2002 Press Releases

Cell Division Required, Twice, Before Fat Cells Mature
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine scientists have shown for the first time that primitive fat cells must copy themselves at least twice before they can mature into full-fledged fat-storing cells. The finding, published online the week of Dec. 23 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may help provide new targets for understanding and treating obesity.

Chicken Pox Vaccine Ok for Children with Kidney Disease
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center report that two doses of the varicella vaccine for chicken pox given one to two months apart can be safe and effective in children with chronic kidney disease.

Common Cancer Gene Controls Blood Vessel Growth
Scientists from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins and Northwestern University have found a new target to squeeze off a tumor's blood supply. Research published in the December 17 issue of Cancer Cell shows how a common cancer-causing gene controls the switch for tumor blood vessel growth known as angiogenesis.

Death From Liver Disease Major Threat to Men with Hepatitis B and HIV
Men infected with a combination of hepatitis B virus and HIV are 17 times more likely to die from liver disease than men infected with hepatitis B alone, according to a study by researchers at Johns Hopkins published in the Dec. 14, 2002, issue of The Lancet.

Johns Hopkins' Urban Health Institute to Initiate New HIV/AIDS Testing Program
The Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute, the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine's Division of Infectious Diseases and The Men's and Rose Street Community Centers have created a joint HIV/AIDS testing program in East Baltimore. The project is believed to be one of the first in the region to forge an anti-AIDS partnership among a medical center, businesses and the community.

Clements Named Director of Comparative Medicine at Johns Hopkins
Janice Clements, Ph.D., has been named the first director of the new Department
of Comparative Medicine at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. A faculty member at the school since 1978, Clements also holds the titles of Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs, director
of the Retrovirus Laboratory, and professor of comparative medicine, neurology
and pathology. She had served as interim director of the Division of Comparative
Medicine since 1999.

Cause of Seizures May Play a Role in Predicting Success of Pediatric Hemidecortication Surgery
The success of a more common and less radical form of hemispherectomy, an operation in which half the brain is removed to relieve severe seizure disorders that medications cannot control, depends on the cause of the seizures, according to Johns Hopkins Children's Center researchers studying 106 patients who underwent hemidecortication from 1975 to 2001.

Extended-Release Drugs Convenient and Safer For Seizure Patients
Many patients with epilepsy taking a common drug to control seizures can reduce side effects by switching from three or four short-acting doses to two extended-release doses per day, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins. The drug, carbamazepine, is a first-line drug used to control partial seizures, which originate in one part of the brain and then spread to other areas.

Too Fat to Fight?
The notion of a trim fighting force probably dates back more than 2,000 years. Today, each branch of the U.S. armed services has developed a "Maximum Allowable Weight" chart to screen and determine eligibility for entry into the military. But an article published in the November issue of The American Journal of Medicine questions whether weight alone should determine if an individual is physically fit for service.

Americans Deeply Divided About Use of Genetic Technologies in Reproduction
Americans are both hopeful and fearful about the rapidly advancing power of scientists to manipulate human reproduction, according to a new survey released today by the Genetics and Public Policy Center, a Johns Hopkins effort funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Hemispherectomy End Seizures In Many Older Children With Rare Seizure Disorder
Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center report that hemispherectomy-- a procedure in which half the brain is removed--may reduce or eliminate severe seizures even in older children with a rare congenital disorder associated with epilepsy. The findings are published in the December issue
of Neurology.

Hopkins Study Finds Combined PET-CT Better At Detecting Ovarian Cancer Spread
Hopkins radiologists have found that a combination of positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) detects cancer spread better than PET alone. In a study to be presented at the Radiological Society of North America (Abstract #1458, 10:57 AM, CST, Thursday, December 5, Room S502AB), researchers reported that overall, PET-CT improves the ability to distinguish cancerous from normal tissue and locate metastases, where they have spread. The study used a scanner that fuses CT technology, which provides anatomical detail, with PET images, which detects metabolic activity of tumors.

Hopkins Radiologist Stanley S. Siegelman, M.D., Awarded Gold Medal
Citing his many contributions as a scientist, teacher and editor, the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) has awarded its prestigious Gold Medal to Stanley S. Siegelman, M.D., professor of radiology at Johns Hopkins and director of its radiology residency program. The award will be presented Dec. 3 during a special ceremony at the RSNA's annual meeting and convention, held in Chicago.

John H. Miller, M.D., Named Director of Pediatric Imaging At Johns Hopkins
John H. Miller, M.D., F.A.C.R., a pediatric radiologist and researcher in the field of pediatric nuclear imaging, has been named director of the Division of Pediatric Imaging at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

Gilligan Named V.P. of Finance and Operations for Hopkins Community Physicians
Linda Gilligan has been named Vice President of Finance and Operations for Johns Hopkins Community Physicians, a Maryland-based primary care physician group. Her appointment was announced by Barbara G. Cook, M.D., President of the primary care physician group.

Little Yellow Molecule Comes Up Big
Bilirubin has been a mystery of a molecule, associated with better health if there's just a little more than normal, but best known for being at the root of the yellow color in jaundice and, at high levels, for causing brain damage in newborns. Johns Hopkins scientists have now solved the enigma of how this toxic molecule can also be beneficial.

Mighty Mice Are Less Susceptible To Muscular Dystrophy Gene's Effects
The Johns Hopkins scientists who first discovered that knocking out a particular muscle gene results in "mighty mice" now report that it also softens the effects of a genetic mutation that causes muscular dystrophy.

Weight Management News Tips
When A Diet Is More Than A Diet: Eating Disorders and Young Adults; Nutrition: Ways To Watch Your Waistline At The Holidays; Holiday Food Tips For People With Diabetes

Fredrick J. Montz, M.D. (1955-2002)
Fredrick J. "Rick" Montz, professor of gynecology, obstetrics, oncology and surgery at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and director of the Kelly Gynecologic Oncology Service at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, died of a heart attack Thursday evening while jogging. He was 47. Recruited to Hopkins in 1997, he was a nationally recognized authority on the use of minimally invasive techniques that preserved fertility in the treatment of gynecologic cancers.

Johns Hopkins Awarded Grant To Fund Child Injury Prevention Programs In Baltimore
The Johns Hopkins Children's Center has received a four-year, $213,380 grant from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to establish a nationally recognized pediatric injury prevention program in Baltimore.

Chest Compression Device Outperforms Manual CPR
A battery-operated compression belt buckled around the chest restores blood flow better than manual chest compressions and conventional CPR, according to a Johns Hopkins-led animal study.

Ovarian Cancer Detected In Blood Samples
Scientists at Johns Hopkins have successfully detected ovarian cancer using a blood test for DNA shed by tumors. The test is based on digital analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP, or "snips"), in which investigators separate the two strands of code found in every gene to search for imbalances that are a hallmark of cancer cell DNA.

Blood Proteins Tied to Inflammation, Malnutrition Put Dialysis Patients at Higher Risk of Heart Disease
A Johns Hopkins-led study shows that two proteins, C-reactive protein and albumin, are accurate predictors of heart attack or stroke in kidney dialysis patients. The research team found that high levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation, and low levels of albumin, a sign of malnutrition, had strong ties to heart disease in these patients, who are many times more likely to develop heart problems than the general population.

Reel Appointed to Inaugural Board of Health Information Technology Group

Stephanie Reel, M.B.A., chief information officer and vice provost for information technology for The Johns Hopkins University and vice president for information services for Johns Hopkins Medicine, has been appointed to the inaugural board of directors for the National Alliance for Health Information Technology (NAHIT).

Assisted Reproduction May Be Linked To Birth Defect Syndrome
Scientists from Johns Hopkins and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered that in vitro fertilization (IVF) appears to be associated with a rare combination of birth defects characterized by excessive growth of various tissues.

Hopkins Researchers Find Postoperative Fevers Common Following Hemispherectomy
There is reassuring news for families and medical staff who care for children who spike fevers following hemispherectomy, a surgery in which half the brain is removed to relieve frequent severe seizures that
medications cannot control.

Intensive Care Specialists Reduce Hospital Death Rates by 30 Percent
Patients in an intensive care unit (ICU) whose care is managed by "intensivists" – physicians specially trained in critical care medicine – have a greater chance of survival and a shorter hospitalization, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins and the University of Pittsburgh.

"Control Valve" Within Heart Cells Could Protect Body During Heart Attacks
A Johns Hopkins-led research team has identified a type of control valve within heart cells that can be switched on to help the organ survive injury during a heart attack. The work is published in the Nov. 1 issue of Science.

Mild Aerobic Exercise No Protection From Osteoporosis
While day-to-day physical activities such as walking, housework and shopping may be good for your heart, they don't do much for your bones, according to a Johns Hopkins study.

Hopkins To Be Part of Major International Genetic Mapping Project
Researchers at the McKusick-Nathans Institute for Genetic Medicine at Johns Hopkins have been funded to participate in an international effort to catalogue human genetic variation, a project crucial in the hunt for genes involved in such common diseases as asthma, heart disease and diabetes.

Coils Slash Death/Disability From Brain Aneurysms
Preliminary results of a long-term study suggest that coils inserted into burst aneurysms in the brain decrease by 25 percent the risk of patient death and disability during the first year after the procedure, according to a report published in the October 26 issue of The Lancet. Aneurysms are abnormal ballooning of artery walls.

Hopkins' Response to Nursing Shortage:
Not Just the Number of Nurses, but How You Use Them
As the article on hospital nurse staffing and patient mortality in the October 23/30 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association strikingly points out, the critical national nursing shortage may be affecting patient safety. With no appreciable increase in the nurse supply expected, The Johns Hopkins Hospital is looking at ways to maximize the use of existing nursing staffs with the ultimate goal of improving patient care quality AND increasing the level of job satisfaction among nurses.

Cook To Head Hopkins Community Physicians
Barbara G. Cook, M.D., has been named president of Johns Hopkins Community Physicians (JHCP), a large regional primary care group practice, with more than 100 full-time staff physicians practicing at 18 health centers statewide. Prior to being named president of the Johns Hopkins Medicine affiliate, Cook was vice president for medical affairs and then acting president. Her appointment was announced by Ronald R. Peterson, president of the Johns Hopkins Health System and The Johns Hopkins Hospital and executive vice president of Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Johns Hopkins Hospital and University to Initiate Comprehensive Program
The Johns Hopkins University's Homewood campus and all of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions', East Baltimore campus have initiated a comprehensive, automated external defibrillator (AED) program. The heart-saving project, believed to be the first of its kind at a higher-learning institution, will include non-patient care buildings and most high-traffic areas. When complete, the initiative will place more than 60 defibrillators within the medical center and university locations occupied by more than 600 people, such as laboratories, auditoriums, residence halls, gymnasiums, parking garages and cafeterias.

Hopkins To Train Chinese Researchers In Genetics
Funded by a five-year, $2 million grant from the Fogarty International Center at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Johns Hopkins will establish and conduct an international training program in genetics in conjunction with Peking Union Medical College and Peking University in Beijing, China.

Novel Gene Mutation Causes Huntington's-Like Symptoms, Providing Window Into How Brain Cells Die
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have discovered a gene mutation that causes a condition apparently identical to Huntington's Disease, helping to explain why some people with the disorder do not have the mutation found in most cases. The finding may help reveal why some diseases, like Huntington's, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, destroy some brain cells while sparing others.

Disease-Causing Genetic Mutations In Sperm Increase With Men's Age
Scientists from the McKusick-Nathans Institute for Genetic Medicine at Johns Hopkins may have discovered why a rare genetic disease is more common in children born to older fathers. The disease, Apert syndrome, leads to webbed fingers and early fusion of the skull bones and must be corrected by surgery.

Johns Hopkins Pediatrician Elected To Institute of Medicine
David Valle, M.D., professor of pediatrics, ophthalmology, and molecular biology and genetics at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine (IOM), a prestigious body that brings together national leaders in the fields of health and medicine, social and behavioral sciences, law, administration and economics to develop solutions to a broad range of health policy issues.

Baltimore to Host East Coast Premiere of James Bond Die Another Day Gala Screening to Benefit Hopkins Cardiovascular Center
Sporting his usual gadgets, girls and gripping adventures, James Bond is expected to thrill moviegoers at the East Coast premiere of Die Another Day on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at The Historic Senator Theatre.

Study: Genome-Wide Scanning Unravels Complex Birth Defect
Researchers from the McKusick-Nathans Institute for Genetic Medicine at Johns Hopkins have successfully used genome scanning technology to search through thousands of DNA bits, from every chromosome, to identify two genes that cause an inherited intestinal disorder by working together.

Cystic Fibrosis Gene Mutations Missing From Some Cases
A new study from Johns Hopkins finds that some patients diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) lack any of the more than 1,000 reported disease-causing mutations in the only known CF gene. Scheduled for presentation Oct. 18 at the annual meeting of the American Society for Human Genetics in Baltimore, the findings also recently appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Johns Hopkins Researchers Report from the American Society of Anesthesiologists Meeting
Hopkins Team Identifies Risk Factors for Hospital Admission Following Outpatient Surgery;
Parp Enzyme Contributes to Brain Cell Death after Cardiac Arrest; Hopkins Researchers I.D. Protein That Enables Chronic Nerve Pain

Johns Hopkins Gets Federal Proteomics Center Contract
Johns Hopkins has won a seven-year, $18 million contract from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to create one of ten centers nationwide dedicated to the study and application of proteomics.

Opioid Medications A Good Bet For Shingles-Related Pain

Despite worries over side effects, morphine and other opiates appear to be effective in treating shingles-related nerve pain in older adults, a study at Johns Hopkins suggests.

Weight Management News Tips
Story ideas from The Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center: How Many Calories in Your Water? The Truth About Fitness Waters; Pounds Stay Away! How to Maintain Healthy Eating Habits During the Winter; Exercises To Fight Weight Gain; Freshman Weight Gain: What to Do?

Nurse Intervention Helps Cardiac Patients Manage Cholesterol
Patients who get follow-up care from a nurse after heart bypass surgery are more likely to control cholesterol and reduce risk of further disease, according to a study from The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing.

Confirmed Case of West Nile Virus at Hopkins
State Health Department officials have confirmed the first case of West Nile virus in a Hopkins patient. The kidney transplant patient, who received the organ from a living donor on September 6, 2002, was discharged September 14, but readmitted September 16 and died October 1. Privacy and confidentiality policies prohibit us from giving further information about this individual.

Visual Inspection: A Low-Tech Tool for Reducing Cervical Cancer Rates
Visual inspection of the cervix, or neck of the womb, coupled with immediate treatment of any abnormalities may be the most cost-effective, comprehensive way to reduce cervical cancer in Thailand and other poor nations, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins and Georgetown universities. The scientists, who worked with reproductive health experts in Thailand, published their results in today's issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Recreational Use of the Drug 'Ecstasy' Causes New Kind of Brain Damage
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have found that doses of the popular recreational drug "Ecstasy" similar to those that young adults typically take during all-night dance parties cause extensive damage to brain dopamine neurons in nonhuman primates. Brain dopamine cells help control movement, emotional and cognitive responses, and the ability to feel pleasure, according to the study, published in the September 27 issue of Science. The findings may also shed light on the mechanisms by which Ecstasy damages brain cells.

Ashby Elected President of Society of Hospital Pharmacists
Daniel M. Ashby, M.S., FASHP, director of pharmacy at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, was elected president of the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP) board earlier this month. The term of his presidency is for one year and will commence June 2003.

Study: Genome-Wide Scanning Unravels Complex Birth Defect
Researchers from the McKusick-Nathans Institute for Genetic Medicine at Johns Hopkins have successfully used genome scanning technology to search through thousands of DNA bits, from every chromosome, to identify two genes that cause an inherited intestinal disorder by working together.

Hopkins Best Dressed Sale Set For September 26-29
Some Baltimore traditions just keep getting bigger and better. That's certainly the case with this year's Johns Hopkins Best Dressed Sale and Boutique 2002. Exclusive designer dresses and shoes, chic contemporary fashions, classic accessories and enduring vintage clothing will be on the racks, waiting for a favored place in the closets of bargain-conscious shoppers. All money raised goes to support The Johns Hopkins Hospital and its patients.

Hopkins Offers Non-Laser Correction Farsightedness
Surgeons at Johns Hopkins' Wilmer Eye Institute are now offering conductive keratoplasty, or CK, to correct low-level farsightedness in selected patients over age 40.

Johns Hopkins Begins Enrolling Current and Former Smokers in New National CT Lung Cancer Screening Trial
Current and former smokers are needed for a new study to learn if screening people with either CT scans or chest X-ray before they have symptoms can reduce deaths from lung cancer. The National Lung Screening Trial (NLST), launched today by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), will enroll 50,000 participants and take place at Hopkins and 29 other sites throughout the United States.

Early Evaluation Critical For Kidney Disease Patients' Survival
Kidney disease patients are at a much increased risk of death when they have delays getting to a specialist, a Johns Hopkins-led study shows. Delays occur more often among black males, the uninsured and those who have multiple illnesses.

Johns Hopkins Again Named An Evidence-Based Practice Center
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has renewed Johns Hopkins' status as one of its 13 Evidence-based Practice Centers in the United States and Canada. AHRQ is the federal agency for enhancing the quality and effectiveness of health care services.

Johns Hopkins Hospital Wins Consumer Choice Award In Baltimore and D.C.
The Johns Hopkins Hospital again has earned the Consumer Choice Award for both the Washington and Baltimore regions from the National Research Corporation (NRC). Hopkins is one of the few individual hospitals in a dual-market region selected as the top choice for health care by consumers.

Re-Opening of East Baltimore Medical Center
On Saturday, Sept. 21, at 10 a.m., the East Baltimore Medical Center (EBMC) will host a re-opening ceremony to mark the completion of its $5 million renovation. The extensive upgrades include a new Ob/Gyn and pediatric unit and an enlarged, updated Care Plus After Hours department that provides urgent care for local residents after hours and on weekends

Heart Disease Gene Linked To Prostate Cancer
Researchers at Johns Hopkins, Wake Forest, and The National Human Genome Research Institute have implicated mutations in a "heart disease gene" in hereditary prostate cancer. The findings, which offer new evidence that at least some cases of prostate cancer may begin with an infection and inflammatory response, will be published online September 16, 2002, in Nature Genetics.

Hopkins Researchers Study Heart Defect that Kills Athletes
Physicians at Johns Hopkins, with colleagues around the globe, are seeking families to help them learn more about a rare heart condition that kills athletes and seems to run in families.

First Biologic Pacemaker Created By Gene Therapy In Guinea Pigs
Working with guinea pigs, Johns Hopkins scientists have created what is believed to be the first biologic pacemaker for the heart, paving the way for a genetically engineered alternative to implanted electronic pacemakers. The advance, reported in the Sept. 12 issue of Nature, uses gene therapy to convert a small fraction of guinea pigs' heart muscle cells into specialized "pacing" cells.

African-Americans More Likely To Lose Limbs Due To Vascular Disease Than Other Groups
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins physical medicine and rehabilitation department report that African Americans with vascular disease are up to four times more likely to have lower limb amputations than those of other groups with the same medical conditions.

CANCER NEWS TIPS
Listed below are story ideas from The Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center useful for marking Gynecologic Oncology Awareness Month (September). Further information about ovarian, uterine and cervical cancers is available at www.hopkinskimmelcancercenter.org

Flexible Joints Associated With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Researchers Find
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center report that children and teens with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are three and a half times more likely to have hyperflexible joints than their healthy counterparts.

Long-Term Studies Show Most Intersex Adults Happy With Gender Assignment at Birth, But Need More Counseling
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center report that adults born with ambiguous genitalia -- or malformations that make it difficult to determine sex of rearing -- were generally content with the gender assigned to them at birth by their parents and doctors. A companion study showed that almost half of adult intersex patients knew little about their condition, and would like to know more.

Johns Hopkins to Host Forum on Hormone Replacement Therapy Sept. 18
Two Johns Hopkins physicians will lead a discussion about hormone replacement therapy, in a forum designed to help Baltimore-area women find answers to their questions about the use of hormones during and after menopause. The event will be held Wednesday, Sept. 18, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Shriver Hall on the University's Homewood campus.

Hopkins Establishes Enterprise-Wide Office To Deal With Terrorism, Disaster Response
In a move to use and integrate more of the resources and expertise of the Johns Hopkins Institutions to deal with terrorism and other disasters, Hopkins officials have established the Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response (CEPAR).

Sugar-Based Therapies Could Prevent Damage From Kidney Failure
Targeting sugars that occur naturally in the body could protect the kidneys or other organs from damage associated with disease or injury, according to a Johns Hopkins study.

Laurette Hankins joins Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins
Laurette Hankins has been named director of development for the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins. Hankins, of Severna Park, Md., had been director of development for Severn School, a college preparatory school in Severna Park, for the past year

New Possibilities For Treating Childhood Brain Cancer
The most common brain cancer in children may have an Achilles' heel -- the signal from a protein called Hedgehog -- according to a report in the Aug. 30 issue of Science.

Novel Kidney Transplant Technique Prevents Rejection of Donated Organs
Johns Hopkins physicians report an extraordinarily high success rate for kidney transplants among patients traditionally considered ineligible for the surgery.

Hedgehog Signaling Pathway Has New Route
The celebrated signaling pathway called Hedgehog, crucial in proper embryo development and implicated in some cancers, has a new twist, Johns Hopkins scientists report in the August 22 issue of Nature.

Brain Damage In Infants Not Always Tied To Delivery
Neurological problems in newborns, including seizures, do not necessarily stem from delivery, a Johns Hopkins study demonstrates.

Anti-Inflammatory Drug Reduces Growth of Cancerous Tumors In Rats
Research led by a nurse investigator at Johns Hopkins has found that a pain reliever commonly used to treat serious and painful forms of arthritis may also reduce the growth of malignant tumors after cancer surgery. Indomethacin, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, given to rats after surgery reduced tumor promotion by more than 50 percent, according to Gayle Page, associate professor at The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. Her study results appear in the August issue of the Journal of Pain.

Norman Anderson, Johns Hopkins Physician, Dies
Norman D. Anderson, M.D., an associate professor of medicine and surgery at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and one of the first physicians to urge the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to recall silicone gel breast implants, died Aug. 15 of complications from gastric cancer. He was 69.

Study: "Jumping Genes" Create Ripples in the Genome- -and Perhaps Species' Evolution
Laboratory experiments led by Hopkins scientists have revealed that so-called "jumping genes" create dramatic rearrangement in the human genome when they move from chromosome to chromosome. If the finding holds true in living organisms, it may help explain the diversity of life on Earth, the researchers report in the current (Aug. 9) issue of Cell.

Leukemia Gene Found in Children with Down Syndrome
Scientists from Baltimore and Chicago have found a gene defect that seems to lead to leukemia in children with Down syndrome. The discovery might offer a way to speed accurate diagnosis and provide new targets for treating the cancer, they report in the Aug. 12 online version of Nature Genetics.

Weight Management Center- SOURCE NOTE
An experiment on both animals and humans, reported in a recent issue of the journal Nature, might help scientists develop a new drug to curb appetite. Lawrence J. Cheskin, M.D., F.A.C.P., director of the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center http://www.jhbmc.jhu.edu/weight/ and associate professor of Medicine and Human Nutrition at Johns Hopkins, is available to discuss the study and its findings.

Structure of Key Receptor Unlocked; Related Proteins Will Fall Like Dominoes
After two years of stubborn persistence, scientists at Johns Hopkins have determined the 3-D structure of part of a protein called HER3, which should speed efforts to interfere with abnormal growth and cancer.

Treatable Psychiatric Symptoms Common With Degenerative Brain Disease
Potentially treatable psychiatric problems are common in patients with degenerative brain diseases affecting movement and coordination, according to a study by Johns Hopkins scientists. Up to 80 per cent of those with either Huntington's disease or degenerative diseases affecting the cerebellum also suffer from depression, impaired thinking and changes in personality, the study found.

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise: Hopkins Scientists Unexpectedly Create Epilepsy In Rats
One of the brain's most important chemical messengers has led Johns Hopkins School of Medicine researchers on a wild ride. Primarily interested in how and why nerve cells die in neurodegenerative diseases like Lou Gehrig's disease, the scientists now find themselves with a new rat model of epilepsy, a disease characterized not by cell death, but by rapid and uncontrolled "firing" of brain cells.

Regulating Human X Chromosomes Doesn't Use Same Gene as in Mouse
A gene thought to keep a single X chromosome turned on in mice plays no such role in humans, Johns Hopkins researchers report in the August issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics.

Children, Families with Marfan Syndrome to Attend Genetics Clinic at Johns Hopkins as Part of International Conference in Baltimore
Johns Hopkins and the National Marfan Foundation will host an international conference, July 31-Aug. 4, in Baltimore, designed especially for children and adults with Marfan syndrome and other related connective tissue disorders.

Owsei Temkin, Renowned Historian of Medicine, Dies

Owsei Temkin, M.D., former director of the Institute of the History of Medicine at The Johns Hopkins University and William H. Welch Professor Emeritus, died on Thursday, July 18. He was 99.

Hopkins To Hold Mock Disaster Drill at White Marsh
On July 23, at 5 p.m., Johns Hopkins Community Physicians (JHCP), a member of Johns Hopkins Medicine providing primary and secondary care to over 100,000 patients throughout central Maryland, will face an unimaginable medical disaster --- detonation of a "dirty" radiation bomb in northern Baltimore County.

Hopkins Offers Postdoctoral Training Program in Biomedical Information Sciences
With a $3.3 million National Library of Medicine Medical Informatics Research Training Program grant, the Johns Hopkins Division of Health Sciences Informatics will offer a two-year postdoctoral program for health professionals and others with information or computer science backgrounds, with a special track for librarians. The growing field of health sciences informatics research is concerned with understanding information needs and designing, implementing and evaluating innovative information systems and services in the health sciences.

Nerve Cells' Death Different From Other Cells'
Writing in the July 12 issue of the journal Science, Hopkins-led researchers say they have identified in neurons a novel form of "programmed" cell death unlike those already known -- apoptosis and necrosis.

Energy Blocker May Be Potential Liver Cancer Treatment
A team of Johns Hopkins researchers has identified and successfully tested in animals a potential new treatment for liver cancer, a disease for which there are few effective treatments.

The Johns Hopkins Hospital Tops U.S. News & World Report's "Honor Roll" 12 Years in a Row
For the 12th consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report's annual ranking of American hospitals has placed The Johns Hopkins Hospital at the top of the list.

Hopkins Home Care Group Affiliates with the Washington Home for End-of-life Care Services
The Johns Hopkins Home Care Group (JHHCG) and Community Hospices, part of The Washington Home (TWH), a nonprofit, Washington, D.C.-based healthcare facility, have entered into an agreement to provide hospice services to patients of the Johns Hopkins Health System.

Center for ALS Research at Hopkins Named for Robert Packard
In recognition of a $5 million commitment from The Robert Packard Foundation, Hopkins' Center for ALS Research is being renamed the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins in a 5 p.m. ceremony, Friday, July 12, at the Phipps Building at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine campus. Media are invited to attend.

Low Hemoglobin Means High Risk For Mobility Problems In Elderly Women
The amount of oxygen-carrying hemoglobin circulating in the blood of older women could have an impact on the risk for mobility problems, Johns Hopkins physicians have found.

Normal Gene Control Increases Chances Human Stem Cells Will Be Safe
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine researchers have what is believed to be the first solid evidence that genes in human pluripotent stem cells and their progeny work normally.

Hopkins Scientists Return to the Mouse to Overcome Some Obstacles In Working with Human Stem Cells
Learning about human stem cells requires working with them, but some Johns Hopkins researchers are turning to a clever new mouse model to learn things the human cells can't teach them.

Hepatitis C Infection Does Not Alter HIV Progression or Treatment
Resolving conflicting reports about the effect of hepatitis C virus infection on the progression of HIV disease, a Hopkins study of nearly 2,000 HIV patients shows that hepatitis C does not increase risk of death, accelerate the development of AIDS, or curb the value of antiretroviral HIV therapy.

Golf OK For Most Heart Disease Patients But Could Be Dangerous For Others
Walking the golf course while pulling a cart provides safe and adequate exercise for most people with heart disease, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins and Wake Forest universities. But patients should check with their health care provider before teeing off, they say.

Tennis Gets An Ace For Holding Off Heart Disease
Men who start playing tennis in their youth and are good at it are likely to continue playing the sport for years, thereby keeping heart disease at bay well into middle-age, a Johns Hopkins study shows.

Good News About Oral Contraceptives
A new study reverses the long held notion that birth control pills increase a women’s risk for breast cancer. Breast cancer experts at Johns Hopkins say these newest results confirm that taking birth control pills, even for a long time, does not appear to increase a woman’s risk for breast cancer and reduces their risk for endometrial and ovarian cancers. Their editorial appears in the June 27, 2002, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Decision Making at the Cellular Level
It’s a wonder cells make it through the day with the barrage of cues and messages they receive and transmit to direct the most basic and necessary functions of life. Such cell communication, or signal transduction, was at least thought to be an "automatic" cascade of biochemical events. Now, however, a study reported in a recent issue of Nature by Johns Hopkins and Harvard scientists has found that even before a message makes it through the outer cell membrane to the inner nucleus, the cell is busy activating a molecular switch to guide how the message will be delivered in the first place.

Hopkins Researchers to Lead Independent Study of "Next Generation" Ethics Issues in Stem Cell Research
A pioneering Johns Hopkins stem cell expert and one of the institution's leading bioethicists have won a multi-year grant from the Greenwall Foundation to develop far-reaching recommendations on a "second generation" of ethical questions about stem cell research.

Stem Cell Seminar Draws National Media
Using brain cells from rats, scientists at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the University of Hamburg have manipulated a molecular "stop sign" so that the injured nerve cells regenerate.

Molecular "Stop Signs" May Hold Secret of Nerve Regeneration
Using brain cells from rats, scientists at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the University of Hamburg have manipulated a molecular "stop sign" so that the injured nerve cells regenerate.

Hair Loss Syndrome Created in Mice
Inactivating just one of more than two dozen similar genes can cause temporary but profound hair loss, known as alopecia, in mice, researchers from Johns Hopkins and the Pasteur Institute in France report in the June issue of Genes & Development.

Nasal Antibiotic Ointment Reduces Infection Risk after Surgery
In what may be the largest clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of antimicrobial agents in preventing surgical wound and hospital-based infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus, scientists at the University of Iowa and Johns Hopkins found that an antibiotic ointment, called mupirocin (moo-PIE-roe-sin), smeared inside the nose cut infection rates in half or better.

Pressure-relieving Eye Drops May Delay Glaucoma
Eye drops used to reduce elevated pressure inside the eye may delay the onset of glaucoma among people at high risk for the condition, according to a study by researchers at Johns Hopkins' Wilmer Eye Institute and 21 other institutions throughout the United States.

Procedure to Cement Spine Now Simpler
Johns Hopkins interventional radiologists have demonstrated that cement can be injected into the spine without prior, potentially dangerous dye studies.

Snyder To Receive Honorary Degree
Solomon H. Snyder, M.D., winner of a Lasker Award for his discoveries in brain chemistry, and University Distinguished Professor of Neuroscience, Pharmacology and Psychiatry at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, is to receive an honorary degree from Israel’s Technion-Institute of Technology at ceremonies in Haifa, Israel, June 10.

Domestic Violence Causes Long-Term Health Consequences for Women
A Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing study concludes female victims of physical and/or sexual abuse have a significantly higher rate of common health problems, even after the abuse ends, compared to women who have never been abused.

New Drug Shows Promise in Common and Lethal Form of Leukemia
A new drug blocks the impact of a cancer-causing gene mutation found in a common and lethal form of leukemia, say researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. Their findings in animal and test tube models are featured the June 1, 2002, issue of Blood.

Cancer-Suppressing Protein Is Part of Amoeba's Compass
Researchers from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine have learned that a protein that prevents the formation of cancerous tumors in animals also helps single-celled amoeba determine direction, particularly when moving toward a chemical attractant, an ability of many cell types in more complex creatures.

Jeffery Williams, Hopkins’ Neurosurgeon, Dies at 50
Jeffery A. Williams, M.D., associate professor of neurosurgery and oncology, and director of stereotactic radiosurgery at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, died suddenly on Saturday, May 26. He was 50.

First McKusick Lecture Scheduled For May 30, 4 P.M.
The inaugural lecture honoring the life and work of Hopkins physician Victor A. McKusick, M.D., will be delivered by Sir David Weatherall, Emeritus Regius Professor of Medicine at the University of Oxford, Thursday, May 30, 2002, at 4 p.m., in the auditorium of the Wood Basic Science Building (725 N. Wolfe St.).

Researchers Studying Genetic Modifications In Disease Meet At NIH
The first conference on Epigenetic Mechanisms in Human Disease will be held next Thursday and Friday, May 30 and 31, 2002, at the Natcher Conference Center at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda. During this unprecedented meeting, researchers will share their experiences in studying how a range of epigenetic mechanisms -- changes to genes other than mutations in the gene's sequence -- influence a wide variety of human diseases, including cancer, birth defects and psychiatric conditions.

Siliciano Named A Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator
Johns Hopkins AIDS researcher and immunologist Robert F. Siliciano, M.D., Ph.D., has been named a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator. He is one of 12 physician- scientists recently selected by HHMI for their achievements in patient-oriented research.

Dietary Component Kills Bacterial Cause of Ulcers and Stomach Cancer
A bacterium responsible for the vast majority of stomach cancers, a leading cause of cancer death worldwide, and ulcers may have met its match, scientists from Johns Hopkins and the French National Scientific Research Center report in the May 21 online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Theodore King, Former Hopkins Hospital V.P., Dies
Theodore M. King, M.D., Ph.D., former vice president for medical affairs at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and a former chairman of the Johns Hopkins Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, died on Wednesday, May 22. He was 71.

Hopkins To Establish Gamma Knife Center To Treat Brain Tumors, Other Brain Abnormalities
The Johns Hopkins Hospital is establishing a new $4.5 million Gamma Knife Center to provide advanced treatment for brain tumors and other neurological conditions.

Protein Causes Muscle Wasting Syndrome In Mice
The Johns Hopkins researchers who first identified myostatin as a key restrictor of muscle growth in animals now report that excessive amounts of the protein in mice cause rapid and dramatic loss of both muscle and fat, without affecting appetite.

Implantable Pain Pumps Improve Cancer Patients' Quality of Life
An implantable pump that delivers pain medication in a slow-release fashion directly into the spinal fluid could greatly improve the pain relief, overall quality of life and survival for cancer patients living in pain, according to an international study completed at Johns Hopkins, the Medical College of Virginia and 25 other medical centers.

Henderson Commencement Speaker for Hopkins School of Medicine
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine will award doctor of medicine degrees to 114 women and men from 25 states and six foreign countries at the commencement exercises May 23, 2002. The class is the 107th to graduate since the school opened in 1893. Johns Hopkins is among the most selective medical schools in the nation, with 4,654 applicants for 120 places for the freshman class this fall.

Radiation Alone After Surgery Still the Standard for Head and Neck Cancer
A preliminary study has found no advantage to adding chemotherapy to radiation after surgery for treating advanced head and neck cancer patients. The findings of the research, to be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting May 18, appear to set aside earlier data suggesting that a combination of chemotherapy and radiation would improve the odds of staying cancer-free after surgery. Results are published in abstract # 903 in the ASCO Program/Proceedings.

Johns Hopkins Community Physicians to Celebrate 20-Year Anniversary of Uniformed Services Family Health Plan
Johns Hopkins Community Physicians will host a ceremony on Friday, May 17, 2002 to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of legislation allowing uniformed services beneficiaries and their families to receive medical care at Wyman Park Medical Center, a Uniformed Services Treatment Facility (USTF) established in 1981.

Potential Therapy Reported for Children, Adults with End-stage Liver Disease
A Johns Hopkins Children's Center scientist reports success in animal studies in preventing a cascade of brain pathology that appears to both cause and signal the final and fatal stages of acute and chronic liver disease in children and adults. The findings ("Hyperammonemic Encepalopathy") appear in the May issue of Medicine.

Key Powerhouse Enzyme Linked to Cancer Development
Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have discovered that an enzyme found in a tumor cell's energy center has a special relationship with a gene that controls cancer cell growth and death. Their findings, published in the May 14 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may offer a road map to anti-cancer therapies designed to manipulate the genetic pathway that switches the enzyme on and off.

McKusick, "Father of Genetic Medicine," To Get National Medal of Science
Victor A. McKusick, M.D., University Professor of Medical Genetics at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a physician-scientist widely acknowledged as the father of genetic medicine, is to receive a National Medal of Science from President George W. Bush at White House ceremonies. The date of the ceremonies has not been set.

Hopkins Co-hosts One of the Largest Dermatology Conferences in the Country
The 79th Annual Atlantic Dermatology Conference will bring together more than 400 dermatologists to discuss recent developments in scientific research and patient care. The conference will be held May 10-12, 2002 at the Marriot Waterfront Hotel on Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

Ethics and Stem Cell Science: Our Capabilities, Our Conscience
Few scientific discoveries have ignited an ethical, medical and legal furor as has the isolation and culture of human pluripotential stem cells and their potential application for treating humans. Researchers, government officials, ethicists, and religious and other groups are debating hotly the use of stem cells and their potential to treat such diseases as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, coronary heart, stroke, and diabetes, as well as traumatic injuries to nerves. Last fall, President Bush authorized federal funding of research using only the existing stem cell lines, a decision that has satisfied few. Just weeks ago, he reiterated his opposition to therapeutic cloning.

Sports Medicine News Tips
Listed are story ideas from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine's Division of Sports Medicine. ACL Injuries as Common as "Three-pointers"; Weekend Warriors, Beware! How to Tell If Your Injury Is Serious; Tennis. Anyone?

Johns Hopkins Medicine Sets $1 Billion Campaign Goal
The goal of "The Johns Hopkins Campaign: Knowledge for the World" is to raise $2 billion in private philanthropy to build or upgrade facilities on all Hopkins campuses, to strengthen endowment for student aid and faculty support, and to advance research, academic and clinical initiatives.

Hopkins Scientists Reveal How Sound Becomes Electric
Scientists from The Center for Hearing and Balance at Johns Hopkins have
discovered how tiny cells in the inner ear change sound into an electrical
signal the brain can understand.

Filtering Patient's Blood Before Kidney Transplant Allows Transplant From Any Donor
By filtering kidney patients' blood of antibodies that normally would reject a donor kidney, transplant surgeons at Johns Hopkins have been 93 percent successful in transplanting the organs between any two people regardless of blood type or prior exposure to their tissue type.

Beachy Elected to National Academy of Sciences
Johns Hopkins molecular biologist Philip A. Beachy, Ph.D., has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, an honorary society whose members advise the government on scientific matters.

Johns Hopkins Dedicates Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center
On May 4, 2002, Johns Hopkins hosts a celebration honoring the largest benefactor in its history, Sidney Kimmel for his gift of $150 million to be used for cancer research, patient care, and a new patient and family pavilion. Mr. Kimmel, who earned his billion-dollar fortune as chairman and founder of the Jones Apparel Group, pledged to devote it to finding a cure for cancer.

Need, Potential for Hepatitis C Vaccine Highlighted by Hopkins Study
Humans may be able to develop immunity to hepatitis C virus, according to a study by Hopkins researchers published in the April 26 issue of The Lancet, findings that add to a growing body of evidence that immunity to the virus can be acquired. The findings are important because no vaccines exist for preventing hepatitis C in humans although preliminary vaccine research in primates appears promising.

Manganese Blocks HIV Replication; Lab Finding Points to Potential New Class of HIV Treatments
Johns Hopkins scientists have found that simply increasing manganese in cells can halt HIV's unusual ability to process its genetic information backwards, providing a new way to target the process's key driver, an enzyme called reverse transcriptase.

Reitz Named "Distinguished Woman" By Girl Scouts of Central Maryland
Judy A. Reitz, Sc.D., executive vice president and chief operating officer at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, was honored recently as one of five Girl Scouts of Central Maryland Distinguished Women of 2002. The award honors women who best exemplify the ideals of ethics, leadership and character that each Girl Scout strives to achieve, the organization says.

David Nagey, Hopkins' Director of Perinatal Outreach, Dies at 51
David A. Nagey, M.D., Ph.D., director of perinatal outreach for The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a consulting perinatologist for 10 Maryland hospitals, died suddenly on Sunday, April 21. He was 51.

Angry Young Men Prone To Premature Heart Disease
Young men who quickly react to stress with anger are at three times the normal risk of developing premature heart disease, according to a Johns Hopkins study of more than 1,000 physicians.

Hopkins Is One Site for International Study on Noninvasive Treatment of Uterine Fibroids
The Johns Hopkins Hospital is one of eight worldwide sites chosen to conduct a Phase 3 clinical trial on the treatment of uterine fibroids using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided high intensity focused ultrasound.

16th Annual Depression Symposium Features Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author, World-Renowned Neurosurgeon
Author William Styron and pediatric neurosurgeon Benjamin Carson, M.D., will be featured speakers at the annual symposium sponsored by the Johns Hopkins Affective Disorders Clinic and DRADA, the Depression and Related Affective Disorders Association.

Hopkins Researchers Test New Molecular Marker for Prostate Cancer
Hopkins cancer researchers have identified a new genetic culprit-with dietary links-in the initiation of prostate cancer. Their findings are reported in the April 15, 2002, issue of Cancer Research.

Angioplasty Beats Clot-Busting Drugs For Most Heart Attack Patients
Heart attack patients may be better off with balloon angioplasty to open blocked blood vessels than with clot-busting drugs, even if their hospital lacks a cardiac surgery program, according to a Johns Hopkins-led study.

Scientists Close In On Trigger Of Insulin Resistance
In experiments with fat cells, Johns Hopkins scientists have discovered direct evidence that a build-up of sugar on proteins triggers insulin resistance, a key feature of most cases of diabetes.

Scientists Unravel Complicated Genetic Disease In One Fell Swoop
Scientists consider themselves lucky when an inherited disease is due to a single gene, like Huntington disease, for example. But most inherited diseases arise from a number of genetic changes that add up to trouble, making it difficult for geneticists to find everything that's to blame.

WEIGHT MANAGEMENT NEWS TIPS
Story ideas from The Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center: The USDA's Attempt To Expand Serving Sizes Comes Under Fire; What Does This Food Label Mean?; Fad Dieters -Beware!; Setting Weight Loss Goals

The Next Generation of Scientists Recognized at Johns Hopkins
The best of the best. The cream of the crop. Clichés may accurately describe the winners of this year's Young Investigators' Day awards at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, but their work is anything but run of the mill.

A Look Back: Twenty-Five Years of Recognizing Hopkins Researchers-In-Training
A lot has happened since 1978. Kings have fallen, conventional wisdoms have been squashed, villains slain and heroes brought to light. And that's just in laboratory dishes. The pace of discovery at Johns Hopkins, arguably the first medical school in the country to integrate basic science and clinical medicine in education and research, is quickened by the sharp and curious minds of "young investigators" -- graduate students, medical students and postdoctoral fellows.

2002 Young Investigators' Day Award Winners
Young Investigators' Day awards at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Prostate Cancer May Result From Chronic Inflammation
The earliest stages of prostate cancer may develop in lesions generally associated with chronic inflammation and might be reversible with anti-inflammatory drugs and dietary supplements, new research suggests. Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers screened several stages of normal and cancerous prostate cells for changes in a key gene, called glutathione S-transferase p (GSTP1), that detoxifies environmental carcinogens and protects against cancer. In prostate cancer, this gene is deactivated through a biochemical process known as hypermethylation. Methylation acts like the safety on a gun, causing a gene to stop working.

Smart Bomb Therapy For Prostate Cancer
Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers are exploring new ways to deliver targeted prostate cancer therapy by linking anti-cancer drugs to protein carriers that are activated by prostate specific antigen (PSA). When these so-called "pro-drugs" reach prostate tumors, PSA clips off the protein carrier freeing the drug to kill cancer cells. Pro-drugs may be most helpful in reaching prostate cancers that have spread to other parts of the body. PSA, produced only by prostate cells and prostate cancer cells, is shut down when it gets into the blood, but is found in high levels surrounding prostate tumors.

U.S. News & World Report Ranks Hopkins in Top Two Medical Schools
The attached letter from the Dean of The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine thanks his faculty and staff for once again making the School of Medicine one of the top rated in U.S. News & World Report's annual ranking of the nation's 125 accredited institutions. The Hopkins School of Medicine is ranked number two in the nation, a position it has held for the past 12 years. The letter offers other details, including significant ranking gains in several other Hopkins specialty medical programs from last year.

Glaucoma Leading Cause of Blindness in Hispanics
Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness among U.S. Hispanics, while cataracts are the leading cause of visual impairment, according to results of a national study led by Johns Hopkins researchers.

Anti-Inflammatory Drug Fails to Prevent a Hereditary Colon Cancer
The anti-inflammatory drug sulindac may not have the colon cancer prevention properties once hoped for, say Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers. Results of a four-year study, described in the April 4, 2002 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, show that sulindac did not prevent precancerous growths, called polyps, in young patients with a hereditary form of colon cancer. The drug may still have benefit in reducing polyps in older patients.

Urban Health News Tips
Story ideas from The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions: High School Student Mentored by One of Hopkins Best; Not Just Busy Work; Blacks Get Lower Quality Asthma Care; In God We Heal?; Church and Cardiovascular Health