Johns Hopkins Medicine

Functional Activity of TDP-43: A Direct Biomarker for ALS

TDP-43 dysfunction is a defining feature of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), yet no biofluid biomarker directly measures its functional activity. We developed a serum-based homogeneous time-resolved FRET (hTR-FRET) assay that quantifies TDP-43 RNA binding activity using synth...

Effectiveness of sexual health interventions in reducing risky sexual behaviors among people living with HIV: a network meta-analysis and systematic review

Abstract Objectives To assess and rank the effectiveness of different sexual health interventions designed to address risky sexual behaviors in PLWH. Methods We systematically searched studies published between Jan. 2010 and Dec. 2024. Randomized controlled trails (RCTs) were inc...

Study protocol for first national vasa previa perinatal registry

Vasa previa is a rare but potentially catastrophic obstetric condition characterized by unprotected fetal blood vessels over or adjacent to the internal cervical os. Although advances in prenatal ultrasound have dramatically improved neonatal survival through planned cesarean del...

Management Patterns and Outcomes of Vestibular Schwannoma in Older Adults: Assessment of the SEER Database

OBJECTIVE: Vestibular schwannoma (VS) is a benign intracranial tumor that is increasingly diagnosed in older adults. The relative contributions of tumor burden and surgical management to overall survival in elderly and very elderly patients remain incompletely characterized at a...

Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic sub-study of trans-arterial vs. intravenous gemcitabine in the TIGeR-PaC phase 3 clinical trial

Abstract Purpose Localized intra-arterial delivery of gemcitabine (IAG) may provide advantages in terms of increased tissue concentration and decreased systemic dosing. We hypothesized IAG may result in decreased systemic gemcitabine concentration and associated side effects due...

Insulin-Regulated Actin Dynamics is Disrupted in a Human Keratinocyte Model of Hailey Hailey Disease

Abstract Hailey Hailey Disease (HHD) is an autosomal dominant cutaneous disorder caused by mutations in ATP2C1 , the gene encoding the Golgi/secretory pathway Ca 2+ -ATPase SPCA1. Characterized by suprabasal acantholysis and intertriginous blistering of the skin, HHD treatment fo...

The Shadow of Your Law and the Judge Over Your Shoulder

ABSTRACT Many problems in public policy and delivery which are otherwise difficult to understand, make much more sense when viewed as strategies for the management of legal risk. Civil servants, infrastructure developers and other parties who are subject to the risk of legal revi...

Acceptability and Feasibility of a Primary Care Hypoglycemia Prevention Program: A Pilot Study

OBJECTIVE Hypoglycemia, a major cause of morbidity for people with diabetes, is underrecognized in primary care, leading to underuse of risk mitigation strategies. This study reports the development and acceptability/feasibility testing of the Hypoglycemia Prevention Program (HPP...

Single-cell profiling of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in diverse men with prostate cancer reveals a fatal disease-associated immune signature

Abstract Alterations in peripheral immunity may contribute to fatal prostate cancer and the excessive disease burden among African American (AA) men. Thus, we investigated peripheral immunity in prostate cancer patients in association with disease outcome and AA descent. We perfo...

Nucleosomes and IDRs suppress promiscuous GCN4 binding on minichromosomes

Abstract Eukaryotic sequence-specific transcription factors (TFs) must find their cognate DNA targets hidden in genomic chromatin amid an excess of nonspecific sequences and degenerate motifs. Although static TF interactions with nucleosomal targets have been elucidated, how TFs...

Hypothalamic prolactin receptor+ dopaminergic neurons regulate energy metabolism and nociceptive threshold in mice during lactation

Women during lactation undergo significant bone loss and metabolic changes. However, the underlying mechanisms in the brain remain unclear. Herein, we found that prolactin receptor (PRLR)+ neurons in the hypothalamus control lactation physiology and metabolism in mice. Prolactin...

Psychoactive Medication Prescribing After Critical Illness in American Adults Not Justified by a Documented Supporting Diagnosis

Objectives: To describe psychoactive medication (PM) prescribing in the 30 days after an ICU admission requiring mechanical ventilation not supported by a documented diagnosis in American adults not prescribed a PM before ICU admission. This nondiagnostically supported PM prescri...

Doing Constructivist Grounded Theory Well: A Practical Guide for Hospitalists

Grounded theory offers rich possibilities for health-related qualitative research, yet it is frequently misunderstood. Grounded theory is not simply a coding method, but a rigorous methodological approach, with core elements impacting the entire research process, whose goal is to...

Adapting in-cell ELISA to investigate the localization of hepatitis C virus envelope glycoproteins

The development of hepatitis C virus (HCV) vaccines remains challenging due to extensive viral genetic diversity and the complex biology of the envelope glycoproteins E1 and E2, which are major targets of broadly neutralizing antibodies and are associated with spontaneous viral c...

Impact of data quality on deep learning prediction of spatial transcriptomics from histology images

Abstract Background Spatial transcriptomic technologies enable high-throughput quantification of gene expression at specific locations across tissue sections, facilitating insights into the spatial organization of biological processes. However, high costs associated with these te...

Aphasia treatment research: a decision-making tool to guide the design of phased trials from the Collaboration of Aphasia Trialists (CATs) trials for aphasia panel

Background Systematic reviews of randomised controlled trials with meta-analyses indicate that speech and language therapy for aphasia after stroke is effective in improving communication. However, high-quality evidence to identify an intervention’s target population (who), regim...

Platelet-Rich Plasma Facet Joint Injections for Post-Traumatic Lumbar Facet-Mediated Pain: A Two-Patient Case Report

Background Lumbar facet-mediated pain is a common contributor to axial low back pain and may occur after traumatic or mechanical injury, even when advanced imaging demonstrates only mild degenerative or nonspecific findings. Standard interventional treatment pathways often includ...

Obstetric pharmacogenomics

Pregnancy profoundly alters drug disposition through dynamic physiologic adaptations affecting absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. Although pharmacogenomics has transformed precision therapeutics across multiple medical specialties, its application during pregnan...

Comprehensive Analysis of US Health Care Spending on Injuries

BACKGROUND: Traumatic injury affects every age group, payer, and care setting in the United States, yet how injury-related spending distributes across these dimensions has not been comprehensively quantified. OBJECTIVE: To estimate US health care spending on injuries in 2022 by m...

Transplant Infectious Diseases Work Standards—Results From a Mid‐Atlantic Regional Survey

BACKGROUND: As transplantation and cellular therapy expand, so must the transplant infectious diseases (TID) workforce; yet little is known about regional or national TID work standards for the existing workforce. This survey of TID clinicians in the mid-Atlantic region seeks to...