November 29, 2001	Holiday Heart Syndrome: Don't Risk Your Heart Health This Holiday Season Although the holidays can be heartwarming, they can also cause heart problems. Drinking too much alcohol during this season of parties and high spirited revelry can result in Holiday Heart Syndrome - an often frightening disruption of the heart's normal rhythm. FULL STORY
November 29, 2001	2002 Olympic Torch Relay Starts In Atlanta on December 4th: Emory Heart Center Director Chosen to Carry Torch The Olympic Flame last rested on U.S. soil in Atlanta - and it returns here next Tuesday when the 2002 Olympic Torch Relay begins. Emory Heart Center Director Douglas Morris, M.D., has been tapped by the Olympic Affairs Team to be one of the first Torch Bearers to participate in the event which kicks off at Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta on December 4th at 8:00 a.m. FULL STORY
November 29, 2001	New Diabetes Study Will Determine Effects of Socioeconomic Status on Glycemic Control ATLANTA, GA, November 20, 2001 -- A new study being conducted by Emory University School of Medicine researchers at Grady Memorial Hospital will focus on determining the effects of socioeconomic status on glucose control. The study, Understanding Glycemic Outcomes In Urban African Americans With Diabetes, targets diabetic patients and will examine how issues such as poverty, access to medical care, family size, homelessness, and educational level may have an impact on diabetes severity on urban populations served by Grady Health System. The study began Sept. 1. FULL STORY
November 25, 2001	Scientists Determine the Structure of Human Monoamine Oxidase B (MAO B) Scientists from Emory University School of Medicine and the University of Pavia, Italy, have determined for the first time the three-dimensional structure of monoamine oxidase B (MAO B) — an enzyme important in several major disease processes; particularly age-related neurological disorders. Understanding the detailed structure of the enzyme should provide a framework for designing new neuroprotective drugs. The research was published in the January issue of Nature Structural Biology. FULL STORY
November 16, 2001	Emory School of Medicine Names James Zaidan New Chair of Anesthesiology Emory University School of Medicine Dean Thomas J. Lawley, M.D., has named cardiac anesthesiologist James R. Zaidan, M.D., M.B.A., new chair of the Department of Anesthesiology. Dr. Zaidan, a professor of anesthesiology and associate dean for graduate medical education in the School of Medicine, has been an Emory faculty member since 1977. He has clinical appointments at Emory University Hospital, Crawford Long Hospital, the Atlanta VA Medical Center, Grady Memorial Hospital and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston. FULL STORY
November 16, 2001	*Emory Eye Center Again in Opthalmology Times* National Rankings** The Emory Eye Center has again landed in Ophthalmology Times' top ten rankings for national ophthalmic programs. Ophthalmology Times is a semi-monthly newspaper written and reviewed by ophthalmologists. The Eye Center was ranked in the Nov. 1 issue under the category "Best Overall Program" as eighth (the same as last year), in "Best Clinical (patient care) Programs" as seventh (a new ranking for the Eye Center), and as sixth in the category "Best Residency Programs" (same as last year). FULL STORY
November 16, 2001	Video Capsule Technology Helps Emory/VAMC Doctors Get an Inside Look In the past, doctors have had difficulty diagnosing problems in the small intestine because they were only able to see about one-third of it by using the traditional enteroscopy, an uncomfortable procedure requiring manual insertion of a scope into the small intestine via the mouth. Now, with the help of a capsule-sized camera, doctors can obtain images of the entire small intestine with little or no discomfort to the patient. FULL STORY
November 15, 2001	Scientists Identify Specific Genes in the Brain Affected by Fragile X Syndrome Scientists have identified for the first time specific genes in the brain that are affected by the lack of FMRP - the protein that is absent in individuals with fragile X syndrome, the most frequent cause of inherited mental retardation in humans. The finding, published in the Nov. 16 issue of the journal Cell, provides the first clear evidence that fragile X syndrome may be caused by the dysregulation of specific mRNA (messenger RNA) molecules and their encoded proteins. The research group included scientists from Emory University, the Rockefeller University, Duke University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. FULL STORY
November 15, 2001	Max Cleland to Convene RountableTable at Emory University on Georgia's Readiness for Bio-Terrorist Incident U.S. Senator Max Cleland (D-GA) will convene a roundtable discussion Monday, November 19 at Emory University on the State of Georgia's preparedness for a bio-terrorist attack. In addition to Senator Cleland, participants include Georgia Governor Roy Barnes; Dr. Jeffrey Koplan, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Dr. James Curran, Dean of Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health; Dr. Kathleen Toomey, Director of the Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Public Health; and Phil Jacobs of the Friends of CDC. The Roundtable will highlight Georgia's evolving infrastructure and the federal, state, and community partnerships necessary to effectively fight bio-terrorism. FULL STORY
November 13, 2001	Spinal Cord Stimulation or Repeat Spine Surgery: Emory Studies Which is Most Effective for Treatment of Chronic Low Back Pain Could a small device implanted under the skin be the answer for thousands of patients suffering with persistent leg and back pain following low back surgery? Doctors at Emory University are trying to determine if spinal cord stimulation, rather than more surgery, can be an effective treatment for patients with a condition called Failed Back Surgery Syndrome (FBSS). The new study, recently underway at the Emory Spine Center, is the first of its kind to compare two treatments for chronic low back pain and leg pain: spinal cord stimulation and repeat spine surgery. FULL STORY
November 13, 2001	Can Chinese Mind-Body Exercises Help Improve Mobility in Patients with Parkinson's Disease? Emory Researchers Begin New Study to Find Out Answer Ancient Chinese martial arts forms have been a popular exercise used by seniors for years. Many find that the regular practice of these various martial arts helps improve balance, strength and body awareness. Now, researchers at Emory University are studying just how effective two Chinese mind-body exercises, Tai Chi and Qi Gong (pronounced Chi Gong), may be in patients with Parkinson's disease. The goal is to determine if these exercise modalities can improve the motor and non-motor disabilities associated with the disease. Investigators also intend to compare whether the potential benefits accrued from these "eastern" exercise forms differ from those we assume can be gained from more traditional "western" forms, such as aerobic exercises. FULL STORY
November 12, 2001	Vagus Nerve Stimulation Proves to be an Effective Treatment in Children with Difficult-to-Treat Epilepsy New study results show that an implantable device, called the vagus nerve stimulator (VNS), can help reduce seizure frequency and improve quality of life in children with treatment-resistant epilepsy. The results are published in this month's edition of the Journal of Child Neurology. FULL STORY
November 9, 2001	Emory Experts on Medicine, Public Health and Bioterrorism The following experts from the Woodruff Health Sciences Center are available for interviews on the medical and public health issues associated with bioterrorism. FULL STORY
November 8, 2001	Experimental Study Using Magnets May Help Reduce Depression in Patients with Parkinson's Disease Patients with Parkinson's disease, who suffer from severe depression in the course of the disease, may soon be able to lighten their mood through an experimental study at Emory University. Charles Epstein, M.D., associate professor of neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, and colleagues are exploring an alternative to drug therapy - an alternative that consists of stimulating the brain with electrically powered magnets. The process is known as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Researchers hope TMS can improve the moods of certain patients with Parkinson's disease and bring them out of their depressive states. FULL STORY
November 7, 2001	How Diabetes Can Adversely Affect Your Eyes November 1-30 is Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month. Many are unaware that diabetes can lead to vision loss when untreated. Ophthalmologists at the Emory Eye Center routinely treat patients who have the particular complications of diabetes that affect their vision. FULL STORY
November 7, 2001	Emory University Announces Newly Formed Emory Center on Health Outcomes and Quality ATLANTA, GA and HARTFORD, CT, November 5, 2001 -- Emory University and Aetna (NYSE: AET) today announced that the USQA Center for Health Care Research, an Aetna affiliate, has become the cornerstone of the newly formed Emory Center on Health Outcomes and Quality. This agreement immediately establishes one of the largest groups in the nation in health research directed at measuring and assessing the quality of health care with the aim of improving medical outcomes. FULL STORY

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