HJNO Nov/Dec 2021

30 NOV / DEC 2021  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS   Healthcare Briefs NewRx Combination Inhibited Glioblastoma Multiforme Tumor Growth A study led by Nicolas Bazan, MD, PhD, Boyd professor and director of LSU Health New Orleans Neuroscience Center of Excellence, reports that in an experimental model of glioblastoma mul- tiforme (GBM), a combination of approved and novel therapeutics improved survival and reduced tumor volume and growth. Results are published online in Frontiers in Pharmacology . The research team tested three therapeutics, alone and in combination — Avastin (a monoclo- nal antibody that inhibits the growth of new blood vessels approved in 2008 to treat GBM), LAU-0901 (a synthetic molecule that blocks pro-inflamma- tory platelet-activating factor) and Elovanoids (a novel class of lipid mediators or bioactive chem- ical messengers that are released in response to cell injury or when cells are confronted with adver- sities for survival). Bazan’s lab discovered both LAU-0901 and Elovanoids. “We have shown here that in combination, LAU- 0901/Avastin, ELV/LAU-0901 or ELV/Avastin had a synergistic effect in decreasing tumor growth by 69, 79 and 89%, respectively,” said Bazan. “We concluded that LAU-0901 and ELV combined with Avastin exert a more potent inhibition of glioblas- toma multiforme progression than monotherapy. To our knowledge, this is the first study that dem- onstrates the efficacy of these novel therapeutic regimens in a model of glioblastoma multiforme and may provide the basis for future therapeutics in patients with GBM.” This new treatment approach targets not only angiogenesis (the formation of new blood ves- sels) but also inflammation and oxidative stress. All three are actively involved in the development and progression of this deadly cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, glioblastoma multiforme is a fast-growing type of central nervous system tumor that forms from glial (supportive) tissue of the brain and spinal cord and has cells that look very different from normal cells. Glioblastoma multiforme usually occurs in adults and affects the brain more often than the spinal cord. Co-author Ludmila Belayev, MD, LSU Health New Orleans professor of neurosurgery, neu- rology and neuroscience, said, “Glioblastoma multiforme has a poor prognosis and low survival rate. The current standard of care for GBM is che- motherapy combined with radiation following sur- gical intervention, altogether with limited efficacy, since survival averages 18 months.” “The development of effective GBM therapy presents several challenges,” Bazan explained. “These tumors are not only genetically unstable but can differ among patients and also contain different cancer cells within the same tumor. A multipronged approach that targets key signal- ing pathways, specifically angiogenesis, inflam- mation, and oxidative stress pathways, may open new therapeutic avenues. Our results showing that LAU-0901 and ELV increase the effective- ness of Avastin offer a strategy that may ultimately improve clinical outcomes in patients with GBM.” Patent Issued to LSUHealth, Inventors for Tracking Surgical Headlight / Camera System US Patent 11,085,611 has been issued for a medical device that sheds new light on surgical procedures. Rohan Walvekar, MD, professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, and Jin-Woo Choi, PhD, professor of electrical and computer engineering at LSU, invented a surgical headlight that automatically tracks to the surgical field of interest with a positional indicator, elimi- nating the need to manually adjust the headlamp when it has moved out of position. “Surgical procedures require strong and con- stant illumination,” said Walvekar. “Current lamp systems for the surgical theater are typi- cally immobile and, therefore, once adjusted to a fixed point, cannot be moved unless they are manually readjusted. Fixed lighting systems may also result in blocking of the light by, for exam- ple, a member of the surgical team such that the work area requiring the light is now in shadow.” The position-adaptive lighting system com- prises a pan/tilt adjustable housing enclosing a digital imaging system and a lens module that is operably connected to a computer-based digi- tal control unit, a lamp and a position indicator detectable by the digital camera system and the computer-based digital control unit. The tracking light can be attached to a headpiece or mounted on a floor stand. This innovation not only saves time but also reduces the risk of infection. Manual readjustment of a headlamp breaks the sterile field necessitat- ing re-sterilization or fine-tuning if an assistant performed the adjustment. The idea came to Walvekar following a surgi- cal case. “It was a few years back when I was working on a long cancer case, having had to adjust my head- light several times,” he recalled. “I thought, there has got to be a better way to do this!” Besides surgeries, the technology has a host of other medical and commercial applications. It could be valuable for non-healthcare commer- cial applications such as in mining, archeology — essentially any process where directing light to a point of focus in a dynamic fashion could be valuable. For instance, the invention encom- passes the concept that if we were to create a small tracking attachment that could be fixed on to, for example, a surgical instrument, then the adaptive light would be able to follow the move- ments of the instrument. “Companies that make cameras could use this technology to automate their cameras to follow an external tracker,” said Walvekar. “Think of a selfie stick — currently, it’s not dynamic; now it could be!” Nursing Coalition Announces New Leadership The Louisiana Action Coalition announced that the Louisiana Council of Administrators of Nurs- ing Education (LACANE) will be its new leader alongside AARP Louisiana to advance the nursing profession to meet healthcare challenges ahead. Lisa Hawthorne, MD, director of nursing for Louisiana State University at Eunice, will represent LACANE and will provide leadership and strate- gic direction to the coalition in her executive role. A certified public health nurse and nurse instruc- tor, Hawthorne holds a Ph. D. in Nursing from the University of San Diego and a Master of Science in Nursing and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Phoenix. “Nurses make up the largest component of the healthcare workforce in Louisiana, and we are proud to have the state’s colleges and uni- versities lead the way to advance nursing educa- tion and practice to transform healthcare,” said