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The search for the cause of an inherited form of a rare, aggressive childhood lung cancer has uncovered important information about how the cancer develops and potentially sheds light on the development of other cancers. The finding by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and collaborating institutions adds the final link to the chain connecting the gene DICER1 to cancer development.

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Every year, thousands of parents learn of their children's food allergies following a reaction that can affect many body systems, including the skin, respiratory, gastrointestinal, and/or cardiovascular systems. About 2 million school age children have food allergy, and one child in 20 under age 3 has food allergy.

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The Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition (SEIC) winners will be named April 23 at Washington University in St. Louis. Five finalists remain in the race for the largest award pool for non-profit ventures in the U.S. More than 40 entrants competed this yearin the SEIC which was inaugurated four years ago to stimulate entrepreneurial solutions to the area's social problems.

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With eight basic medical facts in hand, doctors can now estimate the risk of bleeding for a patient having a heart attack. Using clinical variables, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Duke University and collaborating institutions have created a new method to estimate bleeding risk and help lessen the chances that heart attack patients will experience this common complication.

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A test developed by physician-scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis may help assess whether certain Alzheimer's drugs are hitting their target.

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Even as the United States faces the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, businesses are spending more money on innovation, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report. Keith Sawyer, Ph.D., assistant professor of education and psychology at Washington University in St. Louis and one of the country's leading experts on the science of creativity, says that investing in innovation is one of the best ways to beat the recession.

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For years, microbiologist Stephen Beverley, Ph.D., has tried to get the disease-causing parasite Leishmania in the mood for love. In this week's Science, he and colleagues at the National Institutes of Health report that they may have finally found the answer: Cram enough Leishmania into the gut of an insect known as the sand fly, and the parasite will have sex.

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A study of adults with inadequate asthma control without significant heartburn shows that heartburn medication does not help control their asthma symptoms. The study, conducted by the American Lung Association's Asthma Clinical Research Centers at 20 U.S. sites, including Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is the most comprehensive to date.

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Tutoring children in and after school isn't new, but how much does it really help in critical areas like reading? Rigorous new research from Washington University in St. Louis shows significant gains from a national service program that trains experienced Americans to help low-income children one-on-one in urban public schools. The central finding: Over a single school year, students with Experience Corps tutors made over 60 percent more progress in learning two critical reading skills "” sounding out new words and reading comprehension "” than similar students not served by the program.

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"'Meetings on the Move' is an inexpensive, easy way to improve health and productivity," says Tim McBride, Ph.D., associate dean for public health at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. Meetings on the Move (MOTM) get employees on their feet and out of the office environment. Researchers offer tips and benefits to holding a MOTM.

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A new theory about sleep's benefits for the brain gets a boost from fruit flies in this week's Science. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that sleep, already recognized as a promoter of long-term memories, also helps clear room in the brain for new learning.

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Patients with severe heart failure can be bridged to eventual transplant by a new, smaller and lighter implantable heart pump, according to a just-completed study of the device. Results of this third-generation heart assist device were reported at the 58th annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology on March 30.

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Scientists who first established a link between obesity and the trillions of friendly microbes that live in the intestine now are investigating whether the organisms can contribute to the converse: severe malnutrition.

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Detectives on television shows often spray crime scenes with a compound called luminol to make blood glow. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have applied the same compound to much smaller crime scenes: sites where the immune system attacks the body's own tissues.

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Our internal 24-hour clock or circadian rhythm creates a daily oscillation of body temperature, brain activity, hormone production and metabolism. Now researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Northwestern University report finding how the biological circadian clock mechanism communicates with processes that govern aging and metabolism.

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Nationally recognized StoryCorps will visit the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine April 17-21 as part of a collaborative project to better understand how parents with cancer discuss the diagnosis with their children. This visit is the first time that StoryCorps has partnered to collect the stories of cancer survivors on a single topic.

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The prostate cancer screening tests that have become an annual ritual for many men don't appear to reduce deaths from the disease among those with a limited life-expectancy, according to early results of a major U.S. study involving 75,000 men.

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Scientists have identified the first gene that pulls the plug on ailing nerve cell branches from within the nerve cell, possibly helping trigger the painful condition known as neuropathy, which can afflict patients with cancer, diabetes, kidney failure and other disorders.

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Tutors over 55 who help young students on a regular basis experience positive physical and mental health outcomes, according to studies released by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The tutors studied were members of Experience Corps, an award-winning organization that trains thousands of people over 55 to tutor children in urban public schools across the country. Video Available.

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An enzyme researchers have studied for years because of its potential connections to cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and stroke, appears to have yet another major role to play: helping create and maintain the brain.

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Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have linked a potential indicator of Alzheimer's disease to brain damage in humans with no signs of mental impairment.

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Patent and copyright law are stifling innovation and threatening the global economy according to two economists at Washington University in St. Louis in a new book, Against Intellectual Monopoly. Professors Michele Boldrin and David K. Levine call for abolishing the current patent and copyright system in order to unleash innovations necessary to reverse the current recession and rescue the economy. The professors discuss their stand against intellectual property protections in a video and news release linked here.

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A history of major depression increases the risk of heart disease over and above any genetic risks common to depression and heart disease, according to researchers at the School of Medicine and the VA. The findings are reported this week at the annual meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society this week in Chicago.

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Spine surgeons at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and other U.S. centers are reporting that artificial disc replacement works as well and often better than spinal fusion surgery. The two procedures are performed on patients with damaged discs in the neck.

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The decision to treat stroke is typically reserved for attending physicians, but a new study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Barnes-Jewish Hospital has found that medical residents with appropriate training can safely administer stroke treatment.

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Faculty, students and staff on Washington University in St. Louis' Danforth, North and West campuses no longer can find bottled water in vending machines or at most campus eateries. Because of concerns about the environmental impact of bottled water, WUSTL ended sales of the product in January, and administrative offices no longer offer bottled water at events and meetings.

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Bacteria that cause urinary tract infections (UTIs) make more tools for stealing from their host than friendly versions of the same bacteria found in the gut, providing a potential way for researchers to target the bad bacteria without adversely affecting the good strains.

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Each year in the United States, doctors start about 2 million patients on warfarin, an anticoagulant drug that's notoriously hard to administer. Now a study from the International Warfarin Pharmacogenetics Consortium, which includes researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, confirms that using a patient's genetic information can make it easier to get the warfarin dose right.

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Children whose asthma improved while taking steroid drugs for several years did not see those improvements continue after stopping the drugs, new results from a comprehensive childhood asthma study show.

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Washington University will host a national meeting March 4-6 on behalf of the NIH Office of Research in Women's Health as it begins to develop research priorities for the next decade. The meeting begins with a public hearing to gather input from scientists, health-care providers, patients, community groups, advocacy groups and other interested parties.

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An ambitious new study has added considerable weight to the claim that exercise can lower the risk for colon cancer. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Harvard University combined and analyzed several decades worth of data from past studies and found that people who exercised the most were 24 percent less likely to develop the colon cancer than those who exercised the least.

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Winners of the Olin Cup launch high-tech ventures to make custom-fit earbuds and to offer interactive, multi-media tutoring for math and science students via the web. Annual competition at Washington University in St. Louis mentors growing number of student entrepreneurs eager to launch new businesses despite the recession.

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A set of 50 genes can be used to reliably identify the four known types of breast cancer, according to research conducted at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and collaborating institutions. Using this 50-gene set, oncologists can potentially predict the most effective therapy for each breast tumor type and thereby personalize breast cancer treatment for all patients.

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Neurobiologists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified pathways that allow microscopic worms to survive in a low-oxygen, or hypoxic, environment. They believe the finding could have implications for conditions such as stroke, heart attack and cancer. Sensitivity to low oxygen helps determine how damaging those medical conditions can be.

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Researchers seeking ways to defeat malaria have found a way to get help from the parasite that causes the disease. They let one of the deadliest strains of malaria do a significant portion of the genetic engineering work in their new study.

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Brain processes stories as though they were real: A brain-imaging study is shedding light on what it means to "get lost" in a good book "” suggesting that readers create vivid mental simulations of the sounds, sights, tastes and movements described in a textual narrative while simultaneously activating brain regions used to process similar experiences in real life.

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Half of the immune system has a hidden talent. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered that the innate immune system has cells that learn from experience and fight better when called into battle again, providing a new way to adjust immune responsiveness.

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Two international teams of researchers have made significant gains in understanding the genetic basis of psoriasis, a chronic skin condition that can be debilitating in some patients. Their research, involving thousands of patients, is reported in two studies published this week in the advance online Nature Genetics.

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Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown they can tease apart a complex genetic trait to reveal the precise genetic variations that combined to produce it. The research suggests scientists need better statistical models to understand how genetic interactions influence the risk of common diseases.

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Many older adults worry "” a lot. Almost one in 10 Americans over age 60 suffer from an anxiety disorder that causes them to worry excessively about normal things "” like health, finances, disability and family. Although antidepressant drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) can improve anxiety symptoms in younger adults, little has been known about their effects in older people.

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Losing a job usually comes with the double whammy of losing any employer-sponsored health insurance. Timothy McBride, Ph.D., leading health economist and associate dean for public health at WUSTL's George Warren Brown School of Social Work, is available to discuss current coverage options and the future of health insurance for low-income people.

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What if free exercise classes were offered in public spaces such as parks, beaches and recreation centers? When a city government in Brazil tried such a program, it greatly increased physical activity among community members. A group of health researchers who studied the program believes it could also work in U.S. cities with warm climates.

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The more an animal walks during the day, the less energy it has to reproduce. Makes sense right? Not so fast, say two researchers at Washington University in St. Louis. They claim, based on a study of 161 mammalian species, that on average, animals which travel the longest distance each day to find food have the most offspring. The study, the first of its kind aimed at disproving the long-standing theory that more walking equates to less reproduction, was conducted by Herman Pontzer, Ph.D., assistant professor, and Jason Kamilar, Ph.D., research associate, both in anthropology in Arts & Sciences.

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In small towns in the Midwestern United States, people who eat out often at buffets and cafeterias and who perceive their community to be unpleasant for physical activity are more likely to be obese.

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Weekly YouTube videos posted by President-elect Obama are missing their mark if change is the goal according to Jackson Nickerson, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis. Nickerson, a professor of organization and strategy at the Olin Business School, has developed a set of web-based techniques that allow executives to lead and accelerate change within their organizations.

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One of the most pernicious aspects of multiple sclerosis (MS) "” its sheer unpredictability "” may finally be starting to yield to advanced medical imaging techniques.

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A program at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and St. Louis Children's Hospital designed to increase awareness about sickle cell disease and the importance of blood donations within the African-American faith community led to a 60 percent increase in first-time blood donations, a new study has found.

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In November, California citizens passed Proposition 8 upholding the idea that marriage is defined as and limited to the union of one man with one woman. The vote has given encouragement to many in other states who want to pass similar legislation. The United States is about to enter a period of legal upheaval on the question of marriage in the civil law, suggest Frank K. Flinn, Ph.D., adjunct professor of religious studies in Arts & Sciences. His proposal? Give marriage to the churches and let the state define civil unions.

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Stepping onto a scale after a calorie-filled holiday season isn't an activity many 21st-century Americans relish. But in the late 19th century, scales were all the rage at festive gatherings "” the 1800s' answer to Guitar Hero. "A family would think it fun to weigh themselves before and after a big holiday dinner to see how much they had gained," said Deborah I. Levine, Ph.D.

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Estrogen-receptor positive metastatic breast cancer often develops resistance to conventional therapies designed to severely lower a woman's estrogen level. A group of researchers headed by a breast cancer specialist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has found that in one-third of these cases, such tumors will respond, paradoxically, to therapy that raises a woman's estrogen level.