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Health Sciences
Bringing healthy smiles to Philadelphia communities
In health care facilities embedded around Philadelphia, students and faculty from the School of Dental Medicine are ramping up the care they provide to underserved populations.
Longer shifts don’t create chronic sleep loss or reduce patient safety
Two large national studies show that patient safety was unaffected, and residents showed no signs of chronic sleep loss regardless of shift length for first-year doctors.
With a second patient free from HIV, what’s next?
Scientists have succeeded in sending an HIV patient into long-term remission, only the second time such a feat has been documented. Pablo Tebas and Bridgette Brawner discuss what this means for HIV research and for people living with the virus.
States with strict gun laws see increase in homicides when they border states with lax ones
Over a five-year period, most guns found in states with strict gun laws were obtained from less restrictive states.
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.
Is dog walking hazardous to senior health?
Between 2004 and 2017, dog walking related fractures in people 65 or older more than doubled, and two factors are the cause: increased pet ownership and a greater emphasis, in recent years, on physical activity at older ages.
Cancer most frequently spreads to the liver. Here’s why.
Researchers from the Abramson Cancer Center shows hepatocytes, the chief functional cells of the liver, orchestrate the “seed and soil” process for cancer to spread to the liver.
To prevent HIV, start online
A team led by José Bauermeister at Penn Nursing designed the My Desires & Expectations tool to address cognitive and emotional factors that influence sexual decision-making when seeking partners online.
College campuses are thinking about lactation spaces—but could be doing more
Breastfeeding mothers in higher-education environments can typically find a place to pump, but only recently have institutions begun to prioritize access to this resource.
The link between sleep, genes, and mental health
Whether you’re a night owl or a morning lark could affect your risk of developing a psychiatric disorder.
In the News
More yogurt and nuts, less alcohol and snack foods: How GLP-1 medications like Ozempic are influencing people’s food spending habits
Carrie Burns of the Perelman School of Medicine says that weight-loss medications tend to decrease cravings for foods high in sugar and fat.
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Migratory birds mainly responsible for bird flu outbreak, experts tell Pa. lawmakers
Louise Moncla of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that avian flu viruses are being spread far geographically because of wild migratory birds.
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Thirteen subtle changes veterinarians would never ignore in their cats
Kaitlyn Krebs of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that cats can indicate illness through behavioral changes such as hiding or spending time in unusual places.
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Drinking two beers daily ages the brain by 10 years; study reveals surprising findings
A study by Penn researchers found that one to two units of alcohol per day shrunk overall brain volume and gray matter volumes.
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Seven unusual sleep hacks to help you drift off peacefully—we speak to a sleep expert about how to get a good night’s rest
A study from the Perelman School of Medicine found that participants who practiced paradoxical intention experienced significantly reduced sleep anxiety.
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