News from

Medicine

Reset All Filters
1654 Results
Progress toward a treatment for Krabbe disease
Sequence of 8 MRI images showing treated versus untreated brains from 16 to 52 weeks

Treating dogs with Krabbe disease, a rare and fatal condition that also affects infants, with a gene therapy targeted to the brain led to remarkable results in a study led by a team from the School of Veterinary Medicine. (Image: Courtesy of Charles Vite)

Progress toward a treatment for Krabbe disease

The inherited disease, which typically kills children before their second birthday, has no cure, but a School of Veterinary Medicine study in a canine model offers hope for an effective gene therapy with lasting results.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Treating HIV and tuberculosis simultaneously could greatly boost patient survival

Treating HIV and tuberculosis simultaneously could greatly boost patient survival

Gregory Bisson of the Perelman School of Medicine authored a study that showed it is safe to treat patients with HIV and tuberculosis for both diseases simultaneously. “Our results show that antiretrovirals have benefits that far outweigh their risks related to adverse effects, especially in multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients,” he said.

Opioid overdoses among Medicaid cohort examined
Overturned bottle of prescription pills on a surface.

Opioid overdoses among Medicaid cohort examined

A study of opioid risk and overdose among Medicaid enrollees finds subpopulations with varying levels of risk, with repeated overdoses outnumbering overdoses among new prescription opioid users.

From Penn LDI

An improv class that enriches the mind and soul, even remotely
A person facing the camera shrugging with arms wide open. Another person is standing to the right, and two others are in the background.

Much like in traditional improv, participants in the Penn Memory Center’s Cognitive Comedy play off of each other, running scenes or throwing each other imaginary balls of varying sizes, for example. Though some facets changed as the sessions went virtual, the program remains well-loved and well-attended. (Pre-pandemic image: Terrance Casey)

An improv class that enriches the mind and soul, even remotely

The Penn Memory Center’s Cognitive Comedy program gives people with memory impairments and their caregivers a no-pressure space to think creatively, socialize, and be part of a community.

Michele W. Berger

Our bodies process medicines best at certain times of day

Our bodies process medicines best at certain times of day

Garret FitzGerald of the Perelman School of Medicine commented on research that found that drug administration in hospitals is closely tied to clinician schedules. “Any of us that are physicians know that a lot of hospital behavior is driven by rounding times, and those rounding times are chosen for all sorts of reasons that don’t necessarily have any particular scientific basis,” he said.

Countering anti-vaccination influences from social media—with conversation
small child receiving a vaccine shot in the upper arm.

Countering anti-vaccination influences from social media—with conversation

A new study explores to what extent social media messages effect vaccination behavior, and finds individuals exposed to negative online discussions about flu vaccines makes them less likely to get a flu shot.

From the Annenberg Public Policy Center

Greater access to HIV and tuberculosis medications is needed worldwide
multicolored HIV medication capsules spilled out on a surface.

Greater access to HIV and tuberculosis medications is needed worldwide

A Penn-led study finds a specific combination of HIV and TB treatments, which is difficult to obtain in certain parts of the world, decreased the mortality risk for patients with HIV and multidrug-resistant TB.

From Penn Medicine News