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UPMC News Releases - 1999

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January
- Thursday, January 07, 1999UPMC Researchers Receive Federal Grant To Study Treatments For Children With Behavior DisordersThe National Institute of Mental Health has awarded investigators at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (WPIC) a five-year, $2.75 million research grant
- Wednesday, January 20, 1999UPMC Orthopaedic Spine Surgeons Show Good Results With New Minimally Invasive Surgery For Painful Herniated DiscsOrthopaedic spine surgeons at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) are seeing good results with a new minimally invasive outpatient surgery that significantly reduces the pain and recovery time
- Thursday, January 21, 1999University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sponsors $60 Million Venture Capital FundThe first SBIC (Small Business Investment Company) to have an academic medical center as its sponsor has been granted a license by the Small Business Administration (SBA).
- Wednesday, January 27, 1999Using Older Donors Can Increase Number of Pancreas Transplants, Report University of Pittsburgh SurgeonsTransplanting pancreases from "marginal" donors—those who are clinically unstable or over the age of 45—can significantly expand the pool of donated organs
February
- Wednesday, February 03, 1999University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Wins National Award for Healthcare Information TechnologyUniversity of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Information Services Division (ISD) is featured in this week’s issue of Modern Healthcare for winning first place in the Return on Investment category of the Annual Innovation in Healthcare Information Technology
- Thursday, February 04, 1999Study Suggests New Clot-Dissolving Drug Effective Up to Six Hours after Onset of StrokeData from a recently completed multi-center Phase III trial suggest an investigational clot-dissolving drug can lessen the neurological disability associated with stroke.
- Thursday, February 04, 1999Some Patients Report Improvement after Receiving Human Neuronal Cell Implant at UPMC to Repair Brain Damage from StrokeLawrence Wechsler, M.D., UPMC Stroke Institute, reported today that some patients reported improvement in their symptoms after receiving brain implants of human neuronal cells.
- Monday, February 15, 1999University of Pittsburgh Researcher Identifies Serum Sex Hormones as Powerful Predictors of Breast CancerResults of a study suggest that in near future a simple blood test to detect levels of sex hormones could predict which women are at the highest risk of developing breast cancer.
March
- Monday, March 01, 1999Favorable Results with Intestinal Transplants Basis for Appeal for Medicare Coverage Intestinal transplantation should no longer be called "experimental," say authors from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) in the February/March issue of the journal Transplantation Proceedings
- Monday, March 15, 1999University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Hospitals Are National Award Winners in Cardiovascular ServicesThe two tertiary hospitals of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, UPMC Shadyside and UPMC Presbyterian, have been selected as 1999 national award winners in the 100 Top Hospitals: Cardiovascular Hospitals study.
- Monday, March 15, 1999University of Pittsburgh Involved in First Successful Example of Gene Therapy for Pain ControlUsing a patented gene vector developed by the University of Pittsburgh, a University of South Carolina-led research team is the first to show that gene therapy blocks certain pain responses in animals.
- Thursday, March 25, 1999UPMC Physicians Cited in The Best Doctors in America, 1999More than 200 physicians in 35 specialty areas from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and hospitals across University of Pittsburgh Medical Center are listed among The Best Doctors in America, 1999
- Monday, March 29, 1999UPMC Presbyterian Using New Robotic Guidance System for More Accurate Brain SurgeryThe device, called the SurgiScope®, gives surgeons the ability to better plan their approach to brain surgery, making smaller incisions possible and reducing risk to the patient.
April
- Monday, April 05, 1999University of Pittsburgh’s John Mellors, M.D., Receives $500,000 Unrestricted Research Award from Bristol-Myers SquibbJohn W. Mellors, M.D., has been named the recipient of a $500,000 unrestricted research grant from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation for his studies on AIDS.
- Sunday, April 11, 1999Botanical Products Act like Estrogen in Animals, Finds University of Pittsburgh TeamA University of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh VA Medical Center team has provided new evidence that certain botanical products act like estrogen in animals.
- Tuesday, April 13, 1999University Of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute Team Is The First To Uncover Role Of Faulty DNA Repair In Breast CancerA research team at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and Magee-Womens Hospital has uncovered a pivotal role for problems with DNA repair in breast cancer.
- Thursday, April 15, 1999Pitt’s Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center Receives $4.5 Million Grant to Improve Rehabilitation for Wheelchair UsersPitt’s Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center Receives $4.5 Million Grant to Improve Rehabilitation for Wheelchair Users
- Wednesday, April 21, 1999Bone Marrow with Organ Transplants Reduces Rejection of Transplanted Organs, Reports University of Pittsburgh Organ rejection occurs less often and is less severe in patients who receive infusions of bone marrow from the same donor, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh’s Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute report today
- Friday, April 23, 1999More Cystic Fibrosis Patients Will Die Waiting for Lung Transplants, Predicts University of Pittsburgh StudyThe number of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) who die waiting for lung transplants will likely increase if surgeons are required to follow new international wait-listing guidelines and current geographic disparities in waiting times persist
- Wednesday, April 28, 1999Some Patients Report Improvements / Pet Scans Show Improved Glucose Uptake After Neuronal Cell Implant For StrokeDouglas Kondziolka, M.D., University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, reported today on short- and long-term outcome of patients in the world’s first research study of a treatment aimed at reversing neurological defects
May
- Sunday, May 02, 1999Pacemaker Cells In Urinary Tract Identified By University Of Pittsburgh Researchers Researchers from UPMC report they have discovered cells in the urinary tract that influence the process and timing of urination.
- Tuesday, May 04, 1999Gene Therapy Could Be Useful Treatment For Diabetic Incontinence, Suggest Early Studies At University Of PittsburghResearchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) have for the first time demonstrated the feasibility of using gene therapy to treat urinary incontinence in patients with diabetes.
- Tuesday, May 11, 1999University of Pittsburgh’s Genetics Education and Counseling Program Receives $115,000 Grant from Ladies Hospital Aid SocietyThe University of Pittsburgh’s Genetics Education and Counseling Program has received a $115,000 grant from the Ladies Hospital Aid Society of Western Pennsylvania (LHAS) to continue its mission informing the community about genetic disease risk.
- Monday, May 17, 1999Livers from Children are Going to Adults, University of Pittsburgh Review of National Data RevealsNearly two-thirds of all livers donated by children since 1991 were transplanted into adults instead of their peers on the national liver transplant waiting list.
- Monday, May 17, 1999Organ Transplants Helped by Donor Bone Marrow, University of Pittsburgh Researchers Report at National Transplant MeetingsProviding patients with bone marrow from the same donor as the organ being transplanted significantly reduces rejection, especially if multiple doses of the donor bone marrow cells are given
- Tuesday, May 18, 1999Intestine Transplant Results Reported at American Society of Transplantation MeetingWith a one-year survival rate of 72 percent, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) surgeons say intestinal transplantation is a viable and a life-saving option for patients with intestinal failure.
- Wednesday, May 26, 1999UPMC Surgeons Implanting Metal Cages into the Spine to Treat Chronic Low Back PainSurgeons at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center are implanting cylindrical metal cages into the spine to treat people who are disabled with chronic low back pain caused by degenerative disc disease.
June
- Thursday, June 03, 1999University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Performs First In Vivo Gene Therapy for Hemophilia AOn June 1, 1999, a 50-year-old man with hemophilia A received the first in vivo gene therapy for this disease as part of a phase I clinical trial performed at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC).
July
- Wednesday, July 07, 1999Health Care Providers Should Use Window of Opportunity When Caring for Pregnant Teens Who Smoke, Pitt Nurse Researchers Report Concern for their unborn babies may incite pregnant teens who smoke to quit and adapt a healthier lifestyle, according to a report by a group of nurse researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing.
- Friday, July 09, 1999University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Rated As "Best of the Best" By U.S. News and World ReportFor the first time in history, a Pittsburgh-based health system has been placed on U.S. News and World Report’s Honor Roll as one of the "best of the best" hospitals in the United States.
- Sunday, July 18, 1999UPMC Opens Outpatient Palliative Care Clinic The Palliative Care Program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) has opened a palliative care outpatientclinic for patients and families facing a serious illness.
- Tuesday, July 20, 1999University of Pittsburgh Responds to Institute of Medicine Report on Organ Transplant SystemThe University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), which has long advocated for federal oversight of the national transplant system, supports the recommendations released today by the Institute of Medicine(IOM).
- Thursday, July 22, 1999Hillman Contributes $10 Million to University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute Officials from University of Pittsburgh Medical Center announced today a $10 million contribution from Henry L. Hillman and the Hillman foundations for the development and expansion of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute's (UPCI’s)
- Friday, July 23, 1999University of Pittsburgh Researchers Receive $5.3 Million for Gene Studies to Improve Muscle FunctionGene therapy offers the promise to one day repair diseased, injured or old muscles.
- Friday, July 23, 1999University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy Establishes Center for PharmacogeneticsThe University of Pittsburgh today announced the creation of the Center for Pharmacogenetics in the School of Pharmacy.
- Friday, July 30, 1999University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Surgical Team Performs First Liver Transplant in SicilyThe first liver transplant in Sicily was performed by a UPMC transplant team at the Istituto Mediterraneo per I Trapianti e Terapie ad Alta Specializzazione (ISMETT)
August
- Wednesday, August 04, 1999Pitt Researchers, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Receive $7.5 Million Grant from Department of Veterans Affairs to Establish Center of Excellence for Wheelchair TechnologyThe research will be done at the Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL), a joint venture between Pitt, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System.
- Tuesday, August 24, 1999As Summer Nears Its End, Some Kids Grow Anxious About Going Back To SchoolWhile most kids are excited about returning to school, about one in 100 of them have excessive or unrealistic fears of going back.
- Friday, August 27, 1999Surgeons Call for More Caution with Living-Related Liver Transplants and Say Split Livers Should Be More Widely Used to Alleviate Organ ShortageDespite severe shortage of cadaveric organs, surgeons who convened at a special international meeting suggested living-related liver transplants for adults should only be performed at most experienced transplant centers and with caution.
September
- Monday, September 13, 1999Pitt Researchers Receive Grant for Studies on Subarachnoid HemorrhagesA team of University of Pittsburgh investigators received a grant totaling $1.6 million for their research on patients who have a subarachnoid hemorrhage due to rupture of a cerebral aneurysm.
- Wednesday, September 22, 1999University Of Pittsburgh Medical Center Breaks Ground For Hillman Cancer Center Project Will Boost Local EconomyOfficials from University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) today broke ground for the Hillman Cancer Center
October
- Friday, October 01, 1999UPMC Presbyterian Receives 1999 Consumer Choice Award by National Research CorporationUniversity of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s UPMC Presbyterian Hospital has been named a 1999 Consumer Choice Award winnerby the National Research Corporation.
- Friday, October 22, 1999Effects of Muscular Dystrophy Reversed by Gene Therapy, Reports Team from Children’s National Medical Center and the University of PittsburghAnimal muscles crippled due to a form of muscular dystrophy can be repaired, both in size and strength, through an innovative gene therapy
- Friday, October 22, 1999University Of Pittsburgh Medical Center Opens Adult Spasticity CenterMore than 500,000 people in the United States with neurological disorders or who are recovering from stroke or brain or spinal cord injury also experience a frustrating side effect called spasticity.
- Tuesday, October 26, 1999University Of Pittsburgh Medical Center And UPCI Announce Major Prostate Cancer InitiativeLeaders at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) today announced a sweeping initiative against prostate cancer, which this year will strike more than 179,000 men and cause about 37,000 deaths nati
- Thursday, October 28, 1999University of Pittsburgh Study Suggests Herpes-Delivered Gene Could Provide Long-Term, Systemic Therapy for Peripheral NeuropathyThe successful clinical delivery of a therapeutic gene for peripheral neuropathy could treat this form of nerve damage experienced by millions of individuals as a result of disease or drug exposure.
November
- Tuesday, November 09, 1999Physical Activity and a Low-Fat, Reduced-Calorie Diet Prevent Rise in Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Menopausal Women, Find University of Pittsburgh Researchers Increased physical activity and a low-fat, reduced-calorie dietary pattern can help women avoid increases in heart disease-associated risk factors that often accompany menopause
- Wednesday, November 10, 1999Excess Abdominal Fat Can Lead to Arterial Stiffness, Say University of Pittsburgh Investigatorsfat around the waist sets off a chain of events leading to life-threatening arterial stiffness, according to researchers from the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public Health
- Tuesday, November 23, 1999University of Pittsburgh Researchers Develop Virus for First Intranasal Equine Influenza Vaccine Julius Youngner, Sc.D., distinguished service professor and Patricia Whitaker-Dowling, Ph.D., associate professor, both in the department of molecular genetics and biochemistry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, have developed the live,
- Monday, November 29, 1999Imaging Technology Developed at University of Pittsburgh Promises to Revolutionize RadiologyResearchers in the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine’s radiology department have developed a revolutionary technology to speed diagnosis and treatment of patients using equipment hospitals already have.
December
- Tuesday, December 14, 1999University of Pittsburgh Researchers to Study Effects of Clot-Busting Drug Administered by Paramedics Outside the HospitalIn an effort to determine if a more efficient response to people suffering heart attacks is possible, the University of Pittsburgh Department of Emergency Medicine is participating in a multi-center study on the use of a standard drug usually administered
- Wednesday, December 15, 1999New Study Led By University Of Pittsburgh Researcher Shows Mirtazapine Cuts Risk Of Depression Relapse By More Than 50 PercentA study led by a Pitt researcher being presented at the annual meeting of the ACNP found that twice as many placebo-treated patients experienced a relapse