Medicine & Health

A protein that helps the brain develop early in life can fight the mental fuzziness induced by sleep deprivation, according to Paul Shaw, PhD, a researcher at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Youngjee Choi’s undergraduate degrees in psychology and philosophy–neuroscience–psychology paired with summer research experiences prepared her well for her interest in academic medicine. Choi will graduate May 20 with a medical degree from the School of Medicine.

Walter F. Ballinger II, MD, former head of the Department of Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine, died Friday, April 29, 2011, of pneumonia at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. He was 85.

Higher levels of cellular chatter boosts levels of amyloid beta in the brain regions that Alzheimer’s hits first, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report. Amyloid beta is the main ingredient of the plaque lesions that are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s. The finding may help explain why areas that are most active when the brain rests are often among the first to develop these plaques, according to the researchers.

To kick off a new Styrofoam recycling program at the School of Medicine this month, members of about 15 labs in the Department of Molecular Microbiology loaded one-year’s worth of Styrofoam into a 52-foot 18-wheeler truck April 28. Employees spent one hour loading the Styrofoam into the truck, which was filled about halfway.

At 37, Eric Leuthardt, MD, assistant professor of neurosurgery, is No. 5 on a list of the world’s 100 most prolific patent holders. He posts entries to his blog, Brains and Machines, on Tumblr about general brain science and his own work as a surgeon, teacher, researcher and inventor. He directs the Center for Innovation in Neuroscience and Technology, and he has just sent drafts of his first novel to prospective publishers.

Paul R. Manske, MD, professor of orthopaedic surgery, died Wednesday, April 20, 2011, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital of an extended illness. He was 72. Manske, a hand surgeon at Washington University since the late 1960s, was chairman of the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery from 1983-1995. In addition, he was formerly orthopedic surgeon in chief at Barnes Hospital and director of hand surgery at Shriner’s Hospital for Children.

As fuel prices soar, food prices are beginning to creep up to crisis levels most recently seen in 2007. “Coupled with the financial crisis, high food prices can take a significant toll on nutrition, especially in developing countries,” says Lora Iannotti, PhD. “The same consequences can be true for wealthier countries, as households opt for less expensive, poor quality foods. Hidden hunger is a problem across the globe.”

Cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins may help clot-busting drugs treat strokes, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “We’ve known that patients on statins have better stroke outcomes, but the data in this study suggest a new reason why: Statins may help improve blood flow to brain regions at risk of dying during ischemic stroke,” says senior author Jin-Moo Lee, MD, PhD, director of the cerebrovascular disease section in the Department of Neurology. The results appear online in the journal Stroke.

Students from the Herbert Hoover Boys & Girls Club Adams Park Unit paint a colorful mural promoting the Tour de Grove professional bike race in the Grove neighborhood bordering the Washington University Medical Center. The Washington University Medical Center Redevelopment Corp. received a grant from the St. Cronin Housing Corp. to fund four murals throughout the neighborhood.