Penn Medicine Researchers completed a pilot analysis of archived tweets on cardiovascular disease. In a study published today in JAMA Cardiology, researchers sifted through a sample of approximately ten billion tweets posted between 2009 and 2015, and found more than 500,000 English-language, U.S.-originating tweets that related to cardiovascular disease.
Randy Olson, PhD, a senior data scientist with Penn’s Institute for Biomedical Informatics (IBI), started publishing optimized road trip maps, and now uses his analytical skills to tackle some of biomedicine's biggest questions.
PHILADELPHIA—Toxins from mold found growing on nuts or corn can weaken the airways’ self-clearing mechanisms and immunity, opening the door for respiratory diseases and exacerbating existing ones, suggests a study in Nature Scientific Reports published this month from otolaryngology researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
PHILADELPHIA — More and more girls are expected to have to confront breast cancer fears as modern genomics technology makes it easier to detect strong risk factors such as inherited BRCA1/2 mutations. But a new study shows that adolescent girls in families with a history of breast cancer or a high-risk BRCA1/2 mutation do not experience negative psychological effects, on average, and even seem to have higher self-esteem than their peers.
A high-fat-diet-induced immune reaction causes inflammation leading to intestinal cancer in a mouse model – even among animals that are not obese.
More than half of opioids prescribed to patients following surgical tooth extraction – such as the removal of impacted wisdom teeth – were left unused by patients in a new study from researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine and School of Dental Medicine. The authors say the surplus is troubling given the ongoing opioid epidemic and evidence showing that individuals who abuse prescription opioids often use leftover pills that were prescribed for friends or family members.
The Center for Global Health in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania is pleased to honor Ernest Madu, MD, chairman and CEO of the Heart Institute of the Caribbean with its first annual Global Health Champion Award. Madu was presented with the award on Thursday, Sept. 15 as part of a celebration for Penn’s newly launched Center for Global Health.
An international, multi-institutional research collaboration identified, for the first time, mutant traits in the mouse for 52 human disease genes, which significantly contributes to the understanding of the genetic bases for some human diseases.
Approximately one in nine people sent to Florida emergency rooms (ERs) for injuries caused by acts of intentional violence – including shootings, stabbings, assaults, etc. – in 2010 ended up being violently injured again within two years. The findings come from the most comprehensive study to date on recurrent violent injury, its costs and risk factors. Risk factors for recurrent violent injury included homelessness, residence in low income neighborhoods, and other ER visits for psychiatric emergencies or alcohol abuse.
Patients who need a kidney transplant may have new hope, through an innovative Penn Medicine clinical trial using kidneys from deceased donors who had the Hepatitis C virus (HCV). The first study participant received a kidney transplant in July 2016, and after being treated with a full regimen of Zepatier – a recently-approved oral medication prescribed to eradicate HCV – her doctors announced today that there is no evidence of the virus in her blood.
Tumors also differ among patients with the same type of cancer, so how is a physician able to prescribe a tailored regimen for the patient? Researchers developed Canopy, an approach to infer the evolutionary track of tumor cells by surveying two types of mutations – somatic copy number alterations and single-nucleotide alterations – derived from multiple samples taken from a single patient.
For patients with advanced lung cancer, a non-invasive liquid biopsy may be a more effective and suitable alternative to the gold standard tissue biopsy to detect clinically relevant mutations and help guide their course of treatment.
A study of a new mouse model identifies a drug target that has the potential to increase social interaction in individuals with some forms of autism spectrum disorder.
Cutbacks in capacity at state and county mental hospitals have forced more and more psychiatric patients to seek treatment in Emergency Rooms. But a new study led by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, found that people who visit emergency rooms for mental health care were transferred to another facility at six times the rate of people who visit ERs for non-psychiatric conditions, and could wait almost two hours longer. The study is published today in Health Affairs and highlights a persisting shortfall in emergency psychiatric services in the country.
A new biomaterial can be used to study how and when stem cells sense the mechanics of their surrounding environment. With further development, this biomaterial could be used to control when immature stem cells differentiate into more specialized cells for regenerative and tissue-engineering-based therapies.
Special RNA molecules called long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are key controllers for maintaining immune health when fighting infection or preventing inflammatory disorders.
The Basser Center for BRCA at Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center has announced the recipient of the 2016 Basser Global Prize. The honor will go to cancer geneticist Steven Narod, MD, FRCPC, PhD (hon), FRSC, director of the Familial Breast Cancer Research Unit and a senior scientist at the Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
PHILADELPHIA — Each year more than 300,000 Americans will succumb to out-of-hospital sudden cardiac death (SCD) – the immediate and unexpected cessation of the heart’s ability to function properly – one of the leading causes of death in the United States. For the first time, a team of researchers led by Rajat Deo, MD, MTR, an assistant professor of Cardiovascular Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has developed and validated a prediction model to determine sudden cardiac death risk in adults without a history of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
At a recent event at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, members of the Memory Café, a program created by the Penn Memory Center exclusively for patients with memory problems, sat around four tables, each with Egyptian artifacts as its centerpiece. Museum educators went from table to table explaining – in a highly entertaining fashion – what each artifact signified in ancient times.
Penn has a long history of muscle research, much of which is relevant to Olympic-level athletes and their abilities. As the Rio Olympic Games approach, many armchair spectators of the Games may be wondering: How do those athletes endure their grueling runs, swims, and rides?
Maintaining proper levels of an essential helper molecule is crucial for optimal muscle function. Some athletes are already taking supplements to increase synthesis of this compound, called NAD, with the hopes of reversing the natural decay associated with aging of the mitochondria, the cell’s powerhouses. However, this is the first study to directly investigate the consequences of NAD deficiency on muscle function.
Researchers have uncovered how genes identified from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) affect high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), a biomarker of cardiovascular disease, after comparing several animal models with human patient data. A large team from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Copenhagen, Bristol-Myers Squibb and several others institutions detail their findings in a paper published today in Cell Metabolism.
Programs aimed at helping patients adhere to prescription medication regimens have become an area of interest for researchers as nearly half of patients do not take medications as prescribed. In a new study, researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Humana Inc. show that a refill synchronization program – in which patients were able to receive all refills at the same time – increased medication adherence by more than 10 percent in some patient subgroups. The results are published today in Health Affairs.
The University of Pennsylvania’s Alzheimer’s Disease Core Center (ADCC) has been awarded an estimated $8.8 million over five years from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to continue its mission of investigating mechanisms, diagnostics, treatments and strategies for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and related dementias including Parkinson’s disease (PD), Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD), Lewy Body dementia (LBD) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD).
A new study suggests that tweaking metabolic steps in combination with checkpoint blockade drugs may improve some cancer therapies.
In an attempt to correct defects in the energy generation that contribute to poor pump function among heart failure patients, researchers examined whether the diabetes drug liraglutide, could improve the condition of patients with advanced heart failure. Despite improvements in blood sugar control, the therapy did not improve the clinical stability or pumping action of the heart in patients with advanced heart failure. A team of researchers led by Kenneth B. Margulies, MD, a professor of Medicine and research director for Heart Failure and Transplantation, and Thomas Cappola, MD, ScM, chief of the division of Cardiovascular Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, detailed findings from the Functional Impact of GLP-1 for Heart Failure Treatment (FIGHT) study in a paper published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Data from this study was initially presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2015 in
Researchers are closer to finding a better way to treat children with a rare metabolic disorder called MPS I.
A new appreciation for the interplay between two cell nucleus proteins that lead both intertwined and separate lives is helping researchers better understand fatty liver disease.
Researchers from Penn Medicine and other institutions found that treating metastatic thyroid cancer patients harboring a BRAF mutation with the targeted therapy vemurafenib —originally approved for melanoma patients with the mutation—showed promising anti-tumor activity in a third of patients. The results were published in this week’s Lancet Oncology.
Want to cut calories and make healthier meal choices? Try avoiding unhealthy impulse purchases by ordering meals at least an hour before eating. New findings from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Carnegie Mellon University show that people choose higher-calorie meals when ordering immediately before eating, and lower-calorie meals when orders are placed an hour or more in advance.
Penn Medicine has established the Penn Neurodegeneration Genomics Center (PNGC) as a national focal point for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) genetics research. The Center, an interdisciplinary program that brings together faculty members in neurodegenerative disorders, human genetics, genomics, bioinformatics, and biostatistics.
Would having your exercise performance compared to that of your peers motivate you do more? A new study suggests it might. And adding a financial incentive would only sweeten the deal even more. Comparing performance to average peers (the 50th percentile), and offering financial incentives was the most effective method for increasing physical activity among teams of employees.
Researchers have identified a unique subset of these cells that exhibit hybrid characteristics of two immune cell types -- neutrophils and antigen-presenting cells -- in samples from early-stage human lung cancers. This is the first study to describe this phenomenon in a human tumor.
A receptor protein that is the target of the breast cancer drug trastuzumab (Herceptin) is needed for proper heart blood-vessel development, providing a better understanding of the cardiovascular side effects of trastuzumab commonly used for cancer.
State mandates requiring commercial health plans to cover the cost of services for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have resulted in an increased number of children being diagnosed and treated for ASD, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The findings will be published in the July 11th issue of JAMA Pediatrics.
The growing trend of "do-it-yourself" transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) poses hidden risks to healthy members of the public who seek to use the technique for cognitive enhancement. Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital, along with several members of the (cognitive) neuroscience research community warn about such risks involved in home use of tDCS, the application of electrical current to the brain. Their Open Letter will appear in the July 7th issue of Annals of Neurology.
Despite increasing legalization of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (PAS) worldwide, the practice remains relatively rare and, when carried out, is primarily motivated by psychological factors such as loss of autonomy or enjoyment of life, rather than physical pain. A new comprehensive assessment of data from around the world shows that in areas where they are legal, only 0.3 to 4.6 percent of deaths result from euthanasia or PAS, with more than 70 percent of cases involving patients with cancer. The study also shows that the majority of patients requesting euthanasia or PAS are older, white and well-educated.
In a study with potentially major implications for the future treatment of autoimmunity and related conditions, scientists have found a way to remove the subset of antibody-making cells that cause an autoimmune disease, without harming the rest of the immune system.
The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has launched a program, called AAV 3.0™, to create new viral vectors to find quicker and better treatments for an array of diseases. James M. Wilson, MD, PhD, a professor of Medicine and director of the Orphan Disease Center, will lead an interdisciplinary team of over 30 scientists.
Volanesorsen, an experimental lipid-lowering medication, improved insulin sensitivity and glucose control by significantly decreasing patients’ overall hemoglobin A1c – the standard clinical measurement of blood glucose levels for diabetics – in a new study reported by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The results are published online this month in Diabetes Care.
The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia have been awarded over $5 million to serve as a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Prevention Epicenter site to help develop and test innovative approaches to preventing superbugs and improving patient safety.
Providing Medicaid patients with a primary care “medical home” cut costs of their care by as much as $4,100 a year and lowered their number of doctors visits and hospitalizations, according to a Perelman School of Medicine-led study published today in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. The research analyzed claims from Pennsylvania Medicaid patients who had both a chronic illness and a substance abuse or psychiatric condition.
Raymond R. Townsend, MD, director of the Hypertension Program and a professor of Medicine in Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has been named the 2016 Physician of the Year Award of the American Heart Association (AHA).
A five-year, projected $10.8 million award from the National Institute on Aging will establish the Coordinating Center for Genetics and Genomics of Alzheimer’s Disease, a joint venture of researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and five other institutions.
PHILADELPHIA — U.S. Air Force veteran Jonathan Wood, a student pursuing a joint degree in medicine and business administration from the Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM) and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania has been named a 2016 Tillman Scholar by the Pat Tillman Foundation. Wood is the first PSOM student to receive this prestigious award recognizing U.
The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Hospital, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, and Lancaster General Hospital have received Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Quality Achievement Awards from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association
Aortic stenosis (AS), the narrowing of the aortic valve in the heart which causes restricted blood flow, is one of the most common and serious valve disease problems. For patients with one type of AS – low flow – transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), a minimally invasive procedure which corrects the damaged aortic valve, is often the best option for restoring the heart’s normal pumping function. Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have examined this high-risk patient population to determine the cause of this persistent low flow AS and to evaluate their risk of dying during the year following the procedure. Their findings are detailed in a paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association - Cardiology.
When researchers added color-coded or numeric calorie labels to online food ordering systems, the total calories ordered was reduced by about 10 percent when compared to menus featuring no calorie information at all. The study is the first to evaluate the effect of “traffic-light” calorie labeling in the increasingly common setting of ordering meals online.
Preliminary findings from a Penn Medicine study (abstract #0508) presented at SLEEP 2016, the 30th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC, suggest that what may prevent 70 to 80 percent of individuals with new onset insomnia (acute insomnia) from developing chronic insomnia is a natural tendency to self-restrict time in bed (TIB).
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