September News Round Up

 

MUSC doctor tests device that’s a ‘game changer’ for millions of heart failure patients

Post & Courier
The Food and Drug Administration approved on a first-of-its-kind neck implant designed to improve quality of life for an estimated 5.8 million patients who suffer from a common heart failure diagnosis. It was tested, among many clinical trial sites in the United States, at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Dr. Michael Zile, a cardiologist at MUSC, said the neck implant is unique because it is one of the first to undergo an expedited approval process set up by Congress to get breakthrough medical devices to patients more quickly. That process was established by the 21st Century Cures Act, signed into law by former President Barack Obama in 2016.

 

Narrowing risk of preeclampsia to a specific phenotype

MUSC Catalyst
In a recent paper in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina look at preeclampsia, a combination of high blood pressure and pregnancy, when it coincides with type 1 diabetes. “By studying these patients, we have identified different markers that could help predict the complication before its onset,” said Clare Kelly, an endocrine researcher who worked with MUSC endocrinologist Timothy Lyons on the paper.

 

Raising the Profile of Lupus

MUSC Catalyst
A new grant will allow MUSC doctors and researchers to test several ideas for improving care and outreach to people with lupus or at risk of developing the autoimmune disease.“I know our whole group is very excited,” said rheumatologist Gary Gilkeson, M.D., who serves as director of the MUSC Improving Minority Health in Rheumatic Diseases (IMHRD) Core Center for Clinical Research (CCCR). “When it came through we were thrilled.”

 

Gout: a Common Form of Inflammatory Arthritis

SC Public Radio-Health Focus
Bobbi Conner spoke with Dr. Richard Silver about a common form of inflammatory arthritis called gout. Dr. Silver is a Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at MUSC.

 

Defective cilia linked to heart valve defects

MUSC Catalyst
A team of MUSC researchers has discovered that a mutation in a gene controlling the production of cilia, tiny antennae protruding from the cell surface, are linked to the development of BAV. Up until 20 years ago, people were writing that cilia were vestigial organelles and had no function,” said Joshua H. Lipschutz, M.D., professor of medicine and director of the Division of Nephrology at MUSC and co-senior author of the article. “Now, there’s a whole field of ciliopathies.”

 

The Now Generation

The Physiologist Magazine
Five early-career APS members including Daria Ilatovskaya Ph.D. joined The Physiologist Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Stacy Brooks for a virtual roundtable. They shared their thoughts on the landscape for scientists climbing the ranks of academia in a research community that looks a lot different from what their mentors experienced, their tips for trying to achieve work-life harmony, their favorite clichéd pieces of career advice and why we shouldn’t call them “the next generation.”  

 

Understanding the dangers of vaping

News 2
Lynn Schnapp M.D. joined News 2 to discuss a recent study from the American Heart Association revealed E-cigarette flavors target kids and young adults, and motives them to start using the devices.

 

Collaborative Program in NC & SC to Drastically Reduce HIV Infections

SC Public Radio-Health Focus
This week Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Eric Meissner about a collaborative program in North Carolina and South Carolina to reduce HIV infections in both states by ninety percent over the next decade. Dr. Meissner is an Assistant Professor of Infectious Diseases and Director of HIV and Hepatitis Clinical Care and Research at MUSC.