Medical Center Rounds Updates

U.S. News Ranks Golisano Children's Hospital Programs Among Nation's Best

Golisano Children's Hospital at the University of Rochester Medical Center has been named among the nation's best hospitals for pediatric orthopaedics, neurology and neurosurgery by U.S. News & World Report. More»

Acupuncture's Molecular Effects Pinned Down

Scientists have taken another important step toward understanding just how sticking needles into the body can ease pain. In a paper published online in Nature Neuroscience, a team at the University of Rochester Medical Center identifies the molecule adenosine as a central player in parlaying some of the effects of acupuncture in the body. Building on that knowledge, scientists were able to triple the beneficial effects of acupuncture in mice by adding a medication approved to treat leukemia in people. More»

Rochester Advances Understanding of Deadly Form of Malaria

Scientists are making strides against cerebral malaria, a fatal form of malaria in children that can ravage the brain and is extremely difficult to treat. New research points to platelets—known for their role in blood clotting—as playing an important role in the disease, stimulating the immune system and turning on molecules that increase inflammation. The inflammation leads to the obstruction of blood vessels in the brain, causing brain damage similar to that seen with a stroke. More»

More "Good" Cholesterol is Not Always Good for Your Health

We've all heard about the importance of raising HDL, or the so-called "good" cholesterol, and lowering LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, to improve heart health. While we've come to assume HDL cholesterol is an inherently good thing, a new study shows that for a certain group of patients, this is not always the case. The study, the lead author of which is James Corsetti, M.D., Ph.D. (R '86), is the first to find that a high level of the supposedly good cholesterol places a subgroup of patients at high risk for recurrent coronary events, such as chest pain, heart attack, and death. More»

Androgen Receptor May Explain Male Dominance in Liver Cancer

University of Rochester Medical Center study helps to explain why men get liver cancer more often than women and opens the door for a new treatment pathway, by showing a direct link between the androgen receptor, which is more active in men, and the hepatitis B virus as it relates to the deadly cancer. More»

Popular Autism Diet Does Not Demonstrate Behavioral Improvement

A popular belief that specific dietary changes can improve the symptoms of children with autism was not supported by a tightly controlled University of Rochester Medical Center study, which found that eliminating gluten and casein from the diets of children with autism had no impact on their behavior, sleep or bowel patterns. More»

Yoga Improves Sleep, Quality of Life for Cancer Survivors

Cancer survivors who perform gentle yoga report they sleep better, feel less fatigued and enjoy better quality of life, according to the University of Rochester Medical Center, which presented the largest study of this kind at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting. More»

Heart Drug Eeffective for Treating Symptom of Muscular Dystrophy

Mexiletine, a medication most often used to treat heart arrhythmias also reduces a central symptom of myotonic dystrophy, the most common type of muscular dystrophy in adults. More»

New Facility Will Accelerate Stem Cell Research

The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) has received a $3.3 million grant from the Empire State Stem Cell Board for the construction of a new facility that will enable scientists to produce human stem cells suitable for testing new therapies. More»

First Chief of Child Neurology Dies

Frederick A. Horner, M.D., the first chief of Child Neurology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, died April 20, 2010, at the age of 90. More»

Former Medical School Dean Appointed to SUNY Board of Trustees

Marshall A. Lichtman, M.D., professor and former dean of the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, has been appointed to the State University of New York (SUNY) Board of Trustees. More»