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UPMC News Releases - 1998

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January
- Friday, January 09, 1998Liver Transplant Programs Performing the Most Transplants Have Better Survival Rates, Analysis ShowsAn analysis of survival rates at U.S. liver transplant centers identifies 11 centers of excellence and confirms previous studies that show survival rates are significantly better at centers that do a large volume of liver transplants per year.
- Monday, January 19, 1998Sleep May Have Negative Impact On Immune System Research done at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic provides evidence that disruptions in sleep may weaken the immune system of elderly widows and widowers.
- Friday, January 30, 1998UPMC Rehabilitation Hospital Established University of Pittsburgh Medical Center will become one of this area’s major providers of adult rehabilitation services on Feb. 1 when it acquires the adult services of The Rehabilitation Institute, located in Squirrel Hill.
- Friday, January 30, 1998UPMC Bedford Memorial Joins University of Pittsburgh Medical CenterUPMC Bedford Memorial (formerly Memorial Hospital of Bedford County) today becomes the seventh community hospital to join University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
February
- Tuesday, February 03, 1998University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy -- Certificate Programs Preparing Pharmacists for Expanding RolesTimes may have changed, but today people are again turning to their pharmacist with difficult health questions about HIV/AIDS, weight loss, heart attacks, strokes, smoking cessation and more.
- Wednesday, February 11, 1998UPMC Physicians Write the Book on Trauma CareTrauma surgeon Andrew Peitzman, M.D., F.A.C.S., director of the University Trauma Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and professor of surgery, has just published The Trauma Manual, a reference for medical professionals who care f
- Friday, February 13, 1998New Center At Western Psychiatric Institute And Clinic To Focus On Children And Adolescents University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (WPIC) and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have received a $5.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish a center dedicated
- Tuesday, February 17, 1998Pitt Researcher Heads International Team Searching For Genetic Basis Of Bulimia NervosaResearchers at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic are leading an international effort to locate the genes responsible for the eating disorder bulimia nervosa.
- Thursday, February 19, 1998University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Lee Hospital Announce MergerLee Hospital and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center officials today announced a merger of these two institutions that will significantly enhance the level of service and care available to the people of the Cambria/Somerset region.
- Friday, February 20, 1998Enzyme That Detoxifies Cancer Drug Linked To Risk Of Alzheimer’s DiseaseBleomycin hydrolase breaks down bleomycin, a potent cancer drug used to treat testicular and other cancers. Investigators at the University of Pittsburgh and elsewhere have long researched ways to selectively activate bleomycin hydrolase in healthy tissue
- Wednesday, February 25, 1998Pitt Researcher Issues New Report on Health Care Employment Trends in Pittsburgh RegionMore than one out of every 10 people in the Pittsburgh region is employed in health care. In fact, health care systems are among the largest employers in the region.
March
- Monday, March 02, 1998University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Statement Concerning Pending HHS Transplant Regulations The National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA) of 1984 called for a national system that would make organs available on an equitable basis.
- Monday, March 16, 1998upmc Researchers Report on Gene Therapy AdvancesThe field of gene therapy has transformed dramatically, moving from its anticipated primary application of treating genetic disorders to managing chronic illnesses.
- Thursday, March 26, 1998UPMC Study Finds New Aneurysm Repair Safe and Effective Some 15,000 Americans die each year from a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), which is a ballooning or bulging of the main artery in the abdomen.
- Thursday, March 26, 1998Patients Prevail With HHS Transplant Rule, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center SaysA new federal regulation that calls for reform of the national transplant network and organ allocation system means patients’ needs will finally be at the forefront, says the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), which houses the world’s largest
- Monday, March 30, 1998Pitt Researchers Develop Strategy To Use Dendritic Cells To Treat And Prevent TumorsLike a good coach who reviews game tapes and learns the opponent’s weaknesses then chooses the best plays and utilizes the most talented players, University of Pittsburgh researchers have studied the immune response to tumor cells and mapped out a simple
April
- Friday, April 03, 1998UPMC Beginning Gene Therapy Study to Grow New Blood Vessels in the HeartCardiologists at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) are beginning a clinical trial of a gene therapy treatment to stimulate the growth of new blood vessels to increase the supply of blood to the heart.
- Tuesday, April 07, 1998UPMC Program Offers Help For Women With DepressionWomen have twice the risk of developing depression than men, no matter their race, education, income level or occupation. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic has developed a treatment program that studies the
- Tuesday, April 07, 1998University of Pittsburgh Refutes Arguments Made By UNOS in Reaction to Federal Transplant RegulationsThe United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) opposes the issuance of a final regulation published April 2 in the Federal Register and which becomes effective Oct. 1, 1998.
- Wednesday, April 08, 1998Pitt Transplant Surgeon Testifies in Support of New Government RuleA transplant surgeon from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) told a congressional subcommittee convened here today he supports a regulation recently announced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
- Monday, April 13, 1998First Evidence That Localized Arthritis Gene Therapy Heals Distant Diseased JointsUniversity of Pittsburgh researchers have made the unprecedented and totally unexpected finding that localized gene therapy for arthritis produces healing effects on distant joints affected with the disease.
- Tuesday, April 14, 1998Magee-Womens Hospital Joins University of Pittsburgh Medical CenterFollowing months of discussion, the Board of Directors of Magee-Womens Hospital (Magee) and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) have fortified a long-standing relationship between the two institutions by endorsing a Letter of Intent.
- Tuesday, April 21, 1998Mckeesport Hospital Approves Merger with University of Pittsburgh Medical CenterThe McKeesport Hospital and the McKeesport Area Health Care Systems Boards of Directors approved the merger of the hospital with University of Pittsburgh Medical Center on April 17, 1998.
- Thursday, April 23, 1998UPMC Reports on New Liver Assist DevicePreliminary results of a new bio-artificial liver assist device were presented by University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) researchers today at the 44th annual American Society for Artificial Internal Organs (ASAIO) conference in New York City.
- Friday, April 24, 1998Quality of Life Significantly Improves With Discharge in LVAD Heart PatientsHome may be where the heart is, but it is also where heart patients on left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) fair the best, according to a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study
May
- Monday, May 11, 1998Bidwell Training Center/Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild Partners with University of Pittsburgh Medical CenterUniversity of Pittsburgh Medical Center has joined with Bidwell Training Center/Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild (BTC/MCG) in a multi-faceted partnership that includes a $3 million lead gift to the newly formed Manchester Bidwell Development Trust, announced
- Tuesday, May 19, 1998University Of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute Study Confirms Efficacy Of Taxol Regimen In The Treatment Of Advanced Lung CancerResults from a large, randomized, phase III study confirmed the efficacy of paclitaxel plus carboplatin in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
- Tuesday, May 26, 1998University Of Pittsburgh Researcher Awarded $2 Million To Study Dendritic Cell Use In TransplantationGetting a transplant recipient to accept an organ isn’t easy. A transplanted organ’s immune cells often fend off its new host, resulting in graft-versus-host disease.
- Tuesday, May 26, 1998University Of Pittsburgh Awarded $7.7 Million For Dendritic Cell Research Investigators at the University of Pittsburgh have received a $7.7 million, five-year award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to study how dendritic cells participate in generating immunity against cancer cells,
- Wednesday, May 27, 1998Horizon Health System and University Of Pittsburgh Medical Center Announce Plans to MergeHorizon Health System and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center today announced plans to merge the two institutions to form UPMC Horizon, significantly enhancing the level of service and care available to the people of the Mercer County region.
June
- Tuesday, June 09, 1998Providing Health Insurance for Children is Cost Effective and Has Positive Impact on Children, Family, Say Pitt ResearchersSome children reported headaches and mentioned that their grades had suffered because they couldn’t see the blackboard.
- Thursday, June 11, 1998New Biological Markers Accurately Predict Prognosis In Head And Neck Cancer Patients, Find University Of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute Researchers Findings that tissue levels of two proteins correlate closely with the prognosis of head and neck cancer may significantly alter the detection, staging and treatment of this disease, according to a scientific article published in the June 3 issue of the
- Thursday, June 11, 1998University Of Pittsburgh Scientist Discovers How A Novel Vitamin K Stops Cancer Cell GrowthScientists at the University of Pittsburgh have discovered how a novel form of vitamin K exerts its cancer-killing effects in primary liver cancers, which are notoriously resistant to chemotherapy.
- Tuesday, June 16, 1998Data Reveal Children Are Not Served By Liver Allocation SystemChildren awaiting liver transplantation are especially disadvantaged by the current allocation system, which favors local use of donated organs and often prevents children from receiving precious organs from pediatric donors
- Tuesday, June 16, 1998UPCI Researchers Participate In Multicenter Trial Of HerceptinThe University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) is participating in a multicenter, open-label study of Herceptin, an investigational drug used to fight breast cancer cells with an excess of HER2 receptors.
- Thursday, June 18, 1998University of Pittsburgh Surgeon Testifies at Hearing on Allocation of Organs IssueA young, critically ill child awaiting a liver and small intestine transplant in Pittsburgh might be alive today had donor organs from another region been transported to Pittsburgh instead of remaining in that region to be transplanted into a less sick ch
- Friday, June 19, 1998Deterioration Of Sleep During Middle Age Related To Changes In The Biological Clock, Say Pitt Researchers In one of the first studies of its kind, sleep researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have learned that quality of sleep begins to deteriorate during what many consider the most productive years -- middle age -- much earlier than previously thought
- Monday, June 29, 1998Boosting Immune Response against Hiv-1 Key to Controlling Infection, Say University of Pittsburgh ResearchersResearchers have focused extensively on suppressing viral levels in AIDS patients. But to effectively control HIV, scientists from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health are emphasizing the need to also boost the virus-killing capab
- Tuesday, June 30, 1998HIV-1 Levels in Semen Don’t Correspond to Viral Levels in Blood, Say Pitt Researchers in a Report at 12th World AIDS ConferenceCurrent testing practices, which typically measure the viral load or the amount of freely circulating genetic material of HIV-1 in the blood, may not accurately detect the amount of virus in semen, say researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Graduat
July
- Wednesday, July 01, 1998World's First Procedure to Repair Brain Damage from Stroke Performed at the University of Pittsburgh Medical CenterOn June 23, 1998, doctors at UPMC performed the world's first cell transplant to reverse brain damage from stroke on a 62-year old woman with paralysis of the right leg and arm and loss of most speech.
- Thursday, July 02, 1998University of Pittsburgh Researcher Recommends Ways to Improve HIV Care in U.S. PrisonsChanges are needed in the prison system in the United States, says Linda Frank, Ph.D., assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and chair of the Jail and Prison Committee of the American Public Health Associatio
- Monday, July 06, 1998Researchers Build Virtual Aneurysms to Aid Surgeons in AAA RepairsResearchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) are using CT scans and state-of-the-art computer modeling to construct "virtual aneurysms"
- Friday, July 17, 1998Pitt Study Shows Treating Depression In The Elderly With A Combination Of Medicine And Talk Therapy Works Best Research from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) shows that a combination of psychotherapy and medication may be the most effective way to treat depression in old age.
- Friday, July 17, 1998University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Specialties Ranked As Among the "Best" in the CountryA record number of 11 different University of Pittsburgh Medical Center specialty areas were ranked as "best" in the country by U.S. News and World Report magazine.
- Monday, July 27, 1998UPMC Study Finds Out-Of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Treatment by Police Saves LivesPolice officers using automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to shock people in cardiac arrest, can have a significant impact on reducing deaths from out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest--the single leading cause of death in the United States
- Wednesday, July 29, 1998Pitt School of Nursing Ranks Among Top 10 for NIH FundingWith research grants and fellowships totaling more than $2 million, the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing ranks eighth in the number of research grants received from the National Institute of Nursing Research at the National Institutes of Health
August
- Monday, August 03, 1998University Of Pittsburgh Researchers To Study "Short Sleepers"Sleep researchers at UPMC’s Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic have been awarded the first year of a three-year, $782,000 grant by NASA to study "short sleepers."
- Monday, August 10, 1998Mile a Day May Keep the Doctor Away – Women Who Walk Report Fewer Health Problems, Say Pitt ResearchersStarting a simple walking program and sticking with it may be the best way to prevent heart disease and reduce the number of surgeries, hospitalizations and falls later in life
- Wednesday, August 26, 1998Specialized Treatment And Research Programs At Pitt May Promote Service Delivery For Abused Children And Their FamiliesThe results of two new studies completed at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s (UPMC) Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic may help community organizations that provide services to abused children and their families reevaluate the types of
- Thursday, August 27, 1998World’s First Combined Pet/Ct Scanner Now Is in Trial at the University of Pittsburgh Medical CenterDoctors’ ability to see into the body for diagnosis and planning treatment may take a big step forward based on technology now under study at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC).
September
- Tuesday, September 01, 1998Pitt - University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Agreement Strengthens Region's World Class Health Care Research and DeliveryThe University of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center today announced an agreement to extend and strengthen their partnership over the course of the next decade.
- Wednesday, September 02, 1998University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Establishes Palliative Care ProgramTo improve the quality of life of patients when their disease is no longer responsive to curative treatments, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center has established a Comprehensive Palliative Care Service.
- Wednesday, September 16, 1998UPMC Horizon Celebrates MergerToday, UPMC Horizon celebrated its merger with University of Pittsburgh Medical Center with ceremonies, food and gifts for over 1,300 employees, physicians, volunteers, visitors and community leaders.
- Wednesday, September 23, 1998Pitt Study Shows Women Who Hide Their Anger May Have Higher Risk For Cardiovascular DiseaseMiddle-aged women who hide their anger, have hostile attitudes or feel self-conscious in public may have a greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease,
- Tuesday, September 29, 1998Novacor Left Ventricular Assist System Receives FDA ApprovalBaxter Healthcare Corporation, the principal U.S. operating subsidiary of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX), announced today that it has received pre-market approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Novacor® Left Ventricular Ass
- Tuesday, September 29, 1998New Transplant Rule to Go Into Effect ThursdayNot until a new federal regulation goes into effect will the national organ transplant network be accountable for its policies and will there be assurances that changes are made that make the system more fair for all patients.
- Wednesday, September 30, 1998Statement of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center on U.S. District Court Decision on Transplant RegulationThe University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) is not surprised by the decision of the U.S. District Court in Baton Rouge to grant a temporary injunction preventing a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regulation from going into effect
October
- Wednesday, October 07, 1998New Computer Studies Identify Transplant Allocation Policies That Save More Lives than Current SystemNew Computer Studies Identify Transplant Allocation Policies That Save More Lives than Current System
- Wednesday, October 07, 1998Quest Diagnostics And University Of Pittsburgh Medical Center Form Joint Venture To Offer Laboratory Testing ServicesQuest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE: DGX) and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center announced today the establishment of a joint venture aimed at providing greater access to laboratory services for physicians and patients throughout the Greater Pittsbu
- Saturday, October 10, 1998Easy-To-Perform Tests Definitively Predict Development of Heart Disease in Women, Finds University of Pittsburgh StudyWith stunning accuracy, researchers now can definitively predict which women in their 40s and 50s who have no clinical signs of atherosclerosis, or blockage of a blood vessel, will inevitably develop life-threatening heart disease.
- Wednesday, October 14, 1998Altered Brain Chemistry In Bulimia Nervosa Patients Persists After Recovery, According To UPMC Researchers Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s (UPMC) Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic have found evidence supporting the possibility that an alteration of brain chemistry contributes to the development of bulimia nervosa and persis
- Tuesday, October 20, 1998Pitt Nurse Researcher Receives Grant for Studies on Medication Adherence in Patients With Rheumatoid ArthritisJacqueline Dunbar-Jacob, R.N., Ph.D., director of the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing's Center for Research in Chronic Disorders, recently received a grant totaling more than $1.5 million for her research on medication adherence in patients wit
- Wednesday, October 21, 1998University Of Pittsburgh Chosen By NCI As One Of Three Pioneer Sites For Biocombinatorial Chemistry Research A University of Pittsburgh team of investigators has received a five-year, $5 million federal grant to speed drug discovery through revolutionary means—biocombinatorial chemistry.
November
- Wednesday, November 04, 1998University of Pittsburgh Researchers to Report Findings at American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases MeetingUniversity of Pittsburgh Researchers to Report Findings at American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases Meeting
- Thursday, November 05, 1998UPMC Transplant Surgeons Will Debate Fairness of Organ Allocation System at Medical MeetingThe current system of distributing donated organs to patients needing transplants is wrought with inequities and should give way to one that removes geographic barriers and allows children preferential access to organs donated by children,
- Monday, November 09, 1998UPMC Study Finds That Postmenopausal Estrogen Use is Associated with Improved Survival in Women with Congestive Heart FailureA study by cardiologists at UPMC has found that postmenopausal women with congestive heart failure (CHF) have a lower mortality rate if they are on estrogen therapy.
- Wednesday, November 11, 1998Study Finds Radiosurgery Effective for Acoustic TumorsUniversity of Pittsburgh researchers have found that stereotactic radiosurgical treatment of acoustic tumors provides long-term tumor control, high rates of neurologic function preservation and patient satisfaction
- Monday, November 16, 1998UPCI And Other Pennsylvania Research Centers Request Tobacco Settlement Money To Ease Cancer Burden, Enhance ResearchThe announced settlement between the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and tobacco companies today could mean a tremendous boost to cancer research and the health of residents in this state.
- Monday, November 23, 1998Toxic Levels of Neurochemical Found in Shaken Baby Syndrome by UPMC Safar Resuscitation Center Researchers In a study with implications for the diagnosis and treatment of child abuse, researchers from University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Safar Resuscitation Research Center report that children and infants who have suffered head injury have toxic levels o
December
- Monday, December 21, 1998New Bioartificial Liver System in Clinical Trial at University of Pittsburgh Medical CenterResearchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) have begun testing a new bioartificial liver assist system designed by Excorp Medical, Inc., that uses healthy liver cells from pigs as a means to improve the liver function of critically i
- Wednesday, December 23, 1998Pitt Nurse Researcher Receives Grant for Study on Adherence to Antiretroviral Medications in Patients With HIVJudith Erlen, Ph.D., R.N., associate professor of nursing in the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Nursing, and associate director of the Center for Research in Chronic Disorders, has received a grant totaling more than $960,000 from the National Insti
- Wednesday, December 23, 1998Clues to Transplant Tolerance Linked to Infectious Disease Immunity Cell Traffic Key, Say Authors in New England Journal of MedicineThe process by which the human immune system takes little notice of certain infections is similar to the way it takes little notice of a transplanted organ under the most perfect immunological conditions.