Focus: Hidden - Maryland

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A large percentage of the world's population -- fully one third, by the World Health Organization's estimates -- is currently overweight or obese. This staggering statistics has made finding ways to address obesity a top priority for many scientists around the globe, and now a group of researchers at the University of Wyoming has found promise in the potential of capsaicin -- the chief ingredient in chili peppers -- as a diet-based supplement.

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Good drugs are hard to design: they must not only effectively treat a medical condition, but they must also do so without having side effects that outweigh their benefits. Sometimes, toxic side effects aren’t discovered until late in development, when substantial time and money have already been invested. Now, researchers have devised a new drug screen that capitalizes on the tendency of toxic compounds to alter the properties of the lipid bilayer that encases cells.

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By employing derivatives of humanin, a naturally occurring peptide encoded in the genome of cellular mitochondria, researchers at Ben Gurion University of the Negev are working to interrupt necrosis, buying precious time for tissues whose cellular mechanisms have called it quits.

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University of Maryland School of Medicine (UM SOM) Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, and Jeffrey A. Rivest, MS, President and Chief Executive Officer of University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), today announced the official launch of a new “Program in Lung Healing,” that will further the School’s position as a national leader in research, education and clinical innovation for acute ailments of the lung and respiratory system.

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A new study by Johns Hopkins researchers links a well-known cell communication pathway called Notch to one of the most common — but overall still rare — brain tumors found in children.

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A report from a summit organized last year by the American Hospital Association (AHA), the American Society of Anesthesiologists,® the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, and The Pew Charitable Trusts summarizes manufacturing, regulatory, and economic issues related to drug shortages, as well as potential solutions.

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The following articles are freely available online from Physics Today (www.physicstoday.org), the most influential and closely followed magazine in the world devoted to physics and the physical science community.

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NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured the rare occurrence of three of Jupiter's largest moons racing across the banded face of the gas-giant planet: Europa, Callisto, and Io on Jan. 24, 2015. Join the live Hubble Hangout event at 3:00 pm (EST) on Thurs., Feb. 5 to learn more. Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf6j6WJS8Ig .

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New research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests that a prolonged illness associated with Lyme disease is more widespread and serious in some patients than previously understood.

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Two junior faculty members in Johns Hopkins University’s Whiting School of Engineering have been selected to receive National Science Foundation CAREER Awards, which recognize the highest level of excellence among early stage researchers.

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In a study with mice, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers have found that e-cigarettes compromise the immune system in the lungs and generate some of the same potentially dangerous chemicals found in traditional nicotine cigarettes.

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Johns Hopkins researchers report they have used nanoparticles to successfully deliver a new therapy to cancer cells in the brains of rats, prolonging their lives.

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Children under age 5 living in sub-Saharan Africa were 54 percent less likely to develop malaria if they had been given a single large dose of vitamin A, new research led by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests.

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Holographic video displays, featuring 3-D images, are about to "go large" and become a lot more affordable at the same time, thanks to the work of a team of Brigham Young University researchers and their collaborators at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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Two New York University researchers have taken inspiration from avian locomotion strategies and created a pump that moves fluid using vibration instead of a rotor. Their results will be published in the journal Applied Physics Letters.

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By combining micro-imprinting and electro-spinning techniques, researchers at Shanghai University’s Rapid Manufacturing Engineering Center have developed a vascular graft composed of three layers for the first time. This tri-layered composite has allowed researchers to utilize separate materials that respectively possess mechanical strength and promote new cell growth - a significant problem for existing vascular grafts that have only consisted of a single or double layer.

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Sublingual immunotherapy is one of several state-of-the-science treatments for allergic rhinitis, or “hay fever,” being recommended by a panel of experts in a new guideline published Feb. 2, 2015, by the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation.

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The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved lisdexamfetamine dimesylate, under the brand name Vyvanse, to treat moderate to severe binge eating disorder (BED) in adults, a first of its kind prescription drug specifically indicated for BED. TOS says that understanding the differences between obesity and BED is important for clinicians, as BED is an eating disorder that affects only a portion of those with the medical disease obesity.

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Researchers have succeeded in peering into the brains of live mice with such precision that they were able to see how the position of specific proteins changed as memories were forged.

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During the Biophysical Society's 59th Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Md., Christophe Lavelle, an expert in biophysics, epigenetics and food science who works for the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, France, will describe his research dedicated to gaining a deeper understanding of genome compaction within the cells in our bodies and the way it influences gene expression.

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To prepare for people for safely journeying into space for extended periods of time in the future, it's crucial to gain a better understanding of the biophysics involved within reduced gravity and microgravity environments. To this end, a team of University of Delaware researchers is preparing to send transparent microscopic worms called "Caenorhabditas elegans" up to the International Space Station.

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University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences researchers find that older adults may need to double up on the recommended daily allowance of protein to efficiently maintain and build muscle. The article is published in the AJP—Endocrinology and Metabolism and is highlighted as part of the APSselect program.

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A Johns Hopkins engineering professor who is coaxing stem cells into forming blood vessels that can nurture healthy tissue or starve cancer cells is the first recipient of a new university award that provides $250,000 in research funding.

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It’s Friday afternoon and your 20-month-old son is running a fever. He is cranky, refuses to eat, periodically pulls on his ears, and isn’t his usual playful self. Your reaction is ...

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The Genetics Society of America (GSA) is pleased to announce that Brian Charlesworth, PhD (University of Edinburgh) has been awarded the Society's Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal for lifetime achievement in the field of genetics. The award, whose namesake was a Nobel laureate and geneticist, recognizes Dr. Charlesworth's profound impact on our understanding of population genetics and evolutionary biology. Dr. Charlesworth will receive the award at the 56th Annual Drosophila Research Conference, organized by GSA, March 4–8, 2015 in Chicago, IL.

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This Hubble Space Telescope photograph of an oddball arc of stars in galaxy NGC 7714 tells of a 100-million-year-old close encounter.

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Leading obesity organizations release a joint position statement supporting disability protections for obesity under certain circumstances and call for these protections to be enacted in the United States.

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The Genetics Society of America (GSA) is pleased to announce that Steven Henikoff, PhD (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center) has been awarded the Genetics Society of America Medal in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field of genetics during the past 15 years. Dr. Henikoff will receive the award at the 56th Annual Drosophila Research Conference, organized by GSA, March 4–8, 2015 in Chicago, IL.

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A joint effort by the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) and The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. (HJF) to license assays that allow for the rapid detection of Shiga toxin has received the 2015 Federal Laboratory Consortium Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer. This marks the third consecutive award for the University, which is aided in its technology transfer efforts by HJF through the USU-HJF Joint Office of Technology Transfer.

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Targeted biopsy using new fusion technology that combines magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with ultrasound is more effective than standard biopsy in detecting high-risk prostate cancer, according to a large-scale study published today in JAMA.

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The Johns Hopkins University announces two new award programs that together will provide an additional $15 million to advance innovative faculty-led research over the next three years.

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Journalists are invited to discover the world of biophysics next month in Maryland, when the largest gathering of biophysicists in the world convenes from Feb. 7-11 at the Baltimore Convention Center for the 59th Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society.

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Results of the small study of nine men provide further evidence for potential long-term neurological risk to football players who sustain repeated concussions and support calls for better player protections.

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Howard Hughes Medical Institute scientists have identified a circuit in the brains of mice that regulates thirst. When a subset of cells in the circuit is switched on, mice immediately begin drinking water, even if they are fully hydrated. A second set of cells suppresses the urge to drink.

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How can states and federal government provide adequate health care to poor people, without overburdening taxpayers or leaving health care providers with billions in unpaid bills? That thorny problem is especially challenging in the aftermath of a recession and congressional mandates expanding Medicaid eligibility.

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Renowned Johns Hopkins Children’s Center pediatrician and former JAMA editor Catherine D. DeAngelis, M.D., M.P.H., will receive the 2015 Howland Medal of the American Pediatric Society, one of the highest awards in pediatric medicine, bestowed annually for distinguished service in the field as a whole

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A Johns Hopkins researcher who has studied what makes a Super Bowl commercial successful is available to discuss, analyze and rate the 2015 ads.

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Former Chief Nurse Officer for the United States Public Health Service Carol A. Romano, Ph.D., RN, BC, NEA, FAAN, FACMI, was recently selected as the new Dean of the Daniel K. Inouye Graduate School of Nursing (GSN) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. She succeeds Dr. Ada Sue Hinshaw, who retired in August 2014.

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New specializations aimed at demand for legal knowledge in growing cybersecurity and patent law fields.

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The Genetics Society of America (GSA) is pleased to announce that Sue Biggins, PhD (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center) has been awarded the Society's Edward Novitski Prize. The award recognizes Dr. Biggins' extraordinary level of creativity and intellectual ingenuity in solving significant problems in genetics research—namely, her groundbreaking research on the molecular mechanisms of chromosome segregation, a process essential for cell division and frequently impaired in cancer.

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Existing cancer therapies are geared toward massacring tumor cells, but Johns Hopkins researchers propose a different strategy: subtly hardening cancer cells to prevent them from invading new areas of the body. They devised a way of screening compounds for the desired effect and have identified a compound that shows promise in fighting pancreatic cancer.

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WHO: More than 14,000 biomedical researchers from industry, government, nonprofits, the private sector and academia WHAT: Experimental Biology, the convergence of six scientific societies’ annual meetings WHEN: March 28 – April 1, 2015 WHERE: Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, 111 W. 415 Summer Street, Boston, Mass., 02210

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A new signal amplification process discovered by a team of University of California, San Diego researchers is now poised to fuel new generations of electrical and photonic devices – transforming the fields of communications, imaging and computing. In the journal Applied Physics Letters, from AIP Publishing, the team describes their work behind this discovery.

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By zapping ordinary metals with femtosecond laser pulses researchers from the University of Rochester in New York have created extraordinary new surfaces that efficiently absorb light, repel water and clean themselves. The multifunctional materials could find use in durable, low maintenance solar collectors and sensors.

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An animal study led by Johns Hopkins investigators has uncovered what controls the ability of healthy hearts to speed up in response to circumstances ranging from fear to a jog around the block.

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Challenging the long-standing belief that city dwellers suffer disproportionately from asthma, the results of a new Johns Hopkins Children’s Center study of more than 23,000 U.S. children reveal that income, race and ethnic origin may play far more potent roles in asthma risk than kids’ physical surroundings.

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New research from scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UM SOM) has found that tiny lumps of calcium phosphate may be an important triggering factor for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a degenerative eye disease that can cause severe vision loss and blindness. This is the first time these mineral deposits have been implicated in the disease, which affects more than 10 million Americans. The article appeared in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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The first-ever clinical practice guideline for the drug treatment of obesity offers a new tool for health practitioners looking to the latest pharmacotherapy strategies as a means of treating patients with obesity. The Obesity Society says the guideline supplements the TOS/AHA/ACC Obesity Treatment Guidelines to fill a gap in treatment.