June 7, 2006

Carolina in the News

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

National Coverage

Young Black Women Prone to Deadly Cancer
The New York Times
Young black women with breast cancer are more prone than white or older black women to develop a type of tumor with genetic traits that make it especially deadly and hard to treat, a study has found. ... The genetic discovery is "somewhat alarming," but also a "good thing," because it exposes details about the cancer that should help doctors identify specific drugs to fight it, said Dr. Lisa A. Carey, the medical director of the University of North Carolina-Lineberger breast center, and the first author of the study.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jun06/breastcancerjama060206.htm

Study: Higher incidence of aggressive breast cancer is seen in younger black women
The Associated Press (National)
Younger black women who get breast cancer are far more likely than other afflicted women to have a particularly aggressive and lethal form of the disease, a study found. ... "It's been long known that breast cancer in African American women is a far less common disease than in white women. But when it occurs, it seems to be more aggressive and harder to treat," said study co-author Dr. Lisa Carey of the University of North Carolina's Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Breast cancer threat in black women
Newsday
Pre-menopausal black women with breast cancer are twice as likely to have a more aggressive tumor than non-black women of any age or post-menopausal black women, scientists report. Doctors hope the finding will encourage more adult black women to undergo routine mammography. ... "This is powerful information," said Dr. Lisa A. Carey, medical director of the University of North Carolina-Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and lead author of the study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Related Links: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003044446_cancer07.html
http://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_channelstory.cfm?storyid=13875
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/123/115072.htm
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114963282210273082.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Ex-governor's trial, ousted judge make Alabama race unique
The Associated Press (National)
Alabama's one-of-a-kind primary election for governor Tuesday featured the state's ousted Ten Commandments judge in a comeback attempt and a former Democratic governor who spent the morning in a federal courthouse standing trial on bribery charges. ... A study by the University of North Carolina political scientist Thad Beyle found that only 16 of the 45 former governors who have attempted comebacks since 1977 have succeeded.

A whole year with mom riding shotgun
The Chicago Tribune
That is a reality of Graduated Driver Licensing, or GDL, in North Carolina, where teens are required to hold a learner's permit a full year--four times longer than in Illinois and double the length of time in 43 states. ... "GDL works because for once, we've taken a sophisticated approach to a human behavior," said Rob Foss, director of the Center for the Study of Young Drivers at the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, and an architect of North Carolina's Graduated Driver Licensing.

Regional Coverage

High-fructose corn syrup is everywhere in our diet - and that's raising concern
The Dallas Morning News
Who knew corn could be so sweet? Who knew corn could be so controversial? ... "This is 5 to 10 percent of the calorie intake of every American," says Dr. Barry Popkin, professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. "We really should be studying it more."

State & Local Coverage

Black Women & Cancer
WUNC-FM
Cancer researchers have known for a long time that breast cancer in young African American women is a big problem. Few black women under 50 get breast cancer, but when they do, they get sicker and need more aggressive treatment. They’re also are far more likely to die than white patients the same age. Now some researchers from UNC Chapel Hill may have part of the reason why this is true.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jun06/breastcancerjama060206.htm

"The State of Things"
WUNC-FM
Host Frank Stasio speaks with North Carolina Public Radio reporter Rose Hoban about a new study out of UNC-Chapel Hill. The study, published in the latest Journal of the American Medical Association, reports that young African-American women who are diagnosed with breast cancer are more likely to get an aggressive form of the disease than young white women.
Note: This program aired live at noon today (June 7) and rebroadcasts tonight at 9.

Breast tumor a greater risk for young black women
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Young black women appear more likely to develop an aggressive form of breast cancer that is resistant to the newest drugs, UNC researchers say. ... "Death from breast cancer has dropped more than 25 percent in the last 10 years. But you can't take advantage of the advances if you are not in the health system," said Dr. Lisa Carey, an oncologist and medical director of the UNC-Chapel Hill Breast Center. Carey was lead author on the study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Related Links: http://www.nbc17.com/health/9330364/detail.html
http://www.wral.com/health/9328986/detail.html
http://www.herald-sun.com/state/6-741919.html

Feds award $5.8M grant to UNC
The Triangle Business Journal
The Highway Safety Research Center at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill has won a $5.8 million grant to continue compiling national highway safety data for the federal government. The five-year grant, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Transportation, will continue to fund the Highway Safety Information System, the nation's only database to include both crash and non-crash safety data used to analyze motor vehicle crashes.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jun06/highwaysafetygrant060606.htm

Wake development to get wellness center
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
In a bid to sweeten its appeal to prospective home buyers, developer GS Carolina has signed a deal with UNC Hospitals to provide a wellness center for Amberly, the largest planned community in Wake County. Carolina is betting that the UNC brand can add value to the property, a 1,084-acre development-in-progress southwest of Research Triangle Park that will have 4,500 homes when completed. ... "That's a lot of rooftops," said Dan Lehman, UNC Hospitals' operations director. "It's the last undeveloped area between Cary and Apex."

Why you gotta pick on Bill Cosby? (Opinion-editorial column)
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Why, some would call the man a sellout, would claim Cosby's poking fun at ghetto kids just because he became super famous and made great money playing Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable on his namesake TV show. ... Cosby's coming to Chapel Hill's Memorial Hall on Saturday to benefit a scholarship named after retired UNC journalism professor Chuck Stone, who is probably the only person around here who could land Cosby.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/may06/cosby050806.htm

Carolina Red (Photo)
The Chapel Hill Herald
Red Cross technicians collect blood during the annual drive at UNC on Tuesday. Barry Williams and Phil Hanra donate. The goal was 1,000 units.
Note: No link available.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/may06/blooddrive06.htm

John A. Ewing, 83, studied alcoholism
The News & Observer
Dr. John A. Ewing, a psychiatrist who watched his patients struggle with alcohol, founded an institute in Chapel Hill in 1970 with the determination to study alcoholism as a disease, not a moral failing. ... Dr. William Roper, chief executive of UNC Health Care, called Ewing "a giant in the fields of alcoholism and dependency research."

Issues & Trends

Roses & raspberries (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill News
Roses to Bob Pleasants, teen services coordinator for the Family Violence Prevention Center of Orange County, who was recognized by the national Sunshine Lady Foundation for his contributions to ending domestic violence. ... A doctoral candidate at UNC, Pleasants is active in campus-based organizations to raise awareness about violence against women.

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.