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Health Sciences
Penn Study Reveals Unintended Consequences of New Staffing Model Designed to Save Costs in Public Mental Health Clinics
Community mental health clinics, where most specialty mental health treatment is delivered, have been relying more on independent contractors to treat patients, largely for budgetary reasons.
Penn Professor Urges Physicians to Help Victims of Torture Seeking Asylum
Refugees seeking asylum in the United States are twice as likely to be granted protection if their application is supported by medical documentation of torture, writes Jules Lipoff, MD, an assistant professor of Clinical Dermatology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and two colleagues in the March 7 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine.
Street Lights, Parks, and Public Transportation Associated with Lower Youth Homicide Rates
Street lighting, illuminated walk/don’t walk signs, painted crosswalks, public transportation, community parks, and maintained vacant lots are associated with significant decreased likelihood of homicide among youth in a city neighborhood, according to a study published today in JAMA Pediatrics
Penn Team Reverses Signs of Naturally Occurring Chronic Periodontitis
Periodontitis, a gum disease present in nearly half of all adults in the United States, involves inflammation, bleeding and bone loss. In its severe form, it is associated with systemic inflammatory conditions such as atherosclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Penn Researchers Identify Cause of Insulin Resistance in Type 2 Diabetics
More than 29 million Americans are currently living with diabetes. The majority have type 2 diabetes, and for them insulin resistance – their body’s inability to effectively process sugar – is a part of daily life. Therefore, understanding the cause of insulin resistance is critical to tackling this chronic disease.
Blocking Transfer of Calcium to Cell's Powerhouse Selectively Kills Cancer Cells, Suggesting a New Way to Fight the Disease
Inhibiting the transfer of calcium ions into the cell’s powerhouse is specifically toxic to cancer cells, according to an article published this week in Cell Reports by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Tapping into Twitter to Help Recruit Cancer Patients into #ClinicalTrials
Twitter may be an effective, untapped resource to stimulate interest in cancer clinical trials and boost enrollment, physicians at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvaniasuggest in a new research letter in JAMA Oncology. Analyzing thousands of lung cancer tweets on the social media site revealed that a surprisingly large number were about clinical trials, particularly ones on immunotherapy, although none were used for recruitment.
Ramon Diaz-Arrastia Appointed Presidential Professor at Penn
Ramon Diaz-Arrastia has been named the ninth Presidential Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, effective July 1. A world-leading expert in traumatic brain injury, Diaz-Arrastia will be Presidential Professor of Neurology in Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine.
Three Penn Researchers Awarded 2016 Sloan Fellowships
Three University of Pennsylvania faculty members are among recipients of this year’s Sloan Research Fellowship, two from Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine, one from Penn’s
New Penn Study Links Moving More With Decreased Mortality
“Get up and move.”
In the News
6ABC.com
Bird flu suspected in deaths of 200 snow geese in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley
Stephen Cole of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that indoor cats are contracting bird flu through raw pet foods of poultry origin or raw milk products.
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Self
The surgeon general calls for new warning labels on alcohol—here’s the truth about how it impacts your health
Henry Kranzler of the Perelman School of Medicine says that alcohol’s effects on the brain are observed more readily because it’s the organ of behavior.
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NPR
Tuberculosis rates plunge when families living in poverty get a monthly cash payout
Aaron Richterman of the Perelman School of Medicine says that there are large and underappreciated benefits of cash-transfer programs, such as potentially ending a tuberculosis epidemic.
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Newsweek
Cancer breakthrough as ‘speckles’ may reveal best treatment
A paper co-authored by PIK Professor Shelley Berger finds that patterns of “speckles” in the heart of tumor cells could help predict how patients with a common form of kidney cancer will respond to treatment options.
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Time
Scientists are racing to develop a new bird flu vaccine
Drew Weissman and Scott Hensley of the Perelman School of Medicine are testing a vaccine to prevent a strain of H5N1 bird flu in chickens and cattle.
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