Latest News from: Johns Hopkins Medicine

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7-Jun-2000 12:00 AM EDT
Nurses, Alert Janitors Boost Seniors' Mental Health
Johns Hopkins Medicine

In older adults with psychiatric problems, a four-year Johns Hopkins study has shown that combining observations by janitors, building managers and others who frequently see elderly people and the skills of a highly accessible psychiatric nurse can significantly increase seniors' mental health and stability (JAMA, 6-6-00).

Released: 2-Jun-2000 12:00 AM EDT
Non-Profit Business to Employ and Treat Drug Addicts
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Successfully using behavioral techniques to keep drug addicts abstinent, Johns Hopkins researchers have formed a non-profit data processing company to employ the addicts and provide them with monetary incentives to stay off drugs.

24-May-2000 12:00 AM EDT
Hopkins Oncology Center Tipsheet: Meeting of ASCO
Johns Hopkins Medicine

These news tips are based on abstracts or posters being presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Released: 23-May-2000 12:00 AM EDT
Lutein Supplements May Improve Vision
Johns Hopkins Medicine

A substance found in dark green leafy vegetables and egg yolks may improve vision in people with retinitis pigmentosa and other degenerative eye conditions, according to a study published by a Johns Hopkins researcher (Optometry, 3-00).

23-May-2000 12:00 AM EDT
"Scarlet E" Taints Media, Distorts Epilepsy
Johns Hopkins Medicine

The age-old stigma against people with epilepsy is alive and well in the print media. That's the consensus of neurologists at Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland who screened several hundred recent popular press articles on epilepsy/seizures for misinformation or outright errors (Neurology, 5-00).

Released: 20-May-2000 12:00 AM EDT
New Theory for Allergic Diseases
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered that a nervous system protein may have a significant role in asthma, hay fever and other allergies. According to the May American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the protein, nerve growth factor, may be responsible for making allergy sufferers more sensitive to irritants such as tobacco smoke.

18-May-2000 12:00 AM EDT
Diet and Salt Intake, Reducing Blood Pressure
Johns Hopkins Medicine

With a more healthy diet and less salt, individuals can dramatically lower their blood pressure, according to a nationwide study at Johns Hopkins and four other academic medical centers.

16-May-2000 12:00 AM EDT
Clot-Busting Drugs Don't Benefit Older Patients
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Contrary to general belief among doctors, clot-busting drugs -- the main emergency treatment for heart attack victims -- fail to benefit patients more than 75 years old and may actually increase their risk of death, according to a Johns Hopkins-led study (Circulation, 5-16-00).

15-May-2000 12:00 AM EDT
Pediatric Geneticist Receives National Award
Johns Hopkins Medicine

For landmark discoveries of how human cells respond to hypoxia, Gregg L. Semenza of the Johns Hopkins Children's Center and Johns Hopkins Institute of Genetic Medicine received the annual E. Mead Johnson Award, for pre-eminent contributions to American pediatrics.

13-May-2000 12:00 AM EDT
Nature, Not Nurture, Determines Gender
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Two Johns Hopkins Children's Center studies confirm that prenatal exposure to normal male hormones alone dictates male gender identity in normal XY male babies, even if they are born without a penis.

Released: 10-May-2000 12:00 AM EDT
Digestive Diseases: New Interactive Website
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Patients and physicians with questions about digestive diseases now can turn to a newly launched website for answers; the Johns Hopkins Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology announces the launch of their in-depth Gastroenterology and Hepatology Portal.

10-May-2000 12:00 AM EDT
Tipsheet from Johns Hopkins for the ATS Conference
Johns Hopkins Medicine

1- common lung exam often causes unnecessary pain: more pain control needed, 2- quicker asthma diagnoses may lower hospital admission rates for elderly: based on research expected to be presented at the American Thoracic Society Conference May 5-10 in Toronto.

Released: 3-May-2000 12:00 AM EDT
Linking Human Papillomavirus to Head and Neck Cancer
Johns Hopkins Medicine

The sexually transmitted human papillomavirus has been found by Johns Hopkins researchers to be a likely cause of certain cancers of the head and neck and also an indicator of improved survival (Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 5-3-00).

3-May-2000 12:00 AM EDT
High Diabetes Risk in African-American Women
Johns Hopkins Medicine

At least half of the extra risk for diabetes faced by African-American women is linked to relatively simple and modifiable lifestyle factors; the same was not true for African-American men, according to a study team led by Johns Hopkins investigators (JAMA, 5-3-00).

Released: 28-Apr-2000 12:00 AM EDT
Cat Allergy Sufferers Find Relief in Asthma Drug
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Johns Hopkins scientists have found that individuals who have the misfortune to be allergic to cats can find welcome relief and protection from symptoms in one of a new class of drugs already known to help other asthmatics (Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 4-00).

7-Apr-2000 12:00 AM EDT
Identifying Drug Target to Treat Sleeping Sickness
Johns Hopkins Medicine

A new metabolic pathway in a parasite that could lead to drugs for treating so-called African sleeping sickness has been discovered by Johns Hopkins researchers (Science, 4-7-00).

6-Apr-2000 12:00 AM EDT
Johns Hopkins Oncology Center Tipsheet
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Johns Hopkins research news highlights from presentations or are ongoing issues that provide context for presentations at the annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research.

Released: 4-Apr-2000 12:00 AM EDT
Hope for Asthma and Allergy Sufferers
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Asthma and allergy research efforts have been aimed at attempting to improve efficacy, increase safety, decrease treatment time and improve compliance; Johns Hopkins, the University of California at San Diego, and Dynavax Technologies Corporation researchers announce that they have developed a method of modifying an allergen to create a vaccine that may solve many concerns.

Released: 30-Mar-2000 12:00 AM EST
Baltimore Van Offering Free HIV Urine Testing
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Johns Hopkins and Sisters Together and Reaching Inc. have teamed up to offer Baltimoreans free HIV urine testing from a mobile van, which will operate five days and evenings per week and patrol areas at high risk for HIV.

30-Mar-2000 12:00 AM EST
High Blood Pressure, Medications, Diabetes Risk
Johns Hopkins Medicine

People with high blood pressure are 2-1/2 times more likely to develop Type 2, or non-insulin-dependent, diabetes than those with normal blood pressure, according to a study led by Johns Hopkins researchers (NEJM, 3-30-00).

30-Mar-2000 12:00 AM EST
Low Blood Levels of HIV, Heterosexual Transmission
Johns Hopkins Medicine

People with HIV infections are less likely to pass the virus to an opposite sex partner if they have low levels of the virus in their blood, according to a study by researchers from Johns Hopkins, NIH, Makerere University, the Uganda Virus Research Institute, and Columbia University (NEJM, 3-30-00).

28-Mar-2000 12:00 AM EST
Brain Phenomenon Could Lead to Better Drugs
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered a phenomenon in the brains of individuals with schizophrenia and other mental illnesses that may help doctors develop better drugs (Molecular Psychiatry, 3-00).

Released: 17-Mar-2000 12:00 AM EST
Much-Sought Enzyme, Paving Road to Cancer Therapy
Johns Hopkins Medicine

The enzyme telomerase is an ideal target for anti-cancer therapy because it is active in cancer cells, which need it to divide; biotech companies have pumped millions into finding a telomerase inhibitor (Cell, 3-00).

Released: 17-Mar-2000 12:00 AM EST
Time Important in Transporting Critically Injured
Johns Hopkins Medicine

In the continuing debate among emergency medical services personnel regarding the best pre-hospital management for trauma patients, a study by Johns Hopkins and the University of Southern California raises the bar on the importance of time (Archives of Surgery, 3-00).

16-Mar-2000 12:00 AM EST
Physicians Err in Treating Tuberculosis
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Infectious disease experts at Johns Hopkins conclude that public health doctors do a far better job of treating tuberculosis than private-practice physicians (CHEST, 3-00).

Released: 14-Mar-2000 12:00 AM EST
Reducing Deaths of Patients on Ventilators
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Altering the way mechanical ventilators are used to treat patients with acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome significantly reduces deaths from the disease (NEJM, 3-10-00).

9-Mar-2000 12:00 AM EST
Rare but Deadly Heart Disease Is Curable
Johns Hopkins Medicine

A very rare but deadly form of heart disease, fulminant myocarditis, is underdiagnosed; a Johns Hopkins-led study finds that patients who are properly diagnosed and treated aggressively can fully recover from the condition within two weeks (NEJM, 3-9-00).

Released: 7-Mar-2000 12:00 AM EST
Prostate Cancer Test Works Well for Black Men
Johns Hopkins Medicine

A new twist on the standard way to predict prostate cancer risk appears to offer African-American men a much-needed, improved accuracy in detecting the disease (Urology, 3-00).

Released: 2-Mar-2000 12:00 AM EST
Brain Switch in Men with Schizophrenia
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Schizophrenia typically runs a far nastier course in men than in women; now a new Hopkins study suggests that basic differences between men and women in the way the disease rearranges the brain may be responsible (American Journal of Psychiatry, 3-00).

Released: 22-Feb-2000 12:00 AM EST
African Americans and AIDS Conference
Johns Hopkins Medicine

HIV/AIDS statistics are driving the work of researchers and healthcare workers attending the 2000 National Conference on African-Americans and AIDS, Feb. 23-25.

19-Feb-2000 12:00 AM EST
First Down Syndrome Mouse
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Evidence for a credible animal version of Down syndrome mounted today with Johns Hopkins scientists verifying the syndrome's signature skull and facial deformities in a genetically modified mouse (Developmental Dynamics, 1-00).

12-Feb-2000 12:00 AM EST
Simple Test, MRI Scan: Salvage Stroke Patients' Brains
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Johns Hopkins scientists report a new way of monitoring brain damage that could significantly increase the number of stroke patients eligible for -- and helped by -- clot-breaking treatments.

11-Feb-2000 12:00 AM EST
Secrets of Directional Cell Movement
Johns Hopkins Medicine

In the 2-10-00 Science, Johns Hopkins researchers identify a protein that accumulates toward the front end of a cell and helps cells "sense" their way to a target.

Released: 9-Feb-2000 12:00 AM EST
Natural Chemical Causes Blinding Blood Vessel Growth
Johns Hopkins Medicine

A natural chemical substance the eye calls for when it lacks oxygen is responsible for the blinding blood vessel growth that plagues patients with diabetic retinopathy, report Johns Hopkins and CIBA Vision Corp. researchers (American Journal of Pathology, 2-00).

Released: 3-Feb-2000 12:00 AM EST
Silent Time Bomb: Baby Boom Generation
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Half of the baby boomers, who are now approaching the Medicare years, have been divorced, and researchers at Johns Hopkins have found that elderly people with divorce in their lives will get less care from their children than people who do not (Demography, 1999).

Released: 3-Feb-2000 12:00 AM EST
Motor Disorders in Huntington's Disease
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Researchers at Johns Hopkins think they may have identified both the nervous system mechanism linked to Huntington's disease tremors and jerky movements and the part of the brain causing them (Nature, 2-3-00).

1-Feb-2000 12:00 AM EST
Salmonella's Molecular Mimics May Spark Arthritis
Johns Hopkins Medicine

An important link between getting specific bacterial infections and developing autoimmune diseases such as arthritis has been uncovered by Johns Hopkins scientists (Nature Medicine, 2-00).

27-Jan-2000 12:00 AM EST
Mortician: Infected with TB from Cadaver
Johns Hopkins Medicine

The first known case of tuberculosis transmitted from a cadaver to an embalmer is reported by Johns Hopkins researchers in the Jan. 27 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

21-Jan-2000 12:00 AM EST
Cause of Heart Failure after Surgery
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Johns Hopkins and Queen's University in Ontario scientists have shown that a small molecular glitch is responsible for the sudden heart failure that strikes after open heart surgery and that costs an estimated $10 billion in post-operative medical care every year (see this week's Science).

20-Jan-2000 12:00 AM EST
Preoperative Tests for Cataract Surgery
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Standard medical exams performed before cataract surgery do not measurably improve outcomes or reduce deaths or complications from the surgery, according to a Johns Hopkins-led study (New England Journal of Medicine, 1-20-00).

Released: 13-Jan-2000 12:00 AM EST
Whipple Patients: Life after Surgery
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Patients who get through a major operation that removes the head of the pancreas, part of the small intestine and part of the bile ducts report a surprisingly high quality of life, a Johns Hopkins study shows.

Released: 6-Jan-2000 12:00 AM EST
Side Effects of Prostate Cancer Surgery
Johns Hopkins Medicine

In a study reported in the January issue of Urology, Johns Hopkins researchers conclude that when patients seek out a surgeon highly experienced in prostate cancer surgery, they are more likely to remain continent and potent than if their operations were done by a less experienced doctor.

Released: 6-Jan-2000 12:00 AM EST
Videotaping Surgeries -- Improved Outcomes
Johns Hopkins Medicine

In a study reported in the January issue of Urology, Johns Hopkins researchers conclude that videotaping can help doctors improve the outcome of prostate surgeries.

5-Jan-2000 12:00 AM EST
Liver Toxicity Risk of AIDS Drugs
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Ten percent of HIV-infected individuals taking antiretroviral drugs experience liver toxicity at a level high enough to warrant stopping treatment, according to a study by Johns Hopkins researchers in the Jan. 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Released: 17-Dec-1999 12:00 AM EST
Sexual Fantasies Increase Pain Tolerance
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Bringing to mind a favorite sexual fantasy may be a good way to lessen pain, according to a recent study of college students by researchers at Johns Hopkins and the University of Wisconsin.

Released: 17-Dec-1999 12:00 AM EST
Low-Income Women Need Information about Menopause
Johns Hopkins Medicine

A Johns Hopkins study of more than 200 low-income African American women suggests that their low use rate of potentially heart and life-saving hormone replacement therapy after menopause is closely linked to their health care providers' failure to bring up the subject.

13-Dec-1999 12:00 AM EST
Asthma Medication Misusage Rampant
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Misuse of asthma drugs among people with good health insurance is more prevalent than previously thought, according to a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers.

Released: 10-Dec-1999 12:00 AM EST
Differences Between Male and Female Brains
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Scientists at Johns Hopkins have discovered striking differences between men and women in a part of the brain linked with ability to estimate time, judge speed, visualize things three-dimensionally and solve mathematical problems.

Released: 3-Dec-1999 12:00 AM EST
Parathyroid Tumors Removed Safely in Outpatients
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Minimally invasive outpatient surgery to remove tumors of the parathyroid glands is safe for most patients and far more cost-effective than traditional open surgery, a Johns Hopkins study shows.

1-Dec-1999 12:00 AM EST
Second Pathologist's Opinion Needed
Johns Hopkins Medicine

A study of more than 6,000 patients by Johns Hopkins researchers found that one or two out of every 100 people who come to larger medical centers for treatment following a biopsy arrive with a diagnosis that's "totally wrong." The results suggest that second opinion pathology exams not only prevent errors, but also save lives and money.



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