Latest News
Researchers Discover Prostate Cancer-Fighting Compound in Jamaican Allspice
From left, Bal Lokeshwar, Ph.D., Shamaladevi Nagarajarao, Ph.D., and Lei Zhang turn allspice berries into a water extract with this high-pressure liquid chromotography machine.
Essential to jerk seasoning, allspice is known for flavoring Jamaican and other cuisines around the world with a blend of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and pepper but, according to a new study by Miller School researchers, the aromatic spice could be known one day for impeding the growth of, or maybe even preventing, prostate cancer, the No. 2 cancer-killer of men in the U.S.
In the study published online May 8 in the Oxford Journals’ Carcinogenesis and led by Bal L. Lokeshwar, Ph.D., professor of urology and radiation oncology and Co-Director of Research in the Department of Urology, researchers demonstrated that Ericifolin, a complex compound in the allspice berry, significantly slows the growth of prostate cancer tumors by suppressing the androgen receptor (AR). A molecule central to the growth and metastasis of prostate cancer, AR enables prostate cancer cells to survive even after hormone therapy, which along with surgery and radiation is the standard treatment for prostate cancer.
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UMH Cardiac Team Makes Ultimate House Call to Save N.C.I.S. Agent in Panama
The request from cardiologist Alan Heldman, M.D., came on a Tuesday, March 19, just after 3 p.m., as Carlos E. Alfonso, M.D., was rounding at the VA: Could Alfonso mobilize a team and get to Panama right away? A 42-year-old diplomat at the U.S. Embassy had suffered a massive heart attack the day before, and without the mechanical pump UM doctors had helped prove effective in the U.S., he would likely die.
Transplant Surgeon Gaetano Ciancio, M.D., M.B.A., Elected President of National Urologic Society
Gaetano Ciancio M.D., M.B.A., professor of surgery and urology, has been elected President of the Urologic Society for Transplantation and Renal Surgery, an academic forum within the American Urological Association. Elected by society members and announced at the society’s annual meeting in San Diego on May 7, Ciancio will serve a one-year term.
Study Supports Transaortic Approach Over Transapical for Valve Replacements
Cardiology experts at the Miller School showed in the first study of its kind that transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) using the transaortic approach may result in less bleeding, fewer vascular complications, and a shorter recovery time than using the transapical route. Published online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the study results hold promise for patients with severe aortic stenosis.
Pap Corps Annual Gift Reaches $3.6 Million
Motivated by its more than 21,000 volunteers, The Pap Corps: Champions for Cancer Research presented its annual gift – this time a check for $3.6 million – to the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the Miller School of Medicine. Presented at The Pap Corps May 9 President’s Meeting at the Boca West Country Club in Boca Raton, the check is part of the group’s $25 million commitment to Momentum2.
Miller School Awards Medical Degrees to the Class of 2013
With great exuberance and pride, and a huge sigh of relief, graduates of the Miller School of Medicine’s Class of 2013 took the Hippocratic Oath and were awarded their diplomas at commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 11, at BankUnited Center. The graduation program marked the end of four years of intense medical education, preparing the 187 graduates to be physicians.
