Rocky Point forward Max Wignall shoots in a non-league matchup against Shoreham-Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
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Rocky Point forward Liam Conlan lays up for two in a home game against Shoreham-Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River senior Gordon Votruba banks two for the Wildcats. Photo by Bill Landon
Jeremy Sanchez (l) battles Carter Baumeister for the rebound. Photo by Bill Landon
Rocky Point forward Max Wignall shoots in a non-league matchup against Shoreham-Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
Rocky Point guard Casmere Morrow shoots in a home game against Shoreham-Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
Rex Baguinat scores for the Eagles in a home game against Shoreham-Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
Rocky Point’s Max Wignall #23 blocks the shot. Photo by Bill Landon
Dylan McClelland battles in the paint for the Wildcats. Photo by Bill Landon
8th grader Tyler Lievre drives the lane for the Wildcats. Photo by Bill Landon
8th grader Tyler Lievre goes to the rim for the Wildcats. Photo by Bill Landon
Jeremy Sanchez blocks a shot for the Eagles. Photo by Bill Landon
Rocky Point guard Casmere Morrow lays up for two in a home game against Shoreham-Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
Rocky Point senior Dominick Tocci splits a pair of defenders in a home game against Shoreham-Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
Rocky Point forward Max Wignall shoots in a non-league matchup against Shoreham-Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
Rocky Point guard Casmere Morrow drives the lane in a home game against Shoreham-Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
With an injury-riddled starting lineup, the Shoreham-Wading River Wildcats had their hands full in a road game against Rocky Point where the Eagles defense was able to hold the Wildcats at bay. The Eagles offense pressed for all 32 minutes to win the nonleague matchup 55-40, Monday night Dec. 11.
Rocky Point guard Casmere Morrow topped the scoring chart for the Eagles with 17 points and forward Max Wignall added 13.
Shoreham-Wading River senior Gordon Votruba led the way for the Wildcats netting 11 points.
The win lifts the Eagles to 2-0.
The loss drops the Wildcats to 1-4. They will desperately need their bench to get healthy and will have to be at full song to make a postseason bid.
Alexander Orlov, PhD, Professor of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering at Stony Brook University, has been elected chair of the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) Environmental Division. With a four-year term starting January 1, 2024, Orlov will lead the Division’s extensive community of scientists toward the goal of applying concepts in chemistry to address the world’s leading environmental and sustainability issues.
Orlov, a Middle Island resident and professor at Stony Brook since 2008, has contributed significantly to environmental protection and sustainability efforts throughout his career. His work as an educator earned him the 2017 ACS Award for Incorporating Sustainability into Chemistry Education and the 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Sustainable Engineering Forum Education Award. He is a member of the US-EU working group on Risk Assessment of Nanomaterials supported by the U.S. White House and European Commission cooperative program on nanotechnology research. In 2022, he was a chair of the Environmental Division at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
For years Orlov has contributed to the United Nations Environmental Program and has helped lead several reports coming out of the program. From 2007 to 2014, he was appointed by two UK Secretary of States to advise the government on environmental issues such as hazardous substances and environmental impact of nanotechnology.
Orlov’s interdisciplinary research seeks to develop new materials for clean energy generation, structural applications, and environmental protection. He currently co-directs two Centers at Stony Brook — the Center for Laser Assisted Advanced Manufacturing and the Center for Development and Validation of Scalable Methods for Sustainable Plastic Synthesis and Processing.
At more than 150,000 members, the ACS is one of the largest scientific societies in the U. S. Approximately 3,000 scientists nationally and internationally are in the Environmental Division. The Division is dedicated to addressing all 17 Sustainable Development Goals outlined by the United Nations with an emphasis on issues surrounding climate change.
Welcome to the 24th edition of Paw Prints, a monthly column for animal lovers dedicated to helping shelter pets find their furever home.
Meet Navy – NAVY HAS BEEN ADOPTED!!!
Navy
Dignified in full dress white, this officer and a gentleman is Navy, currenly up for adoption at Little Shelter in Huntington. Strikingly handsome, yet humble and down to earth, he’s hoping to join an active family in time to participate in all their holiday gatherings and festivities. Intelligent, mischievous and friendly, he has both impeccable manners and an expressive, free-spirited side. While enjoying high ranking with the staff and volunteers, this young fellow would love nothing more than a home base, so stop by Little Shelter today and recruit Navy for your very own! 631-368-8770, ext. 21
Meet Beautiful
Beautiful
Introducing Beautiful — a sweet and stunning girl living up to her name! This one to two-year-old beauty is not just lovely on the outside but radiates love from within. Ready for her forever family, Beautiful is housebroken, a fantastic leash walker, and spayed. Enjoy long walks? Beautiful is your perfect companion! She’s a volunteer favorite, cherished for playtime and cuddles in the pens. Vaccinated and ready to embark on a lifetime of love, Beautiful deserves the world and is eagerly waiting for her people to give it to her. Beautiful would do well in a home with another dog, children 10 and up and potentially cats. Come meet her at the Brookhaven Animal Shelter. 631-451-6950
Meet Meadow
Meadow
This happy lady is always smiling! Meadow is a 2-year-old female lab mix who is currently up for adoption at the Smithtown Animal Shelter. Meadow was found as a stray on Nov. 11 and was never claimed. She adores making new friends and has energy for days. She needs a little work on leash manners and may be a bit much for small kids or cats but is otherwise perfect. If you are interested in meeting Meadow, please schedule time to properly interact with her in a domestic setting, which includes a Meet and Greet Room, the dog runs, and a Dog Walk trail. 631-360-7575
Meet Princess Polly
Princess Polly
This beautiful lady is waiting for you at Little Shelter in Huntington. The origin of the name Polly means “wished for” and this season of gratitude is the perfect time to add a nine year old Maltese mix to your family. Coming from a long line of royalty, she also enjoys the title of Princess, so when dressed in her holiday finest, she‘s affectionately known as Princess Polly. Congenial and easy going, this little socialite is quick to make friends and influence people when out and about on her daily rounds. The Maltese have been prized companions for centuries, being intelligent and affectionate, with the ability to easily learn new things. Her best trick? She knows how to make herself irresistible! Stop by to meet Princess Polly today! 631-368-8770, ext. 21
Cuteness Overload!
GeoffLemonDaphne
Gilda
Check out these gorgeous kitties, Geoff, Lemon, Daphne and Gilda, currently up for adoption at Kent Animal Shelter in Calverton. Stop by the shelter (10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily) to meet them or fill out an adoption application ahead of time at www.kentanimalshelter.com. 631-727-5731 ext. 1
Check out the next Paw Prints in the issue of January 11.
Paw Prints is generously sponsored by Mark T. Freeley, Esq.
The Stony Brook women’s basketball team kept Longwood to just 15.4 percent from deep in a 2-for-13 shooting performance on the way to an 85-49 victory against the Lancers at home on Dec. 11.
The Seawolves (8-1) had three players score in double figures, led by Khari Clark, who had 16 points and three steals. Zaida Gonzalez tacked on 16 points and two blocks and Gigi Gonzalez chipped in as well with 16 points, six assists and three steals. Stony Brook grabbed 45 rebounds in Monday’s game compared to Longwood’s 38, led by 10 boards from Shamarla King.
Stony Brook’s defense held Longwood to only 15.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc and 26.2 percent from the field.
Stony Brook started out the scoring by going on a 9-0 run, culminating in a bucket from Clark, to take an early lead with 7:27 left in the first quarter. The Seawolves then added three points to that lead by the end of the period and entered the quarter break with an 18-6 advantage. Stony Brook did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring 12 of its 18 points close to the basket.
The Seawolves built that first quarter lead to 30-14 before going on a 6-0 run starting at the 2:45 mark in the second period, highlighted by a three from Victoria Keenan, to increase its lead to 36-14. The squad proceeded to tack on three points to that lead and enjoyed a 43-18 advantage heading into halftime. Stony Brook dominated in the paint, scoring 14 of its 25 points close to the basket.
Following intermission, Stony Brook continued to expand its advantage, pushing it to 50-23 before going on a 14-0 run, punctuated by a basket from King, to expand its lead further to 64-23 with 4:14 to go in the third. Before the conclusion of the third period, the Lancers had cut into that lead, but the Seawolves still entered the fourth quarter with a 68-28 edge. Stony Brook played dominated near the basket, scoring 18 of its 25 points in the paint.
The Seawolves then held on for the victory in the fourth quarter, 85-49.
The team will return to the court next week when they head to New Rochelle to battle Iona at 1 p.m. on Dec. 21. The game will be live on ESPN+.
“I was really pleased with the win today. [The team} was able to stay locked in and focused and disciplined. … I’m excited for them to get some rest in these 10 days and study for finals,” said Coach Ashley Langford after the game.
#24 Jared Frey Jared Frey connected on five three-pointers, a new career-best for the sophomore, during last Saturday's game. Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Athletics
The Stony Brook University men’s basketball team came from behind to defeat Bryant, 86-75, on Dec. 9 at Island Federal Arena. The Seawolves knocked down 16 three-pointers and shot 66.7 percent from the field in the second half to beat the Bulldogs.
Stony Brook found itself down 17-5 out of the gate after Connor Withers made his first five shots, including four from beyond the arc. Bryant maintained a double-digit lead for a majority of the opening 13 minutes of the contest, thanks to hot shooting from three-point range. The Seawolves made it a one-possession game on two occasions down the stretch in the first half, but would go into the locker room facing a 36-31 deficit.
The second half told a much different story, seeing the Seawolves flip the script on the Bulldogs. Stony Brook shot better than 65 percent from the floor and 73.3 percent from downtown in the second half to overcome a 12-point, first-half deficit and overcome Bryant.
Momentum began swinging in the Seawolves’ favor early on in the second half, and by the 12-minute mark the game was tied for the first time since the opening tip. Dean Noll’s trifecta made it 47-47, capping off a 9-0 run by Stony Brook.
Stony Brook then grabbed its first lead of the evening, 51-49, on a Tyler Stephenson-Moore trifecta. Chippiness between the two sides followed, seeing a pair of double-technicals assessed to players from either side.
With the contest tied once more at 55-55, Withers struck again from downtown, but an extended celebration directed towards Stony Brook’s bench earned him a technical foul. Bryant’s three-point lead then turned into a seven-point deficit after the Seawolves went on a 10-0 run after the tech, punctuated by another Stepheson-Moore triple.
The Seawolves never trailed again, though the Bulldogs came within a possession of the lead with just under five minutes to play. The Seawolves buckled down however, expanding its lead to double figures with under two minutes to play and closing things out at the charity stripe to earn its biggest victory of the season to date.
“Tonight … we needed everybody to play well … and the eight guys that went in there made key contributions. It was a great win for us,” said Coach Geno Ford after the game. “At the end of the day, we showed a level of toughness and resolve that we need to show to win a game against a really good team.”
From Angels to Werewolves: Animal-Human Hybrids in Myth and Art
By Elizabeth Kahn Kaplan
St. James resident Philip F. Palmedo has produced a beautifully written and generously illustrated book on a subject that has intrigued, delighted, and frightened children and adults from ancient days to the present: therianthropy, the mythological ability of humans to metamorphose into animals or animal-human hybrids.
“The concept of the therianthrope can catalyze the creative imagination,” writes Palmedo.
The first that we know of is the Upper Paleolithic Lion-Man carved out of woolly mammoth ivory some 40,000 years ago. While we can only conjecture why it was created, we know that more recent animal-headed deities like the jackal-headed Egyptian god Anubis played important roles some 5000 years ago in weighing the worth of a person after death.
In the Hindu pantheon, elephant-headed, four-armed Ganesha is widely revered as a bringer of good luck; in Christian art winged angels abound, by turns avenging and comforting. In the 20th century, the ancient Greek legend of the fearsome Minotaur, a man with the head and tail of a bull, served as Pablo Picasso’s “allegorical alter-ego . . . with many of his etchings, paintings, and sculptures featuring this mythical bull-man.”
Imaginative minds past and present have created talking animals, from the wicked snake in Genesis that tempted Eve in the Garden to the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz, Disney’s Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, and lovable Big Bird of Sesame Street.
Shape-shifting, the ability to change from human to animal or to an inanimate object, abounds in Greek mythology. One rather improbable example is that of the god Zeus changing into a swan to seduce Leda. In another example, as retold by the ancient Roman poet Ovid, the beautiful river nymph Daphne was “shapeshifted” by her father, morphing into a laurel tree to defeat the unwelcome advances of Apollo, the Greek god of the arts. The sadder but wiser Apollo paid tribute to her by adopting the laurel wreath as his crown.
In America, therianthropy is on display in The Wolf Man horror films, from Lon Chaney’s 1941 portrayal to Benicio del Toro’s in 2010. More recently, the widely consumed Harry Potter tales spun by prolific British writer J. K. Rowling charmed children and adults with a talking bird, Hedwig, and with Firenze, the centaur who rescued Harry from the villain Voldemort.
Centaurs, mythic creatures with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse, are the land complement to creatures with human upper torsos ending in huge fish tails — mermen and the alluring mermaids sighted by lonely mariners whose names derive from the French word for the sea, La mer. Palmedo’s chapter, Merpeople, is richly illustrated with examples in art from 6000 BC Serbia and 4th century BC Greece to 19th and 20th century India, Japan, Great Britain, and Denmark, including the bronze sculpture The Little Mermaid that overlooks the harbor in Copenhagen. Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s tale published in 1837, that fable might bring tears to one’s eyes.
On the other hand, Norman Rockwell’s 1955 Saturday Evening Post cover, The Mermaid, can only make us chuckle with its depiction of an elderly fisherman hauling a beautiful mermaid home, her long elegant tail protruding from the large wooden fish trap on his back.
This elegant, art-illustrated book written with clarity, printed on glossy paper, will entertain and enlighten. It can be purchased from Amazon.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
A Ph. D. in Nuclear Engineering from M.I.T., Philip F. Palmedo, former head of the Energy Policy Analysis Division at Brookhaven National Laboratory, was for many years Chairman of the Washington-based International Resources Group, which he founded. A former Trustee of Williams College in Massachusetts, where he majored in Physics and Art History as an undergraduate, Palmedo formed and was President of the Long Island Research Institute. He also serves on the MIT Council for the Arts, and is a fellow of the Williams College Museum of Art. Palmedo’s previous book was Deep Affinities: Art and Science.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. Photo from Tierney's office
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III On Dec. 14 announced the indictment of Francis and Jessica Martinis, of Fort Salonga, accused of alleged Criminal Sale of Prescription for a Controlled Substance by a Practitioner and Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree, for allegedly prescribing and filling prescriptions for opioids throughout Suffolk County using the names of cast members of a reality show.
“Doctors are supposed to be trusted members of the community and with that trust comes a tremendous amount of personal and professional responsibility,” said District Attorney Tierney. “Physicians are held to a high standard, as they take an oath to uphold a number of professional ethical standards when they begin their careers. The conduct Dr. Martinis allegedly engaged in with his wife not only violated this oath, but it also violated the law.”
“The DEA is rooted in an ‘all hands-on deck’ approach to save lives from illegal drug misuse and abuse through enforcement, education, and prevention. By working with our law enforcement partners and the community, we identified two individuals who brazenly diverted controlled substances intended for medicinal purposes to the illegal drug market,” said U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino. “These arrests are a reminder that a doctor’s illicit drug diversion can lead to irreparable harm like the drug overdoses and poisonings currently plaguing our nation.”
According to the investigation, in January 2023, Jessica Martinis, 38, raised red flags when she allegedly tried to fill a hand-written prescription for oxycodone issued by her husband Francis Martinis, 55, a urologist, at a pharmacy in Kings Park. The prescription was unusual as most prescriptions are transmitted electronically from a doctor directly to a pharmacy. Furthermore, Jessica Martinis was allegedly not the patient listed on the prescription. The pharmacist ultimately refused to fill the prescription and called the Suffolk County Police Department.
Following this incident, members of the Suffolk County Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Long Island District Office Tactical Diversion Squad, with assistance from Homeland Security, launched an investigation into the doctor’s most recent history of issuing prescriptions. The investigation revealed that Francis Martinis had allegedly electronically transmitted numerous prescriptions for oxycodone to pharmacies within Suffolk County.
In addition, the purported patients named on the prescriptions were former cast members on the Bravo television series “Below Deck,” none of whom lived on Long Island. Francis and Jessica Martinis had previously appeared on the reality show series.
Once transmitted to the pharmacies, Jessica Martinis allegedly picked up and paid for the prescriptions with cash. The investigation further revealed that the prescriptions were never intended for or received by the purported patients named on the prescriptions.
On December 14, 2023, Francis and Jessica Martinis were arraigned before Supreme Court Justice, the Honorable Richard Ambro, for four counts of Criminal Sale of Prescription for a Controlled Substance by a Practitioner, Class C felonies, and four counts of Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree, Class E felonies. Justice Ambro ordered that each of the Martinis be placed on supervised release during the pendency of their cases. They are due back in court on January 25, 2024, and are being represented by Peter Crusco, Esq.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Wickers of the Narcotics Bureau, with investigative assistance from the Suffolk County Police Department, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The DEA Long Island District Office TDS Group comprises agents and officers of the DEA, Suffolk Police Department, Nassau Police Department, Port Washington Police Department and HHS OIG.
Caroline Parker Mountpleasant, a Haudenosaunee woman from the Seneca people, in traditional dress circa 1850. Courtesy of the Rochester Museum & Science Center
By Lisa Scott
November for most of us is a time to celebrate our democracy by voting. And later that month we conjure Pilgrims and Indians celebrating harvest plentitude in peace, as we similarly gather with friends and family to feast and give thanks. But today when vocal individuals and groups are arguing that history and culture are controversial subjects, it’s important to remind us all that there is much more about Native Americans that we can learn from and that should be shared.
American Indian Day was first celebrated in New York 107 years ago — after Red Fox James (a member of the Blackfoot Nation) rode across our country seeking approval from 24 state governments to have a day to honorAmerican Indians. But it wasn’t until 1990 that Pres. George H.W. Bush signed a joint congressional resolution designating November “National American Indian Heritage Month.”
The U.S. Census Bureau conducted population surveys which were released as part of their 2020 census:the U.S. American Indian and Alaska Native population (9.7 million in 2020) is one of the six major race categories defined by the US Office of Management and Budget. There were 1.5 million people who identified as Cherokee. That group has a tragic history, since they and the other “Five Civilized Tribes” of what’s referred to now as the American Deep South were subject to Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Act of 1830 leading to the “Trail of Tears.”
This was an effort to forcibly relocate tribes/sovereign nations to Oklahoma and for the federal and state governments to dissolve their tribal boundaries and annex their lands. In today’s world, it can be termed “ethnic cleansing” and it anticipated the U.S. Indian reservation system. And the fighting over Indian lands was not only a 19th century blot on our history.
Killers of the Flower Moon (book by David Grann, as well as the recent film) recounts the true story of how a white businessman and self-proclaimed “true friend” of the Osage Nation orchestrated the brutal murders of numerous members of the tribe in early 1920s Oklahoma after big oil deposits were discovered beneath their land.
The ”Trail of Tears” tragedy and the legacy of government disregard (in spite of court decisions supporting tribal land sovereignty and finding against federal and state land seizures) continues to the current day. For example, the Shinnecock Nation continue their efforts to regain control over their ancestral land. The Shinnecock Indian Nation is one of the oldest self-governing tribes in the State of New York and was formally recognized by the United States federal government as the 565th federally recognized tribe on October 1, 2010.
But Governor Hochul recently vetoed the Montaukett tribe’s state-recognition bill, which had passed the NYS legislature unanimously early in 2023, citing a 1910 judicial decision which claimed that the Montaukett community no longer functioned as a governmental unit in the state. Historian John Strong called those 1910 rulings “racist.” In 1998, a Newsday investigation unearthed documents that appear to be “deceit, likes and possible forgery” in deals that wrested tribal lands from the Montauketts and the Shinnecock Indian Nation.
Women’s Suffrage leaders in upstate New York in the mid-19th century were strongly influenced by the Native Americans — specifically the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy) whose tribal government was organized to maintain a balance of equality between men and women. There was a wide range of information in local newspapers like the Syracuse Standard, creating a sophisticated understanding of Haudenosaunee culture and tribal government. Also there was a great deal of personal interaction; friendship and visiting were commonplace activities.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Matilda Joslyn Gage, as major theoreticians of the woman’s rights movement, claimed that the society in which they lived was based on the oppression of women. However, their neighbors, Haudenosaunee society, was organized to maintain a balance of equality between women and men; women had decisive political power, control of their bodies, control of their own property. custody of the children they bore, the power to initiate divorce, satisfying work, and a society generally free of rape and domestic violence. Women chose their chief, held key political offices, and decision making was by consensus. Thus those early feminists believed women’s liberation was possible because they knew liberated women who possessed rights beyond their wildest imagination — Haudenosaunee women.
Lisa Scott is president of the League of Women Voters of Suffolk County a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government and influences public policy through education and advocacy. For more information, visit https//my.lwv.org/new-york/suffolk-county.
Most thyroid nodules are found incidentally. METRO photo
By David Dunaief, M.D.
Dr. David Dunaief
Thyroid nodules are often diagnosed incidentally on radiologic exams, such as CT scans of the chest, MRI scans, PET scans and ultrasounds of the carotid arteries in the neck. It’s rarely because of symptoms. More than 50 percent of people have thyroid nodules detectable by high-resolution ultrasound. Fortunately, most are benign. Depending on the study, the percent that are malignant can range from 1.1 to 6.5 percent of nodules.
This leaves us with the question of what to do with a thyroid nodule. What’s the short answer? It depends on the size. If it is over one centimeter, usually it is biopsied by fine needle aspiration (FNA). While most are asymptomatic, if there are symptoms, these might include difficulty swallowing, difficulty breathing, hoarseness, pain in the lower portion of the neck and a goiter.
FNA biopsy is becoming more common. In a study evaluating several databases, there was a greater than 100 percent increase in thyroid FNAs performed over a five-year period from 2006 to 2011. This resulted in a 31 percent increase in thyroidectomies, surgeries to remove the thyroid partially or completely.
However, the number of thyroid cancers diagnosed with surgery did not rise in this same period. Thyroid nodules in this study were least likely to be cancerous when the initial diagnosis was by incidental radiologic exam.
Addressing indeterminate FNA results
As much as 25 percent of FNA biopsies are indeterminate. We are going to look at two techniques to differentiate between benign and malignant thyroid nodules when FNA results are equivocal: a PET scan and a molecular genetics test.
A meta-analysis of six studies of PET scan results showed that it was least effective in resolving an unclear FNA biopsy. The PET scan was able to rule out patients who did not have malignancies, but it did not do a good job of identifying those who did have cancer.
On the other hand, a molecular-based test was able to potentially determine whether an indeterminate thyroid nodule by FNA was malignant or benign.
Unlike in the PET scan study above, the researchers were able to not only rule out the majority of malignancies but also to rule them in. It was not perfect, but the percent of negative predictive value (ruled out) was 94 percent, and the positive predictive value (ruled in) was 74 percent. The combination test improved the predictive results of previous molecular tests by 65 to 69 percent. This is important to help decide whether or not the patient needs surgery to remove at least part of the thyroid.
What is the significance of calcification?
Microcalcifications in the nodule can be detected with an ultrasound. The significance of this may be that patients with microcalcifications are more likely to have malignant thyroid nodules than those without them, according to a small prospective study involving 170 patients. This does not mean that a patient has malignancy with calcifications, but that there is a higher risk.
The ‘wait and follow-up’ approach
As I mentioned above, most thyroid nodules are benign. The results of one study go even further, showing that most asymptomatic benign nodules do not progress in size significantly after five years. The factors that did contribute to growth of about 11 percent of the nodules were age (<45 years old had more growth than >60 years old), the existence of multiple nodules, greater nodule volume at baseline, and being male.
The study authors’ suggestion is that, after the follow-up scan, the next ultrasound scan might be five years later instead of three. However, they did discover thyroid cancer in 0.3 percent after five years.
How does thyroid function affect outcomes?
In considering risk factors, it’s important to note that those who had normal thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) were less likely to have a malignant thyroid nodule than those who had high TSH, implying hypothyroidism. There was an almost 30 percent prevalence of cancer in the nodule if the TSH was greater than >5.5 mU/L (13).
Fortunately, most nodules are benign and asymptomatic, but the number of cancerous nodules found is growing. Why the mortality rate remains the same, year over year for decades, may have to do with the slow rate at which most thyroid cancers progress, especially of the two most common forms, follicular and papillary.
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 or consult your personal physician.
'All Aboard Home — For The Holidays' art installation.Photo by Rob Pellegrino
'All Aboard Home — For The Holidays' art installation. Photo by Rob Pellegrino
'All Aboard Home — For The Holidays' art installation. Photo by Rob Pellegrino
'All Aboard Home — For The Holidays' art installation. Photo by Rob Pellegrino
'All Aboard Home — For The Holidays' art installation. Photo by Rob Pellegrino
'All Aboard Home — For The Holidays' art installation. Photo by Rob Pellegrino
'All Aboard Home — For The Holidays' art installation. Photo by Rob Pellegrino
'All Aboard Home — For The Holidays' art installation. Photo by Rob Pellegrino
'All Aboard Home — For The Holidays' art installation. Photo by Rob Pellegrino
'All Aboard Home — For The Holidays' art installation. Photo by Rob Pellegrino
'All Aboard Home — For The Holidays' art installation. Photo by Rob Pellegrino
'All Aboard Home — For The Holidays' art installation. Photo by Rob Pellegrino
'All Aboard Home — For The Holidays' art installation. Photo by Rob Pellegrino
'All Aboard Home — For The Holidays' art installation. Photo by Rob Pellegrino
The Three Village Community Trust, the Three Village Civic Association, the North Suffolk Garden Club, the Three Village Chamber of Commerce and students and faculty at the Stony Brook School, and the Three Village Historical Society are partners in a Beautification Project at the Stony Brook Train Station. Over the past year, significant progress has been made removing debris, weeds, and invasive plants from the landscaped beds. And a wide variety of Long Island native plants have been added to the landscaped beds.
As part of their ongoing efforts, the Stony Brook Train Station Beautification Committee invited local artist MichaelRosengard to create a unique art installation at the Station titled ‘All Aboard – Home For The Holiday.’ This outdoor work of art, located outside the front entrance of the historic Stony Brook Station House, creates a sense of wonder and whimsy to those walking or driving past the Station, highlights the history and importance of the Long Island Rail Road, celebrates the accomplishments of the Beautification Project, and helps kicks of the Holiday Season.
The community celebrated the opening of the exhibit on Monday, December 4th!
Welcome to the 24th edition of Paw Prints, a monthly column for animal lovers dedicated to helping shelter pets find their furever home.
Imaginative minds past and present have created talking animals, from the wicked snake in Genesis that tempted Eve in the Garden to the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz, Disney’s Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, and lovable Big Bird of Sesame Street.
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