Scientists have known that bacteria produce small spherical versions of themselves. Lacking basic materials to reproduce or function like normal cells, the natural role of minicells—which protrude like budding balloons off the ends of bacteria—has remained a mystery. Now, researchers at UC San Diego have demonstrated for the first time that minicells play a key function in the survival of bacteria.
In the wake of media and public reports about increased mortality linked to a new drug for treating Parkinson’s disease psychosis, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine conducted a retrospective study of qualifying patients in the UC San Diego Health system concluding that the new drug, pimavanserin (marketed as Nuplazid), did not pose a statistically significant greater risk of death.
In a study publishing September 26 in Science Advances, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences report that tweaking factors in a cystic fibrosis lung model, such as pH balance and oxygen, helped eradicate pathogenic bacteria while minimizing risks of antibiotic resistance and overgrowth of other microorganisms.
Access to world class care is now easier, faster and at the fingertips of UC San Diego Health patients and loved ones. With the new MyUCSDHealth mobile application, patients have the ability to manage their health information and communicate with their physicians while family members and friends can find helpful resources, such as visiting hours, directions and parking information.
Like consumers investing in a pair of body-shaping jeans, the National Science Foundation (NSF) invests in basic research and people to mold the future. So, the government agency awarded more than $500,000 to the University of California San Diego and the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) to study, for the first time, the exploration of the electronic and magnetic behavior of one-dimensional (1D) metallic chains. In this case, these are ultra-short chains of atoms that can be fabricated using organic molecules called metallo-phthalocyanine (MPc)—flat molecules with a metal atom at the center commonly used in dyes present in the color of blue denim. The findings could lead to the development of new, smaller and faster electronic devices that can be used in computer memories, as well as to promising careers for future scientists.
More than 100 UC San Diego Health physicians have been named as “Top Docs” in the 2018 San Diego Magazine “Physicians of Exceptional Excellence” survey, an annual opportunity for doctors across the region to vote for much-admired colleagues.
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