| Show Number |
Air Week |
Title |
Program Description |
| SHOW #125 |
November 16, 1997 |
Umbilical Cord Blood |
Stem cells are the factories of our body's blood supply, replenishing and
replacing red and white blood cells. They have proven extremely useful in transplantation
into people with a variety of diseases in which the immune system needs a boost, or
replacement. In the past, these cells have been extracted from donor bone marrow. Now
researchers have discovered that the blood in the umbilical cords and placentas of newborn
infants is an even richer source of stem cells. In the past, that blood has simply been
thrown away, but now many new parents are donating it for transplantation. The simple
extraction procedure involves no inconvenience or distraction for mother or child. Cord
blood stem cell transplants have so far been used mainly in children, particularly
children with leukemia. There are presently eight cord blood banks in the world, with
three more soon to be established in the US. CONTACTS: Mary Thompson, Public Affairs,
University of Massachusetts Medical Center at Worcester, (508)856-2000; Joanne Raymond,
Executive Director, Caitlin Raymond International Registry of Bone Marrow & Cord Blood
Donor Banks, (800)726-2824 or (508)756-6444, email:crir@tiac.net,
Web site: www.tiac.net/users/crir American
Cord Blood Program, Inc., (508)756-3076; Karen Hines, Public Affairs, Duke University
Medical Center, (919)684-4148; Duke University Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Program,
Duke U. Medical Center, (919)681-4253 |
| |
|
EVERYDAY BREAKTHROUGH: Das Occluder/Angel Wings |
Angel wings are tiny patches that can be used to cover holes in patients'
hearts without the need for open heart surgery. They are particularly useful to correct
two common heart defects - atrial septal defects, or holes in the upper chamber of the
heart ( most common in children), and smaller holes in the same area of the heart in
adults. CONTACT: Karen Hines, Public Affairs, Duke University Medical Center,
(919)684-4148 |
| |
|
Visible Human |
An executed killer from Texas and a 59-year-old Maryland housewife who
died of heart disease donated their bodies to science, and are now immortalized as the
Visible Man and the Visible Woman. The Visible Human Project is one of the most important
medical education tools to come along in years. Both cadavers were frozen, and then
horizontally sawed, one wafer-thin slice at a time, with a digital picture taken each step
along the way. The sum total of these images became a massive computerized data base, able
to be accessed and manipulated in a variety of ways. The image bank is accessible via the
Internet, and currently over 700 licensees in 26 countries are using the data sets. At the
Center for Human Simulation at the University of Colorado, the home of the project,
researchers are using the images for medical training and research, as well as adding
touch-sensitive technology for surgical simulation. In the near future, they hope to add a
pre-menopausal woman and an infant to the data base. CONTACT: Mitzi Schindler, Public
Relations, University of Colorado, (303)315-5370; WorldWideWeb "Guided Tour"
available at: http://medicine.wustl.edu/~ysp/MSN/annotes/VH/tour.html
|
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|
FUTUREX: Tuned Aperture CT |
Tuned Aperture Computed Tomography, or TACT, can take X-rays and create
three-dimensional images that are practically holographic. As long as a single reference
point can be identified, an off-the-shelf PC can take the pictures and fill in the blanks,
with higher resolution depending on the number of images fed in. It is especially useful
today in dentistry and mammography. CONTACT: Barbara Hahn, Public Relations, Bowman Gray
School of Medicine, (910)716-4587 |
| SHOW #126 |
November 23, 1997 |
Islet Cells |
Islet cells are the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. When they
become damaged or destroyed, diabetes is the result. Now, islet cells are being
transplanted, and if the procedure can be perfected, it could one day lead to a cure for
diabetes. Until recently, islet cell transplants were only performed in patients who were
also having whole organ transplants. This was due to the fact that the transplant requires
immune system suppression to prevent rejection of the foreign tissue, and the risk/benefit
analysis did not justify transplanting islet cells alone. Now, clinical trials are
underway at the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine
in which patients are receiving islet cells alone, but in this case in conjunction with
bone marrow from the same donors, in hopes of re-educating the patient's immune system to
accept the transplant, as opposed to immunosuppression. If this can be consistently and
effectively accomplished, with sufficient insulin production by the transplanted islet
cells, patients would eventually no longer need to take insulin. CONTACT: Mitra Zehtab,
MD, Director of Medical Communications, Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami
School of Medicine, (305)243-3899, email: mzehtab@mednet.med.miami.edu, Website: http://drinet.med.miami.edu |
| |
|
BREAKTHROUGH PROFILES: Dr. Monroe Wall |
Dr. Wall, a chief scientist at Research Triangle Institute, Research
Triangle Park, NC, was recently named recipient of the Alfred Burger Award by the American
Chemical Society. He is being recognized for his discovery of two powerful anti-cancer
drugs, taxol and camptothecin. The drugs were developed from the barks of two different
trees. Taxol has been especially significant in fighting ovarian and breast cancer. Dr.
Wall's associate, Dr. Mansukh Wani, is also featured in the story. CONTACT: Reid Mainess,
Public Relations, Research Triangle Institute, (919)541-6000. Websites: Research Triangle
Institute - http://www.rti.org American Chemical Society
- http://www.acs.org |
| |
|
Wheelchairs |
The Human Engineering Research Lab in the School of Health and
Rehabilitation Services at the University of Pittsburgh is the only wheelchair lab in the
country outside of private industry. The lab tests new wheelchairs for the VA, the FDA,
and large wheelchair manufacturers. They also develop new materials that are lighter and
stronger, as well as new devices to increase control and mobility. CONTACTS: The Pitt/VA
Medical Center Human Engineering Research Lab, (412)365-4850 Website: http://www.pitt.edu/~rstherl/index.html |
| |
|
BREAKTHROUGHS IN HISTORY: Aspirin |
1997 marks the one-hundredth anniversary of the synthesis of
acetylsalicylic acid, the active ingredient in aspirin, by Bayer chemist Felix Hoffman.
Within two years, it was on the market as a pain reliever, and by 1915, it was available
without a prescription. Although other pain relievers have come along to diminish
aspirin's market share, the more recently discovered cardiovascular benefits of aspirin
have ensured that it will continue to play a role for a long time to come. CONTACT: Kiera
Kelly, Golin/Harris Communications, (312)836-7110 |
| SHOW #127 |
November 30, 1997 |
Chimerism |
Chimerism is a recently-discovered phenomenon in the area of organ
transplantation in which cells from the donor organ migrate into the recipient's tissues,
and vice versa, achieving a coexistence once thought impossible. Conventional wisdom has
held that transplant recipients must take drugs that suppress their immune systems to
prevent rejection of the "foreign" tissue. But it now appears that may not be
permanently true, particularly if the recipient's immune system can be
"re-educated" by the simultaneous introduction of bone marrow from the same
donor. Clinical trials are now underway in an attempt to exploit and amplify this effect.
If the achievement of chimerism can be controlled and perfected, it would be a major step
forward in the ability of transplantation to save and extend lives. CONTACTS: University
of Pittsburgh News Bureau, (412)647-3555. For information on organ donor cards: Coalition
on Donations, 1-800-355-SHARE. |
| |
|
FUTUREX: DNA Vaccines |
The next generation in vaccine technology is likely to be DNA vaccines,
which use a piece of the genetic material from a virus to stimulate a powerful response
from a person's immune system. Research into their use is progressing on several fronts.
Among the most promising are DNA vaccines to confer immunity to influenza, malaria,
genital herpes, Lyme disease, some cancers, and even HIV. The common goal is to generate a
vaccine that will combat all strains of a disease. For example, a flu vaccine that would
result in lifelong immunity to all strains of flu. If they live up to their potential, DNA
vaccines will be one of the most significant developments in public health to come along
in decades - they are seen as very safe, effective, inexpensive, and easy to manufacture.
CONTACTS: Julie Rathburn, Media Relations, University of Washington, (206)543-3620; Frank
Hoke, Science Writer, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, (215)662-2560 |
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Guglielmi Detachable Coil |
The GDC is the first device to receive FDA approval for the treatment of
intracranial aneurysms, a dangerous "bubble" on a blood vessel in the brain that
can lead to debilitating or deadly stroke. It was developed by a team of UCLA researchers,
led by neuroradiologist Dr. Guido Guglielmi. The GDC is a soft platinum micro-coil which
is delivered to the site of the aneurysm through a micro-catheter fed into an artery
supplying the brain. With the insertion of one, but more often several coils, the aneurysm
can be essentially "plugged," reducing the risk of rupture. Prior to the
approval of the coil, the only options were risky brain surgery, or bed rest and
medication, which wouldn't necessarily prevent rupture. CONTACT: Roxanne Yamaguchi Moster,
Public Information Office, UCLA Medical Center, (310)206-1958, Website: http://neurology.medsch.ucla.edu/stroke.htm |
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EVERYDAY BREAKTHROUGH: Skin Microscopy |
Dermatologists at the University of Miami and other institutions are now
using a new device called a skin surface microscope to examine skin spots. This can
increase the accuracy of the doctor's diagnosis of melanoma (skin cancer) and other areas
of concern. Using the naked eye only, melanoma is correctly diagnosed only 60-80% of the
time. CONTACT: Dr. Mitra Zehtab, Office of Public Relations, University of Miami/Sylvester
Comprehensive Cancer Center, (305)243-4829 |
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