2012 Press Releases
May 15, 2012
President of University of Chicago Medical Center joins CURE board
University of Chicago Medical Center President Sharon O'Keefe, a nationally recognized authority on hospital operations, health care quality and patient satisfaction, and the mother of a child with epilepsy, has been named to the board of Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE).
May 15, 2012
Mystery gene reveals new mechanism for anxiety disorders
A novel mechanism for anxiety behaviors, including a previously unrecognized inhibitory brain signal, may inspire new strategies for treating psychiatric disorders, University of Chicago researchers report.
May 11, 2012
Annual Day of Service and Reflection Marks 10 Years of Giving to Community
Hundreds of University of Chicago Medicine staff, faculty members, students, their family and friends will mobilize across Chicago's South Side to tackle a host of community projects as part of the 10th annual Day of Service and Reflection (DOSAR).
May 8, 2012
$5.9 million grant to create 'CommunityRX' system for South Side
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded $5.9 million to a University of Chicago Medicine-led program to set up a real-time automated system that will link a patient with up-to-date information about community-based services and resources.
May 4, 2012
Beehive extract shows potential as prostate cancer treatment
An over-the-counter natural remedy derived from honeybee hives arrests the growth of prostate cancer cells and tumors in mice, according to a new paper from researchers at the University of Chicago Medicine.
April 24, 2012
Guidelines for prostate screening widely ignored
New research confirms that the controversial decision by Warren Buffet -- the 81-year-old CEO of Berkshire Hathaway -- to undergo a blood test screening for prostate cancer despite his age is hardly unusual.
April 18, 2012
Early introduction of biologic therapy improves Crohn's disease outcomes
A large-scale study of medical claims data shows that introducing sophisticated biologic therapies early in the course of treatment for Crohn's disease improves response to medication and reduces the need for surgery.
April 13, 2012
Clinical trial measures impact of food on anti-cancer drug effects
An unusual clinical trial based at the University of Chicago Medicine is seeking to determine whether a drug approved for patients with advanced prostate cancer might be safer and just as effective if taken at a much lower dose with food instead of at the full dose on an empty stomach.
April 9, 2012
Social stress changes immune system gene expression in primates
The ranking of a monkey within her social environment and the stress accompanying that status dramatically alters the expression of nearly 1,000 genes, a new scientific study reports.
April 9, 2012
Leading organization awards University of Chicago Medicine Hypertension Center its highest designation
The American Society of Hypertension (ASH), the largest organization of hypertension researchers and health care providers in the United States, has designated the University of Chicago Medicine as a Comprehensive Hypertension Center, the first in the Chicago area.
April 4, 2012
Antipsychotic drug may be helpful treatment for anorexia nervosa
Low doses of a commonly used atypical antipsychotic drug improved survival in a mouse model of anorexia nervosa, University of Chicago researchers report this month. The result offers promise for a common and occasionally fatal eating disorder that currently lacks approved drugs for treatment.
April 2, 2012
New program will study the role of religion in practicing medicine
Is a doctor's spirituality an obstacle or a benefit in the clinic? Does religious affiliation affect medical decision making? Can a spiritual calling protect doctors against career burnout?
March 28, 2012
Restaurants cater to gluten-free Chicagoans at celiac fundraiser
Chicago-area residents gathering at the Sheraton Hotel on April 20 will have one thing in common: They either have celiac disease or they know someone who does.
March 22, 2012
'What we don't talk about when we don't talk about sex'
How often does your doctor ask about your sexual life? Unfortunately, the answer may be: not often enough.
March 21, 2012
Evidence mounts for link between opioids and cancer growth
Opioid drugs used to relieve pain in postoperative and chronic cancer patients may stimulate the growth and spread of tumors, according to two studies and a commentary in the 2012 annual Journal Symposium issue of Anesthesiology.
March 13, 2012
Pritzker School of Medicine ranked among Top 10 in U.S.
The University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Medicine has been named one of the Top 10 medical schools in the United States, by U.S. News & World Report's annual "Best Graduate Schools" survey.
March 12, 2012
Personal mobile computing increases doctors' efficiency
Providing personal mobile computers to medical residents increases their efficiency, reduces delays in patient care and enhances continuity of care, according to a "research letter" in the March 12, 2012, issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
February 24, 2012
Acclaimed documentary The Interrupters is shown in series of community events to engage communities impacted by violence
The University of Chicago Medicine is teaming up with the Chicago Urban League on Monday, February 27 to host a community panel discussion addressing violence in South Side communities.
February 23, 2012
Genetic risk for elevated arsenic toxicity discovered
One of the first large-scale genomic studies conducted in a developing country has discovered genetic variants that elevate the risk for skin lesions in people chronically exposed to arsenic.
February 21, 2012
Energy network within cells may be new target for cancer therapy
Mitochondria, tiny structures within each cell that regulate metabolism and energy use, may be a promising new target for cancer therapy, according to a new study.
February 19, 2012
A classic model for ecological stability revised, 40 years later
A famous mathematical formula which shook the world of ecology 40 years ago has been revisited and refined by two University of Chicago researchers in the current issue of Nature.
February 15, 2012
Smoking cessation aide shows promise as alcoholism treatment
A medication commonly used to help people stop smoking may have an unanticipated positive side effect for an entirely different vice: drinking alcohol. A new study by University of Chicago researchers finds that varenicline, sold as Chantix, increases the negative effects of alcohol and therefore could hold promise as a treatment for alcoholism.
February 7, 2012
University of Chicago Medicine, CeaseFire partner to address violence
In an effort to address urban violence on the South Side, the University of Chicago Medicine is partnering with CeaseFire Chicago to sponsor a "Violence Interrupter" who will focus on monitoring, mediating and defusing disputes in neighborhoods that the medical campus serves.
February 6, 2012
Antidepressant-suicide link in youths absent in new analysis
In 2004, concerns about antidepressant drugs increasing suicidal thoughts and behaviors in young patients prompted the FDA to issue a rare "black box warning." Now, a new analysis of clinical trial data finds that treatment with the antidepressant fluoxetine did not increase -- or decrease -- suicidality in children compared to placebo treatment.
February 3, 2012
Do patients pay when they leave against medical advice?
There are ways in which patients who leave the hospital against medical advice wind up paying for that decision. Being saddled with the full cost of their hospital stay, however, is not one of them.
January 31, 2012
Lung transplant system often skips over those most in need
The system for allocating donated lungs based on proximity and not on need appears to decrease the potential benefits of lung transplantation and increase the number of patients who die waiting. In 2009, lungs were routinely allocated to less urgent, local candidates even when there were patients within the region but outside the local donor service who were in much greater need.
January 25, 2012
Janet Rowley, MD, to receive Japan Prize for her role in the development of targeted cancer therapy
Janet Davison Rowley, MD, the Blum-Riese Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine, Molecular Genetics & Cell Biology and Human Genetics at the University of Chicago, will share the 2012 Japan Prize for Healthcare and Medical Technology with Brian J. Druker, MD, from the Oregon Health and Science University, and Nicholas B. Lydon, PhD, formerly with Novartis.
January 23, 2012
University of Chicago Medicine looks ahead to new brand, new hospital
The University of Chicago Medical Center, one of the leading academic medical institutions in the country, is introducing a new brand as it prepares to open a modern 10-story hospital on its South Side campus next January.
January 19, 2012
Study: Communicating health risk is a risky task for FDA
The impact of efforts by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to notify the general public and health care providers about unanticipated risks from approved medications has been "varied and unpredictable," according to a systematic review of published studies about FDA warnings and alerts over the last 20 years.
January 17, 2012
Four faculty members in Pritzker, BSD receive named appointments
Four members of the faculty in the Biological Sciences Division -- Habibul Ahsan, Peter Angelos, David Song and Jerrold Turner -- have received named professorships.
January 16, 2012
Neural balls and strikes: where categories live in the brain
Hundreds of times during a baseball game, the home plate umpire must instantaneously categorize a fast-moving pitch as a ball or a strike. In new research from the University of Chicago, scientists have pinpointed an area in the brain where these kinds of visual categories are encoded.
January 9, 2012
Top Japanese scientist leaving government post to move to the University of Chicago Medical Center
Yusuke Nakamura, MD, PhD, Secretary General in the Japanese Government's Office of Medical Innovation and a professor of molecular medicine at Tokyo University's Human Genome Center, has stepped down from his leadership position in the Japanese Cabinet Secretariat. He will join the faculty at the University of Chicago in April 2012.
January 9, 2012
For those with diabetes, controlling blood pressure is crucial, but not urgent
A new study suggests that middle-aged adults recently diagnosed with diabetes and hypertension have time to try to learn how to control their high blood pressure without medications, but not too much time.
January 9, 2012
Evolution of complexity recreated using "molecular time travel"
Much of what living cells do is carried out by "molecular machines" -- physical complexes of specialized proteins working together to carry out some biological function. How the minute steps of evolution produced these constructions has long puzzled scientists, and provided a favorite target for creationists.
January 4, 2012
Experts urge BMI method for calculating weight in kids with eating disorders
An exact determination of expected body weight for adolescents based on age, height and gender is critical for diagnosis and management of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia. However, there are no clear guidelines regarding the appropriate method for calculating this weight in children with such disorders.
