http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress provides the latest news from University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a procedure traditionally used during cardiac surgeries and in the ICU that functions as an artificial replacement for a patient's heart and lungs, has also been used to resuscitate cardiac arrest victims in Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. Now, a novel study of this technique in the U.S. has been completed by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, indicating a potential role for this intervention to save patients who are unable to be resuscitated through conventional measures. The new findings will be presented at the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine annual meeting in Atlanta, Ga. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-role-ecmo-patients-cardiac-profound.html Cardiology Fri, 17 May 2013 09:50:01 EST news288002074 The majority of cancer doctors, patients, and members of the general public support cutting health care costs by refusing to pay for drugs that don't improve survival or quality of life, according to results of a new study that will be presented by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania during the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago in early June (Abstract #6518). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-broad-rationing-cancer.html Cancer Wed, 15 May 2013 18:00:04 EST news287856294 In the largest clinical trial to date to examine the efficacy of PARP inhibitor therapy in BRCA 1/2 carriers with diseases other than breast and ovarian cancer, the oral drug olaparib was found to be effective against advanced pancreatic and prostate cancers. Results of the study, led by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, Israel, will be presented during the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting in Chicago in early June (Abstract #11024). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-parp-inhibitor-pancreatic-prostate-cancers.html Cancer Wed, 15 May 2013 18:00:01 EST news287856979 In the past, researchers have sought to determine the geographic distribution of many life-threatening conditions, including stroke and cardiac arrest. Now, researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have created the first U.S. map that pinpoints hotspots for infection and severe sepsis related-deaths – with notable clusters located in the Midwest, mid-Atlantic, and the South. The research is a critical first step in helping to determine which areas of the country require vital public health resources to fight these deadly diseases. The new research will be presented at the annual meeting of Society for Academic Emergency Medicine in Atlanta, Ga. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-infection-sepsis-related-mortality-hotspots.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 15 May 2013 11:00:01 EST news287825475 (Medical Xpress)—Labs around the world, and a core group at Penn, have been studying recently described populations of immune cells called innate lymphoid cells (ILCs). Some researchers liken them to foot soldiers that protect boundary tissues such as the skin, the lining of the lung, and the lining of the gut from microbial onslaught. They also have shown they play a role in inflammatory disease, when the body's immune system is too active. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-newly-immune-cell-cells-similar.html Immunology Tue, 14 May 2013 07:10:01 EST news287733340 (Medical Xpress)—Cytokines are molecules produced by immune cells that induce the migration of other cells to sites of infection or injury, promote the production of anti-microbial agents, and signal the production of inflammatory mediators. These events are important for fighting infections. However, sometimes this process goes unchecked, resulting in unwanted inflammation that can damage tissues and organs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-cytokine-producing-cells.html Immunology Mon, 13 May 2013 07:48:16 EST news287650086 A new study looking at the genomes of more than 13,000 men identified four new genetic variants associated with an increased risk of testicular cancer, the most commonly diagnosed type in young men today. The findings from this first-of-its-kind meta-analysis were reported online May 12 in Nature Genetics by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-genetic-factors-testicular-cancer.html Genetics Sun, 12 May 2013 13:00:24 EST news287575870 Total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC), one type of "blue baby" syndrome, is a potentially deadly congenital disorder that occurs when pulmonary veins don't connect normally to the left atrium of the heart. This results in poorly oxygenated blood throughout the body, and TAPVC babies are born cyanotic - blue-colored - from lack of oxygen. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-mutation-wrong-way-plumbing-blue-baby-syndrome.html Medical research Sun, 12 May 2013 13:00:14 EST news287573743 A national movement to eliminate non-medically indicated (NMI) delivery before 39 weeks has prompted nearly two-thirds of all U.S. hospitals handling non-emergency births to adopt specific policies against the practice, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The results of the nationwide survey represent a strong step in promoting maternal and perinatal health, and reducing the number of infants requiring admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The full results of the survey are being presented today at the Annual Clinical Meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-national-movement-non-medically-deliveries-prior.html Health Mon, 06 May 2013 11:59:39 EST news287060373 With a better understanding of underlying mechanisms that cause a rare neurodevelopmental disorder in the Old Order Mennonite population, referred to as Pretzel syndrome, a new study reports that five children were successfully treated with a drug that modifies the disease process, minimizing seizures and improving receptive language. The study, by researchers including experts from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, appears in the journal Science Translational Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-intractable-seizures-halted-experimental-treatment.html Neuroscience Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:00:02 EST news286026034 (Medical Xpress)—A mutation in a protein called menin causes a hereditary cancer syndrome called MEN1 (multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1). Individuals with MEN1 are at a substantially increased risk of developing neuroendocrine tumors, including cancer of the pancreatic islet cells that secrete insulin. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-link-inherited-endocrine-tumor-syndrome.html Cancer Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:01:04 EST news286012853 (Medical Xpress)—Deep brain stimulation (DBS) in a precise region of the brain appears to reduce caloric intake and prompt weight loss in obese animal models, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania. The study, reported in the Journal of Neuroscience, reinforces the involvement of dopamine deficits in increasing obesity-related behaviors such as binge eating, and demonstrates that DBS can reverse this response via activation of the dopamine type-2 receptor. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-binge-curbed-deep-brain-animal.html Neuroscience Wed, 24 Apr 2013 08:57:42 EST news286012049 Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have shown that an area of the brain that initiates behavioral changes had greater activation in smokers who watched anti-smoking ads with strong arguments versus those with weaker ones, and irrespective of flashy elements, like bright and rapidly changing scenes, loud sounds and unexpected scenario twists. Those smokers also had significantly less nicotine metabolites in their urine when tested a month after viewing those ads, the team reports in a new study published online April 23 in the Journal of Neuroscience. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-anti-smoking-ads-strong-arguments-flashy.html Neuroscience Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:00:01 EST news285955048 A study led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Boston University School of Medicine has found that nearly one quarter of patients may return to the emergency department within 30 days of being discharged from a hospitalization. None of these emergency room visits that do not lead to subsequent admission are included in calculating hospital readmission rates, which are a key focus of health care cost containment and quality improvement efforts. The findings are published in Annals of Emergency Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-quarter-patients-discharged-hospitals-ers.html Health Tue, 16 Apr 2013 10:10:01 EST news285323461 Though the toll of sepsis is known to be enormous – it is estimated to cost the U.S. health care system $24.3 billion each year, and is the nation's third-leading killer, behind heart disease and cancer – the true magnitude of incidence of and death from the illness remains unknown. There is substantial variability in these numbers, depending on the method used to identify the condition in patients treated at hospital across the United States, according to a new study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The authors say these discrepancies limit the potential to improve treatment for the condition. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-lack-consensus-health-sepsis-poses.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 16 Apr 2013 09:31:37 EST news285323489