Digest -- U.Va. News Daily

Research uncovers new disease trigger
A U.Va. Health System research team has found that several autoimmune diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis — thought to be genetic in origin — may also have environmental and non-genetic causes. “The findings were unexpected,” said Kenneth S.K. Tung, a professor of pathology and microbiology at U.Va. “This suggests that autoimmune disease, in addition to a genetic influence, also has an environmental and non-genetic influence. It is really a new paradigm, a new way of thinking about autoimmune disease.”
(Top News Daily, May 5)

Formulating a new war-prediction theory
Saddam Hussein of Iraq and North Korea’s Kim Il Song are not madmen bent on war, says law professor John Norton Moore, director of U.Va.’s Center for National Security Law. Ruthless and evil, yes, but not crazy. Both have acted in their own self-interest, Moore said, and within a system of government that offers incentives to war. Moore has devised a theory that he says predicts which nations are most prone to war.
(Top News Daily, May 21)

Soft bedding raises SIDS risk
For years, the causes of Sudden Infant Death syndrome, or SIDS, were a heartbreaking mystery. But research is now uncovering some of the underlying factors. A new U.Va. study confirms earlier findings that suggest that infants who sleep on soft bedding, couches or with siblings are at greater risk for SIDS, while those put to sleep with pacifiers are at reduced risk. Furthermore, combining the high-risk factors boosts the likelihood of SIDS exponentially, the study found. The study, led by Dr. Fern Hauck, associate professor of family medicine, appears in the May edition of Pediatrics. (Top News Daily, May 7)

Chris Pullig

Professor probes brand name theft
Lingerie giant Victoria’s Secret may have been barking up the wrong legal tree when it sued Victor’s Little Secret, a small adult-themed store, for diluting its trademark, says Commerce School assistant professor Chris Pullig. The shop probably did little damage to the giant retailer but did get something of a free ride. (Top News Daily, May 20)

Project provides inside look at Medical Center
They normally roam the corridors of power in Washington, but an innovative program brought seven congressional staffers to Charlottesville to tour the hallways of health at the U.Va. Medical Center. But Project Medical Education was more than just a tour; the two-day visit included demonstrations, classes and “clinical experiences” shadowing medical students.
(Top News Daily, May 13)