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Health Sciences
Penn Medicine: Initiation of Dialysis for Acute Kidney Injury Beneficial for Robust Patients, Potentially Dangerous for Frail Patients
The decision to initiate dialysis for acute kidney injury (AKI) varies depending on different patient factors and there is a lack of robust evidence as to which patients are likely to benefit most and why.
Penn Medicine Researchers Show How Lost Sleep Leads to Lost Neurons
Most people appreciate that not getting enough sleep impairs cognitive performance. For the chronically sleep-deprived such as shift workers, students, or truckers, a common strategy is simply to catch up on missed slumber on the weekends. According to common wisdom, catch up sleep repays one's "sleep debt," with no lasting effects.
Penn Study Suggests Cause of Severe Tooth Decay in Toddlers
Early childhood caries involve a highly aggressive and painful form of tooth decay that frequently occurs in preschool children, especially those who come from backgrounds of poverty. The resulting decay can become so severe that treatment frequently requires surgery.
Penn Study: Hepatitis C Remains Major Problem for HIV Patients Despite Antiretroviral Therapy
A new study led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has found that the risk of hepatitis C-associated serious liver disease persists in HIV patients otherwise benefitting from antiretroviral therapy (ART) to treat HIV.
Penn Team Links Africans’ Ability to Digest Milk to Spread of Cattle Raising
Babies are born with the ability to digest lactose, the sugar found in milk, but most humans lose this ability after infancy because of declining levels of the lactose-digesting enzyme lactase.
Nicotine Withdrawal Weakens Brain Connections Tied to Self-Control Over Cigarette Cravings, Penn Study Finds
People who try to quit smoking often say that kicking the habit makes the voice inside telling them to light up even louder, but why people succumb to those cravings so often has never been fully understood. Now, a new brain imaging study in this week’s JAMA Psychiatry from scientists in Penn Medicine and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Intramural Research Program sh
Penn Study: Protein Key to Cell Motility Has Implications for Stopping Cancer Metastasis
“Cell movement is the basic recipe of life, and all cells have the capacity to move,” says Roberto Dominguez, PhD, professor of Physiology at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania.
Scientists from Penn and CHOP Confirm Link Between Missing DNA and Birth Defects
In 2010, scientists in Italy reported that a woman and her daughter showed a puzzling array of disabilities, including epilepsy and cleft palate. The mother had previously lost a 15-day-old son to respiratory failure, and the research team noted that the mother and daughter were missing a large chunk of DNA on their X chromosome.
Cellular Alchemy: Penn Study Shows How to Make Insulin-Producing Cells from Gut Cells
Destruction of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas is at the heart of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. “We are looking for ways to make new beta cells for these patients to one day replace daily insulin injections,” says Ben Stanger, MD, PhD, assistant professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Professor Henry Daniell to Discuss ‘Green Vaccines’ at Penn Science Café
WHO: Henry Daniell Professor of Biochemistry and Pathology
In the News
Healio
Children, teens face 25% higher risk for adverse GI outcomes after COVID-19 infection
According to a study by Ph.D. student Dazheng Zhang of the Perelman School of Medicine and colleagues, children and adolescents experienced increased risk for gastrointestinal symptoms and disorders after COVID-19 infections.
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CBS News
Pennsylvania doctors reflect on COVID-19 pandemic 5 years later
Raina Merchant of the Perelman School of Medicine says that Penn Medicine had to be nimble during the COVID-19 pandemic to respond to many changes in information and optimize care for patients.
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Good Housekeeping
Is This Viral Trend Really the Ultimate Cure for Bloat?
Anish A. Sheth of the Perelman School of Medicine says there’s no medical evidence that topical castor oil has any medically therapeutic benefits.
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The New York Times
Mutated DNA restored to normal in gene therapy advance
Kiran Musunuru of the Perelman School of Medicine says that a new infusion offers the hope of precisely treating other genetic diseases by fixing mutations, an alternative to current gene therapies.
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Healio
Consider cost-effectiveness of treatment when managing glaucoma
Lama Al-Aswad of the Perelman School of Medicine says that glaucoma should be diagnosed early to decrease the cost to health care, help patients, and prevent blindness.
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