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Health Sciences
Penn Medicine Fellow Receives National Award for Excellence in Interventional Cardiology
The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions Foundation (SCAI) has presented Penn Medicine’s Mitul Kadakia, MD, with the 2014 Gregory Braden Memorial Fellow of the Year Award in recognition of his outstanding performance as an interventional cardiology fellow-in-training.
Three Researchers from Penn Medicine Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Three researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have been elected as new members to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation's most prestigious honorary societies and a leading center for independent policy research.
Attacking Cancer Indirectly: Penn Researchers Generate Immunity Against Tumor Vessel Protein
Sometimes a full-on assault isn't the best approach when dealing with a powerful enemy. A more effective approach, in the long run, may be to target the support system replenishing the supplies that keep your foe strong and ready for battle.
Penn Fruitfly Study Identifies Brain Circuit that Drives Daily Cycles of Rest, Activity
Amita Sehgal, PhD, a professor of Neuroscience at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, describes in Cell a circuit in the brain of fruit flies that controls their daily, rhythmic behavior of rest and activity.
Penn Medicine Study: Sorafenib Shows Success in Advanced Differentiated Thyroid Cancer Patients
The kidney and liver cancer drug sorafenib holds metastatic thyroid cancer at bay for nearly twice as long as a placebo, according to a new study from researchers in the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania published in the journal Lancet. This is the first effective treatment for thyroid cancer patients who progress following standard treatments.
Penn Medicine: Two Commonly Used Medications Equally Effective in Treating Seizures in Children
The sedative drugs diazepam (Valium) and lorazepam (Ativan) are equally effective in treating the prolonged seizures known as status epilepticus in children, according to a randomized, controlled study by a multi-institution team of researchers with the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network, including an expert from the Perelman S
Sleeping Away Infection: Penn Researchers Find Link between Sleep and Immune Function in Fruitflies
When we get sick it feels natural to try to hasten our recovery by getting some extra shuteye. Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found that this response has a definite purpose, in fruitflies: enhancing immune system response and recovery to infection.
Penn Bioinformatics Profiling Identifies a New Mammalian Clock Gene
Over the last few decades researchers have characterized a set of clock genes that drive daily rhythms of physiology and behavior in all types of species, from flies to humans. Over 15 mammalian clock proteins have been identified, but researchers surmise there are more.
Penn Medicine Researchers Uncover Hints of a Novel Mechanism Behind General Anesthetic Action
Despite decades of common use for surgeries of all kinds, the precise mechanism through which general anesthesia works on the body remains a mystery. This may come as a surprise to the millions of Americans who receive inhaled general anesthesia each year.
Penn Study Clarifies Action of Potential New Class of Pain Relievers that May Benefit, not Hurt, the Heart
Nonsteroidal antinflamatory drugs (NSAIDs) that block an enzyme called COX-2 relieve pain and inflammation but can cause heart attacks, stroke, heart failure, and even sudden cardiac death. This has prompted a decade-plus search for safer, but still effective, alternatives to these commonly prescribed, pain-relieving drugs.
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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