Newsbriefs --------------------------------- CFS potentially treatable, say Hopkins researchers --------------------------------- Results of a Hopkins study show that chronic fatigue syndrome is strongly linked to a common and potentially treatable abnormality of blood pressure regulation. The findings, reported in the Sept. 27 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association, link CFS with a blood pressure regulation disorder called neurally mediated hypotension and advance earlier work that drew similar conclusions among fatigued adolescents. Both studies found that symptoms such as exhaustion, exercise intolerance, muddled thinking and dizziness cleared after neurally mediated hypotension was diagnosed and treated. The study is the first to demonstrate that the symptoms of CFS can be improved with treatment directed at neurally mediated hypotension," said Hugh Calkins, associate professor of medicine and pediatrics and director of electrophysiology. "Further research will help us define the basis of the link and a randomized, placebo-controlled study is still needed to confirm the favorable response to therapy that we observed." In the Hopkins study, 22 of 23 patients with CFS tested positive for neurally mediated hypotension. After treatment, nine patients reported full recovery from fatigue and seven others noted some improvement, researchers said. Patients with neurally mediated hypotension were treated with drugs commonly used to regulate blood pressure. While some of the drugs work by allowing the kidneys to retain more sodium, others block the body's response to adrenaline, a kick-starter of the blood pressure abnormality. More than half of the patients experienced some improvement over time, but the researchers said that compliance with drug therapies proved challenging. "It takes a great deal of persistence from the patient and physician to find the right combination for each individual," said Peter Rowe, the pediatrician who first made the link between CFS and neurally mediated hypotension. Careful monitoring by a physician is required because the drugs pose a risk of serious side effects such as excessive elevation in blood pressure, or depression. In addition, patients often need to change therapies three or four times over several months before noticing an improvement, he said. --------------------------- Student financial aid arrives in cyberspace --------------------------- The Office of Student Financial Services has gone live with a new World Wide Web site on the Internet, which will bring a broad array of information and services into the homes of prospective and current students and parents, staff and faculty. The office's homepage, located on JHUniverse, can be found at http://www. jhu.edu/~finaid. "This is an exciting new development that will give students and parents a quick and easy way to access financing information," said SFS director Ellen Frishberg. "The Web is a new way of communicating for this office, and we hope to make it a valuable and interesting tool that helps us serve our students better and more efficiently." The new Web site--designed by junior Sujal Shah--will allow staff to exchange e-mail with students and to request freshman and returning student applications on-line. The Web site also includes the university's general financial aid brochure, by topic area, links to other financial aid information and links to both undergraduate and graduate admissions information. Other features at the Web site include FastWeb, a free scholarship search service, and a news site to communicate information about new programs, application deadlines and congressional actions relating to student aid. ------------------------------ Pre-Olympic field hockey match coming to Hopkins ------------------------------ The U.S. Women's Field Hockey Team will host the Irish national team in a special match at 6 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 9, at Homewood Field. The match is part of a 12-day, six-city "Road to Atlanta" pre-Olympic tour, which will take the two teams to Boston, Springfield, Mass., and Philadelphia before stopping in Baltimore and then on to St. Louis and Atlanta. The U.S. women had some of their greatest successes in Ireland in 1994. Seeded 11th entering the 8th Women's World Cup in Dublin, the team surprised the field hockey community by winning the bronze medal. Field hockey is played in two 35-minute halves separated by a 10-minute intermission. The $5 tickets for the match can be purchased through the USFHA office, at (719) 578-4567. Tickets also will be sold at the Hopkins Athletic Center on the day of the match. For information, call (410) 516-7490. ------------------------------ Zinc supplement reduces childhood diarrhea in India ------------------------------ A School of Public Health study published in the Sept. 28 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine shows that zinc supplementation significantly reduced the severity and duration of acute diarrhea in infants and preschool-age children in New Delhi, India. According to the study, diarrheal diseases stunt growth and kill more than 3 million children in developing countries each year. These diseases are most severe among infants and young children who are malnourished and have impaired immune systems. Many of these children also have zinc deficiency, which "may be an important cause of malnourishment and immune problems," said Robert E. Black, chairman of the Department of International Health and the study's co-author. In addition to saving lives, reducing the duration and severity of diarrhea would probably make treatment more successful because less oral rehydration therapy would be necessary, the study reported. ------------------------------ Memorial celebration, service scheduled ------------------------------ The Paul A. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies is planning a celebration of George Crowell's life from 4 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7, at the Kenney Auditorium, 1740 Massachusetts Ave., N.W. in Washington. A performance by the African Heritage Dance Group is scheduled for 8 p.m. Crowell, who died Aug. 21, was an alumnus of SAIS and had held various administrative positions at the school since 1976. He was associate dean at the time of his death. For more information or to make reservations, call (202)663-5636. ----------------------------------------------------------------- A memorial service for John C. Geyer, professor emeritus of the G.W.C. Whiting School of Engineering's Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering, will be held at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 10, in the Garrett Room of the Milton S. Eisenhower Library, on the Homewood campus. For more information, call Sabrina Linton at (410) 516-7092.