Medicine & Health

PeipertJeffrey Peipert has been named the Robert J. Terry Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the School of Medicine. The appointment was announced by Larry J. Shapiro, executive vice chancellor for medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine. Peipert is the first person to hold the professorship, which was established in honor of Robert J. Terry, professor and head of the School of Medicine’s Department of Anatomy from 1900 to 1941.

Evan Kharasch has been named the Russell D. and Mary B. Shelden Professor of Anesthesiology at the School of Medicine. This is the second anesthesiology professorship established through gifts from the Sheldens. Russell Shelden is an anesthesiologist and graduate of the School of Medicine who earned his medical degree in 1949.

Michael Marrah and Bradley Castanho have been named assistant vice chancellors for research and co-directors of the Office of Technology Management (OTM) at Washington University. Together, they bring expertise in business, science and law to the OTM, which is charged with identifying University discoveries that have commercial potential and licensing them to private companies, where the technology can be developed for the benefit of the public.

Scientists at the School of Medicine in St. Louis and the biotech firm Nimblegen Systems Inc. have successfully tested a technique for identifying newly recognized DNA variations that may influence disease risk. Rather than focus on errors and alterations in DNA sequence, the new technique highlights variations in the number of copies of a particular gene.

The deadly attack of the bacterium that causes pneumonic plague is significantly slowed when it can’t make use of a key protein, scientists at the School of Medicine report in this week’s issue of Science.

It’s been said that medicine keeps people alive, but art makes life worth living. Through Feb. 26, more than 50 people are exhibiting their paintings, photographs, sculptures, ceramics and mixed media in the first floor atrium of the School of Medicine’s Farrell Learning and Teaching Center. The pieces are part of the third annual Student, Faculty and Staff Art Show, sponsored by the Washington University School of Medicine Arts Commission.

Investigators at the School of Medicine are conducting a study to investigate factors related to memory in older adults. They are seeking healthy volunteers between 70 and 75 years of age who have siblings also willing to participate. Study participants will undergo a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan to determine the structure of the brain and a positron emission tomography (PET) scan to analyze amyloid levels in the brain.

Below is a link to the Washington University news release about the U.S. News & World Report undergraduate rankings for 2004-05: http://news-info.wustl.edu/news/page/normal/3627.html To view a full listing of U.S. News magazine, book and Web-only rankings for 2004-05, please visit the U.S. News & World Report site: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/rankindex_brief.php

The pink color in the image on the right highlights cells producing excess mucus, a symptom of COPD. The image on the left shows normal lung tissue. Physicians say that smoking is by far the biggest cause of emphysema, but why doesn’t every smoker get the disease? If you asked WUSM physician Michael Holtzman that question, he might answer that for most cases of emphysema you need a mix of genes, viruses and cigarettes. Emphysema and the associated condition of chronic bronchitis are both disorders that contribute to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S.

The AIDS Clinical Trials Unit (ACTU) at theSchool of Medicine has received a $10 million grant to find new treatments for AIDS and HIV-related complications, such as dementia, neuropathy and cardiovascular disease. The seven-year grant is from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).