One gene 90 percent responsible for making common parasite dangerous
More than a decade of searching for factors that make the common parasite Toxoplasma gondii dangerous to humans has pinned 90 percent of the blame on just one of the parasite’s approximately 6,000 genes.
First biomarker for human sleepiness identified in fruit flies
Scientists have identified the first biochemical marker linked to sleep loss, an enzyme in saliva known as amylase, which increases in activity when sleep deprivation is prolonged. Researchers hope to make amylase the first of a panel of biomarkers that will aid diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders and may one day help assess the risk of falling asleep at the wheel of a car or in other dangerous contexts.
WUSM pediatrician fights hunger in Malawi
Peanut butter is energy rich food, and it doesn’t spoil. That’s exactly why WUSM pediatrician Mark Manary chose it to nourish hungry children in Malawi. Manary’s nonprofit organization, Project Peanut Butter, was approved by the World Health Organization in 2005, but he continues to search for better ways to feed a starving nation.
Asthma Center established through $7.7 million grant
The Asthma and Allergic Diseases Cooperative Research Center will fund research focused on how the immune system contributes to asthma.
Flynn named a Missouri Nurse of the Year
Patricia Flynn in the Department of Psychiatry has been named Nurse of the Year by the Missouri Nurses Association’s Third District
Women with rare breast conditions need follow-up surgical biopsies
New School of Medicine research shows that physicians can’t assume that women with rare, benign breast conditions are cancer-free.
‘Scientific American’ honors 3 Alzheimer’s disease researchers
The School of Medicine researchers have been named to the 2006 Scientific American 50.
Anti-inflammatory boosts liver damage in mice with mutant gene
School of Medicine researchers found that a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug administered at typically nontoxic doses significantly increased liver damage in mice with a mutant human gene.
Top notch
Photo by Robert BostonMarc J. Bernstein, M.D. (left), instructor in clinical medicine, receives the Stanley Lang Lecturer of the Year award from Wale Adeniran, president of the School of Medicine Class of 2009.
Does too much protein in the diet increase cancer risk?
A great deal of research connects nutrition with cancer risk. Overweight people are at higher risk of developing post-menopausal breast cancer, endometrial cancer, colon cancer, kidney cancer and a certain type of esophageal cancer. Now preliminary findings from researchers at the School of Medicine suggest that eating less protein may help protect against certain cancers that are not directly associated with obesity.
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