In the News

April 2008

Bypass Surgery Made Healthier, More Economical by Da Vinci Robot
healthjockey.com (India) - April 29

Researchers have noted that bypass surgery done by the da Vinci Robot is more beneficial to oneýs health than a traditional surgery is. It has been observed that patients whose surgeries have been done by the robot recuperate faster with very few chances of post-operative complications. ýThese findings are significant because payers are considering linking reimbursement for coronary artery bypass surgery to patient outcomes,ý says Stephen Bartlett, MD, a professor at the School of Medicine and chief of surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center.
www.healthjockey.com

Energy Drinks Are 10 Times Worse for Tooth Enamel
Times-Picayune (New Orleans) - April 29

When your mother told you that drinking soda would rot your teeth, she knew nothing of energy drinks. The high-caffeine, high-sugar beverages that some teens gulp like water are three to 10 times worse for your teeth than colas, according to a study published in dental journals. A professor at the Dental School soaked teeth in energy drinks, fitness water, sports drinks, and other beverages for 14 days, measuring the decay. According to reports in General Dentistry and other trade publications, lemonade and energy drinks did the most damage. Anthony von Fraunhofer, PhD, professor at the School, found that those drinks contain high levels of acids that can destroy enamel.
www.nola.com

Maryland Voter Irregularities Report Presented
The (Baltimore) Sun - April 30

State and local election boards need to communicate better, Maryland needs more voting machines, and Attorney General Douglas Gansler should set up a hot line to take reports of voter intimidation and other irregularities, a task force concluded yesterday. Sherrilyn Ifill, JD, a civil rights lawyer and a professor at the School of Law who co-chaired the task force, said many of the problems were "human," such as the lack of communication between local election boards and the state, specifically dealing with how many voting machines were necessary. To view a video of the stories on the Baltimore TV news stories, click on this top link. Real Player is required.

Supreme Court Voter ID Decision Discussed
WUSA-TV, Ch. 9, 9 a.m. - April 30

The Supreme Court has upheld an Indiana law requiring voters to show photo identification. In a 6-to-3 ruling, the court agreed with supporters that the voter ID law was necessary to prevent voter fraud and safeguard public confidence in the integrity of elections. Michael Greenberger, JD, professor in the School of Law, discussed the decision that was opposed by some groups who say it is an effort to suppress elderly, poor and minority votersýthose most likely to lack proper ID.

UMB Students Donate Hair to Locks for Love
WBFF-TV, Ch. 45, 10 p.m. - April 29

Nearly two dozen University of Maryland, Baltimore students, led by second-year School of Medicine student Brian Harkavy, participated in a festive event to cut off part of their hair for the Locks of Love organization that makes wigs for financially disadvantaged children who have conditions that cause long-term hair loss. Click on this Web site to view a television story about the event. Real Player is required.
media.umaryland.edu:8080

100 Receive 'Hero Awards' at Annual Shock Trauma Gala
Baynet.com - April 29

April 26 was ýA Night for Heroesý at the Baltimore Convention Center when the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center held its annual gala to recognize the medical expertise and tireless dedication of the Shock Trauma team and Maryland's emergency medical service providers. "The patients featured at the Shock Trauma Gala are just two examples of the thousands of Marylanders whose lives were saved last year by these amazing and dedicated professionals. They include dispatchers, firefighters, on-scene EMS personnel, crew members from the Maryland State Police Aviation Command, physicians, nurses, medical technicians, and rehabilitation specialists," says Thomas Scalea, MD, a professor at the School of Medicine and physician-in-chief at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, which is part of the University of Maryland Medical Center.
www.thebaynet.com

Abuse, Neglect Have Long-Lasting Effects
Winston-Salem Journal - April 29

Physical abuse at a young age is linked to aggression later in childhood, but little is known about the effects of neglect. Now a research team has found that neglect in the first two years of life may be a more important predictor of aggression before age 8 than physical abuse or neglect later in childhood. The team, which included physicians from the medical faculties of the University of North Carolina and the University of Maryland School of Medicine, examined records of 1,318 children culled from local child-protection agencies in four cities and one Southern state. All had come to the attention of authorities for suspected or actual abuse or neglect, which the law defines as a failure to provide food, clothing, shelter or adequate supervision.
www2.journalnow.com

Artificial Blood Trials Went On In Face of Risks
The Los Angeles Times - April 29
The Seattle Times - April 29

Despite evidence that a group of experimental blood substitutes nearly tripled the risk of heart attacks and caused a 30 percent increase in deaths, the Food and Drug Administration continued to approve some clinical trials of the products, researchers said Monday. The latest findings, however, deal an enormous setback for the long-sought goal of developing artificial blood, which has been spearheaded by a handful of small companies. "Two billion dollars and 4,000 patients later, we still haven't solved the basic problem of the toxicity," said John Hess, MD, MPH, FACP, FAAAS, a professor at the School of Medicine who was not involved in the study. "It's unlikely that there are going to be any alternatives to donated blood anytime soon."
www.latimes.com
seattletimes.nwsource.com

Genes Explain Race Disparity in Response to a Heart Drug
The New York Times - April 29

Many black patients seem to do just as well if they take a mainstay of therapy, a class of drugs called beta blockers, as if they do not. It is almost as if they were immune to the drugs. Now researchers at Washington University and the University of Maryland have discovered why: these nonresponsive patients have a slightly altered version of a gene that muscles use to control responses to nerve signals. This is the first time anyone has found such a gene effect, said Stephen Liggett, MD, a professor at the School of Medicine and one of the first authors of the study. "Conceptually, this is quite a surprise," he said.
www.nytimes.com

Lawyer Layoffs: Can They Happen Here
The Daily Record - April 27

The legal press and blogosphere are dominated by talk of the suffering economy, every day seemingly bringing news of another law firm laying off associates, rescinding employment offers or cutting back summer programs. Dana Morris, JD, assistant dean for career development at the School of Law, said she worries about how the economy could affect graduatesý employment prospects and job security. It is especially important in times like these for students to ask firms how they intend to insulate themselves from the failing economy, she said. "We always advise students to research the employer that theyýre interested in," Morris said. "[With] the economic situation ý the words will carry a lot more weight."
www.mddailyrecord.com

Three-Minute Interview
The (Baltimore) Examiner - April 29

Natalie D. Eddington, PhD, dean of the School of Pharmacy, discusses the new Pharmacy Hall addition to the School as part of the "Three-Minute Interview.""We are meeting the work force shortage of pharmacists in the state of Maryland. Like nursing, which has received a lot of interest, we also have a shortage of pharmacists," she said.
(To read this story, please contact the Communications office at ext. 6-7820, or respond to this e-mail.)

University Slow to Expand Faculty Diversity
The Diamondback - April 29

Research universities have trouble recruiting women faculty members because of an overall lack of women in the sciences, said Ellin Scholnick, PhD, associate provost for faculty affairs at the University of Maryland, College Park. Except for University of Maryland, Baltimore County and University of Maryland, Baltimore, none of the other system universities are research-based. "If you look at the School of Medicine, it's going to look different from the School of Social Work," she said. "You're going to get differences that reflect differences in the disciplines."
media.www.diamondbackonline.com

'Tree Man' Dede Koswara Almost Died From His Disease
Telegraph.co.uk - April 28

Dede Koswara earned worldwide celebrity as the Tree Man of Java, after his plight was highlighted on Telegraph.co.uk and in a Discovery Channel documentary. The documentary team took American dermatology expert Anthony Gaspari, MD, professor at the School of Medicine, to Indonesia to see if he could find a cure. Gaspari is now aiding the team treating Dede in Bandung.
www.telegraph.co.uk

Baltimore's Mr. Carey
The (Baltimore) Sun - April 28

The biotechnology parks at Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland, Baltimore could benefit from startup money that would help researchers in the early years when venture capitalists aren't ready to commit. The Carey Foundation could invest in internships and apprenticeships for entrepreneurial graduate business school students to work in the biotech field and serve in the nonprofit arena.
www.baltimoresun.com

Fitness: Einstein Had It RightýSimplify
Marin Independent Journal (California) - April 28

Three words when it comes to exercise and healthy eating: simplify, simplify, simplify. Give your workout routine a spring cleaning. "If you can't find your sneakers, you aren't taking a walk," according to Pamela Peeke, MD, MPH, a clinical assistant professor at the School of Medicine and author of Fit to Live, which devotes a section to the link between health and organization. "How are you going to shoot a couple of hoops with your son if you can't even find the basketball?"
www.marinij.com

For Some, Loan Consolidation Makes Sense
The Chicago Tribune - April 27

Though rates have been headed down, the landscape for consolidation has changed. Rebecca Caldwell, who is graduating from the School of Law next month, said she has been thinking about consolidating. She has about $121,000 in debt. Federal fixed-rate loans, including Perkins and Stafford loans, account for about 60 percent of that. The rest is private loans at variable rates ranging from 4.4 percent to 6.5 percent.
www.chicagotribune.com

James Evans: Deadly Stigma Remains
Montgomery Advertiser - April 27

According to an article in Nation's Health magazine this past December, mental illness and substance abuse are the leading causes of disability and premature death in the United States. Despite this fact, however, many if not most health insurance plans continue to provide less coverage for mental health issues than they do for other health matters. This is not a new development. In fact, the refusal to provide equal coverage for mental illness has a long and sad history. "The first objections to parity," according to Howard Goldman, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry at the School of Medicine, "were on the basis that mental disorders were not real ... and you shouldn't cover conditions that aren't real."
www.montgomeryadvertiser.com

Letters to the Editor
The (Baltimore) Sun - April 28

What a great idea University of Maryland Visiting Associate Professor Orde Kittrie has: challenging his law students to propose innovative solutions to crime. As the founder of a national nonprofit organization that taps families' strengths to break cycles of involvement in the justice system, I respectfully suggest the following to the students.
www.baltimoresun.com

Md. Law Prof Turns Class into Think Tank
ABAJournal - April 24

So far lawmakers and law enforcers haven't had much luck improving conditions in crime-plagued Baltimore. So School of Law Visiting Associate Professor Orde Kittrie has put the challenge to his class. "I wanted to see a substantial, statistical measure of success, because if you prove that it works, you could get money to ramp it up," he is quoted as saying.
www.abajournal.com

Minimally Invasive Robotic Bypass Surgery Provides Health and Economic Benefits, Study Shows
ScienceDaily - April 28
ABCNews.com - April 27

Using a surgical robot increases the cost of each bypass case by about $8,000, according to Robert Poston, MD, a cardiac surgeon formerly at the University of Maryland Medical Center who is the lead author of the study. He says those additional expenses, which are due to equipment and supplies, are offset by a shorter hospital stay, reduced need for transfusions, and fewer post-surgical complications that would require a patient to be readmitted to the hospital. "These findings are significant because payers are considering linking reimbursement for coronary artery bypass surgery to patient outcomes," says Stephen Bartlett, MD, professor and chairman of the Department of Surgery at the School of Medicine and chief of surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center. "We saw a long-term benefit to patients after their bypass in terms of the patency, or openness, of the bypass graft," according to Bartley Griffith, MD, professor of surgery at the School, and head of Cardiac Surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center.
www.sciencedaily.com
abcnews.go.com

Project Stall
The (Baltimore) Sun - April 27
TMCnet.com - April 27

More than $1 billion in development projectsýoffices, residences, stores, and hotels that would change Baltimore's skyline and help to revitalize the cityýhave stalled in the face of the nationwide housing slump and faltering economy. Development driven by universities and hospitals remains strong, including the University of Maryland BioPark on the west side and a Johns Hopkins Hospital-affiliated project on the east side to transform 88 acres into a research park, new businesses, and housing.
www.baltimoresun.com
www.tmcnet.com

Recognizing the Symptoms of Sports-Related Concussions
The (Baltimore) Sun - April 24

There are between 1.6 million and 3.8 million sports-related concussions a year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The majority of those injuries are caused by playing football, says Yvette Rooks, MD, assistant professor in the School of Medicine and team physician for the University of Maryland, College Park.
www.baltimoresun.com

Seniors' Teeth a Growing Concern
The (Baltimore) Sun - April 28

With the number of Americans over age 60 expected to increase by 70 percent by 2025, experts say dental care for seniors is a major issueýone that will only become more acute as the population ages. Historically, a "very low percentage" of dental students go into geriatric dentistry, said Christian S. Stohler, DMD, DrMedDent, dean of the Dental School. The Dental School, for example, has begun talks with Govans Ecumenical Development Corp., a nonprofit organization that built Stadium Placeýa mixed-income retirement community in the Ednor Gardens-Lakeside neighborhoodýabout opening a dental clinic on the site. The aim is to help meet the needs of the seniors who live there and also to provide hands-on training for students in geriatric dentistry.
www.baltimoresun.com

Street Seeks Credit-Default Safety Net
The Wall Street Journal Online - April 24

Wall Street is trying to tame the Wild West credit-default-swaps market. More than a dozen firms, including investment banks, brokerage firms, and futures exchanges are accelerating efforts to create a clearing entity that would function as the middleman between firms on both sides of a credit-default swap. The clearinghouse would guarantee payment on the contracts it handles, reducing the risk of a catastrophic ripple effect if one or more firms were unable to make good on their trades. "If you can't value an instrument properly over time, you can't intelligently clear these trades," says Michael Greenberger, JD, a professor at the School of Law and a former senior official at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
online.wsj.com

To Catch Up, Users Bring Blackberries Into the Restroom
The Columbus Dispatch - April 28

The bathroom is among the few places where people have some spare time ý35 minutes a day on average, according to American Standard, a maker of plumbing fixtures. And from 42 percent to 71 percent tend to take reading material there, according to BathroomSurvey.com. Reading news on a BlackBerry in the bathroom has benefits, according to Steven Soifer, PhD, MSW, associate professor at the School of Social Work and co-founder of the American Restroom Association. "The BlackBerry is a distraction technique for the millions of people who have a 'shy bladder' or fear of going to the bathroom in public," he said.
www.columbusdispatch.com

Where Was the Wise Man?
The New York Times - April 27

In an examination of the role of former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin in the loss of billions of dollars by Citibank, Rubinýs role in blocking a Commodity Futures Trading Commission proposal in 1988 is examined. It would have made financial contracts called derivatives subject to regulation. Critics contend that as derivatives trading has boomed over the last decade, it has led to high-octane speculation more akin to gambling than to sensible hedging of financial risk. Michael Greenberger, JD, then director of trading and markets at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and now a professor at the School of Law, argues that a different approach to derivatives regulation in 1998 would have helped avert the worst of todayýs credit crisis.
www.nytimes.com

Maryland Lawmakers Approve Measures Intended to Improve Dental Care for Low-Income Children
KaiserNetwork.org - April 22

Lawmakers also approved legislation during the last session that will allow dental hygienists working in public health settings to provide preventive care to patients in the facilities where they work, as well as in schools and other settings. The measure is scheduled to take effect on Oct. 1. The law will allow services to be provided without the authorization or supervision of a dentist, which state law currently requires. According to Norman Tinanoff, DDS, a professor and health policy expert at the University of Maryland Dental School, the rule "could stop the bottleneck" in getting low-income patients into the dental care system.
www.kaisernetwork.org

Poison Control Centers
The Nursing Show - March 17

Bryan Hayes, PharmD, of the Maryland Poison Center at the School of Pharmacy, was interviewed on The Nursing Show, an online podcast, about the operation of poison centers
nursingshow.com

Maryland Gives UMB $62M to Expand Pharmacy Hall
Pharmacogenomics Reporter - April 24

Recognizing a work force shortage and pharmacists' increasingly critical role in administering pharmacogenomic-guided drugs, the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) announced that it will enhance its pharmacy program to meet the future demands of a more personalized health care system. Earlier this month, the University announced that it had received $62 million from the Maryland state government to expand its existing 25-year-old Pharmacy Hall. The addition will support increased enrollment in the School of Pharmacy. ýIn response to a growing shortage of pharmacists, the School of Pharmacy has ratcheted up enrollment at the Baltimore campus to 120 students per class, [which is] more than it was designed to support,ý the University said in a statement. ýThe addition will more comfortably allow [the University] to take on additional students, as well as 40 percent more faculty in order to help meet the work force shortage.ý
www.pgxreporter.com

Recognizing Symptoms Of Sports-Related Concussions
The (Baltimore) Sun - April 24

There are between 1.6 million and 3.8 million sports-related concussions a year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "The majority of those injuries are caused by playing football," says Yvette Rooks, MD, assistant professor at the School of Medicine and team physician for the University of Maryland, College Park.
www.baltimoresun.com

TEDCO Invests Second Round in Four Maryland Tech Firms
Tech Journal South - April 24

The Maryland Technology Development Corp. (TEDCO) has invested a second round of funding totaling $275,000 in four Maryland technology companies. This program is designed to foster greater collaboration among businesses and Maryland universities and federal laboratories to bring technology into the marketplace. Companies that have completed Maryland Technology Transfer Fund (MTTF) phase I successfully and have secured angel or other external investment are invited to apply for another round of MTTF funding. MTTF phase II matches the external investment dollar for dollar up to $75,000. Like phase I, the phase II funding is a reimbursable award. ChromoTrax Inc., located in Frederick, is working with the University of Maryland, Baltimore to develop innovative technologies and products to improve diagnosis and treatment of patients suffering from genetic-based diseases, including cancers.
www.techjournalsouth.com

Team IDs Mutation That Mimics Effects of Beta Blockers in Blacks With Heart Failure
Pharmacogenomics Reporter -April 23

Stephen Liggett, MD, a professor at the School of Medicine who co-authored a study, told Pharmacogenomics Reporter this week that although the research is at an early stage, the researchers who conducted the study are interested in eventually developing a diagnostic tool that would help doctors personalize heart failure therapy.
www.pgxreporter.com

UMB Mulls Making BioPark Building Taller; Extra Cost Prohibits On-Spec Construction
BioRegionNews.com - April 21

The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) is considering plans to grow its BioPark research campus by building a taller fourth building than currently planned, though the added cost would require the school to abandon its plan to build it on-spec, the life science campusý top executive told BioRegion News last week. ýWeýre looking at amending our plans to go up as high as eight to 12 stories,ý making it the tallest of the four BioPark structures, with between 300,000 and 400,000 square feet of space, James Hughes, MBA, president of the UMB BioPark, said during a tour of the just-completed second building. Current plans for the fourth building, as with the first three buildings developed until now, limit height to six stories.
www.bioregionnews.com

Canada Declares Chemical in Plastic Water Bottles Toxic
Anchorage Daily News - April 22

What's so bad about Nalgene water bottles? Probably nothing, say spokesmen for Nalgene and companies that produce similar plastic bottles and food containers for drinking and eating. Possibly a great deal, say scientists who've linked bisphenol-A, or BPA―a chemical found in a wide array of hard-plastic products used for eating and drinkingýto severe health problems, including miscarriages, cancers and brain disorders in studies involving animals. "What this is indicative of is a failed chemical policy in the United States," said Barbara Sattler, RN, DrPh, FAAN, director of the Environmental Health Education Center at the School of Nursing.
www.adn.com

How Serious Are Buprenorphine Overdoses in Children?
Reuters Health Medical News - April 22

Unintentional buprenorphine overdoses are generally well tolerated in children, according to findings published in the April issue of Pediatrics. "A paucity of literature exists regarding the effects of buprenorphine in pediatric patients," write fellow Bryan Hayes, PharmD, and colleagues from the School of Pharmacy. "Ceiling effects suggest that minimal toxicity would be expected in overdoses," they note. "Some authors, however, have reported serious effects in this population with clinical courses characterized by a need for antidotal therapy and ventilatory support."
(To read this story, contact the Communications office at ext. 6-7820, or respond to this e-mail.)

Preparation Is Key to Avoiding 'Worst-Case Outcome,' Chertoff says
The Stanford Report - April 14

Margaret Hamburg, MD, a former assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, opened a symposium, broadcast live on C-SPAN from the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C. Kathleen Sullivan, JD, from the Stanford Constitutional Law Center, moderated a panel featuring Stanford law professors Pamela Karlan, JD, MA, and Robert Weisberg, JD, MA; Christopher Chyba, JD, a professor at Princeton University; Jeffrey Runge, MD, FACEP, assistant secretary in the Department of Homeland Security; Michael Greenberger, JD, a professor at the School of Law and director of the Center for Health and Human Security; and Martin Cetron, MD, director of the Division of Global Migration and Quarantine at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
news-service.stanford.edu

Research Indicates Working Conditions Contribute to Needle-stick Injury
Advance for Nurses - April 14
ANASmart Brief.com - April 21

One blood-borne pathogen infection case from a needle-stick injury could cost up to $1 million for testing, follow-up, lost work time, and disability costs. Multiply that number by the 1,000 health care workers estimated to contract serious infection annually from needle-stick and sharps injury, and the case is strongly made for adopting safer devices. Alison Trinkoff, ScD, RN, FAAN, a professor at the School of Nursing, says nursesý working conditions contribute to the increasing risk of needle-stick injury. In her study, Trinkooff concludes, ýDespite advances in protecting workers from needle-stick injuries, extended work schedules and their concomitant physical demands are still contributing to the occurrence of injuries and illness to nurses.ý
nursing.advanceweb.com
nursing.advanceweb.com

Student Violence Is An Epidemic
"Web Watch" (Teacher Magazine blog) - April 15

The cell phone video of a student's violent attack on Baltimore art teacher Jolita Berry has stunned viewers nationwide. But teachers in Baltimore say the incident was by no means unusual. Yet some emphasize that schools canýt fix the problem alone: "These issues are well beyond the school per se,ý noted Anne-Marie Bond, MSW, MA, assistant director of the Social Work Community Outreach Service at the School of Social Work. ýThey reflect other layers in the community and experiences students have. It is hard for the school to address this without a more communitywide or citywide approach."
blogs.edweek.org

Commodities Costs Manipulation
ýSpecial Edition Saturday,ý WATR Radio (Hartford, Conn.), 12:30 p.m. ý April 19

Michael Greenberger, JD, a professor at the School of Law, who formerly served on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, discussed the manipulation of commodity prices, including gasoline and heating oil, by speculators in deregulated financial markets and touched on the manner in which those markets have led to the present credit and financial meltdown during a live interview

Mutation Makes Good Medicine
ScienceNow.com - April 21

As the heart falters, the body releases adrenaline to keep the organ pumping. Too much adrenaline overworks the heart, and eventually the organ gives out. Beta blockers halt this process by blocking adrenaline receptors and slowing the heart rate. However, studies suggest that the drugs don't work in many African-Americans. To figure out why, researchers at the University of Maryland, Baltimore and Washington University in St. Louis took a close look at GRK5, one of the receptor proteins in the heart that responds to adrenaline.
sciencenow.sciencemag.org

SEC Enforcement and White-Collar Criminal Defense Lawyer Joins U.S. Firm Pepper Hamilton
Lawfuel.com - April 21

Pepper Hamilton LLP announced that Frank Razzano, JD, an adjunct professor at the School of Law and a trial lawyer with 36 years of experience representing clients in Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement, securities litigation, broker-dealer regulation, and white-collar criminal defense matters, has joined the firm's Commercial Litigation Practice Group as a partner in the Washington office.
www.lawfuel.com

Sonic Foundry Names Finalists for Fourth Annual Rich Media Impact Awards
Money.CNN.com - April 22

Sonic Foundry, Inc., the recognized market leader for rich media Web casting and knowledge management, today announced the finalists for its fourth annual Rich Media Impact Awards program, which recognizes a higher education institution that enhanced learning and outreach through rich media. The 2008 finalists are Technische Universiteit Delft-Netherlands and the University of Maryland Dental School.
money.cnn.com

The Plastics Revolution; It Changed Our World. But Are We Trading Convenience for Safety?
The Washington Post - April 22

Advocacy groups haven't succeeded in their calls for a comprehensive ban on phthalates and bisphenol A, but some national retailers (including Target and Wal-Mart), manufacturers (including Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, Nike and Apple), and toymakers have begun voluntary efforts to remove phthalates from their products. Meanwhile, consumers who might want to limit their exposure to suspect chemicals in plastics may find that difficult. Plastics components must be labeled in some products, but not in others. "Most people haven't had college-level chemistry or advanced chemistry" to know what the alphabet soup of chemicals on labels mean, says Caroline Baier-Anderson, PhD, an assistant professor at the School of Medicine and a health scientist with the nonprofit group Environmental Defense.
www.washingtonpost.com

Credit Default Swaps
Bloomberg News - April 14

Michael Greenberg, JD, a professor at the School of Law who formerly served on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, discussed the subprime meltdown and the credit default situation now plaguing the economy.

Crime Prevention in Baltimore:101
The (Baltimore) Sun - April 20

In a city where leaders have for years tried and failed to curtail one of the nation's highest crime rates, a School of Law professor has turned his classroom into a crime-fighting think tank. Visiting Associate Professor Orde Kittrie, JD, is challenging his 13 students this semester to come up with workable ideas for making Baltimore and the rest of Maryland a safer place to live.
www.baltimoresun.com

DNA Tests Offer Deeper Examination of Accused
The Washington Post - April 20
Austin American-Statesman - April 19

At its extreme, the prospect of getting an accurate handle on future dangerousness challenges the very notions of autonomy and free will that are at the core of any theory of criminal responsibility. "So far, judges have been cautious," said Karen H. Rothenberg, JD, MPA, dean of the School of Law. But given what Rothenberg calls the "love affair" that courts have had with DNA fingerprints, she and others fear that judges and juries will fall too quickly for the new tests. A survey led by Rothenberg and Diane Hoffmann, JD, MS, associate dean at the School, found that in 127 court cases that involved health-related DNA information, more than half had to do with medical malpractice, and most of those were birth-injury claims in which a parent blamed a doctor for a child's neurological or developmental problems.
www.washingtonpost.com
www.statesman.com

Dimming the Switch on Energy Trading
Congressional Quarterly - April 14

The meltdown in the housing and credit industries is teaching Congress a scary lesson about how interconnected financial markets can encourage speculators to spread risk on an unprecedented scale. In response, lawmakers are looking at various proposals to increase regulatory authority over the financial sectorýand, in something of a trial run, are now preparing to approve a more immediate regulatory fix dealing with the trading of securities in the global energy market. ýThis legislation has produced many dislocations in the economy: Amaranth, Enron, and now the subprime crisis,ý says Michael Greenberger, JD, a professor at the School of Law who formerly served on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. ýThe same law that exempted credit default swaps from federal law allowed Enron to trade in the dark market and has driven up the price of energy commodities.ý

Firms Looking for Ways to Keep Young Associates Around
The Daily Record - April 21

Whereas 25 or 30 years ago, associates joined a firm for life, associates today feel freer to switch firms in pursuit of their financial, professional, and personal goals. ýThey are more inclined to kind of see themselves as free agents, so they are more comfortable asking for what they want from the firms,ý said School of Law Professor Paula Monopoli, JD.

Heart Defense Is in the Genes
The (Baltimore) Sun ý April 21
U.S.News & World Report - April 21 (plus 17 Web sites)
The Chicago Tribune - April 21
The Chicago Sun Times - April 21

A genetic variation common in African-Americans naturally protects heart- failure patients as effectively as popular heart medications, researchers reported today. "It's a genetic mechanism that mimics the effects of the drugs," said Stephen Liggett, MD, a co-author of the study and a professor of medicine and physiology at the School of Medicine.
www.baltimoresun.com
health.usnews.com

Male Friendships and the Rise of the 'Bromance'
ABC Local Radio (East Pert, Australia) - April 15

Ron Tait conducted a live radio interview of Geoffrey Greif, DSW, MSW, a professor at the School of Social Work and author of a forthcoming book about male friendships and bonding about issues related to male friendships, hetero male crushes, and the growing acceptance of male friendships.

Subprime Woes
"Fox Morning News" (San Francisco, Calif.), 11:15 a.m. - April 14

Michael Greenberger, JD, professor at the School of Law and a former member of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, discussed issues connected to the subprime meltdown during a live five-minute phone interview.

UAB Research Shows PH Levels of Various Drinks
The Birmingham News - April 21

A study that originated at the University of Maryland Dental School and was followed up at the University of Alabama, Birmingham School of Dentistry found that energy drinks are far more likely than most other beverages to destroy tooth enamel, in part because of high levels of acidity.
blog.al.com

'A Bias Against Women'
The Gazette - April 18

Claire Fraser-Liggett, PhD, a pioneer scientist who now heads the School of Medicine's new Institute for Genome Sciences, takes pride as a role model for young women in sciences. "I have gone out of my way to accept invitations to speak on the topic and the invitations provide me with opportunities to interact with students."
www.gazette.net

Beyond The Bars
ýRandom Rodricksý Sun blog - April 18

Sun columnist Dan Rodricks wrote a blog inviting Maryland businesses to an event next month at the School of Law: "Beyond The Bars, A Symposium on Re-entry in Maryland," which will take place at the School on May 20. "If your company has been considering getting in the game of hiring ex-offenders―with the idea that, hey, it might help slow the revolving doors on our costly Maryland prisonsýthen you might want to get more information about the whole re-entry scene. Owners of businesses, human resources executives-you, more than anyone, need to know about this.
weblogs.baltimoresun.com

Genomics Pioneer
The Gazette - April 18

The University of Maryland School of Medicine is so committed to developing personalized medicine, and its commercial potential, that it has lured a star player in genome sciences away from Rockville, the bedrock of the cutting-edge field. That pioneer is Claire Fraser-Liggett, PhD, who accepted an offer last year to head the Schoolýs new Institute for Genome Sciences. This summer, Fraser-Liggett and about 80 employees of her new institute will move into a 40,000-square-foot laboratory and office suite on the fifth and sixth floors of the new Building Two in the University BioPark. Snagging Fraser-Liggett "will fuel the expansion of genomic research at the School of Medicine," said its dean, E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, in a statement. "She has had a history of good business interactions," said Bruce Jarrell, MD, FACS, the Schoolýs vice dean for research and academic affairs. "We would welcome that sort of thing." And, he added, "she is obviously a world-class scientist." "We will be able to do bigger and better things together," said Alan Shuldiner, MD, director of the Program in Genetics and Genomic Medicine. "We are reasonably close to achieving personalized medicine."
www.gazette.net

General Assembly Expands Dental Care for Poor Children
The Washington Post - April 17

Advocates for children's dental care were biting their nails through much of Maryland's recent General Assembly session. But despite a flurry of spending cuts, millions of additional state dollars aimed at expanding dental care for poor children made it into the state's budget for the coming fiscal year. Where dentists are unavailable to initiate care, the wider use of public health hygienists "could stop the bottleneck" in getting patients into the system, said Norman Tinanoff, DDS, MS, professor and health policy expert at the Dental School
www.washingtonpost.com

North Royalton Bans Smoking in Parks
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer - April 17

A year after Ohio told smokers to step outside, North Royalton has decreed the outside out of bounds at city parks and recreation areas. "Jurisdictions do this hodgepodge," said Jacqueline McNamara, JD, a research fellow in the School of Law who has researched outdoor smoking bans. "Probably not surprisingly, California leads the way with them, mostly with smoke-free beaches."
www.cleveland.com

School of Nursing Students Go Green and Run Into the Streets
The Associated Press - April 16
The Gazette - April 16

At the corner of Scott and Carroll streets in the Washington Village/Pigtown community, an individual with a rake in one hand and a shovel in the other decided to dart out into the street from the sidewalk. ýWeýre cleaning up the Pigtown Pocket Park,ý explained Mike Lorete, a student from the School of Nursing. A pocket park can be described as a single vacant lot in which a building or rowhouse once stood, but now provides greenery for residents. Lorete and his colleagues were immersed in digging up weeds, picking up trash, spreading mulch, and planting new flowers as part of an Earth Day activity.
(To read this story, please contact the Communications office at the School of Nursing at ext. 6-4115.)

'Tree Man' Regains Use of Hands
Telegraph - April 16
News-Medical.Net - April 16

Doctors have removed more than 4 pounds of warts from an Indonesian man dubbed ýTree Maný because of the bark-like growths on his hands and feet. Dede Koswara can now hold a pen and see the outline of his toes for the first time in more than a decade after surgeons began removing the huge warts from his limbs, according to Londonýs Daily Telegraph newspaper. Dermatologist Anthony Gaspari, MD, professor at the School of Medicine, diagnosed Koswara as contracting the human papilloma virus because of a rare immune system deficiency.
www.telegraph.co.uk
www.news-medical.net

Laugh For The Health of It
The Connecticut Post - April 15

In a small 2005 study led by Michael Miller, MD, associate professor at the School of Medicine, 20 healthy men and women were shown scenes from the Farrelly brothers comedy Kingpin and the opening D-Day invasion sequence of the Steven Spielberg drama Saving Private Ryan. Laughter in response to the comedy caused the inner lining of blood vessels to expand, increasing blood flow. Conversely, the drama led to lining constriction. The study suggests a link between mental stress and decreased blood flow.
www.connpost.com

Officer Shot in Conflict With 'Known Gang Members'
The (Baltimore) Examiner - April 16

The suspect turned and fired a handgun at Officer Mark Spila, 25, striking himýcausing Spila and two other officers to return fire, striking the suspect multiple times. Andrew Pollak, MD, the chief of orthopedics at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center and associate professor at the School of Medicine, said Spila had a "severe fracture" to his femur. Pollak said the officer was in good spirits as he awaited surgery.
www.examiner.com

The Young, The Proud, The Republican
The (Baltimore) Sun - April 16

About 60 future lawyers turned out the other day to hear former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. speak to the Republican Law Society at the School of Law. Columnist Laura Vozzella writes, ýI didn't know there were that many Republicans in all of Baltimore.ý "You'd be surprised," said Sebastian Kurian, a third-year student and the society president. "We actually have a fairly large number of Republicans at the School." They just keep a lower profile than the Democrats on campusýand not just because, according to Kurian, "99 percent of the faculty and professors are Democrats and liberals."
www.baltimoresun.com

Diagnostic Technologies Signs Deals With U.S. University
Globes - April 15

Diagnostic Technologies Ltd., which has developed a blood test for preeclampsia, toxemia, and premature delivery risk in early pregnancy, has signed a cooperation agreement with the University of Maryland, Baltimore and is also in negotiations with three medical centers in Europe ahead of the launch of its product in the U.S.
www.globes.co.il

Female Leadership in the 21st Century
The JHU Gazette - April 14

Last week, the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and Rho Lambda Sorority Leadership Societies presented the panel discussion "Determining Your Success: Female Leadership in the 21st Century." The event, held in Levering's Great Hall, included Karen H. Rothenberg, JD, MPA, dean of the School of Law.
www.jhu.edu

Inflammatory Response to Stressors Exaggerated in CAD Patients
MedicExchange.com - April 15

Mental and physical stresses induce higher-than-normal levels of inflammatory markers in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), according to study results published in the March 15th issue of the American Journal of Cardiology. "The acute responses of inflammatory markers to challenges that are known triggers for acute coronary syndromes have not been investigated in patients with coronary artery disease," Willem Kop, PhD, associate professor at the School of Medicine, and colleagues write. "The pathophysiologic mechanisms accounting for these adverse cardiovascular effects may involve autonomic nervous system and neurohormonally mediated immune system responses."
www.medicexchange.com

More Than Four Pounds of Warts Removed From Man With Bark-Like Growths
FoxNews.com - April 15
The Australian - April 15

Doctors have removed more than four pounds of warts from an Indonesian man dubbed "Tree Man" because of the bark-like growths on his hands and feet. Dede Koswara can now hold a pen and see the outline of his toes for the first time in more than a decade after surgeons began removing the huge warts from his limbs, according to Londonýs Daily Telegraph newspaper. Dermatologist Anthony Gaspari, MD, professor at the School of Medicine, diagnosed Koswara as contracting the human papilloma virus (HPV) because of a rare immune system deficiency.
www.foxnews.com
www.theaustralian.news.com.au

Open Wide: Pioneer Dentist Gets His Due
The New York Times - April 15

Hubert Herring is an editor at The New York Times and a descendent of the fabled G.V. Black, a man lauded for ushering dentistry into the modern era and elevating it to a profession due to his inventiveness and indefatigable research. Herring chronicles his great grandfather and his recent trip to Baltimore to the Dr. Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry where Black is the central feature of an exhibit. "When I mention my fabled ancestor, G. V. Black, to dentists, roles are reversed and their jaws drop (though this has yet to translate into a free root canal). His statue stands in Lincoln Park in Chicago. And the reproduced office of the man considered 'the father of modern dentistry' is a central feature [at the] Baltimore [museum]."
www.nytimes.com

UMB, College Park Professors Among the Best-Paid Faculty Nationwide
The (Baltimore) Examiner - April 15

Professors at the University of Marylandýs Baltimore and College Park campuses are among the best-paid faculty at public schools nationwide, says a new survey. With an average professor salary of $142,700, University of Maryland, Baltimore, ranks first among public schools nationwide for faculty pay, while College Park ties for 10th with the University of Connecticut with an average salary of $127,500, according to an annual report from the American Association of University Professors. The highest-paid professor at UMB is Stephen Bartlett, MD, chair of the Department of Surgery at the School of Medicine who makes $786,719 a year. Part of his salary comes from his clinical care. "Medical school salaries are very competitive nationwide, and we have an outstanding dean who is committed to recruiting the most outstanding people in the nation," said Bartlett, who came to UMB in 1991.
www.examiner.com

Whole Body Multi-Detector CT Spots Head and Neck Injuries
MedicExchange.com - April 15

Whole body 16 multi-detector CT (MDCT) is effective in diagnosing blunt cerebrovascular injuries, obviating the requirement for additional neck MDCT angiography examination and potentially allowing earlier therapy, according to Baltimore-based researchers. "As more centers adopt whole MDCT protocols to scan blunt trauma patients," lead investigator Clint Sliker, MD, assistant professor at the School of Medicine, told Reuters Health, "radiologists and traumatologists [should] recognize that a whole MDCT can diagnose blunt cerebrovascular injuries with reasonable specificity when compared to neck CT angiography, which is advocated by several authors as the first-line means for diagnosing these injuries."
www.medicexchange.com

C-SPAN Coverage of Conference on Naturally Occurring Epidemics and Terrorist Use of Biological Weapons
C-SPAN - April 11

The Constitution Project and the Stanford Constitutional Law Center co-sponsor a conference on the legal implications of government responses to naturally occurring epidemics and terrorist use of biological weapons. The panel included Michael Greenberger, JD, a professor in the School of Law and director of the Center for Health and Homeland Security. The panel was followed by a keynote address delivered by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. To view a video of the discussion, click on the second item here:
www.c-span.org

First Use of Fetal-Death Law Sets Standard
The Daily Record - April 13

When former state delegate Charles R. Boutin first sponsored a ýviable fetusý bill in early 2004, not even the testimony of ýAmericaýs Most Wantedý host John Walsh could get it out of committee. The law could be susceptible to legal challenges because it was passed in reaction to a news story, said Andrew Levy, JD, an adjunct professor at the School of Law and a partner with Brown, Goldstein & Levy LLP. ýLaws like this donýt necessarily have to hold together,ý said Levy. ýItýs a feel-good law, not a law responding to a pressing problem.ý
www.mddailyrecord.com

Hopkins Sciences Center Will Focus on Drug Research
The Daily Record - April 13

Confetti rained, music played and Marylandýs political elite gathered once again Friday, this time on Baltimoreýs east side, as Johns Hopkins University celebrated the opening of the first research facility at its new Science and Technology park, a $60 million building where science and business will coexist under one roof. The celebration comes less than two weeks after the University of Maryland, Baltimore feted the groundbreaking of the third building at its west side BioPark, where many of the same public figures gathered to give similar congratulatory speeches.
www.mddailyrecord.com

Men Need Bone Tests as Well as Women
TamilStar (Sri Lanka) - April 14

Bone tests aren't just for women anymore. New guidelines are calling for older men to get a routine check for bone-thinning osteoporosis. "There's a recognition more so now than in the past that men are at risk," says Jay Magaziner, PhD, MS, professor at the School of Medicine, who has long researched hip fracturesýosteoporosis' most-feared break.
www.tamilstar.com

New Treatment for Aortic Tear
KING5.com - April 13

Sam Einsidler looks perfectly healthy now, but almost a year ago, doctors told his mother he might not survive a terrible car accident. "I said, 'Is there a chance he could die?' and he said, 'Absolutely,'" said mom, Terri Einsidler. Sam's aortaýthe body's main arteryýruptured. In the past, risky open heart surgery was the only way to repair the injury. "A fair percentage can wind up paraplegic," said David Neschis, MD, an associate professor of vascular surgery in the School of Medicine.
www.king5.com

Social Work Education
The (Baltimore) Sun ý April 13

In a story about the rise of international social work, Raju Varghese, EdD, MPH, MSW, MA, an associate professor at the School of Social Work discusses the School's new program that enables students to study in India from June to December. Two master's degree students who participated in the new programýCarrie McAvoy and Sally Altlandýare also featured in the story, describing their experiences abroad and how it has prepared them professionally to practice social work to help communities worldwide.

University of Maryland Pharmacy Expansion Includes Pharmacogenetics, Nanomedicine
GenomeWeb.com - April 10

An addition to the Pharmacy Hall at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy will include four floors of space dedicated to clinical and translational research in pharmacogenetics, nanomedicine, and drug discovery, the school said this week. "In securing more than $62 million for the construction of the Pharmacy Hall addition, Gov. Martin O'Malley and the Maryland General Assembly have recognized the need to educate more pharmacists, carry out more cutting-edge research, and deepen our commitment to serve the community," said David J. Ramsay, DM, DPhil, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, where the pharmacy school is located.
www.genomeweb.com

2008 Legislative Wrap-Up: Compromises Spawn Environmental Gains
The Daily Record - April 11

Another important environmental bill that won approval, the High Performance Buildings Act, requires that new state construction projects, including those at state-funded universities, be built to LEED standards of energy efficiency. Robert Rowan, MS, assistant vice president for facilities management at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), said this mandate could add between 2 percent and 5 percent to the construction costs of buildings such as UMBýs Health Sciences Facility III ý a proposed $400 million project at UMBýs main campus - but could reduce energy costs by as much as 20 percent. "It moves money from the capital budget and gives us some relief on the operating budget," he said of the bill. "It's a good investment, long-term, for the state."
(To read this story, please contact the Communications office at ext. 6-7820, or respond to this e-mail.)

Arbutus Company to Obtain Controlling Stake in Pathogen Removal and Diagnostic Technologies Inc.
Arbutus Times - April 9

Traxion Therapeutics recently received $74,018 from the Maryland Technology Development Corp.ýs Maryland Technology Transfer Fund. The company on South Rolling Road in the UMBC Tech Center focuses on developing drugs for the treatment of intractable pain, particularly neuropathic pain, and is collaborating with the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Specifically, the company is working with pain researchers at the Dental School to assess the commercial utility of its lead product, TXT-0200.
news.mywebpal.com

Attacks on City Teacher Highlights Training Gaps
The (Baltimore) Sun -April 11

The grainy cell-phone video of a student hitting Baltimore art teacher Jolita Berry in her classroom, replayed in the national news and on the Internet, has reinforced the wide concern among school safety experts that teachers often don't receive enough training in how to defuse potentially dangerous confrontations with students. Berry's case has angered local officials, who said they would hold a meeting to try to find ways to give teachers skills to deal with disruptive students. ýAnother view was that the community needs to get involved in helping support the children whose behavior is linked to family problems,ý said Ann-Marie Bond, MSW, assistant director of the Social Work Community Outreach Service at the School of Social Work. ýThese issues are well beyond the school per se. They reflect other layers in the community and experiences students have,ý Bond said, adding, ýIt is hard for the school to address this without a more community-wide or citywide approach.ý
www.baltimoresun.com

Letters to the Editor: Surgical Simulators a Better Way to Learn
The (Baltimore) Sun - April 11

A retired internist who responded to The Sunýs April 2 article titled "Practicing on pigs protects human life" cites that medical students at the University of Maryland School of Medicine can practice the procedure on a laparoscopic surgery trainer again and again until they get it right.
www.baltimoresun.com

People on the Move
The Daily Record - April 11

The Health Sciences and Human Services Library at the University of Maryland, Baltimore has announced that Maria Fernýndez is its new cataloging librarian. She has held positions as a high school librarian and a public library director. Fernandez was also an academic librarian at the University of Puerto Rico.
www.mddailyrecord.com

Why the B-more Biotech Bigwigs Should Vote Dem in November
Off the Record (The Daily Record's blog) - April 10

The success of the new University of Maryland BioPark on Baltimoreýs west side is inextricably tied to a corresponding neighborhood redevelopment effort in the surrounding communities, and it probably would not have moved forward if the city hadn't cleaned up the public housing problems nearby. In 1999, HOPE-VI funds were used to tear down the notorious Murphy Homesýknown as a hive of crime, druguse, and violence-about a quarter-mile to the north, and to replace them with Heritage Crossing, a new, mixed-income development that looks much nicer on the urban landscape.
blogs.mddailyrecord.com

Early Neglect Can Trigger Childhood Aggression
New Scientist - April 10

Failing to care properly for a young child can be as damaging as physically or sexually abusing them, when it comes to triggering aggression in later childhood. Past studies have hinted that early neglect may contribute to aggression later on, but it has been difficult to disentangle this effect from that of physical or sexual abuse. To do so, Howard Dubowitz, MB, ChB, professor at the School of Medicine, and his colleagues studied 1,318 children from birth to age 8. The researchers found that this was just as important a contributing factor to later aggression as other forms of maltreatment.
www.newscientist.com

Her Fight Opened the Door for Women, Minority Pharmacists
Washington Post - April 10

Ramona McCarthy-Hawkins, RPh, knew she would have a tough time finding a job straight out of pharmacy school at Ohio State University in 1952. But she did not expect it to be even harder to move up in the field. Margaret Hayes, MS, the director of student education services and outreach at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy who nominated McCarthy-Hawkins for the Maryland Womenýs Hall of Fame, said the longtime pharmacist was a "pioneer" in the field. Today, the School of Pharmacy has an enrollment that is about 70 percent female.
www.washingtonpost.com

How to Stop Video Violence? Donýt Watch, Therapist Says
WBAL-TV, Ch. 11, 5 p.m. - April 9

Seeing video online from teenagers who get into fights and record it for the world to see seems to be almost as commonplace as sending a text message. "This phenomenon is reality TV. It's the ability to record at the flash of a moment," said Frederick DiBlasio, PhD, MSW, a family therapist and professor at the School of Social Work. The way to stop this behavior is for everyone to stop watching the video, turn it off, talk to your children about what's right and wrong, and supervise them.
www.wbaltv.com

Panel: Diversity Hones Firms' Financial Edge
The Daily Record ý April 10

For law firms to take diversity seriously, they will have to realize that it is to their financial advantage to do so, attorneys said Friday at a conference on diversity in the profession. The conference, "Learning from Leaders to Address Diversity Challenges: A Roundtable," hosted by the University of Maryland School of Law, brought together law firm diversity and recruitment coordinators, law school career counselors, and corporate lawyers.
(To read this story, please contact the Communications office at ext. 6-7820, or respond to this e-mail.)

Prosecutors Push to Retry Former School Official
The Gazette - April 10

Prince George's County prosecutors are scrambling to find a legal precedent to retry former school board member Nathaniel Thomas after dropping the case last week when key witnesses were barred from testifying. In pretrial motions on the day jury selection was supposed to begin, Thomas' lawyer, Bruce Marcus, complained that he had only received a transcript from a 2007 interview with witnesses the previous night. Andrew Levy, JD, a defense attorney and adjunct professor at the School of Law, credited Marcus for arguing that the last-minute transcript hurt Thomasý chances. "It is obviously a product of good lawyering," said Levy, a law professor for more than 20 years.
www.gazette.net

Reimbursement Rate Too Low For Foster Parents
Rockford (Ill.) Register Star - April 10

It's been almost eight years since foster families in Illinois have seen a significant increase in what they're paid to care for the children the state places with them. The study of foster care rates, titled "Hitting the MARC" (the acronym stands for Minimum Adequate Rates for Children), was conducted by the National Foster Parent Association, Childrenýs Rights and the School of Social Work. Illinoisý current foster care rates would have to be increased by up to 81 percent to cover the real costs of providing for foster children, the groups said.
www.rrstar.com

8 Lives, 4 Transplants, 1 Big Day Chain of Lifesaving Transplants
The Chicago Tribune - April 9

Last Thursday at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, four kidney donors and four kidney recipients gathered for a rare set of operations known as a domino paired exchange, the largest ever performed in the Chicago region. Doctors announced the surgeries' success Tuesday. Such arrangements are becoming more common as doctors seek creative ways to get kidneys to people who need them. "More than 30 percent of kidney patients know someone willing but unable to become their donors because they are not a suitable tissue match," said Matthew Cooper, MD, assistant professor of surgery at the School of Medicine and incoming chair of the United Network for Organ Sharing living donor committee.
www.chicagotribune.com

Her Fight Opened the Door for Women, Minority Pharmacists
The Gazette - April 9

Ramona McCarthy-Hawkins, RPh, knew she would have a tough time finding a job straight out of pharmacy school at Ohio State University in 1952. But she did not expect it to be even harder to move up in the field. Margaret Hayes, MS, the director of student education services and outreach at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy who nominated McCarthy-Hawkins for the Maryland Womenýs Hall of Fame, said the longtime pharmacist was a ýýpioneerý in the field. Today, the School of Pharmacy has an enrollment that is about 70 percent female.
www.gazette.net

Hopkins is Testing New Gel Therapy that Could Lead to Fewer Amputations
The Daily Record - April 9

Poor blood flow is one of the problems that prevents healing in diabetics, according to Thomas Donner, MD, associate professor of medicine at the School of Medicine, and medical director of the University of Maryland Joslin Diabetes Center. ýOnce they get an infection in their feet, the immune system, which is carried through the bloodstream, is less able to get there,ý Donner explained.
www.mddailyrecord.com

Pigtownýs Main Street Initiative Moves Forward After City Acquires 4 Buildings
The Daily Record - April 7

Pigtown has long been a neighborhood of choice for students at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) who are looking for housing that is more affordable than Federal Hill, downtown or Ridgelyýs Delight. With the construction of UMBýs new BioPark nearby, the area is expected to receive a new round of real estate investment.
www.mddailyrecord.com

Finance on Iran Sanctions
The Washington Post - April 7

Witnesses at Tuesday's hearing on finance on Iran sanctions will include Philip Gordon, a senior fellow for U.S. foreign policy at the Brookings Institution, and Orde Kittrie, JD, a visiting associate professor at the School of Law and a professor of law at Arizona State University
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Houses In Hurricane Alley
The Nation - April 8

Somewhere out there is a lone voice of someone warning of impending disaster. We donýt know who he is yet, by definitionýhe "cries out in the wilderness" against powerful vested interests who are seeing to it that he is muffled. Michael Greenberger, JD, a professor at the School of Law and a former voice on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, warned the government a decade before the sub-prime mortgage disaster about the dangers of free-wheeling Wall Street practices and shadow financial markets. National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield warned for years against the folly of building houses in hurricane alleys, finally resigning his position in January in frustration.
www.worldontheweb.com

In Bush's Plan, Fed Would Cast Reluctant Eye on Wall Street
The New York Times - March 30

The Bush administration is proposing the broadest overhaul of Wall Street regulation since the Great Depression. But the plan, to be unveiled on Monday, has its genesis in a yearlong effort to limit Washington's role in the market. The Fed would not be able to act simply because one bank or brokerage house was taking excessive risk. Instead, the Fed's "authority to require correction actions should be limited to instances where overall financial market stability was threatened," the summary of the proposal states. One former regulator said the Fed's previous actions did not argue for giving it more power. "The Fed oversaw this meltdown," said Michael Greenberger, JD, a professor at the School of Law, and a former top official with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. "This is the equivalent of the builders of the Maginot Line giving lessons on defense."
(To read this story, contact the Communications office at ext. 6-7820, or respond to this e-mail.)

Screen All Patients for Oral Cancer
The (Baltimore) Sun - April 8

In a letter to the editor, Jacquelyn Fried, RDH, MS, professor and director of the Division of Dental Hygiene at the Dental School, applauded The Sun for highlighting oral cancer in Thursday's edition. ýBut I would like to emphasize a point that may not have been evident to readers of the feature ýAsk the expertýOral cancerý [April 3]: that early detection is one of the key ways to prolong the lives of those diagnosed with oral cancer,ý she wrote.
www.baltimoresun.com

Jim Crow Just the Way It Was
The (Baltimore) Sun - April 6

Author C. Fraser Smith, whose forthcoming book, Here Lies Jim Crow, tackles the issues inherent to the Jim Crow way of life, writes in an Op-Ed, "The way it was amounted to ambient humiliationýnot always in your face but always present, like background noise. You tried to ignore it. Sometimes you playfully defied it. You learned where the real trouble spots were, and you avoided them. It wasn't easy. A dynamic of resistance to changing any of this developed even before the civil rights movement: Absorb the blow, but don't change until you must. The [University of Maryland] School of Law was nominally re-integrated in 1935, but there was no black undergraduate, and no blacks in the School of Nursing, until the 1950s."
www.baltimoresun.com

Move to Assisted Living Facility Can Be Hard to Discuss
Orlando Sentinel - April 6

Whatever that catalyst, for many adults with aging parents, the time eventually might come when you need to have a conversation with them about moving to an assisted living facility. "Assisted living is a residence where one pays a monthly fee . . . the purpose is for people living there to have some oversight of their activities of daily living and to encourage them to socialize with others as much as possible," says Karen Kauffman, PhD, an associate professor at the School of Nursing and president of Life Passages Care Consultants, Inc.
www.orlandosentinel.com

Orthopedic Research Struggles to Advance in Wartime
The Star-Ledger (Newark, N.J.) - April 6

Roughly 80 percent of American troops injured in Iraq and Afghanistan―about 12,000 people―suffered wounds to their arms, legs, head or neck. These injuries include fractures, deep lacerations, missing bone segments, and severed limbs. Yet military officials are still struggling to finance medical research to improve treatment of orthopedic trauma. "People who were dying of these blast injuries before are now living," said Andrew Pollak, MD, an associate professor at the School of Medicine and a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. "They're living, but with these horrific challenges."
www.nj.com

The Dream, The Promise
The (Baltimore) Sun - April 6

In an editorial discussing the state of the city 40 years after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the legacy he left behind, the University of Maryland, Baltimore's development of its biotechnology park west of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard is cited as one of the reasons that the city has been made stronger, despite the post-assassination riots. The Sun says, "It is a door to the past and a window to the future."
www.baltimoresun.com

When Wheat Is Enemy No. 1; Eating Out Is Tough
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - April 6

How many people have celiac disease? According to a 2003 study by Alessio Fasano, MD, professor at the School of Medicine, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, one in 133 Americans is affected by the ailment. More women than men are affected.
(To read this story, please contact the Communications Office at ext. 6-7820, or respond to this e-mail.)

About One in 50 Infants in the United States Neglected or Abused
Newsday - April 4
The Virginian-Pilot - April 4
The Associated Press ý April 3

About one in 50 infants in the United States have been neglected or abused, according to the first national study of the problem in that age group. Nearly a third of the victims were 1 week old or younger when the maltreatment was reported, government researchers said yesterday. The study focused on children younger than 1. Most of these cases involved neglect, not physical abuse. In the case of newborns, experts said the data suggest drug abuse by the mother may have been the cause for reports of neglect, but they couldn't be certain. Maternal drug abuse is often discovered through blood tests while newborns are still in the hospital, Centers for Disease Control researchers and others said. ýThat is the story here,ý said Howard Dubowitz, MD, , a professor of pediatrics at the School of Medicine.
www.newsday.com
ap.google.com

Brain Tease (photo and caption)
Baltimore Examiner - March 15

Rohit Thumallapalli, of Florida, a 2008 USA Brain Bee participant, identifies the parts and functions of the human brain during a neuroanatomy practical exam Friday at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. The competition takes place each year in March during Brain Awareness Week. Photo by Kristine Buls of the Examiner staff.

Grant Awarded to UMBC Tech Company Working with Dental School
Catonsville Times - April 2

Traxion Therapeutics recently received $74,018 from the Maryland Technology Development Corp.'s Maryland Technology Transfer Fund. The company on South Rolling Road in the UMBC Tech Center focuses on developing drugs for the treatment of intractable pain, particularly neuropathic pain, and is collaborating with the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Specifically, the company is working with pain researchers at the Dental School to assess the commercial utility of its lead product, TXT-0200.
news.mywebpal.com

Minneapolis Student Shows Off Brainpower at Competition
Asian American Press - March 31

From the unlikely place of Wayzata High School in Minneapolis, Minn., Shivani Bhatt was one of five U.S. students who fought her way all the way to the National Brain Bee finals at the University of Maryland, Baltimore on March 15. Elena Perry of Washington, D.C., emerged victorious from the three-tiered question-and-answer competition that tests the neuroscience knowledge of high school students. She advances to the International Brain Bee competition in May in Canada.
www.aapress.com

Minneapolis Student Shows Off Brainpower at Competition
Asian American Press - March 31

From the unlikely place of Wayzata High School in Minneapolis, Minn., Shivani Bhatt was one of five U.S. students who fought her way all the way to the National Brain Bee finals at the University of Maryland, Baltimore on March 15. Elena Perry of Washington, D.C., emerged victorious from the three-tiered question-and-answer competition that tests the neuroscience knowledge of high school students. She advances to the International Brain Bee competition in May in Canada.
www.aapress.com

Peacock Named CEO of Alba Therapeutics; Co-Founder Paterson Leaves
The (Baltimore) Sun - April 4
Baltimore Business Journal -April 4
The EarthTimes.com - April 4

Blake Paterson, MD, who co-founded Baltimore biotech Alba Therapeutics Corp., has resigned as chief executive of his company. Bruce Peacock, a venture partner with SV Life Sciences Advisors, LLC, will take over for Paterson, who launched Alba in April 2004 to help commercialize the discoveries of Alessio Fasano, MD, a professor at the School of Medicine.
www.baltimoresun.com
www.bizjournals.com
www.earthtimes.org

UMB Breaks Ground on Third of 10 Planned Buildings in BioPark
The Montgomery Gazette - April 4

Some 400 people weathered a chilly, misty morning at the dedication of the second building of the University of Maryland BioPark, and the groundbreaking for a third. The University is poised to usher new businesses into Building Two, according to a sequential business plan that calls for a total of 10 buildings, said David J. Ramsay, DM, DPhil, University president. Said James Hughes, MBA, vice president for research and development, "With the first building, we werenýt sure we were going to have as many hard-core biotechs as we got. Experiences around the country showed that bioparks get more bioservice companies, so we are just thrilled." Harold Chappelear, DSC, RPh, LLD (Hon.), a fellow board member and a retired professor at the Universityýs School of Pharmacy, said the project has "gone far beyond our expectations."
www.gazette.net

Greenberger Interviews Regarding U.S. Financial Regulation Reforms
Portsmouth Herald - April 3
National Public Radio ýFresh Airý ý April 2
WUSA-TV, Ch. 9, 9 a.m. ý April 2
National Public Radio ýDiane Rehm Showý ý April 1
The Guardian ý March 31
Mediachannel.org ý March 31
NY Times blog ý March 31

U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has proposed the broadest overhaul of the American system of financial regulation since the Great Depression in an effort to rebuild confidence in Wall Street's battered institutions. Under the plan, the Federal Reserve would get extra powers to delve into the books of banks and brokerages if it suspected them of taking undue risks that could jeopardize the financial system. Michael Greenberger, JD, a professor at the School of Law and a former director of the Division of Trading and Markets at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, said: "Overall, this system is designed to attack problems as they occur rather than to prevent problems." Greenberger has done several interviews regarding the financial regulation reforms, including two on National Public Radio, which can be heard here, and a television interview that can be seen by clicking here:
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media.umaryland.edu:8080

Laughter Is the Best Medicine
The Advocate (Stamford, Conn.) - April 1
ClarionLedger.com - April 1

In a small 2005 University of Maryland Medical Center study led by Michael Miller, MD, associate professor at the School of Medicine and the centerýs director of preventive cardiology, 20 healthy men and women were shown scenes from the Farrelly brothersý comedy Kingpin and the opening D-Day invasion sequence of the Steven Spielberg drama Saving Private Ryan. Laughter in response to the comedy caused the inner lining of blood vessels to expand, increasing blood flow. Conversely, the drama led to lining constriction. The study suggests a link between mental stress and decreased blood flow.
www.stamfordadvocate.com
www.clarionledger.com

Names in the News
The (Baltimore) Sun - April 3

Cynthia Boyle, PharmD, FAPhA, an associate professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science and director of the Experiential Learning Program at the School of Pharmacy, recently received the American Pharmacists Association Good Government Pharmacist of the Year Award. In addition, she and Professor Robert Beardsley, RPh, PhD, designed a course named Effective Leadership and Advocacy, which prepares pharmacy students for involvement in political advocacy. This course has been modified for use at three other colleges.
www.baltimoresun.com

Talkin' Tastin' & More
Daily Gazette (Schenectady, N.Y.) - March 25

Maureen Stone, PhD, a professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and director of the Vocal Tract Visualization Lab at the Dental School, said some languages contain more than 150 sounds. English has a total of 44. ýMost speech sounds are made primarily by changing the shape of the tongue,ý she said.
www.dailygazette.com

Tedco Awards Tech Transfer Grants
Washington Business Journal - March 26
TechJournal South - March 26

The Maryland Technology Development Corp. (Tedco) has awarded $224,000 in grants to three startup technology companies. Traxion Therapeutics Inc., which is based in Baltimore and focusing on developing drugs to treat for neuropathic pain, is working with the University of Maryland, Baltimore and pain researchers at the University of Maryland Dental School. Traxion received a $74,018 grant from Tedco.
www.bizjournals.com
www.techjournalsouth.com

BioPark Drawing Home Buyers West
The Daily Record - April 2

At the ceremony for the opening and groundbreaking for the University of Maryland, Baltimoreýs two new BioPark buildings, U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings recalled serving on the association board of the nearby Poppleton neighborhood, in 1979. ýBack then, the biggest fear was that the University of Maryland would come across Martin Luther King [Boulevard],ý Cummings, a Democrat, said at the ceremony Monday. ýBut then there came some visionaries. ý There are visionaries on both sides of MLK.ý Already, the University has signed deals with Baltimore City Community College and Goodwill Industries to provide educational and work force development services to benefit nearby low-income populations. But for others, the BioPark means that wealthy, well-educated scientists, engineers, and business people will be moving to the area, and it may be a good time to buy and rehab a house or open a business.
(To read a copy of this story, please contact the Communications office at ext. 6-7820 or respond to this e-mail.)

Heart Association Introduces Hands-Only CPR
WJZ-TV, Ch. 13 - April 2
wjz.com - April 2

John Blenko, MD, assistant professor at the School of Medicine and an anesthesiologist at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, is a CPR expert who applauds guidelines that call for the hands-only method. "What the [American] Heart Association has decided is that if we can do compressions only for someone during the first couple of minutes of a cardiac arrest, that we will provide lots of blood going around to the body's tissues, the heart, and the brain," he said. Now you can skip mouth-to-mouth. Hands-only CPR calls for uninterrupted chest presses. Experts administering the new CPR should aim for 100 presses for each minute.
wjz.com

Panel Examines International Health Crisis
Daily Princetonian - April 2

Eminent leaders in various scientific fields shared their views on the partnership between academia and industry as well as the ways both the public and private sectors can promote global health at a symposium yesterday afternoon at Princeton University in New Jersey. Claire Fraser-Liggett, PhD, head of the Institute for Genome Sciences at the School of Medicine, said she has ýgreat hope that genomics will reveal some of the solutions to some of the worldýs most important global health problems.ý She also highlighted the importance of collaboration between academia and industry in research efforts.
www.dailyprincetonian.com

People on the Move
The (Baltimore) Sun - April 2

The University of Maryland, Baltimore appointed Maria Fernandez as cataloging librarian at the Health Sciences and Human Services Library.
www.baltimoresun.com

Today's Newsmakers
The (Baltimore) Examiner - April 2

Cynthia Boyle, PharmD, FAPhA, an associate professor at the School of Pharmacy, received the American Pharmacists Associationýs Good Government Pharmacist of the Year Award for her work getting pharmacists approved to administer vaccinations. Boyle also created a course for the pharmacy school titled Effective Leadership and Advocacy.
(To read this story, please contact the Communications office at ext. 6-7820, or respond to this e-mail.)

UMB Law School Grads/Politicians Present at Groundbreaking
On The Record (The Daily Recordýs blog) - April 1

At Mondayýs opening/groundbreaking ceremony for Buildings Two and Three at the University of Maryland BioPark in West Baltimore, three of the politicians on stage were UMB School of Law graduates. Gov. Martin OýMalley (ý88), Congressman Elijah Cummings (ý76), and Sen. Ben Cardin (ý67) are all big supporters of UMBýs West Side development. We found this interesting because it shows a sort of institutional loyalty to UMB that many graduate students donýt have. Sure, you stay true to your law school, but does that mean you give back to the geeks in the labs over at the biophysics building? What about the medical students or the social scientists? Are they all bound together by Terrapin Pride?

What Drives Parents to Kill?
The (Baltimore) Sun - April 2

Whatever drove a 41-year-old Rockville man to apparently kill his three young children in an Inner Harbor hotel last weekend might never be fully understood. But the explanation police say Mark Castillo offered themýthat he wanted to punish his estranged wifeýis typical in cases of men killing their children, experts say. "Kids sometimes get in the middle of struggles that parents are having and become the weapons that parents use to get at each other, sometimes with tragic consequences," said Laurel Kiser, PhD, an associate professor and psychologist at the School of Medicine.
www.baltimoresun.com

Baltimore BioPark Opens Second Building
The Gazette - March 31
WMAR-TV, Ch. 2, 5:30 p.m. - March 31

Some 400 people weathered a chilly, misty morning at the dedication of the second building of the University of Maryland BioPark, and the groundbreaking for a third. The University is poised to usher new businesses into Building Two, according to a sequential business plan that calls for a total of 10 buildings, said David J. Ramsay, DM, DPhil, University president. Said James Hughes, MBA, vice president for research and development, ýýWith the first building, we werenýt sure we were going to have as many hard-core biotechs as we got. Experiences around the country showed that bioparks get more bioservice companies, so we are just thrilled.ý Harold Chappelear, DSC, RPh, LLD, a fellow board member and a retired UMB professor at its School of Pharmacy, said the project has ýýgone far beyond our expectations.ý
www.gazette.net
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media.umaryland.edu:8080

Cutting Your Hair and Your Heart Risk
CBS News - March 31

Black men are twice as likely as white men to have undiagnosed and untreated high blood pressure―a precursor to heart disease. And that's the No. 1 killer of black Americans. Elijah Saunders, MD, a professor at the School of Medicine, helped launch Hair, Heart and Health, a six-week course that trains barbers in basic health. Barbers learn to measure blood pressure, and when to send their clients to a doctor. Why the barbershop? "Why go into the banks? That's where the money is. So we go into the barbershop because that's where the men are!" Saunders said.
www.cbsnews.com

Job Seekers, College Grads Find 'Companies'Arenýt In Growth Modesý
Baltimore Business Journal - March 28

Recruiters, career advisors, and job seekers said theyýre coming across many companies whose tight financial situations are limiting growth. But others donýt seem to be impacted, and long-standing and growing worker shortage have insulated some industries, such as nursing or engineering, from those effects. ýThe health care industry is also in full hiring mode, as it faces a shortage of pharmacists and certain types of nurses and physicians,ý said Janet D. Allan, PhD, RN, CS, FAAN, dean of the School of Nursing.
baltimore.bizjournals.com

Losing to Live Better: The Battle With Diabetes, Exercise and Kids
The (Baltimore) Examiner - April 1

Diabetes is a disease characterized by high blood sugar levels, with obesity being the most significant cause, said Soren Snitker, MD, PhD, an assistant professor at the School of Medicine and an endocrinologist. Losing 5 to 10 percent of your body weight can dramatically improve your quality of life, he said, noting some studies emphasize the importance of physical activity over losing weight.
www.examiner.com

No Fooling! Laughter Really Can Be Good Medicine
Indianapolis Star - April 1

Studies have supported the idea that laughter may improve pain tolerance, reduce blood sugar, boost the immune system, and provide cardiovascular benefits. Michael Miller, MD, associate professor at the School of Medicine, theorizes that endorphins released during laughter may "cross-talk" with the chemicals involved with vascular health, resulting in heart-healthy benefits. Given studies that have shown that stress can take a toll on our cardiovascular health, it makes sense that laughter might improve it, says Miller, director of the Center for Preventive Cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center. "Wouldn't it be nice if we could say, 'When you wake up in the morning, spend a few minutes not only doing pushups but laughing to release those endorphins?'" said Miller.
www.indystar.com

School of Medicine Uses Virtual Reality, Simulations As Teaching Aids
WJZ-TV, Ch. 13 - March 31

Students at the School of Medicine learn surgical techniques with simulators that mimic the human body, moving and stretching realistically. This story was sparked by the controversy over the continuing practice at Johns Hopkins University of using live animals for medical research.

Spring Poisoning Hazards
WBFF-TV, Ch. 45, ýMorning Newsý - March 31

Angel Bivens, RPh, MBA, CSPI, public education coordinator at the Maryland Poison Center at the School of Pharmacy, discussed poisonous hazards germane to spring.

UMB Opens Doors to Second BioPark Building
The Daily Record - April 1

The second research facility at the University of Maryland BioPark opened its doors Monday to a diverse group of tenants, ranging from large biotech firms to community-oriented job training programs. Mayor Sheila Dixon, Gov. Martin OýMalley, U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, Rep. Elijah Cummings, and University President David J. Ramsay, DM, DPhil, were at the ceremony, which included a symbolic groundbreaking for Building Three, now under construction on a Baltimore Street lot facing the parking garage. ýAt the beginning, we did a feasibility study that said that it would be three or four years for every building, and here we are with three buildings up in that time,ý said James Hughes, MBA, University vice president of research and development.
(To read this story, please contact the Communications Office at ext. 6-7820, or respond to this e-mail.)

UMB Partners with Community College on Biotech Training Program
Baltimore Business Journal - March 31

A Baltimore City Community College life sciences training program will utilize space at the University of Maryland BioPark, officials announced Wednesday. David Ramsay, DM, DPhil, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), announced the partnership with BCCC and Vivien T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy during the celebration of the opening of the University of Maryland BioPark's second building and the groundbreaking of its third building. "This is a real pipeline, not a virtual one," said Ramsay. The school also could be used to train employees or potential employees for specific companies, said James Hughes, MBA, vice president of research and development for UMB.
www.bizjournals.com
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