Michael Hiltzik says the medically uninsured iin America have become a political football. Opponents and supporters of healthcare reform toss assertions about them back and forth.
The report, which says 46.3 million people lacked coverage as of the end of 2008, makes the case for reform stronger than ever by punching holes in arguments that minimize the plight of the uninsured.
Includes comments by WUSTL social work and public health professor Timothy McBride.

References:

1. Sept. 17, 2009 — U.S. Census Bureau data on the medically uninsured simply can't be denied in the Los Angeles Times

Article looks at another David Page contribution to the science of genetics.
A weakness in the system that allows the male Y chromosome to protect and repair itself can explain an array of genetic sexual disorders.:
The palindromes were discovered in 2003 when the Y chromosome's sequence of bases, represented by the familiar letters G, C, T and A, was first worked out by David Page of the Whitehead Institute and colleagues at the DNA sequencing center at WUSTL medical school.

References:

1. Sept. 15, 2009 — New Clues to Sex Anomalies in How Y Chromosomes Are Copied in the The New York Times

Researchers at Michigan State, Chicago, and WUSTL says sleep may reduce mistakes in memory for both the young and the old.
They studied the presence of false memory in groups of college students. Previous research has shown that sleep improves memory, but this study address errors in memory.
The study was published in the journal Learning & Memory.

References:

1. Sept. 14, 2009 — Sleep helps reduce errors in memory in the United Press International

and 4 others.

Jon Hamilton reports on a recent German study in Science that says that for more than 50 years, scientists who study the brain have been misled by squid. They did experiments on squid nerve cells thinking that those cells were good models for the human nervous system.
WUSTL radiology professor Marcus Raichle, who does brain imaging studies, says, "There is always this tendency that if you're working in an area and your experiments are working well and you're getting good data, to not think of the larger context in which this is occurring."

References:

1. Sept. 11, 2009 — Brain Scientists Misled By Squid in the NPR Morning Edition

and 1 others.

Cindy McCain explains the need for more funding for research to cure migraine headaches. As a nation, we spend very little on research into the causes and treatments of migraines. It is estimated that the NIH spends less than $13 million a year for migraine research. Neurology professor Todd Schwedt of WUSTL's Headache Center says that based on the burden migraine exacts from society, funding should be closer to $260 million.

References:

1. Sept. 9, 2009 — Commentary: More Funding To End Migraine in the Forbes.com

How much is it going to cost to provide health care for all Americans? Until the details are complete, the only honest answer is: no one knows, reports John Schoen. "We know that the underinsured tend to be healthier," said Timothy McBride, associate dean for WUSTL's public health. "So if they were to get insured they would not be as expensive as the rest of us."

References:

1. Sept. 9, 2009 — Elusive price tag for universal health coverage in the MSNBC.com

U. of Iowa scientists say they've discovered a molecular mechanism regulates specialized pancreatic cells and insulin secretion in a form of diabetes. The study that also involved researchers at WUSTL is reported in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

References:

1. Sept. 9, 2009 — Protein found to control form of diabetes in the United Press International

and 4 others.

An international team of scientists has reported finding two more genetic risk factors of Alzheimer's disease. Includes comments by co-author and WUSTL professor of genetics in psychiatry Alison Goate.

References:

1. Sept. 8, 2009 — More Alzheimer genetic risk factors found in the United Press International

and 3 others.

Scheduling a prime daytime slot to undergo an orthopedic procedure may lower your risk of an unplanned follow-up surgery later on, a new study published in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery has found.
Includes comments by surgeon William Ricci, chief of WUSTL medical school's Orthopaedic Trauma Service.

References:

1. Sept. 7, 2009 — Let Orthopedic Surgery Wait Until Morning When Possible in the U.S. News & World Report online

and 8 others.

New Swiss research published in Science suggests that young animals may have a mechanism that allows them to jettison traumatic memories, but experts say it's unclear whether humans of any age can do the same. Includes comments by WUSTL psychology professor and memory specialist Mark McDaniel.

References:

1. Sept. 4, 2009 — Young Animals May Be Able to Erase Bad Memories in the U.S. News & World Report online

and 5 others.

Even after eliminating known pancreatic cancer risk factors, such as smoking and obesity, blacks still had a 42 percent higher risk of dying from the disease than their white counterparts, according to a WUSTL-led study, which appears online in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

References:

1. Sept. 2, 2009 — Pancreatic Cancer Deaths Higher for Blacks in the U.S. News & World Report online

and 9 others.

A study published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery found after-hours orthopaedic surgeries risk a slightly higher rate of necessary follow-up surgeries. WUSTL orthopaedic surgron and lead author William Ricci comments.

References:

1. Sept. 2, 2009 — After-hours bone surgery slightly riskier in the United Press International

and 3 others.

In the last decade, there's been a boom in children running races that were once strictly for adults. Getting kids outside and active is obviously a good thing. But are the physical and mental demands of long-distance running safe for children? At what age is competition appropriate, and what do parents need to keep in mind? WUSTL pediatric sports medicine specialist Mark Halstead, who has been a distance runner for most of his adult life, offers advice.

References:

1. Aug. 30, 2009 — Girls Gotta Move in the Health.com

For years, dietary factors have been debated as either boosting or reducing the risk of breast cancer, with research yielding conflicting results. But in the new research, scientists could not conclude that meat, eggs or dairy product intake as an adult raised breast cancer risk. Connie Diekman, a registered dietitian and director of university nutrition at WUSTL comments.

References:

1. Aug. 28, 2009 — Meat, Dairy Won't Up Odds for Breast Cancer in the U.S. News & World Report online

and 8 others.

Belly fat has long been blamed for obesity-related disease but it may actually only be something of an innocent bystander, according to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Liver fat may be the important risk factor for obesity-related metabolic disorders often linked to diabetes, heart disease and other diseases. Includes comments by senior investigator and WUSTL nutrition expert Samuel Klein.

References:

1. Aug. 26, 2009 — Belly fat may be innocent bystander in the United Press International

and 2 others.

An obese eighth-grader's sudden death during a football conditioning lap has revived discussion about whether testing children's hearts before they engage in sports or strenuous activity is necessary. WUSTL cardiovascular professor Keith Mankowitz, who directs an athletes screening program, said some conditions go undetected during routine screening.

References:

1. Aug. 24, 2009 — Child athlete's death revives heart testing debate in the Associated Press

and 24 others.

Medical tests are no fun, so why take them twice? People often end up with inadvertently skewed results, but some simple prep work will ensure that your numbers are accurate. Includes advice from WUSTL researchers on how not to skew the PSA (prostate cancer screening) exam.

References:

1. Aug. 23, 2009 — Take charge of your checkup in the MSNBC.com

Timothy Kuklo, a former U.S. Army surgeon, "voluntarily" resigned from WUSTL, effective Sept. 30, and "will have no clinical, research or educational duties for the university between now and that date," a spokeswoman for the university's medical school said in a statement.

References:

1. Aug. 20, 2009 — Surgeon accused of faking study resigns in the United Press International

and 1 others.

Timothy Kuklo, a former Army surgeon accused of falsifying a study on a bone growth product used on severely injured Iraq war veterans, has resigned his teaching position at WUSTL, according to spokeswoman Joni Westerhouse.
Kuklo tendered his resignation on July 30, according to Don Clayton, associate vice chancellor and director for medical public affairs. University officials declined to comment further.

References:

1. Aug. 19, 2009 — Surgeon Tied to Bone Product Inquiry Resigns in the The New York Times

Another report on the use of nanobees -- tiny particles designed to destroy cancer cells by delivering a synthesized version of toxin called melittin that is found in bees.
Samuel Wickline, director of WUSTL's Siteman Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence, explains how it works.
Nanobees are one of the latest examples of how nanotechnology may change the way diseases are treated.

References:

1. Aug. 18, 2009 — Ultra-tiny 'bees' target tumors in the CNN International

and 1 others.