Category: School of Medicine
Scientists find potential new ‘twist’ in breast cancer detection
December 14, 2009
Working with mice, scientists at Johns Hopkins have shown that a protein made by a gene called “Twist” may be the proverbial red flag that can accurately distinguish stem cells that drive aggressive, metastatic breast cancer from other breast cancer cells.
Niacin offers no additional benefits to statin therapy in seniors
December 14, 2009
The routine prescription of extended-release niacin (1,500 milligrams daily), a B vitamin, in combination with traditional cholesterol-lowering therapy offers no extra benefit in correcting arterial narrowing and diminishing plaque buildup in seniors who already have coronary artery disease, a new vascular imaging study from Johns Hopkins experts shows.
Gene therapy, stem cells save limb damaged by low blood flow
December 14, 2009
Blood vessel blockage, a common condition in old age or diabetes, leads to low blood flow and results in low oxygen, which can kill cells and tissues. Such blockages can require amputation of limbs. Now, using mice as their model, researchers at Johns Hopkins have developed therapies that increase blood flow, improve movement and decrease tissue death and the need for amputation. The findings, published online this month in the early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, hold promise for developing clinical therapies.
Med students regularly stuck by needles, fail to report injuries
December 14, 2009
Medical students are commonly stuck by needles—putting them at risk of contracting potentially dangerous blood-borne diseases—and many of them fail to report the injuries to hospital authorities, according to a Johns Hopkins study published in the December issue of the journal Academic Medicine.
First reported cases of Tamiflu-resistant H1N1 treated at JHH
December 7, 2009
Flu experts at The Johns Hopkins Hospital have received confirmation from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene that two recently treated patients with 2009 H1N1 flu, both since discharged, had drug-resistant forms of the virus.
Exploring schizophrenia at the molecular level
December 7, 2009
About 1 percent of the population is affected by schizophrenia, a severe form of mental illness that has proven difficult to study and treat, according to Russell Margolis, director of the Johns Hopkins Schizophrenia Program.
Migraine raises risk of common stroke in women
December 7, 2009
Pooling results from 21 studies involving 622,381 men and women, researchers at Johns Hopkins have affirmed that migraine headaches are associated with more than twofold higher chances of the most common kind of stroke: those occurring when blood supply to the brain is suddenly cut off by the buildup of plaque or a blood clot.
Educational home visits can improve asthma in children
December 7, 2009
A few home visits by a health care specialist to educate children with asthma about basic strategies for earlier symptom recognition and improving medication use can lead to fewer flare-ups and less-frequent trips to the emergency room, according to research from the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center published in the December issue of Pediatrics.
After inpatient drug rehab programs, what support works best?
November 30, 2009
One of the greatest challenges in helping substance abusers recover is ensuring that they have access to—and participate in—follow-up care, counseling and support after their release from inpatient rehabilitation programs.
Kenneth L. Baughman, 63, former director of Cardiology
November 30, 2009
The Johns Hopkins Medicine community is mourning the sudden death of cardiologist Kenneth L. Baughman, who was killed in an accident Nov. 16 while running in Orlando, Fla. He was attending the annual Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association and was attempting to cross a street when a car struck him.