Medicine & Health

Although clubfoot is one of the most common congenital birth defects, few genetic causes have been found. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found what they believe to be the most common cause of inherited clubfoot yet discovered.  

School of Medicine employees were honored June 11 for their years of service.

Philip E. Cryer, MD, will receive the American Diabetes Association’s Albert Renold Award at the organization’s 70th Scientific Sessions in Orlando, Fla. The Albert Renold Award is presented to an individual whose career is distinguished by outstanding achievements in the training of diabetes research scientists and the facilitation of diabetes research. 

Three employees at Washington University School of Medicine were recently honored by Larry Shapiro, MD, executive vice chancellor for medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine, for outstanding service, commitment and dedication to the medical school.

Jonathan M. Green, MD, has been named associate dean for human studies and executive chair of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at Washington University in St. Louis.

Recycling at the School of Medicine is about to get easier. Most recyclable items will be able to be placed in the same container throughout the School of Medicine starting July 1

The diabetes drug rosiglitazone has been under intense scrutiny since a 2007 study in the New England Journal of Medicine looked at more than 40 clinical trials and linked the drug’s use with increased risk of heart attack and death from heart disease.

In a step toward curing diabetes in humans, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have alleviated the disease in rats using transplants from both embryonic and adult pigs. The rats adopted the pig transplants as their own and produced enough insulin to control their blood sugar – all without the need for anti-rejection drugs.

Resveratrol — found in red wine, grapes, blueberries, peanuts and other plants — stops out-of-control blood vessel growth in the eye, according to vision researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The discovery has implications for preserving vision in blinding eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration.

Scientists have shown that a specific virus can interact with a mutation in the host’s genes to trigger disease. The observation may help explain why many people with disease risk genes do not actually develop disease.