A Sampling of Clips for August 3, 2011

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

How Chocolate Can Help Your Workout
New York Times, Aug. 3 --  For those who worry that fitness requires nutritional denial, there is good news, with caveats. Auspicious new science suggests that chocolate can have a surprisingly large effect on the body’s response to exercise, although not in the ways that many of us might expect, and certainly not at the dosages most might hope for. Researchers have known for some time that chocolate has healthful effects, and recent epidemiological studies have shown that people who regularly indulge in moderate amounts of dark chocolate are less likely to develop high blood pressure or heart disease or suffer strokes. But chocolate’s potential role in exercise performance had not been studied, or probably even much considered, until scientists at the University of California, San Diego, and other institutions gave middle-aged, sedentary male mice a purified form of cacao’s primary nutritional ingredient, known as epicatechin, and had the mice work out. And even for those who adore dark chocolate, there is a catch. “A very small amount is probably enough,” said Dr. Francisco Villarreal, a UC San Diego professor of medicine. More

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DailyPress.com, Aug. 3

UCSD's Business School Wins Accreditation
SignOnSanDiego, Aug. 2 -- The Rady School of Management at the University of California San Diego has been granted accreditation by a prestigious evaluating body. The certification was granted by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, which was founded in 1916. “I congratulate Dean (Robert) Sullivan and the faculty, staff and students at the Rady School,” said UCSD Chancellor Marye Anne Fox in a prepared statement. “This accreditation speaks volumes about the quality of academic programs, and the amazing people ... who have shaped the history and future of the school and contributed to its tremendous success.”(Quotes Rady School of Management Dean Robert Sullivan) More

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Sacramento Bee, Aug. 2

How Much Did Politics Play Into The Debt Deal?
KPBS, Aug. 2 -- The debt deal is done, but how big a role did politics play? We take a look at what raising the debt ceiling means to San Diego. (Interview with James Hamilton, professor of economics at UC San Diego.) More

‘Smart Contact Lens’ Gives Insights into Glaucoma
La Jolla Light, Aug. 2 -- UC San Diego’s Shiley Eye Center has launched the first large-scale U.S. clinical trials of a futuristic “smart contact lens” that measures internal eye pressure — a key risk factor for glaucoma, the second leading cause of preventable blindness in the world. Though the causes of glaucoma remain murky, high intraocular pressure (IOP) or excessive pressure within the eye appears to be causal in many individuals, promoting painless deterioration of the optic nerve. Accessing a patient’s risk of glaucoma is currently limited to an occasional pressure reading and tests during an eye exam.  Smart contact lens (called Triggerfish) continuously measure IOP within the eye via a circular strain gauge, antenna, and a microprocessor to wirelessly transmits data. More

Three La Jollans Among New Members of UCSD Foundation Board
La Jolla Light, Aug. 2 -- Three La Jolla residents are among the 10 new trustees named to the UCSD Foundation Board: They are Phyllis Epstein, Rudolph Rehm, and Drew Senyei.  The foundation, which raises and manages charitable gifts for UCSD, now has 42 members on the board. They oversee the management of approximately $600 million in charitable assets, including $375 million in endowment. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011, the campus expects private support to total approximately $120 million. “The UC San Diego Foundation Board plays a vital role at the university. Given the continuing decline in funding from the State, raising and managing charitable support is critical to our future,” said Chancellor Marye Anne Fox. “Our trustees are philanthropists, stewards and ambassadors who wholeheartedly support the university, and they help others to understand the positive impact UC San Diego has on our region and our world.” More

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