8.21
Medicine
Treatment doctor tested on himself can put others into remission
Treatment doctor tested on himself can put others into remission
Five years ago, David C. Fajgenbaum both a Penn Medicine researcher and patient, tried an experimental treatment for Castleman disease based on his laboratory research findings in the hopes of saving his own life. He has been in remission ever since.
Dangers and protections of rising temps for people on common medicines
Dangers and protections of rising temps for people on common medicines
We know that as temperatures rise, so do many health risks: not just for heat stroke and dehydration but also for heart disease, respiratory diseases, and deaths overall. Three studies explore the impact that rising temperatures have on people who take common medications.
Blinking eye-on-a-chip used for disease modeling and drug testing
Blinking eye-on-a-chip used for disease modeling and drug testing
Penn Engineering’s Dan Huh and Jeongyun Seo built an eye model that could imitate a healthy eye and an eye with dry eye disease, allowing them to test an experimental drug without risk of human harm.
A cohort study comes of age
A cohort study comes of age
For nearly two decades, a major national study of kidney disease led and coordinated at Penn has defined key risk factors in an all-too-common silent epidemic.
Sun, sand, and medical rehab robots
Sun, sand, and medical rehab robots
As part of a new interdisciplinary Penn Global Seminar, 16 undergraduates traveled to Jamaica to test and refine robotic rehabilitation devices for patients in need.
When pediatricians become podcasters, who tunes in?
When pediatricians become podcasters, who tunes in?
Sophomore Julia Kafozoff, a Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia intern, is working with three podcasting physicians to determine how much listeners actually learn from these educational tools.
Music can be a viable option in reducing anxiety before surgery
Music can be a viable option in reducing anxiety before surgery
A new study found music to be similarly effective as the intravenous form of the sedative medication midazolam in lowering anxiety before anesthetic procedures.
Three-dimensional printing turns fiction into medical reality
Three-dimensional printing turns fiction into medical reality
One of its most significant impacts in health care is in the area of “traditional prototyping”—the process leading to designing medical devices.
A new cancer drug, thanks to a new approach
A new cancer drug, thanks to a new approach
Researchers in the Abramson Cancer Center helped bring new hope to patients with multiple myeloma with a drug that targets the command center of a cancer cell.
Five questions with Kevin Mahoney
Five questions with Kevin Mahoney
Kevin B. Mahoney, a 23-year veteran of Penn Medicine, became CEO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System on July 1. In a Q&A, Mahoney shares his expertise and inspiration on Penn Medicine’s strengths, where it can improve, and a little insight into his downtime.
In the News
The New Yorker
The mystery of the Havana Syndrome
The Perelman School of Medicine’s Douglas Smith offered commentary on the concussion-like symptoms experienced by American diplomats in Havana in the winter of 2017. While some have suggested that their symptoms were psychosomatic, Smith said that “there was not one individual on the team [at Penn] who was not convinced that this was a real thing.”
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CBS News
Eating more fish or taking omega-3 fish oil supplements can cut heart attack risk, studies find
To lower one’s risk of heart disease, the Perelman School of Medicine’s Helene Glassberg recommended eating more fish over taking fish oil supplements. “Get it in your diet if you can, from omega-3 fatty fish like salmon or sardines,” said Glassberg. “This is the best way to get it and not spend $30 on a bottle of supplements at a health food store.”
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