2006 Press Releases

Johns Hopkins Medicine Press Releases: 2006

12/27/06

SAFER ICU’S: CHEAP, SIMPLE, "LOW-TECH" STEPS WORK
Hospitals will quickly slash the rate of common, costly and potentially lethal catheter-related bloodstream infections in their intensive care units (ICUs) by using cheap, low-tech, common-sense measures like hand washing, timely removal of unneeded catheters, and use of sites other than the groin to place lines when possible, according to a report from safety experts at Johns Hopkins in the Dec. 28 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

12/20/06

"SHAPELY" GERMS SHAPE UP THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
-- Only the Right "Fit" Triggers an Anti-Infection Response
Like shoppers in search of the perfect pair of jeans, the body’s special immune system cells apparently have assistants that help them rapidly "try on" different pieces of a microbe to find one piece that’s shaped just right to fit their cellular skins, Johns Hopkins scientists report.

12/19/06

KIDNEY STONES OCCURRING MORE OFTEN IN CHILDREN
Diet, proper hydration keys to prevention, Children’s Center doctors say
Kidney stones in children-considered all but a medical aberration until recently-are now becoming a fairly common condition. It’s a growing and disturbing trend that has pediatricians at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, and around the country, sounding the alarm.

12/19/06

McCabe Elected Head of Academic Behavioral Health Consortium
Lee McCabe, Ph.D., director of the Office of Behavioral Health Care at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, has been elected president of the Academic Behavioral Health Consortium (ABHC), an incorporated national network of faculty representing academic departments.

12/15/06

DRUG TREATMENT SLOWS MACULAR VISION LOSS IN DIABETICS
A
 drug commonly used to slow the loss of central vision has shown promise in stemming a common precursor of blindness in diabetics, which involves the same central light-sensitive area of retina, Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute scientists report.

12/15/06

‘CLUMPING’ PROTEIN LINKED TO RETURN OF OVARIAN CANCER
Johns Hopkins scientists have discovered that women treated for ovarian cancer are at increased risk of a rapid and potentially fatal recurrence if their tumor cells have high levels of a binding protein that triggers abnormal growth and slows down cell death, both hallmarks of malignancy.

12/7/06

NATURAL PROTEIN STOPS DEADLY HUMAN BRAIN CANCER IN MICE
Treatment targets stem-cell-like clusters that develop into cancer
Scientists from Johns Hopkins and from the University of Milan have effectively proven that they can inhibit lethal human brain cancers in mice using a protein that selectively induces positive changes in the activity of cells that behave like cancer stem cells. The report is published this week in Nature.

12/7/06Multi-Million Gift to Aid Children with Cancer Goes to Johns Hopkins 
Announcement of $5 million to support a new inpatient unit for the Division of Pediatric Oncology at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center
12/6/06

PLANNING FOR SURGE OF DISASTER VICTIMS? DISCHARGE THE HEALTHIEST FROM EVERY HOSPITAL, EXPERTS ADVISE
“Surge capacity” scheme influenced by Katrina and September 11
A nationwide blue-ribbon panel of health care experts recommends that hospital plans for a surge of disaster victims should begin with a strategy to empty their beds of relatively healthier patients.

12/5/06

“ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION” DRUGS HEIGHTEN NATURAL ANTI-CANCER ACTIVITY
Sildenafil and other “impotence drugs” that boost the production of a gassy chemical messenger to dilate blood vessels and produce an erection now also show promise in unmasking cancer cells so that the immune system can recognize and attack them, say scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.

12/5/06

Hopkins Neuroscientist Earns NIH "Pathway" Grant
--Highly competitive award process singles out most promising young investigators
Kellie L.K. Tamashiro, Ph.D., a neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins who studies obesity, is the recipient of one of 58 National Institutes of Health grants in support of young investigators with promising research. She was chosen from among almost 900 applicants in one round of a grant cycle that will see a total of 150 and 200 awardees for 2006

12/4/06

CITY KIDS WITH ASTHMA LOSE OUT ON PREVENTIVE TREATMENT
A new study by specialists at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and elsewhere suggests that only one in five inner-city children with chronic asthma gets enough medicine to control dangerous flare-ups of the disease.

11/30/06DAVID KOCH GIVES $20 MILLION FOR HOPKINS CANCER RESEARCH
David H. Koch, philanthropist and executive vice president of the nation’s largest privately owned company, Koch Industries, Inc., has committed $20 million to support a new cancer research building on Johns Hopkins University’s East Baltimore medical campus. The building will be named the David H. Koch Cancer Research Building in his honor at a dedication ceremony on December 4, 2006.
11/29/06

CELL DEATH FOLLOWING BLOOD “REFLOW” INJURY TRACKED TO NATURAL TOXIN
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have discovered what they believe is the “smoking gun” responsible for most tissue and organ damage after a period of blood oxygen loss followed by a sudden restoration of  blood oxygen flow.

11/21/06

MILLIONS WITH ARTHRITIS MAY BENEFIT FROM BONE LOSS DRUG
Popular osteoporosis pills may also slow joint deterioration
People taking a widely used medication to strengthen fragile, aging bones may also be protecting their joints, according to a recent study led by Johns Hopkins rheumatologist Clifton Bingham, M.D.

11/20/06EAST BALTIMORE COMMUNITY FORUM ON PANDEMIC FLU
Johns Hopkins flu experts will host a community education forum from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., on Friday, Dec. 1, to discuss how people can best protect themselves and their families from infection during a flu pandemic. 
11/20/06

HOPKINS PERFORMS HISTORIC “DOMINO DONOR” “QUINTUPLE” KIDNEY TRANSPLANT
Five donor-recipient pairs interchange kidneys in simultaneous group procedure

Surgical teams at Johns Hopkins have successfully completed the first five-way donor kidney swap among 10 individuals. All five organ recipients -- three men and two women -- are fine, as are the five donors, all of whom are women. The marathon, 10-hour surgeries that began at 7 a.m. Nov. 14 occupied six operating rooms staffed by twelve surgeons, eleven anesthesiologists and eighteen nurses at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

11/14/06CHOCOLATE “OFFENDERS” TEACH SCIENCE A SWEET LESSON
-- Study helps explain heart benefits from daily - but small - dose of chocolate
Some “chocoholics” who just couldn’t give up their favorite treat to comply with a study to test blood stickiness have inadvertently done their fellow chocolate lovers - and science - a big favor. 
11/14/06

TAKING "CHIPS" TO THE NEXT LEVEL OF GENE HUNTING
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins’ High Throughput Biology Center have invented two new gene "chip" technologies that can be used to help identify otherwise elusive disease-causing mutations in the 97 percent of the genome long believed to be "junk."

11/14/06

JOHNS HOPKINS CANCER RESEARCHERS TO SHARE $120 MILLION GIFT
A research team at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center is one of six in the nation to share in a $120 million gift from the Ludwig Fund, named for the late shipping tycoon Daniel K. Ludwig. Some $20 million will come to the newly-formed Ludwig Center at Johns Hopkins this year as well as a lifetime annual commitment of $2 million.

11/13/06ADULT PIG STEM CELLS SHOW PROMISE IN REPAIRING ANIMALS’ HEART ATTACK DAMAGE
Johns Hopkins scientists have successfully grown large numbers of stem cells taken from adult pigs’ healthy heart tissue and used the cells to repair some of the tissue damage done to those organs by lab-induced heart attacks. Pigs’ hearts closely resemble those in humans, making them a useful model in such research.
11/12/06

FAST TEST FOR LOW BLOOD FLOW IN DOGS DETECTS EARLY HEART TROUBLE
- Cardiac stress-CT could replace all other tests to catch early signs of blocked arteries
Working with dogs and using the latest in imaging software and machinery, also known as a 64-slice CT scanner, Johns Hopkins heart specialists have developed a fast and accurate means of tracking blood that has been slowed down by narrowing of the coronary arteries. Researchers say it took them less than half the time of exercise stress tests and echocardiograms currently used to find early warning of vessels more likely to become blocked and cause heart attack.

11/10/06

HOPKINS RESEARCHERS DISCOVER HOW BRAIN PROTEIN MIGHT CONTROL MEMORY
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have figured out how one particular protein contributes to long-term memory and helps the brain remember things longer than an hour or two. The findings are reported in two papers in the Nov. 9 issue of Neuron.

11/9/065th Victor A. McKusick Lecture
Genomics: From Medicine to the Environment

J. Craig Venter, Ph.D., the man widely credited with launching the race to sequence the human genome, is the speaker for the annual McKusick Lecture sponsored by the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine at Johns Hopkins.
11/8/06

‘MUSCLE’ PROTEIN DRIVES PROSTATE CANCER
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have for the first time implicated the muscle protein myosin VI in the development of prostate cancer and its spread.

11/6/06

HEART FAILURE RX: PACEMAKERS, NOT BETA BLOCKERS, MAY BE BEST FOR SOME PATIENTS
-- Drug and device combos also in play
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have reported evidence to support a dramatic change in the way hundreds of thousands of Americans with a form of heart failure should be treated.

10/31/06

NEWER APPROACH URGED IN SCREENING FOR AGGRESSIVE PROSTATE CANCER
- Start in 40s, measure rate that PSA increases, Hopkins researchers say

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine say that how fast the amount of PSA (prostate-specific antigen) in a man’s blood increases, or PSA velocity (PSAV), is an accurate gauge of tumor aggression and danger, even when PSA levels are so low as to not warrant a biopsy.

10/26/06

RESEARCHERS FIND GENE LINKED TO CROHN’S DISEASE
-- Possible target for drug therapies
An international team of researchers has identified another gene mutation linked to the inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

10/25/06

“RISING STARS” IN CARDIOLOGY RESEARCH WIN BLUMENTHAL PRIZES
Officials at the Johns Hopkins Heart Institute will recognize outstanding research enterprise with annual prizes named in honor of the late Hopkins physician Stanley L. Blumenthal, B.A. ’39 and M.D. ‘43.  A ceremony to award prizes for the best in cardiovascular research will be held in The Johns Hopkins Hospital Houck Lobby at 4 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 26. 

10/24/06

NEW HUMAN STEM CELL CENTER AT JOHNS HOPKINS EXPECTED TO SPEED RESEARCH AND KEEP IT SAFE
-- New Institutional Board To Oversee, Set Standards for Safety
In a novel effort to simplify and speed up safe human stem cell research, Johns Hopkins has set up a “one-stop shop” to preserve, create, supply and test high-quality cell lines for its own researchers now and the greater scientific community later.

10/23/06“A WOMAN’S JOURNEY” NEWS TIPS
Following are summaries of seven selected presentations from among 32 prepared by Johns Hopkins faculty physicians for the 12th annual “A Woman’s Journey” (AWJ) symposium.  This year’s symposium will be held Saturday, Nov. 18, From 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel, 700 Aliceanna Street, Baltimore, MD.
10/20/06

POPULAR ADHD DRUG SAFE AND EFFECTIVE FOR PRE-SCHOOLERS
-Monitor youngsters closely for side effects, researchers caution
A new study by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and five other medical centers concludes that carefully measured, low doses of methylphenidate (Ritalin) are safe and effective for attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in preschoolers. Investigators warn, however,  that 3- to 5-year-olds appear more sensitive to the drug’s side effects, which include irritability, insomnia and weight loss, than are older children with ADHD and require closer monitoring.

10/16/06

The Center for Sensory Biology Inaugural Symposium
"Sensory Biology: Understanding Our Windows to the World"

Animals – including people – have over eons developed intricately specialized systems to sense, process and interpret information from the outside world. Research to uncover the molecular players in these systems has revealed that very similar chemistry and biology are involved in seemingly very different sensory activities such as vision, hearing and touch, pain and temperature sensation.

The newly established Center for Sensory Biology in the Institute of Basic Biomedical Sciences at Johns Hopkins is believed the first and only of its kind to combine laboratories studying all the senses in one location.

To kick off this new multidisciplinary collaboration, the Center will present investigators’ latest findings from research at Hopkins and elsewhere at an all-day symposium.

10/15/06

HUMAN STEM CELLS DELAY START OF LOU GEHRIG’S DISEASE IN RATS
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have shown that transplanting human stem cells into spinal cords of rats bred to duplicate Lou Gehrig’s disease delays the start of nerve cell damage typical of the disease and slightly prolongs life. The grafted stem cells develop into nerve cells that make substantial connections with existing nerves and do not themselves succumb to Lou Gehrig’s, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The study is published in this week’s issue of Transplantation.

10/13/06

HOPKINS JOINS UGANDAN RESEARCHERS TO STUDY PEDIATRIC AIDS VACCINE
-- Preliminary phase I research could help prevent mother-to-child transmission through breastfeeding

Scientists at Makerere University, in Kampala, Uganda, along with scientists from Johns Hopkins and other institutions worldwide, have begun the first clinical safety trial in Africa of a vaccine to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV through breastfeeding.  Breast milk is a leading route of infection in the developing world, according to the United Nations World Health Organization, which estimates that each day 1,800 newborns are infected with the AIDS virus, 30 percent to 40 percent by virus carried in their mother’s milk.

10/12/06

LEADING REASON FOR CORNEAL TRANSPLANTS COMES INTO FOCUS
Johns Hopkins researchers begin to figure out “Fuchs”

Guided by families with an unusual number of cases, scientists at Johns Hopkins have discovered the genetic origins of at least one form of Fuchs corneal dystrophy, FCD, the leading reason for corneal transplantation in the United States.

10/10/06

HOPKINS’ HEART SPECIALIST RECEIVES NATIONAL AWARD
Johns Hopkins’ chief of cardiology, Eduardo Marbán, M.D., Ph.D., has won the prestigious Gill Heart Institute Award for his contributions to understanding the scientific basis of cardiac arrhythmias, a major cause of death and illness worldwide.  The annual award, to be presented at a ceremony at the University of Kentucky’s Linda and Jack Gill Heart Institute on Oct. 13, recognizes U.S. researchers in the prime of their careers and comes with a $20,000 cash prize.

10/9/06

Three JHU Researchers Elected to Institute of Medicine
Three Johns Hopkins University researchers have been elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine. Robert Blum, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., Scott Zeger, Ph.D., and Chi Van Dang, M.D., Ph.D., are among 65 new members nationwide. Election to this prestigious body affirms their remarkable contributions to medical science, health care and public health, as well as to the education of generations of physicians. It is one of the highest honors for those in the biomedical profession.

10/9/06NEWS TIPS - 2006 ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF HUMAN GENETICS, OCT. 9-13, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

  • DISCOVERY OF NEW GENE ASSOCIATED WITH ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
  • NOT ALL INHERITED CANCER RISK IS IN THE GENES
  • ALBINISM CAN BE ASSOCIATED WITH OTHER HEALTH RISKS
10/6/06

MOUSE TESTS PREDICT DRUG RESPONSE IN RELAPSING PANCREATIC CANCER
By slicing up bits of patient tumors and grafting them into mice, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center specialists have figured out how to accurately "test drive" chemotherapy drugs to learn in advance which drug treatments offer each individual pancreatic cancer patient the best therapeutic journey.

10/6/06

KEY TO LUNG CANCER CHEMO RESISTANCE REVEALED
Scientists at Johns Hopkins have discovered how taking the brakes off a "detox" gene causes chemotherapy resistance in a common form of lung cancer.

10/5/06

CHILD-PROOF: BRAIN MAPPING SAFER FOR CHILDREN THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT, HOPKINS STUDY SHOWS
Dispelling a stubborn myth, researchers at Johns Hopkins have shown that children with strokes, brain tumors and other cerebrovascular diseases can safely undergo a potentially life-saving brain-mapping test that many doctors have long shunned over concerns for side effects. Analysis of 241 cerebral angiograms performed on 205 children at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center between 1999 and 2006 showed that not a single patient suffered complications during or immediately following the procedure.

10/5/06

HOPKINS RESEARCHERS UNCOVER CRITICAL PLAYER IN CELL COMMUNICATION
-- Implications for Cause of Rare Cognitive Disorder
Johns Hopkins researchers have teased out the function of a protein implicated in Williams-Beuren syndrome, a rare cognitive disorder associated with overly social behavior and lack of spatial awareness. Called TFII-I, or TF "two eye," the protein long known to help control a cell’s genes also controls how much calcium a cell takes in, a function critical for all cells, including nerves in the brain. The study will be published this week in Science.

10/4/06EIGHT NEW RESEARCH CENTERS OPENED AT JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICINE
-- Centers Suggested By Faculty To Speed Up Complex Collaborations
The Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has formally established eight new research centers to collectively tackle such complicated questions in biology as the genetic roots of obesity and the relationships among the five senses.
9/28/06

HIGH-SPEED INTERNET2 LINK REVOLUTIONIZES GLOBAL MEDICAL EDUCATION
-- High-tech Web connection beams Hopkins medical experts across the globe in seconds
Imagine Johns Hopkins faculty members performing microsurgery in Tanzania from a computer terminal in a Baltimore operating room, or health care experts in Vietnam presenting an avian influenza patient to medical students gathered in the Hopkins outpatient center. These are some of the possible applications of a high-tech Internet communication system that will be used for the first time next week to link Johns Hopkins faculty with clinicians in India.

9/25/06"CONSUMER CHOICE" AWARD TO THE JOHNS HOPKINS HOSPITAL FOR 11TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR
For the 11th straight year, the National Research Group has given The Johns Hopkins Hospital its Consumer Choice Award for the Baltimore region. The award is based on ratings from health care consumers in the Baltimore and Bethesda metro areas, which cite Johns Hopkins as the top quality hospital in those areas. In Bethesda, Hopkins shared the award with Shady Grove Adventist Hospital
9/20/06

HOPKINS STUDY REVEALS WHITE BLOOD CELLS CAN BOTH HURT AND HELP TRANSPLANTED KIDNEYS
--- Findings could extend the life of transplanted kidneys and reduce hospital stays
In an example of biological irony, the same white blood cell chemistry known to damage kidneys used for transplants may also help prevent such damage, according to a federally funded study in genetically engineered mice at Johns Hopkins.

9/18/06

"SUPERBUG" OUTSIDE THE HOSPITAL POSES RISK TO CAREGIVERS INSIDE, SELF-FUNDED HOPKINS STUDY SHOWS
-- Threat can be minimized by tighter infection control and cleaning policies
Infection control experts at Johns Hopkins are sounding the alarm for vulnerable health care workers to be on the lookout for a more aggressive form of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), called community-acquired MRSA. MRSA infections are resistant to commonly used antibiotics, including oxacillin (Bactocil), penicillin and cephalexin (Keflex).

9/18/06

PSST! COFFEE DRINKERS: FRUIT FLIES HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU ABOUT CAFFEINE
In their hunt for genes and proteins that explain how animals discern bitter from sweet, a team of John Hopkins researchers began by testing whether mutant fruit flies prefer eating sugar over sugar laced with caffeine. Using a simple behavioral test, the researchers discovered that a single protein missing from the fly-equivalent of our taste buds caused them to ignore caffeine’s taste and consume the caffeine as if it were not there.

9/18/06

YES, DOCTOR, IT CAN BE DONE: MRIs MADE SAFE FOR PEOPLE WITH MODERN DEFIBRILLATORS AND PACEMAKERS
- Low-energy "fix" for machine, other steps vastly reduce risk
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have painstakingly figured out how to safely perform magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans on men and women who have any one of 24 modern types of implanted defibrillators and pacemakers.

9/17/06

“TELOMERE” EXPERT CAROL GREIDER SHARES 2006 ALBERT LASKER AWARD FOR BASIC MEDICAL RESEARCH
Carol Greider, Ph.D., one of the world’s pioneering researchers on the structure of chromosome ends known as telomeres, was named today to share the 2006 Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research

9/15/06

WHO GETS A HEART TRANSPLANT? CRITERIA EXPAND TO COVER OLDER ADULTS AND SOME CANCER PATIENTS
Elderly men and women with heart failure and men with treated prostate cancer are among those who have been historically denied heart transplantation.  Now, under new guidelines co-authored by a Hopkins cardiologist and issued today by the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT), they can and should be considered.

9/15/06

BACTERIA GET OFF EASY IN SINUS INFECTIONS
- Weakened immune system in chronic sinusitis reveals new treatment targets

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have evidence that curbed activity from several key chemicals on the inner lining of the nose are linked to chronic sinusitis that fails to respond to the usual current treatments. 

9/13/06

ANEMIA AFFECTS BODY…AND MAYBE THE MIND
Study among elderly women shows seniors especially may be at risk

For older adults, anemia’s trademark loss of oxygen-toting red blood cells has long been linked to fatigue, muscle weakness and other physical ailments. Now researchers at Johns Hopkins have found a relationship between anemia and impaired thinking, too. 

9/6/06

HOPKINS SCIENTISTS LINK IMMUNE RESPONSE TO “GHOST” PARASITES AND SEVERELY CONGESTED SINUSES
- Anti-insect enzyme in humans linked to inflammation in the nose
Although it’s unclear why it’s so, scientists at Johns Hopkins have linked a gene that allows for the chemical breakdown of the tough, protective casing that houses insects and worms to the severe congestion and polyp formation typical of chronic sinusitis. 

8/28/06

HOPKINS DEVELOPS ONLINE TOOL TO AID RESEARCH ON CERTAIN "ORPHAN DISEASES"
--All have links to tiny, hair-like cilia and implications for common disorders
Many people are afflicted with rare illnesses of unknown cause, and finding a common link to such under-studied or "orphaned" diseases as Bardet-Biedl, Alstrom and Meckel-Gruber syndromes can significantly advance the search for causes and treatment. Now, the same Johns Hopkins research team that first identified flaws in the work of tiny, hair-like structures on the surface of cells called cilia as such a common link has compiled - and made available on the World Wide Web - a database of all genes known to contribute to cilia operations in the body.

8/24/06

AFRICAN PARASITE MAKES COMPONENT OF FAT DIFFERENTLY FROM ALL OTHER ORGANISMS
-- Johns Hopkins Researchers Shed Light on the Culprit Behind "Sleeping Sickness"
Studying the parasite that causes African sleeping sickness, scientists at Johns Hopkins have discovered a previously unknown way of making fatty acids, a component of fat and the outer layer of all cells. The find unveils more about the biology of this hard-to-kill parasite and could lead to a target for designing new drugs to fight the illness that infects a half-million people and kills 50,000 a year worldwide.

8/23/06

LARGEST REVIEW OF LOEYS-DIETZ SYNDROME TO DATE
-- Identification of more genetic perturbations paints clearer picture for diagnosis
At least three severe, potentially fatal genetic diseases leave patients with aortas so flimsy that they can rupture in pregnancy and labor or even lesser activities, often without warning. Beta blockers, curbing exercise, proactive blood vessel surgery and other approaches can be helpful, but their usefulness varies according to which disease and when they’re offered.

8/21/06

CHILDHOOD SLEEP APNEA LINKED TO BRAIN DAMAGE, LOWER IQ
---"A Wake-Up Call" for Parents and Pediatricians
In what is believed to be the first study showing neural changes in the brains of children with serious, untreated sleep apnea, Johns Hopkins researchers conclude that children with the disorder appear to suffer damage in two brain structures tied to learning ability.

8/15/06

NEWS TIPS ON CANCER THERAPY TARGETS
Researchers Find Clues to Disease Spread and Origin

The following studies by Johns Hopkins researchers describe two new potential targets for cancer drugs, one that takes aim at the beginning of the tumor growth process and origins of cancer cells and the other at the process of tumor spread.  Reports on the work, published in the August 1 issue of Cancer Research, describe experiments with mice and cell cultures that could lead to new treatments for childhood brain tumors and adult prostate cancers.

8/14/06

"ELITE SUPPRESSORS" OF HIV TO CHANGE HOW SCIENTISTS MONITOR SPREAD OF DISEASE
Scientists at Johns Hopkins have found that 1 percent to 2 percent of those infected with HIV in Baltimore apparently suppress the virus to nearly undetectable levels on their own, confounding public health efforts to accurately monitor the pandemic’s spread, now in its 20th year. The city’s health department estimated in 2004 that nearly 14,000 residents are infected.

8/14/06AS INDIA GEARS UP TO FIGHT HIV, GAPS REVEALED IN PUBLIC AWARENESS AND PRIVATE-CARE SERVICES
As India gears up implementation of national plans to fight HIV, infectious diseases experts at Johns Hopkins and elsewhere are pointing out serious gaps in public knowledge about the disease and identifying early problems in private clinics, where 70 percent of HIV-infected Indians receive their everyday medical care. India recently surpassed South Africa as having the largest number of people infected with HIV, at 5.7 million and 5.2 million, respectively
8/12/06EMERGENCY ANTI-HIV DRUG PLAN "AMAZING SUCCESS" IN UGANDA
Early results from a large study of HIV-infected people in rural Uganda show that seven out of 10 who got free, emergency access to antiretroviral drugs successfully suppressed the AIDS virus in their blood to nearly undetectable levels. The findings are being presented by researchers at Johns Hopkins and the Rakai Health Sciences Program who are leading the study.
8/12/06

THREE-IN-ONE COMBINATION THERAPY CONTINUES TO SET NEW GOLD STANDARD IN ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY, LATEST DATA SHOW
A once-daily dose of three antiretroviral drugs works better as an initial treatment for HIV infection than another three-drug combination long considered to be the gold standard, according to the latest, year-two results from an international study being led by researchers at Johns Hopkins and elsewhere. About 40,000 Americans each year are infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

8/12/06

LESS-EXPENSIVE TESTS TO DETECT PERSISTANT HIV INFECTION AREN’T UP TO THE JOB, HOPKINS SCIENTISTS SAY
At a time when millions of people in rural Africa are gaining access to much-needed antiretroviral therapies to fight HIV, researchers from Johns Hopkins and elsewhere will present results showing that relatively inexpensive methods more widely recommended to monitor disease progression fall short of expectations after treatment starts.

8/12/06

HOPKINS STUDY SHOWS ISONIAZID PLUS ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY BEST PREVENTS TB IN PEOPLE WITH HIV
A study by Johns Hopkins and Brazilian scientists shows that pairing a common tuberculosis drug, isoniazid, with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is more effective than either therapy on its own at preventing full-blown TB disease in people with HIV. TB disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide among those with HIV and AIDS and is epidemic in developing countries with the highest HIV-infection rates.

8/8/06

Not all yellow jackets created equal
Some species cause more severe allergic reactions than others

Flouting widely held beliefs that yellow jacket stings have less effect early in the season and that most people can outgrow a dangerous allergic reaction to a sting, allergists at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine have concluded that the sting severity is determined not by the calendar but by the species of insect doing the stinging.

8/3/06SECOND HEARING IMPLANT TO BE ACTIVATED FOR 1995 MISS AMERICA
Miss America 1995, Heather Whitestone McCallum, who was nearly deaf for 28 years until a team at Johns Hopkins implanted a hearing device four years ago in her right ear, will have her second cochlear implant activated in the left ear at 1 p.m. ET, Monday, Aug. 7, at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Md.  The new device, implanted at Hopkins in July, will allow her to hear from both ears for the first time, improving her awareness of sounds, their direction, and her understanding of speech in challenging listening environments, such as restaurants. 
8/1/06

CHEMICALS IN CURRY AND ONIONS MAY HELP PREVENT COLON CANCER
Hopkins study shows combination of curcumin and quercetin greatly reduces size and number of colorectal polyps
A small but informative clinical trial by Johns Hopkins investigators shows that a pill combining chemicals found in turmeric, a spice used in curries, and onions reduces both the size and number of precancerous lesions in the human intestinal tract.

7/31/06

DIAGNOSIS AND REFERRALS FOR KIDNEY DISEASE FALL WELL SHORT OF NEED, JOHNS HOPKINS STUDY SHOWS
---Patients at risk, experts say
Results of a national study of 304 U.S. physicians, in which "mock" patients’ symptoms were presented for diagnosis, suggest that a sizeable percentage of primary care doctors probably fail to properly diagnose and refer patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

7/27/06

MESSAGE TO OLDER ADULTS: EMBRACE, DON’T FEAR THE EFFECTS OF SENSIBLE EXERCISE
- Stress from exercise does not threaten the heart, Hopkins study shows
A Johns Hopkins study should ease the concerns held by many older adults with mild high blood pressure about the strain or harm exercise could cause their hearts. Results of the research on 104 men and women age 55 to 75 showed that a moderate program of physical exertion had no ill effects on the heart's ability to pump blood nor does it produce a harmful increase in heart size.

7/26/06

JOHNS HOPKINS CHILDREN’S CENTER TO LEAD LARGEST-EVER STUDY ON KIDNEY DISEASE IN CHILDREN
Findings will help curb complications, prevent kidney failure
The early progression of chronic kidney disease in children and teens is poorly understood, but a national research team led by Johns Hopkins scientists is launching the largest-ever study to learn more about this often-stealthy killer.

7/25/06

Heat Therapy for Cancer May Be Key to Lance Armstrong Effect
- -Hopkins researchers publish their theory in JAMA
Experts at Johns Hopkins have linked scientific evidence spanning more than 30 years to suggest an explanation for why testicular cancer patients like seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong survive far better than patients with other advanced cancers.

7/25/06Johns Hopkins Center to Focus on HIV-Linked Brain Disorders and Treatment
--Federal funding announced
 
Scientists at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have launched a new, federally funded collaborative research unit to develop novel treatments for HIV-related memory and other cognitive disorders.
7/21/06

HOPKINS RESEARCHERS DEVELOP NEW TOOL TO WATCH REAL-TIME CHEMICAL ACTIVITY IN CELLS
-- Study Has Implications For Speeding New Drug Design
Attempts to identify potential drugs that interfere with the action of one particular enzyme linked to heart disease and similar health problems led scientists at Johns Hopkins to create a new tool and new experimental approach that allow them to see multiple, real-time chemical reactions in living cells. Their report on the work is published July 21 in the journal ACS Chemical Biology.

7/21/06

JOHNS HOPKINS RESEARCHERS FIND LINK BETWEEN CELL’S ENERGY USE AND GENOME HEALTH
-- Another Possible Link Between Diet and Aging
While studying how a cell keeps its genetic material intact, scientists at Johns Hopkins got busy alternately knocking out two catalysts vital to managing a yeast cell’s energy. They discovered to their complete surprise that the removal of one of them led the cell to turn off 70 percent of its 5,000 genes and die.

7/19/06

GIVING UP DRIVING MAY BE EXPRESS LANE TO LONG-TERM CARE
"Taking the keys has serious consequences for older drivers," Hopkins study concludes.
Although the slower driving habits of some seniors often steam impatient younger motorists, researchers at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine have found that elders who stay behind the wheel are less likely to enter nursing homes or assisted living centers than those who have never driven or who have given up driving altogether.

7/19/06

ANTIOXIDANTS MAY SLOW VISION LOSS
Development in mice offers hope for treatment of certain eye diseases
Scientists at Johns Hopkins have successfully blocked the advance of retinal degeneration in mice with a form of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) by treating them with vitamin E, alpha-lipoic acid and other antioxidant chemicals.

7/17/06

JOHNS HOPKINS APPOINTS NEW CHAIR OF BIOPHYSICS AND BIOPHYSICAL CHEMISTRY
L. Mario Amzel, Ph.D., has been appointed the new head of the Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry in the Institute of Basic Biomedical Sciences at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

7/14/06

GENE SCREEN FOR BREAST CANCER BETTER THAN PATHOLOGIST’S "EYE"
Johns Hopkins scientists have found that a method they developed to screen body fluids for certain kinds of cells and some of their genetic blueprint is twice as accurate at spotting breast cancer cells as a pathologist’s view with a microscope.

7/11/06

HOPKINS SCIENTISTS SHOW HALLUCINOGEN IN MUSHROOMS CREATES UNIVERSAL “MYSTICAL” EXPERIENCE
Rigorous study hailed as landmark
Using unusually rigorous scientific conditions and measures, Johns Hopkins researchers have shown that the active agent in “sacred mushrooms” can induce mystical/spiritual experiences descriptively identical to spontaneous ones people have reported for centuries.

7/7/06

THE JOHNS HOPKINS HOSPITAL TOPS U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT "HONOR ROLL" FOR THE 16TH YEAR IN A ROW
The Johns Hopkins Hospital has again earned the top spot as "Best of the Best" in U.S. News & World Report’s annual Honor Roll of American hospitals, placing first in five of 16 ranked medical specialties and in the top four in 10 others. Only 14 hospitals nationwide made it to the Honor Roll this year out of 5,189 institutions graded.

7/6/06

CELL SURVIVAL DEPENDS ON CHROMOSOME INTEGRITY
As part of a large National Institutes of Health-funded Technology Centers for Networks and Pathways project, Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered protein machinery important for cells to keep chromosomes intact. Without such proteins, their experiments show that yeast cells experience broken chromosomes and DNA damage that in human cells are well known to lead to cancer.

6/29/06

JOHNS HOPKINS LAB SCIENTISTS TAME OVERACTIVE CF PROTEIN
--Test-tube studies show promise in restoring cells to normal status in patients with cystic fibrosis
A team led by Johns Hopkins Children’s Center scientists has identified and successfully tamed an overactive protein that plays a key role in cystic fibrosis (CF), a genetic disorder that interferes with the body’s ability to transport chloride in and out of cells.

6/28/06

"SCRATCH" THE CONFUSION AWAY: Hopkins Researchers Develop New Quick Tool to Sort Out Insect Bites in Children
--- Guidelines should save money, stop unncessary testing
Children afflicted with insect-bite rashes are often misdiagnosed or referred for extensive and costly tests, but a new, easy-to-remember set of guidelines developed at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center should help.

6/26/06

Study: Grammar School Improves Grandma’s Health
In-school volunteer work a healthier substitute for rocking-chair retirement
Confining activities to the rocking chair, the beach and the TV couch may be some retirees’ idea of good living, but according to new research by experts at Johns Hopkins, published this month on the Journal of Urban Health’s Web site, spending some time with young children in the classroom might give them a lot more time to enjoy life.

6/21/06

TRACKING COMPUTER-BASED ERROR REPORTS IMPROVES PATIENT SAFETY, HOPKINS STUDY FINDS
Physicians, nurses, pharmacists equally prone to fault

To err is human, but asking nurses, physicians and other hospital staff to report medication errors and log them into a computer database can help improve patient safety systems as well as human error rates, according to a study from the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. Voluntary error-reporting systems are not new, but few studies have looked at the accuracy of the reporting and its impact, the Hopkins investigators say.

6/20/06

HOPKINS SCIENTISTS USE EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS, NEW CUES TO AWAKEN LATENT MOTOR NERVE REPAIR
In a dramatic display of stem cells’ potential for healing, a team of Johns Hopkins scientists reports that they’ve engineered new, completed, fully-working motor neuron circuits -- neurons stretching from spinal cord to target muscles -- in paralyzed adult animals.

6/19/06

JOHNS HOPKINS RESIDENT FIRST TO EARN NEW HARVARD MEDICAL GENETICS PRIZE
-- Recipient’s goal is to establish specialized center for children with hypotonia

Ronald Cohn, M.D., a resident in the combined pediatrics and genetics program and chief resident at the McKusick-Nathans Institute for Genetic Medicine at Johns Hopkins, has been awarded the first Harvard-Partners Center for Genetics and Genomics Award in medical genetics. Cohn, whose research focuses on muscle regeneration in various muscle diseases, will receive a $20,000 cash prize at a formal dinner in his honor in Boston on June 21 and will present at grand rounds at Harvard Medical School that same day.

6/9/06Edward G. McFarland, M.D., Named Inaugural Wayne H. Lewis Professor of Orthopaedics and Shoulder Surgery
President of Investor Services Limited, an investment counseling firm, Wayne H. Lewis has established a commitment to fund a new professorship in orthopedics and shoulder surgery at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine with gifts totaling $2.5 million.  Edward G. McFarland, M.D., was recently named the inaugural Wayne H. Lewis Professor of Orthopaedics and Shoulder Surgery in the Department of Orthopaedic surgery during a brief ceremony.
6/8/06

JOHNS HOPKINS RESEARCHER RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS MCKNIGHT SCHOLAR AWARD
-- Other Hopkins Neuroscientists Receiving Prizes This Spring
Hongjun Song, Ph.D., an assistant professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins’ Institute for Cell Engineering and its Program for Neuroregeneration and Repair - known as NeuroICE - has been awarded the McKnight Scholar Award by the McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience. Several other members of ICE also have received honors this year. Song will receive $75,000 in research funding each year for the next three years.

6/7/06

JOHNS HOPKINS APPOINTS HARRY KOFFENBERGER NEW SECURITY VP
Baltimore City Police Department veteran takes the helm this summer

Harry Koffenberger, Baltimore City police veteran and senior director of security at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions’ East Baltimore campus since 1994, has been named vice president of security for Johns Hopkins Medicine. In addition to his role in security, Koffenberger will also oversee parking and transportation operations at the East Baltimore campus.

6/7/06

FIRST WHOLE-GENOME SCAN FOR LINKS TO OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER REVEALS EVIDENCE FOR GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY
A federally funded team of researchers including several from Johns Hopkins have identified six regions of the human genome that might play a role in susceptibility to obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD. The study was published online June 6 in Molecular Psychiatry.

6/7/06

HOPKINS RESEARCHERS DISCOVER POTENTIAL NEW APPROACH TO TREATING DIABETES
Scientists at Johns Hopkins have uncovered a surprising and novel way of lowering blood sugar levels in mice by manipulating the release of sugar by liver cells. The results, published in the June issue of Cell Metabolism, have implications for treating conditions like diabetes.

6/7/06

THE BEAUTY QUEEN AND THE MOLE
Preparing to vie for the crown of Miss Maryland while working toward her nursing degree kept 21-year-old Brittany Lietz of Edgewater, Md., on a tight timetable.

6/2/06

HOPKINS BREAKS GROUND FOR NEW EAST BALTIMORE MEDICAL CAMPUS
“Hospital of the Future” To Replace Aging Structures, Update Facilities

The formal groundbreaking for The Johns Hopkins Hospital’s new clinical towers, the core of the medical campus’s $1.2 billion redevelopment plan, will take place June 5, 2006, at 4 p.m. at the Phipps Building Courtyard at 600 N. Wolfe St.

6/1/06

HOPKINS MED SCHOOL’S ADVISORY COLLEGES LOSE THEIR LETTERS
Innovative mentoring groups renamed to honor Nathans, Taussig, Thomas and Sabin
What’s in a name? When it comes to the Johns Hopkins’ School of Medicine’s "Advisory Colleges," the answer is: a great deal.

5/31/06

JOHNS HOPKINS APPOINTS NEW CHAIR OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES - HEPATITIS EXPERT AT HOPKINS SINCE 1990
Physician-scientist David L. Thomas, M.D., a world-renowned expert on hepatitis C and a faculty member at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine since 1993, will be the new head of the School’s Division of Infectious Diseases beginning July 1. He succeeds John Bartlett, M.D., who led the department for 26 years and will remain active on infectious diseases’ faculty.

5/25/06Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Graduation -- New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to Speak
New York City Mayor The Honorable Michael Bloomberg, a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and key Hopkins supporter, will address The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine’s graduating class of 2006.
5/23/06

ROBOTIC JOYSTICK REVEALS HOW BRAIN CONTROLS MOVEMENT
-- Implications Possibly Profound For Stroke Patient Rehab

By training a group of human subjects to operate a robot-controlled joystick, Johns Hopkins researchers have shown that the slower the brain “learns” to control certain muscle movements, the more likely it is to remember the lesson over the long haul. The results, the investigators say, could alter rehabilitation approaches for people who have lost motor abilities to brain injuries like strokes.

5/20/06

SURGICAL PLUGS IN EAR’S BONE STOPS STRANGE FORM OF SEVERE DIZZINESS
-- Patients have sometimes suffered decades without relief
Rapid, uncontrollable eye movements that swish and thump as the eyes roll and blink. Bones that creak as the body moves. Sudden dizziness, loss of balance. Falling down after a loud noise, such as the sound of your own voice, a cough or even laughter. These are hallmarks of a debilitating and relatively rare syndrome known as superior canal dehiscence that has stumped clinicians for a long time.

5/19/06

HOPKINS RESEARCHER RICHARD CHAISSON HONORED BY AMERICAN THORACIC SOCIETY
Physician-scientist Richard Chaisson, M.D., an internationally renowned authority on tuberculosis and a professor of medicine, epidemiology and international health at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, will receive the prestigious 2006 World Lung Health Award for scientific achievement from the American Thoracic Society. The award will be given at a ceremony to be held on May 21 at the organization’s annual meeting in San Diego, Calif.

5/17/06

BEDSORES AND BALD HIDES: NOVEL ROLES REVEALED FOR A "SCAFFOLDING" PROTEIN
-- Mice without K17 have difficulty healing wounds and growing hair
A protein long thought to provide only mechanical support for keeping cells and tissues from literally falling apart turns out to have much wider utility. In a pair of reports, the protein K17 has been found to also influence wound healing and maintain the structural integrity of hair follicles, according to Johns Hopkins researchers.

5/16/06

PACKARD SCIENTISTS ANNOUNCE FIRST INTERNATIONAL GENE SEARCH FOR TYPICAL ALS
Million dollar study is an international collaboration supported by government, top ALS organizations.

Though it’s the more common form of the disease, sporadic ALS, which affects roughly 90 percent of those living with the fatal neurodegenerative illness, has been the one less studied, largely because, unlike familial ALS, no genes have turned up.

5/15/06

NEW DIRECTOR OF PHYSIOLOGY AT JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICINE
William B. Guggino, Ph.D., acclaimed cystic fibrosis researcher, to lead department
William B. Guggino, Ph.D., has been named the director of physiology at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, effective immediately.

5/15/06Hopkins Sports Medicine/Rehab Expert Re-ups As Four-Desert Race Doctor
A Johns Hopkins sports medicine expert has signed on as medical director for some 120 athletes competing in the annual 4-Desert Race, a series of weeklong footraces that cover 150 miles total.  The event starts May 28 in the Gobi Desert in the Inner Mongolia region of Northern China.
5/11/06

HOW BAD IS MALARIAL ANEMIA? IT MAY DEPEND ON YOUR GENES
-- Study holds promise for susceptibility test
Cell and animal studies conducted jointly by scientists at Johns Hopkins, Yale and other institutions have uncovered at least one important contributor to the severe anemia that kills almost half of the 2 million people worldwide who die each year of malaria. The culprit is a protein cells make in response to inflammation called MIF, which appears to suppress red blood cell production in people whose red blood cells already are infected by malaria parasites. 

5/9/06

Johns Hopkins Medicine International and Beacon Hospital in Ireland Sign Agreement for Educational and Consulting Services

Johns Hopkins Medicine International (JHI) and the Beacon Hospital in Ireland will sign an affiliation agreement for educational and consulting services on May 08, 2006. Services provided under terms of the agreement relate to performance improvement, patient safety, nursing training and management, ambulatory care and other services, including educational programs such as observerships at Johns Hopkins.
5/9/06PEDIATRICIANS FAIL TO SCREEN FOR AUTISM, HOPKINS STUDY FINDS
Few Maryland and Delaware primary care pediatricians screen patients regularly for autism and autism-spectrum disorders (ASD) as part of their overall look at possible developmental delays, according to results of a joint study from Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
5/8/06

TRAINING A SPIRITUAL CORPS FOR DISASTERS
Federal Grant to Johns Hopkins Continues Development of "Disaster" Clergy
Disaster preparedness rightly focuses on the need to train police, fire firefighters and health care workers to handle major emergencies. But a grant to Johns Hopkins from the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene funded by the federal Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) concentrates attention on a an often neglected group of professionals - clergy and spiritual workers - who are asked to provide "disaster ministry" to congregations during disasters.

5/8/06DIGITAL IS SAFER: ONLINE CALCULATOR AND CHEMOTHERAPY ORDER SYSTEMS REDUCE MEDICATION ERRORS IN CHILDREN, HOPKINS STUDIES SHOW
Two new studies from the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center show that computerizing ordering of chemotherapy and other types of intravenous drug infusions for children greatly reduces the risk of potentially dangerous medical errors.
5/8/06HOPKINS SHOULDER SPECIALIST EDWARD G. MCFARLAND PROMOTED TO PROFESSOR
Edward G. McFarland, M.D., vice chairman of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and director of adult orthopedics in the Division of Sports Medicine and Shoulder Surgery, was recently promoted to full professor at The John Hopkins University School of Medicine.
5/5/06Jeff Ventura Joins Communications Staff at Johns Hopkins Medicine
Jeff Ventura, who holds masters degrees in communications management and journalism, has joined the staff at Johns Hopkins Medicine’s Division of Media Relations and Public Affairs as an assistant director. Most recently, Ventura, who has ten years experience in marketing, public relations and news reporting, was a daily newspaper reporter in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
5/2/06RESIDENTS REPORT LESS FATIGUE, BETTER CARE UNDER 80-HOUR WORK WEEK MANDATE
Residents whose 80-hour work week conforms to new duty-hour requirements report less fatigue interfering with their care of patients, according to researchers from Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. The 80-hour-week mandate went into effect nationwide in 2003, but little research has been done to evaluate the impact on residents.
5/1/06Pediatricians: Brush up on Food Allergies
Food allergies are a common pediatric problem, affecting up to 5 percent of U.S. children and causing some 30,000 life-threatening allergic reactions each year. But research by investigators at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and Franklin Square Hospital Center in Baltimore shows that many pediatricians have knowledge gaps when it comes to diagnosing and managing food-induced anaphylactic shock.
5/1/06Physicians Should Confirm Hepatitis A Immunity in HIV-Positive Children Following Vaccination
Hepatitis A vaccination is safe in HIV-infected children but may be less effective in creating immunity than it is in healthy children. Therefore, health care providers caring for HIV-infected children should confirm their immunity after vaccination, according to the findings of a study from Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. The study is being presented at the annual Pediatric Academic Societies meeting in San Francisco, April 29-May 2.
5/1/06STUDY OF OPERATING ROOM SAFETY SHOWS NURSES RATE FIRST, SURGEONS LAST
A study based on a survey measuring attitudes toward the work environment in the operating room (OR) reveals that surgeons exhibit the lowest level of teamwork and nurses the highest.
5/1/06

EAT LESS, WEIGH MORE? ENZYME MAKES LEAN MICE "SUSCEPTIBLE" TO DIETARY FAT
Working with genetically engineered mice, Johns Hopkins scientists have interfered with the brain’s ability to control an animal’s response to a high-fat diet.  The report, to be published in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences online the week of May 1, is based on the identification of a gene - CPT1c - the brain needs to manage body weight.

4/30/06

WHOLE-GENOME STUDY AT JOHNS HOPKINS REVEALS A NEW GENE ASSOCIATED WITH ABNORMAL HEART RHYTHM

-- Heart rhythm disturbances are target for preventive treatment.
Using a new genomic strategy that has the power to survey the entire human genome and identify genes with common variants that contribute to complex diseases, researchers at Johns Hopkins, together with scientists from Munich, Germany, and the Framingham Heart Study, U.S.A., have identified a gene that may predispose some people to abnormal heart rhythms that lead to sudden cardiac death, a condition affecting more than 300 thousand Americans each year.
4/14/06

LIZARD "THIRD EYE" SHEDS LIGHT ON EVOLUTION OF COLOR VISION
L
izards have given Johns Hopkins researchers a tantalizing clue to the evolutionary origins of light-sensing cells in people and other species.

4/14/06

NEW GENE REDUCES RETINAL DEGENERATION IN FRUIT FLIES
Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered a gene in fruit flies that helps certain specialized neurons respond more quickly to bright light. The study, published in the April 4 issue of Current Biology, also has implications for understanding sensory perception in mammals.

4/13/06

JOHNS HOPKINS RESEARCHER AWARDED PRESTIGIOUS WILEY PRIZE IN BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
Carol Greider, Ph.D., Daniel Nathans Professor and director of molecular biology and genetics in the Johns Hopkins Institute of Basic Biomedical Sciences, is a co-recipient of the Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences by The Wiley Foundation.

4/13/06

TWO TESTS BETTER THAN ONE FOR DIABETES CONTROL, JOHNS HOPKINS EXPERT TELLS DOCTORS
- Physicians and patients often too lax about monitoring
In a strongly worded review published in the recent edition of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the head of the Johns Hopkins Diabetes Center urges physicians and patients to better use the blood-testing tools at hand to manage the disease and prevent most of its dire impact on the heart, kidneys, nerves and vision.

4/11/06

JOHNS HOPKINS SCHOOL OF MEDICINE HONORS 17 YOUNG RESEARCHERS
-- Young Investigators’ Day Recognizes "The Future Stars of Research"
Alongside every successful professor is an army of hard-working, dedicated and talented students and fellows.

4/11/06

HOPKINS-LED CLINICAL STUDY SHOWS BRAIN’S REACTION TO ‘UPPERS’ DETERMINED BY GENDER
Discovery could lead to more effective treatments for amphetamine abuse and brain disease

4/10/06

STATEMENT ON KLINGER ADVANCED AESTHETICS
(This is a statement from William R. Brody, president of The Johns Hopkins University, and Edward D. Miller, dean and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine.)
Johns Hopkins Medicine entered into a consulting relationship with Klinger Advanced Aesthetics to provide expertise on the design and review of tests intended to produce accurate and trustworthy product statements related to health and safety

4/7/06

HOPKINS RESEARCHER RECEIVES THE RONALD AND NANCY REAGAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE AWARD
--- Marilyn S. Albert, Ph.D., honored for her outstanding contributions to Alzheimer’s research

Marilyn S. Albert, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Neurology at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, has received the 2006 Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Institute Award.

4/6/06

COMMONLY USED BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICATION PREVENTS AORTIC ANEURYSM IN MICE WITH MARFAN SYNDROME, HOPKINS STUDY SHOWS
- Advances likelihood of clinical treatment for inherited vascular condition and affirms promise of genetic research
Scientists at Johns Hopkins have used a commonly prescribed blood pressure medicine, losartan (Cozaar), to prevent a potentially fatal weakening of arteries in mice with Marfan syndrome.

4/5/06

JOHNS HOPKINS STUDY SUGGESTS COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE ANTIBIOTIC MAY HELP FIGHT DEMENTIA IN HIV PATIENTS
--- Clinical trials not yet on horizon
An antibiotic commonly used to treat a variety of serious infections may also help prevent dementia in HIV patients, according to a test-tube study of human brain cells by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine neurologist Jeffrey Rumbaugh, M.D., Ph.D.

4/4/06

REPORT ON HIGH-DOSE VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENTS NAMED ONE OF “HOT PAPERS” OF 2005
The medical newsletter Science Watch has ranked a vitamin E study by Johns Hopkins researchers on its annual list of 40 “hot” scientific papers.

4/3/06

RESEARCHERS IDENTIFY GENES IN FRUIT FLIES THAT MAY SHED LIGHT ON HUMAN CANCER SPREAD
By searching through all the genes in the fruit fly genome, Johns Hopkins scientists have identified those required for a certain type of cell migration and simultaneously captured a global view of all the genes turned on when cells are on the move.

4/4/06

Soy's Cancer Prevention Properties in Doubt, Study Review Finds

Johns Hopkins and Georgetown University researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 18 epidemiologic studies revealing that women who eat soy products may have a slightly lower risk of developing breast cancer. But the researchers quickly add that inconsistencies and limitations among the studies raise doubt about the potential benefit, and warn women that high-dose supplements could do more harm than good.
4/4/06Hopkins' Cancer Researchers Report at National Meeting- AACR Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., April 1-5
3/31/06HOPKINS RANKED IN THE TOP TIER OF MEDICAL SCHOOLS BY U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
In the attached letter, the Dean of The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine thanks faculty and staff for helping maintain the School of Medicine’s position as #2 in U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of the nation’s 125 accredited medical schools. The accompanying letter provides detailed information about that ranking as well as information regarding the top 10 placement of Johns Hopkins’ medical specialty programs.
3/29/06TUTORED BY SEPT. 11 EXPERIENCE, HOPKINS GENETICS EXPERTS AID EFFORTS TO IDENTIFY HURRICANE KATRINA VICTIMS
Experts at Johns Hopkins are joining efforts to identify more than 70 bodies recovered after Hurricane Katrina, which struck last Aug. 29, killing more than 1,200 in Louisiana and Mississippi.  Most of those killed have already been identified and buried by their families.
3/29/06

PICKING APART HOW NEURONS LEARN
--Targeted Mutations In Mice Uncover Two Key Molecular Events Linked To Learning
Johns Hopkins researchers have used mouse mutants to define critical steps involved in learning basic motor skills. The study focuses on the behavior of two proteins and the specific steps they take to control a neuron’s ability to learn by adapting to signals from other nerve cells.

3/23/06

JUNK DNA MAY NOT BE SO JUNKY AFTER ALL
-- Researchers Develop New Tool To Find Gene Control Regions
Researchers at the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine at Johns Hopkins have invented a cost-effective and highly efficient way of analyzing what many have termed "junk" DNA and identified regions critical for controlling gene function. And they have found that these control regions from different species don’t have to look alike to work alike.

3/23/06

Statement regarding PolyHeme
Contrary to a statement made as part of a press release by Northfield Laboratories of Evanston, Ill, on Feb. 22, 2006, a Johns Hopkins Medicine faculty member, Edward Norris, M.D., is not presenting information about a clinical trial of the company’s blood substitute PolyHeme at the annual meeting of the Network for the Advancement of Transfusion Alternatives (NATA) in April 2006; was not given access to full study results from Northfield; and does not and cannot substantiate Northfield’s claim that PolyHeme was unlikely to have been the cause of 10 heart attacks and 2 deaths in patients receiving the blood substitute as part of a clinical trial that ended in 2000.

3/21/06

HOPKINS STUDY SHOWS LOW-DOSE ASPIRIN SUPPRESSES CLUMPING OF BLOOD PLATELETS IN BOTH SEXES
-- Study challenges earlier research claiming little benefit for women
A once-daily pill of low-dose aspirin helps lower the potential for clot-forming blood cells - in both men and women - to stick together in narrow blood vessels, a study from Johns Hopkins shows.

3/21/06

FATAL HEART CONDITION IN YOUNG ATHLETES
- Research advances possibility of blood screening test
A baker’s dozen mutations in a gene called plakophilin-2 (PKP2) have been identified by Johns Hopkins scientists as the most likely origins of a rare heart condition, arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD).  The condition, which runs in families, is among the top causes of sudden cardiac death among young athletes. 

3/16/06

TRADITIONAL “MATCH DAY” AT JOHNS HOPKINS MARCH 16
School of Medicine fourth-year students gather with classmates and family to learn their residency sites
Although the nation’s 16,000 fourth-year medical students can go online to find out which residencies are theirs, the 106 students at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine will continue the school’s annual ritual of gathering and opening letters in the presence of their classmates, professors and loved ones.

3/13/06

"GENETIC NETWORK" GUARDS AGAINST LETHAL DNA DAMAGE
--Discovery in yeast opens door to new source of information on DNA damage, repair, and cancer
The discovery in yeast cells of a genetic network that guards against lethal DNA damage is a first step in the creation of a database of disease-causing combinations of mutated human genes, according to researchers at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine led by Jef. D. Boeke, Ph.D. In a report in the March 10 issue of Cell, the Hopkins team described a genetic network that is necessary for ensuring genomic stability in yeast. This study also identified previously unrecognized genes critical for maintaining DNA integrity and novel functions for well-known genes.

3/13/06

JOHNS HOPKINS CARDIOLOGISTS SAY STUDY SUPPORTS AGGRESSIVE STATIN THERAPY FOR ATHEROSCLEROSIS
- Treatment actually reverses plaque buildup
In an editorial to be published in the Journal of the American Medical Association online March 13, cardiologists at Johns Hopkins embrace results of a study that shows aggressive use of a cholesterol-lowering drug, rosuvastatin (Crestor), significantly reverses atherosclerosis and its potentially fatal risks. According to the American Heart Association, nearly three-quarters of all deaths from cardiovascular disease are due to atherosclerosis, a condition marked by a long-term deposit of fat and calcium plaques in arteries that nourish the heart. Left untreated, the hardening and narrowing of these vessels create a high risk that blood flow to the heart will be compromised or clots will break off and trigger a stroke.

3/13/06

SINGLE DOSE OF AZITHROMYCIN PREVENTS RECURRENCE OF INTURNED EYELASHES
A Johns Hopkins Medicine study finds that a single dose of the oral antibiotic azithromycin taken after trichiasis eye surgery can reduce the frequency with which eyelashes turn back in and abrade the eye. The oral antibiotic treatment is more effective than multiple days of treatment with the topical antibiotic ointment Tetracycline, the current method of treatment after trichiasis surgery.

3/13/06

ADVICE TO CHILDREN WITH SLEEP APNEA: WEAR THAT NIGHT-TIME BREATHING DEVICE!
- -New ways to improve adherence, tolerance needed
Wearing a special mask to bed helps children with sleep apnea breathe and sleep better, but a small, six-month study at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and two other pediatric hospitals suggests children aren’t always using them consistently enough to reap the maximum benefits.

3/7/06

NEW STRATEGY DEVELOPED TO STUDY DISEASE: REVEALS INSIGHTS INTO CANCER AND TREATMENT LEADS
For the first time, Johns Hopkins researchers were able to easily jumpstart the activity of a well-known cancer protein in live cells with a small molecule, a strategy that pinpointed key players in the cancer process and can be used to determine new therapeutic targets. What’s more, the scientists’ study, published in the March 3 issue of Science, identifies a simple method to further understand the complex mechanisms that underlie cancer as well as other diseases and may provide an easy model to screen for new cancer drugs.

3/7/06

Hopkins researchers discover unsuspected genetic switch that turns off an oxygen-poor cell’s combustion engine and turns on its electric one
---Finding has potential to limit toxic molecules
Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered a previously unrecognized role played by the gene HIF-1 as it helps cell survive when a lack of oxygen decreases production of an energy-rich molecule called ATP and increases production of toxic molecules. ATP supplies energy the cell needs to perform each of its many chemical reactions and tasks, and in this way acts as the "currency" for the cell’s energy economy.

3/7/06

JOHNS HOPKINS PATIENT ADVOCATE HONORED WITH ‘PROFESSOR OF SURVIVORSHIP’ AWARD
Breast cancer survivor and patient advocate Lillie Shockney, R.N., has been awarded the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s Professor of Survivorship Award. Shockney is an instructor of surgery and administrative director of the Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation’s Breast Center in Baltimore and the first non-physician to receive the award.

3/6/06

JOHNS HOPKINS SCIENTISTS EXPLOIT NOVEL ROUTE TO REVERSE ENLARGED HEARTS IN OBESE MICE
---Nerve growth factor makes end run around leptin, a brain hormone linked to appetite regulation
Working on genetically engineered obese mice with seriously thickened hearts, a condition call cardiac hypertrophy, scientists at Johns Hopkins have used a nerve protection and growth factor on the heart to mimic the activity of the brain hormone leptin, dramatically reducing the size of the heart muscle.

3/6/06

EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS SCORE POORLY IN CHILD-SAVING DRILLS, HOPKINS STUDY FINDS
-Results probably apply nationwide
A mock-drill study conducted in a third of North Carolina’s hospital emergency departments (EDs) revealed that nearly all failed to properly stabilize seriously injured children during trauma simulations, according to a team of researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and Duke University Medical Center. Simulations were conducted in 35 of North Carolina’s 106 EDs. Of the 35 EDs in the study, five were designated trauma centers (out of a total of 11 in the state of North Carolina) and 30 were located in community hospitals. A report on the research team’s findings, which state that their results probably apply to hospitals nationwide, is published in the March issue of Pediatrics.

3/3/06

A PROTEIN FRAGMENT CALLED 12.5 kDa CYSTATIN MAY GENERATE FIRST SIMPLE TEST FOR MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
Johns Hopkins scientists report the discovery of a protein found only in cerebrospinal fluid that they say might be useful in identifying a subgroup of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) or identifying those at risk for the debilitating autoimmune disorder.

3/3/06

NEWLY DISCOVERED KILLER CELL FIGHTS CANCER
A mouse immune cell that plays dual roles as both assassin and messenger, normally the job of two separate cells, has been discovered by an international team of researchers from the United States and France. The discovery has triggered a race among scientists to find a human equivalent of the multitasking cell, which could one day be a target for therapies that seek out and destroy cancer.

2/28/06

DELAYED PROSTATE CANCER SURGERY POSES NO INCREASED RISK FOR SOME PATIENTS
-- Discovery could prevent over-treatment
Delaying surgery -- even for years -- for patients with small, low-grade prostate cancer does not appear to increase the risk of the disease progressing to an incurable form, according to a 10-year Johns Hopkins Medicine study.

2/24/06

LARGEST STUDY OF HUMAN "INTERACTOME" REVEALS A NOVEL WAY TO FIND DISEASE TARGETS
-- Analysis of protein interactions dispels old notions of what’s important about them
Discoveries made during the first large-scale analysis of interactions between proteins in our cells hold promise for identifying new genes involved in genetic diseases, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins and the Institute of Bioinformatics (IOB) in Bangalore.

2/20/06

Hopkins-Affiliated Clemenceau Medical Center in Lebanon Begins Operations
Clemenceau Medical Center (CMC), the first Middle East clinical facility affiliated with Johns Hopkins Medicine International, opened today in Beirut, Lebanon. The affiliation began in early 2002 with the major goal of building a state-of-the-art health care facility to benefit the people of Lebanon and the surrounding region.

2/20/06

Johns Hopkins Medicine Enters Agreement with the General Health Authority for Health Services to Manage Tawam Hospital in the United Arab Emirates
Agreement has Johns Hopkins Medicine assuming administrative and operational oversight of Abu Dhabi’s largest hospital.
Johns Hopkins Medicine and the General Authority for Health Services in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to a 10-year affiliation that involves the management of the Tawam Hospital in Abu Dhabi, one of the largest and most prestigious hospitals in the country. The affiliation provides Johns Hopkins Medicine with complete managerial oversight of the 469-bed hospital.

2/17/06

LOWER DOSES OF CLOT-BUSTING DRUG SAFER FOR STROKE PATIENTS
-- Mortality rates down 37 percent from last year
A Johns Hopkins study has shown that patients treated for a type of stroke caused by bleeding in the brain, or intracerebral hemorrhage, survived more often if given 1 milligram instead of the previously studied 3 milligram dose of the clot-busting drug tissue plasminogen activator (tPA).

2/16/06

JOHNS HOPKINS SCIENTISTS MAP BRAIN AREA THAT MAY AID HUNT FOR HUMAN BRAIN STEM CELLS
- Discovery of "displaced" cells also suggestive of stem cell activity
A study led by a Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon has provided the first comprehensive map of a part of the adult human brain containing astrocytes, cells known to produce growth factors critical to the regeneration of damaged neural tissue and that potentially serve as brain stem cells.

2/15/06

GENE DESIGN PROGRAM FROM JOHNS HOPKINS SIMPLIFIES, AUTOMATES AND SPEEDS DESIGN OF "ARTIFICIAL" GENES
Johns Hopkins researchers have announced the development of a Web-based, automated computer program that they say greatly simplifies the time-consuming and error-prone process of manually designing artificial pieces of DNA.

2/14/06

NEW DIRECTOR OF NEUROSCIENCES AT JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICINE
Richard L. Huganir, expert on neuron-to-neuron signaling that drives learning and memory function in the brain
Richard L. Huganir, Ph.D., a neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins since 1988 and an international authority on the way molecular signals in neurons are created in the brain to bring about human learning and the construction of memories, has been named Director of the Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

2/8/06REVIEW SHOWS MALE CIRCUMCISION PROTECTS FEMALE PARTNERS FROM HIV AND OTHER STDs
A statistical review of the past medical files of more than 300 couples in Uganda, in which the female partner was HIV negative and the male was HIV positive, provides solid documentation of the protective effects of male circumcision in reducing the risk of infection among women.  Male circumcision also reduced rates of trichomonas and bacterial vaginosis in female partners.  The study is believed to be the first to demonstrate the benefits to female partners of male circumcision. 
2/6/06HIV SUBTYPE PREDICTS LIKELIHOOD OF RAPID DEATH FROM AIDS
Johns Hopkins scientists say an infected person’s HIV subtype is a better predictor than viral load for determining rapid death from AIDS.  Traditional testing standards help monitor the progression of an HIV infection to AIDS by keeping track of viral load, using a scale in which less than 50 viral particles per cubic milliliter of blood is considered suppressed disease and a viral load of more than 75,000 particles per cubic milliliter of blood means that the disease will progress more rapidly.
2/2/06

DISCOVERY OF MUTATION IN BRAIN CELLS OF DESCENDANTS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN SUGGEST THE PRESIDENT SUFFERED FROM MOVEMENT DISORDER
Researchers at Johns Hopkins and the University of Minnesota have discovered a gene mutation in the descendants of Abraham Lincoln’s grandparents that suggests the Civil War president himself might have also suffered from a disease that destroys nerve cells in the cerebellum-- the part of the brain that controls movement. A report on this discovery will appear in the February print issue of Nature Genetics.

1/31/06

SCIENTIFIC ABSTRACT WINS FIRST PLACE FROM SOCIETY FOR CARDIOVASCULAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE FOR HOPKINS RESEARCHERS
The Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (SCMR) has awarded first place in its Best Basic Abstract competition to Johns Hopkins researcher Matthias Stuber, Ph.D.

1/24/06

Treatment of Down Syndrome in Mice Restores Nerve Growth in Cerebellum
Researchers at Johns Hopkins restored the normal growth of specific nerve cells in the cerebellum of mouse models of Down syndrome (DS) that were stunted by this genetic condition. The cerebellum is the rear, lower part of the brain that controls signals from the muscles to coordinate balance and motor learning. 

1/19/06

LOW-LEVEL HEAT WRAP THERAPY SAFELY REDUCES LOW BACK PAIN AND IMPROVES MOBILITY IN THE WORKPLACE
The use of continuous low-level heat wrap therapy (CLHT) significantly reduces acute low back pain and related disability and improves occupational performance of employees in physically demanding jobs suffering from acute low back pain, according to a Johns Hopkins study published in the December 2005 issue of The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

1/18/06

STUDY SETS NEW GOLD STANDARD FOR INITIAL ANTIRETROVIRAL TREATMENT OF HIV INFECTION
-- Once-daily antiretroviral combination more effective and better tolerated than traditional drug “cocktail”

An international team of AIDS researchers at Johns Hopkins and other institutions has found that a once-daily combination of three antiretroviral drugs works better as an initial treatment for HIV infection than another three-drug combination long considered the gold standard. 

1/13/06

HOPKINS’ MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. COMMEMORATION FEATURED JAMES EARL JONES
In what has become a much-anticipated annual tradition, Johns Hopkins Medicine honored the memory of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. with tributes, music and community service awards during this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration. The celebration took place this afternoon in Turner Auditorium. Headlining the annual tribute was keynote speaker James Earl Jones, one of America’s most celebrated actors and a leading advocate for arts and literacy programs.

1/13/06

Five Kimmel Cancer Researchers Called Best in Their Field
Kimmel Cancer Center Called Research Powerhouse
Scientific journals are researchers’ way of disseminating key findings throughout the medical community. Rather than starting from scratch, investigators build upon published discoveries of others. In cancer research, the "others" are most often five Kimmel Cancer Center investigators, according to the January/February issue of Science Watch, a newsletter published by Thomson Scientific. With more than 90,000 references between them, the investigators were named in the newsletter as the most frequently cited in cancer research from 1999-2005. "The Kimmel Cancer Center solidifies its stance as a research powerhouse in the field of oncology with its researchers accounting for the top five spots in this category," reports Science Watch

1/10/06

HOPKINS ALLIANCE PROVIDES FIRST TWO GRANTS FOR TECH DEVELOPMENT
An innovative method for diagnosing bacterial infections and a new MRI-compatible air motor are the first projects to receive grant funding from the Johns Hopkins Medicine Alliance for Science and Technology Development Industry Committee.

1/9/06

PATIENT SAFETY MONITORING AT HOPKINS HOSPITAL FINDS LAW OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES AT WORK WITH NEWLY INTRODUCED CATHETER DEVICE
Rigorous attention to patient safety and monitoring for unexpected spikes in bloodstream infection rates at The Johns Hopkins Hospital led a team of Hopkins specialists to uncover an unintended, surprising safety problem with a new device that was supposed to make patients safer and easier to treat.

1/9/06

NEW DRUG LETS THYROID CANCER PATIENTS AVOID NASTY SIDE EFFECTS DURING TREATMENT, JOHNS HOPKINS STUDY SHOWS
A multicenter international study, including Johns Hopkins, has found that after surgery for thyroid cancer, giving genetically engineered human thyroid-stimulating hormone (rhTSH) before radioiodine treatment avoids the previous need to stop thyroid replacement therapy and the miserable side effects that go with it.

1/6/06

RESEARCHERS UNCOVER NEW TOXIC MECHANISM IN ALS
Exactly how ALS - Lou Gehrig’s disease - damages motor neurons is one of medical science’s lingering mysteries. At least six mishaps within cells appear to contribute to the death of the nerves that enable muscle movement, but nothing stands out as the key problem.

1/6/06

U.S. LABOR SECRETARY ELAINE CHAO TO SPEAK AT JOHNS HOPKINS HOSPITAL
U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao will hold a press briefing on Jan. 6 at The Johns Hopkins Hospital to provide a progress update and discuss the success of the hospital’s Project REACH program. Secretary Chao will also highlight the program’s importance and positive impact on the health care industry and how this initiative feeds into the larger economy and workforce development.

1/5/06

HOPKINS RESEARCHER LINKS GENE MUTATION WITH POOR OUTCOMES IN PEOPLE WITH MOST COMMON THYROID CANCER
 -- Discovery provides molecular marker to assess risk for patients with papillary thyroid cancer
Scientists at Johns Hopkins have found that a mutation in the gene that triggers production of a tumor growth protein is linked to poorer outcomes for patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). A report on the study is published in the December issue of The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

1/4/06

ABDOMINAL CHEMO BOOSTS SURVIVAL IN OVARIAN CANCER PATIENTS
Study Led by Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center Suggests New Treatment Standard for Advanced Disease
A 50-year-old method for delivering chemotherapy directly into the abdomen is making a comeback as investigators have found that it increases survival - by more than a year - in some women with advanced ovarian cancer. Results from a seven-year study of more than 400 patients nationwide are published in the January 5 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

1/4/06

HOPKINS-ISRAELI HEART SPECIALISTS AVAILABLE FOR COMMENT ON ARIEL SHARON’S HEART CATHETERIZATION
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is scheduled to have a minimally invasive heart procedure performed at 1:30 a.m. ET, Thursday, Jan. 5, to close a small hole inside his heart’s upper chambers. The hole allows small amounts of blood to bypass the lungs and flow un-oxygenated to the rest of the body, and is believed to have contributed to formation of a blood clot and Sharon’s mild stroke on Dec. 18.