Newsbriefs Medical News ----------------------------------------------------------------- Scientists identify another pancreatic cancer gene Researchers at the School of Medicine have identified a gene involved in half of all cases of pancreatic cancer, the nation's fifth leading cancer killer. The discovery gives insight into the nature of the cancer and eventually may lead to practical ways to diagnose tumors early and reverse the defective gene's damage. The gene, called DPC4, joins a few other tumor suppressor genes, including p53 and p16, which have been identified as having pivotal roles in many cancers, the researchers said. The findings were published in the Jan. 19 issue of Science. "The old saying, 'To beat your enemy, you must know your enemy' is as true for science as it is for war," said Scott Kern, the study's senior author and an assistant professor of oncology and pathology. "Now we know our enemy much better." ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- Potassium may lower BP for African Americans A Hopkins study has concluded that potassium tablets may greatly reduce high blood pressure and its consequences in African Americans who do not eat enough fresh fruit and vegetables and other potassium-rich foods. The study was published in the Jan. 8 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. "Potassium supplements produced a striking reduction in blood pressure," said Frederick Brancati, the study's lead author and an assistant professor of internal medicine. "The magnitude of the average reduction is all the more impressive given the participants' relatively low blood pressure before the study." Supplements of potassium, a mineral that helps regulate heart rhythm and other functions, or even eating potassium-rich foods, may be a safe,cheap and effective way to fight high blood pressure's complications, such as stroke and heart failure, which affect African Americans at an unusually high rate, Brancati said. Further research is needed to determine if potassium's blood-pressure-lowering effect in healthy African Americans is long term, whether it can be achieved with smaller supplements or by eating potassium-rich foods without supplements, and whether it can benefit other ethnic groups and those with high blood pressure, Brancati said. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- SOM receives gift from Hughes Medical Institute The School of Medicine was one of 30 U.S. medical schools to receive a donation from the Chevy Chase-based Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The institute--the nation's largest private philanthropy--will disburse over the next four years a total of $80 million, including $3.4 million to Hopkins. The money will be used to create five faculty positions in basic research, particularly in biological chemistry and pharmacology. Some money also will be used to expand core laboratories and computer systems. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Other News ----------------------------------------------------------------- Student singers perform for 'second family,' staff The Allnighters, one of Hopkins' student a cappella groups, was the primary entertainment at Vice President Al Gore and his wife Tipper's Christmas party for his executive staff on Dec. 20 at the Blair House. The 11-man group sang a combination of Christmas carols and selections from their extensive repertoire as guests arrived and mingled around the buffet tables. Toward the end of the evening, after the vice president thanked his staff for a job well done, the group took center stage and sang "Right Here, Right Now," by Jesus Jones, the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams" ("which Tipper just loved," said Allnighter president Peter Tillinghast) and concluded with their adaptation of "White Christmas." Although they were not paid for their performance, Tillinghast says they were compensated royally. "We were taken to the kitchen and told to dig in, and the food was terrific. Shrimp from Mexico the size of your fist, and amazing desserts." Tillinghast says the vice president got progressively more casual with them as the evening wore on. "When we left, I had a few minutes to thank him, and he was real relaxed--not at all like the guy you see on television." Ahead for the Allnighters is participation in the national collegiate a cappella competition. They are one of seven groups invited to compete in the mid-Atlantic regionals to be held at Drew University in New Jersey on March 2. Hopkins will host the Southern/Southern New England semifinal round on March 9. The finalists will perform at Lincoln Center in New York the weekend of March 16 and 17. -----------------------------------------------------------------