Featured Research

Hands holding meds Combatting the Double Jeopardy of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis plus HIV

Tuberculosis remains the world's number one cause of death from a single infection. And for TB patients who are also HIV-positive, mortality risk is up to four times higher. How much can an ideal drug regimen improve their chances?

 Gregory P. Bisson, MD; Mayara Bastos, MD; Jonathon R Campbell, PhD; Prof Didi Bang, PhD;  James C Brust, MD;  Petros Isaakadis, PhD; et al.
Crowd of people socially distanced with chalk lines connecting them Past, Present and Future of the Pandemic: Social Distancing Is Key

A look back at the drivers behind early COVID-19 outbreaks the US attests that social distancing was, and is, a key intervention to reduce disease spread. A CHOP/DBEI team's dynamic model continues to highlight  trends within counties in real time—and has revealed some disturbing new facts.

 David Rubin, MD, MSCE; Jing Huang, PhD; Brian T. Fisher, DO, MPH, MSCE; Antonio Gasparrini, PhD, MSc; Vicky Tam, MA; Lihai Song, MS; Xi Wang, PhD; Jason Kaufman, MSt; Kate Fitzpatrick, BS; Arushi Jain, BS; Heather Griffis, PhD, MS; Koby Crammer, PhD; Jeffrey Morris, PhD; Gregory Tasian, MD, MSc, MSCE
Dark Blue Map of Current Cases and Deaths for a Select Number of Counties New Model Shows Importance of Local Features in COVID-19 Spread

As pressures mount to reopen U.S. businesses that were shuttered to prevent COVID-19 spread, a pressing question is, at what level of government should these judgments be made? A new model of disease transmission shows that city- and county-level characteristics have significant impact.

 Research leads: David Rubin, MD, MSCE; Gregory Tasian, MD, MSc, MSCE; Jing Huang, PhD
Person giving a heart figure to another person What Do New Trends in Allocation Rules Mean for Heart Transplant Patients?

Patients can spend years on the heart transplant waiting list—and many who have advanced heart failure need mechanical circulatory support in order to survive during that time. Did a 2018 rule change affect how U.S. transplant centers choose which support device to use when a patient is first listed for heart transplant?

 Authors: Thomas C. Hanff, MD, MPH; Michael O. Harhay, PhD, MPH; Stephen E. Kimmel, MD, MSCE; Maria Molina, CRNP, MSN; Jeremy A. Mazurek, MD; Lee R. Goldberg, MD, MPH; Edo Y. Birati, MD
Two covid 19 virions COVID-19 Mortality: Does the Renin-Angiotensin System Play a Role?

Mortality risk from COVID-19 seems to be associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes and hypertension—disorders that share an underlying pathophysiology related to the renin-angiotensin system. That relationship may provide important clinical insights about how we treat COVID-19—but first, argues a team of authors, we need to clearly understand the causal mechanism that lies at the heart of it.

 Authors: Thomas C. Hanff, MD, MPH; Michael O. Harhay, PhD, MPH; Tyler S. Brown, MD; Jordana B. Cohen, MD, MSCE; Amir M. Mohareb, MD
Bright orange sun over rooftop Rising Temperatures May Have Special Meaning for People on Some Common Drugs

We know that as temperatures rise, so do many health risks: not just for heat stroke and dehydration but also for heart disease, respiratory diseases and deaths overall. But are there special dangers—and protections—for people who take various common drugs?

 Sean Hennessy, PharmD, PhD; Charles Leonard, PharmD, MSCE; and various team members authored three related studies. See the study links for full lists.
Doctor taking and employee's blood pressure Untreated ‘White Coat’ Hypertension Represents Real Cardiovascular Risk

Many people get higher blood pressure readings in a doctor’s office than they do elsewhere. A new study tells us we should take “white coat hypertension” very seriously.

 Jordana B. Cohen, MD, MSCE; Michael J. Lotito; Usha K. Trivedi, BS; Matthew G. Denker, MD, MSCE; Debbie L. Cohen, MD; Raymond R. Townsend, MD
Doctors in surgery Continuing to Blaze New Trails in Transplantation: First Kidneys, Now Hearts

In April 2017, in a groundbreaking clinical trial, physicians transplanted kidneys infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) into 10 patients on the transplant waitlist, then successfully destroyed the disease in all the recipients. But that pilot study was just the first step for this innovative approach. 

 Kidney study: Peter P. Reese, MD, MSCE; Peter L. Abt, MD; Emily A. Blumberg, MD; et al, and David S. Goldberg, MD, MSCE Heart study: Rhondalyn C. McLean, Peter P. Reese, Michael Acker, et al; and David S. Goldberg
Changing emotions Physical Activity and Bipolar Disorder: Is There a Link We Can Target?

With more and more population-based data available from wearable devices, scientists are increasingly questioning how physical activity influences our health and the role it plays in psychiatric health, in particular. A recent study, one of the first to examine multiple biological systems in mood disorders via real-time tracking data, could refine and expand our understanding of that link

 Kathleen Ries Merikangas, PhD; Joel Swendsen, PhD; Ian B. Hickie, MBBS; Lihong Cui, MSc; Haochang Shou, PhD; Alison K. Merikangas, MPH, PhD; Jihui Zhang, MD, PhD; Femke Lamers, PhD; Ciprian Crainiceanu, PhD; Nora D. Volkow, MD; Vadim Zipunnikov, PhD
Counselor talks to a young woman Hospitalizations Down 65 Percent, Patient Satisfaction Doubled: The Value of Community Health Workers

The term “social determinants of health” has become a part of our lexicon in healthcare; factors such as trauma, food insecurity and housing instability are widely known to influence high rates of chronic disease among disadvantaged people. But how can we best help patients deal with those factors, and how much we can improve their health by doing so? 

 Shreya Kangovi, MD, MS; Nandita Mitra, PhD; Lindsey Norton, MSS, MLSP; et al
Football players huddling Reducing Concussions in Football: Experimental Rule Change Yields Dramatic Results

In 2015, the kickoff accounted for six percent of all football plays in the Ivy League athletic conference, but was to blame for 21 percent of the concussions. The next year, the League made an experimental rule change — moving the kickoff line from the 35- to the 40-yard line and the touchback line from the 25- to the 20-yard line. A research team has produced rigorous evidence that the change worked: concussions from kickoffs decreased by 68 percent.

 Douglas J. Wiebe, PhD; Bernadette A. D’Alonzo, MPH; Robin Harris; et al
World map made out of drugs Many Adults with Sprained Ankles Prescribed Opioids—Especially in Certain States

A sprained ankle is a common, minor injury; yet a study shows that one quarter of adult patients who went to hospital emergency departments seeking treatment for it were prescribed opioids—and this was dramatically more likely in some states.

 M. Kit Delgado, MD, MS; Yanlan Huang, MS; Zachary Meisel, MD, MS; Sean Hennessy, PharmD, PhD; Michael Yokell, MD; Daniel Polsky, PhD; Jeanmarie Perrone, MD
Visualization of Hep C For Hepatitis C, Many Patients Still Denied New, Effective Drugs

New, direct-acting antivirals for the disease are highly effective, yet a recent study shows that both private and public insurers still refuse to cover these prescriptions for many patients.

 Charitha Gowda, Stephen Lott, Matthew Grigorian, Dena M Carbonari, M Elle Saine, Stacey Trooskin, Jason A. Roy, Jay R Kostman, Paul Urick, Vincent Lo Re, III
Doctor talking with child Risk of Kidney Stones Linked to Oral Antibiotics

Kidney stones mysteriously have become much more common in the U.S. over the past few decades, particularly among adolescents and young women. A recent study has uncovered strong evidence that certain common oral antibiotics may be a culprit.

 Gregory E. Tasian, Thomas Jemielita, David S. Goldfarb, Lawrence Copelovitch, Jeffrey S. Gerber, Qufei Wu and Michelle R. Denburg
Blurred image of emergency room action Going the Extra Mile to Treat Severe Head Injuries

People with severe head injuries fare better when treated by trauma centers, even if that means bypassing other hospitals, this research team showed—which presents a major opportunity to improve outcomes for almost half of these patients.

 Elinore J. Kaufman, MD, MSHP; Ashkan Ertefaie, PhD; Dylan S. Small, PhD; Daniel N. Holena, MD, MS, FACS; M. Kit Delgado, MD, MS