Category: Research
Nanoparticles bypass mucus barrier, may deliver drugs
January 4, 2010
Johns Hopkins University researchers have created biodegradable nanosized particles that can easily slip through the body’s sticky and viscous mucus secretions to deliver a sustained-release medication cargo. The researchers say that these nanoparticles, which degrade over time into harmless components, could one day carry life-saving drugs to patients suffering from dozens of health conditions, including diseases of the eye, lung, gut or female reproductive tract.
‘Mini’-transplant may reverse severe sickle cell
December 14, 2009
Results of a preliminary study by scientists at the National Institutes of Health and Johns Hopkins show that “mini” stem cell transplantation may safely reverse severe sickle cell disease in adults.
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.
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.
A cell’s ‘cap’ of bundled fibers could yield clues to disease
December 7, 2009
It turns out that wearing a cap is good for you, at least if you are a mammal cell.
Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Engineering in Oncology Center have shown that in healthy cells, a bundled “cap” of filaments holds the cell’s nucleus—its genetic storehouse—in its proper place. Understanding this cap’s influence on cell and nuclear shape, the researchers said, could provide clues to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as cancer, muscular dystrophy and the age-accelerating condition known as progeria.
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.
Burned-out surgeons more likely to commit errors
November 30, 2009
Surgeons who are burned out or depressed are more likely to say they had recently committed a major error on the job, according to the largest study to date on physician burnout.
Exercise-linked heart irregularity no risk to healthy older adults
November 30, 2009
Healthy older adults free of heart disease need not fear that bouts of rapid irregular heartbeats brought on by vigorous exercise might increase short- or long-term risk of dying or having a heart attack, according to a report by heart experts at Johns Hopkins and the National Institute on Aging.