Medicine & Health

A study from the School of Medicine suggests that bacteriophages made of RNA – a close chemical cousin of DNA – likely play a much larger role in shaping the bacterial makeup of worldwide habitats than previously recognized.

New research from the School of Medicine indicates that much of that diabetes-related vision loss may result from nerve cell injury that occurs long before any blood vessels are damaged. The finding may lead to new approaches to treating it.

Patients with a rare, genetic form of diabetes often are misdiagnosed as having type 2 diabetes because the two share symptoms. But new research at the School of Medicine suggests that treating such patients with therapies designed for type 2 diabetes is potentially harmful and guidelines need to change.

The American health care system must do a better job of systematically detecting and treating mental health problems within outpatient primary care clinics, especially those that serve vulnerable populations, finds a study led by Darrell Hudson, assistant professor at the Brown School.

New research at the School of Medicine indicates that initial levels of omega-3 fatty acids in a heart patient’s blood have a significant impact on whether that person will respond to omega-3 supplements to treat depression.

In two studies led by researchers at the School of Medicine, scientists have identified intestinal bacteria and viruses as possible sources of inflammation and disease related to HIV-related infections.

An imbalance of certain gut microbes appears to be the underlying cause of a frequently fatal intestinal illness in premature babies, according to new research led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

A new Washington University School of Medicine study reveals extensive antibiotic resistance in the gut bacteria of premature infants. The researchers say these findings support the push to minimize routine use of antibiotics in these patients.

New guidelines from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology loosened some restrictions on athletes with heart conditions. Cardiologists at the School of Medicine led two of the task forces responsible for updating the guidelines.

A new study that included genetic data from more than 190,000 people has identified two genes that, when altered in specific ways, either promote or undermine cardiovascular health. The findings may help guide efforts to design new preventive drugs, similar to the way statins now are prescribed to lower “bad” cholesterol to reduce the risk of heart disease.