Wall Street Journal
In image-guided operating suites, surgeons see real-time MRI, CT scans
2/16/15
Intraoperative imaging, which enables surgeons to use CT or MRI scans to scan a patient in real time during surgery, is becoming more popular. While this type of surgery is beneficial to surgeons, Bernadette Henrichs, director of nurse anesthesia research and education at WUSM, explained that surgery teams have to be careful to keep all metal out of operating rooms because of the strong magnetic force used in MRI. She added that at BJH, OR teams undergo extensive training before can they work with live MRI imaging.
Parade Magazine
How to tell ‘typical’ memory loss from dementia
2/13/15
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In an article highlighting signs of early Alzheimer’s, a 2010 WUSM study is referenced showing that family and friends tend to spot warning signs of Alzheimer’s first—and even more reliably than cognitive screening tests.
Health Day
First ‘epigenomes’ map highlights how genes spur health, disease
2/18/15
Scientists recently issued the first comprehensive map of “human epigenomes” – the range of chemical and structural shifts that determine how genes govern health. The new map is the result of years of work by an international consortium of researchers, including a dozen researchers from WUSM’s Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology. Experts say the new data will help scientists better understand how genetic disruption affects a wide range of illnesses, including autism, heart disease and cancer. Other outlets: Philadelphia Inquirer, News Max Health Related WUSM news release
Washington Post
Bacterial DNA from mom may be inherited
2/17/15
A new study by Drs. Herbert W. Virgin and Thad Stappenbeck have shown in mice that mothers can pass a trait to their offspring through the DNA of bacteria. “This suggests we may need to substantially expand our thinking about bacteria’s contributions, and perhaps the contributions of other microorganisms, to genetics and heredity,” Virgin said.
Other outlets: Newsweek, Scientific American, Yahoo!, Tech Times, Science Blog, Genetic Literacy Project, Winnipeg Free Press,
Related WUSM news release
Forbes
Why fat may be the sixth basic taste, and what that means for food and nutrition
2/9/15
An article highlighting the five basic taste receptors that suggests that fat be added to the list. The story references WUSM’s research identifying a human receptor that can taste fat.
Related WUSM news release
The Daily Mail (UK)
Apple gives the green light to marijuana apps: Firm lifts ban on MassRoots network – but only for states where the drug is legal
2/16/15
In an article about MassRoots, an app that allows cannabis users to communicate with each other, Dr. Patricia Cavazos-Rehg’s research is highlighted. A text box within the article explains that WUSM researchers identified 7 million tweets about marijuana during a one-month period in 2014 and pro-pot messages outnumbered those opposed to the drug by 15 to one. Most of of those sending and receiving ‘pot tweets’ were under 25. “It’s a concern because frequent marijuana use can affect brain structures and interfere with cognitive function, emotional development and academic performance,” said Cavazos-Rehg.
Related WUSM news release
Fox Sports
Wild’s Cooke has successful sports hernia surgery
2/6/15
Minnesota Wild forward Matt Cooke underwent successful sports hernia surgery, the team announced Friday. The 36-year-old veteran was operated on by Dr. L. Michael Brunt at WUSM and should make a full recovery.
St. Louis Business Journal
Washington University receives $5.5 million for new cold drugs
2/6/15
Dr. Michael Holtzman received $5.5 million from the National Institutes of Health to develop new drugs for respiratory diseases, ranging from the common cold to life-threatening lung disease. The program is based in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine.
Related WUSM news release
KTVI-TV Fox 2
Cold snap has doctors bracing for cold weather accidents
2/18/15
St. Louis Children’s Hospital saw a spike in cold-weather related injuries after the first significant snow of the season. Beth Schickler explained that most of the injuries were sledding related.
KSDK-TV NewsChannel 5
Breast cancer vaccine targets aggressive form of disease
2/9/15
In this story about vaccines to help treat aggressive breast cancers, William Gillanders’ research on the body’s immune system homing in on mammaglobin-A is mentioned.
Related WUSM news release
St. Louis Public Radio
David B. Gray: Scientist sought to redefine what it means to be disabled
2/15/15
This on-air remembrance of Dr. David Gray, who died suddenly in February, recalls the scientist who relentlessly championed the right of people with disabilities to live independent, satisfying lives. Gray, a professor of occupational therapy and neurology at WUSM, was paralyzed in 1976. In 1995, he came to Washington University to teach courses on social issues and disability and to return to research. A memorial service and a WU symposium, originally to honor his retirement, are being planned. Related WUSM news release
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Bill targets sleep hazards in Missouri-licensed child cares
2/10/15
A Missouri lawmaker representing the district where an infant died while napping in a Webster Groves child care center wants to significantly update Missouri’s safe-sleep standards for licensed daycares. Staff at the SLCH Child Development Center on Newstead Avenue applauded the proposal. Other outlets: KTVI-TV Fox 2
St. Louis Business Journal
St. Louis health-care architecture projects span country
2/6/15
While health-care construction slumped nationwide from 2012 to 2014 nationwide due to uncertainty surrounding the Affordable Care Act, market research firm IBIS World projected that the U.S. health-care construction market — valued at $27 billion — will recover in 2015 and beyond. The St. Louis Children’s Specialty Care Center at SLCH is among projects currently underway.
St. Louis American
Blueprint4SummerSTL links students with fun and learning during school off season
2/12/15
SLCH is sponsoring a new mobile app and website that directly links St. Louis area families to hundreds of summer classes, camps and activity programs.
Sun Star (Philippines)
Disability is a blessing
2/21/15
In an article highlighting one family’s experience with their daughter’s idiopathic epilepsy, WUSM’s Dr. Michael Wong explained the disorder. He said while some types of epilepsy may be caused by a brain tumor, stroke or other neurological disorder, idiopathic epilepsy syndromes are primary brain disorders that have no other identifiable causes.
Diabetes Insider
Scientists warn about potential RA misdiagnosis
2/3/15
A team of researchers at WUSM recently published a study in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatology that explains how a new virus (Chikungunya) possibly could be misdiagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis. The illnesses share similar symptoms. “For now, good travel histories of patients are among the best diagnostic tools for physicians,” according to senior author Dr. Wayne Yokoyama. Other outlets: Healthcare Professionals Live
Related WUSM news release
KSAT-TV (San Antonio, TX)
2/12/15
In a clinical trial, Dr. Eric Leuthardt is evaluating whether people who have had a stroke can retrain the uninjured side of their brain to help restore mobility. Participants who have weakness in their hand use a brain computer interface – they wear a cap with sensors connected to a computer and a robotic orthotic hand. When they think about moving their fingers, the cap interprets the signals and the orthotic moves the hand. Leuthardt hopes that as participants continue to practice this therapy, their brain will relearn how to move the hand.
Related WUSM news release
Nutra Ingredients
Rethinking malnutrition strategies may reduce relapses and deaths, say researchers
2/13/15
Children treated for moderate acute malnutrition experience a 37 percent rate of relapse and death in the year following treatment and recovery. In a new study, Dr. Mark Manary and colleagues found that supplementary feeding for 12 weeks makes an impact on malnourished children, but it may not be as important as treating children until they reach target weights and measures of arm circumference.
Related WUSM news release
CBS Sunday Morning
Masters & Johnson: They wrote the book on having sex
2/15/15
In a story highlighting the early work of William Masters and Virginia Johnson and referencing the Showtime cable TV show, “Masters and Johnson,” WUSM is mentioned as the place where they conducted their experiments on human sexuality.
Digital Journal
Study on Alzheimer’s finds mood changes come before disease
2/15/15
In a study on Alzheimer’s Disease recently published in the journal Neurology, WUSM researchers found that common mood changes, such as depression, come long before the actual illnesses. These mood changes can indicate a person is likely to have Alzheimer’s before more common symptoms begin. The senior author of the study, Dr. Catherine Roe, said there are still questions to be asked about the relationship between cognitive impairment and depression.
Related WUSM news release
The Denver Post
Opinion: Colorado must retain funding for birth control
2/16/15
WUSM’s CHOICE project is referenced in an editorial highlighting a bill introduced in Colorado’s state legislature that would appropriate $5 million to fund long-acting contraception for low-income women.
Related WUSM news release
WNDU-TV (South Bend, IN)
Doctors say an MRI could help detect prostate cancer in men
2/17/15
Prostate biopsies performed using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are more likely to find aggressive tumors than those that rely on ultrasound, according to a recent study at WUSM. Dr. Gerald Andriole said by using MRI scans, he is better able to visualize and target suspicious areas in the prostate. “We get much more valid information about the size, the shape, the aggressiveness and the location of the cancer,” he said.
Related WUSM news release
The Deseret News
(Salt Lake City, UT)
The new face of heroin addiction
2/19/15
Dr. Theodore Cicero explained that heroin addiction used to be associated with inner city ghettos, poverty and a primarily minority population. Now, affluent suburban kids are likely to be addicted to the drug. Cicero’s research found that more than 60 percent of addicts abused prescription painkillers before transitioning to heroin. Other outlets: Herald Times,
(Bloomington, IN), The Oklahoman (Oklahoma, OK)
Medpage Today
Stroke Rounds: The next big thing
2/17/15
Dr. Colin Derdeyn said flat panel computed tomography (CT) scans that give a rapid look at images needed to assess ischemia or hemorrhage will be available. This technology could speed interventions for some patients.
ALZ Forum
Alzheimer’s disease research summit 2015: Three years in
2/20/15
A good night’s sleep might protect against Alzheimer’s disease, according to Dr. David Holtzman. Holtzman’s research showed that during sleep, the brain generates less and clears more amyloid beta protein, which is found in the brain plaques. Holtzman is encouraging more research on how sleep affects underlying Alzheimer’s pathology, which could lead to better diagnosis and treatment.
Related WUSM news release
Newmarket Journal
Journal readers rally in support of Seb
2/7/15
James and Lorna Brokenshire-Dyke are planning to run this year’s London marathon as part of a fundraising campaign for their 1-year-old son, Seb, who has cerebral palsy. He is traveling to SLCH for selective dorsal rhizotomy surgery with Dr. T.S. Park. Other outlets featuring different patients: The Daily Post, The Guardian, Barry and District News, Your Local Guardian, Canberra Times, Oldham Chronicle, Well and Good, London Evening Standard, The Belfast Telegraph.
