Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a common condition with a high economic impact in both children and adults, concludes an updated review in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
Why do humans have hair on our arms and legs but not on the palms of our hands and the soles of our feet? It’s a fundamental question in human evolution that researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania say they’ve found clues to in a new study.
To combat "fake news" that undermines health information, a pair of health scientists explain what to think about when trying to break through people's spheres of influence when it comes to research.
Some patients with coronary artery disease have inadequate blood flow to the heart muscle during periods of mental/emotional stress. This condition – called "mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia" (MSIMI) – is related to the severity of plaque buildup in the coronary arteries in men but not women, reports a study in Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine, the official journal of the American Psychosomatic Society. The journal is published in the Lippincott Portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
For patients undergoing orthopaedic surgery, the use of "overlapping" procedures – where the attending surgeon is simultaneously involved in two different surgeries in different operating rooms – does not lead to an increased risk of complications, reports a study in the November 21, 2018 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio in partnership with Wolters Kluwer.
Penn researchers will present findings at the 60th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Diego, including studies that evaluate CAR T combinations, how the timing of CAR T therapy may impact its effectiveness, and which patients who currently aren’t eligible for CAR T therapy should have greater access.
For the first time, bioengineered spinal discs were successfully implanted and provided long-term function in the largest animal model ever evaluated for tissue-engineered disc replacement. A new Penn Medicine study published in Science Translational Medicine provides compelling translational evidence that the cells of patients suffering from neck and back pain could be used to build a new spinal disc in the lab to replace a deteriorated one. The study, which was performed using goats, was conducted by a multidisciplinary team in the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, School of Engineering and Applied Science, and School of Veterinary Medicine.
Pharmacogenetic tests are marketed as an aid to psychiatrists in selecting the antidepressant or antipsychotic medication that will work best in individual patients, based on their genetic makeup. But for most patients, these pharmacogenetic tests don't provide much useful information, beyond a basic understanding of how antidepressant and antipsychotic drugs are metabolized, suggests a study in the Journal of Psychiatric Practice. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
Patients with stronger-pumping hearts have as many physical and cognitive impairments as those with weaker hearts, suggesting the need for better treatment.
The Abramson Cancer Center joins 27 other leading academic cancer centers from across the United States in creating the most frequently updated cancer care guidelines worldwide, as an NCCN Member Institution.
The Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania announced today that it is joining the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® as its 28th member institution.
Nearly one in five intensive care unit (ICU) survivors die within one year, and increased hospital use is among the factors associated with a higher risk of death, reports a UK population-based study in the January 2019 issue of Critical Care Medicine, the official journal of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM). Critical Care Medicine is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
Continuing its mission of high-quality patient care, cutting-edge research and innovation, and training the world’s doctors, Penn Medicine has announced it is expanding to the United Kingdom.
After the first year of an innovative, five-year contract between the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) and Independence Blue Cross (Independence), the health system is reporting a more than 25 percent cut in hospital readmissions – the largest readmission reduction in both organizations’ history. As part of the first collaboration of its kind in the United States between a health system and a health insurer, the two organizations have launched a new slate of innovations to reduce the number of patients who return to the hospital within a month of going home. The contract provided that Independence wouldn’t pay for the resulting hospitalization in those cases.
Decades after two brothers died in childhood from a mitochondrial disease, scientists pinpointed the genetic cause as a founder mutation in an Ashkenazi Jewish ancestor. The discoverers say the causative gene should be included in prenatal genetic carrier screening tests.
Anti-malaria drugs known as chloroquines have been repurposed to treat cancer for decades, but until now no one knew exactly what the chloroquines were targeting when they attack a tumor. Now, researchers from the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania say they have identified that target – an enzyme called PPT1.
Winners of Penn's Art in Science competition feature beautiful visual images produced using methods of scientific inquiry. And next month, a new medical student group will host its first-ever Penn Med art show to highlight the artistic talents of medical students, faculty, and staff.
New research published in JNCCN-Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network found Latino men were 21% less likely to receive definitive treatment compared to non-Latino white men, with significant differences for younger patients, the uninsured, and those treated at NCI-designated centers.
Invited to share their personal stories, victims of urban gun violence describe living with violence as a "common everyday experience" and feeling abandoned by police and other societal institutions, reports a study in the November/December Journal of Trauma Nursing, official publication of the Society of Trauma Nurses. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
Individual and work-related factors may be helpful in promoting positive engagement with work among hospital physicians, according to a study in the December issue of Medical Care. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
As computational biologist Yi Xing, PhD, launches the Center for Computational and Genomic Medicine at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, he draws on his “bilingual” strengths. In this case, bilingual refers to his fluency in two scientific disciplines: computational biology and experimental biology.
Intensive behavioral therapy (IBT) is proven to help adults with obesity achieve meaningful weight loss. A new Penn Medicine study, published in Obesity, is the first randomized controlled evaluation of the efficacy of IBT when implemented under the CMS coverage guidelines.
A Penn Medicine study, published online today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, showed that even after controlling for risk factors like income, education, smoking, and exercise, among others, black patients remained at significantly higher risk for SCD than white patients.
Italian-American Foundation, Filitalia, honors Antonio Giordano, MD, PhD, Founder & President of Sbarro Health Research Organization at Temple University with the Humanitarian award at the foundation’s 31st Anniversary Gala.
Rising rates and doses of prescription opioids may be a warning sign of an increased risk of death – even for patients not recognized as having opioid use disorder (OUD), reports a study in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
Comparing five- and one-star Yelp reviews of hospital emergency departments and urgent care centers, the strengths and weaknesses of each, in patients' experience, were determined.
In an effort to lessen readmission risk after discharge and achieve the best possible outcomes for patients, hospital-based clinicians are more intentionally planning discharge of those who require post-acute care (PAC). Yet, although hospital clinicians strive to effectively refer patients who require PAC, their discharge-planning processes often vary greatly and typically are not evidence-based.
Cosmetic surgery to reduce the masculine appearance of the "Adam's apple" has a high patient satisfaction rate, according to a study in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery—Global Open®, the official open-access medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
Over the past three decades, the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems Center (TBIMSC) program has served as a critical source of research to improve care and outcomes for patients and families affected by traumatic brain injury (TBI). The history and research achievements of the TBIMSC are reviewed in the November/December issue of the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation (JHTR). The official journal of the Brain Injury Association of America, JHTR is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
a team from Penn and CHOP have received a major grant from the Federal Highway Administration, an agency within the United States Department of Transportation, to help curb distracted driving. The team will investigate strategies — such as redesigning insurance discounts — for reducing cell phone use while driving.
Two decades ago, a landmark study by the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) highlighted the prevalence of medical errors and called for a national commitment to reduce patient harm. Despite substantial investment by government and private institutions to increase patient safety, progress has been slow and uneven. A new study, published today in the November issue of the journal Health Affairs, sheds light on what more can be done.
Firearm violence is a significant public health problem worldwide. In the United States, firearms are used to kill almost 100 people daily. Yet despite the staggering impact of firearm violence, there is limited research directed at preventing or addressing its impact on individuals, families and communities.
“Think globally, act locally” is a popular global health idea that encourages people to consider the health of the entire planet while taking actions in their own cities and communities. And it’s an idea that inspired a group of students in the Perelman School of Medicine to join with other medical schools in Philadelphia and start a group dedicated to the growing field of global surgery. Until recently, surgery has been largely omitted from global health efforts, taking a back seat to infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. But as progress is made to treat and prevent these diseases, it has become clear that there is a significant need to focus on treating people in resource-limited settings who are in need of surgical care. And this need touches almost every aspect of health care from cancer to obstetrics to orthopedics. In fact, according to the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery, more than 18 million people die each year from lack of surgical care.
Penn Medicine emergency department physicians are calling for more readily available testing strips to identify the presence of fentanyl in patients experiencing a drug overdose, and a rapid, coordinated response among health care providers and city agencies to help curb overdoses and identify high potency high risk drugs.
An Oct. 31 event at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia highlights the Philadelphia's role in manufacturing 21st century products: tools for precision medicine. The hospital's new Clinical Manufacturing Facility will produce clinical-grade vectors to deliver cellular and gene therapy for difficult-to-treat diseases.
New agreement between National Comprehensive Cancer Network and Syapse will augment health information technology around precision medicine and biomarkers in cancer care
In patients with psychiatric disorders, stability of symptoms has important implications for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. Two reviews of symptom stability over the course of psychiatric disorders – bipolar disorder and psychotic disorders, respectively – were published online by the Harvard Review of Psychiatry. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
Asymmetry between the two sides of the face increases steadily with aging – a finding with important implications for facial rejuvenation and reconstructive procedures, reports a study in the November issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
The CRISPR genome editing technique promises to be a "transformative leap" in genetic engineering and therapy, affecting almost every area of medicine. That includes plastic surgery, with potential advances ranging from prevention of craniofacial malformations, to therapeutic skin grafts, to new types of rejection-free transplants, according to a paper in the November issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
Nearly all smartphone and tablet apps targeted at toddlers and preschoolers have commercial content, often using "manipulative and disruptive" advertising methods, reports a study in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, the official journal of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
Penn Medicine is announcing a new Translational Center of Excellence focused on Glioblastoma Multiforme, the most common and lethal form of brain cancer. The team will investigate new immune therapies for glioblastoma.
As many as 16.5 million adults in America suffer from a skin disease known as atopic dermatitis, an inflammatory disease that results in red, itchy skin. The estimate comes from a new study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, which also projected 6.6 million of these adults have disease that would be classified as moderate to severe, leading to a decrease in quality of life.