Newsroom Stories

The Washington University in St. Louis community will come together Feb. 19-20 for the fifth annual Day of Discovery, Dialogue & Action event. This year’s theme is “Dialogues Across Difference” and will focus on the ways we communicate with each other, particularly on difficult topics and during challenging times.

One in four older adults experiences delirium after surgery. However, School of Medicine researchers have found that closely monitoring brain activity and minimizing anesthesia if needed has no significant effect on the occurrence of delirium.

The year 2019 marks 400 years since the first documented arrival of Africans in the United States. In alignment with a national agenda to recognize the significance of this anniversary, Washington University in St. Louis will host a series of three events throughout the year, beginning Sunday, Feb. 10.

Prehistoric peasant farmers struggling to put more food on the table fueled the global spread of some of the world’s first and most important domesticated grain crops beginning as early as 7,000 years ago, according to an international study led by anthropologists at Washington University in St. Louis.

A new study from the School of Medicine finds that women’s brains appear to be about three years younger than men’s of the same chronological age, metabolically speaking. The findings could be one clue to why women tend to stay mentally sharp longer than men.

Researchers at the School of Medicine may have found a path toward improving the effectiveness of chemotherapy in people with breast or ovarian cancer caused by defects in one of the BRCA genes. The researchers identified a pair of genes that operate in parallel to BRCA and may increase susceptibility to chemotherapy drugs.

As part of Washington University in St. Louis’ ongoing efforts to address sexual assault and misconduct, an advisory group of students, faculty and staff will meet this semester to explore ways to strengthen the Title IX process, policies and practices. The 12-member committee will be chaired by Nicole Hudson, assistant vice chancellor for the Academy for Diversity and Inclusion.

Researchers at the School of Medicine have discovered clues to a particularly deadly form of rejection that can follow lung transplantation. Called antibody-mediated rejection, the condition remains impervious to available treatments and difficult to diagnose. The researchers have identified, in mice, a process that may prevent the condition and lead to possible therapies to treat it.

The Trump Administration released a proposed rule Jan. 31 that could alter the way many drugs are priced and paid for among Medicare and Medicaid plans. The proposed regulation would eliminate the regulatory safe harbor for rebates as they exist today, said Rachel Sachs, an expert on drug policy and pricing at Washington University in St. Louis.

Washington University’s Lifelong Learning Institute, which offers academic courses to learners 50 and over, has become the newest member of the national network of Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes, thanks to funding from the Bernard Osher Foundation.