uncnews.unc.edu

Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:

International Coverage

Girls with prenatal BPA exposure more aggressive
CanWest News Service (Wire Service/Canada)
Daughters of women who were exposed to a common chemical found in plastics while they were pregnant are more likely to show aggressive and hyperactive behaviours as two-year-olds, a new study shows. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of North Carolina and British Columbia's Simon Fraser University, is the first to examine the link between prenatal bisphenol A exposure and behavioural problems in children.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2944/1/

National Coverage

Plastic chemical linked to female aggression
USA Today
A new study adds to the growing concern that prenatal exposure to the chemical bisphenol A could harm children's development. ...Girls were more likely to be aggressive if their mothers had high levels of BPA — an estrogen-like chemical used in many consumer products — early in pregnancy or at about 16 weeks, the study says. A typical pregnancy lasts 40 weeks. The girls had aggression scores that were similar to those of boys, as measured by a commonly used test, says co-author Joe Braun of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Boys appeared unaffected by BPA.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2944/1/

Plastics Chemical Tied to Aggression in Young Girls
HealthDay News (Wire Service)
In the latest study to suggest an association between the plastics chemical bisphenol A (BPA) and adverse effects on humans, researchers report that BPA may affect the behavior of little girls. ..."We found almost all of the women [in the study] had detectable levels of bisphenol A in at least one of the tests, and elevated concentrations were associated with externalizing behaviors in female children," said study author Joe Braun, a graduate student and research assistant in epidemiology at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

HIV Rates Among Black Americans Remain Disproportionately High
All Headline News (Wire Service)
HIV prevalence among black Americans continues to far exceed rates among whites, despite billions of dollars in government and private spending to combat the disease, according to researchers with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The researchers wrote in a new report appearing in the November issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine that black HIV rates are 10 times higher than white Americans.

Gene Identified That Controls Brain Cell Growth
Ivanhoe (Newswire)
There is a fine line between brain cell growth that can lead to tumors, brain cell growth that's normal and brain cell growth that can lead to neuropsychiatric illnesses. Researchers at the University of North Carolina (UNC) have pinpointed one gene that plays a role in drawing that line. Researchers at UNC at Chapel Hill School of Medicine discovered that the balancing of brain cells rests in large part on single gene, called GSK-3, glycogen synthase kinase 3. GSK-3 controls and coordinates the signals in the brain that determine how many neurons are actually produced.
Note: Ivanhoe has a syndicated television series and its reports are broadcast in 250 markets reaching 80 million U.S. households.
UNC Release:
http://unchealthcare.org/site/newsroom/news/2009/October/snider

How Obama Compares To Other Wartime Presidents
"All Things Considered" National Public Radio
As President Obama weighs his military options in Afghanistan, how does his relationship to the military and his leadership style compare to other wartime presidents? Richard Kohn, a military historian at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, says President Obama's frequency of contacts with Gen. Stanley McChrystal are typical.

Student-Athletes Once Again
The New York Times
...For elite athletes, who command seven-figure salaries, returning to college is an investment and a hedge against what can be an uncertain future. ...The obligations of sport and school can sometimes clash. Vince Carter left the University of North Carolina for the N.B.A. in 1998, but kept working toward his degree in African-American studies.

Regional Coverage

More Proof That Alan Greenspan Was Wrong: Anti-Predatory Laws Slowed Foreclosures
The Washington Independent.com
A new study out today from the University of North Carolina Center for Community Capital provides more evidence that deregulatory zealots have a lot to answer for when it comes to the mortgage crisis: State anti-predatory laws actually worked, slowing down foreclosures.

Tight budgets put college visits on webcam
The Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg, Va.)
An admissions officer from the University of North Carolina recently appeared at Fredericksburg Academy without leaving her Chapel Hill office. Fifteen juniors and seniors at the private school in Spotsylvania County visited with her via a webcam. Erin Breese, senior assistant director of admissions at UNC at Chapel Hill, thanked them for taking part in what she called an "experiment."

State and Local Coverage

BPA Linked To Behavioral Problems In Girls
WFMY-TV (CBS/Greensboro)
...Bisphenol-A or BPA is a chemical found in many baby items such as plastic bottles. It is also found in other plastic bottles such as water bottles used by adults and the lining of food cans. In the first human study examining the associate of BPA with behavioral problems, researchers linked the chemical to hyperactivity, aggression and other issues in 2-year-old girls. The lead researcher, Joe Braun, UNC-Chapel Hill, showed that BPA exposure in early pregnancy, when many women are not aware they are pregnant, was associated with the behavioral problems later on in girls.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2944/1/

UNC doctor part of Rose Garden gathering
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
A UNC doctor, who treats patients in Chatham County, met with President Barack Obama in the Rose Garden Monday to help push for health care reform. Stephen Gamboa, who lives in Carrboro and primarily works at UNC's Chatham Hospital in Siler City, was one of a group of doctors who attended the event.
Related Link:
http://www.wchl1360.com/detailswide.html?id=11998

Study examining health issues in workplace
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
A wellness study focusing on tobacco use cessation, healthy eating, increased physical activity and stress management is moving into a new phase by examining the issues in the workplace. ...Laura Linnan, a national expert on worksite wellness, and Michael Bowling, an expert in public health statistics and evaluation design, from the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, are joining the study.

Fear the deer -- they can kill you
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Watch out for white-tailed deer when you drive. They're pretty, they're brazen, and they're clueless. Deer have become a real danger on North Carolina roads. Last year, drivers reported a record 19,693 collisions with deer, about 9.2percent of all crashes statewide, the UNC Highway Safety Research Center says.
Related Link:
http://www.gastongazette.com/news/vehicle-38677-crashes-deer.html
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2926/73/

Essential elements for healthier care (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Many people have been pontificating about health-care reform but very few have seen the direct consequences and failings of the current system. Fewer have actually practiced medicine. Congressmen, the talk show hosts and insurance company CEOs have excellent health insurance. They never worry about affording medication. (Charles van der Horst, M.D., is professor of medicine at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine. Laura Svetkey, M.D., is professor of medicine at Duke University. Eight other Chapel Hill and Durham-area physicians endorsed their article.)

Reliving a 'New Voyage' (Blog)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
If you were making a list of your favorite books about North Carolina -- or even the most important books -- what would you include? Maybe more important, where would you start? That opens up a whole world of debate, but it would be hard to argue against starting with John Lawson, whose "A New Voyage to Carolina," first published in 1709 in London. ...To historian and UNC-Chapel Hill Prof. Hugh T. Lefler, "Lawson's observation is keen and thorough; his style direct and vivid. He misses nothing and recounts all."

The Uproarious Roy Blount Jr.
"The State of Things" WUNC-FM
Fans of public radio are familiar with his Southern drawl and clever humor on the NPR quiz show “Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me,” but in addition to being a radio personality, Roy Blount Jr. is also a literary lion. Blount Jr. is the author of 21 books and this year, he is the recipient of the Thomas Wolfe Prize from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He drops by the studio for a little chat with host Frank Stasio about writing, humor and what it means to be a Southerner.
Note: "The State of Things" is the statewide public affairs program airing live at noon weekdays and rebroadcast at 9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays.
Related Link:
http://www.wlos.com/template/inews_wire/wires.regional.nc/39c295e0-www.wlos.com.shtml
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2890/73/

Medical advisor to Fox's "House" to speak at UNC (Blog)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Dr. Lisa Sanders, a Yale School of Medicine internist and technical medical advisor on Fox's hit show "House," will speak at UNC on Wednesday. "House," which debuted in 2004 and stars Hugh Laurie, was inspired by Sanders' monthly New York Times Magazine column "Diagnosis," which Sanders had been writing since 2002. Sanders met with show creator and writer David Shore to develop the storyline for the pilot, and still consults with the show's writers and producers at the beginning of each season.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2936/71/

UNC Project Uganda Embraces Social Media
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
Back in May, Patrick Kahuma, an 18-year-old from Uganda, came to the Children’s Heart Center at North Carolina Children’s Hospital for a heart procedure which was a success. The following September, the same team of UNC’s pediatric cardiac doctors that brought Kahuma to Chapel Hill went to Uganda to work for UNC’s Project Uganda to practice care.

Correction
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
A Sept. 25 front-page article on the Citizen Soldier Support Program stated four of the program's eight employees earned more than $100,000. Only three employees do: One employee reduced her work schedule to three-quarter time and earns $77,250.

Issues and Trends

Woo-hoo! List says we're smartest
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The average Triangle resident could be forgiven for yawning at yet another top-10 ranking for the region. But who doesn't like it when someone says you're the smartest? ...There were the usual issues with not quite understanding the three corners of the region when discussing Research Triangle Park. Unbelievably, Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill get a nod, but there is no mention of N.C. State University.
Related Links:
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=7050185
http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2009/10/raleighdurham
-nc-tops-list-of-americas-smartest-cities.html

Doctors in the house (Editorial)
The Star News (Wilmington)
The spirit of partnership hasn’t always characterized the relationship among our state universities. ...But when North Carolina’s state universities can work together, they should. The budget crunch could nudge the schools in that direction – when money is tight, a more creative approach is necessary to get the job done. ...Last year the UNC Board of Governors endorsed a $450 million expansion plan for the medical schools at ECU and UNC-Chapel Hill. Needless to say, the budget predicament has put that plan on hold.

Cracks in the Future (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The New York Times
While the U.S. has struggled with enormous problems over the past several years, there has been at least one consistent bright spot. Its system of higher education has remained the finest in the world. Now there are ominous cracks appearing in that cornerstone of American civilization. Exhibit A is the University of California, Berkeley, the finest public university in the world and undoubtedly one of the two or three best universities in the United States, public or private.

Bain Begins Analysis Of Campus Operations
The Daily Californian (UC Berkeley student paper)
The campus's recent $3 million decision to hire consulting firm Bain & Company to help assess operations has officially marked the beginning of its collaboration with the firm. ...Bain has set up a team of five senior consultants from its San Francisco office to work with the steering committee, which is composed of UC Berkeley students, faculty, staff and alumni. Two additional Atlanta-based senior consultants who have direct experience with similar work done for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Cornell University will also be part of the team, though they will not be exclusively dedicated to the effort.