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Lise Worthen-Chaudhari works with Brad Burns in the high-tech motion lab at Ohio State’s Medical Center. The lab uses 3-D computer graphics to study patients’ movements and then uses that information to help them restore or improve their mobility. The lab is the only one of its kind in central Ohio. |
In Motion
Rehabilitation physicians and researchers at The Ohio State University Medical Center are the first in central Ohio and one of a few regionally to incorporate the use of 3-D computer graphics to study human movement to provide more personalized treatment for patients.
The rehabilitation team photographs a patient’s limb and body movements and the energy put forth during walking or simulated work activities using a series of cameras and reflectors attached to critical locations on the body. The high-speed cameras monitor and record movement, and a simulation is created using 3-D technology.
This diagnostic analysis allows the staff to provide care to a variety of patients, including amputees with prosthetic needs and others with paralysis or movement disorders resulting from stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy and Parkinson’s disease. It is also beneficial in measuring a patient’s ability and readiness to return to work.
Outside the Box
A pilot study by researchers at Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute found that a blood test that screens for microRNAs (very small molecules that regulate the proteins made by cells) can reliably detect ovarian cancer, even among patients who test negative for the deadly disease with the widely used CA-125 blood test.
The study of 28 ovarian cancer patients and 15 cancer-free women found that patients who have ovarian cancer have a certain pattern of miRNAs in their blood that is similar to the pattern of miRNAs found in the tumors from patients with ovarian cancer. The control group without ovarian cancer lacked this specific pattern of miRNAs.
“Further study is needed, but we are hoping that one day this could become a standard screening test for ovarian cancer, similar to the PSA screening now routinely offered for men to detect prostate cancer,” says David Cohn, MD, a gynecologic oncologist and researcher at Ohio State. “But just like any test, we must validate it in larger studies, so such a test is years away from being commercially available on the market.”
Early Intervention
New research led by Mark Landon, MD, an Obstetrics and Gynecology specialist, demonstrates the importance of treating pregnant women with even the mildest forms of gestational diabetes to reduce healthcare risks for both infants and mothers.
In most cases of gestational diabetes, the diabetes does not persist after pregnancy. However, these women have a higher chance of being diagnosed with adult onset diabetes later in life.
Women who received treatment were half as likely to deliver babies with excess body fat and half as likely to experience shoulder dystocia at birth, which occurs when a baby’s shoulders are caught in the mom’s pelvis after the infant’s head is already delivered. The women with treatment also had fewer cesarean deliveries and less occurrence of preeclampsia, or hypertensive (high blood pressure) disorders during pregnancy.
News in Brief
Free Clinic
Muslim physicians and healthcare professionals have opened a free medical clinic available to people of all faiths. The Noor Community Clinic for economically disadvantaged families is located at the OSU Rardin Family Practice Center, 2231 N. High St., and is open from 5 to 9 p.m. each Wednesday. The clinic is staffed by physicians, healthcare professionals and medical students from The Ohio State University College of Medicine and is affiliated with the Muslim Clinic of Ohio. For information about scheduling an appointment, call 1-800-293-5123.
Learn more about free and reduced-cost clinics in Columbus.
Translated Materials
A number of Ohio State University Medical Center Web pages have been translated into other languages as an additional communication resource for Limited English Proficient patients, visitors and families. Maps and other documents are now provided in Chinese, Russian, Somali and Spanish. Click here to view these Web pages.