Focus: Hidden - Philly Metro

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While the opioid epidemic may feel too massive a problem to tackle or too overwhelming to even comprehend, experts in many corners of Penn Medicine are at work combating the deadly toll, including the physicians and researchers of the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics (CHIBE) at the Perelman School of Medicine. As one of two Roybal Centers on Behavioral Economics and Health nationally funded by the National Institute of Aging of NIH, CHIBE combines psychology and economics with clinical expertise in an effort to understand why individuals make certain decisions that impact their health and how to leverage their findings to advance policy, improve health care delivery, and encourage healthy behaviors among patients and best practices among clinicians. All those elements combine in their efforts to curb prescription opioid misuse.

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The conversation Starbucks is now leading – whether by choice or not – is one that is not, and should not, be limited to your friendly neighborhood coffee juggernaut. It’s a conversation that’s been happening quietly for decades, and in recent years has begun to echo in every corner and industry across the country, and medicine is no exception, but new research is showing that despite the skepticism around the effectiveness of training programs, they may actually have the power to teach humility, empathy, and respect.

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A team of ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialists has demonstrated that eating honey after swallowing a button battery has the potential to reduce serious injuries in small children.

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Thirteen years after the first successful face transplant, US trauma surgeons should be aware of the current role of facial transplantation for patients with severe facial disfigurement – including evidence that the final appearance and functioning are superior to that provided by conventional reconstructive surgery. That's the message of a special update on 'Face Transplantation Today' in the June issue of The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery, Edited by Mutaz B. Habal, MD, and published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

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Patients who take prescription opioids for a longer period before spinal surgery are more likely to continue using opioids several months after surgery, reports a study in the June 6, 2018, issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio in partnership with Wolters Kluwer.

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Wolters Kluwer Health announced today the launch of Lippincott Clinical Experiences: Community, Public, and Population Health Nursing to prepare nursing students for practice in the burgeoning field of population health using an innovative virtual community with realistic, hands-on clinical experiences. Designed to be integrated in nursing programs, Lippincott Clinical Experiences delivers a wide-ranging variety of clinical encounters to help students gain proficiency in practice environments that are logistically challenging to simulate, such as natural disaster sites, domestic violence shelters or correctional facilities. The program can also help supplement clinical time or missed clinicals.

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The number of insurance denials for life-saving hepatitis C drugs among patients with both private and public insurers remains high across the United States. Private insurers had the highest denial rates, with 52.4 percent of patients denied coverage, while Medicaid denied 34.5 percent of patients and Medicare denied 14.7 percent.

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A combination of the drugs mifepristone and misoprostol can help bring closure to some women and their families suffering from miscarriage, and reduces the need for surgical intervention to complete the painful miscarriage process. Results of a new clinical trial led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, show that while the standard drug regimen using misoprostol on its own frequently fails to complete the miscarriage, a combination of misoprostol and the drug mifepristone works much more reliably.

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Parents have been reading—and sharing—alarming reports of children who died or nearly died due to "dry drowning" over the past year. However, the use of that incorrect, nonmedical term has contributed to confusion about the true dangers of drowning in children and led to serious and fatal conditions being ignored after a “dry drowning” diagnosis was made, according to a special report in the June issue of Emergency Medicine News, published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

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As clinical trials gear up with the aim of attaining the first FDA-approved treatments for mitochondrial disease, a new study reports for the first time what patients and families say would motivate them for or against participating in such research trials.

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Hospitals that receive bundled payments for joint replacements either voluntarily or through Medicare’s mandatory programs, vary by size and volume, but not in spending or quality, signaling a need for both programs, according to a new study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The authors say the results show that voluntary programs tend to engage larger non-profit hospitals, whereas some hospitals with lower volumes and fewer resources might only participate under a mandatory program. The results are published this week in the June issue of the journal Health Affairs.

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About 25 percent of Americans experience acute insomnia each year, but about 75 percent of these individuals recover without developing persistent poor sleep or chronic insomnia, according to a study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania which will be presented Monday at SLEEP 2018, the 32nd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC (APSS).

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Wolters Kluwer Health today announced a collaboration with the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) to expand Lippincott® Procedures to address the care and quality demands created by the growing emphasis on aging in place. The addition of 200 evidence-based home care procedures to its flagship nursing decision support solution helps home care nurses improve bedside competency, reduce variations in care and enhance outcomes.

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Penn Medicine researchers are calling for greater precision in Medicare performance reporting for patients with gastrointestinal bleeding following an evaluation of patients with the condition.

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Wistar and Harbour BioMed announce they have entered into a multi-year, multifaceted research collaboration to co-discover novel antibodies for the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases.

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A novel digital health device could help clinicians remotely monitor side effects of lung cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy.

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n a finding that suggests the potential for practice change that would reduce the use of antibiotics in dermatology, researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have found the diuretic drug spironolactone may be just as effective as antibiotics for the treatment of women’s acne.

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Penn study reveals that microRNAs predict differences in cognitive impairment in memory and attention after sleep deprivation

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Scientists from the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center (SKCC) at Jefferson Health will be presenting research and leading discussions on various topics, including metastatic uveal melanoma, genetic counseling in men, immunotherapy in early stage lung cancer and solid tumors, quality of life among patients receiving treatment for T cell lymphoma and updates on the Cancer Moonshot during the Biden Cancer Initiative Colloquium at the 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, being held June 1-5 in Chicago.

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Penn study finds value in collecting patients’ sexual orientation and gender identity, but cautions medical providers from drawing conclusions based on that information alone

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Persistent pain and recurrent episodes of pain are common for those who are living with cancer, or for those undergoing cancer treatment. When used properly, prescription opioids have long been known to help combat pain experienced by people with cancer.

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A new approach pioneered at the University of Pennsylvania’s Abramson Cancer Center may provide a new path towards treating Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) with CAR T cells.

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Rates of inherited mutations in genes other than BRCA1/2 are twice as high in breast cancer patients who have had a second primary cancer – including, in some cases, different types of breast cancer – compared to patients who have only had a single breast cancer.

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Where does a cardiologist go when she has an idea to improve a common medical device? She knows that a pacemaker with a longer lifespan and lighter weight could help improve her patients’ quality of life, but how does she make her idea into a reality? That’s where the Penn Center for Health, Devices, and Technology (Penn Health-Tech) comes in.

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Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s Abramson Cancer Center say a patient treated for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in 2013 went into remission because of a single CAR T cell and the cells it produced as it multiplied, and has stayed cancer free in the five years since, with CAR T cells still present in his immune system.

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Children who undergo surgery for congenital heart disease have lower survival rates by three years of age if there are specific problems during fetal development, such as hypertension in the mother or the newborn being born preterm or small for gestational age. These problems are considered markers of an impaired maternal-fetal environment.

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Genetic counseling for cancer patients has become standard of care at academic medical centers, but patients cared for at community-based medical practices across the United States may not have access to these resources. Video and phone sessions can close that gap and bring genetic counseling to patients who would not otherwise have the chance to receive it.

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Older adults seem to be more motivated by scheduled workouts, including the role of a fitness coach or a significant person involved in their exercise goals, when compared to those getting exercise only through spontaneous physical activity.

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With available testing for breast cancer risk genes, some women are learning at young ages that they are at high lifetime risk of breast cancer. Plastic surgeons play a key role in counseling and managing this group of high-risk young adults, according to a special topic paper in the June issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

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About 70 percent of all variations in health care outcomes are explained by individuals’ social conditions including housing, neighborhood conditions, and income, data show. In order to establish community cultures of health where people are empowered to live healthier lives, health care providers and community sector leaders in transportation, government, schools, and businesses must collaborate to address the social conditions that affect population health

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Computer-designed, 3D-printed models are emerging as a useful new tool for planning and carrying out cosmetic plastic surgery of the nose, reports a paper in the June issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

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A study showing that pneumococcal vaccination produces a lasting antibody response in preterm infants has been named winner of the inaugural ESPID-PIDJ Award, recognizing the best paper submitted to The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal (PIDJ) by a member of The European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID). The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, the official journal of the ESPID, is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

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Early-life seizures prematurely switch on key synapses in the brain that may contribute to further neurodevelopmental delay in children with autism and other intellectual disabilities, suggests a new study from researchers at Penn Medicine.

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A radiotherapy drug that treats the rare neuroendocrine cancers pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma can be both effective and safe for patients, according to the findings of a multi-center trial led by researchers in the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania.

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Startling increases in nationwide deaths from drug overdoses, alcohol, and suicides constitute a public health crisis – spurring an urgent call for a National Resilience Strategy to stem these "deaths of despair." The proposal is outlined in a special commentary in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

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Temple University leads the way with eight partner colleges and universities.

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A new study in JNCCN finds that, contrary to screening recommendations, mammography rates decline over time as women get further out from their breast cancer diagnosis; African-American women in particular were less likely to receive the recommended amount of screening.

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Free smoking cessation aids, such as nicotine patches and chewing gum, are a staple of many corporate wellness programs aimed at encouraging employees to kick the habit. But, new research shows that merely offering such aids for free does not help employees quit, whereas supplementing them with financial incentives is three times more effective. The study also provides the first large-scale evidence that offering e-cigarettes to known smokers is not effective at helping smokers stay smoke-free.

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Writing in a new Perspective published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers from Penn Medicine’s Center for Health Care Innovation argue that Electronic Health Records should be restructured from mere digital remakes of their old pen and paper ancestors into platforms that allow doctors to “subscribe” to their patients’ clinical information to receive real-time updates when an action is required, similar to social media feeds and notifications.

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Wolters Kluwer Health announced today a publishing partnership with the American Urological Association (AUA). Beginning in January 2019, Wolters Kluwer will publish The Journal of Urology® and Urology Practice in its Lippincott portfolio.

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Wolters Kluwer Health announced today a publishing partnership with the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) that adds three titles to the Lippincott portfolio. Beginning in January 2019, Wolters Kluwer will publish ACG’s flagship scientific publication, The American Journal of Gastroenterology, as well as two additional official publications, Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology (CTG) and ACG Case Reports Journal.

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Dr. James Callahan, emergency medicine physician and co-author of the May 2018 AAP policy statement on Life Support Training, is available to speak with the media. He says that even very young children can be taught to call for help and also how to operate an automated external defibrillator (AED).

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A new grant from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts in Chicago will help Assistant Professor of Art History Brian Goldstein continue his research on architecture through the lens of social and racial justice, and more specifically into the life and work of African-American architect and civil rights activist J. Max Bond, Jr.

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Penn Medicine researchers found a statistically significant relationship between teen and young adult alcohol related social media engagement and both alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems.

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A new discovery about how the immune system responds to common sinus infections and asthma could explain why patients develop these issues in the first place and ultimately may lead to improved targeted therapies.

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Medical students seldom learn much about the real-life problems (hunger, joblessness, addiction) their patients face outside the clinic walls. Yet, these problems are at the root of poor health in many low-income communities. A new article published today in the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved describes a new approach to educating medical students about the real world. The course, developed by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, apprentices medical students to community health workers (CHWs) in inner city Philadelphia. CHWs are trusted laypeople who come from the local community, hired and trained by healthcare organizations to support high-risk patients.

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Dogs born June through August are at higher risk of heart disease than those born other months, rising in July to 74 percent higher risk, according to a study published this week in Scientific Reports from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. A correlation to outdoor air pollution may be the culprit.

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In January, Philadelphia magazine’s Be Well Philly blog rolled out the “Sweat Diaries,” what they’ve described as a “look at the time, energy, and money people invest in pursuit of a healthy lifestyle in Philly.” So far I’ve read about a woman training for an Ironman while following a vegan diet, a gym marketer who practices physical and mental health, and a full-time Barre, Yoga, and Pilates instructor who’s career is built on staying fit. While the “Sweat Diaries” seem to shine the spotlight on those who work in the fitness and nutrition fields—presumably because folks (myself included) want to know what it takes to look and feel fit ever day—I was left wondering what the more “average” person might have to say about their food intake and fitness, particularly here in Philadelphia.

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Wolters Kluwer Health today announced its academic electronic health record (EHR) training solution for nursing education is a finalist in the 2018 SIIA CODiE Awards. Designed to prepare nursing students for the demands of clinical practice, Lippincott® DocuCare is a finalist in the Best Instructional Solution in Other Curriculum Areas category recognizing the best applications for non-core curriculum areas in pre-K through post-secondary education.

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An antibody used to treat the skin disease psoriasis and other chronic autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease has no effect on aortic inflammation – a key marker of future risk of major cardiovascular events – unlike other antibodies that target different aspects of the immune system.