SUMC in the News (11/19/07)

Print media coverage

Los Angeles Times, 11/19/07
An element of mystery in zinc cold treatments
This article discusses the effectiveness of zinc as a treatment for the common cold and quotes medical student Tom Caruso. Caruso and Charles Prober, professor of pediatrics and of microbiology and immunology, published a study on zinc in the September issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Oakland Tribune, 11/19/07
Surgery for babies show promise
This article discusses a minimally invasive surgery to correct craniosynostosis, a birth defect of the brain. David Kahn, clinical assistant professor of surgery, is quoted in this story, which also appears in the Alameda Times Star, Chico Enterprise Record, Fremont Argus, Hayward Daily Review and San Jose Mercury News.

San Jose Mercury News, 11/19/07
Students, teachers run for health, charities, fun in annual Turkey Trot
This article mentions the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Kids Fun Run, which is part of the Applied Materials Silicon Valley Turkey Trot. Money raised at the event goes to three local charities.

Palo Alto Daily News, 11/19/07
Mountain View hospital tops breastfeeding list
Mothers delivering their babies at El Camino Hospital have the highest breastfeeding rate in the state, according to a newly released, federally funded study. This article mentions that Packard Children's was also listed in the top 15 institutions with the highest rates of breastfeeding in California.

San Diego Business Journal, 11/19/07
Small-scale research shows promise for big industry impact
Nanotechnology research was the focus of the Fourth International Congress of Nanotechnology and Clean Tech Congress 2007, which was recently held in San Francisco. The article mentions that Roger Kornberg, the Mrs. George A. Winzer Professor in Medicine and recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, was among the conference participants.

Portland Oregonian, 11/19/07
Chronic care helped
This article mentions a Stanford program that teaches self-management skills to people living with chronic illnesses. Public health officials hope to spread the program to every corner of Oregon, a state in which 65 percent of the residents live with at least one chronic condition.

New York Times Magazine, 11/18/07
The sleep-industrial complex
This lengthy article explores sleep as both a critical health issue and a niche for profitable consumer products. Stanford is referenced.

San Francisco Chronicle, 11/18/07
Beware Dr. Google
An increasing number of people look for healthcare information online. Drgreene.com, run by Alan Greene, a member of the adjunct clinical faculty, is listed as one of the best health web sites for high-quality, unbiased information.

Contra Costa Times, 11/18/07
Genetic map to Silicon Valley
Companies in Silicon Valley and elsewhere are making rapid advances in genetic mapping. Peter Underhill, senior research scientist in the Department of Genetics, is quoted in this article, which originally appeared in the San Jose Mercury News.

Vacaville Reporter, 11/18/07
Side by side by side
Doctors at Packard Children's have successfully separated 2-year-old twin girls from Costa Rica who were conjoined at the chest and abdomen. Gary Hartman, clinical professor of pediatric surgery; Gail Wright, clinical assistant professor of pediatrics; and Frank Hanley, the Lawrence Crowley, M.D., Endowed Professor in Child Health, are included in an Associated Press article that appears in numerous news outlets, including CBS.com, FOXNews.com, Newsweek.com, New York Times, San Diego Union-Tribune and San Francisco Examiner. Hanley and Hartman are also quoted in the Palo Alto Daily News.

Newark Star-Ledger (Newark, N.J.), 11/18/07
What began as monkey cells becomes 'magic' in the lab (No online version available)
Scientists from Oregon Health & Science University recently reported having used cloned monkey embryos to make embryonic stem cells. Renee Reijo Pera, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and director of human embryonic stem cell research and education for Stanford's Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, is quoted in this article. The research was led by James Byrne, who is now a postdoctoral fellow at the institute.

Ashland City Times (Ashland, Tenn.), 11/18/07
Research cracks door of hope on Alzheimer's
Stanford researchers have developed a test that is about 90 percent accurate in distinguishing the blood of people with Alzheimer's from the blood of those without the disease. The development is mentioned here.

San Jose/Silicon Valley Business Journal, 11/16/07
Arrillaga, Andreessen a marriage of philanthropic visions (No online version available)
Marc Andreessen and Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen recently gave $27.5 million gift to Stanford Hospital & Clinics to build a state-of-the-art Emergency Department. The couple is profiled here. Their donation was also mentioned in the Chronicle of Higher Education.