The trauma center at Saint Louis University Hospital has been verified as a Level 1 Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACSCOT). The verification makes the SLU Hospital trauma center the first dual state certified and America College of Surgeons’ verified Level I trauma center in the region, with the hospital holding Level I trauma certifications in both the states of Missouri and Illinois.
Established by the American College of Surgeons in 1987, the ACSCOT’s Consultation/Verification Program for Hospitals promotes the development of trauma centers with the entire spectrum of care to address the needs of all injured patients, from the pre-hospital phase through the rehabilitation process. Verified trauma centers must meet the essential criteria that ensure trauma care capability and institutional performance, as outlined by the American College of Surgeons’ Committee on Trauma in its current Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient manual.
Already the only hospital certified as a Level I trauma center by both the states of Missouri and Illinois, SLU Hospital made the decision to apply for ACS accreditation based on the criteria for quality and positive clinical outcomes.
“A third-party review of any of our programs from an expert source solely focused on providing the highest possible clinical care is not only our wish, but also our responsibility,” says Crystal Haynes, CEO. “Saint Louis University Hospital’s ongoing mission includes caring for the most critically ill and injured patients from throughout our region and we will continue to do so at the highest possible quality standards.”
The ACS Committee on Trauma’s verification program does not designate trauma centers. Rather, the program provides confirmation that a trauma center has demonstrated its commitment to providing the highest quality trauma care for all injured patients. The actual establishment and the designation of trauma centers is the function of local, regional, or state health care systems agencies.
Missouri Foundation for Health seeks applicants for Community Advisory Council
The Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH) is accepting applications from persons who want to be considered for its Community Advisory Council (CAC).
The 13-member CAC works to gather community input on health issues affecting Missourians and informs the grant-making decisions and strategic planning of MFH’s Board of Directors, with special focus on programs for the uninsured, underinsured and underserved. The CAC also is responsible for nominating Board candidates each year. CAC members can serve up to two consecutive three-year terms.
MFH is committed to a CAC that represents Missouri’s racial, ethnic, cultural, gender and geographic diversity. CAC members must reside in the MFH service area, which includes 84 Missouri counties and the City of St. Louis.
Applications must be postmarked by March 5, 2010.
To request a CAC application packet or review eligibility guidelines, visit the MFH website at http://www.mffh.org/content/445/cac-solicitation.aspx; call MFH at 314.345.5500, or toll-free at 800.655.5560.Applicants may also send a letter requesting information to: Community Advisory Council, Missouri Foundation for Health, 1000 St. Louis Union Station, Suite 400, St. Louis, MO 63103.
HIV-infected postmenopausal women at high risk for bone fractures
Postmenopausal HIV-infected women have a high prevalence of low bone mineral density and high bone turnover placing them at high risk for future bone fractures, according to a new study.
“As HIV-infected individuals live longer with potent antiretroviral therapy (ART), metabolic complications such as low bone density and osteoporosis are increasingly recognized,” said Michael Yin, MD of Columbia University Medical Center in New York and lead author of the study. “Although numbers of HIV-infected postmenopausal women are increasing and postmenopausal women are at highest risk for osteoporotic fractures, few studies have evaluated skeletal status in this group. We hypothesized that postmenopausal women might be particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of HIV infection or ART on the skeleton and our results indicate that this may indeed be the case.”
To test their hypothesis, Yin and his colleagues initiated a longitudinal study to assess bone health in 92 HIV-positive and 95 HIV-negative postmenopausal women. Bone mineral density of the lumbar spine, femoral neck and hip as well as body composition were measured by dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Researchers found that HIV-positive postmenopausal women had lower bone mineral density at both the spine and hip than HIV-negative postmenopausal women.
“HIV infection was independently associated with lower bone mineral density after adjusting for body mass index (BMI) and traditional osteoporosis risk factors,” said Yin. “While the reason for HIV-associated bone loss remains unclear, it may be related to increased levels of cytokines (proteins produced by cells that aid communication between cells), direct effects of antiretrovirals on bone cells or hormonal/nutritional deficiencies that are common in HIV.”
“Estrogen protects against the effect of cytokines on bone resorption,” said Yin. “Therefore, as HIV-positive women become estrogen deficient during menopause, they may be at higher risk for accelerated bone loss and fracture.”
The article, “Low bone mass and high bone turnover in postmenopausal HIV-infected women,” appears in the February 2010 issue of Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Blocking inflammation receptor kills breast cancer stem cells
Scientists at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have uncovered an important link between inflammation and breast cancer stem cells that suggests a new way to target cells that are resistant to current treatments.
The researchers identified a receptor, CXCR1, on the cancer stem cells which triggers growth of stem cells in response to inflammation and tissue damage. A drug originally developed to prevent organ transplant rejection blocks this receptor, killing breast cancer stem cells and preventing their metastasis in mice, according to the study.
Cancer stem cells (the small number of cells that fuel a tumor’s growth) are believed to be resistant to current chemotherapies and radiation treatment, which researchers say may be the reason cancer so often returns after treatment.
“Developing treatments to effectively target the cancer stem cell population is essential for improving outcomes. This work suggests a new strategy to target cancer stem cells that can be readily translated into the clinic,” says senior study author Max S. Wicha, M.D., Distinguished Professor of Oncology and director of the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center. Wicha was part of the team that first identified stem cells in breast cancer.
CXCR1 is a receptor for Interleukin-8, or IL-8, a protein produced during chronic inflammation and tissue injury. When tumors are exposed to chemotherapy, the dying cells produce IL-8, which stimulates cancer stem cells to replicate. Addition of the drug repertaxin to chemotherapy specifically targets and kills breast cancer stem cells by blocking CXCR1.
Mice treated with repertaxin or the combination of repertaxin and chemotherapy had dramatically fewer cancer stem cells than those treated with chemotherapy alone. In addition, repertaxin-treated mice developed significantly fewer metastases than mice treated with chemotherapy alone.
“These studies suggest that important links between inflammation, tissue damage and breast cancer may be mediated by cancer stem cells. Furthermore, anti-inflammatory drugs such as repertaxin may provide a means of blocking these interactions, thereby targeting breast cancer stem cells,” Wicha says.
Repertaxin has been tested in early phase clinical trials to prevent rejection after organ transplantation. In these studies, side effects seem to be minimal. There are no reports of using repertaxin to treat cancer.
Note to patients: This work was done in cell cultures and mice. Repertaxin is not available to patients at this time and no clinical trials are yet planned.
Disclosure: The University of Michigan has filed for patent protection on this technology, and is currently looking for a commercialization partner to help bring the technology to market.