Medicine & Health

Smoking while pregnant combined with genetic factors greatly increases the risk of severe ADHD.Past research has suggested that both genes and prenatal insults — such as exposure to alcohol and nicotine — can increase the risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). But the identified increases in risk have been very modest. Now, a team of Washington University scientists has found that when those factors are studied together, risk of a severe type of ADHD greatly increases.

New HIV therapies have contributed to a decrease in AIDS deaths, but physicians suspected the more potent medications led to symptoms characteristic of metabolic syndrome. However, now researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that the rate of metabolic syndrome in HIV-infected patients is virtually identical to that in uninfected people. Furthermore, the type or duration of HIV therapy did not affect the rate of metabolic syndrome.

An angiogram, or X-ray image of blood vesselsScientists have uncovered a new biomedical technique that could increase blood flow to alleviate problems associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes and many surgical procedures. They found that blocking the action of a blood-clot-associated protein turns up the effect of a biologically produced gas that can open blood vessels and increase blood flow.

Courtesy of the National Cancer InstituteBreast cancer cells stained brown using an antibody that recognizes malignant cellsClinical studies are proving that the genetic profile of a tumor can greatly influence its response to anticancer treatments. Matthew J. Ellis, M.D., Ph.D., at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is conducting research that aims to use the genetic profile of breast tumors to guide breast cancer therapy and ultimately to find new drugs for treating the disease.

David G. Mutch, the Ira C. and Judith Gall Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been named President-Elect II of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists. The society is a national medical specialty organization of physicians who are trained in the comprehensive management of women with malignancies of the reproductive tract.

Children born with a foot deformity that causes them to have a rigid flatfoot once faced extensive surgery to fully correct the problem. A treatment developed by a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon at the School of Medicine has shown early success in correcting congenital vertical talus with minimal surgery in most cases.

Eating fish may help reduce the risk for dementia.Nutritionists have long endorsed fish as part of a heart-healthy diet, and now some studies suggest that omega-3 fatty acids found in the oil of certain fish may also benefit the brain by lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. In order to test whether docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid, can impact the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers at the School of Medicine and Saint Louis University School of Medicine will evaluate DHA in a clinical trial sponsored by the National Institute on Aging (NIA).

This image combines three MRI scans of a mouse: one is a typical scan showing internal organs, and the second two are scans tuned to the frequency of fluorine-laced nanoparticles (colored red and green).Nanoparticles developed by Washington University scientists in the Siteman Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence could soon allow researchers and physicians to directly track cells used in medical treatments using unique signatures from the ingested nanoparticle beacons. The nanoparticles contain a compound that can be detected by MRI scanners, and the researchers believe nanoparticle-labeled cells could be used to evaluate cancerous tumors and many medical therapies.

Diabetes is hard on the heart — adults with diabetes die from heart disease about two to four times more often than those without diabetes. And scientific evidence has suggested that blood fat levels are a source of this problem. Now a clinical study at the School of Medicine is investigating the link between blood fat and heart health.

Investigators at the Silvio Conte Center for the Neuroscience of Mental Disorders at the School of Medicine are recruiting schizophrenia patients and their siblings for a study to determine whether subtle differences in brain structure can predict who is at risk for developing the illness.