They say that laughter is the best medicine.

Jefferson family physician Richard Wender and several Jefferson med students were featured in a Philadelphia Inquirer story on the use of clowns and humor in medicine.

Dr. Wender said that he is "interested in humor as a way of communicating, of creating healing relationships. Humor is part of how both patients and clinicians cope."

Each Friday evening, a group of about a dozen Jefferson staff members try to spread cheer to hospital patients, families and medical staff, the Inquirer reported.

Read the full Philadelphia Inquirer story.

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is the first hospital in Pennsylvania to offer an FDA-approved device that helps individuals with certain types of spinal cord injuries breathe on their own again.  Michael Weinstein, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Surgery at Jefferson, is among the first surgeons in the United States to implant the NeuRx DPS™ in patients with spinal cord injuries who lack voluntary control of their diaphragms.

The device provides electrical stimulation to muscle and nerves in the diaphragm. When the muscle is stimulated, the diaphragm contracts and creates a vacuum-like effect in the chest cavity that allows air to fill the upper and lower parts of the lungs. When this contraction eases, the air is expelled from the lungs – essentially the same as regular breathing.

"In the past, spinal cord injury patients were tethered to a respirator and did not have the freedom to taste foods, smell or breathe on their own," said Dr. Weinstein. "We are excited about being able to offer the benefits of this device at Jefferson and to offer new hope to patients living with spinal cord injury."

The Chest Pain Center in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital recently received full Cycle II accreditation with PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention) from the Accreditation Review Committee of the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC).  With the rise of chest pain centers came the need to establish standards designed to improve the consistency and quality of care provided to patients. SCPC’s accreditation process insures centers meet or exceed quality-of-care measures in acute cardiac medicine.

The Chest Pain Center’s protocol-driven and systematic approach to patient management allows physicians to reduce time to treatment during the critical early stages of a heart attack, when treatments are most effective, and to better monitor patients when it is not clear whether they are having a coronary event. Such observation helps ensure that a patient is neither sent home too early nor needlessly admitted.

Read the full news article.

Dr. Anthony Infantolino of the Jefferson Digestive Disease Institute was featured in a Channel 3 CBS story on the Third Eye Retroscope. This new technology allows doctors to see behind the many folds and flexures of the colon during a colonoscopy.

"There are blind spots in the colon. This has been shown to pick up polyps that are hidden on the backside of the folds. This is like having a rear-view mirror," said Dr. Infantolino.

With this new device, doctors will be able to find an additional 10 percent of polyps that would have otherwise gone undetected.

Read the full "Health: Finding Colon Cancer" CBS 3 article.

One in 25 American adults is morbidly obese – that is, roughly 100 pounds overweight or roughly 75 pounds overweight with other weight-related conditions, such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, sleep apnea and/or high cholesterol. Morbid obesity can have profound effects on quality of life. It is a significant cause of premature death and a major contributor to many other diseases and conditions, including stroke, reflux, arthritis, gallbladder disease, incontinence, polycystic ovarian syndrome and infertility.

Medical journals are now recognizing bariatric surgery as the only treatment which is truly effective at causing substantial weight loss in most patients. Bariatric surgery has evolved dramatically over the past several years, thanks to the development of a safe, fully laparoscopic (minimally invasive) approach to various procedures, as well as to the establishment of Centers of Excellence standards.

Congratulations to Jane Meredith Cavanaugh, RN, staff nurse in the Intensive Care Nursery, who has won an Honorable Mention in the Leadership Category in the New York Times 2009 Tribute to Nurses Program.

The winners, finalists and those selected for honorable mention in five categories -- leadership, education, research, innovation and service to the community -- will be highlighted in the special New York Times section to be published on November 22.  The program was open to nurses in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

The New York Times 2009 Tribute to Nurses Program is designed to bring attention to the field of nursing by recognizing outstanding contributions by regional nurses.

Jefferson also honored Jane this year as the 2009 recipient of the Janet C. Hindson Award.