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Physicians from University of Washington-affiliated hospitals in Seattle — University of Washington Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center, Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center — and the University of Washington School of Medicine constitute more than 50 percent of the Western Washington doctors in the latest regional listings of The Best Doctors in America.

The impact of multiple births on a family is not additive, it’s exponential. Few parents are prepared for the enormous emotional, physical and financial demands that accompany this phenomenon. To help couples deal with this huge change in their lives, University of Washington Medical Center hosts “Expecting Multiples,” a series of classes for families expecting twins or more.

Prevention of drug interactions, say researchers at the University of Washington School of Pharmacy, lies in learning how the human body processes each drug. The school has recently established a formal Program in Drug Interactions, tapping the expertise of 22 faculty members believed to be the largest group of experts in the world on drug interactions.

New studies reported in the May 1 edition of Nature appear to contradict traditional thinking about the sympathetic nervous system’s influence in people who never gain weight no matter how much they eat, versus those who seemingly put on pounds if a piece of cheesecake is merely passed under their nose.

Researchers at the University of Washington report in the April 14, 1997 issue of Virology that they may have an explanation for why the currently approved drug treatment for hepatitis C is ineffective much of the time. The drug, recombinant alpha interferon, is ineffective in 60 to 80 percent of cases.

Low-risk patients who choose nurse midwives for their obstetrical care have fewer Caesarean sections, receive less anesthesia, have a much lower rate of episiotomy and incur less expense, compared to similar women who choose physicians for their care.

The first patient to participate in a clinical trial of a new laser heart surgery technique at University of Washington Medical Center is now recovering at home. The technique, called transmyocardial revascularization (TMR), creates new pathways for blood to reach oxygen-starved heart tissue in patients with coronary artery disease.