| Show Number |
Air Week |
Title |
Program Description |
SHOW #143
(NOTE: Show #143 is a repeat of Show #133) |
Week of March 22, 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 |
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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 |
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|
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 |
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|
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
|
| SHOW #144 |
Week of March 29, 1998 |
Parkinson's Device (Pallidal Stimulation) |
Pallidal stimulation is the latest treatment option available for people
with Parkinson's Disease, the progressive neurological disorder that robs its victims of
their ability to control their own muscles. A pacemaker-like device is implanted in the
chest, with leads attached to electrodes implanted in the pallidal region of the brain.
The signals from the device interfere with the irregular signals in the brain, inhibiting
the symptoms of Parkinson's. Unlike pallidotomy, the surgical procedure in which a lesion
is created in the pallidal region, thus relieving symptoms, this procedure is
non-destructive and reversible. CONTACTS: Teri Charest, Media Relations Representative,
University of Minnesota Academic Health Center, (612)624-4604; University of Minnesota
News Service website: www.umn.edu/urelate/news.html;
National Parkinson Foundation, (800)327-4545; Parkinson's Disease Foundation,
(800)457-6676, website: www.parkinsons-foundation.org |
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|
EVERYDAY BREAKTHROUGH: Tomato Sauce |
A recent study indicates that a compound in tomato sauce may offer some
protection against heart attacks. Researchers found that lycopene, an antioxidant found
most commonly in the average diet in cooked tomato-based foods, seemed to have a
protective effect. CONTACTS: David Williamson, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
News Services, (919)962-2091, website: www.unc.edu/news/newsserv/research/octo97/kolm.html;
Dianne Shaw, Public Relations, UNC Lineburger Comprehensive Cancer Center, (919)966-5905 |
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|
Fetal Surgery/Spina Bifida |
Astonishing progress has been achieved in recent years in surgeons'
ability to operate on fetuses in urtero. Until recently, these procedures had
only been used to repair life-threatening conditions. Now, fetal surgery has been employed
to correct or reduce the severity of non-life-threatening birth defects, most particularly
spina bifida. Spina bifida is the most common neurologic birth defect in the US. It's a
condition in which one or more of the vertabrae fail to develop completely, leaving a
portion of the spinal cord exposed to damaging amniotic fluid. Although not considered
fatal, it is often severely handicapping. By surgically closing the opening in the spine
while the fetus is still in the womb, it is thought that the severity of the disease can
be reduced. Two types of fetal surgery are currently practiced: endoscopic, in which a
television camera and tiny instruments are inserted directly into the uterine environment,
and open, in which the fetus is partially removed from the womb. CONTACTS: John Howser,
Media Director, Vanderbilt University Medical Center News & Public Affairs Office,
(615)322-4747; Dr. Joseph Bruner, Director of Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy, Vanderbilt
University Hospital, (615)322-0122; email:joe.bruner@mcmail.vanderbilt.edu at
+inet; Spina Bifida Information Contacts: National Information Center for Children and
Youth with Disabilities (NICHCY), (800)695-0285 (Voice/TT), email: nichcy@aed.org, website: www.nichcy.org;
Spina Bifida Association of America (800)621-3141, email: spinabifda@aol.com, website: www.sbaa.org; Spina Bifida Association of Canada,
(800)565-9488, website: www.sbhac.ca; March of Dimes
Birth Defect Foundation, (914)428-7100, email: resourcecenter@modimes.org,
website: www.modimes.org; National Center for
Education in Maternal and Child Health, (703)821-8955, ext. 254 or 265; National Easter
Seal Society, (800)221-6827, email: nessinfo@iseals.com,
website: www.seals.com; National Rehabilitation
Information Center (NARIC), (800)346-2742, website: www.naric.com/naric;
Usenet Newsgroup: alt.support.spina-bifida; Children with Spina Bifida: A Resource Page
for Parents, website: www.waisman.wisc.edu/~rowley/sb_kids.html;
National Hydrocephalus Foundation, (800)431-8093; Guardians of Hydrocephalus Research
Foundation, (800)458-8655 |
| SHOW #145 |
Week of April 5, 1998 |
Lung Volume Reduction (Emphysema) |
In patients with emphysema, the alveoli or air sacs in the lungs break
down, causing the lungs to lose their elasticity and over-inflate, making breathing
progressively more difficult. Treatment options are relatively few - drugs and exercise
can help, and in some cases lung transplant is indicated, but of course that procedure is
risky, and donor lungs are scarce. Now, an operation called lung volume reduction can
offer another alternative. In this surgery, damaged parts of the lungs are removed,
reducing volume by 20-30%. This has the effect of returning some of the lungs' elasticity,
making it easier to breathe. The operation is not a cure, but can provide significant
relief. A major study is now underway to assess the procedure's long-term value. CONTACTS:
Joni Westerhouse, Director for Medical Communications, Washington University (St. Louis),
(314)286-0120; National Emphysema Foundation, (203)852-1009, website: emphysemafoundation.org; American Lung
Association, (800)LUNG-USA, website: www.lungusa.org |
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BREAKTHROUGH PROFILES: Dr. Thomas Starzl |
Dr. Starzl is one of the pioneers in the field of organ transplantation.
He and his team at the University of Colorado performed the world's first liver transplant
in 1963. Later, he moved to the University of Pittsburgh, which under his leadership has
become one of the most active and innovative centers for transplantation research and
innovation. He has championed the cause of new anti-rejection drugs, such as cyclosporine
in the 1970's and FK-506 in the 80's. He and his colleagues at Pittsburgh have more
recently discovered the phenomenon known as chimerism, is which cells from the donated
organ migrate into the recipient's body, and vice versa. This has allowed some transplant
recipients to successfully wean themselves from anti-rejection medication. SEE ALSO our
story on chimerism in the Program Summary for Show #127, Week
of October 10, 1997. CONTACT: Lisa Rossi, News Bureau, University of Pittsburgh Medical
Center, (412)647-3555 |
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|
Cartilage Transplantation (Carticel) |
A new procedure called Carticel has recently been approved for the repair
of damaged knee cartilage. First, a sample of a patient's own healthy cartilage is
extracted and sent to a facility in Massachusetts. There, the tissue is bathed in enzymes
and broken down to the cellular level. Those cells are then grown and multiplied into a
quantity suitable for reimplantation at the site of the knee damage. Our bodies themselves
are for the most part incapable of regenerating cartilage cells. Once the reimplantation
has taken place, a lengthy period of rehabilitation begins, which gives the transplant the
opportunity to "take," eventually replacing the damaged cartilage and restoring
functionality. CONTACTS: Kathi Ovnic, Public Affairs, Emory University Woodruff Health
Sciences Center, (404)727-5686, website: http://www.emory.edu/WHSC;
Genzyme Corporation, Scott Gregg, (617)761-8923, website: www.genzyme.com;
American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, website: www.aaos.org/wordhtml/pat_educ/knee2.htm
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|
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 |
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