School of Medicine

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 Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis 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.

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 Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. 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.

Current treatments for asthma and chronic bronchitis aren’t able to address the ultimate source of the problem — they can only alleviate symptoms. But researchers at the School of Medicine have gone to the root of these disorders and found a two-drug treatment that could potentially restore patients’ troubled airways to healthy function.

Robert BostonJoe Buck, Jonathan Gitlin, Lee Fetter and Larry Shapiro (L-R) join a group of children to launch the Children’s Discovery Institute.Scientists from the School of Medicine and St. Louis Children’s Hospital have teamed up to search for cures for childhood diseases in four areas: heart disease, brain cancer, lung disease, and musculoskeletal defects. The Children’s Discovery Institute is a new $120 million endeavor by the two partners aimed at reaping the rewards of a sequenced human genome.

Dawn Majors, Post-DispatchPerry sings for his students about Parkinson’s disease to the tune of “Torna a Surriento.”When students show up for class with Arie Perry, associate professor of pathology, they’re not sure if they’ll be getting a lecture or a concert. Chances are good it will be a little of both. Perry takes otherwise mundane medical jargon, adds a little guitar, and sings informative songs for students with hopes of helping them better retain the knowledge.

Elderly patients taking the commonly prescribed blood thinner warfarin experience an increased risk for osteoporosis-linked bone fractures, according to a study at the School of Medicine. The results suggest physicians should carefully monitor the bone health of patients placed on the medication and that their patients should take steps to decrease the risk of osteoporosis.

Doctors may soon be turning back the clock for some patients with complete atherosclerotic blockage of the carotid arteries, blood vessels in the neck that are important sources of blood for the brain.

The internal “skeleton” (in red) of cells is altered by exposure to high fat.Investigating the harmful health effects of excess fat, researchers at the School of Medicine have identified a protein that triggers death in mammalian cells overloaded with saturated fat. When the researchers halted production of the protein, the cells were able to thrive in ordinarily damaging amounts of saturated fat.

The ideal substance to prevent cancer would block tumor growth without causing unpleasant or dangerous side effects. Researchers at the School of Medicine now report that a compound related to vitamin A shows promise in preventing or slowing tumor growth in mice prone to lung cancer. The compound, called bexarotene, doesn’t cause the severe skin irritations that have limited the use of other vitamin A derivatives in cancer therapies.

Vegetables are a staple of calorie restriction diets.Eating a very low-calorie yet nutritionally balanced diet is good for your heart. Studying heart function in members of an organization called the Calorie Restriction Society, investigators at the School of Medicine found that their hearts functioned like the hearts of much younger people. The researchers report their findings in the Jan. 17 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.