NEWS
March 7, 2013
Federal health officials warned this week that the nation's hospitals and nursing homes are increasingly at risk from deadly new strains of drug-resistant bacteria that can't be treated with even the strongest antibiotics. So far, the infections have been confined to a small number of the sickest patients in hospital wards, but authorities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say there is only a "limited window of opportunity" to halt the spread of these "nightmare bacteria" into the wider population.
NEWS
By Joe Burris, The Baltimore Sun | February 17, 2013
They use words most likely to be heard at a Scripps National Spelling Bee: chryseobacterium, aquaticum or trypticase. They envision careers in medicine, they enjoy math and science, and - between juggling schedules that include school, music and sports - they recently collaborated on a project that's headed for the International Space Station. One can only imagine what accomplishments are in store for Greg Nelson, Josh Choi, Sophia Novacic and Ryan Olsen when they reach high school.
HEALTH
By Scott Dance, The Baltimore Sun | December 31, 2012
Even as epidemiologists worry about a shrinking arsenal of antibiotics to fight potentially deadly drug-resistant bacteria, researchers at Johns Hopkins Hospital are betting on another weapon to prevent infections: robots. It sounds more futuristic than it looks: The hospital uses "robot" devices resembling portable air-conditioning units to saturate the air in sealed rooms with hydrogen peroxide, disinfecting all surfaces before converting the potent mist into water vapor. The technology has been used at the hospital more than 4,000 times over the past five years, with promising results.
NEWS
By Andrea K. Walker, The Baltimore Sun | October 26, 2012
The Massachusetts pharmacy at the heart of a probe into a deadly meningitis outbreak may have violated federal health laws, U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigators said Friday, saying mold and bacteria were found in areas where drugs were mixed. Cases of fungal meningitis have reached 28 states, including Maryland, where 19 people have been sickened and one has died. The report came as Maryland health officials criticized the oversight of "compounding" facilities like the one in Massachusetts, which make specialized drugs.
HEALTH
By Scott Dance, The Baltimore Sun | October 7, 2012
Much of Johns Hopkins epidemiologist Jason Farley's recent research has focused on an evolving medical crisis: How to stop the spread of bacteria that have adapted immunity to most antibiotics. To stop it the medical community needs to track it. He's found that men recently arrested in Baltimore as well as Hopkins psychiatric patients were far more likely than the general population to be carriers of MRSA, the increasingly common bacteria resistant to many drugs. Now, he's launching a study exploring eradication of MRSA in HIV-positive patients, who, like others with compromised immune systems, are more likely to contract drug-resistant bacterial infections.
NEWS
By Andrea K. Walker, The Baltimore Sun | September 2, 2012
The answer to why some obese people develop diabetes and other health problems may be found not in just a love for junk food, but in the bacteria that thrive deep in the human gut. Scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have identified 26 species of intestinal bacteria linked to insulin resistance and the high blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar levels suffered by the obese. These preventable conditions often lead to potentially fatal health problems including stroke, heart disease and diabetes.