uncnews.unc.edu

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

International Coverage

Risks of opioids for arthritis outweigh benefits
Reuters (Wire Service)
Older folks looking to find relief from painful arthritis should steer clear of codeine, OxyContin and other powerful prescription "opioid" painkillers, even if their pain is severe, doctors advise in a report published this week. ..."It is striking how little additional benefit patients with hip or knee pain can expect from taking opiates compared to placebo," Dr. Nortin Hadler, a professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and spokesperson for the American College of Rheumatology, said in a written statement.

National Coverage

More attention, better treatment for concussions
The Associated Press
The days of a football player getting his bell rung, taking a whiff of smelling salts and getting back on the field are gone. ...(Dr. Julian) Bailes, who set up the Center for the Study of Retired Athletes at the University of North Carolina, said the baseline tests "are very important adjuncts. But the No. 1 thing we go by is the symptoms. If any of those symptoms are spotted, then they shouldn't return to play."

Can BP A make girls aggressive?
"Dr. Nancy" MSNBC-TV
Joe Braun, a doctoral student in epidemiology at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health was interviewed live from the Carolina News Studio speaking about his recent study that examines the link between prenatal bisphenol A (BPA) exposure and behavior problems in children.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2944/1/

Study shows BPA may be linked to aggression in little girls (Blog)
The Mother Nature Network
More bad news on the BPA front. A new study released yesterday in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives indicates that there may be a link between prenatal BPA exposure and aggression in female babies. ...Joe Braun of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, a co-author of the study, says he plans to follow children until age 5 because behaviors can change over time.

Regional Coverage

A sweet surprise (Letter to the Editor)
The Napa Valley Register (California)
...The Oct. 2 Guest Commentary, “Mighty thin arguments against soda tax,” may confuse consumers about high-fructose corn syrup. ...In an interview with FoodNavigator-USA.com, Barry Popkin, Ph.D., stated, “We were wrong in our speculations on high-fructose corn syrup about their link to weight.” Popkin, a professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, along with George Bray, M.D., Boyd Professor at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center of Louisiana State University, suggested in a 2004 commentary in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that high-fructose corn syrup was uniquely responsible for obesity. (Audrae Erickson, president, Corn Refiners Association, Washington, D.C.)

Doctor sets out to battle diabetes
The St. Augustine Record (Florida)
Dr. Anil Mandal gets frustrated when he hears about the various treatments for those diagnosed with diabetes, particularly in the South Pacific, where in some societies, having a large body is equated with beauty and power. ...The Mandal Diabetes Research Institute is pursuing research in collaboration with the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada, to isolate an enzyme in the blood of diabetes patients.

State and Local Coverage

Can plastic water bottles cause a more aggressive child? (Blog)
The Star News (Wilmington)
Exposure of a chemical component found in plastic water bottles, canned good liners and medical devices by pregnant women could be linked to more aggressive and hyperactive behavior in their daughters, according to work published by a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researcher. The findings, reported in this story from the News & Observer, appear to show that prenatal exposure to bisphenolA, or BPA, could affect girls’ behavior.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2944/1/

Pregnant women urged to vaccinated for H1N1
WRAL.com
Pregnant women are among those at highest risk of dying from complications from the seasonal flu. They can also pass the virus on to their infant or young children. ...Some people are afraid there won't be enough H1N1 vaccine for everyone who wants it, but Dr. David Weber, an infectious disease specialist at UNC Hospitals, said people shouldn’t be worried. “We estimate that we'll have about 40 million doses by Oct. 15 and then 20 million doses available each week thereafter. Ultimately, the government is committed to making enough vaccine for the entire population. My guess is the vaccine will arrive faster than we can actually physically administer it,” Weber said.

Canadian researchers decode DNA of breast cancer tumor
The Triangle Business Journal
...Similar research is being conducted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University. ...Researchers at UNC were selected to participate in the Cancer Genome Atlas project, an initiative created by the National Cancer Institute and the National Human Genome Research Institute to characterize genomic changes that occur in cancer. UNC is one of 12 centers nationally working on the project. “This project represents one of the most ambitious and challenging human genetics efforts to date, only rivaled by its predecessor, the Human Genome Project,” said Dr. Charles Perou, associate professor of genetics and pathology and laboratory medicine.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2924/1/

UNC-CH wants vigilance
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
In a never-ending battle against hackers, the head of information technology at UNC-Chapel Hill has a message for campus workers: take ownership of your computer. That's a core theme of a new policy that Vice Chancellor Larry Conrad is trumpeting on a campus where 80,000 computers and other electronic devices tap into the campus network. Though the policy won't solve all of UNC-CH's network security problems, Conrad points to one piece of his proposal as an example of its larger philosophy: Employees with computers must keep their virus software and security patches up to date, just as they would for their personal computers.
Related Link:
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/campusnotes/at-unc-ch-a-plea-for-computing-vigilance

$100,000 to go toward economic development in Franklin
The Macon County News (Franklin)
The Town of Franklin is set to proceed with plans to improve area economics and aesthetics. Available to the town is $100,000 in grant funding to implement a plan for economic development. ...Assistant Town Manager Mike Decker made a presentation to the board on suggested rules of procedure, adapted from rules outlined by the School of Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Conservative political voice Bay Buchanan speaks today
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
The UNC Chapter of Youth for Western Civilization is hosting former Reagan administration member Angela "Bay" Buchanan in a lecture titled "Reintroducing Free Speech On Campus With an Indictment Against Illegal Immigration," at 8 p.m. today in the UNC Chapel Hill Student Union Auditorium, 209 South Road.

"We Shall Not Be Moved"
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
"An intellectual journey" is how L. Teresa Church, an archival consultant, describes a new exhibit opening today at Wilson Library at UNC. The exhibit, "We Shall Not Be Moved: African Americans in the South, 18th Century to the Present," examines a time of great struggle for African-Americans, but a time also marked by great resourcefulness and community-building.
Related Link:
http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Events+related+to+%E2%80%98We+Shall
+Not-+Be+Moved%E2%80%99+exhibit%20&id=3886813-Events+related+to+%E2%80%98We+Shall
+Not-+Be+Moved%E2%80%99+exhibit&instance=homefirstleft
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2935/73/

UNC honors three young alumni
WRAL-TV (CBS/Raleigh)
Two recent graduates of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill were honored Friday at the 2009 Distinguished Young Alumni Awards. Eric Montross, a member of the 1993 NCAA championship Tar Heels team, graduated in 1994 with a degree in speech. ...Emily Williamson, vice president of student development at Western Piedmont Community College, was student body vice president at UNC and graduated in 1999 with a degree in political science. ...The General Alumni Association made a posthumous award for the first time, to former student body president Eve Carson.
Related Link:
http://www.wchl1360.com/detailswide.html?id=12023
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2953/75/

John Tyler Caldwell Award goes to Marsha White Warren
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Buoyed by a long list of lifelong achievements as an advocate for the public humanities across North Carolina, Marsha White Warren has been named recipient of the N.C. Humanities Council's highest honor, the John Tyler Caldwell Award for the Humanities. She will accept the award at 7 p.m. on Oct. 16, at the William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education in Chapel Hill. Reginald F. Hildebrand, associate professor of African American Studies & History at UNC, will deliver the annual Caldwell Lecture in the Humanities.

Issues and Trends

Whitfield gets nod to lead NCHSAA
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Davis Whitfield, a product of eastern North Carolina who cut his teeth as an Atlantic Coast Conference assistant commissioner, is expected to be named as the next executive director of the N.C. High School Athletic Association today. ...The NCHSAA was founded as a part of the University of North Carolina in 1914, but the university and the NCHSAA are expected to sever their ties by May 15, 2010.