University of Pittsburgh

About: University of Pittsburgh is a education organization based out in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Transplantation. The organization has 87042 authors who have published 201012 publications receiving 9656783 citations. The organization is also known as: Pitt & Western University of Pennsylvania.

Psychology of computer use: xl. addictive use of the internet : a case that breaks the stereotype

Abstract: This case involves a homemaker 43 years of age who is addicted to using the Internet. This case was selected as it demonstrates that a nontechnologically oriented woman with a reportedly content home life and no prior addiction or psychiatric history abused the Internet which resulted in significant impairment to her family life. This paper defines addictive use of the Internet, outlines the subject's progression of addictive on-line use, and discusses the implications of such addictive behavior on the new market of Internet consumers.

Aerobic fitness is associated with hippocampal volume in elderly humans

Abstract: Deterioration of the hippocampus occurs in elderly individuals with and without dementia, yet individual variation exists in the degree and rate of hippocampal decay. Determining the factors that influence individual variation in the magnitude and rate of hippocampal decay may help promote lifestyle changes that prevent such deterioration from taking place. Aerobic fitness and exercise are effective at preventing cortical decay and cognitive impairment in older adults and epidemiological studies suggest that physical activity can reduce the risk for developing dementia. However, the relationship between aerobic fitness and hippocampal volume in elderly humans is unknown. In this study, we investigated whether individuals with higher levels of aerobic fitness displayed greater volume of the hippocampus and better spatial memory performance than individuals with lower fitness levels. Furthermore, in exploratory analyses, we assessed whether hippocampal volume mediated the relationship between fitness and spatial memory. Using a region-of-interest analysis on magnetic resonance images in 165 nondemented older adults, we found a triple association such that higher fitness levels were associated with larger left and right hippocampi after controlling for age, sex, and years of education, and larger hippocampi and higher fitness levels were correlated with better spatial memory performance. Furthermore, we demonstrated that hippocampal volume partially mediated the relationship between higher fitness levels and enhanced spatial memory. Our results clearly indicate that higher levels of aerobic fitness are associated with increased hippocampal volume in older humans, which translates to better memory function.

Hereditary Pancreatitis and the Risk of Pancreatic Cancer

Abstract: BACKGROUND Hereditary pancreatitis is an autosomal-dominant disease, with a variable expression and an estimated penetrance of 80%. The gene for this disease has recently been mapped to chromosome 7q35, and the defect is believed to be caused by a mutation in the cationic trypsinogen gene. Acute attacks of abdominal pain begin early in life and the disease often progresses to chronic pancreatitis. Although the risk of pancreatic cancer is thought to be increased in more common types of chronic pancreatitis, the frequency of pancreatic cancer in the inherited type of pancreatitis is uncertain. PURPOSE The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of pancreatic cancer and other tumors in patients with hereditary form of pancreatitis. METHODS To determine the natural history of hereditary pancreatitis, we invited all members of the American Pancreatic Association and the International Association of Pancreatology to participate in a longitudinal study of this rare form of pancreatitis. The initial criteria for patient eligibility were as follows: early age (< or = 30 years) at onset of symptoms, positive family history, and absence of other causes. From April 1995 through February 1996, 37 physicians from 10 countries contributed medical records of 246 (125 males and 121 females) patients thought to have hereditary pancreatitis as the most likely diagnosis. This group included 218 patients where the diagnosis appeared to be highly probable and 28 additional patients where the diagnosis of hereditary pancreatitis was less certain: 25 patients who had relatively late onset of disease and a positive family history and three patients with onset of disease before age 30 years but with an uncertain family history. We reviewed all causes of death and compared the observed to the expected frequency of cancer in this historical cohort of patients with hereditary pancreatitis. The strength of the association between pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer was estimated by the standardized incidence ratio (SIR), which is the ratio of observed pancreatic cancer cases in the cohort to the expected pancreatic cancers in the background population, adjusted for age, sex, and country. RESULTS The mean age (+/- standard deviation [SD]) at onset of symptoms of pancreatitis was 13.9 +/- 12.2 years. Compared with an expected number of 0.150, eight pancreatic adenocarcinomas developed (mean age +/- SD at diagnosis of pancreatic cancer: 56.9 +/- 11.2 years) during 8531 person-years of follow-up, yielding an SIR of 53 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 23-105). The frequency of other tumors was not increased: SIR = 0.7 (95% CI = 0.3-1.6). Eight of 20 reported deaths in the cohort were from pancreatic cancer. Thirty members of the cohort have already been tested for the defective hereditary pancreatitis gene: all 30 carry a mutated copy of the trypsinogen gene. The transmission pattern of hereditary pancreatitis was known for 168 of 238 patients without pancreatic cancer and six of eight with pancreatic cancer. Ninety-nine of the 238 patients without pancreatic cancer and six of the patients with pancreatic cancer inherited the disease through the paternal side of the family. The estimated cumulative risk of pancreatic cancer to age 70 years in patients with hereditary pancreatitis approaches 40%. For patients with a paternal inheritance pattern, the cumulative risk of pancreatic cancer is approximately 75%. CONCLUSIONS Patients with hereditary pancreatitis have a high risk of pancreatic cancer several decades after the initial onset of pancreatitis. A paternal inheritance pattern increases the probability of developing pancreatic cancer.

Direct gene transfer with DNA-liposome complexes in melanoma: expression, biologic activity, and lack of toxicity in humans

Abstract: Direct gene transfer offers the potential to introduce DNA encoding therapeutic proteins to treat human disease. Previously, gene transfer in humans has been achieved by a cell-mediated ex vivo approach in which cells from the blood or tissue of patients are genetically modified in the laboratory and subsequently returned to the patient. To determine the feasibility and safety of directly transferring genes into humans, a clinical study was performed. The gene encoding a foreign major histocompatibility complex protein, HLA-B7, was introduced into HLA-B7-negative patients with advanced melanoma by injection of DNA-liposome complexes in an effort to demonstrate gene transfer, document recombinant gene expression, and determine the safety and potential toxicity of this therapy. Six courses of treatment were completed without complications in five HLA-B7-negative patients with stage IV melanoma. Plasmid DNA was detected within biopsies of treated tumor nodules 3-7 days after injection but was not found in the serum at any time by using the polymerase chain reaction. Recombinant HLA-B7 protein was demonstrated in tumor biopsy tissue in all five patients by immunochemistry, and immune responses to HLA-B7 and autologous tumors could be detected. No antibodies to DNA were detected in any patient. One patient demonstrated regression of injected nodules on two independent treatments, which was accompanied by regression at distant sites. These studies demonstrate the feasibility, safety, and therapeutic potential of direct gene transfer in humans.