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Health Sciences
Penn Medicine Physician Finds No Preventive Benefits for Widely Used Kidney Cancer Drugs
Two widely used targeted therapy drugs— approved by the FDA for use in metastatic kidney cancer —are no more effective than a placebo in preventing return of the disease to increase life spans of patients suffering from advanced kidney cancer after surgery, according to new results to be presented by a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania’s
Eczema Medication Unlikely to Increase Risk of Cancer in Children, Penn Team Finds
The topical eczema medicine pimecrolimus appears unlikely to be associated with an increased risk of cancer in children, based on a group of children who were followed for 10 years, according to study published online this week in JAMA Dermatology.
Penn Medicine Study Describes Development of Personalized Cellular Therapy for Brain Cancer
Immune cells engineered to seek out and attack a type of deadly brain cancer were found to be both safe and effective at controlling tumor growth in mice that were treated with these modified cells, according to a study published in Science Translational Medicine by a team from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsy
PIK Professor Shelley L. Berger: Revolutionizing Genetic Research
A leader in the rapidly changing field of epigenetics, Shelley L.
Penn Medicine Researchers Show Brain Activity Can Predict Increased Fat Intake Following Sleep Deprivation
Experts have warned for years that insufficient sleep can lead to weight gain.
Common Biomarkers of Sleep Debt Found in Humans, Rats, Penn Study Finds
Stating that sleep is an essential biological process seems as obvious as saying that the sun rises every morning. Yet, researchers' understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of sleep loss is still in its earliest stages.
Smartphone Apps Just as Accurate as Wearable Devices for Tracking Physical Activity, According to Penn Researchers
Although wearable devices have received significant attention for their ability to track an individual’s physical activity, most smartphone applications are just as accurate, according to a new research letter in JAMA.
Immune Biomarkers Help Predict Early Death, Complications in HIV Patients with TB, Penn Study Finds
Doctors treating patients battling both HIV and tuberculosis (TB)—many of whom live in Africa—are faced with the decision when to start those patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) while they are being treated with antibiotics for active TB disease.
Mosquitoes Ramp Up Immune Defenses After Sucking Blood, Penn Vet Researcher Finds
If you were about to enter a crowded subway during flu season, packed with people sneezing and coughing, wouldn’t it be helpful if your immune system recognized the potentially risky situation and bolstered its defenses upon stepping into the train?
Sharp, Sustained Increases in Suicides Closely Shadowed Austerity Events in Greece, Penn Study Finds
Sharp and significant increases in suicides followed select financial crisis events and austerity announcements in Greece, from the start of the country’s 2008 recession to steep spending cuts in 2012, Penn Medicine researchers report in a new study published online this week in the British Medical Journal Open, along with colleagues from Greece and the United Kingdom.
In the News
Slate.com
What’s going on with tranq?
Jeanmarie Perron of the Perelman School of Medicine says that the appearance and progression of skin ulcers and tissue loss on xylazine users is different than with other intravenous drugs.
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The Hill
It’s time to end the Medicare-Medicaid merry-go-round
In an opinion essay, Rachel M. Werner of the Leonard Davis Institute, Wharton School, and Perelman School of Medicine says that Medicare and Medicaid fail to integrate coverage and coordinate care across their two plans.
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The Wall Street Journal
The quest for treatments to keep weight off after Ozempic
Researchers at Penn are conducting a co-authored study of the brains, fat and muscle cells, and eating patterns of people trying to maintain new body sizes.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Inside Penn’s transfer center
Penn Medicine’s transfer command center gets patients from affiliated hospitals and hospitals outside Philadelphia to specialized care that can save lives, with comments from CEO Kevin Mahoney.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Operating rooms are major sources of greenhouse gasses. Penn is eliminating a form of anesthesia that hangs in the air for more than a decade after use
Penn Medicine is phasing out the anesthesia desflurane at four of its six hospitals to eliminate harmful greenhouse gases, with remarks from Greg Evans.
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