Dispelling Myths About Women’s Health
The New York Times asked experts to share common misunderstandings people have regarding women’s health. Sindhu Srinivas, MD, a professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, said some women will cut out all their medications during pregnancy. Not only can some medications be taken safely, but the risks of stopping certain treatments could be greater to women and their babies than any risks the medications pose themselves, she said.
New York Times |
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Researchers Propose New Way to Define Ultra-Processed Foods
An article in Nature advocates that ultra-processed foods should be redefined to prevent food companies from circumventing health policies. “Historically, whenever we have a list of products or ingredients that are banned or subject to regulation, companies will simply create new ingredients or products that are very similar in structure and function,” said author Alyssa J. Moran, ScD, MPH, director of Policy and Research Strategy with the Center for Food and Nutrition Policy. The article is co-authored by Christina Roberto, PhD, the Mitchell J. Blutt and Margo Krody Blutt Presidential Associate Professor of Health Policy and director of the Center.
STAT News |
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The Future Doctor in the Family
While discussing the challenges medical students face in becoming a doctor in their family, Alexandria Lange, a second-year medical student at the Perelman School of Medicine, pointed to the advice she received during her first week of orientation. “One of the things we learned was that it’s very important to clarify where we are in our training and that while we are a doctor, we’re not their doctor,” she said. “This way we’re not tempted to blur some of those lines and do things that make us uncomfortable or, worse, provide bad care.”
Medscape |
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‘Today’ Anchor Savannah Guthrie Undergoes Vocal Cord Surgery
A story about Today show host Savannah Guthrie’s vocal cord surgery cites the Penn Medicine website to explain that vocal cord cysts, nodules, and polyps are non-cancerous growths or bumps that are most commonly seen among people who spend a lot of time speaking or singing.
USA Today |
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Influencers Drive Gut-Health Misinformation
More people are turning to social media for health information, and according to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, almost 75 percent of survey respondents came across content about weight loss, diet, or nutrition. “If one person tried beet juice and said it cleaned out their system, patients see this real-world experience that feels very different than a physician saying, ‘Here is a therapy that I recommend,’” said Shazia Siddique, MD, an assistant professor of Gastroenterology. “A story is a very powerful narrative.” In order to understand what is influencing patients, clinicians need to ask something like, ‘Have you tried any therapies on your own based on recommendations from friends or elsewhere that worked or didn’t work for you?’”
Medscape |
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Zeke Emanuel Wants You to ‘Eat Your Ice Cream’
An excerpt from a new book by Ezekiel Emanuel, MD, PhD, vice provost for Global Initiatives, outlines research behind adherence to positive behaviors over time, as part of a broader look at living longer, healthier lives. “Noncompliance is often not a failure of knowledge or intention, but a predictable response to cognitive overload. Effective health guidance respects the limits of human attention and builds systems that make the healthy choice the easy one,” he wrote.
Medpage Today |
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Potent Chemotherapy Combination May Be Feasible in Select Elderly Patients with Pancreatic Cancer
A new study reveals FOLFIRINOX chemotherapy (or FFX, a combination of 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan) is feasible for select elderly patients with pancreatic cancer. Although FFX is the standard of care for pancreatic cancer, it’s generally not used in older patients, due to toxicity concerns. In an editorial accompanying the study, Ramy Sedhom, MD, medical director of Oncology and Palliative Care at Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Efrat Dotan, MD, executive medical director at Lancaster General Health’s Ann B. Barshinger Cancer Institute, emphasized that the study adds critical insights on the “tension between efficacy and tolerability.”
Targeted Oncology |
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States Eager for Final Decisions on $50B Health Care Fund
The Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) fund is unlikely to compensate for the broader Medicaid cuts, according to estimates shared with Senate Democrats by the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics. The work was led by the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics’ Rachel Werner, MD, PhD, its executive director, Paula Chatterjee, MD, MPH, an assistant professor of Medicine and LDI fellow, and Eliza McNeal, MS, a statistical analyst.
Roll Call |
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Seborrheic Dermatitis Tied to Other Epithelial Barrier Diseases
Seborrheic dermatitis, a skin condition characterized by itchiness and flakiness mostly of the scalp, is associated with other epithelial barrier diseases of the skin, the gastrointestinal tract, like celiac disease, and even the eyes, according to research from Penn Medicine. This finding should inspire further research into these diseases including whether seborrheic dermatitis or other related diseases start showing symptoms first, said study author David Margolis, MD, PhD, the Gerald R. Lazarus Professor in the Department of Dermatology.
Healio |
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Pediatricians Urge Parents to Stay the Course on Vaccines
Despite recent federal changes moving several childhood vaccines—including flu and RSV—from “recommended for all” to selective use, Pennsylvania continues to follow guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics. LG Health Roseville Pediatrics pediatrician Joan Thode, MD, emphasized that these illnesses remain serious threats: “There is no new data to indicate these diseases are less prevalent, so if the risk is not lower, we should not lower our prevention of that risk.”
WGAL |
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Flu Rises Sharply in Lancaster County, Doctors Urge Precautions
Lancaster County is among the hardest-hit areas in Pennsylvania for flu this season, with more than 2,500 cases reported and emergency room visits climbing. “We said last year was a really bad flu, and then this year has been even worse,” said Lancaster General Hospital pediatrician Megan Durham, MD.
WGAL |
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