http://health.ucsd.edu/news/ Breaking news from UCSD Schools of Medicine, Pharmacy and the UCSD Medical Centers en-us http://health.ucsd.edu/news/2005/12_05_Macias.html As long as children have carried their books and belongings in backpacks they have complained of shoulder and back pain. A University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine-led team found that how loads are distributed under backpack straps may help identify the source of shoulder and back pain in children. http://health.ucsd.edu/news/2005/12_05_Judd.html Lewis L. Judd, M.D., Chair and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine and colleagues conducted a study to provide detailed data on psychosocial disability in relation to affective symptom severity during the long-term course of two types of bipolar disorder – bipolar-I (BP-I) and bipolar-II (BP-II). BP-I includes episodes of mania, and BP-II includes less severe episodes of abnormal mood elevation called hypomania, together with depressive episodes and symptoms. Both types of bipolar disorder have previously been established as dimensional illnesses, in which patients experience fluctuating levels of severity of manic and depressive symptoms, interspersed with symptom-free periods, over a long-term course of illness. http://health.ucsd.edu/news/2005/11_30_Genome.html “Celebrating a Decade of Genome Sequencing,” a one-day symposium featuring talks by leaders in the field of genomics from around the world, will be held at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) on Tuesday, December 6, 2005. http://health.ucsd.edu/news/2005/11_29_Kagnoff.html Thanks to a $2.5 million gift from the Oklahoma-based William K. Warren Foundation, researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine will be able to step up the fight against celiac disease, a disease estimated to affect one in 100 Americans. Celiac disease is a digestive condition triggered by consumption of a common protein called gluten, which is found in bread, pasta, cookies, pizza crust and many other foods. http://health.ucsd.edu/news/2005/11_28_Broide.html The bronchial tubes of a patient with severe asthma can become scarred due to repeated episodes of allergic inflammation in the airways. The scarring results in blocked airways, excessive production of mucus, and shortness of breath. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have discovered that when a single gene – IKK beta – is selectively inactivated in the membrane-lining cells of the bronchial tubes of mice that later inhale allergens, such scarring, mucus production and airway inflammation is significantly reduced. http://health.ucsd.edu/news/2005/11_22_Wolf.html If our modern clinical chemistry, toxicology, immunology, and infectious disease labs had existed during the 16th to early-19th centuries, the world might have missed out on the work of some of the world’s most creative painters, sculptors and poets, hints a paper recently published in November 2005 issue of the Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. http://health.ucsd.edu/news/2005/11_21_HoliHaz.html University of California, San Diego Medical Center and the California Poison Control System offer these seasonal tips to help keep the season safe. http://health.ucsd.edu/news/2005/11_08_Grant.html Students in the School of Medicine and Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) are poised to be among the leaders of tomorrow in the important area of clinical research studies – turning basic medical research into improved diagnostic techniques and treatment for patients. http://health.ucsd.edu/news/2005/11_07_Kipps.html The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society has awarded Thomas Kipps, M.D., Ph.D., Deputy Director of Research at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center, a $6.25 million, 5-year grant to develop new blood-cancer therapies. Kipps, an international authority on chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), is one of only four new Specialized Center of Research (SCOR) grant recipients named this year. http://health.ucsd.edu/news/2005/11_04_Silverstein.html The UCSD Student-Run Free Dental Project and the UCSD Pre-Dental Society will be presented the American Dental Association (ADA) Golden Apple Award in the category of Achievement in Dental School/Student Involvement in Organized Dentistry Saturday, Nov. 5. This is the first time that a pre-dental program undergraduate school not affiliated with a dental school has won in this category. http://health.ucsd.edu/news/2005/11_04_Sewell.html With the holidays approaching, persons with memory impairment or behavioral problems may not feel comfortable in large family gatherings. However, there is much that loved ones can do to make these individuals a part of the holiday celebrations. http://health.ucsd.edu/news/2005/10_28_Caligiuri.html Michael P. Caligiuri, Ph.D., UCSD Professor of Psychiatry, has been named the first Director of the Clinical Research Protections (CRESP) Program at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Health Sciences, effective January 3, 2006.