Dr. Rhonda Voskuhl, who directs UCLA’s multiple sclerosis program and holds the Jack H. Skirball Chair for Multiple Sclerosis Research, has been selected as the recipient of the Berlin Institute of Health’s Excellence Award for Sex and Gender Aspects in Health Research
UCLA researchers, after developing a mouse model of Friedreich’s ataxia that shows symptoms similar to patients, have found that many early symptoms of the disease are completely reversible when the genetic defect linked to the ataxia is reversed
UCLA scientists have developed a new strategy to efficiently isolate, mature and transplant skeletal muscle cells created from human pluripotent stem cells, which can produce all cell types of the body. The findings are a major step towards developing a stem cell replacement therapy for muscle diseases including Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
Survivors of the first known Ebola outbreak, which occurred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1976, may be key to development of vaccines and therapeutic drugs to treat future outbreaks
An experimental blood test developed at UCLA that uses gene activity data from immune cells was 93 percent accurate in predicting survival rates for people with advanced heart failure who had surgery to implant mechanical circulatory support devices.
A new study has found that women who had received chemotherapy and/or radiation to treat breast cancer were more likely to have high levels of DNA damage and reduced activity of an enzyme involved in chromosome healing, compared to women who underwent surgery alone. The results suggest that some breast cancer survivors may be more vulnerable to biological changes associated with accelerated aging because of their prior treatment.
A UCLA study in collaboration with the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) shows that skin cancer cells could be chemically changed from within to reflexively alter gene expression patterns and intracellular pathways, which allows the cells to become resistant to targeted drugs.
Researchers at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA have discovered how high glucose levels - whether caused by diabetes or other factors - keep heart cells from maturing normally. Their findings help explain why babies born to women with diabetes are more likely to develop congenital heart disease.
Year-end is a great time to reflect on our health and endeavor to improve it. As we do so, it's important to identify the steps that could have a big impact on our wellness.
Sunitinib (marketed as Sutent) a drug that has already proven highly effective as first-line treatment for people with metastatic renal cell carcinoma, was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to also treat patients with the disease who are at high risk for tumor recurrence.
About 15 million Americans will have either Alzheimer’s dementia or mild cognitive impairment by 2060, up from approximately 6.08 million this year. The findings highlight the need to develop preventive measures that could slow the progression of the disease in at risk for Alzheimer’s dementia.
In research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, doctors at UCLA Health and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center found that patients could benefit if they are invited to co-produce medical notes, called “OurNotes,” with their doctors, rather than merely reading them.
UCLA researcher Dr. Roshan Bastani will lead a $6.6 million research study awarded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to investigate the comparative effectiveness of strategies designed to increase receipt of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine among adolescents. By advancing the understanding of which health system interventions are most effective and efficient, the research has the potential to dramatically increase HPV vaccination and prevent HPV-related cancers nationwide.
By reducing out-of-pocket costs for preventive treatment, the Affordable Care Act appears to have encouraged more people to have health screenings related to their cardiovascular health, a UCLA study found.
A new study demonstrates that outbreaks of mosquito-borne viruses Zika and Chikungunya generally occur about three weeks after heavy rainfall. Researchers also found that Chikungunya will predominate over Zika when both circulate at the same time.
People with both HIV and risk factors for heart disease and stroke were less likely to be treated with cholesterol-lowering statin drugs and aspirin than patients without HIV.
A tool designed to more accurately predict the risk of heart attack in older patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery works significantly better than traditional risk assessment tools. By having more accurate information, older patients and their physicians can make an informed decision on whether to undergo surgery.
Contrary to popular practice, a measure of the heart’s pumping function known as “left ventricular ejection fraction” is not associated with the long-term outcomes of hospitalized heart failure patients, a UCLA-led study of Medicare patients has found. Hospitalized heart failure patients in all age groups within the study and with all levels of ejection fraction had significantly lower rates of survival after five years and a higher risk of re-hospitalization than people in the United States without heart failure. Better treatments for heart failure and new ways of predicting patient outcomes are needed, researchers concluded.
Federal policymakers five years ago introduced the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program to spur hospitals to reduce Medicare readmission rates by penalizing them if they didn’t. A new analysis led by researchers at UCLA and Harvard University, however, finds that the program may be so focused on keeping some patients out of the hospital that related death rates are increasing.
A UCLA study is the first to reveal how sleep deprivation disrupts brain cells’ ability to communicate with each other, leading to temporary mental lapses that affect memory and visual perception.
The UCLA Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care Program has received The SCAN Foundation’s first Innovation in Health Care Award. This year’s award recognized “Outstanding Partnerships: Meaningful Achievements, Measurable Outcomes.”
UCLA is co-sponsoring a major conference spotlighting the impact of HIV/AIDS on black women at the local, state and national levels. “A Paradigm Shift: The Impact of HIV/AIDS on African American Women and Families”, runs Nov. 2-3 at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta.
The PSA test does not specifically check for prostate cancer itself, but rather for the presence of a molecule in the blood naturally made by the prostate.Here are common factors to be aware of that could change your PSA test results.
More than one-third of the world’s countries do not have any laws prohibiting sexual harassment at work―leaving nearly 235 million working women without this important protection.
UCLA Health has officially launched the first mobile stroke unit on the West Coast, enabling rapid delivery of brain-saving medications to stroke patients who might otherwise face debilitating delays in treatment. Such units have been shown to be clinically effective; organizers hope now this unit will show them to be cost effective as well.
UCLA neuroscientists have discovered precisely where and how to electrically stimulate the human brain to enhance people’s recollection of distinct memories.
People who undergo root canals may soon have a tiny but powerful ally that could prevent infection after treatment. In a paper published Oct. 23 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, UCLA researchers write that combining nanodiamonds with gutta percha, a material used to fill disinfected root canals, may enhance the gutta percha’s protective properties.
UCLA researchers have developed an improved technique for creating simplified human brain tissue from stem cells. Because these so-called “mini brain organoids” mimic human brains in how they grow and develop, they’re vital to studying complex neurological diseases.
UCLA scientists have discovered a potential combination treatment for glioblastoma, the deadliest form of brain cancer in adults. The three-year study led by Dr. David Nathanson, a member of UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, found that the drug combination tested in mice disrupts and exploits glucose intake, essentially cutting off the tumor's nutrients and energy supply. This treatment then stimulates cell death pathways-which control the cancer cells' fate- and prevents the glioblastoma from getting bigger.
Scientists have developed an agent to “wake up” HIV lying dormant in cells, which causes it to begin replicating so that either the immune system or the virus itself would kill the cell harboring HIV. They call the technique “kick and kill.”
UCLA researchers have demonstrated for the first time that black tea may promote weight loss and other health benefits by changing bacteria in the gut.
Pembrolizumab, a drug that has effectively extended the lives of countless people with many types of cancer, has now been approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to treat people with metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma, the most common form of stomach cancer. The research that led to the approval was conducted at UCLA and 67 other sites in the U.S., Europe, South America and Asia.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse has awarded $5 million to researchers at UCLA to develop a resource and data center for millions of pieces of research, lab samples, statistics and other data aimed at boosting research into the effects of substance abuse on HIV/AIDS.
Elementary school children with craniofacial anomalies show the highest levels of anxiety, depression and difficulties in peer interactions when compared to youths with craniofacial defects in middle and high schools. The findings suggest that keeping a close watch for these signs and educating the child’s peers about their condition may be necessary for this age group.
Open-access device -- which can be built from instructions posted online -- has opened a new universe to brain scientists, allowing them to observe neurons firing, and even the creation of memories.
There is no “one size fits all approach” when it comes to treating breast cancer. The disease is made up of several subtypes, and ideally each type should be treated with therapies that target the unique underlying biological problems.