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.

UCSF PRINT AND ONLINE COVERAGE

  • M2M at the UCSF Medical Center (M2M)
    Heath care facilities can span an area of thousands of square miles; machines and equipment are carted from place to place in a hurry; and large quantities of metal and electronics often interfere with tracking devices. But the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center, www.ucsfhealth.org, San Francisco, Calif., says it has found a solution that can overcome these logistical obstacles. The UCFS Medical Center announced it is in the process of deploying a ZigBee-based senor networking asset tracking solution from Awarepoint Corp., San Diego, Calif., to keep better tabs on its equipment. “With the installation of Awarepoint, the UCSF operating rooms’ equipment will be reliably retrievable within minutes including weekend and after hours shifts,” says James Bennan, administrative director for perioperative services, UCFS Medical Center.
  • Off-label drugs changes 'a big mistake' (New Scientist)
    Is it right for drug companies to tout their wares for "off-label" uses? The US Food and Drug Administration seems to think so. The FDA has now issued draft guidance which would allow sales reps to circulate peer-reviewed papers about off-label uses of a company's product. "I think this is a big mistake," says Michael Steinman, of the University of California, San Francisco. "You can cherry-pick the science you like and ignore the science you don't."
  • 'Acupuncture face-lift' gains fans (Orange County Register - Online)
    Jane Becker, a composer and solo pianist, celebrated her 50th birthday at the dermatologist, paying $1,500 for shots of Restylane and Botox. But three months later, their wrinkle-smoothing effects wore off. So, she turned to a less-artificial youth tonic: facial acupuncture. Like many women who have tried acupuncture in pursuit of beauty, Becker hoped that having needles strategically inserted into her face would be cheaper and last longer than her birthday injections. Dr. Richard G. Glogau, a clinical professor of dermatology at University of California, San Francisco said, "It's obvious that people carry around a lot of muscle tension in their face, which gives them frowns and wrinkles. My take on this is that they are producing relaxation in the muscles."
  • UCSF takes fifth floor to fill up Mills Building (San Francisco Business Times)
    The University of California, San Francisco, has signed a long-term deal for 38,300 square feet at the Mills Building at 220 Montgomery St. UCSF will move its development office from 44 Montgomery St. The lease covers the entire fifth floor of the 22-story building, which has one of the largest floorplates downtown. Occupancy is expected in the second quarter of 2008. The deal is the largest this year at the Mills Building and brings the structure to 98 percent occupancy, according to David Fuette, director of leasing for the Swig Co.
  • UCSF invests in radiosurgery with $3.9M gamma knife (San Francisco Business Times)
    UCSF Medical Center has installed an advanced Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion, adding the latest generation of gamma knife technology to its stable of high-end radiosurgery equipment. It cost UCSF nearly $3.9 million, according to a spokeswoman: The $3.2 million purchase price and about $675,000 for installation and associated software. Other equipment used for similar procedures includes linear-accelerator and Cyberknife devices, said Dr. Michael McDermott, neurological director of UCSF's gamma knife radiosurgery program, but the gamma knife is used only for the head and neck.
  • Letters to the editor (San Francisco Chronicle)
    Christina Foushee, RN, UCSF School of Nursing writes, In the Dec. 12 article, "Hospital chemicals threaten nurses' health, report says," Erin Allday has brought much-needed attention to the issue of negative health outcomes in nurses due to ubiquitous chemical exposures in the hospital setting. As a nurse in the acute care environment, I can attest that, as a profession, nurses' knowledge of the breadth and depth of chemical exposures encountered in the workplace is limited. However, neither nurses nor hospital administrators are alone in this lack of information. Long-standing weaknesses in the federal Toxic Substances Control Act has promoted knowledge deficits regarding the human or environmental effects of industrial chemicals used in all business sectors.
  • Semen protein could be a key in AIDS battle (San Francisco Chronicle)
    German AIDS researchers have discovered a protein common in semen that boosts the infectious potential of HIV 100,000-fold - a remarkable finding that may show how the virus can spread through sexual contact and also suggests new strategies to stop the epidemic. The new study suggests that scientists may have been missing something very important. UCSF virologist Dr. Jay Levy, one of the first to isolate the AIDS virus in the early years of the epidemic, said studies may now be conducted to see how prevalent the protein is among at-risk populations.
  • Does your doctor hear you? (San Francisco Chronicle)
    Nanette Gartrell, a psychiatrist affiliated with UCSF's Center of Excellence in Women's Health, discusses being assertive in the doctor's office or hospital and how it may make the difference between life and death. Thousands of mistakes are made every day by health care providers, and medical errors are a leading cause of death in this country. Still, you may be reluctant to challenge your doctor because you worry that your assertiveness might backfire or undermine your care.
  • Planning commissioners delay decision on UC Extension development proposal (San Francisco Examiner)
    Developers and city officials will have another month to negotiate the number of affordable homes that will be included in a proposed market-rate development in Hayes Valley, after planning commissioners voted Thursday to defer a decision on whether the land - formerly used as a UC Extension campus - should be rezoned from public use to private use. A two-story UC San Francisco dental school will continue to operate at the redeveloped site, plans show.

UCSF TELEVISION COVERAGE

  • Varicose veins patients get better treatment (KGO-TV)
    Several million people suffer from varicose veins. It is a condition that can cause pain, swelling, and disfigurement. Now, doctors at UCSF are using a new radio frequency procedure to treat the problem in a matter of minutes. Dr. Rajabrata Sarkar, M.D., Ph.D., UCSF vascular surgeon is quoted.

UCSF HEADLINES

  • UCSF's Landefeld urges end to incontinence stigma (UCSF Today)
    The graying of America’s population ensures that incontinence will soon join the ranks of once-taboo topics that have become part of the national conversation. Seth Landefeld, MD, chief of the UCSF Division of Geriatrics, recently led a National Institutes of Health panel of scientists determined to spark more research on ways to prevent incontinence.
  • UCSF names environmental sustainability manager (UCSF Today)
    John Pihl has been named UCSF’s first sustainability manager, a new position within Capital Programs & Facilities Management (CPFM), which is directed by Associate Vice Chancellor Steve Wiesenthal.