News

Why Omega-3 Oils Help at the Cellular Level

For the first time, researchers at the University of California, San Diego have peered inside a living mouse cell and mapped the processes that power the celebrated health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. More profoundly, they say their findings suggest it may be possible to manipulate these processes to short-circuit inflammation before it begins, or at least help to resolve inflammation before it becomes detrimental.

May 15, 2012General, Health, Science and Engineering

Scarring Cells Revert To Inactive State As Liver Heals

An international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, report that significant numbers of myofibroblasts – cells that produce the fibrous scarring in chronic liver injury – revert to an inactive phenotype as the liver heals. The discovery in mouse models could ultimately help lead to new human therapies for reversing fibrosis in the liver, and in other organs like the lungs and kidneys.

May 07, 2012General, Health, Science and Engineering

Insulin Resistance, Inflammation and a Muscle-Saving Protein

In the online May 2 issue of the journal Cell Metabolism, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine publish three distinct articles exploring: the complex interactions of lipids and inflammation in insulin resistance; the roles of omega 3 fatty acids and a particular gene in fighting inflammation;how elevated levels of a particular protein might delay the muscle-destroying effects of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

May 01, 2012General, Health, Science and Engineering

HIV Prevention in a Pill

Plaque Deposits Alone Do Not Trigger Clinical Symptoms of Alzheimer’s, Researchers Find

According to a new study, the neuron-killing pathology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which begins before clinical symptoms appear, requires the presence of both amyloid-beta (a-beta) plaque deposits and elevated levels of an altered protein called p-tau.

April 23, 2012General, Health, Science and Engineering

Modest Alcohol Use Lowers Risk and Severity of Some Liver Disease

People with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NALFD) who consume alcohol in modest amounts – no more than one or two servings per day – are half as likely to develop hepatitis as non-drinkers with the same condition, reports a national team of scientists led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

April 19, 2012General, Health, Science and Engineering

Two UC San Diego Professors Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Susan Ferro-Novick, PhD, professor in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, and Herbert Levine, PhD, professor in the UC San Diego Department of Physics, have been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

April 17, 2012Awards, General, Health, Science and Engineering

Older stories (prior to October 2011)