Latest University of California, San Francisco Stories

UCSF scientists aim to use embryonic stem cells for treatment Chronic pain, by definition, is difficult to manage, but a new study by UCSF scientists shows how a cell therapy might one day be used not only to quell some common types of persistent and difficult-to-treat pain, but also to cure the conditions that give rise to them. The researchers, working with mice, focused on treating chronic pain that arises from nerve injury -- so-called neuropathic pain. In their study, published...

Connie K. Ho for RedOrbit.com Every year, 50 million people throughout the world contract amebiasis through contaminated food or water. With this shocking statistic, it is considered the third leading cause of illness and the fourth leading cause of death due to protozoan infection on a global basis. A collaborative project by researchers from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), and Wake Forest Medical School recently...

Groundbreaking 10-year UCSF research examines causes of death among HIV patients in San Francisco What is the connection, if any, between sudden cardiac death and people with HIV/AIDS? And can that knowledge help prolong their lives? In a comprehensive, 10-year UCSF study, researchers found patients with HIV/AIDS suffered sudden cardiac death at a rate four times higher than the general population. "As part of my ongoing research in 2010, we were looking at every instance of sudden...

UCSF-led team lays out 10-year roadmap to fight the disease Major depressive episodes can be prevented, and to help ensure that they are, the health care system should provide routine access to depression-prevention interventions, just as patients receive standard vaccines, according to a new article co-authored by UCSF researcher Ricardo F. Muñoz, PhD. The article builds on a 2009 Institute of Medicine report on prevention of mental, emotional and behavioral disorders, which provided...

OAKLAND, Calif., May 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Depressive symptoms that occur in both midlife and late-life are associated with an increased risk of developing vascular dementia, while symptoms that occur in late-life only are more likely to be early signs of Alzheimer's disease, according to University of California at San Francisco and Kaiser Permanente researchers. The study, which appears in the current issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, is the first to examine whether...

An extensive UCSF study questions previous study's analytic methods A popular smoking cessation medication has been under a cloud of suspicion ever since the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) published a study in July 2011 reporting "risk of serious adverse cardiovascular events associated with varenicline." Varenicline, also known as Chantix, blocks the pleasant effects of nicotine on the smoker's brain and lessens nicotine withdrawal symptoms. UCSF researchers, however,...

The smoking cessation drug varenicline significantly reduced alcohol consumption in a group of heavy-drinking smokers, in a study carried out by researchers at the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at the University of California, San Francisco. “Alcohol abuse is a huge problem, and this is a big step forward in identifying a potential new treatment,” said senior author Howard L. Fields, MD, PhD, professor of neurology and director of the Wheeler Center for the Neurobiology of...

Image Credit: Photos.com UCSF study offers path for studying learning, decision-making, PTSD UCSF scientists have identified patterns of brain activity in the rat brain that play a role in the formation and recall of memories and decision-making. The discovery, which builds on the team's previous findings, offers a path for studying learning, decision-making and post-traumatic stress syndrome. The researchers previously identified patterns of brain activity in the rat...

UCSF Visualization Shows Why Immune System Fails to Kill Tumors in Mice A pioneering approach to imaging breast cancer in mice has revealed new clues about why the human immune system often fails to attack tumors and keep cancer in check. This observation, by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), may help to reveal new approaches to cancer immunotherapy. Published in the journal Cancer Cell last month, the work shows that the body's natural defenses trip over...

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Ariosa Diagnostics, Inc., a molecular diagnostics company, is pleased to announce that Thomas J. Musci, M.D. will lead the clinical development and medical affairs of the company. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120326/NY75864LOGO) Dr. Musci is board-certified in Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Genetics and has had an extensive career in academics, private practice and industry. Recognized as a leader in clinical research on...