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News Archive - Scott LaFee

Smoking Cessation Drugs Do Not Elevate Risk of Serious Neuropsychiatric Adverse Effects

April 22, 2016

Compared to the nicotine patch and a placebo, the smoking cessation aids varenicline (marketed as Chantix in the U.S.) and bupropion (Zyban) do not show a significant increase in neuropsychiatric adverse events, reports an international team of researchers in a study published online April 22 in the journal The Lancet.

UC San Diego Researchers Join Largest Autism Study Ever in United States

April 21, 2016

Autism experts at University of California San Diego Autism Center of Excellence (ACE) at the School of Medicine will be part of the largest autism study ever undertaken in the United States – an effort to collect information and DNA from 50,000 individuals, ages 3 to 100, with the neurodevelopmental disorder.

Dysfunctional Endosomes are Early Sign of Neurodegeneration

April 11, 2016

Writing in the April 11 issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine say abnormalities in a protein that helps transport and sort materials inside cells are linked to axonal dysfunction and degeneration of neurons in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Down syndrome (DS).

Omega Factor: Novel Method Measures Mortality Risk When Multiple Diseases Threaten

April 11, 2016

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have developed a novel method for assessing mortality risk in elderly patients with cancer who also suffer from other serious diseases or conditions. The prognostic model, they say, is more precise and provides a more useful tool for determining the best treatments when more than one disease is involved.

San Diego to be Research Hub for New Human Vaccines Project

April 7, 2016

The University of California, San Diego, J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology and The Scripps Research Institute have teamed up to create the “Mesa Consortium,” a new scientific hub for the Human Vaccines Project. Under a collaborative agreement, the Mesa Consortium and the Human Vaccine Project aim to transform current understanding of the human immune system and expedite development of vaccines and biologics to prevent and treat many global diseases.

Higher Levels of Vitamin D Correspond to Lower Cancer Risk, Researchers Say

April 6, 2016

Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that higher levels of vitamin D – specifically serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D – are associated with a correspondingly reduced risk of cancer. The findings are published in the April 6, online issue of PLOS ONE.

Novel 3D Imaging Offers New Tool for Identifying Advanced Fibrosis in Liver

April 5, 2016

In a paper published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine conducted a prospective study of 100 patients (56 percent women) with biopsy-proven NAFLD to assess the efficacy of two-dimensional magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) and a novel 3D version. They found that both MRE technologies were highly accurate for diagnosing advanced fibrosis, with 3D perhaps providing additional capabilities in some patients.

Successful Dying: Researchers Define the Elements of a “Good Death”

March 30, 2016

For most people, the culmination of a good life is a “good death,” though what that means exactly is a matter of considerable consternation. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine surveyed published, English-language, peer-reviewed reports of qualitative and quantitative studies defining a “good death,” ultimately identifying 11 core themes associated with dying well.

Stem Cells Used to Successfully Regenerate Damage in Corticospinal Injury

March 28, 2016

Writing in Nature Medicine, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, with colleagues in Japan and Wisconsin, report that they have successfully directed stem cell-derived neurons to regenerate lost tissue in damaged corticospinal tracts of rats, resulting in functional benefit.

Genetic Changes that Cause Autism Are More Diverse Than Previously Thought

March 24, 2016

The types of gene mutations that contribute to autism are more diverse than previously thought, report researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine in the March 24 online issue of The American Journal of Human Genetics. The findings, they say, represent a significant advance in efforts to unravel the genetic basis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
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