Cleveland Clinic

CLEVELAND - An orangutan at a Cleveland zoo has become the first such animal in North America to receive an implanted birth control device. The Plain Dealer reports ( http://bit.ly/xTqClI ) that a Cleveland Clinic women's health specialist made a house call at the zoo Tuesday to demonstrate how to implant the contraceptive. It's about 1 1/2 inches long, slightly thicker than pencil lead and is meant for humans. General curator Geoffrey Hall says the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo doesn't want the young Bornean orangutan named Kira to breed, at least not yet. The procedure went well, and Kira was back on her feet within hours.

Former Cleveland Browns receiver Joe Jurevicius sued the team and the Cleveland Clinic yesterday, saying the team misrepresented the cleanliness of its training facility and blaming doctors with negligence over a staph infection in his right knee that kept him from playing last year. The lawsuit alleges that physicians Anthony Miniaci and Richard Figler failed to warn Jurevicius that therapy equipment was not always sanitized at the team's training facility in suburban Berea. The filing was first reported by the the Cleveland Plain Dealer on its Web site.

Cleveland Cavaliers rookie guard Dajuan Wagner had surgery yesterday to remove a blood clot from the tube connecting his left kidney and bladder. Wagner underwent the procedure at the Cleveland Clinic, team spokesman Ed Markey said. Wagner will remain hospitalized and the team was to provide an update on his condition today, Markey said. The 19-year-old from Camden High has been in the hospital for more than a week. He initially was admitted with stomach cramps before it was discovered he had a bladder infection.

THE HOUSTON Rockets waived point guard Derek Fisher, less than a week after acquiring him in a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers. On Thursday, Houston picked up a 2012 first-round pick from the Lakers and sent Jordan Hill to LA in the deal. Jamie Wior, Fisher's representative, said in an email that Fisher and the Rockets have negotiated a buyout of his contract, due to expire this season. The Houston Chronicle reported the buyout paid Fisher for the rest of this season, but that he opted out of his $3.4-million player option for next season.

FINER POINTS OF TEST-RIGGING Old "Star Wars" hands are coming out of the woodwork to defend the $30 billion space-defense system from claims that its tests were rigged to keep the Soviets fooled - and the cash coming in from Congress. The latest was a denial by retired Maj. Gen. Eugene Fox, the program's deputy manager, that there were not (as critics claimed) electronic devices aboard a dummy rocket that gave an intercepting missile an unfair advantage in a make-or-break 1984 test.

Florida Marlins righthander Alex Fernandez retired from baseball yesterday after four years of shoulder problems. Fernandez hasn't pitched since undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his pitching shoulder in July of last season. He also missed time in 2000 with a strained ligament in his right elbow. The 32-year-old was 107-87 with a 3.74 earned run average in 263 career games, with 261 starts, for the Chicago White Sox and Florida since 1990. He went 4-4 last season with a 4.13 ERA in eight games.

Give the health-care industry some of the economic bailout money. Pay math and science teachers more. Move more research out of the labs at area universities and into the marketplace. Those suggestions topped the to-do list yesterday at a forum on improving medical innovation at the Franklin Institute. The speakers, including former U.S. Rep. Richard Gephardt, Wyeth senior vice president Joseph Mahady, and Gov. Rendell, said the United States risks losing its position as the leader in medical care if it does not find new ways to compete with scientists in other countries.

Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star forward LeBron James remained hospitalized yesterday with pain in his chest from what the team called a strained muscle. James was admitted to the Cleveland Clinic for tests Wednesday night, hours after he was wincing during practice. James said he doesn't know how he got the injury, which team doctors initially diagnosed as a strained left pectoral. The Cavaliers did not reveal James' hospital stay until yesterday afternoon, when he missed practice.

Let's say you live near Conshohocken and your doctor decides you need a quadruple heart bypass. You probably figure you'll be going to one of the big teaching hospitals in Philadelphia, right? The folks at Lancaster General Hospital want you or, more important, your boss to think again. Lancaster? Home of Amish buggies, tourist kitsch and outlet stores? It's probably not your first thought when it comes to high-tech medicine. Michael Young, the 37-year-old president of Lancaster General, is out to change that.

He never will make millions in endorsements, like Michael Jordan. But yesterday, after his Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Chicago Bulls, 99-85, and evened their Eastern Conference final series, 2-2, Craig Ehlo was able to endorse the job he did covering Jordan and giving the Cavs' offense a much-needed boost. True, Jordan did score 35 points, but he needed 33 shots to do it. This against a man he torched for a career-high 69 points during an overtime game in 1990. "Michael scored a lot of points, but he's 40 to 50 percent of their offense," Ehlo said.

THE HOUSTON Rockets waived point guard Derek Fisher, less than a week after acquiring him in a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers. On Thursday, Houston picked up a 2012 first-round pick from the Lakers and sent Jordan Hill to LA in the deal. Jamie Wior, Fisher's representative, said in an email that Fisher and the Rockets have negotiated a buyout of his contract, due to expire this season. The Houston Chronicle reported the buyout paid Fisher for the rest of this season, but that he opted out of his $3.4-million player option for next season.

CLEVELAND - An orangutan at a Cleveland zoo has become the first such animal in North America to receive an implanted birth control device. The Plain Dealer reports ( http://bit.ly/xTqClI ) that a Cleveland Clinic women's health specialist made a house call at the zoo Tuesday to demonstrate how to implant the contraceptive. It's about 1 1/2 inches long, slightly thicker than pencil lead and is meant for humans. General curator Geoffrey Hall says the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo doesn't want the young Bornean orangutan named Kira to breed, at least not yet. The procedure went well, and Kira was back on her feet within hours.

Starting next week, doctors, nurses, and patients at the Cleveland Clinic will have a much harder time buying M&Ms, chocolate-chip cookies, and Cokes on the hospital's campuses. And that's a good thing, said Philadelphia Health Commissioner Don Schwarz, one of the primary proponents of the city's failed effort to tax sugared beverages in an effort to reduce obesity. The hospital in northeast Ohio has banned all food with added sugar from its cafeterias and vending machines, and Schwarz says he would like to see local employers follow its lead.

The first walk-in, convenient-care clinic in Center City has opened at the Shops at Liberty Place. It is a joint project of the Drexel University School of Medicine and the Drexel College of Nursing & Health Professions, an unusual combination in this region, where this burgeoning approach to quick, simple health care has been the province of clinic companies that typically set up small outposts in drug, grocery, or big-box stores. Howard Miller, chief executive officer of the medical school's practice plan or group medical practice, had three goals when he conceived the clinic: Give people who work or visit downtown easy access to routine medical care, raise Drexel's visibility, and increase referrals to Drexel's doctors.

Former Cleveland Browns receiver Joe Jurevicius sued the team and the Cleveland Clinic yesterday, saying the team misrepresented the cleanliness of its training facility and blaming doctors with negligence over a staph infection in his right knee that kept him from playing last year. The lawsuit alleges that physicians Anthony Miniaci and Richard Figler failed to warn Jurevicius that therapy equipment was not always sanitized at the team's training facility in suburban Berea. The filing was first reported by the the Cleveland Plain Dealer on its Web site.

Give the health-care industry some of the economic bailout money. Pay math and science teachers more. Move more research out of the labs at area universities and into the marketplace. Those suggestions topped the to-do list yesterday at a forum on improving medical innovation at the Franklin Institute. The speakers, including former U.S. Rep. Richard Gephardt, Wyeth senior vice president Joseph Mahady, and Gov. Rendell, said the United States risks losing its position as the leader in medical care if it does not find new ways to compete with scientists in other countries.

Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star forward LeBron James remained hospitalized yesterday with pain in his chest from what the team called a strained muscle. James was admitted to the Cleveland Clinic for tests Wednesday night, hours after he was wincing during practice. James said he doesn't know how he got the injury, which team doctors initially diagnosed as a strained left pectoral. The Cavaliers did not reveal James' hospital stay until yesterday afternoon, when he missed practice.

Cleveland Cavaliers rookie guard Dajuan Wagner had surgery yesterday to remove a blood clot from the tube connecting his left kidney and bladder. Wagner underwent the procedure at the Cleveland Clinic, team spokesman Ed Markey said. Wagner will remain hospitalized and the team was to provide an update on his condition today, Markey said. The 19-year-old from Camden High has been in the hospital for more than a week. He initially was admitted with stomach cramps before it was discovered he had a bladder infection.

Florida Marlins righthander Alex Fernandez retired from baseball yesterday after four years of shoulder problems. Fernandez hasn't pitched since undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his pitching shoulder in July of last season. He also missed time in 2000 with a strained ligament in his right elbow. The 32-year-old was 107-87 with a 3.74 earned run average in 263 career games, with 261 starts, for the Chicago White Sox and Florida since 1990. He went 4-4 last season with a 4.13 ERA in eight games.

Doug Pederson, the former Eagles quarterback from last season, will start for the Cleveland Browns against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday because Tim Couch broke his thumb during practice yesterday. Couch, the top pick overall in the 1999 draft, was hurt on the final play of practice as the team was working on its hurry-up offense. He will be out for at least six weeks. The Eagles play in Cleveland on Dec. 10. Couch was attempting a 25-yard pass to rookie Dennis Northcutt, into the right corner of the end zone, when his hand banged into the hand of another player.