A Sampling of Clips for Feb. 8, 2011

* UCSD faculty and staff may obtain a copy of an article by e-mailing the University Communications Office

Hormone Therapy Can Raise Many Questions for Post-menopausal Women
Los Angeles Times, Feb. 7 -- Hormone therapy: thumbs up or thumbs down? That’s a tough call for women who have gone through menopause and have read countless studies that reinforce the risks or the benefits. Here are some doctors who can translate those findings of science into practical advice. Dr. Cynthia A. Stuenkel, clinical professor of medicine at UC San Diego, and immediate past president of the North American Menopause Society, discusses the issue. More

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In Search of Alcoholism Genes
The Wall Street Journal, Feb. 8 -- Children of alcoholic parents are four times as likely to develop drinking problems as the general population. Sons of alcoholic fathers face up to nine times the usual risk. Even babies of alcoholics adopted into non-drinking homes have nearly the same risk of alcoholism as they would if they'd stayed with their biological parents, studies have shown. (Mentions research at UC San Diego) More

Mapping the Body
Daily Mail, U.K., Feb. 7 -- Scientists are developing a fluorescent liquid to inject into patients and make their hard-to-see nerves ‘glow’. The peptide, discovered by UC  San Diego researchers, would enable surgeons to see even the most sensitive nerves instead of relying on their experience and electronic monitoring. Avoiding these during surgery is important as accidental damage can lead to severe pain or paralysis. More

My Daily Read: Don Norman
The Chronicle of Higher Education, Feb. 7 -- Donald A. Norman is an emeritus professor of cognitive science and psychology at UC San Diego. He is the author, most recently, of "Living With Complexity," published in October by MIT Press. More

Caring for World’s Poor, With High-tech Delivery
San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 7 -- The director of pediatric plastic surgery at UC San Diego and a world traveler with a long-standing interest in international medicine, Dr. Amanda Gosman, 38, founded ConnectMed International to provide telemedicine’s long-distance reach in Mexico, India and Guatemala. A nonprofit newbie, ConnectMed received its 501(c)(3) designation late last year, but Gosman has been performing surgeries and sharing her medical expertise abroad since 2007. More

Steven Schick to Lead S.F. Contemporary Players
San Francisco Chronicle, Feb. 8 -- The percussionist and conductor Steven Schick, a leading figure in new music for three decades, has been named as the new artistic director of the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players. He will plan and lead the group's 41st season, beginning in October. Schick is a professor of percussion at UC San Diego, where he leads the percussion ensemble Red Fish Blue Fish. More

UCSD Researchers Uncover “History Sniffing”
KPBS, Feb. 7 -- The amount of information we make available about ourselves on the internet is already pretty amazing. But, apparently ad agencies and computer codewriters are always looking for more. Recently, an information collecting code has been identified on some of the most popular sites on the Web. It engages in a practice that's been dubbed "history sniffing." UC San Diego researchers discuss the issue. More

Vaccine Effective Defense Against HPV
San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 8 -- January was Cervical Health Awareness Month, but Dr. Cheryl Saenz, a clinical professor in the UC San Diego Department of Reproductive Medicine, says HPV is a topic that should be discussed year-round. More

Chattanooga Institute Seeks to be Hub for Biomedical Research
Chattanooga Times Free-Press, Feb. 8 -- It's been more than a decade since U.S. researchers first assembled the human genome sequence, mapping more than 3 billion letters in the human DNA code into a blueprint of human beings. Now researchers say Chattanooga could be at the forefront of biomedical research that is only now beginning to tap the potential of that momentous development. (Quotes Philip Bourne, professor in the Skaggs School of Pharmacy at UC San Diego) More

UCSD, Community to Renovate La Jolla Shores Lifeguard Tower
The  San Diego Daily Transcript, Feb. 7 -- A half-century-old lifeguard tower at La Jolla Shores is getting a makeover thanks to UC San Diego, Sundt Construction, Safdie Rabines Architects and a number of volunteers. More

UCSD Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center Goes ‘Red’
La Jolla Light, Opinion, Feb. 7 -- Supporters and friends of the soon-to-open UC San Diego Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center gathered on Friday night as the building was lit in red to promote the American Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women Month” and American Heart Month. The building will remain lit throughout February. More

UCSD Wraps Up Round of Earthquake Tests
Patch.com, AOL News, Feb. 7 -- In an attempt to better understand earthquakes and how they affect structures, UC San Diego's Jacobs School of Engineering, along with engineers from the University of Texas at Austin and Washington State University, built and tested a revolutionary hydraulic-powered shake table to subject a three-story masonry structure to simulated earthquakes. More

UCSD Physician Warns Playing With ‘Magnet Balls’ Carries Dangers
La Jolla Light, Opinion, Feb. 7 -- Over the weekend a Muirlands sixth grader presented to the emergency department and ultimately was admitted to Rady Children’s Hospital because of swallowing a number of “magnet balls.” These small neodymium rare earth magnets are very powerful and typically come as small nickel-plated balls approximately 3-4 millimeters in diameter. They can be formed into many shapes and even strung end to end in a necklace. (Written by Stephen R. Hayden, M.D., Professor of Clinical Medicine at UC San Diego, Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education and Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Emergency Medicine) More

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