From: ITNDaily Subject: Mount Sinai In The News - November 30 - December 1, 2017 Date: Friday, December 01, 2017 11:39:33 AM Attachments: ATT00002.txt

In the News Nov. 30 – Dec. 1, 2017

Targeted Oncology – November 29 Ramon Parsons Awarded Outstanding Investigator Award From The National Cancer Institute Renowned scientist Ramon Parsons, MD, PhD, director of the Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai, professor and chair of oncological sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, has been awarded an Outstanding Investigator Award from the National Cancer Institute. The award guarantees $6.7 million for seven years of research into the tumor-suppressing functions of the PTEN gene, which Dr. Parsons discovered. The award will be used to determine how the tumor-suppressing gene, PTEN, and its variant, PTEN-L, are regulated; to study tumors’ development and metabolism when the gene is inactivated; and to develop small molecule therapies that target tumor cells that have cancer-causing mutations in the PTEN gene. “Understanding PTEN could hold the key to helping patients with some of the most aggressive and the most treatment-resistant cancers, such as triple-negative breast cancer and prostate cancer,” said Dr. Parsons. - Ramon Parsons, MD, PhD, Director, The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai, Professor, Chair, Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.targetedonc.com/news/ramon-parsons-awarded-outstanding-investigator-award-from-the-national-cancer- institute Additional coverage: MedicalHealthNews.net http://www.medicalhealthnews.net/ramon-parsons-awarded-outstanding-investigator-award-from-the-national- cancer-institute

Hindustan Times – November 30 HTLS 2017: Cut Down On Animal Fat, Red Meat, And Sugar To Prevent Cancer Cancer kills 700,000 people every year and 30 percent of these deaths can be prevented by simple lifestyle changes and early detection, said Ash Tewari, MBBS, MCh, professor and system chair of urology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai at the 15th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit. Dr. Tewari set the tone for the session, titled “How to Beat Cancer”, with the suggestion that India should open itself to a more honest conversation on the disease. “If you begin the fight early on when it’s possible to zap the cells, the cancer is treatable… but if you wait for the symptoms, the fight gets difficult,” Dr. Tewari said. More than 1.4 million people in India are diagnosed with cancer every year. Breast and cervical cancers in women and lung and oral cancers in men are the leading forms of the disease. Lifestyle changes, the experts agreed, play a major role in preventing cancer. Dr. Tewari, an expert in robotic surgery of prostate and urinary cancers, advised that people should be more careful about inflammations. “For instance, a liver inflammation can lead to cancer. Any inflammation or a lump that is left unattended can grow into a cancer. Inflammation can be provoked by chronic stress,” he said. - Ashutosh Tewari, MBBS, MCh, Professor, System Chair, Urology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.hindustantimes.com/htls/htls-2017-cut-down-on-animal-fat-red-meat-and-sugar-to-prevent-cancer-say- specialists/story-bvTPKbWQbKKb7DrAFB4CeO.html Additional coverage: MedicalHealthNews.net http://www.medicalhealthnews.net/htls-2017-cut-down-on-animal-fat-red-meat-and-sugar-to-prevent-cancer-say- specialists First Post http://www.firstpost.com/india/hindustan-times-leadership-summit-2017-narendra-modi-set-to-headline-stellar-line-up-of- movers-and-shakers-4233953.html News 18 http://www.news18.com/news/india/india-needs-to-invest-in-its-cancer-care-infrastructure-to-bring-down-deaths-scientists- 1591463.html

Broadway World – November 29 One-Man Show To Tackle Tourette Syndrome In The Elephant In Every Room I Enter At Mount Sinai The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai will host actor Gardiner Comfort’s The Elephant In Every Room I Enter, solo performance on living with Tourette’s syndrome on Thursday, November 30th from 5-6:30pm. The performance is part of the Alexander Richman, MD and Charlotte Yudell, MD Seminar Series on Humanism and Ethics in Medicine. His performance will be followed by a conversation led by his physician, Barbara Coffey, MD, MS, professor of psychiatry and chief of the Tics and Tourette’s clinical and research program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. - Barbara Coffey, MD, MS, Professor, Psychiatry, Chief, Tics and Tourette’s Clinical and Research Program, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/One-Man-Show-to-Tackle-Tourette-Syndrome-in-THE-ELEPHANT-IN-EVERY- ROOM-I-ENTER-at-Mount-Sinai-20171129

WCBS NY Radio – November 28 Drug Trials To Help Eye Stroke Victims Jeff Markowitz hopes to regain the vision he’s lost. He had a stroke in the eye which happens when blood vessels supplying nutrients and oxygen to the optic nerve get blocked. It can cause sudden vision loss and sometimes blindness. With no effective treatments available, Jeff enrolled in a clinical trial at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai testing a new experimental drug. "We believe that this molecule has the ability to stop the cascade of events which leads to cell death, actually preserve vision, and possibly restore some of the vision that's been lost," said Rudrani Banik, MD, associate professor of ophthalmology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and an ophthalmologist at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai. The drug called QPI-1007 is injected into the eye three times over six months. Dr. Banik says it's critical to start treatment within two weeks of symptoms. "We think there is a window of time in which we should get the drug to the patient," he said. Jeff doesn't know yet if he's getting the actual drug or a placebo since the study is ongoing. But so far, he says he is seeing better. - Rudrani Banik, MD, Associate Professor, Ophthalmology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Ophthalmologist, The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai Learn more: http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=2506baff-3f04-4db5-b503-1d4b2297c579 Additional coverage: CBS New York – Dr. Max Gomez http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/11/30/eye-strokes-experimental-treatment/

Politico New York – November 30 Coming Attractions — Dan Goldberg Ashish Atreja, MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine and gastroenterology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, director of Sinai AppLab, and chief technology, innovation, and engagement officer at The Mount Sinai Hospital, is leading a conference on December 4-5. - Ashish Atreja, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Medicine, Gastroenterology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Sinai AppLab, Chief Technology, Innovation and Engagement Officer, The Mount Sinai Hospital Learn more: https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/newsletters/politico-new-york-health-care/2017/11/30/vullo-sues-feds-for-575- million-012227

Food Allergy Research & Education – November 30 20th Anniversary Food Allergy Ball Honorees The 20th Anniversary Food Allergy Ball will be held Monday, December 4 in New York at the Pierre Hotel. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of this event, the evening will honor “20 for 20,” a special tribute to the pioneers who have made a lasting impact in the food allergy community and have contributed to 20 years of progress in food allergy action, research, education and advocacy. Those being honored include Hugh Sampson, MD, professor of pediatrics, allergy and immunology, dean for translational biomedical research, and director of the Elliot and Roslyn Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Scott Sicherer, MD, professor of pediatrics, allergy and immunology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. - Scott Sicherer, MD, Professor, Pediatrics, Allergy and Immunology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai - Hugh Sampson, MD, Professor, Pediatrics, Allergy and Immunology, Dean, Translational Biomedical Research, Director, Elliot and Roslyn Jaffe Food Allergy Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.foodallergy.org/about-fare/blog/20th-anniversary-food-allergy-ball-honorees-part-1

Science News – November 29 Scientists Are Seeking New Strategies To Fight Multiple Sclerosis — Ashley Yeager James Davis used to be an avid outdoorsman. Today, the 48 year old from Albuquerque barely gets out of bed. He has the most severe form of multiple sclerosis, known as primary progressive MS, a worsening disease that destroys the central nervous system. Davis hoped life might improve when he was chosen in 2012 to participate in a clinical trial of a drug called ocrelizumab. The drug offered a first sliver of hope for patients waiting for a cure, or at least something to slow down the disease’s staggering march. Ocrelizumab was heralded as a breakthrough, and in March, the US Food and Drug Administration approved it as a treatment for primary progressive and relapsing- remitting MS. “We finally have an approved therapy for primary progressive MS,” said Fred Lublin, MD, Saunders family professor of neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and director of the Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis at the Mount Sinai Hospital. The first drug to treat relapsing-remitting MS came on the market in 1993, Dr. Lublin notes. Now, nearly a quarter century later, there’s something that helps some people with the most aggressive form of the disease. With that hopeful note, though, comes frustration. Ocrevus isn’t a cure, and it offers no relief for 30 to 40 percent of patients with primary progressive MS. Davis was in that disappointed group. - Fred Lublin, MD, FAAN, FANA, Saunders Family Professor of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis at The Mount Sinai Hospital Learn more: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/scientists-are-seeking-new-strategies-fight-mutiple-sclerosis Additional coverage Medpage Today https://www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/multiplesclerosis/69565 MedicalHealthNews.net http://www.medicalhealthnews.net/scientists-are-seeking-new-strategies-to-fight-mutiple-sclerosis

CBS New York – November 30 Neuroendocrine Tumors — Pat Farnack You may not have heard of neuroendocrine tumors before Steve Jobs died of the condition in 2011. Michelle K. Kim, MD, associate professor of medicine and gastroenterology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and director of the center for carcinoid and neuroendocrine tumors at the Mount Sinai Hospital said, “Carcinoid and neuroendocrine tumors are slow growing tumors that are very common within the gastrointestinal tract, which therefore makes sense that a gastroenterologist would often see these tumors.” But these tumors are not very common. “It’s very unusual that a physician would get to see enough of these cases to be able to specialize in them,” Dr. Kim added. Dr. Kim first came into this specialty as a mentee of Dr. Richard Warner, who for many years was a fixture at Mount Sinai as an expert in carcinoid and neuroendocrine tumors. She was fortunate enough to be trained by him and learn from one of the best and most experienced physicians in the world. “The last ten to fifteen years have been a really golden age in this field. We have better imaging, which tells us more accurately what the stage of these tumors are, we also have better treatments that includes peptide radio receptor treatments, which we hope will be more widely available next year after FDA approval,” said Dr. Kim. - Michelle K. Kim, MD, Associate Professor, Medicine, Gastroenterology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, The Center for Carcinoid and Neuroendocrine Tumors, The Mount Sinai Hospital - Richard P. Warner, MD, Professor, Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/audio/health-and-well-being/

Home Health Care News – November 29 Inside The Resurgence Of Home-Based Primary Care — Amy Baxter In 1930, 40 percent of health care was done at home. By 1960, that figure had dropped to ten percent, and in 1980, it was less than 1 percent of care. While home health care reaches millions of patients per year, doctors are on a mission to drive savings, work in tangent with home health nurses and bring primary care options to the home setting. Dr. Thomas Cornwell is the CEO of the Home Centered Care Institute (HCCI), a not-for-profit organization that aims to expand house call practices throughout the country. With a multimillion dollar grant, home-based primary care trainings are taking place this year and in 2018 at eight Centers of Excellence (COEs) by HCCI faculty. The COEs include the Cleveland Clinic, The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and University of California San Francisco. There is hope for home-based primary care to become permanent. Cornwell has his sights set far beyond training initiatives with institutions. He hopes that home-based primary care will become a Medicare benefit one day, rather than being conducted on a one-off basis through grants and demonstrations. - The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://homehealthcarenews.com/2017/11/inside-the-resurgence-of-home-based-primary-care/

CBS New York – November 30 Luxury Salt Rooms Offer Numerous Wellness Benefits In a salt cave at Modern Sanctuary in Flat Iron, there are walls that change colors, a halo generator to blow super fine salt particulates into the air, and a room constructed with 10,000 pounds of salt. These new salt rooms have become a luxury destination. Health claims for halo therapy include improving skin conditions and respiratory issues, and they are said to be ultimate in relaxing and recharging. Houman Danesh, MD, assistant professor of anesthesiology and rehabilitative medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and director in the division of integrative pain management at The Mount Sinai Hospital said clients should not replace medical treatments with halo therapy, but agrees there may be some benefit. “There is a component of being relaxed and improving your immune system, which will then help a variety of ailments, but there is no direct clinical evidence to support its use,” said Dr. Danesh. - Houman Danesh, MD, Assistant Professor, Anesthesiology, Rehabilitative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Division of Integrative Pain Management, The Mount Sinai Hospital Learn more: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/video/3769651-seen-at-11-luxury-salt-rooms-offer-numerous-wellness-benefits-proponents-say/

CLP Magazine – November 29 Serum Test Measures, Monitors Mucosal Healing In Crohn’s Disease Prometheus Laboratories Inc, has introduced a comprehensive new serum test that measures and monitors mucosal healing status in Crohn’s disease patients. The Prometheus Monitr Crohn’s disease test provides a noninvasive tool for patient management. Crohn’s disease has traditionally been difficult to monitor because the only available diagnostic tools have been colonoscopy and endoscopy, both of which are invasive, expensive, and challenging for the patient. “Our goal is to see patients achieve mucosal healing or significant improvements in mucosal health,” said Marla C. Dubinsky, MD, professor of pediatrics, gastroenterology, and medicine, chief of pediatric gastroenterology and hepatology, and co-director of the Susan and Leonard Feinstein Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinical Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “To do that, we really need an objective way to view snapshots of the mucosa without frequent scoping. The more noninvasive biomarkers we can assay to objectively evaluate the mucosa, the better off patients will be.” - Marla C. Dubinsky, MD, Professor, Pediatrics, Gastroenterology, Medicine, Chief, Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Co- Director, Susan and Leonard Feinstein Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinical Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.clpmag.com/2017/11/serum-test-measures-monitors-mucosal-healing-crohns-disease/

HealthDay – November 30 Does ‘Smartphone Addiction’ Show Up In Teens’ Brains? — Dennis Thompson Teens fixated on their smartphones experience changes to their brain chemistry that mirror those prompted by addiction, a new study suggests. Kids who compulsively used the internet or fiddled with their phones tended to have increased neurotransmitter activity in the anterior cingulate cortex, a region tied to the brain's systems of behavior reward, control of inhibition and mood regulation, a team of South Korean researchers found. Researchers used standardized addiction tests to diagnose the teens and judge the severity of their addiction. Questions focused on the extent to which internet or smartphone use affected their daily routine, social life, productivity, sleeping patterns and emotions. Further, the researchers found that GABA levels either decreased or returned to normal after teenagers received nine weeks of cognitive-behavioral therapy aimed at treating their addiction. The study "adds some scientific evidence that excessive use of these smartphones is having an impact in the brain which might be similar to other addictive disorders," said Edwin Salsitz, MD, assistance clinical professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and addiction specialist at Mount Sinai Beth Israel. Dr. Salsitz said he was surprised that the study didn’t focus on dopamine; a brain chemical more typically linked to addiction, but added that GABA is a very important neurotransmitter that works in the same parts of the brain affected by dopamine. - Edwin Salsitz, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor, Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Addiction Specialist, Mount Sinai Beth Israel Learn more: https://consumer.healthday.com/mental-health-information-25/addiction-news-6/does-smartphone-addiction-show-up-in- teens-brains-728910.html Additional coverage: US News & World Report https://health.usnews.com/health-care/articles/2017-11-30/does-smartphone-addiction-show-up-in-teens-brains The Philadelphia Inquirer http://www.philly.com/philly/health/topics/HealthDay728910_20171130_Does__Smartphone_Addiction__Show_Up_in_Teens__Brains_.html Drugs.com https://www.drugs.com/news/does-smartphone-show-up-teens-brains-67911.html? utm_source=ddc&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=Does+%27Smartphone+Addiction%27+Show+Up+in+Teens%27+Brains%3F Web MD https://www.webmd.com/children/news/20171130/do-teens-brains-show-smartphone-addiction#1 Doctors Lounge https://www.doctorslounge.com/index.php/news/hd/76839

Men’s Health – November 30 Six Sneaky Signs Of Lung Cancer That Have Nothing To Do With A Cough — Alexa Tucker You probably think of lung cancer as a smoker's disease—after all, we've long heard the warnings that lighting up skyrockets your risk. And while that’s certainly true, the truth is, it's not exclusively a smoker's disease. The American Cancer Society estimates that as many as 20 percent of annual lung cancer deaths are in people who've never smoked or used tobacco. Yes, it's still true that smoking is the biggest risk factor, but it's not the only one. "You may be exposed to things that cause lung cancer and not even know it," said Raja Flores, MD, professor of thoracic surgery, director of the thoracic surgical oncology program at the Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and system chair of thoracic surgery for the Mount Sinai Health System. For instance, you may have been around radon gas, carcinogens like asbestos, or secondhand smoke, he said—maybe you lived next to a neighbor who smoked inside for years, or you used to tear down walls in the construction business. If you recognize any sneaky risk factors, it’s particularly important to be aware of the signs of lung cancer. “It’s very aggressive, so when you catch it early, you have to act on it early,” said Dr. Flores. - Raja Flores, MD, Steven and Ann Ames Professorship in Thoracic Surgery, Director, Thoracic Surgical Oncology Program, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, System Chair, Thoracic Surgery, Mount Sinai Health System Learn more: https://www.menshealth.com/health/symptoms-of-lung-cancer tctMD – November 30 New-Generation TAVR Devices Outperform Predecessors In Treating Pure Native AR — Caitlin E. Cox High-risk or inoperable patients who undergo TAVR to treat pure native aortic regurgitation (AR) fare better – with improved procedural outcomes and lower 1-year CV mortality – when they receive new – versus early – generation valves, registry data confirm. This unique disease subset has posed challenges, among them that aortic valve calcification, which plays a key role in anchoring TAVR devices, tends to be absent or mild in most cases. Recent technological developments mean that the more recent valves have features that help overcome those challenges. Further analyses showed aortic valve calcification, annulus size, and dilated aorta were linked to impaired procedural outcomes for earlier-generation valves, but not for new-generation devices. What this indicates, is that the bigger devices now available offer more flexibility. These shifts in design did not occur in a vacuum, stress George Dangas, MD, PhD, professor of medicine, cardiology, and surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and director of cardiovascular innovation at the Zena and Michael A. Weiner Cardiovascular Institute at the Mount Sinai Health System, and Patricia A. Pellikka, MD at the Mayo Clinic, in an accompanying editorial. Over the study’s 10-year enrollment period, the other gains make it hard to tease out why patients began to see better results, they say. “Percutaneous aortic valve replacement will eventually become a standard therapy for isolated severe regurgitation and will save lives,” they predict. - George Dangas, MD, PhD, Professor, Medicine, Cardiology, Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Cardiovascular Innovation, The Zena and Michael A. Weiner Cardiovascular Institute, The Mount Sinai Health System Learn more: https://www.tctmd.com/news/new-generation-tavr-devices-outperform-predecessors-treating-pure-native-ar-registry

Health And Wellness Associates – November 29 Your Earwax Can Tell Us A Lot About Your Health Earwax is often viewed as a gross and annoying nuisance, but it is actually a very crucial part of our natural defense system. Ear wax is formed from wax glands in the external ear canal and it protects the skin and ear from water and infection. Everyone differs in the amount of ear wax that they have, and the consistency. “Normal earwax ranges from light orange to dark brown, but if it’s yellow, green, white, or black, that suggests an infection and you need to see your personal physician, and bring a sample with you,” said Benjamin Tweel, MD, assistant professor of otolaryngology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Your ear wax should never have an odor. If it does, this could be a sign of an infection. “In my experience, it’s the patient who notices a smell, but it’s very possible other people might bring it up as well,” noted Dr. Tweel. “Regardless, it needs to be treated.” - Benjamin Tweel, MD, Assistant Professor, Otolaryngology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://healthandwellnessassociates.co/2017/11/29/your-earwax-can-tell-us-a-lot-about-your-health/

Prevention – November 29 The Surprising Reason Your Skin Is Getting Drier — Karen Repinski If “more is more” describes your moisturizing philosophy, you may want to lighten up on the lotion. Dermatologists have begun to suspect that over-moisturizing may cause skin to become dependent on the outside assistance, leading to more dryness. “Definitive data is lacking, but the theory is that applying a continued thick barrier of moisturizer may make skin lazy and keep it from retaining its own hydration,” said Joshua Zeichner, MD, assistant professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at The Mount Sinai Hospital. Skin hydration levels tend to decrease at night, so if you only moisturize once a day, bedtime is prime time to do it, Dr. Zeichner said. The goal is to stick to light, breathable formulas that offer high levels of hydration without forming a thick seal. Light creams of lotions may be ideal for this reason, added Dr. Zeichner. - Joshua Zeichner, MD, Assistant Professor, Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Cosmetic and Clinical Research in Dermatology, The Mount Sinai Hospital Learn more: https://www.prevention.com/beauty/dry-skin-causes

Shape Magazine – December 1 The One Ingredient You Need In Your Beauty Routine To Transform Your Skin — Jolene Edgar Hyaluronic acid – a sugar that can hold 1,000 times its weight in water and it able to heal wounds, fight free radicals, and hydrate skin so that it looks smoother – is suddenly elevating creams to cult status. Having recently undergone a molecular makeover, hyaluronic acid is more effective than ever. You can easily replenish your natural reserves and fortify what you've got. "It's all about a basic skin-care regimen, since robust hyaluronic acid production is a reflection of healthy skin," said Joshua Zeichner, MD, assistant professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at the Mount Sinai Hospital. The means using sunscreen and antioxidants. - Joshua Zeichner, MD, Assistant Professor, Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Cosmetic and Clinical Research in Dermatology, The Mount Sinai Hospital Learn more: https://www.shape.com/lifestyle/beauty-style/skin-care-benefits-hyaluronic-acid-beauty-products-treatments

If you have a news story, news tip, breakthrough, study, upcoming event or patient success story to share or have been contacted by the media for an interview contact: [email protected] 212-241-9200 From: ITNDaily Subject: Mount Sinai In The News - December 4, 2017 Date: Monday, December 04, 2017 1:31:01 PM Attachments: ATT00002.txt

In the News December 4, 2017

Crain’s Health Pulse – December 4 Mount Sinai's Operating Income Rises 41 Percent — Caroline Lewis The Mount Sinai Hospital's operating profit for the first nine months of 2017 rose 41 percent over the same period last year, reaching $153.1 million. The hospital had projected a net surplus of $110 million for the entire year, according to unaudited financial statements posted online. Mount Sinai's operating margin was 7.8 percent, compared with 6.2 percent for the year-ago period. The median operating margin among U.S. nonprofits and public hospitals was 2.7 percent last year. The results reflect the performance of Mount Sinai's Manhattan and Queens campuses. During the first three quarters Mount Sinai brought in nearly $2 billion in operating revenue, up 12 percent from the same period last year. Outpatient revenue rose 19 percent in the first three quarters, thanks to an increase in infusion, hemophilia and cardiology services, Mount Sinai said in its financial statements. - The Mount Sinai Hospital Learn more: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20171204/PULSE/171209981/atlantic-health- telestroke-program-speeds-treatment (Subscription Required)

Healio – November 30 Heightened Efforts For Screening Interventions May Decrease Global CVD Burden — Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommended that improvements of detection and treatment methods and decreasing the effects of risk factors may reduce global CVD burden, according to a report published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. “All countries are vulnerable to threats from infectious diseases and to the chronic negative economic and health impacts of noncommunicable diseases, such as CVD,” said Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, professor of medicine and cardiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, director of Mount Sinai Heart and physician in chief at The Mount Sinai Hospital. “There are opportunities for shared innovation and universal purpose as countries strive to develop best practices and strong health care systems.” Risk factor interventions such as tax increases on cigarettes and sugar-sweetened beverages, screening programs in high-traffic areas and the integration of additional services into the health care visits, may also contribute to reducing CVD burden, Dr. Fuster and colleagues wrote. “Early detection can prompt behavioral changes, promote regular health visits and improve medical management,” added Dr. Fuster. - Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, Professor, Medicine, Cardiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Mount Sinai Heart, Physician in Chief at The Mount Sinai Hospital Learn more: https://www.healio.com/cardiology/chd-prevention/news/online/%7Bdec7ca57-a75f-4834- 8cf4-37d4dc5a2f03%7D/heightened-efforts-for-screening-interventions-may-decrease-global-cvd-burden

Queens Tribune – November 30 Queens Tribune News Video The Queens Tribune ran a special section in anticipation of its annual Healthcare Heroes Award, which will be held on December 5th. In the section the Queen’s staff spoke with medical experts on the state of healthcare in New York. David L. Reich, MD, president and COO of the Mount Sinai Hospital and professor of anesthesiology, perioperative and pain medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is an honoree for the awards events. - David L. Reich, MD, President and COO of The Mount Sinai Hospital, Professor, Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://queenstribune.com/queens-tribune-news-video-november-30-2017/

PBS Newshour – December 4 Researchers Chase A Better Fix For The Seasonal Flu — Meghan Thompson The flu and complications from it can kill as many as 56,000 Americans every year while costing $10 billion in doctor visits, hospitalizations and medication. But since the strains change so quickly, its vaccine is only around 20 to 60 percent effective. So researchers across the country and world are trying to develop a universal and longer-lasting solution. “Many vaccines are long-lasting, such as measles, mumps rubella. They’re given once, and then, we are protected for life. And we hope that we have something similar now for influenza viruses,” said Peter Palese, PhD, professor of microbiology, medicine, and infectious diseases and chair of microbiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Palese has figured out a way to make a virus within a head that the human immune system ignores, so that instead it fights off the stalk, the part that doesn’t change much. “We want to redirect the immune system to make a protective immune response against the portions of the virus and areas of the virus which are not changing,” added Dr. Palese. - Peter Palese, PhD, Professor, Chair, Microbiology, Professor, Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/researchers-chase-a-better-fix-for-the-seasonal-flu

CBS New York – December 1 Game-Changing Drug In The Fight To Prevent HIV As an HIV counselor and advocate, Grant Roth’s job is to get through to young people online, spreading the word about the daily pill he credits for keeping him HIV-negative. Roth is one of 145,000 people across the country taking the prevention drug Truvada, more commonly known as PrEP. It’s more than 90 percent effective at preventing a person from becoming infected with HIV. “I think it’s a game changer,” said Antonio Urbina, MD, associate professor of medicine and infectious disease and medical director for the Institute for Advanced Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “I see it like what birth control did for women and contraception.” Since the Food and Drug Administration approved Truvada in 2012, the number of people taking the pill across the country has increased more than fivefold. But Dr. Urbina said there's still a long way to go and that more than one million Americans could benefit, including women. "There are over 600,000 heterosexuals that should be on PrEP based on their risk factors," Dr. Urbina said. "So, no, I don't think it's just a gay man's intervention. I think it's really for anybody that's at risk for HIV." - Antonio Urbina, MD, Associate Professor, Medicine, Infectious Disease, Medical Director, Institute for Advanced Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.wcax.com/content/news/Game-changing-drug-in-the-fight-to-prevent-HIV- 461328123.html Additional coverage: CBS Miami http://miami.cbslocal.com/2017/12/01/world-aids-day-hiv-prep/ WDTV http://www.wdtv.com/content/news/Raising-awareness-of-HIV-treatment-461342923.html

Healthcare IT News – December 1 Future-Proofing Population Health: Embrace Predictive Analytics, Social Detriments, And Patient- Generated Data Now — Tom Sullivan The need to simultaneously reduce healthcare costs and deliver optimal care is driving the expansion of population health management initiatives among hospitals today. Add to that mix the rising number of patients with chronic conditions, the rapidly growing Silver Tsunami population with its longer lifespans, the shift to value-based care and it’s no wonder healthcare entities are under more pressure than ever before. As population health management projects become more and more advanced, hospitals are going to need not only new technologies but new ways of thinking about their data. Yes, this means predictive and prescriptive analytics and ultimately artificial intelligence, cognitive computing and machine learning. “Sometimes simple is better,” said Ken McCardle, senior director of clinical operations at the Mount Sinai Health System. “Finding practical, useful, actionable ways that data can be used is important to our analytics.” - Ken McCardle, Senior Director, Clinical Operations, The Mount Sinai Health System Learn more: http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/future-proofing-population-health-embrace- predictive-analytics-social-determinants-and-patient

Home Health Care News – November 30 American Academy Of Home Care Medicine Elects Four New Board Members — Carlo Calma The Academy of Home Care Medicine (AAHCM) – a Chicago-based association advocating for the needs of the home care industry – has elected four new members to its board of directors. AAHCM elected Theresa Soriano, MD, MPH, professor of medicine, general internal medicine, associate professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, to fill a position of president elect. Dr. Soriano sees patients in the Mount Sinai Visiting Doctors Program. She has been active in the AAHCM for more than a decade, serving on multiple committees, including the annual meeting planning committee and the annual awards committee. New to the board is Linda DeCherrie, MD, associate professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, director of the Mount Sinai Visiting Doctors Program and program director of the primary care internal medicine residency program at the Mount Sinai Hospital. She is elected to serve as an at-large director for a three-year term. Dr. DeCherrie has assisted with the academy’s work for many years, mostly through the public policy committee and addressing billing and coding issues. - Theresa A. Soriano, MD, MPH, Professor, Medicine, General Internal Medicine, Associate Professor, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai - Linda DeCherrie, MD, Associate Professor, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Mount Sinai Visiting Doctors Program, Program Director, Primary Care Internal Medicine Residency Program, The Mount Sinai Hospital Learn more: https://homehealthcarenews.com/2017/11/movers-shakers-celltrak-firstlight-home-care/

PsychCentral – December 4 Dopamine Seen As Link To Mental Illness For Brain-Injured Preemies— Traci Pederson Babies born prematurely who also sustain small brain injuries at the time of birth are more likely to have lower levels of dopamine as adults, according to a new study. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter associated with motivations, attention, concentration, and finding enjoyment in life. Low levels of dopamine may lead to serious mental health conditions such as depression and substance dependence. While the exact link between birth complications and greater risk of mental health issues is still unclear, one theory states that the stress of a complicated birth could lead to increased levels of dopamine, which is also increased in people with schizophrenia. To investigate further, researchers from King’s, Imperial College London and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, used a combination of positron emission tomography scans and magnetic resonance imaging scans of the brain along with a range of psychological tests. They wanted to determine the precise changes to both chemistry and brain structure following early brain damage. Research has shown that mental health problems often arise from a complex mix of genetic vulnerability factors combined with negative or traumatic life-experiences. Difficulties at birth may count as one of the most stressful life experiences. - The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://psychcentral.com/news/2017/12/04/dopamine-seen-as-link-to-mental-illness-for- brain-injured-preemies/129518.html

RadioMD – December 1 Everything You Need To Know About Ovarian Cancer —Michael Roizen, MD The five year survival rate of ovarian cancer is 92 percent if it’s found before it spreads. However, only 15 percent of ovarian cancers are found that early. Stephanie Blank, MD, professor of gynecology oncology, obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and director of women’s health at Mount Sinai Downtown – Chelsea Center, shared the latest developments in detecting ovarian cancer. She discussed co-testing, or pairing a traditional pap smear with HPV screening, and its benefits. Dr. Blank also offered her best advice to help women in vulnerable ages minimize their risk of diagnosis. She also breaks down cancer staging, and why it’s important. - Stephanie V. Blank, MD, Professor in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director of Women's Health, Mount Sinai Downtown- Chelsea Center Learn more: http://radiomd.com/show/you-the-owners-manual-radio-show/item/36229-ep-865- everything-you-need-to-know-about-ovarian-cancer

Self Magazine – December 1 People Are Obsessed With This Home Remedy For Clearing A Baby’s Clogged Nose — Korin Miller As pretty much any parent will tell you, every baby gets a clogged nose at some point – probably more than once. And given that they don’t know how to blow or pick their noses, it can tricky to unclog nostrils that are stuffed up. Many parents are trying nasal irrigation, where you flush out mucus with liquid, and lots of adults do it all the time. Many experts say that using nasal irrigation on babies and toddlers isn’t necessarily a bad idea. A neti pot is a proven method to get the saline rinse into your nose and help the mucus come out. Rather than pouring salt water into their nose, you can try using three of four drops of nasal saline solution to loosen up a clog. Then you can use a nasal bulb to actually suck the goop out, said Gregory Levitin, MD, senior faculty of otolaryngology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and director of vascular birthmarks and malformations and the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai. - Gregory M. Levitin, MD, Senior Faculty, Otolaryngology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Vascular Birthmarks and Malformations, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.self.com/story/people-are-obsessed-with-this-home-remedy-for-clearing-a- babys-clogged-nose

Self Magazine – December 1 Eleven Reasons Your Skin Is So Dry — Jenn Sinrich Moisturizer is kind of a misnomer. Moisturizers add a little bit of hydration to the skin, but their primary purpose it to seal in the moisture. So, while finding the right products is a big part of the formula, boosting your skin’s hydration – and cutting out habits that dehydrate your skin – is the true backbone to a skin-care regimen that can really help your dry, tight, itchy skin. “Excessive exposure to hot water can strip the skin of essential oils leading to irritation and inflammation,” said Joshua Zeichner, MD, assistant professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at The Mount Sinai Hospital. “The water in your shower should be the temperature of what you would imagine a heated pool to be – approximately 84 degree F.” Dr. Zeichner also recommends keeping showers short – a maximum of 10 minutes – and patting your skin dry rather than rubbing it to avoid stripping the skin even more. - Joshua Zeichner, MD, Assistant Professor, Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Cosmetic and Clinical Research in Dermatology, The Mount Sinai Hospital Learn more: https://www.self.com/story/dry-skin-mistakes

If you have a news story, news tip, breakthrough, study, upcoming event or patient success story to share or have been contacted by the media for an interview contact: [email protected] 212-241-9200 From: ITNDaily Subject: Mount Sinai In The News - December 5, 2017 Date: Tuesday, December 05, 2017 1:20:59 PM Attachments: ATT00002.txt

In the News December 5, 2017

HealthIT Analytics – December 4 Big Data, PCP Engagement Aid Mount Sinai With Population Health — Jennifer Bresnick While the majority of healthcare organizations have at least recognized the importance of population health management, large integrated delivery systems with hundreds of locations and thousands of providers often find it difficult to drive positive changes into every corner of their vast domains. Luckily, the growing maturity of big data analytics tools is helping to forge new links between colleagues in large networks such as the Mount Sinai Health System, giving executive leaders more actionable insight into how to collaborate in pursuit of value-based care and population health. Assuming financial risk while coordinating care for patients within the New York Metro Area is particularly challenging, said Niyum Gandhi, executive vice president and chief population health officer of the Mount Sinai Health System. “The New York Metro area is traditionally very oriented towards fee-for-service,” Gandhi explained. “We have a fragmented provider market and a fragmented payer market, which is fairly unusual.” At Mount Sinai, a variety of practice transformation efforts have driven the principles of coordinated care throughout a network of around 600 primary care providers, half of whom are employed by the Icahn School of Medicine. The other half are community physicians aligned with the Mount Sinai clinically integrated network. “One of our big thrusts is to work with practices to transform every element of their care delivery model to help them achieve their population health goals,” said Gandhi. - Niyum Gandhi, Executive Vice President, Chief Population Health Officer, Mount Sinai Health System Learn more: https://healthitanalytics.com/news/big-data-pcp-engagement-aid-mount-sinai-with- population-health

New York Daily News – December 4 Thyroid Disease May Be The Reason You Feel So Bad — Terry F. Davies, MD Thyroid disease is an under-recognized problem that can profoundly affect your day-to-day life. Getting the right treatment can be so transformative that patients will often say, "I didn't realize how bad I was feeling for all of those years." Researchers estimate that thyroid disease affects as many as 10 percent of adults in the United States. Yet millions of Americans remain undiagnosed. The red flags of thyroid disease are unexplained weight gain or weight loss, depression or anxiety, palpitations, and sweating. Terry Davies, MD, professor of medicine, endocrinology, diabetes and bone disease, obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and co-director of the thyroid center at Mount Sinai Union Square said, “Another sign of a thyroid problem is a lump in the neck that you can feel, which may indicate that you have developed a nodule, or small growth, on your thyroid. This diagnosis is confirmed by an ultrasound exam and may involve taking a biopsy.” Patients with overactive thyroids can take medications to control their hormone levels. If that doesn't work, we can take out the malfunctioning thyroid gland by surgery, or destroy it using radioactive iodine. Dr. Davies added. - Terry F. Davies, MD, FRCP, Professor, Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Co- Director, The Thyroid Center, Mount Sinai Union Square Learn more: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/thyroid-disease-reason-feel-bad-article-1.3677544

Medscape – December 1 New Score May Have Prognostic Value In Severe Alcoholic Hepatitis — Marilynn Larkin Combining gene expression signature data with the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score may predict survival of patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis, researchers say. "Survival prediction of severe alcoholic hepatitis is an urgent unmet medical need given the considerable side effects of the standard of care, steroids, which is not effective in a significant fraction of the patients,” said Yuhin Hoshida, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine and liver diseases at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "The currently available score predicts patient prognosis only seven days after starting steroid treatment, and its predictive performance is suboptimal. Our score enables prognostic prediction before steroid initiation, with substantially improved performance," he added. Sander Florman, MD, director of the Recanti/Miller Transplantation Institute and professor of surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, was not involved in the study, but said, “The gene signature data combined with MELD data for these patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis is interesting and merits further investigation. These findings will hopefully lead to the development of serum assays as biopsy is not readily available everywhere and can be hazardous.” For now, the findings "may have significant clinical applicability, especially when biopsy is available, and may allow us to stratify these patients and their care based upon who is more or less likely to survive." - Yuhin Hoshida, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Medicine, Liver Diseases, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai - Sander Florman, MD, Director, Recaanti/Miller Transplantation Institute, Professor, Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/889392

The Wall Street Journal – December 4 Which Heart Patients Need Stents? A New Study Stirs Debate — Sumathi Reddy Some doctors say medication can treat mild cases of clogged arteries as well as surgery, while others remain believers of angioplasty procedures called PCI. Nearly every day for the past month, Roxana Mehran, MD, professor of medicine, cardiology, population health and policy, director of the interventional cardiovascular research and clinical trials and the Zena and Michael A. Weiner Cardiovascular Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and her colleagues have been getting calls from patients wondering if their stents were really necessary. Yes, the doctor assures them, they were prime candidates to receive a stent, a small device used to prop open clogged arteries in patients with cardiovascular disease. Most cardiologists agree that in patients with acute coronary syndrome—those who have a heart attack or frequent chest pain—stents can be a lifesaver. It’s in patients with stable angina, or chest pain that occurs only when they exert themselves that questions remain. - Roxana Mehran, MD, Professor, Medicine, Cardiology, Population Health Science and Policy, Director, Interventional Cardiovascular Research and Clinical Trials, Zena and Michael A. Weiner Cardiovascular Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/which-heart-patients-need-stents-a-new-study-stirs-debate- 1512404263?mg=prod/accounts-wsj

HealthDay – December 4 Steep Rise In Deaths For People Hospitalized After Opioid OD— Dennis Thompson The death rate has quadrupled among people whose opioid use lands them in a hospital, a new U.S. study finds. More opioid users are being sent to the hospital due to a life-threatening overdose than for treatment of drug addiction, the researchers noted. Drug users are probably suffering overdose deaths more frequently because they switched from prescription painkillers to more potent and more easily obtainable opioids such as heroin and fentanyl. Fentanyl can be 50 to 100 times more potent than heroin, and often is cut into street heroin or illicit pain pills without the users' knowledge, said Timothy Brennan, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry and director of the fellowship in addiction medicine program at the addiction institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "Many more people are now coming into the hospital because they've been accidentally poisoned by their drug of choice," Dr. Brennan said. "You think you're buying heroin, but more and more heroin is adulterated by fentanyl, which makes it much more dangerous. Not only are more people using this product than ever before, but the product is more dangerous than ever before." - Timothy Brennan, MD, Assistant Professor, Psychiatry, Director, Fellowship in Addiction Medicine Program, Addiction Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://consumer.healthday.com/bone-and-joint-information-4/opioids-990/steep-rise-in- deaths-for-people-hospitalized-after-opioid-od-729080.html Additional coverage: US News & World Report https://health.usnews.com/health-care/articles/2017-12-04/steep-rise-in-deaths- for-people-hospitalized-after-opioid-od NBC12 News http://www.nbc12.com/story/36991634/steep-rise-in-deaths-for-people-hospitalized-after- opioid-od WBTV News http://www.wbtv.com/story/36991634/steep-rise-in-deaths-for-people-hospitalized-after- opioid-od

MedIndia – December 5 Higher Physical Endurance And Better Cognitive Function Associated With Working Memory — Aishwarya Radhakrishnan A positive relationship has been found between the brain network associated with working memory by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai – the ability to store and process information relevant to the task at hand – and healthy traits such as higher physical endurance and better cognitive function. This is the first study to establish the link between working memory and physical health and lifestyle choices. “Working memory accounts for individual differences in personal, educational, and professional attainment,” said Sophia Frangou, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Working memory is also one of the brain functions that is severely affected by physical and mental illnesses. Our study identified factors that can either support or undermine the working memory brain network. Our findings can empower people to make informed choices about how best to promote and preserve brain health.” - Sophia Frangou, MD, PhD, Professor, Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.medindia.net/news/higher-physical-endurance-and-better-cognitive-function- associated-with-working-memory-175236-1.htm Additional coverage: Medical Xpress https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-12-memory-positively-higher-physical- cognitive.html Dotemirates https://www.dotemirates.com/en/details/4275365?from=dot

Politico New York – December 5 Peanut Allergy — Dan Goldberg Mount Sinai researchers, writing in Nature Communications, identified six genes that activate hundreds of others in children with severe peanut allergies. “This study highlights genes and molecular processes that could be targets for new therapies to treat peanut-allergy reactions and could be important to understanding how peanut allergy works overall,” said senior author, Supinda Bunyavanich, MD, associate professor of pediatrics, genetics and genomic sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. - Supinda Bunyavanich, MD, Associate Professor, Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/newsletters/politico-new-york-health- care/2017/12/05/aarp-pushing-for-tax-credit-013597 Additional coverage: Medical News Today https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320257.php

Time Magazine – December 5 Eating Cheese Every Day May Actually Be Good For You — Amanda MacMillan Cheese is typically more of an indulgence food than a health food, but a new review of research suggests that it may not be as bad for you as you once thought. In fact, people in the analysis who ate a little bit of cheese every day were less likely to develop heart disease or have a stroke, compared to those who rarely or never ate cheese. Cheese, like other dairy products, contains high levels of saturated fats – which has been linked to high cholesterol, atherosclerosis, and an increased risk of heart disease. But cheese also contains potentially beneficial ingredients like calcium, protein, and probiotics, wrote the authors of the new paper, published in the European Journal of Nutrition. The researchers’ findings were “certainly different from what people might expect,” said Allan Stewart, MD, associate professor of cardiovascular surgery and director of aortic surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who was not involved in the new analysis. Overall, people who consumed high levels of cheese had a 14 percent lower risk of developing coronary heart disease and were ten percent less likely to have a stroke than those who rarely or never ate cheese. Dr. Stewart points out that the study was only able to find an association between cheese consumption and decreased risk of heart disease, rather than a cause-and-effect relationship. It could be that people who eat cheese on a daily basis are healthier overall, or have more disposable income and higher socioeconomic statuses. - Allan Stewart, MD, Associate Professor, Cardiovascular Surgery, Director, Aortic Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://time.com/5048478/health-benefits-eating-cheese/

OncLive – December 4 Triplet Therapy With Selinexor Tested In Myeloma — Ariela Katz Selinexor, a novel drug that targets a tumor-suppressor “cargo” protein mechanism, is being investigated in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma who have received one to three prior treatment regimens. The trial, which is currently enrolling participants, is seeking to assess the safety of Selinexor in combination with standard-of-care treatment including a proteasome inhibitor and a glucocorticoid. “You basically keep all the tumor-suppressive proteins within the nucleus, and they will lead to tumor suppression with a deleterious effect, finally causing the cancer cells to die,” said Sundar Jagannath, MD, MBBS, professor of medicine, hematology, medical oncology, and director of the myeloma program at the Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Because selinexor has a completely different mechanism of action, it blocks communication from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, and once that transportation system is blocked, the cell is paralyzed and goes through apoptosis,” Dr. Jagannath added, who is the principal investigator for the trial. “These patients have an unmet medical need in that they have a short life expectancy, so we want to look for a treatment that will improve their outcome,” he explained. - Sundar Jagannath, MD, MBBS, Professor, Medicine, Hematology, Medical Oncology, Director, Myeloma Program, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.onclive.com/publications/oncology-live/2017/vol-19-no-21/triplet-therapy-with- selinexor-tested-in-myeloma

USA Today – December 5 Drug Addiction Struggles Spotlighted In Obituaries Following Years Of Silence— David Robinson Stories of New York’s drug crisis are more commonly shared in obituaries by those fed up with the stigma and guilt in many addiction-related deaths. 45 obituaries acknowledged addiction’s deadly consequences over the past 12 months, while the worst drug epidemic in American history killed thousands more. “People who struggle with addiction often times reveal profound shame and guilt that they feel, and a lot of that is not just personal but possibly a reflection of how society views them,” said Timothy Brennan, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry and director of the fellowship in addiction medicine program at the addiction institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “A lot of people who suffer from this never seek help because of the shame and embarrassment, and the more it sits in the daily narrative in America the better.” Dr. Brennan added, “Revealing the cause of a loved one’s death is a profoundly personal decision, and one can imagine why people are hesitant because many people in society will look down on addiction.” - Timothy Brennan, MD, Assistant Professor, Psychiatry, Director, Fellowship in Addiction Medicine Program, Addiction Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.lohud.com/story/news/health/2017/12/05/drug-addiction-struggles-spotlighted- obituaries-following-years-silence/913227001/

Self Magazine – December 1 Eleven Life Hacks That Are Perfect For People Who Sweat Too Much — Jenna Birch Some people sweat too much, they might feel like giant walking sweat glands why they’re hot, exerting themselves, or for seemingly no reason at all. “We sweat to help maintain a proper core body temperature,” said Joshua Zeichner, MD, assistant professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at the Mount Sinai Hospital. “As sweat evaporates from the skin, it helps cool us down.” However some people sweat more than others. Dr. Zeichner said those who “sweat out of proportion to any triggers” may have a condition known as hyperhidrosis, which experts estimate affects around three percent of people in the United States, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Hyperhidrosis is marked by excessive sweating that can drip off your hands, soak through your clothes, and cause a lot of angst and embarrassment. - Joshua Zeichner, MD, Assistant Professor, Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Cosmetic and Clinical Research in Dermatology, The Mount Sinai Hospital Learn more: https://www.self.com/story/sweaty-people-hacks

If you have a news story, news tip, breakthrough, study, upcoming event or patient success story to share or have been contacted by the media for an interview contact: [email protected] 212-241-9200

From: ITNDaily Subject: Mount Sinai In The News - December 6, 2017 Date: Wednesday, December 06, 2017 1:32:19 PM Attachments: ATT00001.txt

In the News December 6, 2017

The Hill – December 5 Congress Should Massively Ramp Up Funding For The NIH — Kenneth Davis, MD The scientific community is awaiting the final act of this year’s budgeting drama that will determine research funding levels for laboratories across the nation, now that Congress has passed a preliminary federal budget. At a time when science is on the cusp of achieving breakthroughs that can vastly improve health and change our world for the better, a negligible bump in the NIH budget is simply inadequate; it’s a lost opportunity. Given today’s scientific, medical, and economic facts, Congress should massively ramp up funding for the NIH over the next several years. For Americans the greatest single threat to life comes from disease, yet the NIH budget is less than one percent of the federal budget at $34 billion. Kenneth Davis, MD, president and CEO of the Mount Sinai Health System said, “This time of historic opportunity demands that scientists and the public be bold in calling for federal support, not only for scientific and public health reasons, but also for economic ones. More effective medicines that can eradicate and reduce the severity of disease will lower the cost of health care.” He added that by dramatically boosting funds for scientific research, we will have the chance to see a day when our grandchildren will question why cancer has such a scourge, wonder why many did not get to celebrate their centennial birthdays, and ask, “What was Alzheimer’s disease?” - Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President, CEO, The Mount Sinai Health System Learn more: http://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/363346-congress-should-massively-ramp-up-funding- for-the-nih

The Daily Telescope – December 6 NODEHealth Gathers Leaders In Health Care Innovation At Inaugural Digital Medicine Conference — Maria Burns More than 200 of the leading innovators in digital health gathered at the NODEHealth's inaugural Digital Medicine Conference on December 4 and 5. The event was the first conference focused on the science of evidence-based digital medicine. Ashish Atreja, MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine and gastroenterology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, director of Sinai AppLab, and chief technology, innovation, and engagement officer at The Mount Sinai Hospital, and founding chair of NODEHealth, welcomed thought leaders from around the country to discuss the current and future practice of digital medicine. “With the right tools, we can improve health care outcomes and create efficiencies,” said Dr. Atreja. Additional participants included David Reich, MD, president and COO of the Mount Sinai Hospital and professor of anesthesiology, perioperative and pain medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. - Ashish Atreja, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Medicine, Gastroenterology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Sinai AppLab, Chief Technology, Innovation and Engagement Officer, The Mount Sinai Hospital - David L. Reich, MD, President and COO of The Mount Sinai Hospital, Professor, Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://dailytelescope.com/pr/nodehealth-gathers-leaders-in-health-care-innovation-at- inaugural-digital-medicine-conference/25776

CBS New York – December 5 Researchers Identify Six Genes That Trigger Allergic Reaction To Peanuts — Peter Haskell Groundbreaking research could provide some relief for people with peanut allergies. Scientists have identified the six genes that trigger an allergic reaction. “When you sequence someone’s genes and what’s expressed, you get over 20,000 different genes that you can look at. Here we’ve narrowed it down to six,” said Supinda Bunyavanich, MD, associate professor of pediatrics, genetics, and genomic sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “They’re high-yield targets for understanding how peanut allergy works overall,” she added. “If you can stop the expression of those genes, you could potentially tone down or potentially even stop the allergic reaction.” It’s unclear whether the research will help with other food allergies. “I think that’s a big step in terms of tying to focus where our research goes,” Dr. Bunyavanich said. - Supinda Bunyavanich, MD, Associate Professor, Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/12/05/peanut-allergy-research/ Additional coverage: News Medical & Life Sciences https://www.news-medical.net/news/20171205/Study-uncovers-genes-that- drive-peanut-allergy-reactions.aspx Lab Manager Magazine http://www.labmanager.com/news/2017/12/researchers-identify-six-genes- driving-peanut-allergy-reactions#.WigWetKPJQI GenomeWeb https://www.genomeweb.com/sequencing/acute-peanut-allergy-contributors-suggested- blood-transcriptomic-study

Politico New York – December 6 Flu Works — Dan Goldberg Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, writing in Nature Communications, found the flu virus triggers an inflammatory cell death in immune cells. That lets the body know something is wrong and activate an immune response. But pandemic flus inhibit the inflammatory response. That's what makes them so dangerous. - The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/newsletters/politico-new-york-health- care/2017/12/06/most-acos-fail-to-save-money-014106

News Medical & Life Sciences – December 6 Mount Sinai Surgeons Use BABA Technique To Remove Metastatic Cancer In The Lateral Neck A team of surgeons at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, led by Hyunsuk Suh, MD, assistant professor of surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, have performed the first robot-assisted radical neck dissection in the United States using the bilateral axillo-breast approach (BABA), a surgery that involves removing all of the lymph nodes on one side of the neck. The results were published in the journal VideoEndocrinology. Dr. Suh and the endocrine surgery team at Mount Sinai are the only surgeons in the country currently utilizing the BABA technique to treat benign and malignant thyroid disorders. "This is the ideal procedure for patients who want to avoid a visible neck scar and maintain confidentiality," said Dr. Suh. "Following surgery, most patients can return home the same day." William B. Inabnet III, MD, chair of surgery at Mount Sinai Beth Israel said, “Dr. Suh is one of our star recruits who brings a new skill set to our growing remote access thyroid surgery program.” Dr. Suh joined the Mount Sinai Endocrine Surgery Program, which has a long tradition of performing hidden-scar endoscopic thyroid surgery, including the transoral approach. That technique involves removing the thyroid gland by making three small incisions inside the mouth underneath the lower lip. - Hyunsuk Suh, MD, Assistant Professor, Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai - William B. Inabnet III, MD, FACS, Chair, Surgery, Mount Sinai Beth Israel Learn more: https://www.news-medical.net/news/20171206/Mount-Sinai-surgeons-use-BABA-technique- to-remove-metastatic-cancer-in-the-lateral-neck.aspx

Cardiovascular Business – December 4 Five Ways The U.S. Fits Into The Future Of Global CVD Management — Anicka Slachta At a time when chronic disease is eclipsing infectious outbreaks, the United States is working to find its role in the worldwide healthcare conversation. On behalf of the Committee on Global Health and the Future of the United States, Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, professor of medicine and cardiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, director of Mount Sinai Heart and physician in chief at the Mount Sinai Hospital, and a team outlined more than a dozen ways the US can fit into that global puzzle. When it comes to global health priorities, politicians don’t necessarily focus on the slow-moving, chronic diseases, said Dr. Fuster. Infectious diseases like Ebola, HIV/AIDS, Zika, and tuberculosis tend to take priority over chronic non-communicable diseases like cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD), even though CVD accounts for the highest healthcare expenditures in most countries and chronic disease kills more than 40 million people annually. Early detection of CVD can be a game-changer, especially in high- income countries like the US, but has proven to be a difficult task in low-income countries. Dr. Fuster and his colleagues suggested a handful of ways countries with less developed healthcare systems could promote early intervention. - Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, Professor, Medicine, Cardiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Mount Sinai Heart, Physician in Chief at The Mount Sinai Hospital Learn more: http://www.cardiovascularbusiness.com/topics/healthcare-economics/5-ways-us-fits-future- global-healthcare

Science Daily – December 5 Working Memory Positively Associated With Higher Physical Endurance, Better Cognitive Function Mount Sinai researchers have found a positive relationship between the brain network associated with working memory – the ability to store and process information relevant to the task at hand – and healthy traits such as a higher physical endurance and better cognitive function. This is the first study to establish the link between working memory and physical health and lifestyle choices. The results of the study will be published in Molecular Psychiatry. "Working memory accounts for individual differences in personal, educational, and professional attainment," said Sophia Frangou, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "Working memory is also one of the brain functions severely affected by physical and mental illnesses. Our study identified factors that can either support or undermine the working memory brain network. Our findings can empower people to make informed choices about how best to promote and preserve brain health." - Sophia Frangou, MD, PhD, Professor, Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171205091531.htm Additional coverage: Technology Networks https://www.technologynetworks.com/tn/news/exercise-improves-working- memory-294900 PsychCentral https://psychcentral.com/news/2017/12/06/healthy-behaviors-good-physical-health-strong- working-memory/129611.html

Taiwan News – December 6 Early Detection Can Prevent Cancer, Says Experts — Jose Kalathil Cancer kills 700,000 people every year and 30 percent of these deaths can be prevented by simple lifestyle changes and early detection, said Ash Tewari, MBBS, MCh, professor and system chair of urology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, at the 15th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit. He added that “if you begin the fight early, or when it is possible to zap the cells, cancer is treatable… but if you wait for the symptoms, the fight gets difficult.” Dr. Tewari advised the audience not to wait for symptoms to appear. Breast and cervical cancers in women and lung and oral cancers in men are the leading forms of the disease. Cancer can be prevented by cutting down on animal fat, red meat, and sugar. - Ashutosh Tewari, MBBS, MCh, Professor, System Chair, Urology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3313931

MD Alert – December 4 U.S. Oncologists, Unfamiliar With MACRA, Are Not Implementing It — Marilynn Larkin Lack of knowledge and resources, and doubts that the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) would positively impact their practices or patients, have led to low participation by U.S. oncologists, researchers and policy experts say. MACRA, signed into law in 2015, replaced the existing Medicare payment formula with a new pay-for-performance program. Luis M. Isola, MD, professor of medicine, hematology, medical oncology, and pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who was not involved in the study but is very familiar with MACRA requirements, warned that if clinicians “just ignore it completely and don’t submit data, they will get a four percent decrease in their reimbursement, and as a result, some practices may not be able to treat Medicare patients.” He added that “the margin for chemotherapy drugs is six percent, so you don’t want to subtract 4 percent. You’re buying very expensive drugs to give to patients in hope you’ll get paid back.” - Luis M. Isola, MD, Professor, Medicine, Hematology, Medical Oncology, Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.mdalert.com/news/article/u-s--oncologists-unfamiliar-with-macra-are-not- implementing-it

EndocrineWeb – December 6 Severity Of Diabetes Does Not Predict Usual Complications — Kathleen Doheny If you have diabetes, you may also have problems with blood pressure, vision, kidneys and your oral health. In all likelihood, your doctor already has cautioned you that having diabetes increases your risk for developing a whole range of chronic health conditions such as heart disease, and kidney problems. Researchers found that the severity of your diabetes does not appear to be linked to the number of complications you may develop. The researchers found, for instance, that someone with a very high A1C tended to have the same number of associated conditions as someone with an A1C at ideal levels. The findings are not surprising, said Zachary Bloomgarden, MD, clinical professor of medicine, endocrinology, diabetes and bone disease at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “It’s a clinical index that appears to correlate with well-known risk factors associated with diabetes,” he added. “The study and the results do illustrate the complexity of diabetes, and the fact that so many other conditions are related to it.” Dr. Bloomgarden explained that there are many ways to communicate the related risk, and applauds whatever works to get the message across to those with diabetes. - Zachary Bloomgarden, MD, Clinical Professor, Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.endocrineweb.com/news/diabetes/58700-severity-diabetes-does-not-predict- common-complications

Jezebel – December 5 Should You Eat A Little Bit Of Cheese Every Day? — Hannah Gold A recent study published in the European Journal of Nutrition by researchers from China and the Netherlands suggest that people who eat just a little bit of cheese every day are less likely to develop heart disease compared to those who eat cheese infrequently or not at all. The study examined data collected from 15 previous studies in which participants were tracked for at least a decade. The researchers found that people who ate cheese regularly had a 14 percent lower risk of developing heart disease and were ten percent less likely to have a stroke. Allan Stewart, MD, associate professor of cardiovascular surgery and director of aortic surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai said, “This is not the same as eating a big slice of cheesy pizza every day, no one’s saying you should definitely go out and eat 40 grams of cheese a day. But on the upside, a bit of cheese on a cracker doesn’t sound unreasonable.” - Allan Stewart, MD, Associate Professor, Cardiovascular Surgery, Director, Aortic Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://jezebel.com/should-you-eat-a-little-bit-of-cheese-every-day-1821035955 Additional coverage: New York Daily News http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/eating-cheese-day-healthy-article- 1.3679367 Maxim https://www.maxim.com/news/cheese-good-study-2017-12 US News & World Report: Health Buzz https://health.usnews.com/wellness/health-buzz/articles/2017-12- 06/eating-cheese-could-be-good-for-your-health

Medpage Today – December 6 Questionnaire May Help Better Identify Lennox-Gastaut — Kristina Fiore A questionnaire developed by experts in Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) may help physicians differentiate it from other seizure disorders in the clinic, researchers reported. Using a combination of major and minor criteria, the questionnaire had a Cronbach's alpha of 0.64 for internal consistency among expert raters across all eight criteria, reported Steven Wolf, MD, associate professor of neurology and pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, director of pediatric epilepsy, co-director of the epilepsy unit at Mount Sinai Beth Israel and director of pediatric neurology at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s- Mount Sinai West, during a poster session at the American Epilepsy Society Meeting. That suggests that the "combined number of major and minor criteria ... may be particularly indicative of a patient with LGS," they concluded. - Steven Wolf, MD, Associate Professor, Neurology, Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Pediatric Epilepsy, Co-Director, Epilepsy Unit, Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Director, Pediatric Neurology, Mount Sinai St. Luke’s-Mount Sinai West, Co-Director, Tuberous Sclerosis Clinic Learn more: https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/aes/69670

Work Comp Central – December 6 WTC Health Program Doctor Concerned About Benefit Denials The top doctor with the World Trade Center Health Program Clinical Center of Excellence at the Mount Sinai Hospital is concerned about the stress placed on patients who have to fight for disability retirement benefits for their 9/11-linked medical problems. “The last thing we want to do for people that have had exposure to the World Trade Center toxins is to increase their anxieties about anything,” said Michael Crane, MD, MPH, associate professor of environmental medicine and public health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, director of the World Trade Center Program Clinical Center of Excellence at the Mount Sinai Hospital. He said he’s written letters of appeal on behalf of patients in certain cases, often to no avail. Time has shown that institutions such as the retirement and workers’ compensation systems were ill-equipped to handle the fallout of 9/11. “If we had functioning workers’ compensation systems in the United States that really worked well and protected workers, we wouldn’t need the Zadroga Act,” said Dr. Crane, referring to the federal law that provides health care to 9/11 cleanup workers and survivors. - Michael Crane, MD, MPH, Associate Professor, Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, World Trade Center Health Program Clinical Center of Excellence, The Mount Sinai Hospital Learn more: https://www.workcompcentral.com/news/article/id/2f368b853fb3b2c044f499ef780af8f71723540c

Self Magazine – December 6 How To Prevent Armpit Sweat — Korin Miller Unless you’re very lucky, you’ve probably wondered how to prevent armpit sweat at some point in your life. If you’re regularly soaking through your shirts, you could have a condition known as hyperhidrosis. Hyperhidrosis affects around three percent of people in the United States, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. “Although I see more cases during the warmer months, even in the winter I see several cases per week,” said Gary Goldenberg, MD, assistant professor of dermatology and pathology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and director of the dermatology faculty practice at the Mount Sinai Hospital. There are two forms of hyperhidrosis: primary, which only affects a few parts of the body and isn’t caused by a health condition or medication, and secondary, which causes full-body sweating and is due to a medication or health condition like diabetes, menopause, or thyroid problems. Both types can lead to excessive underarm sweating, also known as axillary hyperhidrosis. - Gary Goldenberg, MD, Assistant Professor, Dermatology, Pathology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Dermatology Faculty Practice, The Mount Sinai Hospital Learn more: https://www.self.com/story/how-to-prevent-armpit-sweat

If you have a news story, news tip, breakthrough, study, upcoming event or patient success story to share or have been contacted by the media for an interview contact: [email protected] 212-241-9200 From: ITNDaily Subject: Mount Sinai In The News - December 7, 2017 Date: Thursday, December 07, 2017 1:55:33 PM Attachments: ATT00001.txt

In the News December 7, 2017

Forbes – December 5 27 Top Cardiologists, Picked By Big Data — Matthew Herper Grand Rounds is a company that reviews data on physicians with the goal of helping patients find the appropriate doctor. The company uses a computer model based on publicly available and proprietary data, including administrative claims data from insurers, practice affiliations, board certifications, disciplinary actions, and academic publications. The company also reviews how doctors were trained, who they work with, what they prescribe, and procedures they perform. Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, professor of medicine and cardiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, director of Mount Sinai Heart, and physician in chief at The Mount Sinai Hospital, was recognized on the list of top cardiologists. - Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, Professor, Medicine, Cardiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Mount Sinai Heart, Physician in Chief at The Mount Sinai Hospital Learn more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherper/2017/12/05/27-top-cardiologists-picked-by-big- data/#49904f76a7eb Additional coverage: Medpage Today https://www.medpagetoday.com/publichealthpolicy/generalprofessionalissues/69673

Forbes – December 5 27 Top Breast Cancer Oncologists, Picked By Big Data — Matthew Herper Grand Rounds is a company that reviews data on physicians with the goal of helping patients find the appropriate doctor. The company uses a computer model based on publicly available and proprietary data, including administrative claims data from insurers, practice affiliations, board certifications, disciplinary actions, and academic publications. The company also reviews how doctors were trained, who they work with, what they prescribe, and procedures they perform. Charles Shapiro, MD, director of cancer survivorship and translational breast cancer research at the Tisch Cancer Institute and professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, was recognized on the list of top breast cancer oncologists by big data. - Charles Shapiro, MD, Director, Cancer Survivorship, Translational Breast Cancer Research, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Professor, Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherper/2017/12/05/big-datas-top-breast-cancer- oncologists/#31e165423891

CNN – December 7 New Imaging Finds Crescent-Shaped Eye Damage In Woman Who Viewed Eclipse — Ashley Strickland On August 21, 26-year-old Nia Payne viewed the solar eclipse, not expecting she’d end up in the emergency room. Payne had eye damage, specifically a crescent shape blocking the center of her vision. Her experience is detailed in a case report published in the journal JAMA Opthalmology. A technology called adaptive optics allowed doctors to view the damage on a cellular level along with the microscopic structures in her eyes. Previously, this kind of detail could be seen only with glass slides and a microscope. Payne was diagnosed with solar retinopathy, a permanent condition with no treatment. Doctors say it may worsen or improve over time. The retina is “the camera of the eye,” and it converts lights into electrical energy so the brain can understand it,” said Avnish Deobhakta, MD, assistant professor of vitreoretinal surgery and ophthalmology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and the author of the new report. Doctors believed that the eclipse glasses Payne used were not up to international safety standards. "We saw damage, a change in the center part of her retina, which corresponds with your central visual field.” - Avnish Deobhakta, MD, Assistant Professor, Vitreoretinal Surgery, Ophthalmology, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/07/health/eclipse-eye-damage-case-study/index.html Additional coverage: The Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/articles/an-unfortunate-memento-of-the-total-eclipse-eye- damage-1512666000 Healio https://www.healio.com/optometry/retina-vitreous/news/online/%7B65f86dbe-f14a-467a-89ac- a38f32822235%7D/solar-retinopathy-photoreceptor-damage-post-eclipse-mimics-shape-of-solar-rim Medical Xpress https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-12-breakthrough-technology-eclipse-eye.html People Magazine http://people.com/human-interest/woman-looked-solar-eclipse-defective-glasses/ NPR https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/12/07/569056796/heres-what-it-looks-like-when- you-fry-your-eye-in-an-eclipse The Verge https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/7/16746040/eclipse-2017-solar-retinopathy-sun-damage- eyes Newsweek http://www.newsweek.com/solar-eclipse-doctors-stared-sun-damaged-eyes-retinas-740910 Optometry Today https://www.aop.org.uk/ot/science-and-vision/research/2017/12/07/casting-new-light- on-eclipse-eye-damage

ABC News – December 6 VIPS: Time Is Brain — Margot Kim Researchers are testing a new wearable device that can recognize serious strokes. By identifying these patients quickly, first responders can direct them immediately to hospitals that offer advanced emergency care they need to survive. Christopher Kellner, MD, director of the intracerebral hemorrhage program at Mount Sinai and assistant professor of neurosurgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, is testing a device that can relay whether a patient is having a major stroke. It’s called volumetric integral phase-shift spectroscopy (VIPS). “The VIPS device is like an EKG for the brain, except it’s much more accurate than an EKG is,” said Dr. Kellner. The VIPS is a visor that emits radiofrequency waves. When it's placed on the head, it detects any differences between the two sides of the brain, indicating a major blockage. Researchers say putting VIPS in the hands of first responders, and on the heads of patients, could soon save time and lives. - Christopher P. Kellner, MD, Director, Intracerebral Hemorrhage Program at Mount Sinai, Assistant Professor, Neurosurgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://abc30.com/health/vips-time-is-brain/2748294/

Orthopedics This Week – December 6 Periprosthetic Joint Infections On The Rise? — Elizabeth Hofheinz, MPH Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have discovered that the national rate of periprosthetic joint infection has increased from 13 percent to more than 16 percent, despite efforts to prevent infection. Calin Moucha, MD, associate professor of orthopaedics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and chief of adult reconstruction and joint replacement surgery at the Mount Sinai Hospital, presented results at the meeting of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons. “Next to the economic burden of primary arthroplasties, revision surgeries are a major driver of overall costs, which may be further inflated by periprosthetic joint infection,” said Dr. Moucha. - Calin S. Moucha, MD, Associate Professor, Orthopaedics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://ryortho.com/breaking/periprosthetic-joint-infections-on-the-rise/

Healio – December 6 Working Memory Function Linked To Better Cognitive Abilities, Physical Health — Jennifer Byrne Working memory network function appears to be positively correlated with variables demonstrating better cognitive abilities and physical wellness, while the opposite association exists for signs of suboptimal health and substance use, according to recent findings. In the study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, researchers used data on 823 healthy individuals from the Human Connectome Project database. They assessed participants based on 116 variables analogous with demographic characteristics, task performance during sensorimotor processing, affective and nonaffective cognition, mental health/personality, physical well-being and lifestyle habits. “We describe a brain-behavior model for working memory that demonstrates a positive association between working memory-network function, with variables reflecting better cognitive abilities and physical well-being, whereas the opposite was the case for indicators of suboptimal health and substance use,” researchers wrote. “We confirm that the working memory network is closely linked to general intellectual ability and acts as a domain-general network to support multiple higher-order cognitive functions.” - Sophia Frangou, MD, PhD, Professor, Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.healio.com/news/online/%7Ba94c7e62-c26c-4445-9e43- 6d217bbb9ffd%7D/working-memory-function-linked-to-better-cognitive-abilities-physical-health

The Cancer Letter – December 7 Researchers At Mount Sinai Develop First Mathematical Model For Predicting Patient Response To Immunotherapy Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have created the first mathematical model that can predict how a cancer patient will benefit from certain immunotherapies, according to a study published in Nature. Scientists have long sought a way to discover whether patients will respond to new checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapies and to better understand the characteristics that indicate a tumor can be successfully treated with them. The novel model has the potential to help find new therapeutic targets within the immune system and to help design vaccines for patients who do not typically respond to immunotherapy. To create this model, researchers used data from melanoma and lung cancer patients being treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. The model tracked many properties within the immune response to the drugs, particularly neoantigens, which are specific to mutating and growing tumors. - Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://cancerletter.com/articles/20171130_2/

Healio – December 7 Efforts To Address Opioid Epidemic Must Limit Overuse Without Restricting Access For Cancer Pain Control — Melinda Stevens The number of drug overdose deaths involving opioids has quadrupled since 1999, according to the CDC. Approximately 91 Americans die of opioid overdose each day. America’s opioid epidemic has complicated the treatment of patients with cancer, one-third of who experience moderate to severe pain. Opioid analgesics provide relief for up to 90 percent of patients with pain. However, psychological distress, undergoing multiple invasive procedures and a lack of coordination among physicians can make cancer survivors particularly vulnerable to opioid dependency. “The lack of physician training and education about the pharmacology of these drugs and how to safely use them is truly appalling and a huge failure of medical education in this country,” said Diane E. Meier, MD, FACP, professor of geriatrics, palliative medicine, and medicine, vice chair of public policy at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and director of the center to advance palliative care. “It is a big contributor to the opioid epidemic.” Growing recognition of that epidemic — and patient fear regarding dependency — may prevent some patients with chronic cancer pain from getting needed relief. - Diane E. Meier, MD, FACP, Professor, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Medicine, Vice Chair, Public Policy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Center to Advance Palliative Care Learn more: https://www.healio.com/hematology-oncology/practice-management/news/print/hemonc- today/%7B09a07a31-f9dd-44f3-8692-26c0220bcd61%7D/efforts-to-address-opioid-epidemic-must-limit- overuse-without-restricting-access-for-cancer-pain-control

Medpage Today – December 6 No Mortality Benefit With Mediterranean Diet In Acute HF — Alexandria Bachert, MPH The Mediterranean diet had no effect on long-term mortality in patients with acute heart failure, but it did yield decreased rates of rehospitalization, according to results from the MEDIT-AHF study. In an accompanying editorial, Sumeet S. Mitter, MD, assistant professor of medicine and cardiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and colleagues, called the findings thought provoking. “The results offer space for further investigation into simple dietary modifications to improve heart failure morbidity and mortality. It also pushes the medical community to consider heart failure outcomes that should not be discounted in any way, such as quality of life and healthcare costs. Although these are seemingly small morsels of success, these outcomes could have potentially large benefits.” Dr. Mitter added that the MEDIT-AHF findings offer guidance for a more sufficiently powered randomized controlled trial. - Sumeet S. Mitter, MD, Assistant Professor, Medicine, Cardiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.medpagetoday.com/mastery-of-medicine/art-and-science-of-hf/69712

People Magazine – December 6 Mom Of Three Found Cancerous Moles During Pregnancy — Char Adams When Lea Grover, a mother of three, suspected she might be pregnant in September 2016, she and her husband sat tense of their couch as they awaited the results of an at-home pregnancy test. With several medical issues, a history of cancer and financial concerns, Grover said another baby was not a good thing. Grover, a mother to a 5 year old and 8 year old twins, said she noticed a basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer, during her first pregnancy with twins in 2009 and had it removed. She said that during the course of that treatment, she learned a lot about the relationship between pregnancy and melanoma. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, melanoma can begin during pregnancy. Although pregnancy does not increase the risk of the deadly skin cancer, the illness develops during the woman’s child-bearing years. Nathan Fox, MD, associate clinical professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said pregnancy is not believed to cause or increase the risk of cancer. However, he said women who develop cancer during their child- bearing years can end up having the illness while carrying the baby. “Pregnancy can sometimes make symptoms from already-existing cancer, such as darkened moles, more severe. This would likely lead to a diagnosis,” Dr. Fox added. - Nathan Fox, MD, Associate Clinical Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://people.com/human-interest/mom-abortion-cancer-lea-grover-pregnancy/

Crain’s Health Pulse – December 7 S&P Gives "A-" To Mount Sinai Debt — Jonathan LaMantia S&P Global Ratings assigned an "A-" grade to $356 million in bonds that Mount Sinai Hospital plans to sell next week. S&P cited the hospital's improving operating margins and "meaningful scale" as reasons for the investment-grade designation. Its outlook on the hospital’s debt is stable. - The Mount Sinai Hospital Learn more: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20171207/PULSE/171209923/isabella-geriatric-center- to-join-nonprofit-mjhs-health-system

MD Alert – December 5 Vaginal Pessary Benefits Most Women With Prolapse Despite Dislodgement Risk — Marilynn Larkin Researchers in Hong Kong have identified possible risks for vaginal pessary dislodgment, suggesting nonetheless that the device be offered to patients with prolapse. But some U.S. gynecologists question the risks. Charles Ascher-Walsh, MD, associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive science, and director of the fellowship in urogynecology, female pelvic medicine, and reconstructive surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said that a pessary “should never be in place longer than three months at a time,” and that patients remove it themselves or return to the office every three months to have it removed. The study findings on pessary dislodgment “are not surprising,” he added. “Most urogynecologists are aware that while certain patients may be less likely to retain a pessary, they should still always be given the option to try it.” - Charles J. Ascher-Walsh, MD, Associate Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Director, Fellowship in Urogynecology , Female Pelvic Medicine, and Reconstructive Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.mdalert.com/news/article/vaginal-pessary-benefits-most-women-with-prolapse- despite-dislodgement-risk

If you have a news story, news tip, breakthrough, study, upcoming event or patient success story to share or have been contacted by the media for an interview contact: [email protected] 212-241-9200 From: ITNDaily Subject: Mount Sinai In The News - December 8, 2017 Date: Friday, December 08, 2017 1:00:01 PM Attachments: ATT00001.txt

In the News December 8, 2017

NPR – December 7 Black Mothers Keep Dying After Giving Birth— Renee Montagne & Nina Martin The CDC finds that more than half of America’s maternal deaths occur postpartum. A third of those happen as least a week or more after giving birth. Elizabeth Howell, MD, MPP, professor of population health science and policy, psychiatry, schizophrenia, obstetrics and reproductive science and associate dean of academic development at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is known for her work on racial disparities. “We’ve had a longstanding history in this country of just sort of sending moms out. You know, they’ve done the big thing. They’ve delivered the baby, and now they’ll heal. They’ll be fine. And you know, that’s actually not true.” - Elizabeth Howell, MD, MPP, Professor, Population Health Science and Policy, Psychiatry, Schizophrenia, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Associate Dean, Academic Development, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://wvik.org/post/black-mothers-keep-dying-after-giving-birth-shalon-irvings-story- explains-why#stream/0

Politico New York – December 8 Making Rounds — Dan Goldberg Eric Nestler, MD, PhD, director of The Friedman Brain Institute and dean for academic and scientific affairs at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has been awarded the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Paul Hoch Distinguished Service Award and the Wilbur Cross Medal from the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. - Eric Nestler, MD, PhD, Dean, Academic and Scientific Affairs, Director, Friedman Brain Institute, Professor, Neuroscience, Pharmacological Sciences, Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/newsletters/politico-new-york-health- care/2017/12/08/essential-plan-threatened-014833

Fox News – December 7 An Unfortunate Memento Of The Total Eclipse: Eye Damage— Robert Lee Hotz For millions of people, last summer’s solar eclipse was a momentary spectacle, but for one New Yorker the sight of the moon crossing the sun is a vision that may never leave her view, burned as a crescent- shaped scar into her retina. Close-ups of her damaged eye tissue—reportedly the most detailed of their kind—were published online in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology by solar retinopathy specialist, Avnish Deobhakta, MD, assistant professor of vitreoretinal surgery and ophthalmology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Eye specialists at major medical centers in Oregon, Kansas and Pennsylvania said in interviews this week that they encountered cases of eclipse-related eyestrain, but none as severe or well-documented as the plight of the woman in New York, who last August made the mistake of borrowing sunglasses from a stranger to watch the celestial show. Now she sees the dark blot of the eclipse wherever she looks. - Avnish Deobhakta, MD, Assistant Professor, Vitreoretinal Surgery, Ophthalmology, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.foxnews.com/science/2017/12/07/unfortunate-memento-total-eclipse-eye- damage.html Additional coverage: Action News Now http://www.actionnewsnow.com/content/national/462568073.html?ref=073 The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/12/08/the-solar- eclipse-burned-a-crescent-wound-on-a-womans-retina-she-wasnt-wearing-proper-glasses/? utm_term=.88ecbd18cb2e Pix11 News http://pix11.com/2017/12/07/new-imaging-finds-crescent-shaped-eye-damage-in-woman- who-viewed-eclipse/ Live Science https://www.livescience.com/61128-solar-retinopathy-cell-damage.html Refinery29 http://www.refinery29.com/2017/12/184398/woman-crescent-shaped-damage-eye-after-eclipse NewsMax https://www.newsmax.com/thewire/eclipse-crescent-burned-woman/2017/12/08/id/830638/ Review Journal https://www.reviewjournal.com/life/health/solar-eclipse-burns-crescent-image-on- womans-retina/ St. Louis Post http://www.stltoday.com/news/national/she-wasn-t-wearing-the-right-eclipse-glasses-she- ended/article_11e7d190-b9ed-5fce-b3b6-0bcbc67f1ed4.html ZME Science https://www.zmescience.com/science/biology/solar-retinopathy-first-pictures/ ABC News http://abc13.com/health/woman-who-stared-at-eclipse-sustained-eye-damage/2753912/

CBS New York – December 7 Birth Control Pills Might Raise A Woman’s Risk Of Breast Cancer, Study Says — Max Gomez Birth control pills and other hormonal methods of contraception might raise a woman’s risk for breast cancer, according to a new study. Cynthia Besteman was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer six years ago at the age of 46. Like many women her age, she used birth control pills when she was young. In many ways, Besteman fits the profile of a large new study in the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers found that women who took hormonal contraceptives, including pulls, patches and implantable devices, had a 20 percent increased risk of breast cancer, and the risk was higher the longer the contraceptives were used. Twenty percent sounds like a lot, but Elisa Port, MD, FACS, associate professor of surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, chief of breast surgery, and co- director of the Dubin Breast Center at The Mount Sinai Hospital, said “really the overall numerical increase is quite marginal. When the risk goes from 55 women per 100,000 to 68 women per 100,000 - that’s 13 more women per 100,000.” But experts say even if there is a small increase in breast cancer risk, the pill actually protects against other cancers. “The pill can protect against ovarian cancer, uterine cancer and perhaps colon cancer. And some of these cancers – particularly ovarian – are far more lethal than breast cancer,” added Dr. Port. - Elisa Port, MD, FACS, Associate Professor, Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Chief, Breast Surgery, Co-Director, Dubin Breast Center, The Mount Sinai Hospital Learn more: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/12/07/birth-control-and-breast-cancer/

Crain’s Health Pulse – December 8 Cuomo Awards $6.5M To Combat Sexual Violence — Jonathan LaMantia Government agencies, hospitals and other nonprofits that promote sexual assault prevention and offer support services to survivors in New York will receive $6.5 million in grants to bolster their programs, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Thursday. The funding will support crisis hotlines, counseling, advocacy and therapy as well as education in schools, colleges and communities. Fifteen city organizations received nearly $1.9 million from the state grants. Those included hospitals such as Mount Sinai Beth Israel and Mount Sinai Hospital's Adolescent Health Center. Angela Diaz, MD, director of the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center, said the state's $177,300 grant would finance an educational program at Harlem Renaissance High School that uses the Safe Dates curriculum, a program designed to prevent dating violence. "What all this media coverage does is bring awareness all over the U.S. and globally that this happens so often," Dr. Diaz said. "We know how often it happens, but most people are not aware." - Angela Diaz, MD, Jean C. & James W. Crystal Professor, Adolescent Health, Professor, Pediatrics, Preventive Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center Learn more: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20171208/PULSE/171209903/dental-365-brings- urgent-care-model-to-the-dentists-office (Subscription Required)

The New York Times – December 8 Should Medicine Discard Race? — Moises Velasquez-Manoff Sickle cell anemia was first described in 1910 and was quickly labeled a “black” disease. At a time when many people were preoccupied with an imagined racial hierarchy, the disease was cited as evidence that people of African descent were inferior. But what of white people who presented with sickle cell anemia? Today, scientists understand the sickle cell trait as an adaptation to malaria, not evidence of inferiority. Rather than relying on race, doctors should focus on the genes important to whatever puzzle they face – an approach often called “precision” or “personalized” medicine. Consider the case of kidney disease. Scientists have found that African Americans fare worse than whites when it comes to this illness. The assumption had long been that some environmental factor explained the difference. But in recent years, scientists have linked certain variants of a gene called APOL1 to worse kidney-related outcomes. Girish N. Nadkarni, MD, assistant professor of medicine and nephrology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai explained, scientists think this may be because those variants protect against the sleeping sickness endemic to some parts of Africa. But not all African-Americans carry the variants. That is important because, in an attempt to account for the higher risk of kidney problems among African- Americans, kidney donor registries include information about race. The hope is that one day we can use modern genetic tools to bypass the quagmire of race entirely. - Girish Nadkarni, MD, Assistant Professor, Medicine, Nephrology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/08/opinion/sunday/should-medicine-discard-race.html

Medpage Today – December 7 Healthy Diet Tied To Less MS Disability — Kate Kneisel Healthy eating appears to be linked with reduced disability in people with all types of MS, according to analysis of their self-reported dietary habits and disability levels, researchers found. Past or current exposure to any of 19 special diets, including MS-specific (Swank, Wahls) and popular diets (Mediterranean, Paleo, gluten-free) was associated with a modest 11 percent reduction in the odds of increasing disability. In an accompanying editorial, James Sumowski, PhD, associate professor of neurology and psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and two colleagues noted that on separate analysis, the only component of the diet score reliably linked to lower disability was higher intake of whole grains. Highest versus lowest intake of fruits, vegetables, and legumes was 3.3 versus 1.7 servings per day. They lauded the “convincing observational link between diet and disability,” though they also noted the lack of investigation of “fish intake, with the interesting link to vitamin D, as a potentially important dietary factor.” - James F. Sumowski, PhD, Associate Professor, Neurology, Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/multiplesclerosis/69725 Additional coverage: Medscape https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/889801

Axios – December 7 The Race To Diminish Peanut Allergies In Kids — Eileen Drage O’Reilly & Bob Herman Drug companies are racing to get the FDA's green light for immunotherapies to treat kids with peanut allergies — a breakthrough that might actually reduce their allergies, not just treat an allergic attack when it happens. They're testing everything from oral medicines to skin patches to vaccines and nasal sprays, with some companies hoping their products will reach the market by 2019. Roughly 2 percent of all American children have a peanut allergy – which is one of the most dangerous food allergies – and alleviating reactions could save lives. A therapy likely to seek regulatory approval is a skin patch called Viaskin Peanut, by the French company DVB Technologies. It’s designed to deliver small amounts of peanut protein to train the immune system to see peanut protein in a harmless sort of way. DBV’s small bandage-like patch would be for 4- to 11-year-old children. Hugh Sampson, MD, professor of pediatrics, allergy and immunology, dean of translational biomedical research, and director of the Elliot and Roslyn Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and DBV’s chief scientific officer said, the patches work by transmitting the peanut protein through the skin to so-called Langerhans cells that then transport it to lymph nodes in order to reach the immune system. - Hugh Sampson, MD, Professor, Pediatrics, Allergy and Immunology, Dean, Translational Biomedical Research, Director, Elliot and Roslyn Jaffe Food Allergy Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.axios.com/the-race-to-diminish-peanut-allergies-in-kids-2515460161.html

MD Alert – December 7 Genetic Dyslipidemia Tied To Higher Risk Of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm — Marilynn Larkin Targeting LDL cholesterol and other lipids may reduce the risk of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) in people genetically disposed to dyslipidemia, researchers suggest. The analyses lend support to the hypothesis that lipids play an important role in the etiology of AAA, the researchers concluded. Analyses of individual genetic variants used as proxies for drug targets support LDL-C lowering as a potential effective treatment strategy for preventing and managing AAA. Robert Rosenson, MD, professor of medicine and cardiology, and director of cardiometabolic disorders at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai said, “When considering preventive strategies for patients with AAA, we must not only focus on blood pressure control and smoking-cessation strategies, but also treat patients with statins and potentially PCSK9 inhibitors.” He concluded, “This pharmacogenomic study provides support for our current efforts in risk-factor management in patients with AAA.” - Robert Rosenson, MD, Professor, Medicine, Cardiology, Director, Cardiometabolic Disorders, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.mdalert.com/news/article/genetic-dyslipidemia-tied-to-higher-risk-of- abdominal-aortic-aneurysm

NY1 News – December 8 Subway Rider’s Knitty Hobby Takes Fellow Straphangers For A Loop — Angi Gonzalez Louis Boria stands out in the subway. He spends his hour-long commute to Manhattan, and his return to Brooklyn every night knitting. Boria said the idea of knitting came to him in a dream ten years ago. He decided to teach himself how. After knitting items for coworkers at The Mount Sinai Hospital where he’s an administrative assistant in the operating room, Boria created a website to sell his creations. Broadway performer, Frenchie Davis was riding the same B train as Boria. Intrigued by his knitting, she snapped a photo of him and posted it on Facebook. Boria contacted Davis to thank her for the shout out. Then the singer reached out to her 22,000 Facebook followers again, posting a link to his business, Brooklyn Boy Knits. - Louis Boria, Administrative Assistant, Operating Room, The Mount Sinai Hospital Learn more: http://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2017/12/08/subway-rider-s-knitty-hobby-turns- riders-for-a-loop

Women’s Health – December 7 This Is How A Dermatologist Combats Dark Under-Eye Circles — Cassie Shortsleeve It’s a skin-care issue we all face: you notice those dark, droopy circles under your eyes. From time to time, dermatologists start their days this way. Melissa K. Levin, MD, clinical instructor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai walks us through why pesky dark spots pop up in the first place – and what she does to make them a little less noticeable. “Many cosmeceuticals creams and gels on the market do little for dilated veins, volume loss, and excess pigmentation,” said Dr. Levin. Most provide temporary and mild to moderate benefits at best, she adds. Look for products with vitamin-C – it can brighten the skin and protect it against free radicals, said Dr. Levin. There are so many causes of and treatments for dark circles – and because in-office treatments tend to be more effective than topical-eye cream products – it’s best to consult with your doctor to identify what strategy might work best for you. “Your dermatologist will be able to help you determine your causes and then tailor your treatment accordingly,” Dr. Levin explained. - Melissa K. Levin, MD, Clinical Instructor, Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.womenshealthmag.com/beauty/dark-eye-circles-treatment

If you have a news story, news tip, breakthrough, study, upcoming event or patient success story to share or have been contacted by the media for an interview contact: [email protected] 212-241-9200

From: ITNDaily Subject: Mount Sinai In The News - December 11, 2017 Date: Monday, December 11, 2017 1:30:01 PM Attachments: ATT00001.txt

In the News December 11, 2017

Cancer Letter – December 8 William Oh Named Deputy Director Of Tisch Cancer Institute William Oh, MD, professor of medicine, hematology, medical oncology, and urology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai was named deputy director of the Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Oh will oversee the clinical and translational research activities of Tisch Cancer Institute’s multi-disciplinary faculty with a goal of securing designation of the center as an NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center. - William Oh, MD, Professor, Medicine, Hematology, Medical Oncology, Urology, Deputy Director, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://cancerletter.com/articles/20171208_4/

The ASCO Post – December 10 Chemotherapy Foundation Honors Oncology Pioneer James F. Holland, MD, FASCO — Jo Cavallo On November 8, 2017, the Chemotherapy Foundation held a benefit in New York City to raise funding to support an investigator in ovarian cancer research selected for the 2018 Research Grant Program. The event coincided with the 35th Annual Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium and honored oncology pioneer, James F. Holland, MD, professor of medicine, hematology, medical oncology, and oncological sciences and distinguished professor of neoplastic disease at the Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, with the foundation’s Medical Science Award. The award was given in recognition of Dr. Holland’s research accomplishments, especially his early research in acute leukemia, which, along with colleagues, helped transform childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia from an incurable disease into one with an over 80 percent survival rate. - James F. Holland, MD, FASCO, Professor, Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, Oncological Sciences, Distinguished Professor, Neoplastic Diseases, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.ascopost.com/issues/december-10-2017/chemotherapy-foundation-honors-oncology-pioneer- james-f-holland-md-fasco-and-actor-comedian-martin-short/

The ASCO Post – December 10 Mount Sinai Institutes Join $215 Million Partnership To Increase Patients’ Immunotherapy Success The Tisch Cancer Institute and the Precision Immunology Institute at Mount Sinai Health System are part of a $215 million public-private Cancer Moonshot research collaboration launched by the National Institutes of Health and 11 leading pharmaceutical companies. This collaboration will dive deep into tumors and the immune system’s interactions with them at the cellular and molecular levels to identify biomarkers present in malignant and healthy tissues to determine how to make immunotherapies work for more patients. “The Tisch Cancer Institute is committed to conduct innovative profiling of the immune system to determine the best approaches for therapy and prevention,” said Ramon Parsons, MD, PhD, Director of The Tisch Cancer Institute, Ward-Coleman Chair in Cancer Research, and Chair of the Department of Oncological Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “This groundbreaking Cancer Moonshot collaboration between industry, government, medicine, and academia is a great new initiative toward bringing the most effective and individualized treatments to more patients sooner,” he added. - Ramon Parsons, MD, PhD, Director, The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai, Professor, Chair, Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.ascopost.com/issues/december-10-2017/mount-sinai-institutes-join-215-million-partnership-to- increase-patients-immunotherapy-success/

The ASCO Post – December 10 Managing Low-Dose CT Screening For Lung Cancer— Caroline McNeil As low-dose computed tomography (CT) screening for lung cancer has moved from clinical trials to clinical practice, management issues are growing more urgent for screening centers around the country: for instance, how to support referrals from and to other providers; how to ensure the quality of scans; how to handle findings of other diseases? It’s true that many providers don’t think the benefits of low-dose CT justify those risks, said David Yankelevitz, MD, PhD, professor of radiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and director of the lung biopsy service at The Mount Sinai Hospital. That idea stems from a misunderstanding of the extent of the benefit of screening based on the findings of the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST), he added. In the NLST, patients screened with low-dose CT had a relative reduction in mortality from lung cancer of 20 percent compared to the control group, which received traditional chest x-rays. But the 20 percent does not refer solely to cancers diagnosed during the trial, added Dr. Yankelevitz. It includes all lung cancer deaths that occurred during long-term follow up, including deaths from cancers diagnosed after the screening portion of the trial ended. - David Yankelevitz, MD, PhD, Professor, Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Lung Biopsy Service, The Mount Sinai Hospital Learn more: http://www.ascopost.com/issues/december-10-2017/managing-low-dose-ct-screening-for-lung-cancer/

Politico New York – December 11 Eye On The Prize— Dan Goldberg Mount Sinai researchers are using adaptive optics to analyze retinal eye damage from the August solar eclipse at a cellular level. The hope is that this work gives doctors a better understanding of this rare condition, called solar retinopathy. The findings were published in JAMA Ophthalmology. "We have never seen the cellular damage from an eclipse because this event rarely happens and we haven't had this type of advanced technology to examine solar retinopathy until recently," said lead investigator Avnish Deobhakta, MD, assistant professor of Ophthalmology and vitreoretinal surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. - Avnish Deobhakta, MD, Assistant Professor, Vitreoretinal Surgery, Ophthalmology, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/newsletters/politico-new-york-health-care/2017/12/11/medical- marijuana-regulations-015712 Additional coverage: Forbes https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2017/12/08/yes-the-sun-is-damaging-just-look-at-these-two-case- studies/#1b10367b1e8f Today https://www.today.com/health/woman-sustains-burned-retina-after-looking-solar-eclipse-t119831 WebMD https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/news/20171208/staring-at-eclipse-burned-holes-in-womans-retinas News Medical & Life Sciences https://www.news-medical.net/news/20171208/Mount-Sinai-study-uses-adaptive-optics- to-examine-retinal-eye-damage-from-solar-eclipse.aspx NBC Boston https://www.nbcboston.com/news/health/Woman-Damages-Eyes-Solar-Eclipse--462819383.html Extreme Tech https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/260194-woman-stared-directly-eclipse-burned-retina

Newsweek – December 10 This Extremely Common Drug Given To Alcoholics Also Kills Cancer Cells, And We Finally Know Why — Dana Dovey Disulfiram (Antabuse) is a drug given to alcoholics to prevent them from drinking, but for decades doctors have noticed that the medication appears to have an unexpected side effect: fighting cancer. Now, new research from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden has revealed the biological mechanism behind Antabuse’s effect of cancer. The study, published earlier this week in Nature, is the culmination of years of research and the combined efforts of scientists from five countries. In the paper, the team explains how Antabuse appears to “freeze” tumor growth by inhibiting an important protein. The new study is the first to suggest a biological explanation for this side effect. Matthew Galsky, MD, director of the novel therapeutics program and genitourinary medical oncology at the Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai and professor of urology, medicine, hematology and medical oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai said that it may be too soon to count this as a cancer cure just yet. “Obviously the major questions are, that’s great that it works in test tubes, but what does this mean for patients, and how do we test that?” Dr. Galsky noted that the study was extremely detailed and showed exactly how this drug affects cancer cells, but we still do not know if the doses used to achieve these results in the laboratory can be safe and effective in human patients. - Matthew Galsky, MD, Director of the Novel Therapeutics Program, Clinical Trials Program and Genitourinary Medical Oncology at The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai and Professor of Urology, Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.newsweek.com/cancer-treatment-drug-alcoholism-antabuse-742864

Medical News Today – November 10 Obstructive Sleep Apnea Linked To Higher Alzheimer’s Risk— Maria Cohut A new study has demonstrated that older adults who experience obstructive sleep apnea may be at increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. This is because they exhibit higher levels of amyloid beta, the chief component of the amyloid plaques that characterize the disease. However, there was no director link between the severity of sleep apnea and the onset cognitive impairment in the study participants. Study co-author, Andrew Varga, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine, pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, suggested that one explanation may be that any changes in the amyloid levels happen in the preclinical of early stages of Alzheimer’s. “The relationship between amyloid burden and cognition is probably nonlinear and dependent on additional factors,” he added. Researchers argue that their findings point to a link between cognitive decline and sleep apnea, and that physical aging significantly influences this link. - Andrew W. Varga, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Medicine, Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medcine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320024.php

Slate – December 10 How Does A Gender-Reassignment Surgeon Work? — Jacob Brogan “Transgender surgery used to be a specialty that lived on the margins of the medical world,” said Jess Ting, MD, surgical director of Mount Sinai’s Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery, assistant professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “There were no large medical centers that would allow transgender surgery to happen within their hospitals. You would find a surgeon here or there, usually operating in a small community hospital.” That’s changing, thanks in part to the efforts of Mount Sinai’s Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery. Dr. Ting and his team have performed more than 350 transgender surgeries since March 2016. More recently, they created a fellowship program to help train surgeons in the field. Along the way, Dr. Ting has helped pioneer new surgical procedures and techniques. That, he said, makes his work exciting and sometimes a little scary: “It’s a unique opportunity to be doing a specialty that is so underdeveloped, to be entering the field really in its infancy.” Dr. Ting added, “There are just not that many jobs where you can get up in the morning and say, today I’m going to change someone’s life. That’s the most rewarding part of what I get to do every day. It’s a privilege and a joy. - Jess Ting, MD, Surgical Director, Mount Sinai’s Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery, Assistant Professor, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/working/2017/12/how_does_gender_reassignment_surgeon_jess_ting_work.html

HealthDay – December 8 Moms’ Soda Habit In Pregnancy May Boost Kids’ Odds For Asthma — Dennis Thompson Kids are more likely to develop asthma if their moms chug sugary drinks during pregnancy, a new study suggests. Expectant mothers who drank an average of two sugar-sweetened beverages a day were over 60 percent more likely to have kids diagnosed with asthma when they were 7 to 9 years old than were women who drank no sugary beverages while pregnant, Harvard researchers found. The study adds to a growing body of evidence indicating that a pregnant woman's diet can have long-term consequences for the health of her child, said Rosalind J. Wright, MD, dean for translational biomedical research, Horace W. Goldsmith professorship in children’s health research, and professor of pediatrics, critical care, pulmonary and sleep medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who was not involved with the new study. “Increasingly we are understanding that the processes that put a kid on a trajectory for obesity and asthma start in pregnancy,” Dr. Wright said. “This may give us some clues to how early life programming of asthma starts in utero, and how we might intervene more directly to give children a healthy start.” She added that, “This adds further evidence that we need to improve dietary intakes in mothers, not just for their own health but for the health of their offspring. We know women are very motivated to change behaviors if they believe it's going to help their children." - Rosalind J. Wright, MD, Dean, Translational Biomedical Research, Horace W. Goldsmith Professorship, Children’s Health Research, Professor, Pediatrics, Critical Care, Environmental Medicine, Public Health, Pulmonary, and Sleep Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://consumer.healthday.com/diabetes-information-10/sugar-health-news-644/moms-soda-habit-in- pregnancy-may-boost-kids-odds-for-asthma-729199.html

STAT News – December 8 Wall Street Loves Sage’s Experimental Antidepressant. Will Patients? — Sharon Begley Although Sage Therapeutics experimental antidepressant has been great for its stock price – it soared 70 percent after the company announced mostly positive results from a Phase 2 clinical trial of the compound it calls Sage-2017, and kept climbing – the jury is very much out on whether it will ever be good for patients suffering from major depression. The 89 patients in the study is a very small number, and if you pick a different patient group you may get different results. Whether the 89 are representative of patients with moderate to severe depression will become clearer after the company runs a Phase 3 trial. Sage has not announced when that will occur. In general, said James Murrough, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry and neuroscience, and director of the mood and anxiety disorders program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who has consulted for companies developing antidepressants, “All too often with psychiatric drugs we see positive Phase 2 results that don’t pan out in Phase 3.” - James Murrough, MD, Assistant Professor, Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Director, Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.statnews.com/2017/12/08/wall-st-sage-experimental-antidepressant/ (subscription required)

Specialty Pharmacy Times – December 8 Millennials Rely On Internet For Information, Providers For Cancer Treatment Decisions— Laurie Toich A new study found that nearly 90 percent of all patients with cancer conduct online research after diagnosis, with approximately half doing so the same day. The “State of Cancer” report highlights how important it is for health care providers – including pharmacists – to understand how patients are receiving this information about their diagnosis in order to steer them towards trusted sources. In the study, the authors analyzed consumer lifestyle data for 1,500 patients with cancer to determine which role online sites and technology play in cancer diagnosis and treatment. While 89 percent of patients with cancer and their caregivers search the internet for information, 49 percent of millennials do their research the same day they are diagnosed, according to the study. At a panel discussion on the report, panelist William Oh, MD, professor of medicine, hematology, medical oncology, urology, and deputy director of the Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, noted that the amount of complex information online can be difficult for patients to navigate. Dr. Oh told the audience that providers have to personalize information patients receive to ensure they get the right resources and are not overwhelmed by statistics that may not be applicable. - William Oh, MD, Professor, Medicine, Hematology, Medical Oncology, Urology, Deputy Director, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.specialtypharmacytimes.com/news/millennials-rely-on-internet-for-information-providers- for-treatment-decisions

The Huffington Post – December 9 This Doctor Wants To Transform Transgender Care In America — Abba Almendrala Currently, medical schools devote only an average of five hours of their curriculum to teaching “LGBT-related content,” according to a 2009-2010 survey of deans representing 150 medical schools in North America. This is woefully inadequate to prepare doctors to see and treat approximately 1.4 million American adults who identify as transgender, and may explain why members of the medical community appear to have such a strained and fraught relationship with their transgender patients. The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai was one of the first to offer a year-long fellowship in transgender surgery. Zil Goldstein, MSN, assistant professor of medical education, program director of the Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery at the Mount Sinai Health System said, “As a medical care system, I always find it embarrassing that we have so few answers for transgender patients. There is not enough people who are offering transgender related surgery, and there is not enough places to learn.” - Zil Goldstein, MSN, Assistant Professor, Medical Education, Program Director, The Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery, The Mount Sinai Health System Learn more: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/maurice-garcia-transgender-care_us_5a284a23e4b0fa798611be0c

NY1 News – December 10 Local Children’s Hospital Gets A Heisman Visitor Patients at Kravis Children’s Hospital of The Mount Sinai Hospital got a special visitor on Sunday, as Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield spread some holiday cheer to children recovering from a variety of treatments. He appeared on the hospital’s television channel, taking calls from patients over the phone and answering questions. Mayfield said that the kids make it easy. “We talk about offseason, people talk about the grind that we go through, but nothing compares to what kids go through in hospitals. Being able to give back and put smiles on faces, be around the kids, it means a lot,” said Mayfield. Hospital staff said Mayfield is just the first of some special guests scheduled this season. - Kravis Children’s Hospital, Mount Sinai Hospital Learn more: http://www.ny1.com/news/2017/12/10/oklahoma-qb-heisman-winner-baker-mayfield-mount-sinai- children-s-hospital-visit.html

Medscape – December 6 Vaginal Pessary Benefits Most Women With Prolapse Despite Dislodgement Risk — Marilynn Larkin Researchers in Hong Kong have identified possible risks for vaginal pessary dislodgment, suggesting nonetheless that the device be offered to patients with prolapse. But some U.S. gynecologists question the risks. Charles Ascher-Walsh, MD, associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive science, and director of the fellowship in urogynecology, female pelvic medicine, and reconstructive surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said that a pessary “should never be in place longer than three months at a time,” and that patients remove it themselves or return to the office every three months to have it removed. The study findings on pessary dislodgment “are not surprising,” he added. “Most urogynecologists are aware that while certain patients may be less likely to retain a pessary, they should still always be given the option to try it.” - Charles J. Ascher-Walsh, MD, Associate Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Director, Fellowship in Urogynecology , Female Pelvic Medicine, and Reconstructive Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/889646?src=rss

Bel Marra Health – December 11 Easy Tips To Combat This Common Type Of Fatigue There are many causes of fatigue including poor sleep, bad diet, lack of exercise, and even medical conditions. But did you know that your computer, tablet, and smartphones are also causing you to be fatigued? It’s true, and it’s becoming a growing problem as more and more of us are being exposed to long hours in front of a screen. Jessica Lee, MD, assistant professor of ophthalmology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and ophthalmologist at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai said, “Digital eye strain has become increasingly more common from hours of staring at computers and phones all day. Some research has linked too much blue light exposure – particularly at night – to insomnia because the blue-light sensitive molecules in the retina are also responsible for setting our body’s circadian rhythm. Excessive blue-light exposure can suppress the release of melatonin, the hormone that helps set our sleep-wake cycle, which can, in turn, disrupt our sleep patterns, thus exacerbating eye strain.” Some researchers recommend limiting exposure to blue light or screen time approximately an hour before going to bed to minimize any disruptions in our sleep cycle, Dr. Lee added. - Jessica Lee, MD, Assistant Professor, Ophthalmology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.belmarrahealth.com/easy-tips-combat-common-type-fatigue/

If you have a news story, news tip, breakthrough, study, upcoming event or patient success story to share or have been contacted by the media for an interview contact: [email protected] 212-241-9200 From: ITNDaily Subject: Mount Sinai In The News - December 12, 2017 Date: Tuesday, December 12, 2017 1:21:39 PM Attachments: ATT00001.txt

In the News December 12, 2017

Medical Health News – December 11 Researchers At Mount Sinai And Sema4 Develop Powerful New Method For Microbiome Analysis Scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Sema4 and collaborating institutions published a report detailing their new, more accurate method for identifying individual microbial species and strain in a community. This technique has important implications for microbiome analysis, with potential long-term applications for clinical care. The paper was published in Nature Biotechnology. "The biomedical community has long needed a microbiome analysis method capable of resolving individual species and strains with high resolution," said Gang Fang, PhD, assistant professor of genetics and genomic sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and senior author of the paper. "We found that DNA methylation patterns can be exploited as highly informative natural barcodes to help discriminate microbial species from each other, help associate mobile genetic elements to their host- genomes and achieve more precise microbiome analysis,” he added. Eric Schadt, PhD, dean of precision medicine, professor of genetics and genomic sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Sema4 CEO, and co-author of the paper said, “This project demonstrates the sophistication and power of analyzing many types of data together to yield insights that are not possible with simplistic approaches. Biology is complex, and our analyses must accurately represent that complexity if we hope to eventually deploy this information for clinical use.” - Gang Fang, PhD, Assistant Professor, Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai - Eric Schadt, PhD, Dean, Precision Medicine, Professor, Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.medicalhealthnews.net/researchers-at-bmount-sinaib-and-sema4-develop- powerful-new-method-for-microbiome-analysis Additional coverage: Infection Control Today http://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/news/2017/12/researchers-develop- powerful-new-method-for-microbiome-analysis.aspx Bio-IT World http://www.bio-itworld.com/2017/12/12/researchers-at-mount-sinai-sema4-develop- powerful-new-method-for-microbiome-analysis.aspx MD Magazine http://www.mdmag.com/medical-news/new-tool-to-analyze-the-microbiome Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News https://www.genengnews.com/gen-news- highlights/epigenetic-barcodes-scanned-to-inventory-microbiomes-more-exactly/81255264

Medpage Today – December 11 Pearls From: Andrea Dunaif, MD — Kristen Monaco Women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) are at a higher risk for insulin resistance, which often progresses to overt type 2 diabetes. Leading expert, Andrea Dunaif, MD, chief of the division of the division of endocrinology, diabetes, and bone disease at the Mount Sinai Health System said, “Women with PCOS should be treated for insulin resistance if they have clinical signs of deterioration in either glucose homeostasis, so if they have impaired glucose tolerances, the most common condition we see in women with PCOS, that is they have mainly difficulty with a postprandial glucose load.” She added that the other places to consider treating for “insulin resistance” is if there are other features of the insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome, and those would be low HDL level less than 50, high triglyceride levels greater than 150, slight elevations in blood pressure, or increased central fight. – Andrea Dunaif, MD, Chief, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease, Mount Sinai Health System Learn more: https://www.medpagetoday.com/endocrinology/generalendocrinology/69803

Politico New York – December 12 Transgender Programs Flourish Following New York Medicaid Coverage — Dan Goldberg In 2015, New York became the ninth state to allow its Medicaid program to cover gender affirmation surgery. Private insurers were beginning to cover it as well. Suddenly, there was a payment model that could support New York hospitals’ investments in transgender surgery programs. The result has been a host of new, more affordable options for transgender people seeking surgery. Mount Sinai Health System became the first academic medical center to open a program in March 2016. “I’m afraid to take vacation,” said Jess Ting, MD, surgical director of Mount Sinai’s Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery and assistant professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He is on pace to perform about 250 this year, and the waiting list at Mount Sinai is so long that another surgeon, currently a Mount Sinai fellow, will be brought on board next summer. “I’m afraid to take a sick day, because that means someone can’t have their surgery,” he said. “The need is incredible,” Dr. Ting said as he sat in his scrubs – and choked up – shortly after completing male-to-female surgery on a 78- year-old patient at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, a patient who had been living as a woman for many decades, and known she had the wrong genitalia since she was 5-years-old. - Jess Ting, MD, Surgical Director, Mount Sinai’s Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery, Assistant Professor, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/city-hall/story/2017/12/11/transgender-programs- flourish-following-new-york-medicaid-coverage-140750

Metro NY – December 11 How To Live With Epilepsy In NYC — Sheila Dougherty The number of people in the U.S. with epilepsy ranges from 1.3 million to 2.8 million, or 5 to 8.4 for every 1,000 people. Kyusang Lee, MD, assistant professor of neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, director of the epilepsy program and clinical neurophysiology and co-director of the epilepsy monitoring unit at Mount Sinai Union Square said, “Epilepsy is a neurological condition defined as having at least two unprovoked seizures more than 24 hours apart, or one unprovoked seizure with a high probability of having another over the next ten years.” He added that major medical systems, including the Mount Sinai Health System, have dedicated epilepsy centers that provide comprehensive management of epilepsy. The mainstay of treatment is anti-seizure medications. “Lifestyle can have an effect on one’s epilepsy, so it is important to take the anti-seizure medication regularly, get an adequate amount of sleep, and avoid substance abuse,” Dr. Lee added. - Kyusang Lee, MD, Assistant Professor, Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Associate Director, Epilepsy Program and Clinical Neurophysiology, Co-Director, Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, Mount Sinai Union Square Learn more: https://www.metro.us/body-and-mind/health/epilepsy-nyc

The Philadelphia Inquirer – December 12 The Solar Eclipse Burned This Woman’s Eye, Leaving Its Imprint On Her Retina — Tom Avril A woman is her 20s gazed at the eclipse without any protection for six seconds, then again for up to 20 seconds while wearing dark glasses that apparently were not strong enough. The alarming result: an eclipse-shaped spot was burned onto the retina of her left eye. Advanced retina scans, performed at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, revealed damage in the shape of the sun with the silhouette of the moon crossing its outer edge, study authors said. The damage remained visible on follow-up scans that were performed six weeks later, said Avnish Deobhakta, MD, assistant professor of vitreoretinal surgery and ophthalmology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “It was an amazing concordance between what you would’ve seen in the eclipse and what actually was almost imprinted in terms of damage on her retina,” he said. The woman’s eye damage occurred primarily in the light-sensitive cells called cones, which enable the perception of color. The sophisticated scanning equipment used to detect the damage has become available only in the last five years — repurposed from technology used in space telescopes, Dr. Deobhaktar said. - Avnish Deobhakta, MD, Assistant Professor, Vitreoretinal Surgery, Ophthalmology, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.philly.com/philly/health/eclipse-eye-damage-burned-retina-20171212.html Additional coverage: ABC7 News http://abc7ny.com/health/staten-island-woman-partially-blinded-by-eclipse/2759243/ Fox News http://www.foxnews.com/health/2017/12/10/woman-who-looked-at-eclipse-suffered-crescent- shaped-eye-damage-study-shows.html Refinery29 http://www.refinery29.com/2017/12/184398/woman-crescent-shaped-damage-eye-after-eclipse KDVR (Fox) News http://kdvr.com/2017/12/10/woman-has-crescent-shaped-eye-damage-from-viewing- solar-eclipse/

MD Alert – December 11 Neuroimaging Study Ties Working Memory To Behavior, Lifestyle Choices— Marilynn Larkin The cohesiveness of the brain network implicated in working memory is associated with behavioral traits such as higher physical endurance and better cognitive function, researchers suggest. Individual variation in working memory, or the ability to store and process information relative to a task at hand, "has been associated with multiple behavioral and health features including demographic characteristics, cognitive and physical traits and lifestyle choices," according to Sophia Frangou, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "Our study suggests that maintaining optimal health - and particularly physical endurance - is important to brain health," she added. "At the same time, we are exploring the use of cognitive training in terms of its efficacy and durability of its effect." Next steps include studies tying imaging results with real-world behavior using digital information from large samples, Dr. Frangou said. - Sophia Frangou, MD, PhD, Professor, Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.mdalert.com/news/article/neuroimaging-study-ties-working-memory-to- behavior-lifestyle-choices

Reuters – December 11 Air Pollution Fine Particles Linked To Poor Sperm Quality – Shereen Lehman Exposure to fine particles in air pollution may be another factor that affects men’s sperm quality and their fertility, suggest researchers in Taiwan. Although the clinical effect may be small, the findings could be important from a public health perspective due to worldwide exposure to pollution. The primary finding of this study is a significant decrease in the percentage of sperm that are normally shaped with increasing air pollution, but the percentage of sperm that are morphologically normal is still very high, said Shanna Swan, PhD, professor of environmental medicine and public health, obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The change in sperm concentration is difficult to interpret, noted Dr. Swan, who wasn’t involved in the study. For one thing, the average sperm concentration in the participants was fairly low. “Strengths of the study are its large size, its use of cutting-edge estimates of air pollution and WHO semen analysis methods,” she said. - Shanna Swan, PhD, Professor, Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-sperm-particle-pollution/air-pollution-fine- particles-linked-to-poor-sperm-quality-idUSKBN1E52RH

Daily Mail – December 12 How Your Office Job Is Ruining Your Health — Mia De Graaf Desk work is wreaking havoc on our health. But experts warn that, while 86 percent of Americans work at a desk, few know how to offset the damage. If you spend at least six hours a day at a desk, your heart attack risk is double what it should be. Computers also increase your risk of vision loss by 40 percent, increase insulin resistance, and affect our mental health. This culture of working has given risk to the ‘weekend warrior’ who packs a week’s worth of exercise into two days, and after hour’s yoga or meditation. However, research shows that may only have a superficial impact on boosting your health. “The major things from a point of view of your heart are if you’re sitting your heart rate will lower, and this affects everything,” said Allan Stewart, MD, associate professor of cardiovascular surgery and director of aortic surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Even if you go to the gym four times a week you won’t completely offset the damage of sitting for at least six hours a day. You will still have a higher risk of heart attack,” added Dr. Stewart. - Allan Stewart, MD, Associate Professor, Cardiovascular Surgery, Director, Aortic Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5168649/How-office-job-destroying-health.html

ABC News – December 12 Family Fights To Find A Cure After Two Children Are Diagnosed With Fatal Genetic Disease — Catherine Thorbecke A couple from New York are pleading for the public’s help to raise awareness and funds in order to find a cure after two of their children were diagnosed with a rare and fatal genetic disease. Gary Landsman and his wife, Jennie, said that they first became concerned when their older son, Benny, seemed to be developing motor skills at a slower pace than most infants. The couple took Benny to see countless specialists over the next few months, desperate for a diagnosis. The couple found out that Benny had Canavan disease, an extremely rare degenerative disorder. Canavan disease currently has no cure, and most children diagnosed with it do not live past 10 years old. “Canavan disease is a rare genetic disease that affects the ability of the brain to send and receive messages,” said Joanne Stone, MD, professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive science, and director of maternal-fetal medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. At the same time that the Landsman family finally got a diagnosis for Benny, they had just welcomed home their 2-week-old son Josh. The family was heartbroken to learn that Josh also tested positive for the Canavan disease. The Landsmans said their goal is to raise enough funds to get the treatment out of the lab and to patients in need. - Joanne Stone, MD, Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine, Director, Maternal- Fetal Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/family-fights-find-cure-children-diagnosed-fatal- genetic/story?id=51724441 Additional coverage: Today https://www.today.com/health/canavan-disease-family-raises-money-help-their-2-sons-t119426

Salon – December 12 The 9/11 Legacy America Has Forgotten: First Responders Still Struggle For Care — Bob Hennelly Thousands of first responders, yesterday’s 9/11 heroes, are dealing with their deteriorating health and battling diseases, including a myriad of cancers. For the 90,000 first responders in the New York area, the toxic exposure they experienced to the caustic and poisonous air at the World Trade Center site will cast a lifelong shadow over them and their loved ones. The group of people who lived and worked in lower Manhattan should also be getting lifetime health screening, according to Michael Crane, MD, MPH, associate professor of environmental medicine and public health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and director of the World Trade Center Health Program Clinical Center of Excellence at The Mount Sinai Hospital. The survivors include tens of thousands of civil servants who kept the city, state and federal court systems running as well as other critical government offices operating. Also in this diverse mix are thousands of children who either lived in the toxic zone or attended school there. No doubt it also includes tens of thousands of commuters who worked in the zone during the three months the WTC fire continued to burn, and the several months after that when the massive clean-up continued to generate clouds of toxic dust. - Michael Crane, MD, MPH, Associate Professor, Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, World Trade Center Health Program Clinical Center of Excellence, The Mount Sinai Hospital Learn more: https://www.salon.com/2017/12/12/the-911-legacy-america-has-forgotten-first-responders- still-struggle-for-care/

Animal Planet – December 3 Monsters Inside Me: The Organ Shredder The series, Monsters Inside Me, explores a patients’ symptoms through to diagnosis, treatment and prevention. In upstate New York, Bryan Van Wagenen, a young father, struggles with a monster that threatens to blind him. Brian went to the ophthalmologist with an irritated eye, and was diagnosed with iritis. After being prescribed with steroids, his eye pain continued to get worse. He decided to go to a different ophthalmologist for a second opinion. He was then diagnosed with Herpes Simplex virus. After a couple more weeks, Bryan noticed his entire eye turning white, like something was growing on it. Without a clear diagnosis, Bryan decided it was time to see a specialist, and found David Ritterband, MD, professor of ophthalmology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, director of refractive surgery for the Mount Sinai Health System, director of the laser vision correction center and surgeon director at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai. Dr. Ritterband immediately noticed something troubling. “He had a white spot in the shape of a ring that was covering three quarters of his cornea,” said Dr. Ritterband. After multiple tests, he found that Bryan was infected with a bacterial virus. “I diagnosed Bryan with Acanthamoeba Keratitis,” Dr. Ritterband said. The parasite moves across the eyeball feeding and growing. After a week on powerful eye drops, Bryan noticed a welcoming change. - David Ritterband, MD, Professor, Ophthalmology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Refractive Surgery, Mount Sinai Health System, Director, Laser Vision Correction Center, Surgeon Director, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/monsters-inside-me/full-episodes/the-organ- shredder

New York Post – December 11 This 16 Year Old Girl Can Crush You At The Gym — Jane Ridley Naomi Kutin is a 16 year old that dead-lifted an incredible 365 pounds while competing with Team USA at the Pan American Championships in Florida. Naomi’s success had drawn attention to the potential health risks of a developing girl performing intense power lifts, with some critics speculating the rigorous sport is more suited to adults and could potentially stunt growth. The American Association of Pediatrics and National Institute of Health sanction powerlifting and bodybuilding only after adolescents have reached skeletal maturity – at the age of 14 for most girls, 16 for boys. “They are particularly concerned about rapid high lifts lifting to the neck level, which could cause back injuries,” said Barry B. Stein, MD, assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Stein insisted that would-be powerlifters have a physical examination before even touching a piece of equipment. “You need to make sure there are no contraindications, such as elevated blood pressure and a thickened heart muscle,” said Dr. Stein. “The problem when you are doing this training is that you’re putting very rapid strain on the heart.” - Barry B. Stein, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor, Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://nypost.com/2017/12/11/this-16-year-old-girl-can-crush-you-at-the-gym/

Self Magazine – November 3 How Much Do You Need To Worry About MRI Contrast? — Korin Miller If you’ve ever had a weird pain, chronic illness, or injury that won’t quit, odds are you’ve had an MRI – and the experience can be interesting, to say the least. You have to be injected with a contrast dye to make parts of your body easier to see. Gadolinium is injected through an IV into your hand or arm, and can help enhance the appearance of certain details in your body. Serious reactions to gadolinium are rare – and the information an MRI with contrast can provide can be truly lifesaving. It’s generally known as “MRI contrast” and can be used to help doctors evaluate certain diseases. MRI contrast isn’t usually necessary for looking at bones, ligaments, and tendons, said Bachir Taouli, MD, professor of radiology and medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. But it’s “very important” to get a good look at organs and the disease process when it comes to brain disease and cancers, he said. Contrast is also especially useful for looking at the heart and delicate blood vessels. - Bachir Taouli, MD, Professor, Radiology, Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.self.com/story/how-much-do-you-need-to-worry-about-mri-contrast

If you have a news story, news tip, breakthrough, study, upcoming event or patient success story to share or have been contacted by the media for an interview contact: [email protected] 212-241-9200 From: ITNDaily Subject: Mount Sinai In The News - December 13, 2017 Date: Wednesday, December 13, 2017 3:31:28 PM Attachments: ATT00001.txt

In the News December 13, 2017

Crain’s Health Pulse – December 13 Nursing Grant Phillips School of Nursing at Mount Sinai Beth Israel has received an $800,000 Nursing Workforce Diversity grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. The funds will support the school's new Workforce Inclusion in Nursing program to increase the enrollment, retention and graduation of individuals from diverse backgrounds in the accelerated associate of applied science program - Phillips School of Nursing at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Learn more: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20171213/PULSE/171219960/useful-online-quality- data-for-health-care-consumers-is-severely (Subscription Required)

Queens Gazette – December 12 Queens Chamber Holds Annual Buildings Award Gala — Thomas Cogan When opening the Queens Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Building Awards Gala last week, Tom Grech, QCC’s president and CEO, said that it might be the biggest one yet. There were several awards for buildings and one for the Gala Honoree. The building awards were presented for several ventures in new construction; rehabilitation and re-adaptive use; and interior design. The New Construction, healthcare related facility award went to Mount Sinai Queens Pavilion on 30th Avenue in Astoria. Caryn A. Schwab, executive director of Mount Sinai Queens said that this $175 million expansion “gave us an opportunity to think about the future… We knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so we took advantage of it.” - Caryn A. Schwab, Executive Director, Mount Sinai Queens Learn more: http://www.qgazette.com/news/2017-12- 13/Front_Page/Queens_Chamber_Holds_Annual_Buildings_Award_Gala.html

Healthline – December 12 Researchers May Have Discovered Peanut Allergy Genes — Kristin Fischer Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai say they found six genes that activate hundreds of others when an allergic reaction occurs. The scientists were able to examine gene expression before, during, and after an allergic episode. They are hoping the results will give scientists a better understanding of how the allergy works – and perhaps more insights into preventing and treating them. “Given the number of kids affected, it is important for us to learn as much as we can about peanut allergy, especially since so much is still not known about it,” said Supinda Bunyavanich, MD, associate professor of genetics and genomic sciences, and pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “This study highlights genes and molecular processes that could be targets for new therapies to treat peanut allergy reactions and could be important to understanding how peanut allergy works overall,” she said. “Our study is the first to examine gene expression in children actively experiencing allergic reactions.” - Supinda Bunyavanich, MD, Associate Professor, Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.healthline.com/health-news/researchers-discover-peanut-allergy-genes

News Medical And Life Sciences – December 13 Scientists Develop New, High Resolution Methods For Identifying Microbial Species And Strains Scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Sema4 and collaborating institutions published a report detailing their new, more accurate method for identifying individual microbial species and strain in a community. This technique has important implications for microbiome analysis, with potential long-term applications for clinical care. The paper was published in Nature Biotechnology. "The biomedical community has long needed a microbiome analysis method capable of resolving individual species and strains with high resolution," said Gang Fang, PhD, assistant professor of genetics and genomic sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and senior author of the paper. "We found that DNA methylation patterns can be exploited as highly informative natural barcodes to help discriminate microbial species from each other, help associate mobile genetic elements to their host- genomes and achieve more precise microbiome analysis,” he added. Eric Schadt, PhD, dean of precision medicine, professor of genetics and genomic sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Sema4 CEO, and co-author of the paper said, “This project demonstrates the sophistication and power of analyzing many types of data together to yield insights that are not possible with simplistic approaches. Biology is complex, and our analyses must accurately represent that complexity if we hope to eventually deploy this information for clinical use.” - Gang Fang, PhD, Assistant Professor, Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai - Eric Schadt, PhD, Dean, Precision Medicine, Professor, Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.news-medical.net/news/20171213/Scientists-develop-new-high-resolution- method-for-identifying-microbial-species-and-strains.aspx

WebMD – December 12 Postmenopausal Women Should Still Avoid HRT — Dennis Thompson The nation’s leading authority on preventive medicine says postmenopausal women should avoid hormone replacement therapy. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is standing by its original recommendation that women who have already gone through menopause should avoid using female hormones to guard against osteoporosis or diabetes. The advisory covers all formulations of hormone replacement therapy, the task force said. The therapy can consist of pills or patches containing either estrogen or estrogen/progesterone mix. However, women undergoing menopause can use hormone replacement therapy short-term to treat symptoms such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness, said Suzanne S. Fenske, MD, assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Hormone replacement therapy does still have a benefit to women with menopause whose symptoms do not respond to other treatment options. It really should be used to manage menopausal symptoms, rather than being used for any sort of preventative medicine.” - Suzanne S. Fenske, MD, Assistant Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.webmd.com/menopause/news/20171212/postmenopausal-women-should- avoid-hrt#1 Additional coverage: Medpage Today https://www.medpagetoday.com/obgyn/hrt/69834 Medical Xpress https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-12-postmenopausal-women-hrt-task.html

Economic Times: Healthworld – December 12 Not Everyone Diagnosed With Prostate Cancer Needs Treatment “Not everyone who gets diagnosed with prostate cancer actually needs treatment,” said Ashutosh Tewari, MBBS, MCh, professor and system chair of urology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He has performed more than 5,500 robotic prostatectomies and has been associated with da Vinci since its inception. Prostate cancer is today the most common cancer and a leading cause of death among men in the US. “Finding out about cancer and doing the biopsy needs to be balanced with the need for an intervention. You have to balance the pros and cons of early detection and have a plan in place which supports and encourages active surveillance,” added Dr. Tewari. Robotic-assisted prostatectomy is evolving as the most popular modality for treating prostate cancer. The robotic procedure is effective in treating localised prostate cancer while minimizing the effects that the treatment may have on the bowel, urinary, and sexual functioning. Dr. Tewari feels that in the robotic surgery, “There is less amount of blood loss, incisions are smaller, infection rate is lower, fewer complications, and the recovery is much faster.” - Ashutosh Tewari, MBBS, MCh, Professor, System Chair, Urology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/not-everyone-diagnosed-with- prostate-cancer-needs-treatment-dr-ashutosh-k-tewari/62036009

Cosmopolitan – December 11 The Solar Eclipse Permanently Damaged This Woman’s Eyesight — Ashley Oerman During the solar eclipse, 26-year-old Nia Payne of Staten Island borrowed a stranger’s eclipse glasses and stared at the sun. Although the eclipse was roughly 70 percent covered by the moon in New York City, and she looked for no longer than 30 seconds, her vision will never be the same, according to a case study published in JAMA Ophthalmology. When she woke up the next day, her left eye had a spot of blurred vision. She also saw a wavy pattern with blank spots when she looked at straight lines of text – a condition, she later learned, known as metamorphopsia. “We had a good indication of what was going on,” said Avnish Deobhakta, MD, assistant professor of vitreoretinal surgery and ophthalmology at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai. But when he and his team used new technology to photograph part of Payne’s eye, the result still surprised them. The damage to Payne’s left retina took on a crescent shape that resembled the eclipse – only the individual cells exposed to the eclipse light had been affected. It was something none of the experts had been able to see before without their new technology. - Avnish Deobhakta, MD, Assistant Professor, Vitreoretinal Surgery, Ophthalmology, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.cosmopolitan.com/health-fitness/a14390307/solar-eclipse-burns-woman-s-retina/ Additional coverage: Eyewire Today http://eyewiretoday.com/2017/12/12/mount-sinai-researchers-use-breakthrough- technology-to-further-understand-eye-damage-from-eclipse The Daily Herald https://www.heraldnet.com/nation-world/the-solar-eclipse-burned-this-womans-eye/

Medpage Today – December 12 Generational Influences And Latino Skin Cancer Risk: Q&A With Maritza Perez, MD — Kristin Bundy “You cannot teach your children what they don’t know,” said Maritza Perez, MD, clinical professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Perez outlines the misconceptions that may be contributing to a rise in advanced skin cancer disease among young Latinos. A recent report in JAMA showed that Hispanics present with melanomas at a more advanced stage – they have thicker tumors with regional involvement and distal metastases. Incidence has increased by 20 percent in the last two decades, and patients are younger. Dr. Perez added, “I think that as people get educated and trained, they are sharing their knowledge with their children and protecting their children. Newer generations are more aware. I know that my nurse, who is of Hispanic origin, has a young daughter who takes sunblock to school. That’s something great! That’s what it should be, but not everyone is like that. At least we know that there is a future where there is education and knowledge that is going to save lives.” - Maritza Pérez, MD, Clinical Professor, Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.medpagetoday.com/resource-centers/advances-in-dermatology/generational- influences-and-latino-skin-cancer-risk-qa-maritza-perez-md/1640

Macular News – December 13 AAO 2017: Richard Rosen, MD Richard B. Rosen, MD, professor of ophthalmology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, surgeon-director, retina service chief, director of ophthalmology research, and vice-chair at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai said, “In my laboratory we have been looking at advanced forms of retinal imaging, adaptive optics, OCT and geography, some early types of functional imaging with the overall goal to pick up the disease earlier.” Dr. Rosen presented on early diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy using OCT at AAO 2017. - Richard B. Rosen, MD, Professor, Ophthalmology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Surgeon- Director, Retina Service Chief, Director of Ophthalmology Research, Vice-Chair, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai Learn more: https://macularnews.org/2017/12/13/aao-2017-richard-rosen-md/

Macular News – November 30 AAO 2017: Ron Gentile, MD Ronald Gentile MD, professor of ophthalmology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and director of the ocular trauma service at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai said in a video interview at AAO 2017, “Patient satisfaction is the expectations of the patient, their needs and desires. This is something that has really been hard for doctors to come to grips with. We see patient expectations can be very high.” He added that you need to develop a bond with new patients; the first visit is the most important. The only way to take off a negative review is if it a personal attack on the doctor. “I think that the AAO is on the forefront of patient satisfaction. If you look at the educational material that comes out of the AAO, this is top of the line, cutting edge information to try to help the patients,” Dr. Gentile said. - Ronald C. Gentile, MD, Professor, Ophthalmology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Ocular Trauma Service, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai Learn more: https://macularnews.org/2017/11/30/aao-2017-ron-gentile-md/

Medscape – November 2 Aripiprazole May Reduce Cocaine Cravings In People With Schizophrenia — Lorraine L. Janeczko In people with schizophrenia, the dopamine modulator aripiprazole appears to reduce cocaine cravings better than the dopamine blocker perphenazine after an acclimation period, according to a small, double- blind randomized trial. Frequency of cocaine cravings declined modestly but significantly with aripiprazole, as assessed by the change from weeks 3-5 to weeks 6-8. The same was true for craving intensity and duration. Craving parameters did not change significantly in the perphenazine group. Drew D. Kiraly, MD, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai said that finding a successful medication regimen for patients with major mental illness, such as schizophrenia, as well as a substance use disorder, is difficult. "The thought process of the authors was sound," said Dr. Kiraly, who was not involved in the study. "And it seems that they found a small effect using aripiprazole to reduce cravings." - Drew D. Kiraly, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/887896?src=rss Additional coverage: Psych Congress https://www.psychcongress.com/news/aripiprazole-may-reduce-cocaine-cravings- people-schizophrenia

Psych Congress – November 29 Increases In HDL Cholesterol May Be Tied To Improved Psychotic Symptoms— Lorraine L. Janeczko In patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP), an increase in serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels during antipsychotic treatment is linked with improved negative FEP symptoms, new research from Norway suggests. An HDL increase during a one-year period of antipsychotic treatment was linked with a statistically significant reduction in PANSS negative subscores, even if BMI changed. Associations between serum lipids, BMI, and PANSS scores were not significant. Dolores Malaspina, MD, MS, MSPH, senior faculty of psychiatry, genetics and genomic sciences, neuroscience, and director of the psychosis program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai said, “It is of interest that increasing HDL levels predicted an improved outcome in schizophrenia. Similar effects include findings that lower HDL predicts a worse outcome in depression and is associated with suicidal behavior.” Dr. Malaspina added that “as these lipids are involved in the pathways for neurosteroid production, this finding may shine a light on the importance of neurosteroids for schizophrenia treatment, which are important neural modulators.” - Dolores Malaspina, MD, MS, MSPH, Senior Faculty, Psychiatry, Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Neuroscience, Director, Psychosis Program, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.psychcongress.com/news/increases-hdl-cholesterol-may-be-tied-improved- psychotic-symptoms

Newsmax Health – December 13 Air Pollution Fine Particles Linked To Poor Sperm Quality Exposure to fine particles in air pollution may be another factor that affects men’s sperm quality and their fertility, suggest researchers in Taiwan. Although the clinical effect may be small, the findings could be important from a public health perspective due to worldwide exposure to pollution. The primary finding of this study is a significant decrease in the percentage of sperm that are normally shaped with increasing air pollution, but the percentage of sperm that are morphologically normal is still very high, said Shanna Swan, PhD, professor of environmental medicine and public health, obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The change in sperm concentration is difficult to interpret, noted Dr. Swan, who wasn’t involved in the study. For one thing, the average sperm concentration in the participants was fairly low. “Strengths of the study are its large size, its use of cutting-edge estimates of air pollution and WHO semen analysis methods,” she said. - Shanna Swan, PhD, Professor, Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.newsmax.com/health/health-news/air-pollution-particles- poor/2017/12/13/id/831476/

NYCity Woman – December 13 Collagen: Maintaining A Youthful Complexion— Georgetta Lordi Morque The protein collagen maintains healthy and wrinkle-free skin, but as you age your collagen levels decline. The good news: collagen can be restored. The miracle protein is the most abundant in our bodies; it provides our skin with strength and structure and plays a vital role in skin cell renewal. By age 30, a woman begins to lose one percent of her collagen levels each year. By pre-menopause and menopause, the reduction is significantly more frequent and, as a result, wrinkles and sagging occur; mature skin may look like it needs a drastic overhaul. “Everyone produces collagen and everyone’s collagen breaks down. The balance changes as we age,” said Hooman Khorasani, MD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology, chief of the division of mohs, reconstructive and cosmetic surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He added that smoking and exposure to direct sunlight can also contribute to collagen breakdown. Dr. Khorasani’s practice offers more than a dozen types of laser-based treatments, each designed to help in different ways to tighten and resurface the skin and to restore collagen. - Hooman Khorasani, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor, Dermatology, Chief, Division of Mohs, Reconstructive and Cosmetic Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.nycitywoman.com/collagen-maintaining-a-youthful-complexion/

If you have a news story, news tip, breakthrough, study, upcoming event or patient success story to share or have been contacted by the media for an interview contact: [email protected] 212-241-9200 From: ITNDaily Subject: Mount Sinai In The News - December 14, 2017 Date: Thursday, December 14, 2017 1:35:46 PM Attachments: ATT00001.txt

In the News December 14, 2017

Crain’s Health Pulse –December 14 Philanthropy Mount Sinai Health System raised $3.4 million for its Dubin Breast Center, part of the Tisch Cancer Institute, at a benefit gala held Dec. 11 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Manhattan. - Mount Sinai Health System Learn more: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20171214/PULSE/171219938/medical-groups-urge- cuomo-to-veto-laverns-law (Subscription Required)

Medical Research.com – December 13 Menopausal Hormone Replacement Should Not Be Used For Disease Prevention MedicalResearch.com interviews with Suzanne Fenske, MD, assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai to discuss above referenced. The USPSTF reevaluated the data along with several other studies to assess the role of hormone replacement therapy in prevention of chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, blood clot, gallbladder disease, dementia. The USPSTF has found that hormone replacement therapy has some benefit in reducing the risk of fractures, and, potentially, diabetes. The USPSTF has found that hormone replacement therapy can increase the risk of coronary artery disease, stroke, blood clot, gall bladder disease, urinary incontinence and dementia. “With these risks, the USPSTF states that hormone replacement therapy should not be used as a preventative medicine, but, rather, used for treatment of symptomatic menopause and not prevention of osteoporosis or heart disease.” - Suzanne S. Fenske, MD, Assistant Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://medicalresearch.com/menopause/menopausal-hormone-replacement-should-not-be- used-for-disease-prevention/38905/

Psych Congress –December 13 Neuroimaging Study Ties Working Memory to Behavior, Lifestyle Choices — Marilynn Larkin The cohesiveness of the brain network implicated in working memory is associated with behavioral traits such as higher physical endurance and better cognitive function, researchers suggest. Individual variation in working memory, or the ability to store and process information relative to a task at hand, "has been associated with multiple behavioral and health features including demographic characteristics, cognitive and physical traits and lifestyle choices," according to Sophia Frangou, MD, PhD, professor, psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine and colleagues. - Sophia Frangou, MD, PhD, Professor, Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.psychcongress.com/news/neuroimaging-study-ties-working-memory- behavior-lifestyle-choices

Ophthalmology Management – December 1 Microdosing Eyedrops Could End ‘Hosing The Eye’ — Robert Stoneback At AAO 2017, Sean Ianchulev, MD, MPH, professor of ophthalmology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and director of the ophthalmic innovation and technology program at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, questioned why the medical field is still using eyedropper technology that has not changed in 100 years. He presented data on the use of a new “microdosing” eyedropper technology that could end the complications associated with eyedrop overdosing. He shared results of the “piezo-ejection” microdose delivery system from a paper published in Therapeutic Delivery. To validate the ocular microtherapeutic approach, Dr. Ianchulev’s research team used the mydriatic response to pharmacologic dilation measured by digital pupillometry as it provides one of the most sensitive, quantifiable and immediate pharmacodynamic markers of biologic effect. Dr. Ianchulev said he expects phase 3 clinical trials in glaucoma, dry eye, myopia and pharmacologic dilation to begin in the next year, with the first microtherapeutic programs delivering phase 3 results in 2019 for mydriasis, followed by dry eye, glaucoma and myopia. - Sean Ianchulev, MD, MPH, Professor of Ophthalmology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director of the Ophthalmic Innovation and Technology Program, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.ophthalmologymanagement.com/issues/2017/december-2017/quick-hits

CBS 2 News – December 13 New Yorkers Endure Bitter Winter Blast — Vanessa Murdock Even though it's the middle of December, Wednesday's bitter blast was like a shock to the system. So what really works and what doesn’t when you are fighting mother nature to stay warm. Erick Eiting, MD, assistant professor of emergency medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and director of emergency medicine and urgent care at Mount Sinai Beth Israel and Mount Sinai Union Square noted, “Alcohol does not make one warm. Our body closes up the blood vessels in the skin when it gets cold as a way to protect us. Alcohol reverses that effect.” - Erick Eiting, MD, Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Emergency Medicine and Urgent Care, Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai Union Square Learn more: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/video/3777335-new-yorkers-endure-bitter-winter-blast/

MenaFN – December 12 Mechanistic Rationale Of Combination Therapy With Rigosertib A study reported that epigenetic effects of rigosertib on chromatin alterations may lead to improved hematopoietic function and response in the clinical setting, and expanded the understanding of the mechanism of action of rigosertib in combination with azacitidine. These preclinical models suggest potential novel clinical strategies with rigosertib and azacitidine to improve outcomes for patients with higher-risk MDS. Oral rigosertib in combination with azacitidine is now being studied in higher-risk MDS patients. The lead investigator, Lewis R. Silverman, MD, associate professor of medicine, hematology, medical oncology, oncological sciences at The Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai said, “A large body of evidence with both intravenous and oral rigosertib supports the activity of this novel agent in MDS patients. Based on our laboratory studies and a US patent, a combination regimen of oral rigosertib with azacitidine has been explored in Phase 2 trials and the promising results of these trials are providing the basis for the design of a pivotal Phase 3 study. Our research continues to explore the mechanistic basis of the impressive and durable responses noted in higher-risk MDS patients at Mount Sinai and other collaborating institutions. Such understanding may permit design of other combinations, as well as biomarkers for patient selection and theranostic uses in the near future.” - Lewis R. Silverman, MD, Associate Professor, Medicine, Hematology, Medical Oncology, Oncological Sciences, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.menafn.com/1096224325/Onconova-Presents-Data-on-Rigosertib-in- Myelodysplastic-Syndromes--MDS--at-the-ASH-2017-Meeting-NasdaqONTX

Medscape –December 13 ACC Issues Guidance for Managing Bleeds From Oral Anticoagulants — Marlene Busko The American College of Cardiology (ACC) has issued an expert consensus document, with "decision pathways" to guide clinicians in the management of major or minor bleeding in patients on oral anticoagulants. "The manuscript really helps to come up with decision pathways in first assessing the level of severity of the bleed, understanding how to use reversal agents, when to restart your anticoagulation, and how to do that," writing committee member Roxana Mehra, MD, professor of medicine, cardiology, population health and policy, director of the interventional cardiovascular research and clinical trials and the Zena and Michael A. Weiner Cardiovascular Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. - Roxana Mehran, MD, Professor, Medicine, Cardiology, Population Health Science and Policy, Director, Interventional Cardiovascular Research and Clinical Trials, Zena and Michael A. Weiner Cardiovascular Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/890019

HealthDay – December 13 Teens Acting Badly? Smog Could Be To Blame — Dennis Thompson Teens are more likely to behave badly – lie, steal, vandalize, use drugs – if they live in areas with heavy air pollution, a study of children living in greater Los Angeles suggests. Younger kids exposed to increased levels of air pollution tended to have delinquency scores similar to teens three or four years older, the study authors said, though the study did not prove that pollution actually caused delinquent behavior. The study adds to mounting evidence that air pollution has a toxic effect on the brain. According to Rosalind J. Wright, MD, dean for translational biomedical research Horace W. Goldsmith professor in children’s health research, professor of pediatrics, critical care, environmental medicine, public health, pulmonary and sleep medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who was not involved with the study, the researchers “did a reasonable job of substantiating the potential plausibility of this effect, and it rings true for me." She added, “They pretty extensively adjusted for both individual socioeconomic status as well as neighborhood-level factors,” Dr. Wright said. “I think that’s the strength of this study.” - Rosalind J. Wright, MD, Dean, Translational Biomedical Research, Horace W. Goldsmith Professorship, Children’s Health Research, Professor, Pediatrics, Critical Care, Environmental Medicine, Public Health, Pulmonary, and Sleep Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://consumer.healthday.com/respiratory-and-allergy-information-2/air-pollution-health- news-540/teens-acting-badly-smog-could-be-to-blame-729333.html

Everyday Health – December 13 Can Light Therapy Ease Rheumatoid Arthritis-Related Depression? — Meryl Davids Landau When the nights get longer and bright sunshine becomes a distant memory in many parts of the country, you may be more prone to depression. In people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), research has shown depression occurs at a rate double to quadruple that of the general population. The causes in someone with RA are vast, including mood changes from the financial and lifestyle shifts that can be brought on by the disease, to systemic inflammation. The lack of light may also play a role, in a type of depression known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. “A lot of my patients with depression do have a worsening of their mood as the light changes,” said Elizabeth Ochoa, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and chief psychologist at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, who noted there is some controversy about the diagnosis of SAD within the psychological community. - Elizabeth Ochoa, PhD, Assistant Professor, Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Chief Psychologist, Mount Sinai Beth Israel Learn more: https://www.everydayhealth.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/living-with/can-light-therapy-ease- rheumatoid-arthritis-related-depression/

US News & World Report – December 13 Teens Acting Badly? Smog Could Be to Blame — Dennis Thompson Teens are more likely to behave badly -- lie, steal, vandalize, use drugs -- if they live in areas with heavy air pollution, a study of children living in greater Los Angeles suggests. The investigators discovered that as air pollution levels crept up, so did the likelihood that a teen would score higher on the delinquency scale. According to Rosalind Wright, MD, dean for translational biomedical research, Horace W. Goldsmith professorship in children’s health research, and professor of pediatrics, critical care, pulmonary and sleep medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the researchers "Did a reasonable job of substantiating the potential plausibility of this effect, and it rings true for me." Dr. Wright was not involved with the study. - Rosalind J. Wright, MD, Dean, Translational Biomedical Research, Horace W. Goldsmith Professorship, Children’s Health Research, Professor, Pediatrics, Critical Care, Environmental Medicine, Public Health, Pulmonary, and Sleep Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://health.usnews.com/health-care/articles/2017-12-13/teens-acting-badly-smog-could-be- to-blame

Wonderful Engineering – December 13 Take A Look At How Your Desk Job Is Ruining Your Health — Ali Vaqar Spending six hours at a desk every day doubles the risk of heart attack. 86% population in America has a desk job and they are blissfully unaware of the dangers to their health. Since somebody has to do the job and we can’t all just stand up and quit, a discussion with a cardiologist, a personal trainer, and an optometrist tells us in detail what damage sitting so long causes and what steps we can take to improve. “The major things from a point of view of your heart is if you’re sitting your heart rate will lower, and this affects everything,” said Allan Stewart, MD, associate professor of cardiovascular surgery and director of aortic surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. - Allan Stewart, MD, Associate Professor, Cardiovascular Surgery, Director, Aortic Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://wonderfulengineering.com/take-look-office-job-ruining-health/

Everyday Health – December 13 Have You Tried Aromatherapy For Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain Relief? — Meryl Davids Landau Aromatherapy is the term for oils that have been extracted from plants and are used therapeutically for their scents. These oils can be sniffed or massaged into the skin. Studies have especially focused on whether aromatherapy can help reduce pain, enhance sleep, and minimize depression — three things that concern many people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Aromatherapy “can be a helpful tool for generating a sense of well-being in a person,” says Elizabeth Ochoa, PhD, chief psychologist at Mount Sinai Beth Israel. “I see it as a self-care, a way to enhance calm, reduce irritability, improve sleep, and encourage a quiet mind.” - Elizabeth Ochoa, PhD, Assistant Professor, Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Chief Psychologist, Mount Sinai Beth Israel Learn more: https://www.everydayhealth.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/symptoms/using-aromatherapy- rheumatoid-arthritis-pain/

Specialty Pharmacy Times – December 8 Millennials Rely on Internet for Information, Providers for Cancer Treatment Decisions — Laurie Toich A new study found that nearly 90% of all patients with cancer conduct online research after diagnosis, with approximately half doing so the same day. The “State of Cancer” report highlights how important it is for health care providers—including pharmacists—to understand how patients are receiving this information about their diagnosis in order to steer them towards trusted sources. At a panel discussion on “The State of Cancer” report, panelist William K. Oh, MD, professor of medicine, hematology, medical oncology and urology, deputy director, The Tisch Cancer Institute at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, noted that the amount of complex information online can be difficult for patients to navigate. Dr Oh told the audience that providers have to personalize the information patients receive to ensure they get the right resources and are not overwhelmed by statistics that may not be applicable. - William Oh, MD, Professor, Medicine, Hematology, Medical Oncology, Urology, Deputy Director, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.specialtypharmacytimes.com/news/millennials-rely-on-internet-for- information-providers-for-treatment-decisions

If you have a news story, news tip, breakthrough, study, upcoming event or patient success story to share or have been contacted by the media for an interview contact: [email protected] 212-241-9200

From: ITNDaily Subject: Mount Sinai In The News - December 15, 2017 Date: Friday, December 15, 2017 12:18:06 PM Attachments: ATT00001.txt

In the News December 15, 2017

Medical Research.com – December 14 Antibiotic Resistance Common In Infections After Ocular Surgery — Penny Asbell, MD MedicalResearch.com interviews with Penny Asbell, MD, professor of ophthalmology and director of the Cornea Service and Refractive Surgery Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai to discuss the above referenced study. The background for this study indicates: “The ongoing Antibiotic Resistance Monitoring in Ocular micRoorganisms (ARMOR) study is the only nationwide antibiotic resistance surveillance program specific to ocular pathogens. The purpose of this presentation is to report on the antibiotic susceptibility profiles of bacterial isolates from the vitreous and aqueous humor collected in the ARMOR study expanding upon earlier findings.” - Penny Asbell, MD, Professor, Ophthalmology, Director, The Cornea Service and Refractive Surgery Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://medicalresearch.com/infections/antibiotic-resistance-common-in-infections-after- ocular-surgery/38926/

Onc Live – December 14 Treatment Underuse in Prostate Cancer Rare, Disproportionately Affects Black Men — Jason Harris An analysis of racial disparities in prostate cancer treatment found that treatment underuse is rare, but when it does occur, it is almost exclusively in black men. “We found low rates of treatment underuse among men with clinically significant prostate cancer receiving care at an academic referral center or a municipal hospital,” first author Nina A. Bickell, MD, co-director, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai’s Center for Health Equity & Community Engaged Research, and coinvestigators wrote. “The vast majority of underuse was due to system failures, which affected only black men, regardless of institution. These failures occurred despite the presence of integrated EMRs and HIT capabilities to create gap reports in these organizations. - Nina A. Bickell, Associate Director of Community Engaged & Equity Research of the Tisch Cancer Institute, Co-Director, Cancer Prevention & Control, Co- Director, Center for Health Equity & Community Engaged Research Learn more: http://www.onclive.com/web-exclusives/treatment-underuse-in-prostate-cancer-rare- disproportionately-affects-black-men

Healio – December 15 Medication Adherence In Children Post Liver Transplant Varies With Time — Eyal Shemesh, MD et al New data suggests that initial immunosuppressant adherence among pediatric liver transplantation patients does not guarantee continued adherence, and nonadherence is likely to persist without intervention. “Nonadherence to prescribed immunosuppressive medications is associated with most cases of late acute rejection (LAR) in pediatric liver transplant recipients,” Eyal Shemesh, MD, an associate professor of behavioral pediatrics and psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and colleagues wrote. “As the field still struggles to develop effective strategies to assess and mitigate nonadherence, it is important to understand how variation in adherence behaviors might inform intervention and monitoring strategies.” - Eyal Shemesh, MD, Associate Professor, Pediatrics, Behavioral Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Jaffe Food Allergy Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Chief, Division of Behavioral and Developmental Health, The Mount Sinai Hospital Learn more: https://www.healio.com/hepatology/transplantation/news/online/%7B2ced2f64-1655-457d- ae99-43074cd2e7ef%7D/medication-adherence-in-children-post-liver-transplant-varies-with-time

Genome Web – December 14 This Week in Nature Investigators from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, describe a new binning method for shotgun metagenomics analyses that overcomes the inability of existing computational binning methods to fully distinguish closely related species and strains. The method incorporates bacterial DNA methylation signatures detected using single-molecule real-time sequencing, and uses these signatures to resolve individual reads and assembled contigs into species- and strain-level bins. The researchers state that their approach can also be used to link plasmids and other mobile genetic elements to their host species in a real microbiome sample. "Incorporation of DNA methylation information into shotgun metagenomics analyses will complement existing methods to enable more accurate sequence binning," they write. - Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.genomeweb.com/scan/week-nature-160

Targeted Oncology – December 14 Nutlin Antagonist Shows Activity in Polycythemia Vera — Wayne Kuznar The investigational Nutlin family antagonist idasanutlin demonstrated significant activity and was well tolerated after multiple cycles of exposure in patients with refractory polycythemia vera (PV). “Treatment with low doses of nutlin and pegylated interferon have been shown to reduce the number of JAK2-mutated primary cells from patients with PV or myelofibrosis transplanted in the immunocompromised mouse in preclinical studies. When combined, nutlins and pegylated interferon are synergistic in this regard,” explained John Mascarenhas, MD, an associate professor of hematology and medical oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. - John O. Mascarenhas, MD, Associate Professor, Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.targetedonc.com/conference/2017-ash-mpn/nutlin-antagonist-shows-activity-in- polycythemia-vera

CBS New York – December 13 Feds Announce New Recommendations About Hormone Replacement Therapy For Women — Max Gomez The announcement comes from the US Preventative Services Task Force, which makes recommendations about medical prevention. Although some of the guidelines might be misinterpreted, whether or not to use HRT has to be more individualized “based on a women’s own risk factors such as a family history of cancers, whether they are smokers, obese, have a family history of heart disease, osteoporosis or blood clots,” says Suzanne S. Fenske, MD, assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. - Suzanne S. Fenske, MD, Assistant Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/video/3776717-feds-announce-new-recommendations-about- hormone-replacement-therapy-for-women/

CBS New York – December 14 Doctors Warn Parents To Be On The Lookout For Pneumonia Symptoms — Hazel Sanchez New York State has seen a sudden spike in the flu, and the virus is now considered prevalent. Some children are getting even sicker and coming down with pneumonia. “Cough and cold – you’ll end up with congestion, cough, sometimes with sputum, sometimes yellow, sometimes green, and you may have a low-grade fever,” said Peter Shearer, MD, assistant professor of emergency medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and medical director of the emergency department at The Mount Sinai Hospital. “Pneumonia could be the exact same symptoms.” Dr. Shearer says the main indicator for pneumonia is amplified cold symptoms, including a more severe cough and a higher fever of 102 or more lasting for at least 48 hours. - Peter Shearer, MD, Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Medical Director, Mount Sinai Emergency Department, The Mount Sinai Hospital Learn more: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/12/14/spike-in-flu-and-pneumonia/

The Wichita Eagle – December 12 Pregnant Women Who Drink Soda Could Cause Health Problems For Child, Study Says — Kaitlyn Alanis While it is already common knowledge that pregnant women should not drink alcohol while pregnant, new research suggests that drinking soda or pop could also cause health problems for the child later in life. “Increasingly we’re understanding that the processes that put a kid on a trajectory for obesity and asthma start in pregnancy,” said Rosalind Wright, MD, dean for translational biomedical research, Horace W. Goldsmith professorship in children’s health research, and professor of pediatrics, critical care, pulmonary and sleep medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “This may give us some clues to how early life programming of asthma starts in utero, and how we might intervene more directly to give children a healthy start.” - Rosalind J. Wright, MD, Dean, Translational Biomedical Research, Horace W. Goldsmith Professorship, Children’s Health Research, Professor, Pediatrics, Critical Care, Environmental Medicine, Public Health, Pulmonary, and Sleep Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.kansas.com/living/family/article189349324.html

If you have a news story, news tip, breakthrough, study, upcoming event or patient success story to share or have been contacted by the media for an interview contact: [email protected] 212-241-9200

From: ITNDaily Subject: Mount Sinai In The News - December 18, 2017 Date: Monday, December 18, 2017 11:56:14 AM Attachments: ATT00001.txt

In the News December 18, 2017

Crain’s Health Pulse – December 18 Beth Israel To Expand Brooklyn Methadone Clinic — Caroline Lewis Mount Sinai Beth Israel is seeking state approval for a $1.8 million expansion and renovation of its methadone clinic in the Gowanus section of Brooklyn. It aims to boost capacity in order to accommodate patients being treated for substance-use disorder who were affected by the recent closure of its methadone clinic on Flatbush Avenue. The lease was terminated following the sale of the building, Beth Israel said in its certificate-of-need application to the state. The state Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse has approved a 67 percent capacity increase at the Vincent P. Dole Clinic in Gowanus to allow it to accommodate 1,000 patients. Beth Israel is also seeking to add new primary care services at the center, which will help it achieve its DSRIP goals, according to the filing. As part of the project, Beth Israel plans to renovate 4,222 square feet of space. - Mount Sinai Beth Israel Learn more: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20171218/PULSE/171219904/new-uhf-president-sets-policy-agenda-amid-d-c-s-ever- changing-health

Crain’s Health Pulse – December 18 Study Finds Racial Disparities in End-of-Life Care — Robin Schatz Black patients at the end of their life were more likely to be hospitalized, visit the emergency room and discontinue hospice care than their white counterparts, according to a new study by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. It was published today by the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Melissa Aldridge, associate professor and vice chair for research in geriatrics and palliative medicine at the medical school, said the differences in hospice organizations, demographics and patient illness did not account for the racial disparities they found in both hospital use and hospice disenrollment. - Melissa Aldridge, PhD, MPH, MBA, Associate Professor, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20171218/PULSE/171219904/new-uhf-president-sets-policy-agenda-amid-d-c-s-ever- changing-health

Politico New York – December 18 Racial Disparities In End of Life Care — Dan Goldberg African Americans nearing the end of their lives have far higher rates of hospital admission, emergency department visits and discontinuing hospice care than whites, according to a study by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. - Melissa Aldridge, PhD, MPH, MBA, Associate Professor, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai - Jessica Rizzuto, MPP, Student, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/newsletters/politico-new-york-health-care/2017/12/18/city-offers-lead-testing- 018186 Additional coverage: Medical Xpress https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-12-racial-disparities-intensity-life.html

Daily Mail – December 18 Men Should Freeze Their Sperm Before The Age Of 25, Say Experts — Claudia Tanner Researchers have previously claimed the Western lifestyle has more than halved the sperm count of men in the US, Europe and Australia since the 1970s. Stress, smoking, drinking too much and eating unhealthy food were named as contributing factors. Past research also reveals sperm quality is affected by chemicals found in soap, sunscreen and plastic. Humans could face extinction if sperm counts continue to drop as fast as they have done in the last four decades in Western countries, a study warned. Researchers at Hebrew University-Hadassah Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai looked at 185 studies collected between 1973 and 2011 regarding sperm count and concentration in men from North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. They found 59.3 percent average decline in total sperm count and 52.4 percent average decline in sperm concentration among these men. Decline in sperm rate has previously been linked to environmental and lifestyle influences such as prenatal chemical exposure, adult pesticide exposure, smoking, stress, and obesity. - Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5183701/Men-freeze-sperm-age-25.html

Kaplan Herald – December 18 Reminiscence Check To Assist Cease Bipolar Dysfunction A simple computer test could help prevent bipolar disorder in those who have high genetic risk of developing the condition. Pioneering research has shown that the task can effectively ‘rewire’ the brains of those living with the mood disorder. During the test, patients were asked to look at emotional photographs – such as angry expressions or images of mutilated bodies – and then memorize the order of them. In the new study, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai conducted experiments involving patients with a family history of bipolar disorder. Over a three-week period, each patient was asked to spend 20 minutes a day looking at the pictures. They later underwent an MRI scan to measure the differences in brain connectivity and structure after the experiment. The scans revealed that after the photo-memorising task, participants’ brain wiring was altered and brain connectivity was improved, particularly in areas typically affected by bipolar disorder. Lead researcher Sophia Frangou, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai said, “If participants engage in these tasks for about 20 minutes per day, we see a restructuring of the brain in a way that could be helpful and is cost-effective.” She added, “While we see an effect after three weeks, we don’t know how long it will last. People may need booster sessions to achieve long-term, preventative effects.” - Sophia Frangou, MD, PhD, Professor, Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://kaplanherald.com/2017/12/18/reminiscence-check-to-assist-cease-bipolar-dysfunction-2/ Additional coverage: News Medical & Life Sciences https://www.news-medical.net/news/20171218/Study-finds-racial-differences-in-hospice-care-between- African-American-and-white-patients.aspx

Medscape – December 13 Solar Eclipse: High-Resolution Imaging Shows Retinal Damage— Laurie Barclay, MD Three days after the August solar eclipse, a young woman presented to the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, with classic symptoms of solar retinopathy, which is a rare form of retinal damage caused by direct sungazing. She also had a persistent blind spot in her dominant left eye. Upon examination, she reported having viewed the eclipse with both eyes open when peak obscuration of solar area by the moon was about 70 percent. She looked at the solar rim several times for approximately 6 seconds without protective eyewear, and then again for approximately 15 to 20 seconds using eclipse glasses from an unknown manufacturer. "When severe, solar retinopathy can cause an absolute scotoma blind spot,” wrote Chris Wu, MD, resident physician at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, and colleagues, in their report, published in JAMA Ophthalmology. "During a partial solar eclipse, when part of the sun's core remains visible, viewing the solar rim without eclipse-viewing glasses with special-purpose solar filters can lead to severe solar retinopathy with an absolute central scotoma," the authors conclude. "Young adults, whether owing to clearer optical media, larger pupils, or poorer recognition of the dangers of viewing the eclipse with improper protective eyewear, may be especially susceptible." - Chris Wu, MD, Resident Physician, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai - Avnish Deobhakta, MD, Assistant Professor, Vitreoretinal Surgery, Ophthalmology, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/890030

New York Social Diary – December 18 The Dubin Breast Center’s Sixth Annual Benefit The Dubin Breast Center of the Tisch Cancer Institute at the Mount Sinai Health System held its sixth annual benefit on Monday, December 11, 2017, at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Manhattan. The evening honored Kara DioGuardi, Brooke Morrow, and Steven J. Burakoff, MD, dean for cancer innovation at the Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Eva Andersson- Dubin, MD, founder of the center and Mount Sinai trustee, and Elisa Port, MD, the Center’s director, presented the awards to Ms. DioGuardi and Ms. Morrow for their advocacy for breast cancer patients and to Dr. Burakoff for his commitment to cancer research at Mount Sinai. With 520 guests in attendance, the event raised more than $3.4 million to benefit the Dubin Breast Center, part of the Tisch Cancer Institute, a National Cancer Institute designated cancer program. - Steven J. Burakoff, MD, Professor, Oncological Science, Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, Dean, Cancer Innovation, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai - Eva Andersson-Dubin, MD, Trustee, Mount Sinai Health System, Founder, Dubin Breast Center, The Mount Sinai Hospital -Elisa Port, MD, FACS, Associate Professor, Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Chief, Breast Surgery, Co-Director, Dubin Breast Center, The Mount Sinai Hospital Learn more: http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/party-pictures/2017/the-dubin-breast-centers-sixth-annual-benefit

Brink News – December 18 Looking Back To Look Ahead: Predictions On Health Care’s Future — Oliver Wyman The health care industry is sitting on the edge of disruption. What innovations can be expected next, and how can today’s executives, leaders, and innovators prepare for the unexpected? At last month’s Oliver Wyman Health Innovation Summit, four executives answered these questions and more. By analyzing past industry patterns and breakthroughs in population health, artificial intelligence, care accessibility, and beyond, they forecast where health care executive and leaders should focus next as the industry progresses. The health care industry is currently focused on operational work, such as revising old organizational models, retraining staff, and figuring out how to move forward while in the midst of progress, said Niyum Gandhi, executive vice president and chief population health officer at Mount Sinai Health System. “I wonder which pieces of this will be the hard, operational work in a year or two and which ones will fade away, or stay innovative,” Mr. Gandhi noted. “What’s broken in our industry is that the consumer and customer are different,” Mr. Gandhi said. “In pretty much every other industry, the consumer and customer are more tightly aligned. If you really define ‘value’ properly, you need to think about how you define ‘value’ for the consumer, while also defining it for the customer.” - Niyum Gandhi, Executive Vice President, Chief Population Health Officer, Mount Sinai Health System Learn more: http://www.brinknews.com/looking-back-to-look-ahead-predictions-on-health-cares-future/

Onc Live – December 14 Dr. Chari On Challenges In Sequencing Agents For Multiple Myeloma — Ajai Chari, MD Ajai Chari, MD, associate professor of medicine, hematology, medical oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, director of clinical research in the multiple myeloma program and associate director of clinical research at the Mount Sinai Cancer Clinical Trials Office, discusses challenges in sequencing agents for patients with multiple myeloma. According to Dr. Chari, the use of daratumumab (Darzalex) induction therapy and ixazomib (Ninlaro) in the maintenance setting are making patients refractory to a different drug class. Many researchers are investigating how quickly chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy can be given to patients based on the risk value, explains Dr. Chari. - Ajai Chari, MD, Associate Professor, Medicine, Hematology, Medical Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Clinical Research in the Multiple Myeloma Program, Associate Director, Clinical Research, Mount Sinai Cancer Clinical Trials Office Learn more: http://www.onclive.com/onclive-tv/dr-chari-on-challenges-in-sequencing-agents-for-multiple-myeloma

Reuters – December 15 Phone-Based Therapy Sessions May Help Dementia Caregivers Cope — Cheryl Platzman Weinstock Talk therapy that teaches emotional regulation and coping skills can help people caring for a loved-one with dementia improve their own physical and mental health, German researchers say. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a common form of psychotherapy that focuses on using a limited number of sessions to work on skills for responding effectively to stressful or difficult situations and emotions. In 2016, 15.9 million caregivers in the U.S. were taking care of someone with Alzheimer’s disease or some other form of dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Compared with caregivers of people with other illnesses, twice as many caregivers of those with dementia face substantial emotional, financial and physical difficulties. Educational materials and support groups are often available for caregivers, but past research has found that CBT has a significant benefit on caregivers’ own health, the study team writes. CBT needs to be tied to insurance coverage for dementia caregivers, said Melissa Aldridge, PhD, MPH, MBA, associate professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “In the big picture this is very important research. There’s a significant uptick in the number of patients with Alzheimer’s disease staying home, but it’s very difficult for individuals with Alzheimer’s or other dementia to meet the eligibility for home-based hospice care which includes, among other things, insurance for caregivers to get home-based support.” - Melissa Aldridge, PhD, MPH, MBA, Associate Professor, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-caregivers-dementia-cbt/phone-based-therapy-sessions-may-help-dementia- caregivers-cope-idUSKBN1E92K6

Healthline – December 15 The Science Of Why You Get Sick During The Holidays — Whitney Akers Many people swear they get sick after every winter break. It’s often not clear whether the cause is the close quarters of an airplane, indulging in more celebratory wine than usual, or the stress of fitting in parties, family time, and long-distance flights. It might not be one specific thing, but a perfect storm of holiday demands, according to science. More than 51 million passengers are expected to take flights on U.S. airlines this holiday season. That’s a lot of people sharing spaces and germs. Exposure to more people, bacteria, and viruses in an enclosed environment is a key reason we’re so likely to get sick on a flight. If you’re flying over the holidays, start protecting yourself now with science-backed advice and recommendations from three doctors. Vitamins and supplements, like EmergenC, are probably not helpful. Vitamin C is necessary for the immune system to function properly, but you’re likely getting enough from fruits and vegetables, said Daniel S. Caplivski, MD, associate professor of medicine and infectious diseases, and director of the Travel Medicine Program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. If your season diet mainly consists of cocktails and gingerbread cookies, throw in some greens, broccoli, bell peppers, and strawberries. “Consuming only bottled water is a good idea both for airline travel, and in countries in many parts of the world where the water could contain bacteria or viruses that might be likely to transmit illnesses like traveler’s diarrhea,” added Dr. Caplivski. - Daniel S. Caplivski, MD, Associate Professor, Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Director, Travel Medicine Program, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.healthline.com/health-news/why-we-are-sick-during-holidays#modal-close

Medical Health News – December 18 Research Finds Hormone Therapy Fails To Prevent Deadly Diseases A new study has suggested that hormone therapy doesn’t actually help when it comes to preventing a range of deadly conditions in postmenopausal women. For years, many women have used hormone replacement therapy to help with conditions that were thought to be associated with menopause including coronary heart disease, dementia, heart disease, breast cancer, fractures, and strokes. While the risks of these deadly conditions are known to increase as women get older, new findings suggest that there is nothing to suggest that they are the result of menopause alone. The findings suggest that increased levels of oestrogen can increase the chances of strokes, blood clots and even gallbladder disease. When combined with progestin, the risk of breast cancer and heart disease increases. Suzanne S. Fenske, MD, assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai said that rather than using hormones to prevent disease, they could be used to manage short-term symptoms such as vaginal dryness and hot flashes. “Hormone replacement therapy does still have a benefit to women with menopause whose symptoms do not respond to other treatment options. It really should be used to manage menopausal symptoms, rather than being used for any sort of preventative medicine,” Dr. Fenske added. - Suzanne S. Fenske, MD, Assistant Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.medicalhealthnews.net/research-finds-hormone-therapy-fails-to-prevent-deadly-diseases Additional coverage: Starts at 60 https://startsat60.com/health/big-issues/research-finds-hormone-therapy-fails-to-prevent-deadly-diseases

Boston Herald – December 18 Pregnant Women Who Drink Soda Could Cause Health Problems For Child, Study Says — Kaitlyn Alanis While it is already common knowledge that pregnant women should not drink alcohol while pregnant, new research suggests that drinking soda could also cause health problems for the child later in life. The study conducted through Harvard Medical School found that expectant mothers who drink an average of two sugary drinks a day are 63 percent more likely to have kids diagnosed with asthma when they are 7 to 9 years old. “Increasingly we’re understanding that the processes that put a kid on a trajectory for obesity and asthma start in pregnancy,” said Rosalind J. Wright, MD, dean of translational biomedical research and Horace W. Goldsmith professor of children’s health research and professor of pediatrics, critical care, environmental medicine, public health, pulmonary, and sleep medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “This may give us some clues to how early life programming of asthma starts in utero, and how we might intervene more directly to give children a healthy start.” The researchers said the correlation may be due to fructose’s potentially inflammatory effect of the child’s lungs. - Rosalind J. Wright, MD, Dean, Translational Biomedical Research, Horace W. Goldsmith Professorship, Children’s Health Research, Professor, Pediatrics, Critical Care, Environmental Medicine, Public Health, Pulmonary, and Sleep Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.bostonherald.com/lifestyle/health/2017/12/pregnant_women_who_drink_soda_could_cause_health_problems_for_child_study

If you have a news story, news tip, breakthrough, study, upcoming event or patient success story to share or have been contacted by the media for an interview contact: [email protected] 212-241-9200 From: ITNDaily Subject: Mount Sinai In The News - December 19, 2017 Date: Tuesday, December 19, 2017 12:53:37 PM Attachments: ATT00001.txt

In the News December 19, 2017

Politico New York – December 19 Making Rounds — Dan Goldberg Dr. Dennis Charney, the Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and president for academic affairs at Mount Sinai Health System, has been named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. - Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and President for Academic Affairs, Mount Sinai Health System Learn more: https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/newsletters/politico-new-york-health-care/2017/12/19/advocates-want-100m- for-opioids-018877

CNBC News – December 18 Health Treatment For Blacks Often Different Than Whites At End Of Life — Dan Mangan Two new studies have found that health treatment for African-Americans is often different than whites when they are dying, and that blacks report higher rates of what they believe to be discrimination when being treated for chronic diseases. The first study, released in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, looked at the experiences of patients in hospice, or care for those with terminal illnesses. Black hospice patients were significantly more likely than white patients to be admitted to a hospital, go to an emergency department and to disenroll from hospice prior to death, the study found. Study author, Melissa Aldridge, PhD, MPH, MBA, associate professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said that is worrisome, because hospice as a rule is designed to make patients comfortable as they head toward death, not temporarily prevent it from happening, as care in a hospital may do. Dr. Aldridge said it is to be expected that some hospice patients will need to go to a hospital or emergency room for treatment. And she said there is a wide variation between different providers of hospice in rates of hospital and ED admissions for their patients. “Some of close to zero percent, some have 50 percent,” added Dr. Aldridge. - Melissa Aldridge, PhD, MPH, MBA, Associate Professor, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/18/health-treatment-for-blacks-often-different-than-whites-at-end-of-life.html Additional coverage: Forbes https://www.forbes.com/sites/judystone/2017/12/19/racial-disparities-in-end-of-life-care/#30b251ea28a3 Science Daily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171218090939.htm MedicalHealthNews.net http://www.medicalhealthnews.net/health-treatment-for-blacks-often-different-than-whites-at-end-of-life Science Newsline http://www.sciencenewsline.com/news/2017121816540060.html

Medpage Today – December 17 Links Between Atopic Dermatitis And Psoriasis — Andrew Bowser Thinking of psoriasis and atopic dermatitis (AD) as a spectrum, rather than separate diseases, might lead to better understanding and potentially better treatments, two authors have proposed in Current Opinion in Immunology. “A case can be made that psoriasis and AD exist across a spectrum where T-cell axes can be variably present and create some overlapping disease characteristics,” said Emma Guttman-Yassky, MD, PhD, The Sol & Clara professor of dermatology, clinical immunology, and medicine, vice chair of research in the department of dermatology and director of the center for excellence in eczema in the laboratory of inflammatory skin diseases at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and James G. Krueger, MD, PhD, of Rockefeller University. When these T- cell mediated inflammatory skin diseases are studied in European-American populations, the differences between them are clear in both T-cell polarity and cytokine arrays, they noted. "We used to think that atopic dermatitis was a purely Th2 disease," Dr. Guttman-Yassky said. "We now know that it's much more complex, and instead of being a homogeneous disease, it actually has different phenotypes. While Th2 activation is common to these phenotypes, they differ in activation of Th17 and Th22 T-cell axes, which show for example significant increases in Asians with AD.” She added, “So, we need to think about it as a continuum, and for different patients subsets with different phenotypes of atopic dermatitis, we need to think that maybe some treatments from the psoriasis arena may actually qualify.” - Emma Guttman-Yassky, MD, PhD, The Sol & Clara Professor, Dermatology, Clinical Immunology, Medicine, Vice Chair, Research, Department of Dermatology, Director, The Center for Excellence in Eczema, Laboratory of Inflammatory Skin Diseases, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.medpagetoday.com/dermatology/atopy/69930?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-12- 18&eun=g679600d0r&pop=0&ba=1&pos=0&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20Headlines%202017- 12-18&utm_term=Daily%20Headlines%20-%20Active%20User%20-%20180%20days

HealthiNation – December 18 What Is Multiple Sclerosis? Key Facts A Neurologist Wants You To Know The initial symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) can be subtle and wide-ranging. You may experience a “pins and needles” feeling in your fingers even though your arm hasn’t fallen asleep. Your wrists might feel weak after a long day of typing at work, almost like carpal tunnel, or you might struggle to text as fast as you used to. You might notice a change in how often you need to run to the bathroom. Because the symptoms of MS can vary widely and easily be mistaken for other health issues, it can take some patients a long time to seek medical care or get the right diagnosis when they do. Michelle Fabian, MD, assistant professor of neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai said, “Because the central nervous system can impact many different parts of your body, MS can cause a number of different symptoms, like blurry or double vision, numbness, weakness, dizziness, and trouble walking.” She added that treatment for MS has come a long way, and many patients can now expect a life that isn’t much different than what they had before diagnosis. - Michelle Fabian, MD, Assistant Professor, Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.healthination.com/health/what-is-ms

Daily Mail – December 17 Memory Test That Helps Stop Bipolar Disorder — Erica Crompton It is widely acknowledged that people whose parents or siblings suffer from bipolar disorder – a serious mental illness affecting one percent of the UK population – are between four and six time more likely to develop the condition themselves. In a new study, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai conducted experiments involving patients with a family history of bipolar disorder. Over a three-week period, each patient was asked to spend 20 minutes a day looking at pictures. They later underwent an MRI scan to measure the differences in brain connectivity and structure after the experiment. The scan revealed that after the photo-memorizing task, participants’ brain wiring was altered and brain connectivity was improved, particularly in areas typical affected by bipolar disorder. Lead researcher Sophia Frangou, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai said, “If participants engage in these tasks for about 20 minutes per day, we see a restructuring of the brain in a way that could be helpful and is cost-effective.” She added, “While we see an effect after three weeks, we don’t know how long it will late. People may need booster sessions to achieve long-term, preventative effects.” - Sophia Frangou, MD, PhD, Professor, Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5186329/Memory-test-help-stop-bipolar-disorder.html

The Huffington Post – December 19 What Do The New Blood Pressure Guidelines Mean For You? — Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD New U.S. guidelines for the detection and treatment of high blood pressure will result in many more Americans being diagnosed with this common yet potentially life-threatening health condition. High blood pressure occurs when the force of the blood flowing through your blood vessels in higher than normal. In November, the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association jointly issued new guidelines on high blood pressure – the first update in nearly 15 years. The previous official guidelines consider hypertension to be equal or greater than 140/90, whereas the new definition of high blood pressure is 130/80 or greater – a substantial drop. Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, physician in chief at the Mount Sinai Hospital and director of Mount Sinai Heart said, “With this change in criteria, nearly half of the adult population in the United States will have high blood pressure. The good news is that most people with high blood pressure can control it through lifestyle changes and medication. But the first step to proper treatment is learning whether you have it.” He added that an important issue that the new guidelines do not emphasize enough is the need for increased public awareness of high blood pressure. “It is essential to educate people, doctors, and communities to identify those with high blood pressure as it is now defined, and treat it properly.” - Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, Professor, Medicine, Cardiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Mount Sinai Heart, Physician in Chief at The Mount Sinai Hospital Learn more: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/what-do-the-new-blood-pressure-guidelines-mean- for_us_5a391e99e4b0c12e6337b0dd

Healthline – December 13 Birth Control’s Link To Breast Cancer: What You Need To Know — Whitney Akers Roughly 140 million women worldwide rely on hormonal methods of birth control to prevent pregnancy, ease period cramps, or make endometriosis less painful. However, the benefits aren’t without risk. Women who use hormonal contraception, such as birth control pills and intrauterine devices (IUDs), have a slightly increased risk for breast cancer, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Doctors say the questions sparked by this study present an opportunity to pause and think about which birth control method is best for you. Women have many options, depending on their individual goals, health, and family history. “The real take home is that breast cancer risk is a reason for pause when considering a method for birth control,” said Susan Boolbol, MD, associate professor of surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and chief of breast surgery at Mount Sinai Beth Israel. In terms of benefits and risks, “there is a balance to consider. But that’s why being armed with this knowledge and discussing your options with a physician is of critical importance.” Dr. Boolbol urged women to start a discussion with their gynecologist why they turn 40. That age is good time to evaluate risk factors, individual history, and whether it’s time to switch birth control methods. She added that “the decision is very individual.” - Susan Boolbol, MD, Associate Professor, Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Chief, Breast Surgery, Mount Sinai Beth Israel Learn more: https://www.healthline.com/health-news/birth-control-link-to-breast-cancer#3

Cancer Network – December 15 Novel Agent Active In Refractory Polycythemia Vera — John O. Mascarenhas, MD John O. Mascarenhas, MD, associate professor of medicine, hematology and medical oncology, and clinical investigator of malignant hematology at The Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, highlight results of a phase I study of idasanutlin (RG7388) in patients with refractory polycythemia vera and essential thrombocythemia. Dr. Mascarenhas presented results of the study at the 2017 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition, held in Atlanta. - John O. Mascarenhas, MD, Associate Professor, Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Clinical Investigator, Malignant Hematology, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.cancernetwork.com/ash-street-team/novel-agent-active-refractory-polycythemia-vera

Healio – December 18 Experts Retrospectively Review Case Complicated By Infection In this issue of Ocular Surgery News, Eric D. Donnenfeld, MD, presents a case of corneal inferior steepening refractively managed with PRK and complicated postoperatively by methicillin-resistant gram-positive Staphylococcus infection. A panel of experts convened for the annual Cornea Health Round Table at OSN New York 2017 considers management options for this case in retrospect. A 39-year-old man who wants to become a bus driver wants refractive surgery for occupational reasons. His topography is unusual, showing inferiorly displaced posterior float and minimal corneal thickening inferiorly. Dry eye and epithelial basement membrane dystrophy are ruled out. Penny Asbell, MD, professor of ophthalmology and director of the cornea service and refractive surgery center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai said, “One of the issues in this case is that the patient was not compliant. So, the question is, whether you switch or not, is this going to be effective? Is he not compliant because he did not understand the directions, or will he just follow them? One of the key things to do is to figure out why.” She added, “The drug that continues to be effective in every study over and over is vancomycin, which still is not commercially available. Polytrim, which is available and cheap, is quite good for methicillin-resistant S. aureus, but it is not 100 percent effective.” - Penny Asbell, MD, Professor, Ophthalmology, Director, The Cornea Service and Refractive Surgery Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.healio.com/ophthalmology/cornea-external-disease/news/print/ocular-surgery-news/%7Bdd15c0a5-2b5f- 43c2-b862-3f4260b04d4f%7D/experts-retrospectively-review-case-complicated-by-infection

AccuWeather –December 19 Flu Shot Effectiveness In Question As Worse-Than-Normal Season Looms For U.S. — Jillian MacMath Signs are pointing to a worse-than-usual flu season this year and it’s too soon to tell whether the shot will be effective in preventing infection, experts say. This year, the World Health Organization recommended that the Northern Hemisphere vaccines contain the same strains as those which were used during flu season in the Southern Hemisphere. While this strategy sometimes works, it’s possible the vaccine will end up being the wrong match for the virus that dominates in the United States. “Australia, where flu season just ended, saw very high levels of influenza activity this year,” according to Nicole Bouvier, MD, associate professor of medicine, infectious diseases and microbiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Preliminary estimates of vaccine effectiveness were low – overall 33 percent effective in preventing influenza and only 16 percent in preventing hospitalization with influenza. “Those two things together suggest that our flu season may be worse than usual and/or the vaccine may be less effective than usual,” Dr. Bouvier added. The good news is that most of these viruses have been similar to the vaccine strain, meaning there are reasons to believe this year might not be a complete “vaccine mismatch,” said Dr. Bouvier. - Nicole M. Bouvier, MD, Associate Professor, Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/flu-shot-effectiveness-in-question-as-worse-than-normal-season- looms-for-us/70003602

Women’s Health – December 18 Five Types Of Weight-Loss Surgery You Need To Know About — Ashley Mateo When bariatric surgery was first conceived, its primary purpose was just to help people lose weight. Today, we know it does that – but also so much more. According to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, more than 200,000 people underwent weight-loss surgery in 2016, and for many, the benefits were likely far-reaching. “As time has gone on and more research has been done, we’ve come to realize that not only does bariatric surgery help people lose weight, it also helps treat a lot of the weight-related medical problems that are associated with excess weight, such as high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, sleep apnea, acid reflux, and many other conditions,” said Matthew Dong, assistant professor of metabolic, endocrine, and minimally invasive surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. There are strict qualification guidelines, based on body mass index, or BMI. “The BMI at which you’re considered overweight is 25l people with a BMI of 40 or greater are considered morbidly obese and qualify for bariatric surgery without any conditions,” explained Dr. Dong. Typically, for people with a BMI between 35 and 40 to qualify for surgery, they need to have at least one weight-related medical condition, such as heart disease. - Matthew L. Dong, MD, Assistant Professor, Metabolic, Endocrine, and Minimally Invasive Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/bariatric-surgery Additional coverage: MedicalHealthNews.net http://www.medicalhealthnews.net/5-types-of-weight-loss-surgery-you-need-to-know-about

AskMen – December 19 Can You Benefit From A Sugar Detox? — Cassie Shortsleeve Sugar gets a really bad rep. The simple carb has been categorized as everything from unhealthy and addictive to downright dangerous. Sugar is a simple carbohydrate and it can come in several sources. Sugar is found in both plant food and in refined forms. In the latter form, sugar is concentrated and separated from the other parts of the plants, creating table sugar or sucrose. There are other types of refined sugars too – corn sugar, high fructose corn syrup, maple syrup and agave syrup, called added sugars. There’s quite a lot of information out there about sugar’s so-called “addictive properties.” But Kelly Hogan, MS, RD, CDN, clinical nutrition coordinator at the Dubin Breast Center at The Mount Sinai Hospital noted, “No human studies have been conducted on sugar and addiction, so really we don’t know for sure.” A diet full of processed, sugary foods ultimately fills you up on foods that lack key nutrients. “If consumed instead of more nutrient dense foods, like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, people may not get as big a variety of vitamins and minerals, as well as nutrients like protein, fiber and fat that help keep blood sugar and energy levels steady throughout the day,” added Hogan. “Less blood sugar spikes and crashes can help reduce fatigue and increase energy levels.” - Kelly Hogan, MS, RD, CDN, Clinical Nutrition Coordinator, The Dubin Breast Center, The Mount Sinai Hospital Learn more: https://ca.askmen.com/sports/health/can-you-benefit-from-a-sugar-detox.html

If you have a news story, news tip, breakthrough, study, upcoming event or patient success story to share or have been contacted by the media for an interview contact: [email protected] From: ITNDaily Subject: Mount Sinai In The News - December 20, 2017 Date: Wednesday, December 20, 2017 12:55:13 PM Attachments: ATT00001.txt

In the News December 20, 2017

STAT News – December 19 Creating Electric Fields In The Brain Buys Glioblastoma Patients Extra Months Of Life — Sharon Begley An unusual cancer treatment that creates electric fields in the brain via a bathing-cap-like device can buy a few more months of life for patients with glioblastoma, the aggressive brain cancer that is essentially always fatal, physicians reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The 695 patients in the study had all undergone the standard treatment for glioblastoma: surgery, radiation, and the chemotherapy temozolomide. Among the 466 who continued to receive chemotherapy only, the average time before their brain tumors returned or spread was four months. Glioblastoma strikes about 3 per 100,000 people in the U.S. every year. “The data are robust,” said Adilia Hormigo, MD, PhD, associate professor of neurology, neurosurgery, and medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and director of the neuro-oncology program for the Mount Sinai Health System. Dr. Hormigo was not involved in the study but is leading one that combines Optune with a cancer vaccine. Although the additional survival and “progression-free” period seem meager, she said, those averages conceal a fact important to patients: After two years, 43 percent of the Optune patients were alive, compared to 30 percent of the chemo-only patients. After five years, those rates were 13 percent for Optune and 5 percent for chemo-only patients. The Optune device caused some skin irritation but otherwise has no serious side effects. It works by interfering with cell division; in the brain, cancer cells are almost the only ones that divide. - Adilia Hormigo, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Neuro-Oncology Program, Mount Sinai Health System Learn more: https://www.statnews.com/2017/12/19/glioblastoma-electric-fields-cap/

Patient Engagement HIT – December 20 Racial Disparities Emerge In Hospice Care Outcomes, Experience — Sara Heath Racial disparities exist for patients in hospice care outcomes, as African American patients experience higher emergency department utilization, readmission, and hospice disenrollment rates than their white counterparts, according to recent research from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. In an analysis of more than 550 hospices across the country, lead researcher Melissa Aldridge, PhD, MPH, MBA, associate professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, found that African American patients were far more likely to be admitted into the hospital during hospice care. “We found that black hospice patients were significantly more likely than white hospice patients to be admitted to the hospital, to go to the emergency room, and to disenroll from hospice prior to death,” said Dr. Aldridge. “These patterns remained after accounting for patient illness, demographics, and type of hospice from which these patients received care.” These outcomes are troubling because they are contrary to the fundamental purpose of hospice care, asserted Dr. Aldridge and her research collaborator, Jessica Rizzuto, MPP, a student at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. - Melissa Aldridge, PhD, MPH, MBA, Associate Professor, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai - Jessica Rizzuto, MPP, Student, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://patientengagementhit.com/news/racial-disparities-emerge-in-hospice-care-outcomes- experience

The New England Journal of Medicine – November 30 To The Editor: Emicizumab Prophylaxis In Hemophilia A With Inhibitors In the trial of emicizumab prophylaxis in hemophilia A with inhibitors, Oldenburg et al. report the occurrence of thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) in three patients receiving concurrent therapy with the bypassing agent activated prothrombin complex concentrate (FEIBA) for breakthrough bleeding. Louis M. Aledort, MD, professor of medicine, hematology and medical oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai said, “Only FEIBA and recombinant factor VIIA are approved for the management of acute bleeding in hemophilia A with inhibitors, and the response to bypassing therapy is often unpredictable and variable, as evidenced by the fatal bleeding that occurred in an emicizumab- treated patient after eleven doses of recombinant factor VIIA.” He added that research is needed to elucidate the risk of TMA and to develop and validate strategies to treat inevitable events of breakthrough bleeding. - Louis M. Aledort, MD, Professor, Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc1712683

HealthDay – December 19 Cancer Survivors Often Face Another Hurdle: Faster Aging — Dennis Thompson Treatments that help people beat cancer also can cause them to age prematurely and die sooner, Mayo Clinic researchers report. Cancer survivors naturally age faster than others who haven't had cancer, and are more likely to develop long-term health problems related to aging while they're still relatively young, the study authors said. Currently, there are about 30 million cancer survivors worldwide, but researchers predict that about 19 million new cancer diagnoses will be made every year by 2025. Many of those people will survive their cancer, only to face long-term health consequences. According to Charles Shapiro, MD, director of cancer survivorship and translational breast cancer research at the Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, “We’re now struggling with our own success. This only comes up as a product of how well we're doing in terms of cancer mortality and increasing the population of survivors. Now we have to deal with the consequences. Sure, you're alive and that's great, but there are consequences." Harsh chemotherapy and radiation therapy kill off cancer cells, but they also damage normal healthy tissues, which diminishes the body’s natural resilience. - Charles Shapiro, MD, Director, Cancer Survivorship, Translational Breast Cancer Research, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Professor, Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://consumer.healthday.com/cancer-information-5/mis-cancer-news-102/cancer- survivors-often-face-another-hurdle-faster-aging-729538.html Additional coverage: Newsmax Health https://www.newsmax.com/health/health-news/cancer-survivors-aging- fast/2017/12/20/id/832803/

Medical Economics – December 20 Physicians Have New Tools For Treating, Monitoring Diabetes — Leah Lawrence This year brought continued positive data about the overall class effects of sodium-glucose co- transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors in patients with type 2 diabetes. “There is a whole set of information about the intersection of these drugs and their effect on heart disease and kidney disease,” said Zachary Bloomgarden, MD, clinical professor of medicine, endocrinology, diabetes and bone disease at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “There are all of these tracks coming together that have the potential to totally change our treatment of diabetes over a short period of time.” For decades, metformin has been used as a first-line treatment for people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. However, according to Dr. Bloomgarden, there is a possibility that the standard use of first-line metformin may be going away. “As we progress with this research we may be saying that—certainly for high-risk people characterized by either high risk heart disease or by kidney disease—that SGLT2s are associated with benefit in a variety of settings,” added Dr. Bloomgarden. - Zachary Bloomgarden, MD, Clinical Professor, Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://medicaleconomics.modernmedicine.com/medical-economics/news/physicians-have- new-tools-treating-monitoring-diabetes

The Week – December 20 How Bad Is Social Media For Your Mental Health? While some studies have linked prolonged social media use with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem, others suggest it can also provide significant benefits. A number of studies have found an association between social media use and depression, anxiety, sleep problems, eating issues, and increased suicide risk, warn researchers from the University of Melbourne’s National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health. There is also compelling evidence that social media can benefit people already dealing with mental health issues by helping them build online communities that provide a source of emotional support. Matthew Oransky, PhD, assistant professor of pediatrics, adolescent medicine, and psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said many patients make social connections online that they could not find elsewhere. This is particularly true of marginalized teens, such as kids in foster homes and LGBT adolescents, Dr. Oransky added. Research suggests that the manner in which social media is used is key to determining if it is likely to have a positive or negative impact on well-being. - Matthew Oransky, PhD, Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, Adolescent Medicine, Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.theweek.co.uk/checked-out/90557/is-social-media-bad-for-your-mental-health

Time Magazine – December 20 The Ultimate Guide To Treating Dry, Itchy Winter Skin — Abigail Abrams For many people, the winter months bring a chronic feeling of dry skin. If you’re someone who’s constantly wielding new lotions in the battle against itchy hands, arms and legs, the solutions may be simpler than you think. While moisturizing properly is important, dermatologists say there are some other easy habits that can increase the skin’s natural moisture and prevent it from getting dehydrated. The most important activity that affects skin dryness is your shower. “Excessive exposure to hot water strips the skin of essential natural oils in the outer layer that maintain proper barrier function,” said Joshua Zeichner, MD, assistant professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at the Mount Sinai Hospital. Showers should last no more than 10 minutes, according to Dr. Zeichner, and he recommends people keep the temperature at around 84 degrees, or what you’d feel in a heated pool. - Joshua Zeichner, MD, Assistant Professor, Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Cosmetic and Clinical Research in Dermatology, The Mount Sinai Hospital Learn more: http://time.com/5064254/dry-winter-skin-care/

If you have a news story, news tip, breakthrough, study, upcoming event or patient success story to share or have been contacted by the media for an interview contact: [email protected] 212-241-9200 From: ITNDaily Subject: Mount Sinai In The News - December 21, 2017 Date: Thursday, December 21, 2017 3:55:53 PM Attachments: ATT00001.txt

In the News December 21, 2017

Crain’s Health Pulse – December 21 East Harlem's $300M Proton-Beam Therapy Cancer Center Nears Completion — Caroline Lewis Nearly nine years after a consortium of hospitals first started planning to bring a proton-beam therapy center to New York, the more than $300 million project is nearing completion. The New York Proton Center, on 126th Street in East Harlem, features three 300-ton gantries, which rotate around patients to deliver radiation. They were on display during a tour of the construction site Wednesday for media and city officials. The center expects to see its first patient in February 2019. The project is a collaboration between Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Montefiore Health System and Mount Sinai Health System. It is managed by ProHealth Proton Management. Kenneth Rosenzweig, MD, professor and system chair of radiation oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai said, “the therapy's ability to limit radiation exposure can help lower costs in the long run. If we can limit side effects and limit the cancer coming back, ultimately it's going to be a benefit both in the quality of life in our patients and in the costs.” - Kenneth Rosenzweig, MD, Professor, System Chair, Radiation Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20171221/PULSE/171229984/east-harlems-300m-proton-beam-therapy-cancer-center-nears-completion (Subscription Required)

Medscape – December 21 Physical Health Status Strongly Influences Working Memory — Batya Swift Yasgur, MA, LSW Higher physical endurance, fluid intelligence, and better cognitive function are associated with higher levels of cohesiveness in brain networks involved in working memory (WM), new research shows. On the other hand, suboptimal cardiovascular and metabolic control, as well as poor lifestyle behaviors, such as nicotine and cannabis use, has a detrimental effect on these networks. "We have identified modifiable risk factors in what we consider to be healthy living, and in that sense, what we are saying is that the integrity of brain networks is intimately linked to physical health," said lead investigator Sophia Frangou, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "Simply put, we might say that what's good for the heart is good for the brain, since the variables we identified have cardiovascular consequences," she added. WM operations engage multiple brain regions and critically depend on the coordinated activity of a dorsal cortical network, the authors write. Because the participants were generally healthy, "this suggests that one does not have to be at an extreme of ill health for these lifestyle factors to have a negative impact on working memory," she pointed out. - Sophia Frangou, MD, PhD, Professor, Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/890458

NBC 2 News – December 20 Cancer Survivors Often Face Another Hurdle: Faster Aging — Dennis Thompson Treatments that help people beat cancer also can cause them to age prematurely and die sooner, Mayo Clinic researchers report. Cancer survivors naturally age faster than others who haven't had cancer, and are more likely to develop long-term health problems related to aging while they're still relatively young, the study authors said. Currently, there are about 30 million cancer survivors worldwide, but researchers predict that about 19 million new cancer diagnoses will be made every year by 2025. Many of those people will survive their cancer, only to face long-term health consequences. According to Charles Shapiro, MD, director of cancer survivorship and translational breast cancer research at the Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, “We’re now struggling with our own success. This only comes up as a product of how well we're doing in terms of cancer mortality and increasing the population of survivors. Now we have to deal with the consequences. Sure, you're alive and that's great, but there are consequences." Harsh chemotherapy and radiation therapy kill off cancer cells, but they also damage normal healthy tissues, which diminishes the body’s natural resilience. - Charles Shapiro, MD, Director, Cancer Survivorship, Translational Breast Cancer Research, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Professor, Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.nbc-2.com/story/37104204/cancer-survivors-often-face-another-hurdle-faster-aging Additional coverage: Fox Carolina http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/37104204/cancer-survivors-often-face-another-hurdle-faster-aging WMBF News http://www.wmbfnews.com/story/37104204/cancer-survivors-often-face-another-hurdle-faster-aging ABC News http://www.abc6.com/story/37104204/cancer-survivors-often-face-another-hurdle-faster-aging KSLA News http://www.ksla.com/story/37104204/cancer-survivors-often-face-another-hurdle-faster-aging Eyewitness News http://www.wfsb.com/story/37104204/cancer-survivors-often-face-another-hurdle-faster-aging Medline Plus https://medlineplus.gov/news/fullstory_170530.html Cancer Compass https://cancercompass.com/cancer-news/article/60286.htm

Our Town – December 21 Confronting Flu Season — Nicole M. Bouvier, MD Last year, the headlines were all about Zika; the year before, it was Ebola. But there is a far worse threat looming — a virus that, on average, kills more people each and every year than have ever died of Zika or Ebola. In New York City alone, for the past several years, it has caused the deaths of as many as 2,200 New Yorkers annually, including six children last year. This killer is influenza. While the majority of influenza-related deaths occur in persons older than 65 years of age, youth doesn't protect you from the flu. Influenza can hit some young people particularly hard, including pregnant women and their babies, other children under five years of age, and anyone with common chronic diseases like asthma, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, HIV, or obesity. Nicole M. Bouvier, MD, associate professor of medicine, infectious disease and microbiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai said, “It is important to acknowledge that there is room for improvement in our current vaccines, but there are also dangerous myths about flu vaccination that need to be dispelled. First and foremost, you cannot get the flu from the flu shot. If you’ve experienced symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection right after a flu shot, you've most likely just caught the flu, or a different respiratory virus altogether, from another person and not from the shot.” She added that influenza is a highly contagious disease, and you could be spreading the virus around without even knowing it. - Nicole M. Bouvier, MD, Associate Professor, Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.ourtownny.com/local-news/20171221/confronting-flu-season/3

US News & World Report – December 20 ADHD Stimulants Might Help A Smoker With The Disorder Cut Back On Cigarettes — Jennifer Lea Reynolds It’s no secret that many people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder may gravitate towards cigarette smoking. Many experts indicate that there is an association between people with the disorder and the desire to light up. Jeffrey Newcorn, MD, professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said that there is indeed a relationship between ADHD and smoking. “People with ADHD are at somewhat of an increased risk to abuse drugs,” he said, adding that the drug they’re most likely to resort to is nicotine because of its role in modulating the neurotransmission of dopamine in the brain. What has gained more attention, Dr. Newcorn said, is research about any possible roles ADHD stimulant medications may play in helping someone with the disorder quit, or at least reduce nicotine use. “There has been and continues to be a lot of interest in this area,” Dr. Newcorn added. - Jeffrey Newcorn, MD, Professor, Psychiatry, Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://health.usnews.com/health-care/patient-advice/articles/2017-12-20/adhd-stimulants-might-help-a-smoker-with-the-disorder-cut-back-on-cigarettes iHeart Radio – December 15 September 11th Toxins Still Affecting Community Members – Shelli Sonstein If you lived or worked in the area south of Canal in the months after September 11, 2001, your health issues, even acid reflux, could be due to 9/11 toxins. The World Trade Center Health Program Clinical Center of Excellence at the Mount Sinai Hospital has experts that can treat the health issues of first responders. Not everyone is expected to have health issues, but nobody can tell you whether you are in the group of people who will develop these issues or if you’re in the group that isn’t. Currently, the survivor program has only 13,756 members who are currently enrolled in the program and getting treatment out of 400,000 people who were exposed. - World Trade Center Health Program Clinical Center of Excellence, The Mount Sinai Hospital Learn more: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/139-Sonstein-Sessions-28094539/episode/september-11th-toxins-still-affecting-community-28745442/

Daily Mail – December 20 The Case For And Against A Vegan Diet — Claudia Tanner Advocates of plant-based eating say vegans typically have lower levels of cholesterol and blood pressure, a lower body mass index, and reduced risk of death from heart disease and cancer. A study published last month suggests eating a vegetarian diet slashes the risk of heart failure by almost half. Those who swap processed meats and fatty foods for a mostly plant-based diet are 42 per cent less likely to develop heart failure, it was found. A diet which includes whole grains, fish, beans, and dark green leafy plants lead to a heart-healthy lifestyle, said scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. - Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5198725/Swapping-meat-plant-based-protein-cuts-heart-disease.html

Dot Emirates – December 20 The Average American Dad Is Getting Older, Study Finds Today’s American dad is slightly older – roughly 3 ½ years – than his counterpart from four decades ago, according to a study published in the journal Human Reproduction. The average age of a father of a newborn in the United States increased from 27 years old to 30 years old between 1972 and 2015. Magdalena Janecka, MD, postdoctoral fellow of neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, referred to the new study as huge and said it offers “interesting insights into reproductive trends among different ethnicities and across the states.” Dr. Janecka, who was not involved in the research, published her own study of older dads this year and found that the sons of older dads had, on average, better educational and career prospects. Overall, the new study's findings "are in line with the trends observed in other Western countries," Dr. Janecka said. Speculating about underlying causes for the older ages of dads is difficult, she added, given that the new study does not include information about whether these older average ages resulted from delaying fatherhood or extending it. - Magdalena Janecka, MD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.dotemirates.com/en/details/4329788?from=dot

HealthDay – December 20 Mild Low Thyroid Levels May Affect A Women’s Fertility — Dennis Thompson Having even a slightly underactive thyroid may interfere with a woman's ability to get pregnant, a new Harvard Medical School study has found. Doctors have known for some time that women with low thyroid hormone levels struggle with fertility, but this study suggests that difficulties can arise when the thyroid – a butterfly-shaped gland near the throat – is functioning at the low end of the normal range. More than a quarter of the women in the study who had unexplained infertility showed signs of a thyroid gland performing at low-normal levels. The next step in research will be to see whether giving women supplements to boost their thyroid hormone levels will make a difference. Doctors might need to focus on the health problems that are causing low thyroid levels because those might be the true culprit behind infertility, said Alan Copperman, MD, clinical professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive science and director of reproductive endocrinology and infertility for the Mount Sinai Health System. "Is this in fact a person with health issues as exhibited by not enough thyroid hormone circulating? Is this a person with immune issues? Or is this background noise?" Dr. Copperman asked. "I don't know we've yet answered that question. If the finding is real, it could just be a surrogate marker for other health issues." - Alan Copperman, MD, Clinical Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Mount Sinai Health System Learn more: https://consumer.healthday.com/general-health-information-16/thyroid-hormones-health-news-391/mild-low-thyroid-levels-may-affect-a-woman-s-fertility-729577.html

Street Insider – December 20 Allergan And Paratek Report FDA Accepted NDA For Seysara For Treatment Of Moderate To Severe Acne Allergan plc, a leading global pharmaceutical company, and Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc. a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of therapies based upon tetracycline chemistry, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted a New Drug Application (NDA) to review Seysara (sarecycline) for the treatment of moderate to severe acne vulgaris in patients 9 years of age and older. Seysara is a once daily, oral, narrow spectrum tetracycline-derived antibiotic with anti-inflammatory properties for the potential treatment of moderate to severe acne. "Having an additional treatment option for those of us managing acne patients is not only important but also welcomed,” said Leon Kircik, MD, associate clinical professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. - Leon Kircik, MD, Associate Clinical Professor, Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.streetinsider.com/Corporate+News/Allergan+%28AGN%29+and+Paratek+%28PRTK%29+Report+FDA+Accepted+NDA+For+Seysara+for+Treatment+of+Moderate+to+Severe+Acne/13620897.html

PopSugar – December 20 Nine Things That Can Happen If You Suddenly Go Off Birth Control— Isadora Baum If you've been taking the pill for a while but feel it's time to say goodbye, you'll want to be prepared for how your body may respond. Your body will likely go back to its normal state within a few weeks of going off birth control, according to Karen Brodman, MD, assistant clinical professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. This means you’ll go back to whatever type of cycle you had before going on the pill. Your mood might also change. This really depends on the individual, but after going off the pill, you might feel either peppier or moodier. “The impact on mood varies from person to person. For some women, especially those who have bad PMS, stopping the pill may have an adverse mood effect,” explained Dr. Brodman. “Some women are stabilized by the pill because they no longer have the roller coaster effect of hormone shifts over the course of the month.” - Karen Brodman, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/What-Happens-When-You-Stop-Taking-Birth-Control-44430675

If you have a news story, news tip, breakthrough, study, upcoming event or patient success story to share or have been contacted by the media for an interview contact: [email protected] 212-241-9200 From: ITNDaily Subject: Mount Sinai In The News - December 28, 2017 Date: Thursday, December 28, 2017 11:35:44 AM Attachments: ATT00001.txt

In the News December 28, 2017

Healio – December 28 2 Decades Of AAA Repair — Michael L. Marin, MD For this article, Michael L. Marin, MD, professor of vascular Surgery and chairman of the department of surgery at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, focuses on advances in endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms. “As technology improvements have occurred, we are now able to treat a larger proportion of the market of patients with AAA. This includes patients whose aneurysm is very close to the renal artery. More recently, devices have been developed that can seat themselves and seal appropriately in a shorter neck for long-term durability.” - Michael L. Marin, MD, Professor, Surgery, Julius H. Jacobson II Professor of Vascular Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, System Chair, Surgery, Mount Sinai Health System Learn more: https://www.healio.com/cardiac-vascular-intervention/aneurysm- repair/news/online/%7Bf80beab9-e059-499a-98a4-182258d72333%7D/2-decades-of-aaa-repair

Cancer Network – December 28 Immunotherapies Could Play Role in CALR-Positive Myeloproliferative Neoplasms — Cansu Cimen Bozkus, PhD Cansu Cimen Bozkus, PhD, postdoctoral fellow, medicine, hematology and Medical oncology, Icahn School of Medicine, discusses a study that showed that somatic mutations in the calreticulin (CALR) gene can induce T cell responses in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms. The study establishes mutated CALR as a myeloproliferative neoplasms–specific tumor antigen and provides a rationale for the development of immunotherapies targeting mutated CALR. - Cansu Cimen Bozkus, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.cancernetwork.com/myeloproliferative-neoplasms/immunotherapies-could- play-role-calr-positive-myeloproliferative-neoplasms

Allure – December 27 RT002 Is a New Neuromodulator Injectable for Fine Lines — Macaela Mackenzie There's a new way to freeze your face. Currently dubbed RT002, the new type of neuromodulator — a wrinkle-busting class of treatments you might recognize by the brand names Botox, Xeomin, or Dysport — is making waves in the world of injectables. If approved by the Food and Drug Administration, it will be the first injection of its kind to last six months — and dermatologists are psyched. So, how does the next-generation injectable compare to what's currently on the market? "There are several different brands of botulinum toxin on the market right now and each have slightly different diffusion properties and time to start working," Joshua Zeichner, assistant professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at the Mount Sinai Hospital, tells Allure. "Generally speaking, the effects all of these products last somewhere between three and five months." - Joshua Zeichner, MD, Assistant Professor, Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Cosmetic and Clinical Research in Dermatology, The Mount Sinai Hospital Learn more: https://www.allure.com/story/rt002-neuromodulator-injectable

:

If you have a news story, news tip, breakthrough, study, upcoming event or patient success story to share or have been contacted by the media for an interview contact: [email protected] 212-241-9200

From: ITNDaily Subject: Mount Sinai In The News - December 27, 2017 Date: Wednesday, December 27, 2017 12:02:20 PM Attachments: ATT00001.txt

In the News December 27, 2017

ProPublica – December 27 How Hospitals Are Failing Black Mothers — Annie Waldman It’s been long-established that black women fare worse in pregnancy and childbirth, dying at a rate more than triple that of white mothers. Researchers have found that women who deliver at these so-called “black-serving” hospitals are more likely to have serious complications — from infections to birth-related embolisms to emergency hysterectomies — than mothers who deliver at institutions that serve fewer black women. Elizabeth Howell, MD, MPP, professor of population health science and policy, psychiatry, schizophrenia, obstetrics and reproductive science and associate dean of academic development at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has taken a more refined look at racial disparities among New York City’s hospitals. She found black mothers were twice as likely to suffer harm when delivering babies than white mothers, even after adjusting for patients’ differing characteristics, suggesting that some of the racial disparity may be due to hospital quality. In a separate study, she estimated that the rate of harm for black women would fall by nearly 50 percent if they gave birth at the same hospitals as white women. - Elizabeth Howell, MD, MPP, Professor, Population Health Science and Policy, Psychiatry, Schizophrenia, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Associate Dean, Academic Development, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.propublica.org/article/how-hospitals-are-failing-black-mothers

Web MD – December 26 Seniors Don't Need Calcium, Vitamin D Supplements — Dennis Thompson Seniors are wasting their time and money taking calcium and vitamin D supplements to ward off the brittle bones of old age, a new review concludes. It turns out there is little evidence that supplements protect against hip fractures and other broken bones in older folks, according to data gathered from dozens of clinical trials. Not all experts agreed with this conclusion, however. Daniel Smith, MD, an assistant professor of orthopaedics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, says the study makes a "bold leap" by arguing that these supplements do no good at all. "The big picture, which seems to be lost in this study, is that the personal health cost of a hip fracture can be catastrophic. The potential benefit of calcium and vitamin D supplementation in preventing even a small number of hip fractures far outweighs the otherwise minimum risks associated with routine calcium and vitamin D supplementation in at-risk populations,” said Dr. Smith. - Daniel Smith, MD, Assistant Professor, Orthopaedics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Mount Sinai St. Luke’s and Mount Sinai West Learn more: https://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/news/20171226/seniors-dont-need-calcium-vitamin- d-supplements#1

Opposing View – December 26 More Women Are Using Marijuana During Pregnancy — Selena Darlim Younger moms are turning to cannabis to ease the symptoms of pregnancy, a new study finds. A research letter published in the scientific journal JAMA on Dec. 26 reported that 7.1 percent of pregnant women in California used marijuana while pregnant in 2016—a 2.9 percentage point increase from 2012. Data on the actual effects of using marijuana during pregnancy is still unclear. Yasmin Hurd, PhD, professor of psychiatry, neuroscience, pharmacology, and systems therapeutics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, says prenatal marijuana exposure can impact fetal development. "Even early in development, marijuana is changing critical circuits and neurotransmitting receptors," she told The New York Times in February. "Those are important for regulation of emotions and reward, even motor function and cognition." -Yasmin Hurd, PhD, Professor, Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Pharmacology, Systems Therapeutics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Chair, Ward-Coleman Translational Neuroscience, Director of the Center for Addictive Disorders, Mount Sinai Health System Learn more: https://www.opposingviews.com/i/health/study-finds-more-pregnant-women-are-using- marijuana

If you have a news story, news tip, breakthrough, study, upcoming event or patient success story to share or have been contacted by the media for an interview contact: [email protected] 212-241-9200

Stephanie Sherman / Administrative Assistant II MSHS 150 East 42nd Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10017 Office: 646-605-5941 Press Office: 212-241- 9200

From: ITNDaily Subject: Mount Sinai In The News - December 26, 2017 Date: Tuesday, December 26, 2017 12:27:05 PM Attachments: ATT00001.txt

In the News December 26, 2017

Politico – December 14 Charity Care — Dan Goldberg The Dubin Breast Center of The Tisch Cancer Institute at the Mount Sinai Health System raised more than $3.4 million during its sixth annual benefit on Monday at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Manhattan - Mount Sinai Health System Learn more: https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/newsletters/politico-new-york-health- care/2017/12/14/first-1k-days-report-017378

Cancer Network – December 23 Predicting Response To Immunotherapy With A Mathematical Model — Matthew D. Hellmann, MD and Benjamin Greenbaum, PhD Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York have created the first mathematical model that can predict how a cancer patient will benefit from some immunotherapies, according to a study published in the journal Nature. Benjamin Greenbaum, MD, assistant professor of medicine, hematology and medical oncology, pathology, and oncological sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai states how his colleagues tested the model on existing cancer patient data and what the results were. “A model like this has to be trained, there have to be some parameters that must be inferred from the data, and so we used one of those datasets to train the model and then we tested it on another dataset, and then we reversed the process of training it on one dataset and testing it on another, since this was not done on a prospective study. That was the general approach to see if we could get a consistent model across all three of the previously published datasets that we were able to use for the study.” - Benjamin D. Greenbaum, MD, Assistant Professor, Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, Pathology, Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.cancernetwork.com/article/predicting-response-immunotherapy-mathematical- model

Digital Journal – December 25 Essential science: Link between gut microbes and despair -- TimSandle Research into to the human microbiome continues to produce new medical findings of interest. The latest news is a connection between an imbalance of microorganisms in the human gut and feelings of despair. The latest research comes from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, by a team led by Patrizia Casaccia, MD, PhD, a professor of genetics and genetic sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The researchers were looking at myelin repair and neuronal damage in relation to multiple sclerosis, and the effects of antibiotics. Part of the research involved seeing how antibiotics affect mouse models of the disease. After a while the researcher noticed some behavioral differences with the mice, in terms of expressing behavior characteristic of depression. According to Professor Casaccia, who spoke with Bioscience technology, “Specific microbial communities have the ability to transfer depressive like symptoms.” - Patrizia Casaccia, MD, PhD, Professor, Neuroscience, Neurology, Genetics and Genetic Sciences, Icahn School Of Medicine At Mount Sinai, Chief, Center of Excellence for Myelin Repair at the Friedman Brain Institute Learn more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-and-science/science/essential-science-link-between-gut- microbes-and-despair/article/510808

New York Post – December 24 Cancer Patient Celebrates Christmas with Son after Hurricane Maria Setback — Linda Massarella and Laura Italiano Charlie Torres, an admissions coordinator at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and his sick mother Vegan Negron came to The Mount Sinai Hospital six agonizing weeks after Hurricane hit Puerto Rico. By the time Vega Negron — all 107 pounds of her — finally flew to New York, her son’s hospital was waiting for her. “We saw her first on Nov. 6,” said Vega Negron’s surgeon at Mount Sinai, Umut Sarpel, associate professor, surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “We kind of had to start from scratch. We didn’t have records.” Two repeat endoscopies revealed good news — she had very early, very treatable stomach cancer. On Dec. 11, she had surgery. She will not only be here for this Christmas but for many Christmases to come. - Umut Sarpel. MD, Associate Professor, Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://nypost.com/2017/12/24/cancer-patient-celebrates-christmas-with-son-after-hurricane- maria-setback/

MD Magazine – December 24 Andrew Alexis, MD, MPH: The State of Atopic Dermatitis — Matt Hoffman Andrew Alexis, MD, MPH, an associate professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine, and the dermatology chair at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s, sat with MD Magazine to discuss the current state of care for atopic dermatitis, and spoke about how 2017 offered much to look forward to for the field of dermatology. “This year—2017—has been a very exciting year for dermatology, and the future looks even more exciting. As we get more and more agents that can block specific targets for various inflammatory diseases in psoriasis, we have and we continue to have recently approved and new agents coming down the pike that can block specific cytokines with fewer side effects than traditional agents. Similarly, for atopic dermatitis, there are new products in development, including janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors, that show a lot of promise for the future of treating atopic dermatitis.” - Andrew Alexis, MD, MPH, Associate Professor, Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, The Skin of Color Center at Mount Sinai, Site Chair, Department of Dermatology, Mount Sinai St. Luke’s-Mount Sinai West Learn more: http://www.mdmag.com/medical-news/andrew-alexis-md-mph-the-state-of-atopic- dermatitis

Reuters – December 22 Common Blood Pressure Drug Tied To Increased Risk Of Skin Cancer — Lisa Rapaport People who take a certain water pill prescribed to control fluid retention and treat high blood pressure may be more likely to get skin cancer than other individuals, a Danish study suggests. While the drug, hydrochlorothiazide, has long been linked to an increased risk of sunburns, the current study offers fresh evidence that this commonly prescribed medication may also make people more likely to develop two types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. “There may be a relationship between taking hydrochlorothiazide and risk for skin cancer,” said Aaron Farberg, MD, a resident in the Department of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai who was not involved in the study. “However, the relationship may not be directly causative,” - Aaron Farberg, MD, Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: Additional Coverage: Daily Sabah: https://www.dailysabah.com/health/2017/12/23/popular-blood-pressure-medicine-tied-to- increased-risk-of-skin-cancer

If you have a news story, news tip, breakthrough, study, upcoming event or patient success story to share or have been contacted by the media for an interview contact: [email protected] 212-241-9200

From: ITNDaily Subject: Mount Sinai In The News - December 22, 2017 Date: Friday, December 22, 2017 2:21:48 PM Attachments: ATT00001.txt

In the News December 22, 2017

WNYC News – December 21 Despite Trump’s Emergency Declaration In Opioid Crisis, Local Providers Still Wait For Funding — Mallory Moench and Clarissa Sosin The opioid crisis claimed more than 64,000 lives in the U.S. last year – more than gun violence and car crashes. And while much attention has focused on rural and suburban areas, where the epidemic has spread more recently, metropolitan areas like New York and New Jersey have long had some of the nation’s highest numbers of patients in opioid treatment. This year, there were 38,000 New York City residents in treatment. Timothy Brennan, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry and director of the fellowship in addiction medicine program at the Addiction Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai said his facility is unable to keep up with the influx of people who need treatment. The hospital is operating almost at full capacity, with 45 patients currently in residential treatment and 320 coming in daily for medication. “We’re inundated with patients. Facilities around town, around New York State, around the country, are inundated with patients, clearly we need more beds,” said Dr. Brennan. - Timothy Brennan, MD, Assistant Professor, Psychiatry, Director, Fellowship in Addiction Medicine Program, Addiction Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: https://www.wnyc.org/story/despite-trumps-emergency-declaration-opioid-crisis-local- providers-wait-funding/

MD Magazine – December 22 Researchers Seek Answers to ADNP Syndrome — Kevin Kunzmann ADNP syndrome, formerly known as Helsmoortel-Van der Aa Syndrome, has been a documented cause of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), along with other behavioral disorders and cognitive difficulties. Researchers from the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, plan to enroll approximately 50 patients for a comprehensive characterization study. “Not much of the disease’s makeup has been uncovered since it was first described in 2014,” said Silvia De Rubeis, MD, assistant professor, psychiatry at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “What is known is that the clinical phenotype is very complex — capable of causing cardiovascular, endocrine, immune, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, and sensory co-morbidities.” - Silvia De Rubeis, MD, Assistant Professor, Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Learn more: http://www.mdmag.com/medical-news/researchers-seek-answers-to-adnp-syndrome

Healio – December 20 Mobile Interventional Stroke Teams Improve Treatment Times — Dave Quaile Treatment times for thrombectomy in large vessel occlusion were improved due to mobile interventional stroke teams in the trip-and-treat model, according to data published in the journal Stroke. To compare the drip-and-ship model, in which patients are treated with IV tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) at the nearest hospital, and the trip-and-treat model, using the concept of a mobile interventional stroke team that travels to stroke centers, Johanna T. Fifi, MD, associate professor of neurology, neurosurgery, radiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and director of the Endovascular Stroke Program at the Mount Sinai Health System, and colleagues conducted a retrospective analysis consisting of 86 consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke secondary to large vessel occlusion who received endovascular treatment. “This study suggests that mobile interventional stroke teams in a trip-and-treat model are an effective model for providing thrombectomy care across a dense urban geographic region,” Dr. Fifi and colleagues wrote. “Trip-and-treat model provides a new framework for stroke networks to optimize endovascular treatment. Future studies will be needed to prospectively compare trip-and-treat, drip-and-ship and mothership models with randomization and treatment.” - Johanna T. Fifi, MD, Associate Professor, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Endovascular Stroke Program, Mount Sinai Health System Learn more: https://www.healio.com/cardiac-vascular- intervention/cerebrovascular/news/online/%7B488e255a-b61f-4488-92e3-b215140bfb03%7D/mobile- interventional-stroke-teams-improve-treatment-times

New York Times – December 22 Should You Shower in the Morning, or at Night? Yes. — Maya Salam Gary Goldenberg, MD, assistant professor of dermatology and pathology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and director of the dermatology faculty practice at the Mount Sinai Hospital recommends a maximum of 5- to 10-minute showers in lukewarm water for most people. “Very hot showers tend to take the oil off your skin, and tend to irritate your skin,” he said. “The longer you are in the water, the higher the chance it is going to dry your skin.” - Gary Goldenberg, MD, Assistant Professor, Dermatology, Pathology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Dermatology Faculty Practice, The Mount Sinai Hospital Learn more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/22/well/showering-morning-night.html

Self – December 22 What to Do If You Think an Ovarian Cyst Burst — Korin Miller Most cysts are small and don’t cause symptoms, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. But if they grow large enough, they can cause pain in your lower abdomen on the side of the cyst, along with bloating or a sense of pressure. “And if your ovarian cyst actually bursts, as it releases fluid into your body, the pain can definitely make you take notice. Although your body usually just reabsorbs the fluid without you realizing anything happened, sometimes it can irritate the lining of your abdomen,” explained Stephanie V. Blank, MD, professor of gynecology oncology, obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and director of women’s health at Mount Sinai Downtown – Chelsea Center. - Stephanie V. Blank, MD, Professor in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director of Women's Health, Mount Sinai Downtown- Chelsea Center Learn more: https://www.self.com/story/ovarian-cyst-burst-treatment

If you have a news story, news tip, breakthrough, study, upcoming event or patient success story to share or have been contacted by the media for an interview contact: [email protected] 212-241-9200