CEDARS-SINAI'S DIRECTOR OF PULMONARY AND CRITICAL CARE OFFERS TIPS FOR SEASONAL ALLERGY SUFFERERS
This Spring's burst of color a spectacular display of buds and blossoms comes hand-in-hand with a bumper crop of airborne pollens and mold spores, due in part to winter's heavy rains and higher than normal temperatures. For those with allergies, Zab Mosenifar, M.D., Director of Pulmonary and Critical Care at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, offers tips for circumventing Mother Nature at this time of year.

MAJOR STUDY: BIOARTIFICIAL LIVER REDUCES MORTALITY BY 44% IN ACUTE LIVER-FAILURE PATIENTS
A bioartificial liver developed by researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center reduced mortality significantly among patients suffering from acute liver failure, according to a clinical trial conducted at 20 centers in the United States and Europe. With a complex filtering system that incorporates liver cells from pigs, the bioartificial liver cleanses and nourishes the blood to prolong life while an injured liver recuperates or a donor organ becomes available for transplantation. Study results are published in the May issue of Annals of Surgery.

MEMORIES OF PATIENTS' GRATITUDE ARE PROMINENT AS CEDARS-SINAI STAFF MEMBERS READY FOR MEDICAL MISSION TO GUATEMALA IN MAY
For Dr. Alan Lefor, the May 15-24 trip will mark his sixth journey to Guatemala as part of a medical team with HELPS International, a nonprofit organization that supports and facilitates volunteer work in Central America. Dr. Lefor will lead the Los Angeles-based team, made up in large part of physicians, nurses, operating room support staff and other non-medical personnel from Cedars-Sinai. The team is one of nearly a dozen from around the U.S. who visit the nation each year.

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Contact: Glenda Collins
glenda.collins@cshs.org
310-423-2103
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
17-May-2004