Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, 68 Hauppauge Road, Commack will host a holiday-themed Festival of Lights drive-thru light display on its campus on Monday, Dec. 14 and Tuesday, Dec. 15, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
The display will feature thousands of blue, gold and white lights arranged in a variety of scenes and include inflatable menorahs, dreidels and other holiday fun. Guests will be able to tune their car radio to a special FM station (107.7 FM) for a musical accompaniment to the visual experience.
“The pandemic has taken a toll on everyone, and we wanted to provide some cheer and a thank you to the communities that have helped our residents and honored our healthcare heroes this year,” said Stuart B. Almer, President & CEO of Gurwin Healthcare System.
Guests are urged to brighten the season for nursing home residents by bringing donations of unwrapped giftsincluding puzzle books and pens, fuzzy holiday socks and other personal gifts.
The event is made possible by the generosity of sponsors, including Ambulnz (Presenting Sponsor), Advantage Title Agency, Inc., Gensler Cona Elder Law, Huntington Hospital Northwell Health, Setton International Farms, Unidine, Austin Williams and Jackson Lewis, PC.
The display is free of charge and no reservations are needed. For more information call 631-715-2563. Posts on social media can use the hashtag #GurwinLights.
With vitamin D supplementation, more is not necessarily better.
By David Dunaief, M.D.
Dr. David Dunaief
Here in the Northeast, we are quickly approaching the point in the year when we have the least daylight hours. This is the point at which many reach for vitamin D, one of the most important supplements, to compensate for a lack of vitamin D from the sun. Let’s explore what we know about vitamin D supplementation.
There is no question that, if you have low levels of vitamin D, replacing it is important. Previous studies have shown that it may be effective in a wide swath of chronic diseases, both in prevention and as part of the treatment paradigm. However, many questions remain. As more data come in, their meaning for vitamin D becomes murkier. For instance, is the sun the best source of vitamin D?
At the 70th annual American Academy of Dermatology meeting in 2012, Dr. Richard Gallo, who was involved with the Institute of Medicine recommendations, spoke about how, in most geographic locations, sun exposure will not correct vitamin D deficiencies. Interestingly, he emphasized getting more vitamin D from nutrition. Dietary sources include cold-water fatty fish, such as salmon, sardines and tuna.
We know its importance for bone health, but as of yet, we only have encouraging — but not yet definitive — data for other diseases. These include cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases and cancer.
There is no consensus on the ideal blood level for vitamin D. For adults, the Institute of Medicine recommends between 20 ng/ml and 50 ng/ml, and The Endocrine Society recommends at least 30 ng/ml.
Cardiovascular mixed results
Several observational studies have shown benefits of vitamin D supplements with cardiovascular disease. For example, the Framingham Offspring Study showed that those patients with deficient levels were at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (1).
However, a small randomized controlled trial (RCT), the gold standard of studies, called the cardioprotective effects of vitamin D into question (2). This study of postmenopausal women, using biomarkers such as endothelial function, inflammation or vascular stiffness, showed no difference between vitamin D treatment and placebo. The authors concluded there is no reason to give vitamin D for prevention of cardiovascular disease.
The vitamin D dose given to the treatment group was 2,500 IUs. Thus, one couldn’t argue that this dose was too low. Some of the weaknesses of the study were a very short duration of four months, its size — 114 participants — and the fact that cardiovascular events or deaths were not used as study end points.
Most trials relating to vitamin D are observational, which provides associations, but not links. However, the VITAL study was a large, five-year RCT looking at the effects of vitamin D and omega-3s on cardiovascular disease and cancer (3). Study results were disappointing, finding that daily vitamin D3 supplementation at 2000 IUs did not reduce the incidence of cancers (prostate, breast or colorectal) or of major cardiovascular events.
Mortality decreased
In a meta-analysis of a group of eight studies, vitamin D with calcium reduced the mortality rate in the elderly, whereas vitamin D alone did not (5). The difference between the groups was statistically important, but clinically small: nine percent reduction with vitamin D plus calcium and seven percent with vitamin D alone.
One of the weaknesses of this analysis was that vitamin D in two of the studies was given in large amounts of 300,000 to 500,000 IUs once a year, rather than taken daily. This has different effects.
Weight benefit
There is good news, but not great news, on the weight front. It appears that vitamin D plays a role in reducing the amount of weight gain in women 65 years and older whose blood levels are more than 30 ng/ml, compared to those below this level, in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (4).
This association held true at baseline and after 4.5 years of observation. If the women dropped below 30 ng/ml in this time period, they were more likely to gain more weight, and they gained less if they kept levels above the target. There were 4,659 participants in the study. Unfortunately, vitamin D did not show statistical significance with weight loss.
USPSTF recommendations
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends against giving “healthy” postmenopausal women vitamin D, calcium or the combination of vitamin D 400 IUs plus calcium 1,000 mg to prevent fractures, and it found inadequate evidence of fracture prevention at higher levels (6). The supplement combination does not seem to reduce fractures, but does increase the risk of kidney stones. There is also not enough data to recommend for or against vitamin D with or without calcium for cancer prevention. But as I mentioned previously, the VITAL study did not show any benefit for cancer prevention.
When to supplement?
It is important to supplement to optimal levels, especially since most of us living in the Northeast have insufficient to deficient levels. While vitamin D may not be a cure-all, it may play an integral role with many disorders. But it is also important not to raise the levels too high. The range that I tell my patients is between 32 and 50 ng/ml, depending on their health circumstances.
References:
(1) Circulation. 2008 Jan 29;117(4):503-511. (2) PLoS One. 2012;7(5):e36617. (3) NEJM. 2018 published online Nov. 10, 2018. (4) J Women’s Health (Larchmt). 2012 Jun 25. (5) J Clin Endocrinol Metabol. online May 17, 2012. (6) JAMA. 2018;319(15):1592-1599.
Dr. David Dunaief is a speaker, author and local lifestyle medicine physician focusing on the integration of medicine, nutrition, fitness and stress management. For further information, visit www.medicalcompassmd.com.
The little escape artists Penny and Sadie at their home in Setauket. Owner Alexa Quinn said the two are practically inseperable, and it would have been horrible if the former went missing. Photo by Quinn
A small act of compassion can make anyone’s day, and in days such as these, they almost become a necessity. One act by a local Port Jeff resident meant a family dog was returned to a loving home.
Barbara Ransome, director of operations of The Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, said she was driving along Old Post Road near the intersection of California Avenue Wednesday, Dec. 2, when she spotted a puppy standing in the middle of the road. She approached it, seeing it had no tag and no collar, and waited to see if it would run. Instead it stayed there, and even allowed her to pick it up. It was a female, something like a miniature schnauzer, and she was extremely friendly, so much so that Ransome thought it was unlikely the dog was a runaway. It was so well behaved and comfortable, even around strangers. Ransome went to nearby doors but either nobody answered, or the people didn’t know who the owner was.
Joining up with her husband, Dan Tarantino, Ransome took the dog to Countryside Animal Hospital where the vet said she did not have a chip either.
“And now, I’m like, now what do we do?” she said. “And if we left it there, they would not have held onto the dog for more than maybe one, possibly maximum three days and then they would turn it over to a shelter.”
That same day, Alexa Quinn, a Setauket resident, said the escape happened when her 2-year-old daughter opened the front door, and both of her dogs, littermates, ran outside. Within a half hour, she found one on the front lawn, while the other was nowhere to be found.
“I started to freak out, [the dog] loves anybody and she’s that kind of dog, after three-and-a-half hours I was really starting to be beside myself,” Quinn said.
She went door-to-door to ask if anyone had seen her dog. She eventually enlisted the help of a neighbor, a fellow animal lover, to help find her missing pup. A short time later, the neighbor pulled up next to her, showing her a picture on a telephone pole of her missing dog.
That was because after leaving the animal hospital, Ransome took the puppy home to spend some time with her two dogs. The young puppy was demure, calm even, as Ransome’s dogs grew excited. The Port Jeff resident even saw how the puppy climbed up the stairs after her, which proved even more that the animal was used to a normal home.
Ransome was not ready to surrender it to a shelter, even though it was missing any identification. She had a nagging feeling that some poor person was still looking for their lost dog. So, she dropped off a missing-dog poster at Save-a-Pet Animal Shelter in Port Jefferson Station, while her husband took the dog in his car and started putting posters all around. Practically right after that, Quinn called the number to ask about her dog.
The Setauket resident went to pick up her dog from Ransome’s home. The dog’s name, it happened to be, was Penny.
“I just started crying,” Quinn said. “I know it’s something I would have done, but it’s so good to see that thought reciprocated. It was just nice to see how they were willing to help.”
Somehow during Penny’s escape, she managed to slip out of her collar. One of the first things on retrieval of her dog, Quinn said, was to go to Petco to buy her a new one.
Penny and her sister Sadie are rescue dogs. Quinn said she was working upstate when she stopped along a road after seeing a young girl with a box of puppies, a rural tableau seemingly rare in this day and age. The schnauzer mixes were all part of a litter, and seeing their malnourished and mangy status, she purchased one and took it home.
A short time later, with Quinn back in her Setauket home, the young girl called and told her there was still one dog left if she wanted it. The way the young girl spoke about it, Quinn feared what might happen next.
Once Penny and Sadie were home together, they became inseparable. They rarely go anywhere without the other, and they are often found sleeping next to each other, their heads close together.
“I was so sad for Sadie, too, thinking she would have lost her best friend,” Quinn said. “I’m just super grateful to Barbara for finding her.”
Such a small act of kindness, but Ransome agreed that such stories are important during a year of untold hardship and heartbreak.
“We just want to have to be kind to someone else, you know,” she said.
Riley Meckley, a junior at Ward Melville High School has won the 84th annual Suffolk County American Legion Oratorical Contest.
Riley Meckley
Gene Ordmandy Jr., a past commander of American Legion Wilson Ritch Post 432 in Port Jefferson Station, was the representative from the sponsoring post.
On Dec. 5, high school students from public and private schools in Suffolk County came together to compete in a speech contest based on the United States Constitution. Each participant had to prepare a 10 min speech (no notes allowed) based on the Constitution. The contest teaches the importance of research, preparation, speaking and presenting skills as well as the history of our nation’s laws. On Jan. 9, the winners from Suffolk, Nassau and Queens debate for the title of Long Island Champion.
Besides their prepared oration, competitors also have to give a second speech based on an Amendment or Article in the Constitution. Over the next few months, there are several elimination rounds and regional winners advance to the New York State Finals in Albany. Last year, Riley took 3rd place at the NY state finals.
Tom Caruso snapped this photo of a young whitetail deer in a meadow at Caleb Smith State Park Preserve in his hometown of Smithtown on Dec. 6. He writes, ‘I followed a small herd of deer for a while and was amazed by how comfortable they were with my presence. I snapped this picture of the smallest deer as it took a break from grazing to check me out. It was a great experience getting so close to them.’
Send your Photo of the Week to leisure@tbrnewspapers.com
Every year we sit down with local candidates for our preelection political debates in the TBR News Media office. This year, of course, those debates were held via Zoom.
Despite the new format this year, one thing didn’t change — the first thing we do is thank each of the candidates for taking on the responsibility for running for office. We recognize being a public official is no easy task and running for office is just as difficult.
All candidates deserve an extra round of applause for their patience regarding the counting of mail-in ballots. After Election Day, as we reached out to the various candidates in our coverage area, those who were behind after in-person voting remained patient, and those who were ahead were humble. Most who were ahead didn’t claim victory as they understood the importance of making sure every ballot was counted, and they acknowledged every single vote mattered.
After a few long weeks, we would like to congratulate U.S. Reps Lee Zeldin (R-NY1) and Tom Suozzi (D-NY3); state Assemblymen Steve Englebright (D-Setauket), Mike Fitzpatrick (R-St. James), Steve Stern (D-Dix Hills); and state Sen. Jim Gaughran (D-Northport) for regaining their seats. We also welcome newcomers, state Sen.-elect Mario Mattera (R-St. James) and state Assemblyman-elect Keith Brown (R-Northport) to the world of legislation, as well as Sen.-elect Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk) and Assemblywoman-elect Jodi Giglio (R-Riverhead) to their new roles.
Now that the votes are counted, it’s time to get back to business. We urge each of our elected officials to take the next few weeks to carefully assess what is going on in their districts, so after they are sworn in come January, they can hit the ground running.
It’s no secret that the coronavirus has wreaked havoc on our local businesses. Those in Albany and Washington, D.C., need to get them the funds they need to keep their doors open and their employees on the payroll. If the funds aren’t available, those in government need to work together to come up with creative ideas to keep these businesses afloat while ensuring public health safety.
Elected officials also have to look deeper as to how hard the pandemic has hurt their constituents financially. The loss of jobs and pay cuts have left many unable to make their mortgage and rent payments or keep their refrigerators full. Conversations with residents may provide vital information about what is truly happening within districts.
While New York is one of the fortunate states to have strong leadership during the pandemic, there is still a lot of work to do. And while we can hope for federal aid, we can’t count on it, as all of the states are going through the same struggle as New Yorkers are. We need to come up with new ideas to help keep Long Island strong.
Looking beyond the coronavirus, there is one thing that comes up every year during our debates. How are we going to make the Island more affordable in order to keep both our young people and retirees here, but at the same time, not overdevelop our valuable open spaces? It’s time to stop talking about it and start doing something about it. A closer eye needs to be kept on developers who promise affordable housing but are completely out of touch regarding what wage earners can actually afford. What’s the sense of building affordable housing in precious open space if the housing is out of reach financially for most residents?
Most of all, we ask our leaders in government to work together, to extend their hands across the aisles. We have seen what divisiveness in the United States has done to our country over the last decade — let’s see people come together against partisanship, now more than ever.
We have one thing in common besides our humanity. Both sides of the aisle are Americans.
Michael Johnston has been decking his car with holiday cheer since he was 16. Photo by Julianne Mosher
Driving along Route 25A, you might have seen a boxy vehicle decked out in lights. Candy canes stick out from its top alongside green garland.
The Long Island Holiday Jeep has been seen throughout Port Jefferson, near Stony Brook University, and even out into Huntington. Every holiday season, Michael Johnston joins dozens of other people on the road, decorating their vehicles as part of a group called The Christmas Convoy.
The 19-year-old Setauket resident said he began decorating cars before he was even able to drive, at age 16 with his father.
“This year I went all out because it was such a depressing year,” he said.
Usually his Jeep Renegade has about 2,000 lights on it, he said. This year he added 3,000 more.
“It’s just fun to do,” he said. “It’s fun to get reactions from people and everyone loves it … other than some cops.”
The Holiday Jeep lit up at night. Photo from Michael Johnston
Unlike some his Convoy-counterparts, Johnston decorates for most holidays. He’s been at the Huntington St. Patrick’s Day Parade adorning green, dazzled with hearts for Valentine’s Day and with Easter Bunny ears placed at his car’s top in the spring. He’s decorated for Thanksgiving and Halloween, but nothing compares to Christmas.
Johnston is a delivery driver for DoorDash, so he’s always out and about.
“Everyone has a way different reaction,” he said. “Some people scream, they wave, and they ask me questions about it.”
He said he hopes that the bright lights on the road spread some holiday cheer during a rather bleak time.
For now, he and his holiday Jeep can be spotted all across the North Shore, and eventually, the young man hopes, it might be another vehicle.
“I actually want to get a new car,” he said. “A Cadillac Escalade.”
If the job is too easy, Dennis Plenker isn’t interested.
He’s found the right place, as the research investigator in Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Cancer Center Director Dave Tuveson’s lab is tackling pancreatic cancer, one of the more intractable forms of cancer.
Plenker joined Tuveson’s lab in 2017 and is the technical manager of a new organoid facility.
Organoids offer hope for a type of cancer that often carries a poor prognosis. Researchers can use them to find better and more effective treatments or to develop molecular signatures that can be used as a biomarker towards a specific treatment.
Scientists can take cells from an organoid, put them in miniature dishes and treat them with a range of drugs to see how they respond.
The drugs that work on the organoids offer potential promise for patients. When some of these treatments don’t work, doctors and researchers can continue to search for other medical solutions without running the risk of making patients ill from potentially unnecessary side effects.
“Challenges are important and there is a sweet spot to step out of my comfort zone,” Plenker explained in an email.
Dennis Plenker Photo by Bob Giglione, 2020/ CSHL
In an email, Tuveson described Plenker as a “pioneer” who “likes seemingly impossible challenges and we are all counting on him to make breakthroughs.”
Specifically, Tuveson would like Plenker to develop a one-week organoid test, where tissue is processed into organoids and tested in this time frame.
Organoids present a cutting edge way to take the modern approach to personalized medicine into the realm of cancer treatments designed to offer specific guidance to doctors and researchers about the likely effectiveness of remedies before patients try them.
Plenker and others in Tuveson’s lab have trained researchers from more than 50 institutions worldwide on how to produce and use organoids.
“It’s complicated compared to conventional tissue culture,” said Plenker, who indicated that considerably more experience, resource and time is involved in organoid work. “We put a lot of effort into training people.”
Tuveson explained that the current focus with organoids is on cancer, but that they may be useful for other conditions including neurological and infectious diseases.
The way organoids are created, scientists such as Plenker receive a biopsy or a surgical specimen. These researchers digest the cells with enzymes into singular cells or clumps of single cells and are embedded. Once inside the matrix, they form organoids.
When they “have enough cells, we can break these down and put them into multi-well plates,” Plenker explained. In these plates, the scientists test different concentrations and types of drugs for the same patient.
It’s a version of trial and error, deploying a range of potential medical solutions against cells to see what weakens or kills cells.
“If you do that exercise 100 times, you can see how many times compound A scores vs. C, E and F. You get a sense of what the options are versus what is not working,” Plenker said.
While scientists like Plenker and Tuveson use targeted drugs to weaken, cripple or kill cancer, they recognize that cancer cells themselves represent something of a molecular moving target.
“There is a very dynamic shift that can happen between these subtypes” of cancer, Plenker said. “That can happen during treatment. If you start with what’s considered a good prognosis, you can end up with a higher fraction of basal cancer cells” which are more problematic and have a worse prognosis. “We and others have shown that you have a mixture of cell types in your tumor all the time.”
Part of what Plenker hopes to discover as the director of the organoid center is the best combination of ingredients to foster the growth of these versatile and useful out-of-body cancer models.
The gel that helps the cells grow is something Plenker can buy that is an extracellular matrix rich matter that is of murine, or rodent, origin. He hopes to develop a better understanding of some of these proprietary products so he can modify protocols to boost the efficiency of the experiments.
Plenker is “trying to innovate the organoids, and so he may need to adjust conditions and that would include inventing his own recipes,” Tuveson explained.
The facility, which received support from the Lustgarten Foundation, will engage in future clinical trials.
The type of treatments for pancreatic cancer patients typically fall into two arenas. In the first, a patient who is doing well would get an aggressive dose of chemotherapy. In the second, a patient who is already sick would get a milder dose. Determining which regimen is based on the current diagnostic techniques.
Plenker and his wife Juliane Dassler-Plenker, who works as a post-doctoral fellow in the lab of Mikala Egeblad at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, live in Huntington. The pair met in Germany and moved to the United States together.
Plenker calls himself a “foodie” and appreciates the hard work that goes into creating specific dishes.
In his career, Plenker always “wanted to help people.” He has appreciated the latest technology and has disassembled and put back together devices to understand how they work.
Prior to the pandemic, Plenker had gone on short trips to Germany to visit with friends and relatives. He is grateful for that time, especially now that he is much more limited in where he can go. He appreciates his landlord and a second American family which helps the couple feel welcomed and grateful.
In 2017, Plenker recalls attending a talk Tuveson gave in Washington, D.C. in which he invited anyone in the audience who wanted to improve a test to come and talk to him after the presentation.
“I was the only one in that regard who talked to him” after that lecture, Plenker said.
The Wading River Fire Department building on North Country Road. Photo by Kyle Barr
In one of the only contested fire commissioner races in the local area, a past commissioner managed to unseat an incumbent in Wading River by a margin of 25 votes after ballots were counted Dec. 8.
Tim Deveny was elected to the Wading River board of fire commissioners Dec. 8. Photo from Deveny
Tim Devany, a 23-year Wading River resident and past commissioner of the Wading River Fire District, gained 197 votes to his opponent, 15-year incumbent and lifelong Wading River resident Jim Meier’s 172.
District Manager Gregory Michalakopoulos said there were two additional write-in votes.
The seat is for a five-year term starting Jan. 1, 2021, and ending Dec. 31, 2025.
Head here for past coverage of this year’s commissioner race.
It’s not located on Gumdrop Lane, but you can spot it on North Huron Street in Ronkonkoma.
On the right-hand side of the dead-end street is a real-life gingerbread house. Adorned with nearly a thousand decorations across its front lawn, it’s like a miniature Disney World hidden in a Suffolk County suburb.
But although the property is not huge, it has drawn thousands of people each year, said Peter Tomasello, owner of the home .
“This is more of an amusement park,” he said. “We’re probably one of the only fully interactive displays in North America — it’s very unique, especially to Long Island.”
Tomasello’s love for Christmas began when he was a child. His grandmother would bring him to different houses around Long Island to look and admire their decorations.
“I was just blown away,” he said. “And I kind of wanted to be that house.”
So, from then on, he’d use his birthday and Christmas money to raid the stores selling discounted holiday decorations instead of buying games and G.I. Joes. He would decorate his childhood home every year on Shelter Road in Ronkonkoma before establishing his own place on the other side of town.
“I started to accumulate anything that I could at that point,” he said. “And then obviously, when I started to work and things like that, all bets were off. Now that I have my own house, it’s pretty much just go-time.”
When he and his husband, Drew Jordan, purchased their home at 135 North Huron St., Tomasello said his one condition was that they’d buy a gingerbread house. Soon enough, he found this location, and with a little extra paint, it has maintained its name as the Ronkonkoma Gingerbread House ever since.
“I’ve just always loved Christmas,” he said. “I’ve always loved happiness, and I love making other people happy and just giving them a magical kind of experience.”
Before COVID-19, Tomasello said between 500 to 1,000 people would visit his house per night. However, due to new regulations, he’s monitoring how many people can come and go to appreciate the lights, music and dancing stations in a safe, socially-distanced, way.
He said that starting around July, people were messaging his home’s Facebook page asking him if the light shows were still on this year. Being a staple in the community and knowing that other holiday traditions were being cancelled, he knew they had to open it up.
With COVID, the couple implemented some new rules, like mask-wearing and a cap on the number of people on the property at one time. There is a hand sanitizing station (with peppermint-scented sanitizer) for people not wearing gloves or mittens, and some stations have been changed so there is less contact.
Compared to other heavily decorated homes, the Gingerbread House has a light show with 12 stations where, when a button is pressed, a show begins with animatronics of elves baking cupcakes, Santa Claus and his wife preparing gifts, and Nutcrackers — who crack jokes.
Penguins play ice hockey across from Comet, the talking reindeer who reminds those stopping by to maintain social distancing. Lucy, from the Peanuts gang, gives advice on one side of the lawn, while Elsa and Anna sing “Let it Go” for families and lights blink along with the music.
“Every item here has its own story,” explained Tomasello.
The Frozen scene is in memory of his close friend’s daughter, who passed away just before her third birthday, and who loved the movie. And that family is also the reason the couple accepts donations upon arrival, with funds going directly to the Nassau/Suffolk Autism Society of America (NSASA). The little girl’s brother is autistic.
“It was really devastating for us because he didn’t even understand what was going on when his sister passed,” he said. “So that’s why we do the donation box for the Autism Society.”
While every year the front lawn looks different with new or returning scenes, the Frozen stage always comes back to remember her.
“We’re always going to have it,” he said. “That’s the heart of this place — being able to have the Frozen scenes.”
While they don’t charge for entry, the donations to NSASA are their way to give back.
“This is simply our philanthropy,” said Tomasello. “This is our way of giving back to the community in general, and obviously making whatever donations people want to bring to go to a good cause.”
He said that while seeing the smiling faces of the kids is great, he loves seeing the reactions of the parents and grandparents.
“You’re always going to please the kids, they’re always going to love it. But when you can make a 70-year-old feel like they’re seven, that’s cool … that’s really cool.”
The Gingerbread House, 135 N. Huron St., Ronkonkoma will be open daily through Jan. 1. Hours are Sunday through Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Prev
