Lifestyle trumps geography in determining makeup of gut microbiome
Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis studied the gut microbiomes of wild apes in the Republic of Congo, of captive apes in zoos in the U.S., and of people from around the world and discovered that lifestyle is more important than geography or even species in determining the makeup of the gut microbiome.
WashU Experts: Coronavirus fact vs. fiction
As the coronavirus continues to spread across the nation, a number of false conclusions and rumors have spread with it. Three epidemiologists in public health at Washington University in St. Louis separate the truth from myth.
WashU Expert: Older Americans are not expendable
Many countries reacted slowly and inadequately to the spread of COVID-19. Some critics have said this is due to initial reports of the disease, which indicated that it mainly affected older populations. “Older adults are not some kind of expendable commodity,” said Nancy Morrow-Howell, the Betty Bofinger Brown Distinguished Professor of Social Policy at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis and an international leader in gerontology.
Insight into Alzheimer’s early stages provides clues to treatment strategies
Lack of sleep could help promote the development of Alzheimer’s disease, according to two studies from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The studies could help identify people at high risk of developing Alzheimer’s dementia and point to strategies for prevention.
Possible COVID-19 treatment: transfusion of antibodies from recovered patients’ blood
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and elsewhere are investigating whether transfusions of blood plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19 can prevent or treat the disease. The approach was used with some success during the 1918 influenza pandemic.
Coronavirus crisis highlights need for health insurance in Missouri and other states
Tim McBride, the Bernard Becker Professor at Washington University in St. Louis’ Brown School and a leading health economist, said that the coronavirus outbreak will exacerbate problems in Missouri’s public health systems, which were already underfunded relative to most of the rest of the country, as well as issues facing low-income residents with challenges accessing medical care.
WashU Expert: Don’t overlook health equity during coronavirus crisis
We must consider this coronavirus crisis as a wake-up call to prioritize equity and challenge ourselves to consider how to better serve historically underserved communities, says a public health expert at Washington University in St. Louis.
Help line requests for food skyrocket as pandemic spreads
In the first week since COVID-19 was designated a pandemic, requests for food pantries skyrocketed across the United States. Requests for home-delivered meals more than tripled in the same time period, said a Brown School researcher who tracks calls to the national 2-1-1 helpline.
Crowdsourced supercomputing project sets sights on coronavirus
Among the research programs racing to develop therapies and vaccines for the new pandemic virus COVID-19 is one of the largest crowdsourced supercomputing projects in the world. Led by computational biophysicist Greg Bowman, at Washington University School of Medicine, the project is called Folding@home.
Immunotherapy using ‘young cells’ offers promising option against cancer
Nautral killer (NK) cells may be more effective as immunotherapy for cancer treatment than adult NK cells that come from bone marrow, according to a new study from the School of Medicine.
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