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Recent News Releases
MGH dermatologists
first in New England to offer new laser treatment
May
8, 2008 — Dermatologists at Massachusetts
General Hospital are using a powerful new type of laser to evaporate
patients' wrinkles and sun damage with fewer treatments.
Exhaustion
of HIV-specific T cells may be caused by chronic exposure to virus
May
5, 2008 — The "exhaustion" of
immune cells that target HIV appears to result from chronic exposure
of pathogen-killing HIV-specific CD8 T cells to viral peptides.
Remote
monitoring improves heart failure patients’ health, may reduce
hospital readmissions
May
1, 2008 — A remote monitoring program can
improve the condition of heart failure patients who are mobile and
may reduce hospital readmissions, according to an MGH pilot study.
The truth about
violent video games and children
April
28, 2008 — A new book by MGH researchers may
give parents the help they need for setting limits for children's
use of video games.
H.P.
Heineken Prize for Biochemistry and Biophysics awarded to Jack Szostak
April
24, 2008 — The Royal Netherlands Academy of
Arts and Sciences has awarded the 2008 H.P. Heineken Prize for Biochemistry
and Biophysics to Jack W. Szostak, PhD, of the MGH Department of
Molecular Biology.
MGH study shows
how exercise changes structure and function of heart
April
22, 2008 — For the first time researchers
are beginning to understand exactly how various forms of exercise
impact the heart.
Patients
arriving at hospitals in off hours get slower, less care
April
21, 2008 — Patients hospitalized with heart
attacks tend to get faster and more comprehensive care if they arrive
during daytime hours, according to a report in the journal Circulation.
MGH joins consortium
pursuing innovative healing for war wounded
April
17, 2008 — The MGH is participating in one
of two academic groups that will form the Armed Forces Institute
of Regenerative Medicine.
MGH recognized
for continued nursing excellence
April
15, 2008 — The American Nurses Credentialing
Center today formally designated MGH as a "Magnet" hospital
through 2012. Magnet designation represents the highest available
honor for nursing excellence.
Drugs
in the pipeline: new therapies that could change treatment strategies
April
15, 2008 — Studies presented at the 2008 Annual
Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research show promise
and progress against brain, colorectal, rectal and ovarian cancers
and lymphoma.
Elevated
urate levels may slow the progression of Parkinson's disease
April
14, 2008 — Naturally elevated levels of the
antioxidant urate may slow the progression of Parkinson's disease
in men.
Sunitinib
may slow growth and spread of liver cancer
April
14, 2008 —Treatment with sunitinib slows tumor
growth and reduces the risk of metastasis in patients with hepatocellular
carcinoma, an aggressive cancer of the liver, researchers report.
Study identifies
mechanism underlying multidrug resistance in fungi
April
2, 2008 —A team of researchers has identified
a mechanism controlling multidrug resistance in fungi, a discovery
that could advance treatments for opportunistic infections that
frequently plague individuals with compromised immunity.
Relaxation training
may improve control of hard-to-treat systolic hypertension
March
27, 2008 —Adding the relaxation response,
a stress-management approach, to other lifestyle interventions may
significantly improve treatment of the type of hypertension most
common in the elderly.
Increasing
access to antiretroviral drugs would drastically cut AIDS deaths
in South Africa
March
26, 2008 —More that 1.2 million AIDS deaths
could be prevented in South Africa over the next five years by accelerating
efforts to provide access to antiretroviral therapy.
Sewer-gas-induced
suspended animation is rapid and reversible
March
25, 2008 —Low doses of the toxic gas responsible
for the unpleasant odor of rotten eggs can safely and reversibly
depress both metabolism and aspects of cardiovascular function in
mice, producing a suspended-animation-like state.
Study verifies
that cholesterol-associated gene variants can predict cardiovascular
events
March
19, 2008 —An MGH-led study confirms that a
combination of gene variants previously associated with cholesterol
levels does reflect patients' HDL and LDL levels and can signify
increased risk of heart attack, stroke or sudden cardiac death.
Brain's blood
supply guides its own development
March
16, 2008 —A new study from MGH investigators
describes how blood vessels in the brain grow according to their
own agenda and not just to meet the needs of neural tissue.
MGH initiates
phase I diabetes trial
March
13, 2008 — MGH scientists have initiated a
phase 1 clinical trial to explore whether the promising results
from the laboratory of Denise Faustman, MD, PhD, can be applied
in human diabetes.
Late treatment
with letrozole can reduce breast cancer recurrence risk
March
10, 2008 —Treatment with the aromatase inhibitor
letrozole can reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence even when
initiated one to seven years after a course of tamoxifen therapy.
Creating HAPPY
Hearts in Chelsea and Revere
March
5, 2008 — Last month MGH cardiologist Malissa
Wood, MD launched a program designed to improve the heart health
of women served by the MGH-Revere and Chelsea HealthCare Centers.
Mass. General
Hospital receives Gates Foundation grant to expand HIV controllers
study
March
4, 2008 — The MGH has received a five-year,
$20.5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
to expand an international program investigating the biological
factors underlying immune system control of HIV.
Gene variants
may increase risk of anxiety disorders
March
3, 2008 —MGH researchers have discovered perhaps
the strongest evidence yet linking variation in a particular gene
with anxiety-related traits.
Stimulant
treatment for ADHD has no effect on risk of future substance abuse
March
1, 2008 —A new study finds that the use of
stimulant drugs to treat children with ADHD has no effect on their
future risk of substance abuse.
Stem cell
trial offers hope for patients with severe ischemic heart disease
February
26, 2008 —A clinical trial at the MGH Heart
Center is using patients' own stem cells to improve circulation
in hearts damaged by inadequate blood flow, by promoting the growth
of new, microscopic blood vessels.
Study identifies
another strategy for normalizing tumor blood supply
February
20, 2008 —Manipulating levels of nitric oxide,
a gas involved in many biological processes, may improve the disorganized
network of blood vessels supplying tumors, potentially improving
the effectiveness of radiation and chemotherapy.
MGH study identifies
enzyme that protects against intestinal bacterial toxin
February
18, 2008 —How the lining of the small intestine,
through which nutrients are absorbed, also prevents bacteria from
entering the bloodstream has been a mystery. Now researchers have
found that an intestinal enzyme may block the action of a key bacterial
toxin.
Major
step forward in understanding cell reprogramming
February
14, 2008 — Harvard Stem Cell Institute and
MGH researchers have taken a major step toward being able to reprogram
adult cells to an embryonic stem cell-like state without the use
of viruses or cancer-causing genes.
More attention
needed to conflicts presented by institutional relationships
February
12, 2008 — A new study indicates that many
U.S. medical schools do not have policies that govern conflicts
of interest related to financial relationships the institutions
have with public or private companies.
Gene
research may help explain autistic savants
February
12, 2008 — Mice lacking a certain brain protein
learn some tasks better but also forget faster, according to new
research from that may explain the phenomenon of autistic savants
in humans.
Imaging study
reveals rapid formation of Alzheimer's-associated plaques
February
6, 2008 — The amyloid plaques found in the
brains of Alzheimer's disease patients may form much more rapidly
than previously expected.
Grapefruit
compound may help combat hepatitis C infection
February
4, 2008 — A compound that naturally occurs
in grapefruit may be able to block the secretion of hepatitis C
virus from infected cells, a process required to maintain chronic
infection.
Drug based on
MGH discovery may significantly improve treatment of dangerous blood
disorder
January
31, 2008 — Two clinical trials of the novel
drug romiplostim show that it significantly improved platelet levels
in patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura, a hematologic
disorder that can cause uncontrolled bleeding
Turning on
adult stem cells may help repair bone
January
25, 2008 — The use of a drug to activate stem
cells that differentiate into bone appears to cause regeneration
of bone tissue and be may be a potential treatment strategy for
osteoporosis.
Experimental
procedure induces tolerance to mismatched kidney transplants
January
23, 2008 — Four of five patients participating
in a trial of a protocol designed to induce immune tolerance to
HLA-mismatched kidney transplants have been able to discontinue
immunosuppressive drugs.
Study finds
significant differences in protocols hospitals use to determine
brain death
January
17, 2008 — A survey of some of the top hospitals
in the country has found that protocols followed to determine brain
death differ significantly among those institutions.
Scientists
associate six new genetic variants with heart disease risk factor
January
15, 2008 — Using new techniques for rapidly
scanning the human genome, researchers have associated levels of
cholesterol and triglycerides to 18 genetic variants, six of which
represent new DNA regions never before associated with the traits.
Novel chromosome
abnormality appears to increase risk of autism
January
9, 2008 — A multi-institutional study involving
MGH researchers has identified a chromosomal abnormality that appears
to increase susceptibility to autism.
Gene variation
may elevate risk of liver tumor in patients with cirrhosis
January
1, 2008 — A particular gene variation appears
to significantly increase the risk that individuals with cirrhosis
will go on to develop hepatocellular carcinoma, the third leading
cause of cancer death.
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