February 5, 2019 – In an effort to reduce chronic pain, many people look for hope by paying $20 to thousands of dollars for a tube of prescription topical pain cream or gel. Now, results of a rigorous federally funded study mandated by Congress shows no statistically significant difference between relief offered by these creams […]
Johns Hopkins University
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Fraction of U.S. outpatient treatment centers offer medication for opioid addiction
January 15, 2019 – Despite the mounting death toll of America’s opioid crisis, only a minority of facilities that treat substance use disorders offer patients buprenorphine, naltrexone or methadone—the three FDA-approved medications for the long-term management of opioid use disorder, according to a new study from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public […]
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U.S. Health Care Spending Highest Among Developed Countries
Jan. 7, 2018 – The United States, on a per capita basis, spends much more on health care than other developed countries; the chief reason is not greater health care utilization, but higher prices, according to a study from a team led by a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researcher. The paper will […]
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JHU Survey: Americans Don’t Know Much About State Government
Dec. 12, 2018 – Americans trust their state governments to handle issues as important as education and health care and pay them more than a trillion dollars in taxes annually, yet we know very little about these institutions, a new Johns Hopkins University survey finds. Almost half of those surveyed couldn’t say what their state […]
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Doctors Urge the CDC to Create a Firearm Injury Prevention Task Force
Nov. 28, 2018 – In a new JAMA Surgery Viewpoint, surgeons at the front lines of gun violence urge the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to take action and set priorities for research and advocacy. “America should not be known as the place where citizens do not feel safe in a church, a school […]
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Reclassification recommendations for drug in ‘Magic Mushrooms’
September 26, 2018 – In an evaluation of the safety and abuse research on the drug in hallucinogenic mushrooms, Johns Hopkins researchers suggest that if it clears phase III clinical trials, psilocybin should be re-categorized from a schedule I drug—one with no known medical potential—to a schedule IV drug such as prescription sleep aids, but […]
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Where Martian Dust Comes From
The dust that coats much of the surface of Mars originates largely from a single thousand-kilometer-long geological formation near the Red Planet’s equator, scientists have found. A study published in the journal Nature Communications found a chemical match between dust in the Martian atmosphere and the surface feature, called the Medusae Fossae Formation. “Mars wouldn’t […]
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Low Vitamin D levels associated with scarring lung disease
June 19, 2018 – Reviewing medical information gathered on more than 6,000 adults over a 10-year period, Johns Hopkins researchers have found that lower than normal blood levels of vitamin D were linked to increased risk of early signs of interstitial lung disease (ILD). Interstitial lung disease is a relatively rare group of disorders characterized […]
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Study shows evidence of severe and lingering symptoms in some after treatment for Lyme disease
February 1, 2018 – In a study of 61 people treated for the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, Johns Hopkins researchers conclude that fatigue, pain, insomnia and depression do indeed persist over long periods of time for some people, despite largely normal physical exams and clinical laboratory testing. “Post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS) is a […]
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Holiday Science: Johns Hopkins Scientists Explain Rudolph, Grinch, Scrooge (Video)
December 6, 2017 – A reindeer with a red glowing nose. A heart, two sizes two small, that suddenly grows three sizes. A trip to the past and to the future — all in one night. This festive season, Johns Hopkins University researchers dug deep into their reserves of scientific expertise to explain how these […]
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What’s in your wheat? Johns Hopkins scientists piece together genome of most common bread wheat
November 20, 2017 – Johns Hopkins scientists report they have successfully used two separate gene technologies to assemble the most complete genome sequence to date of Triticum aestivum, the most common cultivated species of wheat used to make bread. A report on the achievement was published in the Oct. 23 issue of GigaScience just a […]
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Firearm-Related Injuries Account for $2.8 Billion on Emergency Room and Inpatient Charges Each Year
October 4, 2017 – A new Johns Hopkins study of more than 704,000 people who arrived alive at a United States emergency room for treatment of a firearm-related injury between 2006 and 2014 finds decreasing incidence of such injury in some age groups, increasing trends in others, and affirmation of the persistently high cost of […]
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LOng-term opioid prescription use jumps threefold over 16-year period, large-scale study suggests
September 7, 2017 – A new study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that opioid prescription use increased significantly between 1999 and 2014, and that much of that increase stemmed from patients who’d been taking their medication for 90 days or longer. Long-term use, which is associated with greater risk for […]
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U.S. teens as sedentary as 60-year-olds, study suggests
June 15, 2017 – Physical activity among children and teens is lower than previously thought, and, in another surprise finding, young adults after the age of 20 show the only increases in activity over the lifespan, suggests a study conducted by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. And, the study found, […]
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Loss of spouse or partner to suicide linked to physical, mental disorders
March 20, 2017 – People who lose a partner to suicide are at higher risk for a number of mental and physical disorders, including cancer, depression, herniated discs and mood disorders than those in the general population, new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research suggests. The study, believed to be the first large-scale […]
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Psilocybin, active compound in hallucinogenic “magic mushrooms,” eases existential anxiety in people with life-threatening cancer
In a small double-blind study, Johns Hopkins researchers report that a substantial majority of people suffering cancer-related anxiety or depression found considerable relief for up to six months from a single large dose of psilocybin — the active compound in hallucinogenic “magic mushrooms.” The researchers cautioned that the drug was given in tightly controlled conditions […]
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Human ancestor ‘Lucy’ was a tree climber, new evidence suggests
November 30, 2016 – Since the discovery of the fossil dubbed Lucy 42 years ago this month, paleontologists have debated whether the 3 million-year-old human ancestor spent all of her time walking on the ground or instead combined walking with frequent tree climbing. Now, analysis of special CT scans by scientists from the Johns Hopkins […]
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Medicare beneficiaries face high out-of-pocket costs for cancer treatment
November 23, 2016 – Beneficiaries of Medicare who develop cancer and don’t have supplemental health insurance incur out-of-pocket expenditures for their treatments averaging one-quarter of their income with some paying as high as 63 percent, according to results of a survey-based study published Nov. 23 in JAMA Oncology. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School […]
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Allowing guns on college campuses unlikely to reduce mass shootings
October 24, 2016 – Policies allowing civilians to bring guns on college campuses are unlikely to reduce mass shootings on campus and are likely to lead to more shootings, homicides and suicides on campus, especially among students, a new report concludes. The report was published by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with […]
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Kill Them with Cuteness: The Adorable Thing Bats Do to Catch Prey
September 7, 2016 – A Johns Hopkins University researcher noticed the bats he works with cocked their heads to the side, just like his pet pug. “It’s an adorable behavior, and I was curious about the purpose,” said Melville J. Wohlgemuth, a postdoctoral fellow in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Psychological […]