UCLAhealth.org Health and Medicine Headlines

Researchers use chemical from medicinal plant to fight HIV

2008-11-07T00:00:00.0000000-08:00

Like other kinds of cells, immune cells lose the ability to divide as they age because a part of their chromosomes known as a telomere becomes progressively shorter with cell division. As a result, the cell changes in many ways, and its disease fighting ability is compromised.

But a new UCLA AIDS Institute study has found that a chemical from the Astragalus root, frequently used in Chinese herbal therapy, can prevent or slow this progressive telomere...

UCLA study reveals smoking's effect on nurses' health, death rates

2008-11-13T00:00:00.0000000-08:00

A new UCLA School of Nursing study is the first to reveal the devastating consequences of smoking on the nursing profession. Published in the November–December edition of the journal Nursing Research, the findings describe smoking trends and death rates among U.S. nurses and emphasize the importance of supporting smoking cessation programs in the nursing field.

"Nurses witness firsthand how smoking devastates the health of their patients with cancer and...

Harley bikers kick off holidays with toy run at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA

2008-11-18T00:00:00.0000000-08:00

WHAT:

For the 19th consecutive year, more than 100 motorcyclists and friends from the Southern California Anaheim-Fullerton H.O.G. (Harley Owner's Group) chapter will caravan on their bikes to deliver hundreds of holiday gifts for pediatric patients at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA. Hospital staff and young patients will greet the bikers and get a chance to see and even sit on the Harleys. Bikers will form a "love line" to unload hundreds of toys, which will be...

San Joaquin Valley center of emerging health crisis among elderly

2008-11-20T00:00:00.0000000-08:00

Senior citizens in California's Central Valley region have the worst health in the state and may provide a snapshot of the challenges California faces over the next two decades — a time in which the elderly population is projected to double.

Diabetes, obesity and falls, as well as low mammography rates and sedentary lifestyles, are all more acute among older adults in the San Joaquin Valley than elsewhere in the state, according to a new report,...

Red, red wine: How it fights Alzheimer's

2008-11-20T00:00:00.0000000-08:00

Scientists call it the "French paradox" — a society that, despite consuming food high in cholesterol and saturated fats, has long had low death rates from heart disease. Research has suggested it is the red wine consumed with all that fatty food that may be beneficial — and not only for cardiovascular health but in warding off certain tumors and even Alzheimer's disease.

Now, Alzheimer's researchers at UCLA, in collaboration...

Pediatric patients, families to enjoy Thanksgiving meal at UCLA

2008-11-25T00:00:00.0000000-08:00

WHAT:

UCLA pediatric patients and their families will enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving meal at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA thanks to a generous donation from Lawry's Prime Rib Restaurant of Beverly Hills, Calif. The traditional meal allows families to enjoy a meaningful holiday experience together.

FILMING | PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES:

Children too ill to leave the hospital for the holidays and their families will enjoy the...

Can you hear me now? How the inner ear's sensors are made

2008-11-30T00:00:00.0000000-08:00

(Editors: Images of normal and abnormal ear sensors in zebrafish are available upon request.)

A UCLA study shows for the first time how microscopic crystals form sound and gravity sensors inside the inner ear. Located at the ends of cilia — tiny cellular hairs in the ear that move and transmit signals — these crystals play an important role in detecting sound, maintaining balance and regulating movement.

Dislodged ear crystals are to blame for the...

Shapiro family donates $2M to establish two chairs at Geffen School of Medicine

2008-12-03T00:00:00.0000000-08:00

The Shapiro Family Charitable Foundation has pledged $2 million to The UCLA Foundation to fund two endowed chairs, both of which will greatly enhance the research, teaching, patient care and public service mission of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

The endowed Shapiro Family Chair in Child Development Studies and Cerebral Palsy, funded by a $1 million endowment, will support the teaching and research activities of a distinguished faculty member in the department of...

Multifaith event at medical center to showcase variety of holiday traditions

2008-12-05T00:00:00.0000000-08:00

WHAT:

The Spiritual Care Department at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center will host its 11th annual multicultural, multifaith exhibit, a fun and educational event that helps enrich people's understanding of a wide variety of religious and cultural holiday traditions. Holidays represented include Bodhi Day, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Ramadan and Yule/Winter solstice.

Visitors can sample the traditional...

UCLA signs historic memorandum with pediatric institution in Tokyo

2008-12-05T00:00:00.0000000-08:00

As part of a new initiative to create partnerships with pediatric research institutions around the globe, Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA has signed a memorandum of understanding with the department of pediatrics at Tokyo's Jikei University School of Medicine.

The memorandum is the first among Mattel Children's Hospital's many planned agreements with leading institutions throughout Asia and Latin America.

Signed last month, the UCLA–Jikei University pact is a broad...

Obesity among state's low-income teens nearly triple that of more affluent peers

2008-12-10T00:00:00.0000000-08:00

California's low-income teenagers have a lot in common: Sugary soda. Fast-food restaurants. Too much television. Not enough exercise. The result: Low-income teenagers are almost three times more likely to be obese than teens from more affluent households, according to new research from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

In California, 21 percent of teenagers living in low-income families are obese, according to the new policy brief, "

Nearly 6.4 million Californians lack health insurance, report shows

2008-12-15T00:00:00.0000000-08:00

Nearly one-fifth of all Californians under age 65 were without health insurance for all or some of 2007, according to a policy brief released today by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

Drawing on comprehensive new data from the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), the policy brief's authors found that 6.4 million Californians lacked any health insurance coverage for all or some of 2007, the most recent year for which comprehensive statewide...

Volunteers and their dogs to go caroling at UCLA children's hospital

2008-12-17T00:00:00.0000000-08:00

(Note to Editors: Depending on the number of media outlets that attend, please be prepared to take turns filming inside hospital rooms due to limited space in patient care areas.)

WHAT:

A group of volunteers and their dogs, all members of UCLA's People-Animal Connection (PAC), will hold their annual holiday caroling event. Dressed in holiday gear, the canine volunteer teams will stroll through the pediatric unit and playroom...

Vulnerability to post-traumatic stress disorder runs in families, study shows

2008-12-19T00:00:00.0000000-08:00

Earthquakes have aftershocks — not just the geological kind but the mental kind as well. Just like veterans of war, earthquake survivors can experience post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety.

In 1988, a massive earthquake in Armenia killed 17,000 people and destroyed nearly half the town of Gumri. Now, in the first multigenerational study of its kind, UCLA researchers studying survivors of that catastrophe have discovered that vulnerability...

Moderate alcohol consumption may help seniors keep disabilities at bay

2008-12-22T00:00:00.0000000-08:00

It is well known that moderate drinking can have positive health benefits — for instance, a couple of glasses of red wine a day can be good for the heart. But if you're a senior in good health, light to moderate consumption of alcohol may also help prevent the development of physical disability.

That's the conclusion of a new UCLA study, available in the online edition of the American...

Assessment technique lets scientists see brain aging before symptoms appear

2009-01-05T00:00:00.0000000-08:00

UCLA scientists have used innovative brain-scan technology developed at UCLA, along with patient-specific information on Alzheimer's disease risk, to help diagnose brain aging, often before symptoms appear. Published in the January issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, their study may offer a more accurate method for tracking brain aging.

Researchers used positron emission tomography (PET), which allows "a window into the brain" of...