Be sure to watch the Discovery Health Channel show Mystery Diagnosis on Monday, November 23, 2009 at 10 p.m. to see an interesting new medical mystery about a rare neurological disease. This show features Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience's own Andro Zangaladze, MD, PhD.

Feed your brain the foods it needs – and avoid the ones that may increase your risk.

Studies have shown that people who are obese in middle age face an increased risk of dementia in later life. The same holds true for individuals who have high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

To help reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s and other serious medical problems, adopt what the Alzheimer’s Association calls a “brain-healthy diet”:

• Cut your intake of foods that have a lot of fat and cholesterol.
• Choose dark-colored fruits and vegetables, which have the most antioxidants.
• Consume beneficial omega-3 fatty acids.
• In moderation, eat nuts – which are a great source of the antioxidant vitamin E.
• Consider vitamins. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, there is some indication that vitamin E, or vitamins E and C together, vitamin B12 and folate may help lower your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Earlier this year, an advisory committee of the American Stroke Association/American Heart Association issued a recommendation that the window of time for tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) therapy be extended.

The new analysis shows that the medication, which is given intravenously, can safely be used to treat strokes 4.5 hours after symptoms begin. Until this year, tPA had to be given within three hours of symptom onset.

As Jefferson Vascular Neurologist Carissa Pineda, MD, explains, tPA is the only FDA-approved drug for treating the 80 percent of strokes caused by ischemic clots. (The other major type – hemorrhagic stroke – is caused by ruptured blood vessels in the brain. Hemorrhagic stroke cannot be treated with tPA and has a much higher mortality rate than ischemic stroke.)

“tPA can be thought of as a ‘clot buster,’” Dr. Pineda notes. “Once it reaches the clot, it bursts it – limiting the areas of the brain that would have been affected.”

But as Dr. Pineda notes, the original guidelines required the clot-busting drug to be administered within three hours of the onset of symptoms. Even in top-performing hospitals, less than 5 percent of stroke patients are treated in that timeframe.

The new guideline – based on analysis of clinical studies – enables emergency-room physicians and stroke specialists to give tPA up to 4.5 hours after the onset of symptoms.

We are pleased to announce that Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals have been designated a Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery and a Blue Distinction Center for Hip and Knee Replacement.

Stephen Silberstein, MD, head of the Jefferson Headache Center, tells 6ABC that "patients with migraine have trouble with absorption, and during a migraine attack, it gets worse. They will tell you 'food hangs in my stomach, I'm sick to my stomach.'"

Dr. Silberstein explains that up to half of all migraine sufferers get frequent nausea. Of every 10 patients who start on the triptan class of drugs, only one or two stay on them.

Gabriella Iacovetti, a patient of Dr. Silberstein's, was introduced to a new option that's now being tested. It's called the Zelrix patch.

Watch the 6ABC video to learn more about the migraine patch.

Robin Stoloff's Health Update on NBC 40 put the spotlight on Thomas Jefferson University Hospital's Adam P. Dicker, MD, PhD, to discuss the new FDA-approved drug that helps to treat brain tumors.

In the interview, Dr. Dicker reveals that this new drug, called Avastin, denies a tumor its blood supply and is safe to give to patients who's brain tumor has recurred.

Watch the NBC 40 interview.

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."

We are pleased to announce that Jefferson has recently received Advanced Certification from The Joint Commission in:

• Stroke (Primary Stroke Center)
• Ventricular Assist Device

And Certification in:

• Joint Replacement - Hip
• Joint Replacement - Knee

Jefferson has also received a renewal of its designation as a Chest Pain Center from The Society of Chest Pain Centers. To earn this designation, the Chest Pain Center demonstrated expertise in eight key areas:

• Emergency Department integration with the Emergency Medical System
• Emergency assessment of patients with symptoms of possible Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) (timely diagnosis and treatment of ACS)
• Assessment of patients with low risk for ACS and no assignable cause for their symptoms
• Process improvement
• Personnel, competencies, and training
• Organizational structure and commitment
• Functional facility design 
• Community outreach

Stroke is the third-leading cause of death in the nation and a leading cause of disability. And it’s not just a disease of the elderly.

“Stroke can strike people between the ages of 20 and 55,” says neurologist Maria C. Pineda, MD. Dr. Pineda specializes in treating young and middle-aged adult patients at the Jefferson Acute Stroke Center.

Reducing risk
“If you have a family history of stroke, that’s a ‘non-modifiable’ risk factor you can’t do anything about,” Dr. Pineda explains. “However, you can modify and control other risk factors, including hypertension, heart disease, cholesterol, diabetes and obesity.

“See your doctor for regular checkups,” she advises. “Maintain a proper diet and regular exercise, and avoid smoking, illegal drugs and excessive alcohol intake.”

The Jefferson Acute Stroke Center is one of the most advanced centers in the United States for prevention, diagnosis, treatment and research of stroke. It is the largest such center in the Delaware Valley, with more board-certified vascular neurologists and neurocritical care physicians than most others, and is accredited by the Joint Commission.

Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, ranked as one of America’s best hospitals, has earned the prestigious Magnet designation awarded for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program®. ANCC is a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association.

Less than five percent of hospitals in the US have achieved Magnet status which recognizes superior patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice.

Highly regarded as the “gold standard” of nursing excellence, Magnet designation provides a benchmark by which consumers and patients can measure the quality of care they can expect to receive at a hospital.  Magnet-designated hospitals are associated with improved patient care outcomes as well as attracting top notch physicians, nurses and healthcare professionals.

“Jefferson is extremely proud of the high caliber of our nurses and the exceptional care they provide to patients,” remarked Mary Ann McGinley, PhD, RN, senior vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer. “Magnet status validates what we already know and enhances our reputation as a center of excellence.”