Newsroom Stories

An abdominal MRI scan showing the locations of subcutaneous and visceral fatAs scientists learn more about the key role of inflammation in diabetes, heart disease and other disorders, new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that fat in the belly may be an important promoter of that inflammation. It’s well known that excess fat is associated with disease, but the researchers have confirmed that fat cells inside the abdomen are secreting molecules that increase inflammation. It’s the first evidence of a potential mechanistic link between abdominal fat and systemic inflammation. More…

Parag Parikh and Kristen Lechleiter set up the 4D Phantom to simulate the motion of tumors in the lung.Tumors that move, such as those in the lung — which can change position during each breath — are a special problem for radiation oncologists. A group at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has studied the way lung tissues move during breathing in hopes of improving radiation as a treatment for lung cancer. More…

Thomas F. Eagleton, who joined the faculty after serving nearly two decades in the U.S. Senate, died Sunday, March 4, 2007, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Richmond Heights, Mo. He was 77 years old.

Play begins March 9. In other action, the men’s and women’s track and field teams swept the 2007 UAA Indoor Championships.

Yoram Rudy, Ph.D., the Fred Saigh Distinguished Professor of Engineering and Director of the Cardiac Bioelectricity and Arrhythmia Center delivered in June, 2006, two keynote presentations describing his work on noninvasive electrocardiographic imaging at the annual meetings of the International Society for Heart Research (Manchester, United Kingdom) and the International Congress on Electrocardiology (Cologne, Germany). Rudy also delivered an invited presentation at Cardiostim — World Congress in Cardiac Electrophysiology and Cardiac Techniques (Nice, France) on the role of potassium ion channels in cardiac repolarization and its dependence on the channels’ molecular structure. … Joel Perlmutter, M.D., professor of neurology, has received a one-year, $50,000 grant from the Huntington’s Disease Society of America for the HDSA Center of Excellence. … Matthew J. Ellis, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine, has received a one-year, $43,412.80 grant from the St. Louis Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Inc. for “The Navigator Project.” … Jeffrey Crippin, M.D., professor of medicine, has received a two-year, $35,750 grant from the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation for research titled “Role of Indocyanine Green (ICG) in Patients with Advanced Liver Disease Undergoing Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPS) as a Predicator of Post-TIPS Liver Failure and Survival.” … Jennifer L. Ivanovich, research instructor in surgery, has received a one-year, $34,789 grant from the St. Louis Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation for “The Young Women’s Breast Cancer Program.” … Thomas A. Woolsey, M.D., professor of neurological surgery, has received a two-year, $30,000 grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for the Spring Brain Conference. … John DiPersio, M.D., Ph.D., the Lewis T. and Rosalind B. Apple Professor of Medicine, has received a one-year, $21,197 subcontract from Northwestern University for “Phase I & II Clinical Trials of Cancer Chemopreventive Agents.” … June-Ho Shin, Ph.D., postdoctoral research assistant, has received a one-year, $20,000 grant from the National Organization for Hearing Research Foundation for research titled “Prevent and Treat Noise-induced Hearing Loss by Drug Blocking T-type Calcium Channels.” … Jeffrey M. Arbeit, M.D., professor of surgery, has received a one-year, $19,001 grant from the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation for Cervix Spore Research. … Lawrence Lewis, M.D., associate professor of emergency medicine, has received a one-year, $5,500 grant from the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation for the Allen P. Klippel Lecture Fund.

Photo by Jennifer SilverbergFreshman Jared Burkowitz watches as Mark Hartmann tops off fluids in Burkowitz’s car at a free travelers’ vehicle inspection service offered to students, faculty and staff March 3.

Photo by Ray MarklinSchool of Medicine students teach area high-schoolers about preventing HIV and AIDS at an annual Wellness Day.

Photo by Kevin LowderDespite a low temperature that reached 19 degrees, the annual Relay For Life all-night walk around Bushyhead Track at Francis Field drew more than 2,000 participants March 3 to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

Photo by Mary ButkusDred and Harriet Scott’s great-great granddaughter Lynne Jackson (center) and her father John Madison (left), Scott’s great-grandson, attend a reception March 1 at the Old Courthouse in downtown St. Louis, where their ancestors sued for their freedom from slavery in 1847.

A memorial service will be held for Oscar Chilson, Ph.D., adjunct instructor and professor emeritus of biology in Arts & Sciences, at 4 p.m. March 19 in the Ann W. Olin Women’s Building.