http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/ Headlines from the University of California, Berkeley Steve McConnell - steve.mcconnell@berkeley.edu en-US http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2008/06/16_stemcell.shtml When UC Berkeley bioengineers tweaked how adult stem cells reacted to biochemical signals regulating cell division, they gave muscle in old mice a shot of youthful vigor. The research sets the path for research on new treatments for age-related degenerative conditions, including muscle atrophy and Alzheimer's disease. Published: 16 June http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2008/06/02_genomes.shtml As the cost of DNA sequencing drops, it may become common for people to have their complete genomes sequenced. Personal genomes will not only tell people about their genetic susceptibility to cancer and heart disease, but also will tell them which vitamins can improve their health. Some day, we all may take personalized vitamin supplements. Published: 02 June http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2008/05/27_hhmi.shtml Five UC Berkeley faculty members have received one of the most sought-after honors in biomedical research: appointment as Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigators with guaranteed research support for five, 10 or more years into the future. Published: 27 May http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2008/05/08_globalhealth.shtml From projects to prevent mothers from dying during childbirth to the development of low-cost treatments and diagnostics for drug-resistant tuberculosis, UC Berkeley is bringing together global health research from across the campus in an ambitious interdisciplinary initiative to be officially launched on Wednesday, May 14. Published: 08 May http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2008/05/08_HIV.shtml A new policy analysis led by public health researchers at UC Berkeley and Harvard University says that the most common HIV prevention strategies - including condom use, HIV testing, vaccine research and abstinence - are not backed by rigorous studies and are having limited impact on the epidemic in Africa. More resources are needed for two less popular interventions - male circumcision and reduction of sexual partners - that have been proven effective in Africa, the researchers argue. Published: 08 May http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2008/05/07_cirmgrant.shtml The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine has awarded $20.18 million to UC Berkeley to build centralized stem cell laboratories in a new research building, the Li Ka Shing Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences, now under construction. Published: 07 May http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2008/05/07_cirmgrant.shtml The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine has awarded $20.18 million to UC Berkeley to build centralized stem cell laboratories in a new research building, the Li Ka Shing Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences, now under construction. Published: 07 May http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2008/04/29_cellphone.shtml With an innovative concept developed by UC Berkeley engineers, the ubiquitous cell phone could one day be used to make medical imaging accessible to billions of people around the world. Using off-the-shelf components, the researchers demonstrated the feasibility of using a mobile phone to transmit raw data from a medical scan to a central server for processing, and then receiving the final image for display on its screen. Published: 29 April http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2008/04/21_cortisol.shtml A new study of young children living in extreme poverty found that those whose mothers showed symptoms of depression had low levels of cortisol, a hormone activated during times of stress, compared with children whose mothers did not exhibit depressive symptoms. Published: 21 April http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2008/04/15_dementia.shtml UC Berkeley and UCSF researchers are uncovering more clues to a mystifying dementia that robs its victims of empathy, emotion regulation and social competence and leads to an early death. This is the first in-depth study of emotional processing in patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), a neurogenerative disorder that often surfaces in middle age. Researchers from UC Berkeley and UCSF's Memory and Aging Center say FTLD is easy to overlook because it goes after the parts of the brain that control emotions while sparing functions such as memory, calculation and navigation. Published: 15 April http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2008/04/01_rapmusic.shtml A new study finds that references to illegal drug use in rap music jumped sixfold in the two decades since 1979, the year when rap made its way from inner-city urban areas to a mainstream audience. Moreover, illegal drug use became increasingly linked during this time period to wealth, glamour and social standing, raising red flags about its potential influence on young listeners, said Denise Herd, UC Berkeley associate professor and author of the study. Published: 01 April http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2008/03/26_ngai.shtml A human hormone known to stimulate the growth of cells throughout the body has a new role - helping to set up the proper nerve connections in the odor center of the brain, according to UC Berkeley neuroscientist John Ngai. Published: 26 March http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2008/03/19_folatesperm.shtml It may not be just women who need extra folate in their diets to reduce the risk of birth defects. A new study by researchers at UC Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory puts the spotlight on the other sex, finding that healthy men who report lower levels of the nutrient folate in their diets have higher rates of genetic abnormalities in their sperm. Published: 19 March http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2008/03/12_siebel.shtml"> <rssT>UC Berkeley and Stanford University launch joint stem cell research</rssT> </a> </span><br> <rssD>Two leaders in biomedical research - UC-Berkeley and the Stanford School of Medicine - will join forces in a new stem cell initiative that will catalyze research and serve as a magnet for scholars from around the world. The Siebel Stem Cell Institute, established by the Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation, is a joint initiative between the Berkeley Stem Cell Center and the Stanford Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine Institute.</rssD><br> <span class="date">(<rssDt>12 March</rssDt>)</span></p> <p><span class="headline"> <rssL><a href="http://www.berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/2008/03/12_healthheroes.shtml On April 2, the School of Public Health (SPH) will honor three individuals and one organization at its 12th annual Public Health Heroes Awards ceremony, to be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Published: 12 March http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2008/03/06_conditionalcash.shtml Children in impoverished families that received an extra amount of cold, hard cash from a government support program were taller, less likely to be overweight, and scored higher on cognitive, motor and language tests, compared with kids in families that received less money, says a new UC Berkeley-led study. Published: 06 March