October 2005
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Building a new approach to medicine
Oct. 14,
2005 --
Designed to bring together great scientific minds in a comfortable, productive atmosphere, the Farrell Learning and Teaching Center became the new focal point at the School of Medicine in August. Read more about the $35 million state-of-the-art facility in the following St. Louis Post-Dispatch article.
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Does calorie restriction slow aging?
Oct. 4,
2005 -- While there's not yet enough evidence to prove it, WUSM physician Luigi Fontana says it does seem that people who consume significantly fewer calories than the norm age more slowly. Read more about calorie restriction diets in the following story from The Times Online.
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Diabetes Control Week targets poor blood sugar management by St. Louis residents
Sept. 30,
2005 -- More than 70 percent of St. Louis residents with diabetes fail to properly manage their blood sugar, according to the results of a recent study. These results have prompted local lawmakers to declare Oct. 3-7 Diabetes Control Week. Charles Kilo, a diabetes specialist and WUSM professor of clinical medicine, addresses the issue in the following release from PR Newswire.
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Number of obese children continues to grow
Sept. 26,
2005 -- Nearly one-in-five children in the U.S. are obese, according to the most recent data. There are a number of reasons for these alarming statistics, and nearly all of the causes are avoidable. A few simple, healthy lifestyle changes can go a long way toward a healthier a child, says WUSM dietician Marilyn Tanner.
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New programs restore interest in physician-scientist research careers
Sept. 23,
2005 -- Recent initiatives appear to have created renewed interest for young physicians to pursue research careers, according to a study in the September 21 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on medical research.
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Webcast shows new vascular procedure with commentary from surgeons
Sept. 20,
2005 -- Luis A. Sanchez and Juan C. Parodi, WUSM vascular surgeons at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, will be part of an online broadcast of a surgical procedure utilizing a new device for treatment of an abdominal aortic aneurysm Sept. 30 at OR-Live.com.
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Compassion is crucial for WUSM bone marrow transplant expert
Sept. 16,
2005 --
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| Photo by Robert Boston |
| Shenoy delivers her caring touch to five-year-old Austin Beck. |
Pediatric stem-cell transplantation is a demanding area of medicine, drawing on hematology, oncology, immunology and pediatrics. And while WUSM physician Shalini Shenoy comes across as soft-spoken and compassionate, it's clear that she has intellectual steel backing her warm personality. This valuable combination gives her the ability to reassure patients during complex, challenging procedures.
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Sunscreen pill studied by researchers
Sept. 15,
2005 -- WUSM researchers believe a vitamin found in vegetables may serve as a safe, ingestible sunscreen for humans. They are currently looking for volunteers for a related study.
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Fighting food allergies
Sept. 15,
2005 -- Millions of Americans suffer from food allergies, and those numbers are quickly rising. Allergic reactions can range from rashes to life-threatening anaphylactic shock. WUSM physician James Wedner reveals a number of details about food allergies in the following St. Louis Post-Dispatch article.
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Recognizing the signs of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
Sept. 7,
2005 -- Bodies change a lot during puberty, and it's not uncommon for young female teens to experience irregular initial menstrual periods. Parents, however, need to be watchful if their daughters begin showing signs of a hormonal imbalance that can indicate the presence of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, a disorder that develops in 5 to 10 percent of women today, according to the National Institutes of Health.
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Barnes-Jewish named primary stroke center
Sept. 6,
2005 -- Barnes-Jewish has been certified as a Primary Stroke Center — the first hospital in the St. Louis area to receive the honor. Abdullah Nassief, Washington University neurologist and director of the stroke center, comments.
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WUSM physician provides new outlook to muscular dystrophy patient
Sept. 2,
2005 -- Some cases of muscular dystrophy are so severe many doctors won't even attempt to perform surgery on the patient. Aaron Dopf, needing a nearly 60 degree realignment of his neck, was one of those patients. He turned to WUSM orthopaedic surgeon Dan Riew, who successfully changed the way Dopf sees the world. Read more from KSDK.
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Parkinson's patients find hope with deep brain stimulation
Sept. 1,
2005 -- Tremors and stiffness are only two of many problems Parkinson's disease sufferers can face. For some patients, there is hope to eliminate these symptoms. More and more patients are having success through deep brain stimulation, a surgical procedure that delivers continuous, high frequency electrical pulses to the brain.
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Future STARS: High-school students conduct research
Aug. 26,
2005 --
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| Photo by Robert Boston |
| Danielle Scheidenhelm (left), an M.D.-Ph.D. student, and Diane Ma, a student in the STARS program, prepare solutions for their studies of the cytoskeleton. |
A group of gifted high-school students spent part of their summer working in the research laboratory of David Gutmann, the Donald O. Schnuck Professor of Neurology. The 2005 Pfizer-Solutia Partnership of Universities' Students and Teachers as Research Scientists (STARS) program provides exciting opportunities for young minds with an interest in science.
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Community Wellness Program keeps St. Louis healthy
Aug. 25,
2005 -- Obese children and frail older adults in underserved areas in St. Louis are getting help from a new initiative called the Community Wellness Program (CWP), a collaboration between Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine's Division of Geriatric and Nutritional Science.
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WUSM neuropsychologist puts others first
Aug. 24,
2005 -- Richard Wetzel came to St. Louis nearly 50 years ago to become a minister. He completed his master's degree in divinity in 1963, but his career path has seen a few twists and turns since then. Wetzel, a WUSM professor of psychiatry and of neurology and neurological surgery, is now an expert in suicide prevention and neuropsychology.
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Many options for vision correction have more patients seeing clearly
Aug. 23,
2005 -- From laser surgery to simple eyeglasses, people of all ages now have a variety of vision correction choices available to them. WUSM ophthalmologist Michael Conners discusses today's treatment options in the following St. Louis Post-Dispatch article.
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Closed-chest procedures gain in popularity among heart patients
Aug. 22,
2005 --
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| Gabriel B. Tait/P-D |
| Doctors are using stents to manage heart disease without opening the chest. |
The number of open-heart surgery patients is declining for several reasons. Better drugs and healthier lifestyle choices are keeping many people out of the operating room, but even those who do require surgery are frequently opting for less invasive procedures these days. Read more in the following St. Louis Post-Dispatch article.
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Camp provides fun for HIV-positive kids
Aug. 19,
2005 -- Camp HOPE lives up to its name. The three-day camp, part of a larger outreach called Project ARK, gives HIV-positive children a chance to swim, ride horses and simply have fun. Kim Donica, director of Project ARK and research administrator for pediatric infectious disease, discusses the project in the following interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
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Overloaded backpacks can cause neck, back pain for children
Aug. 18,
2005 --
About one in six school children will miss class time this year due to backpack-related injury, and nearly half of all adolescents complain of pain caused by their backpack. There are ways to avoid these injuries, says Matthew Dobbs, assistant professor and orthopaedic surgeon at St. Louis Children's Hospital.
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