Medicine & Health

Bradley L. Schlaggar, MD, PhD, the A. Ernest and Jane G. Stein Professor of Neurology, has been named director of the Division of Pediatric and Developmental Neurology.

Scientists have decoded the genome of an intestinal parasite that causes hookworm, an illness that afflicts an estimated 700 million of the world’s poor. The parasitic worm lives in the soil and enters the body through the feet. By feeding on victims’ blood, the worms cause anemia and, in children, stunted growth and learning problems.

Researchers at the School of Medicine have shown that two major pools of immune cells are at work in the heart. Both belong to a class of cells known as macrophages. One appears to promote healing, while the other likely drives inflammation, which is detrimental to long-term heart function.

Washington University Medical Center and the CORTEX district just east of the Medical Campus are evolving daily. A webpage has been created to keep visitors, employees and residents informed about street-improvement projects and traffic flow in the area.Views from a live webcam showing the progress also are available via this link.

The AIDS Clinical Trials Site at the School of Medicine has been awarded a National Institutes of Health grant that supports testing of treatments for HIV, AIDS and the many complications they cause. Pictured is the principal investigator, David Clifford, MD.

The 27th annual Martin Luther King Jr. commemoration at Washington University in St. Louis will include a number of events on campus, all free and open to the public. Michel Martin, host of Tell Me More, National Public Radio’s one-hour daily news and talk show, will deliver the School of Medicine’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Lecture Monday, Jan. 20.

The St. Louis region is experiencing widespread flu activity with some deaths, but Washington University physicians say it’s not too late to get a flu shot. The deaths primarily were of otherwise healthy young and middle-aged adults not vaccinated against influenza.

The brain appears to synchronize the activity of different brain regions to make it possible for a person to pay attention or concentrate on a task, scientists at the School of Medicine have learned. Pictured is the study’s first author, graduate student researcher Amy Daitch.

Beginning at 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, each of about 30 contenders for Bear Cub grants will present a two-minute elevator pitch outlining innovative ideas in neurology, cardiology, engineering, plant science, software development or other disciplines.

The School of Medicine’s 10th Annual Art Show — featuring artworks of students, faculty and staff — will be held in the Farrell Learning and Teaching Center atrium, 520 S. Euclid Ave., from Jan. 21 through Feb. 21.