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PHILADELPHIA Hospital emergency departments (EDs) not only care for patients with overdose and other complications from opioid use, but they also serve as vital touch points to engage patients into longer-term treatment. After an overdose, patients are at risk for repeat overdose and death. Pennsylvania is unique in establishing a voluntary incentive program to improve the rate at which patients with opioid use disorder receive follow-up treatment after emergency department care. Evaluations of the program show that financial incentives are effective in producing rapid treatment innovations for opioid use disorder.
In a study, researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found that Pennsylvania s financial incentive policy encouraged hospitals to enact rapid system and practice changes to support treatment for opioid use disorder for patients visiting the ED. The study, which was recently published in
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PHILADELPHIA A second study of the injectable anti-obesity medication, semaglutide, has confirmed the large weight losses reported in a study earlier this month, establishing the reliability and robustness of this new drug. With obesity affecting more than 40 percent of American adults, the findings could have a major impact on weight management in primary care and other settings. The study is published today in the
Journal of the American Medical Association.
The 68-week study was conducted at 41 sites in the United States from August 2018 to April 2020 and was designed to boost total weight loss with semaglutide by combining the medication with a more intensive diet and physical activity program than what was used in the STEP 1 trial, published online February 10th in the
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PHILADELPHIA Past exposure to seasonal coronaviruses (CoVs), which cause the common cold, does not result in the production of antibodies that protect against the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, according to a study led by Scott Hensley, PhD, an associate professor of Microbiology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Prior studies have suggested that recent exposure to seasonal CoVs protects against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. However, research from Hensley s team, published in
Cell, suggests that if there is such protection, it does not come from antibodies. We found that many people possessed antibodies that could bind to SARS-CoV-2 before the pandemic, but these antibodies could not prevent infections, Hensley said. Although antibodies from prior coronavirus infections cannot prevent SARS-CoV-2 infections, it is possible that pre-existing memory B cells and T cells could potentially provide some level of protection
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PHILADELPHIA Scientists in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have uncovered the molecular causes of a congenital form of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), an often-fatal heart disorder.
This inherited form of DCM which affects at least several thousand people in the United States at any one time and often causes sudden death or progressive heart failure is one of multiple congenital disorders known to be caused by inherited mutations in a gene called
LMNA. The
LMNA gene is active in most cell types, and researchers have not understood why
LMNA mutations affect particular organs such as the heart while sparing most other organs and tissues.
HEALTH MATTERS 1/15: Telehealth Helps Individuals with Mental Health Disorders Stay Connected
By Jody Kashden, Ph.D.
For people living with mental health disorders, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented a unique set of challenges. Not only has the pandemic exacerbated feelings of fear and anxiety, but it also has disrupted how individuals connect with each other, including with their therapist.
Maintaining a human connection, however, is critical to maintaining your mental health and key to treating disorders such as anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. At Penn Medicine Princeton House Behavioral Health, the transition to telehealth during the pandemic has enabled patients to connect virtually, ensuring they continue to have access to the programs, care, and human interaction they need.