Keck Medicine in the News is a weekly digest of recent news stories highlighting medical news and faculty mentions of the Keck School of Medicine of USC and Keck Medical Center of USC.  For more information, or to share a news story to be included, please call (323) 442-2830.

By USC Health Sciences Public Relations and Marketing Staff

The Sept. 10 broadcast of ABC News “Good Morning America” featured research led by Victoria Cortessis, assistant professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School, finding that recreational marijuana use may increase the risk of testicular cancer. In the study of 455 Californian men, those who smoked marijuana were twice as likely to develop the cancer. “Testicular cancer is on the rise,” Cortessis said. Daily Mail (U.K.) reported that the study found men with a history of cocaine use had lower testicular cancer rates. “If this is correct, then ‘prevention’ would come at a high price,” Cortessis said. The research was also covered by CBS News, NBC News, Australian Associated Press (Australia), ABC Radio (Australia), News Limited (Australia), Il Giorno (Italy), HealthDay, Asian News International, The Sun (U.K.), two stories in The Huffington Post (second link here), California Watch, SmartPlanet, NetDoctor (U.K.), Reuters Health, Forbes, QMI Agency (Canada), Indo-Asian News Service (India), CNN, My Health News Daily, WebMD, Herald Sun (Australia), The Australian (Australia), The Sun (Ireland), ABC News Minneapolis affiliate KSTP-TV, ABC News San Francisco affiliate KGO-TV, NBC News Bay Area affiliate KNTV-TV, Red Orbit, Boise Weekly, The Inquisit, Global Post, Gather, All Voices, The Cleveland Leader, Medical Daily, French Tribune (France), Irish Health (Ireland), American News Report, MedPage Today, Science Codex, Medical Xpress, Medical News Today, News-Medical.net, Pulse (U.K.), Science Blog and Jagran Prakashan (India).

The Sept. 7 broadcast of NBC News' "The Today Show" interviewed R. William DePaolo, assistant professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at the Keck School, about hantavirus, bubonic plague and West Nile virus outbreaks across the country.

A Sept. 6 article in the Los Angeles Times featured a study led by Thomas Valente, professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School, finding that popular high school kids are more likely to smoke. The study found that students who think their friends smoke — even when they don’t — are more likely to smoke. “Smoking is still being marketed as a sign of maturity,” Valente said. The research was also covered by HealthDay, Science Codex, Science Daily, Daily Mail (U.K.), Il Giorno (Italy), Press Trust of India (India), The Atlantic, Geekosystem, RedOrbit, Hispanically Speaking News, Medical News Today, Everyday Health, Examiner.com, CBS News, Imperial Valley News, Asian News International, Futurity and Medical Daily.

A Sept. 6 broadcast on ABC News Los Angeles affiliate KABC-TV interviewed Douglas Vanderbilt, associate professor of clinical pediatrics at the Keck School, about bullying and children with autism. "Forty-six percent of children with autism in the adolescent age group at schools have been the victims of bullying," Vanderbilt said.

A Sept. 6 post on KCET noted that the Arroyo de las Pasas now comprises a series of culverts beneath Lincoln Park and the USC Health Sciences campus.

On Sept. 5, The Washington Post, in an Associated Press story, cited a study commentary written by Lon Schneider, professor of psychiatry and the behavioral sciences and neurology at the Keck School and director of the USC Alzheimer's Disease Research and Clinical Center, regarding the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease with ginkgo biloba. U.S. News & World Report, WebMD, MedPage Today and Medical Xpress also cited Schneider's commentary.

A Sept. 4 post on Univision Los Angeles affiliate KMEX-DT featured a study led by Mariana Stern, associate professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School, finding that men who eat a lot of pan-fried meat have a greater risk of prostate cancer. The study was also covered by The Toronto Star (Canada), The Record (Canada) and Renal and Urology News.