unc.edu/news

International Coverage

New Study on Melanoma
Reuters (Wire Service)
Melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, is much deadlier when it appears on the scalp or neck than somewhere else on the body, according to a study published Monday. ...People with scalp or neck melanomas died at nearly twice the rate of those with melanoma elsewhere on the body, the researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reported in the Archives of Dermatology. People with melanomas on the arms, legs, face or ears had the best prognosis, they said.
Related Links:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7359212.stm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/04/22/nskin122.xml
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/health-and-medicine/most-lethal-melanomas-
are-on-scalp-and-neck.html

National Coverage

Melanomas on Scalp and Neck More Deadly
HealthDay News
The most deadly melanoma skin cancers occur on the scalp and neck, says a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) study. Researchers analyzed 51,704 melanoma cases in the United States and found that patients with scalp or neck melanomas died at 1.84 times the rate of patients with melanoma elsewhere on the body, including the face or ears.
Related Link:
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1733719,00.html

Assessing The Effects Of Neglect
The Washington Post
Physical abuse at a young age is linked to aggression later in childhood, but little is known about the impact of neglect. ...The team, which included physicians from the medical faculties of the University of North Carolina and the University of Maryland, examined records of 1,318 children culled from local child protection agencies in four cities and one Southern state.
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/health-and-medicine/early-neglect-predicts-
aggressive-behavior-in-children.html

What Obama Might Learn From Emily Dickinson (Column)
The Washington Post
In 1880, a journalist called Horace Redfield published a book about homicide rates in America. He found that states belonging to the former Confederacy had a murder rate four to 15 times higher than that of Northern states. ...Lee's data show that poverty, like the Southern code of honor and self-reliance, increases the risk that people will turn to guns to solve personal problems. His analysis, conducted jointly with LSU colleague Shaun A. Thomas and Timothy C. Hayes at the University of North Carolina, was based on 934 rural counties across the United States, FBI statistics on homicides in those counties and U.S. Census data on educational levels, family structures and economic opportunities.

Regional Coverage

Area pivotal for Clinton
The Tribune-Review (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Pennsylvanians today could write a climactic chapter in one of the hardest-fought political battles in American history. ..."I think the final argument for a lot of superdelegates is going to be who's ahead in pledged delegates and who's ahead in popular votes. She needs to win (Pennsylvania) by a significant margin to close either of those two gaps," said Thomas Carsey, the Thomas J. Pearsall Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

An unhealthy trend: U.S. has fewer general surgeons
The Orlando Sentinel
A potentially "severe shortage" of general surgeons is looming in the United States -- leaving fewer doctors to repair hernias, operate on accident victims and carry out other common procedures, a study Monday concluded. ..."The unique role of the general surgeon has to be addressed if we're going to make any changes or even hold steady in the nation's shortage of health-care workers," said Dr. George F. Sheldon, a former president of the American College of Surgeons and professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

State and Local Coverage

Protest not seen changing minds
The Chapel Hill Herald
UNC Chancellor James Moeser confirmed Monday that a group of students occupying the South Building are not likely to change his stance on the Designated Suppliers Program. "It's not a reasonable request," Moeser said of the students' call for his endorsement of a program said to be "sweatshop-free" by supporters. "It's not a reasonable request; it's a demand."
Related Link:
http://www.newsobserver.com/print/tuesday/city_state/story/1045462.html

Theater project takes on pressing issues
The Chapel Hill Herald
As UNC students pack up their winter sweaters and take out their bathing suits, fears of extra pounds put on during the chilly months begin to surface. Interactive Theatre Carolina, a new program developed by the university's Counseling and Wellness Services, is seizing the moment to address a problem affecting approximately eight million people nationwide: eating disorders.

Early treatment helps kids with autism (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Chapel Hill Herald
...April, which is Autism Awareness Month, provides ample opportunities to learn about and support the individuals and families who live with this disability. ...TEACCH, a program in the psychiatry department of UNC, also educates the public on its Web site (www.teacch.com; 966-2174) and with its many publications. Persons with ASD, TEACCH notes, may experience problems with language development; may exhibit inconsistent sensory response patterns (e.g., periods when hearing appears to be normal and periods of apparent deafness); an uneven pattern of intellectual development (Dustin Hoffman's character Raymond in the movie "Rain Man" is an extreme example); and significantly highly-focused restriction of interests and activities.

Issues and Trends

Probation officer's hearing postponed
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
A court hearing was delayed Monday for a Durham probation officer singled out for not meeting with one of the two men charged with killing two college students.