School of Medicine

Nitrous oxide — best known as laughing gas — is one of the world’s oldest and most widely used anesthetics. Despite its popularity, however, experts have questioned its impact on the risk of a heart attack during surgery or soon afterward. But those fears are unfounded, a new study indicates.

Researchers have identified a way to trigger reproduction in the laboratory of clusters of human cells that make insulin, potentially removing a significant obstacle to transplanting the cells as a treatment for patients with type 1 diabetes. Pictured in blue are the cells and in green, the insulin.

States that want to reduce rates of adult smoking may consider implementing stringent tobacco restrictions on teens. Washington University researchers discovered that states with more restrictive limits on teens purchasing tobacco also have lower adult smoking rates, especially among women.

The School of Medicine’s Susan E. Mackinnon, MD, has received the 2013 Jacobson Innovation Award of the American College of Surgeons for her leadership in the innovative use of nerve-transfer procedures in the treatment of patients with devastating peripheral nerve injuries. Pictured is Mackinnon after receiving the award from A. Brent Eastman, MD, ACS president.

Scientists at the School of Medicine have measured a significant and potentially pivotal difference between the brains of patients with an inherited form of Alzheimer’s disease and healthy family members who do not carry the mutation. Randall Bateman, MD, is the study’s senior author.

Melissa Hopkins has been named assistant vice chancellor and assistant dean of facilities operations at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The appointment is effective Aug. 19.

L. Michael Brunt, MD, professor of surgery in minimally invasive surgery at the School of Medicine, received a 2013 Philip J. Wolfson Outstanding Teacher Award at the annual meeting of the Association for Surgical Education, held April 25-27 in Orlando, Fla.

The City of Clayton and the Clayton Fire Department awarded Life Saver Awards to Nikoleta Kolovos, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics, and Robert Barrack, MD, (shown) the Charles F. and Joanne Knight Distinguished Professor of Orthopedic Surgery.

When children fall and try to catch themselves with an outstretched hand, they can suffer “buckle fractures,” forearm injuries traditionally treated with casts. But new research shows that removable splints are cpreferred by patients and parents, building on earlier findings that such splints are just as effective as casts. Shown are study co-authors Kristine G. Williams, MD, holding a splint, and Janet D. Luhmann, MD.

Two events focused on disparities in health care will be held on the Washington University Medical Campus — a symposium June 15 and a fast-paced “Ignite” event July 11.