Breakdown of kidney’s ability to clean itself may cause disease

The kidney actively cleans its most selective filter to keep it from clogging with blood proteins, School of Medicine scientists reveal in a new study. Researchers showed that breakdown of a self-cleaning feature can make kidneys more vulnerable to dysfunction and disease.

Something in the way she moves

Photo by Robert BostonSusie Strecker (left), instructor in physical therapy, reaches out to Madelyn Latacha, daughter of Kim Latacha, in the Kinesiology II course in the Program in Physical Therapy. Students observe and try to guess Madelyn’s age by her movements.

Japanese Film Festival to run Feb. 15 – 16

Washington University will host free screenings of two recent Japanese films Friday, Feb. 15, and Saturday, Feb. 16, in Brown Hall, Room 100. “Hanging Garden” (2005), beginning at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15, explores the quirky soul of a dysfunctional clan struggling to survive amidst the pressures of the modern age. It is directed by Toshiaki […]

A remarkable vision

Courtesy PhotoWhen he looks back on his life so far, Jack Ladenson, Ph.D., the Oree M. Carroll and Lillian B. Ladenson Professor of Clinical Chemistry, often finds an entertaining lack of predictability. He laughs loudest when he remembers how long he originally thought he’d stay at Washington University: “no more than three to five years.” Ladenson came to the University more than three and a half decades ago.

‘Kemper Presents’ music series starts Feb. 22

Tonya GilmoreFrom Scott Joplin and Chuck Berry to Tina Turner, Nelly and Wilco, St. Louis has long boasted a rich and widely influential musical scene. This spring the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum will launch a new concert series designed to highlight the talents and diversity of contemporary St. Louis musicians. The free Friday evening concerts — titled Kemper Presents — will feature close to a dozen local artists working in a variety of genres, from ambient jazz and electronica to experimental rock and American roots music.