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

  • Gender-bending one of his roles (Arizona Daily Sun)
    B.D. Wong wears many hats -- successful television and film actor, award-winning Broadway star, father and son -- all set in the daunting framework of being an Asian-American and a gay man. Among his list of accomplishments, his book, "Following Foo: The Electronic Adventures of the Chestnut Man," is mentioned. It's a memoir about his experiences in 2000 when Wong and Jackson had twin sons together through a surrogate mother. The babies were born prematurely. Boaz Dov died 90 minutes after birth and Jackson Foo Wong survived, after an arduous fight for life at UC San Francisco Hospital.
  • Former astronaut speaks at Strawberry school (Marin Independent Journal)
    The Mill Valley School District will host a presentation by a former NASA astronaut at 7 p.m. Friday at Strawberry Point School at 117 E. Strawberry Drive.
  • Stem cell breakthrough may reduce cancer risk (New Scientist - San Francisco Bureau)
    The main obstacle to using "reprogrammed" human stem cells - the danger that they might turn cancerous - has been solved, claims a US company. PrimeGen, based in Irvine, California, says that its scientists have converted specialised adult human cells back to a seemingly embryonic state - using methods that are much less likely to trigger cancer than those deployed previously. Arnold Kriegstein is quoted.
  • East Bay politician deals with cheers, jeers of life (Tri-Valley Herald)
    Contra Costa Supervisor Federal D. Glover is profiled. His recent 27 day stay at University of California, San Francisco, Medical Center in a hospital bed is mentioned. In September, Federal Glover fell weak with a 104-degree temperature. Federal Glover's illness mystified doctors for weeks. They ran dozens of tests before discovering he was suffering ailments from viral meningitis, pneumonia and an advanced stage of a kidney disorder.
  • FDA chief is in budget bind (Wall Street Journal - Washington DC Bureau)
    Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach is under fire from an array of critics who say his agency isn't up to the job of regulating more than a fifth of the consumer goods sold in America. Now, Dr. von Eschenbach says the critics have a point: The agency needs more money than the Bush administration has proposed, and it requires a revamped organization to better oversee drug safety and other issues. "The problems are way bigger than one commissioner," says David Kessler, a former FDA head who is now a professor at the University of California, San Francisco. "I'm not sure how anybody could do this job right now."

UCSF TELEVISION COVERAGE

  • Pills: Anti depressant drugs are being criticized (KTVU-TV)
    A newly released study is examining the actual effectiveness of anti-depression drugs like Prozac, Fluoxetine and Lexapro. Professor Paul Lofholm, UCSF Pharmacist, said that the study data was obtained by suing the FDA. An International team published the study in the Online Public Library of Science Journal. (KTVU Channel 2 Fox News At 5PM)

UCSF HEADLINES

  • UCSF opens multidisciplinary Marfan Clinic (UCSF Today)
    The UCSF Heart and Vascular Center has opened a clinic specializing in Marfan syndrome and related disorders as part of the new UCSF Program in Cardiovascular Genetics. The program, which is directed by geneticist Robert Nussbaum, MD, and genetic counselor Colleen Brown, is also inaugurating clinics in familial cardiomyopathies and in genetic arrhythmias.