FYI banner

FRIDAY, MAY 11, 2007

FYI…UCSF in the News is a daily summary of news stories published worldwide that highlight UCSF, its affiliated programs, and issues that affect the University.  To read the full news story, click the individual headlines listed below.

On the second Wednesday of each month, FYI…UCSF in the News includes an additional "Research Roundup" section that lists research papers authored by UCSF faculty and published in the journals Cell, Health Services Research, JAMA, Lancet, Nature, NEJM, Nursing Research, and Science.

TODAY'S UCSF HEADLINES:

UCSF RADIO AND TELEVISION COVERAGE

*  indicates a television story
*  indicates a radio story

  • Impact of the Iraq War (KALW -91.7FM - (NPR) - Your Call)
    Linda Bilmes, Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University; Dahlia S. Wasfi, an Iraqi born American physician and activist, and Dr. Bobby Barron, Professor of Medicine at UCSF, Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education, and Associate Dean for Continuing Medical Education, participated in a symposium at UCSF Wednesday, "The Health Effects of the Iraq War," and joined KALW hosts Rose Aguilar and Sandip Roy in studio to talk about the human and monetary costs of the Iraq War.
    [Listen to the podcast]
  • UCSF Iraq Action Group Symposium Examines the Health Effects of the Iraq War (KPFA-FM 94.1 (IND) San Francisco)
    KPFA interviews presenters at a conference on "The Health Effects of the Iraq War" held at UCSF on Wednesday, May 9, where, according to KPFA, over 1,000 people turned out. Leading researchers flew in from around the country to speak at the symposium, including Dr. Richard Garfield, professor of nursing at Columbia University and co-author of a report last year published in British medical journal The Lancet. Dr. Garfield told KPFA the International Red Cross reports that many Iraqi native children must walk through dead bodies on street as they dare walk to school in mornings. Dr. Jess Ghannam, Professor of Psychiatry at UCSF, discusses the plight of native children in U.S.-occupied Iraq. Aliyah Wasfi, Iraqi American Doctor, weighs in; the keynote speaker was syndicated columnist and outspoken opponent of the war Robert Scheer. Scheer, weighs in on the U.S. medical presence in U.S.-occupied Iraq. Aaron Glantz reporting.
  • Headlines (KQED-FM 88.5 (NPR/APR) San Francisco)
    A group of UCSF doctors, staff and students say the medical effects of the Iraq war are dire, at a symposium sponsored by the Iraq Action Group. Soundbite: Dr David Wofsy says it's a healthcare catastrophe, says health professionals are responsible for raising awareness of the situation as they did with the AIDS crisis. Kelly Wilkinson reporting.
  • UCSF Doctors Voice Concerns Over HPV Vaccine (KPIX Ch. 5 (CBS) San Francisco)
    In an editorial published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, Drs. George Sawaya and Karen Smith-McCune of the University of California, San Francisco, manitain the HPV vaccine produces more questions than answers.
    [This program also aired ast 6 PM]
  • Controversial HPV Vaccine (NPR - All Things Considered)
    In an editorial published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, Drs. George Sawaya and Karen Smith-McCune of the University of California, San Francisco, manitain the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine produces more questions than answers. After the FDA approval of the vaccine, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that all 11- and 12-year-old girls in the United States be vaccinated. Smith-McCune said a mandatory vaccine is premature.
  • Gonzales: Round Two... (CNN National - The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer)
    CNN's Carol Costello gives a brief update on health news of the week, reporting that two UCSF physicians advise cautious use and more studies on the recently FDA approved cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil.
  • HPV Vaccine (KGO-TV CH 7 (ABC) San Francisco)
    Two doctors at the University of CA San Francisco are warning against the use of Gardasil, a vaccine against the HPV virus that causes cervical cancer, until further testing is done.
    [This program also aired during the evening drive time]
  • Scientists Want More Studies on FDA Approved HPV Vaccine (MSNBC - National)
    A new report in the New England Journal of Medicine discusses the effectiveness of the controversial HPV vaccine Gardasil. Two doctors from the University of California, San Francisco called the benefits of the vaccine modest.
  • UCSF Wants More Studies on HPV Vaccine (KRON-TV CH 4 (My Network TV) San Francisco)
    UCSF experts wrote an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine calling for more studies on a cervical cancer vaccine called Gardasil which is designed to prevent the human papillomavirus (HPV). Dr. George Sawaya at UCSF, says he hopes the editorial will raise questions about the vaccine, specifically whether it works on women who are already sexually active. Dr. Karen Smith McCune, UCSF, tells KRON regular pap smear screenings are needed.

UCSF PRINT AND ONLINE COVERAGE

  • UCSF / Experts tally Iraq war's health cost [Corrected 05/11/07] (San Francisco Chronicle)
    CORRECTION: -- A story Thursday about the health impacts of the Iraq war misidentified the nation that has the highest child mortality rate in the world. Afghanistan holds that distinction: One in 5 children there dies before reaching his or her fifth birthday. (This correction is published in the print edition only, 05/11/07, P. A2)
  • Smoking in Films May Affect Rating (Wall Street Journal - [Subscription site])
    The Motion Picture Association of America's decision to begin considering smoking as a factor in assigning movie ratings acknowledges years of pressure by antitobacco interests. But the move stops short of declaring any movie that depicts smoking will receive a tougher rating. Some antismoking activists said the steps didn't go far enough. "This is an action that will have a minimal practical effect," said Stanton Glantz, a researcher at the University of California San Francisco.
  • Stanford, Davis fight drug-firm influence
    2 schools among best at having codes of conduct     (San Francisco Chronicle - Front page, Living section)
    The "PharmFree Scorecard" released Thursday by the American Medical Student Association lists Stanford University Medical School and UC Davis School of Medicine among five U.S. medical schools with the strictest guidelines in use prohibiting drug-company attempts to influence doctors and medical students. UCSF and UCLA both scored a "C" because they are only drafting guidelines.

GENERAL NEWS

  • Scientists Draw Link Between Morality And Brain's Wiring (Wall Street Journal -- Today's free feature)
    Most of us feel an intuitive sense of right or wrong in the face of a moral challenge. Neuroscientists at Harvard, Caltech and the University of Southern California found a recent experiment suggests that our impulsive convictions come not from principles but from the brain trying to make its emotional judgment felt.
  • OxyContin Maker Pleads Guilty
    Purdue Frederick to Pay $634.5 Million Settlement For Hiding Addiction Risk     (Wall Street Journal - [Subscription site])
    In one of the largest drug-company criminal settlements, the maker of narcotic painkiller OxyContin will pay $634.5 million after guilty pleas by Purdue Frederick Co. and three of its executives. The company pleaded guilty to misbranding the drug with the intent to defraud and mislead the public about its addictive qualities. The three executives pleaded guilty to misbranding the drug.
  • Concern Rises Over Anemia Drugs
    FDA Panel Wants More Limits on Use Amid Safety Issues     (Wall Street Journal - [Subscription site])
    An FDA panel called for further limits on cancer patients' use of Amgen and J&J anemia drugs amid lingering safety concerns.
  • In 1916, AMA President Endorsed Universal Care
    Letter to the Editor     (Wall Street Journal -- [Subscription site])
    Martin Bergmann, M.D., from Chesterfield, Mo. writes: Cynthia Crossen's excellent "Deja vu" column ("Before WWI Began, Universal Health Care Seemed a Sure Thing," Marketplace, April 30) fails to mention that in 1916 the president of the American Medical Association, Dr. Rupert Blue, gave a farsighted presidential address to the AMA whole-heartedly endorsing Universal Health Care, which he called "the next great step in social legislation."
  • Canadian Drugs, Eh? (Wall Street Journal - [Subscription site])
    Washington fights over an unwanted program.