http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress provides the latest news from UC Davis (Medical Xpress)—Working with lab mice models of multiple sclerosis (MS), UC Davis scientists have detected a novel molecular target for the design of drugs that could be safer and more effective than current FDA-approved medications against MS. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-approach-treatment-ms-conditions.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Fri, 17 May 2013 16:54:30 EST news288028433 Scientists at the University of California, Davis, detected the H1N1 (2009) virus in free-ranging northern elephant seals off the central California coast a year after the human pandemic began, according to a study published today, May 15, in the journal PLOS ONE. It is the first report of that flu strain in any marine mammal. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-h1n1-marine-mammals.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 15 May 2013 17:00:24 EST news287856012 (Medical Xpress)—When brain cells are overwhelmed by an influx of too many calcium molecules, they shut down the channels through which these molecules enter the cells. Until now, the "stop" signal mechanism that cells use to control the molecular traffic was unknown. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-cells-calcium-influx.html Neuroscience Thu, 09 May 2013 07:53:13 EST news287304785 In a commentary published in the May issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, UC Davis bioethicist Mark Yarborough proposes that more information about the social value of individual research studies be made available to prospective research participants during the informed consent process so they are more aware of the degree to which a study has the potential to improve health for all. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-commentary-greater-transparency-highlighting-social.html Other Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:06 EST news286564097 In the first study of its kind, lay health workers increased screening rates for hepatitis B virus (HBV) and knowledge about the disease among a group of Asian Americans, known as the Hmong, UC Davis researchers have found. The study appears online today in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-health-care-worker-hepatitis-screening-hmong.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:04:29 EST news285944662 Minocycline, an older, broad-spectrum antibiotic in the tetracycline family, provides meaningful improvements as a therapeutic for children with fragile X syndrome, a study by researchers at the UC Davis MIND Institute has found. The finding is important, the researchers said, because minocycline is a targeted treatment for the condition that is readily available by prescription. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-minocycline-antibiotic-behavior-children-fragile.html Pediatrics Mon, 08 Apr 2013 17:00:02 EST news284658995 A team of UC Davis scientists has found that a product resulting from a metabolized omega-3 fatty acid helps combat cancer by cutting off the supply of oxygen and nutrients that fuel tumor growth and spread of the disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-fatty-acid-metabolite-cancer-mice.html Cancer Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:19:15 EST news284138335 (Medical Xpress)—Researchers at UC Davis have shown how the innate immune system distinguishes between dangerous pathogens and friendly microbes. Like burglars entering a house, hostile bacteria give themselves away by breaking into cells. However, sensing proteins instantly detect the invasion, triggering an alarm that mobilizes the innate immune response. This new understanding of immunity could ultimately help researchers find new targets to treat inflammatory disorders. The paper was published in Nature on March 31. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-team-cells-distinguish-friend-foe.html Immunology Mon, 01 Apr 2013 10:28:09 EST news284030879 (Medical Xpress)—Focusing on the present rather than letting the mind drift may help to lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, suggests new research from the Shamatha Project at the University of California, Davis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-mindfulness-meditation-stress-hormone.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 28 Mar 2013 09:00:01 EST news283678006 Researchers at UC Davis and the University of British Columbia have shed new light on methylation, a critical process that helps control how genes are expressed. Working with placentas, the team discovered that 37 percent of the placental genome has regions of lower methylation, called partially methylated domains (PMDs), in which gene expression is turned off. This differs from most human tissues, in which 70 percent of the genome is highly methylated. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-insights-genes.html Genetics Wed, 27 Mar 2013 13:57:13 EST news283611427 An evaluation of practice patterns in California hospitals showed a large variation in the use of metal devices called inferior vena cava filters, or VCFs, despite little evidence of their safety and effectiveness. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-efficacy-safety-vena-cava-filters.html Cardiology Fri, 22 Mar 2013 11:30:01 EST news283167483 (Medical Xpress)—New research from UC Davis published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that blocking an enzyme that promotes inflammation can prevent the tissue damage following a heart attack that often leads to heart failure. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-blocking-inflammation-pathway-cardiac-fibrosis.html Medical research Fri, 22 Mar 2013 11:10:05 EST news283167535 New research from the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, published in the Journal of Surgical Research, may help clinicians determine which patients are at highest risk for post-surgical blood clots in the legs or lungs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-physicians-post-surgical-venous-thromboembolisms.html Surgery Wed, 20 Mar 2013 13:44:33 EST news283005817 (Medical Xpress)—A new study conducted by monitoring the brain waves of sleeping adolescents has found that remarkable changes occur in the brain as it prunes away neuronal connections and makes the major transition from childhood to adulthood. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-reveals-adolescent-brain-transition-mature.html Neuroscience Tue, 19 Mar 2013 09:51:26 EST news282905473 Milk from goats that were genetically modified to produce higher levels of a human antimicrobial protein has proved effective in treating diarrhea in young pigs, demonstrating the potential for food products from transgenic animals to one day also benefit human health, report researchers at the University of California, Davis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-goats-antimicrobial-lysozyme-recovery-diarrhea.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 13 Mar 2013 17:00:03 EST news282411039