Medicine & Health

An innovative procedure that can replace a diseased heart valve is effective for patients who are too frail to endure open-heart surgery, according to results of a nationwide clinical study.

A Washington University scientist has been working with the federal government to determine what makes heart disease disabling. To determine cardiac disability, the committee recommended more functional testing and also discussed the need to evaluate not only a patient’s heart but the patient’s mood as well because depression can make heart disease worse. 

A drug commonly used for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) successfully treats adults whose asthma is not well controlled on low doses of inhaled corticosteroids, says a new study.

A strong work ethic and the importance of family has fueled Terrie E. Inder’s  passion for determining the impact of premature birth on brain injury and development in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

An international team of Alzheimer’s disease experts, led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has uncovered a gene variation that appears to predict the rate at which Alzheimer’s disease will progress. Whereas previous studies have focused on factors that influence the risk for developing Alzheimer’s, the new research points to a way to determine how rapidly the disease will progress. 

Seasonal flu shots for School of Medicine employees will begin Sept. 20 at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital and are scheduled to be provided through Oct. 21 at the Washington University Medical Center. 

An unprecedented five-year, $30 million effort to generate a first-of-its-kind map of all the major circuits in the human brain is being led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Minnesota’s Center for Magnetic Resonance Research.

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered a new drug target that could improve the effectiveness of radiation for hard-to-treat cancers.

The 2010 Samuel R. Goldstein Leadership Awards in Medical Student Education are now accepting nominations for this year’s awards. The deadline for nominations is 5 p.m. Oct. 15.

Students who enter medical school with high-debt levels, low scores on the Medical College Admissions Test or who are non-white are more likely to face difficulties that may prevent graduation or hinder acceptance into a residency program if they do graduate, according to a nationwide study of students enrolled in MD programs.