Clinician's Roundtable

Host: Shira Johnson, MD

Guest: Mark Merchant, PhD

Surely the first question you’re asking yourself is, how does one extract blood from an alligator? Mark Merchant, PhD, associate professor of biochemistry at McNeese State University, is one researcher brave enough to tackle this arduous task. Exactly why would Dr. Merchant go this far to get ahold of alligator serum? The answer, indeed, lies in its potentially unique medicinal value. Host Dr. Shira Johnson finds out what features of alligator serum may make it a strong candidate for future use in the clinical setting. The answer may surprise you.

Host: Shira Johnson, MD

Guest: Mark Merchant, PhD

Dr. Shira Johnson interviews Dr. Mark Merchant on his recent research into the immunity of alligators in their natural habitat. Listen to learn what the implications are for future work with topical products in burn research and more. Why is alligator serum effective against HIV in vitro and is there a take home message for human research in all of this work?

Host: Matthew J. Sorrentino, MD, FACC, FASH

Guest: Rick Stouffer, MD

Hemodynamic measurements are a crucial component of diagnosing patients with aortic stenosis and evaluating their need for valve replacement surgery. Dr. Rick Stouffer, Professor of Medicine and Cardiology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, underscores the value of hemodynamics in managing aortic stenosis, distinguishing critical disease from low-gradient or pseudo-aortic stenosis and cardiac dysfunction.

Host: Matthew J. Sorrentino, MD, FACC, FASH

Guest: Rick Stouffer, MD

Dr. Rick Stouffer and his collegues at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill have written a book entitled “Cardiovascular Hemodynamics for the Clinician” about using hemodynamic information for the diagnosis and management of cardiac disease. He will discuss the role of hemodynamics in assessing patients in both the cardiac catheterization laboratory and the intensive care unit.

Host: Bruce Japsen

Guest: Randal Mills, PhD

2008 was a watershed year for stem cell-based treatment, with the first product of this kind going before an FDA review for approval. Learn more from Randal Mills, PhD, chief executive officer of Osiris Therapeutics, as he unveils details of his company’s stem cell-based medicine with host Bruce Japsen. How might the submission of this medicine for FDA approval start us down the path toward an array of stem cell products?

Host: Bruce Japsen

Guest: Randal Mills, PhD

While politicians debate whether there should be federal funding of embryonic stem cells, they might be over-looking a key point: the fact that all of the momentum in stem cell research is not in cells derived from human embryos at all. Randal Mills, the chief executive officer of Osiris Therapeutics tells the Chicago Tribune's Bruce Japsen about how all of the major clinical research in the U.S. is in adult stem cells.

Host: Bruce Japsen

Guest: Randal Mills, PhD

The promise of stem cell research, once deemed a scientists' dream, has turned the corner into real marketed products and looks to soon be a multi-billion-dollar industry. Randal Mills, the chief executive officer of Osiris Therapeutics tells the Chicago Tribune's Bruce Japsen about stem cell products already on the market and how more are soon coming to physicians and their patients.

Host: Lee Freedman, MD

Guest: Aaron Baggish, MD

How close are we to tailoring exercise programs to patients based on their level of cardiac health? One study, conducted by Dr. Aaron Baggish, a cardiology fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital and the lead author of research published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, reveals the specific cardiac structure and function changes in a group of university aged athletes when comparing the effects of strength vs. endurance exercise. Your host, Dr. Lee Freedman, discusses with Dr. Baggish the variance observed in ventricular dilation, wall thickness, diastolic function, and other areas between the two groups, and the potential this study could have in the exam room.

Host: Larry Kaskel, MD

Guest: Jonathon Moreno, PhD

Host Dr. Larry Kaskel talks with medical ethicist and author Dr. Jonathon Moreno about uses of newer brain research in supporting our military. They discuss the impact of sleep deprivation, performance enhancing drugs and hallucinogens. They also consider the use of beta blockers to prevent or reduce the severity of PTSD.

Host: Bill Rutenberg, MD

Guest: Robert Wagner, MD

To date hospital reimbursement has not directly impacted staff physicians. According to Dr. Robert Wagner, CMO of Accretive Health, doctors may see changes in the near future that will impact their pay. In this segment, host Bill Rutenberg, MD learns what doctors can do to minimize this outcome.