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Softball game raises $21,000 for breast wellness

Tuesday, June 18, 2013 by:Amanda Cuda

Members of the Derby and Ansonia High School Girls Softball teams recently presented Hewitt Center for Breast Wellness Medical Director Denise Barajas, MD, fourth from left, with a check for $2,100, which they raised through a fundraiser game on May 11. Pictured from left, Ansonia High Softball Co-captains Tierney Lawlor and Morgan Westine, Ansonia High Softball Coach Tim Pedevillano, Derby High Softball Coach Joe DiMartino, Lori DiMartino, and Ansonia High Softball Co-captains Rachel Rizzo and Shelby Mendillo.

A game between the Derby and Ansonia High School softball teams raised $2,100 for The Hewitt Center for Breast Wellness at Griffin Hospital in Derby.

Organized by long-time Griffin Hospital employee and Derby High School Softball Coach Joe DiMartino, the May 11 fundraiser was held in honor of his wife, Lori, a breast cancer survivor. The event featured raffles, food and music as the two teams competed. This is the third year of the fundraiser.

Located at 300 Seymour Ave. in Derby, The Hewitt Center for Breast Wellness at Griffin Hospital offer patients a comprehensive range of personalized breast care and wellness services. For more information about The Hewitt Center for Breast Wellness, call 203-732-1300 or visit griffinhealth.org/cbw.

Connecticut agencies picked to help stop prescription drug abuse

Monday, June 17, 2013 by:Amanda Cuda

Connecticut has been selected to participate in a national effort to decrease prescription drug abuse.

The state’s department of public health announced today that the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials invited Connecticut to take part in the program. According to a release from DPH, prescription drug abuse is a huge problem nationwide and in Connecticut which is one of only 16 states where death from overdose is more common than death from a motor vehicle accident. Overdose is also the leading cause of accidental death among adults.

Nationwide, drug overdose death rates have more than tripled since 1990 and have never
been higher. In 2008, more than 36,000 people died from drug overdoses, and most of these
deaths were caused by prescription drugs.
“We are pleased to partner with ASTHO to help advance efforts to address this public health
epidemic,” said DPH Commissioner Dr. Jewel Mullen in the release. “Overdose deaths from prescription
painkillers have skyrocketed in recent years. Over the last decade, Connecticut has also seen a
startling rise in the number of newborns with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome as a result of
exposure to addictive illegal or prescription drugs while in the mother’s womb.”

ASTHO, the national nonprofit organization representing public health agencies in the United
States, the U.S. Territories, and the District of Columbia, supports state health officials and their
leadership teams in a variety of ways. This initiative serves as a valuable opportunity for states to
collaborate with other states facing similar challenges to develop intermediate and long-term
change strategies to improve health outcomes and reduce the human and economic costs
associated with prescription drug abuse.

In addition to DPH, representing Connecticut on this initiative is the Department of Consumer
Protection, Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, the Office of the Attorney
General and a community physician with expertise in this area.

Connecticut’s team will work with four other state teams, together with expert faculty and other
state partners, to facilitate communication and support states in identifying concrete action steps
and evaluation approaches related to the prescription drug overdose epidemic. Connecticut’s
team will meet with ASTHO officials and the other state teams at a meeting in late June in
Washington D.C. All travel and hotel accommodations will be paid for by ASTHO.

Katie Holmes/Rose of Hope notebook

Friday, June 14, 2013 by:Amanda Cuda

Actress Katie Holmes will headline this year's Rose of Hope luncheon for the Norma F. Pfriem Breast Care Center at Bridgeport Hospital

Actress Katie Holmes headlined Thursday’s Rose of Hope luncheon for the Norma F. Pfriem Breast Care Center at Bridgeport Hospital

As you might have seen in today’s paper, I covered the Rose of Hope event for Bridgeport’s Norma F. Pfriem Breast Care Center yesterday, at the Fairfield home of Tom and Patti Keegan. You can read in today’s article all about the event, attended by about 600 people, and the speech given at the event by actress Katie Holmes, but here are some more of my thoughts on this celebrated event.

Rain, rain go away: So yeah, this event was outside, in a tent. Here was the view from my seat:

I don’t know if it comes through in my picture, but it was pouring rain outside and it was streaking down the sides of the tent. With all the noise it made, and the fact that speakers kept referencing it throughout the luncheon, the weather was practically another guest at the event. Not only did Holmes reference that she had worn tennis shoes in prep for the nasty weather, event hostess Patti Keegan opened her speech by immediately referencing the soggy elephant in the room.

“Tom and I are sorry about the weather,” she said, adding that, in the many years she’s hosted the event, this was the first where the weather didn’t cooperate. “I guess nine out of 10 isn’t bad,” she said.

Event co-chair Linda Blackwell even told a sweet story about how Tom Keegan pumped up the event committee before the luncheon by telling them that the rain was actually a good thing, because it would help everyone who came to the event bond. Blackwell said she felt the same way. “We feel like we have 600 new family members,” she said.

So why no pictures of Katie?: Right about now, you must be thinking — “Hey Amanda, if you had an iPhone with you and were able to take pictures, how come you didn’t take any pictures of Katie?” That is a good question, readers. Because of the tabloid-ability of this year’s speaker, security was crazy tight at Rose of Hope. I was one of the few media allowed to come, and I wasn’t permitted to bring one of our photographers with me. Guests weren’t permitted to snap any photos during Katie’s speech and, to make sure we behaved, somewhat menacing guys in suits lurked behind many tables keeping a sharp eye on everyone (note: The guys were probably very nice and were just doing their job. I’m just bitter about getting the stinkeye whenever I reached in my purse). Bridgeport Hospital’s photographer did provide us with some nice shots, however.

And, in case you thought they were being paranoid, I will tell you I got an email from a People magazine reporter Thursday evening asking me if I wanted to talk about my experience at the lunch. Sorry ma’am — my thoughts are for our readers.

Parting gift: All those who attended the luncheon received a rose quartz bracelet — yes, pink, in honor of breast cancer awareness — donated by Rob and Cindy Citrone. Cindy Citrone was special program chair for the event, and the bracelet had a special story behind it.

Citrone had heard a woman named Meredith speak at an event about her life as breast cancer survivor, and was so moved, she gave Meredith a bracelet to thank her for sharing her story. The two became friends. Years later, Cindy bought Meredith another bracelet — at a breast cancer fundraiser. The day she went to pick up the bracelet, Cindy learned that Meredith had died. The bracelet given at the Rose of Hope event, designed by jewelery designer Faye Kim, is a symbol of Meredith’s battle and the struggles of all women with cancer. Here’s a picture of it.

katiepic2

Yale research may revolutionize dyslexia diagnosis

Thursday, June 13, 2013 by:Amanda Cuda

New research about dyslexia might yield earlier diagnoses and more successful intervention, according to staff at the Yale University School of Medicine. The study examined the genetic components of reading and verbal language skills and found genetic variants that can make children more vulnerable to dyslexia and language impairment.

The findings mean that there might be a way to diagnose dyslexia in children when they’re still young. Many students now are not diagnosed until high school, at which point treatments are less effective.

The study is published online and in the July print issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics. Senior author Jeffrey R. Gruen, M.D., professor of pediatrics, genetics, and investigative medicine at Yale, and colleagues analyzed data from more than 10,000 children born in 1991-1992 who were part of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) conducted by investigators at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom.

Dyslexia and language impairment are common learning disabilities that make reading and verbal language skills difficult. Both disorders have a substantial genetic component, but despite years of study, determining the root cause had been difficult.

In previous studies, Gruen and his team found that dopamine-related genes ANKK1 and DRD2 are involved in language processing. In further non-genetic studies, they found that prenatal exposure to nicotine has a strong negative affect on both reading and language processing. They had also previously found that a gene called DCDC2 was linked to dyslexia.

In this new study, Gruen and colleagues looked deeper within the DCDC2 gene to pinpoint the specific parts of the gene that are responsible for dyslexia and language impairment. They found that some variants of a gene regulator called READ1 (regulatory element associated with dyslexia1) within the DCDC2 gene are associated with problems in reading performance while other variants are strongly associated with problems in verbal language performance.

In a press release, Gruen said these variants interact with a second dyslexia risk gene called KIAA0319. “When you have risk variants in both READ1 and KIAA0319, it can have a multiplier effect on measures of reading, language, and IQ,” he said in the release. “People who have these variants have a substantially increased likelihood of developing dyslexia or language impairment.”

“These findings are helping us to identify the pathways for fluent reading, the components of those pathways; and how they interact,” said Gruen in the release. “We now hope to be able to offer a pre-symptomatic diagnostic panel, so we can identify children at risk before they get into trouble at school. Almost three-quarters of these children will be reading at grade level if they get early intervention, and we know that intervention can have a positive lasting effect.”

Other authors on the study include Natalie R. Powers, John D. Eicher, Falk Butter, Yong Kong, Laura L. Miller, Susan M. Ring, and Matthias Mann.

This work was supported by the UK medical research council, the Wellcome Trust (092731), the Yale Center for Genome Analysis; and the National Institutes of Health (R01 NS043530 and F31 DC012270)

American Cancer Society needs study participants

Wednesday, June 12, 2013 by:Amanda Cuda

The American Cancer Society is enrolling local residents in a historic nationwide study throughout June. The purpose of study — called CPS-3 — is to help researchers better understand the genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors that cause or prevent cancer.

From June 13 – June 21, men and women between the ages of 30 and 65 who have never been previously diagnosed with cancer are needed to join this research study. If you are interested, please pre-register at cancer.org/cps3ne or call toll-free 1-888-604-5888.

Taking less than 30 minutes in total, individuals will go to one of the area locations, read/sign a consent form; complete a brief survey; have their waist circumference measured; and give a small blood sample. At home, participants will complete a survey about lifestyle, behavioral, and other factors related to their health. The Society will continue to send follow-up surveys to update participant information, as well as study updates and results.

Below are the times, dates and sites of the various sign-ups:

Thursday, June 13, Norwalk Health Department, 137 East Ave., Norwalk, 2 to 5:30 p.m.
Friday, June 14, Relay For Life of Ridgefield, Ridgefield Parks and Recreation, 195 Danbury Road, Ridgefield, 6 to 10 p.m.
Tuesday, June 18, New Canaan YMCA, 564 South Ave., New Canaan, 8 to 11:30 a.m.
Tuesday, June 18, Stamford Government Center, 888 Washington Blvd., Stamford, noon to 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 19, American Cancer Society Regional Center, 38 Richards Ave., Norwalk, 3 to 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 20, Stamford Hospital, Conference Room A, 30 Shelburne Road, Stamford, 4 to 7:30 p.m.
Friday, June 21, Tully Health Center, 32 Strawberry Hill Ct, Stamford, 2 to 5:30 p.m.

*“Walk in” enrollment is planned at the Relay For Life of Ridgefield. Pre-registration is necessary for all other locations.

What’s your biggest health worry?

Wednesday, June 12, 2013 by:Amanda Cuda

This week, we launched a new feature in the Health and Fitness section called “Should you Worry?” in which we ask local experts how concerned you should actually be about the health scare of the moment. This week, I asked about the SARS-like illness that’s killed more than 30 people — most of them in the Middle East.

But what recent health story has you wishing you lived in a bubble? Deadly soy sauce? People who don’t wash their hands? Some other, equally gross/scary/upsetting thing? Let us know below. I might pursue your worries for an upcoming installment of “Should you Worry?”

Study: Antihistamines during pregnancy linked to poor birth outcomes

Monday, June 10, 2013 by:Amanda Cuda

Women with the same pregnancy condition that afflicted Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton might be putting their unborn babies at risk if they take an antihistamine to help them sleep through their bouts of debilitating nausea.

That’s according to a study released today out of the University of California Los Angeles. The study, reportedly the first to link antihistamines to poor birth outcomes, looked at more than 500 women over a period of six years. About half the women, 254, were afflicted with hyperemesis gravidarum, a condition marked by significant nausea and bouts of vomiting — some of which can be so violent that it can cause detached retina, blown eardrums, cracked ribs and a variety of other problems. Its cause is unknown and the symptoms can last for several months or the entire pregnancy. The condition was thrust into the spotlight last year when it was revealed that Middleton, pregnant with her first child, was afflicted with hyperemesis gravidarum.

The HG sufferers in the study, all of whom were sick enough that they were being treated for dehydration, were compared to 308 women who had normal or no morning sickness during pregnancy.

The study found that the women with HG had four times the risk of adverse outcomes to their pregnancy, including low birthweight babies and premature births. Researchers then looked at more than 35 medications and treatments commonly used by women with HG to determine if any were linked to bad outcomes, and found that antihistamines — such as those in the medications Unisom and Benadryl — were taken by more than 50 percent of HG patients who experienced adverse outcomes. The study states that the medications are sometimes recommended by doctors to help HG sufferers sleep through their nausea.

Not only did the study show that this could lead to problems with the pregnancy, but that the antihistamines rarely worked in helping women sleep through their HG-related suffering. The research states the medication was only effective in less than 20 percent of the women who took it.

Massive dental clinic in Bridgeport this weekend

Tuesday, June 4, 2013 by:Amanda Cuda

A local philanthropic effort expects to take a huge bite out of poor dental health in the region with a massive free clinic this weekend. The 6^th Annual Connecticut Mission of Mercy (CTMOM) free dental clinic will be held at Bridgeport’s Webster Bank Area in Bridgeport on Friday and Saturday, starting at 6 a.m.

CTMOM is a full-service dental clinic providing free dental care to people of all ages who are in need of urgent and immediate care. It is first-come, first-served, will have more than 120 dental chairs and will be staffed by more than 1,500 volunteers. More than 2,000 patients are expected to be treated over the two days. Free dental services include cleanings, fillings, x-rays, oral exams, extractions and oral surgery.

The event is designed for the underserved and uninsured in Connecticut – those who would otherwise go without dental care. Many health experts agree that oral health is inseparable from general health and can affect a person’s self-esteem, compromise their ability to work, attend school and lead a normal life. The Connecticut Foundation for Dental Outreach (CDFO) in collaboration with the Connecticut State Dental Association (CSDA) held the state’s first Mission of Mercy project in 2008. Every year, the Connecticut Mission of Mercy project is held in a different location throughout the state. This is the first time it’s taken place in Bridgeport. For more details, visit: http://cfdo.org/cfdo1_ctmom.html.

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