A UCSF-led team is reporting striking results in mice that indicate that a molecule known as HIF-1 could prove an effective target for inducing the growth of blood vessels in oxygen-starved tissues.

People who care for their frail elderly relatives instead of putting them in nursing homes frequently miss work or leave their jobs entirely, according to research from San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC).

In a discovery that demonstrates a clear link between the mind and body at a molecular level, scientists have shown that a chemical signal which normally allows nerve cells to communicate with each other - to alter sleep cycles, for example -- can also re-direct actions of the immune system.

SAN DIEGO -- Women who have a particular gene sequence are at a higher risk of developing cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease, according to a study from researchers at UCSF and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center (SFVAMC).

At a time when harmful drug reactions are thought to rank just after strokes as a leading cause of death in the U.S., the potential benefits of tailoring drugs to a patient's genetic makeup have been confirmed in a systematic study led by University of California, San Francisco scientists.

A UCSF study of the migration patterns of underrepresented minority Californians in medicine found that those who attend medical schools in the state are more likely to enter residency programs in California and remain in the state to practice.

Tiny parasitic worms that infect 250 million people worldwide and cause the debilitating disease schistosomiasis can thrive undetected in the blood for years. New research shows that the worms not only evade immune defenses but actively use molecules of the immune system to grow and reproduce.

Some animal studies have shown that aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have an anti-tumor effect in the colon. Also, some studies in people suggest that these drugs may decrease the risk of colorectal cancer.

For doctors in developing countries of Africa and Asia, finding the latest information on HIV/AIDS is nearly impossible because of sluggish and unreliable Internet connections. A new CD-ROM produced by UCSF's HIV InSite may help to bridge the information gap.

Researchers at the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology have found that an HIV gene called Vpr causes the membrane surrounding the nucleus-the nuclear envelope-to form herniations that project and retract much like solar flares radiating from the surface of the sun.