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Better Care for Patients in Some Hospitals
Dcember 11, 2006 - Harvard Medical School researchers have found not-for-profit
hospitals consistently performed better than for-profit hospitals when treating
patients for three common medical conditions -- congestive heart failure, heart
attack and pneumonia. In a comprehensive analysis, they also found hospitals
with higher registered nurse staffing levels, more advanced technology, and federal
or military designation all had high performance.
Fighting Like a Girl or Boy Determined By Gene in Fruit Flies
November 19, 2006 - Fighting like a girl or fighting like a boy is hardwired
into fruit fly neurons, according to a research team from
Harvard Medical School and the Institute of Molecular Pathology in
Vienna. The findings mark a milestone in a new animal model for understanding
the biology of aggression and how the nervous system gives rise to different
behaviors. Aggression is a problem with a biological and genetic component, said
co-author Edward Kravitz, HMS professor of neurobiology, who developed the fruit
fly fighting model used.
Small Molecule Increases Lifespan and "Healthspan" of Obese Mice
November 1, 2006 - Researchers have used a single compound to increase the lifespan
of obese mice, and found that the drug reversed nearly all of the changes in
gene expression patterns found in mice on high calorie diets--some of which are
associated with diabetes, heart disease, and other significant diseases related
to obesity. The research, led by investigators at Harvard Medical School and
the National Institute on Aging, is the first time that the small molecule resveratrol
has been shown to offer survival benefits in a mammal.
Racial Disparities Widespread In Health Plans Serving Medicare Patients
October 25, 2006 - A new study from Harvard Medical School and Brown Medical
School shows that disparities in care cannot simply be attributed to low-performing
health plans. The research shows that high-performing plans and low-performing
health plans, based on four key health measures, have comparable levels of disparities
in these measures while serving Medicare patients.
Prostate Cancer Treatment Increases Risk of Diabetes and Heart Disease
September 20, 2006 - A treatment mainstay for prostate cancer puts men at increased
risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease, according to a large observational
study.
Discoverers of Telomerase Receive Lasker Awards for Medical Research
September 17, 2006 - The Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research honors Elizabeth
H. Blackburn of the University of California, San Francisco, Carol W. Greider
of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and Jack W. Szostak of Harvard
Medical School who predicted and discovered telomerase, a remarkable RNA-containing
enzyme that synthesizes the ends of chromosomes, protecting them and maintaining
the integrity of the genome. Now celebrating its 61st anniversary, the Lasker
Awards are the nation's most distinguished honor for outstanding contributions
to basic and clinical medical research, as well as for special achievement in
the medical research enterprise.
Bipolar Disorder Exacts Twice Depression's Toll in Workplace
September 1, 2006 - Bipolar disorder costs twice as much in
lost productivity as major depressive disorder, a Harvard Medical School (HMS)
study
funded by
the National
Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has found.
Each U.S. worker with bipolar disorder averaged 65.5 lost workdays in a year,
compared to 27.2 for
major depression.
Levels of Serious Mental Illness in Katrina Survivors Doubled
Compared to Earlier Pre-Katrina Survey
August 28, 2006 - According
to the most comprehensive survey yet completed of mental health among Hurricane
Katrina survivors from Alabama, Louisiana, and
Mississippi, the proportion of people with a serious mental illness doubled
in the months after the hurricane compared to a survey carried out several
years before the hurricane. The study also found that thoughts of suicide did
not increase despite the dramatic increase in mental illness. The authors suggest
that this low rate of suicide thoughts is due to optimistic beliefs about the
success of future recovery efforts. The research, led by investigators from
Harvard Medical School (HMS), will be published today in a special online edition
of the Bulletin of the World Health Organization
Comprehensive
Katrina Survey Shows Those Affected Experienced Extreme
Adversity
August 28, 2006 - According
to the most comprehensive survey of people affected by Hurricane Katrina, the
vast majority of pre-hurricane residents of the affected areas in experienced
a significant loss in one or more of the areas of finances, income, and housing.
More than one-third experienced extreme physical adversity and nearly one-fourth
experienced extreme psychological adversity. At the same time, evidence was found
of an enormous amount of strength and personal growth in the sample, with the
vast majority of survey respondents saying that their experiences with the hurricane
helped them develop a deeper sense of meaning or purpose in life.
Study Provides Insight Into How the Brain Loses Plasticity of Youth
August 17, 2006 - A protein once thought to play a role only in the immune system
could hold a clue to one of the great puzzles of neuroscience: how do the highly
malleable and plastic brains of youth settle down into a relatively stable adult
set of neuronal connections? Harvard Medical School researchers report in the
August 17 Science Express that adult mice lacking the immune system protein
paired-immunoglobulin like receptor-B (PirB) had brains that retained the plasticity
of much younger brains, suggesting that PirB inhibits such plasticity.
Statement Concerning the Outcome of the Review Into Allegations of Research Misconduct Involving Fluoride Research
August 15, 2006 - The Harvard Medical School and School of Dental Medicine (HSDM)
review of Chester Douglass, DMD, PhD, professor of oral health policy and epidemiology
at HSDM, has concluded that Douglass did not intentionally omit, misrepresent,
or suppress research findings of a graduate student surrounding federal grant
work looking at potential links between fluoride in drinking water and osteosarcoma,
a form of bone cancer.
22-year Study Shows that Young Kids are Now More Likely to Be Overweight
August 9, 2006 - By examining more than 120,000 children under age 6 in Massachusetts
over 22 years, a newly published study shows that young children—especially
infants—are now more likely to be overweight. This study was based at the
Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention of Harvard Medical School and Harvard
Pilgrim Health Care and appears in the July issue of Obesity.
Hunt
for DNA Amplified in Cancers Uncovers Important Target Gene
August 7, 2006 - Researchers at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Massachusetts
General Hospital (MGH) have discovered a new cancer-promoting role for a gene
potentially
involved in breast, liver, and other kinds of cancers. Their discovery that the
gene YAP can transform mammary epithelial cells opens the door to understanding
how a novel cell growth controlling pathway first discovered in fruit flies might
be important in human cancers. This work is published in the Aug. 8 online early
edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and will appear
in the Aug. 15 print edition.
Researchers Uncover
how a Molecular Switch Regulates Fat and Cholesterol Metabolism Pathway
August 2, 2006 - Researchers at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General
Hospital have identified how a molecular switch regulates fat and cholesterol
production, a step that may help advance treatments for metabolic syndrome, the
constellation of diseases that includes high cholesterol, obesity, type II diabetes,
and high blood pressure. The study is now published in the online version of
the scientific journal Nature and will appear in the August 10th print edition.
Researchers Develop
Novel Mouse Model to Witness Immune System Attack on
Chlamydia
July 24, 2006 - Using a novel model that allows scientists to study how the immune
system's fighter cells respond to invaders in the genital tract, Harvard Medical
School (HMS) researchers have found a way to track immunity against Chlamydia
trachomatis. Michael Starnbach, HMS associate professor, reports that this could
help hasten the development of vaccines for chlamydia -- the most common cause
of bacterial sexually transmitted disease (STD) in the United States -- and other
STDs.
Leaders From Industry, Academia, Medicine and Government Team Up To Tackle Issues Surrounding Personal Health Records
July 14, 2006 - To tackle the privacy, business, societal, and technical issues
surrounding personal health records - an integral part of the national debate
on healthcare reform - 100 key leaders from industry, academia, medicine and
government will team up October 10-11 for the first meeting on Personally Controlled
Health Records Infrastructure (PCHRI 2006), hosted by the Harvard Medical School
Center for Biomedical Informatics. "The work done at this meeting will further
the development of the right kind of healthcare information infrastructure," said
keynote speaker Mitch Kapor, widely known as the founder of Lotus Development
Corporation.
A Large-scale Cross-platform Study of Research Microarray Uncovers High Concordance Across Platforms
July 2, 2006 - Winston Patrick Kuo, DDS, MS, DMSc, post-doctoral researcher in
the Department of Oral and Developmental Biology at the Harvard School of Dental
Medicine, and colleagues tested nearly all the available commercial and "in-house" platforms
for cross-platform and cross-laboratory comparisons. They have produced a framework
for comparisons across platforms and different laboratories.
Cancer Research Pioneer Judah Folkman, MD, Wins Warren Alpert Foundation Prize
June 26, 2006 -The Warren Alpert Foundation has awarded the 18th annual foundation
prize to Judah Folkman, MD, the Julia Dyckman Andrus professor of surgery at
Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital Boston (CHB), for discovering
that tumors require the formation of new blood vessels, a process known as angiogenesis,
and for championing the concept of anti-angiogenic therapies for cancer and other
diseases. For nearly 40 years, Folkman, director of CHB's Vascular Biology Program,
has pursued his groundbreaking hypothesis that new blood vessel development is
central to various disease processes. Folkman and his research colleagues showed
that cancer and other diseases are supported by excessive or insufficient blood
vessel growth.
Attacking Cancer's Sweet Tooth Is Effective Strategy Against Tumors
June, 2006 - An ancient avenue for producing cellular energy, the glycolytic
pathway, could provide a surprisingly rich target for anti-cancer therapies.
A team of Harvard Medical School researchers knocked down one of the pathway's
enzymes, LDHA, in a variety of fast-growing breast cancer cells, effectively
shutting down glycolysis, and implanted the cells in mice. Control animals carrying
tumor cells with an intact glycolytic pathway did not survive beyond 10 weeks.
In striking contrast, only two of the LDHA-deficient mice died, one at 16 weeks,
another at just over 18 weeks. Eighty percent of the mice outlived the four month
experiment.
Discovery Could Aid Fight Against Cystic Fibrosis Infection
June 9, 2006 - Harvard Medical School researchers have discovered one way that
a hardy disease-causing bacteria could be surviving in the lungs of chronically
infected cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Pathogenic bacteria such as Pseudomonas
aeruginosa use protein secretion systems to cause disease in their hosts.
The host may be a cancer patient with a weakened immune system, a burn patient,
or a person with cystic fibrosis. The discovery of this protein secretion system
might lead to finding a new target for treatments.
Under-diagnosed Rage Disorder More Prevalent than Previously Thought
June 5, 2006 - A seldom-studied mental illness called Intermittent Explosive
Disorder, characterized by recurrent episodes of angry and potentially violent
outbursts--seen in cases of road rage or spousal abuse--has been found to be
much more common than previously thought. This disorder affects as many as 7.3
percent of adults, or 16 million Americans, in their lifetimes. People with this
disorder overreact to situations with uncontrollable rage, feel a sense of relief
during the angry outburst, and then feel remorseful about their actions.
Scientists Identify Cell-killing Molecular Switch Activated by Free Radicals and Oxidative Stress
June 1, 2006 - Just as humans undergo daily stress, so do our individual cells.
The cellular variety, called oxidative stress, is caused by the build-up of free
radicals, which over time inflict damage linked to aging and age related diseases
such as Alzheimer's. Researchers at Harvard Medical School have now defined a
molecular signaling pathway by which oxidative stress triggers cell death, a
finding that could pave the way for new drug targets and diagnostic strategies
for age-related diseases.
HMS Signs Agreement with Merck to Develop Potential Therapy for Macular Degeneration
May 23, 2006 - Harvard Medical School has signed a multimillion-dollar license
agreement with Merck & Co., Inc. to develop potential therapies for macular degeneration,
an eye disease that affects older people and can lead to blindness. The agreement
licenses specific molecules that could ultimately slow the production of toxic
by-products that form in the eye and that have been implicated in some forms
of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Research Shows How Visual Stimulation Turns Up Genes to Shape the Brain
May 1, 2006 - A new study focusing on the molecular roots of brain plasticity
has found that visual stimulus turns up the expression of some genes and turns
down the expression of others, somewhat like a conductor cueing the members of
an orchestra. "This suggests that sensory experience regulates different genes
in your brain depending on your age and past experience," said Carla Shatz, Harvard
Medical School Nathan Marsh Pusey Professor of Neurobiology and department chair. "Thus,
nurture, our experience of the world via our senses, acts through nature, sets
of genes, to alter brain circuits."
Attention Shoppers: Researchers Find Neurons That Encode the Value of Different Goods
April 23, 2006 - Researchers at Harvard Medical School (HMS) have identified
neurons that encode the values that subjects assign to different items. The activity
of these neurons might facilitate the process of decision-making that occurs
when someone chooses between different goods. The findings by Camillo Padoa-Schioppa,
HMS research fellow in neurobiology in the lab of associate professor John Assad,
may also shed light on 'choice deficit' disorders, such as eating disorders,
compulsive gambling, and drug abuse.
Largest Study of Third-Party Prayer Suggests Such Prayer Not Effective In Reducing Complications Following Heart Surgery
March 31, 2006 - Researchers in the Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory
Prayer (STEP), the largest study to examine the effects of prayer provided by
others, found prayer had no effect on recovery from heart surgery without complications.
The STEP team included investigators from six academic medical centers around
the country.
Novel Vaccine Approach Stimulates Protective Immunity Against Listeria
March 20, 2006 - For the first time, an attenuated strain of Listeria that
does not replicate in an animal and does not require any manipulation of the
bacterium or host prior to immunization still provides protective immunity, according
to research by HMS associate professor Darren Higgins and colleagues.
"In theory, we could apply this vaccine strategy to other bacterial pathogens
like Salmonella," said Higgins.
Researchers Discover How Gold and Other Medicinal Metals Work Against Rheumatoid Arthritis and other Autoimmune Diseases
February 26, 2006 - While searching for a new drug to treat autoimmune diseases,
Harvard Medical School researchers have discovered a biochemical mechanism that
may help explain how certain old drugs function. With this new understanding
of how special forms of gold compounds and other medicinal metals work, it may
now be possible to develop a new generation of gold-based drugs that are more
effective against autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.
Researchers Find Molecule That May Hold Key to Learning and Memory
February 17, 2006 - Independent research teams from Harvard Medical School and
Children's Hospital Boston have identified a master protein that sheds light
on one of neurobiology's biggest mysteries--how neurons change as a result of
individual experiences. The research identifies a central protein that regulates
the growth and pruning of neurons throughout life in response to environmental
stimuli. This protein, and the molecular pathway it guides, could help investigators
understand the process of learning and memory, as well as lead to new therapies
for diseases in which synapses either fail to form or run rampant, such as autism,
neurodegenerative diseases, and psychiatric disorders.
Elderly's Risk of Death Substantially Increased When a Spouse is Hospitalized or Dies
February 16, 2006 - In the largest study ever to quantify caregiver burden and
the widower effect, researchers found that for people aged 65 and older, hospitalization
of a spouse can harm the wellbeing of his or her partner and significantly contribute
to that partner's death. This risk also varies with the ill spouse's diagnosis.
All Placebos Not Created Alike
February 1, 2006 - In a clinical trial examining how the placebo effect varies
in specific clinical environments, patients receiving sham acupuncture reported
they experienced greater pain reduction than those receiving an inert pill. One
aim of the study is to understand how the ritual of healing affects health outcomes.
Hurricane Katrina Community Advisory Group to Inform Policy Makers About the Problems that Affect Survivors
January 10, 2006 - Harvard Medical School, through a $1 million grant by the
National Institute of Mental Health, will begin recruiting a statistically representative
sample of 2,000 survivors of Hurricane Katrina to serve in the Hurricane Katrina
Community Advisory Group. Group members will provide personal health and needs
assessment information to help inform public policy. One thousand members of
the advisory group will be from the New Orleans area, while the other thousand
will be from other affected regions. The recruitment will be national in scope,
as many survivors are now in different parts of the country.