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The number of first-time prescriptions for opioid drugs has not risen since about 2010, according to UCLA researchers. However, patients taking a class of drug known to increase the risk for overdoses were likelier to receive a first-time opioid prescription — a combination that could be linked to the current surge in opioid-related deaths.

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According to a new report by researchers at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, approximately 78,400 children in the U.S. are or have been married.

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UCLA-led research finds that internet search terms and tweets related to sexual risk behaviors can predict when and where syphilis trends will occur.

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Sitting, like smoking, increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes and premature death. Researchers at UCLA wanted to see how sedentary behavior influences brain health, especially regions of the brain that are critical to memory formation.

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Researchers have found that two targeted therapies could be more effective if used in combination to treat squamous cell carcinomas of the lung. The two drugs, MLN128 and CB-839, individually target the metabolism of key nutrients glucose and glutamine, respectively, prohibiting the cancer from switching metabolic gears between glucose (a simple sugar) and glutamine (an amino acid) to tap vital sources of energy. This switch enables the cancer cells to adapt their metabolism and evade treatments.

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Melanoma, a relatively rare but deadly skin cancer, has been shown to switch differentiation states, which can lead it to become resistant to treatment. Now, UCLA researchers have found that melanomas can be divided into four distinct subtypes according to their stages of differentiation.

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UCLA researchers have tweaked CRISPR technology, enabling them to monitor the outcome of tens of thousands of gene edits in the time it currently takes to analyze a few. The advance will improve scientists’ ability to identify the genetic changes most likely to harm cells and contribute to disease.

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An advance by UCLA neuroscientists could lead to a better understanding of astrocytes, a star-shaped brain cell believed to play a key role in neurological disorders like Lou Gehrig’s, Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s disease.

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Mitochondria, known to most people as the “powerhouses of the cell”, have been recognized for decades as the cellular organelle where sugars and fats are oxidized to generate energy. Now, new research by UCLA scientists has found that not all mitochondria fit this definition.

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University of California medical centers — UCLA Health, UCSF Health, and UC Irvine Health — have been awarded a five-year, $8 million award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to develop more effective approaches in advance care planning for seriously ill patients in primary care clinics.

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UCLA scientists discovered higher levels of a protein called humanin in the placenta tissue of women who give birth to severely underweight infants. The researchers suspect that humanin rises to protect the fetus during placenta failure.

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A $20 million commitment from Eugene and Maxine Rosenfeld will enable UCLA Health Sciences to enhance its ability to provide simulation training to future health care professionals and create a state-of-the-art health sciences learning center.

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After years of public health efforts, health care at the Los Angeles County Jail has significantly improved, and the facility now typically provides full access to treatment for inmates who have HIV — including medications that keep their disease in check. When they are released, however, many former inmates stop making regular visits to a doctor and taking the medication they need, which puts their own health at risk and increases the chance they will transmit the virus to others.

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UCLA psychiatrist Jamie Feusner describes what intensive psychotherapy for OCD looks like

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A new study has identified two genes associated with hyperemesis gravidarum, whose cause has not been determined in previous studies. The genes, known as GDF15 and IGFBP7, are both involved in the development of the placenta and play important roles in early pregnancy and appetite regulation.

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The nation’s overall cardiovascular health worsened from 1988 to 2014, with disparities among racial and ethnic groups dropping slightly. But the reduction in disparities was due to worsening health among whites — not improvements among African-Americans and Mexican-Americans, a new UCLA-led study suggests. “The reason for the reduction in disparities was unexpected,” said lead author Dr.

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UCLA medical school solidified its standing among nation's best, placing fourth in primary care, eight in research, in annual U.S. News and World Report assessment.

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UCLA scientists have developed a new method that utilizes microscopic splinter-like structures called “nanospears” for the targeted delivery of biomolecules such as genes straight to patient cells. These magnetically guided nanostructures could enable gene therapies that are safer, faster and more cost-effective.

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Kate Sheehan, a licensed clinical social worker and managing director of the UCLA Center for Child Anxiety Resilience Education and Support, has some survival tips for navigating the wait.

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Elective hip and knee replacements may represent a significant source of potentially controllable healthcare spending, according to a March 13 Viewpoint article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and authored by members of the Center for Health Advancement at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health (FSPH).

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The Great Recession, spanning 2008 to 2010, was associated with heightened cardiovascular risk factors, including increased blood pressure and glucose levels.The connections were especially pronounced among older homeowners and people still in the work force,

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Recent statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that almost one-third of all childhood injuries are sports-related, and that more than half of those are preventable.

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UCLA researchers engineered mice to produce more TREM2, a gene tied to Alzheimer’s disease

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Dr. Alon Avidan, a professor of neurology and director of the UCLA Sleep Disorders Center, has these suggestions to help people adapt more quickly.

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UCLA RESEARCH ALERT

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Higher levels of biomarkers for inflammation correlate with better outcomes following ECT; findings could help prioritize candidates for the treatment

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Paid Family Medical Leave: Healthier U.S. Families Within Our Reach, a new report by the WORLD Policy Analysis Center at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, provides evidence of the most effective approaches to paid family and medical leave using data from the experiences of states in the U.S. and high-income countries that have paid leave policies in place.

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New research shows for the first time that exposure to green space during childhood is associated with beneficial structural changes in the developing brain.

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A UCLA study explored the relationship between new drivers' skills to age, gender and playing organized sports or video games. The results suggest all novice drivers should undergo mandatory training, not just teenagers. Age: Among males, the older the student, the worse his driving skills score.

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UCLA researchers found that nearly all people diagnosed with uveal melanoma had a number of unmet psychological and health information needs, particularly during the first three months after their diagnoses. The study is the first prospective, longitudinal approach to examine supportive care needs among patients with this disease, and suggested more acute needs among people with uveal melanoma than people with other cancers.

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UCLA researchers used fluorescent colored proteins to trace how cardiomyocytes — cells in heart muscle that enable it to pump blood — are produced in mouse embryos. The findings could eventually lead to methods for regenerating heart tissue in human adults.

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In practice, policy and education, oral health care and primary health care have traditionally been considered separate. In an effort to change that, a group of public health dentists has issued recommendations on improving the integration of the two with a goal to influence policymakers, clinicians, educators and health researchers.

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UCLA researchers have developed a way to use brain scans and machine learning — a form of artificial intelligence — to predict whether people with OCD will benefit from cognitive behavior therapy. The technique could help improve the overall success rate of cognitive behavioral therapy, and it could enable therapists to tailor treatment to each patient.

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Scientists have identified a gene that may play a protective role in preventing heart disease. Their research revealed that the gene, called MeXis, acts within key cells inside clogged arteries to help remove excess cholesterol from blood vessels.

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UCLA researchers, in collaboration with the University of Iowa, discovered the contribution of a specific gene in the proper development of blood cells that give rise to hematopoietic stem cells. The findings identify a potential target for the development of treatments for some types of leukemia, anemia and other blood disorders.

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UCLA researchers have discovered the inner workings of a gene network that regulates the development of spinal motor neurons in the growing chicken and mouse embryo. The research also answers a long-standing question about why motor neurons, the nerve cells of the spinal cord that control muscle movement, form much faster than other types of neurons.

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UCLA researchers Dr. Leonard Marks and Shyam Natarajan will lead a $3.1 million research project grant awarded by the National Institutes of Health to advance the adoption of a promising new technology to treat men with prostate cancer. By helping to increase the widespread use of the technique, known as MRI-guided focal laser ablation, the research has the potential to vastly improve treatment options and outcomes for patients with the disease.

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Stressed out by today's extreme news cycle? UCLA expert offers tips for coping.

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Various UCLA Health physicians offer their expertise on topics related to the Winter Olympics 2018, such as coping with sports injuries and testing for banned substances; among others.

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UCLA scientists found that boosting mice's cholesterol levels spurred intestinal stem cells to divide more quickly, enabling tumors to form faster. The study identifies a new drug target for colon cancer treatment.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office of Minority Health and Health Equity has awarded a five-year, $2.7 million grant to the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health to launch a training program that will inspire undergraduate students to pursue careers in public health and strengthen the future public health workforce.

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Take twice daily, curcumin - found in turmeric - boosted memory by 28 percent in double-blind, placebo-controlled study

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UCLA team shows in the laboratory that an inhibitor can be developed to break down the herpes virus.

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More than 700,000 Americans were hospitalized due to illnesses associated with the seasonal flu during the 2014–15 flu season, according to federal estimates. A radical new approach to vaccine development at UCLA may help lower that figure for future flu seasons.