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A roller coaster emergency for Dobby
Person holding dog inside open cage in vet hospital

A roller coaster emergency for Dobby

By the time Dobby arrived at Ryan Hospital’s Emergency Room, he was in a bad way. The two-year-old Welsh Corgi had been vomiting off and on for a few days and was straining to urinate. “He also wasn’t eating,” says owner Zhi Peng Yang, who lives in Philadelphia and rushed Dobby to Penn Vet.

Penn Today Staff

With unprecedent threats to nature at hand, how to turn the tide
A frog resting on a rusting surface

The report notes that declining biodiversity takes a toll not only on the species directly affected, but also on human livelihoods and health.

With unprecedent threats to nature at hand, how to turn the tide

One million plant and animal species are on the verge of extinction due to human activity, according to a U.N. assessment issued earlier this month. Here, experts highlight the report’s major messages and offer ideas for moving from inertia to action to stem threats to biodiversity.

Katherine Unger Baillie , Michele W. Berger

Daisy the goat kid’s harrowing ER visit
A mother and baby goat lay on hay in a barn.

Ivory and her doeling, Daisy. (Photo: Penn Vet News)

Daisy the goat kid’s harrowing ER visit

Post-birth complications for Daisy the newborn doeling were serious, but quickly assessed for a positive outcome at the New Bolton Center emergency room.

Penn Today Staff

A link between mitochondrial damage and osteoporosis
Yellow pointers indicate large cells against a background of other microscopic material. Left panel has two smaller cells indicated while the right panel has three larger cells indicated.

Mitochondrial damage is linked to the bone degradation seen in osteoporosis, according to Penn Vet researchers. Macrophages, a type of immune cell, that had dysfunctional mitochondria (right) were more likely to become osteoclasts—cells that break down bone—than control macrophages (left). (Image: Courtesy of Avadhani Lab)

A link between mitochondrial damage and osteoporosis

In healthy people, a tightly controlled process balances the activity of osteoblasts, which build bone, and osteoclasts, which break it down. Damage to cells’ mitochondria can make that process go awry, meaning exposure to cigarette smoke, alcohol, environmental toxins can increase the risk of osteoporosis.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Watching Sheeba’s eye
Sheeba the service dog

(Photo: Penn Vet News)

Watching Sheeba’s eye

A successful surgery on an eye lesion at Penn Vet’s Ryan Hospital helped Sheeba, a working service dog, so she could get back to work.

Penn Today Staff

Unlocking the female bias in lupus
Microscopic images of cells are blue with diffuse splotches of pink on each cell.

Unlocking the female bias in lupus

The majority of lupus patients are female, and new findings from Montserrat Anguera of the School of Veterinary Medicine and colleagues shed light on why. The research suggests that female lupus patients don’t fully silence their second X chromosome in T cells, leading to an immune response gone awry.

Katherine Unger Baillie

A bad bout of flu triggers ‘taste bud cells’ to grow in the lungs
Microscopic images of fluorescent cells show up green against a red and blue background. The green glowing cells are elongated in shape.

The discovery of tuft cells (in green) in mice lungs after flu gives researchers insights into how a bad respiratory infection may set the stage for certain inflammatory conditions, such as asthma. The cells are named for the elongated microvilli which project from their surface. (Image: Courtesy of Andrew Vaughan) 

A bad bout of flu triggers ‘taste bud cells’ to grow in the lungs

The discovery of these seemingly out-of-place sensing cells may lend insight into possibilities for protecting lung function in people who experience severe influenza infections.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Demystifying genomic technology for veterinary researchers
Abstract image indicating diversity of data generated by genome sequences

Demystifying genomic technology for veterinary researchers

The School of Veterinary Medicine’s Center for Host-Microbial Interactions helps researchers delving into ‘omics’ to promote animal and human health.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Making headway against a killer virus
ebola virus through the microscope

Making headway against a killer virus

Around Penn, clinicians and researchers are focused on Ebola, working to ensure this disease—fearsomely lethal—can be vanquished.

Katherine Unger Baillie