School of Medicine

A School of Medicine study showed that germ-free mice that received two prominent human gut microbes got fatter.

J. William Harbour, M.D., a specialist in diagnosing and treating eye tumors, was named the Paul A. Cibis Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences.

School of Medicine researchers will study whether putting a normal-weight person on calorie restriction will change markers of aging,

The new Diabetes Center at the Center for Advanced Medicine will provide a new group-care and patient-education approach.

WellingThe Washington University Diabetes Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital focuses on providing patients with the latest technology, treatments and clinical research. Some patients at the center are receiving a new diabetes drug that may give a welcome side effect — weight loss. Research lab supervisor Cris Welling began taking Byetta about 10 months ago and has lost 40 pounds.

Like the fictional wizard Harry Potter, some cancerous tumors seem capable of wrapping themselves in an invisibility cloak. Researchers at the School of Medicine have found that pancreatic tumors hide from the body’s immune surveillance by surrounding themselves with cells that make it hard for the immune system to detect them.

TobinPatients managing diabetes can now get full diagnostics, treatment and education in one place — the Washington University Diabetes Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. The center will provide a new group-care and patient-education approach for patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, says Garry Tobin, medical director of the center.

The Food and Drug Administration recently approved a shingles vaccine for adults age 60 and older. Anyone who has ever had chicken pox is susceptible to the shingles virus, which can cause blisters and extreme pain. More than 1 million Americans are afflicted with shingles each year.

Listed below are this month’s featured news stories. • Not all sunglasses block UV rays (week of July 5) • Risks for alcoholism (week of July 12) • Earlier implants lead to better speech (week of July 19) • Surgery lets boy walk again (week of July 26)

Some experts think the cost of caring for Alzheimer’s patients could soon be more than our economy can bear.Providing care for people with Alzheimer’s disease costs the U.S. more than $100 billion per year, but less than $1 billion is spent by the government for research. Politicians argue that caring for people who already have the disease should be the top fiscal priority, while researchers believe more money should be spent to find better treatments, vaccinations or a cure. Great strides have been made with Alzheimer’s research in recent years, and more effective treatment and prevention could save billions in patient care.