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.

SHEA guideline for preventing nosocomial transmission of multidrug-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus and enterococcus.

Abstract: patients with MRSA or VRE usually acquire it via spread. The CDC has long-recommended contact precautions for patients colonized or infected with such pathogens. Most facilities have required this as policy, but have not actively identified colonized patients with sur veillance cultures, leaving most colonized patients undetected and unisolated. Many studies have shown control of endemic and/or epidemic MRSA and VRE infections using surveillance cultures and contact precautions, demonstrating consistency of evidence, high strength of association, reversibility, a dose gradient, and specificity for control with this approach. Adjunctive control measures are also discussed. CONCLUSION: Active surveillance cultures are essential to identify the reservoir for spread of MRSA and VRE infections and make control possible using the CDC’s long-recommended contact precautions (Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2003;24:362-386).

Mesenchymal stem cell engraftment in lung is enhanced in response to bleomycin exposure and ameliorates its fibrotic effects.

Abstract: Previously we described a reliable method based on immunodepletion for isolating mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from murine bone marrow and showed that, after intracranial transplantation, the cells migrated throughout forebrain and cerebellum and adopted neural cell fates. Here we systemically administered MSCs purified by immunodepletion from male bleomycin (BLM)-resistant BALB/c mice into female BLM-sensitive C57BL/6 recipients and quantified engraftment levels in lung by real-time PCR. Male DNA accounted for 2.21 × 10-5% of the total lung DNA in control-treated mice but was increased 23-fold (P = 0.05) in animals exposed to BLM before MSC transplantation. Fluorescence in situ hybridization revealed that engrafted male cells were localized to areas of BLM-induced injury and exhibited an epithelium-like morphology. Moreover, purification of type II epithelial cells from the lungs of transplant recipients resulted in a 3-fold enrichment of male, donor-derived cells as compared with whole lung tissue. MSC administration immediately after exposure to BLM also significantly reduced the degree of BLM-induced inflammation and collagen deposition within lung tissue. Collectively, these studies demonstrate that murine MSCs home to lung in response to injury, adopt an epithelium-like phenotype, and reduce inflammation and collagen deposition in lung tissue of mice challenged with BLM.

SPECTRA AND HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE LIGHT CURVES OF SIX TYPE Ia SUPERNOVAE AT 0.511 <z< 1.12 AND THE UNION2 COMPILATION ∗

Abstract: We report on work to increase the number of well-measured Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) at high redshifts. Light curves, including high signal-to-noise HST data, and spectra of six SNe Ia that were discovered during 2001 are presented. Additionally, for the two SNe with z > 1, we present groundbased J-band photometry from Gemini and the VLT. These are among the most distant SNe Ia for which ground based near-IR observations have been obtained. We add these six SNe Ia together with other data sets that have recently become available in the literature to the Union compilation (Kowalski et al. 2008). We have made a number of refinements to the Union analysis chain, the most important ones being the refitting of all light curves with the SALT2 fitter and an improved handling of systematic errors. We call this new compilation, consisting of 557 supernovae, the Union2

Cleft lip and palate: understanding genetic and environmental influences.

Abstract: Clefts of the lip and/or palate (CLP) are common birth defects of complex aetiology. CLP can occur in isolation or as part of a broad range of chromosomal, Mendelian or teratogenic syndromes. Although there has been marked progress in identifying genetic and environmental triggers for syndromic CLP, the aetiology of the more common non-syndromic (isolated) forms remains poorly characterized. Recently, using a combination of epidemiology, careful phenotyping, genome-wide association studies and analysis of animal models, several distinct genetic and environmental risk factors have been identified and confirmed for non-syndromic CLP. These findings have advanced our understanding of developmental biology and created new opportunities for clinical translational research.

RIFLE criteria for acute kidney injury are associated with hospital mortality in critically ill patients: a cohort analysis.

Abstract: The lack of a standard definition for acute kidney injury has resulted in a large variation in the reported incidence and associated mortality RIFLE, a newly developed international consensus classification for acute kidney injury, defines three grades of severity – risk (class R), injury (class I) and failure (class F) – but has not yet been evaluated in a clinical series We performed a retrospective cohort study, in seven intensive care units in a single tertiary care academic center, on 5,383 patients admitted during a one year period (1 July 2000–30 June 2001) Acute kidney injury occurred in 67% of intensive care unit admissions, with maximum RIFLE class R, class I and class F in 12%, 27% and 28%, respectively Of the 1,510 patients (28%) that reached a level of risk, 840 (56%) progressed Patients with maximum RIFLE class R, class I and class F had hospital mortality rates of 88%, 114% and 263%, respectively, compared with 55% for patients without acute kidney injury Additionally, acute kidney injury (hazard ratio, 17; 95% confidence interval, 128–213; P < 0001) and maximum RIFLE class I (hazard ratio, 14; 95% confidence interval, 102–188; P = 0037) and class F (hazard ratio, 27; 95% confidence interval, 203–355; P < 0001) were associated with hospital mortality after adjusting for multiple covariates In this general intensive care unit population, acute kidney 'risk, injury, failure', as defined by the newly developed RIFLE classification, is associated with increased hospital mortality and resource use Patients with RIFLE class R are indeed at high risk of progression to class I or class F Patients with RIFLE class I or class F incur a significantly increased length of stay and an increased risk of inhospital mortality compared with those who do not progress past class R or those who never develop acute kidney injury, even after adjusting for baseline severity of illness, case mix, race, gender and age