Weeks of August 24, 31 and September 7, 1997

Show Number	Air Week	Title	Program Description
SHOW #113	August 24, 1997	Human Performance	The Human Performance Laboratory at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis is a high-tech facility designed to analyze human motion. The data generated is passed to clinicians to help maximize patients' ability to walk, to evaluate the potential benefit of surgery, and for many other purposes. The combination of electrodes, video cameras, and computers allows researchers to precisely analyze movement in people with cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and other diseases that affect muscular function. The lab is also used to study the flexibility and movement of athletes and dancers. CONTACT: Washington University School of Medicine, Joni Westerhous, Office of Medical Public Affairs, 314-286-0100
		BREAKTHROUGH PROFILES: Dr. Camran Nezhat	In the 1970's, Dr. Nezhat, of the Stanford Endoscopy Clinic, was the first to combine the laparoscope (an optical device introduced into the body through a small incision) with the video camera. it was a major step forward in the concept of minimally invasive surgery, and is today in common and increasing usage. CONTACT: Stanford University Medical Center, 415-725-5371
		Blood Test Microchip	Researchers are working on putting the capabilities of a sophisticated blood testing laboratory into an electronic device the size of a TV remote control. This could lead to faster, easier, and cheaper blood tests in the future, both in the doctor's office and at home. CONTACT: Teri Charest, Office of Public Relations, University of Minnesota, 612-624-4604
		EVERYDAY BREAKTHROUGHS: Home Testing	The increasing use of home diagnostic tests has, for the most part, proven to be a good thing for patients and doctors alike, and new more advanced home tests are on the horizon. But no home test should be considered without a doctor's involvement, in case of false positive or negative results.
		Awake Brain Surgery	Brain surgery in which the patient is awakened during the procedure has actually been in use for quite some time, but now advanced computer brain imaging technology has made it more precise than ever. The intent is for the awakened patient to respond verbally to the surgeon, so that delicate areas of the brain are not damaged during the operation. The imaging is an additional ally in the effort to ensure that critical neural functions are not compromised within the surgical procedure. CONTACT: John Howser, Media Director, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 615-322-4747

SHOW #114	August 31, 1997	X Chromosome	Researchers at Washington University at St. Louis have succeeded in generating a high-resolution map of the human X chromosome. This achievement is a significant step forward in the world-wide effort to map the entire human genome. The X chromosome is particularly important because many of the inherited diseases suffered by males stem from a genetic mutation somewhere along the X chromosome. The milestone could ultimately lead to new tests for genetic diseases, and new forms of gene therapy for those diseases. CONTACT: Washington University School of Medicine, Joni Westerhous, Office of Medical Public Affairs, 314-286-0100
		GENE WATCH	The first installment of a new recurring feature on BreakThrough designed to keep viewers abreast of the ongoing discovery and identification of significant human genes. In this edition, we survey the Human Genome Project, the massive world-wide effort to map the entire human genome. When this project is complete, it will be a landmark achievement in science, and is expected to usher in a new era in medicine. CONTACT: National Human Genome Research Institute, 301-402-8564 or Website:http://www.nhgri.nih.gov/NEWS/news.html
		Sudden Cardiac Death	Sudden cardiac death is one of our leading killers, and all too often it strikes without any warning, in people who have no apparent risk factors. Now, a team of researchers at MIT has discovered a previously unrecognized marker, or warning sign, for sudden cardiac death. It's called T-Wave Alternans, and it can be detected by a newly developed device known as a "super ECG." This device is one thousand times more sensitive than a standard ECG, and is capable of picking up this extremely subtle warning sign. When people with this marker have been identified, they can be given a tiny battery-operated device called a cardiac defibrillator. The defibrillator is implanted in the patient, senses when the heart begins to beat out of control, and sends an electrical impulse out, re-set the heart's rhythm. CONTACT: Jeffrey Arnold, President & CFO, Cambridge Heart, 617-271-1200 or Elizabeth Thompson, Science Writer, MIT News Office, 617-253-2700
		FUTUREX: AngioJet	The AngioJet is a device that may soon replace bypass surgery and side-effect-prone drug therapies for arterial blockage. It is essentially an "arterial vacuum cleaner," in that it is fed to the clot site via a catheter, and essentially sucks the clot away. CONTACT: Possis Medical, Inc. Minneapolis, MN 1-800-810-7677
		Men's & Women's Brains	Reuban & Raquel Gur are both psychologists at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center. Together, through a combination of behavioral tests and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) brain imaging, they have discovered some significant differences between the brains of men and women. It seems that men start out with larger brains, but lose brain tissue with aging at a rate three times faster than women, and that loss begins much younger. Thus, they tend to work their remaining brain tissue at higher metabolic rates. This can in turn accelerate brain cell loss, and it's suspected that this might be a contributing factor to the lower average life expectancy of men. Women, on the other hand, also lose brain tissue, but the loss starts later in life, and their brain activity gradually slows roughly in proportion to the tissue loss. The Gurs also suspect that their findings might shed light on some of the well-documented behavioral differences between men and women. CONTACT: Frank Hoke, Science Writer, University of Pennsylvania, 215-662-2560
SHOW #115	September 7, 1997	Smoking	Researchers at Duke University Comprehensive Cancer Center have discovered a direct link between heavy smoking and genetic damage. In a study comparing two groups of lung cancer patients, they found that the patients who had been smokers (the other group was comprised of lung cancer patients who had not been smokers) were missing a small section of Chromosome 11. Clinically, this appears to correlate to a shortened average survival time, and could serve as a marker for more intensified treatment when this damage is detected in an individual. CONTACT: Lauren McFeeley, Office of Communications, Duke University Comprehensive Cancer Center, 919-684-5731
		FUTUREX: MAD Lab	The MAD (Microsurgery Advanced Design) Lab, located at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, is a facility where engineers and physicians come together to create customized, innovative surgical tools. So far it has produced more than fifty inventions, and at least six patents. CONTACT: Mark Kusinitz, Johns Hopkins, 410-955-8665
		Bone Density	Bone density testing is designed to check for the existence or potential risk of osteoporosis. It is underutilized in people, 80 percent of them women, who are at risk for this devastating disease of bone loss. The disease can be warded off with appropriate use of diet, exercise, calcium supplements, and medications. CONTACT: Roxanne Yamaguchi Moster, Office of Public Information, UCLA, 310-206-1958, or Diane Shnitzler, Assistant Director of Communications, National Osteoporosis Foundation, 202-223-2226, Website:www.nof.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
		Cholesterol Removal	There are some people who suffer from astronomically high levels of cholesterol in their body, a condition known as hypercholesterolemia. It is genetic in origin, and runs in families. In the past, it has often resulted in early mortality due to heart attack. Now, a treatment has been devised that extend the lives of these patients, for whom other therapies are ineffectual. It involves a process called LDL apheresis. It�s similar to kidney dialysis, in that the patient�s blood is circulated through a machine that filters our the LDL (�bad�) cholesterol, and then returns the blood to the patient�s system. Apheresis can lower LDL cholesterol level between 70 and 80 percent in just one session, but the treatment must be repeated periodically to maintain that benefit. CONTACT: MEDPED, 1-800-2hi-CHOL (for people interested in more information on familial hypercholesterolemia)