pickleball & injury | Researchers at St. Louis University have revealed new insights into injury patterns among pickleball players. The study found that unlike with most sports and physical activity, increased Body Mass Index (BMI) did not increase the odds of injury. It also found that 68.5% of participants reported at least one injury over the past 12 months, with 40.8% of that number experiencing a severe enough injury to result in at least one day of missed pickleball play or other forms of exercise. The most commonly reported injured body part was the knee at 29.1%, followed by lower extremities (26.9%), shoulder (22.2%), back (19.9%) and elbow (18.4%).
detecting blood cancer
As we age, the DNA in replicated cells can acquire mutations when the sequence is copied. Most mutations are harmless, but some can lead to cancer. A new study from Washington University School of Medicine shows that acquired mutations in blood stem cells interact with inherited genetic mutations in critical ways that can impact a person’s lifetime risk of developing blood cancer. “Our study is a first look at the inherited genetic background that is providing the soil, so to speak, and we’re seeing what undesirable seeds that are acquired later in life are more or less likely to grow from that soil,” says Dr. Kelly Bolton, an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Oncology. “The goal is to stamp out the weeds early, before they can take root and become full-blown cancer.”
outstanding care
St. Luke’s Home Health has been recognized by Strategic Healthcare Programs (SHP) as a “Superior Performer” for achieving an overall patient experience score that ranked in the top 20% of all eligible SHP clients—more than 3,200 home health providers across the country. SHP maintains the largest Health Care Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems benchmark database in the United States, making it uniquely positioned to identify organizations that prioritize patient experience, staff development and innovative operational strategies. This is the fifth consecutive year that St. Luke’s Home Health has received the distinction.
cell healing
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine are looking at the ways cells purge waste for insights into healing after injury. Following injury, cells have regulated responses to promote healing, including a
self-destruction process that cleans up dead and damaged cells. This leads to older cells reverting to younger states. Looking at mouse models, the team found that a previously unknown cellular purging process may help injured cells revert to a stem cell-like state more rapidly. This response was dubbed ‘cathartocytosis,’ and the discovery may shed light on how the healing process can go wrong, including the development of cancer.