A Sampling of Clips for Oct. 19, 2010

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

When is a Placebo Not Really a Placebo? Maybe More Often Than You Think
The Wall Street Journal, Oct. 18 -- Beatrice Golomb, an associate professor of internal medicine at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, was researching cholesterol when she came across some older drug studies that actually said what was in the placebo — corn oil and olive oil, which of course we know now may have their own cholesterol-fighting properties. Study researchers noticed that the mortality rate in the control group was unexpectedly low, and that the drug being studied showed no improvement over the placebo, but they didn’t connect the dots and hypothesize that the placebo might actually have been helping. More

Similar stories on
FOX News
North County Times

Tobacco Lobby Link to Climate Change Debate
ABC News, Australia, Oct. 19 -- Naomi Oreskes is a Professor of History and Science Studies at UC San Diego, and an Adjunct Professor of Geosciences at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Her latest book, "Merchants of Doubt", argues that the campaign against government action on global warming not only uses the same tactics as the tobacco lobby but that it is run by the same people, several of whom were themselves distinguished scientists. More

Similar story in
The Independent, U.K.

Five New Frightening Types of Cyberattacks
AOL News, Oct. 18 -- Worried about e-mails that appear to be from your bank but could well be part of a phishing scam? That may soon be the least of your problems. With concerns about cyberattacks on the rise, computer security experts are looking ahead to what they think might be the next wave of attacks. (Mentions research by UC San Diego scientists) More

Scripps Dives into Study of Marine Sounds
San Diego Union-Tribune, Oct. 19 -- A team of scientists including some at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography have collected loads of data about the effects of sound on marine mammals, with special focus in whether naval sonar can harm them. More

Update on the Fight Against Breast Cancer
San Diego Union-Tribune, Oct. 19 -- October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, marking the 25th anniversary of organized efforts to raise breast cancer awareness through education, information and improved access to screening services. While much progress has been made, challenges and controversies remain. We asked Dr. Anne M. Wallace, professor of clinical surgery at UC San Diego’s School of Medicine and director of the Breast Care Team at Moores UCSD Cancer Center, to discuss the state of breast cancer prevention and treatment – and her prognosis for the future. More

Growth Spurt Can Stretch Muscle, Leading to Knee Pain
San Diego Union-Tribune, Oct. 19 -- About 20 percent of young athletes will experience knee pain in the form of Osgood-Schlatter syndrome, a traction apophysitis that has become increasingly known in the youth sports community. (Written by Eric W. Edmonds, M.D., a pediatric and adolescent orthopedic sports medicine specialist at Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego and an assistant professor of orthopedics at UC San Diego) More

* Subscribe with In the News and receive our clips automatically