HJNO Jul/Aug 2019

32 JUL / AUG 2019  I  Healthcare Journal of New Orleans   Healthcare Briefs Medicine, has identified a target that may lead to the development of new treatments for the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S.—chlamydia. The results are published this month online in PNAS.            Chlamydia is caused by infection with Chla- mydia trachomatis bacteria. It can affect both the urogenital tract and the eyes. If untreated, the outcome of both ocular and genital infections can be severe. Ocular Chlamydia infections are the leading cause of infectious blindness, and geni- tal infections can lead to infertility. The health of infants born vaginally to infected mothers is also often severely compromised.  Chlamydia trachomatis bacteria need the essential amino acid, tryptophan, to survive. They are dependent upon their host cells, or the micro- biome, to provide it. Genital Chlamydia strains have a unique mechanism to avoid tryptophan starvation. By conditionally making an enzyme called tryptophan synthase, they can use a mol- ecule called indole, which is sometimes made by the genital microbiome, to make tryptophan. Ocular strains make an inactive version of tryp- tophan synthase or have lost the gene for the enzyme entirely. The goal of this research was to discover why ocular Chlamydia no longer make an active tryptophan synthase. Dr. CraigWalker Gathers International Team for Cardiovascular Care Conference Dr. Craig Walker, interventional cardiologist, president and founder of Cardiovascular Insti- tute of the South (CIS) and the New Cardiovas- cular Horizons (NCVH) conference, celebrated the conference’s 20th anniversary during this year’s gathering. NCVH is an international, multispe- cialty, educational conference which highlights excellence in vascular medicine and intervention. The conference originated from a desire to improve healthcare for patients with periph- eral vascular disorders and to establish the link between these disorders and overall cardiovas- cular mortality. From inception, the message of NCVH is that peripheral vascular disorders are extremely prevalent and deserve far more atten- tion than they have historically received. Since its beginning, NCVH has hosted conferences in Latin America (Colombia, Costa Rica), Asia (Beijing, China), and throughout the United States (Mobile, Birmingham, San Antonio, Memphis, Atlantic City, Detroit, Tucson, Redding, St. Louis, Miami, Orlando, Hattiesburg, Philadelphia, Aus- tin, Minneapolis, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Shreve- port, Salt Lake City). One of the unique aspects of the conference is that it transmitted more than 30 live and com- plex cases performed by some of the world’s best interventionists from locations across the globe, including Germany, Italy, and others. The confer- ence also featured hands-on learning labs, PAD forums with leaders of the industry, a critical limb summit, venous disease forums, sessions explor- ing the new frontier of vascular interventions, a healthcare professional forum, and podiatry and wound care sessions. There was also a general session on the gender and racial disparities in treating PAD. What’s Next Boomer Business SummHeld in NewOrleans Mary Furlong and Associates put the spotlight on the thought leaders and entrepreneurs in the $7.6 trillion longevity economy by announcing this year’s Leadership Longevity Award winners and showcasing the four finalists in the What’s Next Innovation Challenge at the 16thannual What’s Next Boomer Business Summit conference held at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans. Leadership Longevity Awards were presented to Dr. Charlotte Yeh, chief medical officer of AARP Services Inc.; Paul DiCosmo, CEO of StateServ; Jack York, founder/CEO of It’s Never Too Late; Ted Fischer, founder/CEO of Ageless Innovation; and Gary Calligas, publisher and radio show host, “The Best of Times.” The award for best media campaign was presented to Jill Lesser, president of WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s, who won for its “Be Brain Powerful” awareness and advocacy campaign on women, brain health, and Alzheim- er’s disease. The Greg O’Neill Vision and Integrity Award, newly named this year for the late GSA execu- tive and innovator, was awarded to Susan Mori- sato, president of UnitedHealthcare Insurance Solutions, for her support of the nearly five mil- lion seniors in its MedicareAdvantage plans nationwide. In addition, the four finalists in the What’s Next Innovation Challenge competition included Intu- ition Robotics, Livpact Inc., Loro, and Briocare. The finalists took center stage at the conference to demonstrate how they can improve social con- nections and empower older adults to live engag- ing and purposeful lives using artificial intelli- gence and home-based digital voice assistants known as Voice First technology. Ochsner Precision Cancer Therapies ProgramCo-Presents Interim Strata Trial Data The Ochsner Precision Cancer Therapies Pro- gram (PCTP) and Strata Oncology, Inc., a preci- sion oncology company, is co-presenting data from the Strata Trial—a nationwide observational next-generation sequencing screening protocol providing no-cost tumor sequencing and clini- cal trial matching for 100,000 advanced cancer patients—at the 2019 American Society of Clin- ical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, taking place in Chicago through June 4. “The Strata Trial enables routine genomic test- ing for advanced cancer patients at Ochsner, which has opened an array of options for tar- geted treatment, as well as enrollment in preci- sion medicine clinical trials available at our can- cer center,” said Marc Matrana, MD, MSc, FACP, medical director of the Ochsner PCTP and senior medical oncologist at the Gayle and Tom Benson Cancer Center. For more information about the Ochsner Pre- cision Cancer Therapies Program, and to learn more about the Early Phase Trials being con- ducted at Ochsner, call (888) 995-7405. Free Training Awards CME Credits to Physicians in Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder Louisiana physicians are encouraged to register now to become buprenorphine-waivered to treat Opioid-Use Disorder (OUD) through one of three online educational courses offered by Louisiana Healthcare Connections. There is no cost to participate in the training. Physicians who complete it will receive Continu- ing Medical Education (CME) credits, a copy of the ASAM National Practice Guidelines, a