UCLA Health Tip Sheet: Visual loss and mask-wearing practices; Influenza vaccination rates are low; Mixed ancestry study provides clues to genetic traits

Below is a brief roundup of news and story ideas from the experts at UCLA Health. For more information on these stories or for help on other stories, please contact us at [email protected]
22-Mar-2023 12:10 PM EDT Add to Favorites

Researchers develop a universal oral COVID-19 vaccine that prevents severe illness in hamsters

A UCLA-led team has developed an inexpensive, universal oral COVID-19 vaccine that prevented severe respiratory illness and weight loss when tested in hamsters, which are naturally susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. It proved as effective as vaccines...
21-Mar-2023 5:15 PM EDT Add to Favorites

An extra X chromosome-linked gene may explain decreased viral infection severity in females

Researchers may have found why viral infections hit males more severely than females. They found that female mouse and human NK cells have an extra copy of an X chromosome-linked gene called UTX. UTX acts as an epigenetic regulator to boost NK cell...
16-Mar-2023 7:25 PM EDT Add to Favorites

Scientists Discover Key Information about the Function of Mitochondria in Cancer Cells

A new study represents a first step towards generating highly detailed 3-dimensional maps of lung tumors using genetically engineered mouse models.
14-Mar-2023 10:05 AM EDT Add to Favorites

Too little sleep could make vaccination less effective

Sleeping fewer than six hours per night around the time of vaccination was associated with a robust decrease in antibody response, researchers found.
9-Mar-2023 5:25 PM EST Add to Favorites

New details on how immune cells ‘see’ and respond to mutations in cancer cells may lead to more targeted and effective immunotherapy

For the first time, a research team has identified and analyzed the steps by which immune cells “see” and respond to cancer cells, providing insights into reasons some treatments may be effective for certain patients but not others.
6-Mar-2023 9:55 AM EST Add to Favorites

Older Black men are likelier to die after surgery than others, particularly following elective procedures

Older Black men have a higher chance of dying within 30 days of surgery than do Black women and white men and women – with their odds of death 50% higher after elective surgery compared with white men.
27-Feb-2023 6:00 AM EST Add to Favorites

UCLA Health receives $25.3 million for street medicine program caring for homeless

The UCLA Health Homeless Healthcare Collaborative has received a $25.3 million, two-year state grant to expand access and enhance coordination of medical and behavioral health care provided to people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles.
1-Mar-2023 2:05 PM EST Add to Favorites