Gerard Criner, professor of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Temple, collaborated on a national study, out in the New England Journal of Medicine, which found that adding the antibiotic azithromycin to regular medications can help patients with COPD reduce flare-ups by up to 20 percent. Criner says the reason why the antibiotic works isn't clear, but a number of factors could be at play. "[Flare ups] are serious, they're difficult to treat. So anything that we could do to prevent this would be a tremendous benefit to the patients," said Criner.

Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan sparked a succession race after announcing his resignation. Kan was undone by a backlash over his handling of the March earthquake and tsunami that spawned the nation's deepest postwar disaster. "Kan lacked vision in a time of crisis," said Jeff Kingston, head of Asian Studies at Temple University, Japan Campus. "It looks like the political elite of Japan is always inclined to squander their opportunities."

Temple student Wendell Dingle offers free assistance to black families in tax preparation and financial aid applications. He is among more than 180 black men in Philadelphia and about 100 in Detroit who since the beginning of August have posted their stories in an online video project spotlighting black men who are leading the way in boosting their communities. "I go into the schools and I meet with students and counselors," Dingle said. "I get them to dedicate a night and I send out fliers so they can invite parents and students to come in and fill out their" forms.

After serving only 14 months as prime minister, Naoto Kan was replaced by his finance minister, Yoshihiko Noda, as the new leader of Japan's ruling Democratic Party. He’s expected to be named prime minister Tuesday. Noda is the sixth prime minister in five years. Many blame Japan's complicated election cycle for the constant turnover. "The way they stagger elections, the upper house and the lower house, it's like a constant election season," said Jeff Kingston of Temple University, Japan Campus.