Pipes Output http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/pipe.info?_id=4601b1066bd6085d333fc9e0d854d45d Thu, 01 Oct 2015 08:08:57 +0000 http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/ http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/09/weiner/ Using a novel synthetic platform for creating vaccines originally developed in the laboratory of David Weiner, PhD, a professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, a team led by his colleagues at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, has successfully eradicated precancerous cervical lesions in nearly half of the women who received the investigational vaccine in a clinical trial. Wed, 30 Sep 2015 13:30:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/09/5k/ This Sunday, the 4th annual 5K for The IOA and Memory Mile Walk will be held in support of the Institute on Aging (IOA) at the University of Pennsylvania. Fri, 18 Sep 2015 16:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/09/mvp/ Two groups of investigators at Penn Medicine received funding from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to beta-test the genetic database of 200,000 veterans in the VA’s Million Veterans Program (MVP). Thu, 17 Sep 2015 17:30:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/09/dang/ Myc is a cancer-causing gene responsible for disrupting the normal 24-hour internal rhythm and metabolic pathways in cancer cells, found a team led by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Thu, 17 Sep 2015 16:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/09/huang/ A simple blood test can detect early markers of “reinvigorated” T cells and track immune responses in metastatic melanoma patients after initial treatment with the anti-PD-1 drug pembrolizumab, researchers from the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania report in new research being presented at the inaugural CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference. Wed, 16 Sep 2015 10:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/09/toxicity/ Even patients with health insurance who have multiple myeloma may be vulnerable to "financial toxicity" because of the higher use of novel therapeutics and extended duration of myeloma treatment, researchers from Penn's Abramson Cancer Center report in this week's Lancet Haematology. Wed, 16 Sep 2015 10:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/09/carstens/ Knocking out one or both crucial regulatory genes caused cleft lip, skin barrier defects, and a host of other developmental problems in mice, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, hinting that abnormalities in these molecular pathways could underlie many birth defects that are presently not well understood. Tue, 15 Sep 2015 12:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/09/roth/ Now, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania have shown that when the enzyme key to cutting and pasting segments of DNA hits so-called "off-target" spots on a chromosome, the development of immune cells can lead to cancer in animal models. Thu, 10 Sep 2015 16:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/09/ma/ A team of researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found a location-dependent pattern in cilia length in the mouse nasal cavity that affects sensitivity to odors. The discovery may also have important implications for the study of sight and touch.  Thu, 10 Sep 2015 16:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/09/garfall/ A multiple myeloma patient whose cancer had stopped responding after nine different treatment regimens experienced a complete remission after receiving an investigational personalized cellular therapy known as CTL019 developed by a team at the University of Pennsylvania. Wed, 09 Sep 2015 21:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/09/schmidt/ The widespread practice of incentivizing mammogram completion via cash payments is unethical according to a Viewpoint article published this week in JAMA by an expert from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Wed, 09 Sep 2015 20:30:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/09/acc/ The University of Pennsylvania’s Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) has received an “exceptional” rating by the National Cancer Institute during an extensive peer-review process for its five-year competitive research support grant. The rating is the highest possible for an NCI cancer center. Thu, 03 Sep 2015 17:45:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/09/greenberg/ A team led by Roger Greenberg, MD, PhD, an associate professor of Cancer Biology at Penn, and Frank Sicheri, PhD, in Toronto, report online in Molecular Cell ahead of print, the atomic structures of several BRCC36-containing complexes. Thu, 03 Sep 2015 16:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/09/june/ Eight of 14 patients in the first trial of the University of Pennsylvania’s personalized cellular therapy for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) responded to the therapy, with some complete remissions continuing past four and a half years. Wed, 02 Sep 2015 18:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/09/berger/ Aggressive cancer growth and alterations in gene activity without changes in DNA sequence (epigenetics) are associated with mutant p53 proteins, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Wed, 02 Sep 2015 17:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/09/beidas/ Acupuncture may be a viable treatment for women experiencing hot flashes as a result of estrogen-targeting therapies to treat breast cancer, according to a new study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.  Tue, 01 Sep 2015 18:30:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/09/mao/ Eight of 14 patients in the first trial of the University of Pennsylvania's personalized cellular therapy for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) responded to the therapy, with some complete remissions continuing past four and a half years. Tue, 01 Sep 2015 18:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/08/lgbt/ The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Hospital, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, and Chester County Hospital were announced among the 2015 class of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s “Leader in LGBT Healthcare Equality” list, and the first to be announced in the organization’s rolling admissions in 2015. Mon, 31 Aug 2015 14:45:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/08/kaufman/ University of Pennsylvania researchers will receive five of the 10 grants being awarded this year by the Charles E. Kaufman Foundation, part of The Pittsburgh Foundation, which supports cutting-edge scientific research in chemistry, biology, and physics at institutions across Pennsylvania. Two of those five will go to researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine. Thu, 27 Aug 2015 16:15:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/08/thase/ Brexpiprazole, an antipsychotic drug approved this summer by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is an effective and well-tolerated addition to conventional first-line antidepressants for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), according to research from psychiatrists in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Wed, 26 Aug 2015 16:30:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/08/kangovi/ In the midst of a growing trend for Medicare patients to receive observation care in the hospital to determine if they should be formally admitted, a new study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania shows that for more than a quarter of beneficiaries with multiple observation stays, the cumulative out-of-pocket costs of these visits exceeds the deductible they would have owed for an inpatient hospital admission. Wed, 26 Aug 2015 13:15:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/08/gold/ Joshua Gold, PhD, a professor of Neuroscience at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and Joe Kable, PhD, Baird Term Associate Professor of Psychology in the School of Arts and Sciences, have been awarded a three-year $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation. Tue, 25 Aug 2015 15:30:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/08/lerman/ Caryn Lerman, PhD, the senior deputy director of Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center (ACC), member of the Institute of Medicine, and co-director of the Penn Medicine Neuroscience Center, has received the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Outstanding Investigator Award, a new grant bestowed upon influential cancer researchers to provide long-term support for their impactful and exceptional cancer research. Fri, 21 Aug 2015 14:15:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/08/shorter/ There may be two new ways to fight AIDS -- using a heat shock protein or a small molecule – to attack fibrils in semen associated with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) during the initial phases of infection, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Tue, 18 Aug 2015 15:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/08/wong/ Websites for national and state health insurance marketplaces show evidence of improved efforts to assist patients in choosing health insurance plans, such as providing decision support tools, experts from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have found. Tue, 18 Aug 2015 13:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/08/foa/ Renowned post-traumatic stress disorder expert Edna Foa, PhD received the 2015 Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award from the American Psychological Association (APA) for her contribution to the theory and clinical practice of psychology, specifically the research and treatment of anxiety disorders. Fri, 14 Aug 2015 16:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/08/whitecoat/ This Friday, the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania will bestow short white coats on 156 first year medical school students during its annual White Coat Ceremony, the rite of passage experienced by students across the country in their journeys toward a health care career. Thu, 13 Aug 2015 20:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/08/vanderbeek/ Eye injections of the drug Avastin, used to treat retinal diseases, bring no greater risk of endophthalmitis, a potentially blinding eye infection, than injections with the much more expensive drug Lucentis made by the same company, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Thu, 13 Aug 2015 18:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/08/asch/ Health care has much to learn from innovative high-tech companies, but not in the way most people think, according to a Perspective published today in the New England Journal of Medicine and authored by innovation experts from the Perelman School of Medicine and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Thu, 13 Aug 2015 13:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/08/stanger/ Tumor cells associated with pancreatic cancer often behave like communities by working with each other to increase tumor spread and growth to different organs. Groups of these cancer cells are better than single cancer cells in driving tumor spread, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania published in Cancer Discovery online in advance of the print issue. Wed, 12 Aug 2015 14:44:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/08/han/ Tray tables, bed rails, light switches, and toilets: All are common vectors for swapping germs between patients and health care workers. While a new systematic overview in this week’s Annals of Internal Medicine points to several promising cleaning tactics of these “high-touch surfaces,” there’s a lack of evidence as to which is the most effective at reducing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Mon, 10 Aug 2015 21:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/08/guo/ Two Penn Medicine researchers from the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (CCEB) have been honored with the 2015 Outstanding Statistical Application Award from the American Statistical Association, to be presented today at the Joint Statistical Meetings. Mon, 10 Aug 2015 16:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/08/vinogradov/ Sergei A. Vinogradov, PhD, an associate professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has been awarded a four-year High Impact Neuroscience Research Resource Center Grant from the National Institutes of Health. Mon, 10 Aug 2015 16:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/08/rustgi/ Cancer researchers already know of some oncogenes and other factors that promote the development of colon cancers, but they don’t yet have the full picture of how these cancers originate and spread. Now researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have illuminated another powerful factor in this process. Wed, 05 Aug 2015 18:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/08/speck/ The American Society of Hematology (ASH) has awarded Nancy Speck, PhD, a professor of Cell and Developmental Biology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the 2015 Henry M. Stratton Medal for Basic Science for her “seminal contributions in the area of hematology research.” Wed, 05 Aug 2015 14:15:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/08/merkel/ A large-scale, clinical research project on vasculitis, led by Peter A. Merkel, MD, MPH, a professor of Medicine and Epidemiology and chief of the division of Rheumatology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and George Casey, MBA, Vice President of the Vasculitis Foundation, has been approved to receive a three-year, $1.4 million award by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), as part of the second phase of the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network (PCORnet). Tue, 04 Aug 2015 18:15:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/07/fitzgerald/ Now, a new study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, published online this month ahead of the print issue in the Journal of Lipid Research, questions the relevance of fish oil-derived SPMs and their purported anti-inflammatory effects in humans. Thu, 30 Jul 2015 17:15:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/07/berger/ Working with yeast and worms, researchers found that incorrect gene expression is a hallmark of aged cells and that reducing such "noise" extends lifespan in these organisms. Thu, 30 Jul 2015 15:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/07/emanuel2/ Charging people to participate in research studies is likely to undermine the fundamental ethical basis of clinical research, according to a new paper written by bioethicists, including lead author Ezekiel Emanuel, MD, PhD, chair of the department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and published in Science Translational Medicine. Thu, 30 Jul 2015 15:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/07/sehgal/ A team of researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania used fruitflies to probe deeper into the cellular and molecular mechanisms that govern aggression and sleep. Tue, 28 Jul 2015 17:30:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/07/lgh/ Effective Aug. 1, Lancaster General Health (LG Health) will become a member of the University of Pennsylvania Health System (Penn Medicine). Tue, 28 Jul 2015 16:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/07/metz/ James Metz, MD, has been named the chair of the department of Radiation Oncology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Tue, 28 Jul 2015 14:30:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/07/kahn/ The lymphatic system provides a slow flow of fluid from our organs and tissues into the bloodstream. It returns fluid and proteins that leak from blood vessels, provides passage for immune and inflammatory cells from the tissues to the blood, and hosts key niches for immune cells. How this system develops hasn't been well understood, but now researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have found from experiments in mice that the early flow of lymph fluid is a critical factor in the development of mature lymphatic vessels. Mon, 27 Jul 2015 20:15:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/07/ryskina/ Physicians in training are twice as likely to order a costly brand-name statin (used to lower blood cholesterol levels) when supervised by senior physicians who prefer those medications in their own practice, according to a new study led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and published online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. Thu, 23 Jul 2015 21:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/07/reese/ A new perspective paper written by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and published in The New England Journal of Medicine suggests that “new antiviral therapies with cure rates exceeding 95 percent should prompt transplant-community leaders to view HCV (hepatitis C virus)-positive organs as a valuable opportunity for transplant candidates with or without pre-existing HCV infection.” Wed, 22 Jul 2015 21:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/07/usn/ Penn Medicine hospitals have been ranked among the top 10 hospitals in the nation, #1 in Pennsylvania, and once again #1 in the Philadelphia metro area by U.S. News & World Report. Tue, 21 Jul 2015 15:30:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/07/trojanowski/ John Q. Trojanowski, MD, PhD, professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and director of Penn’s Institute on Aging, has been honored with the American Association of Neuropathologists’ (AANP) Award for Meritorious Contributions to Neuropathology. Tue, 21 Jul 2015 13:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/07/june/ Results from a clinical trial investigating a new T cell receptor (TCR) therapy that uses a person’s own immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells demonstrated a clinical response in 80 percent of multiple myeloma patients with advanced disease after undergoing autologous stem cell transplants (ASCT). Mon, 20 Jul 2015 15:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/07/rader/ Daniel J. Rader, MD, chair of the Department of Genetics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and Danish Saleheen, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, have been awarded a four-year, $2 million 2015 Grand Challenge Award from the American Heart Association (AHA). Fri, 17 Jul 2015 15:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/07/kalbasi/ Increased radiation dose is associated with higher survival rates in men with medium- and high-risk prostate cancer, but not men with low-risk prostate cancer, according to a new study from Penn Medicine published this week in JAMA Oncology. Thu, 16 Jul 2015 15:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/07/ashtari/ Since 2007, clinical trials using gene therapy have resulted in often-dramatic sight restoration for dozens of children and adults who were otherwise doomed to blindness. Now, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), have found evidence that this sight restoration leads to strengthening of visual pathways in the brain, published this week in Science Translational Medicine. Wed, 15 Jul 2015 18:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/07/panetteri/ Hospitalizations for heart conditions, neurological illness, and other conditions were higher among people who live near unconventional gas and oil drilling (hydraulic fracturing), according to new research from the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University published this week in PLOS ONE. Wed, 15 Jul 2015 18:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/07/wilusz/ Jeremy E. Wilusz, PhD, an assistant professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has been awarded a grant from the Rita Allen Foundation Wed, 15 Jul 2015 13:45:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/07/restuccia/ Penn Medicine’s Information Services team has been recognized by Health and Hospital Networks with two awards, Most Wired and the 2015 Innovator Award. Thu, 09 Jul 2015 19:15:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/07/basser/ The Basser Center for BRCA at Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center has announced the recipient of its third annual Basser Global Prize. The honor will go to molecular cancer expert David Livingston, MD, Emil Frei Professor of Genetics and Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and deputy director of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center. Thu, 09 Jul 2015 14:30:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/07/branas/ Fixing up abandoned buildings in the inner city doesn’t just eliminate eyesores, it can also significantly reduce crime and violence, including gun assaults, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine report in the first study to demonstrate the direct impact of building remediation efforts on crime. Wed, 08 Jul 2015 18:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/07/barg/ Penn Medicine is planning a new, two-story, 150,000 square foot outpatient medical practice on Route 70 East in Cherry Hill, NJ, scheduled to open in Summer 2016. Wed, 08 Jul 2015 14:30:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/07/becker/ Average out-of-pocket spending for oral contraceptive pills and the intrauterine device (IUD), the two most common forms of contraception for women, has decreased significantly since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) took effect. Tue, 07 Jul 2015 20:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/07/emanuel/ Less than 1 percent of 11,000 healthy volunteers who participated in 394 phase I trials for new drugs experienced serious complications, according to a new meta-analysis of participants in non-cancer, phase I medication trials. Tue, 07 Jul 2015 13:30:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/07/eckmann/ Mitochondria, the tiny oxygen reactors that power our cells, can be the keys to health or disease. But while the recognition of their importance has soared in recent years, methods for studying them haven’t always kept pace. Now, scientists from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have devised a powerful new technique that enables the tracking of every mitochondrion as it moves within a cell. Wed, 01 Jul 2015 14:30:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/06/epstein2/ Jonathan Epstein, MD, a highly regarded physician-scientist whose work has played a major role in the understanding and treatment of congenital heart disease, has been named executive vice dean and chief scientific officer for Penn Medicine. Mon, 29 Jun 2015 13:30:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/06/epstein/ Future therapies for failing hearts are likely to include stem-like cells and associated growth factors that regenerate heart muscle. Scientists from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have just taken an important step towards that future by identifying a stem-like “progenitor” cell that produces only heart muscle cells. Thu, 25 Jun 2015 18:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/06/volpp/ Kevin Volpp, MD, PhD, a professor of Medicine and Health Care Management in the Perelman School of Medicine and The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, is receiving the 2015 Matilda White Riley Award, issued today by the National Institutes of Health Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) as part of their 20th Anniversary celebration. Tue, 23 Jun 2015 15:30:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/06/bisson/ Two Penn Medicine infectious disease teams have received five-year federal grants collectively worth nearly $9 million, the first of which will help train and expand the local health care workforce in Botswana, while the second will investigate lasting lung complications stemming from HIV/tuberculosis (TB) co-infections in South Africa. Tue, 23 Jun 2015 14:30:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/06/foglia/ Premature babies who are enrolled in clinical trials for therapies to treat and prevent complications from preterm birth are no more likely to die or experience poor outcomes than babies who are not trial participants, according to a retrospective analysis of more than 5,000 babies born before 29 weeks of gestation. Thu, 18 Jun 2015 20:15:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/06/kast/ Several well-known neurodegenerative diseases, such as Lou Gehrig’s (ALS), Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and Huntington's disease, all result in part from a defect in autophagy – one way a cell removes and recycles misfolded proteins and pathogens. In a paper published this week in Current Biology, postdoctoral fellow David Kast, PhD, and professor Roberto Dominguez, PhD, and three other colleagues from the Department of Physiology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, show for the first time that the formation of ephemeral compartments key in this process require actin polymerization by the Arp2/3 complex, a composite of seven proteins. Thu, 18 Jun 2015 18:30:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/06/medicaid/ Health policy researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and the Institute of Health Policy Studies at the University of California, San Francisco, suggest in a new Perspective published in the New England Journal of Medicine that patient-centered medical homes may be more effective in reducing the number of Medicare patients seeking nonemergency care in EDs than increasing the cost of the visits. Wed, 17 Jun 2015 21:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/06/molina/ Maria Molina, CRNP, MSN, a board-certified adult gerontology-acute care nurse practitioner and critical-care registered nurse with a Transplant specialty, received the 2015 International Transplant Nurses Society (ITNS) Nursing Excellence Award and the 2015 ITNS Symposium Best Research Abstract Award. Wed, 17 Jun 2015 20:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/06/bwf/ Five early-career researchers from three schools at the University of Pennsylvania have received funding from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF) for their excellence in biomedical research, in topics including heart disease, sleep, and infectious diseases, as part of a nationwide program totaling $22.5 million. Wed, 17 Jun 2015 14:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/06/kehoe/ Judith Green-McKenzie, MD, MPH, an associate professor of Emergency Medicine and chief of the division of Occupational Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, was awarded the 2015 Kehoe Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Education or Researcher from the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Fri, 12 Jun 2015 14:15:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/06/bushman/ Frederic D. Bushman, PhD, a widely recognized leader in the fields of microbiology and gene therapy, has been named the new chair of the department of Microbiology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Thu, 11 Jun 2015 18:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/06/epperson/ According to a new study, women experiencing difficulty with time management, attention, organization, memory, and problem solving – often referred to as executive functions – related to menopause may find improvement with a drug already being used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Thu, 11 Jun 2015 13:30:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/06/shalowitz/ More than one-third of counties in the Unites States are located more than 50 miles from the nearest gynecologic oncologist, making access to specialty care for ovarian and other gynecologic cancers difficult for nearly 15 million women. Thu, 11 Jun 2015 13:30:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/06/chw/ Community health workers (CHW) are expected to be a growing and vital part of healthcare delivery in the United States as the Affordable Care Act is fully implemented. A slate of steps detailing how CHW programs can maximize their effectiveness and impact on patients and healthcare spending is provided in a new perspective piece in The New England Journal of Medicine by experts at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine and New York University. Wed, 10 Jun 2015 21:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/06/reshef/ Using a simple blood test to measure the T lymphocyte count in donors for stem cell transplants may help identify the best match for patients in need of an allogeneic stem cell transplant, suggests a new study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology from researchers at the Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) of the University of Pennsylvania. Mon, 08 Jun 2015 20:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/06/lazar/ In a new study published online ahead of print in Science Express, the Mitchell Lazar, MD, PhD, and his team describes how one protein regulates the clock in most cells in the body and metabolic genes in the liver, the body's key organ for metabolism of fat as well as sugar. Thu, 04 Jun 2015 20:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/06/grandner/ Physical activities, such as walking, as well as aerobics/calisthenics, biking, gardening, golfing, running, weight-lifting, and yoga/Pilates are associated with better sleep habits, compared to no activity, according to a new study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Thu, 04 Jun 2015 14:15:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/02/grandner/ Eating less late at night may help curb the concentration and alertness deficits that accompany sleep deprivation, according to results of a new study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania that will be presented at SLEEP 2015, the 29th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC. Thu, 04 Jun 2015 14:15:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/06/rao/ Individuals with a higher level of moral reasoning skills showed increased gray matter in the areas of the brain implicated in complex social behavior, decision making, and conflict processing as compared to subjects at a lower level of moral reasoning, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Wed, 03 Jun 2015 18:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/06/wherry/ Sometimes even cells get tired. When the T cells of your immune system are forced to deal over time with cancer or a chronic infection such as HIV or hepatitis C, they can develop "T cell exhaustion," becoming less effective and losing their ability to attack and destroy the invaders of the body. While the PD-1 protein pathway has long been implicated as a primary player in T cell exhaustion, a major question has been whether PD-1 actually directly causes exhaustion. Wed, 03 Jun 2015 14:30:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/05/goldberg/ More than 123,000 Americans are currently waiting for lifesaving organ transplants, but 21 patients die each day because there aren't enough organs to go around. New research shows wide variation in the number of eligible organ donors whose loved ones consent to organ donation across the country. Thu, 28 May 2015 14:15:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/05/percec/ A three-dimensional imaging technique often used in the automotive and aerospace industries for accurate measurement may be useful to measure the efficacy of injectable wrinkle reducers such as Botox and Dysport, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Thu, 28 May 2015 13:45:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/05/domchek/ While advances in technology have made multigene testing, or “panel testing,” for genetic mutations that increase the risk of breast or other cancers an option, authors of a review published today in the New England Journal of Medicine say larger studies are needed in order to provide reliable risk estimates for counseling these patients. Wed, 27 May 2015 19:45:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/05/rader/ A team led by scientists from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has shown in a large, forward-looking epidemiological study that a person's HDL function—the efficiency of HDL molecules at removing cholesterol—may be a better measure of coronary heart disease risk and a better target for heart-protecting drugs. Wed, 27 May 2015 13:15:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/05/itmat/ How can academic medical centers best manage the emerging issue of conflict of interest among scientists and physicians working to develop the next generation of treatments and cures? How do academic conflict of interest policies affect the process of scientific discovery? Exploring these questions and related issues will be at the heart of the "Conflict of Interest and Scientific Discovery" symposium organized by the Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine.  Wed, 27 May 2015 13:15:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/05/morrisey/ Edward E. Morrisey, PhD, a professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, is the inaugural director of the Penn Center for Pulmonary Biology, a new center bridging basic and translational research programs on airway health at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).  Tue, 26 May 2015 17:30:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/05/research/ Researchers from the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine will present results from several clinical trials and other key studies during the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting from May 29 through June 2.  Tue, 26 May 2015 13:45:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/05/mao/ A cancer patient’s expectations about the benefits of complementary and alternative (CAM) and their perceived access to CAM therapies are likely to guide whether or not they will use those options, according to a new study published ahead of print in the journal CANCER from researchers at Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania.  Tue, 26 May 2015 13:45:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/05/division/ A system within cells that guides how chromosomes move during cell division was discovered by researchers led by co-senior authors Ekaterina Grishchuk, PhD, an assistant professor of Physiology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and Helder Maiato, from the Universidade do Porto, Portugal. Thu, 21 May 2015 19:30:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/05/epperson/ C. Neill Epperson, MD, professor of Psychiatry and Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and director of the Penn Center for Women’s Behavioral Wellness, recently graduated from the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) program at Drexel University’s College of Medicine. Thu, 21 May 2015 13:15:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/05/jmec/ On Friday, alumni, donors, students, faculty, and leadership from the University of Pennsylvania and the Perelman School of Medicine will gather at the Henry A. Jordan M’62 Medical Education Center for a ceremonial ribbon cutting to officially unveil the new medical education space. Fri, 15 May 2015 15:30:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/05/herrmann/ Howard Herrmann, MD, a professor of Medicine and Surgery, and director of the Interventional Cardiology Program and Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has been named to the new class of Master Fellows of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (MSCAI), the professional medical society for adult and pediatric invasive/interventional cardiologists. Fri, 15 May 2015 13:45:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/05/blumberg/ In the first-of-its-kind study since the passage of the HIV Organ Policy Equity Act (the HOPE Act), which lifted the ban on organ donations from one HIV-positive person to another, Penn Medicine researchers report on the quality of these organs and how their use might impact the country’s organ shortage.  Thu, 14 May 2015 21:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/05/smoking/ Four different financial incentive programs, each worth roughly 800 dollars over six months, all help more smokers kick the habit than providing free access to behavioral counseling and nicotine replacement therapy. Further, the way in which equally-sized payouts are structured influences their effectiveness. Wed, 13 May 2015 21:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/05/asco/ Researchers from the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania will be presenting data on the latest advances in cancer research and treatment at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s 2015 Annual Meeting from May 29 through June 2 in Chicago. Wed, 13 May 2015 15:15:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/05/asge/ Two physicians in the division of Gastroenterology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania will be presented Crystal Awards by the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE). Mon, 11 May 2015 19:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/05/test/ Women know that Pap tests are a useful screening test for cervical cancer, but according to a new study led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, most of those surveyed are unaware of the updated screening guidelines for the appropriate frequency of Pap tests in low-risk women. Fri, 08 May 2015 13:45:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/05/black/ A new study by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania published in Science this week describes how the centromere is stabilized during replication. Thu, 07 May 2015 18:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/05/bradbury/ Some at-risk patients opted out of comprehensive cancer gene screening when presented with the opportunity to be tested for the presence of genes linked to various cancers, according to a recent study led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the Basser Center for BRCA in Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center. Thu, 07 May 2015 13:00:00 +0000 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/05/schreiber/ Only half of women with cystic fibrosis (CF) report using contraception and frequently apt to become pregnant unintentionally, according to a new study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Wed, 06 May 2015 19:00:00 +0000