Medicine & Health

For the first time, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have shown that brain plaques in apparently healthy individuals are associated with increased risk of diagnosis with Alzheimer’s disease years later. In two studies published this month in Archives of Neurology, scientists report that volunteers with brain plaques were more likely to have declining scores on annual cognitive tests, to show signs of shrinkage in a key brain area affected by Alzheimer’s and to eventually be diagnosed with the disease.

Obese patients who lost a moderate amount of weight by eating less and exercising more improved their cardiovascular health, new research at the School of Medicine shows.

Psychiatric disorders are underdiagnosed, poorly treated and highly stigmatized, according to Washington University psychiatrists Charles F. Zorumski, and Eugene H. Rubin, who have written a book to address those problems. The authors will sign copies of their book Friday, Dec. 11, from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at the School of Medicine Bookstore.

A receptor that removes cholesterol from the blood also may reduce the formation of brain plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease, suggest researchers at the School of Medicine.

New School of Medicine research did not find long-term cognitive declines attributable to surgery in a group of older patients.

A laboratory connection between Alzheimer’s disease and brain-wasting diseases such as the human form of mad cow disease has moved into the clinic for what is believed to be the first time, manifesting itself in the brains of patients with a rare inherited disorder, new research shows.

Research into the causes and treatment of multiple myeloma has received a significant boost thanks to a gift to the School of Medicine from Harvey and Linda Saligman of St. Louis.

More than half of HIV patients experience memory problems and other cognitive impairments as they age, and doctors know little about the underlying causes. New research from the School of Medicine suggests HIV-related cognitive deficits share a common link with Alzheimer’s-related dementia: low levels of the protein amyloid beta in the spinal fluid.

In the United States, caring for a child with special health care needs usually means higher medical expenses for a family — particularly for low-income families, who spend a disproportionally large share of their income on their child’s care. Yet the amount of financial burden for these families also depends on their state of residence, says Paul T. Shattuck, Ph.D., professor of social work at Washington University in St. Louis. “The percentage of low-income families in a given state with out-of-pocket expenses that exceeded 3 percent of their income varied considerably according to state and ranged from 5 percent to 25. 8 percent (District of Columbia and Montana, respectively).” Video available.

The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology is one of 10 programs nationwide to receive a $2.4 million grant to establish a scholars program. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development grant establishes the medical school as a Women’s Reproductive Health Research Career Development Center.