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CLINICAL NEWS |
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 Marker of Heart Disease in Low-Birthweight Babies
Some low birth weight infants have large particles rich in apolipo- protein C-1, a blood protein that could put them at risk for heart disease later in life, according to a national study led by Johns Hopkins researchers published in the
April 20 Journal of the American Medical Association.
For the study, pediatric cardiologist Peter Kwiterovich, Jr., and colleagues analyzed the umbilical cord blood of 163 infants born at 28 or more weeks of gestational age at Johns Hopkins between January 3 and September 27, 2000.
Nineteen percent of the babies were found to have enriched levels of apolipoprotein C-1 bound up in the high density lipoproteins (HDL) circulating in their blood. These infants were born on average 1.3 pounds less and three weeks earlier
than those who had normal HDL levels of the suspect particles.
QUALITY & SAFETY
Scalpel-Free Surgery Reduces Disease Exposure
Hopkins researchers have shown that nearly 40 percent of surgeries at the Hospital occur in patients who tested positive for a bloodborne germ. "While these rates are alarming, they are not entirely unexpected," says surgeon Martin
Makary, author of a study that appears in the May 2005 issue of Annals of Surgery.
General precautions have been in effect for some time at Hopkins to prevent the spread of disease to healthcare workers in the operating room. "Given the high incidence of these infections, however, we have developed new strategies such
as 'sharpless' surgery--a surgical technique which uses high-technology alternatives to needles and knives. We advocate using these techniques whenever possible in high-risk settings to further protect healthcare workers from accidental
transmission," added Makary.
Previous studies have shown that healthcare workers are injured in about 7 percent of operations. As many as 87 percent of surgeons will receive an injury that breaks the skin at some point in their career.
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RESEARCH NEWS |
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New Adhesive Effective in Sealing Corneal Incisions
A liquid adhesive made from a protein found in human tissue is effective in sealing corneal wounds and may even be better than stitches, according to results of a Johns Hopkins study. In animal studies, researchers discovered that modified
chondroitin sulfate aldehyde was better than standard sutures at preventing rupture of experimental surgical cuts in the cornea.
"The results of our experiments showed that sutured eyes were less able to resist pressure than eyes sealed with the liquid adhesive, and none of the glued eyes leaked when subjected to the maximum pressure allowed by our experimental set
up," said Johann Reyes, M.D., author of the study. "Surgical glues have been used, but the search for the ideal makeup of these adhesives for use in the eye still continues," he said.
NEW APPOINTMENTS
 Snyder Awarded National Medal of Science
Neuroscientist Solomon Snyder, a renowned expert on how brain cells communicate and a 1978 co-recipient of the Lasker Award for his discovery of opiate receptors in the brain, has been honored once again with the National Medal of
Science, the nation's highest honor for scientific achievement. Snyder's identification of receptors for neurotransmitters and drugs have clarified how psychotropic agents act in the brain and shed light on how neuroactive drugs work.
The scientific understandings he introduced through these and other findings has spurred the design of new drugs to treat psychiatric and other illnesses.
Wood To Direct Pediatric Allergy Division
Pediatric allergist Robert Wood, M.D. has been named director of the Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology. A world-renowned expert in the treatment of peanut allergy, Wood assumes leadership of a busy clinical and research
division whose faculty and staff care for children with asthma, allergies and primary immunodeficiency diseases.
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PUBLICATIONS |
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Advanced Studies in Medicine
Advanced Studies in Medicine is dedicated to evaluating and integrating advances and specialty knowledge to guide and enhance the primary care clinician's practice. The Journal, published monthly, features concise, evidence-based,
peer-reviewed articles that are complemented by related editorials and commentary. Internist John A. Flynn, M.D., M.B.A., is editor-in-chief.
The April 2005 issue includes:
Neurology -- Clinical Uses of Botulinum Toxin
Paul Fishman, MD, PhD
Rheumatology -- Monosodium Urate Deposition Arthropathy Part II: Treatment and Long-term Management of Patients With Gout
Robert Wortmann, MD; Ralph Schumacher, Jr, MD
Dermatology -- Evidence-Based Review of Biologic Therapy for Psoriasis: Infliximab, Etanercept, Adalimumab, Efalizumab, and Alefacept
Jeffrey Weinberg, MD; Robin Buchholz, MD; Noah Scheinfeld, MD
Editorial -- The Role of Confounding Factors in Physician Pay-for-Performance Programs
James Rohack, MD - Board Chair, American Medical Association
Law & Ethics -- Spiritual And Religious Needs In Patient Care
Lauris C. Kaldjian, MD, PhD Column Editor |
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