Focus: Hidden - Maryland

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Researchers at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center are rapidly advancing the understanding of biological factors, including hormones, as predictors of longer disease-free survival for certain subtypes of breast cancer. The implications for treatment — especially among younger women — can be profound, but uncertainties remain and decision-making by patients and their physicians can be complicated.

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NIBIB-funded researchers have created a novel, low-cost biosensor to detect HER-2, a breast cancer biomarker in the blood, allowing for a far less invasive diagnostic test than the current practice, a needle biopsy. Scientists at the Universities of Hartford and Connecticut and funded in part by NIBIB, combined microfluidic technology with diagnostics, including electrochemical sensors and biomarkers, into a powerful package that can give results in about 15 minutes.

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A special issue of the interdisciplinary AVS journal Biointerphases, from AIP Publishing, appears this week online and focuses on the research results and reflections of a group of women at the forefront of biomaterials and biological interface research whose studies aim to improve human health through discovering basic, quantitative knowledge of the molecular world.

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Thousands of women and girls are being trafficked from Myanmar to China and forced to marry and bear children, according to new research led by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT).

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Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, collaborating with scientists from Johns Hopkins University and many other universities and research organizations

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In medical chart reviews of 2,430 kidneys transplanted from 1,298 donors—585 (24 percent) of them with AKI—researchers say they found no significant differences in rates of organ rejection among kidneys from deceased donors with or without AKI. They also report they found no evidence that factors such as the amount of time an organ is chilled and left without blood supply before transplantation had any impact on recipient outcomes for those who received AKI kidneys.

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TB meningitis causes life-threatening inflammation of the brain, which is difficult to treat due to the inability of drugs to penetrate the blood brain barrier. Researchers used PET imaging to measure antibiotic concentrations in infected brains with the goal of optimizing TB meningitis treatment.

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Although relatively rare in the United States, and accounting for fewer than 5 percent of tuberculosis cases worldwide, TB of the brain—or tuberculosis meningitis (TBM)—is often deadly, always hard to treat, and a particular threat to young children.

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Radiation oncologists at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC) are now treating patients with the GammaPod™, a new FDA-cleared radiation therapy for early-stage breast cancer. The UMGCCC is the first site to treat patients with this first-of-its-kind system, which was invented by University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) scientists and physicians. This is the only external-beam radiation delivery system specifically designed to treat breast cancer.

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Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine have developed a new molecular tool they call EXoO, which decodes where on proteins specific sugars are attached—a possible modification due to disease. The study, published in issue 14 of Molecular Systems Biology, describes the development of the tool and its successful use on human blood, tumors and immune cells.

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The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing (JHSON) will hold an inaugural ceremony on December 5 to accept its new title as an “At-Large” chapter of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing (Sigma). JHSON’s Nu Beta is the first chapter, among 500 global Sigma entities, to add an entire health system to its charter.

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Visit the James Webb Space Telescope at its orbit point beyond the Moon, 1 million miles from Earth. Fly through the Orion Nebula and watch a planet-forming disk take shape. Explore the star fields of a simulated galaxy. Or get hands-on and fling stars into a ravenous black hole to watch them spaghettify. All of these encounters are part of the new WebbVR virtual experience.

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The National Eye Institute (NEI) awarded $25,000 to a team led by Wei Liu, Ph.D., Albert Einstein College of Medicine, for demonstrating progress toward the development of a living model of the human retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. The prize money was awarded for the first of two phases of the NEI 3-D Retina Organoid Challenge 2020 (3-D ROC 2020), a national initiative to generate human retina organoids from stem cells. NEI is part of the National Institutes of Health.

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Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s (UMSOM) Maryland Psychiatric Center (MPRC) and Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS), along with researchers at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy (UMSOP), have been awarded a collaborative five-year $1.78 million grant to study the brain-to-gut connection in schizophrenia

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The Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) announced today the discovery that DnaK, a protein of the bacterium mycoplasma, interferes with the mycoplasma-infected cell’s ability to respond to and repair DNA damage, a known origin of cancer.

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In a small study of infrequent cannabis users, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers have shown that, compared with smoking cannabis, vaping it increased the rate of short-term anxiety, paranoia, memory loss and distraction when doses were the same.

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Analysis by researchers at Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health identifies 20 top recommendations to mitigate future cholera outbreaks in Yemen and other humanitarian emergencies, including call for end of attacks on health, water and sanitation infrastructure.

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Over the past 28 years Hubble has photographed innumerable galaxies. One especially photogenic galaxy, M100, was used to demonstrate Hubble’s optical repair that was conducted by space shuttle astronauts 25 years ago this month. This picture flips between Hubble’s first image of the galaxy that was blurry due to a flaw in its primary mirror. The second image shows the galaxy in crystal-clear focus after astronauts installed vision-corrected instruments on Hubble.

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Aerobic exercise may reduce the risk of diabetes-related kidney disease in some people, according to a new study. The findings are published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology—Renal Physiology and was chosen as an APSselect article for December.

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A new study has been launched Burkina Faso for Bharat Biotech’s typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV). It is the second clinical study underway in Africa for the vaccine and the first in West Africa.

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Two new grants totaling $2.2 million will fund Johns Hopkins School of Nursing Professor Nancy Glass, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN, in the development of nationally accessible, culturally diverse, and age-appropriate resources to help protect survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault across the lifespan.

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NEW YORK, NY — December 3, 2018 — MDCalc, the global leader in online evidence-based medical calculators, has launched its new guideline summaries in a public beta. The first set of 11 summaries debuted at the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) in Philadelphia in early October 2018.

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Oils from garlic and several other common herbs and medicinal plants show strong activity against the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, according to a study by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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A team of NIH-funded researchers at the University of Arkansas have demonstrated the novel use of multiphoton microscopy to monitor wound healing in live animals. The scientists measured metabolic changes that occur during healing at the wounds’ surface using autofluorescence imaging. In the future, doctors could use the images to non-invasively diagnose the type of chronic wound and determine the best treatment strategy.

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NIBIB-funded researchers recently validated a rapid STD test that delivered accurate results in about 30 minutes for chlamydia, allowing patients to receive treatment immediately, thereby stemming the further spread of disease. Other analyses showed most women preferred the easy self-collection method the test offers.

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The American Institute of Physics announced today that it has received a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to make a unique collection of rare books in the physical sciences universally accessible. The grant will enable AIP's Niels Bohr Library & Archives to provide global, digital access to the Wenner Collection, a carefully curated repository that features 3,800 volumes, dating back nearly five centuries. The grant will make the Wenner Collection accessible to the public for the first time, allowing for new use and engagement with these rare books.

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The constant movement of fish that seems random is actually precisely deployed to provide them at any moment with the best sensory feedback they need to navigate the world.

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New research suggests that curcumin, a main ingredient in curry, may improve exercise intolerance related to heart failure. The study is published ahead of print in the Journal of Applied Physiology.

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The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing (JHSON) has earned the 2018 INSIGHT Into Diversity Higher Education “Excellence in Diversity” Health Professions award for its committed efforts to support and sustain diversity and inclusion through education, programs, and outreach.

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Hubble has completed a survey of over 22,000 globular star clusters scattered throughout the giant Coma cluster of galaxies 300 million light-years from Earth. Containing the oldest known stars in the universe, about 150 globular clusters orbit our Milky Way.

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In a proof-of-principle study, researchers at Johns Hopkins revealed that certain immune system cells found in the human liver, called liver macrophages, contain only inert HIV and aren’t likely to reproduce infection on their own in HIV-infected people on long-term antiretroviral therapy (ART). ART is a regimen containing combinations of HIV-targeting drugs that prevents the growth of the virus but does not eradicate it.

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Researchers working to understand the biochemistry of cataract formation have made a surprising finding: A protein that was long believed to be inert actually has an important chemical function that protects the lens of the eye from cataract formation.

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ASCB’s highest scientific honor—the E.B. Wilson Medal—goes to Barbara Meyer for 2018. The award recognizes cell biologists who have made far-reaching contributions throughout their lifetime.

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This year,12 members have been named Fellows in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the field of cell biology and to the community of cell biologists through their service to ASCB.

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The American Society for Cell Biology is pleased to announce the 2018 Women in Cell Biology career awards. Winners will be acknowledged during the ASCB|EMBO Meeting in San Diego in December.

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The 2018 recipient of the E.E. Just Award is Guillermina (Gigi) Lozano, professor and chair of the Department of Genetics, Division of Basic Science Research at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Lozano will present the E.E. Just Award Lecture on Sunday, December 9, at 11:00 am at the 2018 ASCB|EMBO Meeting.

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Ahna R. Skop, professor of Genetics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison (UW-Madison), has been chosen as the inaugural recipient of the ASCB Prize for Excellence in Inclusivity. Skop will receive a cash award of $5,000 that she can use to advance inclusion activities at her institution. She will be featured in a video at the 2018 ASCB|EMBO Meeting Keynote Address.

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ASCB has named the winners of the inaugural Porter Prizes for Research Excellence. The $4,000 prize for outstanding postdoctoral research will go to Melanie White, a research fellow at Institute of Molecular & Cell Biology (IMCB) A*STAR, Singapore. A $2,000 award for outstanding predoctoral research goes to Andrew Moore of the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). White and Moore were chosen because they exemplify the pioneering spirit and contributions to cell biology of one of ASCB’s founders, Keith R. Porter.

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Ruth Lehmann, chair of the Department of Cell Biology and director of the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine at New York University, has been chosen to present the Keith Porter Lecture on Sunday, December 9, at 3:15 pm at the 2018 ASCB|EMBO Meeting in San Diego.

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Researchers at Johns Hopkins have identified two patients with HIV whose immune cells behave differently than others with the virus and actually appear to help control viral load even years after infection. Moreover, both patients carry large amounts of virus in infected cells, but show no viral load in blood tests. While based on small numbers, the data suggest that long-term viral remission might be possible for more people.

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Additional speakers are being announced today for the inaugural Bloomberg American Health Summit, which will be held November 29 and 30 at the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, D.C.

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In a study tracking the severe crisis pain of sickle cell disease and its management in 73 adults over a period of a year, Johns Hopkins researchers found that even among those on high doses of daily at-home opioids, a persistent subset was more likely to seek emergency hospital care for crisis pain and was less likely to have the pain controlled by intensive treatment.

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A coalition of healthcare groups today issued a series of wide-ranging recommendations to address the ongoing shortages of critical medications affecting patient care across the country. The American Hospital Association (AHA), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), ASHP (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists), and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) released the proposals, which provide suggestions for regulatory, legislative, and marketplace solutions to stem drug shortages, in advance of tomorrow’s public meeting hosted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Duke Margolis Center for Public Health Policy.

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Scientists at the National Eye Institute (NEI) have found that neurons in the superior colliculus, an ancient midbrain structure found in all vertebrates, are key players in allowing us to detect visual objects and events.

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Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center say they have added to evidence that measuring and monitoring tumor DNA that naturally circulates in the blood of melanoma patients can not only reliably help reveal the early stages of cancer growth and spread but also uncover new treatment options that tumor genetic analysis alone may not.

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The highest honor given by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for medical support was bestowed upon the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, part of the U.S. Department of Defense, Nov. 21 at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.