Cedars-Sinai Nurses Now Screening All Hospitalized Adult Patients for DepressionIn an effort to identify and treat patients with undiagnosed depression, Cedars-Sinai nurses are screening each hospitalized patient for signs of the illness and for risk factors that could make recoveries harder and longer. The new initiative is believed to be one of the broadest depression screening of patients in a U.S. medical center. CONTACT: Laura Coverson, 310-423-5215; Email [email protected]
$8 Million NIH Grant Will Fund Multicenter Clinical Trial of Stroke Intervention DrugCedars-Sinai stroke intervention researchers have been informed that the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the National Institutes of Health, will award an $8 million grant to fund a multicenter Phase II clinical trial of an experimental drug for stroke.The drug, 3K3A-APC, will be used in combination with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator, or rtPA – the “clot-busting” drug currently approved to treat ischemic strokes shortly after onset.CONTACT: Sandy Van, 808-526-1708; Email [email protected]
New Pediatric Bowel Management Program Underway at Cedars-Sinai Medical CenterThe new Pediatric Bowel Management Program in Cedars-Sinai’s Maxine Dunitz Children’s Health Center, is using innovative techniques to successfully manage fecal incontinence in children born with colorectal disorders. CONTACT: Soshea Leibler, 213-215-8000; Email [email protected]
Exosomes, Tiny ‘Bubbles’ Secreted by Specialized Cardiac Stem Cells, Appear to Carry ‘Instructions’ that Spur Heart Cells to Regenerate Following Heart AttackInvestigators at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute – whose previous research showed that cardiac stem cell therapy reduces scarring and regenerates healthy tissue after a heart attack in humans – have identified components of those stem cells responsible for the beneficial effects. In a series of laboratory and lab animal studies, CONTACT: Sally Stewart, 310-248-6566; Email [email protected]
COACH for Kids, Program Director Mark 20 Years of Bringing Healthcare to Underserved L.A.Michele Rigsby Pauley, RN, MSN, CPNP, has seen it all during 20 years of providing healthcare to the poor of Los Angeles. She remembers her first trip to a public housing development where she discovered 5-year-old children who had never been immunized because the clinic down the road sat in rival gang territory. CONTACT: Soshea Leibler, 213-215-8000; Email [email protected]
Andrew Klein, MD, MBA, Director of the Comprehensive Transplant Center, is honored as “Healthcare Visionary” by American Liver FoundationAndrew S. Klein MD, MBA, is being honored for a lifetime of achievement in the field of liver transplantation by the Los Angeles chapter of the American Liver Foundation.CONTACT: Laura Coverson, 310-423-5215; Email [email protected]
Innovative Diabetes and Obesity Wellness and Research Center Named for Sports SpectacularIn an effort to combat diabetes and obesity by funding new medical research and encouraging healthy eating and exercise, longtime Cedars-Sinai support group Sports Spectacular, has pledged $10 million to establish the Sports Spectacular Diabetes and Obesity Wellness and Research Center. The Center is known for leading the quest to develop ways to predict, prevent, treat and cure diabetes and obesity. CONTACT: Sally Stewart, 310-248-6566; Email [email protected]
Cedars-Sinai Study: Common Drug Restores Blood Flow in Deadly Form of Muscular DystrophyCedars-Sinai Heart Institute researchers have found that a commonly prescribed drug restores blood flow to oxygen-starved muscles of boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic muscle-wasting disease that rarely is seen in girls but affects one in 3,500 male babies, profoundly shortening life expectancy. It is the most common fatal disease that affects children.CONTACT: Sally Stewart, 310-248-6566; Email [email protected]
Molly Carnes, MD, Receives Inaugural Linda Joy Pollin Heart Health Leadership Award from Cedars-Sinai’s Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center Women's health pioneer Molly Carnes, MD, MS, has been awarded the inaugural Linda Joy Pollin Heart Health Leadership Award from the Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center in the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute. The award was created to recognize physicians and scientists who have had a profound impact on women and their heart health. CONTACT: Sally Stewart, 310-248-6566; Email [email protected] Professional Surfer Back in the Water After Successful Surgery to Treat Rare Bone CancerWhen professional surfer Richie Lovett began experiencing hip pain at 31, he attributed it to his athletic lifestyle. But after months of discomfort and preliminary tests, the Australian native learned the pain was caused by a cancerous tumor in his femur or thigh bone. CONTACT: Cara Martinez, 310-423-7798; Email [email protected]
Heart Institute Investigators Find That Loss of Protein Changes Cell Membrane Structure, Altering Concentration of Chemicals Controlling Heartbeat Researchers at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute have identified a heart-specific form of a protein, BIN1, responsible for sculpting tiny folds in pockets that are present on the surface of heart muscle cells. The study provides the first direct evidence of a previously theoretical “fuzzy space” or “slow diffusion zone” that protects against irregular heartbeats by maintaining an ideal concentration of electrochemical molecules.CONTACT: Sally Stewart, 310-248-6566; Email [email protected]
Studies Published in NEJM Identify Promising Drug Therapies for Fatal Lung Disease Researchers in separate clinical trials found two drugs slow the progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a fatal lung disease with no effective treatment or cure, and for which there is currently no therapy approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Paul W. Noble, MD, is the senior author of the multicenter study that found that the investigational drug pirfenidone significantly slowed the loss of lung function and reduced the risk of death. CONTACT: Laura Coverson, 310-423-5215; Email [email protected]
Cedars-Sinai Transplant Programs Produce High One-Year Survival RatesIn the latest national report on organ transplant outcomes, patients receiving a new liver at the Cedars-Sinai Comprehensive Transplant Center had the best one-year survival outcomes of all hospitals in the Los Angeles region, with 90% of liver transplant patients surviving beyond that important milestone. Patients receiving new kidneys at the medical center also did extremely well with 97 percent of them surpassing the one year bench mark. CONTACT: Laura Coverson, 310-423-5215; Email [email protected]
Southern California Healthcare Providers Call for More Compassionate End-of-Life Care Uniting around a vital cause, nearly a dozen of Southern California’s leading healthcare providers are issuing a joint set of recommendations to reduce suffering and promote greater dignity for patients approaching the end of life. The guidelines call for doctors and other healthcare professionals to engage all adult patients in advance care planning that respects patients’ values and goals, and avoids treatments that can do more harm than good. CONTACT: Duke Helfand, 310-248-6608; Email [email protected]
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