News

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)—an eye disease that occurs when a small part of the retina, called the macula, wears down over time—is the leading cause of vision loss in people over the age of 50. AMD results in dark, blurry areas in the center of vision and significantly impairs the ability to read or drive. Although there is no known cure for AMD, local researchers are testing a new implant that may help restore partial sight.  University of Pittsburgh researcher and UPMC surgeon...

Children who are overweight or obese are more likely to have low vitamin D levels, a deficiency that can be associated with markers of poor cardiovascular and metabolic health. However, results from a recent study conducted by UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, showed improvements in blood pressure, insulin sensitivity, and blood glucose levels in overweight and obese vitamin D-deficient children who took supplemental vitamin D...

Menopause can come with many challenging symptoms, including night sweats, hot flashes, sleep disruption, mood changes, and weight gain. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is often used to help manage these symptoms, but a study by researchers and the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Public Health published in the Journal of the American Heart Association suggests a link between some forms of HRT and accumulation of heart fat, which is a risk for cardiovascular disease. As part of the...

Children account for over 30 million emergency department visits each year, and most of these visits occur in general emergency departments that may not be equipped to handle pediatric emergencies. According to an analysis published in the journal Pediatrics, critically ill children brought to hospital emergency departments that are ill-prepared to care for pediatric emergencies have more than three times the odds of dying compared to those brought to hospitals well-equipped to care for them. ...

Reproductive coercion—a form of relationship abuse that includes pressuring a partner to become pregnant when they do not want to be or interfering with contraception use by damaging condoms or through other means—is a common problem among teenage girls seeking care at high school health centers, according to a study led by University of Pittsburgh researchers. Reproductive coercion can lead to poor health outcomes, such as unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. ...

On Monday, October 28, 2019, Pitt+Me staff from the Clinical and Translational Science Institute welcomed over 700 students, staff, community members, and researchers to Pitt+Me Day: A SALK-a-bration of Research at the University of Pittsburgh’s Oakland campus. The event was held to celebrate the legacy and birthday of Dr. Jonas Salk—a Pitt researcher who led the team that developed the first polio vaccine. Polio, a disease that attacks the nervous system and can lead to paralysis and death...

Antiretroviral medicines have helped millions of people with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) live longer, healthier lives, but new research found that even after nearly a decade of strict HIV treatment, cells sheltering the virus could be found in the cerebrospinal fluid—a clear, colorless fluid found in the brain and spinal cord—in half of study participants living with HIV. In addition, researchers found that people with HIV in their cerebrospinal fluid were more likely to have cognitive...

Over the past 15 years, the rate of suicide in young people and the rate of death due to opioid overdose in adults have both dramatically increased, and new research suggests that the two may be related. David Brent, MD, and his team at the University of Pittsburgh found that children of parents who use prescription opioids are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide.     Researchers used a medical claims database of privately-insured adults from 2010-2016 to identify parents who had...

Anywhere from 40-70% of people with heart failure experience depression at the same time, but research findings from the Hopeful Heart Trial at the University of Pittsburgh show that telephone-delivered care that blends treatment for both conditions can improve mental health-related quality of life and mood symptoms more than doctors’ usual care for these conditions. Heart failure affects up to 6.6 million Americans, but co-occurring depression is often unrecognized and untreated in this...

Flu shots typically become available in August, but waiting until October to get vaccinated may be best for older adults, according to a research study from the University of Pittsburgh. Over time, the effectiveness of the flu vaccine in an individual declines and the risk of contracting the flu rises. Because flu season often increases in October and peaks between December and February, researchers suggest thatgetting vaccinated closer to the start of flu season may provide better protection. ...

Gastric bypass surgery, also called the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure, is the most common form of weight loss surgery performed in the United States today and has helped many people lose weight and improve health. However, a new study reports that the death rate from drug- and alcohol-related causes in people who have had Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery is nearly triple that of the general public, according to recently published research from the University of Pittsburgh.  Researchers...

Going through a breakup, feeling left out, or losing a friend can be difficult, but recent research may provide a clue about why some people bounce back from these types of rejection faster than others. University of Pittsburgh researcher Tristen Inagaki, PhD, and her team recently published new findings in the journal Biological Psychology reporting that people with high blood pressure were less sensitive to social pain—defined as the unpleasant experience felt by actual or perceived damage to...

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in the United States for people aged 15 to 34. Although there are often warning signs that someone is thinking about suicide, it is difficult to predict who will go on to attempt or commit suicide. But a research study published in JAMA Psychiatry and led by Nadine Melhem, PhD, at the University of Pittsburgh, shows that focusing on patterns of depressive symptoms may help healthcare providers better assess suicidality in high-risk young people. ...

Many people take aspirin to lessen pain, lower a fever, or prevent a heart attack or stroke, but new research published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine reports that taking aspirin may also help treat patients with some types of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC)—cancers that affect the mouth, throat, voice box, nose, and sinus cavity. Researcher Matthew Hedberg, MD, PhD, and his team at the University of Pittsburgh found that regular use of aspirin improved outcomes for...

We all know that it is important to get a good night’s sleep, and this may be especially important for older women. New research from Jane Cauley, DrPH, of the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, found that women who slept poorly, or slept too much or too little, had an increased risk of falling and breaking a bone. Dr. Cauley and her team studied self-reported data from 157,306 postmenopausal women aged 50-79 and...