Medicine & Health

Washington University’s newly launched Cordell Institute for Policy in Medicine & Law has signed on as one of the early signatories of French President Emanuel Macron’s “Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace,” announced Nov. 12 as part of the peace forum commemorating 100 years since the ending of World War I.

Ovarian cancer claims the lives of more than 14,000 women in the U.S. each year, ranking fifth among cancer deaths in women. A multidisciplinary team at Washington University has found an innovative way to use sound and light to diagnose ovarian tumors, which may lead to a promising new diagnostic imaging technique to improve current standard of care.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has updated its concussion recommendations to support children and teens engaging in light physical activity and returning to school as they recover. The School of Medicine’s Mark Halstead, MD, was lead author of the report, which also advises against complete removal of electronic devices.

In the largest genetic study of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers at the School of Medicine and the University of California, San Francisco, have found that genes that increase risk of cardiovascular disease also heighten the risk for Alzheimer’s.

School of Medicine researchers are beginning to understand the link between autoimmune disease and the cardiovascular system. A new study in mice shows that immune cells that arise during autoimmune disease cause cholesterol to become trapped inside blood vessels.

Extending its standing as one of the top leukemia programs in the U.S., the School of Medicine has been awarded an $11.5 million NIH grant to further high-level investigations into leukemia and related blood cancers. The grant funds a prestigious Specialized Program in Research Excellence (SPORE) in leukemia.

School of Medicine research offers a potential explanation for why many patients with acute myeloid leukemia experience a relapse after a stem-cell transplant and suggests a therapeutic approach that may help to place relapsed patients back into remission.

A new School of Medicine study finds that formula and breast milk encourage the growth of similar kinds of bacteria in babies’ digestive tracts, but the bacteria work differently. The health implications are unclear.

The cerebellum, once thought to be limited to controlling movement, is involved in every aspect of higher brain function — including attention, thinking, planning and decision-making — according to a new study by researchers at the School of Medicine.

A new study demonstrates that patients can safely use skin creams before undergoing radiation therapy. This contradicts common advice from radiation oncologists, according to researchers at the School of Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania.