Occupational Therapy News and Research

RSS

New WashU center aims to transform disease diagnosis through AI imaging

Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology (MIR) at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is establishing a new center dedicated to developing AI-based imaging tools to improve the diagnosis and precision treatment of cancers, cardiovascular disease, neurological diseases and numerous other conditions.

3 Nov 2025

Study reports increase in leg and foot amputations in Illinois hospitals from 2016 to 2023

Rates of leg and foot amputations in Illinois hospitals increased 65% between 2016 and 2023, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study.

31 Oct 2025

So your insurance dropped your doctor. Now what?

Last winter, Amber Wingler started getting a series of increasingly urgent messages from the local hospital in Columbia, Missouri, letting her know her family's health care might soon be upended.

29 Oct 2025

Excess mortality associated with chronic pain can be avoided through spinal cord stimulation

Treating chronic neuropathic pain with spinal cord stimulation may help prevent excess mortality associated with chronic pain, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital shows.

27 Oct 2025

Enhancing early diagnosis of developmental delays in Pennsylvania's children

Children who are mistreated at a young age are more likely to experience a wide range of developmental delays and health problems, according to Christian Connell, Ken Young Family Professor in Healthy Children and professor of human development and family studies at Penn State.

24 Oct 2025

Disruption of glial circadian rhythms linked to Alzheimer's disease progression

Alzheimer's disease is notorious for scrambling patients' daily rhythms. Restless nights with little sleep and increased napping during the day are early indicators of disease onset, while sundowning, or confusion later in the day, is typical for later stages of the disease.

23 Oct 2025

Family conflict and peer pressure drive teen mental health risks

A new study from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis provides some answers.

16 Oct 2025

WashU startup Prognosia acquired by Lunit to advance AI-based breast cancer prediction

An innovative biotech startup founded by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has been acquired by Lunit, a leading company in developing AI-based technologies for cancer prevention and early detection.

14 Oct 2025

Discovery opens up new avenues for treating rotavirus infections

Rotavirus causes severe dehydrating diarrhea in infants and young children, contributing to more than 128,500 deaths per year globally despite widespread vaccination efforts.

7 Oct 2025

Peroxisomes identified as alternative heat producers in brown fat

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a novel way brown fat - an energy-burning form of fat - can rev the body's metabolic engine, consuming cellular fuel and producing heat in a way that improves metabolic health.

17 Sep 2025

Parents report life changing benefits of mobility assistance dogs for children with walking impairments

Parents of children with variable levels of walking impairment perceive significant quality of life improvements in their children after six months of living with a mobility assistance dog, according to the first qualitative assessment of its type that provides important evidence in an area of growing therapeutic interest.

13 Sep 2025

Postpartum mothers more likely to be cured of hepatitis C with bedside treatment

Hepatitis C, a bloodborne virus that damages the liver, can cause cirrhosis, liver cancer, liver failure and death if left untreated.

11 Sep 2025

Glutamate receptors found to drive pediatric brain tumor development

The most common type of brain tumor in children, pilocytic astrocytoma (PA), accounts for about 15% of all pediatric brain tumors.

1 Sep 2025

Cellular purging process may help injured cells revert to stem cell-like state more rapidly

Now, a new study in mice led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Baylor College of Medicine reveals a previously unknown cellular purging process that may help injured cells revert to a stem cell-like state more rapidly.

29 Aug 2025

Boston University launches project to improve colonoscopy access for autistic adults

Boston University has been approved for a funding award through the Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award Program, an initiative of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).

21 Aug 2025

Leg movement variability provides reliable marker of dystonia in pediatric cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy affects around one in 345 children in the U.S., and more than half of them experience a problem called dystonia - involuntary and often painful muscle contractions, most commonly in the legs, that lead to abnormal movement and postures and make regular activities such as walking difficult.

14 Aug 2025

FDA Breakthrough Device designation granted for AI-based mammogram analysis tool

A new technology that harnesses AI to analyze mammograms and improve the accuracy of predicting a woman's personalized five-year risk of developing breast cancer has received Breakthrough Device designation from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

30 Jul 2025

Weill Cornell Medicine launches study to advance treatments for rare neurological disorder

A $1.1 million grant from the parent-caregiver-led Rare Bird Foundation to Weill Cornell Medicine is supporting the launch of a natural history study for a rare neurodevelopmental disorder that causes developmental delays and seizures called MEF2C Haploinsufficiency syndrome (MCHS).

23 Jul 2025

How to find the right medical rehab services

Rehabilitation therapy can be a godsend after hospitalization for a stroke, a fall, an accident, a joint replacement, a severe burn, or a spinal cord injury, among other conditions.

15 Jul 2025

Even grave errors at rehab hospitals go unpenalized and undisclosed

Rehab hospitals that help people recover from major surgeries and injuries have become a highly lucrative slice of the health care business.