Childhood obesity indicates greater risk of school absenteeism, Penn study reveals
... The study found that overweight children were absent on a...Penn study finds pro-death proteins required to regulate healthy immune function
PHILADELPHIA Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have found that proteins known to promote cell death are also necessary for the maturation and proliferation of immune cells. Activation of T-cell receptors on the surface of lymphocytes by foreign antigens initiate a calcium-mediated signaling pathway that ends in cell differentiation and growth. The Penn scientists...Penn researchers discover novel pathway for increasing 'good' cholesterol
PHILADELPHIA Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered that a group of liver enzymes called proprotein convertases (PCs) may be the key to raising levels of good cholesterol (HDL-C). The pathway by which these proteins are able to achieve an increase in HDL cholesterol involves another enzyme that normally degrades HDL-C, and was also discovered at Penn. T...Penn bioethics researcher gives talk on the neuroscience of ethics at AAAS Meeting
Paul Root Wolpe, PhD, Professor of Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, will be presenting "Neuroscience and the Material Foundations of Ethics" at the 2006 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting in St. Louis, MO, being held this Thursday through Monday, February 16-20th. As part of the Sunday, February 19th symposium "Neuroscience of...Penn study finds physically abused boys may be more likely to commit domestic violence as adults
(Philadelphia, PA) According to a study in the October 18 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, a history of childhood physical abuse may be common in men from urban settings, and these men with physical abuse histories may be more likely to commit domestic violence. The study found that the childhood abuse was primarily committed by parents, with mothers being the most frequent abusers. .....Older patients with major depression live longer with appropriate treatment, Penn study shows
... The results of this study reveal the need for engaging primary care practices as partners in developing mental health ser...Penn study on lung-infecting bacterial enzyme suggests new approach to cystic fibrosis treatment
... Lung infection, facilitated by CF mutations, is the main cause of death in CF patients. This bacterial component to CF now h...Penn researchers find treatment for MS also reduces vision loss in MS patients
... "Not only does natalizumab prevent the worsening of vision loss in people with relapsing MS, but it is also associated with significant reductions in the likelihood of sustained vision loss...Penn researchers show how nanocylinders deliver medicine better than nanospheres
... This study appeared online in Nature Nanotechnology...Report reveals human face of Pennsylvania's Medicaid program
PITTSBURGH, March 14 The non-partisan Pennsylvania Medicaid Policy Center (PMPC) released its Faces of the Pennsylvania Medicaid Program report today. The report is an easy-to-understand and comprehensive look at the structure and reach of the Medicaid program in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. With rising health care costs increasing Medicaids role in Pennsylvanias health care landscape, thi...A closer look inside our lungs -- Penn researchers develop 2 novel imaging techniques
... "Up until now, imaging the way lungs function in real time has been limited by conventional methods which result in rather low resolution images," comments Warren Gefter, MD, Chief of Thoracic Imaging in the Radiology Department at Penn. "We are developing a way to get a better look inside the lungs...Penn researchers find that chronic dizziness may be caused by psychiatric and neurologic illnesses
Approximately 9 million to 15 million people in the U.S. suffer from recurrent bouts of dizziness and 3 million experience symptoms of dizziness nearly every day. According to a paper that appears in the February issue of Archives of OtolaryngologyHead & Neck Surgery, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine found that chronic subjective dizziness (CSD) may have several...46-year-old man receives first temporary total artificial heart in Northeast US from Penn
... This lifesaving technology is used as a "bridge to transplant" for patients who are waiting for a donor human heart, who have both sides of their heart failing, do not respond to other treatments and are at imminent risk of death. Research has shown that patients receivin...Penn addiction researcher presents talk on promising approaches in the treatment of drug addiction
PHILADELPHIA Charles P. OBrien, MD, PhD, Vice Chair, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Health System, and Research Director, MIRECC, Philadelphia VA Medical Center, will present Promising Approaches in the Treatment of Drug Addiction at the 2007 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting in San Francisco. As a part of the Friday, February 16th...Penn researchers demonstrate ability of new therapy to treat severely elevated cholesterol levels
... "Our study shows that targeted inhibition of the microsomal triglyceride tran...New tool being tested at Penn to halt recurrence of atrial fibrillation
... The biggest problem physicians run into with current therapies to cope with electrical rhythmic pumping problems in the heart, namely pulmonary vein isolation procedures, is that up until now, theyve had to deliver the energy bursts to the tissue in a dot-by-dot catheter ablation procedure around the veins, almost like a string of pe...Newest in CT imaging technology -- dual energy source -- now being utilized on patients at Penn
... "This new technology provides us with faster, sharper images of the heart, helping doctors better diagnose potential blockages which could lead to heart attacks," explains Harold Litt, MD, PhD, Chief of Cardiovascular Imaging in Radiology at HUP. "Specif...Penn researchers find psoriasis patients at increased risk for heart attack
... Psoriasis is a common, chronic immune-mediated disease that affects about 2% to 3% of the population. The disease is associated with markers of systemic inflammatio...Penn researchers find Lou Gehrig's, FTD disease protein
... These findings...Penn leads $98 million translational medicine collaboration
... In addition to the Philadelphia collaboration, 11 other academic health centers throughout the nation are receiving these awards. An additional 52 institutions are receiving planning grants to help them prepare applications to join the consortium. When fully implement...Marc Levine, M.D., of Penn, wins Eminent Scientist of the Year award from the IRPC
... Levine has served as the chief of the g...Penn critical-care physicians recommend strategies when facing requests to end supplemental oxygen
(Philadelphia, PA) - Critical care physicians with the University of Pennsylvania Health System address a newly-emerging ethical dilemma in medicine - what should health care professionals do when faced with a request from a patient to end the use of life-sustaining supplemental oxygen? Scott Halpern, MD, PhD, a fellow in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine and senior f...Penn study suggests a new type of pain reliever that may benefit the heart
... Senior author Garret FitzGerald, MD, Director of the...Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania selected to '25 Most Influential' list in radiology
... RT Image selected HUP for its recent installation of three new, state-of-the-art, high-powered MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) systems. The combination of the three units is a "Radiology First...Penn researchers to get 7 Tesla whole-body MRI system
... Ravinder Reddy, PhD, Professor of Radiology and Science Director of the MMRRCC at Penn, who is also the principal investigator leading t...Penn researchers find many commercial drivers have impaired performance due to lack of sleep
... This study is among the largest and most comprehensive studies of truck drivers and fatigue ever done. Penn researchers examined 406 truck drivers and found that those who routi...Penn researchers use the abdomen to deliver oxygen to assist ailing lungs
... "This...Penn researchers examine the effects of meditation on early cognitive impairment
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine are examining the effectiveness of meditation on early cognitive impairment. Once this new study is completed, the results could help answer lingering questions over whether or not stress-reducing techniques and mind exercises can lessen or even prevent cognitive decline. This is the first study at Penn's new "Center for Spirituali...Penn researchers calculate how much the eye tells the brain
... Much research on the basic science of vision asks what types of information the brain receive...Penn researchers question change in 'gold standard' for assessing heart failure treatment
(Philadelphia, PA) - Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine -- in the largest study to date of female heart failure patients who underwent a specialized stress test called oxygen uptake or VO2 -- concluded that women tend to have lower maximum exercise VO2 levels than men, yet their survival is significantly better than men. The results suggest that instead of one standa...Combination of three new, high-powered MRI systems at PENN is a first in the US
(Philadelphia, PA) - The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) is now home to three brand new, state-of-the-art, high powered MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) systems. The combination of the three units is a "Radiology First" for any hospital in the United States, which is especially fitting since HUP was the first hospital to get and use an MRI back in 1984....... Now standing side-by...Penn State research shows withdrawal drug offers relief for Crohn's sufferers
A Penn State College of Medicine pilot study suggests that a drug used to ease symptoms of alcohol and drug addiction may also bring relief to people with Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory disorder of the intestine that affects an estimated 500,000 Americans....... In the study, patients with diagnosed Crohn's disease were treated with a low dose of naltrexone, an FDA-approved drug used to...Penn researchers start new clinical trial to examine ways to improve treatment of uterine fibroids
Philadelphia, PA - Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine are working on ways to improve the results of a non-surgical method to treat fibroids. They are examining the overall effectiveness of different agents used to destroy uterine fibroids - a discovery that could lead to more answers about the durability of a procedure called Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE). It's...Penn researcher uses computer-based screening to help identify domestic violence victims
(Philadelphia, PA) Although victims of domestic violence frequently seek out care in hospital emergency departments, the abuse is rarely identified by department staff and the issue is often not broached. Experts attribute this to clinicians who are reluctant to discuss this sensitive topic, combined with the time constraints faced by the staff.... Now, a new study indicates that the use of a...Penn Scientist receives first annual prize for scientific contributions to women's health
Philadelphia, PA Marisa Bartolomei, PhD, Associate Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, was awarded the first annual Society for Women's Health Research Medtronic Prize for Scientific Contributions to Women's Health. She was recognized for her work in the field of sex differences research and women's health. Bartolomei received a $75,0...Penn School of Medicine awarded nearly $1 million for African AIDS program
Philadelphia, PA Physicians from the University of Pennsylvania's School of Medicine have been awarded a one-year, $933,551 grant from the President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), to support clinical and educational activities in Botswana, Africa. The money will be used to support Penn faculty, residents and students as they treat, study and research the AIDS epidemic that has grippe...Heart failure simulator 'rolls in' for Penn's medical community
The media is invited to "come experience heart failure!"...... The Heart FX Pod -- being carried across the nation on a tour of major academic medical institutions via a truck by AstraZeneca -- will roll into PENN for two days at the end of April. It will be accessible to all University of Pennsylvania Health System employees so that the Penn medical community may better comprehend what challe...Daniel Rader, MD, of PENN, selected to direct a 2006 'Freedom to Discover' biomedical research grant
Philadelphia, PA - Daniel Rader, MD, a specialist in preventive cardiovascular medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS), has been selected to direct a prestigious Freedom to Discover Unrestricted Biomedical Research Grant awarded to the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine by Bristol-Myers Squibb....... Rader is one...University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine ranked #3 in nation by US News and World Report
Philadelphia, PA The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine is among the top three research-oriented medical schools in the nation, according to an annual survey of graduate schools by U.S. News and World Report. Penn is ranked #3 in the survey; and is the only medical school in the Delaware Valley to appear in the ranking. The complete survey will be available in the newsstand book, Best...Philadelphia, PA - Transfusion-free cardiac surgery is now available at the University of Pennsylvania Health System to anyone who wants it and qualifies as a good candidate. Patients receive no foreign blood, reducing the risk of complications and a long hospital stay....... "It has been available to patients who refused a transfusion due to religious convictions, but most of the general public...