Now following on their earlier work that identified three gene locations that may be implicated in schizophrenia, researchers at UCLA and colleagues from around the world have, for the first time, identified additional genes that confirm what scientists have long suspected — that the immune system may play a role in the development of the disorder. Further, they have also identified genetic anomalies that disrupt the cellular pathways involved in brain development, memory and cognition, all markers of schizophrenia.

The research appears in the July 1 online edition of the journal Nature.

Roel Ophoff, the co-lead author and an assistant professor at the Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, and his collaborators from nearly 50 institutions worldwide, performed a genome-wide scan of 2,663 people diagnosed with schizophrenia and 13,498 controls from eight European locations. They were looking for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP), genetic variations that are commonly present in the general population but more often present in those suffering from the disorder. In total, nearly 314,000 SNPs were included in their analysis.

They found significant associations with genetic markers on the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC), a group of genes that controls several aspects of the immune response. Further, they discovered additional variations in two other genes, called NRGN and TCF4, which points to perturbation of pathways involved in brain development, memory and cognition.

"This is another step forward in understanding the biological basis of this disorder, one that robs people of their lives," said Ophoff, who holds a joint appointment at the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands. "It also shows the importance of worldwide collaborations for the study of schizophrenia genetics, because it allows us to do very large numbers of scans."

The findings are significant yet not without challenge, said Ophoff, since the study aimed at the "common variants" in the human genome. "In other words," he said, "these are not rare mutations present in only a few individuals, but these genetic variants are abundantly present in the population. Anybody could carry this variant, but that doesn't mean they will necessarily develop the disease. Yet, when you look at the population at large, these variants are more often present in patients than in healthy control subjects."

And that’s important, he noted, in developing new techniques to thwart the disease. "Knowing these specific genes are involved in the pathway leading to schizophrenia provides unique clues as to which molecular mechanisms are involved," he said. 

While the association between schizophrenia and the immune system has long been suspected, the evidence for it has, until now, been mostly circumstantial. And impaired cognitive and memory functions are increasingly being recognized as core features of schizophrenia, which are poorly addressed by current medications.

"The three common genetic variants we describe, then, which we feel predisposes certain individuals to schizophrenia, have the potential to be translated into targets for the development of new and novel medications," Ophoff said. 

Some 40 other authors and institutions contributed to the paper, and there were multiple funding sources; for UCLA, funding was provided by the National Institute of Mental Health. Other UCLA authors included Dr. Nelson Freimer, director of the Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics and professor of psychiatry, and Rita Cantor, professor of human genetics, both members of the David Geffen School of Medicine. The UCLA authors report no conflicts of interest.

"We expected the placenta to protect fetuses from the mother’s exposure to tiny amounts of carbon monoxide,” said John Edmond, professor emeritus of biological chemistry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "But we found that not to be the case."

The researchers exposed pregnant rats to 25 parts per million carbon monoxide in the air, an exposure level established as safe by Cal/OSHA, California’s division of occupational health and safety.  

Dr. Ivan Lopez, UCLA associate professor of head and neck surgery, tested the rats’ litters 20 days after birth. Rats born to animals who had inhaled the gas suffered chronic oxidative stress, a harmful condition caused by an excess of harmful free radicals or insufficient antioxidants. 

"Oxidative stress damaged the baby rats’ brain cells, leading to a drop in proteins essential for proper function," said Lopez. "Oxidative stress is a risk factor linked to many disorders, including autism, cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Lou Gehrig’s disease, multiple sclerosis and cardiovascular disease. We know that it exacerbates disease.”

No policies exist to regulate the gas in the home. Most commercial home monitors sound an alarm only hours after concentrations reaches 70 parts per million — nearly three times the 25 parts per million limit set by Cal/OSHA. 

• A classification of the interactions when nanomaterials contact and bind to biological systems will help scientists understand how man-made materials may react when exposed to cells, tissues and various life forms in different natural environmental contexts.

• When nanomaterials enter a biological fluid — for example, blood, plasma or interstitial fluid — the materials' surface may be coated with proteins. Understanding how these protein layers change the properties of the nanomaterials and the ways in which they interact in the body can provide valuable information on how to alter the protein coatings to allow for targeted delivery of nanomaterials to specific tissues, such as in cancer treatments.

• Physicochemical properties such as size, charge, shape and other characteristics could greatly affect the ability of nanomaterials to enter a cell; this could determine whether a material can be useful in nanomedicine applications or could cause harm if taken in by life forms in an ecosystem or food chain.

• Nanoparticles can elicit a wide range of intracellular responses, depending on their properties, concentrations and interactions with biological molecules. These properties and their relationships to cellular function can induce cellular damage or induce advantageous cellular responses, such as increased energy production and growth.

• Contra Costa and San Francisco counties have the highest long-term care costs: $21,043 and $21,011, respectively. Yet the median income for single seniors living alone is $23,985 in Contra Costa County and $16,792 in San Francisco County.

• The cost of long-term care paired with basic living expenses is highest in San Francisco and San Mateo counties: $48,446 and $48,441, respectively.

• In 38 counties (65.5 percent of all counties), the cost of long-term care paired with basic living expenses is twice the median income. In at least one county, Alpine, these costs are three times the median income.

• Orange County ranked the lowest of all 58 counties in terms of long-term care costs: $17,136. However, when long-term care costs are paired with basic living expenses, Orange County becomes one of the most expensive places for seniors. Long-term care costs plus basic living expenses are $42,603, raising Orange County to 11th out of 58 counties and illustrating the toll that rents and other necessities exact on seniors in expensive areas.

• Lynn Vavreck, UCLA assistant professor of political science: "Ageism in the 2008 Election"
• Steven Clarke, UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry: "Strategies for Stopping Aging Chemistry in Its Tracks"
• Lene Levy Storms, UCLA associate professor of social welfare: "Teaching Good Bedside Manners to Nursing Home Staff"

• Zhaoping Li (moderator), UCLA professor of clinical medicine
• Catherine F. Clarke, UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry
• Sally Frautschy, UCLA associate professor-in-residence of medicine
• Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, UCLA professor of physiological science
• Stephen R. Spindler, UC Riverside professor of biochemistry

• 8 a.m.: Registration
• 8:20–9 a.m.: Poster session
• 9–10:15 a.m.: Program speakers (Vavreck, Clarke, Levy-Storms)
• 10:15–11 a.m.: Poster session
• 11–11:40 a.m.: Panel discussion
• 11:40 a.m.–12:30 p.m.: Keynote speaker Lynn Daucher

Dr. Neil Martin, M.D. 

Chair of the UCLA Department of Neurosurgery and co-director of the UCLA Stroke Center

 

David Hovda, Ph.D.

Director of the UCLA Brain Injury Research Center and professor of neurosurgery

• Los Angeles County has the largest total number of licensed dentists, with 7,854, but also the largest number of dental health professional shortage areas, with 37.

• Dentists in rural counties more often divide their time between multiple locations. This may mean longer wait times to see the dentist in some areas.

• Many rural areas do not have access to dental care provided in publicly funded community clinics. In those areas, free or low-cost dental care may not be available.

• 45 percent of newly licensed dentists are female. This is a significant change in dentist demographics: Only 4 percent of dentists nearing retirement are female.

In the wake of last Tuesday's election, we are all greatly concerned about the budget deficit and its impact on the University of California and UCLA. You may have read that the state Legislative Analyst's Office has increased, yet again, the projected budget shortfall — from $21 billion, contemplated at the time of last Tuesday's election, to $24 billion.

There will be three levels of decision-making in the coming months that affect the severity and nature of cuts to the university: state government (legislature and governor), UC system (President Yudof and the Regents) and UCLA. We do know that the cuts will be severe, and there is no question that we are facing difficult and painful choices.

We are in no position at this time, however, to predict the level and extent of cuts to the university that may impact our current planning levels. Right now, I encourage you to visit http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/campus-budget.aspx for up-to-date information about the state deficit, and UC and UCLA actions.

As the governor and state legislature negotiate next year's budget, UC and UCLA will advocate for our critical needs and priorities, such as the Cal Grants program. Recently, as you may know, the media reported that the governor is proposing the potential elimination of Cal Grants, which would greatly reduce low-income families’ access to the University of California. I am deeply concerned about these recent reports. President Yudof has expressed similar sentiment.

Nevertheless, we face a difficult period of uncertainty. As we move through this process, please do what you can to stay informed, help the campus achieve cost efficiencies and continue to lend your voice as an ambassador for public higher education in California.

Sincerely,

Gene D. Block
Chancellor

Kay Buck
Executive director of the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking

 

Kimberly Agbonkpolor

Los Angeles Police Department's L.A. Metropolitan Task Force on Human Trafficking

 

Terri Thorfinnson

Chief of the California Department of Health Services' Office of Women's Health

 

Susie Baldwin

Chief of the health assessment unit of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health's Office of Health Assessment and Epidemiology

 

Human trafficking survivors

• 8:45 a.m.: Breakfast and check-in
• 9:30–10:30 a.m.: Program
• 10:30–11 a.m.: Q&A with presenters and panelists
• 11–11:30 a.m.: One-on-one interview opportunities

• Time didn’t heal all wounds — the worse the injury, the worse the neurocognitive outcome over time, especially on measures of general intellectual functioning and brain processing speed. The moderate and severe TBI groups were similarly impaired after examination at 24-plus months. While there was modest recovery in intellectual functioning and attention, weaknesses in many children with even moderate TBI persisted even two years after the injury, compared with children in control groups.
• For children diagnosed with severe TBI, more help was needed. They showed significant problems within months on IQ, executive functioning (processing speed, attention), and verbal memory (both immediate and delayed) measures. After two or more years, all areas studied were impaired.

• Among Hispanic children, those who reported perceived discrimination were more likely to have symptoms of each of the four mental health conditions.
• Among African American children, those who reported perceived discrimination were more likely to have symptoms of depression and conduct disorder.
• Among white children, those who reported perceived discrimination were more likely to have symptoms of oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder.

• Fund research that encourages partnerships with historically African American and minority-serving institutions, such as the National Medical Association and the Association of Black Psychologists, so that clinically trained professionals can participate in and learn more about HIV/AIDS research.

• Provide for retraining of established researchers who wish to shift their focus to HIV/AIDS.

• Continue to offer loan-repayment programs for graduate education.

• Incorporate mentorships into graduate and professional training programs.

• Encourage universities and training programs to recognize mentors whose students pursue HIV/AIDS research, and establish awards that recognize the work of African American investigators in the field.

• Develop and use culturally congruent theories and measures in HIV/AIDS research.

• Require training in cultural competence for federal staff, reviewers and mentors.

• Cancer incidence, stage at diagnosis and post-diagnosis survival accounted for 1.12, 0.17 and 0.21 years, respectively, in the life-expectancy disparity among men.

• Among women, those categories accounted for 0.41, 0.26 and 0.31 years, respectively.

• The difference in incidence of cancer had a greater impact on the racial gap in cancer mortality than did the stage at which the cancer was diagnosed.

• The differences in post-diagnosis survival were significant with only two types of cancer: breast (0.14 years) and prostate (0.05 years).

• 6 a.m: registration begins
• 7 a.m.: opening ceremonies
• 7:30 a.m.: 5K run/walk begins
• 10 a.m.: closing ceremonies

• Actress Dakota Fanning
• UCLA student organizers
• UCLA Child Life/Child Development staff
• Hundreds of participants, including students and medical staff
• Radio statio JackFM (93.1 FM)

• 8 a.m.: Students and families arrive for check-in and breakfast.
• 8:45 a.m.: Welcome by Dr. Neil Parker, senior associate dean of student affairs at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
• 9 a.m.: Students at UCLA (and across the country) open their envelopes.

Carolina Maria Covarrubias, 27 (Santa Ana, Calif.)

The second-eldest of eight daughters, Covarrubias considered a career in pediatrics. But her Spanish fluency helped her find her niche in medical school, as Hispanic patients confided how depression and anxiety were undermining their physical health. By pursuing a residency in psychiatry, Covarrubias aims to address mental health disparities in the Latino community.

 

Barkha Gurbani, 26 (Orange, Calif.)

Prior to entering medical school, Gurbani worked as a Fulbright scholar with HIV/AIDS widows in her parents' native India. She has chosen to follow her father into orthopedic surgery — a rare field for female physicians. Engaged to be married next year, she is anxious to discover whether she and her fiancé have matched for the same teaching hospital.

 

Esther Oh, 25 (Cerritos, Calif.)

Despite what she says is some Asians' lack of respect for the field of psychiatry — including her chagrined Korean parents — Oh is adamant about the need for child psychiatrists who can speak the same language as their patients. She looks forward to training in psychiatry in order to destigmatize mental disorders as treatable medical problems.

 

Cherie Cross, 24 (Culver City, Calif.)

Cross earned two national scholarships for her academic career, was chosen for the medical honor society Alpha Omega Alpha and is a regional leader of the oldest and largest U.S. organization for African American medical students. She is eager to learn where she will launch her obstetrics and gynecology residency — as is her boyfriend, Carl, who will move with her to a new city.

• Nic Sheff is a recovering drug addict and alcoholic in his mid-20s. "Tweak," a New York Times bestseller, is his first book. His writing has been published in Newsweek, Nerve and the San Francisco Chronicle.

• David Sheff is a renowned journalist and magazine editor. "Beautiful Boy," a New York Times bestseller, grew out of his 2005 New York Times Magazine piece "My Addicted Son," which received the American Psychological Association's award for outstanding contribution to advancing the understanding of addicition. 

• The authors will be joined by three Semel Institute faculty members who are leading experts in the field of drug addiction and recovery: brain researcher Edythe London, psychologist Steven Shoptaw and substance-abuse programs director Richard Rawson.

• 34 states and the District of Columbia have laws that are consistent with or neutral toward the recommendations.
• In the two years since the release of the recommendations, nine states have passed new laws to move from inconsistent to consistent with the guidelines.
• 16 states still have laws that are barriers to the CDC recommendations.

Dr. Arie Belldegrun

Belldegrun, director of the Institute of Urologic Oncology at UCLA, will deliver the welcome address. (9 a.m.)

 

Dr. Jean B. DeKernion

Professor and chair of the UCLA Department of Urology

 

Judith C. Gasson

Director of UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center

 

Dr. Gerald S. Levey

Vice chancellor for medical sciences and dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

 

Michael Milken

Milken, chairman of the Milken Institute, will survey the current state of medical research within the broader social and political environment in his keynote address. (10 a.m.) 

 

Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach

Former Food and Drug Administration commissioner and former director of the National Cancer Institute, will present his keynote address, "Government Programs for Cancer Prevention and Cure: Present and Future Progress." (10:30 a.m.)

 

Dr. Dennis J. Slamon

Slamon, professor and chief of the UCLA Division of Hematology and Oncology, whose laboratory and clinical research led to the development of the molecularly targeted breast cancer drug Herceptin, will discuss his work and the challenges of pursuing targeted therapies. (12:45 p.m.)

 

Dr. Philip Kantoff

Kantoff, director of the Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and chief of the division of solid tumor oncology and professor of medicine at Harvard University School of Medicine, will discuss advances in personalized prostate cancer therapies. (1:15 p.m.)

 

Dr. W. Marston Linehan

Linehan, branch chief of urologic oncology at the National Institutes of Health's National Cancer Center, will present the latest targeted treatments in kidney cancer. (1:45 p.m.)

 

Dr. Colin P. Dinney

Dinney, professor and chair of the department of urology at the University Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, will cover the newest bladder cancer therapies. (2:15 p.m.)

Most older renters can't make ends meet
Older renters were more than twice as likely to be economically insecure as those who owned their homes and had paid off their mortgages (70.4 percent of older single renters were insecure, compared with 34.4 percent of homeowners without mortgages).

 

Latino elders at risk
About three-fourths of Latino elders who lived alone, and almost half of those who lived with only a spouse, could not cover their basic costs of living.

 

Women at risk
Older women accounted for 72 percent of all older Californians who lived alone. Those women were more likely than older men to be unable to cover their basic needs (53.5 percent of women, compared with 44 percent of men).

 

The very old at risk
A majority of all single elders aged 75 or older were economically insecure, regardless of ethnicity. More than 90 percent of female single renters aged 75 and older who were Latino or Asian had incomes below the Elder Index, as did two-thirds of all white single renters and 85 percent of all African American single renters aged 75 and older.

 

FPL indicates only half of what is needed
In 2007, the nationwide federal poverty level (FPL), used to determine eligibility for public assistance, was $10,210 for a single adult living alone. According to Elder Index calculations, however, the average minimum income needed by a single older Californian who rented was $21,011.

• 28.3 percent of patients arrived within 60 minutes of symptom onset.
• 31.7 percent arrived one to three hours after symptoms started.
• 40.1 percent arrived more than three hours after symptoms started.

• Teens whose parents drink soda every day are nearly 40 percent more likely to drink soda every day themselves than teens whose parents do not drink soda.

• Teens whose parents eat five servings of fruits and vegetables daily are 16 percent more likely to do the same than teens whose parents do not eat five servings a day.

• Nearly half of adolescents (48 percent) whose parents drink soda every day eat fast food at least once a day, while only 39 percent of teens whose parents do not drink soda eat fast food at least once daily.

• 45 percent of teens whose parents do not eat five servings of fruits and vegetables daily eat fast food at least once a day, while only 39 percent of teens whose parents eat five servings a day eat fast food at least once daily.

• 10 a.m.: PAC volunteers will meet at the entrance to Mattel Children's Hospital to dress in holiday gear.
• 10:10–11 a.m.: Caroling on the pediatric patient floor and playroom.

• More sugary soda: 67 to 71 percent of low-income teens reported having at least one glass or can of soda on the previous day, compared with 55 percent of more affluent teens.

• More fast food: 46 to 49 percent of low-income teens reported eating fast food on the previous day, compared with 37 percent of more affluent teens.

• Fewer family meals: Up to 11 percent of low-income teens reported that they had never eaten dinner with a parent or guardian during the previous week. The rate is twice that of more affluent teens.

• Fewer opportunities for organized sports: 36 to 37 percent of low-income teens were on a school sports team in the previous year, compared with 49 percent of more affluent teens.

• Less physical activity: Nearly one in five, or 18 percent, of low-income teens did not get at least 60 minutes of physical activity in a week — the minimum amount of physical activity recommended by the 2005 federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

• More television: 56 percent of low-income teens watch more than two hours of television per day, compared with 46 percent of more affluent teens.

• Develop visits and informal exchanges of faculty, scholars and administrators in specific areas of education, research and outreach.
• Explore ways to cooperate in postgraduate education and training.
• Organize joint conferences and scientific meetings on subjects of mutual interest.
• Exchange academic information and materials.
• Pursue avenues for student exchanges.

• The San Joaquin Valley region's elderly population has the highest rates of diabetes (25.7 percent) and reported high blood pressure (63.9 percent) in the state.

• In 2005, 41.8 percent of older women in the San Joaquin Valley region reported having had no mammogram over the previous 12 months. The rate was nearly 10 points higher than all other regions and a 19-percent change for the worse since 2001.

• After Imperial County, Kern and Stanislaus counties had California's highest rates of diabetes among the elderly: 30.6 percent in Kern and 31.3 percent in Stanislaus.

• 23 percent of the San Joaquin Valley's elderly population is obese — more than three points higher than all other regions.

• 15.3 percent of the elderly population in the San Joaquin Valley reported having experienced a fall in the previous 12 months — more than three points higher than all other regions.

• Almost one-quarter (23.9 percent) of low-income older adults in the San Joaquin Valley are food insecure, meaning they have trouble during the month obtaining sufficient nutritionally adequate food. This is particularly troubling given the fact that the region is among the most productive agricultural areas in the country.

• 9:15–9:30 a.m.: Motorcyclists begin arriving in waves at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA; pediatric patients and medical staff will be there to greet them.
• 10 a.m.: Motorcyclists will form a "love line" to unload the toys from a truck.
• 10:30 a.m.: Hospital officials and pediatric patients will thank event organizer Joyce Savisky-Chance and bikers.

• Cognitive behavioral therapy — a specific type of therapy that, for this study, taught children about anxiety and helped them face and master their fears by guiding them through structured tasks
• The antidepressant sertraline (Zoloft), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor
• Cognitive behavioral therapy combined with sertraline
• A placebo (sugar pill)

• 11 a.m.: Creative arts, including crafts, face-painting and pumpkin-decorating
• 11:45 a.m.: Magic show
• 12:30 p.m.: PAC dogs greet kids, trick-or-treat parade begins