unc.edu/news

International Coverage

‘Cockroach of lakes’ choking marine life
Thaindian News (India)
It has been described as the “cockroach of lakes”, and it is spreading so fast that it is adversely affecting not only marine life, but humans as well. According to a new study, algae - the green scum seen creeping across the surface of water bodies across the globe - has been linked with digestive, neurological, skin and liver disease in humans. ...According to Hans Paerl of the University of North Carolina and co-author of the study, the problem is only likely to get worse: global warming has created longer growing seasons, enabling algae to grow in northern waters once too cold for their survival.
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/science-and-technology/harmful-algae-taking-
advantage-of-global-warming.html

Study: Eggs reduce breast cancer risk
United Press International
Choline, a nutrient found in foods such as eggs, is associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer, U.S. researchers said. ..."Choline is needed for the normal functioning of cells, no matter your age or gender," study author Dr. Steven H. Zeisel of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill said in a statement.
Related Link:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Eating_eggs_reduces_breast_cancer_risk/
articleshow/2925734.cms

'Exercise young for healthy heart'
The Press Association (Wire Service)
Children should be encouraged to exercise from a young age to prevent developing heart disease risk as teenagers, experts have said. ...Children should be encouraged to exercise from a young age to prevent developing heart disease risk as teenagers, experts have said.
Related Link:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/04/04/nhealth104.xml
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iNMbDDHZtbYlNMZW64gj91wIjgMw
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/health-and-medicine/inactive-kids-face-six-fold-
risk-of-heart-disease-by-teen-years-study-finds.html

National Coverage

More Than 90,000 U.S. Infants Are Victims of Abuse or Neglect
Health Day News
An estimated 91,000 babies in the United States were victims of maltreatment in 2006 during their first year of life, including 29,181 infants who suffered abuse or neglect during their first week of life, federal officials reported Thursday. ...Dr. Desmond Runyan, a professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and an expert in child welfare, said he's convinced that only a fraction of maltreatment cases are ever reported.
Related Links:
http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/healthday/080403/more-than-90000-
us-infants-are-victims-of-abuse-or-neglect.htm
http://www.wral.com/lifestyles/family/blogpost/2681208/

Drugs that don't work: a tough pill to swallow
MSNBC
When C.W. MacLeod’s cholesterol shot sky-high, the Texas businessman was only too happy to find a drug to bring it down. ...But the practice has been called into question by the surprises of recent research, said Dr. Nortin M. Hadler, a professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina.

Regional Coverage

For pregnant women, a healthy smile can make all the difference
KARE-TV (NBC/Minneapolis, Minn.)
...A growing body of evidence suggests women who take care of their teeth are more likely to have a healthy pregnancy. ...Obstetrician-Gynecologist Dr. Kim Boggess says "there is definitely a relationship between periodontal disease or oral infection and prettier birth." Other pregnancy complications may include diabetes and pre-eclampsia, notes the University of North Carolina's Dr. Kim Boggess.

Laser Beam Could Help Save Brain
KMGH-TV(ABC/Denver, Colorado)
Brain injuries are an illusive and increasingly common ailment for which effective treatments are in demand. ...The device is currently being tested at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University Medical Center and three other North Carolina hospitals as part of a national clinical trail sponsored by PhotoThera, the manufacturer of NeuroThera.

City may give Carraway $100K annual tax rebate
The Birmingham Business Journal (Alabama)
Physicians Medical Center Carraway is negotiating with Birmingham officials on a deal that would put $100,000 a year into the cash-strapped hospital. ...Requests for government assistance are fairly common in the health care industry, said Oscar Aylor, University of North Carolina Public Health professor. Aylor said new businesses regularly explore every possible revenue option.

State and Local Coverage

James Moeser, chancellor, UNC-Chapel Hill (Profile)
The Triangle Business Journal
Chancellor James Moeser says that before arriving in Chapel Hill, he had always admired the university from afar. But when he was hired in 2000 to lead the University of North Carolina, he had no direct connection with the campus, a rarity for leaders of the state's flagship public university.

Expert: Warming means more algae
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Add this menace to the list of looming environmental disasters blamed on climate change: more pond scum. The blue-green algae that coats stagnant ponds and blooms in water reservoirs in hot summer months will thrive in a changing climate, said Hans Paerl of the UNC-Chapel Hill Institute of Marine Sciences.
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/science-and-technology/harmful-algae-taking-
advantage-of-global-warming.html
Related Link:
http://www.wchl1360.com/details.html?id=6346

Bolshoi Ballet highlights Carolina Performing Arts season
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
The regional debut of Russia's Bolshoi Ballet in its only U.S. performances of "Swan Lake" and "Don Quixote" will be among the highlights of the 2008-09 Carolina Performing Arts season at UNC. ..."This season is in many ways our most ambitious yet, in the depth of the programs, the scale of the companies we're presenting and the number of new works," said Emil Kang, UNC's executive director for the arts.
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/arts/carolina-performing-arts-announces-
2008-2009-season---det.html

UNC fans can gather at Center
The Chapel Hill Herald
Basketball fans can cheer together for the Tar Heels on Saturday, viewing the NCAA semifinals broadcast from the Alamodome in San Antonio on Carolina's home court, the Smith Center.
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/campus-and-community/smith-center-big-screen-
welcomes-tar-heel-fans-for-final-four-viewing.html

Public art will be event's focus
The Chapel Hill Herald
Public Art 360: A Symposium from Seven Perspectives will bring together on April 11-12 local government, private developers, artists, community members, critics, landscape designers and architects. The symposium at UNC is part of a statewide effort to explore the functional and aesthetic elements of public art in our communities.

N.C. Symphony to be at UNC
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Music Director Grant Llewellyn will lead the North Carolina Symphony in concerts featuring a world premiere work by composer Elena Kats-Chernin. Performances take place on Thursday at Memorial Hall on the UNC Chapel Hill campus, and April 11 and 12 at 8 p.m. in Meymandi Concert Hall at downtown Raleigh's Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts.

Meetings explore human, sex traffic
The Chapel Hill Herald
Forget what you think you know about sex trafficking, said Ken Franzblau, director of human trafficking education for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. Franzblau was a guest speaker Thursday at a two-conference session sponsored by UNC's Carolina Women's Center on sex trafficking at the Friday Center.
UNC Media Advisory:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/health-and-medicine/media-invited-for-coverage-training-
at-unc-conference-on-sex-trafficking-this-week.html

'Lock and Key' new young adult book
The Chapel Hill Herald
Sarah Dessen says she wasn't a joiner or a stellar student at Chapel Hill High back in the '80s; she did her share of just hanging out in the parking lot. ...Dessen's latest book, "Lock and Key," is ready to hit the shelves on April 22; and Saturday she'll give her audience an advance listen during her Susan Steinfirst Memorial Lecture on the UNC campus -- her first speaking event since seven-month-old daughter Sasha was born.

Issues and Trends

Court system failed to curb Lovette
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Laurence Alvin Lovette is in the Durham County jail, his $3.25 million bail a sign of how seriously the justice system treats the murder charges against him. But before his March 13 arrest on charges of killing a Duke graduate student and the UNC-Chapel Hill student body president, court officials passed up opportunities to detain the 17-year-old.
Related Link:
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/2678123/

Doctor accused of abuse steps aside
The Boston Globe
A former Children's Hospital Boston pediatrician and best-selling author accused of sexually abusing boys in his care has stopped seeing patients at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, where he has taught for more than 20 years, university officials said yesterday. ..."Dr. Levine has volunteered to stop seeing patients at UNC, at least until the lawsuits are resolved," said Tom Hughes, a spokesman for the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.