Washington University Record, September 14, 1995

Washington University School of Medicine Digital Commons@Becker Washington University Record Washington University Publications 9-14-1995 Washington University Record, September 14, 1995 Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wustl.edu/record Recommended Citation "Washington University Record, September 14, 1995" (1995). Washington University Record. Book 698. http://digitalcommons.wustl.edu/record/698 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Washington University Publications at Digital Commons@Becker. It has been accepted for inclusion in Washington University Record by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Becker. For more information, please contact [email protected]. WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS iecord Vol. 20 No. 4 Sept. 14, 1995 University-led environmental lab opening in Egypt As they ate fresh goat stew with nomads under a starry Egyptian sky in 1980, Mohamed Sultan and Neil Sturchio had little inkling that they would return in suits and ties 15 years later to establish Egypt's most modern environmental laboratory. The two, then Washington University graduate students in earth and planetary sciences, were performing geological field studies in the remote central Eastern Desert. Sultan, Ph.D., now a senior research scientist in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, and other members of the department, are in Cairo to witness the creation of the Center for Environ- mental Hazard Assessment. Sultan and Sturchio, Ph.D., now a scientist with Argonne National Labora- tory in Illinois, are principal investigators on the U.S. side of the endeavor. The center is a comprehensive five-year $3.3 million project that will initiate the use of state-of-the-art environmental technology From left, Maggie Vitale and her 5-month-old daughter, Teresa, Todd Howard, M.D., head of the Department of Surgery's and equipment and an assortment of liver and kidney transplant programs, and Lorraine Stasiak. Teresa Vitale and Stasiak are double liver transplant recipients. efforts aimed at monitoring and protecting Egypt's environment and developing its besieged natural resources. Washington University now will have A first for St Louis a lasting presence in the Middle East. It is the leading U.S. institution participating School of Medicine surgeons perform double liver transplant in the center, which is being funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Surgeons at the School of Medicine liver was transplanted into infant Teresa The first successful double liver trans- Scientists from Washington State Univer- have performed St. Louis' first Vitale, and a larger portion was transplant in the world was performed in 1988 sity and the University of Wisconsin- double liver transplant by dividing planted into Lorraine Stasiak. The liver is in Europe, but soon afterward surgeons Madison also are involved. Egyptian a single donor liver between two recipi- the only human organ that can regenerate all but abandoned the procedure because scientists will come to Washington Uni- ents. The patients received their new itself, and over time, the patients' new of poor results. Updated surgical tech- versity to learn the technology, and Wash- livers during separate operations at livers will grow to a normal size. niques and a severe shortage of donor ington University and Argonne scientists Barnes and St. Louis Children's hospitals. The severe shortage of donor organs is livers have renewed surgeons' interest in and others will travel to Egypt to develop The recipients — a 47-year-old Lemay forcing surgeons to find innovative ways to performing double liver — or split liver the instrumentation and help begin a woman and a 5-month-old Florissant girl transplant more organs. "We decided to — transplants. Surgeons now have variety of projects. These range from — are in good condition following the attempt the double liver transplant after two learned better ways to divide the liver characterizing the extent of air, water and Aug. 21 transplant operations, said Jef- patients recently died at Barnes Hospital based on their experience with reducing soil pollution, to protecting the agricul- frey Lowell, M.D., assistant professor of while waiting for liver transplants," said the size of adult livers to transplant into tural regions around the Nile River, to surgery and one of several surgeons who Howard, who also is an assistant professor infants and small children. unraveling ancient buried tombs and performed the procedures. "Both livers of surgery. "Neither Stasiak nor Vitale had Double liver transplants could help monuments. are functioning very well," he said. "The long to live without a new liver." reduce the severe shortage of donor livers. Several scientists from the Cairo patients are in very good condition." Vitale suffered from cirrhosis and had "We could potentially double the number University geology, geophysics and Lowell, Todd Howard M.D., head of been waiting for a liver transplant since of livers transplanted," Lowell said. "The astrophysics departments already have the Department of Surgery's liver and June. She was born with a cyst that blocks number of people waiting for liver trans- visited Washington University to meet kidney transplant programs, and Surendra the bile duct, preventing bile from drain- plants continues to rise, while the number with faculty and to train on instrumenta- Shenoy, M.D., Ph.D., instructor of sur- ing out of the liver. Stasiak also suffered of donor livers remains stable." tion and computation. According to gery, performed the transplants after from cirrhosis. Her condition was caused Nationwide, 5,000 patients now are Sultan, the basic instrumentation and completing a delicate three-hour proce- by complications from intestinal bypass waiting for a liver transplant. In 1994, training will be in remote sensing, geo- dure to divide the donor liver. surgery, which was performed two decades U.S. surgeons transplanted 3,650 livers; graphical information systems (GIS), In surgeries that each lasted about ago to treat obesity. She was listed for a 65 of those transplants occurred at Barnes image processing, geochemistry and seven hours, a small portion of the donor transplant in August. and Children's hospitals. geophysics. The image processing and GIS components will provide means to host, analyze and compare various environmental data sets. Digital and satellite Faculty-crafted charter to begin inaugural tradition data, analyzed by cutting-edge computing software, will be collected, examined and Anew inauguration tradition will be assistant professor of art and director of The charter will be printed on a 13- archived so that the center can look at a born Oct. 6 at Mark S. Wrightbn's the Core Program, and Sarah Spurr, asso- inch-by-18-inch sheet of special archival geographical site in 1996 and compare it installation as Washington University's ciate professor and assistant dean of the paper that, Dowd said, will last hundreds Continued on page 6 14th chancellor. School of Art, are collaborating oh its of years if maintained properly. In addition to having the Chancellor's design and printing. Dowd is creating a linoleum-cut illus- Medallion placed around his neck during The copy will include the full text from tration of Brookings Hall that will be In this issue the Installation Ceremony, Wrighton will the original 1853 charter as well as two of placed in the center of the charter. The receive a handmade copy of the the 1857 amendments. (The text of the text of the original 1853 charter will be Continuing support 2 University's charter. That copy of the 1853 charter and two of the 1857 amend- placed above the Brookings Hall illustra- Leonard Berg, M.D., receives another charter then will be handed down to ments is printed on page 8.) tion, and the two 1857 amendments will major grant for the Alzheimer's future chancellors at their inaugurations. The Missouri General Assembly on be at the bottom. Spurr chose the type- Disease Research Center The idea of presenting the charter to Feb. 22, 1853, approved the charter that face, size and placement of the text the incoming chancellor appears to find incorporated Eliot Seminary. On Feb. 12, blocks. Caring Coburn 3 its roots in the University's early history. 1857, the General Assembly passed vari- The text will be cast in monotype by Associate dean of student affairs Chancellor William G. Eliot received a ous amendments to the original charter. Dan Carr, owner of Golgonooza Letter holds students' interests close to copy of the charter at his inauguration in Two of those amendments rename the Foundry in New Hampshire. With her heart 1872, said Carole Prietto, University institution as Washington University and monotype, each character and letter is archivist. According to the program from prohibit religion and politics from playing individually cast in lead and then ar- Homecoming 1995 6 Eliot's inauguration, the charter was "a any role in the school's mission. ranged in the proper order. Dowd said symbol of the authority conferred" upon With charter and amendments in hand, monotype results in a higher-quality print Family reunion and Wacky Olym- him. Dowd and Spurr have set out on the task than electronically produced type. pics, complete with a rigorous Two School of Art faculty members of creating a document that is appropriate "Obviously, you would only do this Velcro event, highlight week of are creating the charter copy that will be for Wrighton's inauguration and will last with something that meant a lot," Dowd festivities presented to Wrighton. Douglas Dowd, hundreds of years into the future. Continued on page 8 2 Washington University Record Medical Update Robert Mecham appointed Alumni Endowed Professor Robert P. Mecham, Ph.D., professor of cell biology and physiology and of medicine, has been named an Alumni Endowed Professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology.

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