Genetics

Host: Michael Benson, MD

Guest: J. Lee Nelson, MD

Rheumatoid Arthritis often improves during pregnancy. Why? Truth is stranger than fiction here as it appears that immunologically competent fetal cells leaking into the maternal circulation moderate the maternal immune response to "self."

Host: Laura Humphrey, PhD

Guest: Louis Cozolino, PhD

What happens to the brain as we age? Is there any way to manage or control the changing brain? Are there societal solutions to reverse the effects of an aging brain? Find out in this segment from Dr. Louis Cozolino as he shares his research, and thoughts on the aging brain.

Host: Paul Raeburn

Guest: Robert Park, PhD

Bob Park, a physicist with the University of Maryland, discusses what science can tell us about when life begins. A critical piece of the puzzle concerns what to do about stem cell research.

Host: Michael Benson, MD

Guest: Gregory Critchfield, MD, MS

In this segment, Dr. Critchfield shares aspects of the basic biology underlying the BRCA genes and their mutations, including carrier frequencies, modes of inheritance, and their relations specifically to colon, ovarian and breast cancer. The conversation concludes with a discussion on genetic testing limitations followed by patient selection recommendations for BRCA tests.

Host: Michael Benson, MD

Guest: Gregory Critchfield, MD, MS

In this segment, Dr. Critchfield provides an in-depth overview of BRCA genes 1 and 2, including their history of discovery, known functions, and types of mutations.

Host: Joel Heller, MD

Guest: Eugene Pergament, MD

Dr. Pergament discusses the increase in genetic testing in pre-implantation genetic testing. Dr. Pergament also explains stem cell research and why this can be beneficial for treatment of many diseases.

Host: Joel Heller, MD

Guest: Eugene Pergament, MD

Dr. Pergament discusses the past, present and future of genetic testing.

Host: Joel Heller, MD

Guest: Eugene Pergament, MD

Dr. Pergament discusses the current state of genetic screening, the role of family history and genetic testing in pregnancy.