NOTE — These summaries link to stories published online in the local and national press and other sources. Please note that we cannot guarantee the accuracy or availability of links, as over time some links may expire or be made available only to registered users of the originating sites.
Helping Hospitalized Kids Cope and Re-enter School — Hospitalization isolates kids from their peers and disrupts their lives, schooling and development. Michael Towne is director of UCSF Child Life Services, a group that aims to give hospitalized kids creative outlets and emotional support, as well as help keeping up with schoolwork and re-entering school. Towne wrote about his mission in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Nap-Deprived Tots Missing More Than Sleep — Nap deprivation in young children can make it difficult for them to regulate their emotions and, over time, raises their risk of emotional problems later in life, according to recent research and past long-term studies. Dr. David Claman, director of the UCSF Sleep Disorders Center, commented on the research in the Mercury News.
Six-Year-Old Suspended in Sexual Assault Case at Elementary School — Controversy arose when a 6-year-old boy was suspended from school for alleged inappropriate touching while roughhousing during recess. Dr. Stuart Lustig, a UCSF child psychiatrist, commented about such behavior in an article in the New York Times.
Study Offers Clues to Why Some Don't Benefit From Asthma Drugs — A recent study led by UCSF pulmonologist John Fahy suggests that there are probably different "subtypes" of asthma, offering some explanation of why anti-inflammatory treatments don't work for all patients with the condition. Read more on msn.com.
Babies Do Better with Liver Grafts from Mother — A recent UCSF study found that babies who receive a liver transplant from their mothers do better than those given a liver graft transplant from their fathers. Read more on KGO-TV.
Protocol to Treat Anorexia Is Faulted — A recent UCSF study suggests that the "start low, advance slow" strategy of feeding hospitalized anorexics may be too conservative, delaying weight gain unnecessarily. Read about the findings in the New York Times.
Computers Implanted in Brain Could Help Paralyzed — Dr. Edward Chang, a UCSF neurosurgeon and co-director of the Center for Neural Engineering and Prostheses at UC Berkeley and UCSF, spoke about the emerging field of neural prosthetics with the San Francisco Chronicle.
UCSF Study Challenges Thinking on Anorexia — A new study from UCSF has challenged the treatment protocol for patients hospitalized with anorexia. The study found that starting patients off with a higher number of calories led to better weight gain and did not cause a dangerous electrolyte imbalance, known as refeeding syndrome, as previously feared. Read more in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Tahoe Teen Rebounds After Rupture in Brain — A 16-year-old girl was flown to UCSF for emergency treatment after an abnormal tangle of blood vessels and veins, called an arteriovenous malformation, burst in her brain. Read more about the girl's treatment and recovery in the North Lake Tahoe Bonanza.
Sugary Kids' Cereals Contain as Much Sugar as Cookies, Twinkies — Dr. Robert Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist at UCSF, commented on a study finding sugary kids' cereals are as much as 56 percent sugar by weight. Read the story from CBS News.
Compiled by UCSF Public Affairs