Archive Posts

Upstate cardiologist Harold Smulyan, MD collaborated with a retired former colleague to investigate what killed Wizard of Oz author and Chittenango native L. Frank Baum in 1919. It was congestive heart failure. Their paper, which was recently published, explores what tools physicians had at their disposal to treat heart problems in the early 1900s, and what the thinking and beliefs were regarding heart disease at that time. Dr. Smulyan shares how he got involved in such a project, how he conducted research by sifting through Baum’s papers at Syracuse University’s Bird library, and what he discovered about medicine 100 years ago.

Rosemary Rochford, PhD, recently appointed vice president for research at Upstate, is joined by researchers Barry Knox, PhD, and Debashis Ghosh, MSc, PhD, to discuss how the National Institutes for Health’s (NIH) grant funding sequester will impact current and future research.

Robert Roger Lebel, MD, professor and chief of medical genetics at Upstate Medical University, will describe a genetic disorder called the chromosome 22q deletion, also known as velo-cardio-facial syndrome (VCFS).  The syndrome may cause a variety of health problems, ranging from heart defects and cleft palate to feeding difficulties, immune problems, a unique pattern of learning disabilities and more.  

More information: The Center for Developmental Behavior and Genetics at Upstate Medical University, or call 315-464-6395 or 315-464-6395.   The 22q Foundation

Dr. Richard O’Neill reminds us to check with our own health provider before responding to research studies, like a recent one suggesting long-term calcium supplements do not reduce fracture risk and may increase risk of death.
Read the study: Long term calcium intake and rates of all cause and cardiovascular mortality: community based prospective longitudinal cohort study
US Prevention Task Force: Vitamin D and Calcium Supplementation to Prevent Fractures

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Dr. Richard O’Neill talks about a new study showing a link between diet soda and diabetes.  Read the study: Sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened beverage consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes in men

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Dr. Richard O’Neill shares some surprising findings from a new study on the Mediterranean diet and heart disease, and the psychological prospective.  Read about the study: Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet, from the New York Times.  Mediterranean Diet Shown to Ward Off Heart Attack and Stroke, from the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Donna Bacchi, MD, MPH, chair of Upstate’s Public Health and Preventive Medicine Department, joins us for another edition of ‘Public Health Today’.  Dr. Bacchi discusses findings from a recent study of the Mediterranean diet, which shows that eating a well rounded diet and staying away from sweets, lowers the risk of heart disease and stroke.  Read the study: Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet

A more precise technique to determine non-reimbursed costs of preauthorizations  – also referred to as prior authorizations – to physician practices has been used in a study by researchers from the Department of Family Medicine at Upstate Medical University.  Christopher Morley, PhD, vice-chair for research in Family Medicine, will join us to talk about their findings.

Read the study: The impact of prior authorization requirements on primary care physicians’ offices: report of two parallel network studies

In response to a recent study that links increased consumption of sugar with higher diabetes rates independent of rates of obesity, Dr. Richard O’Neill delves into the psychology behind the problem – how to go about changing what you eat, changing your kids’ diet, school lunch offerings and more. 
Read the study: The Relationship of Sugar to Population-Level Diabetes Prevalence: An Econometric Analysis of Repeated Cross-Sectional Data
Read the New York Times summary article: It’s the Sugar, Folks

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Rosemary Rochford PhD is widely known for her research on Burkitt’s Lymphoma, the most common childhood cancer in sub-Saharan Africa.  She will talk about the cancer challenges in developing countries, how the cancer registry programs work, the main types of cancers that exist in Africa and how they differ from those in the United States.  Rochford is professor & chair of Microbiology & Immunology and recently appointed vice president for research at Upstate.   

Upstate hematologist/oncologist Ajeet Gajra will talk about the theory behind ‘personalized cancer care’ – how it differs from ‘targeted therapy’, and how the Upstate Cancer Center provides this type of care.  Upstate is involved in a variety of active trials seeking participants.  

Read more about the new Upstate Cancer Center, opening Spring 2014.