Compared to insured health care consumers, uninsured people are much less effective at managing their illnesses.

UCSF researchers report that they were able to slow the growth of human cancer cells - or cause them to commit suicide altogether -- by creating just a miniscule mutation in the telomerase enzyme.

Controlling a tuberculosis infection requires an interplay of a distinct set of genes and immune system cells. Researchers at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease are showing for the first time that the absence of one of those genes, called CCR2, can have fatal consequences.

Our cells constantly flirt with disaster: Before each division, they duplicate hundreds -- often thousands -- of DNA snippets from each chromosome...

More than half of sexually active young women will be infected with human papilloma virus (HPV) if they remain sexually active over three years, a UCSF study shows. That risk is boosted 10-fold with each new partner.

UCSF researchers have discovered a human gene that can be traced back through the mouse to the fly, illuminating a molecular nugget from ancient times that may play a crucial role in male fertility - and infertility.

Scientists have identified the gene that prompts embryonic stem cells to generate precursors to most internal organs.

UCSF researchers have found that HIV-infected homeless and marginally housed people who have trouble sticking to their antiviral regimens may temporarily delay the onset of full blown AIDS if they manage to take at least half of their anti-HIV medications.

Some postmenopausal women carry a gene sequence that may lower their risk of breast cancer, according to new research from San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

A recent increase in severe reactions to the street drug "Ecstasy" has prompted the San Francisco division of California Poison Control System (CPCS) to renew alerts about the drug's dangers.