Our Lab Earns "Mark of Excellence" from the Committee on Lab Accreditation (COLA).

Our lab Technical Supervisor, Terri Bissonette, and technologists Jean Narod and Cathy DeMaio won a score of 98.19% on our biennial survey. Join us in offering congratulations to the lab team!

New Technology:

As part of our ongoing effort to enhance our services to you, we have purchased a new computerized spirometer, which helps diagnose and manage respiratory diseases.

And You Should Know:

many patients have been happy to learn that every time we write or renew a prescription, our computer system checks for interactions against a database that’s updated every 90 days. Of course it works best if you tell us every medication you take! When we see you, please let us know of any changes any practitioner has made.

Too Much Vitamin A Raises Fracture Risk

is the conclusion of a report in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Dr. Karl Michaelsson and colleagues at University Hospital in Uppsala, Sweden studied 2322 men 49-51. Those with the highest blood levels of vitamin A had the greatest risk of hip fracture. Previous reports had shown the same trend in women. An accompanying editorial concludes that supplements containing vitamin A should not be routinely used by men or women.

CRP for Heart Risk:

Many of you have asked about a recent report in NEJM that C-Reactive Protein (CRP) predicts heart risk as well or better than cholesterol. There is building evidence that inflammation is involved in atherosclerosis (clogging of arteries); CRP is a marker of inflammation; but it "doesn’t care" what causes the inflammation – infection, arthritis or heart disease. It usually takes several levels to accurately assess risk in individual patients. We will use CRP in patients with known vascular disease until it’s clearer how it can be used to screen patients with no known disease. The good news is that the same medications used to treat cholesterol also lower CRP.

by improving insulin sensitivity. Dr. Michael Davies of the Beltsville (Md) Human Nutrition Research Center and colleagues studied 51 middle-aged women. Impaired insulin sensitivity has been linked to central obesity - the "apple" body type.

The multinational 33,000+ patient Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial found that simple "water pills," thiazide diuretics (chlorthalidone) work the best for initial therapy. The 6 year heart attack or heart death rate was nearly identical for patients on diuretic, amlodipine (Norvasc), and for lisinopril (Zestril, Prinivil). Diuretics generally led to lower blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.

More Winners!

Ok, ok, I know it’s been a while since we acknowledged the winners of our special ongoing colon cancer screening contest. Every month we select one winner from all those who get their screening cards in on time, for 2 Hollywood Video rentals. Our latest winners are: Joan Powell, Judy Kamlet, Gloria martin, Elaine Gaffney, and Lucy Bucello. Our year end winner for 2002, drawn from all patients who participated, was Carmella Slattery. Aldo Massimi is our January 2003 winner.