BBC News
Macular degeneration: Cholesterol drugs ‘may save sight’
4/2/2013
Eye drops designed to lower cholesterol may be able to prevent one of the most common forms of blindness, according to a study in Cell Metabolism by WUSM investigator Dr. Raj Apte. He investigated the role of macrophagesin the transition from the dry to the wet form of macular degeneration and found the role of macrophages changed and triggered the production of new blood vessels, which could potentially be targeted with cholesterol-lowering drugs. Other outlets:Fox news, Express (UK), The Scotsman, Bay News 9 (St. Petersburg, FL). Related WUSM news release
NPR – All Things Considered
Obama’s plan to explore the brain: A ‘most audacious project’
4/2/2013
David Van Essen weighs in on President Obama’s plan to ask for $100 million to better understand how the brain works. Van Essen says people are remarkably similar genetically, so researchers can learn a lot about all people by looking at the genetic sequences of just a few, but with human brains, he says,”the differences are vastly greater.”
BBC
Early genetic markers of Alzheimer’s risk identified
4/8/2013
Story details Dr. Alison Goate’s study in Neuron, in which she pinpoints genetic markers linked to the buildup of tau proteins in the brain. Tau is found in the tangles that develop in the brain as Alzheimer’s progresses. These genetic markers could help determine who is at risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Other outlets: Age UK, Ivanhoe Broadcast News. Related WUSM news release
CNN
Halle Berry joins growing group of older moms
4/9/2013
More women are choosing to become mothers after age 40. Dr. George Macones discusses the genetic risks that may affect the children of older mothers.
PBS
Eat, Fast and Live Longer with Michael Mosley
4/5/2013
Hour-long documentary featuring Dr. Luigi Fontana and his research on calorie restriction(CR). BBC host Michael Mosley compares himself to one of Dr. Fontana’s CR study participants and finds that his western diet has wrecked havoc on his health – even though he’s not obese and appears to be relatively healthy.
American Public Media: Marketplace
Nursing exams keep pace with health care tech advances
4/2/2013
Nursing licensure exams are changing to incorporate the technological skills required in modern health care. Dr. Michael Bleich, dean of the Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College, explains how the college’s programs are preparing students for the future.
The Huffington Post
Sequestration hitting front-line medical research
4/3/2013
Story highlights WUSM as a leader in the new field of quickly translating genetic information into real-time patient treatments, especially drug therapies for cancer. Dean Larry Shapiro shares that the sequester will substantially slow the school’s genomics progress.
Wall Street Journal
Losing prospects
4/8/2013
Story describes new procedures to treat obesity without the risks of bariatric surgery. These procedures don’t permanently alter the stomach or any other part of the digestive tract. Dr. J. Chris Eagon is skeptical saying, “If you do a temporary obesity procedure, it’s unrealistic to expect that people will be able to keep the weight off that they’ve lost.” Proponents hope patients will make diet and exercise changes to keep weight off.
HealthDay News
Intermittent hormone treatment for prostate cancer not the best
4/3/2013
Advanced prostate cancer patients who are given drugs aimed at lowering their testosterone production to slow the spread of tumors don’t get much benefit if the drugs are given only intermittently. Dr. Bruce Roth says the continuous approach should probably remain the standard of care.
The Christian Science Monitor
Is birth the ‘old-fashioned way’ on its way out in Mexico?
4/10/2013
Dr. George Macones discusses the high rate of C-sections in Mexican hospitals. Nearly one in two women now give birth by C-section in Mexico, and doctors at private hospitals opt more quickly for C-sections if complications arise due to the threat of lawsuits.
The Scientist
Sequencing cancer
4/9/2013
Story highlights Dr. Elaine Mardis, who has argued for the use of whole-genome sequencing to analyze tumor heterogeneity and to track cancer’s evolution. She also emphasizes the importance of sequencing RNA as well as DNA, noting that many of the mutations identified via whole genome sequencing may never be expressed and thus are relevant to understand the mechanisms driving cancer progression.
Scientific American
Hospitals fail to thwart deadly infections
4/8/2013
BJH epidemiologist Jennie Mayfield discusses how the lack of data is making it difficult for hospitals to contain and prevent the spread of clostridium dificile. Other outlets: Yahoo! News
New Scientist
PhDs and MDs team up to tackle cancer
4/3/2013
Dr. Elaine Mardis explains the importance of the team approach surrounding cancer genomics translational research. She says that by engaging those involved in clinical care, pathology and pharmacology, “you learn by osmosis exactly how all this stuff works. It really takes all of those areas of expertise to work together.”
This is South Wales
Child travels from the UK to St. Louis for spinal surgery
4/3/2013
This is one of seven stories about children with cerebral palsy who traveled to St. Louis – six of them from outside the U.S.– to receive spinal surgery with Dr. T. S. Park to help improve mobility. Other stories featured by Manchester Evening News, Peter Borough Today, The Daily Record,South London Press, Lancaster Guardian, Murfreesboro Post.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (front page)
Why are so many U.S. women dying in childbirth?
4/8/2013
Two BJH patients share how they nearly died due to complications in pregnancy and labor. Drs. George Macones and Michael Nelson, who treat a number of high-risk pregnancies, provide insight into the alarming upswing in maternal mortality rates. Kathryn Hufker of Goldfarb School of Nursing and anesthesiologist Dr. Barbara Leighton discuss how nursing schools and medical centers are training caregivers to deal with obstetric emergencies.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Giving the Gift of Life
4/4/2013
Dr. Stuart Sweet, medical director of the Pediatric Lung Transplant Program, writes a column about the importance of organ donation and encourages prospective donors to have conversations with family members about their wishes.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Drug shortages cause delays for patients, headaches for pharmacists
4/4/2013
Hospitals nationwide are facing shortages of critical drugs for cancer patients. Leigh Boehmer and Christine Pavlak, discuss how Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Saint Louis Children’s Hospital are working to make sure patients’ care isn’t compromised by the problem.
Other outlets: MedCity News
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Infectious diseases topic at Washington University conference
4/10/2013
Story highlights the inaugural event for WUSM’s new Center for Global Health and Infectious Diseases. A conference brought some of the world’s experts in infectious diseases to campus to discuss the latest progress in fighting malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and other challenging diseases. Related WUSM news release
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Turtle genome offers clues to longevity, surviving without oxygen
4/10/2013
Researchers at The Genome Institute have for the first time decoded the genome of a turtle, unlocking clues to their longevity and ability to survive without oxygen, an attribute that could someday be used to help humans.
Other outlets: New Scientist, GenomeWeb. Related WUSM news release
St. Louis Public Radio
Wash U researchers trick cells into moving toward light
4/9/2013
Dr. N. Gautam and his team have genetically engineered cells to react to light. The study, published in PNAS, showed that by taking light-sensing receptors from the eye — called opsins — and inserting them into immune cells, the researchers were able to trick the cells into moving toward a laser beam in the same way they would move toward a bacterial infection. Related WUSM news release
Belleville News Democrat
Zion student to receive leadership award
4/9/2013
Seventh Grader Mackenzie Scott, former SLCH patient, is being recognized for organizing a holiday delivery of toys to SLCH.
Wisconsin Public Radio
Homeschooling – A physician’s perspective
4/1/2013
Dr. Kathleen Berchelmann, pediatric hospitalist, discusses a recent blogpost about homeschooling that captured national attention. Other outlets: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Medscape (must register to view article – free)
Microbiome opens door to brave new world of therapeutics
4/3/2013
Dr. George Weinstock discusses the potential of microbiome research. “We are eventually going to be able to approach medical problems from a microbiome point of view, which is a much more desirable approach in terms of its precision and in terms of being able, for example, to reserve an antibiotic treatment for situations that can’t be easily fixed,” he says.
MissouriNet Radio
Depression in children and teens linked to cardiac risks as adults
4/1/2013
A WUSM study suggests that children diagnosed with depression at a young age are more inclined to develop cardiac problems later in life. Dr. Robert Carney says that by the time an individual becomes a teenager, there are significant associations between depression and cardiovascular risk factors. Such risk factors include smoking at a young age, obesity, and lack of physical activity. Related WUSM news release
KSDK
The Frontline for Hope
3/30/2013
Episode 3 of The Frontline for Hope, highlighting SLCH and WUSM physicians and caregivers, focuses on Dr. Brad Warner, Dr. Jeffrey Leonard, Dr. Pirooz Eghtesady and Dr. Stuart Sweet.
KTVI – FOX 2
Household dangers
4/2/2013
Mary Alice McCubbins, trauma nurse practitioner, shares methods of protecting kids against preventable injury, such as strangling in mini blind cords, a tragedy that made news recently. Other outlets: KSDK.
KSDK
Devoted dad runs marathon for daughter
4/4/2013
Dr. Peter Michelson, pulmonologist, discusses a pediatric lung transplant patient and her dad’s unique way of showing his support – he promised his daughter he’d train for and run a marathon.
KTVI –FOX 2
Allergy season outlook
4/4/2013
Dr. H. James Wedner shares that we’re just beginning the allergy season here in St. Louis. He warns in the next week or two, we’ll be inundated with oak pollen, which is a key allergen for many. He suggests that those who suffer from allergies stay indoors and see a physician for medications that can help. Other outlets: KMOX (no link)
KSDK
The Frontline for Hope
4/6/2013
Episode 4 of The Frontline for Hope, highlighting SLCH and WUSM physicians and caregivers, focuses on Dr. T.S. Park, Dr. Pirooz Eghtesady and Dr. Stuart Sweet.
KTVI – FOX 2
Unusually wet winter could mean bad year for allergies
4/9/2013
Dr. H. James Wedner explains that the unusually wet winter could mean a bad year for allergies.
KTVI – FOX 2
Alzheimer’s research funding
4/12/2013
Dr. John Morris visits the Fox 2 morning show to talk about the importance of NIH funding for Alzheimer’s research as well as the Alzheimer’s prevention studies now underway at WUSM.
KSDK
Toddler first in St. Louis to skip transplant after Berlin Heart
4/12/2013
Dr. Kathleen Simpson discusses the first patient at SLCH to use a Berlin Heart while awaiting a heart transplant. The device was later removed without the need for a transplant. Other outlets:USAToday Online and WTLV in Jacksonville, FL.
KTVI – FOX 2
Tanning dangers
4/12/2013
Dr. Kathleen Berchelmann, pediatric hospitalist, shares the dangers of tanning beds in the St. Louis Mom’s segment.
