Health & Behavior

Research

The Latest

New Drug Combination Treats Hepatitis C Patients also infected with HIV

Roughly 20 to 30 percent of patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) are also infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV). Both blood-borne viruses share the same modes of transmission, but many HCV medications currently have significant limitations due to adverse interactions with HIV treatments. Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report a new combination that effectively treats HCV in patients co-infected with HIV.

UC San Diego Health Ranks #1 by U.S. News & World Report

Once again, UC San Diego Health and its hospitals are ranked #1 in San Diego, and recognized among the best in the nation, by U.S. News & World Report for 2015-16. The annual U.S. News “Best Hospitals” rankings distinguish hospitals that excel in treating the most challenging health conditions.

UC San Diego Health and AccentCare Announce Joint Venture for Home Health Care Services

UC San Diego Health and AccentCare have created a jointly owned home health services agency to serve UC San Diego Health patients in San Diego and surrounding communities. The new agency is designed to provide a comprehensive continuum of care after patients have been discharged from the hospital to facilitate efficient communication, improved safety, and faster healing.

Nutrients Turn on Key Tumor Signaling Molecule, Fueling Resistance to Cancer Therapy

Tumors can leverage glucose and other nutrients to resist targeted therapies directed at specific cellular molecules, according to researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Ludwig Cancer Research. In the study, published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team used human tissue and mouse models to demonstrate that nutrients can strongly affect the signaling molecules that drive tumors in glioblastoma, a deadly brain cancer.

Learning Impacts How the Brain Processes What We See

From the smell of flowers to the taste of wine, our perception is strongly influenced by prior knowledge and expectations, a cognitive process known as top-down control. In a University of California, San Diego School of Medicine study, a research team led by Takaki Komiyama, PhD, assistant professor of neurosciences and neurobiology, reports that in mouse models, the brain significantly changed its visual cortex operation modes by implementing top-down processes during learning.

A New Wrinkle: Geometry of Brain’s Outer Surface Correlates With Genetic Heritage

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego and the School of Medicine have found that the three-dimensional shape of the cerebral cortex – the wrinkled outer layer of the brain controlling many functions of thinking and sensation – strongly correlates with ancestral background. The study opens the door to more precise studies of brain anatomy going forward and could eventually lead to more personalized medicine approaches for diagnosing and treating brain diseases.