Newsroom Stories

Photo by Robert BostonDale Thuet, a second-year doctoral student in the Program in Physical Therapy, prepares the InBody body scanner to analyze Nikki Morilak, a first-year student.

The following incidents were reported to University Police Oct. 13 – Oct. 16. Readers with information that could assist in investigating these incidents are urged to call 935-5555. This information is provided as a public service to promote safety awareness and is available on the University Police Web site at police.wustl.edu. Oct. 13 9:55 p.m. — Complainant reported that uknown persons stole a framed picture of one of the founders of Beta Theta Pi fraternity from the library of the house. Oct. 14 5:52 p.m. — Officer on patrol observed than an access control arm in Parking Lot #32 had been broken. 5:54 p.m. — A student reported the theft of $50 from her purse, which had been left unattended in a backstage room at Edison Theatre. 7:21 p.m. — A student overloaded a washing machine in the Park House residence hall causing it to overheat, burning the belts and creating smoke. Oct. 15 9:20 a.m. — A student in Shepley Hall reported an ongoing conflict between two other students.

Listed below are this month’s featured news stories. • Bright tumors, dim prospects (week of Oct. 3) • New drugs for Parkinson’s (week of Oct. 10) • Heart disease in the mentally ill (week of Oct. 17) • Preventing plaque buildup (week of Oct. 24) • Helping children lose weight (week of Oct. 31)

Children who are obese or who are at risk for obesity show early signs of heart disease similar to obese adults with heart disease, a study by researchers at the School of Medicine has found. “Based on this study, these subtle markers can help us predict who could be at risk for heart disease and heart attacks,” said Angela Sharkey, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics at the School of Medicine and a pediatric cardiologist at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

A psychiatrist at the School of Medicine writes in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that although mortality from cardiovascular disease has declined in the United States over the past several decades, patients with severe psychiatric illness are not enjoying the benefits of that progress.

WUSTL senior Ruth Poland and Jonathan Chase, Ph.D., associate professor of biology and director of WUSTL’s Tyson Research Center, check species out in one of Tyson’s ponds.An ecologist at Washington University in St. Louis has discovered that after ponds dry up through drought in a region, when they revive, the community of species in each pond tends to be very similar to one another in species composition.

(From L-R) Richard Gelberman, Chairman for the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, looks over floor plans for the new orthopedic surgery center with Larry Shapiro, Dean for the School of Medicine, and Chancellor Mark Wrighton.The recently completed outpatient orthopedic center in west St. Louis County demonstrates Washington University Orthopedics’ commitment to a new model of medical practice. Taking lessons from various industries and leading efficiency experts, faculty members deconstructed old processes to incorporate the latest solutions for reducing waste, improving quality and adding value and convenience to the patient experience.

Scientists have shown how developing brain tumors can turn an encounter with a signaling molecule from a fatal experience for the tumor cells into a cue for their own growth and multiplication. Researchers at the School of Medicine found the transformation relies on at least two other molecules that can be modified with existing drugs, opening the possibility that they may be able to use the established drugs to treat brain tumors.

Shortly after 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12, a cooking accident damaged five large windows in the South 40’s Wohl Center, on the northwest corner of the second floor. The incident was caused by a portable tabletop stove that malfunctioned when a butane fuel canister sprang a leak.

Major League Baseball implemented revenue sharing to create incentives for ball clubs to build their teams and build their fan base. It’s ended up having the opposite effect, according to a business professor at Washington University in St. Louis. The amount a small-market team receives from the league may be more profitable than the revenue it gets from winning a game. Michael Lewis proposes an alternative way of distributing MLB revenues that creates incentives for ballclubs to create good teams and fill stadiums. (video available)