Tsai-Fan Yu (, 1911 – March 2, 2007) was a Chinese-American physician, researcher, and the first woman to be appointed as a full professor at

Mount Sinai School of Medicine The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS or Mount Sinai), formerly the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, is a private medical school in New York City. It is the academic teaching arm of the Mount Sinai Health System, which manages eigh ...

. She helped to develop an explanation for the cause of

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot and swollen joint, caused by deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intensit ...

and experimented with early drugs to treat the disease which are still in use today.

Early life and education

Yu was born in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

, China in 1911. At age 13, her mother died and her father worked three jobs to help support her educational ambitions. As a sophomore at

Ginling College Ginling College (), also known by its pinyin romanization as Jinling College or Jinling Women's College, is a women's college of Nanjing Normal University in Nanjing, China. It offers both bachelor's and master's degrees. It offers six undergra ...

in China, Yu was admitted into Peking Union Medical College on full scholarship and received her medical degree with highest honors in 1939. In the same year, Yu became the Chief Resident in Internal Medicine at Peking Union Medical College.

Career and research

While in China, Yu researched the various diseases found in citrus fruits and beans. Yu came to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

in 1947 and became a U.S. citizen in 1950. She taught at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons until joining the staff faculty at Mount Sinai Medical Center in 1957 where she would spend the rest of her career. In 1973, Yu became the first female to be appointed as a full professor at Mount Sinai Hospital, one of the oldest and largest teaching hospitals in The United States.

Causes of Gout

Yu conducted extensive research in which was continuously funded by the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

for 26 years. She began studying renal function in various diseases such as Wilson's disease before focusing her research on gout at Mount Sinai. Yu helped to establish an understanding of the metabolic relationship between elevated levels of uric acid and the pain experienced by gout patients. She aimed to classify and determine the differences the various forms of gout, such as acute gouty arthritis and chronic tophaceuous gout. Yu also studied the effect that other medication conditions have on the presentation of gout. She found that about half of the patients with gout have other associated medication conditions, including

hypertension Hypertension (HTN or HT), also known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. Long-term high bl ...

, proteinuria,

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

, and hyperlipidemia.

Treatment of Gout

Beginning in the 1950s, Yu developed medicines that have been proven to be successful for treating gout. In addition, Yu and her colleague

Alexander B. Gutman Alexander B. Gutman (1902-1973) is a co-winner of the Gairdner Foundation International Award known for his research on gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot and swollen jo ...

helped to establish a groundbreaking clinic at Mount Sinai for the treatment of gout, one of the first gout clinics in the United States at Mount Sinai. Yu studied

probenecid Probenecid, also sold under the brand name Probalan, is a medication that increases uric acid excretion in the urine. It is primarily used in treating gout and hyperuricemia. Probenecid was developed as an alternative to caronamide to competitive ...

, a uricosuric drug which causes the removal of excess uric acid by being excreted with urine. She later conducted a five-year study that was published in 1961 in which she discovered colchicine, an anti-inflammatory drug that prevents recurring attacks of acute gout. In 1953, Yu conducted research on phenylbutazone as a treatment for various arthritic disorders, one being acute gouty arthritis. She and colleagues found that phenylbutazone injections lead to significantly higher urate clearance and more efficient excretion, making it successful in treating acute gout. In the 1960s, Yu further developed studies of gout’s mechanisms and soon discovered allopurinol, a drug that helps to prevent the formation of uric acid and is used in treating gout and kidney stones. In 1980, she studied

carprofen Carprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) of the propionic acid class that was previously for use in humans and animals, but is now only available to veterinarians for prescribing as a supportive treatment for various conditions ...

and its effect on urinary excretion. She found it was effective for treating acute gouty arthritis and recommended further trials. While at Mount Sinai Hospital, Yu helped to establish one of the first systemized laboratory tests for diagnosing

rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and hands are involv ...

. In 1972, Yu co-authored and published ''Gout and Uric Acid Metabolism'' and in 1982, she published the book called ''The Kidney in Gout and Hyperuricemia'' .

Awards and honors

At age 81, Yu retired as the first female professor at Mount Sinai Hospital with professor Emeritus status in 1992. She was awarded the Distinguished Career Achievement Award from the Mount Sinai Medical Center. She was also awarded the Master Award from the American Association of Rheumatology for her work in diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis. In 2004, The Tsai-Fan Yu Foundation was established as a philanthropic nonprofit corporation. Over the course of her career, she worked with over 4000 gout patients at one of the largest gout-focused practices. She also published 220 scientific journal articles and is known for her ability to translate lab research into an effective treatment for patients. She is aunt to

Hua Eleanor Yu Hua Eleanor Yu is the inaugural Billy and Audrey L. Wilder Professor in tumor immunotherapy at the Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, California. In addition, she co-leads the Cancer Immunotherap ...

, a professor in tumor immunotherapy and

Humboldt Research Award The Humboldt Prize, the Humboldt-Forschungspreis in German, also known as the Humboldt Research Award, is an award given by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany to internationally renowned scientists and scholars who work outside of G ...

recipient. Yu died at age 95 in March 2007 due to respiratory complications at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan.

References