Articles
Esen Akpek, M.D., the Bendann Family Professor of Ophthalmology and chief of the Ocular Surface Disease Clinic at Wilmer Eye Institute, is a world-renowned expert in the evaluation and treatment of dry eye disease.
Poor Sense of Smell Linked to Increased Risk of Depression in Older Adults
Hyposmia has long been associated with Alzheimer’s and other dementias in the elderly; study adds to evidence for its ties to other late-life ailments
New Evidence: Immune System Cells in the Gut Linked to Stress-Induced Depression
In experiments with mice and humans, a team led by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers says it has identified a particular intestinal immune cell that impacts the gut microbiome, which in turn may affect brain functions linked to stress-induced ...
Investigators Devise Novel Test to Identify Brain Tumors from Cerebrospinal Fluid
Researchers with the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and four other institutions have developed a molecular test to identify the presence of brain tumors.
Morale and burnout among hospitalists already posed significant concerns before the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Window into Complex Rhinoplasty
Chief of Facial Cosmetic Surgery Shaun Desai specializes in complex rhinoplasty and has performed several hundred procedures in his nine years at Johns Hopkins.
New Center to Explore the Influence of Sex and Gender on Health Care
Gender-specific medicine considers how human biology differs between men and women and how the diagnosis and treatment of diseases may differ regarding both biological sex and gender-specific lived experience.
Work-Life Balance ‘Crucial’ for Head and Neck Cancer Caregivers
Caregivers carry important responsibilities, especially those caring for patients with head and neck cancer. However, it is necessary to bring awareness to the quality-of-life caregivers have when working with nonworking patients who have head and neck cancer.
Johns Hopkins Surgeons Develop Protocols to Improve High-Value Care for Patients
Based on the widely adopted Choosing Wisely campaign, vascular surgeon Caitlin Hicks and colleagues created an initiative to improve approaches to surgical treatment: Improving Wisely.
Unlocking a Healthy Mindset: The Road to Recovery from Anorexia Nervosa
A Q&A with Johns Hopkins psychiatrists Angela Guarda and Colleen Schreyer.
In Kay Redfield Jamison’s latest celebrated work, she explores psychological suffering and the path toward healing.
Bariatric Surgery Case Study – Gastric Bypass with ICG Leak Test
Johns Hopkins Center for Bariatric Surgery at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., is accredited from the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) as a Comprehensive Center with Adult Qualifications.
New Research Aims to Elucidate Neurobiology of Anorexia Nervosa
Studies in animal models help scientists identify systems that may induce vulnerability to eating disorders, and aid in pinpointing brain consequences of behaviors that underpin anorexia nervosa.
Johns Hopkins Among First in the World to Launch Abdominal Health Program
Surgeons aim to elucidate the complex care that hernia surgeons provide while broadening the understanding through which caregivers view related conditions, such as urinary incontinence, rectus diastasis and abdominal tumors.
Inflammatory Biomarker Associated with Mitochondrial Decline Further Linked to Frailty
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have developed a mouse model that successfully mimics the development of frailty as mammals — likely including people — get older.
Common Cause, Uncommon Mission
The Wilmer Eye Institute provides untold opportunities for those with shared and overlapping interests to pool their talents, ideas and ideals to advance science and patient care. Following are the stories of two extraordinary clinician-scientists ...
In an eight-year study of more than 600 community-dwelling older adults, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers say they have further linked levels of cell-free DNA (DNA fragments resulting from cell death) circulating in the blood to chronic ...
For those with liver metastasis, using ALPPS and a hepatic artery infusion pump may show promise. This approach could reduce cancer recurrence and improve survival, doctors say.
Johns Hopkins Study Reveals Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Liver Transplant
Researchers demonstrate that patients from underrepresented populations living in low-socioeconomic neighborhoods are at significant risk of not receiving the care they require.
It was Valentine’s Day last year when David and Molly Mills learned, with great delight, that she was pregnant.
Improving Diabetic Foot Wound Care Through Technology
Each year, more than 150,000 of the 37 million people diagnosed with diabetes in the U.S. undergo a lower extremity amputation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Study at Johns Hopkins Suggests Quality Improvement of Hospital Quality Metrics
The US health care system’s ongoing transition to value-based care has brought a dramatic increase in the number of hospital quality metrics over the past decade.
Research Advances in Head and Neck Surgery at Johns Hopkins
Physicians in the Johns Hopkins Division of Head and Neck Surgery are advancing clinical research in their field. The following are just a few developments taking place.
‘Tipping the Balance’ of Immune Cells From Bad to Good Reverses Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms in Mice
Johns Hopkins Medicine team suggests that microparticle-delivered therapy may be first step toward stopping MS and other autoimmune diseases
Johns Hopkins Medicine Publishes New Edition of ‘Pediatrics Bible’
The 23rd edition of The Harriet Lane Handbook — a widely used, pocket-size reference book known as the “bible of pediatrics” for physicians around the world— is now available.
Proton Therapy Case Study—Metastatic Adenocarcinoma of Pancreas with Liver Metastasis
A 63-year-old female was diagnosed with a resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
Proton Therapy Case Study—Left Frontotemporal Low-Grade Glioma
A 27-year-old male had seizures, dry heaves, described an unpleasant smell and experienced anxiety in November 2020.
How an innovative funding approach is advancing research and speeding treatments for patients whose complicated disorder can cause tumors on nerves all over the body. Every grant made by the Neurofibromatosis Therapeutic Acceleration Program, ...
Proton Therapy Case Study—Grade I, ER/PR >90% and HER2 Negative Left Breast Cancer
An otherwise healthy 76-year-old woman was found on screening mammogram to have a new left breast mass. After her workup confirmed a small left breast tumor with no evidence of lymph node involvement, she had a lumpectomy and sentinel ...
Proton Therapy Case Study—Truncal Soft Tissue Sarcoma
A 74-year-old male was referred to our clinic following resection of a 9 cm myxofibrosarcoma spanning the chest wall and flank.
Advances in Care for Patients with Cardiac Amyloidosis
The Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Center for Amyloidosis is among a growing number of programs dedicated to multidisciplinary care for this rare disease.
Johns Hopkins neurosurgeons are among the first in the U.S. to use magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound, also known as MRgFUS, to investigate how it may be applied to ablate diseased tissue and traverse the blood-brain barrier.
Minimally Invasive Valve Replacements Reduce Healing Time, Scars
The advanced technique minimizes scarring and reduces recovery time.
Johns Hopkins Hepatologists Detect Liver Cancer in Urine Test
Researchers show that screening urine for ctDNA as part of a two-stage test increases detection sensitivity from 40% to 77% in early-stage liver cancer, and from 62% to 92% in the very early stage of disease.
Johns Hopkins Surgeons Seek to Improve ‘Tactile’ Sensitivity During Robotic Surgery
Experts in surgery and engineering test a wearable device that vibrates in response to the amount of force applied to tissue during surgical training.
Improving Patient Care, From General Dentistry to the Most Complex Craniofacial Reconstructions
Robin Yang leads the Johns Hopkins Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Dentistry through growth and change.
Johns Hopkins Medicine Bladder Exstrophy Archives
Better Understanding of Chiari Malformation
Johns Hopkins’ participation in the Chiari Surgical Success Scale and a similar study for nonsurgical patients could help doctors make better treatment decisions.
Study Reveals High Prevalence of Alcohol, Opioid Use Among Patients with Crohn’s Disease in U.S.
Newly diagnosed people with Crohn’s disease (CD) in the United States are more likely to experience drug and alcohol use compared with the general population, according to a recent study led by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers. The study, ...
This gel stops brain tumors in mice. Could it offer hope for humans?
The gel can reach areas that surgery might miss and current drugs struggle to reach to kill lingering cancer cells and suppress tumor growth.
New Offerings for Complex Cardiac Care at Suburban Hospital
The hospital offers a range of cardiac surgeries, including transcatheter aortic valve replacement, transcatheter patent foramen ovale closure, atrial septal defect closure and left atrial appendage occlusion implants.
New research opens window into understanding the needs of patients after the procedure.
Study Finds First Woman Possibly Cured of HIV
According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), nearly 38 million people worldwide — approximately 50% of whom are women — live with HIV, including an estimated 1.2 million people in the United States. Antiviral medicine, ...
Johns Hopkins Among Highest-Volume Centers Nationally for Adrenal Surgery
With a multidisciplinary approach, endocrine surgeons and colleagues at Johns Hopkins offer spectrum of treatments.
Quick Intervention Guide for Sudden Hearing Loss
Timely recognition of sudden sensorineural hearing loss by the initial evaluating physician affects the availability of treatment options as well as the treatment success rates.
Improving Management of Liver Disease in Children
Over the past several years, clinicians have made use of a free genetic test to help properly diagnose infants presenting with signs of liver disease.
ATA2023 Conference & Expo March 4-6, 2023 Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center San Antonio, Texas
Calculating Thoracic Outlet Surgery Success
New research by Johns Hopkins vascular surgeon predicts which patients will have positive surgical outcomes.
Johns Hopkins Pediatric Rehabilitation Brings Size, Synergies to Patient Care
The Pediatric Rehabilitation division within the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Johns Hopkins Medicine is one of the largest in the nation, with 11 pediatric physiatrists plus associated specialists at four locations.
Remote Monitoring for Congenital Heart Disease
As a pediatric heart surgeon and research scientist, Danielle Gottlieb Sen has long felt the need for a simple, noninvasive monitoring device that babies with congenital heart disease could wear — the way their parents might wear a smartwatch ...
Multidisciplinary Care for Rare Ovarian Cancer
The team at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center at Sibley Memorial Hospital drew on its vast knowledge and experience to treat a patient with granulosa cell tumor.
New Pediatric Epileptologist Joins Johns Hopkins
Pediatric epileptologist Babitha Haridas specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of children with epilepsy, with a focus on those who have refractory epilepsy. Dr. Haridas seeks alternate modalities of treatment, including ketogenic ...
Adult Inpatient Brexanolone Service Addresses Postpartum Depression
A new service at Johns Hopkins offers a novel method to treat postpartum depression: administering a rapidly-acting intravenous medication in inpatient psychiatry units, where patients can benefit from related services.
In a new review article, Johns Hopkins Medicine experts and collaborators across the U.S. emphasize that climate change — particularly global warming — is contributing to an increase in the rates and to greater severity of nasal and sinus ...
Gastroenterologist Develops Gel to Stop Bleeding After Precancerous Polyp Removal
Venkata Akshintala leads a team of pharmacologists, biomedical engineers and mechanical engineers to create a gel that uses epinephrine nanoparticles to stop bleeding following a procedure.
Pediatric Nephrologist Jeffery Fadrowski Elected to International Council
Jeffrey Fadrowski, a pediatric nephrologist and an associate professor of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins, has been elected to the International Pediatric Nephrology Association (IPNA) council.
Unlocking the Promise of Nanomaterials
It used to be that if you received a diagnosis of glaucoma, chances were good that you would eventually lose vision to some degree. That began to change with the development of drugs that lower intraocular pressure, elevated levels of which can drive glaucoma.
Improving Care for Advanced Obstetric Surgery Patients
Jason Vaught, Torre Halscott and colleagues at Johns Hopkins’ Advanced Obstetric Surgery Center provide a breadth of expertise to treat patients who need extraordinary care.
Can Total Joint Replacement Complication Rates Be Reduced?
Research by Johns Hopkins orthopaedic surgeon Savyasachi Thakkar suggests opportunities for safety and outcome improvements based on timing of multiple procedures.
Innovations in Adult Congenital Heart Disease
Cardiologist Stacy Fisher helped to create a 3D model of a congenital heart to help guide formation and implant of a catheter-based stent to avoid open heart surgery for her patient who had a collateral vessel stealing coronary blood and ...
In a new study using a rat model of Crohn’s disease, a biodegradable hydrogel composite loaded with stem cells, developed by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers, in a collaborative effort with the Whiting School of Engineering, has shown ...
Minimally Invasive Spine Surgeries Offer Better Outcomes, Faster Recovery
Neurosurgeon David Lin discusses the benefits of artificial cervical disk replacement and microdiscectomy.
For Stage 2 Colon Cancers, Circulating Tumor DNA May Reduce Unnecessary Chemotherapy
Study led by Johns Hopkins and Australian collaborators could change standard of care.
Identifying the Seizure Onset Zone Through Single-Pulse Electrical Stimulation
New study by Johns Hopkins researchers could significantly shorten monitoring time before epilepsy surgery and improve outcomes
Should We Burn Barrett’s Esophagus? Or Should We Freeze It?
Clinical trials led by Johns Hopkins endoscopy specialists investigate cryotherapy approach to treat Barrett’s esophagus.
Improving Pancreatic Cancer Survival Through Surveillance
Johns Hopkins-led study shows that for patients at high risk of developing disease, annual screening caught most pancreatic cancers in early, treatable stages.
Entrepreneurship Certificate Program Targets Prevention and Treatment of Substance Use Disorders
A $1.6M grant will fund efforts to train basic scientists in the development and commercialization of products to prevent and treat substance use disorders.
New Research into Treatment for Bipolar Depression
Johns Hopkins psychiatrists study whether an unconventional transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) yields more rapid improvements in patients.
New Research Advances the Field of Head and Neck Endocrine Surgery
Johns Hopkins physician-researchers are leading studies on scarless thyroglossal duct removals and parathyroidectomies, fighting cancer by leveraging metabolism, intraoperative monitoring to protect the recurrent laryngeal nerve, and more.
In 2012, Dr. Mouen Khashab, professor in the Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, pioneered peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) to treat esophageal achalasia – a disorder of the esophagus that makes swallowing difficult.
In two studies using nationally representative data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study gathered on thousands of Americans, researchers from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health ...
In a study using data from nearly 1,200 older adults, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers have added to a growing body of evidence that loss of the sense of smell is a predictive marker for an increased risk of frailty as people age.
Forty Years of Neurocritical Care
One of the world’s first neurosciences critical care units opened at Johns Hopkins in 1982, innovating patient care and inspiring hundreds of similar efforts globally.
Research and Clinical Advances in Laryngology at Johns Hopkins
Physician-researchers in the Division of Laryngology advance clinical research and practice — leading studies on retrograde cricopharyngeal dysfunction, gender-affirming voice care and more.
Hope for Patients Grappling with Pancreatic Pain
Psychiatrist and pain specialist Traci Speed works with colleagues at the Johns Hopkins Pancreatitis Pain Program to address each patient’s struggles with pain and mental health.
School-Based Mental Health Program Aims to Help Kids Become Their Best Selves
Hal Kronsberg, program director for the Johns Hopkins Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program, shares observations about his and his team’s approach to assist children who grapple with mental illness.
Research Focuses on Improving Care for People with Dementia
Adults with dementia are sometimes thought to be homogenous and presumed to use a lot of health care services, especially later in life, says geriatrician Stephanie Nothelle. But two recent studies Nothelle directed suggest that’s not the case.
A New Approach to Preserving Spine Mobility in Middle-aged Adults
Unique expertise, multidisciplinary treatment and new surgical techniques lead to better outcomes for adults with spinal deformities.
Johns Hopkins Research Suggests Ways to Improve the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit
A new study from Johns Hopkins researchers offers caution about the limitations of the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit, finding that up to 25% of older adults at risk for falls still were prescribed a medication that is considered high risk for that condition.
A first-in-kind program that trains trusted older adult community health workers to fit and deliver low-cost hearing technology to peers with hearing loss significantly improved communication function among participants, according to the ...
Serving the LGBTQ Community at the Johns Hopkins Fertility Center
Fertility specialists offer full range of options for same-sex and transgender couples, as well as those who choose to be single parents.
A Multidisciplinary Approach to Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: The Right Treatment for Each Patient
As the new surgical director of structural heart disease at the Johns Hopkins Heart and Vascular Institute, Michael Robich is building a program to streamline the referral and admission process for physicians from outside of Johns Hopkins ...
Precision Medicine: Genetics and Clinical Outcomes in Advanced Prostate Cancer
No two men with prostate cancer have exactly the same disease. Instead, each has distinct genomic and molecular changes that make the cancer more or less likely to respond to a particular treatment – and scientists still have much to learn ...
Newly Discovered Mutation on HOXB13 is Linked to More Aggressive Cancer in Black Men
Three decades ago, Brady investigators William Isaacs, Ph.D., the William Thomas Gerrard, Mario Anthony Duhon, and Jennifer and John Chalsty Professor of Urology, and Patrick Walsh, M.D., characterized hereditary prostate cancer, and in ...
Burnett was recognized for his “groundbreaking advances in male sexual health, as well as advocacy, diversity and humanitarian contributions.”
Schaufeld Program Celebrates First Year
Last year in Discovery, we introduced an exciting new initiative, the Schaufeld Program for Prostate Cancer in Black Men, which addresses a critical issue: Black men are more likely to develop aggressive prostate cancer, and to die of it, than other men.
Read About the Research You Have Helped Make Possible.
How important is seed money? Priceless! Many of the scientists featured in this issue of Discovery jump-started their research careers with awards from the Patrick C. Walsh Prostate Cancer Research Fund.
GSTP1: Could This Gene Be Linked to Cancer Death in Black Men?
Black men in the U.S. are nearly twice as likely to die of prostate cancer than white men. What accounts for this terrible statistic?
Kidney Cancer and Brain Metastases
Most people with kidney cancer don’t have metastasis to the brain. But 15 percent of patients with advanced kidney cancer do, says urologic oncologist Nirmish Singla, M.D., M.S.C.S., Director of the Kidney Cancer Program.
Kidney Cancer Program: World-class Care and Research
The Kidney Cancer Program (KCP), jointly led by urologist Nirmish Singla and oncologist Yasser Ged, was established with the goal of offering world-class, multidisciplinary clinical care and cutting-edge collaborative research “to continuously ...
Prostate Cancer in Transgender Patients
Although it is quite rare, aggressive prostate cancer can occur in transgender patients on long-term hormone therapy.
Turning Back the Clock on Treatment-Resistant Prostate Cancer
If this hypothesis proves true, an LSD1-blocking agent could allow ADT and AR-blocking drugs to work again in men with mCRPC.
Race, Ethnicity and Clinical Trials
There are significant differences in cancer – even the same type of cancer – among people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds.
Therapy Resistance in Cancer: Learning from Bacteria
Why is metastatic prostate cancer so hard to kill? The short answer is that nobody knows.
Taking a Deeper Look at Trigeminal Neuralgia
Risheng Xu’s research aims to unravel the nature of the puzzling condition — from bench to bedside.
Johns Hopkins Adds to Colorectal Treatment Team in the National Capital Region
Ada Graham, a fellowship-trained colorectal surgeon, has joined Johns Hopkins Medicine in the National Capital Region.
Anatomic Parameters: Direct Intralaminar Screw Repair of Spondylolysis
To determine parameters for ideal intralaminar screw trajectory and the feasibility of screw placement at L3, L4, and L5 laminae for pars defect fixation.
Shunning the Shunt in Hydrocephalus?
Since they first met a decade ago, pediatric neurosurgeon Dody Robinson and neuroscientist Lauren Jantzie have been collaborating on research to better understand the disease processes that cause brain damage in infants.
Clinical Results and Functional Outcomes After Direct Intralaminar Screw Repair of Spondylolysis
Our objective was to analyze clinical and functional results of patients with spondylolysis treated via direct intralaminar screw fixation and autograft, a minimally invasive and motion-preserving surgery.