Medicine & Health

School of Medicine researchers have found how sensory nerve cells work together to transmit itch signals from the skin to the spinal cord, where neurons then carry those signals to the brain. Their discovery may help scientists find more effective ways to make itching stop.

A study led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, in collaboration with Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, has identified a genetic error that weakens the aorta, placing patients with this and similar errors at high risk of aortic aneurysms and ruptures.

With a goal of treating worn, arthritic hips without extensive surgery to replace them, scientists at the School of Medicine have programmed stem cells to grow new cartilage on a 3-D template shaped like the ball of a hip joint.

A study in mice at the School of Medicine how genes stuck in the “on” position can lead to faulty brain wiring that affects learning and memory.

Researchers at the School of Medicine are launching a major study in African-American women with breast cancer to learn whether their genetic risks are influenced by the same mutations that affect white women or are altogether different mutations.

Two new studies from the School of Medicine indicate that current clinical practices may be missing a key aspect of stroke-induced brain damage. For some cognitive functions, such as memory and attention, the severity of a person’s disability correlates with the extent of disruption to the brain’s communication networks – something that is not measured by most brain scans.

New research from the School of Medicine provides clues to why some patients with glioblastoma fare worse and identifies a drug target that potentially could improve survival.

A new School of Medicine study in mice has shown that immunotherapy against pancreatic cancer can be effective when given in conjunction with drugs that break up the fibrous tissue in these tumors.

In a large study of 15,000 adults undergoing elective surgery, researchers at the School of Medicinefound that falling up to six months before an operation is common and often causes serious injuries — not only in elderly patients but across all age groups. Surprisingly, middle-aged patients fell slightly higher than those 65 or older.

Buoyed by a $5.1 million grant, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis will study novel strategies to reduce infections acquired in health-care settings and to limit the spread of dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The funding is part of $26 million awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to five academic medical centers as part of a patient-safety effort known as the Prevention Epicenters Program.