As the obesity epidemic grows in the United States, the medical community is faced with the significant challenge of properly treating patients before complications such as heart disease arise. But, as obesity expert Louis Aronne, MD, explained, ongoing research into the endocannabinoid system shows promise in combating obesity and the associated cardiometabolic risks.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), or disease of the heart and blood vessels, continues to be a leading killer of men and women in the United States, accounting for close to 30 percent of all deaths annually. According to a leading researcher, CVD will remain a major cause of death unless Americans make a concerted effort to manage all of their risks.

Benjamin H. Lewis, MD, of the Columbia Presbyterian Center of New York-Presbyterian Hospital, has become the first cardiologist in New York State to receive accreditation from the Intersocietal Commission of Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories (ICAEL) for stress echocardiography, a noninvasive method of diagnosing cardiac disease.

Researchers at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University reported that mice which were administered a gene-based therapeutic agent to induce hair growth showed marked acceleration of the onset of new hair growth two weeks after treatment.

A promising new treatment protocol of Interleukin II (IL-2) is currently under development as an immune stimulant for HIV-positive individuals who have responded to medication but have not achieved recovery of their immune system. Pioneered by researchers at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, this low-dose, non-toxic regimen is now being investigated in clinical trials.

New York Weill Cornell Center of New York Presbyterian Hospital has become the first medical institution in the New York metropolitan area to provide hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery to patients afflicted with urologic disease of the kidney, ureter, and bladder.

Investigators have determined that moderate alcohol consumption by the elderly reduces the risk of the most common type of stroke.

Scientists have successfully used a new technique to identify the genetic mutation that causes sickle cell anemia. For the first time, preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) has resulted in the birth of healthy twin girls to a couple where both partners were carriers for the sickle cell trait.