WHSC News Releases for January 1998

Jan 8 '98	EMORY RESEARCHER STUDIES OVERCOMING RESISTANCE TO CANCER THERAPY "Many cancers are successfully treated with chemotherapy, radiation or immunotherapy when they are first diagnosed in their early stages. But when these cancers recur or become metastatic they often seem to resist the very same treatments that were successful the first time around. Using knowledge about cell biology and cancer genetics gained through his laboratory investigations, Emory University's Winship Cancer Center scientist Kapil Bhalla, M.D., is designing and using new drug combinations in clinical trials to try and overcome this resistance."More
Jan 8 '98	NEW CHAIR OF CELL BIOLOGY ADDS FACULTY AND MODEL SYSTEMS IN DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY"As one of the world's leading researchers in the field, Barry Shur, Ph.D., chair of Emory University's Department of Cell Biology, is credited with opening up an entire new area of research with his work in the biology of adhesion and cell surface interactions. He and his colleagues, in research begun 20 years ago, identified the receptor on the sperm surface called galactosyl transferase that allows the sperm to bind to the egg coat and fertilize the egg. Dr. Shur believes this knowlege may lead to further understanding of many instances of infertility and to more specific, less toxic contraceptives. More
Jan 8 '98	EMORY RESEARCHER STUDIES CELL CYCLE CHECKPOINTS PRESERVING GENETIC STABILITY "Suppose you were repairing the hole in your roof, but before you could finish the job other holes began to appear. If this continued, you might not complete all the repairs before the whole roof caved in! Human cells are constantly faced with the need to repair damage to their DNA from UV light, chemicals, man-made sources like gamma radiation, and oxygen byproducts. They are quite adept at these repairs as long as they are given the time." More
Jan 6 '98	EMORY CANCER RESEARCHERS TEST MORE EFFECTIVE TREATMENT FOR BRAIN TUMORS "Emory cancer researchers are conducting clinical trials of a method of drug delivery that appears to dramatically increase the effects of traditional chemotherapeutic drugs on brain cancer." More
Jan 6 '98	CATARACTS IN KIDS"Cataracts, so often considered a consequence of getting older, actually can afflict the very young. As many as six out of every 10,000 infants are born with cataracts in this country."More
Jan 6 '98	CLUES ON CONTACTS "If you have contact lenses, you've probably seen the shelves crammed full of contact lens solutions at the local pharmacy. To help narrow your choices when approaching that saline quagmire, Michael Ward, director of the Contact Lens Service at Emory Eye Center, offers the following tips:" More
Jan 6 '98	EYE EXAMS: WHEN TO GO; WHAT TO EXPECT "Eye doctors at the Emory Eye Center offer the following general guidelines for scheduling eye check-ups. Remember, if you are diagnosed with a blinding disease, seek treatment from an ophthalmologist who specializes in treating your condition."
Jan 6 '98	JUST ANOTHER ELVIS SIGHTING?"If you have low vision, you may benefit from a new low vision enhancement system available in Emory Eye Center's Low Vision Clinic." More
Jan 6 '97	LASER TREATMENT 90 PERCENT SUCCESSFUL IN SAVING SIGHT OF PREEMIES "So much is at stake when a child comes into the world too soon. The heart, lungs, liver, kidneys and brain are not yet ready for the harsh realities of living and breathing. This is especially so when the baby leaves the warm, protected environment of the womb at halftime--long before the normal 40-week gestation period." More
Jan 5 '98	BALDNESS PILL AND CF INHALANT ANTIBIOTIC TO SOON REACH PHARMACY SHELVES "A pill form of the drug finasteride was approved Dec. 22 by the Food and Drug Administration for treating male-pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia)."More
Jan 1 '98	DIRECTOR OF WHITE HOUSE OFFICE OF NATIONAL AIDS POLICY TO DELIVER NURSING LECTURESHIP JAN. 15 "Sandra Thurman, director, White House Office of National AIDS Policy will present this year's David Jowers Lectureship on AIDS and Infectious Diseases on Thursday, Jan. 15, 1998, at 4 p.m. at Emory University" More
Jan 1 '98	THE EMORY CLINIC SOCIAL CIRCLE CELEBRATES NEW FACILITY GRAND OPENING"The Emory Clinic Social Circle celebrates its new facility grand opening today at 551 North Cherokee Rd. in Social Circle. This site is a highly-valued component of The Emory Clinic outside the main clinic facility on the Emory University campus in DeKalb County, and is conveniently located on campus with The Mews, a retirement facility." More
Jan 1 '98	HELPING YOUR KIDS WITH POST-HOLIDAY BLUES "December is the season of fun and festivities and can be a tough act to follow into January. "Readjusting to life after the holidays can be quite a challenge for some families," says Dr. Karen Dewling, a pediatrician at The Emory Clinic North. More
Jan 1 '98	EMORY AND WESLEY WOODS DISCUSS EXPANDED RELATIONSHIP "On Thursday, Dec. 11, the Emory University Board of Trustees authorized Michael M. E. Johns, M.D., executive director of Emory's Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center and chairman of the board and chief executive officer of EMORY HEALTHCARE, and other officers of Emory and EMORY HEALTHCARE to begin study and negotiation of the possible integration of the existing Clifton Road campus of Wesley Woods into EMORY HEALTHCARE. The Board of Directors of Wesley Woods, Inc. approved a similar action at its most recent meeting in November, according to William L. Minnix, Jr., D.Min., president and chief executive officer of Wesley Woods." More
Jan 1 '98	NEARLY HALF OF POSTMENOPAUSAL DOCTORS USE HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY, ACCORDING TO FIRST LOOK AT USAGE PATTERNS "Women doctors who have undergone menopause use hormone replacement therapy (HRT) at nearly twice the rate of other postmenopausal women, report Emory University researchers in this week's Annals of Internal Medicine. The study is the first to evaluate women physicians' use of HRT."More

For more general information on The Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences
Center, call The Health Sciences Communications Office at
404-727-5686, or send e-mail to hsnews@emory.edu.