First identified more than 20 years ago at UCLA, defensins are peptides naturally produced by the immune system to ward off viruses. However, it was unclear how defensins worked. Now UCLA and NIH scientists have discovered that a specific defensin called retrocyclin-2 (RC2) binds to carbohydrate-containing proteins in cell membranes.
UCLA experts are available to describe the challenges facing forensic pathologists in identifying casualties, and to discuss the public health, psychological, economic and structural/rebuilding effects of Hurricane Katrina.
Patients with a cervical spine injury may harbor additional spinal damage not visible on regular x-rays. Researchers found more than a third of patients who were thought to have low-risk injuries actually have additional damage that may include significant fractures with the potential to produce serious spinal problems if not detected and treated properly.
Treatment with a statin drug within the first 24-hours after a heart attack reduced in-hospital mortality rates by over 50 percent according to a new UCLA study.
The Integrated Substance Abuse Programs at the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA will convene a four-day meeting of health officials from more than two dozen Middle East nations and their neighbors Sept. 4"“8 in Istanbul, Turkey.
Investigators examining responses to cocaine and methamphetamine use find distinct differences in onset, pattern and duration. Subjective, or self-reported, responses to cocaine peak and decline more rapidly than those of methamphetamine, the study shows.
In findings that could lead to curing some forms of congenital blindness through gene therapy, researchers at UCLA have discovered that RPE65, a gene missing in infants born with the blinding disease Leber congenital amaurosis, is also a key enzyme in the visual cycle.
Functional MRI has become a preferred method for measuring brain activity in research and clinical work, but until now no one has actually correlated real brain electrical activity to blood flow activity measured by fMRI. Neuroscientists at UCLA and the Weizmann Institute are the first.
A product produced by lung cancer tumors fuels the cells that suppress immune function in patients and may be a target for Celebrex therapy, giving oncologists another weapon to fight cancer, according to a study by researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center.
UCLA investigators found large gaps and variations in treatment for heart failure in U.S. hospitals based on four standard quality measures. Performance of these measures is closely linked to heart failure patients' risk of rehospitalization and death.
UCLA scientists have discovered how the deadly Nipah virus infiltrates human cells to cause encephalitis. Designated as a potential bioterrorism agent by the National Biodefense Research Agenda, the virus exploits a protein essential to embryonic development to enter cells and launch its attack.
A multi-site research group working under contract with NIMH finds that risperidone, one of the newer anti-psychotic medications, is safe and effective for controlling aggressive and violent behavior in autistic children with minimal side effects for up to six months.
A study finds that unlike other mammals, newborn dolphins and killer whales remain awake and active 24/7 during the first weeks of life when critical development takes place.
Medical residents in Japan are more likely to involve patients' families in end-of-life decision making -- and to favor informing family members over the patients first -- than their United States counterparts, who prefer dealing directly with the patient.
UCLA and Caltech researchers report that single brain cells are much more powerful than previously thought. Single neurons are able to distinguish people, such as actress Halle Berry, places and things, and recognize them in varying contexts and even abstract form.
Researchers discovered that some patients with Alzheimer's disease have an immune system defect making it difficult to clean away amyloid-beta waste products in the brain. This may lead to over-saturation of the brain with amyloid beta, which form amyloid plaques, the definitive hallmark of Alzheimer's disease.
A randomized study found that a new dosing paradigm can improve height outcomes in the treatment of children who have short stature due to growth hormone deficiency and idiopathic short stature.
Writing in the upcoming edition of Neuron, researchers pinpoint the electrical "signature" of hypocretin brain cells, whose loss triggers narcolepsy, and find these cells are active during excitement generated by positive emotions and play a key role in maintaining brain alertness.
Amid the debate over which combination of immunosuppressive agents works best in helping patients fight off rejection of their new heart after transplant surgery, a new study showed that one particular combination using tacrolimus had significant anti-rejection benefits for heart transplant patients over other combinations.
Being married or in a relationship significantly improves quality of life for prostate cancer patients following treatment, according to a study by researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center and the Department of Urology.
UCLA researchers conducted the largest most comprehensive study comparing the cost-effectiveness of current modern drugs for treating hepatitis B -- a disease affecting 350 million worldwide.
Study shows that brain receptor changes can affect seizures and anxiety during the menstrual cycle--findings that could lead to novel therapies for premenstrual dysphoric disorder (formerly known as PMS) and other central nervous system symptoms associated with menstruation.
New data demonstrates that non-growth hormone deficient primary insulin-like growth factor-1 deficiency is a frequent cause of short stature among patients currently classified as having idiopathic short stature, or short stature with no known cause.
As of May 10, Medicare allows patients to pay privately for artificial presbyopia-correcting intraocular lenses. Drs. Rex Hamilton and Kevin M. Miller of the Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA are available for comment.
Using a common chemotherapy agent, researchers found a way to move an important biomarker expressed in prostate cancer, shaking it loose from one location in a cell -- where it could not be accessed by blood -- to another, easier to target area.
A new study finds that an innovative diagnostic tool can help identify a life threatening condition that affects the long-term outcome of heart transplant recipients.
Ophthalmologists typically recommend that diabetics have their eyes checked once per year. UCLA researchers found large numbers of diabetic seniors who need eye check ups more frequently.
The study may offer new insight in defending against pathogen invasion. UCLA researchers discovered that activation of the body's immune system through specific receptors on the surface of blood cells leads to their rapid cell change into two distinct immune cell populations.
A UCLA expert discusses the health impact of air pollution, especially the very tiny particles that may be most damaging and are a major component in vehicle emissions.
A magnetic resonance imaging study finds that the protein hormone leptin promotes development of gray matter in the part of the brain that regulates cravings and the ability to monitor personal behavior.
A new study led by researchers at the UCLA School of Public Health shows that parents and filmgoers who use the Motion Picture Association of America ratings system to gauge movie content receive little meaningful guidance related to violent content.
A UCLA AIDS Institute study has discovered that teens of HIV-infected parents are at highest risk for depression and self-destructive behavior before their parent's death, not after.
In a finding that opens new doors to determining susceptibility to antidepressant side effects, researchers at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute report that changes in brain activity prior to treatment with antidepressants can flag patient vulnerability.
UCLA officials will announce the formation of the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine to conduct embryonic and adult stem cell research that may lead to better treatments for HIV, cancer and neurological disorders.
UCLA Medical Center has announced initial clinical tests of the RP-6 mobile robot system in its neurosurgery intensive care unit. The RP-6 robot allows doctors to "virtually" consult with patients, family members and health care staff at a moment's notice, even if miles away from the hospital.
A randomized, controlled study evaluated the effectiveness of four behavioral drug abuse treatments in reducing methamphetamine use and HIV-related sexual risk behaviors among 162 gay and bisexual methamphetamine addicts in Los Angeles County.
Sleep loss increases the heart rate and sympathetic catecholamine levels in alcoholics, compared with non-alcoholics, disrupting cardiovascular health. Increases persist after nights of partial and recovery sleep.
A new UCLA study shows that people drink less alcohol as they age"”but drinking among those who were born in earlier years showed a faster decline than among people born more recently.
A study featuring functional magnetic resonance imaging and a well-stocked tea service suggests for the first time that mirror neurons help people understand the intentions of others -- a key component to social interaction.
A study on bladder cancer cells lines showed that green tea extract has potential as an anti-cancer agent, proving for the first time that it is able to target cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone.
UCLA researchers reviewed drug ads in American medical journals to determine what materials are cited in support of medical claims and if those references are available to physicians. Researchers found that nearly a third of the ads contained no references for medical claims.
UCLA experts are available for interviews about the impact of diesel fuel particles in air pollution that may contribute to an increase in asthma, allergies and other respiratory problems.
Scientists have pinpointed a naturally occurring gene mutation in rats' brains that may lead to better treatments for alcohol poisoning and addiction in humans.
For the first time, researchers have developed a new tool "“ used right at the bedside upon hospital admission "“ to quickly predict the mortality risk in patients hospitalized with heart failure. The new tool will help clinicians decide which patients may require higher monitoring and earlier, more intensive intervention.
Dr. Christine Gonzales, an assistant professor of ophthalmology at the Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA, is an expert on age-related macular degeneration. She is available to speak with the media about AMD causes and treatment.
Smoking by nurses can create workplace problems that must be addressed by health care systems to promote better interactions between nurses and their patients and reduce dissension among staff, according to a first-of-its-kind study.
Research led by Joan Asarnow at UCLA shows how a collaborative approach to depression care for adolescents (ages 13-21) and introduction of cognitive-behavior therapy as a treatment option improves outcomes in a primary care setting.
A study of children's patient records at California's public mental health clinics identifies strengths and gaps in quality of care. For example, nearly three-quarters of patient records of children receiving psychoactive medication did not document adequate safety monitoring through vital signs or laboratory studies.
The evolution over the last two decades of quantum dots has seen the growth of this revolutionary new tool from electronic materials science to far-reaching biological applications that will allow researchers to study cell processes at the level of a single molecule.
UCLA researchers for the first time showed that advanced heart failure patients with diabetes who are treated with insulin faced a mortality rate four times higher than heart failure patients with diabetes treated with oral medications.
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