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Perelman School of Medicine
Harnessing DNA tricks to boost nanosensors
Researchers have found a way to increase the sensitivity of graphene sensors using a trick of DNA engineering. The sensors might one day be used to monitor and treat HIV.
Sharing the science behind what we do, what we say, and how we learn
Through mindCORE, a two-week undergrad program through Arts and Sciences, faculty from eight departments and five schools explore the mind and the brain via disciplines like behavioral science and language acquisition.
How to motivate heart disease patients to exercise? Pay them.
Financial incentives and wearable devices lead to increased exercise for high-risk patients with heart disease.
Promoting cross-campus collaborations in health research
The One Health Communications Group is a collaboration that brings together several schools and centers to develop groundbreaking health research in a cross-disciplinary and innovative environment.
Can bias be reversed?
Mandatory education and training can improve awareness of implicit biases and how it may affect patient care, according to studies and fieldwork done in communities.
Could a new blood test predict preterm labor?
Research that included Medicine’s Michal Elovitz reveals that a non-invasive blood test might have the ability to determine a baby’s gestational age in utero and predict preterm delivery.
One in four Americans develops insomnia each year
About 25 percent of Americans experience acute insomnia each year, but about 75 percent of these individuals recover without developing persistent poor sleep or chronic insomnia.
Drug combination offers more effective care for patients suffering miscarriage
In a new clinical trial, a two-drug combination of mifepristone and misoprostol shows increased efficacy in helping women avoid surgical procedures following a miscarriage
Why does sleep deprivation affect cognitive function of some more than others?
The key may be microRNAs, small non-coding RNAs that help regulate gene expression, according to a study from Penn Medicine and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Let the sunshine in
Our circadian rhythms need exposure to full spectrum natural light to stay in sync with the external environment. Limiting our access to natural lightwaves leaves our bodies out of balance.
In the News
Nature
Microsoft’s Purchase of GitHub Leaves Some Scientists Uneasy
Post-doc Daniel Himmelstein of the Perelman School of Medicine discussed problematic elements of GitHub’s model. “Regardless of the Microsoft acquisition, GitHub, as a centralized and closed company, possesses a dangerous level of control over the open-source ecosystem,” said Himmelstein.
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Reuters Health
Workplace Noise in Daytime Linked to Sleep Problems at Night
The Perelman School of Medicine’s Mathias Basner weighed in on the effects of noise environments on stress levels.
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BBC
Why Do Only Some People Get Blackout Drunk?
Reagan Wetherill of the Perelman School of Medicine discussed “inherent brain vulnerabilities, and genetic vulnerabilities,” that put adolescents at risk of future alcohol abuse.
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The Washington Post
Forget ‘Man vs. Machine.’ When Doctors Compete with Artificial Intelligence, Patients Lose
Carrie Kovarik, Caroline Nelson, and John Barbieri of the Perelman School of Medicine co-authored an argument for collaboration, not competition, between doctors and AI technology.
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WHYY (Philadelphia)
New Blood Test for Pregnant Women Could Predict Preterm Birth
The Perelman School of Medicine’s Michal Elovitz discussed the results from her research exploring methods for predicting preterm births. The study’s results were published in Science.
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