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Released: 14-Mar-2013 4:15 PM EDT
No Sons Linked to Lower Contraception Use in Nepal
UC San Diego Health

While poverty and under-education continue to dampen contraception use in Nepal, exacerbating the country’s efforts to reduce maternal and child mortality rates, researchers say another, more surprising factor may be more intractable: Deeply held cultural preferences for sons over daughters.

12-Mar-2013 12:00 PM EDT
Drug Treatment Corrects Autism Symptoms in Mouse Model
UC San Diego Health

Autism results from abnormal cell communication. Testing a new theory, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have used a newly discovered function of an old drug to restore cell communications in a mouse model of autism, reversing symptoms of the devastating disorder.

Released: 4-Mar-2013 12:00 PM EST
New Sports Medicine Chief Brings Innovative Approach
UC San Diego Health

Nationally recognized orthopedic surgeon Christopher Wahl, MD, has joined the University of California, San Diego Health System as the new chief of Sports Medicine. Recognized for his specialty in treating complex, high-energy traumatic sports injuries, Wahl will further elevate UC San Diego Health System’s reputation for offering compassionate and innovative surgical care that dramatically improves patients’ lives.

Released: 1-Mar-2013 3:00 PM EST
Workshop Helps Doctors Avoid Burnout on May 11
UC San Diego Health

On Saturday, May 11, the Center for Mindfulness at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine is hosting a workshop to help physicians and clinicians increase job satisfaction and prevent burnout. The program will show participants how to incorporate the concept of mindfulness into their daily clinical practice with the long-term goal of enhancing patient-centered care and physician well-being through compassionate communication.

Released: 27-Feb-2013 12:50 PM EST
Man Walks Again After Surgery to Reverse Muscle Paralysis
UC San Diego Health

After four years of confinement to a wheelchair, Rick Constantine, 58, is now walking again after undergoing an unconventional surgery at University of California, San Diego Heath System to restore the use of his leg. Neurosurgeon Justin Brown, MD, performed the novel 3-hour procedure.

Released: 26-Feb-2013 12:00 PM EST
UCSD Medical Center in Top 100
UC San Diego Health

University of California, San Diego Medical Center has been named one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals® for the second time by Truven Health Analytics, formerly the health care business of Thomson Reuters.

Released: 22-Feb-2013 1:15 PM EST
New Magnetic Device Option for Heartburn
UC San Diego Health

A study published February 21st in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) provides clinical evidence of the safety and effectiveness of a new magnetic medical device to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Santiago Horgan, MD, professor of surgery at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and study co-author, was the first surgeon in the United States to implant the FDA-approved device.

Released: 20-Feb-2013 2:25 PM EST
UC San Diego Cancer Scientist Wins $3 Million Award
UC San Diego Health

Napoleone Ferrara, MD, PhD, the molecular biologist credited with helping decipher how tumors grow and now senior deputy director for basic sciences at the University of California, San Diego Moores Cancer Center, was today named one of 11 recipients of the inaugural Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, which comes with a $3 million cash award.

Released: 19-Feb-2013 1:15 PM EST
Rewriting a Receptor’s Role
UC San Diego Health

In a pair of new papers, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences upend a long-held view about the basic functioning of a key receptor molecule involved in signaling between neurons, and describe how a compound linked to Alzheimer’s disease impacts that receptor and weakens synaptic connections between brain cells.

Released: 7-Feb-2013 1:30 PM EST
Excess Protein Linked to Development of Parkinson’s Disease
UC San Diego Health

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine say overexpression of a protein called alpha-synuclein appears to disrupt vital recycling processes in neurons, starting with the terminal extensions of neurons and working its way back to the cells’ center, with the potential consequence of progressive degeneration and eventual cell death.

Released: 4-Feb-2013 11:00 AM EST
Hip Replacement Approach Results in Faster Recover
UC San Diego Health

University of California, San Diego Health System is one of only a few hospitals in the nation to offer computer-assisted navigation technology with the direct anterior hip replacement technique, potentially resulting in less pain, faster recovery and fewer dislocations for patients with osteoarthritis and other forms of degenerative joint disease.

24-Jan-2013 3:50 PM EST
More Links Found Between Schizophrenia and Cardiovascular Disease
UC San Diego Health

A new study, to be published in the Feb. 7, 2013 issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics, expands and deepens the biological and genetic links between cardiovascular disease and schizophrenia. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of premature death among schizophrenia patients, who die from heart and blood vessel disorders at a rate double that of persons without the mental disorder.

Released: 24-Jan-2013 4:45 PM EST
Low Vitamin D Levels Linked to High Risk of Premenopausal Breast Cancer
UC San Diego Health

A prospective study led by researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has found that low serum vitamin D levels in the months preceding diagnosis may predict a high risk of premenopausal breast cancer.

14-Jan-2013 12:25 PM EST
How Cells Know When It’s Time to Eat Themselves
UC San Diego Health

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified a molecular mechanism regulating autophagy, a fundamental stress response used by cells to help ensure their survival in adverse conditions.

15-Jan-2013 12:00 PM EST
Drug Targets Hard-to-Reach Leukemia Stem Cells Responsible for Relapses
UC San Diego Health

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered that hard-to-reach, drug-resistant leukemia stem cells (LSCs) that overexpress multiple pro-survival protein forms are sensitive – and thus vulnerable – to a novel cancer stem cell-targeting drug currently under development.

Released: 10-Jan-2013 2:00 PM EST
Surgical Technique Spots Cancer Invasion with Fluorescence
UC San Diego Health

A team of surgeons and scientists at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have developed a new technique that will allow surgeons to identify during surgery which lymph nodes are cancerous so that healthy tissue can be saved. The findings will be published in the January 15 print edition of Cancer Research.

3-Jan-2013 2:10 PM EST
Regulating Single Protein Prompts Fibroblasts to Become Neurons
UC San Diego Health

Repression of a single protein in ordinary fibroblasts is sufficient to directly convert the cells – abundantly found in connective tissues – into functional neurons. The findings, which could have far-reaching implications for the development of new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington’s, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, will be published online in advance of the January 17 issue of the journal Cell.

4-Jan-2013 3:40 PM EST
Next Steps in Potential Stem Cell Therapy for Diabetes
UC San Diego Health

Researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, collaborating with scientists from San Diego-based biotech company ViaCyte, Inc., looked at the differences and similarities between two types of hESC-derived endocrine cell populations and primary human endocrine cells, with the longer-term goal of developing new stem cell therapies for diabetes.

Released: 3-Jan-2013 3:00 PM EST
UC San Diego’s TREDS Program Promotes Safety for Senior Drivers
UC San Diego Health

For the sixth consecutive year, the Training, Research and Education for Driving Safety (TREDS) program at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has been awarded a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety to promote driving safety in older adults.

2-Jan-2013 2:00 PM EST
In Epigenomics, Location is Everything
UC San Diego Health

In a novel use of gene knockout technology, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine tested the same gene inserted into 90 different locations in a yeast chromosome – and discovered that while the inserted gene never altered its surrounding chromatin landscape, differences in that immediate landscape measurably affected gene activity.

19-Dec-2012 3:00 PM EST
Enzyme Accelerates Malignant Stem Cell Cloning in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
UC San Diego Health

An international team, headed by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has identified a key enzyme in the reprogramming process that promotes malignant stem cell cloning and the growth of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), a cancer of the blood and marrow that experts say is increasing in prevalence.

13-Dec-2012 5:15 PM EST
Genomic “Hotspots” Offer Clues to Causes of Autism, Other Disorders
UC San Diego Health

An international team, led by researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has discovered that “random” mutations in the genome are not quite so random after all. Their study, to be published in the journal Cell on December 21, shows that the DNA sequence in some regions of the human genome is quite volatile and can mutate ten times more frequently than the rest of the genome.

11-Dec-2012 2:00 PM EST
Cancer Cells Co-Opt Immune Response to Escape Destruction
UC San Diego Health

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that tumor cells use stress signals to subvert responding immune cells, exploiting them to actually boost conditions beneficial to cancer growth.

Released: 18-Dec-2012 2:40 PM EST
UCSD & Qualcomm Life Join Forces to Improve Care
UC San Diego Health

UC San Diego Health System is collaborating with Qualcomm Life, a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. to pilot the 2net Platform and Hub for remote patient monitoring. Qualcomm Life’s innovative 2net technology collects patients’ clinical information from wireless medical devices and transmits it to UC San Diego Health System physicians, to supplement information already available.

Released: 17-Dec-2012 2:40 PM EST
Healthy Holiday Eating from UCSD Moores Cancer Center
UC San Diego Health

Gain some flavorful food insights in Food for Thought: Healing Foods to Savor, authored by nutritional experts at University of California, San Diego Moores Cancer Center. All proceeds benefit the UCSD Healthy Eating Program.

14-Dec-2012 1:40 PM EST
Toward a New Model of the Cell
UC San Diego Health

Turning vast amounts of genomic data into meaningful information about the cell is the great challenge of bioinformatics, with major implications for human biology and medicine. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and colleagues have proposed a new method that creates a computational model of the cell from large networks of gene and protein interactions, discovering how genes and proteins connect to form higher-level cellular machinery.

3-Dec-2012 2:45 PM EST
Paradox of Aging: The Older We Get, the Better We Feel?
UC San Diego Health

Aging has been viewed as a period of progressive decline in physical, cognitive and psychosocial functioning, and is viewed by many as the “number one public health problem” facing Americans today. This negative view of aging contrasts with results of a comprehensive study of 1,006 older adults in San Diego by researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Stanford University.

Released: 5-Dec-2012 2:40 PM EST
UC San Diego Medical Center Among Elite Stroke Centers
UC San Diego Health

UC San Diego Medical Center-Hillcrest is one of five facilities in the country, and the only center in San Diego County, to be recognized as one of the first Comprehensive Stroke Centers (CSC), the newest level of certification for advanced stroke care awarded by The Joint Commission. This certification recognizes the significant differences in resources, staff and training that are necessary for the treatment of complex stroke cases.

Released: 30-Nov-2012 4:00 PM EST
In Schizophrenia Patients, Auditory Cues Sound Bigger Problems
UC San Diego Health

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the VA San Diego Healthcare System have found that deficiencies in the neural processing of simple auditory tones can evolve into a cascade of dysfunctional information processing across wide swaths of the brain in patients with schizophrenia.

Released: 29-Nov-2012 5:00 PM EST
UCSD Extraction Procedure Has 100 Percent Success Rate
UC San Diego Health

A multidisciplinary team from the Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center at University of California, San Diego Health System has performed its 100th lead (pronounced “leed”) extraction surgery, a delicate procedure to replace the thin wiring of lifesaving heart devices such as pacemakers or implantable defibrillators. The collaborative program, pioneered at UC San Diego Health System, has a 100 percent success rate.

26-Nov-2012 11:00 AM EST
Study Helps Resolve Debate About How Tumors Spread
UC San Diego Health

A team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has shown for the first time how cancer cells control the ON/OFF switch of a program used by developing embryos to effectively metastasize in vivo, breaking free and spreading to other parts of the body, where they can proliferate and grow into secondary tumors.

26-Nov-2012 6:00 PM EST
Study Sheds Light on How Pancreatic Cancer Begins
UC San Diego Health

Research led by scientists at the University of California, San Diego and UC San Francisco Schools of Medicine examined the tumor-initiating events leading to pancreatic cancer (also called pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma or PDA) in mice. Their work, published on line November 29 in the journal Cancer Cell, may help in the search for earlier detection methods and treatments.

Released: 28-Nov-2012 4:30 PM EST
UCSD Health Earns A Grades in Patient Safety
UC San Diego Health

UC San Diego Health System was honored with two separate “A” Hospital Safety Scores by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits.

14-Nov-2012 4:40 PM EST
Common Antipsychotics Lack Safety and Effectiveness in Older Adults
UC San Diego Health

In older adults, antipsychotic drugs are commonly prescribed off-label for a number of disorders outside of their Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved indications – schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The largest number of antipsychotic prescriptions in older adults is for behavioral disturbances associated with dementia, some of which carry FDA warnings on prescription information for these drugs.

19-Nov-2012 12:00 PM EST
Biomarking Time
UC San Diego Health

In a new study, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues elsewhere, describe markers and a model that quantify how aging occurs at the level of genes and molecules, providing not just a more precise way to determine how old someone is, but also perhaps anticipate or treat ailments and diseases that come with the passage of time.

Released: 16-Nov-2012 6:00 PM EST
Physician Honored for Pioneering Palliative Care Advances
UC San Diego Health

Charles F. von Gunten, MD, PhD, FACP, FAAHPM, provost and vice president of the Institute for Palliative Medicine at San Diego Hospice, a teaching affiliate of the UC San Diego School of Medicine, is this year’s American Cancer Society “Pathfinder in Palliative Care” honoree.

Released: 15-Nov-2012 5:00 PM EST
Researchers Show Vitamin D - Type 1 Diabetes Link
UC San Diego Health

A study led by researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has found a correlation between vitamin D3 serum levels and subsequent incidence of Type 1 diabetes. The six-year study of blood levels of nearly 2,000 individuals suggests a preventive role for vitamin D3 in this disease. The research appears the December issue of Diabetologia, a publication of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD).

Released: 2-Nov-2012 12:00 PM EDT
Baggett Elected President of Association of California Nurse Leaders
UC San Diego Health

Margarita Baggett, MSN, BSN, RN, chief nursing officer (CNO) and interim chief operating officer (COO) for UC San Diego Health System has been elected President of the Association of California Nurse Leaders (ACNL), a prestigious statewide organization that advances the art and profession of nursing.

Released: 26-Oct-2012 12:10 PM EDT
UCSD Bridging Heart and Minds of Youth
UC San Diego Health

The Center for Mindfulness at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine announces early registration for the 2013 Bridging the Hearts and Minds of Youth Conference, February 1 – 3 in San Diego, California. Mindfulness leader Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD – along with his wife Myla and experts from across the U.S. – will show participants how to support and foster the growth of mindfulness and happiness, especially among youths.

Released: 25-Oct-2012 4:30 PM EDT
Optimal Weight Loss at UCSD
UC San Diego Health

The Bariatric Metabolic Institute at University of California, San Diego Health System has been accredited as a Level 1 facility by the Bariatric Surgery Center Network Accreditation Program of the American College of Surgeons. This designation means that the institutional performance of UC San Diego BMI meets the rigorous requirements outlined by the ACS BSCN Accreditation Program.

Released: 24-Oct-2012 3:00 PM EDT
UCSD Program Pioneers Receive National Recognition
UC San Diego Health

The physicians, surgeons and team members who pioneered the lifesaving pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE) procedure at University of California, San Diego Health System are being honored for excellence at the annual CHEST conference, hosted by the American College of Chest Physicians, in Atlanta, October 20 to 25, 2012. The PTE program based at the UC San Diego Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center is among 11 specially selected “Centers of Excellence” showcasing the defining characteristics and practices that make them unique among health-care providers.

Released: 23-Oct-2012 5:00 PM EDT
UCSD Hospital Administrator is "Woman of the Year"
UC San Diego Health

Lisa Murphy, associate administrator for University of California, San Diego Health System and administrative director for Cardiovascular and Medicine Services, has been chosen “Woman of the Year” in the field of health care by the Women in Leadership program sponsored by the San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce.

Released: 22-Oct-2012 1:00 PM EDT
UCSD Experts Offer Halloween Safety Tips
UC San Diego Health

The Regional Burn Center and Emergency Departments at UC San Diego Health System - along with the California Poison Control System - San Diego Division located at UC San Diego Medical Center - offer the following safety precautions to help parents and guardians make Halloween safe this year.

12-Oct-2012 12:40 PM EDT
Potential New Drug Therapy for Crohn's Disease
UC San Diego Health

Ustekinumab, an antibody proven to treat the skin condition psoriasis, has now shown positive results in decreasing the debilitating effects of Crohn’s Disease, according to researchers at the University of California San Diego, School of Medicine.

Released: 8-Oct-2012 11:50 AM EDT
Stufy Tests Protential New Endometriosis Treatment
UC San Diego Health

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), endometriosis, a gynecological disorder in which cells from the uterus lining grow in other areas of the body, is the number one reason for a hysterectomy in women ages 18-35. A nationwide clinical trial is testing an investigational drug as a potential new option for patients with moderate to severe pain from this disease.

1-Oct-2012 12:45 PM EDT
BPA’s Real Threat May Be After It Has Metabolized
UC San Diego Health

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a synthetic chemical widely used in the making of plastic products ranging from bottles and food can linings to toys and water supply lines. When these plastics degrade, BPA is released into the environment and routinely ingested. New research from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine suggests it’s the metabolic changes that take place once BPA is broken down inside the body that pose the greater health threat.

Released: 3-Oct-2012 6:00 PM EDT
UCSD Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center One of Nation’s Top Heart Hospitals
UC San Diego Health

UC San Diego Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center has been named one of the nation’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals by Truven Health Analytics. The Truven study examined the performance of more than 1,000 hospitals by analyzing outcomes for patients with heart failure and heart attacks and for those who received coronary bypass surgery and percutaneous coronary interventions such as angioplasties.

1-Oct-2012 3:30 PM EDT
Blocking Tumor-Induced Inflammation Impacts Cancer Development
UC San Diego Health

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report the discovery of microbial–dependent mechanisms through which some cancers mount an inflammatory response that fuels their development and growth.

Released: 27-Sep-2012 5:00 PM EDT
UCSD-based Cancer Consortium Receives 5-Year Grant Renewal
UC San Diego Health

An international consortium of scientists studying chronic lymphocytic leukemia, based at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has been awarded a 5-year, $20 million grant by the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health. The grant is the second renewal of funding for a broad-based effort designed to better understand the pathology of CLL – the most common form of leukemia in the Western world – and develop new drugs and treatments.



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