Science Correspondent

Most American parents take it for granted that their children will be able to avoid serious infectious diseases, but recent outbreaks of measles in New York City and in other parts of the country have brought the issue of infectious disease prevention via vaccination to the forefront. Because of misinformation and unfounded suggestions of a link between vaccination and autism, some parents have decided to forgo vaccinating their children. The unvaccinated children are at risk of developing diseases that are now rarely seen in the United States, and they put other individuals at risk as well.

At a recent program sponsored by the Parenting Center at the YM-YWHA of North Jersey in Wayne, pediatrician Dr. Vera Bennett spoke about childhood vaccines, addressing some of the controversies related to the topic.

"We can now vaccinate against 16 preventable diseases," reported Bennett, whose practice, Pediatric Multicare, is in Pompton Lakes. As an example of an effective vaccine program, Bennett said, "We don’t vaccinate against smallpox because we’ve gotten rid of it [through worldwide vaccination programs]. Before the vaccine there were 13,000 to 20,000 cases of smallpox in the United States each year."

In 2004, Englewood resident Dr. Ariela Noy, an attractive, vivacious mother of three, went for a routine gynecologic exam. "I had a ‘before’ in my life, and an ‘after’ in my life," she said of how her life changed on that day. On Jan. 17, 2005, she received an e-mail message from her oncologist colleague, who wrote, "Your test results are in. You want to come by and chat?" A physical exam the previous November revealed the presence of uterine fibroids, common growths that are usually benign. But genetic testing also revealed that Noy was BRCA positive, that is, she carried a mutant BRCA2 gene. Noy, a physician at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, understood the implications of that all too well.

She was 40, and her genetic test results meant that she already had a 10 percent chance of having breast cancer. She had a 2 percent chance of having ovarian cancer by age 50. Even if she were cancer-free at that point, she could anticipate a 20 percent chance of ovarian cancer and a 40 to 60 percent chance of breast cancer by age 70.

Don’t scare the children – teach them Handwashing 101

I have seen MRSA in my office become more of an issue, just in the last year," reported dermatologist Marcy Goldstein, referring to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a bacterial infection that has been recently reported to have caused the death of a middle-school student in Brooklyn.

"Everyone gets it, it’s not just kids," Goldstein continued. "It runs the gamut. It is not just in immuno-compromised people. It’s become a much bigger issue than it was." Goldstein, a Teaneck resident with a Paramus-based medical practice, confirmed what the media have been reporting over the past few months: There are significantly more cases of infection with MRSA in the general population. An Oct. 17 article in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that the disease is no longer confined to hospitals and other health-care institutions. In fact, more than 40 teachers and students in New Jersey schools have been diagnosed with MRSA since September.

Science correspondent

Walter Isaacson, author of the new book "Einstein, His Life and Universe," speaks about Albert Einstein as if he were a beloved family member. He’s come to know Einstein through years of research into Einstein’s life, writings, creative processes, and scientific accomplishments. Isaacson’s book reveals the deep connection Einstein had to his Jewish roots, as well as his belief in God as a Creator. But the author also acknowledges that he himself was influenced by learning of Einstein’s depth of belief and pride in his Jewish heritage. "I’ve always been proud of my Jewish heritage," he told The Jewish Standard. "I know that my father and grandfather both worshipped Einstein." But Einstein’s Jewish affinity "made me feel a closer kinship of my own, because I felt so warm about the way Einstein embraced his Jewish heritage."

A profile of Yeshiva College Dean David Srolovitz

From Yeshiva College in New York to Princeton, N.J., to Israel and as far away as Singapore, Dr. David Srolovitz combines hard science, academic administration, and education with his modern Orthodox lifestyle. Srolovitz does not fit the stereotype of a typical engineer. Although he has a doctorate in materials science and engineering and chaired Princeton’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, last year he undertook a new challenge, as dean of Yeshiva College — a job that requires him to consider all the liberal arts subjects in the undergraduate curriculum. For an engineer, he is surprisingly easy to understand; he has a lot to say about his research, how to educate undergraduate students, and the Jewish community.

Author to speak locally on neuroplasticity

Science correspondent

Science correspondent

Embryonic stem cell research has generated much discussion worldwide despite the fact that it has not yet yielded concrete applications for human therapy. Gov. Jon Corzine signed legislation two months ago authorizing $270 million towards human embryonic stem cell research in New Jersey. This has opened up many doors to scientific breakthroughs and also stimulated much new discussion on the controversial topic. In response to the New Jersey legislation, Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, is presenting a program to address the latest breakthroughs and controversies in stem cell research. A Hadassah Young Leaders event, scheduled for March 15 at the Montclair Art Museum, will tackle the issues generated by this provocative technology.

Barry Schindler, of Mountain Lakes, a patent attorney with Greenberg Traurig, LLP, which supports firms pursuing stem cell research, will speak about the legal barriers. He will be joined by Dr. Gary Friedman, a nephrologists, transplant specialist, and founding trustee of the New Jersey Stem Cell Research and Education Foundation, who will talk about therapeutic applications of the technology.

On her first trip to Israel, Ridgewood resident Michelle Kortenaar learned how to turn a human ear into a radio speaker. And when she returned to New Jersey, she brought that skill, and many other novel science teaching strategies, back to her physics and biology classes at the Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union in West Orange. She learned the unique approaches to hands-on science teaching at a summer institute for teachers sponsored by the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel.

"Every single day I came back to my room having changed my way of thinking about teaching," said Kortenaar, recalling her experiences during the 10-day Schwartz International Leading Science Teachers’ Seminar. She attended the seminar together with 10 other North American teachers and nine Israeli high school teachers. "The sessions were extremely practical. I’ve come back with many things that I’ve been able to implement in my class this year."

PARAMUS – There’s finally some good news for women about cancer, specifically, cancer of the cervix. That dreaded disease — the second most common cause of death from cancer (after breast cancer) worldwide — is caused by the HPV virus, and now a new vaccine is available that is virtually 100 percent effective in preventing HPV infection and cervical cancer.

"There are 10,000 cases diagnosed annually [in the U.S], and 10 women die each day of cervical cancer," according to Dr. Gara Sommers, a gynecologic oncologist at Valley Hospital in Paramus and Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck, who spoke on Nov. 21 at the JCC here on behalf of the Paramus Bat-Sheva chapter of Hadassah. The topic — "HPV, its relationship to cervical cancer, and the new vaccine, Gardisil" — was intended to introduce and explain what Sommers described as "a phenomenal breakthrough in my subspecialty."

Local medical centers provide services in the areas of prenatal, pediatric, and cancer genetics. For prenatal and cancer genetic services, board-certified genetic counselors are on staff and they consult with patients, arrange testing, provide counseling, discuss options, and make recommendations. Hospitals with pediatric genetic services typically also employ pediatricians/geneticists who examine, diagnose, recommend testing, and treat youngsters.

Prenatal and cancer genetic counseling services are available at...