We are Number One Again!

For the 15th consecutive year, The Johns Hopkins Hospital has topped U.S. News & World Report's rankings of American hospitals. Of the 176 medical centers in this year's edition of America's Best Hospitals, 16 made their way to the Honor Roll.

All had to demonstrate excellence by achieving a high ranking in no fewer than six specialties. US News & World Report ranks the centers based on an analysis of objective indicators such as death rates, technology, nurse staffing, service mix and discharge planning.

Hopkins ranked in the top 10 in 16 of the 17 specialty categories listed. In addition to landing at the top of the honor roll, the Hospital ranked #1 in Gynecology, Otolaryngology, Kidney Diseases, Rheumatology and Urology; #2 in Geriatrics, Neurology and Neurosurgery, and Ophthalmology; #3 in Cancer, Digestive Disorders, Hormonal Disorders, Heart/Heart Surgery, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, and Respiratory Disorders; #4 in Orthopedics; #14 in Rehabilitation.

Responding to the U.S. News announcement today, Steve Thompson, Senior Vice President of Johns Hopkins Medicine and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine International said: "We are very pleased with this year's results. I am proud of this recognition of the excellence of our dedicated faculty physicians, researchers, nurses and clinical staff who every day support Hopkins' tradition of innovation and compassionate care."

For more information about Johns Hopkins, visit www.jhintl.net. For the rankings, visit www.usnews.com


New Cosmetic Procedure "Elevates" Facial Skin

A procedure using barbed sutures to lift sagging or wrinkling skin from the brow, midface and neck is currently being performed by surgeons in the Johns Hopkins Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

The procedure provides a low-risk alternative to a face-lift for people looking for subtle, quicker results with less pain, according to Craig A. Vander Kolk, M.D., co-director of the Johns Hopkins Cosmetic Center. The process takes approximately one hour under local anesthesia and uses the only barbed suture to have FDA approval.

Each suture, like a porcupine's quill, contains tiny barbs, placed at equal intervals on the thread, which grab tissue. Thus, once a thread is inserted (via a small incision) along the contour lines of the face and tension is applied upward, the barbs pull the skin tissue. Collagen forms around the suture to maintain the elevation of the skin. The results depend on several factors, including the patient's age, facial structure or amount of facial fat. The process also is reversible.

Vander Kolk notes that there are no studies to judge the operation's long-term effectiveness, and some physicians question the ability of the sutures to hold tissues for extended periods of time. Clear polypropylene has been used in other medical products for years and is not absorbed by the body.

For more information about cosmetic procedures, visit the Johns Hopkins Cosmetic Center website.

New Memory Drug for Alzheimer's

Johns Hopkins researchers have found that an experimental drug may further delay memory loss in patients with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.

"The findings in laboratory animals – both improved memory in our tests and evidence that the drug targets the biology for making memories in the brain – places this drug on solid footing as a candidate therapeutic agent," said the study's lead author, Michela Gallagher.

The compound, called SGS742, previously shown to improve memory in animals, is an experimental treatment for memory disorders. It is currently in human clinical trials led by California-based Saegis Pharmaceuticals Inc., which holds a worldwide exclusive license granted by the drug's developer.

Gallagher said these studies did not address the drug's potential as a cure or preventive treatment for Alzheimer's disease itself. They were intended, rather, to assess its potential as a treatment for the disease's key symptom: memory loss.

"Memory impairment occurs early in the disease and worsens as the disease progresses. However, until the later stages of the disease, memory is impaired but not entirely gone," Gallagher said. "By augmenting the brain's memory-making ability, drugs could be used to treat this symptom and to improve the quality of life for patients who have a disease that has a slow progression over years."

Researchers also analyzed the interaction of the compound with the biological mechanisms involved in the creation of long-term memory. They learned that the drug alters the activity of gene control machinery that is important for memory consolidation.

Funding for this research was provided by Saegis Pharmaceuticals Inc. Gallagher is a scientific consultant to Saegis Pharmaceuticals and has an equity interest in the company. Under a licensing arrangement between The Johns Hopkins University and Saegis, Gallagher is entitled to a share of royalties received by the university on sales of products resulting from this research.

To read more, visit our Media Section.


More than PMS

"Oh, you're just being emotional!". Psychiatrist Karen Swartz has stopped counting the number of female patients who have told her their doctors have dismissed them with some version of that phrase. "It not only does them a disservice", she says, "but writing off what may be serious mood disorders as 'just hormones' is also dangerous."

It's just one more reason why Swartz and colleagues opened Hopkins' Women's Mood Disorders Center.

The clinic centers on the common ground between hormones and mood disorders - namely pregnancy and post-partum disorders, menopause-related disorders and premenstrual dysphoria disorder (PMDD). Women with major depression or bipolar disorder - both marked by gender differences - are also seen by Swartz or colleague Jennifer Payne, psychiatrists who co-direct the center.

Some of the center's reasons for being are sociological. "Many women, for example, are less likely then men to acknowledge depression because they feel whole households depend on them," Swartz says.

And dealing with depression during pregnancy is dicey. Some women you just monitor, Swartz says. For others, not treating depression puts them and their babies at risk - low birth weight or other problems. "We walk a fine line."


INSIDE NEWS - JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICINE INTERNATIONAL

Libby Arcia, former patient services coordinator and business analyst, has been promoted to the position of Senior Patient Coordinator for the Latin America Region. She will coordinate all activities of the region as well as assist in developing strategies to improve the relationship with our patients.

Janet Wise is our new Senior Client Referral Coordinator. Janet has been working with GlobalAccess for 5 years and will now be the direct supervisor of all the Client Referral Coordinators.

Congratulations Libby and Janet!

Hopkins Researcher Talks about Dioxins and Plastic Water Bottles

Researcher Rolf Halden, Ph.D., assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health received his masters and doctoral degrees researching dioxin contamination in the environment. Since 2004, the internet has been flooded with email warnings to avoid freezing water in plastic bottles so as not to get exposed to carcinogenic dioxins. Dr. Halden sets the record straight on dioxins in the food supply and the risks associated with drinking water from plastic bottles and cooking with plastics.

What are dioxins?

RH: Dioxins are organic environmental pollutants. Exposure to dioxins can cause chloracne, a severe form of skin disease, as well as reproductive and developmental effects, and more importantly, liver damage and cancer.

What do you make of the email warnings that claim dioxins can be released by freezing water in plastic bottles?

RH: This is an urban legend. There are no dioxins in plastics. In addition, freezing actually works against the release of chemicals. Chemicals do not diffuse as readily in cold temperatures, which would limit chemical release if there were dioxins in plastic, and we don't think there are.

What about cooking with plastics?

RH: In general, whenever you heat something you increase the likelihood of pulling chemicals out. Some drinking straws say on the label "not for hot beverages." Most people think the warning is because someone might be burned. If you put that straw into a boiling cup of hot coffee, you basically have a hot water extraction going on, where the chemicals in the straw are being extracted into your nice cup of coffee.

If you are cooking with plastics or using plastic utensils, the best thing to do is to follow the directions and only use plastics that are specifically meant for cooking. Inert containers are best, for example heat-resistant glass, ceramics and good old stainless steel.

Is there anything else you want to add?

RH: You should be more concerned about the quality of the water you drink than what container it is in. Unless you are drinking really bad water, you are more likely to suffer from the adverse effects of dehydration than from the minuscule amounts of chemical contaminants present in your water supply. Relatively speaking, the risk from exposure to microbial contaminants is much greater than that from chemicals.

Each of us already carries a certain body burden of dioxins regardless of how and what we eat. If you look hard enough, you'll find traces of dioxins in pretty much every place on earth. Paracelsus, the famous medieval alchemist, used to put it straight and simple: it's the dose that makes the poison.

To read the complete interview, visit our page of Featured Experts


JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICINE INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS OVERSEAS

Johns Hopkins Medicine International has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Apollo Hospitals Group, the largest private healthcare network in Asia. The MOU establishes areas of collaboration that range from Continuing Medical Education and Second Opinions to nurse education and partnerships with clinical departments in some of the 35 hospitals managed by the group.

"We are very pleased to enter into this relationship with Apollo" said Steve Thompson, senior vice president of Johns Hopkins Medicine and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine International. "As a leader in healthcare services, Apollo is definitely contributing to the Johns Hopkins mission of sharing knowledge and best practices with the world."