Performance Medicine named official partner for Texas Rush

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THE WOODLANDS St. Lukes Performance Medicine, a department of St. Lukes The Woodlands Hospital, has partnered with the Texas Rush Soccer Club to become its official sports medicine provider.

In addition, St. Lukes Performance Medicine will have a presence at select Texas Rush Soccer Club events to provide sports medicine, injury prevention, concussion screening and management and first-aid services by licensed athletic trainers. Complimentary athletic training evaluation clinics also are available for the clubs coaches and athletes.

St. Lukes Performance Medicine is a technologically and clinically advanced physical rehabilitation and human performance testing and training facility with specialization in sports medicine and sports performance training.

We are excited to facilitate this relationship with the Texas Rush Soccer Club through our stellar performance medicine offerings and quality healthcare system, said David Argueta, chief operating officer of SLWH. By providing a direct line of performance medicine services to this well-known sports club, St. Lukes is demonstrating our commitment to community outreach to encourage a healthier athletic and active lifestyle. In addition, our healthcare navigators can assist players and their family members with direct access to the CHI St. Lukes Healths network full spectrum of advanced family centered health care, guiding them through the physician referral and scheduling processes from pediatrics to geriatrics, emergency center to the birthing center, and diagnostics to surgery. We look forward to providing such partnerships and affiliations with other organizations who desire to achieve optimal performance through our training, injury prevention and wellness services.

St. Lukes Performance Medicine Department is located on the campus of SLWH in the Medical Arts Center Building III (MAC III) at 17450 St. Lukes Way, Suite 350. For more information, call 936-266-3130 or visit stlukesperformancemedicine.com.

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Performance Medicine named official partner for Texas Rush

Penn Medicine Researchers Present Findings on New Interventions for Treatment Resistant Hypertension, Atherosclerosis …

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WASHINGTON, DC Penn Medicine experts presented research findings that could come to define new standards of cardiovascular care, including findings on the efficacy of novel interventions for treatment resistant hypertension and atherosclerosis, at the 2014 American College of Cardiology Scientific Session, ACC.14.

Late Breaking Clinical Trial Results

Saturday, March 29

Despite promising early phase research, the pivotal SYMPLICITY HTN-3 trial evaluating the use of Medtronic's renal denervation system in the U.S. in patients with treatment-resistant hypertension failed to meet its primary efficacy endpoint, researchers reported at 2014 American College of Cardiology meeting and published simultaneously in an online-first New England Journal of Medicine article.

The procedure involves inserting a catheter through an artery in the groin, which is threaded up to the renal artery, where a catheter using radio frequency energy is used to disrupt the renal nerves, thereby reducing a patients elevated blood pressure.

The trial randomized 535 treatment-resistant hypertension patients in 87 U.S. medical centers, including the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Patients receiving the investigational treatment were compared with a sham-procedure control group (that received femoral artery puncture and renal angiogram) under conscious sedation, with all patients continuing to take their blood pressure medications. The primary efficacy endpoint was the change in office systolic blood pressure (upper blood pressure reading) at six months.

Researchers reported that while the trial did meet its safety endpoints and there were no signals that safety was a concern in the study, it did not demonstrate a significant reduction of systolic blood pressure six months after renal artery denervation versus sham control. Trials planning to enroll new patients with high blood pressure for treatment with the denervation device were suspended in January 2014 when the preliminary efficacy data was first released by the manufacturer. Patients already enrolled and treated in the trial are still in active follow-up.

The authors note that the based on positive results in previous phases of the study, that a placebo effect may have been present in the phase III trial by having an invasive procedure in the control group, which may have increased patient compliance with medication and diet. The concept has important therapeutic implications for future trial designs of antihypertensive (and other) medications, devices, and strategies.

These trial results are, in my mind, more a sign that we need to reconsider patient selection, patient and investigator/provider expectations, as well as improve our understanding of what basically happens during renal denervation, rather than shucking the process all together, said study co-author Raymond R. Townsend, MD , professor of Medicine and director of the Penn Hypertension Program. Several thousand people from around the world have already been treated, seemingly effectively, with this procedure when medication therapy failed. I believe its too early to say where/whether renal denervation fits into resistant hypertension care, but I dont think we are ready to give up on it at this time, and additional research is needed to acquire a more complete understanding of the procedure.

Sunday, March 28

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Penn Medicine Researchers Present Findings on New Interventions for Treatment Resistant Hypertension, Atherosclerosis ...

Kinder, Gentler Med School: Students Less Depressed, Learn More

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Newswise ST. LOUIS -- Removing pressure from medical school while teaching students skills to manage stress and bounce back from adversity improves their mental health and boosts their academic achievement, Saint Louis University research finds.

Stuart Slavin, M.D., M.Ed., associate dean for curriculum at SLU School of Medicine, is the lead author of the paper, which is published the April edition of Academic Medicine.

The problem of depression among medical school students is significant, Slavin said, affecting between 20 and 30 percent of medical students in the U.S., and potentially compromising their mental health for years to come.

The study looks at the well-being of first and second year students before and after changes to Saint Louis Universitys medical school curriculum that are designed to prevent depression, stress and anxiety. It compared the performance of five classes of 175 to 178 students two before the changes and three after measured at medical school orientation, the end of year one and the end of year two.

Weve seen dramatic improvement in the mental health of our students. Depression rates in first year medical students went from 27 percent to 11 percent and anxiety dropped from 55 percent to 31 percent. At the same time, our Step 1 board scores went up, meaning student performance improved, Slavin said. Our students know more, and will be in a better situation, emotionally, to care for our patients.

The first of many licensing exams, the Step 1 boards are given to medical school students at the end of their second year to assess whether students can apply basic science concepts to medical questions. Scores help determine admission to residency programs.

For about 60 years, administrators have recognized the number of students who feel depressed or anxious increases during their time in medical school, Slavin said.

For many years, nobody did anything about it, he said. Then, the first approach to addressing the problem was to get students better access to psychiatric and mental health services. That was followed by schools adding activities that encourage wellness and teamwork, such as Olympics-style athletic competitions and optional wellness seminars. While those things are great, theyre not enough.

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Kinder, Gentler Med School: Students Less Depressed, Learn More

Commentary: The real Dr. Vivek Murthy

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My first day of medical school nearly 16 years ago was a warm day in New Haven, Conn. I quickly put on a T-shirt and my cut-off jean shorts the ones I had worn dozens of times as an undergraduate at the University of Florida and hurried off to class where I immediately felt like the fish out of water I was. Not only could I barely understand the cell biology lecture being delivered by the heavily accented and more heavily published professor, but I was easily the most inappropriately dressed student in the class some having even donned suits for their first day as a doctor-in-training at the Yale Medical School.

That day, meeting many of my classmates for the first time, a skinny, smiling, Indian guy strode up to me and instantly put me at ease. I quickly learned that he was from Miami, too. He had gone to Harvard with the valedictorian of my high school class and remarked, Wow, hes a smart guy, intuitively making me feel on equal footing. At that moment, I had no idea how smart Vivek Murthy was he kept such things under a cover of humility as long as he could. I had even less of an idea that so many years later, that skinny Indian kid would be nominated for U.S. Surgeon General.

At the age of 21, while the rest of us talked about saving the world, Vivek started to do it founding an HIV/AIDS outreach organization that spanned an ocean. He was tireless and uncomplaining as a medical student and sincerely wanted to learn as much as possible about all the various cultures represented in our diverse class at Yale. He even accompanied me and a few other Jewish students to the traditional Sabbath meal on several occasions, asking questions and intently listening to how another group of people saw the world.

Were members of the National Rifle Association to sit down with Murthy, they would discover a great listener and someone who is sympathetic to the way others think and feel. I imagine many of them would become his supporters instead of trying to derail his nomination. But there is not likely to be such a meeting. Instead, people who have never met him will continue to take a few mainstream statements he has made about gun control to create a caricature of a person who doesnt actually exist. The real Murthy answered in his Senate hearing when asked that he had no intention of using the position of surgeon general as a bully pulpit for gun control. And when he says something, he means it.

While medical school and residency changes many, Murthy stayed true to his vision of saving the world. He went on to get an MBA at Yale and then joined me at the Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston for his internal medicine residency. Since he had taken a year off to learn more about the business world, he was now a year behind me and I was his supervising resident. Again, his optimism and dedication to patients was unwavering not an easy task when putting in 30-plus hour shifts every third or fourth day on top of what most consider a regular work week.

Shortly after completing training, Murthy founded what is now Doctors for America in order help the millions of Americans who couldnt access health care or did finally access it far too late. He became a crusader for the Affordable Care Act, going to the While House on several occasions. For this, he has been accused of being handed the surgeon general nomination as some form of political patronage. I doubt this is true. More likely, President Barack Obama or his advisers had the good fortune of sitting down with this visionary, caring physician and came to the obvious conclusion that he would make an outstanding surgeon general.

Think that scenario is naive? Well, after the tragedy at Sandy Hook slightly more than a year ago, Murthy was already involved in Washington, and if he were more politically minded, he probably never would have written anything that could have been misconstrued by the NRA or further antagonized Republicans. But throughout the years, Murthy has steadfastly repeated the mantra, patients over politics, and he has lived it. He is the kind of doctor who will fight for his patients no matter the toll it takes on himself. And thats the type of person we should all want as surgeon general.

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Commentary: The real Dr. Vivek Murthy

Amaechi pledges medical school for state varsity

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Rivers State Governor and Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has pledged his administrations readiness to establish a medical school for the State University of Science and Technology.

Amaechi, who made this pledge on Saturday at the universitys 26th convocation in Port Harcourt, urged the university authority to apply for a medical school in the institution.

The governor commended the Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Barineme Fakae, for his (Fakae) achievements, adding that the performance of the vice chancellor propelled his administration to reappoint him.

He said, Let me announce that few hours ago, I did request that you put up an application for a medical school at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology.

Government is satisfied with the performance of the vice chancellor that was the reason for which he was appointed and the reason for which the government insisted on his reappointment.

Amaechi also promised to provide more funding for the state-owned university, adding that the construction of the permanent site will commence within the next two weeks.

The governor added that the construction of the universitys permanent site would take 18 months.

He congratulated the graduating students for distinguishing themselves and completing their programmes and wished them well.

Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of the university commended the state governor for his support to the university and for encouraging them towards moving the institution to a greater height.

Fakae equally described the convocation ceremony as celebration of excellence and congratulated the graduands.

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Amaechi pledges medical school for state varsity

Liberty Union High School District settles teacher's lawsuit for $260,000

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BRENTWOOD -- Liberty Union High School District recently settled a lawsuit brought by a teacher who said administrators were harassing her and discriminating against her.

The complaint was dismissed March 19 after the district and plaintiff June Hardy agreed to a $260,000 settlement.

The fact there was a lawsuit at all made the case somewhat unusual, said Walnut Creek attorney Clyde Butts, who represented Hardy.

"You don't see (teachers suing school districts) that often," he said.

Hardy, 60, sued the district and four administrators in September 2011 for compensatory damages, alleging they violated state law by failing to make reasonable accommodations for her physical limitations and creating a hostile work environment.

Named in the suit were former Superintendent Jerry Glenn, current Superintendent Eric Volta, Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services Gene Clare and Independence High School Principal Colleen Sanchez.

Hardy, who currently is on state disability, is set to retire in June after 25 years with the district.

She accused administrators of making life difficult for her following a heart attack, giving the English teacher a negative performance review for the first time ever, transferring her from Freedom High School against her wishes, reprimanding her for asking others to help her carry objects after she underwent knee surgery and ultimately demoting her to a position outside the classroom.

The lawsuit also argued that Hardy was falsely arrested after an administrator told police she had hit a car in the school's parking lot and left.

Witnesses testified Hardy hadn't damaged any vehicles and a field sobriety test as well as a toxicology report showed that Hardy wasn't under the influence of alcohol. No charges were filed against her.

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Liberty Union High School District settles teacher's lawsuit for $260,000