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Dec. 22, 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
Ped Med: Brain size may point to autism
United Press International
To some autism researchers, head size matters. ...In the study, the researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University medical schools compared magnetic resonance imaging scans of the brain anatomy of 51 autistic toddlers ages 18 months to 35 months to those of 25 tykes without the disorder.
National Coverage
Beyond the Flagships
Inside Higher Ed
A couple dozen of the nation’s elite private institutions and flagship publics have steadily committed over the past few years to pick up the tuition tab in packaged “promise” programs targeted for the neediest students. ...“The first thing that’s really powerful is that there are several institutions within the Texas system that are sending the same message,” said Shirley Ort, associate provost and director of scholarships and student aid at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she oversees the “Carolina Covenant” program, which covers costs for the neediest of UNC’s students.
Deep underground, scientists find clue to what might exist on other planets
McClatchy Newspapers
Down, down, two miles underground went the elevator - if you could call it that - a steel cage, really, dropping at nearly 40 miles an hour into the hot, sulfurous blackness. ...Andreas Teske, a microbiologist at the University of North Carolina, is skeptical. But he said the new research answers a key question: What do subsurface bacteria use for food?
Lithium-Like Drugs May Impair Neuronal Function
HealthDay News
Too high a dose of lithium and other drugs that inhibit an enzyme called GSK-3 beta can impair, rather than improve, neurological function in patients with Alzheimer's disease and should be used with caution, a new study says. ..."Our in-vitro experiments show that you will have to be careful with how you use GSK-3 beta inhibitors, because if you use too much, it will interfere with and possibly kill neurons," study co-author Dr. William D. Snider, professor of neurology, cell and molecular physiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's School of Medicine, said in a prepared statement.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/dec06/snider121906.htmA Benefit of Bad Cholesterol?
Ivanhoe Newswire
A new study reveals people with lower levels of LDL cholesterol -- "bad" cholesterol -- have an increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease. However, researchers caution increasing LDL by changing diet or medications is not a safe idea. ...From these findings, Xuemei Huang, M.D., Ph.D, from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, hypothesized that a lower LDL level may be associated with an increased occurrence of Parkinson's disease.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/dec06/parkinsonsldl121806.htm
Note: Ivanhoe has a syndicated television series and its reports are broadcast in 250 markets reaching 80 million U.S. households.Regional Coverage
Edwards to enter race, visit Iowa
The Des Moines Register (Iowa)
Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards plans to announce his candidacy for president next week during a nationwide swing scheduled to include a stop Thursday in Des Moines, Democratic activists in early nominating states said. ...Edwards has made poverty his defining issue since his 2004 campaigns and formed a public policy institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill after leaving the Senate in 2005.
State and Local Coverage
N.C. population surges into nation's top 10
The Charlotte Observer
Continuing waves of newcomers from the Northeast and other regions boosted both Carolinas in the ranks of the nation's most populous states in new U.S. Census Bureau data being released today. ..."That's a continuation of a more than decade-long trend of the Northeast being a net exporter of population to the South," said Jim Johnson, Kenan professor of management at UNC Chapel Hill. "We have arrived in the global economy."
State could face shortage of physicians
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
North Carolina's rapidly growing population and rising number of older residents will overburden the state's physicians if steps aren't taken to increase their numbers. ..."This is, to be sure, not a full solution," Dr. William L. Roper, dean of UNC's medical school, said at Thursday's meeting. "If we do head down this road, it will be a help."
Related link: http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/1114647/DA's footing in lacrosse case unclear
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
If Mike Nifong doesn't want to take himself off the rape case against three Duke University lacrosse players, he can be forced to go. ..."As someone who used to spend my time defending people, I'm sensitive to the idea that he may not have yet had a chance to fully air his side," said Joseph Kennedy, an associate professor of law at the UNC School of Law.
Peeling the Orange (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill Herald
Having survived nearly 21 years as planning director for Chapel Hill -- along with time on the city school board -- Roger Waldon knows a bit about the interaction of planning and politics. Waldon, now a private consultant, is publishing a book called "Planners and Politics," in which he profiles eight planning professionals, including David Godschalk, professor emeritus in city and regional planning at UNC Chapel Hill and a former Town Council member.
Issues and Trends
Top 10 Stories of 2006 -- No. 10: Bowles takes UNC system reins
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Erskine Bowles, who became UNC president in January, has gotten off to a quick start, employing both his business acumen and political savvy.
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.
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