Hospice News and Research

RSS

Rare immune cells may serve as 'periscopes' to monitor the body's immune status, study finds

A rare, short-lived population of immune cells in the bloodstream may serve as 'periscopes' to monitor immune status via lymph nodes deep inside the body, according to researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

2 Aug 2019

Novel palliative care approach for caregivers of children with rare diseases shows preliminary success

A novel palliative care intervention developed at Children's National Health System for caregivers of children and adolescents with rare diseases has shown preliminary success at helping families talk about potentially challenging medical decisions before a crisis occurs.

1 Aug 2019

New staffing model based on team approach for specialist palliative care

The Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians has developed a new staffing model for specialist palliative care teams that can deliver an optimal, integrated palliative care program.

1 Aug 2019

Why it’s so hard to predict how much funding 9/11 first responders need

The idea of getting cancer from searching through the rubble of Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks — and then standing guard over it for months — didn’t occur to Kevin Zweigbaum.

24 Jul 2019

Music found to be effective in reducing anxiety prior to anesthesia

Music is a viable alternative to sedative medications in reducing patient anxiety prior to an anesthesia procedure, according to a Penn Medicine study published today in the journal Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine.

21 Jul 2019

Stroke should be treated 15 minutes earlier to save lives, study suggests

A team of researchers at the David Geffen School of Medicine in the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) wanted to determine the association between time to treatment with Endovascular Reperfusion Therapy and outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

17 Jul 2019

Penn Medicine and Grand View Health partner to provide advanced orthopedic care

Penn Orthopaedics and Grand View Health have announced a new affiliation to better serve patients in need of high-quality orthopedic care in Bucks and Montgomery counties, and the surrounding areas.

16 Jul 2019

Study identifies key characteristics and experiences of people who internalize weight bias

Weight bias is a common form of prejudice against people who are viewed as having excess weight. Some individuals who struggle with weight may internalize the stigma directed toward them, blaming and devaluing themselves because of their weight.

15 Jul 2019

Adding immunotherapy after initial treatment improves survival in metastatic NSCLC patients

Treating metastatic non-small cell lung cancer patients with the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab after they've completed locally ablative therapy – meaning all known sites of their cancer were either treated with surgery, radiation, or other definitive treatments – almost tripled the median progression-free survival compared to the historical average.

12 Jul 2019

Medicare going in ‘right direction’ on opioid epidemic

Prescriptions for two drugs used to treat opioid addiction increased significantly from 2016 to 2018 for people on Medicare, according to a federal report out Wednesday.

10 Jul 2019

Sobering up: In an alcohol-soaked nation, more seek booze-free social spaces

Not far from the Anheuser-Busch brewery, Joshua Grigaitis fills a cooler with bottles and cans in one of the city's oldest bars.

8 Jul 2019

$Hypofractionated proton therapy for prostate cancer can be just as effective as standard treatment$

Hypofractionated proton therapy for prostate cancer can be just as effective as standard treatment

Treating prostate cancer with higher doses of proton therapy over a shorter amount of time leads to similar outcomes when compared to standard dose levels and treatments and is safe for patients, according to a new study examining the risk of long-term side-effects from the treatment.

2 Jul 2019

Gene mutations may not always predict cardiomyopathy

More than 750,000 people in the United States have dilated cardiomyopathy, a potentially life-threatening condition in which the heart's main pumping chamber, the left ventricle, enlarges and grows increasingly weak.

2 Jul 2019

Scientists uncover new pathway to make cancers self-destruct

For years, researchers have been trying to target a gene called MYC that is known to drive tumor growth in multiple cancer types when it is mutated or over-expressed, but hitting that target successfully has proven difficult.

1 Jul 2019

Introduction of default physician order reduces unnecessary imaging for cancer patients

Simply introducing a default physician order - a "nudge" - into electronic health records cut the use of unnecessary daily imaging in half during palliative radiation therapy sessions for patients with advanced cancer, according to a Penn Medicine study published today in JAMA Oncology.

28 Jun 2019

In secret, seniors discuss ‘rational suicide’

Ten residents slipped away from their retirement community one Sunday afternoon for a covert meeting in a grocery store cafe. They aimed to answer a taboo question: When they feel they have lived long enough, how can they carry out their own swift and peaceful death?

25 Jun 2019

Rush University Medical Center joins campaign to bring safety, equity and dignity to the workplace

Rush University Medical Center is increasing its efforts to bring safety, equity and dignity to the workplace as part of the TIME'S UP Healthcare campaign.

24 Jun 2019

Targeted therapies benefit many elderly patients with metastatic kidney cancer

Many elderly patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma-who are often underrepresented in clinical trials to treat the kidney cancer-are seeing overall survival benefits from treatment with targeted therapies, according to a new study from Penn Medicine researchers published this month in JAMA Network Open.

21 Jun 2019

College affirmative action bans may increase smoking rates among minority high school students

College affirmative action bans may adversely affect the health of underrepresented minority high school students, according to the results of a new study from researchers at Penn Medicine.

19 Jun 2019

Researchers find way to reinvigorate exhausted immune cells and stop cancer

The human immune system relies on a delicate balance of finely tuned cell types that keep germs and cancerous cells in check.

18 Jun 2019