February 2014 News from the Medical Schools: Research

The Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY) brings you the following compilation of the most recent updates and news on research from the academic medical centers in the state.

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Researchers at the Academic Medical Centers

Library Display Recalls Important Contributions of Stanley Levenson, M.D.
February 18, 2014 – During February, Einstein’s D. Samuel Gottesman Library is showcasing “A Tribute to Dr. Stanley M. Levenson” to honor the legacy of its former distinguished university professor emeritus of surgery, who was world-famous for his pioneering advances in burn treatmen

Medical Students Share Original Research Results
February 4, 2014 – At the 2014 Medical Student Research Forum, aspiring physician-scientists showcased 34 original research projects they conducted at the University at Buffalo, its partner health care agencies and institutions nationwide.

Physician-Scientist Leads Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine Division
February 4, 2014 – Multidisciplinary physician-scientist Bruce R. Troen, MD, professor of medicine, has been named chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grants for Research

NIH Study Seeks to Improve Asthma Therapy for African-Americans
February 12, 2014 – Researchers will enroll around 500 African-American children and adults who have asthma in a multi-center clinical trial to assess how they react to therapies and to explore the role of genetics in determining the response to asthma treatment. This new clinical study, which will take place at 30 sites in 14 states, is aimed at understanding the best approach to asthma management in African-Americans, who suffer much higher rates of serious asthma attacks, hospitalizations, and asthma-related deaths than whites.

NIH Study Finds Regular Aspirin Use May Reduce Ovarian Cancer Risk
February 6, 2014 – Women who take aspirin daily may reduce their risk of ovarian cancer by 20 percent, according to a study by scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health. However, further research is needed before clinical recommendations can be made.

First Evidence-Based Diagnostic Criteria Published for Temporomandibular Disorders
February 3, 2014 – The first evidence-based diagnostic criteria have been developed to help health professionals better diagnose temporomandibular disorders (TMD), commonly known as TMJ, a group of often-painful jaw conditions that affect an estimated 10 to 15 percent of Americans. The diagnostic criteria, developed by researchers in North America, Europe and Australia, are professional recommendations on how best to detect a disease or condition.

NIH Study Offers Insight Into Why Cancer Incidence Increases with Age
February 3, 2014 – Scientists have known for years that age is a leading risk factor for the development of many types of cancer, but why aging increases cancer risk remains unclear. Researchers suspect that DNA methylation, or the binding of chemical tags, called methyl groups, onto DNA, may be involved. Methyl groups activate or silence genes, by affecting interactions between DNA and the cell’s protein-making machinery.

Other Funds for Research

Heart Researchers to Study a Leading Cause of Sudden Death in Youg People with $2.9 Million Grant
February 5, 2014 – Researchers at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry are part of a team that received $9 million from the National Institutes of Health to study a group of heart muscle disorders that account for up to 20 percent of cases of sudden death in young people.

Oishei Awards $5 Million for ‘Game-Changing’ UB Med School
January 29, 2014 – A major gift from The John R. Oishei Foundation significantly boosts the University at Buffalo’s plans to construct a state-of-the-art medical school, equipped with the best medical technologies, labs and classrooms for educating and training physicians.

Pathologist’s Work May Provide New Options for Cancer Patients

February 10, 2014 – Albany Medical Center’s top pathologist was instrumental in developing a new process for analyzing cancer-related genes that could allow for the application of more individualized, targeted and timely therapies to treat a wide variety of malignancies. In studies published last year, Jeffrey Ross, M.D., Cyrus Strong Merrill Professor and chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, described the results of a test that identifies cancer-causing mutations in all of the known cancer-related genes by analyzing DNA at the genomic level.

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© 2014 Albany Medical Center. All rights reserved.

Weakness Exposed in Most Common Cancer Gene

February 10, 2014 – NYU Langone Medical Center researchers have found a biological weakness in the workings of the most commonly mutated gene involved in human cancers, known as mutant K-Ras, which they say can be exploited by drug chemotherapies to thwart tumor growth.

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© 2014 NYU Langone Medical Center. All rights reserved.

Chemical Stem Cell Signature Predicts Treatment Response for Acute Myeloid Leukemia

February 3, 2014 – Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and Montefiore Medical Center have found a chemical “signature” in blood-forming stem cells that predicts whether patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) will respond to chemotherapy.

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© 2014 Alberty Einstein College of Medicine. All rights reserved.

Albany Med Initiative Combats Hypertension

February 14, 2014 – Cardiologist Ferdinand Venditti, M.D., vice dean for clinical affairs and head of the Albany Med Faculty Physicians group, said that under protocols Albany Med adopted last year the percentage of Albany Med patients diagnosed with hypertension who were able to lower their blood pressure through treatment rose to 78 percent in 2013 from 66 percent in 2012. According to the American Heart Association, only 52 percent of Americans with hypertension nationwide have it under control.

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© 2014 Albany Medical Center. All rights reserved.

Risk of Serious Blood Clots Extends to 12 Weeks After Childbirth Researchers Find Risk Lasts Twice as Long as Previously Thought

January 8, 2014 – While development of blood clots after childbirth is very uncommon, physicians should know that they can occur up to 12 weeks after delivery, and future studies are needed to see if some women will benefit from extended therapy to prevent such complications, says the study’s lead investigator, Dr. Hooman Kamel, an assistant professor of neurology and neuroscience in Weill Cornell Medical College’s Department of Neurology and Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, and a neurologist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

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© 2014 Weill Cornell Medical College. All rights reserved.

UB Study Suggests ‘Paradigm Shift’ in Treating Stable COPD Patients

February 10, 2014 – University at Buffalo researchers have revealed that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experience more respiratory symptoms when their lungs are colonized by bacteria, even without an acute exacerbation..

Mount Sinai Genetic Testing Laboratory Launches More Accurate Carrier Screening Test for Spinal Muscular Atrophy

February 11, 2014 – The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai announced the launch of a more accurate carrier screening test for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), one of the most common and severe autosomal recessive disorders. This new test will help prospective parents more effectively identify whether they carry the mutation that will affect their offspring.

Drawing Back DNA “Curtains” on New-Gene Editing Methods

February 8, 2014 – Using a dazzling technology to watch proteins collide, clutch, and slide along strands of DNA, researchers at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons and UC-Berkeley report online in Nature that they have uncovered some of the secrets behind a powerful new genetic engineering technique. The CRISPR technique is a faster, cheaper, and more precise method of inserting new genes into DNA, and the new findings may allow researchers to expand and improve its use in areas such as gene therapy.

Toxin from Brain Cells Triggers Neuron Loss in Human ALS Model

February 6, 2014 – In most cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, a toxin released by cells that normally nurture neurons in the brain and spinal cord can trigger loss of the nerve cells affected in the disease, Columbia researchers reported today in the online edition of the journal Neuron.

Prenatal Vitamin A Deficiency Tied to Postnatal Asthma

February 12, 2014 – A team of Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) investigators led by Wellington V. Cardoso, MD, PhD, has found the first direct evidence of a link between prenatal vitamin A deficiency and postnatal airway hyperresponsiveness, a hallmark of asthma. The study, conducted in mice, shows that short-term deficit of this essential vitamin while the lung is forming can cause profound changes in the smooth muscle that surrounds the airways, causing the adult lungs to respond to environmental or pharmacological stimuli with excessive narrowing of airways. The findings were published online in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Can Taking Doxycycline Prevent Type 2 Diabetes?

February 5, 2014 – For obese individuals who are insulin-resistant and therefore prone to developing type 2 diabetes, taking low dose doxycycline may reduce the risk of developing diabetes. The Stony Brook Medicine “Doxycycline for treatment of insulin resistance in obesity” study is seeking participants for the three-month clinical trial. Compensation for volunteers is up to $450.

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