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Health Sciences
Penn Medicine: Gene Search Reveals New Mutations, Drug Targets in Rare Adrenal Tumors
Casting one of the largest genomic nets to date for the rare tumors of the autonomic nervous system known as pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PCC/PGL) captured several new mutations driving the disease that could serve as potential drug targets, researchers from Penn Medicine and other institutions reported in
Penn Medicine: Orphan Disease Center Partners with Foundation to Study Gene Therapy Approaches to Treat Angelman Syndrome
Penn Medicine’s Orphan Disease Center (ODC) announces a new partnership with the Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics or FAST to study gene therapy approaches to treat Angelman syndrome (AS).
Plant-made Hemophilia Therapy Shows Promise, Penn Study Finds
People with hemophilia require regular infusions of clotting factor to prevent them from experiencing uncontrolled bleeding. But a significant fraction develop antibodies against the clotting factor, essentially experiencing an allergic reaction to the very treatment that can prolong their lives.
CHOP/Penn/Boston Children’s Study: Low Blood Sugar No Benefit to Critically Ill Children
Critically ill infants and children do not gain extra benefit from lower blood-sugar levels, compared to higher levels within the usual care range, according to research from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania
Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-Cell Death Agent a Potential Treatment for Vision Loss Associated with Multiple Sclerosis
A new therapeutic agent tested in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS) produced anti-inflammatory activity and prevented loss of cells in the optic nerve, according to a new study by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, with Pittsburgh-based Noveome Biotherapeutics.
Penn Genetics Researcher Receives Grant from Pharmaceutical Consortium to Study Diabetic Kidney Disease
Katalin Susztak, MD, PhD, an associate professor of Medicine and Genetics in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has received a $3 million grant from a consortium of pharmaceutical companies to identify genes and other characteristics that are signs of rapid decline in kidney function in patients with diabetic kidney disease.
Penn Medicine: New Zika Vaccine Candidate Protects Mice and Monkeys with a Single Dose
A new Zika vaccine candidate has the potential to protect against the virus with a single dose, according to a research team led by scientists from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. As reported in Nature this week, preclinical tests showed promising immune responses in both mice and monkeys.
Penn Study: Bacteria in the Cervix May be Key to Understanding Premature Birth
Depending on the specific type, bacteria in a woman’s vagina and cervix may increase the risk of premature birth or protect against it, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Fat Shaming Linked to Greater Health Risks, Penn-led Study Finds
Body shaming is a pervasive form of prejudice, found in cyber bullying, critiques of celebrities' appearances, at work and school, and in public places for everyday Americans. People who are battling obesity face being stereotyped as lazy, incompetent, unattractive, lacking willpower, and to blame for their excess weight.
Tweeting the Way to Health: Penn Medicine Launches Center for Digital Health
Across the world, social media users leave a trail of clues about themselves each time they Tweet, post to Facebook, write a Yelp review, and apply a filter and hashtags to their latest Instagram photo. Under the leadership of Raina Merchant, MD, MSHP, researchers and physicians at Penn Medicine are mining those clues to find what ails them – and how to fix it.
In the News
Philadelphia Gay News
UPenn hosts free online panel for LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion
The Eidos LGBTQ+ Health Initiative, led by José Bauermeister and Jessica Halem of the School of Nursing, will host a free online panel in April on the integration of LGBTQ+ people in the workforce.
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The New Yorker
How to die in good health
PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel says that incessantly preparing for old age mistakes a long life for a worthwhile one.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Mayor Parker’s plan to ‘remove the presence of drug users’ from Kensington raises new questions
Shoshana Aronowitz of the School of Nursing and Ashish Thakrar of the Perelman School of Medicine comment on the lack of specificity in Philadelphia’s plan to remove drug users from Kensington and on the current state of drug treatment in the city.
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WHYY (Philadelphia)
Homeward bound: When a Penn Medicine nurse was diagnosed with uterine cancer, she turned to the service dogs she helped to train
A profile highlights Maria Wright of Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, from her volunteer work connecting people with service dogs to her cancer diagnosis and her own journey applying for a service dog.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
How many patients would recommend their Philly-area hospital to family and friends? Check your local hospital
The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania has been named one of the most recommended acute-care facilities by patients in the Philadelphia area.
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