News from NYU Langone Health
How Humans Lost Their Tails. (Scientific American)
Scientific American (2/28) While discussing research that found “a genetic explanation of tail loss in hominoids,” Itai Yanai, PhD, professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, director, Institute for Computational Medicine, “a co-author of the study and founding director of the Institute for Computational Medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine,” said, “It was like finding a needle in a haystack.”
The New York Post (2/28) Researchers from NYU Langone Health “may have finally learned how early humans took a major step away from predecessor primates in the evolutionary process – by no longer growing tails starting 25 million years ago.”
Reuters Itai Yanai, PhD, professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, director, Institute for Computational Medicine said, “For the first time, we propose a plausible scenario for the genetic mechanism that led to the loss of the tail in our ancestors.”
The Daily Mail (UK) (2/28) “Jef D. Boeke, PhD, the Sol and Judith Bergstein Director, Institute of System Genetics, professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, from NYU Langone Health, said: ‘This finding is remarkable because most human introns carry copies of repetitive, jumping DNAs without any effect on gene expression, but this particular AluY insertion did something as obvious as determine tail length.’”
Also reporting are the Independent (UK) (2/28), Science News (2/28), and LiveScience (2/28).
This New York Medical School Will No Longer Charge Tuition – Here Are Three Other Med Schools Where Future Doctors Study for Free. (CNBC)
CNBC (2/28) reports, “Albert Einstein College of Medicine on Monday announced it received a historic billion-dollar donation to make tuition free.” Three other medical schools offer free tuition, including NYU Grossman School of Medicine. In 2023, a $200 million donation “from Ken Langone, chair of the NYU Langone Board of Trustees and his wife allowed NYU’s Grossman Long Island School of Medicine to go tuition-free in perpetuity as well.”
The Jewish Voice (NY) (2/28) reports “the renaming of New York University’s medical center to honor Ken Langone, chair of the NYU Langone Board of Trustees, a prominent figure in the business world, reflects a tradition of recognizing substantial donors.”
Also reporting is Philanthropy News Digest (2/28).
Certain Types of ‘Forever Chemicals’ Will No Longer Be Used in US Food Packaging, FDA Says. (CNN)
CNN (2/28) Leonardo Trasande, MD, MPP, the Jim G. Hendrick, M.D. Professor of Pediatrics, professor, Department of Population Health at NYU Langone Health, said, “I am enthusiastically supportive of getting PFAS out of food packaging.”
How Genetically Modified Pigs Could End the Shortage of Organs for Transplants. (NPR)
NPR (2/29) Revivicor has sponsored eight “‘decedent’ procedures, involving hearts and kidneys, at NYU Langone Health in New York and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.”
Tips for Battling Burnout. (WPIX-TV New York)
WPIX-TV (2/28) NYU Langone Health clinical psychologist Thea Gallagher, PsyD, clinical assistant professor, Department of Psychiatry discussed burnout, how to treat it, and what can cause it.
Couple Expecting Conjoined Twins Who Can’t Be Separated ‘Thankful’ for Time Together, ‘However Short’. (People)
People (2/28) “Without being able to comment on the specifics of the medical case,” David A. Staffenberg, MD, professor, the Hansjörg Wyss Department of Plastic Surgery, Department of Pediatrics, Department of Neurosurgery, vice chair, Pediatric Plastic Surgery at NYU Langone Health, “says that physicians will ‘be very diligent evaluating them’ and will ‘always be looking for the best way to support the twins and the mother as much as possible.’”
How Artificial Intelligence Can Take Healthcare to the Next Level. (Becker's Physician Leadership)
Becker’s Physician Leadership (2/28) Qusai Hammouri, MD, clinical assistant professor, Department of Orthopedic Surgery at NYU Langone Health, said, “I am fascinated by the integration of AI in medical practices and the personalization of healthcare through patient-specific surgical guides and implants.”
43 US Hospitals Among World’s Best: Newsweek. (Becker's Hospital Review)
Becker’s Hospital Review (2/28) reports, “Forty-three U.S. hospitals were named to Newsweek’s 2024 ‘World’s Best Hospital’ list.” NYU Langone Health is ranked at number 89.
Even a Mild Case of the Flu Can Double the Risk of Heart Attack, Stroke. Here’s How You Can Protect Yourself. (Yahoo! Lifestyle)
Yahoo! Lifestyle (2/27) “Infections that appear to impact only one part of the body actually tend to affect multiple parts of it, Gregory Katz, MD, assistant professor, Department of Medicine, the Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology at NYU Langone Health, tells Yahoo Life.”
Vegan Diet Improves Sex Life and Reduces Risk of Erectile Dysfunction, According to New Study. (Vegan Food & Living (UK))
Vegan Food & Living (UK) (2/28) A new study “undertaken by researchers from the” NYU Grossman School of Medicine and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health “has revealed that eating a vegan diet is associated with a reduced risk of developing erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence.”
Data on Uterine Cancer Raising Concerns. (Lewistown (PA) Sentinel)
The Lewistown (PA) Sentinel (2/28) Following a Wall Street Journal report from February 13 that said uterine cancer “will kill an estimated 13,250 women in the United States this year,” Leslie R. Boyd, MD, associate professor, Department of Obstretics and Gynecology, Perlmutter Cancer Center, said “the rules we had before” about uterine cancer “don’t apply.”
Pediatric Flu Deaths. (KARD-TV West Monroe, LA)
KARD-TV (2/28) Arun Chopra, MD, associate professor, Department of Pediatrics, chief, pediatrics service, Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone Health said, “The flu vaccine is very, very good at stopping you from getting hospitalized and pretty good at stopping you from getting sick.”
New Research Is Showing an Increase Is Needed for Black Cardiologists. (WETM-TV Elmira (NY))
WETM-TV (2/28) NBC News Medical Contributor Natalie E. Azar, MD, clinical associate professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology of NYU Langone Health reported on the efforts being taken to increase the number of Black cardiologists.
Hospital Company Under Scrutiny in New Mom’s Death. (CBS)
CBS Evening News (2/28) CBS News Chief Medical Correspondent Jonathan D. LaPook, MD, the Mebane Professor of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, professor, Department of Population Health of NYU Langone Health “traveled to Massachusetts where” Steward Health Care’s “efforts to squeeze out profits has left a healthcare system reeling.”
News from NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island
NYU Langone: Former Sears Transforms into $170 Million Healthcare Hub Garden City. (Long Island (NY) Press)
The Long Island (NY) Press (2/28) reports that in Downtown Garden City, NYU Langone Health “has taken over the empty, stand-alone Bloomingdale’s and Sears complex of stores...and in January opened a $170 million, ambulatory center, spanning an entire block at 1111 Franklin Avenue.” Michael Rafferty, member of the NYU Langone Board of Trustees said NYU Langone Health “continues to deepen its relationship with Long Island, establishing a stronghold for its special brand of excellence.”
