uncnews.unc.edu

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

International Coverage

Opting for plain water might prevent diabetes
Reuters (Wire Service)
Women who chose plain water, instead of sweet drinks such as sodas or fruit juice, had a slightly lowered risk of developing diabetes in a large new study. ..."It is essentially not that water helps, except with hydration, but that the others hurt," Barry Popkin, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Public Health who was not involved in the study, told Reuters Health.

National Coverage

Junior Seau's final days plagued by sleepless nights
USA Today
...Nationally, speculation has centered on head blows and multiple concussions and how they can lead to depression and debilitating pain in the lives of former players — even if, like Seau, who played 20 NFL seasons, they never reported a concussion. Sleep disorders also are common among people who have experienced traumatic brain injury, University of North Carolina concussion researcher Kevin Guskiewicz says.

Report: Seau had insomnia in months leading up to suicide
The Chicago Tribune
Junior Seau had insomnia in the months leading up to his suicide and often took strong sleep aids, not always as directed, according to friends, USA Today reported Thursday in an investigative story. ...There has been speculation that head blows and concussions received during his 20-year NFL career may have led to Seau's depression, and sleep disorders are common among people who have had a traumatic brain injury, University of North Carolina concussion researcher Kevin Guskiewicz told USA Today.

Bloomberg's Sugary Drink Ban May Not Change Soda Drinkers' Habits (Blog)
"The Salt" National Public Radio
When New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced last night he wants to ban sodas and many other sugary drinks in 16 ounce servings sizes and up, the reaction was swift and predictable. McDonald's says the ban, which applies to city restaurants and food carts, is "narrowly-focused" and "misguided." Barry Popkin of the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, calls the move "gutsy," and tells The Salt: "Controlling sugary beverage portions sizes is critical for reducing weight gain and [the] risks of diabetes in the U.S."

Decision Points: State vs Private College
Fox Business
With student debt surpassing $1 trillion and college tuition on the rise, making the choice between attending a state or private university may come down to what is affordable. ...Take, for example, a school like the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This highly-ranked public school reports a total annual cost of $20,660 for North Carolina residents, nearly half the $41,140 price tag for out-of-state students.

State and Local Coverage

HIV hides soon after infection, UNC research shows
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
While current therapies are effective at controlling HIV, some virus remains hidden in certain CD4+ T cells, specialized immune system cells that the virus uses to replicate. This latent infection remains a significant challenge to curing HIV, a recent study by UNC researchers has found. A team led by the University of North Carolina School of Medicine has demonstrated that latency develops soon after infection and slows when antiretroviral therapy is given.

Pharmacists capable of providing safe, timely immunizations (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Charlotte Observer
From Dr. David Weber, Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics, and Epidemiology, Associate Chief of Staff, UNC Health Care Medical Director, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Vaccines are the safest, cheapest and most effective method to curb the spread of communicable disease and maintain our communities’ health. Yet, many persons go without CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)/ACIP (Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices) recommended vaccines, jeopardizing the health of their friends and neighbors, and the productivity or our economy.

Chapel Hill to innovate and incubate
The Chapel Hill Herald
From UNC to Town Hall, the words innovation and incubators are kicked around a lot. ...“You’ve heard from the people who want to use this space, who want to grow what they have started and keep it here,” said Gordon Merklein, executive director of Real Estate Development at UNC and Chapel Hill Foundation & Real Estate Holdings Inc., representative. “Let’s not make them go somewhere else and look for space.”

No food pact for Wake Tech
The Triangle Business Journal
...The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has a single contract with Aramark Corp., which then manages all food service, including for its cafeterias and the Chick-fil-A, Quiznos, Subway and Starbucks on campus, says Scott Myers, UNC-CH director of food and vending. The university does about $30 million in annual food sales and just renewed the contract with Aramark for 10 years; it will run through 2021.

A summer to remember
The Carrboro Citizen
Wilton Burns, a rising junior at UNC, will travel to Thailand this summer as a Phillips Ambassador to Asia. Burns, who graduated from East Chapel Hill High School in 2010, is majoring in environmental sciences at UNC.

Magic $30 million (Letter to the Editor)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
While The N&O reports “Higher prices from providers drive health care cost increases” (May 26), it details that UNC Health Care comes to the rescue, after having trounced WakeMed in “free market” competition, by magically producing $30 million to build a new health facility in Wake County designed for indigent and mental health patients. (John Rhodes, Efland)

Issues and Trends

House's proposed budget would be good for schools, museum
The Salisbury Post
...But Democrats say the proposal leaves public schools no better off compared to a year ago. Republicans also have done little to alleviate cuts approved in the 2011 budget to the University of North Carolina and community college systems, according to Democratic speakers during debate.

Edwards Jurors Explain Why Guilty Verdicts Weren’t Possible (Blog)
ABC News
The jurors in the John Edwards trial spoke this morning for the first time about their 9 days of deliberations that resulted in a not guilty verdict on only one count and a mistrial on the remaining counts. ...Jonathan Nunn, a juror and a maintenance specialist at the University of North Carolina, explained why he was unconvinced of John Edwards guilt in taking illegal campaign contributions in order to hide his pregnant girlfriend.