Warren symposium follows legacy of geneticist giant

If we want to understand how the brain creates memories, and how genetic disorders distort the brain’s machinery, then the fragile X gene is an ideal place to start. That’s why the Stephen T. Warren Memorial Symposium, taking place November 28-29 at Emory, will be a significant event for those interested in neuroscience and genetics. Stephen T. Warren, 1953-2021 Warren, the founding chair of Emory’s Department of Human Genetics, led an international team that discovered Read more

Mutations in V-ATPase proton pump implicated in epilepsy syndrome

Why and how disrupting V-ATPase function leads to epilepsy, researchers are just starting to figure Read more

Tracing the start of COVID-19 in GA

At a time when COVID-19 appears to be receding in much of Georgia, it’s worth revisiting the start of the pandemic in early 2020. Emory virologist Anne Piantadosi and colleagues have a paper in Viral Evolution on the earliest SARS-CoV-2 genetic sequences detected in Georgia. Analyzing relationships between those virus sequences and samples from other states and countries can give us an idea about where the first COVID-19 infections in Georgia came from. We can draw Read more
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Cholera in the time of disaster

Alex Larsen couldn’t make it to the 2010 International Association of National Public Health Institutes (IANPHI) annual meeting. That’s because Larsen, Haiti’s minister of health, was attending to an outbreak of cholera in this impoverished republic.

Vibrio cholerae bacteria

Larsen was scheduled to speak on NPHIs’ role in disaster preparedness and response. Instead, Scott Dowell, director of the CDC’s division of global disease detection and emergency response, updated attendees about goings-on in Haiti since the massive January 12 earthquake and the recent outbreak of cholera.

The first two weeks after the tremblor and its immediate aftershocks, human and monetary resources were spent on search and rescue, including emergency trauma care, orthopedic surgery and amputations, says Dowell.

The number killed now stands at 200,000. The number displaced: 1.3 million. In addition to an initial lack of safe drinking water, hunger and poor sanitation, anecdotal accounts of diphtheria and tetanus outbreaks circulated. The headquarters housing the ministry of public health was itself devastated when it collapsed, killing most of the minister’s staff who had remained inside.

Since the earthquake, Dowell says the water supply has slowly improved with long-term sources coming on line. Efforts to better separate sewage and water are coming to fruition, too.

As far as the cholera outbreak is concerned, this chapter of Haiti’s public health challenges is just beginning thanks in part to Haiti having never before experienced a known cholera epidemic, says Dowell. That is, its population is most likely immunologically naïve to cholera, making people vulnerable to the bacteria’s devastating ways: severe diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain culminating in overwhelming dehydration and even death.

Despite its troubles, Dowell says there’s long-term hope for Haiti. As found in other countries affected by cholera, an aggressive program to provide clean water and keep sewage and water separate, can eventually squelch the bacteria’s rampage—and in the meantime prevent other diseases from taking hold.

Posted on November 4, 2010 by admin in Uncategorized Leave a comment

Initial Results of Heart Valve Study Encouraging

 

Emory heart patient, Glenrose Gay of Vidalia was the first person in GA to receive a new aortic valve via catheter. Pictured here in 2007 with Emory cardiologists, Drs. Peter Block (left) and Vasilis Babaliaros.

Since October 2007, Emory University Hospital has been one of approximately 20 hospitals nationwide, and the only site in Georgia, studying a new non-surgical treatment option for patients with failing aortic valves. The life threatening heart condition,aortic stenosis, affects tens of thousands of Americans each year when the aortic valve tightens or narrows, preventing blood from flowing through normally.

As part of the Phase II clinical trial, researchers have been performing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) comparing this procedure with traditional, open-heart surgery or medical therapy in high-risk patients with aortic stenosis.

During the TAVI procedure, doctors create a small incision in the groin or chest wall and then feed the new valve, mounted on a wire mesh on a catheter, and place it where the new valve is needed. This offers a non-invasive way for doctors to treat patients who are too ill or frail to endure the traditional open-heart surgical approach.

The study, published Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) followed 358 patients who received either catheter-delivered valves or standard non-surgical treatment.

The findings showed that patients who had replacement heart valves delivered by catheter were more likely to survive a year than patients who were treated without replacing their original valves. According to the authors, catheter-delivered valves “should be the new standard of care” for patients who are not able to undergo surgery.

“These results show great promise for patients with severe aortic stenosis and help us make a giant step forward in our battle against this common disease,” says Peter Block, MD, professor of medicine, Emory School of Medicine and principal investigator of the study at Emory. “They are especially important since the number of people with failing valves is expected to greatly increase as baby boomers continue to age.”

Aortic valve stenosis often occurs with age, most commonly among elderly patients over 70 years of age, but can surface earlier in life in those with rheumatic heart disease or congenital abnormalities of the valve.

Approximately 90 patients have received new valves at Emory since the clinical trial started in 2007. Researchers hope to receive FDA approval in late 2011.

Posted on September 24, 2010 by admin in Uncategorized Leave a comment

Preterm infants born at unspecialized hospitals face higher risk of death

Very low-birth-weight (VLBW) and very preterm (VPT) infants not born in highly specialized, level III hospitals have a higher risk of neonatal and pre-discharge death compared to similar infants born at level III hospitals, according to a recent Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) study.

Lead study author Sarah Lasswell, MPH, and colleagues at the Rollins School of Public Health conducted a large-scale analysis of previous research to examine the relationship between hospital level at birth and neonatal (generally the first four weeks after birth) or pre-discharge mortality for VLBW (weighing 53 ounces or less) and VPT (32 weeks or less gestation) infants to determine the importance of level of care at birth to survival.

Lasswell and colleagues found that VLBW infants born in non-level III hospitals had a 62 percent increase in odds of neonatal/pre-discharge death compared with VLBW infants born in level III hospitals. In addition, VPT infants born in lower-level hospitals had a 55 percent increase in odds of neonatal/pre-discharge mortality compared with those born in level III facilities.

“The results of this review confirm a primary premise on which perinatal regionalization systems are based: high-risk infants have higher mortality rates when born outside hospitals with the most specialized levels of care,” Lasswell and colleagues write.

“Strengthening perinatal regionalization systems in states with high percentages of VLBW and VPT infants born outside of level III centers could potentially save thousands of infant lives every year.”

About 13 million babies are born prematurely every year – nearly 10 percent of all newborns – and more than 1 million premature babies die each year, according to the March of Dimes.

The study, “Perinatal Regionalization for Very-Low-Birth-Weight and Very Preterm Infants: A Meta-Analysis,” was published in the Sept. 1, 2010, issue of JAMA. It was conducted as part of Lasswell’s graduate research at the Rollins School of Public Health under the direction of Roger Rochat, MD. Lasswell is now a researcher at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

Posted on September 15, 2010 by admin in Uncategorized Leave a comment

Healing gardens provide beautiful therapy

Geriatric and chronic care patients at Wesley Woods Geriatric Hospital often need help improving their fine motor skills, muscle tone, range of motion, strength, and even peace of mind.

Master gardener Kirk Hines considers the Wesley Woods greenhouse another clinical space where patients can improve their skills through growing plants in therapy sessions or just enjoying the relaxation gardening can bring. For patients who can’t come to the garden, Hines brings gardening inside or even to their bedside.

“We want our patients to be successful,” says Hines. Gardening draws on long-term memory for many of them. While they are planting tomato seeds or digging in the dirt, it takes away the anxiety they feel away from home. They don’t feel like they are in a hospital environment. We buy gardening tools that are recommended by appliancehunter.co.uk to ensure it is high quality.

Hines is a registered horticultural therapist who founded the program at Wesley Woods in 1993. Over those 17 years he has turned the gardens into a showpiece for sensory stimulation, with healing gardening spaces including courtyards with handrails, special walkways, and shady seating areas with fountains and goldfish.

When patients are discharged they often take the plants they have grown home with them, and many appreciative families have pitched in with their own labor and materials to keep the gardens beautiful.

Visit Emory Health magazine for more information about the healing gardens.

Posted on September 8, 2010 by admin in Uncategorized Leave a comment

NASCAR weekend full of health care success stories

Terry “Mr. 500” Green

This weekend’s slate of racing at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, including the marquee Emory Healthcare 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race Sunday night, will have a uniquely Emory flavor that exceeds far beyond just the naming rights for the event that will be watched by millions of fans around the country. Emory Healthcare is the official healthcare partner for the Atlanta Motor Speedway and this year’s Emory Healthcare 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race.

Mr. 500

When Emory Healthcare and Atlanta Motor Speedway officials began searching for the grand marshal of this year’s Emory Healthcare 500 Sprint Cup Series race, they didn’t have to search long or far to find the perfect candidate – and one who already possessed the perfect tailor-made nickname for such an occasion.

Lawrenceville native Terry “Mr. 500” Green has been named the grand marshal for this year’s race.

Green first came to be known as “Mr. 500” in March 2008, after he became the 500th heart transplant recipient at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.

Keeping his motor running

Wayne Reese has been racing motocross and super late model cars on dirt tracks for more than 11 years, and he knows the risks. One risk he won’t take, however, is with his health.

Reese, a prostate cancer survivor, will be the Honorary Starter at the Emory Healthcare 500.  In this role, Reese will drop the Green Flag to start the race.  In addition, his son Brian will drive his Reese Motorsports Super Late Model Number 33 in the pre-race parade.

Reese, 55, recently completed therapy at Emory University Hospital’s Department of Radiation Oncology.  He says he knew he wanted to be treated at Emory because his wife was treated at Emory’s Winship Cancer Institute.  “We appreciate all the help we’ve gotten there.”

Reese recently demonstrated his appreciation by putting the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University logo on his race cars.

Emory’s own pit crew

When more than 150,000 race fans, visitors and support crews flood Atlanta Motor Speedway this Labor Day weekend, they may learn a thing or two about their health – possibly saving their own lives in the process.

Emory Healthcare will bring its own pit crew team of volunteers to Henry County this weekend to provide free health care screenings including:
•    Blood pressure screenings
•    Smoking cessation help and information
•    Head, neck and skin cancer screenings
•    Body Mass Index (BMI) screenings
•    General health and wellness information

“Having this incredible opportunity to reach out to so many men and women to provide potentially life-saving cancer screenings, blood pressure checks, and informative ways to live a longer and healthier life, is a perfect way for us to thank those in our community who have allowed us to serve them over the years, while also supporting this special event that means so much to our region,” says Dane Peterson, chief operating officer for Emory University Hospital Midtown. “At the end of the day, we hope to make a difference in the lives of more than a few individuals and ensure that they will be able to return for many more exciting Labor Day weekends at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.”

Posted on September 1, 2010 by admin in Uncategorized Leave a comment

A concussion is more than just a headache

 

Ken Mautner, MD

To ensure better management of sports concussions, physicians at Emory Sports Medicine Center have incorporated Immediate Post-concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) into their program for high school athletes.

 

Concussions occur in about 10 percent of all athletes in contact sports.

They are caused by sudden and violent rocking of the brain inside the skull from a traumatic blow to the head or upper body.

Symptoms vary in length of time and may include amnesia, disorientation, confusion, fogginess, headache, blurred vision, nausea, fatigue and sometimes loss of consciousness.

Ken Mautner, MD, sports medicine physician and assistant professor in the Department of Orthopaedics at Emory University School of Medicine, says that most athletes recover completely from concussions as long as they are not returned back to play too soon.

Repeated concussions are cumulative and may cause critical damage to the brain.  Studies have indicated a possible association with frequent or untreated concussions and development of dementia, depression and, most recently, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease).  Going back to the sport too soon, before the brain recovers, leaves athletes vulnerable to repeat concussions.

Athletes in the ImPACT program take a 20-minuted baseline test on a computer that measures brain processing such as speed, memory, and visual motor skills.

Each individual’s data are stored in a computer file. In the event of injury, the athlete will take the ImPACT test in the days following concussion.  Post-concussion data are then compared to baseline data to help determine the severity and effects of the injury.

Mautner says that data from ImPACT combined with a thorough history and physical exam is the best way to prevent athletes from getting “back in the game” too soon.

Posted on August 30, 2010 by admin in Uncategorized Leave a comment

First of its kind neurosurgery boot camp held at Emory

Emory’s Department of Neurosurgery recently hosted a two-day boot camp for first-year neurosurgery residents. The unique event was part of a new national course launched by the Society of Neurological Surgeons (SNS) in Atlanta and five other cities including Boston, Portland and Chicago.

The course focused on fundamental skills, patient safety, professionalism and communications. Day one was structured in a traditional lecture format, while day two placed participants in simulated operating room environments and neurosurgical procedures.

A first-year neurosurgery resident participates in the nation's first series of neurosurgery boot camps.

“This boot camp concept is the first of its kind in medicine providing interns with a strong foundation to learn basic concepts and procedures and helping to ultimately reduce the number of errors among training residents,” says Costas Hadjipanayis, MD, PhD, assistant professor of neurosurgery at Emory School of Medicine and chief of neurosurgery service at Emory University Hospital Midtown.

More than 90 percent of all incoming neurosurgery residents in the United States participated in the training at one of the sites. Emory neurosurgical faculty, fellows, and residents led intensive and interactive exercises oriented to fundamental bedside procedural and operative skills.

The exercises were designed to allow residents to familiarize themselves with the basics in an educational and risk-free environment. Skills relevant to all first-year residents were covered, such as line placement and suturing, as well as specific neurosurgical skills like drilling and performing a craniotomy.

According to Hadjipanayis, one of the Emory organizers and course directors, the group of 37 interns participating in the Atlanta training was the largest number nationwide. They were from universities across the region ranging from Virginia to Puerto Rico.

“This was definitely a great start to a course we will cultivate and enhance from year to year,” says Hadjipanayis. “Our goal is for continuous evaluation and improvement.”

Click here to view a CNN news story filmed at the Emory boot camp by CNN medical correspondent and Emory neurosurgeon, Sanjay Gupta, MD.

Posted on August 27, 2010 by admin in Uncategorized Leave a comment

New technology enables precision in jaw reconstruction

Steven Roser, MD

According to experts in restorative dentistry, when people have misaligned jaws where the upper and lower teeth don’t match, the functional impact ranges from articulation and speech problems to problems with eating.

When jaw reconstruction is required, the outcome must be precise but first, as suggested by the best dentist Briarwood, the patient’s jaw must be examined to decide whether this reconstruction is needed or not. The way people eat and bite is a very sensitive mechanism, and teeth have to meet in a certain way in order to bite and chew correctly. You can visit sites like durhamdental.net to schedule an appointment with a dentist.

Planning the surgery is the key.

A new system being used by Emory oral and maxillofacial surgeons helps them reach a level of preoperative planning that they had not been able to achieve before.

The system takes data from the patient obtained through CT scan (Computed Tomography) and optical scanning, and puts it into a software program that has been developed to allow the surgery to be performed virtually on the computer. This preoperative planning assists in the construction of an accurate intra-operative guide.

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Posted on August 19, 2010 by admin in Uncategorized Leave a comment

Little eyes – big research

Having a newborn and managing all that comes with caring for that new little one is a big job. Add to that frequent trips to the ophthalmologist following a cataract surgery—yes, cataract surgery on a baby—and you might have highly stressed parents. But the parents of little James and slightly older M.J. seem unfazed by all the medical appointments and additional duties that go along with caring for their young sons.

M.J. Burkett and James Weeks became patients in the IATS trial, which has treated 114 babies across the United States.

Both the boys, like 300 babies each year in the United States, were born with a cataract in one eye. In an infant, if the affected eye isn’t surgically addressed within the first few months of life, that eye will not develop properly and vision can be permanently lost. These boys and their parents and 112 other young patients and their families have participated in the Infant Aphakia Treatment Study (IATS), a nationwide, multi-center clinical trial based at the Emory Eye Center. The 10-year study will evaluate whether replacing that lost lens with a contact lens or an intraocular lens (IOL) is preferable.

Adults typically get an IOL implant following cataract surgery. In the past, standard treatment was a contact lens for these babies. IATS randomized children into two groups: those who received IOL implants and those who received contact lenses. Those with IOLs also received glasses for residual vision correction. And both groups had daily patching of the unaffected eye to make sure that the newly corrected eye could become strong.

A team of professionals from Emory and beyond came together to provide the many layers of data necessary for the study. They included experts from the Rollins School of Public Health and the Department of Epidemiology and Data Coordinating Center in the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, as well as a visual acuity tester from the University of Alabama, Birmingham, who traveled to all sites to check these children.

For more information about IATS, read the feature article “One Big Question: Ten Diligent Years” in Emory Eye magazine’s summer 2010 issue.

Posted on August 11, 2010 by admin in Uncategorized Leave a comment

Survivors of intimate partner violence find safety, hope and purpose

Nadine Kaslow, PhD

Nadine Kaslow, PhD, Emory psychologist and professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory, has learned a lot about Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) over the last two decades. In the 1990’s, Kaslow began the development of a program that was eventually named the “Nia Project.”

Nia is a counseling program for abused and suicidal African American women, funded by grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institute of Mental Health. The name comes from the Kwanzaa term that means “purpose.”

Nia serves countless numbers of abused (click site for information on domestic abuse) and suicidal women who come through Atlanta’s Grady Memorial Hospital’s emergency department each year. The women come in with black eyes, broken bones, and broken spirits, often inflicted by the people who are supposed to love them the most: their husbands, boyfriends and partners.

According to the CDC, Intimate Partner violence resulted in more than 1,500 deaths in the United States in 2005.  Statistics from the Commission on Domestic Violence show that African American females experienced intimate partner violence at a rate 35 percent higher than that of white females, and about 22 times the rate of women of other races. The number one killer of African American women ages 15 to 34 is homicide at the hands of a current or former intimate partner.

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Posted on August 9, 2010 by admin in Uncategorized Leave a comment
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