Perelman School of Medicine

PHILADELPHIA – A simple test performed at the sideline of sporting events can accurately detect concussions in athletes, according to study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Current sideline tests can leave a wide amount a brain function untested following concussion.

Kim Menard ・February 2, 2011

“Our findings suggest that among healthy women who were not depressed or anxious, a 10 to 20 milligram dose of escitalopram – which is well below the dosage level for psychiatric use – provides a nonhormonal, off-label option that is effective and well-tolerated in the management of menopausal hot flashes,” said Elle

Olivia Fermano ・January 19, 2011

Nearly five million Americans live with heart failure, with as many as 700,000 new cases diagnosed each year. In addition to lifestyle factors, scientists have shown that heart failure has a strong heritable component, but identifying the responsible genes has been a major challenge.

Jessica Mikulski ・January 18, 2011

(PHILADELPHIA) – Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the single largest cause of death in adults in the United States. Until recently, the genetic basis of CAD has been largely unknown, with just a few proven genes (typically genes for cholesterol disorders) accounting for very little of the disease in the population.

Jessica Mikulski ・January 14, 2011

(PHILADELPHIA) – The discovery that high levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the “good cholesterol”) is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease has fostered intensive research to modify HDL levels for therapeutic gain.

Jessica Mikulski ・January 12, 2011

PHILADELPHIA – Given the amount of angst over male pattern balding, surprisingly little is known about its cause at the cellular level.

Karen Kreeger ・January 4, 2011

PHILADELPHIA – Lou Gehrig’s disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) are characterized by protein clumps in brain and spinal-cord cells that include an RNA-binding protein called TDP-43. This protein is the major building block of the lesions formed by these clumps.

Karen Kreeger ・January 4, 2011

PHILADELPHIA – Penn Medicine has been selected as one of seven adult field trial sites to test proposed diagnostic criteria for the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

Kim Menard ・January 3, 2011

PHILADELPHIA - A team from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Utrecht University has deciphered a key step in an evolutionarily old branch of the immune response. This system, called complement, comprises a network of proteins that “complement” the work of antibodies in destroying foreign invaders.

Karen Kreeger ・December 23, 2010

PHILADELPHIA – Overexpression or hyperactivation of ErbB cell-surface receptors drives the growth of many breast cancers. Drugs, like Herceptin, that block the receptors’ signals halt tumor progression in some patients. However, not all patients’ tumors respond, with some becoming resistant over time.

Karen Kreeger ・December 22, 2010