Medicine & Health

Research from Washington University in St. Louis finds that mutations of a gene implicated in long QT syndrome in humans may trigger seizures because of their direct effects on certain classes of neurons in the brain — independent from what the genetic mutations do to heart function. The new work from Arts & Sciences was conducted with fruit flies and is published August 8 in PLOS Genetics.

In a new study involving a researcher from Washington University in St. Louis’ Olin Business School, the co-authors discovered something they say surprised them: Medicare Part D’s setup actually inhibits insurers from seeking higher subsidies from the government. It keeps subsidies in check by virtue of the way it’s designed.

A blood test to detect the brain changes of early Alzheimer’s disease has moved one step closer to reality. Researchers from the School of Medicine report that they can measure levels of the Alzheimer’s protein amyloid beta in the blood and use such levels to predict whether the protein has accumulated in the brain.

Physicians at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have been awarded a six-year, $7.8 million grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to play a leading role in designing, conducting and enrolling patients in clinical trials through the NCI’s National Clinical Trials Network.

A study of the genetics of the people of Finland, conducted in part by researchers at the School of Medicine, has revealed new clues to common diseases.

Researchers at the School of Medicine have found that Enhanced Medical Rehabilitation, a type of goal-oriented therapy, helps older patients recover more fully than standard physical or occupational therapy. It involves focusing on specific goals important to individual patients and motivating patients to work toward those goals during every therapy session.

Bacteria in the bloodstream can trigger an overwhelming immune response that causes sepsis, a life-threatening condition. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found genes that help protect the body’s cells from dying during sepsis, which could lead to new treatments.

A new program funded through the Cancer Moonshot Initiative has doubled the number of patients at Siteman Cancer Center assessed for smoking — and increased by fivefold the percentage of cancer patients who smoke now taking medication to help them quit. The results have been published in the journal Translational Behavioral Medicine.

Researchers at the School of Medicine and the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research in Dhaka, Bangladesh, are developing a new approach to address childhood malnutrition. They are designing therapeutic foods aimed at repairing the gut microbiomes of malnourished children.

Researchers at the School of Medicine in St. Louis and Rush University in Chicago have found a compound that promotes a vigorous immune assault on pancreatic cancer. The findings, in mice, suggest a way to improve immunotherapy for the deadly disease in patients.