uncnews.unc.edu

International Coverage

Abnormal sleep patterns in women linked to stroke
Reuters (Wire Service)
Sleep patterns in middle-aged women can increase their risk for stroke, researchers in the United States have found. ...A link between sleep duration and mortality has previously been noted in a number of studies, but evidence of an association between sleep patterns and cardiovascular disease has been lacking, Dr. Jiu-Chiuan Chen, from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, and co-researchers note.

The real poop on keyboards
The Times-Colonist (Canada)
Your mother told you and now we're reminding you: Wash your hands. ...A study conducted at the University of North Carolina's Health Care System also found a good supply of bad bacteria, but it was in a hospital. It went a step further and looked at how best to disinfect computer keyboards, testing sterile water, alcohol and chlorine on paper towels and several commercially packaged disinfectant wipes. All were effective in removing the bacteria (about 95 per cent) but the commercial wipes were effective for 48 hours, according to the study.

National Coverage

Olympics ads pushing global, unified themes
The Associated Press
Some ads preach unity and togetherness. Some celebrate the spirit of athleticism. ...The big question for U.S. advertisers is how do they acknowledge China in their domestic advertisements, or do they bother at all, said John Sweeney, an advertising professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

New programs target shaken-baby syndrome
USA Today
...Armed with data linking shaken baby incidents to periods of increases in infant crying, researchers in North Carolina and Pennsylvania are teaching parents how to cope with crying babies instead of simply saying, "Don't shake your baby." "We don't think that shaken baby is the same kind of child abuse as battered-child abuse," says Desmond Runyan, a pediatrician at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill who is leading the state's prevention efforts. "It's somebody who lost it for 30 seconds and changed their life and life of the child.

Study: Genes predict violence
CNN
A new study may have found a genetic link to violent, criminal behavior. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports.
Note: This study was conducted by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, headed by Dr. Guang Guo, a professor of sociology in the UNC College of Arts and Sciences.
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/health-and-medicine/unc-study-genetics-social
-factors-combine-to-impact-delinquency.html

State and Local Coverage

Nearly 900 species discovered in Smokies during 10-year project
The Citizen-Times (Asheville)
A project documenting all living creatures in Great Smoky Mountains National Park has led to the discovery of nearly 900 new species, furthering science, education and public interest in conservation, a group of panelists testified Monday. ...The project, which began in 1997, seeks to inventory all of the species in the more than 800 square miles of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The park is “a hot spot of biodiversity,” said Peter White, a biology professor at UNC Chapel Hill and a member of the board of directors of Discover Life in America, the nonprofit organization coordinating the survey.

Researchers look for autism links
The Rocky Mount Telegram
Kristina Day's gut tells her that her youngest son does not have autism. ...William is one of a handful of babies already participating in a study to look at their brain development and behavior, said Dr. Heather Cody Hazlett, a co-investigator of the study and an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Pig tissue helps with severe intestinal problems
WRAL-TV (CBS/Raleigh)
Tissue from pig intestines is key to a new procedure performed by University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill doctors as an alternative to major surgery of people with fistulas. ...Pig intestine tissue has previously been used in skin grafting and replacing heart valves, but UNC researchers developed a method using X-rays to apply the tissue to a fistula repair.

Judge seals list of items seized at Cooper home
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
A judge has agreed to let Cary police keep secret an inventory of items officers took from the home of Nancy Cooper, a Cary woman found slain last week. ..."In high-profile cases, this is an emerging strategy," said Jim Drennan, a professor of law with UNC-Chapel Hill's Institute of Government.

Developers strive for Clever Way to Name Street
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
For more than two decades, Vanessa Parker and her daughter, Vickie, have had to reference a 14th century poem just to get a pizza delivered. ...Residents of South Durham's Sir Gawain Way may want to know there are apparently at least two ways to pronounce the name of the medieval knight for which their small, dead-end street is named. According to Ted Leinbaugh, a medieval literature professor at UNC-Chapel Hill, the collective wisdom points to two pronunciations: "GOW-in" and "Guh-WANE."

Ask Anything: 10 questions with Durham Schools Superintendent Carl Harris
WRAL-TV (CBS/Raleigh)
...We are very fortunate to have generous community partners who often come to the aid of our less fortunate students by donating school supplies, backpacks and other needs. Two years ago, students from Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill partnered to open the Crayons2Calculators teacher warehouse in downtown Durham. This is a wonderful collaboration that has provided tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of classroom needs for teachers at no cost.

Issues and Trends

Little-noticed legislation may make a big difference
The Winston-Salem Journal
Small, seemingly unimportant items get lost every year amid the mad scramble toward the adjournment of the General Assembly. ...Next came the deaths of Tim Dillon, a close friend who died after a stroke in 2006, and Jason Ray, a mascot for UNC Chapel Hill who died in March 2007 after being hit by a car. Dillon had indicated on his license that he wanted to donate his organs, but by the time his family was contacted it was too late. And Ray's gift of life through organ and tissue donations has helped more than 100 people.

Groups join to restore Chapel Hill murals
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
It's 92 degrees outside, and Michael Brown reeks of bleach and sweat. For the last five hours, he has been scrubbing the grime off his 17-year-old mural, the 100-foot-long pencil on Henderson Street. ...Brown, who graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in art, has painted about 20 murals in the town.

Triangle nonprofit gets old bikes rolling again
WRAL-TV (CBS/Raleigh)
High gas prices are fueling interest in a unique Triangle bicycle program. ReCYCLEry takes old bikes and makes them new again. ...The volunteers learn how to fix the bikes, which are then used for the Blue Urban Bike Program. Members pay a yearly fee to use the bikes that are stationed in Chapel Hill, Carrboro and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus.