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Perelman School of Medicine
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.
Despite their efficacy, life-saving drug prescriptions are denied by insurers
A new Penn study shows that both private and public insurers continue to deny coverage for effective hepatitis C drugs at high rates.
How baking soda may boost cancer therapy
Researchers describe how acidity makes oxygen-starved cancer cells dormant and drug resistant, and efforts to reduce acidity may be the key to improved responses to immunotherapy.
Early-life seizures prematurely wake up brain networks tied to autism
An antiepileptic drug may keep synapses associated with autism ‘silent’ following seizures so the brain can develop normally during the critical early years of brain development.
Dermatologists offer tips on how to prevent and detect skin cancer
As Skin Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close, Penn experts offer tips to spot skin cancer early, how to keep it away for good, and much more.
Hormones flatten social hierarchy and synchronize behaviors
Findings from a study of male rhesus macaques from PIK professor Michael Platt and postdoc Yaoguang Jiang could lead to treatment options for social impairments in disorders like autism and schizophrenia.
Bioengineer takes big step forward in radical approach to treating neurodegeneration
Research by D. Kacy Cullen, an associate professor of neurosurgery in the Perelman School of Medicine, could aid patients with neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s disease.
In the News
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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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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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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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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Broad Street runners from Penn are racing with gyroscopes to study the Achilles tendon
Casey Jo Humbyrd and Josh Baxter of the Perelman School of Medicine and colleagues will track data from running the Broad Street Run to understand how a healthy Achilles tendon functions.
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