Focus: Hidden - Philly Metro

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Penn Medicine researchers are continuing their work in trying to understand the mechanisms through which anesthetics work to elicit the response that puts millions of Americans to sleep for surgeries each day. Their most recent study looked at ketamine, an anesthetic discovered in the 1960s and more recently prescribed as an anti-depressant at low doses. Through collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania’s department of Chemistry and scientists at the Duke University Medical Center, researchers at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine have identified an entirely new class of receptors that ketamine binds in the body, which may underlie its diverse actions.

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A team led by James Eberwine was named one of 16 finalists in the first phase of the Follow that Cell Challenge funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

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Alexander R. Vaccaro, MD, PhD, has assumed the role of Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Spinal Disorders & Techniques, the definitive journal of research and clinical practice related to spinal disorders and their surgical treatment, published by Wolters Kluwer.

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A new type of liquid biopsy for solid tumors based on analyzing exosomes from the blood is being tested at Thomas Jefferson University.

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For chronically ill patients with major depression, an approach to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) that incorporates patients' religious beliefs is at least as effective as conventional CBT, suggests a study in the April issue of The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

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The fourth annual state oncology society forum, held in conjunction with NCCN’s 20th Annual Conference, examined accountable care, payment reform, and best practices from community oncologists.

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How did former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg succeed in achieving so much of his "comprehensive and far-reaching" public health agenda? Key strategies included harnessing the full authority of the City health department and mobilizing the existing workforce to focus on targeted reforms, according to a study in the March/April issue of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

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HIV (human immunodeficiency virus)-positive kidney transplant patients experienced superior outcomes when compared to kidney transplant patients with Hepatitis C and those infected with both HIV and Hepatitis C, according to a study led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and published online in Kidney International.

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New estimates suggest that 20 to 30 percent of opioid analgesic drugs prescribed for chronic pain are misused, while the rate of opioid addiction is approximately 10 percent, reports a study in the April issue of PAIN®, the official journal of the International Association for the Study of Pain. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

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Intensive care units across the United States vary widely in how they manage the care of patients who have set preexisting limits on life-sustaining therapies, such as authorizing do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders and prohibiting interventions such as feeding tubes or dialysis, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Their work is published in the current issue of JAMA Internal Medicine.

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Two approaches to fat grafting—injection of fat cells versus fat-derived stem cells—have similar effects in reversing the cellular-level signs of aging skin, reports a study in the April issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

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In women undergoing breast augmentation, a technique using transplantation of a small amount of the patient's own fat cells can produce better cosmetic outcomes, reports a study in the April issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

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For people with low vision who need bioptic telescopic glasses to drive, previous driving experience and the need for more training hours are the main factors affecting performance on driver's license road tests, according to a study in the April issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

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- Nearly 93 percent of National Football League (NFL) athletes who sustained traumatic injuries to the midfoot returned to competition less than 15 months after injury and with no statistically significant decrease in performance, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

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Rhodiola rosea (R. rosea), or roseroot, may be a beneficial treatment option for major depressive disorder (MDD), according to results of a study in the journal Phytomedicine led by Jun J. Mao, MD, MSCE, associate professor of Family Medicine, Community Health and Epidemiology and colleagues at the Perelman School of Medicine of University of Pennsylvania.

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A new study suggests that a person’s sense of smell may reveal a weight bias, one that is likely more pervasive than previously believed.

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Orthopedic surgeons from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have developed two new prediction tools aimed at identifying total hip and knee replacement patients who are at-risk of developing serious complications after surgery. The investigators unveiled the new models, and study findings on which they are based, on Thursday, March 26, 2015, at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting in Las Vegas.

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A team of Penn Medicine orthopedic surgeons has found that modern technology for healing distal femur fractures is as safe and effective as its more established alternative, without a potential shortfall of the older approach. . The findings are being presented on Thursday, March 26, 2015, at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting in Las Vegas.

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Adults with sickle cell disease who report trouble with sleep could actually have a clinical diagnosis of sleep disordered breathing which could lower their oxygen levels at night.

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Cancer patients over the age of 65 often take multiple drugs, which can interfere with cancer treatment. A new study shows that currently used tools to prevent over-medicating senior cancer patients need improvement

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Stacey Cahn, PhD, offers her thoughts on how food engineering has made it increasingly difficult for some to curb overeating and lose weight.

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Strategies aimed at reducing childhood obesity should acknowledge individuals’ rational taste preferences and apply insights from behavioral economics to design choice architecture that increases their likelihood of success, say two physician-scientists from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics in an editorial published in JAMA Pediatrics.

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Patients with carpal tunnel syndrome are more than twice as likely to have migraine headaches, reports a study in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery—Global Open®, the official open-access medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

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Researchers describe the first set of genes important in learning in a zebrafish model. Using an in-depth analysis of one of these genes they found an important relevant signaling pathway. The proteins in this pathway could provide new insights into the development of novel pharmacological targets.

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A newly developed website provides parents and children with individualized information and support—based on factors like coping style and levels of worry and fear—to help lower anxiety before outpatient surgery in children, according to a pair of articles in the April issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia.

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Penn Medicine researchers have discovered that hypermethylation - the epigenetic ability to turn down or turn off a bad gene implicated in 10 to 30 percent of patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD) - serves as a protective barrier inhibiting the development of these diseases. Their work, published this month in Neurology, may suggest a neuroprotective target for drug discovery efforts.

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Approximately 1,500 oncology representatives attended the NCCN 20th Annual Conference, which featured presentations of the latest developments in the treatment of more than 15 cancer types, as well as three expert roundtable discussions.

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Greening vacant lots may be associated with biologic reductions in stress, according to a new study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Residents who walked near newly greened vacant lots had significantly lower heart rates compared to walking near a blighted, or neglected, vacant lot.

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USciences' 33-credit online DrOT program is designed for novice occupational therapists with graduate degrees to experienced clinicians looking to advance within their careers.

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Dr. Sanjay Gupta—a practicing neurosurgeon and Chief Medical Correspondent for CNN—recently received the prestigious Alfred I. duPont Award for his work on a pair of influential documentaries on medical marijuana, according to a cover feature in the April issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

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The heart tissue of mammals has limited capacity to regenerate after an injury such as a heart attack, in part due to the inability to reactivate a cardiac muscle cell and proliferation program. A team has now shown that a subset of microRNAs is important for cardiomyocyte cell proliferation during development and is sufficient to induce proliferation in cardiomyocytes in the adult heart.

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The second roundtable discussion of the NCCN 20th Annual Conference explored the concept of value in oncology decision-making, challenging the perceived definition of value and true quality for the patient.

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Last Monday, more than 200 young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), their parents and autism support professionals gathered for a free, half-day presentation and Q&A panel hosted by The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Center for Autism Research (CAR) to support families considering life after high school, and the possibilities for higher education.

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In the last several years, targeted therapies – drugs that directly impact specific genes and proteins involved in the progression of cancer – have been approved for a wide variety of cancers, including melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Now, researchers at The Wistar Institute have discovered one way in which melanoma becomes resistant to a particular form of targeted therapy, and understanding this phenomenon may lead to a new melanoma target or prompt new designs of these treatments.

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Drexel University researchers, along with colleagues at Aix-Marseille University in France, have discovered a high performance cathode material with great promise for use in next generation lithium-sulfur batteries that could one day be used to power mobile devices and electric cars.

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Researchers from Thomas Jefferson University and NIH tested for prophylactic antibiotic concentrations in joint fluid samples.

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Philadelphia-based biomedical research institute research The Wistar Institute and Boston-based life sciences company Kerafast, Inc. partner to offer educational opportunities for Wistar postdoctoral fellows and to distribute Wistar reagents through Kerafast's online platform.

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Thomas P. Cappola, MD, ScM, a physician-scientist with special expertise in heart failure, has been named chief of the division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

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As more women veterans seek health care in the Veterans Administration (VA) system, effective approaches are needed to ensure that their unique needs are recognized and met. A special April supplement to Medical Care collects new studies from an ongoing research initiative to inform health care policy for women veterans. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

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Special redesigned labels for intravenous (IV) medication bags may help to prevent serious medication errors in the operating room, reports a study in the March issue of the Journal of Patient Safety. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

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Penn Nursing and the Renfield Foundation Seek Nominations for $100,000 Award for Global Women's Health

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The Botswana-UPenn Partnership (BUP) is collaborating with Microsoft, the Botswana Innovation Hub, and other global partners to launch the first telemedicine service in Africa using TV white spaces to bring internet connectivity to hospitals and clinics across rural areas of Botswana.

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University of Pennsylvania cancer and HIV expert Carl June, MD, has been named one of two recipients of the 2015 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize for his outstanding work in cancer immunotherapy. Since 1952, the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize has been awarded to scientists who have made great advancements in the fields in which Paul Ehrlich worked, in particular immunology, cancer research, microbiology, and chemotherapy. The prize is presented each year on March 14, the anniversary of Paul Erhlich’s birthday, in Frankfurt, Germany.

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The National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has awarded $16 million over the next five years for a collaborative study whose goal is to broaden advances with synthetic DNA vaccines already made by the team and to develop the next generation of more widely effective HIV vaccines.

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Using gene therapy to produce a mutant human protein with unusually high blood-clotting power, scientists successfully treated dogs with the bleeding disorder hemophlia, without triggering an unwanted immune response.

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Body mass index during infancy may help predict if a child will be obese by age 4. A study in a cohort with a majority of African-American children suggests that better understanding of infant growth patterns may lead to more effective early obesity prevention.

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The Jayne Koskinas Ted Giovanis (JKTG) Foundation awarded The Wistar Institute a $1.1 million grant to create The Jayne Koskinas Ted Giovanis Breast Cancer Research Consortium at The Wistar Institute. The Consortium will support the highly synergistic, multidisciplinary research projects of three Wistar scientists dedicated to advancing breast cancer research.

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Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal today announced that AENJ will be the official journal of the American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners (AAENP)—a recently formed organization dedicated to evidence-based practice in advanced practice emergency nursing. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

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NCCN has published the 20th annual edition of the NCCN Guidelines® for Ovarian Cancer, one of the original NCCN Guidelines published in November 1996.

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NCCN has published the 20th annual edition of the NCCN Guidelines® for Acute Myeloid Leukemia, one of the original NCCN Guidelines published in 1996.