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Perelman School of Medicine
Penn Medicine: Neuroscience Researchers Caution Public About Hidden Risks of Self-Administered Brain Stimulation
The growing trend of "do-it-yourself" transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) poses hidden risks to healthy members of the public who seek to use the technique for cognitive enhancement.
Despite Increasing Global Legalization of Physician-Assisted Suicide, Use Remains Rare, Penn Study Finds
Despite increasing legalization of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (PAS) worldwide, the practice remains relatively rare and, when carried out, is primarily motivated by psychological factors such as loss of autonomy or enjoyment of life, rather than physical pain.
Penn Medicine: New Therapy Treats Autoimmune Disease Without Harming Normal Immunity
In a study with potentially major implications for the future treatment of autoimmunity and related conditions, scientists from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have found a way to remove the subset of antibody-making cells that cause an autoimmune disease, without harming the rest of the immune system.
Penn Engineers Develop $2 Portable Zika Test
University of Pennsylvania engineers have developed a rapid, low-cost genetic test for the Zika virus. The $2 testing device, about the size of a soda can, does not require electricity or technical expertise to use. A patient would simply provide a saliva sample. Color-changing dye turns blue when the genetic assay detects the presence of the virus.
Penn-led Study Resolves Long-disputed Theory About Stem Cell Populations
Adult stem cells represent a sort of blank clay from which a myriad of different cell and tissue types are molded and as such are of critical importance to health, ageing and disease. In tissues that turn over rapidly, such as the intestines, the self-renewing nature of stem cells and their susceptibility to cancer-causing mutations has led researchers to postulate that
Penn Smoking Research Lab Shows Not All Low Nicotine Cigarettes Reduce Harm
Switching to reduced nicotine content (RNC) cigarettes may not necessarily reduce harm to smokers, according to new research conducted by Penn’s Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Nicotine Addiction (CIRNA). Smokers also tend to ignore cautions contained in warning box labels, the authors found in a separate study.
Penn Study Describes a Better Animal Model to Improve HIV Vaccine Development
Vaccines are usually medicine’s best defense against the world’s deadliest microbes. However, HIV is so mutable that it has so far effectively evaded both the human immune system and scientists’ attempts to make an effective vaccine to protect against it.
BluePen Biomarkers Announces Collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania to Develop Strategic ‘Multi-Omics’ Platform for Integrated Biomarker Discovery
The University of Pennsylvania has co-founded and structured BluePen Biomarkers in collaboration with BluePrint Bio, Inc. and Emerald Logic, Inc. to conduct biomarker research and identification. BluePen is creating a comprehensive biomarker measurement and discovery pipeline for the acceleration of personalized medicine.
Three Penn Faculty Elected to the National Academy of Sciences
Marsha Lester, Andrea Liu and Amita Sehgal of the University of Pennsylvania have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, consid
In the News
The New Yorker
How to die in good health
PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel says that incessantly preparing for old age mistakes a long life for a worthwhile one.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Mayor Parker’s plan to ‘remove the presence of drug users’ from Kensington raises new questions
Shoshana Aronowitz of the School of Nursing and Ashish Thakrar of the Perelman School of Medicine comment on the lack of specificity in Philadelphia’s plan to remove drug users from Kensington and on the current state of drug treatment in the city.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
How many patients would recommend their Philly-area hospital to family and friends? Check your local hospital
The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania has been named one of the most recommended acute-care facilities by patients in the Philadelphia area.
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WHYY (Philadelphia)
Homeward bound: When a Penn Medicine nurse was diagnosed with uterine cancer, she turned to the service dogs she helped to train
A profile highlights Maria Wright of Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, from her volunteer work connecting people with service dogs to her cancer diagnosis and her own journey applying for a service dog.
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The New York Times
Is apple cider vinegar really a cure-all?
Nitin K. Ahuja of the Perelman School of Medicine says there’s no supportive data that adding acid to the stomach will somehow help control acid reflux.
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