Medicine & Health

Photo by David Kilper / WUSTL PhotoResearchers have enabled a 14-year-old to play a two-dimensional video game using signals from his brain instead of his hands.Teenage boys and computer games go hand-in-hand. Now, a St. Louis-area teenage boy and a computer game have gone hands-off, thanks to a unique experiment conducted by a team of neurosurgeons, neurologists, and engineers at Washington University in St. Louis. The boy, a 14-year-old who suffers from epilepsy, is the first teenager to play a two-dimensional video game, Space Invaders, using only the signals from his brain to make movements. More…

The School of Medicine has begun using a unique device that completely seals drug vials, IV hookups and syringes, preventing escape of hazardous medical compounds during the mixing and administration of chemotherapy drugs.

Copyright The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. Used with permission.Increased cell proliferation in the saline solution group (B) compared to the nicotine group (A)Orthopaedic surgery researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified yet another reason not to smoke. Studying rotator cuff injury in rats, the research team found exposure to nicotine delays tendon-to-bone healing, suggesting this could cause failure of rotator cuff repair following surgery in human patients. This study, the first to evaluate the effects of nicotine on rotator cuff repair, found that inflammation persisted longer in the shoulder joints of rats exposed to nicotine. The researchers also noted less cellular proliferation and decreased collagen production, indications of poor healing. More…

This illustration of the Cox-Maze procedure shows the ablation lines in the left atrium.Heart surgeons at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have helped usher in a new era in the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation. Using radiofrequency devices — rather than a scalpel — they’ve greatly shortened the surgery and made it significantly easier to perform. WUSM surgeon Ralph J. Damiano Jr. and colleagues have played a vital role in developing the devices, which deliver high-energy waves to heart tissue and very quickly create scars or ablations. More…

Ophthalmologist Lawrence Tychsen examines a patient.A pediatric ophthalmologist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and St. Louis Children’s Hospital conducts specialized testing and vision correction (refractive) surgery, on children with cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and neurobehavioral disorders such as autism. To date, this is one of the only U.S. medical centers performing refractive surgery on these children and has the highest volume, operating on about 60 special-needs children a year. More…

A St. Louis based company has developed a nanotechnology process to reduce artery-clogging plaque, which causes heart attacks. Drs. Samuel Wickline and Gregory Lanza made the discovery at the School of Medicine.

Temple Grandin transforms our views of how animals and autistic people perceive the world and how they connect. Her Assembly Series talk “The Boundaries of Humanity” is at 11 a.m. on Oct. 4 in Graham Chapel.

Children can protect their bones against the inevitable bumps that come along with being active by getting enough calcium in their diets. Calcium is essential for the growth and repair of bones and teeth in children. According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 60 percent of boys and 85 percent of girls between the ages 9 to 18 don’t get enough calcium, which helps develop strong bones.

As part of Washington University’s celebration of the Danforth Campus dedication, and to underscore the important role of higher education in society, a lecture series will debut on October 3. The first presentation, “Medicine & Society,” will feature Chancellor Emeritus William H. Danforth, M.D. He will be joined by leading St. Louis medical and health policy experts at 4 p.m. Tuesday, October 3, in Graham Chapel. The event is free and open to the public, and will conclude with a reception in the Women’s Building Lounge.

Many parents have no idea that their teenage children use drugs or alcohol. In fact, about half of the parents surveyed during a recent School of Medicine study didn’t realize that their children were using alcohol, marijuana or tobacco. Even fewer – 28 percent – are aware that their teens have used cocaine or other illicit drugs.