Physicians may not be accurate in their confidence levels of their diagnoses, says Pitt study
PITTSBURGH, March 29 Physicians' often do not have correct perceptions of the accuracy of their diagnoses at the time they make them, and in significant numbers of cases they may be overconfident--wrong when they believe they are right; or underconfident--right when they believe they are wrong--about their diagnostic assessments, according to a University of Pittsburgh study....... "An overconfi...Pitt marks 50th anniversary of its Salk polio vaccine with reunion, scientific symposium
PITTSBURGH, March 29 The development of the Salk polio vaccine at the University of Pittsburgh represents one of the most important milestones in medical history. To commemorate the achievements of Jonas Salk, M.D., and his team of Pitt researchers and pay tribute to the people of the Pittsburgh community whose involvement was critical to the success of the endeavor, the University is hosting tw...Hard choices: Pitt researcher presents findings on when to accept organ transplants
PITTSBURGH, Feb. 19 -- A transplant is the only option for someone with end-stage liver disease, but patients face difficult questions when choosing the best time to receive a transplant. Today, in a panel discussion at the 2005 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., a University of Pittsburgh researcher will present findings on how his math...Lead in the environment causes violent crime, reports University of Pittsburgh researcher at AAAS
WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 Exposure to lead may be one of the most significant causes of violent crime in young people, according to one of the nation's leading researchers on the subject....... "When environmental lead finds its way into the developing brain, it disturbs neural mechanisms responsible for regulation of impulse. That can lead to antisocial and criminal behavior," reported Herbert L. Nee...Intensive diabetes management yields positive results, according to Pittsburgh project
PITTSBURGH, April 6 Increasing diabetes awareness and integrating a multi-faceted, approach to improve patient care and education, results in significantly improved patient outcomes, according to a report in the April issue of Clinical Diabetes, a publication of the American Diabetes Association. ...... The article reports the results of the first two years of an initiative to increase diabetes...End of life ICU use may require re-evaluation according to University of Pittsburgh study
PITTSBURGH, April 6 Although most Americans say they would prefer a low-tech approach to death, the opposite is happening with more than 20 percent of terminally ill patients dying in intensive care, according to an article in the March issue of Critical Care Medicine, the journal of the Society of Critical Care Medicine....... "This is the first study to provide national scale to the often disc...Elderly people cared for by spouse are at greater risk for abuse, Pitt researchers find
PITTSBURGH, Feb. 7 -- When elderly people need assistance with the activities of daily life, one might assume that the best people to care for them would be the ones who know them best--their spouses. But, as a team of researchers at the University of Pittsburgh report in this month's issue of the , being married to one's caregiver could be a prescription for abuse, especially if the caregiver i...Pitt research shows NASA sleep-wake scheduling guide may need to be changed
PITTSBURGH, Dec. 6 New research from the University of Pittsburgh shows the human body has difficulty adjusting to dramatic time changes such as those experienced by working shifts or traveling across time zones....... The NASA-funded study, detailed in this month's Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine, was designed to examine the protocols the space agency uses to assign sleep-wake schedu...Patients who are intubated prior to hospital arrival fare worse find Pitt researchers
PITTSBURGH, Nov. 17 Emergency medicine researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have found that patients with similar traumatic brain injuries who receive an emergency breathing tube at the scene of an accident fare worse than those intubated after arrival to the hospital. The researchers also found that these patients' neurologic and functional outcome was nearly twice as...Gastric bypass works for GERD and obesity in patients with prior surgery, says Pitt study
PITTSBURGH, Nov. 15 Laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery can effectively control gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms in morbidly obese patients who had previous antireflux surgery, with the additional benefit of weight loss and improvement of co-morbidities, according to a study published in the November issue of the journal Obesity Surgery. ...... The University of Pittsburgh School...Pitt researchers identify biomarkers of lupus which could lead to quicker and better diagnosis
PITTSBURGH, Nov. 4 University of Pittsburgh researchers have identified biomarkers that could result in earlier and more accurate diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a devastating disease that affects as many as 1.5 million Americans, and occurs 10 to 15 times more frequently in women.... ...The results are published in the November 2004 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.... ..."Th...University of Pittsburgh researcher gets CDC grant to study youth violence
PITTSBURGH, Nov. 3 Anthony Fabio, Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and investigator with the university's Center for Injury Research and Control (CIRCL), has received a nearly half-million dollar, three-year research and training grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study trends in youth violence....PITT, OHSU: When early life stress occurs determines its impact later
SAN DIEGO, Oct. 24 Scientists at the OHSU Oregon National Primate Research Center and the University of Pittsburgh report significant stress early in life can have varying lifelong impacts depending of the timing of the stress exposure. The research also demonstrates that the impact can become even more profound when coupled with stress in adulthood. In a related but separate study, the researc...University of Pittsburgh finds that people would trade longevity for quality end-of-life care
PITTSBURGH, May 19 An overwhelming number of people surveyed would trade a longer life span in order to receive better end-of-life care, according to University of Pittsburgh researchers.... ...The study, published in the May issue of the journal Medical Care, used a sampling of 104 persons who took a survey based on six scenarios involving an 80-year old man who died after a one month stay in a...University of Pittsburgh approach has lung recipients taking far fewer drugs
BOSTON, May 16 A lung transplant patient takes six pills a day, a regimen that is intended to safeguard the donor organ from immune system attack. But rejection plagues these patients more often and more vigorously than any other kind of organ recipient, so is it necessary that patients take that many pills? Not according to the experience of surgeons at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Cent...Botox helps ease symptoms of enlarged prostate according to Univ. of Pittsburgh study
SAN FRANCISCO, May 11 Injections of botulinum toxin A (botox) into the prostate are a promising alternative treatment for the millions of men who have benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a condition commonly referred to as enlarged prostate, according to a study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan. Results will be presented toda...University of Pittsburgh researchers identify potential biomarker for renal cell carcinoma
SAN FRANCISCO, May 10 Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) have identified a potential biomarker that could lead to the early detection of renal cell carcinoma. Renal cell carcinoma is the most common form of kidney cancer in adults and, due to the lack of a sensitive test for the disease, often goes undetected until the cancer is in an advanced stage. Results...Overactive bladder symptoms affect sexual activity of women says Univ. of Pittsburgh study
SAN FRANCISCO, May 9 Women who experience overactive bladder are less likely to enjoy sexual activity, according to a University of Pittsburgh study. Overactive bladder, a condition where the muscle surrounding the bladder contracts spastically causing frequent urination and incontinence, affects more than 8 million women worldwide. Results of this study will be presented at the annual meeting o...Prostate cancer marker could lead to earlier diagnosis say Univ. of Pittsburgh researchers
SAN FRANCISCO, May 9 Findings presented at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA) indicate that prostate cancer could be detected as many as five years earlier than it is currently being diagnosed by testing for a protein in tissue that indicates the presence of early disease. The University of Pittsburgh researchers suggest that testing for the protein, called early pro...Univ. of Pittsburgh researcher presents six-year results of botox injections for bladder dysfunction
SAN FRANCISCO, May 9 Botulinum toxin A injections, commonly known as botox injections, continue to show promise as a treatment for a variety of lower urinary tract dysfunctions, according to a study presented by a University of Pittsburgh researcher at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA) in San Francisco. Results will be published in abstract 517 in the AUA proceeding...Drug for depression helps irritable bowel syndrome, according to Pittsburgh study
PITTSBURGH, May 7 Paroxetine, a drug commonly used to treat depression, can improve symptoms in people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), according to a study in the May issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology. ...... In a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found that the drug relieved some symptoms of IBS...Women's health research findings presented by University of Pittsburgh scientists
HOUSTON, March 25 The clinical and basic science research findings of more than a dozen studies will be presented by researchers from the Magee-Womens Research Institute, which is affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh, at the 51st annual meeting of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation. Scientific sessions take place March 24 to 27 at the Westin Galleria Hotel in Houston. Among these...Ingredient in asthma inhaler drug may counteract inhaler benefits, according to Pittsburgh study
PITTSBURGH, March 23 An inactive agent, used in inhalers to treat asthma, can reverse the beneficial anti-inflammatory effects of inhaled steroids, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, in San Francisco, Calif....... Albuterol, in a class of medications called beta-agonists, is combined with steroids and is used to p...Univ. of Pittsburgh to lead international trial for vocal cord paralysis and paresis
PITTSBURGH, March 22 Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have designed and are now participating in a large multi-site prospective clinical trial to gauge the effectiveness of calcium hydroxylapatite (CaHA) injections in patients with vocal cord paralysis, atrophy or paresis. The study, which will be conducted at 15 international sites, is the largest such trial in the field of voice dis...University Of Pittsburgh Medical Center studying promising new imaging technology
PITTSBURGH, Feb. 18 A new imaging technology developed by GE Medical Systems and currently being evaluated at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) may allow radiation oncologists to precisely track tumor movement and avoid excess doses of radiation for patients under treatment for cancer. Preliminary results at UPMC demonstrate that Advantage™ 4D (Adv4D) limits the exposure o...University of Pittsburgh and French National Institute begin scientific collaboration
PITTSBURGH and PARIS, Feb. 13 The French Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine recently signed an international collaborative research agreement that is the first of its kind for the French institute and an academic medical center in North America. Similar agreements are pending between INSERM, an organization analogous to the U.S....Pitt receives $14.5 million from NIH to improve pediatric heart transplantation outcomes
PITTSBURGH, Feb. 13 The University of Pittsburgh has been awarded an estimated $14.5 million from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop novel approaches that seek to improve the outcomes of pediatric heart transplant recipients. The five-year grant establishes the University of Pittsburgh as a Specialized Center of Clinically...Gene therapy technique could aid islet transplants for diabetes, says Pittsburgh study
PITTSBURGH, Feb. 4 Treating pancreatic islet cells with a growth factor can dramatically reduce the number of these cells needed for transplants to reverse Type 1 diabetes, according to a study by University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers. In the animal model study, researchers also found that the triple-drug immunosuppression therapy currently used after human islet cell transplan...University of Pittsburgh imaging agent study suggests breakthrough in Alzheimer's research
PITTSBURGH, Jan. 21 Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in collaboration with researchers at Uppsala University, Sweden, have laid the groundwork for a new era in Alzheimer's disease (AD) research by completing the first human study of a compound that, through positron emission tomography (PET), enables them to peer into the brains of people with the memory-stealing ill...University of Pittsburgh studies broccoli-derived chemicals to prevent prostate cancer
PITTSBURGH, Dec. 22 Fruits and vegetables are good for overall health, and a newly funded study at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) may show that certain vegetables, such as broccoli, also offer protection against prostate cancer. ...... UPCI researcher Shivendra Singh, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology and urology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, has receiv...Physical activity key to maintaining independence say University of Pittsburgh researchers
PITTSBURGH, Nov. 24 Physical activity plays a significant role in maintaining functional ability later in life, according to a study completed by University of Pittsburgh researchers. The study, which is the first long-term prospective study to prove the link between physical activity and function, appears in today's edition of Archives of Internal Medicine....... The study followed 171 post-men...Key feature of HeartMate II heart assist device developed at University of Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH, Nov. 20 The HeartMate II, a new left ventricular assist system (LVAS) implanted for the first time in the United States by surgeons at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston, uses a sophisticated control system developed by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's (UPMC) McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine that senses when to increase or decrease the rate of...Simple tests could signal and prevent heart disease in women, says Pittsburgh researcher
PITTSBURGH, Nov. 7 A few safe and simple tests could identify and possibly prevent coronary heart disease in middle-aged women, according to findings reported by a University of Pittsburgh researcher at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions held Nov. 9-12 in Orlando, Fla....... "Most women gain one to two pounds per year as they approach and go through menopause, and a percentage...University of Pittsburgh receives grant for research on cancer and aging
PITTSBURGH, Nov. 6 The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI), in collaboration with the division of geriatrics and gerontology and the Institute on Aging at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, has received a grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Institute on Aging to understand the biology of the effects of aging on the cancer process and to impr...Stroke treatment may come from physiological determinations not time frame, says Pitt
PITTSBURGH, Oct. 28 Determining the type of treatment for acute stroke caused by blockage of large vessels in the brain can best be decided by measuring both the amount of brain tissue that is threatened but not yet dead (ischemic penumbra) and the amount of brain that is already dead (ischemic core), according to groundbreaking University of Pittsburgh research published in the October issue of...Healthy hearts predict healthy old age, says University of Pittsburgh study
PITTSBURGH, Oct. 27 Taking steps to prevent heart disease is the best way to ensure a better-than-average, healthy old age, according to University of Pittsburgh researchers in a paper published in the October 27 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. ...... "Our study is a picture of what the future of older people could be like - the ideal golden years if they keep heart disease risk fac...Cognitive impairment worse than expected in seniors, says University of Pittsburgh study
PITTSBURGH, Oct. 20 The rate of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in persons aged 75 and older is higher than expected, affecting 22 percent of those in the age group, according to two articles published in Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals, and authored by Oscar Lopez, M.D., associate professor of neurology at the University of Pittsburgh....... Dr. Lopez's research involve...Use of statins may prevent breast cancer, say University of Pittsburgh researchers
PITTSBURGH, Oct. 16 Cholesterol-lowering medications may help to prevent breast cancer in older women, according to study findings published by University of Pittsburgh researchers in the October issue of the Journal of Women's Health. ......"While scientists have known for years that cholesterol inhibition serves to inhibit tumor cell growth, our analysis is one of the first to look exclusivel...Gastric bypass surgery resolves or improves diabetes in most patients, reports Pittsburgh study
PITTSBURGH, Oct. 2 A study of obese people with type 2 diabetes who underwent laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery (LGBP) found that 83 percent of them experienced a resolution of their disease. ...... The study, from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, is in the October issue of the journal Annals of Surgery....... The study also found that clinical resolution or improvement in diab...Even though it prevents fracture, HRT not recommended, say Pittsburgh researchers
PITTSBURGH, Sept. 26 Hormone therapy helps prevent bone fracture in women, but the benefit does not override the therapy's well-known negative links to heart disease and breast cancer, report University of Pittsburgh researchers in the October 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association....... "Our study found that estrogen plus progestin increased the bone mineral density and dec...