Aug. 31, 2006

Carolina in the News

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

International Coverage

Excessive Exercise common in anorexia
Reuters

Doctors have known that excessive exercise is a common feature of eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia, but it hasn't been clear which women are most likely to have the problem. For the current study, researchers led by Dr. Cynthia M. Bulik of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill used data from three international studies of women with anorexia, bulimia or both.

National Coverage

Medical Practices Blend Health and Faith
The Washington Post

Some experts also criticize doctors who represent natural family planning as being as effective as birth-control pills, patches and other medical approached...On July 16, The Post's Rob Stein published several stories about the clash between patients and healthcare providers who balk at giving care that they feel violates their beliefs, sparking an intense, complex and often bitter debate over religious freedom vs. patients' rights..."To suggest they are equivalent to modern methods is simply incorrect," said David A. Grimes of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill.

Promoting Success, With Parents' Help
The Washington Post

Based on responses to certain Search Institute Assets Survey items, the Arlington Partnership for Children, Youth and Families reports a decline since the 2001 survey in involvement by parents, fueled largely by a drop in reported school engagement of parents of high school seniors...Similar behaviors among families of elementary school children were featured in a recent study published by University of North Carolina scholars in the summer 2006 issue of the American Journal of Educational Research.

Study Finds Excessive Exercise Common Among Anorexic Women
All Headline News (Wire)

A new study shows that excessive exercise may be particularly common among anorexic women who vomit or use laxatives to lose weight. For the current study published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, researchers led by Dr. Cynthia M. Bulik of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill used data from three international studies of women with anorexia, bulimia or both.

Regional Coverage

Beverages can add to weight gain
The Sun News (Myrtle Beach, S.C.)

A panel of experts led by Barry Popkin, from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, developed the beverage guidelines, publishing them in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The panel assessed the calorie and nutrient content of various drinks. The goal was to give consumers reliable guidance about drinks commonly available in this country.

OHSU, Oregon Middle Schools Team Up To Prevent Diabetes
Josephine County News (Portland, Ore.)

Other universities participating in HEALTHY are: Baylor College of Medicine, University of California at Irvine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Temple University, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and George Washington University.

Scientists discover why statins help MS
South Bend Tribune (South Bend, Ind.)

Previous research, still considered preliminary, has suggested that MS patients who also take statins have less nerve damage over time. Scientists at the University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill, tested blood samples from people with relapsing-remitting MS to find out why.

UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/aug06/statins081706.htm

Sate and Local Coverage

Ackland prepares to grow
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

What does it take to draw people into an old, cramped museum like the Ackland on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus? Room for lots of new art that they haven't seen before, for starters, and that takes money. That's why the university has turned to a veteran arts administrator with fundraising experience to be the new director of the Ackland Art Museum. Emily Kass has been hired just in time to start looking for ways to pay for a new wing that would double the size of the museum.

UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/aug06/AcklandDIRECT082806.html

Enzyme Replacement Therapy Being Used To Treat Hunter Syndrome
WRAL-TV (Raleigh)

Children with Hunter Syndrome lack a certain enzyme in their blood. The Food and Drug Administration just approved an enzyme-replacement therapy for these patients. It had its start at UNC Hospitals.

Have Headaches? The Problem Could be Your Jaw
WRAL-TV (Raleigh)

Diagnosis begins with a physical and dental exam, along with a patient's complete medical history. Dr. Pei Feng Lim, who specializes in oral and facial pain at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry, examined Miller by getting her to move her jaw into different positions and putting pressure on it to find the points of pain.

UNC nursing school takes on a new partnership
WCHL-1360 AM (Chapel Hill)

When North Carolina nurses care for elderly patients, they face situations that aren’t common in younger ones. U-N-C Nursing School Professor Mary Palmer says that’s one reason why the school has undertaken a new partnership with nurses from around the state…to provide training specifically targeted for the care of the elderly.

Issues and Trends

The New State U.
Inside Higher Ed

All three campuses have some distance education programs, but the university system is now getting ready to launch a whole new campus, creating an online division that could eventually rival the individual campuses in enrollment levels, operating in a very different environment. The University of Illinois Global Campus would be operated as a separate for-profit entity, have almost entirely part-time faculty members (and none with tenure), and focus on a relatively small number of degree programs.

Are out-of-state students crowding out in-staters?
USA Today

The University of Colorado in Boulder and the University of North Carolina system regularly lock horns with lawmakers over out-of-state enrollment caps. The schools want the caps higher, the lawmakers don't.

A squeeze is on at UNC Hospitals (Opinion Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

Amid controversy generated by the UNC Health System's desire to generate a modest profit margin, and the outcry by many in the community that UNC Hospitals have forsaken their mission to care for the poor of the state, the role and plight of clinical physicians at the university has largely been ignored.

FSU seeks to boost student retention
The Fayetteville Observer

Every school in the University of North Carolina system is being asked to develop a plan to improve retention and graduation, said Harold Martin, a senior vice president for academic affairs with the UNC system. The targets will be individually set for each school, he said.

 

Produced by News Services, Carolina in the News is an e-mail sampling of current news media coverage about Carolina people and programs, as well as issues and trends that affect the university. Stories usually will be online and available free for a limited time - often one to two weeks. Expiration dates before stories move to archives vary by media outlet. Some outlets require free user registration or a subscription.

Carolina in the News is also posted daily to the News Services Web page, http://www.unc.edu/news/clips/index.shtml.

Please share any questions, comments or suggestions at news@unc.edu.