A commonly available oral diuretic pill approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration may be a potential candidate for an Alzheimer’s disease treatment for those who are at genetic risk, according to findings published in Nature Aging. The research included analysis showing that those who took bumetanide—a commonly used and…
Personality traits associated with hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease
New research from the Florida State University College of Medicine found that changes in the brain associated with Alzheimer's disease are often visible early on in individuals with personality traits associated with the condition. The study focused on two traits previously linked to the risk of dementia: neuroticism, which measures…
$6 million CDC grant to support U-M researchers in reducing youth firearm violence
Middle- and high school-age children across the United States are more likely to die as the result of a firearm injury than from any other single cause of death. A $6 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded this week to the University of Michigan will…
$2.6 million funding supports PRIME programs on health equity and Native American health
University of California San Diego School of Medicine will receive $2.6 million to expand its existing Program in Medical Education (PRIME) on healthy equity, and launch a new PRIME program focused on Native American health. The funding is part of a larger $12.9 million budget to fund all UC PRIME…
Study reflects shortcomings in how the U.S. handles care for people with opioid addiction
As opioid overdose deaths rose during the COVID-19 pandemic, people seeking treatment for opioid addiction had to wait nearly twice as long to begin methadone treatment in the United States than in Canada, a new Yale study has shown. In both countries during the pandemic, about one in 10 methadone…
School of Medicine staff members honored with 2020, 2021 service awards
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 and 2021 have been like nothing before. As the Washington University Medical Campus emerges from the intensity of the pandemic, Medical Campus leaders have chosen staff members to honor with service awards for their work and dedication during these two trying years. “It is…
Plant-derived compound isorhamnetin may have antiviral potential against SARS-CoV-2
The lack of new or repurposed drugs to treat patients with severe or critical coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been one of the biggest hurdles to reducing mortality rates in the ongoing pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). A new study, published online in the…
Imbalanced bacterial community in the gums linked to Alzheimer's disease biomarker
Older adults with more harmful than healthy bacteria in their gums are more likely to have evidence for amyloid beta–a key biomarker for Alzheimer's disease–in their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), according to new research from NYU College of Dentistry and Weill Cornell Medicine. However, this imbalance in oral bacteria was not…
Natural selection and adaptation of SARS-CoV-2 in mammals
Researchers of the Hubei University of Medicine, China, have analyzed several mutations in different variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from mammal species that suggest natural selection and host adaptation are occurring in the virus. A pre-print version of the research paper is available to read in…
Cavity shave margin resection reduces the rate of positive margins in patients with DCIS
According to the American Cancer Society, a noninvasive breast cancer called ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) accounts for approximately one of every four new breast cancer cases in the United States. If left untreated, DCIS has the potential to evolve into invasive cancer, so many patients choose to have breast-conserving…
Specific gene may play a causal role in heart disease independent of cholesterol levels
High cholesterol is the most commonly understood cause of atherosclerosis, a hardening of the arteries that raises the risk of heart attack and stroke. But now, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a gene that likely plays a causal role in coronary artery disease…