Penn Science Policy and Diplomacy Group

Of the more than three million children infected with HIV, 90% live in Africa. As HIV-positive children become adolescents, it is important that antiretroviral treatments are maintained to protect their own health, as well as to safeguard the adolescents from developing resistant strains of HIV and to prevent infection of other individuals. HIV-positive adolescents’ adherence to these treatments has been identified as a public health challenge for Botswana. However, the assessment tools testing psychosocial factors that are likely associated with poor adherence have been developed in Western countries and their constructs may not be relevant to African contexts. A new study published in PLOS ONE by Penn researchers Elizabeth Lowenthal and Karen Glanz described the cultural adaptation of these assessment tools for Botswana. The psychosocial assessments investigate factors that may affect adolescents’ adherence to antiretroviral treatments. As Lowenthal summarized, “one of the ...

Kidney cancer, also known as renal cancer, is one of the ten most common cancers in both men and women. The American Cancer Society’s most recent estimates state that of the predicted 63,920 new cases of kidney cancer this year, roughly 20% of  patients will die from the disease. By far, the most common type of kidney cancer is renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The majority of RCCs are clear cell RCCs (ccRCCs), a subtype characterized by metabolic alterations, specifically increased carbohydrate and fat storage. More than 90% of ccRCCs have been found to have mutations in the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor gene; however, kidney specific VHL deletion in mice does not induce tumorigenesis or cause metabolic changes similar to those seen in ccRCC tumors. So what additional factors are needed for ccRCC tumor formation and progression? A recent study by Penn researchers published in the journal Nature identified the rate-limiting gluconeogenesis enzyme fructose-1,6-bi...