A Sampling of Clips for January 28^th, 2009

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

All MRIs Are Not Created Equal
ABC News, Good Morning America, Jan. 25 -- The pain in Katie Vincent's leg was so severe, she begged doctors to give her an MRI. It began in December 2007. She visited the urgent care in her hometown of Longview, Wash., north of Portland, Oregon. Each time, she was sent home with painkillers, which provided little relief. "Good Morning America" had Dr. William Bradley, one of the country's top radiologists and chairman of radiology at UCSD, look at Katie's MRIs. More

Genes and the Friends You Make
Wall Street Journal, Jan. 27 -- Genes play an important role in how people make friends and form social networks, according to a new study co-authored by UCSD researcher James Fowler that may help researchers better understand the spread of ideas and diseases in a society. More

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Eat Less, Remember More?
ScienceNOW, Jan. 27 -- Did Grandma seem forgetful at the holiday parties last month? It could be time to put her on a diet. Sharply reducing calories improves memory in older adults, according to one of the first studies of dietary restriction and cognitive function in humans. (Quotes neuroscientist Laura Dugan of UCSD) More

Hollywood Penguins Threatened by Climate Change
Nature, Jan. 27 -- The colony of emperor penguins that starred in "March of the Penguins" could become extinct by next century due to shrinking sea ice. The species as a whole has a better chance of survival, though that’s not the message of many media headlines. (Quotes Gerald Kooyman of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography) More

Campus Computing Goes Green to Save Money
Chronicle of Higher Education, Jan. 28 -- "Greening the Internet Economy” is a conference that was designed to address the problem of the soaring financial and environmental costs of information technology. The event, held by UCSD, offered a sampling of a new generation of technologies that promise to help colleges make their IT departments both more efficient and more sustainable. More

Judith Hoffberg Dies at 74; Art Librarian and Curator
Los Angeles Times, Jan. 27 -- Judith Hoffberg, an art librarian and curator who was a major influence in the emergence of books as an artist's medium yet winked at the genre by establishing a global festival of edible books, has died. She was 74. Hoffberg worked at UCSD, among other institutions. More

UCSD Medical Center, Scripps La Jolla
Named Among 'Top 100 Hospitals to Work For'
San Diego Union-Tribune, Jan. 27 -- UCSD Medical Center and Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla were named among the “Top 100 hospitals to work for” in a new magazine called Nursing Professionals. The list was compiled from a survey on job satisfaction that the magazine sent to 25,000 randomly selected hospital nurses throughout the country. Scripps Memorial was No. 59, and UCSD Medical Center was No. 77. More

Are Doctors Minimizing Side Effects of Statins?
San Diego Union-Tribune, Jan. 28 -- Doctors who prescribe an increasingly popular family of drugs to prevent strokes and heart attacks may be downplaying the wide range of side effects, said a UCSD researcher who helped analyze nearly 900 studies of cholesterol-lowering statins. More

Womb for More
Slate, Jan. 27 -- A woman gave birth to octuplets in California Monday after 30 weeks of pregnancy. The six boys and two girls ranged in weight from 1 pound, 8 ounces, to 3 pounds, 4 ounces. How many babies can fit inside a pregnant woman? (Based on two interviews, including one with Thomas Moore of UCSD) More

Spring Awakening, White & Memphis
Among San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Winners
Broadway World, Jan. 27 -- La Jolla Playhouse productions heading for national exposure fared well as the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle on Monday, Jan. 26, 2009, presented the annual Craig Noel Awards for Theatrical Excellence, honoring the best local stage work of 2008. Arthur Wagner, a co-founder of UCSD’s theatre and dance department, also received an award. More

Oropeza Proposes Regulating a Greenhouse Gas
Contra Costa Times, Jan. 27 -- Following President Barack Obama's directive to allow states to regulate harmful emissions, state Sen. Jenny Oropeza said Tuesday that she has introduced legislation that would reduce the use of a greenhouse gas commonly used in manufacturing. Senate Bill 104 would allow the California Air Resources Board to regulate nitrogen trifluoride, or NF3. The bill is in the state Senate's Rules Committee awaiting policy committee assignment. (Mentions research by UCSD) More

UCSD Awarded $13M to Study Roots of Terrorism in China
San Diego Union-Tribune, Jan. 27 -- The federal government has awarded UCSD $13 million to conduct separate studies on the roots of terrorism and defense technology in China. (Note: the article’s headline is inaccurate) More

Pain-Pill Misuse Often Brings a World of Hurt
San Diego Union-Tribune, Jan. 28 -- Physicians at Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego treated last year 23 patients who took too much acetaminophen, an active ingredient in Tylenol and nearly 200 over-the-counter and prescription pain medications, cough syrups and other treatments. (Quotes Dr. Ajai Khanna, director of abdominal-transplant programs at Rady and UCSD Medical Center) More

Recession Challenges California Hospitals and Clinics
San Diego6, Jan. 27 -- The recession is putting a strain on emergency rooms across the state. "With this economic downturn, the number of patients or individuals who are underinsured or uninsured is going to grow," said Dr. Ted Chan. Chan is the emergency room medical director at the UCSD Medical Center. More

Darwinapalooza
Voice of San Diego, Jan. 27 -- UCSD and San Diego State University have both put together an impressive array of Darwin-related lectures and events that will take place in the coming weeks and months. They include several lectures on Darwin's influence on today's research, movies influenced by Darwin's work and performances by the La Jolla Symphony. More

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