of Rare Diseases,
website: rarediseases.info.nih.gov/ord;
Association of Families & Friends of Children with Limb Disorders, (716)762-9997;
Association of Children's Prosthetic/Orthotic Clinics, (708)698-1694; International Center
for Skeletal Dysplasia, (301)337-1250; Superkids, Inc. (newsletter for families and
friends of children with limb differences), 60 Clyde St., Newton, MA 02160; For
information on genetics and genetic counseling referrals - Alliance of Genetic Support
Groups, (301)652-5553, email: alliance@capaccess.org,
website: medhelp.org/www/agsg.htm; March of
Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, (914)428-7100, email: resourcecenter@modimes.org, website: www.modimes.org |
| |
|
FUTUREX: VR Surgery Workbench |
Researchers have developed a high-tech training and planning tool for
virtual surgical simulation. The system allows doctors to plan and practice difficult
procedures before performing them on a real patient. Wearing stereoscopic glasses, the
surgeon sees 3D textured models of the patient's body on the workbench display. With
special controllers, they can interact with the model and simulate surgical procedures.
CONTACT: Judy Kaneko, Broadcast PR Specialist, Silicon Graphics, (415)933-6171, email: mailto:jkaneko@corp.sgi.com, website: www.sgi.com |
| SHOW #135 |
January 25, 1998 |
Minimally Invasive Heart Surgery |
Traditional open-chest heart surgery requires a 12- to 15-inch incision
in the chest, and the surgeon must then split apart the breastbone and spread the ribcage
to reach the heart. Port-access minimally invasive heart surgery is a new method that
eliminates the need to make that large incision or crack the breastbone. Tubes are fed
through blood vessels in the thigh and neck to the heart, where they deliver drugs that
stop the heart and connect the patient to a heart-lung machine. Once the heart is stopped,
surgeons operate through small "ports" between the ribs using specially designed
instruments. The procedure is currently in use mainly for multiple-vessel coronary artery
bypass grafting (CABG) and mitral valve repair or replacement procedures. It offers the
advantages of reduced scarring due to the smaller incisions, and significantly quicker
recovery times. CONTACTS: M.A. Malone, Broadcast Media Manager, Stanford University School
of Medicine, (650)723-6912; Heartport, Inc., Corporate Communications, (415)482-4430, main
# (650)306-7900, website: www.heartport.com; VA
Palo Alto Health Care System, website: www.icon.palo-alto.med.va.gov
|
| |
|
EVERYDAY BREAKTHROUGH: Gambling Drug |
Researcher Dr. Suck Won Kim of the University of Minnesota is testing a
new use of an existing drug, naltrexone, to help compulsive gamblers suppress the urge to
gamble. The drug inhibits the effects of the neurotransmitter called dopamine, which
apparently is released in large quantities when the individual anticipates a reward or
pleasurable activity. Although this use is still experimental, it appears to be effective,
and may be approved by the FDA for this indication in the future. CONTACTS: Dr. Suck Won
Kim, Dept. of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, (612)625-3210, email: kimxx003@maroon.tc.umn.edu; Teri Charest,
Media Relations Representative, Office of Communications, Academic Health Center,
University of Minnesota, (612)624-4604; Gamblers Anonymous, (213)386-8789, website: www.gamblersanonymous.org |
| |
|
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) |
Seasonal Affective Disorder involves symptoms resembling clinical
depression during the winter months, which disappear with the advent of spring. The most
common treatment up to now has been exposure to very intense lights for periods of time
during the winter. Now, Dr. Michael Terman of the New York State Psychiatric Institute,
one of the leading researchers in the field, has been experimenting with the use of a
Dawn/Dusk Simulator, a programmable device attached to a specialized light attached above
a patient's bed. The simulator emits calibrated light, and in mirroring the lighting
conditions and timing of both dawn and dusk, helps reset patients' biological clocks, even
while they sleep. CONTACTS: Carolyn Conway, Director of Public Relations, Columbia
University Health Sciences Division, Office of External Relations, (212)305-3900, email: mem47@columbia.edu; Referrals: The Center for
Environmental Therapeutics, Georgetown, CO, website: www.cet.org/cet2000;
Lightbox distributor website: www.sphereone.com |
| |
|
GENEWATCH: Mapping Microbes |
While the Human Genome Project promises enormous advances in medicine by
mapping the blueprint for human life, other gene sequencing projects currently underway
may be nearly as important. There are several efforts making progress in mapping the
genomes of some of the most virulent disease-causing microbes - killers like tuberculosis,
cholera, and malaria. By learning more about the genetic structures of these organisms,
researchers should be able to develop new and better vaccines, drugs, and diagnostic tests
to combat them. CONTACT: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Office of Communications, (301)402-1663 |
| SHOW #136 |
February 1, 1998 |
Prosthetic Limb Interfaces |
Even if a prosthetic limb is very well designed, amputees can experience
serious problems, including lesions, due to the interface with their residual limb. Now a
Minnesota company founded by an amputee has come up with an interface designed to avoid
those problems. The TEC (Total Environmental Control) Interface is made of urethane, a
material that mimics the load-bearing characteristics of human tissue. It absorbs impact
and equalizes pressure throughout the socket, making for a more comfortable fit. CONTACT:
TEC Interface Systems, Waite Park, MN, (800)688-4832, website: www.biomech.com/mall/tec |
| |
|
Questionable Medical Devices |
Another in our continuing series of visits to the Museum of Questionable
Medical Devices in Minneapolis, curated by collector and enthusiast Bob McCoy. We
occasionally feature McCoy showing us some of the more unusual and interesting pieces in
his renowned collection. CONTACT: Bob McCoy, (612)379-4046, website: www.mtn.org/~quack/ |
| |
|
Biofeedback |
Biofeedback has evolved since its appearance on the scene in the Sixties.
Some of the more outlandish claims for this technique of connecting the mind and body have
gone away, but it's still in clinical use in certain areas such as pain management and
stress reduction, and it's become more solidly scientific. This story focuses on the work
being done at the biofeedback lab within the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation
at the University of Miami. There, patients who have experienced minor traumatic brain
injury or spinal cord damage are being trained, through the use of a sophisticated
biofeedback mechanism, to regain some of their lost muscle function. They are able to
establish alternate neural pathways, replacing those damaged by injury, reconnecting to
the undamaged muscles. CONTACT: Biofeedback Lab, University of Miami, (305) 585-6351 |
| |
|
EVERYDAY BREAKTHROUGHS: Octopus |
The Octopus is a device that allows doctors to perform coronary bypass
grafts without stopping or slowing the heart. It works by suction to grab a piece of the
heart and hold it motionless, so that the surgeon can place sutures with greater
precision. During the procedure, the rest of the heart continues to beat, eliminating the
need for a heart-lung bypass machine. CONTACT: Carol Hobart, Public Relations, Medtronic,
Inc., (612)574-4000, website: www.medtronic.com |
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