Category: Research
Disclosing financial conflicts of interest may not be enough
September 7, 2009
Disclosure of financial conflicts of interest to potential participants in research is important but may have a limited role in managing these conflicts, according to a new study by Johns Hopkins, Duke and Wake Forest. The study’s recommendations provide a framework for establishing sound policy and practices for how best to disclose financial conflicts of […]
HIV subtype linked to increased likelihood for dementia
September 7, 2009
Patients infected with a particular subtype of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, are more likely to develop dementia than patients with other subtypes, a study led by Johns Hopkins researchers shows. The finding, reported in the September issue of the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, is the first to demonstrate that the specific type of […]
Patient perception is vital when reporting medical errors
September 7, 2009
When reporting medical errors, patients’ perceptions of their physicians’ disclosure may be key to gaining their trust, according to researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. However, a positive perception of the disclosure has little effect on the lawsuit risk a physician faces. Researchers examined volunteer responses to several videos depicting the […]
Surgical scrub solution: Good for critically ill patients, too
September 7, 2009
Chlorhexidine bathing is cheap, effective means of protection from superbugs Giving critically ill hospital patients a daily bath with a mild, soapy solution of the same antibacterial agent used by surgeons to “scrub in” before an operation can dramatically cut down, by as much as 73 percent, the number of patients who develop potentially deadly […]
Secondhand smoke levels higher in cars than in bars or restaurants
September 7, 2009
The concentrations of secondhand smoke are significantly higher in cars than concentrations generally measured in bars, restaurants and other public places that allow smoking, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The study is among the first to measure smoking in cars under real-world driving conditions and […]
School of Public Health testing H1N1 flu vaccine
August 31, 2009
The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has been selected by CSL Biotherapies of Australia as the lead site to conduct tests for a vaccine against the new H1N1 influenza. The trial will vaccinate 1,300 adults from sites across the United States and is one of the largest H1N1 vaccine trials currently under way. […]
Computational process zeroes in on top genetic cancer suspects
August 31, 2009
Johns Hopkins engineers have devised innovative computer software that can sift through hundreds of genetic mutations and highlight the DNA changes that are most likely to promote cancer. The goal is to provide critical help to researchers who are poring over numerous newly discovered gene mutations, many of which are harmless or have no connection […]
Common sleeping disorder ups chances of dying for snorers
August 31, 2009
Nightly bouts of interrupted, oxygen-deprived sleep from a collapsed airway in the upper neck raise the chances of dying in middle-aged to elderly people by as much as 46 percent in the most severe cases, according to a landmark study on sleep apnea by lung experts at Johns Hopkins and six other U.S. medical centers […]
LEGOs show researchers what happens inside lab-on-a-chip
August 31, 2009
Johns Hopkins engineers are using a popular children’s toy to help them visualize the behavior of particles, cells and molecules in environments too small to see with the naked eye. These researchers are arranging little LEGO pieces shaped like pegs to re-create microscopic activity taking place inside lab-on-a-chip devices at a scale they can more […]
European REACH legislation may require more animals, funds
August 31, 2009
The European Union’s REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and restriction of CHemical substances) legislation is intended as a comprehensive safety evaluation for commercial chemicals used in consumer products that are traded in Europe at amounts more than one ton per year. However, implementation of the regulation may require 54 million research animals and 9.5 billion euros […]