School of Medicine

Sen. Jim Talent, Michael DeBaun and Isaac Singleton Jr. help raise awareness about sickle cell disease at a recent stamp dedication ceremony.In sickle cell disease, red blood cells change from their normal round shape to a curved, or sickle-shape. Sickle-shaped cells become stuck in blood vessels, causing damage to tissues and organs. WUSM pediatric hematologist Michael DeBaun says that ongoing blood transfusion therapy is vitally important for children with sickle cell disease, and treatment requires a sufficient supply of blood from African-American donors. “Black History Month is an ideal time to encourage African-Americans to come out and donate blood,” he says.

E. Coli (yellow) attaches to a host cell using sticky fibersNew insights into the bacteria responsible for urinary tract infections appear to open up an opportunity for disabling a wide range of infectious bacteria. Researchers at the School of Medicine recently revealed how a protein known as PapD helps E. coli assemble sticky fibers called pili that allow the bacterium to latch onto and infect host cells. Scientists are using what they’ve learned to begin designing pilicides, new treatments that stop pili formation and disrupt the infection process.

Artist’s renderingBarnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital, the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center and Washington University School of Medicine are pleased to announce a partnership that will bring a new cancer center to the campus of Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital.

“There is very little data about treatment of cervical cancer in the elderly,” says Jason Wright, author of an article in the journal Cancer.

Courtesy PhotoSarah C.R. Elgin receives a 2004 Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching Dec. 1.”No faculty member could better represent Washington University as recipient of this award,” says Executive Vice Chancellor Edward S. Macias.

When exposed to drugs used to treat epilepsy in humans, roundworms lived longer and retained youthful functions longer than normal.More medical news

Photo by Robert BostonRuth Guzman receives the 2004 Dean’s Distinguished Service Award — the highest honor given to a medical staff member.

Analysis includes the identification of genes that affirm the chicken’s value as a model for study of certain developmental disorders.

Even so, School of Medicine researchers caution that infants should always be placed on their backs to sleep.

It’s not uncommon for a child with Down Syndrome to receive regular care from as many as six or seven specialists. The new Down Syndrome Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital allows families to coordinate all these doctor visits into one trip.