News from NYU Langone Health

Brooklyn Marathoner To Run In First-Of-Its-Kind Amateur Event In Paris. (WNBC-TV New York)

WNBC-TV New York (8/9) Brooklyn resident Jessica Allen ran in a “first of its kind amateur” marathon “through the streets of Paris on the same course the professionals use” and “spent much of the last few weeks getting ready” with her trainer, Heather A. Milton, MS, clinical exercise physiologist, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Sports Performance Center, who prepared her for “a quite challenging course.”

Also reporting was WNBC-TV New York (8/10).

Gene Signature Predicts Severe Adverse Events From ICI Therapy For Melanoma. (Healio)

Healio (8/12) Researchers identified a gene signature that can predict which group of patients with melanoma will experience severe immune-related adverse events when treated with immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, according to researchers at NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center. Tomas Kirchhoff, PhD, associate professor, Department of Population Health, Perlmutter Cancer Center, and a study co-senior investigator, said, “Immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) therapies, combining the two antibodies anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4, is an approved frontline therapy with the highest clinical efficacy for treating melanoma.”

Drug Target Review (UK) (8/12) Study co-lead investigator Dr. Kelsey Monson said, “Our study results show that increased gene activity in the spleen tyrosine kinase pathway could be the basis of a possible blood test that identifies melanoma patients most susceptible to having severe side effects from immunotherapy, and well before they start treatment.” Additionally, Jeffery S. Weber, MD, the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Professor of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Perlmutter Cancer Center, and study co-senior investigator, “commented that the SYK pathway has been linked to other autoimmune diseases before.”

Also reporting are the ASCO Post (8/12) and HealthDay (8/12).

Early Identification, Treatment Of Depression In Patients With CKD Has Long-Term Benefits. (Healio)

Healio (8/7) Showing a lack of interest in social activities is one indicator that CKD is leading to depression, Daniel Cukor, PhD, associate professor, Department of Medicine, Divisions of General Internal Medicine, and Nephrology, and Department of Psychiatry, said, adding, “Sometimes, however, it is hard to know, for the patient and the clinician, whether a particular symptom is due to physical effects of the illness, the treatment or the emotional toll.”

Doctors Say Walking This Much Per Day Could Decrease Disease-Causing Inflammation. (Women's Health)

Women’s Health (8/12) Valerie Antoine-Gustave, MD, clinical instructor, Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, explains that “inflammation is a completely natural process, and it’s a response usually to either injury or infection,” emphasizing that while acute inflammation can occur from events like cuts or twisted ankles to aid in healing, it is a normal part of the immune system.

Also reporting is Women’s Health (UK) (8/13).

The Number 1 Thing A Cardiologist Recommends You Avoid Eating For A Healthy Heart. (HuffPost (UK))

HuffPost (UK) (8/13) Guilly R. Rebagay, MD, clinical assistant professor, Department of Medicine, the Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology, advised patients to avoid trans fats and foods high in very saturated fats and heavily processed items, stating, “very oily things – you know, like foods prepared with duck fat – or [heavily processed] things you see on grocery store shelves” can contribute to the production of LDL cholesterol, which creates artery-clogging plaque and inflammation.

14 Proven Methods For Better Sleep. (WTOP-FM Washington)

WTOP-FM Washington (8/11) Alcibiades J. Rodriguez, MD, associate professor, Department of Neurology, Division of Epilepsy, advises those who can’t sleep to “get out of bed for 10 to 15 minutes,” suggesting they “go to a chair and read something boring” until they feel drowsy enough to return to bed.

‘Zika-Like’ Mosquito-Borne Virus Has Spread Into Europe, Health Officials Warn. (Fox News)

Fox News (8/12) Cases of the Oropouche virus (OROV) emerging in Europe have health officials on high alert but, the “virus doesn’t spread from person to person,” Marc K. Siegel, MD, clinical professor, Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, confirmed to Fox News Digital.

Cancer In Men Projected To Increase By 84% Over Next Quarter-Century. (WCBS-TV New York)

WCBS-TV (8/13) Cancer in men is projected to rise by 84 percent over the next 25 years, with deaths nearly doubling, according to a new study; Jonathan D. LaPook, MD, the Mebane Professor of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, professor, Department of Population Health, explained, “It’s complicated, but one reason is a difference in exposure,” citing higher rates of cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption among men, as well as environmental toxins, genetic factors, and willingness to participate in cancer screenings.

Noah Lyles Criticized For Partying After COVID-19 Diagnosis. (Black Enterprise)

Black Enterprise (8/12) Arthur L. Caplan, PhD, the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor, Department of Population Health, Division of Medical Ethics, “described a positive COVID diagnosis as something that athletes will happily overlook,” saying, “Leaving decisions about competition up to each athlete is abnegating the duty to protect all who are participating in the games.”