Monday, August 24, 1998
Community Briefs
Smoking marijuana, crack can cause cancer
Researchers at UCLA’s Jonsson Cancer Center have discovered that
the same kinds of precancerous conditions caused by smoking tobacco
can also result from smoking marijuana or crack cocaine.
According to a paper published in the Aug. 19 issue of the
Journal of the National Cancer Institute, smoking marijuana,
tobacco cigarettes or crack cocaine gives rise to the same kinds of
molecular changes precede lung cancer development.
"For the first time, our investigation shows tobacco is not the
only smoked substance that sets in motion the molecular events
which can lead to cancer," said Dr. Sanford Barsky, a professor of
pathology at the School of Medicine and a co-author of the
study.
The study also shows that habitual smoking of more than one
substance can induce more potentially cancerous molecular
alterations than smoking tobacco alone.
"We are very concerned by the pre-cancerous nature of the
molecular changes caused by smoking marijuana or crack cocaine,
especially in people who habitually smoke marijuana or crack
cocaine in addition to tobacco," said Dr. Donald Tashkin, professor
of medicine and a co-author of the study.
U.S. News, TIME release college reports
U.S. News & World Report and TIME magazine both released
their annual college special issues this week.
U.S. News, which ranks colleges based on a wide variety of
criteria, placed UCLA in a tie for 25th place on the list of
national universities, which is used by many high school students
as a way to gauge potential college choices.
A "national university," as defined by the Carnegie Foundation
for the Advancement of Teaching, is a university that offers a full
range of undergraduate majors as well as master’s and doctoral
degrees. The magazine places schools in either national
universities, liberal arts colleges, regional schools or specialty
schools.
TIME, in conjunction with the Princeton Review, released their
"The Best College for You" with high school students in mind. The
guide contains information about nearly every college in the
nation, as well as information about changes in nationwide higher
education trends.
Neurologist wins research award
Dr. Linda Chang, a neurologist at the Harbor-UCLA Research and
Education Institute, was named the winner of the 1998 Weitzman
Award.
The award, which is presented annually by the institute,
recognizes meritorious clinical or basic research in biomedical
science.
Dr. Chang was honored for her contributions to understanding
neurological disorders among HIV patients and her developments into
non-invasive studies to measure brain activity.
The Weitzman Award, which was established in 1982, is named for
Richard E. Weitzman, who was an associate professor of medicine and
director of the Harbor-UCLA Hypertension Clinic. Dr. Weitzman was
considered a highly productive and insightful investigator until
his untimely death at the age of 36.
Sub Section to replace campus’ Burgerworks
The Campus Corner food service unit has added a new option and
eliminated one of its old ones.
Burgerworks, which was ASUCLA’s poorest-performing food vendor,
has been replaced by Sub Section, a sandwich vendor that is
designed to appeal to a more budget-conscious consumer.
Compiled from Daily Bruin staff reports.