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Making Headlines |
Obesity Center Opens at Northwestern
Associated Press November 28, 2008
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-obesitycenter,0,3786356.story
A center addressing obesity has opened at NORTHWESTERN University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.
It’s called the NORTHWESTERN Comprehensive Center on Obesity and focuses on education, treatment and research.-The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than one-third of U.S. adults are obese.
Obesity has been linked to diabetes, high blood pressure and several types of cancer.
Dr. Lewis Landsberg is the founder and director of the center. He says obesity is the major epidemic of our time…
This story was also carried in the following news outlets:
Holiday Weight Gain, AIDS Prevention and Rising Health Costs
New York Times November 28, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/28/health/28rounds.html?_r=2
UPI November 28, 2008
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2008/11/28/UPI_NewsTrack_Health_and_Science_News/UPI-1201227912240/
New Center to Tackle Obesity Epidemic
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/health/chi-obesity-centernov28,0,3499140.story
Fooling Immune Systems to Fight Diabetes
UPI November 20, 2008
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2008/11/20/Fooling_immune_systems_to_fight_diabetes/UPI-45071227233216/
Doctors have tricked mouse immune systems into “thinking” cells from a donor pancreas are theirs, bringing hope to diabetes patients, U.S. researchers said.
The new technique, to fight type 1 diabetes, eliminated the need for drugs that inhibit immune-system activity in diabetic mice that had insulin-producing islet cell transplantation, NORTHWESTERN University Feinberg School of Medicine researchers said.
Immunosuppressive drugs prevent bodies from rejecting the islet cells, but they’re toxic to the new cells and put patients at risk for infections and cancer, doctors say.
But with the new technique, “we made the recipient feel that the donor cells are their own,” microbiology-immunology professor Stephen Miller said…
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2008/11/17/fewer-brain-tangles-may-mean-smarter-old-age.html
Differences in the brains of elderly people may help explain why some develop dementia while others are among the “super aged”—people who maintain sharp mental focus and ability well into old age.
In a preliminary study, researchers have found that the brains of these still-sharp folks over 80 have none, or very little, of the protein “tangles” that are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.
“Both plaques and tangles are what we consider the pathology of Alzheimer’s but [only] when they occur in very, very high quantities,” explained study principal investigator, Changiz Geula, research professor of neuroscience at the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center at NORTHWESTERN’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “In the elderly, they’re nearly always present in much smaller quantities, but what we are finding is that in the super aged, in some cases, they may be completely absent or in small quantities.”…
This story was also carried in the following news outlets:
For Some, Memories Don’t Fade
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2008/11/for-some-memori.html
Sharp-witted Elderly Shed Insight on Dementia
Reuters UK November 16, 2008
http://uk.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKTRE4AF1SU20081116
Quick-witted Octogenarians ‘Have Unusual Brains’
Telegraph (UK) November 16, 2008
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/3468066/Quick-witted-octogenarians-have-unusual-brains.html
http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2008/11/13/Expert_Obesity_is_epidemic_of_our_time/UPI-52741226621155/
Because of rising obesity levels, for the first time, the life expectancy of the next generation may be lower than the current one, U.S. researchers said.
Type 2 diabetes—especially in young people—high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, breast and colon cancer, arthritis and possibly Alzheimer’s disease all may shorten U.S. lifespans, researchers at NORTHWESTERN University’s Feinberg School of Medicine said.
“Obesity—and its complications—is the epidemic of our time,” Dr. Lewis Landsberg, founder and director of the center and former dean of the Feinberg School, said in a statement. “There’s been an astonishing increase in the obesity in the past two decades.”
Study Offers Another Incentive For Flat Abs
NPR November 12, 2008
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96922213
If you’ve been waiting for one more reason to finally get rid of that excess belly fat, take note. Researchers in Germany have found that fat accumulated in the abdomen can be far more dangerous to your health than fat on other parts of the body…
Dr. Robert Kushner of NORTHWESTERN University’s School of Medicine, who specializes in the care of overweight and obese patients, says abdominal fat also is dangerous for the heart.
“This abdominal fat releases fatty acids and other signals that go to the rest of the body and cause increased blood fats like cholesterol and triglycerides, as well as higher blood pressure,” Kushner says…
Blood Pressure Gap Leads to Deaths of 8,000 Blacks
Associated Press November 10, 2008
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5goAOfCFKJKb_Y_-zc6S6qMrkXbjgD94CBKO00
Doctors may not be providing proper care, but some black patients may not be taking prescribed medicines or following medical advice, said Christopher Millett of the Imperial College of London. However, another researcher said it is unfair to blame the patient.
“‘Compliance’ to me is a hateful word. It says, ‘I the great doctor and we the great health care service inform you what needs to be done and you don’t do it because you’re stupid, you’re incompetent’….I don’t accept that at all,” said Dr. Jeremiah Stamler, professor emeritus of preventive medicine at NORTHWESTERN University’s Feinberg School of Medicine…
This story was also carried in the following news outlets:
Blood Pressure Gap Leads to Deaths of 8,000 Blacks
Chicago Tribune November 11, 2008
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-blood-pressurenov11,0,3727996.story
Crestor Would Save Lives at $500,000 Each
USA Today November 10, 2008
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-11-10-crestor-cost_N.htm
Using Crestor to prevent heart attacks and save lives in apparently healthy people would add nearly $10 billion a year to the nation’s medical bill, according to calculations released Monday. Crestor’s high cost was just one of many concerns that emerged as doctors began to grapple with the implications of a landmark study released Sunday. The study, called JUPITER, showed that using the potent cholesterol-lowering statin to treat people with normal cholesterol cut in half their risks of heart attacks, strokes and premature death.
“JUPITER’s a tour de force,” says Donald Lloyd-Jones of NORTHWESTERN University. But he adds that it has prompted doctors to question the best ways to measure heart-disease risk, when to begin statins and how to get people to adopt lifestyle changes that are the cheapest and best ways to stave off heart disease…
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE4A385E20081104
The results of a new study suggest that silicone breast prostheses may increase the risk of developing a rare form of lymphoma—cancer of the lymph system. However, the authors emphasize that because anaplastic large T-cell lymphoma (ALCL) of the breast is so rare, the absolute risk is still very low…
“These findings must be considered preliminary and hypothesis-generating and are not strong enough to definitively conclude that breast implants predispose women to non-Hodgkin lymphoma,” Dr. Andrew M. Evens and Dr. Brian C.-H. Chiu, from NORTHWESTERN University, Chicago, write in an accompanying editorial.
“However,” they add, “given that silicone is immunogenic, further evaluation of breast implant-related lymphoma is warranted, particularly by studies with statistical power, sufficient follow-up, and information on other factors.”
Northwestern in Deal for Lake Forest Hospital
Crains Chicago Business November 3, 2008
The corporate parent of NORTHWESTERN Memorial Hospital plans to add Lake Forest Hospital to its system, the institutions announced Monday.
The hospitals stopped short of calling it a merger, but in a statement said they have agreed to enter “a period of exclusive discussions regarding a potential affiliation to form an integrated health care delivery system.” They did not disclose the terms being discussed.
The 215-bed Lake Forest Hospital has been viewed as a prime acquisition target amid a string of hospital deals in the northern suburbs.
The hospital, though profitable, faces big capital-spending needs in coming years, including an eventual overhaul or replacement of its aging facility for more than $400 million. CEO Thomas McAfee has been seeking a partner to help the 108-year-old hospital access capital.
The deal would mark a major strategic shift for NORTHWESTERN Memorial Healthcare, which operates the Streeterville hospital and affiliated physician groups but does not have much of a suburban presence.
NORTHWESTERN University’s medical school also was expected to seek another training site for medical students and residents after severing ties earlier this year with NorthShore University HealthSystem (formerly Evanston NORTHWESTERN Healthcare).
The statement said that adding Lake Forest to NORTHWESTERN Memorial would “accelerate the building of the pre-eminent academic medical center for Chicago, Lake County and the surrounding regions.”
Other recently announced hospital deals in the northern suburbs include Advocate Health Care’s agreement to acquire Condell Medical Center in Libertyville for $180 million, and NorthShore’s $160-million agreement to buy Rush North Shore Medical Center in Skokie. Both of those are expected to close in coming months.-Lake Forest posted an operating profit in fiscal 2007 (the latest available) of $12.5 million, on $217.8 million in net patient revenue…
This story was carried on the following news outlets:
NORTHWESTERN Seeks Hospital Deal
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