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Helpline support eases stress for dementia caregivers
An elderly person on the phone.

Image: PIKSEL via Getty Images

Helpline support eases stress for dementia caregivers

Penn Nursing researchers and collaborators found that caregivers for family members with dementia who receive one or two consultations saw improvements in their ability to manage stress, and that people requesting more than one call reported lower baseline confidence in their ability to manage their emotions than those requesting only one call.

3 min. read

A built-in ‘off switch’ to stop persistent pain

Collaborative research on the neural basis of chronic pain led by neuroscientist J. Nicholas Betley finds that a critical hub in the brainstem, has a built-in “off switch” to stop persistent pain signals from reaching the rest of the brain. Their findings could help clinicians better understand chronic pain. (Pictured) Flurorescence imaging reveals hunger neurons in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus labeled in maroon with nuclei shown in blue.

(Image: J. Nicholas Betley)

A built-in ‘off switch’ to stop persistent pain

J. Nicholas Betley has led collaborative research seeking the neural basis of long-term sustained pain and finds that a critical hub in the brainstem holds a mechanism for stopping pain signals from reaching the rest of the brain. Their findings could help clinicians better understand chronic pain and lead to new, more efficacious treatments.

4 min. read

Does early-life cellular activity influence cancer and aging?
Artist rendering of chromosome structure with telomeres highlighted at the ends.

Mia Levine and Michael Lampson’s research examines how telomere length is inherited, and how this can inform future genetic research in how cancer develops.

(Image: Courtesy of Getty/nopparit)

Does early-life cellular activity influence cancer and aging?

New research from Michael Lampson and Mia T. Levine in the School of Arts & Sciences offers insight into how telomeres—protective chromosomal caps linked to aging and cancer in mammals—are inherited. Their finding that telomeres become longer or shorter during early embryonic development opens new avenues for research.

3 min. read

New genetic cause of blindness in dogs
Aguirre and Murgiano working in a lab with pipettes.

Gustavo D. Aguirre and Leonardo Murgiano of the School of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania.

(Image: John Donges)

New genetic cause of blindness in dogs

In collaboration with a foundation that breeds service dogs for the visually impaired, researchers at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Padova in Padova, Italy, have identified a novel variant associated with progressive retinal atrophy in three Labrador retrievers.

3 min. read

Older adults might be more resistant to bird flu infections than children
A petri dish in a lab labeled Avian Flu HSN4

Image: Digicomphoto via Getty Images

Older adults might be more resistant to bird flu infections than children

New research from Penn Medicine finds that previous exposures to older flu strains prime the immune system to produce antibodies against H5N1, and children would likely benefit the most from H5N1 vaccinations.

From Penn Medicine News

Getting to the root of root canals
Person receiving treatment in a dental clinic.

Image: Courtesy of Penn Dental Medicine/Peter Olson Photography

Getting to the root of root canals

Penn researchers use iron oxide nanozymes to treat infections during root canals with fewer adverse effects than clinical gold standard while also promoting tissue healing.
Borrowing nature’s blueprint: How scientists replicated bone marrow
A chip with bioengineered bone marrow.

The new chip will allow for automated experiments, and can be connected to chip-based models of other organ systems, like the lungs.

(Image: Dan Huh)

Borrowing nature’s blueprint: How scientists replicated bone marrow

A collaborative research team from Penn Engineering, Penn Medicine, and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia have developed a chip that mimics human bone marrow.

Ian Scheffler

Celebrating five years of excellence at VinUniversity
Interim Penn President J. Larry Jameson in a lab examining a piece of equipment.

(Image: Courtesy of VinUniversity)

Celebrating five years of excellence at VinUniversity

Interim Penn President J. Larry Jameson visited VinUni in Hanoi, Vietnam, to commemorate the university’s fifth anniversary and Penn’s seventh year of allyship. He delivered a lecture about how excellent universities advance society.