Health Topics – Johns Hopkins Medicine Podcasts
Episodes
Is two weeks long enough to determine if someone will recover consciousness? Elizabeth Tracey reports
10 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If someone has suffered a brain injury and is on life support, determining when to cease that treatment is challenging if they haven’t recovered con...
How long should someone remain on life support? Elizabeth Tracey reports
10 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Deciding when to stop life sustaining treatment for someone who’s unconscious after brain injury may be easier now that a new study identifies sleep...
Sleep spindles may help discern who may regain consciousness, Elizabeth Tracey reports
10 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Something called sleep spindles are spikes that show up in an electroencephalogram, or EEG, and may help predict whether someone  who’s ha...
It’s always a challenge when someone is unresponsive to determine how active their brain is, Elizabeth Tracey reports
10 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When a patient is not responsive following a traumatic brain injury it is very difficult to tell when or if they’ll recover. A recent study may help...
The shingles vaccine is on the do not miss list, Elizabeth Tracey reports
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Shingles is a skin infection that results from reactivation of the virus that causes chicken pox. It can occur in areas like the eye where it may comp...
Vaccines against human papilloma virus reduce cancers, Elizabeth Tracey reports
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Vaccines against human papilloma virus or HPV have been shown to dramatically reduce the rates of cervical cancer among recipients, data over decades ...
After billions of doses, mRNA vaccines have demonstrated their safety, Elizabeth Tracey reports
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Among the many advances seen while Covid was rampant, mRNA vaccines stand out. That’s according to Anna Durbin, a vaccine expert at Johns Hopkins. D...
Why are mRNA vaccines effective? Elizabeth Tracey reports
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The technology that produced the vaccines against Covid relies on a type of RNA known as messenger RNA. Johns Hopkins vaccine expert Anna Durbin expla...
What is RNA and how is it used in vaccines? Elizabeth Tracey reports
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
RNA stands for ribonucleic acid, and since the development of Covid vaccines a class of it known as ‘messenger RNA’ or mRNA for short has been muc...
Should you get more than one vaccine at a time? Elizabeth Tracey reports
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s probably not high on your fun list to go and get vaccinated, so can more than one vaccine be given at a time so you can minimize the number of ...
If you are allergic to eggs should you avoid flu vaccines? Elizabeth Tracey reports
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The majority of flu vaccines are grown in eggs, so people with egg allergies would avoid them. Johns Hopkins vaccine expert Anna Durbin says that land...
Why might you get an illness even when you’ve been vaccinated? Elizabeth Tracey reports
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You probably know people who got the Covid vaccines but still got the illness, sometimes multiple times. Ditto for flu vaccines. Before you simply cho...
Why is the flu vaccine sometimes more effective than other times? Elizabeth Tracey reports
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You may recall hearing that this year’s flu vaccine was 40-60% effective against the flu. Why isn’t it more effective? Anna Durbin, a vaccine expe...
Who shouldn’t take a live vaccine? Elizabeth Tracey reports
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Vaccines are public health success stories, with the most effective ones often what’s called ‘live attenuated,’ meaning they do replicate in our...
How should you create a sleep routine? Elizabeth Tracey reports
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
One way to avoid the reported epidemic of insomnia is to create a routine you follow before you go to bed, resetting your brain to prepare for sleep. ...
What can you do to protect yourself from developing insomnia? Elizabeth Tracey reports
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Insomnia appears to be epidemic in the US in some studies, with additional data suggesting the problem is growing. Johns Hopkins sleep expert Charlene...
Could your electronic devices mislead you into thinking you have insomnia? Elizabeth Tracey reports
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Apple watches and other electronic self-monitoring tools may up the risk that you might think you have insomnia when you don’t. That’s according t...
What questions should you ask yourself if you suspect you may have insomnia? Elizabeth Tracey reports
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone has trouble at times falling asleep or staying asleep, but when does that become the diagnosis of insomnia, and when should you seek help? Sl...
When should you be concerned that you may have a sleep problem? Elizabeth Tracey reports
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When you experience interrupted sleep it can quickly progress to feeling exhausted, but when should you consult a physician about it? Sleep expert Cha...
Should sleep be assessed just like blood pressure or vision? Elizabeth Tracey reports
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Good quality, regular sleep is vital to your health, with many studies finding that when it’s not you are at higher risk for a range of health conse...
Solving sleep problems starts with an assessment, Elizabeth Tracey reports.
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Many millions of people worldwide complain of insomnia, putting them at risk for poor health outcomes. Charlene Gamaldo, a sleep expert at Johns Hopki...
How might compromised sleep put one at risk for poorer health outcomes? Elizabeth Tracey reports
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
While it’s been observed that disease and poor sleep seem to sort together, ongoing research is looking into the why of it. Johns Hopkins sleep expe...
Is compromised sleep related to the development of cancer? Elizabeth Tracey reports
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If your sleep is chronically interrupted or too long or short in duration, you may be at increased risk for some types of cancer, research suggests. S...
Increasingly sleep is recognized as a modifiable risk factor for disease, Elizabeth Tracey reports
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sleep is increasingly being recognized as important in human maladies. Charlene Gamaldo, a sleep expert at Johns Hopkins, says sleep quality is import...
Does blood in your urine mean you have cancer? Elizabeth Tracey reports
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Blood in your urine, so-called hematuria, is fairly common, with a new genetic test being studied to rule out bladder cancer as a cause. William Nelso...
Can a genetic test spot bladder cancer in people who have blood in their urine? Elizabeth Tracey reports
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Blood in your urine is definitely a reason to seek medical attention, and for many people cancer is a top concern. Now a new genetic test that can spo...
Are there advantages to receiving chemotherapy for cancer before surgery? Elizabeth Tracey reports
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy translates to chemotherapy for cancer before surgery, with a recent study demonstrating its benefit for people with esophagus...
What is the best way to treat esophageal cancer? Elizabeth Tracey reports
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cancer of the esophagus is a tough cancer to treat, and more people worldwide are developing it. A recent study compares one regimen giving chemothera...
Is it possible to catch nerve pain early in cancer treatment and minimize it? Elizabeth Tracey reports
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pain in nerves, called neuropathy, is more common when a couple types of cancer drugs are used or when someone has lung cancer versus other types of c...
Can painful nerve pain following cancer therapy be avoided? Elizabeth Tracey reports
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Neuropathy, or painful nerves, are seen in more than 40% of people who’ve been treated for cancer, a recent study reports. Kimmel Cancer Center dire...
How often does someone who’s been treated for cancer experience nerve pain? Elizabeth Tracey reports
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nerve pain, or neuropathy, can be a big problem for some people who’ve been treated for cancer, with a new study showing just how big a problem it i...
How does reporting symptoms impact cancer care for patients? Elizabeth Tracey reports
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A greater sense of control, feeling in partnership with their care team, and not finding reporting symptoms burdensome are just a few of the outcomes ...
Is it helpful for people with advanced cancer to report their symptoms regularly? Elizabeth Tracey reports
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine you have advanced cancer and your doctor asks you to report your symptoms electronically, so that intervention is possible before things like ...
Patients with advanced cancer can help in their own care, Elizabeth Tracey reports
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Helping people with advanced cancer is facilitated by having them fill out symptom questionnaires for their medical team, who can then intervene promp...
Cancer headlines with William Nelson, director of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, February 2025
27 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Physical activity is beneficial for people with Parkinson’s disease, Elizabeth Tracey reports
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve just learned that you have Parkinson’s disease and you’re not already a physically active person, you might want to take up a few form...
Diet can help in those who already have Parkinson’s disease, Elizabeth Tracey reports
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Once someone receives a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, there are things they can do themselves that are likely to be beneficial. Johns Hopkins ne...
You can lower your risk for developing Parkinson’s disease, Elizabeth Tracey reports
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The majority of cases of Parkinson’s disease aren’t related to genetics, research shows, while some environmental exposures increase your risk to ...
Environmental exposures are linked to Parkinson’s disease, Elizabeth Tracey reports
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Specific pesticides as well as other chemicals increase one’s risk for developing Parkinson’s disease, research shows. Liana Rosenthal, a neurolog...
Where in the world are Parkinson’s disease cases most common? Elizabeth Tracey reports
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
More and more people around the world are being affected by Parkinson’s disease, a common condition often showing up first as a movement disorder. L...
How big a role does genetics play in the development of Parkinson’s disease? Elizabeth Tracey reports
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The aberrant protein alpha synuclein is known to be involved in the development of Parkinson’s disease, but how and why this abnormal form develops ...
How do abnormal proteins get into the brain in Parkinson’s disease? Elizabeth Tracey reports
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Abundant evidence points to a protein called alpha synuclein in causing the range of symptoms seen in Parkinson’s disease, with the condition progre...
What exactly is happening in the brain of someone with Parkinson’s disease? Elizabeth Tracey reports
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
By the time someone with Parkinson’s disease, or PD, has hand tremors, the process of developing the condition is well underway in parts of their br...
More and more people worldwide are developing Parkinson’s disease, Elizabeth Tracey reports
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Just a few decades ago data from the Global Burden of Disease study reported about half a million people with Parkinson’s disease, with its characte...
Parkinson’s disease is a very common movement disorder, Elizabeth Tracey reports
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Parkinson’s disease is common, and becoming even more so, recent data indicate. Liana Rosenthal, a neurologist at Johns Hopkins, says most people re...
What can a precancerous condition teach us about clearing mutations? Elizabeth Tracey reports
03 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A precancerous condition of the bone marrow called myelofibrosis is usually treated with bone marrow transplantation. Now a new study shows that looki...
When prostate cancer returns a nuclear medicine scan can help, Elizabeth Tracey reports
26 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Prostate specific membrane antigen or PSMA PET scanning is very accurate at detecting and visualizing prostate cancer throughout the body. Now a study...
Can a new tool help determine which cancer treatments might help you? Elizabeth Tracey reports
26 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For many people with cancer drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors have proven to be lifesavers. Yet as with all drugs they come with side effects,...
Elizabeth Tracey reports
26 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In spite of the outgoing Surgeon General’s assertions, some people aren’t buying a relationship between alcohol consumption and cancer. Kimmel Can...
What does the science tell us about alcohol consumption and cancer risk? Elizabeth Tracey reports
26 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Outgoing Surgeon General Vivek Murthy says alcohol packaged for consumption should bear a warning label about increased risk for cancer. Johns Hopkins...
Should you give up alcohol to reduce your cancer risk? Elizabeth Tracey reports
26 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alcohol for consumption should come with a warning label about cancer risk, outgoing Surgeon General Vivek Murthy asserts. William Nelson, director of...
How might AI improve interpretation of free DNA levels in the blood? Elizabeth Tracey reports
12 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Free DNA in   the blood portends increasing frailty and possibly an increased risk to develop Alzheimer’s disease, two long term stud...
Higher levels of your own DNA circulating in your blood may be a problem, Elizabeth Tracey reports
12 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
DNA fragments found circulating in an older person’s blood are associated with frailty and Alzheimer’s disease, studies by Peter Abadir, a geriatr...
How much does increased levels of DNA in the blood increase dementia risk? Elizabeth Tracey reports
12 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Increased cell death, increased levels of DNA in the blood, increased inflammation, and increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease. That appears to be o...
Why does increased cell death in the body increase inflammation? Elizabeth Tracey reports
12 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cell death in your body happens all the time, every day, and when it does DNA is released into your blood. It may be your genetic DNA or it may be fro...
Is walking speed linked to cell death? Elizabeth Tracey reports
12 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Walking speed is a commonly used measure for health, as it’s easy to do and doesn’t cost much. Now a study by Peter Abadir, a Johns Hopkins geriat...
How does circulating DNA contribute to accelerated aging? Elizabeth Tracey reports
12 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
DNA fragments found in your blood, so called circulating cell free DNA, come from your cells as they die. Both genetic material and DNA from your ener...
Are circulating DNA and inflammation related? Elizabeth Tracey reports
12 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Circulating cell free DNA fragments are found in your bloodstream when cells die and release what’s inside. Some of that DNA is your genetic materia...
Can a blood test for DNA predict Alzheimer’s disease and frailty? Elizabeth Tracey reports
12 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You may have heard the term ‘liquid biopsy.’ Most often referring to cancer detection, such technology aims to find materials circulating in the b...
A blood test looking for your DNA is proving increasingly useful, Elizabeth Tracey reports
12 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Some cancer tests and prenatal assessments already use DNA found circulating in someone’s blood to look for certain cancers or assure the health of ...
Your own genetic material from two cellular locations can be found in your blood, Elizabeth Tracey reports
12 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You have quite a lot of the genetic material DNA circulating in your bloodstream. Peter Abadir, a geriatrics expert at Johns Hopkins, is looking at DN...
It may now be possible to tell who is going to react badly to some forms of cancer therapy, Elizabeth Tracey reports
23 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Immunotherapies for cancer can be lifesavers, but they can also provoke an overwhelming immune response that can be life threatening. Now a Johns Hopk...
Using two immunotherapies in colon cancer helps, Elizabeth Tracey reports
23 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
People with a type of advanced colorectal cancer who were treated with two different immunotherapy drugs did much better than a group treated with a s...
Studying cancers in three dimensions has revealed a kind of regression, Elizabeth Tracey reports
23 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As cancer cells grow, a study looking at their three dimensional architecture reveals that they become more like cells normally seen in fetal life. Jo...
What are we learning from studying cancers in three dimensions? Elizabeth Tracey reports
23 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
An effort is underway to characterize cancerous tumors in three dimensions, with an eye toward a more complete understanding of their behavior. A seri...
What can a 3D atlas of cancer teach us? Elizabeth Tracey reports
23 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When cancer exists in the body it has a three dimensional structure, an architecture, that only now is being looked at in detail to understand better ...
Text messages meeting people where they are allow children to avoid becoming obese, Elizabeth Tracey reports
16 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Childhood obesity is a worldwide problem with long term health implications, especially cardiovascular disease. Now a study co-led by Johns Hopkins pe...
Childhood obesity rates keep rising, but a text based intervention can help.
16 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
While childhood obesity is a widespread problem, the children who are most at risk to develop this disabling condition are already those with fewer ed...
Helping kids most at risk for obesity is possible, Elizabeth Tracey reports
16 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Childhood obesity is a worldwide problem that keeps accelerating, with the kids most at risk from already disadvantaged groups. Now a study co-led by ...
Parents were pivotal in the success of a study to prevent childhood obesity, Elizabeth Tracey reports
16 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
New parents are motivated people. That’s one observation from a new study co-led by Johns Hopkins pediatrics expert Eliana Perrin using a text-based...
Getting to kids and parents very early in life may be key to preventing obesity, Elizabeth Tracey reports
16 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Can a texting intervention to parents of very young children prevent the development of obesity in their offspring? A study co-led by Johns Hopkins pe...
Parents are invaluable when it comes to avoiding childhood obesity, Elizabeth Tracey reports
09 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Engaging parents in developing a host of text messages around healthy behaviors for infants and young children was pivotal to the success of a study s...
Specific text messages to parents help slow down childhood obesity, Elizabeth Tracey reports
09 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How can we stem the rising tide of childhood obesity? Start in infancy and engage parents personally. That’s the conclusion of a study co-led by Eli...
What sorts of messages help parents prevent obesity in their young children? Elizabeth Tracey reports
09 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Obesity is a complex condition that all too often begins in childhood. Now a comprehensive program using educational materials and personalized text m...
Can texting prevent obesity in young children? Elizabeth Tracey reports
09 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With about one in five children in the US falling into the obese range, trying to find a way to intervene effectively is top of mind for many pediatri...
A comprehensive text program can help prevent childhood obesity, Elizabeth Tracey reports
09 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Preventing obesity in young children is possible using a program of texting new parents, a study co-led by Johns Hopkins pediatrics expert Eliana Perr...
What’s the best strategy for staying ahead of emerging flu strains? Elizabeth Tracey reports
02 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
H5N1 is shorthand for the strain of influenza that’s been worrying some public health experts this summer since being found in multiple herds of cow...
What’s the best practice for measuring your blood pressure at home? Elizabeth Tracey reports
02 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Even if you have high blood pressure when it’s measured in your doctor’s office, you may not really have it at all. That’s according to Tammy Br...
02 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Taking a look at blood pressure should begin in childhood so good habits can be instilled, Elizabeth Tracey reports Arm position is just one factor wh...
If your blood pressure measures high it’s wise to consider a couple of things, Elizabeth Tracey reports
02 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Both arm position and resting for a moment before measurement are things to consider if you have a high blood pressure reading. Those are the conclusi...
02 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Besides arm position, must rest also be a part of blood pressure measurement? Elizabeth Tracey reports Arm position matters when it comes to accurate ...
If you measure your own blood pressure, pay attention to your arm position, Elizabeth Tracey reports
25 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Incorrect arm position when your blood pressure is being measured may result in a mistakenly high reading, a study by Tammy Brady, a cardiovascular he...
Taking a blood pressure right is more complicated than it might seem, Elizabeth Tracey reports
25 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Vital signs like blood pressure may be measured by a number of clinicians during a medical visit, and all of them need to be trained and recertified p...
How high might your blood pressure be if your arm isn’t properly positioned? Elizabeth Tracey reports
25 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
High blood pressure is associated with cardiovascular events like heart attacks and strokes, so keeping it under control is important. Yet many times ...
What should your arm position be if you’re having your blood pressure measured? Elizabeth Tracey reports
25 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Turns out when you get your blood pressure measured, arm position is critical. That’s according to a study led by Tammy Brady, a cardiovascular heal...
Accurate blood pressure measurement is harder than it seems, Elizabeth Tracey reports
25 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
One of the most important things you can do to prevent the number one cause of death – cardiovascular disease – is to keep your blood pressure und...
Just how are video games to help manage mental health conditions in children developed? Elizabeth Tracey reports
18 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Can you trust a video game to help your child with ADHD, depression or anxiety? A new study by Johns Hopkins psychiatrist Barry Bryant surveyed the fi...
What characterizes a video game designed to help kids with mental health issues? Elizabeth Tracey reports
18 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Just how does a video game designed to help kids with ADHD, depression and anxiety differ from other video games? Barry Bryant, a psychiatrist at John...
Having kids using mental health care gaming works best at a computer, Elizabeth Tracey reports
18 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
if you’re using a gaming program to help a child with ADHD, depression or anxiety, these technologies work best if they are done on a computer. That...
What does a survey of video games to help kid’s mental health show? Elizabeth Tracey reports
18 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Can video games help children and adolescents with mental health issues like anxiety, ADHD or depression? A Johns Hopkins study led by psychiatrist Ba...
Can video games help fill in the gap between kids who need mental health care and the dearth of providers? Elizabeth Tracey reports
18 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Mental health issues are skyrocketing among US youth, data shows. Barry Bryant, a psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins, wondered whether technology might be ...
Skin isn’t the only place to sample to make a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, Elizabeth Tracey reports
11 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Skin biopsies can diagnose both Parkinson’s disease and other neurological conditions called prion diseases, recent studies show. Ted Dawson, Johns ...
Personalized treatment may soon come for Parkinson’s disease, Elizabeth Tracey reports
11 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
More than 200,000 people in the US alone are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease yearly, but it can be caused by multiple forms of a misfolded protei...
Some people with Parkinson’s disease will test negative with the best test yet, Elizabeth Tracey reports
11 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A type of test known as a seeding assay has been shown to be very good at diagnosing conditions like Parkinson’s disease, caused by a protein that f...
What is it that causes a normal protein to fold differently and cause Parkinson’s disease? Elizabeth Tracey reports
11 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A protein called alpha synuclein is normally found in our bodies, but it’s also found in a misfolded form that’s known to cause Parkinson’s dise...
Parkinson’s disease is actually a few different clinical entities, Elizabeth Tracey reports
11 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Used to be Parkinson’s disease was thought of as a movement disorder, but now it’s known that as the condition progresses two different types of d...
A new way of diagnosing prion disease may also help in other diseases, Elizabeth Tracey reports
04 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Prions are misfolded proteins that can infect us and cause our normal proteins to fold incorrectly also, and they can be found in the skin, a new stud...
What is a prion and how does it cause disease? Elizabeth Tracey reports
04 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Prion diseases are caused in people when an aberrant form of a protein that is already in our bodies infects us, and causes the normal protein to fold...
Why is it that a disorder that affects the brain can be diagnosed with a skin biopsy? Elizabeth Tracey reports
04 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The rare brain disorder abbreviated CJD, for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, can be diagnosed with two or more skin biopsies, a recent study shows. Jo...
Making the diagnosis for a rare brain disease may now be easier, Elizabeth Tracey reports
04 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Skin biopsies have proven better at diagnosing the rare brain disease Creutzfeldt-Jakob, abbreviated CJD, than doing a spinal tap to obtain cereb...