MoDOT to remove Jefferson Avenue bridge over I-64/Highway 40
After the morning rush April 18, the Missouri Department of Transportation will close the Jefferson Avenue bridge over Interstate 64/Highway 40 to prepare for its removal.
Fish prone to melanoma get DNA decoded
Scientists have decoded the genome of the platyfish, a cousin of the guppy and a popular choice for home aquariums. Scientists are interested in the fish because they tend to develop melanomas along the tail and fin.
Mutations identified in childhood brain cancer
Richard K. Wilson, PhD, and colleagues have identified mutations responsible for the most common type of childhood brain cancer and shown that the tumors are susceptible to drugs already in development.
Matt Holliday and mom team with Siteman to promote colon cancer screening
St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday and his mom, Kathy, have teamed up with the Siteman Cancer Center to spread the word about the importance of colon cancer screening.
Tiny wireless device shines light on mouse brain, generating reward
Using a miniature electronic device implanted in the brain, scientists have tapped into the internal reward system of mice, prodding neurons to release dopamine, a chemical associated with pleasure. This LED light can activate brain cells and may lead to the mapping of circuits involved in sleep, depression and addiction.
Obituary: Ira Gall, professor emeritus of clinical obstetrics and gynecology, 84
Ira C. Gall, MD, professor emeritus of clinical obstetrics and gynecology and a strong supporter of Washington University School of Medicine, died Friday, March 29, 2013, from complications of pancreatic cancer.
Are human genes patentable?
On April 15, the Supreme Court will hear oral argument
in Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, a case that
could answer the question, “Under what conditions, if any, are isolated
human genes patentable?” Kevin Emerson Collins, JD, patent law expert
and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis, believes
that layered uncertainties make this case an unusually difficult case in
which to predict the outcome.
Physical therapy often just as good as surgery for knee problem
Either physical therapy or arthroscopic surgery can relieve pain and improve mobility in patients with a torn meniscus and arthritis in the knee, according to researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and six other centers. But the results are not simple because many of the patients assigned to physical therapy eventually had surgery.
Rising melanoma rates among adolescents, children are subject of new study
With springtime temperatures and warm weather approaching, the inclination to spend time outdoors is a strong one – especially for children who have been cooped up all winter. But parents should be vigilant about sunscreen. And teenage girls might want to rethink springtime tanning and tanning beds. A new study out of the Brown School, led by senior author Kimberly J. Johnson, looks at the increase of melanoma in children and adolescents and what those trends might be telling us.
Obituary: Marilyn Krukowski, professor emerita of biology, 80
Marilyn Krukowski, PhD, professor emerita of biology, died Sunday, April 7, 2013, in St. Louis from complications
of multiple sclerosis. She was 80. Krukowski taught vertebrate structure (anatomy) in the Department of Biology for more than 30 years. Her students raved about
the quality of her teaching and often cited the course as the best they ever had taken at Washington University.
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