Newsroom Stories

The following incidents were reported to University Police May 1-7. 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. May 1 10:43 a.m. — A person reported that a locker room had been broken into in the men’s locker room in the Athletic Complex between 10:10-10:40 a.m. on this date. Total loss is estimated at $1,940. 1:10 p.m. — Copper piping belonging to Albert Arno Heating and Cooling Co. was stolen from the north equipment room sometime in the previous week. Total loss is estimated at $350. May 7 8:18 a.m. — Blue light No. 31 by the Ann W. Olin Women’s Building was found to be damaged. Telephone services and maintenance were both notified. Additionally, University Police responded to two auto accidents and one report each of lost article, damaged property and larceny.

The No. 9 men’s tennis team erased a 4-0 deficit to post a 5-4 victory against No. 18 Kalamazoo College in the NCAA Division III Central Region championship match May 6 in Kalamazoo, Mich.

Courtesy PhotoFirst-year medical students spent a week at a Navajo Reservation in Arizona talking with middle- and high-school students about diabetes, obesity and substance abuse.

Rising health care costs and diminishing health insurance coverage will be among critical issues debated by leading medical-policy experts as the University hosts a daylong public forum on Medicaid financing June 8.

The School of Medicine has launched a wide-reaching initiative to encourage departments to hire and retain faculty from diverse backgrounds. In keeping with that initiative, the medical school will hold a symposium May 16 focusing on that mission.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report they have developed an agent that protects cells from the lethal effects of radiation, regardless of whether it is given before or after exposure. Using this agent in mice, the investigators found that the treatment helped shield rapidly dividing cells that are most vulnerable to radiation-induced death, providing proof in principle that it is possible to fend off radiation damage.

Gravenhorst’s new ear is repositioned during an office visit to the maxillofacial prosthetics lab.Like any 17-year-old, Emily Gravenhorst follows a routine to get ready for a day of high school. She showers, styles her hair, puts on her make-up and eats breakfast. And just before she leaves the house, she puts on her right ear. That ear was created in the maxillofacial prosthetics laboratory at the School of Medicine, where one dental specialist and one technician help patients fit back into society after disfigurement due to accident or disease.

Joseph Culver, left, and Michael Welch examine a state-of-the-art diffuse optical tomography system, which allows researchers to visualize tumors without the use of radiation.Using a wide range of imaging techniques to visualize cancer in the body, radiology investigators at the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine are expanding the boundaries of cancer detection, treatment and research. The strength of their efforts has received national recognition. For several years, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at Washington University School of Medicine has ranked among the top three imaging programs in the United States in research grants received by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

DXA scans of a male patient with osteoporosisAlthough women are four times more likely than men to develop osteoporosis, or porous bone, one in 12 men also suffer from the disease, which can lead to debilitating – or even life-threatening – fractures. In women, low estrogen levels after menopause have been considered an important risk factor for this disorder. Now research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has shown that low amounts of active estrogen metabolites also can increase the the risk of osteoporosis in men.

Using an innovative statistical approach, a research team from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of California, Los Angeles, has identified two regions of DNA linked to autism. They found the suspicious DNA with a much smaller sample of people than has been used traditionally in searches for autism genes.