Researchers at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found a way to help more patients who want to stop smoking. The successful strategy involves using electronic medical records to help identify smokers when they visit their oncologists and offering help with quitting during such visits.

Scientists report they have located an area in the mouse genome where genetic variation is associated with differences in the mutation rate between individuals. Every organism is born with a few mutations in their genome that differ genetically from both of their parents. Such changes in an individual’s genetic code create the diversity that allows nature to select advantageous traits that drive the evolution of a species. The type of mutations and the rate at which they appear vary between individuals and species. To locate the mutator allele, the investigators sequenced the genomes of inbred mice. The region they found to be associated with the higher mutation rate is known to contain 76 genes. A subsequent analysis to see which gene might cause the higher mutation rate led them to a gene called Mutyh. This gene encodes a protein involved in DNA replication and repair. It already had been linked to some cancer syndromes in humans. Other nearby genes might play a role in an increased rate of mutations in these mice, but Mutyh is the current prime suspect.

UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers report effective anti-vaping advertisements geared to teens have the greatest impact when they emphasize the adverse consequences and harms of vaping e-cigarettes, use negative imagery, and avoid memes, hashtags and other “teen-centric” communication styles.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Saint Louis University found that less than half of Americans who received treatment for opioid use disorder over a five-year period were offered a potentially lifesaving medication. The numbers were even lower for those with what’s known as polysubstance use disorder — when opioid users also misuse other substances.