New York News in Research: March  2017
Highlights
NYU HIV Researcher Boosted by State-Funded Grant

Daniel Malamud, Ph.D., adjunct professor of medicine (infectious diseases) at NYU School of Medicine, professor of basic science at NYU College of Dentistry, and director of the HIV/AIDS Research Program (HARP) at NYU College of Dentistry, has dedicated his career to researching HIV.


Cancer
Stony Brook Medicine: Discovery of a New Metabolic Pathway of a Known Lipid has Implications in Cancer, Obesity

A collaborative Stony Brook University research team has discovered a novel metabolic pathway of the lipid ceramide, which is involved in cell death. The finding illustrates that ceramide is stored in lipid droplets, a step that may help to uncover processes necessary for cell death and lipid metabolism, and therefore has implications in the development of cancer or obesity.  Take a closer look.
  
Albert Einstein College of Medicine: Changing the Face of Cancer Research: Bringing Optimal Cancer Care to Minorities

"Access to clinical trials is an integral part of providing high-quality cancer care... We've learned from breast-cancer clinical trials that black women taking the chemotherapy drug Taxol...are twice as likely as white women to develop the serious side effect of neuropathy, or peripheral nerve damage. We've also learned that black women with estrogen-receptor-positive cancer have a higher risk of recurrence than other women, despite receiving the same therapy. We're designing studies to find what the causes may be."
Joseph A. Sparano, M.D - Joseph A. Sparano, M.D.  Take a closer look.
  
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: Scientists Discover Metabolic Pathway That Drives Tumor Growth in Aggressive Cancers

Mount Sinai researchers have discovered that a rheumatoid arthritis drug can block a metabolic pathway that occurs in tumors with a common cancer-causing gene mutation, offering a new possible therapy for aggressive cancers with few therapeutic options, according to a study to be published in Cancer Discovery.  Take a closer look.
  
NYU Langone Medical Center: Available Drug May Protect Ovaries & Fertility from Damage by Chemotherapies

A drug already used to slow tumor growth may also prevent infertility  caused by standard chemotherapies, according to a study published online March 6 in theProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .  Take a closer look.
  
University of Rochester Medical Center: Research Shows Exercise is a Boon for Cancer Patients
  Exercise and/or psychological therapy work better than medications to reduce cancer-related fatigue and should be recommended first to patients, according to a Wilmot Cancer Institute -led study published in JAMA Oncology .   Take a closer look.
  
Cardiology
Albert Einstein College of Medicine: Seeking Success Against Heart Failure

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease kills more than 600,000 Americans each year-one in every four deaths in the country. Dying from heart failure is not a pleasant way to go," says Richard Kitsis, M.D., director of Einstein's Wilf Family Cardiovascular Research Institute.  "The condition can worsen over several years before it finally proves fatal." Dr. Kitsis and colleagues are focusing on several strategies to combat heart failure. These include: minimizing the tissue damage caused by heart attacks; growing healthy coronary arteries from a person's own heart cells to replace arteries occluded by heart disease; and stopping heart failure from progressing once it occurs.  Take a closer look.
  
Genetics
Columbia University Medical Center: A Kidney Disease's Genetic Clues Are Uncovered

Researchers have uncovered new genetic clues to understanding Berger's disease, an autoimmune kidney disease and a common cause of kidney failure. The findings are relevant to this disease and others with similar underlying molecular defects, such as inflammatory bowel disease and certain types of blood disease and cancer.  Take a closer look.
NYU Langone Medical Center: Researchers Assemble Five New Synthetic Yeast Chromosomes

A global research team has built five new synthetic yeast chromosomes, meaning that 30 percent of a key organism's genetic material has now been swapped out for engineered replacements. This is one of several findings of a package of seven papers published March 10 as the cover story for Science .  Take a closer look.
Neurology
SUNY Upstate: Neuropsychologist Examines the Misdiagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis

A misdiagnosed case of multiple sclerosis (MS) discovered by Upstate Medical University neuropsychologist Dominic A, Carone, PhD, ABPP-CN, stresses the need for doctors to diligently use differential diagnostics-a process to distinguish a particular disease or condition from others that present with similar clinical features.  Take a closer look.
SUNY Downstate: New Test May Quickly Identify Mild Traumatic Brain Injury with Underlying Brain Damage
 
A new test using peripheral vision reaction time could lead to earlier diagnosis and more effective treatment of mild traumatic brain injury, often referred to as a concussion, according to Peter J. Bergold, PhD, professor of physiology and pharmacology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and corresponding author of a study newly published online by the Journal of Neurotrauma .   Take a closer look.
University of Rochester Medical Center Study: Home Care Improves Stroke Outcomes

Stroke patients who are paired with caregivers that help them transition back to their homes are significantly less likely to be readmitted to the hospital.  The results of the pilot study, which showed a 39 percent reduction in the readmission rates of stroke patients at Strong Memorial Hospital, were presented last week at the International Stroke Conference in Texas.  Take a closer look.
SUNY Downstate: Drugs that Alter Inhibitory Targets Offer Therapeutic Strategies for Autism, Schizophrenia
 
Memories are formed at structures in the brain known as dendritic spines, which communicate with other brain cells through "synapses." The number of these brain connections decreases by half after puberty in a process termed adolescent "synaptic pruning" that is necessary for normal learning in adulthood.   Take a closer look.
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: Study Finds Supervised Self-Injection With Empty Syringes Improved Comfort in Food-Allergic Adolescents Administering Epinephrine

Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have found that supervised self-injection with empty syringes makes many food-allergic adolescents and their parents more comfortable with using the life-saving devices. The results were published on March 7 in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.   Take a closer look.
Weill Cornell Medicine: Dr. Virginia Pascual Named Director of the Gale and Ira Drukier Institute for Children's Health
 
Dr. Virginia Pascual, a renowned physician-scientist specializing in pediatric rheumatology, has been appointed the founding Gale and Ira Drukier Director of the Gale and Ira Drukier Institute for Children's Health, effective April 1.  Take a closer look.
NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine's Martinez Named AAAS Leshner Leadership Institute Public Engagement Fellow
 
Luis R. Martinez , Ph.D., associate professor of Biomedical Sciences at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM), is one of 15 infectious disease researchers selected as 2017-18 Public Engagement Fellows by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Leshner Leadership Institute  for Public Engagement with Science.  Take a closer look.
Columbia University Medical Center: Turning the Corner on the HIV Epidemic in Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Zambia
 
Newly released findings from national HIV surveys in Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Zambia reveal extraordinary progress in confronting the HIV epidemic. These three countries in Southern Africa have been heavily affected by HIV, and now there are encouraging signs that the epidemics are going in the right direction. Take a closer look.
NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine Student Researcher: Melinda Danowitz
 
Who knew that studying fossils might help one better treat the human body? That is exactly what Melinda Danowitz  is doing as she works toward her goal of becoming a pediatrician. Take a closer look.

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