Newsroom Stories

Bright areas in this image highlight the junctions between heart muscle cells.Failing hearts develop interference in their communication channels, according to research conducted at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The problem involves a subtle change in the pores that connect heart muscle cells. When the scientists duplicated this change in mice, the mice became susceptible to ventricular tachycardia, a dangerous heart rhythm disorder that can lead to sudden cardiac death.

Using pieces of the collection housed in University Archives, Russell Sturgis: Critic, Historian and Collector runs through April 8 in the Bernoudy Gallery of Architecture.

Current treatments for asthma and chronic bronchitis aren’t able to address the ultimate source of the problem — they can only alleviate symptoms. But researchers at the School of Medicine have gone to the root of these disorders and found a two-drug treatment that could potentially restore patients’ troubled airways to healthy function.

Courtesy photo*America’s Best Architecture and Design Schools 2006*Washington University’s Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design, part of the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, has tied for 10th in the nation, according to Design Intelligence, a monthly newsletter published by the Design Futures Council.

Courtesy photoLucie Brock-BroidoAcclaimed poet Lucie Brock-Broido will read from her work at 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, for The Writing Program Reading Series. She is the author of three collections of poetry, including Trouble in Mind (2004), The Master Letters (1995) and A Hunger (1988).

Medicare Part D decisions can be confusingDuring the next six months, Medicare recipients will need to enroll in one of the new prescription drug coverage plans. But with the deluge of information about Medicare Part D, some reliable and some not, “seniors find themselves in an environment of fear and confusion,” says Edward F. Lawlor, Ph.D., a Medicare expert and dean of the School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. “There is so much noise about the prescription drug program, but people are not getting clear, simple information. Many seniors aren’t even entertaining making the proper plan choice.”

Robert BostonJoe Buck, Jonathan Gitlin, Lee Fetter and Larry Shapiro (L-R) join a group of children to launch the Children’s Discovery Institute.Scientists from the School of Medicine and St. Louis Children’s Hospital have teamed up to search for cures for childhood diseases in four areas: heart disease, brain cancer, lung disease, and musculoskeletal defects. The Children’s Discovery Institute is a new $120 million endeavor by the two partners aimed at reaping the rewards of a sequenced human genome.

Participant biographies for the Department of Music in Arts & Sciences’ upcoming symposium Music and Musicians of the Black Artists’ Group in St. Louis, at Washington University Feb. 16 and 17.

All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. For more information, call (314) 935-4841 or e-mail staylor@wustl.edu. THURSDAY, FEB. 16 WORKSHOP: Master class with Oliver Lake Time: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Location: Tietjens Hall, Washington University POETRY READING: Shirley LeFlore, with J.D. Parran Time: 4 p.m. Location: Alumni House, Washington […]

No ad goes unnoticed: MBA students at the Olin School of Business evaluate Super Bowl XL commercials starting at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5, with pre-game lectures by local advertising professionals.