Newswise — Over three decades, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center has developed one of the nation's most advanced programs to repair or replace segments of the aorta within the chest cavity. It's surgeons have compiled 30 years of statistics showing that innovative procedures can dramatically reduce risk of death and serious complication. Now, with the support of a group of volunteers, the Thoracic Aortic Surgery program has created a comprehensive Web site to provide information on aortic aneurysm, aortic dissection and related conditions that can claim a life with little or no warning. The new Web site (http://www.cedars-sinai.edu/3885.html) is part of the Thoracic Aortic Surgery program's emphasis on communication and continuing care.
MINIMALLY INVASIVE SURGERY USES RADIO FREQUENCY TO TREAT PAINFUL VARICOSE VEINS, RESULTING IN FASTER RECOVER AND LESS DISCOMFORTAn estimated 25 million Americans " mostly women " suffer from painful and unsightly varicose veins. Now, thanks to an innovative, minimally invasive procedure using radio waves, these veins may be treated with far less discomfort than in the past, and patients can return more rapidly to work and their daily activities. Phillip Levin, M.D., a vascular surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, is an expert on the VNUS Closure procedure, and is available for interviews, along with one of his patients.
POSSIBLE BRAIN CANCER-AIR POLLUTION LINK TO BE STUDIED The Brain Tumor and Air Pollution Foundation has announced the beginning of a research project led by an internationally renowned neurosurgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center to explore a possible link between brain cancer and air pollution. The study will be led by Keith Black, M.D., director of the Cedars-Sinai Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute and Division of Neurosurgery in Los Angeles. The Brain Tumor foundation recently awarded $559,250 to the research project, with funding from the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD).
ANTIGEN TARGETED IN THERAPY FOR MELANOMA ALSO PROMPTS IMMUNE RESPONSE IN BRAIN TUMOR CELLSA protein fragment that was previously found in melanomas has now been detected in highly aggressive brain tumors called gliomas that take the lives of about 15,000 Americans each year. This peptide, which the immune system recognizes as an antigen, or foreign invader, appears to be a target for anti-tumor immune therapy, according to studies conducted by researchers at Cedars-Sinai's Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute and the National Cancer Institute. It also may be useful as a marker that will enable scientists to monitor immune responses in human clinical trials against cancer cells called glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), often referred to as gliomas.
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