SUMC in the News (10/30/07)

Press releases

Stanford researchers sniff out gene that gives dog black fur
A Stanford discovery about the genetics of coat color in dogs could help explain why humans come in different weights and vary in our abilities to cope with stress.

Print media coverage

San Francisco Chronicle, 10/30/07
How to end the health care reform gridlock
In this opinion piece, Spyros Andreopoulos, director emeritus of the Office of Communication & Public Affairs, discusses health care reform in California.

Stanford Daily, 10/30/07
Nobel winner Kornberg dead at 89
Arthur Kornberg, professor emeritus of biochemistry and winner of the 1959 Nobel Prize, died Oct. 26 at Stanford Hospital. Dean Philip Pizzo; Robert Lehman, the William M. Hume Professor in the School of Medicine, Emeritus; Anand Setharaman, senior bioinformatics programmer at the Stanford Human Genome Center; Doug Brutlag, professor biochemistry; Paul Berg, the Robert W. and Vivian K. Cahill Professor of Cancer Research, and Ginni Chambers, Kornberg's administrative assistant, are all quoted. Roger Kornberg, the Mrs. George A. Winzer Professor in Medicine, is also mentioned in this article.

Baylor Lariat (Waco, Texas), 10/30/07
Achieving the study state
This article mentions a Stanford study that found extra sleep helped basketball players run faster, sink more free throws, and feel more energized. The study was led by Cheri Mah, a
researcher at the Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic and Research Laboratory.

HealthDay News, 10/29/07
Study supports controversial heart failure drug
This article discusses a new study supporting the safety of Natrecor, a widely used heart failure medication. Ronald Witteles, an instructor in cardiovascular medicine and lead author, is quoted.

HealthDay News, 10/25/07
Cell insights could bring better drugs
Stanford researchers have determined the molecular structure of a cellular receptor that's key to how the body reacts to drug treatment. Brian Kobilka, professor of molecular and cellular physiology, is quoted in this article.

Broadcast media coverage

KNTV-TV, 10/29/07
A local company offers to create "personalized" stem cells from the spare embryos of fertility clinic clients on the chance that the cells may some day help a family member benefit from medical breakthroughs. David Magnus, director of the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, was interviewed during this segment.

KPIX-TV, 10/29/07
Arthur Kornberg died on Friday. A segment mentioning his death also aired on KQED-FM.

WKYC-TV (Cleveland), 10/29/07
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. Markus Britschgi, a postdoctoral fellow in neurology and neurological sciences, was interviewed for this piece, which also aired on TV stations in Lake Charles, La.; Portland; Terre Haute, Ind. and Wilmington, N.C.