Casual smokers may think that smoking a few cigarettes a week is "no big deal." But according to new research from physician-scientists at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, having an infrequent smoke, or being exposed to secondhand smoke, may be doing more harm than people may think. The findings may further support public smoking bans, say the authors.

NewYork-Presbyterian has created a new careers and nursing website to recruit the best and brightest for a wide range of clinical and non-clinical positions. The innovative site simplifies the process of searching and applying for a job, while featuring the real stories of Hospital employees.

Underscoring what researchers call a serious global public health concern, results from a new study led by Columbia University Medical Center reveals that many women at an elevated level of risk for osteoporosis-associated fractures fail to perceive the implications of the risk factors.

With childhood asthma rates in Northern Manhattan four times the national average, the Ambulatory Care Network at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital partnered with the community of Washington Heights/Inwood to initiate the Washington-Heights Inwood Network (WIN) for Asthma program. The program began in May 2006 to improve outcomes for children with poorly controlled asthma by providing culturally relevant asthma education. To date, Community Health Workers have enrolled 400 families. Families who completed the one-year program reported a greater than 50 percent drop in emergency room visits, a greater than 50 percent drop in hospitalization and a 30 percent drop in school absenteeism. Caregivers also reported that they were significantly more confident in caring and controlling their child's asthma after participating in the program.

An investigational intervention using naturally occurring antibodies in human blood has preserved the thinking abilities of a group of mild- to moderate-stage Alzheimer's patients over 18 months and significantly reduced the rate of atrophy (shrinkage) of their brains, according to a study performed at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. These and other findings from the Phase II clinical trial of GAMMAGARD LIQUID and GAMMAGARD S/D Immune Globulin Intravenous (Human) (IGIV) for Alzheimer's disease (AD) were presented today at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) meeting in Toronto.

Few treatments are available to help obese adolescents who are unable to lose weight and are already suffering from obesity-related health problems. Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB), an option for adults in the United States since 2001, is showing promise for teens. The Center for Adolescent Bariatric Surgery, which opened at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital in 2006, recently performed its 100th LAGB procedure.

Dr. Joseph J. Fins has been elected president of the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities (ASBH) in recognition of his major contributions to bioethics and broad expertise in the field. He will assume the presidency in 2011, when he will begin a two-year term. Dr. Fins is chief of the Division of Medical Ethics in the Departments of Public Health and Medicine and professor of medicine, professor of public health and professor of medicine in psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College. He is also director of medical ethics at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and chairs its ethics committee.

The risk for heart-related death is increasing in young adults ages 35 to 54, and the numbers are even more alarming for younger women. It is the number-one cause of death for both men and women in the United States, yet every year since 1984 more women have died of cardiovascular health problems than men, according to the American Heart Association.