Latest News from: Washington University in St. Louis

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1-Feb-2021 4:05 PM EST
Imaging identifies breast cancer patients unlikely to benefit from hormone therapy
Washington University in St. Louis

Hormone therapy can be effective for receptor-positive breast cancer, but it only works for 55% of patients. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that only women whose tumors responded to a one-day estrogen challenge benefited from hormone therapy. The findings could help improve treatment decisions.

Released: 1-Feb-2021 2:55 PM EST
Mirror, mirror on the monitor
Washington University in St. Louis

Research from the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis asks if our views about our own appearances have changed in the age of Zoom.

   
Released: 28-Jan-2021 2:40 PM EST
Risk analysis helps contend with uncertainty of in-person activities
Washington University in St. Louis

People now have access to better real-time information about COVID-19 infection and transmission rates, but they still have to decide what is safe to do. A new model co-authored by mathematician John McCarthy at Washington University in St. Louis helps to contend with the uncertainty.

   
Released: 28-Jan-2021 12:05 PM EST
Expert: A historic opportunity to combat systemic racism
Washington University in St. Louis

President Biden signed four new executive orders collectively aimed at addressing racial inequality and justice. Washington University's John Robinson III, says it’s because of ongoing political engagement and pressure that Biden feels it necessary to pursue these aims, and we have this historic opportunity before us.

25-Jan-2021 4:30 PM EST
‘Smart’ cartilage cells programmed to release drugs when stressed
Washington University in St. Louis

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have engineered cartilage cells to release an anti-inflammatory drug in response to stresses such cells undergo when they are compressed during weight bearing and movement.

25-Jan-2021 5:30 PM EST
How does the immune system keep tabs on the brain?
Washington University in St. Louis

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that immune cells stationed in sinuses in the meninges — the covering of the brain and spinal cord — monitor the brain and initiate an immune response if they detect a problem.

Released: 26-Jan-2021 5:10 PM EST
WashU Expert: This is not the time to raise federal minimum wage
Washington University in St. Louis

President Joe Biden has expressed support for raising the minimum wage for federal contractors and employees to $15 per hour. On Jan. 26, House and Senate Democrats took it a step further - introducing legislation to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025, more than doubling the current minimum wage of $7.25.

Released: 26-Jan-2021 2:40 PM EST
Biologists awarded NSF grant to model evolution of Hawaiian plants
Washington University in St. Louis

The research team will focus on 12 understudied plant groups — including Kadua, Wikstroemia and Psychotria — using new sequencing and modeling techniques to gain a broader idea of how Hawaiian plant diversity originated. The project includes conservation and educational components as well, including collecting new wild specimens for the National Tropical Botanical Garden herbarium.

Released: 26-Jan-2021 1:35 PM EST
Price is ripe: Study finds increase in menu prices means decrease in restaurant ratings
Washington University in St. Louis

A pair of business researchers, from Washington University in St. Louis and Harvard University, studied the relationship between price and reputation. What they found: Ratings are price-adjusted rather than objective reviews of quality.

25-Jan-2021 3:35 PM EST
Nixing bone cancer fuel supply offers new treatment approach, mouse study suggests
Washington University in St. Louis

An innovative approach to treating bone tumors – starving cancer cells of the energy they need to grow – could one day provide an alternative to a commonly used chemotherapy drug without the risk of severe side effects, suggests a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Released: 22-Jan-2021 3:30 PM EST
No more needles?
Washington University in St. Louis

Blood draws are no fun.They hurt. Veins can burst, or even roll — like they’re trying to avoid the needle, too.Oftentimes, doctors use blood samples to check for biomarkers of disease: antibodies that signal a viral or bacterial infection, such as SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, or cytokines indicative of inflammation seen in conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and sepsis.

   
Released: 22-Jan-2021 3:15 PM EST
Lots of water in the world’s most explosive volcano
Washington University in St. Louis

There isn't much in Kamchatka, a remote peninsula in northeastern Russia just across the Bering Sea from Alaska, besides an impressive population of brown bears and the most explosive volcano in the world. Kamchatka's Shiveluch volcano has had more than 40 violent eruptions over the last 10,000 years.

Released: 21-Jan-2021 8:00 AM EST
WashU Experts: The first 100 Biden/Harris days
Washington University in St. Louis

Obamacare will get retooled, not repealed. A national mask mandate will boost consumer spending, research shows (though don't expect much from homeowners, they're strapped). The $300 billion for R&D should go to D, not R. So forecasts an array of WashU experts.

       
19-Jan-2021 5:35 PM EST
For some, GI tract may be vulnerable to COVID-19 infection
Washington University in St. Louis

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that patients with Barrett's esophagus may be vulnerable to coronavirus infection from what they swallow.

Released: 15-Jan-2021 5:35 PM EST
Rapid blood test identifies COVID-19 patients at high risk of severe disease
Washington University in St. Louis

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that a relatively simple and rapid blood test can predict which patients with COVID-19 are at highest risk of severe complications or death. The blood test measures levels of mitochondrial DNA, which normally resides inside the energy factories of cells. Mitochondrial DNA spilling out of cells and into the bloodstream is a sign that a particular type of violent cell death is taking place in the body.

Released: 14-Jan-2021 4:50 PM EST
Acute itching in eczema patients linked to environmental allergens
Washington University in St. Louis

New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates that allergens in the environment often are to blame for episodes of acute itch in eczema patients, and that the itching often doesn’t respond to antihistamines because the itch signals are being carried to the brain along a previously unrecognized pathway that current drugs don’t target.

Released: 14-Jan-2021 8:05 AM EST
New way to control electrical charge in 2D materials: Put a flake on it
Washington University in St. Louis

Physicists at Washington University in St. Louis have discovered how to locally add electrical charge to an atomically thin graphene device by layering flakes of another thin material, alpha-RuCl3, on top of it. A paper published with scientists at Boston College describes the charge transfer process in detail. Gaining control of the flow of electrical current through atomically thin materials is important to potential future applications in photovoltaics or computing.

Released: 13-Jan-2021 11:20 AM EST
WashU Expert: Trump self-pardon might open him to prosecution
Washington University in St. Louis

As Donald Trump prepares to leave the presidency Jan. 20 in the wake of being accused of fomenting the riot at the U.S. Capitol, he is reportedly considering an unprecedented move: a self-pardon.While no president has ever pardoned himself, the act might be more trouble than it’s worth for Trump, notes a criminal law and Supreme Court expert at Washington University in St.

Released: 8-Jan-2021 2:55 PM EST
WashU Expert: What is the 25th Amendment?
Washington University in St. Louis

In light of the Jan. 6 mob attack on the U.S. Capitol building, many Democrats, and even some Republicans, have called for the use of the 25th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to relieve President Trump of his duties.What is that amendment and how does it work?Greg Magarian, the Thomas and Karole Green Professor of Law and Constitutional law expert at Washington University in St.

Released: 8-Jan-2021 2:45 PM EST
Is compromise possible in a split Senate?
Washington University in St. Louis

The Democrats’ dual victories in Georgia’s runoff election on Jan. 5, created a rare 50-50 split in the U.S. Senate and will give majority power to the Democrats once Vice President-elect Kamala Harris — potentially, the deciding vote — is sworn into office on Jan. 20.Given how divided politics in America has become, will the tied Senate be in constant gridlock?Not necessarily.

Released: 6-Jan-2021 4:55 PM EST
Improving tests for tropical worm diseases aim of $2.95 million grant
Washington University in St. Louis

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received a grant to develop better diagnostic tests for worm infections as part of an international effort to eliminate two tropical infectious diseases: lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis.

Released: 6-Jan-2021 3:40 PM EST
Orange Is the New ‘Block’
Washington University in St. Louis

Photosynthetic organisms tap light for fuel, but sometimes there’s too much of a good thing. New research from Washington University in St. Louis reveals the core structure of the light-harvesting antenna of cyanobacteria or blue-green algae — including key features that both collect energy and block excess light absorption.

30-Dec-2020 4:15 PM EST
For moms, oxygen during childbirth often unnecessary
Washington University in St. Louis

A comprehensive analysis – led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis – has found no benefit in providing supplemental oxygen to mothers during labor and delivery, a decades-long and common practice. Infants born to women who received supplemental oxygen fared no better or no worse than those born to women who had similar labor experiences but breathed room air.

Released: 29-Dec-2020 8:10 AM EST
Common brain malformation traced to its genetic roots
Washington University in St. Louis

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that Chiari 1 malformation can be caused by variations in two genes linked to brain development, and that children with large heads are at increased risk of developing the condition.

Released: 28-Dec-2020 10:05 AM EST
Modeling can help balance economy, health during pandemic
Washington University in St. Louis

An interdisciplinary team led by faculty at the McKelvey School of Engineering has developed a model to help navigate the delicate line between maintaining the economy and limiting the spread and mortality rate of COVID-19.

   
Released: 22-Dec-2020 3:30 PM EST
WashU Expert: Aid package will only postpone inevitable housing crisis
Washington University in St. Louis

As part of the new $900 billion federal stimulus package, the moratorium on evictions for renters will be extended by one month, through the end of January. The help could not come soon enough, said an expert on social and economic development at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.However, without more intentional, long-term solutions and investments, this aid will only postpone an inevitable housing crisis, she said a new survey shows.

Released: 18-Dec-2020 4:10 PM EST
WashU Experts: We need economic rescue, and we need it now
Washington University in St. Louis

After months of failed negotiations that left many Americans, businesses and a further weakening economy in the lurch, lawmakers are scrambling the week before Christmas 2020 to reach a deal on an economic stimulus plan that could top $900 billion. If Congress passes the deal, will it do enough to help struggling Americans and businesses stay afloat?To answer that question, three business and economics experts at Washington University in St.

14-Dec-2020 8:05 PM EST
Seeking to avoid ‘full lockdown,’ cells monitor ribosome collisions
Washington University in St. Louis

But sometimes ribosomes get stuck or stall on roadblocks along defective mRNA molecules. New research from Washington University in St. Louis shows that cells monitor for ribosome collisions to determine the severity of the problem and how best to respond when things start to go awry.

14-Dec-2020 4:45 PM EST
Protein involved in removing Alzheimer’s buildup linked to circadian rhythm
Washington University in St. Louis

People with Alzheimer’s disease often have circadian rhythm problems. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered a protein that is both regulated by clock genes and involved in clearing away Alzheimer’s protein build-up in the brain. The protein, YKL-40, could provide a new target for Alzheimer’s therapies.

15-Dec-2020 12:35 PM EST
COVID-19 patients at higher risk of death, health problems than those with flu
Washington University in St. Louis

Almost a year ago, COVID-19 began its global rampage, going on to infect about 69.5 million people and kill about 1.6 million as of early this month. From the beginning, most scientists have said that COVID-19 is deadlier than the seasonal flu, while fringe theories have circulated widely, suggesting it is less deadly or flu’s equal. Evidence is accumulating, however, to show just how much deadlier COVID-19 is compared with the flu and the extent of complications related to the two illnesses.

Released: 14-Dec-2020 8:05 PM EST
Powerful electrical events quickly alter surface chemistry on Mars and other planetary bodies
Washington University in St. Louis

Thinking like Earthlings may have caused scientists to overlook the electrochemical effects of Martian dust storms. On Earth, dust particles are viewed mainly in terms of their physical effects, like erosion. But, in exotic locales from Mars to Venus to Jupiter's icy moon Europa, electrical effects can affect the chemical composition of a planetary body's surface and atmosphere in a relatively short time, according to research from Washington University in St. Louis.

Released: 11-Dec-2020 8:05 AM EST
New computational method validates images without ‘ground truth’
Washington University in St. Louis

A new computational method from the McKelvey School of Engineering helps scientists validate the accuracy of microscopic images

Released: 9-Dec-2020 5:05 PM EST
Toxin provides clues to long-term effects of diarrhea caused by E. coli
Washington University in St. Louis

A study from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has found that a toxin produced by E. coli changes intestinal cells to benefit itself, an ability that could provide a clue to why the bacteria have been linked to nutritional problems such as malnutrition and stunted growth.

Released: 7-Dec-2020 2:20 PM EST
New catalyst resolves hydrogen fuel cell cost, longevity issues
Washington University in St. Louis

A multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional group has identified a solution to two of most pressing issues in a key fuel cell component — the catalyst used to drive the reactions.

Released: 7-Dec-2020 1:45 PM EST
Increase in Head Start funding ‘a national priority’
Washington University in St. Louis

Increased funding for Head Start - the largest federally funded, early childhood development program in the United States - is needed to support families during the COVID-19 recession and to ensure a more stable economic recovery.

Released: 7-Dec-2020 12:00 PM EST
A recipe for protein footprinting
Washington University in St. Louis

Michael Gross, professor of chemistry in Arts & Sciences and of immunology and internal medicine at the School of Medicine, and his team are experts in footprinting proteins. By sharing their method for fast photochemical oxidation of proteins (FPOP), a means of protein footprinting, they hope to support other labs in developing broader applications of FPOP to better address outstanding questions in structural biology.

   
3-Dec-2020 3:40 PM EST
Novel form of Alzheimer’s protein found in spinal fluid indicates stage of the disease
Washington University in St. Louis

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found a novel form of the Alzheimer’s protein tau in the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. This form of tau — known as MTBR tau — indicates what stage of Alzheimer’s a person is in and tracks with tangles of tau protein in the brain.

Released: 4-Dec-2020 12:55 PM EST
Building better vaccines for the elderly
Washington University in St. Louis

Chemist Meredith Jackrel studies protein misfolding and how it leads to disease. She is collaborating engineers to develop amyloid-inspired vaccine technologies specifically tailored for seniors. The approach could be relevant to COVID-19 as the elderly are particularly susceptible to its severe complications.

   
Released: 30-Nov-2020 3:30 PM EST
New Tech Can Get Oxygen, Fuel From Mars’ Salty Water
Washington University in St. Louis

A new electrolysis system that makes use of briny water could provide astronauts on Mars with life-supporting oxygen and fuel for the ride home, according to engineers at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, who developed the system.

Released: 25-Nov-2020 11:50 AM EST
Inside the black box of iron oxide formation
Washington University in St. Louis

Young-Shin Jun, an engineer at Washington University in St. Louis, has developed a new use for a high-energy X-ray technique that has allowed her the first glimpse at the formation of iron hydroxides on a quartz surface. The implications are sweeping.

Released: 25-Nov-2020 7:30 AM EST
In fire-prone West, plants need their pollinators — and vice versa
Washington University in St. Louis

2020 is the worst fire year on record in the United States. In the face of heartbreaking losses, effort and expense, scientists are still grappling with some of the most basic questions about how fire influences interactions between plants and animals in the natural world. A new study grounded in the northern Rockies explores the role of fire in the finely tuned dance between plants and their pollinators.

Released: 24-Nov-2020 12:15 PM EST
Stronger memories can help us make sense of future changes
Washington University in St. Louis

Research from the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences in Arts & Sciences finds a new relationship between memory and the ability to incorporate changes into one's understanding of the world.

Released: 23-Nov-2020 8:05 AM EST
Solving for nuclear structure in light nuclei
Washington University in St. Louis

The dense region at the center of an atom is a place where scientists can test their understanding of the fundamental interactions. A recent publication contributes to a body of increasingly accurate, descriptive calculations of nuclear structure and reactions.

Released: 23-Nov-2020 8:05 AM EST
Secrets of the ‘lost crops’ revealed where bison roam
Washington University in St. Louis

Blame it on the bison. If not for the wooly, boulder-sized beasts that once roamed North America in vast herds, ancient people might have looked past the little barley that grew under those thundering hooves. But the people soon came to rely on little barley and other small-seeded native plants as staple food.

20-Nov-2020 1:45 PM EST
COVID-19 cases could nearly double before Biden takes office
Washington University in St. Louis

President-elect Joe Biden has signaled that fighting the COVID-19 pandemic will be an immediate priority, but Inauguration Day is still two months away. Confirmed COVID-19 cases are likely to increase to 20 million by the end of January, predicts a Washington University in St. Louis forecasting model.

Released: 20-Nov-2020 3:40 PM EST
Adolescent girls at high risk of violence in humanitarian settings
Washington University in St. Louis

Adolescent girls face elevated risks of gender-based violence in humanitarian settings. While some interventions exist, more needs to be done to ensure that global efforts to end gender-based violence include a focus on adolescent girls, finds a new study from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

17-Nov-2020 8:05 AM EST
Lethal brain infections in mice thwarted by decoy molecule
Washington University in St. Louis

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a molecule that protects mice from brain infections caused by Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV), a mosquito-borne virus notorious for causing fast-spreading, deadly outbreaks in Mexico, Central America and northern South America.



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