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2010 Press Releases

7/12/10DOUBLE-TEAMING A WHOLE-GENOME HUNT
--Scientists combine new and classic approaches to discover rare disease gene
By inspecting the sequence of all 3 billion “letters” that make up the genome of a single person affected with a rare, inherited disorder, a Johns Hopkins and Duke University team ferreted out the single genetic mutation that accounts for the disease.
7/12/10HOPKINS FACULTY LEAD DEVELOPMENT OF REPORT TO F.D.A. ON ETHICAL, SCIENTIFIC ISSUES RELATED TO ‘POST-MARKET’ CLINICAL TRIALS
-Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics plays prominent role
Amid growing concerns about clinical trials for drugs that have been approved by the F.D.A. but are later linked to serious health risks, an independent committee at the Institute of Medicine led by two professors from Johns Hopkins University has developed a conceptual framework to guide the agency through the tough decision of ordering such controversial “post-market” drug-safety trials.
7/12/10PEDIATRIC CLINICAL STUDIES APPEAR PRONE TO BIAS, HOPKINS REVIEW SHOWS
-Better design, reporting urged to ensure accurate results
A Johns Hopkins review of nearly 150 randomized controlled trials on children — all published in well-regarded medical journals — reveals that 40 to 60 percent of the studies either failed to take steps to minimize risk for bias or to at least properly describe those measures.
7/8/10HOPKINS TEAM DISCOVERS SWEET WAY TO DETECT PREDIABETES
Having discovered a dramatic increase of an easy-to-detect enzyme in the red blood cells of people with diabetes and prediabetes, Johns Hopkins scientists say the discovery could lead to a simple, routine test for detecting the subtle onset of the disease, before symptoms or complications occur and in time to reverse its course.
7/7/10STUDY SUGGESTS LINK BETWEEN SCLERODERMA, CANCER IN CERTAIN PATIENTS
Patients with a certain type of scleroderma may get cancer and scleroderma simultaneously, Johns Hopkins researchers have found, suggesting that in some diseases, autoimmunity and cancer may be linked
7/6/10JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICINE ADDS FOUR TO BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Leaders in the financial, pharmaceutical and medical fields are among the four selected for one-year terms on the board of trustees for Johns Hopkins Medicine. One of the new trustees, Christopher W. Kersey, M.D., M.B.A., has also been named to a three-year term on the board of trustees for The Johns Hopkins Hospital.
6/30/10HARD-TO-PLACE KIDNEYS: NEW ALLOCATION FORMULA DEVELOPED BY JOHNS HOPKINS COULD PREVENT WASTE AND TRANSPLANT DELAYS
Only a small fraction of transplant centers nationwide are willing to accept and transplant deceased-donor kidneys that they perceive as less than perfect, leading to lengthy, organ-damaging delays as officials use a one-by-one approach to find a willing taker. Now, Johns Hopkins researchers have designed a formula they say can predict which donor kidneys are most likely to be caught in that process, a method that could potentially stop thousands of usable kidneys each year from being discarded because it took too long for them to be transplanted. Previous studies have shown such kidneys can extend the life of certain dialysis patients, if allocated and transplanted in a timely manner.
6/28/10SUBTLE MUTATIONS IN IMMUNE GENE MAY INCREASE RISK FOR ASTHMA
--Finding could lead to new diagnostic tests or asthma treatments
A gene that encodes a protein responsible for determining whether certain immune cells live or die shows subtle differences in some people with asthma, a team led by Johns Hopkins researchers reports in the June European Journal of Human Genetics.
6/28/10

DEPRESSION, LACK OF SOCIAL SUPPORT TRIGGER SUICIDAL THOUGHTS IN STUDENTS
Depression and lack of social support appear to precipitate suicidal thoughts and behavior in some college students, according to research from Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, the University of Maryland and other institutions.

6/28/10JOHNS HOPKINS HOSPITAL RECOGNIZED AS TOP HOSPITAL BY BUSINESS MAGAZINE
Becker's Hospital Review magazine has selected The Johns Hopkins Hospital as one of the “30 Best Hospitals in America.”  The award is based on reputation among M.D.-specialists, hospital mortality-index data, patient safety scores and a group of other care-related factors, such as nurse staffing and available technology.
6/24/10NOVEL RADIOTRACER SHINES NEW LIGHT ON THE BRAINS OF ALZHEIMER?S DISEASE PATIENTS
--New tool could aid in diagnosing Alzheimer's, tracking disease progression and developing therapeutics
A trial of a novel radioactive compound readily and safely distinguished the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients from healthy volunteers on brain scans and opens the doors to making such imaging available beyond facilities that can manufacture their own radioactive compounds. The results, reported by a Johns Hopkins team in the June Journal of Nuclear Medicine, could lead to better ways to distinguish Alzheimer's from other types of dementia, track disease progression and develop new therapeutics to fight the memory-ravaging disease.
6/22/10GENETIC SEPTET IN CONTROL OF BLOOD PLATELET CLOTTING
- Findings offer new targets in developing diagnostic tests and treatments for arterial disease
In what is believed to be the largest review of the human genetic code to determine why some people’s blood platelets are more likely to clump faster than others, scientists at Johns Hopkins and in Boston have found a septet of overactive genes, which they say likely control that bodily function.
6/21/10JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICINE DEAN/CEO DISCUSSES HEALTH CARE REFORM AT THE NATIONAL PRESS 
Edward Miller, Dean and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine, shared his concerns regarding a critical aspect of the new health care law: a massive increase of 32 million newly insured individuals, including 16 million new Medicaid beneficiaries.  Here is his speech:
6/21/10BERMAN INSTITUTE SCHOLAR CALLS FOR A NEW LEGAL, ETHICAL FRAMEWORK FOR RESEARCH WITH HUMAN TISSUE SPECIMENS
A lawyer and researcher at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics says a new legal and ethical framework needs to be placed around the donation and banking of human biological material, one that would more clearly define the terms of the material’s use — and address donor expectations before research begins.
6/17/10

FLY CELLS FLOCK TOGETHER, FOLLOW THE LIGHT
Scientists at Johns Hopkins report using a laser beam to activate a protein that makes a cluster of fruit fly cells act like a school of fish turning in social unison, following the lead of the one stimulated with light.

6/16/10DISASTER DRILL TO TEST AND TRAIN EMERGENCY RESPONSE
More than 150 volunteers and hospital employees will take part in a mock disaster drill on Wednesday, June 16, at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. The drill will test whether Emergency Department doctors, nurses and other staff are ready for a real calamity in Baltimore.
6/14/10BRAIN MRI IN CHILDREN: ‘INCIDENTAL’ FINDINGS YIELD DISCLOSURE DILEMMAS FOR DOCTORS, PATIENTSFLY CELLS FLOCK TOGETHER, FOLLOW THE LIGHT
Pediatricians whose patients undergo “routine” brain MRIs need a plan to deal with findings that commonly reveal unexpected-but-benign anomalies that are unlikely to cause any problem, reports a research team led by Johns Hopkins Children’s Center investigators.
6/10/10JOHNS HOPKINS AWARDED $20 MILLION FOR PANCREAS CANCER RESEARCH AND PATIENT CARE
Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center has been awarded the largest gift for pancreas cancer research in its history. The award was made possible by Albert P. “Skip” Viragh, Jr., a mutual fund leader, and a pancreas cancer patient treated at Johns Hopkins. He died of the disease at age 62.
6/10/10BOTOX EASES NERVE PAIN IN CERTAIN PATIENTS
--Johns Hopkins researchers find toxin gives temporary relief, may be alternative to rib-removal surgery
Made popular for its ability to smooth wrinkles when injected into the face, Botox — a toxin known to weaken or paralyze certain nerves and muscles — may have another use that goes beyond the cosmetic. 
6/9/10JOHNS HOPKINS NEUROSURGEON WILL BE ONE OF ‘NIFTY FIFTY’ TO SPEAK AT D.C.-AREA SCHOOLS
--Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa will tell students his inspiring story of moving from migrant farm worker to top brain surgeon
In an effort to ignite a passion for science and engineering in middle and high school students, Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa has been chosen by the USA Science & Engineering Festival as part of a group of 50 scientists who will speak at Washington, D.C.-area schools this fall.
6/9/10IMPROVING RECOVERY FROM SPINAL CORD INJURY
--Treated Rats Regain Limb Control
Once damaged, nerves in the spinal cord normally cannot grow back and the only drug approved for treating these injuries does not enable nerve regrowth. Publishing online this week in the Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine show that treating injured rat spinal cords with an enzyme, sialidase, improves nerve regrowth, motor recovery and nervous system function.
6/8/10

INCOME, RACE COMBINE TO MAKE PERFECT STORM FOR KIDNEY DISEASE
--Study shows that low-income African-Americans have higher rates of chronic kidney disease than other African-Americans or whites
African Americans with incomes below the poverty line have a significantly higher risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) than higher-income African-Americans or whites of any socioeconomic status, research led by scientists at Johns Hopkins and the National Institute on Aging shows.

6/8/10

SHORTCUT THROUGH EYELID GIVES SURGEONS LESS-INVASIVE APPROACH TO FIX BRAIN FLUID LEAKS AND REMOVE TUMORS NEAR FRONT OF SKULL
Surgeons at Johns Hopkins have safely and effectively operated inside the brains of a dozen patients by making a small entry incision through the natural creases of an eyelid to reach the skull and deep brain.

6/7/10NEW BRAIN RESEARCH INSTITUTE CHOOSES HOME IN JOHNS HOPKINS BIOSCIENCE PARK
--Leiber Institute will collaborate with Johns Hopkins on schizophrenia research
The Lieber Institute for Brain Development, a neuroscience research institute dedicated to developing novel treatments, diagnostic tests, and insights into disorders  arising from abnormalities in brain development, has announced that it will establish a permanent research facility at the Science + Technology Park at Johns Hopkins, next to the Johns Hopkins East Baltimore medical campus. 
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/Press_releases/2010/06_07_10.html
6/4/10THE JOHNS HOPKINS HOSPITAL NAMED A BEST PLACE TO WORK
Becker’s Hospital Review and Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) magazines have named The Johns Hopkins Hospital as one of the 100 best places to work in health care in the United States for 2010.
6/3/10GENETIC ‘PARTS’ LIST NOW AVAILABLE FOR KEY PART OF THE MAMMALIAN BRAIN
A Johns Hopkins and Japanese research team has generated the first comprehensive genetic “parts” list of a mouse hypothalamus, an enigmatic region of the brain — roughly cherry-sized, in humans — that controls hunger, thirst, fatigue, body temperature, wake-sleep cycles and links the central nervous system to control of hormone levels.
6/3/10
BERMAN INSTITUTE FACULTY TO LEAD FDA-SPONSORED EXAMINATION OF ETHICAL, SCIENTIFIC ISSUES IN DRUG-SAFETY STUDIES
The director and a core faculty member of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics have been appointed co-chairs of an Institute of Medicine committee that will evaluate the scientific and ethical issues involved in studies of drug safety after FDA approval.
5/31/10HEALTH CARE SYSTEM FLAWS AND LACK OF PRIVATE INSURANCE CONTRIBUTE TO HIGHER DEATHS AMONG BLACK HEART TRANSPLANT PATIENTS
- Race matching among donors and recipients has no effect on survival rates, study shows
Transplant surgeons at Johns Hopkins who have reviewed the medical records of more than 20,000 heart transplant patients say that it is not simply racial differences, but rather flaws in the health care system, along with type of insurance and education levels, in addition to biological factors, that are likely the causes of disproportionately worse outcomes after heart transplantation in African Americans.
5/28/10COLD SORE VIRUS MAY CONTRIBUTE TO COGNITIVE AND BRAIN ABNORMALITIES IN SCHIZOPHRENIA
Exposure to the common virus that causes cold sores may be partially responsible for shrinking regions of the brain and the loss of concentration skills, memory, coordinated movement and dexterity widely seen in patients with schizophrenia, according to research led by Johns Hopkins scientists. 
5/27/10SIBLEY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL TO JOIN JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICINE
In a move to address growing interest in more efficient, integrated regional health care services for patients, officials of Sibley Memorial Hospital and The Johns Hopkins Health System Corporation have announced their intention to enter into discussions regarding the integration of Sibley Hospital into the Johns Hopkins Health System (JHHS).
5/27/10

HOPKINS MEDICINE DEAN/CEO ED MILLER TO SPEAK AT THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB, JUNE 21 IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
Edward Miller, Johns Hopkins Medicine dean and CEO, will share his concerns regarding a critical aspect of the new health care law: A massive increase of 32 million newly insured individuals, which includes 16 million new Medicaid beneficiaries, and its ramifications on an ever-strained health care workforce.

5/24/10

HEALTH POLICY ADVISOR TO ADDRESS JOHNS HOPKINS SCHOOL OF MEDICINE GRADUATION
Ezekiel J. Emanuel, M.D., Ph.D., a leading health policy advisor in the Obama administration, will address graduates at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine’s 115th convocation on Thursday, May 27, 2010 at 2:30 p.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore.

5/18/10JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICINE, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND MEDICAL CENTER PARTNER TO OFFER RADIATION THERAPY SERVICES IN HOWARD COUNTY
Johns Hopkins Medicine and the University of Maryland Medical Center have joined forces to expand regional access to their prominent radiation oncology programs, and to provide cancer patients with state-of-the-art, comprehensive outpatient radiation therapy services at a conveniently located community practice in Howard County.
5/17/10JOHNS HOPKINS PROVOST HONORED WITH INTERNATIONAL AWARD
Lloyd Minor, M.D., an expert in balance and inner-ear disorders, and Johns Hopkins University’s provost and senior vice president of academic affairs, has been awarded the Prosper Ménière Society’s 2010 gold medal. The award is for Minor’s contributions to understanding the scientific basis of Ménière’s disease, named for the French scientist who pegged its hallmark symptoms of recurring dizziness and “constant ringing noise in the head,” or so-called tinnitus, to dysfunction in the inner ear.
5/17/10HIGH-FAT KETOGENIC DIET EFFECTIVELY TREATS PERSISTENT CHILDHOOD SEIZURES 
The high-fat ketogenic diet can dramatically reduce or completely eliminate debilitating seizures in most children with infantile spasms, whose seizures persist despite medication, according to a Johns Hopkins Children’s Center study published online April 30 in the journal Epilepsia.
5/13/10HOSPITAL PARTNERSHIP DONATES LIFESAVING WIRELESS EKG TECHNOLOGY TO BALTIMORE
A consortium of five Baltimore hospitals, led by the Johns Hopkins Department of Emergency Medicine, has acquired and donated to Baltimore city new wireless technology able to transmit electrocardiograms from the field over the Internet to hospital-based medical specialists.
5/13/10Press Conference on Traumatic Brain Injury in Professional Football
Johns Hopkins Medicine presents a continuing medical education program on an evidence-based perspective of traumatic brain injury in professional football for National Football League (NFL) physicians and trainers, NFL players, and Department of Defense clinicians and researchers.
5/12/10LEVEL OF FRAILTY PREDICTS SURGICAL OUTCOMES IN OLDER PATIENTS, JOHNS HOPKINS RESEARCHERS FIND
A simple, 10-minute “frailty” test administered to older patients before they undergo surgery can predict with great certainty their risk for complications, how long they will stay in the hospital and — most strikingly — whether they are likely to end up in a nursing home afterward, new research from Johns Hopkins suggests.
5/11/10BARBARA WALTERS HEART SURGERY—JOHNS HOPKINS EXPERTS AVAILABLE
Johns Hopkins cardiac surgeons — none who are involved in the care of ABC ‘s Barbara Walters — are prepared to give background to reporters or comment on diseased aortic valves and aortic valve replacement surgery, performed at a rate of more than one a week at Johns Hopkins for many years.
5/5/10

HOW DARK CHOCOLATE MAY GUARD AGAINST BRAIN INJURY FROM STROKE
--Johns Hopkins researchers discover pathway in mice for epicatechin’s apparent protective effect
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have discovered that a compound in dark chocolate may protect the brain after a stroke by increasing cellular signals already known to shield nerve cells from damage.

5/5/10SPOUSES WHO CARE FOR PARTNERS WITH DEMENTIA AT SIXFOLD HIGHER RISK OF SAME FATE
--Stress of caregiving may be to blame
Husbands or wives who care for spouses with dementia are six times more likely to develop the memory-impairing condition than those whose spouses don’t have it, according to results of a 12-year study led by Johns Hopkins, Utah State University, and Duke University. The increased risk that the researchers saw among caregivers was on par with the power of a gene variant known to increase susceptibility to Alzheimer’s disease, they report in the May Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
5/3/10A CENTURY-OLD PUZZLE COMES TOGETHER: SCIENTISTS ID POTENTIAL PROTEIN TRIGGER IN LUNG DISEASE SARCOIDOSIS
Lung researchers at Johns Hopkins have identified a possible protein trigger responsible for sarcoidosis, a potentially fatal inflammatory disease marked by tiny clumps of inflammatory cells that each year leave deep, grainy scars on the lungs, lymph nodes, skin and almost all major organs in hundreds of thousands of Americans.
5/3/10JOHNS HOPKINS RESEARCHERS ELECTED TO NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
Nancy L. Craig, Ph.D., a professor of molecular biology and genetics, and King-Wai Yau, Ph.D., a professor of neuroscience and ophthalmology, both in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, are among 72 scientists nationwide newly elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences, an honorary society that advises the government on scientific matters.
4/30/10JOHNS HOPKINS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER: THERE?S AN APP FOR THAT
IPhone, iPad and Motorola Droid users can now, with the touch of a button, instantly access the Johns Hopkins Technology Transfer office. The new, free app allows anyone to easily connect to the office, which operates as the licensing arm for technologies developed by Hopkins faculty and staff and links entrepreneurs and investors with cutting-edge advances in science.
4/30/10JOHNS HOPKINS PATHOLOGIST GROVER M. HUTCHINS, M.D., 77
Grover M. Hutchins, M.D., a world-renowned pathologist who practiced at Johns Hopkins Medicine for more than 50 years, died Wednesday while traveling in Africa, from head injuries sustained from a fall. Hutchins, 77, and his wife, Loretta, both of Baltimore, were on a cruise around the world.?
4/29/10JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICINE RESEARCHER RECEIVES $3.75 MILLION STIMULUS GRANT TO DEVELOP HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY WORKFORCE TRAINING PROGRAM
Harold Lehmann, M.D., Ph.D, F.A.C.M.I., F.A.A.P., associate professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and director of training and research for the Johns Hopkins Division of Health Sciences Informatics, has been awarded a $3.75 million grant to develop post-baccalaureate and masters-level health IT workforce-training programs at the Johns Hopkins Schools of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing.?
4/27/10JOHNS HOPKINS SCHOOL OF MEDICINE ENTERS COLLABORATION WITH NEW YORK STEM CELL FOUNDATION
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) are establishing a collaborative program to advance the development and use of stem cells in therapies for a wide range of diseases, the organizations announced today. The program will train researchers to use stem cells and foster joint research projects.
4/23/10PROJECT FRUIT FLY: WHAT ACCOUNTS FOR INSECT TASTE?
A Johns Hopkins team has identified a protein in sensory cells on the ?tongues? of fruit flies.
4/22/10JOHNS HOPKINS BRAIN SURGERY VIDEO NOMINATED FOR PRESTIGIOUS WEBBY AWARD
A deeply moving video that follows pediatric patient Steven McDonough.
4/22/10GUIDE TO NEWS FROM JOHNS HOPKINS KIMMEL CANCER CENTER SCIENTISTS AT CANCER RESEARCH MEETING
4/22/10RISK OF STROKE ASSOCIATED WITH BYPASS SURGERY TECHNIQUE DESIGNED TO PREVENT ORGAN DAMAGE
The standard practice of cooling and then rewarming a patient to prevent organ damage.
4/21/10HOW RED WINE MAY SHIELD BRAIN FROM STROKE DAMAGE
Johns Hopkins researchers discover pathway in mice for resveratrol?s apparent protective effect.
4/21/10DEATH RATES NOT BEST JUDGE OF HOSPITAL QUALITY, RESEARCHERS SAY
Inpatient mortality rates, used by organizations to issue ?report cards? on the quality of individual U.S. hospitals, are a poor gauge of how well hospitals actually perform.
4/16/10TWO HOPKINS SCIENTISTS AWARDED EUROPEAN HONORARY DOCTORATES
Two genetics researchers from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have been awarded prestigious honorary Doctor of Medicine degrees by European scientific institutions.
4/16/10

PSYCHIATRY SYMPOSIUM TO ADDRESS COLLABORATIONS IN MOOD DISORDER RESEARCH, TREATMENTS
---?Advancement Through Collaboration? is theme of daylong event
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine will hold its 24th Annual Mood Disorders Research and Education Symposium on April 20, focusing on joint efforts between researchers and clinicians to study and treat depression and bipolar disease.

4/16/10

?SPEED DATING? WITH A TWIST: MATCHING ENTREPRENEURS AND SCIENTISTS
Second annual Mismatch speed-dating event for entrepreneurs. More than a dozen entrepreneurs and an equal number of Johns Hopkins scientists will meet ? in rapid succession ? to find good matches of mutual interest in the realm of technology transfer.

4/15/10JOHNS HOPKINS SCHOOL OF MEDICINE REMAINS TOP-TIER AMONG NATION'S BEST MEDICAL SCHOOLS
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has retained a top-tier ranking among the nation?s best medical schools, as reported in the U.S. News& World Report?s 2011 edition of America?s Best Graduate Schools.
4/15/10MILLIONS WITH ?SILENT? HYPERTENSION MAY HAVE KIDNEY DISEASE, TOO
As many as 8 million adults in the United States who have undiagnosed or early-stage hypertension may also have kidney disease, putting them at higher-risk of what may be preventable kidney failure, new research led by Johns Hopkins suggests.
4/14/10HOPKINS RESEARCHERS PUT PROTEINS RIGHT WHERE THEY WANT THEM
--Location, Location, Location Determines a Protein?s Role
Using a method they developed to watch moment to moment as they move a molecule to precise sites inside live human cells, Johns Hopkins scientists are closer to understanding why and how a protein at one location may signal division and growth, and the same protein at another location, death.
4/13/10WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCES RISK OF HYPERTENSIVE DISORDERS IN PREGNANCY
Obese women who have bariatric surgery before getting pregnant are at significantly lower risk for developing dangerous hypertensive disorders during pregnancy than those who don?t, according to a study of medical insurance records by Johns Hopkins experts.
4/13/10STI, HIV COUNSELING INADEQUATE IN MALE TEENS
Despite national guidelines aimed at improving sexual health services for teenagers, most sexually active boys ? even those who report high-risk sexual behaviors ? still get too little counseling about HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) during their visits to the doctor, according to a study led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Children?s Center.
4/13/10?LOVE HANDLES? REPURPOSED FOR BREAST RECONSTRUCTION IN WOMEN WITHOUT ENOUGH BELLY FAT
new technique using tissue from those below-the-waist ?love handles? improves cosmetic breast reconstruction in slim, athletic cancer patients without adequate fat sources elsewhere, a small Johns Hopkins study has found. The method also turns out to be less complicated than other options for surgeons as well, the research shows.
4/12/10EARLY SURGERY BETTER IN PREEMIES WITH BLINDING EYE DISEASE
Premature babies born with severe forms of the potentially blinding eye condition retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) should be treated promptly after diagnosis because they continue to benefit from early therapy well into their preschool years, according to a nationwide study conducted at Johns Hopkins Children?s Center and 25 other pediatric hospitals.
4/12/10HOPKINS CHILDREN?S PHYSICIAN TO LEAD NEW INFORMATICS BRANCH AT AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has chosen Johns Hopkins Children?s Center neonatologist Christoph Lehmann, M.D., to lead its new medical informatics branch.
4/12/10JOHNS HOPKINS CARDIOLOGIST AND TRUSTEE NICHOLAS J. FORTUIN, M.D., 69
Nicholas J. Fortuin, M.D., one of Johns Hopkins Medicine?s most dedicated and admired clinical cardiologists, teachers and institutional leaders, died unexpectedly near Owings Mills Sunday while biking, his favorite sport and pastime. The cause of death was not known, but it is likely he suffered a heart attack, colleagues say.
4/12/10THE JOHNS HOPKINS HOSPITAL LAUNCHES MEATLESS MONDAY
--Wellness Corner in Main Cafeteria to Highlight More Vegetarian Meals
The Johns Hopkins Hospital will launch a campaign on Monday, April 12 to encourage healthier eating among patients, visitors and staff ? Meatless Monday.
4/9/10

MORE BENEFITS FOUND FROM MILD EXERCISE IN CRITICALLY ILL PATIENTS
- Sedation cut back so patients can exercise, which speeds recovery
A new report from critical care experts at Johns Hopkins shows that use of prescription sedatives goes down by half so that mild exercise programs can be introduced to the care of critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Curtailing use of the drowsiness-inducing medications not only allows patients to exercise, which is known to reduce muscle weakness linked to long periods of bed rest, but also reduces bouts of delirium and hallucinations and speeds up ICU recovery times by as much as two to three days, the paper concludes.

4/6/10GREGG SEMENZA NAMED CANADA GAIRDNER INTERNATIONAL AWARDEE
--For identifying how cells in the body monitor and respond to changes in oxygen levels
Gregg Semenza, M.D., Ph.D., director of the vascular program at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Cell Engineering and a member of the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, is one of seven recipients of the 2010 Canada Gairdner Awards. Canada?s only international science prizes, they are among the world?s most prestigious medical research awards.
3/31/10DONOR KIDNEYS FROM HEPATITIS C PATIENTS NEEDLESSLY DENIED TO PATIENTS WITH THAT INFECTION
--Johns Hopkins study shows hepatitis C-positive organs pointlessly discarded
More than half of donor kidneys in the United State infected with hepatitis C are thrown away, despite the need among hepatitis C patients who may die waiting for an infection-free organ, Johns Hopkins research suggests.
3/30/10UNDERSTANDING NIGHT BLINDNESS AND CALCIUM
--Johns Hopkins Researchers Uncover Molecular Clues
Congenital stationary night blindness, an inherited condition that affects one?s ability to see in the dark, is caused by a mutation in a calcium channel protein that shuttles calcium into and out of cells. Now, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have teased apart the molecular mechanism behind this mutation, uncovering a more general principle of how cells control calcium levels. The discovery, published in the Feb. 18 issue of Nature, could have implications for several other conditions, including neurodegenerative diseases such as schizophrenia and Alzheimer?s, Parkinson?s and Huntington?s diseases.
3/30/10THE JOHNS HOPKINS HOSPITAL NAMED ONE OF WORLD?S MOST ETHICAL ORGANIZATIONS
The Ethisphere Institute, a New York-based think tank established to advance best practices in business ethics and corporate social responsibility, has named The Johns Hopkins Hospital to its 2010 list of the world?s most ethical companies and institutions.?
3/29/10EXPERTS SAY CHILDHOOD CANCER PATIENTS ENROLLED IN CLINICAL TRIALS NEED CLEARER COMMUNICATION ABOUT THEIR ROLE IN RESEARCH
---Pilot study shows child-patient research subjects too often in the dark about their participation
A small study of children with cancer enrolled in therapeutic clinical research trials shows that they don?t fully understand what physicians and parents tell them about their participation, nor do they feel they are genuinely involved in the choice to take part.
3/29/10DIABETES RAISES RISK OF DEATH IN CANCER SURGERY PATIENTS
---People with digestive tract cancers at particular risk
People with diabetes who undergo cancer surgery are more likely to die in the month following their operations than those who have cancer but not diabetes, an analysis by Johns Hopkins researchers suggests.
3/26/10COMMUNITY-ACQUIRED MRSA BECOMING MORE COMMON IN PEDIATRIC ICU PATIENTS
--Universal screening may curb spread of MRSA
Once considered a hospital anomaly, community-acquired infections with drug-resistant strains of the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus now turn up regularly among children hospitalized in the intensive-care unit, according to research from the Johns Hopkins Children?s Center.
3/26/10SPOILER ALERT: TV MEDICAL DRAMAS ?RIFE? WITH BIOETHICAL ISSUES AND BREACHES OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT
--New study sets the stage for debate over the use of popular programs to prompt classroom discussions among medical and nursing students
A medical student and faculty directors from the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics analyzed depictions of bioethical issues and professionalism over a full season of two popular medical dramas??Grey?s Anatomy? and ?House, M.D.??and found that the shows were ?rife? with ethical dilemmas and actions that often ran afoul of professional codes of conduct.
3/25/10BELOVED HOPKINS PEDIATRICIAN AND EDUCATOR HENRY SEIDEL, M.D. 87, DIES
Henry M. Seidel, M.D., professor emeritus of pediatrics and a former dean of students at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and a master educator who shepherded generations of Hopkins medical students through their training, died at his home in Columbia, Md., on March 24. He was 87 and died of complications from lymphoma.
3/25/10JOHNS HOPKINS DOCTOR SAYS SPORTS EVENTS AND CELL PHONES CAN HARM VOICE
--Give Your Vocal Cords a Break During World Voice Day on Friday, April 16
From the first tip-off during March Madness to the championship?s final buzzer, and with start of the 2010 Major League Baseball season, on Sunday, April 4, thousands of people will relentlessly scream and shout, placing tremendous strain on their voices. While no one is recommending complete silence, the constant pressure on the vocal cords can cause great damage.
3/25/10HOW DOES A HEART KNOW WHEN IT?S BIG ENOUGH?
A protein discovered in fruit fly eyes has brought a Johns Hopkins team closer to understanding how the human heart and other organs automatically ?right size? themselves, a piece of information that may hold clues to controlling cancer.
3/24/10JOHNS HOPKINS TEAM FINDS NEW WAY TO ATTACK TB
Suspecting that a particular protein in tuberculosis was likely to be vital to the bacteria?s survival, Johns Hopkins scientists screened 175,000 small chemical compounds and identified a potent class of compounds that selectively slows down this protein?s activity and, in a test tube, blocks TB growth, demonstrating that the protein is indeed a vulnerable target.
3/23/10JOHNS HOPKINS TO HOST ?A TRIBUTE TO 150+ WOMEN PROFESSORS? CELEBRATION
Florence Sabin, the famed pathologist, became the first woman given the title of full professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1917. The second female professor wasn?t named until more than 40 years later. And when Janice Clements, Ph.D., was promoted in 1990, she was only the 24th woman in the nearly 100-year history of the medical school to make full professor.
3/23/10JOHNS HOPKINS REACHES MILESTONE IN PIONEERING ?INCOMPATIBLE DONOR? KIDNEY TRANSPLANTS
?--100th kidney swap successfully performed December 15, 2009
Surgeons at The Johns Hopkins Hospital have successfully completed their 100th kidney swap ? a procedure popularized here to enlarge the pool of kidneys available for donation and provide organs to patients who might have died waiting for them.
3/22/10

A DANGEROUSLY TASTY TREAT:? THE HOT DOG IS A CHOKING HAZARD
Hot dogs, those ubiquitous and savory symbols of the American diet, have caught the attention of pediatricians at Johns Hopkins Children?s Center and elsewhere for a decidedly unappetizing reason ? they are a choking hazard for young children.

3/19/10

JOHNS HOPKINS FACULTY STAR IN NIH VIDEOS AVOUT GENOMIC-RELATED CAREERS
Dr. Ruth FadenVideo interviews featuring faculty and staff from Johns Hopkins University debuted on the National Human Genome Research Institute's website on March 18. The independently produced videos are meant to inspire high school and college students to consider careers in genomics or genetics.

3/18/10CAUSES FOUND FOR STIFF SKIN CONDITIONS
By studying the genetics of a rare inherited disorder called stiff skin syndrome, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have learned more about scleroderma, a condition affecting about one in 5,000 people that leads to hardening of the skin as well as other debilitating and often life-threatening problems. The findings, which appear this week in Science Translational Medicine, open doors to testing new treatments.
3/18/10

ACNE DRUG PREVENTS HIV BREAKOUT?
Johns Hopkins scientists have found that a safe and inexpensive antibiotic in use since the 1970s for treating acne effectively targets infected immune cells in which HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, lies dormant and prevents them from reactivating and replicating.?

3/18/10SPORTS AND MEDICINE-FOCUSED STORY IDEAS
Listed below are story ideas from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine with a partial focus on the upcoming NCAA basketball tournaments. To pursue any of these, please contact John M. Lazarou,
410-502-8902 or [email protected]
3/18/10OH, THE DRAMA! MED SCHOOL CLASS OF 2010 TO LEARN WHERE THEY?VE ?MATCHED? FOR RESIDENCY
--Annual Match Day ceremony to place some in special programs to care for urban poor in Baltimore region
?Hugs, high fives, cheers and a few tears will abound when the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine?s seniors find out which hospital residency programs they will enter after graduation this spring. The fourth-year students will gather for this annual, invitation-only celebration on the medical campus, where they?ll open official letters in the presence of classmates, professors and loved ones.?
3/15/10MINORITY, UNDERPRIVELEGED PATIENTS NOT AS LIKELY TO BE REFERRED TO SPECIALTY HOSPITALS FOR BRAIN TUMORS
African-American, Hispanic, and economically disadvantaged patients with brain tumors are significantly less likely to be referred to high-volume hospitals that specialize in neurosurgery than other patients of similar age, the same gender, and with similar comorbidities, according to new research by Johns Hopkins doctors. The finding, published in the March Archives of Surgery, suggests a scenario in direct contrast to recommendations from federal health care agencies encouraging better access and quality of health care for people of all races.
3/15/10IN THE FIGHT AGAINST LIFE-THREATENING CATHETER INFECTIONS, LENGTH OF USE IS KEY
Hospitals may reduce the risk of life-threatening bloodstream infections in newborns with peripherally inserted central venous catheters by replacing the device every 30 days or so, according to a new Johns Hopkins Children?s Center study.
3/12/10ARNALL PATZ, M.D., JUNE 14, 1920- MARCH 10, 2010
Arnall Patz, director emeritus of the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins; a pivotal figure in the history of ophthalmology; and the recipient of both a Presidential Medal of Freedom and an Albert Lasker Award, often called the ?American Nobel,? for his groundbreaking research into the causes and prevention of blindness, died on March 10.
3/12/10BRAIN SCIENCE INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES LICENSE AGREEMENT TO DEVELOP NEW TREATMENTS FOR NEUROLOGICAL DISEASE
Johns Hopkins University?s newly formed Brain Science Institute?s NeuroTranslational Program has entered into a licensing agreement with pharmaceutical company Eisai Inc. to discover and develop small molecule glutamate carboxypeptidase II (GCPII) inhibitors.
3/11/10JOHNS HOPKINS DOCTOR AND DISASTER EXPERT SAYS RESOURCE PROBLEMS IN HAITI REQUIRED DIFFICULT ETHICAL DECISION-MAKING
In an essay published in this week?s issue of theJournal of the American Medical Association, a Johns Hopkins emergency physician outlines how he and other physicians who worked in Haiti after the earthquake had to make emotionally difficult ethical decisions daily in the face of a crushing wave of patients and inadequate medical resources.
3/10/10EXPERIMENTAL DRUG THAT MIMICS THRYOID HORMONE SAFELY LOWERS ?BAD?CHOLESTEROL IN STATIN-TREATED PATIENTS
--Small study shows eprotirome decreases LDL cholesterol as much as doubling statin dose
People whose ?bad? cholesterol and risk of future heart disease stay too high despite cholesterol-lowering statin therapy can safely lower it by adding a drug that mimics the action of thyroid hormone. In a report published in the Mar. 11, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, Johns Hopkins and Swedish researchers say an experimental drug called eprotirome lowered cholesterol up to 32 percent in those already on statins, an effect equal to that expected from doubling the statin drug doses, without harmful side effects.
3/9/10KIDNEY DONORS SUFFER FEW ILL-EFFECTS FROM LIFE-GIVING ACT, LANDMARK STUDY FINDS
- -Donors are likely to live as long as those with both kidneys
In a landmark study of more than 80,000 live kidney donors from across the United States, Johns Hopkins researchers have found the procedure carries very little medical risk and that, in the long term, people who donate one of their kidneys are likely to live just as long as those who have two healthy ones.
3/9/10

JOHNS HOPKINS WINS $9.7 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT TO STUDY CARDIOVASCULAR RACIAL DISPARITIES IN BALTIMORE
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has been awarded a $9.7 million federal grant to study ways to improve cardiovascular outcomes among African-American patients and to understand and reduce racial and ethnic disparities in blood pressure management in Baltimore.

3/8/10JOHNS HOPKINS HOSPITAL EARNS 2010 ?HOSPITAL OF CHOICE? AWARD
The Johns Hopkins Hospital has again received the 2010 American Alliance of Healthcare Providers? (AAHCP) American Hospital of Choice Award. Johns Hopkins has been selected for this award seven times since the award?s inception in 2002.
2/25/10WHY SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA EMERGE IN YOUNG ADULTHOOD
--Brain differences caused by known schizophrenia gene may explain late development of classic symptoms
In reports of two new studies, researchers led by Johns Hopkins say they have identified the mechanisms rooted in two anatomical brain abnormalities that may explain the onset of schizophrenia and the reason symptoms don't develop until young adulthood.
2/25/10NOTCH-BLOCKING DRUGS KILL BRAIN CANCER STEM CELLS, YET MULTIPLE THERAPIES MAY BE NEEDED
Working with mice, Johns Hopkins scientists who tested drugs intended to halt growth of brain cancer stem cells ? a small population of cells within tumors that perpetuate cancer growth ? conclude that blocking these cells may be somewhat effective, but more than one targeted drug attack may be needed to get the job done.
2/24/10GOING GREEN IN THE HOSPITAL
--Johns Hopkins researchers say recycling medical equipment saves money, reduces waste and is safe
Wider adoption of the practice of recycling medical equipment ? including laparoscopic ports and durable cutting tools typically tossed out after a single use ? could save hospitals hundreds of millions of dollars annually and curb trash at medical centers, the second-largest waste producers in the United States after the food industry.
2/19/10EMINENT HOPKINS CHILDREN?S PEDIATRICIAN AND GENETICIST BARTON CHILDS, M.D., DIES AT AGE 93
Barton Childs, M.D., professor emeritus of pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and a legendary geneticist and teacher who influenced the practice of generations of physicians and shaped their understanding of inherited disease, died Feb. 18 at The Johns Hopkins Hospital after a short illness. He was 93.
2/18/10

JOHNS HOPKINS SCIENTISTS DEVELOP PERSONALIZED BLOOD TESTS FOR CANCER USING WHOLE GENOME SEQUENCING
Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have used data from the whole genome sequencing of cancer patients to develop individualized blood tests they believe can help physicians tailor patients' treatments. The genome-based blood tests, believed to be the first of their kind, may be used to monitor tumor levels after therapy and determine cancer recurrence.

2/17/10

OBESITY?MILD OR SEVERE?RAISES KIDNEY STONE RISK
Obesity in general nearly doubles the risk of developing kidney stones, but the degree of obesity doesn?t appear to increase or decrease the risk one way or the other, a new study from Johns Hopkins shows.

2/17/10

HOPKINS SCIENTISTS DISCOVER HOW PROTEIN TRIPS UP GERMS
If bad bacteria lurk in your system, chances are they will bump into the immune system?s protective cells whose job is gobbling germs. The catch is that these do-gooders, known as macrophages, ingest and destroy only those infectious invaders that they can securely hook and reel in.

2/16/10ALL EYES ON RETINAL DEGENERATION
Research by Johns Hopkins sensory biologists studying fruit flies, has revealed a critical step in fly vision. Humans with problems in this same step suffer retinal dystrophies, which manifest as visual defects ranging from mild visual impairments to complete blindness. The article, published Jan. 26 in Current Biology paves the way for using the fruit fly to screen for therapies to treat human retinal degeneration.
2/16/10HIGH-FAT KETOGENIC DIET TO CONTROL SEIZURES IS SAFE OVER LONG TERM?
Current and former patients treated with the high-fat ketogenic diet to control multiple, daily and severe seizures can be reassured by the news that not only is the diet effective, but it also appears to have no long-lasting side effects, say scientists at Johns Hopkins Children?s Center.
2/15/10SENIORS STYMIED IN WAIT FOR KIDNEY TRANSPLANTS
One-third of people over the age of 65 wait longer than necessary for lifesaving, new kidneys because their doctors fail to put them in a queue for organs unsuitable to transplant in younger patients but well-suited to seniors, research from Johns Hopkins suggests
2/15/10MAKING A BETTER MEDICAL SAFETY CHECKLIST
--Interest in checklists grows, but they?re no magic wand
In the wake of Johns Hopkins? success in virtually eliminating intensive-care unit bloodstream infections via a simple five-step checklist, the safety scientist who developed and popularized the tool warns medical colleagues that they are no panacea.
2/13/10VALENTINE'S DAY DEPLOYMENT SET FOR JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICAL TEAM TO USNS COMFORT MISSION TO HAITI?
A group of Johns Hopkins physicians and nurses will leave Baltimore Sunday to assist Haiti earthquake victims undergoing treatment onboard the USNS Comfort, stationed off the Haitian coast.
2/11/10PROTECTING PATIENTS: STUDY SHOWS THAT JOHNS HOPKINS FLU VACCINATION RATES ARE TWICE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE
A campaign that makes seasonal flu vaccinations for hospital staff free, convenient, ubiquitous and hard to ignore succeeds fairly well in moving care providers closer to a state of ?herd? immunity and protecting patients from possible infection transmitted by health care workers, according to results of a survey at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.
2/8/10PEDIATRIC EPILEPSY CENTER COORDINATOR DIANA PILLAS LOSES BREAST CANCER BATTLE
Diana Pillas, longtime coordinator-counselor of the Pediatric Epilepsy Center at Johns Hopkins Children?s Center, died Saturday, Feb. 6, of breast cancer. Pillas, 69, continued to work until the week before her death.
2/5/10

SWEET! ? SUGAR PLAYS KEY ROLE IN CELL DIVISION
Using an elaborate sleuthing system they developed to probe how cells manage their own division, Johns Hopkins scientists have discovered that common but hard-to-see sugar switches are partly in control.

2/5/10MSNBC.COM NAMES JOHNS HOPKINS DOCTOR ONE OF ?100 HISTORY MAKERS IN THE MAKING?
--Lisa Cooper, M.D., M.P.H., on list of influential African-American leaders
Praised for her work ?closing the racial gap in health care,? Lisa Cooper, M.D., M.P.H., a professor of general internal medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, has been named one of ?100 History Makers in the Making? by msnbc.com.
2/4/10LEARNING ?CURVES?: BIOETHICS MEMORY AID CAN HELP ASSESS PATIENT DECISION-MAKING CAPACITY IN MEDICAL EMERGENCIES
Physicians in training and bioethicists at Johns Hopkins have created an easy-to-remember checklist to help medical students and clinicians quickly assess a patient?s decision-making capacity in an emergency.
2/4/10THREE YEARS OUT, SAFETY CHECKLIST CONTINUES TO KEEP HOSPITAL INFECTIONS IN CHECK
--Johns Hopkins? cheap, low-tech approach can be sustained, save lives over time, study shows
The state of Michigan, which used a five-step checklist developed at Johns Hopkins to virtually eliminate bloodstream infections in its hospitals? intensive care units , has been able to keep the number of these common, costly and potentially lethal infections near zero ? even three years after first adopting the standardized procedures. A report on the work is being published in the February 20 issue of BMJ (British Medical Journal).
2/2/10TINY CONSTRAINTS IN HEART BLOOD FLOW: A BETTER SIGN OF BLOOD VESSEL NARROWING AND EARLY CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE
- Major study of perfusion imaging under way to assess value of alternative diagnostic methods
Cardiologists and heart imaging specialists at 15 medical centers in eight countries, and led by researchers at Johns Hopkins, have enrolled the first dozen patients in a year-long investigation to learn whether the subtle squeezing of blood flow through the inner layers of the heart is better than traditional SPECT nuclear imaging tests and other diagnostic radiology procedures for accurately tracking the earliest signs of coronary artery clogs.?
2/1/10CHILDREN OF SPANISH-SPEAKING MOMS WATCH LESS TV
Young children of Hispanic mothers whose dominant language is Spanish spend less time in front of the TV than children whose mothers speak mostly English, according to research led by investigators at Johns Hopkins Children?s Center and published in the February issue of Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine.
2/1/10A STATEMENT FROM JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICINE ABOUT HELA CELLS AND THEIR USE
?In a new book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Crown Books), Rebecca Skloot tells of the origin of the first ?immortal? human cell culture line. So-called HeLa cells ?taken from a cervical cancer patient, Mrs. Henrietta Lacks, at Johns Hopkins 60 years ago -- were grown in a laboratory at Johns Hopkins and distributed widely and freely for scientific research purposes thereafter. The novel cells were ? and are -- a biomedical marvel, multiplying and surviving in an unprecedented way. HeLa cells have enabled scientists worldwide to study cancer and other diseases, to observe and test human cells as never before, and to do so in a standardized way across thousands of laboratories.
2/1/10ARGONAUTES: A BIG TURN-OFF FOR PROTEINS
Johns Hopkins scientists believe they may have figured out how genetic snippets called microRNAs are able to shut down the production of some proteins.
1/27/10NATIONAL HEALTH CARE LEADERS LAUNCH CAMPAIGN TO REDUCE AVOIDABLE HOSPITALIZATIONS AND IMPROVE MEDICATION MANAGEMENT
-Johns Hopkins Home Health Services Serves as Local Network Hub for Maryland and the District of Columbia
National home care and health care leaders kicked off an 18-month national home-health quality-improvement campaign this month at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services? (CMS) headquarters. Registration to participate opened to all home health agencies on January 21.
1/27/10Even Mild Kidney Disease Harms a Child?s Quality Of Life
Challenging prevailing wisdom that only children with end-stage kidney disease suffer physical, social, emotional and educational setbacks from their disease, research led by Johns Hopkins Children?s Center shows that even mild to moderate kidney disease may seriously diminish a child?s quality of life
1/26/10JOHNS HOPKINS DISASTER TEAM TO DEPLOY FOR HAITI WEDNESDAY The Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response (CEPAR) will deploy a group of Johns Hopkins physicians, nurses and other experts Wednesday to Haiti to help that nation?s injured and suffering. A second group will leave Feb. 4.
1/26/10HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE: NOT A LIFE EXTENDER AFTER ALL?
--Study with unusual population of Brazilian dwarves shows congenital HGH deficiency has no effect on normal lifespan
People profoundly deficient in human growth hormone (HGH) due to a genetic mutation appear to live just as long as people who make normal amounts of the hormone, a new study shows. The findings suggest that HGH may not be the ?fountain of youth? that some researchers have suggested.
1/25/10CHILDREN WITH SUSPECTED DEVELOPMENT PROBLEMS MAY NOT GET NEEDED REFERRALS, STUDY SHOWS
Many pediatricians score high on screening their patients for developmental delays, but barely make a passing grade in referring children with suspected delays for further testing or treatment, according to a study from Johns Hopkins Children's Center and other institutions to appear in the February issue of Pediatrics.
1/25/10?Poop? Dermatitis Linked To Fashionable Toilet Seats, Harsh Chemicals
Considered a dermatological nuisance that was long gone, skin irritations caused by toilet seats appear to be making a comeback in pediatricians? offices, according to research led by Johns Hopkins Children?s Center investigator Bernard Cohen, M.D.
1/22/10THE JOHNS HOPKINS HOSPITAL WINS ANA AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING NURSING QUALITY
The American Nurses Association (ANA), the largest nursing organization in the United States, has recognized The Johns Hopkins Hospital for consistently yielding outstanding patient outcomes that are tied directly to the high quality of nursing care. Other hospitals receiving the award include:
1/22/10LEADING CAUSE OF MEDICAL EVACUATION OUT OF WAR ZONES: IT?S NOT COMBAT INJURY
--Musculoskeletal problems take more out of active duty, and psychiatric illness is on the rise.
The most common reasons for medical evacuation of military personnel from war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan in recent years have been fractures, tendonitis and other musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders, not combat injuries, according to results of a Johns Hopkins study published January 22 in The Lancet.
1/21/10JOHNS HOPKINS PHYSICIANS SERVING IN HAITI DISASTER; OTHERS PREPARING TO DEPART
Several Johns Hopkins Medicine physicians are now in Haiti and helping to serve that battered nation?s injured and suffering. These volunteers range from emergency physicians to a pulmonary specialist. More Hopkins medical experts are hoping to go to Haiti to help the nation recover in the near future.
1/21/10COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST JOINS JOHNS HOPKINS BERMAN INSTITUTE OF BIOETHICS
Michael Pena has joined the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics to serve as its communications specialist and media-relations representative.
1/20/10

LIGHTER SEDATION FOR ELDERLY DURING SURGERY MAY REDUCE RISK OF CONFUSION, DISORIENTATION AFTER
-Johns Hopkins study in hip fracture patients suggests 50 percent drop in risk of postoperative delirium
?A common complication following surgery in elderly patients is postoperative delirium, a state of confusion that can lead to long-term health problems and cause some elderly patients to complain that they ?never felt the same? again after an operation. But a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers suggests that simply limiting the depth of sedation during procedures could safely cut the risk of postoperative delirium by 50 percent.

1/19/10REASONING THROUGH THE RATIONING OF END-OF-LIFE CARE
--Johns Hopkins Neurologist asks leaders to question ?futile & expensive? care in terminally ill adults and infants
?Acknowledging that the idea of rationing health care, particularly at the end of life, may incite too much vitriol to get much rational consideration, a Johns Hopkins emeritus professor of neurology called for the start of a discussion anyway, with an opinion piece featured in this month?s issue of the Journal of Medical Ethics.
1/19/10JOHNS HOPKINS RESEARCHERS AWARDED $8 MILLION FOR HIV RESEARCH
A multidisciplinary research team at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has been awarded $8 million in funding by the National Institutes of Mental Health to develop methods to rid the body of HIV.
1/14/10THIRD ANNUAL JOHNS HOPKINS WOMEN?S HEALTH CONFERENCE COMING TO PALM BEACH
The latest findings on women?s health issues and new advances in preventing, detecting and treating diseases in women will be presented Thursday, Jan. 21, at Palm Beach?s third annual ?A Woman?s Journey? symposium sponsored by Johns Hopkins Medicine. The one-day conference, at the Palm Beach County Convention Center, begins at 9:00 a.m. and concludes at 2 p.m.
1/14/10ANNUAL JOHNS HOPKINS WOMEN?S HEALTH CONFERENCE COMING TO NAPLES
The latest findings on women?s health and new advances in preventing, detecting and treating diseases that affect women will be presented Friday, Jan. 22, at Naples? first annual A Woman?s Journey program sponsored by Johns Hopkins Medicine. The one-day conference, at the Naples Yacht Club, begins at 9:45 a.m. and concludes at 11:30 a.m.?
1/14/10SUDDEN DEATH OF BALTIMORE BASKETBALL PLAYER REGGIE LEWIS SPURS COACH TO SCREEN OTHER YOUNG PLAYERS FOR HEART DEFECTS
-- African-American players at special risk of death from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
To this day, it still shocks former Dunbar High School basketball coach Bob Wade when he thinks back to June 1993, when he first heard that his star former student, 27-year-old Reggie Lewis, 6?7? and 195 pounds, the top scorer and center for the Boston Celtics, had suddenly collapsed and died during basketball shoot-around.
1/13/10JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICAL DISASTER EXPERTS FOR HAITI EARTHQUAKE RESPONSE
To arrange for a phone or broadcast interview with one of these experts, please contact Mark Guidera, communications manager with Johns Hopkins Marketing & Communications: 443-898-2320 or [email protected]. Attention TV media: Johns Hopkins has a VYVX line in our live-remote studio available to uplink interviews with our experts.
1/11/10FOR GUNSHOT AND STAB VICTIMS, ON-SCENE SPINE IMMOBILIZATION MAY DO MORE HARM THAN GOOD
--Johns Hopkins study says patients twice as likely to die if treated this way instead of being taken to the hospital immediately
Immobilizing the spines of shooting and stabbing victims before they are taken to the hospital ? standard procedure in Maryland and some other parts of the country ? appears to double the risk of death compared to transporting patients to a trauma center without this time-consuming, on-scene medical intervention, according to a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers.
1/11/10LEADING OPHTHALMOLOGICAL CENTERS IN THE UNITED STATES AND SAUDI ARABIA ANNOUNCE AFFILIATION
The Wilmer?Eye Institute of Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore (USA) announced today that it will collaborate in research, education and patient care with the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia).
1/6/10

JOHNS HOPKINS RESEARCHERS SAY VACCINE APPEARS TO ?MOP UP? LEUKEMIA CELLS GLEEVEC LEAVES BEHIND
--Team cautions that results are very preliminary and they cannot yet rule out other reasons for success
Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers say preliminary studies show that a vaccine made with leukemia cells may be able to reduce or eliminate the last remaining cancer cells in some chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients taking the drug Imatinib mesylate (Gleevec).

1/5/10

OLD ANTIDEPRESSANT OFFERS PROMISE IN TREATING HEART FAILURE
-? Monoamine oxidase-A inhibitor drug blocks buildup of toxic free radicals in animal hearts
A team of Johns Hopkins and other researchers have found in animal experiments that an antidepressant developed over 40 years ago can blunt and even reverse the muscle enlargement and weakened pumping function associated with heart failure.

1/5/10

BEFORE OR AFTER BIRTH, GENE LINKED TO MENTAL HEALTH HAS DIFFERENT EFFECTS
----Mouse study links timing of expression to various abnormalities
Scientists have long eyed mutations in a gene known as DISC1 as a possible contributor to schizophrenia and mood disorders, including depression and bipolar disorder. Now, new research led by Johns Hopkins researchers suggests that perturbing this gene during prenatal periods, postnatal periods or both may have different effects in mice, leading to separate types of brain alterations and behaviors with resemblance to schizophrenia or mood disorders.

1/5/10EARLY LESSONS FROM THE H1N1 PANDEMIC: CRITICAL ILLNESS IN CHILDREN UNPREDICTABLE BUT SURVIVABLE
Lessons learned from the first 13 children at Johns Hopkins Children?s Center to become critically ill from the H1N1 virus show that although all patients survived, serious complications developed quickly, unpredictably, with great variations from patient to patient and with serious need for vigilant monitoring and quick treatment adjustments.
1/4/10

NEW ALS DRUG SLIPS THROUGH TELLING ?PHASE II? CLINICAL TRIALS
A drug already used to treat symptoms of epilepsy has potential to slow the muscle weakening that comes with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), scientists report after completing a Phase II clinical trial?an early, small-scale test to show if the drug works and continues to be safe.

1/4/10SMOKING CESSATION MAY ACTUALLY INCREASE RISK OF DEVELOPING TYPE 2 DIABETES
--Johns Hopkins experts suspect weight gain by quitters raises risk in the short term
Cigarette smoking is a well-known risk factor for type 2 diabetes, but new research from Johns Hopkins suggests that quitting the habit may actually raise diabetes risk in the short term.