The following article profiles work performed by ICTR researcher Gwenn Smith, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and director of geriatric psychiatry and neuropsychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Results suggest serotonin loss may be a key player in cognitive decline, not just a side-effect of Alzheimer’s disease In a study looking at brain scans of people with mild loss of thought and memory ability, Johns Hopkins researchers report evidence of lower levels of the serotonin transporter — a natural brain chemical that regulates mood, sleep and appetite. Previous … Continue reading →

The following article profiles work performed by ICTR researcher Vasan Yegnasubramanian, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor at the Kimmel Cancer Center. Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center scientists report they have discovered a biochemical process that gives prostate cancer cells the almost unnatural ability to change their shape, squeeze into other organs and take root in other parts of the body. The scientists say their cell culture and mouse studies of the process, which involves a cancer-related protein called AIM1, suggest potential ways to intercept or reverse the ability of cancers to metastasize, or spread. Results of the research are described in … Continue reading →

Radiocarbon dating of a fossilized leg bone from a Jamaican monkey called Xenothrix mcgregori suggests it may be the one of the most recent primate species anywhere in the world to become extinct, and it may solve a long-standing mystery about the cause of its demise. The short answer: human settlement of its island home. Though the team of specialists who conducted the study says its evidence is indirect, it is consistent with the idea that humans sped the species’ extinction through some combination of predation, competition for resources, habitat destruction and introduction of invasive species. “Understanding how this extinction … Continue reading →

The following article features contributions from ICTR researcher Redonda G. Miller, M.D., M.B.A., president of The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Named the #1 hospital in Maryland and #3 in the nation on the 2017–18 Best Hospitals list, making it the nation’s top-ranked hospital combined for both adult and pediatric care Out of nearly 4,700 hospitals reviewed, The Johns Hopkins Hospital ranked #1 in Maryland and #3 in the nation in U.S. News & World Report’s 2017–18 Best Hospitals list. Thirteen specialties at The Johns Hopkins Hospital are now among the top 10 in the nation. Ten specialties are in the top … Continue reading →

The following article profiles work performed by ICTR researcher Stephen Juraschek, M.D., Ph.D., a general internal medicine fellow at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. A new study led by Johns Hopkins researchers suggests that testing for the presence of orthostatic hypotension, a form of low blood pressure, be performed within one minute of standing after a person has been lying down. Current guidelines recommend taking the measurement three minutes after a person stands up. “Our findings suggest that a blood pressure assessment within the first minute is a better way to assess health risks due to orthostatic hypotension … Continue reading →

Our brains interpret the world around us, taking in the sights, sounds, textures and smells of the world. But how does our brain respond when we observe art? What goes on in its neural circuits when we see or create something beautiful? Susan Magsamen, executive director of the International Arts and Mind Lab of the Brain Science Institute at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, is pioneering the effort to marry the arts and research to find answers to these questions. The answers and the quantifiable results seen in patients may turn medical and social interventions as we know … Continue reading →

The following article profiles work performed by ICTR researcher Mark Bicket, M.D., an assistant professor of anesthesiology and critical care at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. In a review of half a dozen published studies in which patients self-reported use of opioids prescribed to them after surgery, researchers at Johns Hopkins report that a substantial majority of patients used only some or none of the pills, and more than 90 percent failed to dispose of the leftovers in recommended ways. A summary of the review, published August 2 in JAMA Surgery, highlights the need for more personalized pain … Continue reading →

The 16-week M-1 Ventures program to provide dedicated startup support that facilitates the development of innovative health care solutions Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures, Plank Industries, the University of Maryland (through UM Ventures), Brown Advisory and the Abell Foundation announced today that they are providing support for M-1 Ventures, a new Baltimore-based startup accelerator focused on connected health and fitness technologies. The 16-week program will be housed in FastForward East, an innovation hub on the Johns Hopkins medical campus, and will challenge startups selected from a national applicant pool to validate their business models, engage with customers and build on traction … Continue reading →