News from NYU Langone Health
What Is Chronic Venous Insufficiency? What To Know About Trump’s Swollen Legs Diagnosis. (New York Post)
The (7/17) President Trump has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency following a comprehensive examination by the White House medical unit, which revealed mild swelling in his lower legs; Todd L. Berland, MD, clinical professor, Department of Surgery, Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, explained that chronic venous insufficiency results from damaged or weakened leg veins and can be hereditary, with noninvasive treatments like compression stockings and leg elevation often providing relief.
(7/17) Todd L. Berland, MD, clinical professor, Department of Surgery, Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, said, chronic venous insufficiency “has no overall effect on life expectancy. It’s a quality-of-life issue, not a quantity of life issue.”
(7/17) “All veins have delicate little one-way valves to keep the blood moving in the direction of the heart. As we stand and fight gravity all day, and certainly as we age, if we get a little obese or overweight, these are all things that predispose us to have weaker veins with leaky reflux in the valves,” said Thomas Maldonado, MD, the Schwartz Buckley Professor of Surgery, Department of Surgery, interim chief, Division of Vascular & Endovascular Surgery, Venous Thromboembolic Center.
(7/17) Thomas Maldonado, MD, the Schwartz Buckley Professor of Surgery, Department of Surgery, interim chief, Division of Vascular & Endovascular Surgery, Venous Thromboembolic Center, said, “What’s interesting about [chronic venous insufficiency] is that it runs the spectrum from very, very mild – where you might have a little bit of swelling, maybe a few varicose veins – to very severe, where you have very severe swelling, skin changes, hyperpigmentation, sort of fibrosis or leather appearance of the skin and even wounds.”
Also reporting are (7/18) and the (7/17).
A Child Walks Again Thanks To A New Treatment To Compensate For Coenzyme Q10 Deficiency. (Le Monde (FRA))
In French language coverage, (7/16) A team from NYU Langone Health, led by Michael E. Pacold, MD, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, Perlmutter 鶹Ƶapp Center and co-author of a study published in Nature, successfully administered a molecule that enabled an 8-year-old boy with a rare genetic disorder to synthesize a crucial enzyme, significantly improving his motor skills and endurance; the treatment, which involves the oral administration of the 4-HB molecule, was expedited following an emergency approval from the FDA, with Dr. Pacold stating, “He’s improving month by month,” while emphasizing the need for further clinical trials to confirm its efficacy beyond this single patient.
A translated version of the article is available upon request at news@nyulangone.org.
As Trump Pushes For Cane Sugar In Coca-Cola, Is It Really Better Than Corn Syrup? Experts Weigh In. (NBC News)
(7/18) President Trump claimed on Wednesday that Coca-Cola agreed to switch from high-fructose corn syrup to cane sugar, a claim unconfirmed by Coca-Cola, while Melanie R. Jay, MD, professor, Departments of Population Health, and Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine and Clinical Innovation, stated, “A 5% difference might mean that millions of people are getting less fructose, but it’s not like table sugar is a health food.”
New Transplant Techniques Keep Organ Donors’ Hearts Healthy – Even After They Stop Beating. (Science)
(7/16) Gaining consensus about an ethical way to proceed with NRP “will likely require more research investigating whether any blood actually flows to the brain during NRP,” according to Nader Moazami, MD, the George E. Reed Professor of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, and chief, Division of Heart and Lung Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support, who worries “that hypothetical discussions about ethics fail to address the realities faced by surgeons and patients waiting for transplants: ‘People are trying very hard to save as many lives as they can.’”
Health And Wellness For All: StartCare’s First Community Health Fair. (Amsterdam (NY) News)
The (7/17) NYU Langone Health participated in StartCare’s inaugural Health & Resource Fair in Harlem, where Sachin Sohal, MS, project assistant, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, discussed the Healthy Brain and Child Development Study, which explores newborn development in relation to maternal health and environmental factors over a decade.
Top 4 Orthopedic Residency Programs In 2025. (Becker's Hospital Review)
(7/17) The Doximity 2025-2026 Residency Navigator ranks NYU Grossman School of Medicine/NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital as the third top orthopedic residency program in the US, with a size of 70 residents.
Research Leaders Across New York State Form Empire State Cellular Therapy Consortium. (OncLive)
(7/17) NYU Langone Health, along with Roswell Park Comprehensive 鶹Ƶapp Center, University of Rochester Wilmot 鶹Ƶapp Institute, The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Weill Cornell Medicine, has joined the Empire State Cellular Therapy Consortium to advance cell and gene therapies for cancer and other diseases, leveraging Roswell Park’s GMP Engineering & Cell Manufacturing Facility for expanded resource access and clinical trials, with Jingmei Hsu, MD, associate professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Perlmutter 鶹Ƶapp Center, saying, “I have no doubt that, with the collective efforts of its members, this consortium will serve as a driving force for cutting-edge cell and gene therapy.”
Out Of Sight, Out Of Clinic: New Study About Kids With TBI. (Orthopedics This Week)
(7/17) A new study conducted by NYU Langone Health and Bellevue Hospital reveals that following discharge from trauma care, many children receive inadequate follow-up care, raising concerns about the post-emergency phase of their recovery.
FDA ODAC Votes Belantamab Mafodotin Risks Outweigh Benefits In Myeloma. (Targeted Oncology)
(7/17) The FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) voted against the favorable benefit-risk profile of belantamab mafodotin-based combinations for treating early relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, citing significant toxicity concerns despite strong efficacy data, with Neil Vasan, MD, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Perlmutter 鶹Ƶapp Center, stating, “This was a challenging decision because the efficacy data were strong but the toxicity data were also very strong,” and emphasizing the impact of dosage concerns on the decision.
(7/17) also reports.
Retailers Like Best Buy Are Divesting From Healthcare Offerings Following Stakeholder Wariness. (Healthcare Brew)
(7/16) Best Buy’s recent divestment from its hospital-at-home offering and restructuring of its health business, including the sale of Current Health back to its co-founder Christopher McGhee, reflects challenges faced by retail giants entering healthcare, as evidenced by a Q4 $475 million goodwill impairment charge and a 16% stock drop, with Current Health having partnered with major systems like NYU Langone Health and treated over 70,000 patients.
51 Healthcare Leaders’ Takes On Doing More With Less. (Becker's Hospital Review)
(7/17) Nader Mherabi, executive vice president, vice dean, Chief Digital and Information Officer, and adjunct professor, Information Technology, said, “Our commitment to putting patients first drives every technology decision we make – ensuring that innovation eliminates barriers and creates seamless access to the exceptional care our teams provide,” as the institution enhances patient navigation through its MyChart platform by integrating automated notifications and real-time rescheduling capabilities, allowing patients to reschedule appointments easily and improving appointment utilization and patient satisfaction, which enables clinical teams to focus on care rather than scheduling logistics, thereby serving more patients efficiently.
Mouth Feel Like It’s On Fire? Here’s How To Relieve The Pain Fast. (Women's World Magazine)
(7/17) Grigoriy E. Gurvits, MD, professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, discussed burning mouth syndrome (BMS), a condition characterized by a persistent burning sensation in the mouth without visible cause, common in menopausal and postmenopausal women, and noted that it involves symptoms such as pain, dry mouth, and altered taste, and can worsen at night; he suggested strategies for relief, including chewing gum to increase saliva production, using a tongue protector, and a combination of Neurontin and alpha-lipoic acid, while emphasizing that hormone replacement therapy is generally ineffective for BMS.
Are We Just Mice With Culture? An Austria Lab Is Probing Live Human Brain Cells. (ThePrint (IND))
(IND) (7/18) Research from the Jonas lab offers a rare look at living human brain cells, providing insights not replicable in animal studies, as György Buzsáki, MD, PhD, the Biggs Professor of Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, and professor, Department of Neurology, suggests humans may not be as biologically unique as believed; he said, “When you make a decision, your entire lifetime and life experience is that action,” emphasizing the role of subconscious processes.
Heat Slowing You Down? Use These Strategies To Train For Your Next Race Straight Through Summer. (Runner's World)
(7/17) Heather A. Milton, MS, RCEP, CSCS, exercise physiologist supervisor, Sports Performance Center, discusses the challenges of training for marathons in hot weather, emphasizing the importance of monitoring running intensity to prevent overheating, as high temperatures can significantly affect heart rate and perceived exertion, necessitating adjustments in pace and training strategies such as running indoors or adjusting workout times for safety.
It’s Not Only Normal To Enter Perimenopause In Your 30s – It May Be More Common Than Even Doctors Realized. (Women's Health)
(7/17) Samantha M. Dunham, MD, clinical associate professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Center for Midlife Health and Menopause, highlights the complexity of menopause terminology and emphasizes the importance of specialized programs, noting that “menopause refers to the time when ovulation has ceased 12 consecutive months prior.”
News from NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island
Surgeon And Skin 鶹Ƶapp Survivor Discusses Sun Safety. (News 12-TV Bronx (NY))
(7/17) Nicole M. Golbari, MD, MPH, clinical assistant professor, Department of Medicine—Long Island, a skin cancer survivor, discussed the concerning increase in skin cancer rates, predicting over 200,000 new melanoma cases in the United States in 2025, attributing this rise to factors such as increased sun exposure during childhood, insufficient sunscreen use, and environmental influences, and advised patients to incorporate daily sunscreen application into their routine, emphasizing its importance even on cloudy days and while in a car, to protect against UV damage.
Decline In US Kids’ Health Seen By LI Families, Docs. (Newsday (NY))
(7/18) A study published in JAMA reveals a decline in American children’s mental and physical health, with increased rates of conditions such as obesity, anxiety, and autism, prompting researchers to investigate causes like screen time and chemical exposure, while Sara Siddiqui, MD, clinical assistant professor, Department of Pediatrics—Long Island, said the trend is unsurprising given her observations; she expressed hope for more resources and research, and the study also indicates disparities in health outcomes influenced by socioeconomic factors, with obesity rates rising among low-income children, and better diagnosis rates for autism offering some optimism for improved services.
