Health Newsfeed – Johns Hopkins Medicine Podcasts

Medicaid reductions being rolled out this year are poised to dramatically reduce cancer screening for millions, a new study estimates. William Nelson, director of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, takes a look at the numbers. Nelson: This is … Medicaid reductions may impact screening for cancer, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Breast cancer screening is associated with false positives, where women are referred for further assessments and procedures that may be unnecessary. Does it help to stratify women based on risk factors like genetics before they have screening? Johns Hopkins Kimmel … Should breast cancer screening be targeted to those at greatest risk? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

People who were older and had advanced cancers benefited from a telephone-based intervention designed to regularly assess their symptoms and refer them to expert clinicians, by reducing their visits to emergency departments and need for hospitalization. Kimmel Cancer Center director … Can older people with cancer benefit from telephone based contact? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Seventy percent of people diagnosed with cancer in the United States will still be alive five years later, the American Cancer Society reports. William Nelson, director of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, says yes, and. Nelson: There's still … Good news on cancer survival! Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

American Cancer Society data find that the majority of people who are diagnosed with cancers of all types will still be alive five years later. Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center director William Nelson says this is good news indeed. Nelson: … There's good news regarding survival when cancer if found, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

PICS stands for post intensive care syndrome, and it is characterized by a number of physical and mental health conditions that may follow someone's stay in an ICU. Rohan Mathur, a critical care expert at Johns Hopkins, says fatigue, memory … Who is at risk to develop PICS? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Physical and mental health issues can follow a stay in an intensive care unit, a condition known as PICS, for post intensive care syndrome. Rohan Mathur, a critical care expert at Johns Hopkins, says now that more attention is being … What can be done about PICS? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

When someone has survived an intensive care unit stay, they may experience a host of challenges to their wellbeing known collectively as post intensive care syndrome, or PICS. Critical care expert Rohan Mathur at Johns Hopkins says sometimes the worst … How can you tell if PICS is present? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

PICS stands for post intensive care syndrome, and recent data indicate that perhaps the majority of people who've been hospitalized in an ICU will have what are called sequelae, or lingering issues once they're stepped down or discharged. Johns Hopkins … What kinds of issues may remain after someone has been in an intensive care unit? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Once you've made it through a stay in an intensive care unit, you can simply move forward in your life, right? Not exactly, as recent research indicates. So-called post intensive care syndrome, or PICS, can continue to impact the life … What is post-intensive care syndrome? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Maybe you've heard of CAR-T cells, a type of cell you have in your body that is supercharged in a lab and put back in to fight things like cancer. Biomedical engineering expert Jeremy Green at Johns Hopkins and colleagues … There's a new technique that may revolutionize one type of T cell therapy, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

CAR-T cells are a type of immune cell that have proven very effective for treating some types of cancer, yet limitations to their use exist. Biomedical engineering expert Jordan Green at Johns Hopkins says limitations including lengthy time and expense … Can an injectable particle help supercharge your T cells? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Using polyester to wrap mRNA to create an injectable particle may soon enable targeting of your T cells to fight some cancers and autoimmune diseases.  That's according to research by Jordan Green, a biomedical engineering expert at Johns Hopkins, and colleagues. … Can an mRNA containing particle help direct your T cells to specific targets? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Let's say I take one type of immune cell from your blood, grow it in a lab and use a virus to cause changes in that cell so it recognizes cancer. Then I put it back in your body to … Temporary changes to T cells may empower new treatments for cancer and autoimmune disease, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Put together a shelf-stable particle with a polyester shell, a homing mechanism, and mRNA instructions, and what do you have? A new technology that may be able to train your own T cells inside your body to combat some types … Messenger RNA can be used to stimulate T cells to fight cancer and autoimmune disease, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

With several studies saying oxygen measurements are too low and one saying they're too high, how much can pulse oximeters be trusted in those with darker skin? Rohan Mathur, a critical care medicine expert at Johns Hopkins, says that oft … Trust but verify may be needed for pulse oximeters, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Critical care medicine relies on pulse oximeters, which estimate oxygen levels in someone's blood, for many decisions regarding their care. Studies during the pandemic suggested the devices said there was more oxygen in the blood of someone with darker skin … How do we account for opposite results from studies on pulse oximeters? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Do devices that measure oxygen levels in blood, known as pulse oximeters, measure too high or too low in those with darker skin? That's the question now that results of an FDA funded study seem to contradict those of previous … What does a recent FDA funded study on pulse oximeters show? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

If you are a person with darker skin should you be worried about the levels of oxygen in your blood a pulse oximeter is giving? Critical care expert Rohan Mathur at Johns Hopkins says past studies looking at this issue … Data from pulse oximeters can really impact patient care, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Do the devices known as pulse oximeters, which measure the amount of oxygen in someone's blood, underestimate or overestimate this value in people with darker skin? Controversy swirls with release of data from an FDA funded study that runs counter … What is up with pulse oximeters? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Cognitive speed training using a computer to generate images and accelerate task completion was able to reduce the likelihood that an older person would receive an Alzheimer's disease diagnosis by 25%, a study by Johns Hopkins Alzheimer's expert Marilyn Albert … Will brain training data change policy when it comes to Alzheimer's prevention? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

A novel study has shown that training the brain with cognitive speed training seems to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. Johns Hopkins Alzheimer's disease expert and study author Marilyn Albert says that previous research simply compared what people who … One type of brain training seems to be important in reducing Alzheimer's disease risk, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

If you were asked to learn a computer based task that would require an hour twice a week for six weeks, and it was something you would largely have to learn to master on your own, would you sign up? … Can cognitive speed training make your brain more connected? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Working with images on a computer screen on a task that gets faster and more complex may reduce one's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by 25% compared with a memory task or no training. Study author and Alzheimer's disease expert … How can we account for why cognitive speed training seems to reduce Alzheimer's risk? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

When you have to teach yourself a task and adapt to having that task speed up, that's one type of learning used in a study assessing different types of brain training and development of Alzheimer's disease. Marilyn Albert, study author … How does learning by yourself compare with instruction when it comes to preserving brain function? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

People who received memory and reasoning training or those who didn't receive any brain training were more likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease twenty years down the road than those who did cognitive speed training, which required them to … Does having to figure things out on your own protect your brain better than other kinds of activities? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Among a cohort of 2800 people, those who received cognitive speed training compared to usual care or memory and reasoning training we less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease 20 years later. That's according to a study by Johns … What exactly is cognitive speed training? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

If you're like many people you'd rather not develop dementia, so a new study demonstrating the benefits of a computer based intervention called cognitive speed training may interest you. Marilyn Albert, study author and Alzheimer's disease expert at Johns Hopkins, … If you're looking to preserve brain health doing cognitive speed training may be best, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Cognitive speed training, where a computer is used to present an image and require tasks based on images that speeds up, resulted in fewer dementia diagnoses than other types of cognitive training, a study of more than 2800 adults over … What does 20 years of follow up tell us about activities to protect the brain? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Showing someone a visual task on a computer and then speeding things up so they must complete it faster and faster preserves brain function better than other forms of training over twenty years of follow up. That's according to a … Is it possible to make personal changes to stave off dementia and preserve independence? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Brain organoids, cell collections grown in a lab to study diseases like Alzheimer's, have created excitement because they are a bit more representative of a real brain. Johns Hopkins cell engineering expert Vasiliki Machairaki says there is another technique underway … What is an assembloid? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Using induced stem cells helps create models for diseases like Alzheimer's disease that can be studied in a lab, but now three dimensional cell collections called organoids can also be developed from stem cells. Vasiliki Machairaki, a cell engineering expert … What is an organoid? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Stem cells used to be derived from human embryos, but not anymore. Now a simple blood test can allow stem cells to be induced from cells found there, says Johns Hopkins cell engineering expert Vasiliki Machairaki. Machairaki: Induced pluripotent stem … How do stem cells derived from blood differ from those from embryos? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Cells from your blood can be induced to return to what they looked like when you were an embryo, then can be made to develop into different cell types in the brain. That happens in the lab of Vasiliki Machairaki, … Stem cells are just the beginning when it comes to modeling your risk for Alzheimer's disease, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

A simple blood test may soon help precisely identify your risk for Alzheimer's disease by inducing some of your cells to go back in time, looking like they did when you were an embryo. Johns Hopkins cell engineering expert Vasiliki … What might reprogramming cells have to do with understanding Alzheimer's? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Hormone therapy for menopause has recently had a black box warning removed by the FDA, after the agency reexamined data originally prompting the warning and found it flawed. Wen Shen, a menopause expert at Johns Hopkins, says women still need … Caveat emptor when it comes to hormone therapy for menopause, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

The FDA has recently removed black box warnings, indicating a medication is potentially risky, from hormone therapy for menopause. The warning was originally put on in 2003 after a study seemed to show increased risks for cardiovascular disease, breast cancer … What is the controversy around hormone therapy for menopause? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

If you're a woman who's experiencing a loss of libido, you may have been advised to take testosterone supplements, but Wen Shen, a menopause expert at Johns Hopkins, says wholesale embrace of hormone therapy isn't for everyone, in spite of … Women need to exercise caution when it comes to hormones of all types, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Hormone therapy is not a panacea for everything that happens to a women transitioning through menopause, cautions Wen Shen, a menopause expert at Johns Hopkins. Now that the FDA has removed their black box warning from many forms of hormone … What are the benefits of hormone therapy for women in menopause and perimenopause? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Certain hormone therapies for menopause have had black box warnings on them since 2003, following concerns arising from the Women's Health Initiative study, which seemed to show increased risks for breast cancer and dementia. Now the FDA has removed these … What might the FDA's removal of a black box warning on hormone therapy for menopause mean to you? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Using one of two drug combinations versus ibrutinib alone to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia, one of the most common types of leukemia in adults, may allow people to avoid continuous treatment, a new study finds.  William Nelson, director of the Kimmel … A couple new approaches to treating a type of leukemia may help shorten treatment, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

For people who've had colorectal cancer, celecoxib, a commonly prescribed medicine for pain, may help avoid disease recurrence, a recent analysis of a larger study found. Kimmel Cancer Center director William Nelson at Johns Hopkins explains that the presence of … Can the drug celecoxib help some people avoid colorectal cancer recurrence? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Women may now choose to collect their own samples to test for human papilloma virus, or HPV as part of their screening regimen for cervical cancer, the American Cancer Society now says. Kimmel Cancer Center director William Nelson at Johns … Since most cervical cancer is caused by infection with a virus, when should screening start? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

The American Cancer Society has updated guidelines for cervical cancer screening to include self-collected specimens to assess for human papilloma virus, or HPV. William Nelson, director of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, explains why. Nelson: There's 200,000 women … Will women soon be testing themselves for human papilloma virus, or HPV ? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Cancers of several types are being diagnosed more often in those younger than fifty years of age, and no one really understands why. Because there are consequences to cancer treatment one question is do all these cancers need to be … As cancer cases in younger people rise, do they all need treatment? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »