November 11, 2003

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

International Coverage

Children at risk for heart disease
United Press International
About one in eight U.S. schoolchildren have three or more risk factors for early cardiovascular disease...."The risk was about 1.6 times higher for girls than boys," said study lead author Joanne S. Harrell, professor of nursing and director of the Center for Research on Chronic Illness at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

US kids show early signs of heart disease
The New Scientist, United Kingdom
Early signs of heart disease have been found in US children. About one in seven US schoolchildren has three or more risk factors of "metabolic syndrome" - a precursor to heart disease and diabetes...."These were regular, normal kids, but we found risk factors that are clear danger signs for the future. If nothing is done, a good number of these children could develop type 2 diabetes and heart disease," warns Joanne Harrell at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing, who led the study of over 3200 children.

Trauma victims 'need different treatment for depression
Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
Chronically depressed adults, who suffered trauma as children, may warrant different treatment than other depression patients, a new study shows...."It really reinforces the notion that, when we do research into the causes, or for that matter the treatment, of depression, we really shouldn't lump it all together," said Dr Robert Golden, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who was not involved in the study.

National Coverage

What Is the Next Plague?
The New York Times
No one knows when or where the next plague will occur, or whether it will be from a natural or bioterrorist attack....While the AIDS virus has caused the worst pandemic since the plague of the 14th century, most newly discovered microbes have turned out to be "little blips that don't get everybody's permanent attention," said Dr. [Frederick] Sparling, a professor of microbiology at the University of North Carolina.

Study of Rural Youth Finds Increased Health Risk
The Wall Street Journal
Almost 14% of rural children in a new study have three early risk factors for diabetes
and heart disease, more evidence that poor eating and exercise habits affect health
early. And girls are at greater risk than boys...."These were regular, normal kids, but
we found risk factors that are clear danger signs for the future," said Joanne S. Harrell, director of the Center for Research on Chronic Illness at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing. "If nothing is done, a good number of these children could develop Type 2 diabetes and heart disease."

Metabolic Syndrome & Kids
"The Early Show" CBS-TV
A new study finds an alarming number of young kids and teenagers already have the warning signs for heart disease and diabetes, Dr. Emily Senay reports....Researchers from North Carolina looked at more than 3,000 students, boys and girls between the ages of 8 and 17.

The Grunts' Voice
Hartford Courant, CT
It's been more than 30 years since he left the Army in a storm of controversy, but Col. David Hackworth is still fighting. Armed with a computer and a legion of disgruntled soldiers behind him, he's a 73-year-old veteran who defines his ongoing relationship with the military with dissent...."I don't think that, on the day-to-day basis of doing their duty, it undermines the effectiveness of the armed services. But it can have a corrosive effect on morale. This group-think is magnified by e-mail and by the press," said Richard Kohn of the Triangle Institute of Security Studies, based at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Life or death decision
Indianapolis Star, IN
Jan Lawrance is still bitter about people she describes as "interlopers" intervening in a private affair....A joint study by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Washington, Seattle, analyzed hospitalizations and deaths of nursing home patients and found their previously expressed preferences were carried out in 75 percent of cases.

State and Local Coverage

UNC alone in efforts to raise cap
Greensboro News & Record
Leave it to UNC-Chapel Hill to stir things up. The school started this year with another loud debate over its summer reading selection for freshmen. Now it wants to admit more of those freshmen from outside North Carolina. The UNC system's Board of Governors limits out-of-state enrollment to 18 percent of a school's freshman class, a threshold UNC-CH has bumped into or exceeded each of the past six years.

Gown floats role in town
The News & Observer
As Chapel Hill officials focus on revitalizing downtown, UNC-Chapel Hill administrators are floating an idea that could give the university a large role in where shops, restaurants and businesses would go....In recent weeks, Nancy Suttenfield, vice chancellor of business and finance at UNC-CH, has been touting the concept of using a university foundation to invest in commercial real estate, with the notion of keeping the properties on the tax rolls and creating an opportunity to control how key buildings are used

Drug ruling's effects wide
The News & Observer
A state Court of Appeals ruling that simple possession of cocaine is a misdemeanor could affect thousands of cases across North Carolina....It also applies to different drugs, including PCP and methamphetamine, said Robert Farb, professor of public law and government at UNC-Chapel Hill's Institute of Government.

New eye center to focus on problems due to diabetes
News 14 (Time Warner, Raleigh)
The UNC Health Care system has its eye on helping people with a specific problem. On Sunday, the system dedicated a new center devoted to the care of patients with eye problems due to diabetes...."This allows us to integrate with the University of North Carolina Diabetes Center, which is next door," Travis Meredith from UNC-CH's Department of Ophthalmology said.

Issues and Trends

A.C.C.'s Graduation Rate Rises, Study Says
The New York Times
The Atlantic Coast Conference not only bolstered its power on the football field by adding Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College, it is also on the way to raising its graduation rate, according to a study released yesterday by the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida.

Stepping Back in Time
The Wall Street Journal
Turning to New England, he came upon Hanover, N.H., tucked along the Connecticut River and home to Dartmouth College. Here, he says, was a rural setting and way of life that resembled "growing up around New York in the 1950s and 1960s -- before it got so busy."...But Hanover can have some drawbacks. The winters are frigid and snowy. The town is experiencing some growing pains: Housing is scarce, and prices are rising. And Dartmouth is planning an expansion that some think will hamper the small-town appeal.
Subscription required.

Chapel Hill cool to transit merger
The Chapel Hill Herald
Town officials didn't say "no" Monday to merging Chapel Hill Transit with other bus systems in the Triangle, but they expressed a lot more doubt than enthusiasm about the idea....UNC and Carrboro help pay for the Chapel Hill Transit system, and according to UNC Police Chief Derek Poarch, a university committee shares some of the council's concerns about how responsive bus service would be in a merged system.

Note: If you have any questions about Carolina in the News, please call Russell Campbell at News Services, (919) 962-2091, russell_campbell@unc.edu, or Mike McFarland in University Communications, mike_mcfarland@unc.edu

Note: Web links on this page are time-sensitive, so stories might not be available after the day they first appeared.