WHSC News and 
Information
 


WHSC News Releases for March


March 27, 2002 Emory Physician Sees Cryosurgery As Growing Alternative for Destroying Kidney Cancer
Emory urologists are using a new surgical technique --crysosurgery, or the application of extreme cold to kill cancerous tissue -- in the treatment of kidney cancer. The procedure was used at the Emory Clinic for the first time in October 2001, but the physicians predict that several more procedures will be performed there in the next several months. Cryosurgery shows promising results with minimal pain and bleeding, shorter recovery period, and less expensive costs than traditional approaches, says John Pattaras, M.D., assistant professor of urology.
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March 26, 2002 Rollins School of Public Health Hosts "Access to Essential Medicines EXPO"
Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health will host Doctors Without Borders' Access to Essential Medicines EXPO on the Emory campus April 1-3. This traveling exhibit, scheduled to visit over 22 American cities, was created by the Nobel Prize-winning humanitarian organization (also known in French as Medecins Sans Frontieres) as part of an international campaign to increase awareness of the lack of access to life-saving drugs in developing countries.
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March 25, 2002 JDRF Launches Multimillion-Dollar Center for Islet Transplantation at Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia – March 23, 2002 -The need to make islet replacement successful as a viable cure for people with Juvenile Diabetes (also known as Type 1 diabetes) received a boost today with the launch of a new Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Center for Islet Transplantation at Emory University. The grant was announced at a JDRF fundraising gala this evening.
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March 25, 2002 More Georgians Facing Blindness Than Ever Before, Says NEI Study: Report Released On One of the Most-Feared Disabilities
The National Eye Institute (NEI) released findings on March 20 that state that more Americans than ever are facing the threat of blindness from age-related eye disease. More than one million Americans aged 40 and over are currently blind, and an additional 2.4 million are visually impaired. Although Georgians fare better than the national average, the statistics should make anyone over 40 take notice and seek annual eye exams. These numbers are expected to double over the next 30 years as the Baby Boomer generation ages. At the Emory Eye Center, those over the age of 40 are seen only a daily basis for such disorders and diseases as macular degeneration, cataract, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and more.
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March 25, 2002 Emory Heartwise Program Offers Free Heart Health Lectures in April
This series of free lectures is presented by The Emory HeartWise Risk Reduction Program. HeartWise is designed for anyone who has experienced a heart or circulatory event or for anyone who is considered " at risk" for heart disease. Emory Heart Center physicians and other health professionals offer individualized risk assessments followed by a carefully monitored program of exercise, nutrition and education to help lower heart disease risk. To find out more about the HeartWise program, call 404-778-2850.
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March 25, 2002 CDC Director Jeffrey Koplan Takes Key Leadership Position at Emory University's Woodruff Health Sciences Center
Jeffrey P. Koplan, MD, MPH, outgoing Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will become the new Vice President for Academic Health Affairs at Emory University's Woodruff Health Sciences Center (WHSC), effective April 22. The announcement was made by Michael M. E. Johns, MD, Executive Vice President for Health Affairs, Director of The Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center, and Chief Executive Officer of Emory Healthcare.
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March 21, 2002 Emory University Tests Safety and Effectiveness of Device for the Possible Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease
Neurologists at Emory University are studying a possible new treatment for Alzheimer's disease using a device called the COGNIShunt, designed to drain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the skull and into the abdominal cavity. By reducing the build-up of CSF around the brain, doctors hope this device will help to stabilize the disease.
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March 19, 2002 Emory Researchers Seek Patients for Cholesterol Study
Researchers at Emory University and the Atlanta VA Medical Center are conducting a study to determine how eating high-fat meals affects lipid levels and blood vessel functions. Male and female volunteers of all ages are needed.
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March 19, 2002 Emory Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery Elected to Lead Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Robert A. Guyton, MD, Chief of Emory's Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, was elected First Vice President (President Elect) for the Society of Thoracic Surgeons during the organization's recent 38th Annual Meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Dr. Guyton will assume the role of the organization's President in January of 2003.
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March 17, 2002 Emory Researchers Find Women May Have Poorer Quality Of Life After Bypass Surgery Than Men
While researchers are still unsure whether coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is associated with more unfavorable outcomes in women than in men, a new study by a team of Emory and Yale researchers suggests that women who have CABG may have a poorer quality of life after the procedure than men.
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March 16, 2002 Emory Cardiologist Nanette K. Wenger, M.D., to Receive Cardiology Award For Her Efforts To Improve Cardiovascular Care of Older Patients
Nanette K. Wenger, M.D., professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiology for Emory University School of Medicine, and chief of cardiology at Grady Memorial Hospital, will be honored as the recipient of the Distinguished Fellow Award of the Society of Geriatric Cardiology at its eighth annual scientific sessions on Saturday, March 16, at the Peachtree Plaza Hotel in Atlanta.
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March 15, 2002 American College of Cardiology Meeting In Atlanta March 18 – 20 Features Emory Cardiologists and Researchers
How does psychological stress increase the risk of heart disease? Should elective heart interventions be performed on an outpatient basis? What factors contribute to higher death rates of older diabetics undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery? There are some of the topics Emory Heart Center physicians will be on hand to discuss at The American College of Cardiology (ACC) 51st Annual Scientific Session, which begins this weekend in Atlanta.
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March 15, 2002 Research To Be Presented At ACC Meeting: Emory Study Links Inflammation Marker to Wider Pulse Pressure -- A Heart Disease Risk Factor
Knowing that your blood pressure isn't too high or too low may seem to be all the information you need about the subject. However, researchers have established that a blood pressure measurement called the pulse pressure (PP) -- the difference between the diastolic and systolic pressures --can reveal additional information about your heart health. A wide pulse pressure (PP) has been recognized in recent years as risk factor for heart disease. But how and why is a wider PP directly related to heart disease? New research linking a marker of inflammation in the body to wider pulse pressures may hold the key.
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March 15, 2002 Emory Cardiologist Nanette Wenger, M.D., To Speak About Heart Disease and Women At March 16 ACC Program
Nanette K. Wenger, M.D., professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiology for Emory University School of Medicine, and chief of cardiology at Grady Memorial Hospital, will address cardiologists, internists, gynecologists and other health care professionals from across the country on Saturday, March 16. Her address will be at the Hilton Atlanta & Towers, 255 Courtland St. in Atlanta, during the American College of Cardiology's Extramural Program, entitled, "Heart Disease in Women: Where Are We Now? Where Are We Going?"
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March 13, 2002 As Consumer Travel Confidence Improves, Emory's TravelWell Clinics Promote Prevention before Traveling Abroad
The latest Travel Confidence Survey by the Travel Industry Association of America shows the highest percentage of Americans, since Sept. 11th, planning to take at least one leisure trip in the next six months. Sixty-five percent of Americans have leisure travel plans and sixty-six percent of business travelers say they expect to take at least one trip in the first half of the year.
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March 13, 2002 Focus Is On Prevention March 17-23 For National Poison Prevention Week
Accidental poisonings are a serious – and sometimes deadly -- matter. According to the National Poison Prevention Week Council, 30 children die every year due to accidental poisoning, with approximately 1 million phone calls placed to Poison Control Centers annually by adults seeking help when children have swallowed something harmful.
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March 13, 2002 Emory Eye Center Finds Eye Drops To Treat Childhood Disorder Can Work As Well As Patching The Eye
A National Eye Institute (NEI) study, conducted at more than 40 sites nationwide including Emory Eye Center, has found that atropine drops, given once a day to treat amblyopia or lazy eye -- the most common cause of visual impairment in children -- work as well as the standard treatment of patching one eye. This research finding in the Amblyopia Treatment Study may lead to better compliance with treatment and improved quality of life in children with this eye disorder. These results appear in the March issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.
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