Author: Leslie Gibson McCarthy

An inability to properly use the essential mineral manganese could be to blame for some cases of severe scoliosis, according to a new study from the School of Medicine.

Researchers at the School of Medicine and Northwestern have developed an implantable, bioabsorbable device that helps speed recovery of peripheral nerve damage in rats by stimulating injured nerves with electricity. The device degrades in a few weeks when exposed to saltwater, which mimics bodily fluid.

A new study in mice from the School of Medicine shows that viruses that target the nervous system can kill neurons in the gut that coordinate the process of moving waste along. Such viruses may be involved in causing people’s digestive woes.

Analyzing data from more than 400,000 people, researchers at the School of Medicine have found that consuming one to two drinks four or more times per week — an amount deemed healthy by current guidelines — increases the risk of premature death by 20 percent.

Amid fireworks and the familiar anthem “Olympic Fanfare,” an Olympic five-ring “Spectacular” was dedicated Sept. 28, just steps from the historic stadium that was the site of the 1904 Olympic Games. The permanent sculpture near Francis Field commemorates St. Louis’ role as an international Olympic city.

It’s being billed as an event 114 years in the making. The site of the 1904 Olympic Games on the Washington University in St. Louis campus is getting international recognition with the dedication Friday, Sept. 28, of an Olympic rings sculpture that will sit permanently near historic Francis Field.

Inducing labor in healthy first-time mothers in the 39th week of pregnancy results in lower rates of cesarean sections compared with waiting for labor to begin naturally at full term, according to a multicenter study that involved the School of Medicine and was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Researchers at the School of Medicine have uncovered new details in how a tissue called the olfactory epithelium develops in the nasal cavity. The findings could shed new light on why dogs have such a good sense of smell.

Eligible individuals can now purchase permits for the Occasional Parking Program or Bearly Drivers Carpool for the 2018-19 academic year. Updates also included on permit holds, a new Metrolink station and gate-arm technology in parking garages.

John O. Holloszy, MD, whose research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis led to advances in the understanding of the body’s response to exercise, died July 18, 2018, at a nursing home in Town and Country, Mo., following a long battle with kidney disease. He was 85.