NBC Today
Prone to UTIs? Try these simple dietary changes
7/13/15
Researchers at WUSM found that the acidity of urine – as well as the presence of small molecules that come from one’s diet – may influence whether bacteria can flourish in the urinary tract. Dr. Jeffrey Henderson published the findings in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Other outlets: Time
Related WUSM news release
New York Times
Colorado’s effort against teenage pregnancies is a startling success
7/5/15
In an article highlighting the success of a Colorado program that offered free long-acting reversible contraception to women, the WUSM Contraceptive CHOICE was referenced. Dr. Jeffrey Peipert explained that the failure rate for the pill was about 5 percent compared to less than 1 percent for implants and IUDs in the CHOICE project. Other outlets:
Huffington Post
Related WUSM news release
U.S. News & World Report
This form of birth control is more effective than having your tubes tied
7/13/15
In an article highlighting the effectiveness of contraceptive implants, The Contraceptive CHOICE project was referenced.
Related WUSM news release
Baltimore Sun
St. Agnes opens emergency department for seniors
7/5/15
In an article highlighting the benefit of emergency departments that tailor care for seniors, much like pediatric emergency departments tailor care for children, Dr. Chris Carpenter’s recently published geriatric emergency guidelines are referenced.
Daily Mail (UK)
Could scientists reverse dementia? Blocking a protein that builds up in the blood ‘helps combat memory loss’
7/7/15
Dr. Anne Fagan recently discovered key markers in the brain and spinal fluid in middle-aged people that could indicate if a person is likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. “It’s too early to use these biomarkers to definitively predict whether individual patients will develop Alzheimer’s disease, but we’re working toward that goal,” she said.
Other outlets:
PsychCentral
Related WUSM news release
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Opinion: We need to rethink the way we use antibiotics
7/1/15
Dr. Victoria Fraser wrote an editorial for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch explaining the seriousness of antibiotic resistance. Following are a few excerpts: “Antibiotic resistance is rising dramatically worldwide, making it one of today’s most pressing public health problems. . . . As a physician specializing in infectious diseases at Washington University School of Medicine, I am all too familiar with these challenges. . . . That’s one of the reasons why a bill to increase funding for the National Institutes of Health by $2 billion in fiscal 2016 is so important. NIH funds critical biomedical research at academic institutions such as Washington University.”
KMOX-AM
Wet weather causes mold buildup inside homes
7/13/15
The wet weather in St. Louis has been causing mold spores to thrive. Dr. H. James Wedner said mold counts are getting up into the 20,000 spores-per- cubic meter range, and that’s pushing mold into homes and causing people to become sick.
St. Louis Business Journal
Siteman Cancer Center earns top federal agency rating
7/10/15
Siteman Cancer Center was awarded an “exceptional” rating by the National Cancer Institute. While the rating speaks to the quality of the center’s research, “it’s also central to the clinical care we provide to nearly 9,000 newly diagnosed cancer patients each year,” said Dr. Timothy Eberlein.
Roanoke Times (Va.)
Beauty pills
6/29/15
In an article highlighting the growing market for supplements and creams to make skin appear younger, dermatologist Dr. Caroline Mann explained that the first thing everyone should do every morning is wear sunscreen and be mindful of sun exposure. She added that some people might be better off trying medical skin treatments that targets skin complaints immediately, before investing in expensive pills and serums that might take months to register modest improvements.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Washington University names new medical school dean
7/6/15
Dr. David Perlmutter was named the new dean of WUSM, succeeding Dr. Larry Shapiro, effective Dec. 1. Perlmutter currently serves as the Vira I. Heinz Endowed Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and is also the physician-in-chief and scientific director of Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. Before his time in Pittsburgh, Perlmutter spent 15 years as a Washington University faculty member. Perlmutter’s wife, Dr. Barbara Cohlan, also will join the WUSM faculty as a professor of pediatrics. Other outlets: Associated Press, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, St. Louis Business Journal
Related WUSM news release
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Feeling stressed St. Louis? A new initiative is here to help
7/6/15
In an article highlighting the Alive and Well STL initiative, Dr. Joan Luby’s research is referenced. Luby founded the Early Emotional Development Program to study early-onset depression in children. Luby noted that there is a link between poverty and adverse brain development in children.
Related WUSM news release
KMOV-TV
Danger of tattoos
7/3/15
Dr. Kathleen Berchelmann discussed the concerns parents should address with their children prior to allowing them to get a tattoo.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Children’s Hospital’s critical care transport team launches scene response program
7/1/15
SLCH is working to improve outcomes for children involved in accidents. Beginning July 1, hospital’s Critical Care Transport Team will offer scene response. It is one of the first pediatric hospitals in the nation to do so and the first in Missouri and Illinois. Other outlets: KPLR-TV,
KTVI-TV Fox 2
KTVI Fox 2
Protect your eyes from fireworks injuries
7/2/15
Dr. Gil Grand explained best practices on how to avoid eye injuries from fireworks during the Fourth of July holiday.
KMOX-AM
New drug may help obesity
7/2/15
Dr. Samuel Klein explained how a new injectable drug may help treat obesity and may affect metabolic functions that could help prevent Type 2 diabetes.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
After cancer, this doctor invented a pill to speed his recovery
6/30/15
Dr. Ken Rybicki had surgery and chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer. He then researched how vitamins and supplements might help him recover. He formulated the supplements into a single tablet and started a company to market his product. He stayed healthy for 13 years and recently died of an unrelated illness.
KPLR 11
Medical device brings life back into local man
6/30/15
Those with heart failure can thrive after receiving a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). Natalie Huelsmann, BSN, RN, mechanical assist device coordinator at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, explained how LVADs work and how it helped a local man.
KMOV-TV
Protect yourself from pool germs this summer
7/1/15
Dr. Matt Kuhlmann explained that chlorine doesn’t kill all germs in swimming pools. He suggested that swimmers try to avoid swallowing pool water and shower before getting into the pool.
WJMN-TV (Marquette, Mich.)
Dancing through Marfan’s
7/8/15
WUSM cardiologist Dr. Alan Braverman explained treatments for Marfan Syndrome. Dr. Braverman lost his father to Marfan’s and has a brother who is living with it. Though there is no cure for Marfan Syndrome, treatment with beta blockers and angiotensin receptor blockers, along with surgery, have increased life expectancy into the 70s.
Related WUSM news release
KABC-TV (Los Angeles, Ca.)
Personalized vaccine used to battle skin cancer
7/1/15
Dr. Gerald Linette is working on a customizable vaccine to prevent melanoma recurrence. By sequencing a patient’s cancer genome, a vaccine is made to help the immune system identify the cancer cells and destroy them. “Cancer medicine is in the midst of the very dramatic shift away from a conventional set of toxic chemotherapies toward new treatments and approaches that can exploit genetic changes or alterations in the cancer genome,” Linette said.
Other Outlets: WTVM-TV (Columbus, Ga.), WNDU-TV (South Bend, In.),
KSAT-TV (San Antonio, Tx.), WAAY-TV (Huntsville, Al.)
Related WUSM news release
KTVI-TV Fox 2
New study finds link between orange juice and skin cancer
7/1/15
New research published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology showed a link between consumption of citrus fruits – eating grapefruits and drinking orange juice – and melanoma. Dr. Ryan Fields explained that while the study was interesting, more research is needed before it’s recommended that people curb their consumption of citrus fruits. Other outlets:
KMOX-AM, Delhi Daily News (India)
KMOV-TV
Sleep paralysis
7/13/15
Dr. Kelvin Yamada from Washington University School of Medicine explained the science behind sleep paralysis.
KTVI-TV Fox 2
Rising egg prices spur search for healthy alternatives
6/12/15
The price of eggs continues to rise. BJH clinical dietitian Katie Lambert, RD, offered healthy egg alternatives.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Mallinckrodt takes on FDA in fight over ADHD generic
7/3/15
Dr. Paul Glaser weighed in on whether a generic ADHD drug should remain on the market if it doesn’t have the same therapeutic effect as the brand- name drug.
Psych Central
Preemies don’t show typical signs of autism in early infancy
7/2/15
A small study led by Dr. Bobbi Pineda at WUSM indicated that premature infants who avoid eye contact are less likely to demonstrate symptoms of autism at age 2 than preemies who maintain eye contact during early interactions. Other outlets: Health Canal, Epoch Times, Gazette Review, (Minneapolis, MN)
Related WUSM news release
St. Louis Medical News
Physician Spotlight
7/8/15
Dr. Nathan Moore discussed the newest edition of his book, The Health Care Handbook, which serves as a user-friendly guide for those looking to navigate the new health care landscape.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Planning routes around the Kingshighway bridge closure
7/4/15
With the Kingshighway bridge closed from Vandeventer Avenue to Shaw Avenue for bridge construction, BJH has identified several routes for ambulances to take.
Medical Xpress
Human urine helps prevent bacteria from sticking to bladder cells
6/30/15
Recently published WUSM research revealed a weakness that could be exploited to develop more effective, non-antibiotic treatments for UTIs. “This study gives us a better understanding of the mechanism by which bacteria are able to colonize the urinary tract,” said study author Dr. Scott Hultgren. “Like an electrician, we have a molecular blueprint of the process, and we can try to find a node to short circuit the pathogenic cascade.”
Slate
Are cats really wild animals?
7/6/15
Dr. Wes Warren explained that cats are not considered domesticated animals and this plays out on a genetic level. He said that there are 10 times more molecular signatures of domestication in dogs than in cats.
Cats, Warren said, should really be thought of as a subspecies of wild cats while dogs are more like their own species.
Related WUSM news release
Care2.com
The sipping point: why are women now drinking more than ever?
6/30/15
Dr. Richard Grucza discussed his research in an article exploring reasons as to why women drink. Grucza explained that heavy drinking begins in college for many women. Even though women outnumber men on college campuses today, activities still are dominated by male culture and that involves a lot of drinking.
Washington Examiner
Where colon cancer kills the most people
7/8/15
In an article highlighting how colon cancer diagnoses have shifted geographically and how the colon cancer death rate has decreased by half in the last few decades, Dr. Graham Colditz commented.
Mother Nature Network
10 powerful food pairings
7/1/15
Registered dietitian Marilyn Tanner-Blaiser explained how some foods, when eaten together, offer more nutrition than when eaten separately. And, she said, don’t go with fat-free salad dressing. “A little bit of fat is what you need to absorb those fat-soluble vitamins that dark, leafy greens have,” she said.
Healio
Hand hygiene, not census, impacts MRSA colonization in NICU
7/6/15
Dr. Samuel Julian found that hand washing was the only variable that affected MRSA rates in both single-patient rooms and open-model rooms in a neonatal ICU. In addition, single-patient rooms did not reduce the rates of MRSA colonization. “In this analysis, average census positively correlated with MRSA colonization only within the single-patient room configuration,” Julian wrote. “Increased vigilance is required during periods of high census, with particular attention paid to hand hygiene, the only variable that affected MRSA colonization.”
News & Star (UK)
Brave Cumbrian teen closer to walking after life-changing operations
7/8/15
Fourteen-year-old James Burns traveled from England for selective dorsal rhizotomy with Dr. T.S. Park to relieve muscle spasticity in his legs caused by cerebral palsy. The procedure has drawn hundreds of families from multiple countries to SLCH. Similar stories in Global News, Daily Post, Chronicle Live, Herald Sun.
