School of Medicine

Despite lack of a key component of the immune system, a line of genetically engineered mice can control chronic herpes virus infections, researchers at the School of Medicine have found. Scientists suspect the missing component has a previously unrecognized backup that fills the void left by its absence. If so, that backup may become a new focus for efforts to design antiviral vaccines.

Photo by Robert BostonMedical Education Day featured student poster presentations and faculty members receiving Samuel R. Goldstein Leadership Awards in Medical Student Education.

A program is based on research showing that students who interact with older adults early in their medical training develop better attitudes toward aging. More medical news

Controlling depression, by exercise, activity, cognitive therapy or medication, improves the likelihood that blood glucose will be better controlled in patients with diabetes.

Heart patients who smoke and have implanted defibrillators are much more likely to have the devices jolt their hearts back into normal rhythm than nonsmokers with the devices.

The School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital researchers will receive $300,000 annually for five years to study how infections are acquired in health-care settings.

Abnormal folding patterns of the cerebral cortex in Williams Syndrome are displayed on a lateral view (left) and midline view (right) of a ‘surface-based’ atlas.A computerized atlas has brought unprecedented sensitivity to the search for brain structure changes in a genetic condition known as Williams syndrome, revealing 33 abnormalities in the folding of the brain’s surface. The disorder, which occurs in 1 in every 20,000 births, impairs visual and spatial skills but preserves musical ability and sociability.

Assab and Massawa, the two camels that produced antibodies for the caffeine testThree llamas and two camels have provided a way to tell whether your waiter swapped regular coffee for decaf in your after-dinner cup. Using the heat-resistant antibodies these camels and llamas make, researchers at the School of Medicine are developing a quick test for caffeine that works even with hot beverages. The researchers plan to adapt their technology to a simple test (“dipstick”) that can be used to check for caffeine in a variety of drinks.

Exercise and losing weight can help obese older people reduce their risks for impaired daily living, limited mobility and functional decline.

Photo by Robert BostonFirst-grader Fairah Jeffries closely inspects a dissected cow’s eyeball in the mini-medicine course at Adams School in the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood.School of Medicine students led a pilot program to introduce minority grade-school students to medicine and spark their interest in health-care professions.