I've been writing a lot lately on digital medicine. I notice that the American Medical Association came out in support of e-prescribing today.
“The AMA supports efforts to advance e-prescribing adoption among physicians,” said AMA Board Member Dr. Steven Stack. "E-prescribing can serve as a means to improve patient safety, enhance care coordination among health care providers, and reduce administrative burdens that take physicians away from patients.”
High -- but "normal" -- blood sugar in pregnant women may be a problem for their babies. Pregnant women with blood sugar levels in the higher range of normal -- but not high enough to be considered diabetes -- are more likely to give birth to babies who have the same problems seen in babies born to diabetic women, according to a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health.
These problems include a greater likelihood for Caesarean delivery and a larger than normal body size at birth. Infants born to women with higher blood sugar levels were also at risk for a condition in which an infant's shoulder becomes lodged inside the mother's body, stopping the birth process.
The study's authors did not make recommendations for acceptable blood sugar levels for pregnant women. That's because the risks gradually increased as the women's blood sugar levels rose.
The current study is the first to document that higher blood sugar levels, not high enough to be considered diabetes, raise risks. The results appear in the new issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Obesity can increase your risk for dementia, according to a new study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Researchers analyzed 10 other studies over the past two decades and found a consistent relationship between the two diseases. The results are published in the new issue of Obesity Reviews.
"Our analysis of the data shows a clear association between obesity and an increased risk for dementia and several clinical subtypes of the disease," said Youfa Wang, senior author of the study and associate professor at Bloomberg's Center for Human Nutrition.
He says reducing obesity could play a major role in reducing dementia and other commonly associated illnesses such as Alzheimer's disease by up to 20 percent.
Three Johns Hopkins-ites have been named to Maryland’s Top 100 Women by the Daily Record.
The trio:
• Elizabeth A. Hunt, an assistant professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine and director of the Johns Hopkins Simulation Center. She is a leading expert in developing and using simulation technologies to improve medical practice. Hunt, who recently earned a Ph.D. in epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, has also performed volunteer medical work in Uganda, Kosovo, and Cuba.
• Redonda G. Miller, associate professor of medicine, serves as assistant dean for student affairs. She is responsible for the oversight of the clinical operations of a large, diverse faculty, including various safety and regulatory initiatives.
• Stephanie L. Reel, the chief information officer for all divisions of the Johns Hopkins University and Health System and vice president for information services for Johns Hopkins Medicine.
In the wake of the recent bisphenol A controversy, the Howard County Health Department has decided to offer only products that are BPA-free to participants in its WIC (Women, Infants & Children) program.
Howard is the first Health Department in Maryland to do so.
"While this chemical has not conclusively been proven to cause higher rates of early puberty, breast and prostate changes, cancer and hyperactivity... we believe we should act responsibly and err on the side of caution." said Dr. Peter Beilenson, Howard County's top health official.
BPA is used to make most plastic. It's found in many baby bottles, sippy cups, food and drink packaging, water bottles and toys. BPA leaches out over time.
The health department has several recommendations:
I talked to Beilenson, and he told me he hopes to turn BPA into another trans fat: legal, but largely shunned by much of the public. "We can pressure the market and it will respond," he said.
Heart specialists at Johns Hopkins have linked being overweight to prolonged inflammation of the heart.
The report is believed to be the first large study of the link.
The latest findings from the Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), published in the upcoming issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, are another reason for America's 72 million obese people to lose weight.
"The biological effects of obesity on the heart are quite profound," says senior study investigator João Lima, M.D. "Even if obese people feel otherwise healthy, there are measurable and early chemical signs of damage to their heart, beyond the well-known implications for diabetes and high blood pressure."
Researchers conducted tests and tracked the development of heart failure in an ethnically diverse group of nearly 7,000 men and women, age 45 to 84.
According to the Daily Record, former Johns Hopkins pediatric surgeon Anne C. Fischer is suing Johns Hopkins for harassment in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.
In her complaint, she alleges an eight-year pattern of sexual harassment and gender discrimination.
Three local researchers were elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences this week.
In total, 72 new members were elected, and 18 foreign associates from 9 countries. The total number of active members is 2,041.
The National Academy of Sciences is a private organization of scientists and engineers. It acts as an official adviser to the federal government.
The locals are:
Maureen L. Cropper, professor of economics, University of Maryland
Jane L. Guyer, Johns Hopkins professor of anthropology
Gregg L. Semenza, professor of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Below is the long version of a story done by my colleague Dennis O'Brien, on Peter Pronovost. A shorter version appeared today in the paper.
A prominent Johns Hopkins physician whose research focuses on improving patient care — including the use of airline-style checklists in critical care units — has been named to this year’s list of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people.
Dr. Peter Pronovost, a professor of anesthesiology and critical care, was cited for his efforts to improve the way medical care is delivered to patients around the world. This year, Provonost’s work drew headlines when federal regulators told Michigan hospitals to stop providing him with data while they reviewed whether his studies technically violated informed consent rules.
Mercy Health Services has named Samuel E. Moskowitz to the newly-created role of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
Moskowitz has will oversee day-to-day operations of all programs at Mercy Medical Center. Moskowitz has been with Mercy since 1993.
Sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy of the Baltimore Regional Community, Mercy Health Services (MHS) is a $450 million corporation that includes Mercy Medical Center, Stella Maris nursing center and hospice, and other healthcare services.
