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A finding by School of Medicine researchers, led by Michael Holtzman, could potentially restore patients’ troubled airways to healthy functioning.More medical news

Mice with Tax-induced leukemia/lymphoma develop large tumors and many areas of bone destruction, as shown in this X-ray.Defeating cancerous tumors by attacking healthy cells seems like an unusual strategy, but researchers at the School of Medicine have shown the strategy to be effective against leukemia/lymphoma in mice. The research group found that inhibiting normal bone-maintenance cells called osteoclasts not only prevented the mice’s cancer from spreading to their bones, it also slowed the growth of tumors in the body’s soft tissues.

WUSM scientists have identified a protein that helps keep internal “clocks” in sync.Scientists have identified a receptor protein that helps the fruit fly know when to start and shut down its day. Neuroscientists from the School of Medicine identified a receptor for pigment-dispersing factor (PDF) protein, which scientists previously recognized as a molecule that helps keep different internal “clocks” synchronized. Because these timekeeping processes have been highly conserved through evolution, what the scientists learn from flies and other organisms may help them better understand the same systems in humans.

Sustiva is the brand name for efavirenz.The largest detailed, prospective clinical study of the mental side effects of a potent anti-AIDS drug, efavirenz, has revealed that the anxiety, dizziness, “funny feelings” and vivid dreams triggered by the drug fade away within a month, possibly clearing the way for more widespread use. Efavirenz is the first drug from its class that lasts long enough to be taken once a day, and that makes it a potentially valuable drug for AIDS treatment.

Bright areas in this image highlight the junctions between heart muscle cells.Failing hearts develop interference in their communication channels, according to research conducted at the School of Medicine. The problem involves a subtle change in the pores that connect heart muscle cells. When the scientists duplicated this change in mice, the mice became susceptible to ventricular tachycardia, a dangerous heart rhythm disorder that can lead to sudden cardiac death.

Such programs at the very least “need to consider the traditional foods and recipes of the participants,” said lead author James Herbert Williams.

Photo by Robert BostonHelping kick off St. Louis Children’s Hospital’s “Building for Care, Searching for Cures” campaign were Joe Buck, Jonathan D. Gitlin, Lee Fetter and Larry Shapiro.The collaboration will focus on accelerating cures in four areas: congenital heart disease, cancer, lung and respiratory disorders and musculoskeletal diseases. More medical news

Since the Office of Supplier Diversity was started in 1999, WUSTL has spent $85 million with minority-owned firms and $77 million with women-owned firms.

Women’s hoops wins two home UAA games The No. 3 women’s basketball team (16-2, 6-1 UAA) picked up a pair of home league wins Jan. 27 and 29 at the Field House. WUSTL defeated No. 23 University of Rochester, 73-49, Jan. 27. The Bears put together an 18-2 run to take a 23-6 lead with […]

Whether she’s following a tantalizing thread of scientific evidence in the laboratory or trekking to remote corners of the world with her husband, Jake, Sheila Stewart loves epic journeys. Stewart, Ph.D., assistant professor of cell biology and physiology, speaks with equal enthusiasm of her studies of molecular structures on the ends of DNA and of […]