Medicine & Health

Patients with a temporary surgical implant have used regions of the brain that control speech to “talk” to a computer for the first time, manipulating a cursor on a computer screen simply by saying or thinking of a particular sound.

A new Division of Public Health Sciences has been established at the School of Medicine to translate research discoveries into guidelines and policies that keep people healthier through prevention.

In an editorial in the April 6 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, co-author Graham Colditz, MD, PhD, cautions against estrogen-only hormone therapy in women who have had a hysterectomy because of longstanding evidence that it raises the risk of breast cancer.

In the single largest cancer genomics investigation reported to date, scientists have sequenced the whole genomes of tumors from 50 breast cancer patients and compared them to the matched DNA of the same patients’ healthy cells. They uncovered incredible complexity in the cancer genomes, but also got a glimpse of new routes toward personalized medicine.

Three Washington University in St. Louis faculty members are being honored this month by the Academy of Science of St. Louis: Marcus E. Raichle, MD; Timothy Eberlein, MD; and Linda S. Cottler, PhD. The mission of the academy is to “foster the advancement of science and encouragement of public interest in and understanding of the sciences.” The awards will be given Wednesday, April 13, at a dinner at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel.

School of Medicine students rehearse for the School of Medicine spring musical, “Curtains,” to be held at 7:30 p.m. April 14-16 at the Whelpley Auditorium on the St. Louis College of Pharmacy campus. Tickets may be purchased beginning Monday, April 4, in Room 100 of the McDonnell Medical Sciences Building or in the Farrell Learning and Teaching Center lobby from noon-1 p.m. daily.

Steve Sobo, director of design and construction, at the School of Medicine, oversees construction of new buildings and remodeling of existing facilities. His relaxed, direct communication style helps his projects go smoothly. “There’s a frank friendliness about Steve,” says Jim Walsh, a principal at Cannon Design. “He has an ability to bring together individuals to get a job done, and he also charts a clear, concise path.”

For obese seniors, dieting and exercise together are more effective at improving physical performance and reducing frailty than either alone. Although weight loss alone and exercise alone improve physical function, neither is as effective as diet and exercise together, which improved physical performance in seniors by 21 percent.  

Hearing loss is common for soldiers coming home from deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, but another perhaps equally vexing problem is tinnitus, a condition that causes them to hear sound that isn’t there. Using MRI scans, researchers hope to identify differences in brain activity that will aid development of preventive strategies to alleviate the effects of tinnitus.

Shirley Sahrmann, PhD, professor of physical therapy, of neurology and of cell biology and physiology in the School of Medicine, is at the forefront of teaching physical therapy. Her latest textbook teaches physical therapists to use the movement system to classify and categorize musculoskeletal pain problems, make accurate diagnosis and better treat the patient.