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A novel virus has been identified as the possible cause of a common but mysterious disease that kills a significant number of pet snakes all over the world, thanks to research led by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)—and three snakes named Juliet, Balthazar and Larry.
<p>Viral hepatitis chronically infects between 3.5 and 5.2 million people in the U.S. and more than 30,000 in San Francisco, alone — but only about one in three people who are infected know it, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.</p>
<p>At the edge of a San Francisco neighborhood that has been riddled with drug addiction for decades, UCSF epidemiologist Kimberly Page, PhD, MPS, leads a research team that provides outreach, screening and prevention programs for drug users, those who are especially vulnerable to hepatitis C infection.</p>
<p>Liver cancer is expected to become more common in the United States in coming years. “It’s deadly and it’s preventable,” says UCSF physician and researcher Tung Nguyen, MD.</p>
A team of researchers from UCSF and UC San Diego has identified an approved arthritis drug that is effective against amoebas in lab and animal studies, suggesting it could offer a low-dose, low cost treatment for the amoebic infections that cause human dysentery throughout the world.
A drug once taken by people with HIV/AIDS, but long ago shelved after newer, modern antiretroviral therapies became available, has now shed light on how the human body uses its natural immunity to fight the virus — work that could help uncover new targets for drugs.
<p>As physicians working on the frontlines of HIV/AIDS since its start 30 years ago near retirement, UCSF is looking to attract and train the next generation of doctors to specialize in HIV/AIDS medicine.</p>
<p>Microbes that dwell within us can help or harm us, according to UCSF experts at "Gut Check," a lunchtime panel discussion hosted by UCSF as part of the Bay Area Science Festival last week.</p>