Latest News from: UC San Diego Health

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6-May-2016 4:05 PM EDT
Modern Family Planning in India
UC San Diego Health

Family planning is a major health issue in India, the world’s second most populous country. Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine describe a novel program that involves increased male engagement and gender-equity counseling to measurably improve contraceptive practices and reduced marital sexual violence.

3-May-2016 12:05 PM EDT
Zika Virus May Cause Microcephaly by Hijacking Human Immune Molecule
UC San Diego Health

For the first time, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have determined one way Zika virus infection can damage developing brain cells. The study, published May 6 in Cell Stem Cell, also shows that inhibiting this mechanism reduces brain cell damage, hinting at a new therapeutic approach to mitigating the effects of prenatal Zika virus infection.

Released: 4-May-2016 6:05 PM EDT
Clinical Study Suggests the Origin of Glioblastoma Subtypes
UC San Diego Health

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have demonstrated that distinct types of glioblastoma, the most common form of brain cancer in adults, tend to develop in different regions of the brain. This finding provides an explanation for how the same cancer-causing mutation can give rise to different types of brain malignancies.

2-May-2016 2:05 PM EDT
Study Shows Ozanimod as Effective in Treating Ulcerative Colitis
UC San Diego Health

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have shown that ozanimod (RPC1063), a novel drug molecule, is moderately effective in the treatment of ulcerative colitis. Results of the Phase II clinical trial will appear in the May 5 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Released: 2-May-2016 12:05 PM EDT
$11.8 Million in Support From Gary and Mary West to Launch Geriatric Emergency Department
UC San Diego Health

Local philanthropists Gary and Mary West have provided $11.8 million to the University of California San Diego to create a state-of-the-art senior emergency care unit to be housed within the Emergency Department at the future Jacobs Medical Center.

Released: 27-Apr-2016 3:05 PM EDT
New Model for Active Surveillance of Prostate Cancer Tested
UC San Diego Health

Urologists at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Genesis Healthcare Partners have tested a new model of care for patients with low-risk prostate cancer. The evidence-based approach uses best practices to appropriately select and follow patients to avoid disease overtreatment. Results of the three-year study are now published online in the journal of Urology.

25-Apr-2016 6:05 PM EDT
Fermentation Festival Leads to Rapid Response System at UC San Diego Center for Microbiome Innovation
UC San Diego Health

While technological advances have made it easier to map our microbiomes and metabolomes, these studies typically take too long for that data to be medically useful. Researchers at the University of California San Diego Center for Microbiome Innovation used the 2016 San Diego Fermentation Festival as a test case for a novel rapid response system. In the study, published in mSystems, the team collected samples, analyzed data and reported conclusions in an unprecedented 48 hours.

21-Apr-2016 2:05 PM EDT
Smoking Cessation Drugs Do Not Elevate Risk of Serious Neuropsychiatric Adverse Effects
UC San Diego Health

Compared to the nicotine patch and a placebo, the smoking cessation aids varenicline (marketed as Chantix in the U.S.) and bupropion (Zyban) do not show a significant increase in neuropsychiatric adverse events, reports an international team of researchers in a study published online April 22 in the journal The Lancet.

19-Apr-2016 12:05 PM EDT
HIV Infection Prematurely Ages People by an Average of Five Years
UC San Diego Health

Thanks to combination antiretroviral therapies, many people with HIV can expect to live decades after being infected. Yet doctors have observed these patients often show signs of premature aging. Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and the University of Nebraska Medical Center have applied a highly accurate biomarker to measure just how much HIV infection ages people at the cellular level — an average of almost five years.

18-Apr-2016 4:05 PM EDT
UC San Diego Researchers Join Largest Autism Study Ever in United States
UC San Diego Health

Autism experts at University of California San Diego Autism Center of Excellence (ACE) at the School of Medicine will be part of the largest autism study ever undertaken in the United States – an effort to collect information and DNA from 50,000 individuals, ages 3 to 100, with the neurodevelopmental disorder.

Released: 18-Apr-2016 12:05 PM EDT
New Computer Program Can Help Uncover Hidden Genomic Alterations That Drive Cancers
UC San Diego Health

Cancer is rarely the result of a single mutation in a single gene. Rather, tumors arise from the complex interplay between any number of mutually exclusive abnormal changes in the genome, the combinations of which can be unique to each individual patient. To better characterize the functional context of genomic variations in cancer, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and the Broad Institute developed a new computer algorithm they call REVEALER.

Released: 12-Apr-2016 12:05 PM EDT
UC San Diego Scientists Receive $9.5 Million NIH Grant to Combat Antibiotic Resistance
UC San Diego Health

Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have received a five-year, $9.5-million award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish an interdisciplinary center to define the systems biology of antibiotic resistance. The program will be led by Bernhard Palsson, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Bioengineering and Pediatrics, and Victor Nizet, MD, professor of pediatrics and pharmacy.

Released: 11-Apr-2016 2:05 PM EDT
Dysfunctional Endosomes Are Early Sign of Neurodegeneration
UC San Diego Health

Writing in the April 11 issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine say abnormalities in a protein that helps transport and sort materials inside cells are linked to axonal dysfunction and degeneration of neurons in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Down syndrome (DS).

Released: 11-Apr-2016 12:05 PM EDT
Omega Factor: Novel Method Measures Mortality Risk When Multiple Diseases Threaten
UC San Diego Health

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have developed a novel method for assessing mortality risk in elderly patients with cancer who also suffer from other serious diseases or conditions. The prognostic model, they say, is more precise and provides a more useful tool for determining the best treatments when more than one disease is involved.

7-Apr-2016 2:05 PM EDT
Man and Life: How Marriage, Race and Ethnicity and Birthplace Affect Cancer Survival
UC San Diego Health

Previous studies have shown that married patients with cancer fare better than unmarried cancer patients, surviving more often and longer. In a new study, published April 11 in the journal Cancer, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that the benefits of being married vary by race and ethnicity, with male non-Hispanic white bachelors experiencing the worst outcome.

Released: 8-Apr-2016 3:05 PM EDT
Pivotal Inflammatory Players Revealed in Diabetic Kidney Disease
UC San Diego Health

In a new study, published in the online edition of the journal EBioMedicine, a multi-disciplinary team led by researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has identified key inflammatory mechanisms underlying type 1 diabetes and obesity-related kidney dysfunction.

Released: 7-Apr-2016 11:05 AM EDT
San Diego to Be Research Hub for New Human Vaccines Project
UC San Diego Health

The University of California, San Diego, J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology and The Scripps Research Institute have teamed up to create the “Mesa Consortium,” a new scientific hub for the Human Vaccines Project. Under a collaborative agreement, the Mesa Consortium and the Human Vaccine Project aim to transform current understanding of the human immune system and expedite development of vaccines and biologics to prevent and treat many global diseases.

Released: 5-Apr-2016 2:05 PM EDT
Study Shows Certain Gastrointestinal Tumors Associated with Higher Mortality
UC San Diego Health

Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have determined that certain gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are more deadly than previously reported in medical literature. Findings are published online in the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery.

Released: 5-Apr-2016 11:05 AM EDT
Novel 3D Imaging Offers New Tool for Identifying Advanced Fibrosis in Liver
UC San Diego Health

In a paper published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine conducted a prospective study of 100 patients (56 percent women) with biopsy-proven NAFLD to assess the efficacy of two-dimensional magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) and a novel 3D version. They found that both MRE technologies were highly accurate for diagnosing advanced fibrosis, with 3D perhaps providing additional capabilities in some patients.

Released: 4-Apr-2016 1:05 PM EDT
New UC San Diego Center Will Focus on Heart Health Among Latinas
UC San Diego Health

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have launched a new four-year, $3.7 million multidisciplinary research center to investigate the relationship between sedentary behavior and cardiovascular risk factors in Latinas, who have a disproportionately higher chance of developing heart disease than the general population.

31-Mar-2016 9:00 AM EDT
Global Study Finds Neighborhood Design Helps Put Best Foot Forward for Health
UC San Diego Health

More walkable neighborhoods, parks and public transit could all reduce your chance of becoming one of the 600 million adults who battle obesity worldwide, according to researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. The study, recently published online in The Lancet, found a neighborhood’s design plays a critical role in physical activity and could help reduce non-communicable diseases, such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

28-Mar-2016 2:05 PM EDT
Aging Diminishes Spinal Cord Regeneration After Injury
UC San Diego Health

Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and University of British Columbia (UBC) have determined that, in mice, age diminishes ability to regenerate axons, the brain’s communication wires in the spinal cord. The study is published March 31 in Cell Reports.

29-Mar-2016 12:05 PM EDT
Underappreciated Protein Plays Critical Role In RNA Regulation and Male Fertility
UC San Diego Health

A protein once thought to be of little consequence has been found to be a central player in processes ranging from male fertility to early embryonic development, according to a study published in the March 31 online issue of Cell by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

29-Mar-2016 4:05 PM EDT
Short Overnight Fasting Linked to Increased Risk of Breast Cancer Recurrence
UC San Diego Health

In patients with breast cancer, a short overnight fast of less than 13 hours was associated with a statistically significant, 36 percent higher risk of breast cancer recurrence and a non-significant, 21 percent higher probability of death from the disease compared to patients who fasted 13 or more hours per night, report University of California, San Diego School of Medicine researchers.

24-Mar-2016 4:05 PM EDT
Successful Dying: Researchers Define the Elements of a “Good Death”
UC San Diego Health

For most people, the culmination of a good life is a “good death,” though what that means exactly is a matter of considerable consternation. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine surveyed published, English-language, peer-reviewed reports of qualitative and quantitative studies defining a “good death,” ultimately identifying 11 core themes associated with dying well.

Released: 29-Mar-2016 3:05 PM EDT
Remote Italian Village Could Harbor Secrets of Healthy Aging
UC San Diego Health

To understand how people can live longer throughout the world, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have teamed up with colleagues at University of Rome La Sapienza to study a group of 300 citizens, all over 100 years old, living in a remote Italian village nestled between the ocean and mountains on the country’s coast.

23-Mar-2016 11:05 AM EDT
Stem Cells Used to Successfully Regenerate Damage in Corticospinal Injury
UC San Diego Health

Writing in Nature Medicine, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, with colleagues in Japan and Wisconsin, report that they have successfully directed stem cell-derived neurons to regenerate lost tissue in damaged corticospinal tracts of rats, resulting in functional benefit.

21-Mar-2016 12:05 PM EDT
Genetic Changes That Cause Autism Are More Diverse Than Previously Thought
UC San Diego Health

The types of gene mutations that contribute to autism are more diverse than previously thought, report researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine in the March 24 online issue of The American Journal of Human Genetics. The findings, they say, represent a significant advance in efforts to unravel the genetic basis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

23-Mar-2016 4:05 PM EDT
For the Perfect Eggs, Roundworms Use Small RNAs
UC San Diego Health

All multicellular organisms that reproduce sexually rely on eggs to support early life. Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Ludwig Cancer Research used the tiny roundworm C. elegans as a model to better understand how eggs enable embryonic development, using only the materials already present in them. Their study uncovers the role small RNAs and helper proteins play in fine-tuning egg development.

Released: 22-Mar-2016 4:05 PM EDT
UC San Diego Health Joins National Clinical Trial on Hemophilia B Gene Therapy
UC San Diego Health

The Hemophilia and Thrombosis Treatment Center at UC San Diego Health has joined a nationwide clinical trial testing a potential gene therapy that may one day provide a better and long-lasting treatment for people with hemophilia B.

Released: 18-Mar-2016 12:05 PM EDT
Educating Community Research Facilitators Helps Protect Integrity of Study Results
UC San Diego Health

A recent study by researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine reports that educating community health workers and other “citizen scientists” can improve knowledge of basic research concepts and ultimately boost the integrity of scientific research.

Released: 17-Mar-2016 4:05 PM EDT
CIRM Grant to Fund Proposed Stem Cell Trials for ALS
UC San Diego Health

The Independent Citizens Oversight Committee of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine approved yesterday a $6.3 million grant to a research team from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and University of California, Davis to pursue a novel human embryonic stem cell-based therapy to rescue and restore neurons devastated by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS.

15-Mar-2016 2:05 PM EDT
For First Time, Scientists Use CRISPR-Cas9 to Target RNA in Live Cells
UC San Diego Health

Scientists have long sought an efficient method for targeting RNA— intermediary genetic material that carries the genetic code from the cell’s nucleus to protein-making machinery — in living cells. Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have now achieved this by applying the popular DNA-editing technique CRISPR-Cas9 to RNA. The study is published March 17 in Cell.

15-Mar-2016 12:05 PM EDT
Atrial Fibrillation Patients at Highest Stroke Risk Not Prescribed Necessary Medication
UC San Diego Health

Nearly half of all atrial fibrillation (AF) patients at the highest risk for stroke are not being prescribed blood thinners by their cardiologists, according to a new study by researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and University of California, San Francisco.

14-Mar-2016 2:05 PM EDT
Mouse Model Yields Possible Treatment for Autism-Like Symptoms in Rare Disease
UC San Diego Health

About half of children born with Jacobsen syndrome, a rare inherited disease, experience social and behavioral issues consistent with autism spectrum disorders. Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and collaborators developed a mouse model of the disease that also exhibits autism-like social behaviors and used it to unravel the molecular mechanism that connects the genetic defects inherited in Jacobsen syndrome to effects on brain function.

9-Mar-2016 5:05 PM EST
Advanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technology to Track Cells in the Body
UC San Diego Health

The need to non-invasively see and track cells in living persons is indisputable. Emerging treatments using stem cells and immune cells are poised to most benefit from cell tracking, which would visualize their behavior in the body after delivery. Clinicians require such data to speed these cell treatments to patients. Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine describe a new highly sensitive chemical probe that tags cells for detection by MRI.

4-Mar-2016 2:05 PM EST
Stem Cells Regenerate Human Lens After Cataract Surgery, Restoring Vision
UC San Diego Health

Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Shiley Eye Institute, with colleagues in China, have developed a new, regenerative medicine approach to remove congenital cataracts in infants, permitting remaining stem cells to regrow functional lenses.

Released: 7-Mar-2016 1:05 PM EST
UC San Diego Health and Vantage Oncology Announce Cancer Care Collaboration
UC San Diego Health

UC San Diego Health and Vantage Oncology are collaborating to provide comprehensive cancer care services to patients in Imperial Valley. Through a joint venture, UC San Diego Health and Vantage will operate Imperial Valley Radiation Oncology. Patients will have access to advanced radiation technologies as well as clinical trial interventions and specialty care consultations with UC San Diego Health and Moores Cancer Center.

Released: 1-Mar-2016 3:05 PM EST
Moments of Acute Stress Can Cause Molecular Alterations in Immune Response
UC San Diego Health

Chronic psychosocial and emotional stress has well-documented negative effects upon the human immune system but less is known about the health effects of acute but transitory episodes of stress. Do panic-inducing moments also raise the risk of stress-related conditions? A team of researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, Stony Brook University in New York and elsewhere addressed that question by taking blood samples from skydivers to measure key immune response indicators.

Released: 1-Mar-2016 12:05 PM EST
New Living Donor Option for Liver Transplantation at UC San Diego Health
UC San Diego Health

Nationally, more than 15,000 patients are waiting for a liver transplant. Approximately 6,300 persons each year will receive a new liver; 1,400 die waiting. In California, one in four listed for liver transplant will die before an organ becomes available. Fortunately, living donation is now a lifesaving option at UC San Diego Health.

Released: 29-Feb-2016 12:05 PM EST
Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute Building Opens March 4
UC San Diego Health

Rising above Interstate 5 on the east campus of University of California, San Diego, the Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute Building (ACTRI), a five-sided polygon of glass, steel and grooved concrete, officially opens its doors March 4 in a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Released: 26-Feb-2016 4:05 PM EST
Predictive Proteins: Elevated Levels Trigger Metastatic Progression of Cancer Cells
UC San Diego Health

Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center, with colleagues in Spain and Germany, have unraveled how elevated levels of particular proteins in cancer cells trigger hyperactivity in other proteins, fueling the growth and spread of a variety of cancers.

Released: 26-Feb-2016 12:05 PM EST
Countdown to Twin Astronaut’s Return - UC San Diego Readies Next Steps in Landmark Study
UC San Diego Health

When astronaut Scott Kelly returns to Earth on March 1, half of NASA’s first-of-its-kind study of twin astronauts and long duration space flight, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and elsewhere will launch the mission’s next phase.

22-Feb-2016 12:05 PM EST
Molecular “Brake” Prevents Excessive Inflammation
UC San Diego Health

Inflammation is a Catch-22: the body needs it to eliminate invasive organisms and foreign irritants, but excessive inflammation can harm healthy cells, contributing to aging and sometimes leading to organ failure and death. Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered that a protein known as p62 acts as a molecular brake to keep inflammation in check and avoid collateral damage.

Released: 23-Feb-2016 1:05 PM EST
CAR Trials Drive Leukemia and Lymphoma Treatment in New Direction
UC San Diego Health

Cancer immunology is based upon boosting the body’s own immune system to vanquish malignancies. It is among the fastest growing areas of oncology research. Researchers at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center have launched three clinical trials to test the safety and efficacy of a novel cellular-immunotherapy that uses modified T cells – one of the immune system’s primary weapons – to treat three different types of blood cancer that often defy existing therapies.

17-Feb-2016 2:05 PM EST
Longer, Intense Rehabilitation Boosts Recovery After Brain Injury
UC San Diego Health

Cognitive and functional recovery after a stroke or traumatic injury requires intense rehabilitative therapy to help the brain repair and restructure itself. New findings by researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that not only is rehabilitation vital but that a longer, even more intense period of rehabilitation may produce even greater benefit.

18-Feb-2016 4:05 PM EST
Newly Discovered HIV Genome Modification May Put a Twist on Vaccine and Drug Design
UC San Diego Health

Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered that HIV infection of human immune cells triggers a massive increase in methylation, a chemical modification, to both human and viral RNA, aiding replication of the virus. The study, published February 22, 2016 in Nature Microbiology, identifies a new mechanism for controlling HIV replication and its interaction with the host immune system.

16-Feb-2016 2:05 PM EST
What Makes a Bacterial Species Able to Cause Human Disease?
UC San Diego Health

An international team of scientists, led by researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), have created the first comprehensive, cross-species genomic comparison of all 20 known species of Leptospira, a bacterial genus that can cause disease and death in livestock and other domesticated mammals, wildlife and humans.



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