In an effort to probe the first few moments of time after the Big Bang some 13.8 billion years ago, a consortium of researchers, including astrophysicists from the University of California San Diego, is planning a new observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert to measure the cosmic microwave background, or CMB.
Drug-related overdoses are the leading cause of injury-related deaths in the United States, surpassing motor vehicle accidents at 44,000 fatalities annually. In response, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have partnered with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department to implement and study a program that requires all deputies carry and be trained to use a life-saving drug in the event of a discovered overdose and then refer victims to a treatment center once they are revived.
Family planning is a major health issue in India, the world’s second most populous country. Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine describe a novel program that involves increased male engagement and gender-equity counseling to measurably improve contraceptive practices and reduced marital sexual violence.
Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues in Brazil and Senegal, have described the first “direct experimental proof” that the Brazilian strain of Zika virus can actually cause severe birth defects. The findings are published in the May 11 online issue of Nature.
In a massive analysis of DNA samples from more than 13,000 U.S. soldiers, scientists have identified two statistically significant genetic variants that may be associated with an increased risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an often serious mental illness linked to earlier exposure to a traumatic event, such as combat and an act of violence.
In Alzheimer’s disease, plaques of amyloid beta protein accumulate in the brain, damaging connections between neurons. Now, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School have found that the enzyme Protein Kinase C (PKC) alpha is necessary for amyloid beta to damage neuronal connections. They also identified genetic variations that enhance PKC alpha activity in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
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