Fewer babies overall are dying before their first birthday in Detroit and across the state, though infant mortality has increased for Hispanics and black infants still die at a rate double that of white babies, according to a report released Wednesday.

Anne Duggan, professor of French and chair of the Department of Classical and Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at Wayne State University, discusses linguistic origins of the Detroit River’s name.

Wayne State University associate professor Josh Duchan joined Fox 2’s “The Nine” in a segment highlighting his biography of Billy Joel titled, "Billy Joel, America's Piano Man."

The Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance at Wayne State University announces its 2017-18 season beginning this fall. Opening the season is "The Underpants" by legendary comedian and award-winning actor, Steve Martin. The theatre invites audiences into the forest with Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" from Oct. 12 to 28 in the Studio Theatre at the Hilberry. Next is Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire," performing Nov. 3 to 19 at the Hilberry. Then, the annual holiday favorite, "A Christmas Carol," returns to the Bonstelle Theatre, Dec. 1 through 17. Running Dec. 7 to 16 in the Studio Theatre at the Hilberry is Diana Son's "Stop Kiss." Wrapping up the fall is the December Dance Concert, featuring contemporary dance masters for one weekend only, Dec. 8 and 9 at the Detroit Music Hall. The winter opens with the Louise Heck-Rabi Dramatic Playwriting One Act Festival, Feb. 1 through 3 in the Studio Theatre at the Hilberry. Next is George C. Wolfe's "The Colored Museum," running Feb. 2 to 18 at the Hilberry Theatre. Celebrating its 89th year, the Spring Dance Concert performs at the Bonstelle Theatre March 1 and 2, highlighting national and international works from the dance world's top-performing artists. Following is Aaron Posner's "Stupid F*ing Bird" March 1 through 31 in the Studio Theatre at the Hilberry. In April, the Bonstelle Theatre presents the Broadway musical "Sister Act" running April 13 to 22. Closing the season is Shakespeare's "King Lear," performing April 27 to May 13 at the Hilberry.

A wall — known as Detroit's Wailing Wall, Berlin Wall or The Birwood Wall — was constructed in the 1940s, integration was not the goal. "There's no mistaking why this wall was built," says Jeff Horner, senior lecturer in Wayne State’s department of urban studies and planning. "The urban uprisings in the 1960s gave rise to the Fair Housing Act of 1968," he says. "Until that time - until I was 7 years old - it was perfectly legal to discriminate against somebody of color. You didn't have to sell them their house if you didn't like the color of their skin. You didn't have to rent to them." The wall was basically there to delineate the white side from the black side. It was there, says Horner, “To keep black people from moving into the white neighborhood." Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the population of Detroit grew, buoyed in large part by southern blacks moving north for factory jobs during the Great Migration. But when a developer wanted to build housing for white people adjacent to this neighborhood, the Federal Housing Authority wouldn't guarantee loans for houses with black neighbors — unless there was a segregation wall. "Ultimately what resulted," Horner says, "was this so-called compromise to build a wall that separated the undeveloped part of Detroit from this already established black neighborhood that was in the city, that had been here since the 1920s - what's referred to as the 8 Mile and Wyoming area."

Washington — House appropriators late Tuesday approved a bill that rejects a Trump administration proposal to eliminate the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and gives the Fish and Wildlife Service an extra $10.4 million to fight invasive Asian carp. Administrators at the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State University had opposed cutting reimbursements for facilities and administrative costs as part of the grants they receive from the National Institutes of Health. The universities said the proposed cap would force them to reduce or eliminate the NIH research they conduct.

There is probably no human endeavor more complex, involving more people and companies, or more expensive than an automotive vehicle program. Billions are invested in creating a new body and powertrain. Hundreds of millions are invested in even minor upgrades. The bulk of that is in the manufacturing plant and machinery—stampings, tooling, robots, fixtures. 

Researchers from Wayne State University are working to identify why the number of people with Legionnaires’ Disease spiked during the Flint water crisis. The study, in its second year, is expanding to include an examination of the disease in Wayne County. Legionnaires Disease is a form of pneumonia that often hits people over the age of 50 and those with underlying immune system problems. Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Director of Research at Wayne State University, Paul Kilgore, and Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering at Wayne State,  Shawn McElmurry, spoke with WDET’s Amy Miller. McElmurry says Legionella bacteria is readily found in the environment.

Wayne State University has received a $3.05 million grant from the National Institute of Health for a five-year trial focused on helping parents and other caretakers assist diabetic adolescents to complete their daily care.

Wednesday marked the official launch of a “green” building district in Detroit that aims to significantly curb energy use, water consumption and transportation greenhouse gas emissions.  Another member is Wayne State University, which has been exploring a greenhouse gas inventory as well as other efforts aimed at assessing the campus’ impact, said Daryl Pierson, its sustainability coordinator. “It’s important for us to be a good neighbor and have a good presence — to be a good environmental steward of the area we’re in,” Pierson said.

Like many well-watered states, Michigan allows a reasonable use of water by landowners and imposes no royalties for its resale. The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) must sign off on large withdrawals to make sure stream flows and fish populations aren’t adversely affected. The cost to Nestle? A $5,000 application fee, plus an annual $200 water-use reporting fee. “That’s the real head-scratcher for folks,” says Nick Schroeck, who directs the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center at Wayne State University in Detroit. He points to the Flint crisis and tensions over municipal fees in Detroit – nearly 18,000 customers faced shutoffs last month for years of nonpayment – as the backdrop to the outcry over Nestle’s right to pump more at minimal cost. “In a region where we are water rich and you have incredible water resources, it seems that the law protects certain users and not other users,” he says.

“The rules about state rights for surface water and groundwater have always been the same,” notes Noah Hall, an associate professor of law at Wayne State University and founder of the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center. “For the first time, the court is agreeing to consider if interstate groundwater goes by different rules.” 

A new interventional model for self-management of cancer pain focusing on reinforcement of the perception of pain control shows efficacy in the treatment of African Americans with cancer pain in a longitudinal, randomized study and may have benefits in other populations. "Interventions to increase perceived control over pain have the potential to improve functional status by decreasing pain and pain-related distress," said first author, April Hazard Vallerand, PhD, from the College of Nursing at Wayne State University

ABC television and “20/20” program co-anchor Elizabeth Vargas turned to Wayne State University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences Professor and Chair David Rosenberg, M.D., for insight into the effects of compulsive internet device use on the child and adolescent brain.

Researchers from Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and Wayne State University School of Medicine received a 5-year, $9 million grant from NCI to investigate why mortality rates are higher among black cancer survivors. “Disparities in cancer survivorship that disproportionately burden African Americans are the product of the complex interactions occurring among genetic and biological factors and social, behavioral and environmental factors,” Ann G. Schwartz, PhD, MPH, professor and deputy center director for population sciences at Karmanos Cancer Institute and Wayne State University School of Medicine, said in a press release.

ABC television and “20/20” program co-anchor Elizabeth Vargas turned to Wayne State University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences Professor and Chair David Rosenberg, M.D., for insight into the effects of compulsive internet device use on the child and adolescent brain for an episode expected to air May 19 at 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Compulsive internet use is increasingly common, he said. “Internet addiction in children and adolescents is a growing problem and part of our culture. The internet is a wonderful servant, but a cruel and crippling master,” Rosenberg said. “There is some debate in the field about whether internet addiction is real addiction or pathology. We contend it exists, and it can devastate children and their families. But there are differences – as well as similarities – with other addictive behavior, and you can't just stop with a diagnosis of internet addiction, since there are always underlying conditions that must be aggressively diagnosed and treated for the long-term benefit of the internet addiction.” Rosenberg shared with Vargas his department’s approach to internet addiction, brain imaging and neuropsychiatric assessments, as well as problems with executive function, brain abnormalities and changes observed in the brain after digital fasts. A digital fast, also known as a digital detox or unplugging, is when an individual voluntarily stops using all connected devices such as smart phones, tablets and computers for a specific period of time. The department’s preliminary studies, while needing considerable additional research, suggest that brain abnormalities may normalize with a digital fast, but those normalizations may not persist if the individual’s environment does not change. This includes the continuation of possible family behaviors that may enable internet excess. “It is not an isolated phenomenon. There are always associated and underlying conditions, such as depression, poor self-esteem, poor impulse control, anxiety, obsessive compulsive behaviors and chronic pain,” he said. The studies discussed for the television show are facilitated by the unique and state-of-the-art MRI infrastructure at Wayne State University, and the expertise of internationally-recognized scientists and MRI experts Vaibhav Diwadkar, Ph.D., and Jeffrey Stanley, Ph.D., department faculty members who are conducting pioneering and sophisticated MRI imaging studies that are unlocking potential mechanisms for a wide variety of neuropsychiatric disorders. “They are leaders who are sought out by teams doing neuroimaging throughout the United States, and internationally,” Rosenberg said. Filming of clinical interviews and neuropsychiatric/neuropsychologic assessments took place over the last year at WSU’s Tolan Park Medical Office Building and the WSU MR Research Facility at the Detroit Medical Center. He also was interviewed last week by co-anchor Vargas in New York. The appearance is one of several Rosenberg has made on the program since 2009 about the department’s studies into obsessive compulsive disorder utilizing functional magnetic resonance imaging technology. “I was honored and humbled. Hopefully this is an opportunity to let people know what to recognize, and that there is hope,” he said. He also spoke with ABC’s local affiliate, WXYZ-TV, on May 10 for a related segment about the affects of both regular and excessive iPad use on a person’s behavior and brain. That interview is expected to air at 11 p.m. May 19, following the "20/20" program.

Could your doctor’s age affect how you fare during treatment? Perhaps — though the impact is fairly small, according to a new study. Dr. Jack Sobel, a Detroit physician not affiliated with the study, said he is not surprised by the findings. “It’s not that clinical skills deteriorate,” he said. “People over the age of 65 are just not as familiar with the new methods. That’s what gives younger doctors the edge. It’s access to newer technology, and knowing the newer drugs.” Sobel, who is 74, said he tries to keep his skills current by reading five medical journals a day, in between treating patients and teaching students at Wayne State University, where he is dean of the medical school. “I happen to be addicted to keeping up to date,” he said. “But I’m not the norm.”

About 1,000 researchers and others plan to gather in Detroit this week for an international conference focused on the Great Lakes. The 60th annual International Association for Great Lakes Research conference convenes Monday for five days at downtown's Cobo Center. More than 800 oral and poster presentations are expected to highlight scientific findings in freshwater health and management. Michigan State University researcher Joan Rose is scheduled to discuss study areas and investment necessary to protect or restore water quality. Former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency adviser Cameron Davis will talk about political, economic and social effects on the Great Lakes system. The conference is hosted by Wayne State University and the Michigan Sea Grant — a federally funded collaboration between Michigan State and University of Michigan.

Wayne State University's Center for Urban Responses to Environmental Stressors (CURES) received a $7.5 million five-year renewal from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health, the Detroit university announced. The previous grant was a three-year grant worth $2.4 million.

Historical materials preserved at the Walter P. Reuther Library are receiving increased exposure and research use through an innovative partnership with the Digital Publishing Unit in the University Library System. The Reuther Library is the largest archival repository in Detroit and preserves primary sources related to the history of organized labor in North America, urban affairs in Southeast Michigan and Wayne State University.