Health & Behavior

Research

The Latest

UC San Diego OBGYN Chair Named 48th President of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine

Gyamfi-Bannerman is the first UC San Diego faculty member to serve as president of the leading medical society working toward equitable pregnancy outcomes.

Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman, MD, UC San Diego Health

Helping Hands: UC San Diego Center for Community Health Leadership Honored for Health Equity Work

Blanca Meléndrez and Amina Sheik Mohamed of the UC San Diego Center for Community Health received the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award for their efforts to address health equity in partnership with underserved, immigrant and refugee communities.

Blanca Meléndrez at left, with Amina Sheik Mohamed at right.

Researchers Uncover Mechanisms behind Enigmatic Shapes of Nuclei

White blood cells known as neutrophils feature a nucleus that is structured strikingly different than most nuclei. These unique shapes permit neutrophils to travel all over the body to combat invading pathogens. Scientists have now deciphered the shapeshifting puzzle of the neutrophil nucleus.

Type 2 Diabetes Alters the Behavior of Discs in the Vertebral Column

Type 2 diabetes alters the behavior of discs in the vertebral column, making them stiffer, and also causes the discs to change shape earlier than normal. As a result, the disc’s ability to withstand pressure is compromised.

Harnessing Human Evolution to Advance Precision Medicine

Scientists hope to advance precision medicine through the discovery of a gene variant that leads to the same phenotype in separate high-dwelling populations while taking a different evolutionary path.

Faulty DNA Disposal System Causes Inflammation

Each cell features mtDNA, instructions that mitochondria use to create energy. When mtDNA remains where it belongs, cells remain healthy. But when it goes where it doesn’t belong, mtDNA can initiate an immune response and inflammation. Scientists have discovered the pathways behind this process.