UCSD-Utah team develops mouse model to test therapies for macular degeneration
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine and the University of Utah have developed a mouse model of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in people over age 55, and Stargardt Macular Degeneration (STGD), a form of the disease that affects children and young adults. ......The mouse model*, which was reported in the March 4,...NIH-funded UCSD rheumatic diseases center to facilitate collaboration, speed discoveries
The University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine has received a 5-year, $3 million grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases for a Rheumatic Diseases Core Center (RDCC) designed to speed up the development of new diagnostic tools and therapies for the millions of individuals suffering from rheumatic diseases. ... ...The RDCC makes advanc...UCSD researchers find raloxifene is not associated with early cardiovascular harm
...UCSD School of Medicine researchers have found that the osteoporosis therapy raloxifene HCl was not associated with early cardiovascular harm and reduced the risk of cardiovascular events by 40 percent in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis who were also at high risk for cardiovascular disease. The findings are published in the February 20 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Ass.... . A new gene directly involved in the migration of neurons to the developing brain, and then in the ongoing function of the mature central nervous system, has been identified and described by researchers from the UCSD School of Medicine and the Shirakawa Institute of Animal Genetics in Japan. . . One of the mysteries of human development is how the vast number of cells that are produced foll...Leadership gift from Sulpizio Family for new state-of-the-art cardiovascular center at UCSD
The University of California, San Diego today announced a leadership gift of $10 million from Richard and Maria (Gaby) Sulpizio, to support the construction of a new state-of-the-art facility that will centralize UCSD's cutting-edge patient care and clinical research activities in heart and vascular disease and stroke management....... Rich Sulpizio is chairman of the UCSD Cardiovascular Center B...More homeless mentally ill than expected according to UCSD study: Interventions urged
The prevalence of homelessness in persons with serious mental illness is 15 percent, a higher percentage than suggested in previous studies, according to new research by investigators at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine. ......Published in the February 2005 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry, the study noted that homelessness in this population might po...UCSD-Salk team show protein's gene-silencing role in development of nervous system
...The first evidence that a group of proteins called phosphatases play a key role in the development of the nervous system, has been shown in fruit flies and mice by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, in collaboration with scientists at the Salk Institute, La Jolla, California. The phosphatases are required for maintenance of neural stem cells and...UCSD researchers identify new role for drugs in prevention, treatment of atherosclerosis
Drugs that work in the liver to reduce fatty triglyceride levels and improve insulin resistance, are also effective at inhibiting the formation of cholesterol-laden plaques that cause atherosclerosis in artery walls, according to researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine. ... ... In studies with mice published in the Dec. 1, 2004 issue of the Journal of Clin...UCSD partners with Peru in NIH grant to battle malaria, world's number 2 killer
In the middle of the Peruvian Amazon, a battle against malaria the second largest killer of people worldwide will be undertaken by an international team of researchers led by tropical disease specialist Joseph Vinetz, M.D., from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine. The team will also study a variety of other tropical infectious diseases endemic to the area.... ......UCSD researchers determine fatty liver disease different in obese children than in adults
Potentially life-threatening non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in obese children has distinct characteristics, often different from those found in adults, according to a University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine study led by Jeffrey Schwimmer, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics. ...... Presented May 18, 2004 at the annual Digestive Disease Week meeting in New Orl...UCSD researchers determine fibrin depletion decreases multiple sclerosis symptoms
Tissue damage due to Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is reduced and lifespan lengthened in mouse models of the disease when a naturally occurring fibrous protein called fibrin is depleted from the body, according to researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine. ... ...The study, reported online the week of April 19, 2004 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of S...UCSD study cites lack of vigorous exercise as primary factor in adolescent obesity
Lack of vigorous physical activity is the main contributor to obesity in adolescents ages 11 to 15, according to a study of 878 adolescents by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, in collaboration with investigators at San Diego State University. ...... . ...... In ana...UCSD pharmacologists collaborate on new approach to drug design
French and American researchers have developed a unique approach to drug design where an important neuron-signaling enzyme called acetylcholinesterase (AChE) acts as a microscopic vessel filled with reactant chemicals, to create its own, tailored therapeutic agent. ...While current AChE inhibitors are widely used to treat neuromuscular and cognitive disorders, the new process offers the potenti...Mechanism leading to life-threatening infection identified by UCSD School of Medicine researchers
The mechanism used by the bacteria that cause anthrax, bubonic plague and typhoid fever to avoid detection and destruction by the body's normal immune response leading to life-threatening bacterial infections has been identified by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine. ...... Published in the March 18, 2004 issue of the journal Nature, the lab-culture...UCSD's Dr. Leon Thal to receive Potamkin Prize, one of neurosciences' highest honors
The Potamkin Prize, one of the nation's highest honors in neurosciences, will be awarded this year to Leon Thal, M.D., University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine and Roger Nitsch, M.D., Neuro Science Center, Zurich, Switzerland. The two will share the $100,000 prize awarded at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology April 27, 2004 in San Francisco.... ..."The P...Probiotics beneficial even when inactive, according to UCSD study
Probiotics, the trendy "good bacteria" found to aid disorders such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), allergies and even some forms of cancer, contain immune system-stimulating DNA which makes them just as effective when inactivated, as when consumed as live microorganisms in dairy products such as yogurt.... ...Reported in the February 2004 issue of the journal Gastroenterology by researchers...UCSD researchers describe cell activity leading to disruption of neuron migration
An interaction between two brain proteins that leads to abnormal brain development has been identified by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine in a study published in the January 22, 2004 issue of the journal ....... The studies in mice, conducted in the lab of Joseph G. Gleeson, M.D., UCSD assistant professor of neurosciences, combines work in both hu...Successful, rapid protein crystallization possible with technique developed by UCSD researcher
An innovative method that allows increased success and speed of protein crystallization a crucial step in the laborious, often unsuccessful process to determine the 3-dimensional structure unique to each of the body's tens of thousands of folded proteins has been developed by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine and verified in tests with the Joint Ce...UCSD, Salk researchers define role of abnormal muscle, fat & liver in common metabolic disorder
Metabolic Syndrome, a cluster of health symptoms including obesity, high blood pressure and insulin resistance, puts one in four Americans at increased risk for diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Although a common disorder affecting upwards of 60 million Americans, the syndrome is not completely understood by scientists. ...... Now, researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD)...Arm position matters in blood pressure readings according to UCSD medical researchers
Blood pressure readings taken on arms parallel, or extended in the same direction as the body, are up to 10 percent higher than readings taken when the elbow is at a right angle to the body with elbow flexed at heart level, according to a study published as a letter in the Jan. 6, 2004 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. ... ...The study's investigators from the University of California, S...UCSD Medical Center receives NIH contract to set up National Tuberculosis Educational Curriculum
The University of California San Diego (UCSD) Department of Medicine, Pulmonary Division, was recently awarded a 5-year, $6.2 million contract by the U.S. National Institutes of Health to establish the Tuberculosis Curriculum Coordinating Center (TCCC).... ..."This disease can be controlled," said Antonino Catanzaro, M.D., Professor of Medicine, and Principal Investigator for the TCCC. "The dev...Children's genetic factors determine HIV progression according to UCSD study
In the largest study ever of HIV-infected children, researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have demonstrated that a child's individual genetic factors are an important determinant of disease progression and cognitive impairment associated with HIV....... Published in the November 15, 2003 issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases, the study in 1,049 HIV...NIH funds two UCSD scientists to venture deep into human genome
Two University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine researchers will receive two of the first grants in a three-year scientific reconnaissance mission aimed at discovering all parts of the human genome that are crucial to biological function. UCSD is the only institution to receive two of the awards from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) of the National Institute...Non-human molecule is absorbed by eating red meat according to study by UCSD researchers
A non-human, cellular molecule is absorbed into human tissues as a result of eating red meat and milk products, according to a study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, published online the week of September 29, 2003 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The researchers also showed that the same foreign molecule generates an immune...UCSD-TCAG collaboration to focus on transformation of genome-based knowledge into health benefits
ROCKVILLE, MD and LA JOLLA, CA (September 25, 2003) The University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and The Center for the Advancement of Genomics (TCAG) today announced a formal collaboration in genomic medicine that combines large-scale human genome analysis with innovative medical research. Through this new collaboration, the two organizations will conduct genomic studies aimed at elucidating...Brain transportation system defect linked to Huntington's by UCSD team
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have linked a defective protein in Huntington's disease to gridlock in the transportation system that moves signals and vital protein cargoes within the brain, eventually leading to neuron cell death.... ...Published in the September 25, 2003 issue of the journal Neuron, their studies in Drosophila, the fruit fly, sh...UCSD researchers ID peptides that bind to Alzheimer's plaques
Two short protein segments, called peptides, have been identified by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, for their ability to recognize and bind to beta-amyloid-containing plaques that accumulate abnormally in the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients, providing a possible "Trojan horse" mechanism to diagnose and treat the disorder. ......"These pept...UCSD researchers identify chromosome location for 2nd form of Joubert syndrome
Physicians may be a step closer to pre-natal diagnosis of a rare genetic disorder called Joubert syndrome. This condition, present before birth, affects an area of the brain controlling balance and coordination. ......New findings from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have identified chromosome 11 as a second site for a gene or genes that cause Joubert syndrome,...UCSD team finds that ethics consultations reduce futile end-of-life treatments
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine found a significant reduction in non-beneficial life sustaining treatments for dying patients in hospital intensive care units (ICUs), when health care providers and family members were provided with ethics counseling....... ...Published in the Sept. 3, 2003 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, t...UCSD researchers decipher function of blood-brain barrier in bacterial meningitis
The first line of defense used by the human blood-brain barrier in response to bacterial meningitis is described by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine in a study published in the September 2, 2003 issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation. The scientists also describe two bacterial factors specific to the meningitis pathogen that thwart the norm...UCSD researchers determine mechanism for degradation of G proteins
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have identified a previously unknown component of the body's cellular garbage disposal called the ubiquitin system, which is responsible for regulation of cell function by removal of abnormal and unneeded proteins.... ...Published in the July 8, 2003 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study...Moores UCSD Cancer Center launches human trial for prostate cancer vaccine
Researchers at the Rebecca and John Moores UCSD Cancer Center today launched a human trial of a new experimental vaccine a type of gene therapy for prostate cancer. The therapeutic vaccine is based upon technology developed at UCSD. ... ...The vaccine is prepared using the patient's own B lymphocytes, a type of immune-system cell, obtained through a simple blood draw. In their natural setting,...UCSD cancer researchers develop new anti-leukemia strategy
Cancer researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) have developed a 3-step process in which human leukemia cells and neighboring immune-system T cells are manipulated together in the laboratory to create a powerful and specific cancer-killing cocktail. (T cells represent a family of closely related cells of the immune system that circulate in the blood and orchestrate the immune...UCSD study shows smokers' quitlines work
Phone-based smoking cessation programs, called quitlines, are cropping up all over the United States and in other countries. But are they doing any good? Is the intervention effect demonstrated in clinical trials translating to real-world service settings?...... New findings drawn from the statewide California Smokers' Helpline by cancer prevention researchers at the University of California, San...UCSD team identifies potential role of CRP in development of antherosclerosis
Another piece of the complex puzzle of how inflammation is involved in heart attacks and strokes has been discovered by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine. ...... Their findings demonstrate that C-reactive protein (CRP) binds to oxidized low density lipoprotein (LDL), implicating the interaction of CRP and oxidized LDL as a potential trigger for the...Molecular mechanism underlaying anthrax infection described by UCSD School Of Medicine researchers
The mechanism by which inhaled anthrax disarms and evades the immune system, enabling the potentially lethal bacteria to rapidly spread throughout the body, has been described by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine.... ...Published online Aug. 29 in Science Express, the website of the journal Science, the lab-culture research with mouse cells describe...UCSD professor explains how elephants are able to snorkel
For hundreds of years, scientists have wondered why elephants can snorkel from considerable depths that would rupture the lungs of other mammals. Now, University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine pulmonary physiologist John B. West, M.D., Ph.D., has explained the phenomenon. ......In a presentation today at this year's meeting of the American Physiological Society in San Diego,...UCSD study shows increased transmission of drug-resistant HIV infection
An increase in the transmission rate of drug-resistant human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), now affecting as many as one in five newly infected persons, has been discovered by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine....... In a five-year, multi-center study of more than 300 patients in 10 North American cities, the investigators found that the transmission...UCSD's Victor Nizet, M.D., receives Pediatric Infectious Diseases Award
Victor Nizet, M.D., a University of California, San Diego (UCSD) assistant professor of pediatrics and attending physician, Children's Hospital, San Diego, has received the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Young Investigator Award from the national Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society.... ...Presented to Nizet at the Society's annual meeting last month in Baltimore, the award recognizes young physi...UCSD faculty elected to membership in prestigious professional organizations
Faculty members from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have been elected to membership in three prestigious organizations, the Association of American Physicians (AAP), the American Society of Clinical Investigators (ASCI), and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS)....... At the joint annual meeting of the AAP and ASCI in late April, the AAP elected to m...