A year after Sandy Hook, RAHC psychiatrist is reaching out to schools

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SAN ANTONIO (Dec. 10, 2013) — Marian Moca, M.D., associate professor of psychiatry in the School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and director of the child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at the Regional Academic Health Center (RAHC) in Harlingen, was in Connecticut when the Sandy Hook tragedy unfolded one year ago Dec. 14.

He had established the School Consultation Service at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in the year before that day in Newtown, and in the wake of the tragedy he and his team visited schools throughout the state, providing education about mental health, including trauma and helping children recover from it. Dr. Moca and others also spoke in the media about the psychological effects of trauma on kids, their families and communities.

“One of my goals is to continue to work on reducing and preventing any kind of violence in schools,” Dr. Moca said. “Sandy Hook is still very fresh; it is still part of the picture for our nation. We ought to learn from it and never forget it.”

He said the Sandy Hook tragedy started a national discussion about the importance of mental health early on, from childhood. “We know that this shooter as well as others had mental health issues, but we do not know whether they received the help they needed,” he said. “Many at-risk adolescents find themselves at the periphery. It is our role as a society to encourage them to talk about their problems and get timely and appropriate treatment.”

Dr. Moca, newly recruited to the Rio Grande Valley, is already working with local school districts to provide mental health programs, including the Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District. (Note: To interview a district counselor, please call Shane Strubhart, listed above. Dr. Moca may be interviewed at the RAHC campus in Harlingen.)

The call is to inquire about children’s problems rather than ignoring them. Half of all lifetime cases of mental illness start by the age of 14 and three-fourths by age 24. “The good news is there is hope,” Dr. Moca said. “Whether we are parents or family members, educators or mental health professionals, we can make a difference in children’s lives. There is a critical window of opportunity during adolescence when teenagers can learn how to better their emotional health and become healthy young adults.”

Dr. Moca said he plans to develop an anti-bullying project in the Valley, in conjunction with the Health Science Center’s Med Ed Program of South Texas at the RAHC. In Connecticut, he and his team received an award from the American Psychiatric Foundation for the implementation of the “Anti-Bullying Class”, a program run by and with medical students and focused on the connection between “bullying and feelings.”

Media Contacts: Will Sansom, UT Health Science Center, (210) 567-2579, sansom@uthscsa.edu
Shane Strubhart, Harlingen Consolidated ISD, (956) 430-9530, r.strubhart@hcisd.org

 

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, one of the country’s leading health sciences universities, ranks in the top 3 percent of all institutions worldwide receiving National Institutes of Health funding. The university’s schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry, health professions and graduate biomedical sciences have produced more than 29,000 graduates. The $765 million operating budget supports eight campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. For more information on the many ways “We make lives better®,” visit www.uthscsa.edu.

New era begins in hepatitis C treatment

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UT Health Science Center faculty at the center of research leading to safer, more effective treatments

SAN ANTONIO (Dec. 9, 2013) — The decades-long wait for better treatments for hepatitis C ended late last week, as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave final approval to the first in a new class of drugs with significantly better cure rates and relatively few side effects.

Researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio not only played a central role in the clinical trials that proved sofosbuvir’s safety and effectiveness against the widespread and potentially deadly disease, but they have already made substantial headway in finding better ways to administer the drug.

The Lancet published research from Fred Poordad, M.D., and Eric Lawitz, M.D., that found an all-oral combination of sofosbuvir and just one other drug cures hepatitis C in almost all cases in as little as eight weeks with few adverse effects, even in patients who saw previous treatments fail.

“This is a revolutionary time in hepatitis C treatment,” Dr. Poordad said. “We are moving from an interferon era to a pills-only era with very high cure rates and minimal side effects. We will likely see a number of new treatment regimens approved in the next two years.”

The findings were first published online in November and will appear in an upcoming print edition of The Lancet. Drs. Poordad and Lawitz are clinical professors in the School of Medicine at the UT Health Science Center and see patients at the Texas Liver Institute in downtown San Antonio.

Hepatitis C is the most common chronic blood-borne infection in the United States, with more than 3 million people infected, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is potentially fatal and can cause complications including cirrhosis, liver cancer and liver failure.

Transmission rates were especially high in the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s, before the hepatitis C virus was identified in 1989. Baby boomers in particular were at risk of contracting the virus through recreational use of injection drugs, as well as through blood transfusions and organ transplants before screening for hepatitis C was routine.

The virus can lurk without symptoms for decades. As a result, the CDC recommended a year ago that all baby boomers get a one-time test for hepatitis C.

For more than two decades, the standard treatment for hepatitis C has been interferon therapy. Interferon is a protein that fights hepatitis C in several ways: It protects healthy cells, boosts the immune system and prevents the virus from multiplying.

But interferon therapy is associated with substantial adverse effects and can be given only by subcutaneous injection. And when interferon therapy fails, few treatment options remained until now.

FDA approval of sofosbuvir comes after the New England Journal of Medicine published results of two large-scale phase 3 clinical trials in May. Dr. Lawitz was lead author on those studies, which were funded by Gilead Sciences, developer of sofosbuvir.

One study combined a short, 12-week course of interferon therapy and the antiviral ribavirin with sofosbuvir, a direct-acting antiviral that interferes with the life cycle of the hepatitis C by suppressing viral replication. The other study examined an all-oral course of sofosbuvir and ribavirin, without interferon. In both studies, sofosbuvir had impressive cure rates, shorter treatment times and a good safety profile.

“Patients and health care providers have been waiting more than 20 years for safer, more effective therapies for hepatitis C – and it looks like they are finally here,” Dr. Lawitz said. “This is just the beginning of a new, exciting era. We are fine-tuning these regimens to be easy and short, offering patients a chance for a real cure.”

The new study in The Lancet featured results from a clinical trial dubbed LONESTAR. The open-label study, conducted exclusively at the Texas Liver Institute, enrolled 100 patients, including 40 who had seen previous treatment fail. Participants received treatment for either eight or 12 weeks and were given all-oral regimens of sofosbuvir and the experimental drug ledipasvir, either with or without ribavirin.

Every group – including previously treated patients – had cure rates of at least 95 percent. In all groups combined, 97 percent of patients were cured.

“These findings give us a glimpse into the near future, with emerging therapies curing the majority of people with hepatitis C in just a few weeks,” Dr. Poordad said. “These results are absolutely astounding compared with where we were just a few years ago.”

The researchers continue to enroll patients in a number of hepatitis C trials. Prospective patients can call the toll-free number 1-855-437-2267 to see if they are eligible.

 

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, one of the country’s leading health sciences universities, ranks in the top 3 percent of all institutions worldwide receiving National Institutes of Health funding. The university’s schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry, health professions and graduate biomedical sciences have produced approximately 29,000 graduates. The $765 million operating budget supports eight campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. For more information on the many ways “We make lives better®,” visit www.uthscsa.edu.

Voelcker Fund helps scientists shed light on lymphoma causes

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SAN ANTONIO (Dec. 5, 2013) — Support from the Max and Minnie Tomerlin Voelcker Fund is enabling UT Health Science Center at San Antonio researchers to study the biological basis of B-cell lymphoma, one of the most common and aggressive types of cancer. Findings from the lab are being shared with physicians of the Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) at the UT Health Science Center. The CTRC, site of many human clinical trials of new cancer therapies, is San Antonio’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center.

In a recent online edition of the journal Blood, a team led by Ricardo C.T. Aguiar, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of medicine and biochemistry in the School of Medicine at the Health Science Center, reported that high levels of a molecule called microRNA-155 result in loss of a tumor-suppressor gene, the retinoblastoma (RB) gene.

“Loss of RB is a critical and frequent event in development and progression of many cancer types,” Dr. Aguiar said. “The discovery that microRNA-155 controls RB was a surprising but very important finding because it helps explain how this microRNA may cause cancer.” He has a Voelcker Fund young investigator award of $750,000 over five years to continue the studies. Lymphomas are cancers that originate in the lymphoid cells of the immune system.

A dimmer

MicroRNA-155 is like a dimmer in a lamp that gives the right amount of light, Dr. Aguiar said. Abnormally high amounts of microRNA-155 may result in cancer, while abnormally low levels can lead to immune deficiency. Since microRNA-155 plays a broad role across multiple cancer types, fine-tuning this dimmer may result in a novel therapy for a large patient population, Dr. Aguiar said.

“Work in our lab is always geared toward clinical applications, including the development of more accurate diagnostic models and the design of new, less-toxic and more-effective treatments for B-cell lymphoma and related tumors,” he said. Kevin Kelly, M.D., and Steven Weitman, M.D., Ph.D., director of the CTRC Institute for Drug Development, are Dr. Aguiar’s clinical collaborators.

75,000 cases annually in U.S.

B-cell lymphoma is a common adult tumor, ranking sixth after prostate, breast, lung, colorectal and skin cancers. About 75,000 new cases are diagnosed in the U.S. annually. The microRNA-155 finding applies to multiple subtypes of lymphomas representing about 70 percent of the new cases diagnosed each year, Dr. Aguiar said. The disease is often incurable.

The most common type, known as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, is especially difficult to treat and about half of patients still die of their disease, despite the best existing therapy. “Our new finding is a big clue as to how to improve these cure rates, because microRNA-155 is primarily deregulated in the fatal cases,” Dr. Aguiar said.

The paper will come out in print in Blood with an accompanying editorial, which is reserved for the most important papers in the field.

Diagnosing genetic changes

Earlier this year, support from the Voelcker Fund and the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) led to another significant finding about lymphoma.

Dr. Aguiar and his team developed a novel approach to identify chromosomal translocations (transfer of genetic material from one chromosome to another), a hallmark of cancer cells. The team used this strategy to diagnose known genetic changes in lymphoma and discover several new ones.

Existing methods of discovering the chromosomal changes are labor intensive and biased toward known changes, the authors wrote in Blood. The team discovered a new method that readily identified three novel targets for development of potential therapies to treat lymphoma.

The group collaborated with the Department of Pathology in the School of Medicine and with colleagues at UT Austin.

 

The Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is one of the elite academic cancer centers in the country to be named a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Cancer Center, and is one of only four in Texas. A leader in developing new drugs to treat cancer, the CTRC Institute for Drug Development (IDD) conducts one of the largest oncology Phase I clinical drug programs in the world, and participates in development of cancer drugs approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. For more information, visit www.ctrc.net.

San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium begins 36th year announcing medical advances in San Antonio

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SAN ANTONIO (December 6, 2013) – The San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium next week will highlight the latest advances in research and treatment of breast cancer from around the world.

From Dec. 10-14, more than 7,000 physicians, researchers and advocates from every continent except Antarctica will be in downtown San Antonio to attend this meeting, one of the largest breast cancer symposiums. Its estimated economic impact in 2012 alone was more than $9 million, with similar figures expected this year at the 36th annual SABCS.

“We have speakers addressing novel approaches to breast cancer treatment, and also important public health issues such as screening and overdiagnosis,” said Ismail Jatoi, M.D., chief of surgical oncology at The University of Texas Health Science Center and a member of the SABCS Executive Committee.

Local talent will be out in force as well. Numerous Health Science Center faculty members will exhibit their newest research at the symposium, sharing investigations into everything from new drug development to prevention research.

The SABCS is presented by the Cancer Therapy & Research Center at the UT Health Science Center, the American Association for Cancer Research and Baylor College of Medicine.

During the week, four press conferences will highlight important news that will be revealed at the meeting. They will be held in Room 217D on the following days/times:

Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 7:30 a.m.:

• Researchers to Present Event-free and Overall Survival Results From NeoALTTO Trial;
• High Levels of Immune Cells in Tumors May Identify Breast Cancer Patients Most Likely to Benefit From Trastuzumab; and
• Study Identifies Highly Effective Treatment Option for Patients with HER2-positive Breast Cancer.
Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 12:30 p.m.:
• Avoiding Radiotherapy is an Option for Some Older Patients;
• Benefit of Breast Cancer Screening More Consistent Across Studies Than Previously Understood; and
• Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer May Not Benefit From Surgery and Radiation After Chemotherapy.

Thursday, Dec. 12 at 7:30 a.m.:

• PIK3CA Gene Mutations Make HER2- and Hormone Receptor-positive Breast Cancers Treatment-resistant;
• Exercise Improves Drug-associated Joint Pain in Breast Cancer Survivors;
• New Drug Combination Delayed Disease Progression for Subgroup of Women With Metastatic Breast Cancer; and
• Antihormone Therapy Anastrozole May Provide New Option for Breast Cancer Prevention.

Friday, Dec. 13 at 7:30 a.m.:

• Changing Chemotherapy Not Beneficial for Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients With Elevated Circulating Tumor Cells;
• New Presurgery Combination Therapy May Improve Outcomes for Women With Triple-negative Breast Cancer
• New Combination Therapy Fails to Delay Progression of Advanced Breast Cancer;
• Bisphosphonate Treatment Fails to Improve Outcomes for Women With Chemoresistant Breast Cancer; and
• New Presurgery Treatment Combination More Effective for Women with Triple-negative Breast Cancer.

The press room will be in Room 217A/B. To register as press for the conference and for more information, go to http://www.sabcs.org/Media/index.asp

 
The Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is one of the elite academic cancer centers in the country to be named a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Designated Cancer Center, and is one of only four in Texas. A leader in developing new drugs to treat cancer, the CTRC Institute for Drug Development (IDD) conducts one of the largest oncology Phase I clinical drug programs in the world, and participates in development of cancer drugs approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. For more information, visit www.ctrc.net.

San Antonio nurse/runner to be memorialized

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WHAT:

UT Health Science Center Allograft Resources is hosting the official unveiling of the floragraph memorial portrait of Jorge Fernandez, who collapsed at the 2011 Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon and later died. He was 32 years old.

The American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB) has selected Fernandez as one of the individuals to be honored on its 2014 Donate Life Rose Parade Float, which is dedicated to the lives of organ, tissue and cornea donors.

The float will feature a floragraph, which is a floral memorial portrait, of Fernandez. At the Friday event, his family will add finishing touches to the floragraph. It will then travel to Pasadena, Calif., where it will be placed on the 2014 float. The parade is on New Year’s Day.

WHO:

Originally from Cuidad Acuña, Mexico, Fernandez lived in San Antonio. He joined the U.S. Air Force and served two tours in Iraq. He became the first person in his family to graduate from college when he earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Texas Tech University.

He worked as a registered nurse in the Surgical Trauma Intensive Care Unit at University Hospital. He was a strong advocate of education, exercise and healthy living. His family said he lived to serve others.

In death, Fernandez’s legacy of service to others continues through tissue donation. To date, five people have had their lives saved or their mobility returned due to his donation.

WHEN:

3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6

WHERE:

Lecture Hall 309L, UT Health Science Center San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive. Please enter campus at main entrance on Floyd Curl near Medical. The guard will direct you to parking and give directions to the lecture hall.

Health Science Center’s M.D./Ph.D. Program in top 6 nationally

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SAN ANTONIO (Dec. 2, 2013) — The M.D./Ph.D. Program at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio has achieved a high national ranking because of its students’ achievements, representatives of the School of Medicine and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences announced today.

The Health Science Center program ranks in the top six among 109 U.S. programs based on percentage of students supported by highly competitive National Institutes of Health (NIH) F30 fellowships, said José E. Cavazos, M.D., Ph.D., assistant dean in both schools and director for the M.D./Ph.D. Program. “The terrific success of our dual-degree students is in part due to a very insightful workshop offered to the students and reflects the nurturing research environment of the Health Science Center,” Dr. Cavazos said.

Six students out of 30 in the M.D./Ph.D. Program benefit from NIH F30 fellowship grants called the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards. Kirschstein Awards support individuals pursuing Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees and other dual-degree combinations such as the Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) and Ph.D. A seventh M.D./Ph.D. student has a fellowship from NIH called the F31 Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award.

“Much of the credit here belongs to Dr. Linda McManus, Ph.D., director of the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, who leads the workshop that helps train our students to develop competitive fellowship applications,” said David S. Weiss, Ph.D, dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and vice president for research at the Health Science Center.

According to the NIH, participating institutes award the fellowships to qualified applicants with the potential to become productive, independent, highly trained physician-scientists and other clinician-scientists, including patient-oriented researchers in their scientific mission areas. These future investigators will have both clinical knowledge and skills in basic, translational or clinical research.

Five students who are pursuing D.D.S. and Ph.D. degrees at the Health Science Center also have the coveted NIH F30 fellowships, Dr. Cavazos said.

Competition is fierce to get into the M.D./Ph.D. Program, where students are fully supported for the duration of their training, typically eight years. “The accomplishments of our students have led to a surge of high-quality applications from across the nation,” Dr. Cavazos said. “More than 170 applications were received for the five first-year M.D./Ph.D. positions in the 2014 enrollment cycle.”

“M.D./Ph.D. graduates are clinician scientists translating discoveries from the bench to the bedside, and are inspired by clinical insights that translate into better experimental design for biomedical discovery,” said Francisco González-Scarano, M.D., dean of the School of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs at the Health Science Center.

The M.D./Ph.D. Program receives funding from the Health Science Center President’s Office, the School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and several endowments at the Health Science Center, including the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Endowment, the Brackenridge Foundation Endowment, the Greehey Family Foundation Endowment and the Harry F. Adler, M.D., Ph.D., Endowment.

For more information about the M.D./Ph.D. Program, visit http://som.uthscsa.edu/mdphd/.

 

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, one of the country’s leading health sciences universities, ranks in the top 3 percent of all institutions worldwide receiving National Institutes of Health funding. The university’s schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry, health professions and graduate biomedical sciences have produced more than 29,000 graduates. The $765 million operating budget supports eight campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. For more information on the many ways “We make lives better®,” visit www.uthscsa.edu.