HOPKINS GROWS A BIG HEART:
In this month of Valentines, hearts are not just symbolic to us. Our Heart Institute scientists are producing results that should transform the treatment of heart disease. Their latest research shows that stem cells may one day replace electronic pacemakers. They’ve also unraveled the mysteries of "broken heart" syndrome. The promise of their work, and the need for a new Cardiovascular and Critical Care Tower to translate their research to patient care, has attracted several large donations from local individuals. Our dream of a revamped medical campus also came closer to reality this month when the Maryland Health Care Commission approved our request for a Certificate of Need for the proposed tower and a Children’s and Maternal Hospital. Total cost of this massive undertaking is close to $600 million. Funding will come from the State, private donors, long-term debt and retained earnings. Articles below give you details.We’re enormously proud that, for the second time in a year, President Bush has honored a Hopkins Medicine investigator. Neuroscientist Sol Snyder will receive the National Medal of Science at the White House, just months after ophthalmologist Arnall Patz was there to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Hopkins continues its leadership in patient safety. Read about a rapid recall system now helping hospitals nationwide. Research highlights include articles on incisionless abdominal surgery and the use of antibiotics to thwart neurological diseases. There’s a commentary on the still-vital legacy of William Osler and a discussion with Hopkins’ new critical care director.
We welcome your suggestions and hope you enjoy reading these reports.
-- Edward D. Miller, M.D., Dean of the Medical Faculty, CEO, Johns Hopkins Medicine
-- Ronald R. Peterson, President, Johns Hopkins Health System, The Johns Hopkins Hospital
ANTIBIOTICS PROVE BENEFICIAL AGAINST NEUROLOGICAL DISEASES
A family of antibiotics, including penicillin, may help prevent nerve damage and death in a wide variety of neurological diseases, including Lou Gehrig's disease, dementia, stroke, and epilepsy, researchers report.
STEM CELLS ACT AS BIOLOGICAL PACEMAKER
Hopkins scientists find the first evidence that genetically engineered heart cells derived from human embryonic stem cells could offer a biological alternative to electronic pacemakers.
INCISIONLESS SURGERY MOVES A STEP CLOSER
Using a pig model, a Hopkins team avoids huge abdominal-wall incisions by easing an endoscopy tube through the mouth to perform stomach surgery.
FIXING ‘BROKEN HEARTS’
Investigators find sudden or shocking emotional stress - "broken heart syndrome" - can lead to heart muscle weakness that mimics a heart attack. The good news: the condition is reversible.
COMMENTARY
OSLER’S LESSONS STILL APPLY
The legacy of renowned Hopkins physician William Osler, who defined the standards for 20th-century physicians, echoes more today than it did a century ago, writes Myron Weisfeldt, chairman of the Department of Medicine.
CHALLENGES IN CRITICAL CARE
John Ulatowski, director of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, talks about the country’s shortage of anesthesiologists and other issues he confronts in his new job.
