Latest News from: University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Filters close
12-Sep-2013 8:00 PM EDT
Lifestyle Changes May Lengthen Telomeres, A Measure of Cell Aging
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

A small pilot study shows for the first time that changes in diet, exercise, stress management and social support may result in longer telomeres, the parts of chromosomes that affect aging.

Released: 10-Sep-2013 4:00 PM EDT
Innovative ‘Pay for Performance’ Program Improves Patient Outcomes
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Paying doctors for how they perform specific medical procedures and examinations yields better health outcomes than the traditional “fee for service” model, where everyone gets paid a set amount regardless of quality or patient outcomes, according to new research conducted by UC San Francisco and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Released: 9-Sep-2013 9:00 AM EDT
Autoimmune Disease Strategy Emerges from Immune Cell Discovery
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Scientists from UC San Francisco have identified a new way to manipulate the immune system that may keep it from attacking the body’s own molecules in autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

Released: 4-Sep-2013 8:00 PM EDT
UCSF Receives $4.5M to Study Value of Gene Sequencing in Newborns
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

UC San Francisco will receive $4.5 million over the next five years for a pilot project to assess whether large-scale gene sequencing aimed at detecting disorders and conditions can and should become a routine part of newborn testing.

30-Aug-2013 4:30 PM EDT
Relationship of Kidney Function Estimates to Risk Improves By Measuring Cystatin C in the Blood
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

A new, international study from the Chronic Kidney Disease Prognosis Consortium found that use of blood levels of cystatin C to estimate kidney function—alone or in combination with creatinine—strengthens the association between kidney function and risks of death and end-stage renal disease.

3-Sep-2013 6:00 PM EDT
TB and Parkinson’s Disease Linked By Unique Protein
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

A protein at the center of Parkinson’s disease research now also has been found to play a key role in causing the destruction of bacteria that cause tuberculosis, according to scientists led by UC San Francisco microbiologist and tuberculosis expert Jeffery Cox, PhD.

29-Aug-2013 1:30 PM EDT
Potential Epilepsy Drug Discovered Using Zebrafish
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

An antihistamine discovered in the 1950s to treat itching may also prevent seizures in an intractable form of childhood epilepsy, according to researchers at UC San Francisco who tested it in zebrafish bred to mimic the disease.

23-Aug-2013 3:00 PM EDT
Pediatric Readmission Rates Aren’t Indicator of Hospital Performance
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Readmission rates of adult patients to the same hospital within 30 days are an area of national focus and a potential indicator of clinical failure and unnecessary expenditures. 

Released: 16-Aug-2013 3:00 PM EDT
Effects of Parkinson’s-Disease Mutation Reversed in Cells
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

UC San Francisco scientists working in the lab used a chemical found in an anti-wrinkle cream to prevent the death of nerve cells damaged by mutations that cause an inherited form of Parkinson’s disease. A similar approach might ward off cell death in the brains of people afflicted with Parkinson’s disease..

Released: 15-Aug-2013 1:00 PM EDT
Sugar Helps Scientists Find and Assess Prostate Tumors
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

A natural form of sugar could offer a new, noninvasive way to precisely image tumors and potentially see whether cancer medication is effective, by means of a new imaging technology developed at UC San Francisco in collaboration with GE Healthcare.

Released: 12-Aug-2013 3:00 PM EDT
Researchers Find “Grammar” Plays Key Role in Activating Genes
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Researchers have probed deep into the cell’s genome, beyond the basic genetic code, to begin learning the “grammar” that helps determine whether or not a gene gets switched on to make the protein it encodes.

7-Aug-2013 1:00 PM EDT
Global Team Identifies New Genes Behind Severe Childhood Epilepsy
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

A large-scale international study on the genes involved in epilepsy has uncovered 25 new mutations on nine key genes behind a devastating form of the disorder during childhood. Among those were two genes never before associated with this form of epilepsy, one of which previously had been linked to autism and a rare neurological disorder, for which an effective therapy already has been developed.

Released: 7-Aug-2013 2:00 PM EDT
Type 1 Diabetes Drug Strikingly Effective in Clinical Trial
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

An experimental drug designed to block the advance of type 1 diabetes in its earliest stages has proven strikingly effective over two years in about half of the patients who participated in the phase 2 clinical trial.

Released: 29-Jul-2013 5:00 PM EDT
Friendships Reduce Risky Behaviors in Homeless Youth
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Homeless young women may be at greater risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) than homeless young men because of the structure of their social groups and friendships, according to new research from UC San Francisco. The findings underscore how the social networks of homeless youth can be highly influential, affecting their participation in risky and protective behaviors.

26-Jul-2013 7:00 PM EDT
Major Changes Urged for Cancer Screening and Treatment
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

To address the growing problem of people being overdiagnosed and overtreated for cancer, a group of scientists convened by the National Cancer Institute and chaired by a UC San Francisco breast cancer expert is proposing a major update of the way the nation approaches diseases now classified as “cancer.”

Released: 24-Jul-2013 6:00 PM EDT
Adenoviruses May Pose Risk for Monkey-to-Human Leap
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Adenoviruses commonly infect humans, causing colds, flu-like symptoms and sometimes even death, but now UC San Francisco researchers have discovered that a new species of adenovirus can spread from primate to primate, and potentially from monkey to human.

23-Jul-2013 2:05 PM EDT
Combo Hepatitis C Prevention for Young Drug Injectors Urged
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

UC San Francisco researchers are recommending a combination of six comprehensive measures to prevent the spread of hepatitis C, in an effort to address the more than 31,000 young people they estimate may be newly infected with the virus each year in the United States due to injection-drug use.

Released: 22-Jul-2013 3:00 PM EDT
Gallo Center Scientists Identify Key Brain Circuits That Control Compulsive Drinking in Rats
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

A research team led by scientists from the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at the University of California, San Francisco has identified circuitry in the brain that drives compulsive drinking in rats, and likely plays a similar role in humans.

Released: 19-Jul-2013 1:00 PM EDT
Stem Cell Discovery Furthers Research on Cell-Based Therapy and Cancer
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Stem-cell researchers at UC San Francisco have found a key role for a protein called BMI1 that may help scientists direct the development of tissues to replace damaged organs in the human body.

Released: 18-Jul-2013 5:30 PM EDT
Deadliest Cancers May Respond to New Drug Treatment Strategy
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

UC San Francisco researchers have found a way to knock down cancers caused by a tumor-driving protein called “myc,” paving the way for patients with myc-driven cancers to enroll in clinical trials for experimental treatments. 

Released: 16-Jul-2013 2:20 PM EDT
UCSF Medical Center Again Named One of Nation’s Top Hospitals
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

UCSF Medical Center ranks among the nation's premier hospitals for the 12th consecutive year and is the best in Northern California, according to the 2013-14 America's Best Hospitals survey conducted by U.S. News & World Report.

Released: 9-Jul-2013 1:00 PM EDT
Joyful Notes: Testing the Power of Music to Improve Senior Health
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Music – as poets have noted – has the power to wash away the dust of everyday life, and medical experts believe it may also imbue physical and social benefits. Now a new UC San Francisco research project is exploring whether singing in a community choir can provide tangible health advantages to older adults.

Released: 9-Jul-2013 1:00 PM EDT
Breakthrough Study Reveals Biological Basis for Sensory Processing Disorders in Kids
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

In a groundbreaking new study from UC San Francisco, researchers have found that children affected with sensory processing disorders (SPD) have quantifiable differences in brain structure, showing a biological basis for the disease that sets it apart from other neurodevelopmental disorders.

Released: 1-Jul-2013 2:55 PM EDT
Vitamin C Helps Control Gene Activity in Stem Cells
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Vitamin C affects whether genes are switched on or off inside mouse stem cells, and may thereby play a previously unknown and fundamental role in helping to guide normal development in mice, humans and other animals, a scientific team led by UC San Francisco researchers has discovered.

26-Jun-2013 2:00 PM EDT
Researchers Discover Species-Recognition System in Fruit Flies
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

A team led by UC San Francisco researchers has discovered a sensory system in the foreleg of the fruit fly that tells male flies whether a potential mate is from a different species. The work addresses a central problem in evolution that is poorly understood: how animals of one species know not to mate with animals of other species.

Released: 26-Jun-2013 2:00 PM EDT
DNA Found Outside Genes Plays Largely Unknown, Potentially Vital Roles
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

A new UC San Francisco study highlights the potential importance of the vast majority of human DNA that lies outside of genes within the cell.

19-Jun-2013 6:00 PM EDT
Genes Involved in Birth Defects May Also Lead to Mental Illness
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Gene mutations that cause cell signaling networks to go awry during embryonic development and lead to major birth defects may also cause subtle disruptions in the brain that contribute to psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, autism, and bipolar disorder, according to new research by UC San Francisco scientists.

20-Jun-2013 5:00 PM EDT
In Multiple Sclerosis Animal Study, Absence of Gene Leads to Earlier, More Severe Disease
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Scientists led by a UCSF neurology researcher are reporting that they have identified the likely genetic mechanism that causes some patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) to quickly progress to a debilitating stage of the disease while other patients progress much more slowly.

Released: 19-Jun-2013 6:00 PM EDT
High Blood Pressure Among Blacks and Young Adults Is Focus of $11 Million Stroke Prevention Project
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

A new $11 million grant to Kaiser Permanente Northern California and UC San Francisco will support a multifaceted research program aimed at lowering stroke risk among black populations and younger stroke victims by targeting high blood pressure, also known as hypertension.

Released: 18-Jun-2013 12:55 PM EDT
Early-life Air Pollution Linked with Childhood Asthma in Minorities
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

A research team led by UCSF scientists has found that exposure in infancy to nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a component of motor vehicle air pollution, is strongly linked with later development of childhood asthma among African Americans and Latinos.

Released: 17-Jun-2013 6:00 PM EDT
Aspirin May Fight Cancer by Slowing DNA Damage
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Aspirin is known to lower risk for some cancers, and a new study led by a UC San Francisco scientist points to a possible explanation, with the discovery that aspirin slows the accumulation of DNA mutations in abnormal cells in at least one pre-cancerous condition.

Released: 14-Jun-2013 6:00 PM EDT
AMA Awards $1 Million to UCSF to Transform Physician Training
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

The American Medical Association announced on June 14 that the UCSF School of Medicine is one of 11 medical schools nationwide that will receive $1 million over five years to develop and implement innovative curricula to train healthcare professionals in the best medical practices.

Released: 14-Jun-2013 2:00 PM EDT
Memory-Boosting Chemical Is Identified in Mice
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Memory improved in mice injected with a small, drug-like molecule discovered by UCSF San Francisco researchers studying how cells respond to biological stress.

Released: 11-Jun-2013 4:55 PM EDT
UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Ranked Among Nation’s Best
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital ranks among the nation's best children's hospitals in nine specialties and is one of the top-ranked centers in California, according to the 2013-14 Best Children's Hospitals survey conducted by the U.S. News Media Group.

4-Jun-2013 5:00 PM EDT
Sleep Study Finds Important Gender Differences Among Heart Patients
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Many women get too little sleep, despite considerable evidence showing the importance of sleep to overall health. Now a new UC San Francisco study has discovered another reason why inadequate sleep may be harmful, especially to women and their hearts.

Released: 30-May-2013 3:00 PM EDT
Minority Children Drink More Sugary Fruit Juice Than Their White Peers
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

While there has been a steep decline in kids’ consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in California, African-American and Latino children may be replacing soda with 100 percent fruit juice while their white peers are not, according to a new study from UC San Francisco.

Released: 22-May-2013 5:10 PM EDT
Depression Linked to Telomere Enzyme, Aging, Chronic Disease
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

The first symptoms of major depression may be behavioral, but the common mental illness is based in biology — and not limited to the brain.

14-May-2013 4:00 PM EDT
Stem-Cell-Based Strategy Boosts Immune System in Mice
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Raising hopes for cell-based therapies, UC San Francisco researchers have created the first functioning human thymus tissue from embryonic stem cells in the laboratory. The researchers showed that, in mice, the tissue can be used to foster the development of white blood cells the body needs to mount healthy immune responses and to prevent harmful autoimmune reactions.

8-May-2013 3:00 PM EDT
Early Formula Use Helps Some Mothers Breastfeed Longer
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Recent public health efforts have focused extensively on reducing the amount of formula babies are given in the hospital after birth. But in the first randomized trial of its kind, researchers at UC San Francisco have found that giving small amounts of formula in the first few days of life to infants experiencing high levels of early weight loss actually can increase the length of time their mothers end up breastfeeding.

Released: 8-May-2013 12:05 AM EDT
New Prostate Cancer Test Improves Risk Assessment
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

A new genomic test for prostate cancer can help predict whether men are more likely to harbor an aggressive form of the disease, according to a new UC San Francisco study. The test, which improves risk assessment when patients are first diagnosed, can also aid in determining which men are suitable for active surveillance – a way of managing the disease without direct treatment.

Released: 3-May-2013 5:15 PM EDT
Human Brain Cells Developed in Lab, Grow in Mice
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

A key type of human brain cell developed in the laboratory grows seamlessly when transplanted into the brains of mice, UC San Francisco researchers have discovered, raising hope that these cells might one day be used to treat people with Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, and possibly even Alzheimer’s disease, as well as and complications of spinal cord injury such as chronic pain and spasticity.

Released: 3-May-2013 5:00 PM EDT
Epilepsy Cured in Mice Using Brain Cells
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Epilepsy that does not respond to drugs can be halted in adult mice by transplanting a specific type of cell into the brain, UC San Francisco researchers have discovered, raising hope that a similar treatment might work in severe forms of human epilepsy.

Released: 2-May-2013 5:00 PM EDT
Tick-Borne Lone Star Virus Identified through New Super-Fast Gene Sequencing
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

The tick-borne Lone Star virus has been conclusively identified as part of a family of other tick-borne viruses called bunyaviruses, which often cause fever, respiratory problems and bleeding, according to new research led by scientists at UC San Francisco (UCSF).

29-Apr-2013 4:00 PM EDT
Genetic Mutation Linked with Typical Form of Migraine
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

A research team led by a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at the University of California, San Francisco has identified a genetic mutation that is strongly associated with a typical form of migraine.

29-Apr-2013 3:00 PM EDT
Antidepressants Linked with Increased Risks After Surgery
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) – among the most widely prescribed antidepressant medications – are associated with increased risk of bleeding, transfusion, hospital readmission and death when taken around the time of surgery, according to an analysis led by researchers at UC San Francisco and Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Mass.

29-Apr-2013 3:30 PM EDT
Surgery for Nonfatal Skin Cancers Might Not Be Best for Elderly Patients
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Surgery is often recommended for skin cancers, but older, sicker patients can endure complications as a result and may not live long enough to benefit from the treatment.

Released: 19-Apr-2013 4:55 PM EDT
Muscle Repair After Injury Helped by Fat-Forming Cells
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

UC San Francisco scientists have discovered that muscle repair requires the action of two types of cells better known for causing inflammation and forming fat. 

Released: 18-Apr-2013 2:30 PM EDT
Smoking from Hookah Not a Harmless Alternative to Cigarettes
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Smoking tobacco through a hookah is a pastime gaining popularity among the college crowd, but many of them mistakenly believe that using the fragrant water pipe is less harmful than smoking cigarettes.

12-Apr-2013 5:00 PM EDT
Genetic Markers Linked To the Development of Lymphedema in Breast Cancer Survivors
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

A new UCSF study has found a clear association between certain genes and the development of lymphedema, a painful and chronic condition that often occurs after breast cancer surgery and some other cancer treatments.

11-Apr-2013 12:00 PM EDT
Routine EKG Finding Could Signal Serious Heart Problem
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

A common test that records the heart’s electrical activity could predict potentially serious cardiovascular illness, according to a UC San Francisco-led study.



close
0.22168