national institutes of health

Baltimore's plan to reduce health care disparities could provide a model for nation

Dan Rodricks finds the wrong villain in Ebola research debate.

As the Ebola virus kills seven out of 10 who contract the disease in West Africa (says the World Health Organization), and as officials in the U.S. work to contain it and develop a vaccine, warnings from Gallo and Sommer bear repeating, especially in a country that considers itself medically and scientifically exceptional.

The CDC's bumbling response to the first cases of Ebola in this country hardly inspires confidence

The Hospital and Health Department are prepared for Ebola, however unlikely it might be

It was a decade ago that Michael Phelps visited several local high schools to warn students against underage drinking in the wake of his first drunk-driving guilty plea. Now the most decorated Olympian ever faces drunk-driving charges again, is entering a treatment program and won't participate in the next world championship.

The mother's story was one that I have heard many times over the past few months, with some variation in detail. Her child, an A and B student with many friends and outside interests, suddenly changed, developing paralyzing fears and frequent rages.

Carroll Hospital Center sees no distinction between nicotine gum and smoking, despite little supporting evidence.

Hiring by Maryland's largest employer — the federal government — has fallen by more than 40 percent nationally over four years, and the state's jobs market is feeling the pain.

Philip Filner, a retired molecular biologist and community activist, died of pancreatic cancer Sept. 6 at his Lutherville home. He was 75.

The National Institutes of Health has announced the first clinical trial of a vaccine to protect healthy people from infection by the Ebola virus, which is responsible for an estimated 1,550 deaths throughout West Africa.

As the Ebola virus was ravaging West Africa, two American health workers who contracted the disease in Liberia were airlifted back to the United States to be treated with an experimental drug. They are now in Atlanta, recovering.

Dr. Peter O. Kwiterovich Jr., an internationally known expert on lipid disorders who was the founder and director of the Johns Hopkins Lipid Clinic and was an early advocate for routine cholesterol screening in children, died Friday of prostate cancer at his Roland Park home. He was 74.

Smallpox vaccine poses no danger to the public

The test, called whole exome sequencing, stems from the decades-long push to map all the genes in the human body and translate it into diagnostic tools and therapies

Sharon Hrynkow and the Baltimore-based Global Virus Network aim to address challenges in treatment and prepare for pandemics of Ebola, influenza, chikungunya and other viruses.

A smallpox outbreak anywhere in the world is a major global threat what with travel and a highly susceptible world population. However, not more than 10 to 15 countries have sufficient vaccine to counter an epidemic. At this time, it would seem most prudent to be prepared in every way possible. Destroying the known existing stocks of the virus and augmenting the world's supply of a well-tested smallpox vaccine should have the highest priority.

Syfy's 'Sharknado 2' was all the talk on Twitter.

This month, Maryland banned high-proof liquors like Everclear and other inexpensive tipples. Self-proclaimed public health activists claimed such "high octane" liquors increased the likelihood of binge-drinking and sexual assaults on college campuses. While the merits of the ban are debatable, one aspect of it is not: the use of taxpayer money to support a political agenda.

The General Services Administration released a long anticipated list of sites on Tuesday it said could accommodate the FBI's requirements for a new home to replace the 39-year-old J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington. Two of the properties are in Maryland — one in Greenbelt, the other in Landover — and a third is in Springfield, Va.

WASHINGTON ¿ The General Services Administration is considering three sites ¿ including two in Maryland ¿ as viable options for a new headquarters building for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to a long awaited short list of potential properties released Tuesday.

The Office of Personnel Management has been working on rules for a phased retirement plan for federal employees for more than two years, and lawmakers are getting anxious.

In light of the recovery of smallpox from samples whose existence was unknown for such a long period of time, it would be irresponsible to even continue the discussion of viral stock destruction.

This July 4th was my first as a U.S. citizen. It was a special treat glancing over at Vice President Joe Biden in the 2014 Philadelphia Independence Day Parade, while playing alongside my fellow Falun Gong practitioners in our waist drum troupe, despite the memories it stirred. If I had done anything like this in China, I would have been imprisoned – again -- and routinely tortured.

Connor diagnosed with Robinow Syndrome, that affects fewer than 200 people worldwide and affects skeletal development.

Dr. Steven S. Hsiao, a Johns Hopkins scientist who studied how the brain perceives the shape, size and texture of three-dimensional objects, died of lung cancer June 16 at Hopkins Hospital.

How do public health experts handle research when they know they cannot offer subjects the best medical treatment possible — only "less than the best" solutions?

A group of Patterson High School students were invited to the White House Science Fair to share solar-powered hovercrafts they built through the school's Project Lead the Way program.

Emily Kolenda, an 11-year-old Catonsville resident, battles the rare autoimmune disorder acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM).

Harford County officials have been trying to battle opiate abuse, labeled the county's top drug problem, with two new programs focused on giving out anti-opioid drugs.

Research labs closed by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer dot the country. Maryland officials don't want the state to join that list, so Pfizer's proposal to buy AstraZeneca — which employs 3,100 in the state — has prompted local angst.

I received an email from a graduate research assistant at the University of Maryland Hearing Research Laboratory in College Park. They are conducting a study to evaluate how well a new computerized listening training program works in helping hearing aid users better understand speech in noisy listening conditions.

Researchers find new uses for old drugs, sometimes by accident

The Center for Plain Language is part of a movement aimed at purging gobbledygook from government and private-sector communications and replacing it with simple, clear English. Each year it issues a report card on federal government agencies and awards prizes in various categories of communication.

The Fort Detrick fire department has been named the best medium-sized department in the Army. The installation in Frederick hosts the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center, the Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases and other sensitive activities.

A health care crisis is quietly unfolding in our nation's laboratories. This crisis has developed largely off the public's radar screen. If not resolved, it can adversely impact the lives of every American. The crisis in question: alarming shortages within the laboratory workforce.

Thousands of scientists and researchers federal agencies have been hired in recent years under special hiring authority intended to help the government compete with the private sector for senior leadership positions. Government watchdogs warn, however, that officials must use the powers judiciously.

Betting on dice on the streets of Baltimore or wagering on favorite sports teams may seem innocuous behavior for city teenagers, but it can serve as a gateway to heavier gambling and other risky behavior, impairing lives for years to come.

The Columbia Association will hold elections on Saturday, April 26. During the elections, Columbia residents who pay the Columbia Association assessed fee can vote in their respective village for their village's representative to the 10-member Columbia Council, which becomes the 10-member Board of Directors.

This is getting old. Every time our nation has an opportunity to do something positive in the fight against Alzheimer's disease, we come up short.

Barbara M. Santamaria, a retired Veterans Administration nurse practitioner and a past president of the Maryland Nurses Association, died of congestive heart failure Wednesday at Franklin Square Medical Center. The Oak Crest Village Retirement Community resident was 83.

Lily Cavallaro, 13, leading charge on fundraising for diabetes research after younger sister, Bella, 11, was diagnosed with the disease in 2009. Bella's Battalion will walk in upcoming Maryland 2014 Walk to Cure Diabetes in Baltimore on April 5.

Maryland's personal income growth was among the smallest nationwide last year as federal budget cuts rippled through the wider region, affecting Virginia and the District of Columbia as well, the U.S. Department of Commerce estimated.

The passage of the Humane Cosmetics Act and the insertion of a similar "last resort" clause into the House and Senate TSCA reform bills could save countless lives — both human and animal. We can do better than rely on animals to predict human results. It's time to let go of the methods of the past and embrace 21st-century science.