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Office of news communicationsTUSM in the NewsFollowing are highlights from recent stories about Temple University School of Medicine in the media. Links were active when these stories were compiled but can change over time. Some media outlets require paid subscriptions.
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November 18, 2009, Philadelphia Inquirer. Scientists have long known that obesity and type 2 diabetes often go hand-in-hand. But exactly how extra weight reduces the body's sensitivity to blood-sugar-regulating insulin remains unclear. Temple endocrinologist Guenther Boden has spent the last 20 years trying to shed light on these mechanisms. "If you understand the process, you can pick a spot that's rate-controlling, and either inhibit it or speed it up," he said. Much of Boden's work has focused on the role of fatty acids in causing obese people to develop diabetes. Fatty acids, which can enter the bloodstream from body fat or from food, are important fuel for the body.
November 17, 2009, Associated Press. For the first time, a miniature heart pump shows the potential to become a widely used, permanent treatment for many older people with severe heart failure. While there is a high death rate from the surgery or soon after it, most patients will still risk the surgery because the alternative is worse. Many older people are healthy other than having weak hearts, said Alfred Bove, a Temple University heart specialist and president of the American College of Cardiology. "There are so many of these people that would enjoy life if we could get them out of heart failure," he said.
November 14, 2009, Los Angeles Times. Many "miracle" weight loss products on the market promise more than they can deliver. How can you spot the scams? The Federal Trade Commission has several basic guidelines, one of which is that consumers should be wary of any weight-loss product that you put on the skin, including all diet patches. However, the FTC may be too hasty. “To be fair, you have to look at everything on a case-by-case basis," says Gary Foster, Director of the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University in Philadelphia. "There's no reason why an effective diet remedy could never be delivered through the skin, so the concept shouldn't be dismissed out of hand."
November 13, 2009, FOX29. On “Good Day Philadelphia,” Gary Foster, Director of Temple’s Center for Obesity Research and Education, appeared with Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, who discussed his struggle with type 2 diabetes. To manage the disease, Manuel said he used prepackaged meals like Nutrisystem to help him lose weight. "A structured program can help people stick to a plan when trying to lose weight," Foster said.
November 10, 2009, 6ABC. The author of “Eat Right for Your Type” claims that your blood type reflects your internal chemistry, and also determines the way your body absorbs nutrients. However, some weight loss experts are skeptical. Gary Foster, a weight loss expert at the Center for Obesity Research at Temple University, says that while the structure of the diet may help people eat healthier, there's no proof the four blood types respond differently to certain foods. "You could make just as good a case saying you should eat based on your height, based on your eye color, but those factors don't impact weight loss. What impacts weight loss is calories," he said.
November 6, 2009, WHYY-FM. The shooting in Fort Hood has focused the attention of the nation on the state of mind of a single soldier. Mental health providers in the service say the shootings don't reflect on the military's increasingly pro-active approach to soldiers' mental health. In terms of preventing future shootings, experts say there are often warning signs such as changes in behavior, or mood – but Temple University psychiatrist William Dubin says they easily go undetected because they tend to be isolated and random.
November 3, 2009, Philly.com. Robert Bettiker, Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Section of Infectious Diseases at Temple’s School of Medicine, answered more than 30 questions from readers about the H1N1 virus and vaccinations during a live web chat. Among the topics covered were incubation time of the virus, what the difference is between H1N1 and regular flu, and who is most in need of the vaccine.
October 30, 2009, 6ABC, NBC10, FOX29. Temple University marked a major milestone with the official opening of a new $165 million building for Temple’s School of Medicine. Dignitaries, including Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, joined Temple President Ann Weaver Hart and John Daly, Dean of the School of Medicine, for a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday. The Medical Education and Research Building is the largest capital building project to date at Temple. The 11-story medical complex features six floors devoted to research space, a robotic simulation center for teaching students, smart classrooms and a library for all of the Health Sciences.
October 29, 2009, TIME. In order to prevent the spread of the H1N1 virus, several sports entities have either actively encouraged or outright ordered that athletes ditch that time-tested, germ-infested ritual, the handshake before or after a game. Teams do have good reason to be cautious. Players from the pro leagues on down to high schools have contracted the virus. But don't athletes often mix spit and sweat while battling for hours? "The real-world value of skipping this tradition is negligible," says Tom Fekete, Chief of Infectious Diseases at Temple University School of Medicine.
October 29, 2009, Philadelphia Daily News. Women of all races are guilty of disordered eating, binge eating followed by dieting followed by binge eating. It turns out, though, that more white female college students exhibit this behavior than black undergraduates, according to a new study funded by Temple University. Somewhere along the way, though, black women catch up and start binge eating in similar numbers. "We are trying to figure out when the diet trajectory changes, and when it is that African Americans start to exhibit these behaviors," said Melissa Napolitano, lead researcher on the study and a psychologist at Temple's Center for Obesity Research and Education.
October 29, 2009, CBS3. Phillies phever may not be a real illness, but the Phillies' spirit certainly is catchy, especially after their opening night win. Paul Lyons, Professor of Community and Family Medicine at Temple University School of Medicine, suggests with a nudge and a wink that those infected should be quarantined, adding "there are a number of locations where you can ride this thing out. I think bars are a reasonable choice as they offer significant exposure to large screen TVs and expert commentary."
October 27, 2009, USA Today. If you offer kids more fruits and vegetables before and during meals, they'll eat more of them, even if some turn up their noses at specific varieties they don't like. The results come on the heels of a report released last week that recommends schools serve more fruits and vegetables to children at lunch and breakfast. One of the study's findings: Children who liked steamed broccoli and diced peaches ate more when they were offered more, but the kids who didn't like those foods ate none of them, says Jennifer Orlet Fisher of Temple's Center for Obesity Research and Education.
October 22, 2009, Philadelphia Daily News. Gushing accolades for Temple University's new medical school building, as the official opening celebration nears. Highlights of the $165 million dollar facility include state-of-the-art research space, a robotic simulation center and flexible classrooms. Perhaps most notable in the light-filled space is the glass-walled lobby facing Broad Street, which allows the public to get a peak inside to see how future doctors are educated, according to John M. Daly, dean of Temple’s School of Medicine. "The students can look out and see their neighbors in their daily interactions," he said.
October 21, 2009, CBS3. Temple University Hospital celebrated its 1,000th heart transplant, a real medical milestone, at a special luncheon. The 1,000th recipient, Andrew Ware, enjoyed the festivities and reporter Stephanie Stahl was the master of ceremonies. (There is no link for this story.)
October 19, 2009, Philadelphia Inquirer. Worried about the obesity epidemic among young children in cities such as Philadelphia? Keeping kids out of corner stores could help, suggests a new study by Temple University's Center for Obesity Research and Education, published in Pediatrics. The researchers tracked purchases by children in fourth through sixth grades at 10 city schools. On average, they spend $1.07 on two items per store visit, for a total of nearly 1,500 calories. "Obesity prevention efforts in urban settings, as well as efforts to enhance dietary quality among urban youth, should take into account the corner store environment and its significant impact on energy intake," the researchers concluded.
October 12, 2009, Los Angeles Times. Even with report after report documenting the nation's considerable girth and the perils of obesity, millions of men and women nonetheless remain blissfully unaware that they have a weight problem. Those who do recognize it tend to underestimate its severity. Further, terms such as "overweight" and "obese" have come to mean one thing to the medical community and another thing to the layperson. "When people hear the word 'obese,' they think of someone who weighs over 300 pounds," said Gary Foster, Director of the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple.
October 12, 2009, ABC News, Los Angeles Times, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, U.S.News & World Report, CBS News Radio, Wall Street Journal Radio Network, KYW News Radio, NBC10, many others. Kids who shop at the corner store before or after school purchase nearly 360 calories worth of food and beverage, on average, during each visit, according to a Temple study of Philadelphia students. Junk food is the most popular purchase, including chips, candy and sugar-sweetened beverages such as soft drinks, the study found. "This is the first study to show what children purchase from corner stores before and after school," lead researcher Kelley Borradaile of Temple's Center for Obesity Research and Education. "It is troubling that so little money buys so many calories. Corner stores are an important part of the urban landscape, and they have a significant impact on the amount and quality of calories children consume."
October 7, 2009, MedPage Today. Temple cardiologist Alfred Bove, president of the American College of Cardiology and an expert in diving and the heart, said most patients with cardiovascular disease can participate in recreational scuba diving as they would any other sport. Bove said deciding which patients with heart disease should or shouldn't dive is an "art," because there is little data on risk. As with asthma and diabetes, he said, decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. But in general, patients are diving "with stents, pacemakers, mechanical heart valves, or while they're taking blood thinners."
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Cardiology/Prevention/16310
October 5, 2009, Philadelphia Inquirer. Obese patients with sleep apnea who lost 10 percent of their body weight — 24 pounds on average — tripled their chances of being rid of the condition after one year, researchers at Temple's Center for Obesity Research and Education have found. Most of the 264 patients in the randomized national study still had sleep apnea, but many of those who dropped pounds also dropped to a less severe form of apnea. Since all the participants had type 2 diabetes, it's not clear how the findings apply to the general population. However, "people without diabetes who have milder apnea may get [far greater] remission," said lead author Gary Foster, director of CORE.
October 4, 2009, Philadelphia Inquirer. During the1970s, Congress decided that Medicare would cover end-stage renal disease regardless of age or income. But, while the system will fork over $100,000 for a kidney transplant, in a move that seemingly defies logic it will not pay the $36,000 annual prescription bill? Yet, when the organ fails because a patient stops taking medication he can't afford, Medicare happily picks up the $71,000-a-year cost of dialysis — for life. "When you transplant a patient, you adopt them," explained Serban Constantinescu, a nephrologist at Temple University. "When you adopt someone, don't you have a moral obligation to cover their medication?"
September 29, 2009, NPR's Morning Edition, The Tom Joyner Morning Show.
September 28, 2009, ABC News. More than 12 million Americans have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, a condition that's most common among those who are overweight. Now researchers at Temple's Center for Obesity Research and Education have shown in a large clinical study that those who lost an average of 24 pounds — about 10 percent of their total body weight — were three times more likely than those who didn't lose weight to have complete remission of their sleep apnea. Patients were able to achieve the weight loss through behavioral modification, portion controlled diets and exercising for about three hours per week.
September 25, 2009, WHYY-FM. With flu season approaching, hand sanitizer pumps are popping up everywhere. Do hand sanitizers, gels that kill germs with alcohol, really work? Thomas Fekete, Section Chief of Infectious Diseases at Temple's School of Medicine, says that sanitizers have become "our number one go-to hand hygiene product." In addition to destroying germs, they can be effective against viruses, he says -- a concern during flu season. Are hand sanitizers as good as washing with soap and water? "Done properly they're both equally effective," said Fekete, "but doing it properly with the soap and the towels is more cumbersome."
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Contact Information: Office of News Communications Eryn Jelesiewicz Director
Megan Chiplock Associate Director Phone: (215) 707-1731 Fax: (215) 707-2940
Renee Cree Staff Writer Phone: (215) 707-1583 Fax: (215) 707-2940
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