This is the twice-per-month electronic newsletter for basic, preclinical and translational research news related to the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Please forward freely. Direct comments or questions to Joanna Downer, PhD, in the Office of Corporate Communications (4-5105, jdowner1@jhmi.edu).
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
IN THIS ISSUE:
+ Celiac Disease is a Risk Factor for Schizophrenia
NEWS BRIEFS:
Coffey to Give St. Patrick's Day Lecture
BRB Faculty Room Dedication Set for Mar 19
Berkeley Prof. Deacon to Give Mar 25 Humane Science Lecture
Young Investigators' Day Celebration Apr 8
Clinician Scientist Award Program Deadline Apr 1
Grant Writing Workshop Apr 22, 23
AWARDS AND HONORS:
Avalos Wins Weintraub Award
Powe Honored by American College of Physicians Chapter
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Do you have an interesting research finding about one month from publication or presentation? Send manuscripts to Joanna Downer at jdowner1@jhmi.edu or fax to 410-614-8951. Information about awards and honors received by laboratory personnel and others is welcomed also.
For more info on a story, click the accompanying hyperlink.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS:
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
2/9/04
Celiac Disease is a Risk Factor for Schizophrenia
Even after adjusting for other factors, people with a history of celiac disease are three times more likely to develop schizophrenia than others, according to a report by Danish researchers and a researcher at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The report is published in the Feb. 21 edition of the British Medical Journal.
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that impairs the body's ability to digest the protein gluten, which is found in grains and many other foods. The condition can lead to diarrhea, weight loss, and malnutrition.
William Eaton, PhD, lead author of the report and interim chair of the department of mental health at the School of Public Health, and his colleagues examined the records of 7,997 schizophrenic patients admitted to a Danish psychiatric facility for the first time between 1981 and 1998.
By comparing this information to Denmark's national patient register, the researchers found a small number of schizophrenic patients who previously had been treated for celiac disease or who had a parent treated for celiac disease. The prevalence of celiac disease among schizophrenics was 1.5 cases per 1,000 compared to 0.5 cases per 1,000 in the larger control group. Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis were not associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia.
http://www.jhsph.edu/Press_Room/Press_Releases/celiac_schizophrenia.html
BMJ Feb 21 2004;328:438-439.
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/328/7437/438
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Coffey to Give St. Patrick's Day Lecture -- On March 17, Donald Coffey, PhD, professor of urology, oncology, pathology and pharmacology and molecular sciences in the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, will give the biennial St. Patrick's Day Lecture. He will speak about "Science, Creativity and Human Destiny" from 4 until 5:30 pm in Turner Auditorium.
BRB Faculty Room Dedication Set for Mar 19 -- The dedication of the Carol Johns/Dan Nathans Faculty Common Room on the second floor of the new research building on Broadway will be held March 19 at 4 pm with a reception immediately following. All faculty in the School of Medicine are invited.
Berkeley Prof. Deacon to Give Mar 25 Humane Science Lecture -- Terrence Deacon, PhD, professor of biological anthropology and linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley, will give the next talk in the Enhancing Humane Science Lecture Series on Thursday, March 25, from 4 to 5 pm in the Bloomberg School of Public Health building, Anna Baetjer Room (W1030). His talk, "The Evolution, Devolution and Development of Brains," will be followed by a reception. The lecture series is sponsored by Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing and the Associate Provost for Animal Research and Resources. For more information contact mprincip@jhsph.edu .
Young Investigators' Day Celebration Apr 8 -- The 27th annual Young Investigators' Day celebration, including a poster session and talks by awardees, is scheduled for 4 pm, April 8, in Mountcastle Auditorium, Pre-Clinical Teaching Building. A reception will follow in the Greenhouse Cafe. For a listing of this year's award recipients, visit:
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/Press_releases/2004/YoungInvestigators.html
http://www.insidehopkinsmedicine.org/young_investigators_day/2004_winners.cfm
Clinician Scientist Award Program Deadline Apr 1 -- The next deadline for School of Medicine Clinician Scientist Award applications is Thursday, April 1 at 5 pm. Visit the School of Medicine Research website for guidelines and application forms. Contact Michelle Linehan in the Office of Research Administration at 410-955-8937 with questions.
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/research/handbook/csaawards.html
Grant Writing Workshop Apr 22, 23 -- The JHMI Professional Development Office is offering a two-part workshop to help first-time applicants with writing an NIH or other peer-reviewed research proposal. The first part of the workshop is required for participants and takes place over two days, April 22 and 23. Then, on May 4 or 6 (for faculty) or May 7 (for postdocs), small group sessions will provide opportunities for participants to discuss and receive feedback on their own Abstract and Specific Aims sections. Registration forms are available at the PDO office (2-107, 1830 Building) or by email from JHMIPDO@jhmi.edu .
http://www.insidehopkinsmedicine.org/news/news_detail.cfm?id=1783
Avalos Wins Weintraub Award -- Jose Avalos, a PhD candidate in the Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology graduate program, has received one of this year's Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Awards, which recognize outstanding achievement during graduate studies in the biological sciences. Working in the laboratory of Cynthia Wolberger, PhD, professor of biophysics and an associate investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Avalos conducted research to determine the structure of Sir2 bound to substrates, including a p53 peptide. The work aided proposal of a novel, detailed, structure-based mechanism for Sir2 enzymes' function and regulation.
http://www.fhcrc.org/basic/weintraub.html
http://biophysics.med.jhmi.edu/wolberger/
Powe Honored by American College of Physicians Chapter -- Neil Powe, MD, MPH, MBA, professor of medicine, epidemiology and health policy and management at the School of Medicine and the School of Public Health, received the Mary Betty Stevens Award for Excellence in Clinical Research from the American College of Physicians Maryland Chapter at an event Feb. 20. Powe is also director of the Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Visit the "Research WebNotes" newsletter online:
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/webnotes/
For more news from Hopkins, see:
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/Press_releases/index.html
Upcoming lectures and seminars:
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/faculty_staff/scicalendar.html
Have you or your colleagues been quoted? Check out
http://www.insidehopkinsmedicine.org and click on "News Clips"
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
--JHMI--
