A self-collected test for human papilloma virus (HPV) is as sensitive as Pap smears in screening for cancerous and pre-cancerous lesions of the cervix, according to researchers at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons. Because it is simpler than a Pap smear, self-administered HPV testing could help increase the number of women screened for cervical cancer in both the developed and developing worlds.

For the more 350,000 American organ transplant recipients, the risk of skin cancer is many times greater than for everyone else. A new skin clinic for organ transplant recipients at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, a first of its kind for New York State, offers skin cancer screening, education and treatments specially designed for these patients.

New information published this week in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, from the landmark AFCAPS/TexCAPS study of lovastatin (Mevacor), suggests that low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C, the "bad" cholesterol) is not the best predictor of risk for a major coronary event in generally healthy persons with average LDL-C and below average high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C, the "good" cholesterol) levels.

The Starr Foundation has contributed $15 million toward the expansion of Weill Cornell's Program in Genetic Medicine, a key component of the Medical College's Strategic Plan for Research.

The Hearst Burn Center's pamphlet,"Burn Wise! Burn Prevention Information of Special Interest to Observant Jews," has been revised and is available free in English or Yiddish to schools, synagogues, and community groups.

Considering how common they are, colds and flu are the subject of a great many misconceptions. Dr. Seth Feltheimer, an associate attending physician, and Patricia Ciminera, nurse practitioner at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, offer their insights and expertise on these sources of misery.

To better serve the aging population of northern Manhattan and the Bronx and create a nexus for clinical research in geriatric medicine, Columbia University Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital have launched a new division of geriatric medicine and aging at The Allen Pavilion located in upper Manhattan at 220th Street.

For high blood pressure patients, preventing or reducing enlarged heart (left ventricular hypertrophy, LVH) reduces risk of atrial fibrillation (AF or afib), a life-threatening condition that can lead to stroke and heart failure. The findings are published in the Sept. 13 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and led by physician-scientists at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. An estimated 20 percent of all high blood pressure patients, or 12 million Americans, have LVH and are at increased risk of developing AF.