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More Medical News
August 2008
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Nerve reconstruction surgeon aims to help more veterans injured in combat
Aug. 8,
2008 -- WUSM surgeon Susan Mackinnon, a pioneer of the surgical procedure known as peripheral nerve transfer, hopes to share the technique with more Veterans Affairs hospitals this year. The advanced form of nerve reconstruction Mackinnon performs can help injured soldiers regain the use of severely damaged limbs.
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Flooded areas are now faced with a second wallop of mold, mosquitoes
July 21,
2008 -- The waters are receding, but the consequences of flooding in surrounding areas are only beginning to surface. These consequences are not just in physical and financial damage, but major indoor and outdoor health threats to children and their families, including disease-carrying mosquitoes and allergy-irritating mold.
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Ribs lost, careers saved: WUSM surgeon gets athletes back on the field
July 16,
2008 --
Colorado Rockies All-Star pitcher Aaron Cook always has a spare rib for good luck. It's not part of his pregame meal. The rib came out of his own body and sits in his locker. Cook suffered from Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS), a condition in which the space between the collarbone and the uppermost rib gets cramped, pinching nerves, veins or arteries. Rather than cut his career short, he turned to WUSM surgeon Robert Thompson, one of the few doctors in the country using a surgical procedure that gets athletes back on the field.
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Shriners breaks ground on new hospital at the Medical Center
July 11,
2008 --
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| Rendering of Shriners Hospital for Children |
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The Shriners Hospital for Children broke ground July 3 on a new hospital at the Washington University Medical Center. This relocation will allow St. Louis Shriners Hospital to return to the medical school campus. The Shriners' first area hospital opened in 1924 on Euclid Avenue on the medical school campus.
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New device will be able to see into cells as never before
July 11,
2008 -- If a new local company succeeds, cancer and drug researchers soon may have a novel, inexpensive and extremely precise method for monitoring cell activity. This could speed development of treatments and methods for diagnosing cancer as well as open up new areas of basic medical research. PixelEXX Systems, founded by scientists at Washington University, is developing a prototype imaging device in hopes of reaching the market in 2011.
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Sophisticated database powers new, improved Volunteer for Health site
June 30,
2008 -- There's a new and improved way for people to get involved with clinical trials at the School of Medicine — Volunteer for Health, the university's organization for clinical study recruitment, is now using an improved web site backed by a more sophisticated database management system. Called the Research Participant Registry (RPR), the new system offers volunteers better access to clinical trials and gives researchers more powerful tools for recruiting participants.
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Heavy Metal Project aims to prevent lead poisoning in kids
June 17,
2008 -- Childhood lead poisoning has been a sizable problem in the city of St. Louis for many years due to deteriorating lead paint in older homes and rental units. In 2000, 31 percent of children tested in the city of St. Louis were poisoned, according to Daniel Berg, M.D., assistant professor of medicine.
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More women opting for mastectomy
June 16,
2008 -- A growing number of women are choosing a more aggressive approach to breast cancer treatment, driving an increase in the number of mastectomies, says Julie Margenthaler, M.D., assistant professor of surgery.
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Researchers find that neurons compensate for electrical changes
June 11,
2008 -- All mental processes, including thinking, learning and memory, depend on the electrical properties of individual nerve cells in the brain and on the connections between them. In turn, the electrical responses of each nerve cell, or neuron, reflect the unique set of pores — called ion channels — that perforate its surface and allow the passage of charged particles, or ions. So researchers at the School of Medicine were a little surprised when they saw no harmful effects in mice after eliminating an important type of potassium ion channel from neurons in the brain.
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Proper timing of pregnancies can help decrease the risk of premature delivery
May 29,
2008 -- The proper timing of pregnancies, Washington University researchers say, can decrease a woman's risk of having a baby born prematurely with a host of health problems.
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School of Medicine commencement recognizes 117 students
May 22,
2008 -- The School of Medicine's commencement recognized the achievements of 117 students who were awarded degrees: 88 students earned the doctor of medicine degree; 27 earned a dual doctor of medicine/doctor of philosophy degree (M.D./Ph.D.); and two earned the doctor of medicine/master of arts degree (M.D./M.A). Julie Gerberding, MD, MPH, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was the commencement speaker.
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WUSTL center for study of women's infectious diseases officially opens
May 5,
2008 --
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| Photo courtesy of Scott Hultgren, John Heuser and Robyn Roth |
| A micrograph reveals an E. coli bacterium (in green) that is part of a community of bacteria known as a biofilm. |
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Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis this week held opening ceremonies for a new center to study infectious diseases that preferentially affect women. The center for Women's Infectious Disease Research (cWIDR) will focus on issues such as microorganisms that cause urinary tract infections (UTIs), infections that lead to premature delivery, and potential contributing roles for microorganisms in life-threatening conditions such as cancer.
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Quick thinking by WUSM physician leads to international investigation
May 1,
2008 -- In early January, two patients undergoing kidney dialysis at St. Louis Children's Hospital had sudden life-threatening allergic reactions that caused their eyes, lips and tongues to swell, raised their heart rates and dropped their blood pressures dangerously low. After the dialysis staff treated the children with medication that relieved the symptoms, they called infectious diseases specialist Alexis Elward, who sprung into action to help determine the cause. Little did she know it would spark an international investigation into a common blood thinner and a recall of the drug from the market.
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Sixth-graders get a lesson in strawberry DNA
April 29,
2008 -- DNA sequencing has led scientists to map the human genome and could take them to huge advancements in medicine — possibly diagnosing and preventing disease. But Alex Heerman just wanted to create some deadly fruit. Heerman and his fellow McKinley Middle School sixth-graders learned how to extract DNA from strawberries during a demonstration by Latricia Wallace, outreach coordinator for the Genome Center at Washington University.
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Teefey balances a busy academic career with work in the Far East
April 17,
2008 --
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| Photo by Robert Boston |
| Teefey and colleague Bill Middleton look at ultrasound images. |
Sherry Teefey, professor of radiology, enjoys both her professional time with patients and colleagues and personal time spent not only hiking in mountain ranges around the world but also in medical education efforts in countries in Africa, Asia and South America.
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DBBS marks 35th anniversary, 1,000th graduate
April 17,
2008 -- Washington University's Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences (DBBS) celebrated two milestones May 1-2: its 35th anniversary and the graduation of its 1,000th student. The Division spans both the University's Danforth and Medical campuses to provide Ph.D. training programs in biology and the biomedical sciences. Established in 1973, the Division has become the national model for graduate education in biology and biomedical sciences because of its collaborative, interdisciplinary approach.
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University Celebrates National DNA Day
April 17,
2008 -- National DNA Day is April 25. The day celebrates a most remarkable molecule, one that holds the instructions for life: DNA. DNA Day was created in 2003 to commemorate the completion of the Human Genome Project and the 50th anniversary of James Watson's and Francis Crick's discovery of DNA's double helical structure. Washington University played a key role in the Human Genome Project, an international effort to assemble in order the 3 billion letters that make up the genetic code.
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Tango provides fancy footwork for therapy
April 11,
2008 -- Despite a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease years ago, Wilfried Ute regularly dances the Argentine tango with his wife Adelt. Dancing has always been an integral part of their lives, and the couple jumped at the chance to participate in a Washington University study evaluating the therapeutic benefits of the tango for Parkinson's patients.
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WUSM clinic devoted to treating deadly, silent heart condition
April 9,
2008 -- Every so often we read a news report in which a young athlete collapses and dies during a competition — it's rare, but it happens. And when it does, often the cause is a silent heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Clinic at the School of Medicine is devoted to diagnosis and treatment of HCM.
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Viagra celebrated for fixing more than one problem
April 1,
2008 -- Viagra, the breakthrough drug for battling male sexual dysfunction, hit the market 10 years ago. Now, physicians have now found an additional benefit for this type of drug. Many men are reluctant to visit the doctor but are eager to get the benefits of "the little blue pill." Their trips to the doctor to get a prescription may reveal underlying conditions including high blood pressure, undiagnosed or poorly controlled diabetes, heart disease or high cholesterol.
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