Global program to eliminate elephantiasis has early success in Egypt

Organizers of a 20-year global effort to eliminate a parasitic infection that is a leading cause of disability have an early victory to savor: a five-year Egyptian elimination campaign has mostly succeeded, according to a new report in the March 25 issue of The Lancet. Infection with the parasites, threadlike filarial worms, can lead to the dramatic, disfiguring swelling known as elephantiasis.

Match maker

Photo by Robert BostonOf the 119 students in the School of Medicine’s Class of 2006, 29 will stay in St. Louis to complete their residencies at WUSTL-affiliated hospitals.

Procedure cures some diabetic mice, but not in the way previously reported

Researchers attempting to reproduce a controversial 2003 mouse experiment suggestive of a cure for type 1 diabetes have found evidence that the experimental procedure does eliminate diabetic symptoms in a small fraction of the mice exposed to it. However, scientists from the School of Medicine found no signs that the procedure was working in the manner reported by the group of scientists at Harvard University who originated it.

Siteman Cancer Center joins National Comprehensive Cancer Network

Center for Advanced Medicine, home of Siteman Cancer CenterThe Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and the School of Medicine has been accepted into The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), an alliance of the world’s leading cancer centers. The designation will allow Siteman Cancer Center access to and the ability to further improve cancer care guidelines.

Debate about consequences of fatty diets rages on

How unhealthy is fat?The consequences of a fatty diet may vary depending on whom you ask. A recent study concluded that reducing fat intake doesn’t necessarily reduce a woman’s risk for certain types of cancer, but WUSM lipid researcher Anne Goldberg contends that only a lengthier study could produce reliable results regarding fat’s effects on cancer risk.
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