Weill Cornell Medicine

From fatigue and weight gain to brain fog and poor sleep, cortisol gets blamed for so much. But what’s the real story for your health? Cortisol isn't the villain it's often portrayed as online. Cortisol, your body's primary "stress hormone" produced by the adrenal glands sitting on top of your kidneys, plays an essential role in helping the body function normally. It's necessary for regulating metabolism, managing your body's stress response (the "fight-or-flight" mechanism), controlling blood sugar levels, and reducing inflammation. Cortisol disorders are relatively rare, and many symptoms commonly attributed to "high cortisol" may be related to sleep, stress, medications, menopause, diet, or other health conditions. A rising trend is the use of at-home cortisol tests and "cortisol detoxes." However, doctors caution that these methods can be misleading and may divert attention from more significant health factors. Here's What We Know: - Focusing on cortisol "fixes" can distract from things within our control, such as improving sleep, managing stress, staying physically active, and eating a balanced diet. - Cortisol isn't the villain it's often portrayed as online. If you have concerns about your cortisol levels or adrenal health, talk to your doctor to determine whether testing is needed and next steps. #cortisol #stress #womenshealth

A new AI-based method shows promise in helping doctors assess the severity of a form of blood cancer called myelodysplastic neoplasms (MDS). The method compares the physical location, size, and shape of every hematopoietic cell in the patient’s bone marrow sample with those in healthy bone marrow and generates a score that reflects disease severity. Building on their previous work using AI to develop more detailed images of human bone marrow, Weill Cornell Medicine's Dr. Sanjay S. Patel, M.D., M.Sc., M.P.H., and his collaborator Dr. David Redmond developed a new method using fully deidentified patient samples that may provide more clarity for patients with MDS and their physicians. The next step will be to validate the tool in larger cohorts of patient samples and determine whether its use improves patient care. Dr. Patel and Dr. Redmond will team up with colleague Dr. Pinkal Desai to study how the tool performs on samples from patients with other forms of MDS and increasingly recognized precursor conditions. Full story: https://bit.ly/4pwWe1v

This weekend, our Emergency Medicine department threw a Summer Health and Safety community event at St. Catherine's Park! The team shared tips on bicycle, grilling, and swimming safety tips, as well as led hands-on science and nutrition demonstrations. Thank you, team! Rahul Sharma, MD, MBA, FACEP Michael Alfonzo Emilee Nawa, M.S., PA-C Beth Tancredi Chunn Justine Ko Lindsay Cayne Gaurav Ghosh Carolyn Newberry

A pair of new studies demonstrate progress in developing patient-derived tumor organoids for preclinical research. The advances also point to more routine use of tumor organoids to evaluate and optimize cancer treatments. Organoids are three-dimensional clumps of cells that mimic structural and functional features of an organ, tumor, or other tissue. In one of the new studies, researchers from the Englander Institute for Precision Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine developed a library of 220 organoids grown from patients’ tumors obtained with informed consent. Scientists led by Dr. M. Laura Martin, Dr. Andrea Sboner and Dr. Juan Miguel Mosquera showed that these tumor organoids retained key characteristics of the parent tumors over extended periods and showed promise in helping to identify certain drug treatments. In the other study, researchers developed lung tumor organoids that include T cells and other elements of the tumor’s immune environment—known to be a big factor in treatment responses. “The main takeaway from these studies is that patient-derived tumor organoids are becoming very useful tools for precision oncology,” said Dr. Martin. Full story: https://bit.ly/44FrC4g

Weill Cornell Medicine has received a $2.5 million, three-year grant to develop therapies with fewer side effects for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat breast cancers. The highly competitive U.S. Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program Breakthrough Award supports innovative projects with strong potential to transform breast cancer treatment. Weill Cornell Medicine's Dr. Xiaojing Ma is working with Dr. Gang Lin to develop first-in-class drugs targeting the protein UBR5, which is frequently overproduced in aggressive breast cancers and several other difficult-to-treat malignancies. Full story: https://bit.ly/4aUZvBE

What if your immune system could be trained to help treat cancer? Immunotherapy is a treatment that triggers the body's immune system to recognize and respond to cancer. Clinical trials play a key role in advancing immunotherapy. They help researchers test new approaches, improve existing treatments, and better understand how these therapies work for different patients. They also help doctors track how treatments are working and adjust care over time to improve outcomes. Here's what clinical trials tell us about immunotherapy: - May help slow or prevent the spread of cancer in some cases. - Can help shrink tumors. - May improve quality of life and reduce symptoms for some patients. Because of findings from clinical trials, immunotherapy is now sometimes the first treatment used for melanoma, lung cancer, kidney cancer, and some advanced skin cancers. Learn more about immunotherapy clinical trials here: https://bit.ly/4gDd8ZL #clinicaltrials #cancertreatment #immunotherapy #cancerresearch

You may have seen memes about the stomach bug that’s sweeping the country, causing explosive diarrhea. This severe illness is called Cyclosporiasis. It’s caused by a parasite called Cyclospora cayetanensis, found in contaminated food or water. Without treatment, symptoms can last for weeks or months. Anyone can get it. Cyclospora is most often linked to eating contaminated fresh imported produce, including: • Leafy greens • Bagged salads • Cilantro • Parsley • Snow and sweet peas • Basil • Raspberries Symptoms can start about one week after exposure and can last for weeks or even months without treatment. Common symptoms include: • Watery diarrhea • Nausea • Stomach cramps • Fatigue • Loss of appetite • Weight loss How to protect yourself: • Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water • Wash your hands with soap and water before eating and preparing food • Cook produce to at least 158 degrees Fahrenheit when possible • Stay informed about food recalls and outbreak alerts If diagnosed, cyclosporiasis can be treated with prescription antibiotics. If you have ongoing diarrhea or signs of dehydration, contact your doctor or visit the emergency room. Children and older adults with weakened immune systems may be at higher risk for severe illness. Food safety starts with awareness. Save and share this post to help others stay safe this summer.