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Health Sciences
Cancer screening rates decline when patients see doctors later in day
Cancer screening rates decline when patients see doctors later in day
Compared to patients who see their primary care doctor earlier in the day, cancer screening rates decline significantly as the day goes on, according to a new study from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine and Wharton School.
A roller coaster emergency for Dobby
A roller coaster emergency for Dobby
By the time Dobby arrived at Ryan Hospital’s Emergency Room, he was in a bad way. The two-year-old Welsh Corgi had been vomiting off and on for a few days and was straining to urinate. “He also wasn’t eating,” says owner Zhi Peng Yang, who lives in Philadelphia and rushed Dobby to Penn Vet.
How do you find a virus that’s completely unknown?
How do you find a virus that’s completely unknown?
A team of microbiologists and pulmonologists at Penn have scanned genome databases and found a new abundant viral family associated with disease.
From the bench to bedside, boardroom, and beyond
From the bench to bedside, boardroom, and beyond
Penn’s Life Sciences & Management program empowers the next generation of biotechnology leaders with an education in both business and the natural sciences.
Cognitive enhancers are considered largely acceptable at the workplace
Cognitive enhancers are considered largely acceptable at the workplace
A new study from Penn Medicine neurologists finds the general public largely views the use of cognitive enhancers such as Adderall as an acceptable practice when used by adults in the workplace.
Philadelphia’s sweetened drink sales drop 38 percent after beverage tax
Philadelphia’s sweetened drink sales drop 38 percent after beverage tax
Findings from a Penn study support beverage taxes as a promising policy tool to help improve public health.
Major payment reform program for cancer drugs falls short
Major payment reform program for cancer drugs falls short
A joint study between Penn Medicine and the Wharton School highlights limitations of voluntary incentive programs.
Daisy the goat kid’s harrowing ER visit
Daisy the goat kid’s harrowing ER visit
Post-birth complications for Daisy the newborn doeling were serious, but quickly assessed for a positive outcome at the New Bolton Center emergency room.
A link between mitochondrial damage and osteoporosis
A link between mitochondrial damage and osteoporosis
In healthy people, a tightly controlled process balances the activity of osteoblasts, which build bone, and osteoclasts, which break it down. Damage to cells’ mitochondria can make that process go awry, meaning exposure to cigarette smoke, alcohol, environmental toxins can increase the risk of osteoporosis.
The mystery behind cleft palate and lips
The mystery behind cleft palate and lips
New research identifies 100 new risk genes that could lead to the development of cleft lip and palate, combining molecular findings with genome data to find that many of the genes that are highly associated with clefting are located near the enhancer regions that work with a specific protein.
In the News
ABC News
Experts offer new recommendations for screening more women for breast cancer
Susan Domcheck of the Basser Center for BRCA at the Abramson Cancer Center said that while new recommendations for the screening for BRCA1 and 2 gene mutations are “very valuable,” they don’t address many persistent problems. She stressed the need for additional research regarding BRCA mutations and risk factors, including the effect of race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Treating gun violence in Philadelphia trauma bay
Jeremy Cannon, Jose Pascual, and Franklin Caldera of the Perelman School of Medicine and Rhonda Browning, Michael Atweh, and John Ehman of Penn Medicine were quoted in an article about the impact of gunshot wounds on hospital employees.
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PBS NewsHour
Does the placenta carry germs? What parents should know before they eat one
Frederic Bushman of Perelman School of Medicine commented on research that found that placenta encapsulation kits may be pre-contaminated by outside microbes. “It was really a very impressive bunch of detective work,” he said. “They were absolutely artistic at figuring out the sources of different kinds of contamination.”
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Scientific American
Scientists seek better guidelines for editing genes in human embryos
Bruce Levine of the Perelman School of Medicine called for a moratorium on scientific research that entails gene editing in human embryos. “There has not been a conversation with society at large—the lay public, government, religious groups, NGOs [nongovernmental organizations], stakeholders—because the science has been moving faster than [our own] conversations have been,” he said.
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The New York Times
The ethical mess of our healthcare system
President Amy Gutmann and PIK Professor Jonathan Moreno authored an op-ed about the U.S. health care system. “By revising and reinforcing the A.C.A.,” they wrote, “we can benefit all Americans without threatening any with the loss of hard-fought, lifesaving health coverage. Surely our fellow Americans with life-threatening diseases of all sorts are also worth saving.”
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