12.8
Health Sciences
Cluster of cocaine-fentanyl overdoses in Philadelphia underscores the need for action
Recent outbreaks prompt Penn physicians to call for more coordinated rapid responses with front-line providers, health departments, and poison centers.
Breaking the cycle of despair for people with dementia
A new book dissects the challenge of living with the disease for individuals who have it, and for their caregivers.
Getting science right in the fake news era
Over his career as a science journalist, Carl Zimmer has seen legitimate science reporting denied and illegitimate science news taken as fact. In advance of a talk at Penn, Zimmer discusses the problem of misinformation and offers tips for avoiding being fooled by bogus science stories.
Revisiting the rate of medical exemptions following California vaccine bill
The proportion of California kindergarten students who received all required vaccines at the start of school increased a year after the state eliminated nonmedical vaccine exemptions for school entry—but not without problems.
Johnson & Johnson lands at Penn
JPOD @ Philadelphia officially launched at Pennovation Works on Nov. 1, expanding the region’s ever-evolving innovation ecosystem.
Two apps target cancer risk in marginalized populations
The tech-based mobile health interventions from Nursing’s Anne Teitelman focus on preventive health actions, including the HPV vaccine.
How will the midterms affect health care, women’s health, and climate change?
Next week’s midterm elections will affect health-related issues. Three Penn experts weigh in with their opinions on how the results may change health care in general, women’s health, and environmental policy.
The right prescription: Penn Medicine and Wharton launch executive health care leadership program
The two schools are joining forces to launch an executive health care leadership program, Leadership in a New Era of Health Care, for senior-level leaders in health care and academic medicine.
5 tips to scare away cavities
Beyond the inevitable sugar high, what are the implications of consuming a glut of candy? Pediatric dentist Maria Velasco suggests coming up with a plan, then giving away the rest of the treats.
Promoting innovative, reproducible science: Penn’s Research Excellence Initiative
The two-year effort includes electronic research notebooks, a research symposium, and a task force of faculty and students, all spearheaded by the Office of the Vice Provost for Research.
In the News
Science
What now for human genome editing?
The Perelman School of Medicine’s James Wilson discussed possible venues for the scientific oversight of controversial research. The FDA could be a good option, he suggested, but the organization would have to change its confidentiality restrictions to supervise effectively.
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Reader’s Digest
The 10 most common types of cancer in the United States
Thomas Karasic of the Perelman School of Medicine weighed in on treatments for liver and pancreatic cancers.
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Today
Died of a broken heart? The science behind close couple deaths
David Casarett of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about the phenomenon of spouses dying shortly after one another. Casarett said social and cultural factors may play a role, as in cases when “the surviving spouses stop taking care of themselves. Sometimes they become depressed.”
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Smithsonian Magazine
What’s new, and what’s not, in the reported birth of the CRISPR babies
The Perelman School of Medicine’s Kiran Musunuru said that the birth of gene-edited babies does not constitute a scientific advancement because “there was nothing preventing previous researchers who edited human embryos from doing the same, except their own ethics and morals.”
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Black and Hispanic Americans have a harder time quitting cigarettes. Will this Penn study find a way to help?
Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine, led by Scott Halpern, are exploring better ways to support smoking cessation in black and Latino populations. “We’re confident that if we succeed in producing this evidence, health systems and payers will respond,” Halpern said.
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