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Storytelling program helps change medical students' perspectives on dementia

6/18/13

Treating patients with dementia can be viewed as a difficult task for doctors, but Penn State College of Medicine researchers say that storytelling may be one way to improve medical students' perceptions of people affected by the condition. Participation in a creative storytelling program called TimeSlips creates a substantial improvement in student attitudes.

Bariatric surgery restores nerve cell properties altered by diet

6/17/13

Understanding how gastric bypass surgery changes the properties of nerve cells that help regulate the digestive system could lead to new treatments that produce the same results without surgery, according to Penn State College of Medicine scientists, who have shown how surgery restores some properties of nerve cells that tell people their stomachs are full.

cup of hot cocoa and spoon of cocoa powder

Cocoa may help fight obesity-related inflammation

6/12/13

A few cups of hot cocoa may not only fight off the chill of a winter's day, but they could also help obese people better control inflammation-related diseases, such as diabetes, according to Penn State researchers.

Microscope view: stem cells reprogrammed from adult skin cells (red blobs), morphing into human brain cells (green blobs)

Reprogrammed cells a new tool in researching Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, autism

6/6/13

Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, autism and other difficult-to-study diseases now can be probed more safely and effectively thanks to an innovative new method for obtaining mature brain cells from reprogrammed skin cells. The method was developed by a research team led by Gong Chen at Penn State. "The most exciting part of this research is that it offers the promise of direct disease modeling by the creation, in a Petri dish, of mature human neurons that behave a lot like the neurons that grow naturally in the human brain," said Chen, a professor of biology and the Verne M. Willaman Chair in Life Sciences at Penn State.

sleeping man with CPAP mask

Stable bedtime helps sleep apnea sufferers adhere to treatment

6/4/13

A consistent bedtime routine is likely key to helping people with obstructive sleep apnea adhere to their prescribed treatment, according to Penn State researchers.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) occurs when the upper airway collapses during sleep. It is the most common type of sleep-disordered breathing, and chances of it occurring are greater in obese people. OSA is the second most prevalent sleep disorder among adults.

Glowing blue string-like shapes on a black background

New kind of antibiotic may be more effective against tuberculosis, anthrax

6/3/13

Diseases such as tuberculosis, anthrax, and shigellosis -- a severe food-borne illness -- eventually could be treated with an entirely new and more-effective kind of antibiotic, thanks to a team of scientists led by Kenneth Keiler, an associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Penn State. The team describes 46 previously untested molecules that target and disrupt an important step in the process of protein synthesis in bacteria, thereby making the bacteria incapable of replicating. This important step, known as "trans-translation," is a quality-control mechanism that is found in all species of bacteria. More information is online at science.psu.edu/news-and-events/2013-news/Keiler5-2013.

Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute joins Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium

5/31/13

In athletics, the Big Ten universities compete against each other, but now many will join together against a common foe -- cancer. Leaders from the universities’ cancer centers, including Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, will kick-off the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium on June 1 in Chicago. They are uniting to transform cancer research through collaborative oncology trials that leverage the scientific and clinical expertise of the Big Ten universities.

2 female researchers standing on staircase with 2 male researchers

Prevention Research Center aims to help families and their children

5/22/13

With research and programs aimed at changing risky behaviors, Penn State's Prevention Research Center promotes well-being in children, teens, and families.

Established in 1997 with an endowment by alumna Edna Bennett Pierce, the Prevention Research Center is the largest of its kind in the nation. It also is recognized as one of the best. "What sets us apart is our broad range of focuses," says acting director Ed Smith. "While we're similar to other prevention centers in that we promote effective programs and work in communities to ensure they're being done well, we incorporate a strong research component."

Students' diet and physical activity improve with parent communications

5/16/13

College students eat more fruits and vegetables and exercise more on days when they communicate more with their parents, according to researchers at Penn State.

"Only a third of college students consumes a diet that is consistent with national recommendations," said Meg Small, research associate in the Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development.

Chromatin and the PAD4 enzyme

Gene offers clues to new treatments for a harmful blood clotting disorder

5/7/13

A gene associated with both protection against bacterial infection and excessive blood clotting could offer new insights into treatment strategies for deep-vein thrombosis -- the formation of a harmful clot in a deep vein. The gene produces an enzyme that, if inhibited via a specific drug therapy, could offer hope to patients prone to deep-vein clots, such as those that sometimes form in the legs during lengthy airplane flights or during recuperation after major surgery. The research, which was led by Yanming Wang, a Penn State associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, and Denisa Wagner, senior author with decades of research on thrombosis at the Boston Children's Hospital and the Harvard University Medical School, will be published in the Online Early Edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences during the week ending May 10.

man and woman posing near big horn sheep

Scientists make strides toward restoring bighorn sheep in the American West

5/2/13

As pneumonia continues to limit recovery of the once nearly extinct bighorn sheep population in the western United States, a research team including scientists from Penn State’s Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences has made key discoveries that lead to a better understanding of the disease and how it might be more effectively controlled.

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Neurotransmitter iStock Raycat

Targeting neurotransmitter may help treat gastrointestinal conditions

12/4/12

Selective targeting of the neurotransmitter that differentially affects brain cells that control the two distinct functions of the pancreas may allow for new medication therapies for conditions such as diabetes, dyspepsia and gastro-esophageal reflux, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers. "This study differs from what's been reported previously about brain neurons that control the gastrointestinal tract," said R. Alberto Travagli, professor, Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, and lead investigator. "It provides further support to the idea that separate nerve pathways regulate the diverse functions of organs along the upper gastrointestinal tract."

Glowing blue string-like shapes on a black background

New kind of antibiotic may be more effective against tuberculosis, anthrax

6/3/13

Diseases such as tuberculosis, anthrax, and shigellosis -- a severe food-borne illness -- eventually could be treated with an entirely new and more-effective kind of antibiotic, thanks to a team of scientists led by Kenneth Keiler, an associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Penn State. The team describes 46 previously untested molecules that target and disrupt an important step in the process of protein synthesis in bacteria, thereby making the bacteria incapable of replicating. This important step, known as "trans-translation," is a quality-control mechanism that is found in all species of bacteria. More information is online at science.psu.edu/news-and-events/2013-news/Keiler5-2013.

When girls hurt girls: Dealing with word wars

11/20/06

"How many of you think girls are mean?" Cheryl Dellasega asked the crowd gathered in the Downtown Theatre last Wednesday for the final Research Unplugged conversation of the Fall season. A majority of audience members raised their hands. "Well, I don't think that girls are inherently cruel," responded Dellasega.

Storytelling program helps change medical students' perspectives on dementia

6/18/13

Treating patients with dementia can be viewed as a difficult task for doctors, but Penn State College of Medicine researchers say that storytelling may be one way to improve medical students' perceptions of people affected by the condition. Participation in a creative storytelling program called TimeSlips creates a substantial improvement in student attitudes.

Bariatric surgery restores nerve cell properties altered by diet

6/17/13

Understanding how gastric bypass surgery changes the properties of nerve cells that help regulate the digestive system could lead to new treatments that produce the same results without surgery, according to Penn State College of Medicine scientists, who have shown how surgery restores some properties of nerve cells that tell people their stomachs are full.

cup of hot cocoa and spoon of cocoa powder

Cocoa may help fight obesity-related inflammation

6/12/13

A few cups of hot cocoa may not only fight off the chill of a winter's day, but they could also help obese people better control inflammation-related diseases, such as diabetes, according to Penn State researchers.

Microscope view: stem cells reprogrammed from adult skin cells (red blobs), morphing into human brain cells (green blobs)

Reprogrammed cells a new tool in researching Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, autism

6/6/13

Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, autism and other difficult-to-study diseases now can be probed more safely and effectively thanks to an innovative new method for obtaining mature brain cells from reprogrammed skin cells. The method was developed by a research team led by Gong Chen at Penn State. "The most exciting part of this research is that it offers the promise of direct disease modeling by the creation, in a Petri dish, of mature human neurons that behave a lot like the neurons that grow naturally in the human brain," said Chen, a professor of biology and the Verne M. Willaman Chair in Life Sciences at Penn State.

sleeping man with CPAP mask

Stable bedtime helps sleep apnea sufferers adhere to treatment

6/4/13

A consistent bedtime routine is likely key to helping people with obstructive sleep apnea adhere to their prescribed treatment, according to Penn State researchers.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) occurs when the upper airway collapses during sleep. It is the most common type of sleep-disordered breathing, and chances of it occurring are greater in obese people. OSA is the second most prevalent sleep disorder among adults.

Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute joins Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium

5/31/13

In athletics, the Big Ten universities compete against each other, but now many will join together against a common foe -- cancer. Leaders from the universities’ cancer centers, including Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, will kick-off the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium on June 1 in Chicago. They are uniting to transform cancer research through collaborative oncology trials that leverage the scientific and clinical expertise of the Big Ten universities.

2 female researchers standing on staircase with 2 male researchers

Prevention Research Center aims to help families and their children

5/22/13

With research and programs aimed at changing risky behaviors, Penn State's Prevention Research Center promotes well-being in children, teens, and families.

Established in 1997 with an endowment by alumna Edna Bennett Pierce, the Prevention Research Center is the largest of its kind in the nation. It also is recognized as one of the best. "What sets us apart is our broad range of focuses," says acting director Ed Smith. "While we're similar to other prevention centers in that we promote effective programs and work in communities to ensure they're being done well, we incorporate a strong research component."

Students' diet and physical activity improve with parent communications

5/16/13

College students eat more fruits and vegetables and exercise more on days when they communicate more with their parents, according to researchers at Penn State.

"Only a third of college students consumes a diet that is consistent with national recommendations," said Meg Small, research associate in the Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development.