Mouse models of Zika in pregnancy show how fetuses become infected
Two mouse models of Zika virus infection in pregnancy have been developed by a team of researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The models provide a basis to develop vaccines and treatments, and to study the biology of Zika virus infection in pregnancy.
Bacteria, viruses in gut linked to severity of HIV infection
In two studies led by researchers at the School of Medicine, scientists have identified intestinal bacteria and viruses as possible sources of inflammation and disease related to HIV-related infections.
On the road to global health
Washington University researchers and international partners go to great lengths to help solve some of the world’s most pervasive health challenges.
In very ill, probiotics don’t prevent ‘superbugs’ from settling in intestinal tract
Compared with routine medical care, probiotics administered to critically ill patients in intensive care units showed no benefit in preventing the colonization of drug-resistant microbes in the intestinal tract, according to new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Dormant viruses re-emerge in patients with lingering sepsis, signaling immune suppression
A provocative study links prolonged episodes of sepsis — a life-threatening infection and leading cause of death in hospitals — to the reactivation of otherwise dormant viruses in the body. Pictured is the Epstein-Barr virus.
$32 million NIH grant funds study of multipurpose infection fighter
A multi-institutional campaign to harness a newly recognized cellular defense against infection is being led by researchers at the School of Medicine. A $32 million grant from the National Institutes of Health is funding the collaborative, which could lead to drugs with unprecedented versatility in fighting different infections. Washington University’s Herbert W. Virgin IV, MD, PhD, is the principal investigator.
Effects of segregation negatively impact health
A groundbreaking multidisciplinary study on African-American health in St. Louis, ‘For the Sake of All,’ releases its fourth brief. This one examines the long-term effects of how segregation affects access to health-promoting resources and health outcomes such as chronic disease and death.
Pregnancies more likely in teens who smoke, drink and use drugs
High school students who smoke, drink, use drugs or engage in other risky behaviors also are more likely to become pregnant or to impregnate a sexual partner, according to new research from psychiatry researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. And it wasn’t just one pregnancy. Those involved in risky activities had an even greater risk for multiple pregnancies.
Dangerous lung worms found in people who eat raw crayfish
Doctors at the School of Medicine have diagnosed a rare parasitic infection in six people who had consumed raw crayfish from streams and rivers in Missouri.
Cigarette smoking impedes tendon-to-bone healing
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…
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