News from NYU Langone Health
A Transplanted Pig Kidney Offers A Grandmother Hope For Life Without Dialysis. (NPR)
NPR (12/17) A surgical team from NYU Langone Health, including Robert Montgomery, MD, DPhil, the H. Leon Pachter, MD, Professor of Surgery, chair, Department of Surgery, director, NYU Langone Transplant Institute, performed a transplant using a kidney from a genetically modified pig on Towana Looney; NPR received “exclusive access to be in the operating room”.
Also syndicating coverage are KRCU-FM Cape Girardeau, MO (12/17), WRVO-FM Oswego, NY (12/17), WUIS-FM Springfield, IL (12/17), KPBS-TV San Diego (12/17), Tri States Public Radio (IL) (12/17), WFSU-FM Tallahassee, FL (12/17), WESA-FM Pittsburgh (12/17), WKYU-FM Bowling Green, KY (12/17), WAMC-AM Albany, NY (12/17), and WWNO-FM New Orleans (12/17).
Health Project Seeks To Save Lives From Extreme Heat. (Politico Pro)
Paywalled* Politico Pro (12/16)* Anna Bershteyn, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Population Health, directs Project HEATWAVE, a new initiative launched in September and housed at NYU Langone Health, aimed at understanding and preventing heat-related deaths by using climate modeling, public health policy analysis, and medical innovation, with Bershteyn saying, “I work in HIV, there is great funding for research in HIV. There’s nothing like that [for heat.] I’m gonna have to create that – I’m part of creating that.”
New Study Shows Obesity Rates Dropping For First Time In A Decade. (TODAY)
TODAY (12/14) New research indicates a small decline in obesity prevalence in the U.S., potentially linked to the increased use of weight loss drugs, with the most significant decrease observed in the South, according to the CDC; Jose O. Aleman, MD, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, expressed cautious optimism, noting that in his practice, he has observed more of a leveling off than a decrease.
Massage Balls Are Better Than Foam Rollers, Actually. (New York Times)
The New York Times (12/16) Massage balls, praised for their simplicity and portability, are favored over foam rollers for deep tissue relief, as they can reach deeper layers of fascia, according to Antonio Stecco, MD, PhD, research assistant professor, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, who said, pain is “not easy to self-treat.”
People Are Putting Beef on Their Faces. What Could Go Wrong? (New York Times)
The New York Times (12/17) Mary L. Stevenson, MD, associate professor, the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology, expressed concerns about the use of beef tallow in skincare, saying it can cause acne and “should generally not be used on the face,” citing the lack of data and availability of alternative options.
Injectable Weight Loss Drugs And Environmental Issues. (Medscape)
Paywalled* Medscape (12/16)* Arthur L. Caplan, PhD, the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor, Department of Population Health, Division of Medical Ethics, discussed the ethical implications of the rising demand for injectable weight-loss drugs, such as those produced by Novo Nordisk, which have significantly impacted Denmark’s economy; he questioned whether the global expenditure on these drugs, potentially reaching trillions, is justified and warned that despite their effectiveness in aiding weight loss and improving health conditions like diabetes and heart disease, they do not address the environmental harm caused by current dietary practices, nor the long-term risks and costs associated with widespread preventive use.
Patients With Familial Primary Emergency Contact May Have Improved Outcomes After TJA. (Healio)
Healio (12/16) Casey Cardillo, research fellow, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, and colleagues conducted a retrospective review of 37,917 total hip and knee arthroplasties performed between June 2011 and December 2022, finding that patients with familial emergency contacts, such as spouses or first- and second-degree relatives, had better surgical outcomes and lower risks of all-cause revision compared to those with non-familial contacts.
‘Life-Changing’ Psychedelics, For When Life Is Ending. (New York Times)
Paywalled* The New York Times (12/17) Stephen Ross, MD, clinical professor, Departments of Psychiatry, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, remarked on the potential of psychedelics in palliative care, saying, “It taught me something I had not learned in my medical training, which was to help people have a good death,” as the field sees increasing interest despite the need for larger, more rigorous studies.
State-By-State Breakdown Of ASCs In 2024. (Becker's ASC Review)
Becker’s ASC Review (12/16) publishes a listicle of “ASCs that were announced, constructed or opened in 2024” that were reported by Becker’s in a non-exhaustive list which included that “NYU Langone Health received a $75 million donation to construct its ambulatory center in West Palm Beach,” and that it “opened a 260,000-square-foot ambulatory center in Garden City.”
Study Sounds Alarm On Seed Oils As Colon Cancer Diagnoses Surge Among Young People. (Fox News)
Fox News (12/16) Marc K. Siegel, MD, clinical professor, Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine and Clinical Innovation “breaks down the new study on seed oils, ultra-processed foods and inflammation.”
News from NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn
NYU Langone Health Family Health Centers To Hold Toy Drive. (News 12 Brooklyn (USA))
News 12 Brooklyn (USA)(12/16) The Family Health Centers at NYU Langone Health are hosting their annual toy drive, where individuals can donate new and unwrapped toys at the Sunset Park Family Health Center Pediatrics Clinic on Second Avenue from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on December 18.
Also reporting is News 12 Brooklyn (USA)(12/16).
How A Quick 30-Minute Workout Today Can Improve Your Memory Tomorrow. (Health)
Health (12/16) A study published on Dec. 9 in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity found that older adults who engaged in more moderate to vigorous physical activity and got at least six hours of sleep performed better on memory tests the following day, with Yi Shan Lee, MD, clinical assistant professor, Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine and Clinical Innovation, Family Health Centers, stating that increased lactate levels “can further stimulate the production of these neurochemicals, likely causing the short-term effect discussed in this new research.”
News from NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island
Pregnant Woman Learns She Has Cancer Through Routine Prenatal Blood Testing. She’s Not Alone. (CNN)
CNN (12/16) Dr. Naseem Khorram, a Los Angeles-based nephrologist, discovered she had stage II Hodgkin lymphoma through a full-body MRI after receiving atypical prenatal DNA-sequencing results; she participated in a National Institutes of Health study that found nearly half of participants with unusual prenatal results also had cancer, with Emeline M. Aviki, MD, MBA, clinical assistant professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Perlmutter Cancer Center, NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island, commenting that while cell-free DNA can identify cancer, its adoption must balance benefits and anxiety from false positives.
Higher Caregiving Stress Tied To Incident Hypertension. (HealthDay)
HealthDay (12/16) A study published in Hypertension on Nov. 27 found that reproductive-age Black women experiencing higher caregiving stress have an increased risk of developing hypertension, as per research led by Milla Arabadjian, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Foundations of Medicine, NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island.
Also reporting is McKnight’s Senior Living (12/16).
