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Health Sciences
Governor Ed Rendell ‘myth-busts’ Parkinson’s
Former governor Edward G. Rendell’s announcement that he has Parkinson’s disease comes with a message of optimism—new therapies coupled with leading research have changed what a current diagnosis can mean.
How police killings of black Americans affect communities
Black Americans are nearly three times more likely to be killed by police than their white counterparts, with even larger disparities among those who are unarmed. The trend is also harming the mental health of the black community.
Uncovering the biological basis of aesthetics
The new Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics, led by Anjan Chatterjee, will investigate the neural activity that dictates aesthetic experiences and choices
How researchers and clinicians navigate social media
The silence after an inaugural tweet can be ego-crushing. For medical professionals, garnering a following is a quantifiable exercise not just in personal popularity, but in the medical field itself.
Orthopaedic implants for the future
The hardware that hold orthopaedic implants together must have some give in order to accommodate physiology. At the Biedermann Lab for Orthopaedic Research, specialists are studying and designing the hardwares’ minutiae to improve upon the intricacies of setting a broken bone in place.
Sharing space to support ‘better science’
Across disciplines, Penn researchers in the Computational Neuroscience Initiative put their heads together to better understand the brain.
New insight into autism and reward circuitry in the brain
New research reveals people with autism spectrum disorder respond differently to social and non-social cues than typically developing individuals, and might not respond to rewards for desired behavior.
Dental researchers identify protein key to wound healing
Resesarch from Penn Dental reveal that the cells that line the skin and mucosa play a role in blood-vessel formation through a protein called Foxo1, and targeting it may modulate the process of healing wounds.
Dental School’s Joan Gluch promotes academics and community engagement
A recipient of the third annual Netter Center Faculty-Community Partnership Award, Gluch and Philadelphia FIGHT will share award funding to develop projects to promote community oral health.
Floridians took Zika virus more seriously than rest of U.S., but most did nothing
A new study shows the differences between Florida and the rest of the United States in response to Zika prevention and awareness can inform future public health communication campaigns.
In the News
Sugar-coated gold nanoparticles could replace some antibiotics
According to a Penn Medicine study, a new therapy involving laser light and sugar-coated gold nanoparticles can reduce tooth decay and infected wounds without needing antibiotics.
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A new strategy to attack aggressive brain cancer shrank tumors in two early tests
A clinical trial led by Stephen Bagley of the Perelman School of Medicine suggests that targeting two associated proteins with CAR T cell therapy could be a viable strategy for shrinking brain tumors.
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Alzheimer’s may be caused by a build-up of fat in brain cells
A study by Michael Haney of the Perelman School of Medicine suggests that the root cause of Alzheimer’s is a build-up of fat droplets in brain cells.
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Cats aren’t jerks. They’re just misunderstood
James Serpell of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that the domestic cat suffers from its legacy of being a not-quite-wild animal on the margins of society.
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Philadelphia hospital program adds psychologists to bridge mental health services for trauma survivors
A new psychology team at the Penn Trauma Violence Recovery Program has provided about 46 survivors with short- and long- term therapy, featuring remarks from Elinore Kaufman and Lily Brown of the Perelman School of Medicine.
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