Data from a Phase II study of eltrombopag, an oral investigational drug that increases the production of platelets, demonstrate that the compound was effective in increasing platelet counts in patients with chronic Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a disorder characterized by episodes of frequent spontaneous bruising, mucosal bleeding, and in severe cases intracranial hemorrhage, and acute episodes of severe bleeding.

J. Emilio Carrillo, MD, MPH, a leading healthcare administrator and expert in community health, has been named Vice President of Community Health Development at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. He is also an associate professor of clinical public health and medicine at Weill Medical College of Cornell University.

Cooling the brains of babies deprived of oxygen at birth may reduce the risk of brain damage, according to an international study published today in The Lancet in which the babies' body temperature was lowered by 3-4 degrees for 72 hours after birth using a water-filled cap.

New research from Columbia University Medical Center is challenging the traditional explanation for the causes of the most common type of heart failure, traditionally called diastolic heart failure. The study of 145 patients at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/The Allen Pavilion suggests that the most common type of heart failure is caused by health problems outside the heart.

Each year, thousands of children from orphanages abroad are adopted by families in the United States. Yet the long-term impact of the early experiences of these children is unknown. Researchers at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center are currently conducting a study that employs tools -- including computer games used in conjunction with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans -- to better understand the cognitive and emotional development of these children, as well as their unique experiences.

Americans will receive an estimated 100 million electrocardiograms (ECGs) this year to diagnose heart disease -- including heart attack, acute angina, and hypertrophy (enlarged heart). A new study finds that computer-based rhythm interpretation -- a standard feature of most modern electrocardiograms -- is often inaccurate, and without physician intervention, could lead to a false heart rhythm diagnosis. The NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center study is published in last month's Journal of Electrocardiology.

Traditionally when a baby was born with a malformation of the lung or esophagus, they had to undergo open surgery involving a large chest incision with risk for serious complications. Now, pediatric surgeons at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian are one of only a few in the United States to offer the corrective surgery using innovative minimally invasive techniques -- with benefits including reduced pain, risk for complications and visible scarring.

Dr. Lisa Kern and her colleagues found that screening for osteoporosis with bone density scans was associated with 36% fewer hip fractures over six years compared with usual medical care. The study will be published in the February 1 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.