BY JULIA EVANGELOU STRAIT

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine are establishing an international collaboration that aims to help scientists prepare for the next pandemic and, perhaps, provide insight into the current one.

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BY JULIA EVANGELOU STRAIT

The spiral-shaped cochlea of the inner ear is responsible for detecting sound. Inner hair cells lining the cochlea transform the mechanical vibrations of sound waves into chemical signals. These chemicals—primarily one called glutamate—are then released from the hair cells and received by glutamate receptors on auditory nerve fibers. These fibers then send electrical impulses to the brain. There, the signals are interpreted as language, music or signs of danger, for example.

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BY JULIA EVANGELOU STRAIT

In recent years, cancer immunotherapy drugs have revolutionized the treatment of certain cancers, such as lymphoma, lung cancer and melanoma. This kind of treatment works by triggering the body’s immune system to attack tumors. Some people respond well to immunotherapy drugs, while others don’t respond at all. Cancer immunologists want to change that.

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BY JULIA EVANGELOU STRAIT

The current age of cancer care employs surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, in combination or alone, to eradicate tumors and offer the potential for remission. But the side effects of some of these therapies can introduce new complications requiring additional treatment. Oncologists and their patients work in tandem to fight the disease in ways that preserve life and protect health with as little risk as possible.

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BY TAMARA BHANDARI

More than 1 million people in the United States have inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD. This condition, which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, causes miserable episodes of abdominal pain, diarrhea and in severe cases, rectal bleeding, making life for those afflicted with the disease especially difficult.

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BY TAMARA BHANDARI

Up to two decades before people develop the characteristic memory loss and confusion of Alzheimer’s disease, damaging clumps of protein start to build up in their brains. And there is growing consensus among neurologists that Alzheimer’s treatment needs to begin as early as possible, ideally before any cognitive symptoms arise. By the time people become forgetful, their brains are so severely damaged no therapy is likely to fully heal them.

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Significant brain damage from Alzheimer’s disease can occur years before symptoms such as memory loss and cognitive decline appear. Scientists estimate that Alzheimer’s-related plaques can build up in the brain two decades before the onset of symptoms, so researchers have been looking for ways to detect the disease sooner. Currently, physicians use PET scans and lumbar punctures to help diagnose Alzheimer’s, but these tests are expensive and invasive.

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In the United States, overall rates of new colorectal cancer cases and deaths from the disease have decreased steadily since 1980, largely owing to recommended colonoscopy screening starting at age 50. However, for reasons that remain unknown, new cases of, and deaths due to, both colon and rectal cancers have been increasing for younger adults ages 20 to 49.

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Two new studies answer important questions about the process of giving birth. The findings may help pregnant women, working with their obstetricians, make choices that will benefit their health and that of their babies.

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Among organ transplant patients, those receiving new lungs face a higher rate of organ failure and death compared with people undergoing heart, kidney and liver transplants. One of the culprits is inflammation that damages the newly transplanted lung.

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Most people with glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer, die less than 18 months after diagnosis. But a multicenter clinical trial of a personalized vaccine that targets this aggressive cancer has indicated improved survival rates for these patients.

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Children as young as 3 can be clinically depressed, and often that depression recurs as kids get older and go to school. It also can reappear during adolescence and throughout life.

But it is possible to effectively treat depression in these children. New research demonstrates that an interactive therapy involving parents and their depressed children can reduce rates of depression and lower the severity of children’s symptoms.

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Antibiotic drugs are lethal to bacteria. And they can be lifesaving for people suffering from serious bacterial infections such as pneumonia and meningitis. But some bacteria are fighting back by developing resistance to antibiotics. And a few of these determined bugs manage to not only resist death by antibiotics, but also turn the lethal drugs into food.

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Suicide is one of the top 10 causes of death in the united states and is the 10th leading cause of death in missouri. Among Missourians ages 10-24, suicide is the second leading cause of death. On average, one person in the state dies by suicide every eight hours.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine are studying the use of nitrous oxide, also called laughing gas, as a treatment for people who are hospitalized due to suicidal thoughts. They are investigating using the gas as a possible treatment to speed up recovery and reduce risk of suicide.

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Millions of americans take prescription drugs called PPIs, or proton pump inhibitors, to treat heartburn, ulcers and other gastrointestinal problems. And many of these PPIs are widely available as over-the-counter drugs under brand names that include Prevacid, Prilosec, Nexium and Protonix. While ppis are effective at reducing stomach acid, they have also been linked to health problems, including low magnesium levels, bone fractures and the gut infection C. Difficile.

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Microbes that live in the gut don’t just digest food. They also have far-reaching effects on the immune system. A new study shows that a particular gut microbe can prevent severe flu infections in mice, likely by breaking down naturally occurring compounds called flavonoids. These compounds are commonly found in foods such as black tea, red wine and blueberries.

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People who suffer itching with no clear cause may have previously unrecognized immune system defects. “As doctors, we throw things like antihistamines, ointments and lotions at patients who suffer chronic itching, but if there is something profoundly abnormal about the immune system — as it appears there is — then we can’t solve the itching until we address those underlying causes,” says washington university dermatologist and researcher Brian Kim, MD.

(LEFT) MEDICAL STUDENT AMY XU AND PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR BRIAN KIM, MD, FOUND THAT IMMUNE SYSTEM DEFECTS MAY HELP EXPLAIN CHRONIC ITCHING.
Photo by Robert Boston

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