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August 5, 2003
Current National Coverage
Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina
people and programs cited recently in the media:Health Tips ... from UPI
United Press International
... Doctors often miss their chance to vaccinate adults and children, but new
recommendations could fix the problem. "Part of the problem lies with healthcare
providers ... who miss opportunities, such as sick visits, emergency room visits
or visits during which a sibling or parent is being seen, to administer needed
vaccines," said Dr. Yemisi Adetunji, of the University of North Carolina,
Chapel Hill.
A breaktaking difference
The Star-Ledger (N.J.)
Here's how John Lucchesi describes life two years after undergoing a double-
lung transplant: ... If a donor was found for him, he wanted the surgery done at
the University of North Carolina Hospitals at Chapel Hill, because the facility
includes a comprehensive transplant center, as well as a treatment center devoted
to patients with cystic fibrosis. ... "There's no cure for cystic fibrosis and, in his
case, it's a progressive disease. Without the transplant, he would have died," says
Ken Davis, transplant coordinator for UNC-Chapel Hill.
Hugs can help with daily stress
Akron Beacon Journal (Ohio)
Flossing, exercise, cutting fatty foods. So many health habits are a matter of grit-
your-teeth and just do it. Does a hug sound like more fun? Hugs are a healthful
habit that can be very pleasant. According to researchers at the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill, cuddling with your romantic partner can be good
for your health -- specifically, your blood pressure.
Players, coaches need caution
The Orange Leader (Texas)
Somewhere in the country it is likely going to happen in the next several weeks,
Sadly,everyone just knows it is. ... The University of North Carolina does a study
every year and it found out that football-related deaths are increasing at all levels.
(Note: A related story appeared in the sports section of today's News and Observer.)Regional Coverage
Doctors discover trigger
The Augusta Chronicle (Ga.)
Stem cells are like cell factories that not only reproduce but also make other types
of essential cells. ... Learning the signals that trigger cell death also might answer
concerns about the stem cell transplants growing out of control, said Larysa Pevny,
a researcher in the Neuroscience Center at the University of North Carolina-
Chapel Hill.
State and Local Coverage
Search for UNC medical dean daunting
The Herald-Sun
While searching for university chancellors and other high-ranking educators, UNC
President Molly Broad often jokes that the ideal candidate must "walk on water
without scaring the fish." Sure, it's a joke, but the search for a replacement for
UNC medical school dean Jeffrey Houpt will take that lesson to heart, Broad
told a search committee Monday.
UNC could manage other schools' money
News and Observer
Emboldened by high returns, the guardians of the endowment at the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill are getting into the money management business.
Power money: Utilities thwarting self-generation bid
The Triangle Business Journal
Officials with International Paper figure they're shaving 60 percent off their annual
electricity expense by generating some of the juice needed to power the company's
six North Carolina facilities, including two paper mills. ... The University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill is one of the state's longest-running self-generators of
electricity. UNC officials figure the university saves $2.5 million on its annual $13.8
million power bill by generating some of its own electricity
Study: Chronic stress can weaken immunity
The Charlotte Observer
Researchers have identified a mechanism by which chronic stress weakens the
immune system, putting people at greater risk of disease and, possibly, premature
aging. ... Kiecolt-Glaser and her husband, Ronald Glaser, a viral immunologist at
Ohio State University, headed a research team from Ohio State and UNC
Chapel Hill that monitored blood levels of IL-6 in 119 elderly caregivers and 106
noncaregivers (their average age was 70) for six years.
How old is too old to drive?
The News and Observer
It might come as a surprise to hear that Bob Morgenroth thinks older drivers such
as himself -- he's 88 -- should get more scrutiny than those half his age. ... Is an
elderly loved one at risk on the road? Use this checklist from occupational therapist
Jenny Womack of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to find out.
In Medicare's history, the past may be prologue (Question and Answer)
The News and Observer
Conflicting visions for the future are in play as Washington leaders search for
compromise on House and Senate bills to provide prescription drug benefits for
Medicare users. For political scientist Jonathan Oberlander, the debate invokes
troubling visions of the past. Oberlander teaches health policy at the UNC-
Chapel Hill medical school
Will result of ice storm be baby boom?
The Charlotte Observer
Karen Brown believes in the romance of an ice storm. Brown was among the
hundreds of thousands who lost electricity in early December, when an ice storm
socked the Charlotte area. ... also talked to Richard Udry, a UNC Chapel Hill
researcher known for debunking the '65 blackout story.
Penkava will host 'State of Things'
The News and Observer
'The State of Things" is no longer in a state of flux. Veteran radio journalist Melinda
Penkava has been named the host of the show on WUNC (91.5 FM), the
University of North Carolina's public radio station.
Many Mexican immigrants choose N.C. as working home
The Herald-Sun
Bernardo Pérez Loredo stands in the doorway of the cement shed and cups the
straw-colored kernels in his hands. ... The Consortium in Latin American
Studies at UNC Chapel Hill and Duke University sponsored a journalist to
travel with the group.
N.C. Botanical Garden will dig up its past
The Herald-Sun
The North Carolina Botanical Garden is preparing to conduct an archaeological
search for evidence of past human habitation -- on its own grounds. "We know
people were here many thousands of years ago," said NCBG Assistant Director
Charlotte Jones-Roe. She said the garden is looking for foundations and prehistoric
artifacts and will conduct a botanical inventory of any area in which they find
something. Leading the 750-acre search will be H. Trawick Ward, who recently
retired from the UNC Research Laboratories of Archaeology.
Issues and Trends Affecting Carolina
Vacation boost could cost state
The News and Observer
Tim Canup oversees construction for the state Department of Transportation in
Salisbury, and that puts him at the mercy of contractors building and repairing North
Carolina's roads. When they work, he works, and that often includes weekends and
holidays.
Note: If you have any questions about Carolina in the News,
please call Cathleen Keyser or Mike McFarland at News
Services, (919) 962-2091 or news@unc.edu or
mike_mcfarland@unc.eduNote: Web links on this page are time-sensitive,
so stories might not be available after the day they first appeared.
