Medicine & Health

Scientists have decoded the genome of the western painted turtle, one of the most abundant turtles on Earth, finding clues to their longevity and ability to survive without oxygen during long winters spent hibernating in ice-covered ponds.

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is playing a leading role in one of the National Institutes of Health’s first clinical trials to improve treatments for rare and neglected diseases. In this case, the disease is Niemann-Pick Type C, a disorder that causes excess cholesterol to accumulate in the brain, liver and spleen. It affects about 500 children worldwide, leads to neurodegeneration, and usually causes death in the first two decades of life.

A new study raises the intriguing possibility that drugs prescribed to lower cholesterol may be effective against macular degeneration, a blinding eye disease. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that age-related macular degeneration shares a common link with atherosclerosis. Both problems have the same underlying defect: the inability to remove a buildup of fat and cholesterol.

A recent display showcased photos taken by participants of the Photovoice project hosted by Siteman Cancer Center’s Program for the Elimination of Cancer Disparities. Participants used photos to remind people of the need for colon cancer screenings. Pictured is participant Ronald Rancher and the photo he submitted.

Colin P. Derdeyn, MD, professor of radiology, of neurological surgery and of neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been appointed vice chair and chair-elect of the Stroke Council of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

The April 12 conference at the School of Medicine is open to faculty, students and the public, but advance online registration by April 1 is encouraged. Shown is Joseph Gondovo, a patient in Nigeria who receives treatment for lymphatic filariasis, a neglected tropical disease that can cause grotesquely swollen limbs. ​

New research raises doubts that workplace wellness programs save money, at least in the short term. Shown is Mark McDevitt, a staff nurse at Missouri Baptist Medical Center, having his finger pricked for various tests during a BJC wellness fair.

Weather permitting, the Missouri Department of Transportation will close all lanes and ramps of Interstate 64/Highway 40 from Hampton Avenue through Forest Park Avenue at 8 p.m. Friday, March 29. The highway is expected to reopen by 3 a.m. Monday, April 1.

A groundbreaking for a new, $50 million Shriners Hospitals for Children-St. Louis recently was held on the Washington University Medical Center campus. The planned hospital, at the corner of Clayton Road and Newstead Avenue, will replace the Shriners Hospital in Frontenac. Shown is a rendering of what the building will look like from Interstate 64/Highway 40.

In an engineering breakthrough, a Washington University in St. Louis biomedical researcher has discovered a way to use light and color to measure oxygen in individual red blood cells in real time. The technology, developed by Lihong Wang, PhD, the Gene K. Beare Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering, could eventually be used to determine how oxygen is delivered to normal and diseased tissues or how various disease therapies impact oxygen delivery throughout the body.