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Two novel treatments -- a basic compound found in every cell in the body and an extract of green tea -- may prevent brain damage caused from stroke, according to two studies in rats led by a researcher at the San Francisco VA Medical Center.
A protein called HIPK2 is essential for the survival of dopamine neurons, the cells lost in Parkinson's disease, according to a study in mice. The results suggest that the molecular pathway in which the protein functions could be a possible new target for therapy, the study authors say.
The second edition of the only comprehensive textbook on inherited disorders of the immune system, co-edited by UCSF Professor of Pediatrics and Human Genetics Jennifer Puck, MD, will soon be published in the United States. The new version has mushroomed in size from 35 to 48 chapters, reflecting the increase in the number of primary immune deficiency diseases that have been identified, as well as new information on their causes and treatments.
Researchers at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND) have identified a potential new avenue for reducing the build up of toxic amyloid (Ab) proteins, which are suspected of causing Alzheimer's disease (AD).
On Tuesday, August 15, <i>KQED-FM's Forum with Michael Krasny </i>assesses a recent hypothesis on obesity, and how sugar may trigger a starvation reaction in the brain.
A UCSF researcher has determined that a key reason for the epidemic of pediatric obesity, now the most commonly diagnosed childhood ailment, is that high-calorie, low-fiber Western diets promote hormonal imbalances that encourage children to overeat.
A study led by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center has revealed a possible answer to a longstanding AIDS mystery: why only some people infected with HIV go on to develop HIV dementia.
Multiple sclerosis is increasingly being diagnosed in children and teens. Although physicians have long known that kids can come down with the disease, new technology and emerging awareness of the problem have led them to spot the kind of cases that previously had gone undetected until years later.
A paper published in the July 1, 2006, issue of American Journal of Epidemiology reports that early-middle-aged people (38-50 years) appear to sleep much less than they should, and even less than they think they do.
In a recent report published online in <i>Archives of Ophthalmology</i>, Maria Bernal, MD, a clinical fellow at UCSF's Proctor Foundation, and David Hwang, MD, FACS, professor of clinical ophthalmology and director of the Cornea Service at UCSF, along with colleagues in UCSF's Department of Ophthalmology, provide one of the first reports of an outbreak of soft contact lens-associated corneal infections due to <i>Fusarium</i>, an uncommon type of fungus.
A recent Japanese study found that a potential DNA vaccine for Alzheimer's disease cut levels of amyloid proteins in the brain.