Faculty Bibliography

Many scientists now contend that with years of continued research, stem cells may help treat, if not cure, spinal cord paralysis, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, damaged hearts, kidneys and livers, and many other ailments.

[...] a procedure does not involve a brain biopsy that doctors would need to diagnose dementia. [...] Mr. Reagan was flown to a military hospital near Tucson -- not taken to San Diego, as his son writes -- and the blood clot, a subdural hematoma, was removed weeks later at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn

Mr. Cheney, as he did at several holiday receptions in Washington, chatted about his new pump. At one cocktail party, he even opened his coat jacket to show off the pump. While Mr. Cheney is noticeably thinner -- his stiff, one-sided grin now shows up on a markedly leaner face -- he is returning, associates say, to his old life, including hunting and socializing. With former President George W. Bush having decided to stay largely silent during Mr. [Barack Obama]'s tenure, Mr. Cheney had embraced the role of public critic, accusing the new, young president of rolling back Bush-era policies and undermining the security of the United States. In 2009, Mr. Cheney and Mr. Obama gave dueling speeches on the same day. Mr. Cheney's friends and family say that he is making plans to get out in 2011 and do more speeches. On Jan. 20, he is to fly to Texas for the 20th anniversary of the Gulf War with former President George H.W. Bush, the emir of Kuwait, and a host of alumni of that administration, including the former national security adviser Brent Scowcroft and Colin L. Powell, who was the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the time, when Mr. Cheney was defense secretary

[...] Mr. Cheney has begun resuming his old activities. Besides the Cino fund-raiser, he attended a round of holiday parties in Washington -- leaving whispers in his trail about his weight loss.

The fundraiser for [Maria Cino], held at the Alexandria, Va., home of [Dick Cheney]'s former aide Mary Matalin, was his first major foray into partisan Washington political theater since receiving a mechanical heart pump in July that has, most doctors say, saved Cheney's life by taking on the task of helping to push blood through his arteries. With George W. Bush having decided to stay largely silent during [Barack Obama]'s tenure, Cheney embraced the role of public critic, accusing the new, young president of rolling back Bush-era policies and undermining the nation's security. In 2009, Cheney and Obama gave dueling speeches on the same day. At 69, Cheney's heart will never beat at full strength again, doctors say. His new mechanical pump, a partial artificial heart known as a ventricular assist device, leaves patients without a pulse because it pushes blood continuously instead of mimicking the heart's own beat. Most pulseless patients feel nothing unusual, but the devices do pose significant risks of infection. They are implanted as a last resort either for permanent use or as a bridge to transplant until a donor heart can be found. Cheney, who has participated in some of the nation's toughest decisions for decades, now faces a crucial one of his own: whether to seek a full heart transplant

Recent health care improvement initiatives have linked financial payments to compliance with predetermined performance measures. This article reports the effect of a unique prophylactic antibiotic use program on compliance rates and costs. The Departments of Surgery, Infection Control, and Anesthesiology collaborated on a prophylactic preoperative antibiotic protocol, whereby Anesthesiology assumed responsibility for timely antibiotic prophylaxis (TAP) before surgical incision. Data from January 1, 2008, to December 31, 2008, were compared (z test) with the 12-month period before this change. chi(2) Analysis identified factors associated with TAP. Return on investment (ROI) was calculated. TAP compliance rates increased from 75.1% to 89.3% (P < .001) following program implementation. Factors associated with TAP failure included >60 minutes from anesthesia induction to surgical incision (P < .001), surgical procedure (P < .001), specific antibiotic administered (P < .001), and individual anesthesia provider (P < .001). The ROI was 2.2. TAP compliance rates increased after Anesthesiology assumed responsibility, with anesthesia providers being a significant factor

Black Swan [Motion Picture] -- According to Malaspina, Nina's affliction is most consistent with a severely neurotic, obsessive-compulsive patient with features of a borderline personality disorder who suffers from 'mini-psychotic episodes.'

South Asian immigrants are a large, rapidly growing community in the United States. The rate of cardiovascular disease in immigrants from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh is disproportionately high. We conducted focus groups with diverse South Asian community members in New York City to elucidate hypertension knowledge, and screening and treatment practices. Focus groups were conducted in partnership with community-based organizations. 47 participants across Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Indian immigrants participated in three focus groups. Participants hesitated accessing services because of immigration fears, financial concerns, scheduling constraints, and dissatisfaction with their interactions with doctors. Discussions detailed knowledge about, and barriers to following, advice on diet and exercise. The findings compel further development of culturally- and linguistically-tailored research and interventions to address the specific needs of this large at-risk community. Potential culturally appropriate approaches are discussed to bridge barriers faced by the community.

Accidentally in Love [Television Program] -- Because it's not a life-threatening case, the foundation puts her on a three- to five-year waiting list. The illness presented in the movie looks a lot more like a family of inherited conditions known as retinitis pigmentosa, says Dr. Steven Schwartz, professor of ophthalmology and chief of the retina division at UCLA

While the long-term goal is to develop highly effective AIDS vaccines, first generation vaccines may be only partially effective. Other HIV prevention modalities such as preexposure prophylaxis with antiretrovirals (PrEP) may have limited efficacy as well. The combined administration of vaccine and PrEP (VAXPREP), however, may have a synergistic effect leading to an overall benefit that is greater than the sum of the individual effects. We propose two test-of-concept trial designs for an AIDS vaccine plus oral or topical ARV. In one design, evidence that PrEP reduces the risk of HIV acquisition is assumed to justify offering it to all participants. A two-arm study comparing PrEP alone to VAXPREP is proposed in which 30 to 60 incident infections are observed to assess the additional benefit of vaccination on risk of infection and setpoint viral load. The demonstrated superiority of VAXPREP does not imply vaccine alone is efficacious. Similarly, the lack of superiority does not imply vaccine alone is ineffective, as antagonism could exist between vaccine and PrEP. In the other design, PrEP is assumed not to be in general use. A 2 x 2 factorial design is proposed in which high-risk individuals are randomized to one of four arms: placebo vaccine given with placebo PrEP, placebo vaccine given with PrEP, vaccine given with placebo PrEP, or VAXPREP. Between 60 and 210 infections are required to detect a benefit of vaccination with or without PrEP on risk of HIV acquisition or setpoint viral load, with fewer infections needed when synergy is present