4.21
Health Sciences
Hormone drugs may disarm COVID-19 spike protein and stop disease progression
Hormone drugs may disarm COVID-19 spike protein and stop disease progression
Hormone drugs that reduce androgen levels may help disarm the coronavirus spike protein used to infect cells and stop the progression of severe COVID-19 disease, suggests a new preclinical study.
Reflecting on a year shaped by COVID-19
Reflecting on a year shaped by COVID-19
Penn Today brings together noteworthy stories and images from the past year and highlights ways for individual members of the Penn community to share their personal experiences.
The monumental effort to scale up campus COVID-19 testing
The monumental effort to scale up campus COVID-19 testing
Key facts and figures point to the scale of the Penn Cares testing program and how Project Quaker helped bring students back to campus this spring.
How has COVID-19 prepared scientists and the public for future pandemics?
Perry World House and the Penn Center for Research on Coronavirus and Other Emerging Pathogens hosted a virtual discussion on pandemic preparedness and lessons learned this past year.
Infants experiencing opioid withdrawal more often treated in poorer quality hospitals
Infants experiencing opioid withdrawal more often treated in poorer quality hospitals
The research from the School of Nursing analyzed information from three datasets accounting for 25% of U.S. births annually.
How anti-immigrant rhetoric affects health care utilization
How anti-immigrant rhetoric affects health care utilization
The dramatic rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric since 2016 was associated with a substantial decline in utilization of health care services by undocumented adults and their children.
COVID-19 and women in the workforce
COVID-19 and women in the workforce
Experts across Penn explain how the pandemic has exacerbated gender inequality and challenged female career advancement in the STEMM fields, education, and business.
The Philadelphia Orchestra is playing safe
The Philadelphia Orchestra is playing safe
Penn experts are working with The Philadelphia Orchestra to study the aerosol droplets that wind and brass musicians produce when playing. Their findings, aimed at reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission, could help the Orchestra once again play together.
A tool for more inclusive autism screening
A tool for more inclusive autism screening
A new visual screening tool for autism spectrum disorder may reduce disparities in diagnoses, especially when English is not a family’s primary language.
Doulas help families meet breastfeeding goals
Doulas help families meet breastfeeding goals
Research from the School of Nursing shows that these support professionals can be another tool to improve outcomes for newborns and parents.
In the News
Seattle Times
Your COVID post-vaccine activities safety guide, including gyms, shopping, taking an Uber and more
Once two weeks have passed following a second COVID-19 vaccine dose (or one Johnson & Johnson dose), individuals are considered fully vaccinated. At that point , what activities are considered “safe” to resume? Meenakshi Bewtra of the Perelman School of Medicine says that for vaccinated people, activities that were once considered risky are safer, but advises people to proceed with caution in light of new variants, and to keep public health and safety at the forefront of daily activities by wearing a mask and maintaining social distance in public.
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Science Daily
The immune link between a leaky blood-brain barrier and schizophrenia
For people with schizophrenia and other mental disorders, a more permissive blood-brain barrier appears to allow the immune system to get improperly involved in the central nervous system. The inflammation that arises likely contributes to the clinical manifestations of neuropsychiatric conditions, according to new findings from a team led by researchers from the School of Veterinary Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).
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CBS Philadelphia
Earth Week: New research links lung cancer to air pollution in Philadelphia
Air in the Philadelphia region is ranked as the 12th most polluted in the country by the American Lung Association. Toxins in the air, mainly from traffic and industry, are known to cause lung cancer. Trevor Penning, a pharmacology professor in the Perelman School of Medicine, developed hazard indices for 421 zip codes using satellite imagery for particulate matter and volatile organic compounds.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
I’m a doctor who examines asylum seekers. I want Biden to fix the asylum system
Jules Lipoff of the Perelman School of Medicine argued for reforming and expanding the U.S. asylum system. “We must renew the United States as a bold world leader in standing for the dignity of human rights,” he wrote.
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The Washington Post
Vaccine etiquette: A guide to politely navigating this new phase of the pandemic
Carolyn Cannuscio of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about how people justify engaging in unsafe behaviors during the pandemic. “People are looking for the magical loopholes that they can step through so that they can return to their free and rich and rewarding social world,” she said. “And we’re not there.”
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