| Show Number |
Air Week |
Title |
Program Description |
| SHOW #137 |
February 8, 1998 |
Arrhythmia Network |
The Stanford Transtelephonic Arrhythmia Network (STAN) is an outpatient
service for people with known or suspected cardiac arrhythmia. The technology allows
patients to use a small hand-held device to record specific episodes of cardiac
disturbance, and transmit the recorded data over telephone lines to their doctors, who can
monitor their situations more accurately. The service is staffed by experts 24 hours a
day, and occasionally recommends that a patient receive emergency care. CONTACT: Kelly J.
Cook, RN, BSN, CCRN, Program Coordinator, Stanford Transtelephonic Arrhythmia Network,
Stanford, CA, (650)498-7717, email: cook@hosp.stanford.edu
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EVERYDAY BREAKTHROUGHS: Tea & Skin Cancer |
Dr. Zhi Yuan Wang of Columbia University has found evidence that tea can
prevent skin cancer. His studies showed that treatment with tea extracts could protect
animals against UV light-induced skin cancer. Further studies show that topical and
ingested doses of either green or black tea extracts can protect against sunburn and skin
cancer related to exposure to the sun. CONTACT: Carolyn Conway, Media Relations Manager,
Office of External Relations, Health Sciences Division, Columbia University, (212)305-4243
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Corneal Rings |
Intrastromal corneal ring implants are the newest treatment available for
mild forms of myopia, commonly known as nearsightedness. The surgery involves inserting a
tiny, transparent polymer ring into the cornea, which reshapes the cornea to correct for
the vision problem. Unlike other surgical procedures such as PRK and RK, this procedure is
reversible. Corneal rings could eliminate the need for glasses or contact lenses for
moderately nearsighted individuals. The implants are still in clinical trials, but could
become generally available in the near future. CONTACTS: Kathi Ovnik, Public Affairs,
Emory University, Woodruff Health Sciences Center, (404)727-5686, email: covnic@emory.edu; website: www.emory.edu/WHSC/; Judy Walker, Clinical Research
Coordinator, Emory Vision Correction Center, (404)250-1525, website: www.emory.org/vision_correction |
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FUTUREX: CyberKnife |
The CyberKnife, a robotic linear accelerator, is currently being tested
at six sites worldwide, including the Cleveland Clinic. The device is actually a form of
targeted cancer radiotherapy, utilized mainly to treat brain and spinal tumors. It uses
technology originally developed in the Star Wars program to precisely track the position
of tumors in real time, correcting for slight movement by the patient. This distinguishes
it from similar systems, which require that the patient's head must be immobilized.
CONTACTS: Dr. Richard Crownover, Cleveland Clinic, (216)444-1925; Dr. Roger Macklis,
Cleveland Clinic, (216)444-5576; manufacturer's website: www.neoforma.com.prod/n0_/n0_sj0tj.html
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| SHOW #138 |
February 15, 1998 |
Jaw Lengthening |
In the past, children born with misshapen, underdeveloped jaws faced
major, highly invasive corrective surgery. Now a new, much less aggressive technique can
achieve the same results. This jaw lengthening method has been adapted from a procedure
originally developed by a Russian orthopedic surgeon for use on legs and arms. Incisions
are made in the outer mandible, and a bone-lengthening device made of pins and metal with
external screws is implanted. The patient wears the device for about three months, turning
the screws very slightly every day for a month. CONTACT: Nancy Kochuk, Medical Center PR,
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, (919)966-3366 |
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BREAKTHROUGHS IN HISTORY: Crawford Long |
In 1842, Dr. Crawford W. Long of Jefferson, Georgia became the first
physician to use ether as an anesthetic, ushering in the modern era of painless surgery.
Not realizing the profound significance of his achievement, he made no effort to publicize
it, and until recently his first use was not recognized. Today, the Crawford W. Long
Museum in Jefferson stands as an educational memorial to this skilled and innovative
surgeon. CONTACT: Tina Harris, Director, Crawford W. Long Museum, Jefferson, Georgia,
(707)367-5307 |
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Breast Cancer/PET Scans |
Early detection is one of the keys to successful treatment of breast
cancer. Now, the use of the imaging technology known as the PET scan (Positron Emission
Tomography) could contribute to earlier detection and more accurate diagnosis. PET scans
have been used widely to study other parts of the body, notably activity in the brain.
Now, it's being studied as a tool to detect and diagnose breast cancer. Eventually it
could prevent the need for invasive diagnostic surgery in some women, who today must have
their axillary lymph nodes removed to determine whether their breast cancer has begun to
spread to other parts of the body. CONTACTS: George Stamatis, Public Affairs, Case Western
Reserve University School of Medicine, (216)368-3635; PET facility at University Hospitals
of Cleveland Voice Mail System, (216)844-7683; American Cancer Society, (800)ACS-2345,
website: www.cancer.org/bottom.html
American Cancer Society Breast Cancer Network website: www.cancer.org/bcn/bcn.html; Y- ME, National
Organization for Breast Cancer Information and Support, (800)221-2141, website: www.y-me.org |
| SHOW #139 |
February 22, 1998 |
Prostatron |
Most, if not all men over 50 will at some point suffer from enlarged
prostate, known clinically as benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH. BPH is a non-cancerous
growth of the prostate gland, which pressures the urethra, leading to frequent and
uncomfortable urination, possible blockage of the urethra, and possible infection. Current
therapies include drugs, which must be taken for life, and surgery. Now thereÕs another
FDA-approved alternative for men who either do not respond well to the medications or
aren't good candidates for the surgery. It's called transurethral microwave thermotherapy
(TUMT), using the device called the Prostatron. It uses a catheter with a
microwave-emitting tip to heat the cells of the prostate gland. The thermal energy is
monitored and controlled by the device, safely shrinking and destroying cells in the
prostate without harming surrounding structures. The procedure is minimally invasive,
performed on an outpatient basis, and patients can typically resume normally activities
immediately following treatment. CONTACTS: John Howser, Media Director, Vanderbilt
University Medical Center, (615)322-4747; Prostatron manufacturer: EDAP Technomed, Inc.,
toll-free hotline: (800)933-TUMT (8868), website: www.edaptechnomed.com
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EVERYDAY BREAKTHROUGH: Bispectral Index |
Anesthesiologists currently rely on standard dosages and vital signs
response to measure the effects of anesthesia. Those methods can sometimes result in
inaccurate information, leading to the patient receiving too much or too little
anesthesia. The Bispectral Index offers a more quantitative approach. The device measures
subtle changes in the patient's EEG, or brain waves, converting the data into a single
number that measures level of consciousness. This allows the anesthesiologist to fine-tune
dosages, preventing under- or over-anesthesia. CONTACTS: Joni Morford, Fischer &
Partners, Inc., (310)577-7870; Aspect Medical Systems, Inc. (888)247-4633, website: www.aspectms.com |
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Heart Reduction Surgery |
Left ventricular remodeling is also known as the Batista procedure, after
the Brazilian surgeon who developed it. It's a controversial operation in which a portion
of the heart muscle is removed, reducing the overall volume of the heart and restoring its
ability to pump blood efficiently to all areas of the body. It's intended to help people
with enlarged hearts due to heart failure. Often, these are patients awaiting a heart
transplant, and this procedure can serve as a bridge until a donor heart becomes
available. Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic have been at the forefront of introducing the
procedure into American clinical practice, gathering ongoing data in the process of
evaluating its value. They are quick to point out, however, that the operation is suited
for a very limited number of patients, and is not the panacea it has been portrayed to be
in many prior media reports. CONTACTS: Jim Armstrong, Health Affairs, Division of Health
Affairs, The Cleveland Clinic, (216)444-9455, Cleveland Clinic Information Line for heart
& lung procedures: (800)822-9488, websites: www.ccf.org
(general Cleveland Clinic Foundation site), www.heartcenter.ccf.org:8080/05-00/05-04/05-04.htm
(Dr. McCarthyÕs paper on left ventricular remodeling) |
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FUTUREX: Mucosal Vaccines |
Ninety percent of all human infections begin at mucus membrane sites. Now
there's research in progress to exploit that fact by blocking infections at those sites,
through the use of vaccines designed to prevent the pathogens from invading the body.
Present vaccines are injected, and produce a systemic response, fighting infectious agents
after they're in the bloodstream. Dr. Victor Fischetti at The Rockefeller University has
developed a way to engineer harmless bacteria which live at the mucosal sites to deliver
vaccine agents to those sites, raising an immune response which would prevent future
infection by the disease-causing pathogen. CONTACT: Joseph Bonner, Assistant Director of
Communications, The Rockefeller University. |
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