12.1
Health Sciences
Living in poor communities, dying from heart disease
Living in poor communities, dying from heart disease
A new study, led by Penn Medicine, found counties that experienced the most economic distress from 2010 to 2015 had the highest cardiovascular mortality rates.
Researchers identify method to slow down cancer cells efforts to multiply
Researchers identify method to slow down cancer cells efforts to multiply
A study from the Abramson Cancer Center finds that turning on a key metabolic process could make soft tissue sarcoma more susceptible to treatment.
Computer-generated antibiotics and biosensor Band-Aids
Computer-generated antibiotics and biosensor Band-Aids
For Penn synthetic biologist César de la Fuente and his team, these concepts aren’t some far-off ideal. They’re projects already in progress, and they have huge real-world implications should they succeed.
Seven years later, PrEP access remains a challenge
Seven years later, PrEP access remains a challenge
Getting PrEP in the hands of high-risk communities remains a challenge; Penn researchers and practitioners are finding ways to reduce barriers and investigate new forms of the drug.
Predicting treatment outcome for leishmaniasis
Predicting treatment outcome for leishmaniasis
In a study of patients treated in Brazil, a team led by School of Veterinary Medicine researchers identified genetic factors and features of the infection itself that predict whether patients will respond to treatment.
This Penn heart patient is a 9-year-old boxer dog named Sophie
This Penn heart patient is a 9-year-old boxer dog named Sophie
Sophie underwent a cardiac ablation procedure in a Perelman School of Medicine translational research lab to treat her arrhythmia—the first time a dog with her diagnosis received such a treatment. Veterinary cardiologist Anna Gelzer says of the collaboration, “It’s the best of both worlds.”
Eating disorders grow more prevalent and skew younger
Eating disorders grow more prevalent and skew younger
Experts say a team approach between clinicians and those close to the individual are necessary to properly address an eating disorder, and still, relapses are a common occurrence.
Tall people: Your hearts are at risk
Tall people: Your hearts are at risk
The research team reveals a strong link between the genetic variants associated with height and one’s risk for arterial fibrillation, and is among the first to demonstrate that height may be a causal—not correlated—risk factor for the condition.
Using science to make cities safer and healthier
Using science to make cities safer and healthier
In a Q&A, criminologist John MacDonald discusses his new book, grounded in years of research on the positive effects of remediation like fixing up abandoned lots and houses.
Inspiring young women in STEM
Over two days, nearly two dozen female STEM role models at Penn welcomed more than 100 high school students and teachers to campus as part of the Girls Advancing in STEM (GAINS) Initiative Conference on campus.
In the News
WHYY (Philadelphia)
Dental school grads find it hard to beat back student debt
Dean Mark Wolff of the School of Dental Medicine said dental school tuition has increased because dentistry, in general, has gotten more expensive. “You used to get the X-rays in your mouth taken with film, put inside your mouth. Today, we put sensors inside the mouth, capture it directly into the computer,” he said. “Film used to cost a few dollars a pack. That sensor is a $7,000 sensor.”
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U.S. News & World Report
Antarctic study shows isolation, monotony may change the human brain
Alexander Stahn of the Perelman School of Medicine led a study that found a volume decrease in the hippocampi of explorers who spent 14 months at a research station in Antarctica. “It was an average of about 7%, which is really big in terms of brain changes,” he said.
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WHYY (Philadelphia)
Why mandated nurse-to-patient ratios have become one of the most controversial ideas in health care
Linda Aiken of the School of Nursing said that mandated nurse-to-patient ratios result in fewer complications, infections, and injuries, as well as lower mortality rates.
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The Washington Post
Do NAD-boosting supplements fight aging? Not according to current research
Joseph Baur of the Perelman School of Medicine said that while supplements claiming to increase NAD levels and improve longevity are unlikely to do harm, they’re ineffective when it comes to actually extending human life. “There have been several short-term clinical trials that have been mostly disappointing,” he said.
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CNN
Man dies after being licked by his dog and contracting rare infection
Stephen Cole of the School of Veterinary Medicine said that capnocytophaga canimorsus, a bacterium found in the mouths of some pets, is “completely normal flora of a dog’s mouth and usually doesn’t cause any sort of significant disease. However, in the wrong place, at the wrong time, in the wrong patient ... it can lead to severe infections—but very, very rarely.”
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