UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND MEDICAL CENTER

The delicate balance of microbes in the vagina can change drastically over short periods of time in some women, while remaining the same in others, according to a new study led by the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Institute for Genome Sciences and the University of Idaho. The scientists believe that these microbes affect a woman’s susceptibility to infection and other diseases, so such changes might also mean that the risk of infection varies over time. Researchers hope further study will lead to personalized medicine for women, allowing doctors to tailor each woman’s treatment and health maintenance strategies to her individual microbial make-up. Researchers used advanced genomics and bioinformatics technology to analyze the vaginal microbes found in 32 women over time. The work was a collaboration led by Jacques Ravel, Ph.D., associate professor of microbiology and immunology and associate director of the Institute for Genome Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and Larry Forney, Ph.D., a professor in Biological Sciences and director of the Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies at the University of Idaho. The research marks the first time genomics technologies have been used to examine vaginal microbial communities over time. The study is an example of an emerging field of genomics, the study of the human microbiome.  Learn more at http://bit.ly/J9klds.

THE METHODIST HOSPITAL SYSTEM

Nanomedicine researchers at the Methodist Neurological Institute and Rice University have developed a way to selectively kill brain cancer cells by using a tiny syringe to deliver a combination of chemotherapy drugs directly into the cells. Patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common and aggressive malignant primary brain tumor, typically have a prognosis of 14-month median survival time despite medical interventions, which currently include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. The Rice-Methodist group developed the hydrophilic carbon cluster (HCC) antibody drug enhancement system (HADES), named after the Greek god of the underworld. Through a 20-nanometer syringe, which is 2 million times smaller than a coffee mug, this nanovector successfully delivered a combination of three chemotherapy drugs into GBM cells in vivo, resulting in a high kill rate. Learn more at http://bit.ly/IKfocN.

MEDTRONIC

Medtronic, Inc., announces six month pooled outcomes from randomized and crossover patients in the Symplicity HTN-2 clinical trial following renal denervation with the Symplicity™ renal denervation system showing significant, sustained blood pressure reduction in patients with treatment-resistant hypertension. These data presented at the European Society of Hypertension annual meeting showed patients (n=84) who received renal denervation treatment with Symplicity experienced a mean blood pressure reduction of -28/-10 mm Hg (p<0.001) at six months following treatment compared with baseline. No evidence of renal impairment was observed and renal function measures remained unchanged. This pooled analysis included change in blood pressure at six months for all patients randomized to receive renal denervation with Symplicity at baseline (n=49), as well as patients in the control group (n=35) who met entry criteria and crossed over to the treatment group following assessment of the initial six month primary endpoint. Learn more at http://bit.ly/IPVg9F.

MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL

Resident physicians’ participation in a brief training program designed to increase empathy with their patients produced significant improvement in how patients perceived their interactions with the residents. This contrasts with several studies showing that empathy with patients usually drops during medical school and residency training. The report comes from a team of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers. “The most exciting message from this study is that empathy can be taught and, most importantly, that improved empathy can be perceived by our patients. Many medical educators have thought that you are either born with this trait or you aren’t,” says Helen Riess, MD, of the MGH Department of Psychiatry, who led the study. “We are also very happy to see that participating residents liked the training and found it interesting and helpful.” Learn more at http://bit.ly/ISfy3I.

CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL BOSTON

Early-life seizures are known to be associated with autism, and studies indicate that about 40 percent of patients with autism also have epilepsy. A study from Boston Children’s Hospital finds a reason for the link, and suggests that an existing drug, already shown to be safe in children, could help prevent autism from developing in newborns who have seizures. Led by Frances Jensen, MD, in the Department of Neurology and the F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center at Boston Children’s Hospital, the study suggests that seizures over-activate a biochemical pathway previously linked to autism, known as the mTOR pathway, and that this alters the fast-forming circuitry in infants’ developing brains. Learn more at http://bit.ly/JXtyV4.

BRIGHAM AND WOMEN’S HOSPITAL

In a breakthrough for the way brain cancer is diagnosed and monitored, a team of researchers, lead by Anna M. Krichevsky, PhD, of the Center of Neurologic Diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), have demonstrated that brain tumors can be reliably diagnosed and monitored without surgery. Previously, an accurate non-surgical test to detect brain tumors was unavailable and methods of monitoring a brain tumor’s progression or response to treatment were not reliable. “We are excited about the potential that this test has to ease the process of detecting and monitoring brain tumors,” said Krichevsky. “The test needs to be further developed before it is used in a clinical setting, but I expect it could be particularly valuable for patients who are not surgical candidates due to the tumor’s size or location, or due to an underlying medical condition.” Learn more at http://bit.ly/I1r0oQ.