The presence of the enzyme lipoprotein lipase and certain genetic markers indicate a decreased chance of survival for patients afflicted by chronic lymphocytic leukemia, Nancy Kuemmerle, a resident at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, said in her Thursday lecture, "Fat and Cancer." LPL and these genetic markers correlate with two different subsets of the disease, one with a high survival rate and the other with a low survival rate, Kuemmerle said. She also presented research that suggests doctors treating other cancers could reduce the size of tumors by inhibiting LPL production. This implies that high levels of LPL do not only reveal the presence of these cancers but also play an active role in their growths. She concluded by advocating future research into proteins related to LPL.
Students at more than 18 colleges across the Northeast are at risk of identity theft after a laptop containing their personal information was stolen, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported. The laptop belonged to a consultant at SunGard, a software vendor, and contained students' names, Social Security numbers and, in some of the cases, financial aid information. SunGard learned of the theft on March 13, officials told the Chronicle, but colleges said they were not informed until April. Thirteen of the affected schools were part of the State University of New York system. The article did not mention whether Dartmouth was affected.
The Grateful Dead, a rock band that was a central feature of the psychedelic movement of the 1970s, donated a collection of band posters, letters and paraphernalia to the University of California, Santa Cruz, on Thursday, according to The New York Times. The University plans to add the memorabilia to part of a research center on campus, that will be known as Dead Central, the Times reported. The collection, which contains stage props, fan letters, vintage posters and press clippings, will be housed in a library room open to the public. The Grateful Dead disbanded after the 1995 death of lead singer and guitarist Jerry Garcia.
