Penn scientists discover clues that could lead novel therapies for preventing heart failure

Of the more than 700,000 Americans who suffer a heart attack each year, about a quarter go on to develop heart failure. Scientists don’t fully understand how one condition leads to the other, but researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have now discovered a significant clue – which ultimately could lead new therapies for preventing the condition.

Some Pittsburgh schools closed for the day over water issue

Insufficient chlorine in Pittsburgh’s public water supply led to the closure Wednesday of nearly two dozen grade schools and a boil-water advisory in neighborhoods that include the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority said the advisory applied to 100,000 customers in the city of more than 305,000 residents, but officials also stressed that the advisory was only a precautionary measure and no public health problems were reported.

Two years and multiple doctors often needed to diagnose polycystic ovary syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome is the most common endocrine disorder-and most common cause of infertility – affecting 9 to 18 percent of women around the world. Despite the prevalence of the complex and chronic condition, one-third of women diagnosed with PCOS saw at least three health professionals over the course of two years before receiving a diagnosis, according to a study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.