To meet the special needs of both adoptive parents and their children, Rainbow Babies and Childrens Hospital has developed a new program called the Rainbow Center for International ChildHealth. Children who are adopted from overseas sometimes carry rare diseases, or have psychological or behavioral problems associated with neglect or deprivation common to institutionalization.
A cancer patient at the Ireland Cancer Center at University Hospitals of Cleveland is the first person in the world to be treated with a new class of drugs that targets and destroys cancer-feeding blood vessels.
According to the results of a study presented today, researchers found that treatment with the anti-epileptic drug (AED) Keppra (levetiracetam) used alone resulted in seizure freedom in elderly patients.
Researchers from University Hospitals Case Medical Center’s (UHCMC) Seidman Cancer Center will present findings from two studies evaluating new technologies designed to address common barriers to patient enrollment in clinical trials. Results from a large-scale, randomized trial demonstrated that the use of tailored, web-based videos delivering educational information to patients before an oncologist visit can significantly improve knowledge and reduce attitudinal barriers that impact enrollment in clinical trials. A second, preliminary study showed that a new automated technology created by UHCMC researchers helped oncologists identify clinical trials for individual patients in a busy outpatient oncology clinic.
Physicians at University Hospitals Case Medical Center enrolled their first patients in the ROADSTER Study, a global, multicenter clinical trial evaluating a novel, less-invasive procedure to help clear blockages in carotid arteries and prevent strokes.
University Hospitals Case Medical Center clinical researchers have launched an innovative clinical trial, unique in its design, which will evaluate the ability of a patient’s own stem cells to prevent leg amputations in end stage peripheral arterial disease (PAD).
University Hospitals Eye Institute will be one of the first medical centers in the United States to offer the Argus® II Retinal Prosthesis System (“Argus II”).
Case Western Reserve University has signed an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement granting University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center rights to a series of diagnostic tests to determine drug resistance and co-receptor tropism in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
After an extensive national search, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Case Medical Center have named Douglas Rhee, MD, an accomplished glaucoma specialist, eye surgeon and researcher, chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences.
In a first-of-its-kind clinical trial, physician-scientists at University Hospitals Case Medical Center found that sleep quality impacts skin function and aging. The study, commissioned by Estée Lauder, demonstrated that poor sleepers had increased signs of skin aging and slower recovery from a variety of environmental stressors, such as disruption of the skin barrier or ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Poor sleepers also had worse assessment of their own skin and facial appearance.
Researchers publish findings that a new form of imaging – PET/MRI – is promising for several types of cancer. Article is titled “PET/MRI: Applications in Clinical Imaging,” and is published in the September issue of Current Radiology Reports.
University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center breaks ground today on a $30 million center for proton therapy, an advanced type of radiation treatment that uses a powerful beam of protons to precisely target a tumor and at the same time reduce radiation to uninvolved tissues. There are currently only 11 operational proton therapy centers in the nation, and this will will be the first in Ohio. First patients will be in 2015.
In a new paper published early online by the Annals of Surgery, physician-researchers at University Hospitals Case Medical Center describe a new tool called the HARM score that reliably measures quality and clinical outcomes for colon and rectal surgery patients. The name of the tool reflects the data sources used to calculate the score: HospitAl stay, Readmission rate, and Mortality. The paper demonstrates a strong correlation between the HARM score, and the quality of clinical outcomes achieved by surgeons and hospitals for patients having major abdominal surgery.
By studying the genetic makeup of breast cancer patients, doctors are taking the next steps forward in delivering more personalized care to patients. Whole genome sequencing from cancers is not a new concept, but recently researchers have delved more deeply into the evolution of breast cancers identifying that it comes in four distinct types. Breaking down how the cells of each sub-type of the disease function is allowing for doctors to customize treatments for improved outcomes.
Advanced imaging with Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan shows great promise in predicting which patients with inoperable lung cancer have more aggressive tumors and need additional treatment following standard chemotherapy/radiation therapy, according to new research recently published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
The multi-site trial, led by study author and principal investigator Mitch Machtay, MD, University Hospitals Case Medical Center Seidman Cancer Center, enrolled 250 patients at 60 cancer centers around the country.
CLEVELAND: New recommendations for overcoming issues related to cancer clinical trial accrual have been published online in the Journal of Oncology Practice. Following a National Cancer Institute (NCI) and American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) co-sponsored symposium, the research team compiled a summary of best practices and strategies for future research aimed at advancing cancer trials more rapidly.
“Cancer clinical trials provide the evidence base for new advances in oncology. However, only a few percent of cancer patients participate in them,” says Neal J. Meropol, MD, senior author, Chief of the Division of Hematology and Oncology at UH Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. “Poor enrollment onto trials threatens to slow progress in cancer care at a time when advances in science are enabling new opportunities for prevention and treatment."
New research study finds that children ages 1 to 3 years account for one-fifth of all emergency department visits caused by complications from asthma, representing the highest proportion of visits among asthma patients under age 21. In addition, 55 percent of all ED visits due to asthma occur in boys, and fall months – September, October and November – have a relatively high proportion of visits compared to other times of the year. The research was presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference in Orlando.
At AAP, the same research team also presented an analysis of adverse drug events (ADE) among hospitalized children in the U.S. from 2003 to 2010. Results reveal that medication errors and ADEs in pediatric inpatient settings gradually increased between 2003 and 2010, although the cause for this increase requires further study.
Jonathan Stamler, MD, received the 2013 American Heart Association Distinguished Scientist Award at the association’s annual conference in Dallas. He discovered a process, termed S-nitrosylation, by which nitric oxide attaches to proteins to control cellular function.
A neuroradiologist inserts a micro-catheter into an aneurysm and injects a fluorescent dye, a complex, rare and new procedure which provides a neurosurgeon a clear view of the blood vessel that feeds the aneurysm. The surgeon then knows where to sew in a transplanted blood vessel to bypass the aneurysm.
University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital is one of only 13 children’s hospitals in the country – and the only one in northern Ohio – to receive the Top Children’s Hospital distinction from The Leapfrog Group. UH Rainbow was selected out of a record number of 1,324 hospitals participating in The Leapfrog Group’s annual survey.
New research examined how changes in the genetic composition of breast cancer tumors after brief exposure to either biologic therapy or chemotherapy can predict future clinical outcomes in patients.
University Hospitals (UH) Bedford Medical Center, a campus of UH Regional Hospitals, has launched a new program to help older adults live healthier, more independent lives. The new center can serve as a model for working with older patients and their families.
Promising results from a Phase III study published in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine finds upper airway electronic stimulation to be effective in reducing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) symptoms.
Minority of panel members who disagree with raising systolic blood pressure targets for people over 60 years of age provide their evidence in a new commentary in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Rose Gubitosi-Klug, MD, PhD, writes the summary and future directions in the journal Diabetes Care for a series of papers from Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) and follow-up study Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC). The studies enrolled more than 1,400 adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes to evaluate if intensive control of diabetes could lower the risk of complications better than conventional control. EDIC continues to follow many of the original participants.
Researchers from University Hospitals Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have published new findings in the February issue of American Journal of Roentgenology that mammography remains beneficial for women in their 40s. According to the study, women between ages 40 and 49 who underwent routine screening mammography were diagnosed at earlier stages with smaller tumors and were less likely to require chemotherapy.
“This study provides several important observations,” said Dr. Raymond Onders, Director of Minimally Invasive Surgery at University Hospitals Case Medical Center. “Most notably, laparoscopic diaphragm mapping – an electronic reading of the diaphragm nerves – is safe and can be performed in multiple centers with success. In addition, early diaphragm mapping can quickly determine if a phrenic nerve injury is complete, allowing for early ventilator planning and prevention of weaning trials if we find the patient will not be able to be weaned from the ventilator. Finally, DP can successfully wean traumatic cervical SCI patients as evidenced by 72 percent of the implanted patients being completely weaned from ventilators and 36 percent with complete recovery and DP removal.
Forty-nine percent of the adult population will have at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States The good news? It can be prevented. Judith Mackall, MD, Cardiologist at University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio, offers three tips for men and women to help improve their heart health and reduce the risk of developing heart disease.
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Case Medical Center have assessed the impact of the 2012 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations against routine prostate specific antigen (PSA) cancer screenings, which cited evidence that the risks of screening outweigh the benefits. Results of the current study indicate that the USPSTF recommendations have resulted in a decrease in the number of PSA screenings ordered by doctors, with the greatest decline seen among urologists. The findings are published in the June issue of The Journal of Urology®.
Surgeons at University Hospitals Case Medical Center have completed the first auditory brainstem implant (ABI) operation in Northeast Ohio on a woman who has lost most of her hearing due to benign tumors on her auditory nerves.
– Despite the benefits of surgery for early stage pancreatic cancer, it remains under-utilized for patients with this deadly disease, according to a new national analysis of trends and outcomes. Physician-scientists at University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine presented their findings and strategies to increase rates on March 13 at the Society of Surgical Oncology Cancer Symposium in Phoenix.
The study of Best African American Response to Asthma Drugs (BARD) will examine whether African Americans respond differently to asthma therapies compared to Caucasians and will help to identify the best add-on therapy based on the patients’ age. Results of the BARD study will allow for evidence-based recommendations for the use of asthma medications in African Americans, significantly impacting national asthma guidelines.
A new biomarker for esophageal cancer shows promise in improving screening for this deadly disease and its precursor, Barrett’s esophagus.
Amitabh Chak, MD, of University Hospitals Case Medical Center’s Seidman Cancer Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, presented findings today at Digestive Disease Week in Chicago in a research forum titled “Aberrant Vimentin Methylation in Esophageal Brushings: A Biomarker for Detecting Barrett’s Esophagus and Esophageal Adenocarcinoma” .
Researchers from University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center’s Seidman Cancer Center will present findings from a study that found the presence of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell, ahead of treatment may help predict response to platinum-based chemotherapy in women with triple-negative breast cancer. The data are being presented at the 50th American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago.
“Triple-negative breast cancers tend to be more aggressive compared to other types of breast cancers, and being able to predict response to therapy could greatly impact treatment decisions and patient outcomes,” says study author Shaveta Vinayak, MD, oncologist at UH Case Medical Center and Assistant Professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. “Our research shows that the presence of lymphocytes before administering chemotherapy could predict a positive response to platinum-based therapy.”
A neurosurgeon tests if deep brain stimulation electrodes can be used as an alternative to traditional WADA test for identifying brain hemisphere for speech dominance.
Results of a Phase 3 study of ataluren in patients with nonsense mutation cystic fibrosis (nmCF) were published in Lancet Respiratory Medicine. Results demonstrated positive trends in both the primary endpoint, lung function as measured by relative change in % predicted FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in one second) and in the secondary outcome measure, rate of pulmonary exacerbations.