Newsroom Stories

The fall Universal Transit Pass, allowing WUSTL community members to use Metro, the region’s public transportation system, for no charge, will expire Dec. 31. Benefits-eligible employees may request a spring 2007 U-Pass beginning Nov. 27. Students may request a pass beginning Dec. 1.

The Department of English in Arts & Sciences has received a $20,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support Big Read programs next semester. Modeled on successful “city reads” programs, the Big Read is a new national program designed to encourage literary reading by helping communities come together to read and discuss a single book.

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Poet Susan Wheeler will read from her work at 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 30, for The Writing Program Reading Series. Wheeler is the author of four acclaimed collections: Bag ‘o’ Diamonds (1993), Smokes (1998), Source Codes (2001) and Ledger (2005). Her work has appeared in appeared in eight editions of Best American Poetry.

A simple points system may soon help guide treatment of elderly heart failure patients. Researchers at the School of Medicine found that by counting how many of seven easy-to-obtain health factors a patient has, physicians can estimate the patient’s risk of dying.

Listed below are this month’s featured news stories. • Breaking down Alzheimer’s (week of Nov. 1) • Preventing transplant rejection (week of Nov. 8) • Predicting glaucoma (week of Nov. 15) • No-incision stomach stapling (week of Nov. 22) • Organ donor health (week of Nov. 29)

The large globules in the liver cells on the left are characteristic of alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency. The image on the right shows normal liver cells.Research performed at the School of Medicine sheds light on the mechanisms that contribute to liver disease in alpha-1-AT deficiency patients. People with alpha-1-deficiency have a genetic mutation that can lead to emphysema at an early age and to liver damage. Using an experimental mouse model of the disorder, the researchers investigated the effects of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) on liver injury.

School of Medicine investigators have developed a model to identify patients at high risk of developing glaucoma.

The Washington University Symphony Orchestra will present “OrganFest,” a concert showcasing the university’s recently refurbished Graham Chapel organ, at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19.

Jerry BauerOrhan PamukTurkish writer Orhan Pamuk, winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature, will receive Washington University’s inaugural Distinguished Humanist Medal as part of “Celebrating Our Books, Recognizing Our Authors,” the university’s fifth annual faculty book colloquium. The award — which includes a cash prize of $15,000 — is supported by the Center for the Humanities and the Office of International and Area Studies, both in Arts & Sciences. It will be given biannually to a distinguished scholar, writer or artist whose career merits special recognition for excellence and courage.