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November 24, 2004

Vaccine Truth or Dare | Heavy Drinking Dulls the Mind Even After You Sober Up | Bush Economic Adviser Friedman to Resign, Aide Says, and more...

VACCINE TRUTH OR DARE MIT Technology Review, Nov. 24 -- A medical decision analyst at Duke says the potential of a new vaccine to prevent cervical cancer is undisputed. And a doctor in Duke's department of obstetrics and gynecology discusses whether it will ever reach those who would benefit most. Full story

HEAVY DRINKING DULLS THE MIND EVEN AFTER YOU SOBER UP, NEW STUDY FINDS Detroit News, Nov. 24 -- Duke psychology professor Aaron White says new findings "suggest that alcohol can affect your ability to learn long after the effects of the drug have worn off." Full story --Also, ABC News: Health Tip: Don't Gain Holiday Weight (advice from experts at Duke University Medical Center) Full story

BUSH ECONOMIC ADVISER FRIEDMAN TO RESIGN, AIDE SAYS Bloomberg News, Nov. 23 -- Senior White House staffers such as Stephen Friedman usually stay two to two-and-a-half years, said Michael Munger, chair of Duke's political science department. Full story --Also, Jacksonville (N.C.) Daily News: Some Wondering About War With the Departure of Powell (Duke political science professor John Aldrich) Full story

SOME PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOLS DROP AP COURSES Wall Street Journal, Nov. 23 --  "If high schools decide that the AP (Advanced Placement) curriculum doesn't serve them well then what selective colleges are looking for is some indication of the relative rigor of the classes," says Christoph Guttentag, director of undergraduate admissions at Duke. (Link for subscribers; article e-mailed upon request to eduke@duke.edu.) Full story

LETTER: DIVERSE VIEWS AT DUKE (Raleigh) News & Observer, Nov. 24 -- Duke vice president John F. Burness says a columnist was wrong to imply that Duke doesn't expose its students to a diversity of political views. Events surrounding the Palestine Solidarity Movement conference in October show just the opposite, Burness said. Full story

DISCOVERY COULD PRODUCE TAMOXIFEN ALTERNATIVE Palm Beach Post, Nov. 19 -- A fast-acting pathway used by the drug tamoxifen to kill damaged breast cells before they become cancerous has been identified by scientists at Duke. Full story

BOY WHO WON HEARTS LOSES BATTLE WITH RARE DISEASE Denver Post, Nov. 24 -- Although the stem-call therapy he received at Duke was working, 16-month-old Timothy Ritacco was unable to fight off an infection and died Saturday. Full story

THOU SHALT NOT? (Raleigh) News & Observer, Nov. 21 -- When Duke law professor Erwin Chemerinsky was asked whether he would like to represent a homeless man fighting to remove a monument of the Ten Commandments from the grounds of the Texas State Capitol, he didn't hesitate. Full story

BEYOND BARBIE'S WORLD Arizona Republic, Nov. 22 -- Sabrina Thomas, a visiting scholar at Duke who's writing a book, "The History of Dolls as a Sociology of Black Childhood," said American Girl dolls "give girls the opportunity to think outside the Barbie box..." Full story

LOOKING AT BLOOD PRESSURE DRUG USE IN KIDS ABC News, Nov. 22 -- The first study to examine the safety of the blood pressure-lowering drug sodium nitroprusside in children will be led by researchers at Duke. Full story

PERRIN, WRITER OF RURAL LIFE, DIES AT 77 Boston Globe, Nov. 22 -- Noel Perrin, a wry, urbane writer who catalogued his lifelong experiments in rural living in a series of popular books, has died at his home after a long illness. He received a master's degree in English from Duke in 1950. Full story --Also, Chicago Sun-Times: Robert W. Nordan, 70, Psychologist, Author (Duke alumnus) Full story

HOSPITAL MAY BECOME BOUTIQUE HOTEL (Durham) Herald-Sun, Nov. 24 -- When doctors and patients move out of the N.C. Specialty Hospital near Duke's East Campus this spring, a boutique hotel and condominiums could move in. Full story

MAKE SURE SON KNOWS DANGER OF ALCOHOL ABUSE Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Nov. 24 -- Columnist Dr. Joyce Brothers tells a concerned father to show his son a Duke study on what "one drink" means to college students. Full story

ON THE PROWL FOR A FELINE FIX (Duke) Chronicle, Nov. 23 -- Duke University Greening Initiative members, mostly graduate students, are looking to get a cat-control program off the ground in attempt to protect other campus critters. Full story

ANESTHESIA MAY AFFECT MEMORY, CONCENTRATION Charlotte Observer, Nov. 22 -- People's Pharmacy columnists Joe and Teresa Graedon discuss Duke research that found that major surgery is associated with a drop in test cores for concentration, mental speed and verbal ability in some elderly patients. (free registration) Full story