Latest News from: Washington University in St. Louis

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Released: 5-Mar-2020 11:30 AM EST
Parents’ social isolation linked to their children’s health
Washington University in St. Louis

Parents’ social isolation was linked to self-reported poorer health not only for themselves but also for their adolescent children, finds a study from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.“The purpose of this study was to investigate the interrelationship between parent and adolescent social isolation and health,” said Tess Thompson, research assistant professor.

   
Released: 4-Mar-2020 8:20 AM EST
Birds of a feather better not together
Washington University in St. Louis

A new study of North American birds from Washington University in St. Louis finds that the regional stability of ecosystems over time depends on both the total number of species present in a locality and on the variation in species identities among localities.

Released: 3-Mar-2020 11:35 AM EST
Radiation therapy for colon cancer works better when specific protein blocked
Washington University in St. Louis

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a way to make radiation therapy for colorectal cancer more effective by inhibiting a protein found in cancer cells in the gut.

Released: 27-Feb-2020 1:05 PM EST
'Surfing attack' hacks Siri, Google with ultrasonic waves
Washington University in St. Louis

Using ultrasound waves propagating through a solid surface, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis were able to read text messages and make fraudulent calls on a cellphone sitting on a desk up to 30 feet away.

Released: 27-Feb-2020 12:20 PM EST
Cancer survival disparities in minority children, adolescents greater for more treatable cancers
Washington University in St. Louis

Racial and ethnic minority children and adolescents with cancer have a higher risk of death than non-Hispanic white children and adolescents, with evidence for larger disparities in survival for more treatable cancers, finds a new study from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.“The results suggest that there are modifiable racial and ethnic disparities in childhood cancer survival,” said Kim Johnson, associate professor and senior author of “Associations Between Race/Ethnicity and US Childhood and Adolescent Cancer Survival by Treatment Amenability,” published Feb.

Released: 26-Feb-2020 12:15 PM EST
Revving up immune system may help treat eczema
Washington University in St. Louis

Studying eczema, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that boosting the number of natural killer cells in the blood is a possible treatment strategy for the skin condition and also may help with related health problems, such as asthma.

Released: 26-Feb-2020 11:35 AM EST
Naked mole rats migrate above ground with no help from the moon
Washington University in St. Louis

A new study published in the African Journal of Ecology considers the role of the moon in driving a particularly rare occurrence: the solo journey of a naked mole rat from one underground colony to start a new one.

Released: 25-Feb-2020 11:20 AM EST
WashU Expert: Ingredients for a virus to become a pandemic
Washington University in St. Louis

As of Feb. 25, 2020, the World Health Organization reported 79,339 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. Thirty-four countries have reported cases, including 2,619 deaths.The WHO has not declared COVID-19 as a pandemic — a situation defined somewhat vaguely by the WHO as “the worldwide spread of a new disease.

Released: 19-Feb-2020 2:40 PM EST
The divide between us: Urban-rural political differences rooted in geography
Washington University in St. Louis

A new study by Washington University in St. Louis political scientists finds that how close people live to a major metropolitan area and their town’s population density play a significant role in shaping their political beliefs and partisan affiliation.

Released: 19-Feb-2020 2:35 PM EST
Battling treatment resistant opioid use disorder
Washington University in St. Louis

Similar to treatment resistant depression, there is a subpopulation of those addicted to opioids who do not respond to standard opioid use disorder (OUD) treatments. In a new paper, an addiction expert at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis suggests a new category for these types of patients: treatment resistant opioid use disorder (TROUD).

   
Released: 19-Feb-2020 12:55 PM EST
Walking the wire: Real-time imaging helps reveal active sites of photocatalysts
Washington University in St. Louis

Nanoscale photocatalysts are small, man-made particles that harvest energy from sunlight to produce liquid fuels and other useful chemicals. But even within the same batch, the particles tend to vary widely in size, shape and surface composition. That makes it hard for researchers to tell what’s really doing the work.

Released: 18-Feb-2020 3:25 PM EST
Why Zika virus caused most harmful brain damage to Brazilian newborns
Washington University in St. Louis

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that the strain of Zika that circulated in Brazil during the microcephaly epidemic that began in 2015 was particularly damaging to the developing brain.

Released: 10-Feb-2020 3:30 PM EST
Predicting chaos using aerosols and AI
Washington University in St. Louis

Using aerosols as ground truth, researchers at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a deep learning method that accurately simulates chaotic trajectories — from the spread of poisonous gas to the path of foraging animals.

Released: 6-Feb-2020 6:15 PM EST
Collaboration lets researchers ‘read’ proteins for new properties
Washington University in St. Louis

Clumps of proteins inside cells are a common thread in many neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease. These clumps, or solid aggregates of proteins, appear to be the result of an abnormality in the process known as liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), in which individual proteins come together to form a liquid-like droplet.

   
Released: 6-Feb-2020 2:10 PM EST
Being raised by grandparents may increase risk for childhood obesity
Washington University in St. Louis

Grandparental child care is linked to nearly a 30% increase in childhood overweight and obesity risk, finds a new analysis from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.In a study, published online Jan. 22 in Childhood Obesity, researchers discovered that grandparents could impact their grandchildren’s waistline in various ways, such as influencing their daily diet and physical activity, as well shaping their grandchildren’s perceptions on what represents a healthy lifestyle.

6-Feb-2020 6:30 PM EST
Family dynamics may influence suicidal thoughts in children
Washington University in St. Louis

Research from Washington University in St. Louis shows a nontrivial rate of children as young as 9- and 10- years old are thinking about suicide. How their families interact - or don't - may play a role.

3-Feb-2020 7:00 AM EST
Gene ID’d as potential therapeutic target for dementia in Parkinson’s
Washington University in St. Louis

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered that the genetic variant APOE4 – long linked to dementia – spurs the spread of harmful clumps of Parkinson’s proteins through the brain. The findings suggest that therapies that target APOE might reduce the risk of dementia for people with Parkinson’s disease.

Released: 31-Jan-2020 12:35 PM EST
Ultra-high energy events key to study of ghost particles
Washington University in St. Louis

Physicists at Washington University in St. Louis have proposed a way to use data from ultra-high energy neutrinos to study interactions beyond the standard model of particle physics. The 'Zee burst' model leverages new data from large neutrino telescopes such as the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica and its future extensions.

Released: 29-Jan-2020 6:20 PM EST
Immune responses to tuberculosis mapped across 3 species
Washington University in St. Louis

A new study led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis offers a genetic road map detailing the similarities and differences in immune responses to TB across three species — mice, macaques and humans. According to the researchers, the insight into the immune pathways that are activated in diverse models of TB infection will serve as a valuable tool for scientists studying and working to eradicate the disease.

Released: 28-Jan-2020 7:05 PM EST
1 in 4 kids who get antibiotics in children’s hospitals are prescribed the drugs incorrectly
Washington University in St. Louis

New research led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates that 1 in 4 of the children given antibiotics in U.S. children's hospitals are prescribed the drugs inappropriately. The overuse of antibiotics poses an increasing threat to children who develop — or already have — drug-resistant infections.

Released: 28-Jan-2020 4:05 PM EST
‘Curious and curiouser!’ Meteorite chunk contains unexpected evidence of presolar grains
Washington University in St. Louis

An unusual chunk in a meteorite may contain a surprising bit of space history, based on new research from Washington University in St. Louis. Presolar grains — tiny bits of solid interstellar material formed before the sun was born — are sometimes found in primitive meteorites. But a new analysis reveals evidence of presolar grains in part of a meteorite where they are not expected to be found.

Released: 24-Jan-2020 2:10 PM EST
‘Jumping genes’ help stabilize DNA folding patterns
Washington University in St. Louis

The DNA molecule inside the nucleus of any human cell is more than six feet long. To fit into such a small space, it must fold into precise loops that also govern how genes are turned on or off. New research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates that "jumping genes" play a surprising role in stabilizing the 3D folding patterns of the DNA molecule inside the cell’s nucleus.

Released: 23-Jan-2020 1:40 PM EST
High-Protein Diets Boost Artery-Clogging Plaque, Mouse Study Shows
Washington University in St. Louis

A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis reveals how high-protein diets increase atherosclerosis, especially unstable plaque that increases the risk of a heart attack.

Released: 17-Jan-2020 5:00 AM EST
Green in tooth and claw
Washington University in St. Louis

Hard plant foods may have made up a larger part of early human ancestors’ diet than currently presumed, according to a new experimental study of modern tooth enamel from Washington University in St. Louis. The results have implications for reconstructing diet, and potentially for our interpretation of the fossil record of human evolution, researchers said.

14-Jan-2020 12:00 PM EST
Mutations in Donors’ Stem Cells May Cause Problems for Cancer Patients
Washington University in St. Louis

A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that extremely rare, harmful genetic mutations present in healthy donors’ stem cells — though not causing health problems in the donors — may be passed on to cancer patients receiving stem cell transplants, potentially creating health problems for the recipients. Among the concerns are heart damage, graft-versus-host disease and possible new leukemias.

Released: 13-Jan-2020 2:40 PM EST
Black Workers’ Status in a Company Informs Perceptions of Workplace Racial Discrimination
Washington University in St. Louis

“Research shows that black individuals encounter an enormous amount of racial discrimination in the workplace, including exclusion from critical social networks, wage disparities and hiring disadvantages,” said Adia Harvey Wingfield, co-author of the study “Getting In, Getting Hired, Getting Sideways Looks: Organizational Hierarchy and Perceptions of Racial Discrimination."

10-Jan-2020 5:05 PM EST
Investigational drugs block bone loss in mice receiving chemotherapy
Washington University in St. Louis

Studying mice, researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found a driver of bone loss related to cancer treatment — cellular senescence. This process is independent of hormones related to bone health, such as estrogen. Such bone loss can be stopped by treating the mice with either of two investigational drugs already being evaluated in clinical trials.

Released: 10-Jan-2020 4:15 PM EST
SuperTIGER on its second prowl — 130,000 feet above Antarctica
Washington University in St. Louis

A balloon-borne scientific instrument designed to study the origin of cosmic rays is taking its second turn high above the continent of Antarctica three and a half weeks after its launch. SuperTIGER (Super Trans-Iron Galactic Element Recorder) is designed to measure the rare, heavy elements in cosmic rays that hold clues about their origins outside of the solar system.

Released: 9-Jan-2020 11:05 AM EST
Toward a smarter way of recharging the aquifer
Washington University in St. Louis

Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis have solved a mystery: How did arsenic show up in aquifer water that had been triple purified? Dissolved organic compounds.

Released: 7-Jan-2020 3:35 PM EST
WashU Expert: Soleimani killing likely unlawful
Washington University in St. Louis

Thousands of mourners have taken to the streets in Iran following the Jan. 3 death of Qasem Soleimani, commander of Iran’s Quds Force. Many questions remain following the U.S. drone strike in Iraq and Iran’s posturing about potential retaliation. Chief among them: Was the strike legal?“Unless there is much more to the story than meets the eye, the answer seems to be no,” said Leila Sadat, the James Carr Professor of International Criminal Law at Washington University in St.

Released: 2-Jan-2020 6:00 AM EST
Switching tracks: Reversing electrons’ course through nature’s solar cells
Washington University in St. Louis

Think of a train coming down the tracks to a switch point where it could go either to the right or the left — and it always goes to the right. Photosynthetic organisms have a similar switch point. New research from Washington University in St. Louis and Argonne National Laboratory coaxes electrons down the track that they typically don’t travel

Released: 27-Dec-2019 12:55 PM EST
Proton Therapy as Effective as Standard Radiation with Fewer Side Effects
Washington University in St. Louis

Cancer patients who receive high-tech proton therapy experience similar cure rates and fewer serious side effects compared with those who undergo traditional X-ray radiation therapy, according to a study led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Released: 27-Dec-2019 12:05 PM EST
New Year's resolution: Wait until spring
Washington University in St. Louis

Tim Bono offers sound advice about where people go wrong when setting New Year’s resolutions.Wait a few months, said Bono, assistant dean for assessment in Student Affairs and lecturer in Psychological & Brain Sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.People tend to see resolutions a black or white, he said, forgetting that change is incremental; being “happier” is a better resolution than being “happy,” for instance.

Released: 27-Dec-2019 3:30 AM EST
Chimpanzees More Likely to Share Tools, Teach Skills When Task Is Complex
Washington University in St. Louis

Teach a chimpanzee to fish for insects to eat, and you feed her for a lifetime. Teach her a better way to use tools in gathering prey, and you may change the course of evolution.For most wild chimpanzees, tool use is an important part of life — but learning these skills is no simple feat. Wild chimpanzees transfer tools to each other, and this behavior has previously been shown to serve as a form of teaching.

   
20-Dec-2019 4:35 PM EST
Why isn’t there a vaccine for staph?
Washington University in St. Louis

A study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis may help explain why previous attempts to develop a staph vaccine have failed, while also suggesting a new approach to vaccine design that focuses on activating an untapped set of immune cells, as well as immunizing against staph within the first few days after birth.

Released: 23-Dec-2019 3:45 PM EST
‘Lost crops’ could have fed as many as maize
Washington University in St. Louis

Make some room in the garden, you storied three sisters: the winter squash, climbing beans and the vegetable we know as corn. Grown together, newly examined “lost crops” could have produced enough seed to feed as many indigenous people as traditionally grown maize, according to new research from Washington University in St.

Released: 19-Dec-2019 6:05 AM EST
Grain traits traced to ‘dark matter’ of rice genome
Washington University in St. Louis

Domesticated rice has fatter seed grains with higher starch content than its wild rice relatives — the result of many generations of preferential seed sorting and sowing. But even though rice was the first crop to be fully sequenced, scientists have only documented a few of the genetic changes that made rice into a staple food for more than half the world’s population.

Released: 18-Dec-2019 1:50 PM EST
New year's resolution: Wait until spring
Washington University in St. Louis

Winter is dark. It's exhausting. It has also features the flu, colds and a tendency to stay indoors. So is Jan. 1 really a good time for resolutions? WashU's Tim Bono has a better idea: Wait a few months.

17-Dec-2019 6:05 PM EST
Scientists find way to supercharge protein production
Washington University in St. Louis

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have found a way to increase protein production in bacteria up to a thousandfold, a discovery that could aid production of proteins used in the medical, food, agriculture, chemical and other industries.

Released: 17-Dec-2019 1:15 PM EST
And then there was light
Washington University in St. Louis

New research from Washington University in St. Louis provides insight into how proteins called phytochromes sense light and contribute to how plants grow. Biologists used sophisticated techniques to structurally define the sequence of events that support the transition between light- and dark-adapted states.

Released: 17-Dec-2019 10:50 AM EST
Division of Computational and Data Sciences marries AI, social science
Washington University in St. Louis

The interdisciplinary Division of Computational and Data Sciences, one of a few of its kind in the country, focuses on turning the computational lens on social sciences. In the new PhD program, students have two advisers, one in computer engineering and one in a social science domain from social work and public health, political science, or psychological and brain sciences.

13-Dec-2019 1:10 PM EST
Asthma severity linked to microbiome of upper airway
Washington University in St. Louis

A new study led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests there is a link between bacteria that live in the upper airway and the severity of asthma symptoms among children with mild to moderate asthma.

10-Dec-2019 1:00 PM EST
Depression, anxiety may hinder healing in young patients with hip pain
Washington University in St. Louis

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that depression and anxiety in patients with hip pain are associated with worse outcomes following hip surgery, including more postsurgical pain, slower recovery and inadequate return to activity.

Released: 10-Dec-2019 3:50 PM EST
WashU Expert: U.S. faces looming ‘future drought’ in helium
Washington University in St. Louis

In a Dec. 10 briefing on Capitol Hill, a Washington University in St. Louis expert testified that steep price increases and “supply shocks” in helium threaten basic research in academic settings and also broader health and industry applications.“Helium is ubiquitous in our lives,” said Sophia E. Hayes, professor of chemistry in Arts & Sciences, in written remarks to a subcommittee of the U.



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