http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress provides the latest news from University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences Transplant researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine challenge a long-held assumption about how biologic pathways trigger immune system rejection of donor organs in a report published online today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Their study, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, suggests a different paradigm is needed to develop better anti-rejection therapies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-transplant-experts-assumption-pathway.html Medical research Wed, 15 May 2013 12:00:01 EST news287824032 A physician's choice of words when talking with family members about whether or not to try cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) if a critically ill patient's heart stops may influence the decision, according to a study by University of Pittsburgh researchers in the June edition of Critical Care Medicine and now available online. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-doctor-choice-words-family-decision.html Other Thu, 09 May 2013 16:06:56 EST news287334409 Through the serendipity of science, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have discovered a potential treatment for deadly, drug-resistant bacterial infections that uses the same approach that HIV uses to infect cells. The National Institutes of Health-supported discovery will be described in the June issue of the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. It is especially promising in the development of a potential treatment for lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-discovery-potential-drug-resistant-bacteria.html Medical research Tue, 07 May 2013 15:25:26 EST news287159117 An ingredient that naturally occurs in breast milk might be used to prevent premature babies from developing a deadly intestinal condition that currently is largely incurable, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC in this week's online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-breast-ingredient-necrotizing-enterocolitisdeadly-intestinal.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 06 May 2013 15:00:09 EST news287059413 Melatonin injections delayed symptom onset and reduced mortality in a mouse model of the neurodegenerative condition amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. In a report published online ahead of print in the journal Neurobiology of Disease, the team revealed that receptors for melatonin are found in the nerve cells, a finding that could launch novel therapeutic approaches. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-team-melatonin-als-symptom-onset.html Neuroscience Thu, 25 Apr 2013 04:54:11 EST news286084445 A multicenter study led by scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine shows that mild traumatic brain injury after blast exposure produces inflammation, oxidative stress and gene activation patterns akin to disorders of memory processing such as Alzheimer's disease. Their findings were recently reported in the online version of the Journal of Neurotrauma. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-mild-blast-injury-molecular-brain.html Neuroscience Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:55:08 EST news286019674 Stem cells and tissue-specific cells can be grown in abundance from mature mammalian cells simply by blocking a certain membrane protein, according to scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Their experiments, reported today in Scientific Reports, also show that the process doesn't require other kinds of cells or agents to artificially support cell growth and doesn't activate cancer genes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-recipe-large-stem-cells-requires.html Medical research Wed, 17 Apr 2013 05:00:02 EST news285354156 Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have discovered a new biological pathway of innate immunity that ramps up inflammation and then identified agents that can block it, leading to increased survival and improved lung function in animal models of pneumonia. They reported their findings today in Nature Immunology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-immunity-protein-ramps-inflammation-agents.html Immunology Sun, 31 Mar 2013 13:00:01 EST news283951880 Bringing scientists a step closer to new treatments for diabetes, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and The Mount Sinai Medical Center have discovered a novel mechanism that regulates the replication of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. The findings were recently published online ahead of print in Diabetes, a journal of the American Diabetes Association. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-mechanism-replication-insulin-producing-beta-cells.html Diabetes Tue, 26 Mar 2013 11:56:23 EST news283517776 UPMC surgeons have performed a "breathing lung" transplant using a portable machine that provides a constant supply of blood and nutrients to the donor organs, which doctors say has the potential to keep them healthier and viable for longer than ever before. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-lung-transplant-east-coast-ocs.html Other Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:30:02 EST news282471528 A new study published online today in the American Journal of Managed Care found that in Medicare Part D, generic drug coverage was cost-saving compared to no coverage in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, while also improving health outcomes. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, the Pitt Graduate School of Public Health, and Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC note that policymakers and insurers should consider generic-only coverage, rather than no gap coverage, to both conserve health care resources and improve health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-cost-effectiveness-medicare-drug-schizophrenia-bipolar.html Health Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:09:01 EST news280584167 Adults undergoing bariatric surgery who are more physically active are less likely to have depressive symptoms and to have recently received medication or counseling for depression or anxiety than their less active counterparts, according to new research led by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-physical-linked-depression-bariatric-surgery.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 14 Feb 2013 11:30:01 EST news280063283 A new study published online in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry revealed a significantly higher prevalence of substance abuse and cigarette use by adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) histories than in those without ADHD. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC as well as six other health centers across the United States also found that, contrary to previous findings, current medications for ADHD do not counter the risk for substance abuse and substance use disorder (SUD) among teenagers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-large-substance-abuse-higher-teenagers.html Attention deficit disorders Mon, 11 Feb 2013 12:55:36 EST news279809716 Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC describe in PLoS ONE how an electrode array sitting on top of the brain enabled a 30-year-old paralyzed man to control the movement of a character on a computer screen in three dimensions with just his thoughts. It also enabled him to move a robot arm to touch a friend's hand for the first time in the seven years since he was injured in a motorcycle accident. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-team-bci-spinal-cord-injured-plos.html Neuroscience Fri, 08 Feb 2013 12:42:14 EST news279549718 University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) researchers have uncovered a technique to halt the growth of cancer cells, a discovery that led them to a potential new anti-cancer therapy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-reveal-mechanism-halt-cancer-cell.html Cancer Mon, 04 Feb 2013 04:30:27 EST news279174611