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<rss xmlns:contact="contact" xmlns:content="content:encoded" version="2.0" xmlns:default_file="default_file" xmlns:attachment="attachment"><channel><title>Health + Behavior - UCLA</title><link>http://newsroom.ucla.edu</link><description>Health + behavior feed</description><language>en-us</language><pubDate>Thu, 25 May 2023 23:32:19 GMT</pubDate><lastBuildDate>Thu, 25 May 2023 23:32:19 GMT</lastBuildDate><generator>iPressroom</generator><item><title>Q&amp;A: Hal Hershfield on finding harmony with your future self</title><link>https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/hal-hershfield-finding-harmony-with-future-self-book</link><contentType>stories</contentType><image>&lt;img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20234/646fc40e2cfac278e02a5e43_Hal+Hershfield+and+Your+Future+Self+book+cover/Hal+Hershfield+and+Your+Future+Self+book+cover_thmb.jpg" alt="Hal Hershfield and Your Future Self book cover" align="left" hspace="15" vspace="5" /&gt;</image><subtitle>The UCLA Anderson professor’s new book, out June 6, aims to help people ‘make tomorrow better today’</subtitle><content:encoded>&lt;html&gt;&lt;body&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The seeds of Hal Hershfield’s new book were planted during the financial crisis that gripped the nation in 2008. Watching the Great Recession unfold, he began to wonder why it was so easy for people to take risks that they really shouldn’t. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Hershfield, a professor of marketing and behavioral decision making at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, decided to investigate the retirement crisis — a “slow-moving catastrophe,” he calls it — in which people are living longer and saving less, leaving them without resources for retirement. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Hershfield, who earned his doctorate in psychology from Stanford University, approached the research not as an economist but as a psychologist. He examined how people relate to their future selves, and how those relationships influence the decisions we people make, or don’t make, in the present. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The result is &lt;a href="https://www.halhershfield.com/yourfutureself"&gt;“Your Future Self: How to Make Tomorrow Better Today,”&lt;/a&gt; which will be published June 6. One of its key findings is that when people think about their future selves, their brain activity mirrors the type of activity that occurs when they think about complete strangers. In an interview, Hershfield spoke about how to make “future you” a part of your present, the need to forgive your past missteps and why you might want to consider writing letters to yourself. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Responses have been edited for length and clarity.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;How did your research for the book evolve?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;For years now, I’ve been doing research looking at how emotionally connected people are to their future selves, and I’ve investigated these relationships in a variety of contexts — from financial health to physical health, from ethical decision making to overall life satisfaction. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;One study I describe in the book is a neuro-imaging project that I conducted years ago, and the punchline was that on a neuro level, our future selves look more like the way other people look to us. This was really surprising because it suggested that on some deep level, we may think of our futures selves as if they’re other people. And I began to wonder if what really matters is the type of relationship we have with our future selves. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;What have you learned about how people can better connect to their future selves? &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The book is full of concrete things one can do, but one of the more abstract ones is to start creating a conversation with your future self. Make that more a part of your life, so that when you’re making big decisions that are going to have impacts and consequences later on, you are thinking about that push and pull between your present and future selves.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;In the book, I go through a couple of different strategies, one of which is to try to increase that connection with one’s future self by trying to imagine the future more vividly through an exercise where you write a letter to — and then from — your future self. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;I also talk about trying to figure out what parts of your life are going off course, then creating pre-commitments to a certain course of action. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Your book not only looks at the future self, but also offers some guidance for thinking about the past.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;One of the other things I feel is important is forgiving our past selves in a genuine way. We can recognize where we’ve gone wrong in the past, but then also have some compassion for ourselves. You can’t go back and change what you did in the past, but you can change what you’re going to do moving forward. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The book tries to give a sense of agency to people moving from the present to the future. And if you’re stuck on what you’ve done wrong, it’s going to cause people to sort of bury their heads in the sand. And that’s not what we want. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Why, for so many people, does just thinking about the future cause anxiety?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;There‘s a variety of factors at play here. One is that we live in the present; we don’t live in the future. So we’d be forgiven for focusing on now rather than later because that’s what’s happening now. The problem is when we pay too much attention to “right now” and fail to consider “later.” &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Another problem that arises is when we are motivated in some way to think that future me will suddenly take care of all the things that present me has not taken care of. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;What do you hope readers take away from your book?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;I want readers to come away with more harmony between who they are now and who they will be. And I don’t necessarily want everyone to stop having fun today in order to save more, or to start eating only healthy foods. That’s only part of the equation. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;What I’m trying to do is create more harmony and balance between who people are now and who they are going to become, so that they are satisfied now with their choices and that they are still satisfied with them later. I want them to be glad about the things they did — and glad they didn’t do what they didn’t do. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/body&gt;&lt;/html&gt;</content:encoded><default_file><default_file:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20234/Hal+Hershfield+and+Your+Future+Self+book+cover.jpg</default_file:url><default_file:title>Hal Hershfield and Your Future Self book cover</default_file:title><default_file:caption>Hal Hershfield, a professor of marketing and behavioral decision making, approached research for the book from a psychology perspective.  </default_file:caption></default_file><attachments><attachment><attachment:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20234/Hal+Hershfield+and+Your+Future+Self+book+cover.jpg</attachment:url><attachment:title>Hal Hershfield and Your Future Self book cover</attachment:title></attachment></attachments><description><![CDATA[The UCLA Anderson professor’s new book aims to help people “make tomorrow better today.”


]]></description><author>Paul Feinberg </author><guid isPermaLink="true">https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/hal-hershfield-finding-harmony-with-future-self-book</guid><pubDate>Thu, 25 May 2023 20:58:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>A metabolic process in cancer cells could unlock a possible treatment for glioblastoma </title><link>https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/metabolic-process-glioblastoma-cancer-cells</link><contentType>releases</contentType><image>&lt;img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20234/6467bdf92cfac278e38d2cc7_CDKN2A-deleted+glioblastoma+tumor+Nathanson+Lab+UCLA/CDKN2A-deleted+glioblastoma+tumor+Nathanson+Lab+UCLA_thmb.jpg" alt="CDKN2A-deleted glioblastoma tumor " align="left" hspace="15" vspace="5" /&gt;</image><subtitle>UCLA-led study could lead to new strategy for treating aggressive brain cancer</subtitle><content:encoded>&lt;html&gt;&lt;body&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div class="simplebox align-center"&gt;
&lt;div class="simplebox-content"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Key takeaways&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Glioblastomas are lethal brain tumors with few treatment options and a poor prognosis for most patients.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;A UCLA-led team identified a genetic alteration that occurs in 60% of people who are diagnosed with glioblastoma; that mutation disrupts the cancer cells’ metabolism.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The discovery suggests that one possible approach to treat glioblastoma would be a therapy that targets the metabolic process in patients who have that genetic alteration.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.cell.com/cancer-cell/fulltext/S1535-6108(23)00168-X"&gt;A study&lt;/a&gt; led by researchers at the &lt;a href="https://cancer.ucla.edu"&gt;UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center&lt;/a&gt; has found that targeting a metabolic process in people with a specific genetic mutation could help treat glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The genetic alteration — a deletion in a gene called CDKN2A — is present in about 60% of people who have glioblastoma. The mutation causes changes in the way lipids are distributed in cancer cells, which in turn makes the cancer cells vulnerable to being destroyed. The discovery, published in Cancer Cell, could suggest a path toward the development of targeted therapies that specifically target that vulnerability.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“Each patient’s tumor can have a unique combination of genetic alterations,” said David Nathanson, co-senior author of the study and an associate professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at the &lt;a href="https://medschool.ucla.edu"&gt;David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.&lt;/a&gt; “Because all of these tumors are different, we need to understand how certain genetic changes can affect tumor metabolism in order to identify potential targets for future treatments.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Scientists believe that disrupting cancer cells’ metabolism — the way that they process energy and nutrients in order to survive, grow and invade healthy cells — could be one key to new and effective treatments. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Developing new ways to treat glioblastoma is imperative, said Nathanson, who also is a member of the Jonsson Cancer Center. Glioblastomas are lethal brain tumors that grow quickly, and currently there are few treatment options. The average lifespan of someone diagnosed with the brain tumor is just 12 to 15 months, and only about 5% of people diagnosed with glioblastoma are alive five years after their diagnosis. President Joe Biden’s son Beau and Senator John McCain both died from the disease.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Looking for possible patterns in the way the cancer cells process fats — which might indicate that they could be vulnerable to medicine — the researchers analyzed data from 84 glioblastoma tumors, 42 human cell lines and 30 mouse models of glioblastoma. They noticed some irregularities with CDKN2A, the gene that is mutated in a majority of people with glioblastoma.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage textImage-right textImage-large_uncropped"&gt;&lt;img align="right" alt="" author="UCLA" data-imgheight="1078" data-imgwidth="1725" file_id="6467c1922cfac278e0280f26" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20234/6467c1922cfac278e0280f26_David+Nathanson+UCLA/David+Nathanson+UCLA_51a54fbd-3e85-4a8c-bbcf-1f8fa11fef15-prv.jpg" title="David Nathanson" width="400"/&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage-creditBody"&gt;UCLA&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage-captionBody"&gt;David Nathanson&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;They found that the gene rewires lipid metabolism to work in a different way than cells without that genetic alteration. And when the CDKN2A gene is missing, the way cancer cells process fats makes them more vulnerable to cell death, or ferroptosis.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The team then used a drug that targets this process and found glioblastoma cells with the genetic alteration in CDKN2A were highly susceptible to cell death, while the glioblastoma cells that did not have the genetic alteration were insensitive to the drug.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“We discovered that CDKN2A may be a key regulator of cancer cell metabolism, which has never before been shown in the context of cancer, even though it is deleted in other types of cancer,” Nathanson said. “Importantly, we found that CDKN2A deletion rewires lipid metabolism not just in our models but also in tumors from glioblastoma patients. This indicates that this metabolic vulnerability could one day be a target of therapy in glioblastoma patients.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;While there is no existing drug that could penetrate the brain to target the process studied by the UCLA scientists, the study provides strong rationale to develop one, Nathanson said.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Steven Bensinger, the Sherie and Donald Morrison Professor of Immunology and co-senior author of the study, said another important aspect of the work is that it could shed new light on how diet and other lifestyle factors could influence cancer progression and patients’ responses to therapy. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“Our data indicates that CDKN2A-deleted cancer cells shift the type of lipids used to build their cellular membranes, and that this difference can be exploited to kill tumors,” Bensinger said. “This opens up the exciting possibility that prescribing special diets containing the ‘wrong’ lipids could make them more susceptible to therapy or reduce tumor growth.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The database of the 156 glioblastoma samples that the investigators analyzed is now available to researchers worldwide; the team has also expanded the number of samples in the database to more than 500, which the scientists hope will help them identify additional relationships between cancer-fighting genes and specific types of lipids used by brain cancer.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The study’s other co-senior author is Scott Dixon of Stanford University. The co-first authors are UCLA doctoral candidates Jenna Minami and Nicholas Bayley, and Danielle Morrow, who earned her doctorate from UCLA in 2021. Other co-authors are Elizabeth Fernandez, Jennifer Salinas, Christopher Tse, Henan Zhu, Baolong Su, Rhea Plawat, Anthony Jones, Alessandro Sammarco, Dr. Linda Liau, Thomas Graeber, Kevin Williams and Dr. Timothy Cloughesy, all of UCLA.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The study was funded in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/body&gt;&lt;/html&gt;</content:encoded><default_file><default_file:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20234/CDKN2A-deleted+glioblastoma+tumor+Nathanson+Lab+UCLA.jpg</default_file:url><default_file:title>CDKN2A-deleted glioblastoma tumor </default_file:title><default_file:caption>Cells in a glioblastoma with the deletion in the CDKN2A gene.</default_file:caption></default_file><attachments><attachment><attachment:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20234/CDKN2A-deleted+glioblastoma+tumor+Nathanson+Lab+UCLA.jpg</attachment:url><attachment:title>CDKN2A-deleted glioblastoma tumor </attachment:title></attachment></attachments><contacts><contact><contact:first_name>Denise</contact:first_name><contact:last_name>Heady</contact:last_name><contact:phone>310-948-3691</contact:phone><contact:email>dheady@mednet.ucla.edu</contact:email></contact></contacts><description><![CDATA[A UCLA-led study could lead to a new strategy for treating the aggressive form of brain cancer.]]></description><author>Denise Heady </author><guid isPermaLink="true">https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/metabolic-process-glioblastoma-cancer-cells</guid><pubDate>Thu, 25 May 2023 15:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>UCLA study highlights need to focus on individuals, versus populations, in genomic medicine</title><link>https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/polygenic-scores-genomic-medicine</link><contentType>releases</contentType><image>&lt;img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20234/6467c34d2cfac278d6063068_DNA+strand+Adobe+Stock/DNA+strand+Adobe+Stock_thmb.jpg" alt="Illustration of DNA strand superimposed over test tubes" align="left" hspace="15" vspace="5" /&gt;</image><content:encoded>&lt;html&gt;&lt;body&gt;&lt;p&gt;One way scientists can estimate a person’s risk for a wide range of diseases is a measure called a polygenic score. The score is based on the variants in that person’s genes and how closely those variants are associated with the risk for disease among large groups of people who have similar genetic traits.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The measure holds promise not only for identifying risk for disease but also for guiding personalized treatments. But &lt;a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06079-4" rel="" target="" title=""&gt;a new UCLA study,&lt;/a&gt; published in the journal Nature, found that polygenic scores fail to account for the wide range of genetic diversity across all ancestries.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Polygenic scores can estimate the likelihood of an individual having a certain trait by pulling together and analyzing the small effects of thousands to millions of common genetic variants into a single score, but their performance among individuals from diverse genetic backgrounds is limited,” said &lt;a href="https://www.uclahealth.org/departments/pathology/meet-our-faculty/bogdan-pasaniuc-phd"&gt;Bogdan Pasaniuc,&lt;/a&gt; a UCLA Health expert in statistical and computational methods for understanding genetic risk factors for common diseases.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The UCLA researchers developed a method to evaluate polygenic scores’ accuracy at the individual level. To test it, they applied polygenic scores for 84 complex traits to data from more than 35,000 people in the UCLA ATLAS Precision Health Biobank, one of the world’s most diverse biobanks.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.uclahealth.org/news/ucla-study-shows-accuracy-genetically-based-disease" rel="" target="" title=""&gt;Read the full news release on the UCLA Health website.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/body&gt;&lt;/html&gt;</content:encoded><default_file><default_file:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20234/DNA+strand+Adobe+Stock.jpeg</default_file:url><default_file:title>Illustration of DNA strand superimposed over test tubes</default_file:title><default_file:caption>A measure called polygenic scores can be used to estimate a person’s risk for disease based on the characteristics of their DNA.</default_file:caption></default_file><attachments><attachment><attachment:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20234/DNA+strand+Adobe+Stock.jpeg</attachment:url><attachment:title>Illustration of DNA strand superimposed over test tubes</attachment:title></attachment></attachments><contacts><contact><contact:first_name>David</contact:first_name><contact:last_name>Sampson</contact:last_name><contact:email>DSampson@mednet.ucla.edu</contact:email></contact></contacts><description><![CDATA[New research shows that the accuracy of genetically based disease predictions varies from person to person.]]></description><author>UCLA Health </author><guid isPermaLink="true">https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/polygenic-scores-genomic-medicine</guid><pubDate>Fri, 19 May 2023 19:39:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>UCLA’s Fielding School to offer master’s of data science in health degree</title><link>https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/ucla-to-offer-public-masters-in-data-science-in-health</link><contentType>releases</contentType><image>&lt;img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20234/6464189e2cfac278e7c19648_Fielding+School+/Fielding+School+_thmb.jpg" alt="Exterior of UCLA Fielding School of Public Health on the UCLA campus" align="left" hspace="15" vspace="5" /&gt;</image><content:encoded>&lt;html&gt;&lt;body&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;As the amount of health-related electronic data has exploded in recent years, the need for people with the skills to analyze and utilize this information in the service of public health has become crucial. To help meet that demand, the &lt;a href="https://ph.ucla.edu/"&gt;UCLA Fielding School of Public Health&lt;/a&gt; will offer a new master of data science in health degree program beginning this fall.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The program, designed for both working professionals seeking to thrive in this data-rich environment and recent college graduates hoping to enter the burgeoning field, will be housed in the school’s department of biostatistics and will provide instruction in a wide range of data science methods, including statistical modeling, machine-learning and data engineering, mining, visualization and communication.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;By developing the knowledge to effectively process and deploy information from sources as varied as public health surveys, patient medical records and genomic sequencing databases, as well as growing data from wearable health devices, environmental sensors and even social media, program participants will position themselves to help shape public health policy and health industry practices well into the future, said &lt;span&gt;Dr. Ron Brookmeyer, dean of the Fielding School and a distinguished professor of biostatistics.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“The ubiquity of health information presents both an unprecedented opportunity and enormous responsibility,” Brookmeyer said. “With our school’s longstanding academic strength in this area and our close community partnerships, we are ideally situated to lead multidisciplinary initiatives that turn data science into better health outcomes locally and globally.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The program will be delivered in hybrid mode, with in-person weekend classes and weekday online sessions. Students will typically enroll in two classes per quarter and earn their degree in two years.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://ph.ucla.edu/news-events/news/ucla-fielding-school-public-health-offer-master-data-science-health-degree" rel="" target="" title=""&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Read the full release on the UCLA Fielding School of Public health website.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/body&gt;&lt;/html&gt;</content:encoded><default_file><default_file:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20234/Fielding+School+.jpg</default_file:url><default_file:title>Exterior of UCLA Fielding School of Public Health on the UCLA campus</default_file:title></default_file><attachments><attachment><attachment:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20234/Fielding+School+.jpg</attachment:url><attachment:title>Exterior of UCLA Fielding School of Public Health on the UCLA campus</attachment:title></attachment></attachments><contacts><contact><contact:first_name>Carla</contact:first_name><contact:last_name>Denly</contact:last_name><contact:email>cdenly@support.ucla.edu</contact:email></contact></contacts><description><![CDATA[The program, housed in the school’s department of biostatistics, is designed for both current professionals and recent college graduates.]]></description><author>UCLA Newsroom </author><guid isPermaLink="true">https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/ucla-to-offer-public-masters-in-data-science-in-health</guid><pubDate>Wed, 17 May 2023 16:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>When stem cells can’t roll on a bumpy road, muscles break down </title><link>https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/stem-cells-and-muscle-breakdown-in-duchenne-ms</link><contentType>releases</contentType><image>&lt;img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20234/645196152cfac278e6916cd2_Duchenne+muscular+dystrophy/Duchenne+muscular+dystrophy_thmb.jpg" alt="Young boy in white T-shirt rubbing arm" align="left" hspace="15" vspace="5" /&gt;</image><subtitle>Study in mice shows scarring of collagen ‘highway’ prevents stem cells from healing damaged tissue in Duchenne muscular dystrophy</subtitle><content:encoded>&lt;html&gt;&lt;body&gt;&lt;div class="simplebox align-center"&gt;
&lt;div class="simplebox-content"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Key takeaways&lt;/strong&gt;​​​​​​&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Stem cells travel along a collagen network to reach damaged muscle tissue and heal it.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;In Duchenne muscular dystrophy, stiff, scarred collagen prevents stem cells from reaching their target.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;A protein called sarcospan lessens this scarring and allows stem cells to do their job more successfully, pointing toward potential new treatments for the disorder.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Muscles that ache after a hard workout usually don’t hurt for long, thanks to stem cells that rush to the injured site along “collagen highways” within the muscle and repair the damaged tissue. But if the cells can’t reach their destination, the damaged tissue can’t regenerate. Over time, it breaks down completely and ceases to function.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;In a study recently published in &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41536-023-00287-2" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;npj Regenerative Medicine&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;, a group of researchers led by biochemists at UCLA show for the first time that scarring to the collagen framework that carries these healing cells causes muscles to gradually stop working in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The discovery in mice illuminates one reason stem cell therapy has not been effective for the disorder: The cells simply can’t get where they’re needed most.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common — and one of the most severe — hereditary muscular dystrophies. The muscle-wasting disease, which usually affects boys, begins in childhood and inevitably ends in death as the muscles that power the heart, lungs and other vital organs fail. It is caused by a mutation in the gene for the dystrophin protein, which regulates the organization of muscle cells. In healthy people, dystrophin helps bundles of muscle cells called myofibers attach to the collagen framework — the extracellular matrix that gives muscles their shape, holds them together and provides the “highway” for stem cells to repair and regenerate damaged tissue. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Rachelle Crosbie, a UCLA professor of integrative biology and physiology who is looking for ways to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy, suspected that the dysfunction caused by this mutation led to scarring and stiffening of the extracellular matrix, a process known as fibrosis. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Crosbie and Kristen Stearns-Reider, a postdoctoral fellow in Crosbie’s laboratory, designed a unique experiment to find out. Using facilities at &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href="http://cnsi.ucla.edu/"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;UCLA’s California NanoSystems Institute,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt; they devised a process to “wash” all the cells off the collagen extracellular matrix in healthy mice and those with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Under a microscope, the two cell-free matrices, which Crosbie calls “myoscaffolds,” appeared very different: The healthy one looked like delicate lace, while the Duchenne one looked more like a dense sponge.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Next, the researchers seeded each myoscaffold with stem cells and watched as the cells tried to grow muscle tissue. Muscle stem cells grew on the myoscaffolds exactly as they would in healthy and diseased muscle:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt; In the healthy, lacy myoscaffold, cells migrated along the smooth threads and deposited themselves in evenly spaced holes. However, the bumpy, thickened surfaces of the Duchenne myoscaffold made travel difficult and threw up roadblocks that caused the cells to pile up in clumps; the cells were stressed an unable to progress efficiently.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage textImage-left textImage-original"&gt;&lt;img align="left" alt="Top, left: A healthy myoscaffold. Top right: A Duchenne muscular dystrophy scaffold. Bottom left: Stem cells (red) growing in a healthy myoscaffold (green). Bottom right: Stem cells growing in a Duchenne myoscaffold (green)." author="Courtesy of Rachelle Crosbie" data-imgheight="683" data-imgwidth="786" file_id="64527fd62cfac278e74b2dbb" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20234/Duchenne-Myoscaffolds.png" title="Top, left: A healthy myoscaffold. Top right: A Duchenne muscular dystrophy scaffold. Bottom left: Stem cells (red) growing in a healthy myoscaffold (green). Bottom right: Stem cells growing in a Duchenne myoscaffold (green)." width="400"/&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage-creditBody"&gt;Courtesy of Rachelle Crosbie&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage-captionBody"&gt;Top, left: A healthy myoscaffold. Top right: A Duchenne muscular dystrophy scaffold. Bottom left: Stem cells (red) growing in a healthy myoscaffold (green). Bottom right: Stem cells growing in a Duchenne myoscaffold (green).&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“Like suburban commuters, resident stem cells live on outskirts of the muscle fiber and travel along the muscle fiber to damaged areas and regenerate muscle. The extracellular matrix is the highway they use.” Crosbie said. “It’s like the difference between driving to work on a regular day versus the day a landslide fell on the freeway.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;This is the first time scientists have imaged living cells in a fibrotic myoscaffold, revealing specifically how fibrosis disrupts cell behavior, Crosbie said.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The thin, supple threads of the healthy scaffold also yielded slightly as stem cells attached to them, a deformation critical to the successful development of muscle tissue. The stem cells were unable to deform the thick, stiff fibers of the Duchenne scaffold. Tissue grown on the Duchenne scaffold showed large clumps of myofibers interspersed with even larger clumps of collagen instead of the evenly distributed myofibers seen in the healthy sample. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Protein sarcospan offers a potential way forward&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The research team then tested cell behavior on a Duchenne myoscaffold that was created using a therapeutic protein called sarcospan, which is known to stabilize the extracellular matrix. Stem cell function improved once sarcospan had minimized the formation of fibrotic scars.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“The results made it really clear why stem cell therapies have proven challenging for Duchenne muscular dystrophy,” Crosbie said. “Finding ways to prevent or reduce scarring on the extracellular matrix could make them more effective.” &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt; These myoscaffolds offer several broad possibilities for studying stem cell–extracellular matrix interactions, stem cell niche formation, the microenvironments that influence stem cell behavior, muscle maturation and disease modeling, said study co-authors Michael Hicks, a UCLA postdoctoral fellow, and April Pyle, a UCLA professor of microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Crosbie also noted that because the new method requires only very small samples, these studies could potentially be extended to include individual patients, using tissue from a muscle biopsy to study treatments before they are administered and identifying ones more likely to be effective.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/body&gt;&lt;/html&gt;</content:encoded><default_file><default_file:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20234/Duchenne+muscular+dystrophy.jpg</default_file:url><default_file:title>Young boy in white T-shirt rubbing arm</default_file:title></default_file><attachments><attachment><attachment:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20234/Duchenne+muscular+dystrophy.jpg</attachment:url><attachment:title>Young boy in white T-shirt rubbing arm</attachment:title></attachment></attachments><contacts><contact><contact:first_name>Holly</contact:first_name><contact:last_name>Ober</contact:last_name><contact:phone>310-956-6465</contact:phone><contact:email>hober@stratcomm.ucla.edu</contact:email></contact></contacts><description><![CDATA[A study in mice shows that scarring of collagen pathways prevent stem cells from healing damaged tissue in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.]]></description><author>Holly Ober </author><guid isPermaLink="true">https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/stem-cells-and-muscle-breakdown-in-duchenne-ms</guid><pubDate>Thu, 11 May 2023 15:50:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Is it too late to change your mind? Study reveals ‘developmental window’ for thinking styles</title><link>https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/is-it-too-late-to-change-the-way-you-think</link><contentType>releases</contentType><image>&lt;img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20233/642f04c82cfac278e476b8b3_Romanian+Revolution+1/Romanian+Revolution+1_thmb.jpg" alt="Black-and-white photo of speaker addressing crowd during Romanian Revolution" align="left" hspace="15" vspace="5" /&gt;</image><subtitle>Social environment through early adulthood plays a big role in how people learn to evaluate information and make decisions about what is true</subtitle><content:encoded>&lt;html&gt;&lt;body&gt;&lt;div class="simplebox align-center"&gt;
&lt;div class="simplebox-content"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Key takeaways&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Researchers studied the way different generations in Romania determined the truth of information following the country’s transition from authoritarianism to democracy.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Those who were born and raised after the transition were more likely than older cohorts to compare and evaluate different perspectives before deciding who is right.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;The factors associated with the youngest &lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;generation’s style of thinking were greater exposure to formal education and social media.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;​​​​​&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;While people change and learn throughout life, experts recognize that certain formative periods, known as developmental windows, are crucial for acquiring particular skills. For example, using vocalizations and words to interact with people in the first few years of life is critical for children’s language learning.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;A &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0281785"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;recent study&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt; by an international team from UCLA, Romania and Israel suggests there may be a developmental window for reasoning skills as well — the first 25 years of life — and that a person’s social, political and economic environment strongly influences how they acquire these skills. Their findings are published in the journal PLOS One.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The researchers found that following the collapse of Romania’s authoritarian communist regime in 1989, the rapid increase in education and technology use and the transition from a single, government-controlled source of information to diverse sources had a strong effect on the way people, particularly younger generations, thought about and determined truthfulness, a process known as “epistemic thinking.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Epistemic thinking runs the gamut from absolutist thinking, the belief that only one claim can be right, to multiplist thinking, the belief that more than one claim could be right — it’s just a matter of opinion. Finally, evaluativist thinking posits that assertions can be evaluated in terms of both logic and evidence.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“Whether we are monitoring various news sources or scrolling through a busy Twitter feed, we are constantly encountering diverse viewpoints about topics ranging from politics to films,” said the study’s first author, Amalia Ionescu, a doctoral student &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;in psychology &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;at UCLA. “Some of these topics carry infinitely more weight than others, but ultimately, we are using the same sort of mechanism when deciding how to make sense of contrasting viewpoints.” &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;In the U.S., developmental psychology research has shown that children typically think in absolutist terms, then progress to multiplist thinking and sometimes, particularly with a relatively high level of education and exposure to various experiences and points of view, emerge as evaluativist adults. The study authors hypothesized that in a society ruled by an authoritarian government, with strict control over information, limited education and little exposure to the outside world, absolutist thinking would be more prevalent. Conversely, in an open, democratic society, there would likely be a higher occurrence of evaluativist thinking.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;To test this, they focused on Romania, which in the late 1940s became communist and aligned itself with the Soviet Union. Beginning in 1965, under the authoritarian leadership of Nicolae Ceaușescu, Romania became increasingly repressive and isolated. After Ceaușescu was overthrown in 1989, the country quickly moved toward democracy, embraced a market economy and joined the European Union. Today, Romanians have a developing education system and open access to technology, social media, consumer goods and travel.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;How, the researchers asked, may this transition have affected Romanians’ epistemic thinking? Focusing on three age cohorts — those born after the democratic revolution (18–30 years old), those who spent their late adolescence and early adulthood under the authoritarian regime (45–59) and those who spent at least 45 years under the authoritarian regime (75 and older) — the authors presented respondents with scenarios in which two characters had contrasting views. They then asked the respondents: Which character is right? Or are both of them right? Why?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;They found that there was a greater occurrence of absolutist thinking among those who had experienced the transition to democracy in middle age rather than at an earlier period of life.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The vast majority of those 75 or older tended to read or listen to the news and instantly take it as truth, “possibly because for most of their lives, they had only one TV program to watch, and all books, news, movies and music were under communist censorship,” said co-author Raluca Furdui, a master’s student&lt;i&gt; &lt;/i&gt;at Romania’s West University of Timișoara. “They learned to respect the authority of the teachers in schools, and some never even had the chance to go to high school.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“In contrast,” Furdui said, “we, the youngest generation in our study — currently between 18 and 30 — were challenged by our teachers to express our opinions, think critically and check information.” &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The researchers found that evaluativism was most common among this youngest generation, which also had the highest education levels. Lower levels of both formal education and social media use predicted higher levels of absolutist thinking and lower levels of evaluativism. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The study authors concluded that the developmental window for epistemic thinking is open during the first 25 years of life, after which it slowly closes, and a person’s epistemic thinking style will change little later in adulthood.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“We found that the social environment produced by a combination of democracy and a market economy more frequently led people to abandon the assumption that there is one right answer and &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;to &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;evaluate multiple possibilities — when one was born into this environment or &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;when&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt; it was experienced in the first 25 years of life” rather than in middle age or beyond, said co-author Patricia Greenfield, a UCLA distinguished professor of psychology. “We found that there is indeed a sensitive developmental period for acquiring cultural ways of thinking.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The ‘open information’ pendulum can swing the opposite way too&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The authors also said they believe their findings can help explain why unfettered access to information, social media and a plethora of personal opinions can sometimes lead in the opposite direction — toward absolutist thinking and authoritarian politics.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“Along with the rise of the internet and social media, there has been, in the United States, a rise in the importance of personal opinion, along with a decline in the importance of agreed-upon facts,” Greenfield said. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;And while the trend toward increasing sources of information and opinions in Romania has been associated with the democratization and opening up of society, in the U.S., the indiscriminate application of the principle that everyone has a right to their own opinion has led to information silos and absolutist thinking. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“In Romania, the transition from authoritarianism to democracy was related to a decline in absolute thinking and a rise in evaluation as a form of thought,” said co-author Michael Weinstock, an associate professor of education at Israel’s Ben Gurion University of the Negev. “But based on our research, one would predict that that the opposite change in the environment — towards more authoritarianism — would lead to the opposite direction of change towards more absolutist thinking.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Changes in the authoritarian direction happened in the U.S. under the Trump administration, the study authors said, and have recently been happening in other countries around the world.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/body&gt;&lt;/html&gt;</content:encoded><default_file><default_file:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20233/Romanian+Revolution+1.jpg</default_file:url><default_file:title>Black-and-white photo of speaker addressing crowd during Romanian Revolution</default_file:title><default_file:caption>A speaker addresses a crowd in Timișoara, Romania, during the 1989 revolution that ousted Nicolae Ceaușescu. Researchers studied how Romanians’ epistemic thinking styles were affected the transition from authoritarian rule to democracy.</default_file:caption></default_file><attachments><attachment><attachment:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20233/Romanian+Revolution+1.jpg</attachment:url><attachment:title>Black-and-white photo of speaker addressing crowd during Romanian Revolution</attachment:title></attachment></attachments><contacts><contact><contact:first_name>Holly</contact:first_name><contact:last_name>Ober</contact:last_name><contact:phone>310-956-6465</contact:phone><contact:email>hober@stratcomm.ucla.edu</contact:email></contact></contacts><description><![CDATA[UCLA psychologists suggest that by 25, one’s mode of evaluating the truthfulness of information is pretty much set.]]></description><author>Holly Ober </author><guid isPermaLink="true">https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/is-it-too-late-to-change-the-way-you-think</guid><pubDate>Thu, 11 May 2023 15:40:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Oprah Winfrey, U.S. surgeon general headline WOW mental health summit at UCLA</title><link>https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/oprah-winfrey-surgeon-general-headline-ucla-mental-health-summit</link><contentType>releases</contentType><image>&lt;img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20234/64545d642cfac278e821991d_Vivek+Murthy/Vivek+Murthy_thmb.jpg" alt="U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy seated in chair" align="left" hspace="15" vspace="5" /&gt;</image><content:encoded>&lt;html&gt;&lt;body&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Loneliness has reached epidemic levels in the United States, with as much as half the population feeling socially disconnected at any given time. The U.S. surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, &lt;a href="https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf" target="_blank" title="U.S. Surgeon General Advisory"&gt;issued an advisory (PDF)&lt;/a&gt; on May 2 about loneliness and “the healing effects of social connection and community.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Depression and suicide are also on the rise.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“Mental health is the defining public health crisis of our time,” Murthy said during an onstage conversation with Oprah Winfrey on May 4 at UCLA’s Royce Hall.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The two discussed loneliness, mental health and what makes life meaningful during WOW 2023, UCLA Health’s annual mental health summit. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Other guests who spoke with Winfrey during the three-hour program included Oscar- and Grammy-winning musician Jon Batiste, author and Harvard Business School professor Arthur Brooks and three UCLA students who shared their personal experiences with mental health challenges. Actress Lisa Kudrow hosted the event.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The inspiring program, a fundraiser for the &lt;a href="https://www.semel.ucla.edu/" target="_blank" title="UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior"&gt;UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior&lt;/a&gt; and the &lt;a href="https://www.uclahealth.org/hospitals/resnick" target="_blank" title="Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital"&gt;Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital,&lt;/a&gt; honored philanthropists Andrea and Peter Roth, who recently donated $1 million to support autism research and intervention. It was also announced that a grant for early-career faculty at the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital would be named in honor of Winfrey.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.uclahealth.org/news/oprah-winfrey-us-surgeon-general-vivek-murthy-headline-wow" rel="" target="" title=""&gt;Read more about the event on the UCLA Health website.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/body&gt;&lt;/html&gt;</content:encoded><default_file><default_file:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20234/Vivek+Murthy.jpg</default_file:url><default_file:title>U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy seated in chair</default_file:title><default_file:caption>Surgeon General Vivek Murthy led the audience through a contemplative exercise during the summit.  </default_file:caption></default_file><attachments><attachment><attachment:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20234/Vivek+Murthy.jpg</attachment:url><attachment:title>U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy seated in chair</attachment:title></attachment></attachments><contacts><contact><contact:first_name>UCLA Health Sciences</contact:first_name><contact:last_name>Media Relations</contact:last_name><contact:phone>310-267-7022</contact:phone><contact:email>UCLAHealthNews@mednet.ucla.edu</contact:email></contact></contacts><description><![CDATA[The May 4 event raised funds for UCLA’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital.]]></description><author>Sandy Cohen </author><guid isPermaLink="true">https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/oprah-winfrey-surgeon-general-headline-ucla-mental-health-summit</guid><pubDate>Fri, 05 May 2023 01:25:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Long in the tooth: UCLA–Japan dentistry exchange program marks three decades</title><link>https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/ulca-japan-dentistry-exchange-program-marks-three-decades</link><contentType>stories</contentType><image>&lt;img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20234/64517bb62cfac278e80a3219_Dental+Exchange-Hero+Image/Dental+Exchange-Hero+Image_thmb.jpg" alt="UCLA School of Dentistry’s exchange cohort at Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto, Japan " align="left" hspace="15" vspace="5" /&gt;</image><subtitle>Back after COVID, a unique School of Dentistry partnership has fostered opportunities on both sides of the Pacific</subtitle><content:encoded>&lt;html&gt;&lt;body&gt;&lt;p&gt;For 30 years, students and faculty from the &lt;a href="https://dentistry.ucla.edu/"&gt;UCLA School of Dentistry&lt;/a&gt; have made regular journeys across the Pacific to Meikai University, just outside Tokyo, and Asahi University, about 75 miles northeast of Kyoto, to share and absorb the latest in dental techniques and technology — and get a taste of the local culture — with their Japanese counterparts.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The unique exchange program, which also brings members of both Japanese universities to the Westwood campus each year, had its genesis in a moment of tragedy — and of healing. On April 29, 1992, Henry Takei, a professor of periodontics and UCLA, and Susumu Miyata, chairman of the board of trustees for Meikai and Asahi universities, sat down to dinner in Los Angeles to discuss their desire to create an academic and cultural exchange program. They looked out the window to see the city ablaze. It was the flashpoint of the Los Angeles riots. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;As the days of unrest gave way to reflection, Takei and Miyata, along with Hiroshi Kawazu, a professor at Meikai University, became even more resolved to move forward with their partnership as a means to build bridges of understanding. An agreement was signed later that year, and in 1993, UCLA welcomed the first cohort of Japanese dental students. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;To date, more than 430 &lt;span&gt;UCLA and Japanese&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span&gt;students&lt;/span&gt; have traveled to each other’s countries to participate in the 10-day oral health care immersion program, thanks to support from the Dr. Susumu Miyata Endowed Fund. In addition to the tight bonds forged among students, the exchange has proven fruitful for faculty, with scholars from the three universities collaborating on more than a dozen academic publications and presentations, and UCLA faculty members having taught 44 continuing education sessions for their Japanese peers. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;This year — the program’s 30th anniversary and its return after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic — 10 UCLA students and two faculty members welcomed an equal-sized contingent of students and faculty from Japan in February; during the recent spring break, they reconnected on the other side of the ocean. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Below, participants in the 2023 AUM (Asahi–UCLA–Meikai) exchange reflect on their educational experiences.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“In comparison to the U.S. higher education model, Japanese dental students enroll in a six-year program directly after high school. Although didactically there were some differences, we have very similar curriculums, courses and postdoctoral specialties … from oral surgery to endodontics. Both UCLA and the Japanese universities we toured are very rigorous and thoroughly prepare every future clinician. My visit to Japan through the AUM exchange program was nothing short of incredible. I am honored and extremely grateful I was chosen for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;—&lt;strong&gt;Debby Flores&lt;/strong&gt;, third-year dental student at UCLA&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage textImage-left textImage-original"&gt;&lt;img align="left" alt="UCLA’s Debby Flores, left, and Meikai student Yoshiki Ito sit on either side of a patient simulator." author="UCLA School of Dentistry" data-imgheight="780" data-imgwidth="1170" file_id="645159372cfac278e7439f7c" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20234/Dental+Exchange-Debby+Flores.jpg" title="A highlight for Bruins was working with patient simulators at Meikai University. Pictured: UCLA’s Debby Flores, left, and Meikai student Yoshiki Ito."/&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage-creditBody"&gt;Courtesy of Debby Flores&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage-captionBody"&gt;A highlight for Bruins was working with patient simulators at both Japanese dental schools they visited. Pictured: UCLA’s Debby Flores, right, and Asahi University student Yoshiki Ito.&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;em&gt;“In Japan, we obtain student dentist qualifications after our fourth year, after which we can assist dentists in seeing patients. ln most cases we don’t actually treat patients ourselves, with rare exceptions. I was very surprised that American students oversee all treatments from the first consultation! With that said, in both countries, I observed that everyone puts their patients first and treats them with courtesy.”&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;—&lt;strong&gt;Kurumi Unetani&lt;/strong&gt;, fifth-year dental student at Asahi University&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage textImage-left textImage-original"&gt;&lt;img align="left" alt="Five Japanese dental students in scrubs jumping in front UCLA sign on campus" author="Courtesy of Asahi University" data-imgheight="781" data-imgwidth="1170" file_id="645181512cfac278e5289efc" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20234/Dental+Exchange-Kurumi.jpg" title="Japanese dental students, including Kurumi Unetani (far left), at UCLA in February 2023."/&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage-creditBody"&gt;Courtesy of Asahi University&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage-captionBody"&gt;Japanese dental students, including Kurumi Unetani (second from right), at UCLA in February 2023.&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;em&gt;“&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;The Miyata exchange has given me the opportunity to go out into the international dentistry community. I have served as a chaperone three times, including this year, and by maintaining relationships with doctors I met on previous trips, I had the opportunity to conduct research in Dr. Flavia Pirih’s lab at UCLA in 2018. In that sense, I may be the person who has benefited the most from the program.”&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;—&lt;strong&gt;Makiko Ishii&lt;/strong&gt;, professor of periodontology at Meikai University&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage textImage-left textImage-original"&gt;&lt;img align="left" alt="Satoshi Kawano of Asahi University, Francisco Ramos-Gomez of UCLA and Makiko Ishii of Meikai University" author="UCLA School of Dentistry" data-imgheight="780" data-imgwidth="1170" file_id="64515d912cfac278e8092016" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20234/Dental+Exchange-Makiko+Ishii.jpg" title="Satoshi Kawano of Asahi University, Francisco Ramos-Gomez of UCLA and Makiko Ishii of Meikai University following Ramos-Gomez’s lecture on children’s oral health in Japan"/&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage-creditBody"&gt;Brian Lozano/UCLA School of Dentistry&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage-captionBody"&gt;From left: Satoshi Kawano of Asahi University, Francisco Ramos-Gomez of UCLA and Makiko Ishii of Meikai University following Ramos-Gomez’s lecture on children’s oral health in Japan.&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/body&gt;&lt;/html&gt;</content:encoded><default_file><default_file:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20234/Dental+Exchange-Hero+Image.jpg</default_file:url><default_file:title>UCLA School of Dentistry’s exchange cohort at Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto, Japan </default_file:title><default_file:caption>The UCLA School of Dentistry’s cohort of 10 students and two faculty members at Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto, Japan, during spring break 2023.  </default_file:caption></default_file><attachments><attachment><attachment:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20234/Dental+Exchange-Hero+Image.jpg</attachment:url><attachment:title>UCLA School of Dentistry’s exchange cohort at Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto, Japan </attachment:title></attachment></attachments><contacts><contact><contact:first_name>Ben</contact:first_name><contact:last_name>Alkaly</contact:last_name><contact:phone>310-206-0835</contact:phone><contact:email>balkaly@dentistry.ucla.edu</contact:email></contact></contacts><description><![CDATA[Back after COVID, the unique partnership has fostered educational, research and cultural opportunities on both sides of the Pacific.]]></description><author>Ben Alkaly </author><guid isPermaLink="true">https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/ulca-japan-dentistry-exchange-program-marks-three-decades</guid><pubDate>Wed, 03 May 2023 16:21:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>$9.5 million in state grants to fund wide-ranging research on cannabis </title><link>https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/state-grants-cannabis-research</link><contentType>releases</contentType><image>&lt;img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20234/645038532cfac278e36d58e4_Marijuana+leaf+iStock+OpenRangeStock/Marijuana+leaf+iStock+OpenRangeStock_thmb.jpg" alt="Marijuana leaf being held in front of several marijuana plants" align="left" hspace="15" vspace="5" /&gt;</image><content:encoded>&lt;html&gt;&lt;body&gt;&lt;p&gt;UCLA researchers have received six grants totaling $9.5 million from the California Department of Cannabis Control. The two-year awards will support research on a broad range of topics, from the potency and effects of cannabis products to the financial health of California’s cannabis market.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The faculty members who received the grants represent the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, UCLA College, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and UCLA Anderson School of Management, and all are members of the UCLA Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoids.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The UCLA grants represent nearly half of the $20 million that the cannabis control department presented to 16 academic institutions to further scientific understanding of cannabis and to inform efforts to shape public policy related to the evolving legal cannabis market.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The single largest grant to UCLA, a total of $2 million, will support a study of the potency and potential psychoactive and therapeutic effects of synthetic cannabinoids led by professors Neil Garg, Kendall Houk and Yi Tang. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.uclahealth.org/news/ucla-receives-95m-wide-ranging-cannabis-research" rel="" target="" title="Read more about the grants and research on the UCLA Health website."&gt;Read more about the grants and research on the UCLA Health website.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/body&gt;&lt;/html&gt;</content:encoded><default_file><default_file:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20234/Marijuana+leaf+iStock+OpenRangeStock.jpg</default_file:url><default_file:title>Marijuana leaf being held in front of several marijuana plants</default_file:title><default_file:caption>Six UCLA research projects, involving faculty from an array of academic units, received funding.</default_file:caption></default_file><attachments><attachment><attachment:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20234/Marijuana+leaf+iStock+OpenRangeStock.jpg</attachment:url><attachment:title>Marijuana leaf being held in front of several marijuana plants</attachment:title></attachment></attachments><contacts><contact><contact:first_name>Jason</contact:first_name><contact:last_name>Millman</contact:last_name><contact:email>JLMillman@mednet.ucla.edu</contact:email></contact></contacts><description><![CDATA[The two-year grants are meant to further scientific understanding of cannabis and inform efforts to shape public policy.


]]></description><author>Jason Millman </author><guid isPermaLink="true">https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/state-grants-cannabis-research</guid><pubDate>Mon, 01 May 2023 22:41:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Unsafe firearm storage is common among veterans with suicidal ideation, study finds</title><link>https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/unsafe-gun-storage-common-among-veterans-with-suicidal-thoughts</link><contentType>releases</contentType><image>&lt;img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20233/6446e7d62cfac278e362e7fe_Veterans+and+Firearms/Veterans+and+Firearms_thmb.jpg" alt="Veterans and Firearms" align="left" hspace="15" vspace="5" /&gt;</image><subtitle>Nearly 1 in 7 California veterans with a firearm at home had thought about suicide at some point </subtitle><content:encoded>&lt;html&gt;&lt;body&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Unsafe firearm storage is common among California veterans with a history of suicidal ideation, according to &lt;a href="https://healthpolicy.ucla.edu/publications/search/pages/detail.aspx?PubID=2415" rel="" target="" title=""&gt;a study published today&lt;/a&gt; by the &lt;a href="https://healthpolicy.ucla.edu/Pages/home.aspx" rel="" target="" title=""&gt;UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="https://healthpolicy.ucla.edu/Pages/home.aspx" rel="" target="" title=""&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Using data from the center’s 2021 California Health Interview Survey, the study’s authors found that 18.4% of veterans who lived in a home with firearms and had ever thought of suicide had at least one firearm currently stored loaded and unlocked. Overall, 36.0% of veterans who had firearms in their home had at least one of them stored unlocked. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Among veterans who lived in a home with a firearm, 18.0% said they had needed professional help for an emotional, mental health or substance use problem in the past year.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The authors say the findings suggest an urgent need for mental health and substance-related services for veterans, along with programs promoting secure gun storage — for example, free locking devices or out-of-home storage options — to reduce the possibility of firearm injuries and suicide.  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“Suicide by firearm is the leading cause of suicide death among veterans,” said Ninez Ponce, director of the center and principal investigator for the California Health Interview Survey. “Creating programs that would facilitate the secure storage of guns is a critical first step toward ensuring the safety of those struggling with thoughts of suicide, especially California veterans.”   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Additional findings from the study: &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;38.1% of veterans in California lived in a home with a firearm. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Among those veterans with a firearm at home, 13.9% reported that at least one was stored loaded and unlocked. Among nonveterans with a firearm at home, that figure was 6.8%. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;14.1% of veterans in California reported having seriously considered suicide at some point in their life.    &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“Easy access to a loaded firearm is an important risk factor for suicide,” said the study’s lead author, Joseph Simonetti, an assistant professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora. “It’s concerning to see that this many veterans who have previously thought about ending their lives keep firearms loaded and unsecured in the home. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“We need to figure out better ways to meet the mental health needs of our veterans through VA and non-VA health care systems and to encourage voluntary secure firearm storage options both in and out of the home.” &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/body&gt;&lt;/html&gt;</content:encoded><default_file><default_file:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20233/Veterans+and+Firearms.jpg</default_file:url><default_file:title>Veterans and Firearms</default_file:title><default_file:caption>“It’s concerning to see that this many veterans who have previously thought about ending their lives keep firearms loaded and unsecured in the home,” said the study’s lead author.</default_file:caption></default_file><attachments><attachment><attachment:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20233/Veterans+and+Firearms.jpg</attachment:url><attachment:title>Veterans and Firearms</attachment:title></attachment></attachments><contacts><contact><contact:first_name>Vanessa</contact:first_name><contact:last_name>Villafuerte</contact:last_name><contact:phone>310-794-0975</contact:phone><contact:email>vanessa.villafuerte@ucla.edu</contact:email></contact></contacts><description><![CDATA[Among California veterans who had considered suicide, nearly 1 in 5 reported living in a home with at least one firearm stored loaded and unlocked. ]]></description><author>Vanessa Villafuerte </author><guid isPermaLink="true">https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/unsafe-gun-storage-common-among-veterans-with-suicidal-thoughts</guid><pubDate>Wed, 26 Apr 2023 15:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>UCLA Depression Research Registry, already 20,000 people strong, aims to enroll more Angelenos</title><link>https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/depression-grand-challenge-research-registry</link><contentType>releases</contentType><image>&lt;img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20233/644826382cfac278e5097cb2_Digital+illustration+of+brain+connected+to+technology/Digital+illustration+of+brain+connected+to+technology_thmb.jpg" alt="Digital illustration of brain connected to technology" align="left" hspace="15" vspace="5" /&gt;</image><content:encoded>&lt;html&gt;&lt;body&gt;&lt;div class="simplebox align-center"&gt;
&lt;div class="simplebox-content"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Key takeaways&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;More than 20,000 people have enrolled in the UCLA Depression Research Registry, which improves and streamlines longstanding obstacles to recruiting participants for medical research.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;UCLA now aims to expand the registry to enroll participants from throughout Los Angeles. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The registry helps researchers reach equity, diversity and inclusion goals.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Recruiting participants for health care studies is typically time-consuming and expensive, and the process often yields minimal returns. Researchers have to cast a wide net for people who meet specific criteria but also are representative of the larger population. Then, those who respond might qualify in some criteria but not others. And those who qualify might not always be willing to participate fully in the research.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;But a new approach developed by UCLA has already improved recruitment for research studies on depression and mental health. With 20,000 participants and counting, the &lt;a href="https://in.uclahealth.org/c-depression-grand-challenge"&gt;UCLA Depression Research Registry&lt;/a&gt; solves many of the process’ longstanding challenges — obstacles that can slow the momentum of important research projects, just when they are getting underway.  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The registry was conceptualized by Dr. Arash Naeim, co-director of the UCLA Clinical Translational Science Institute and UCLA Health’s chief medical officer for clinical research; and its development was catalyzed in 2020 with the launch of a &lt;a href="https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/ucla-launches-major-mental-health-study-to-discover-insights-about-depression"&gt;digital mental health study&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span class="MsoHyperlink"&gt;&lt;span&gt; conducted by UCLA in collaboration with Apple.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Most of the people included in the registry thus far are patients from UCLA Health who volunteered to enroll. And based on the program’s success, UCLA is now looking to enroll interested participants from across Los Angeles. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The registry streamlines the recruitment process by creating a pool of willing, eligible research subjects — people who have already declared their interest in clinical research and specific topics in advance — enabling scientists to more readily identify participants for their specific studies. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“I was surprised how quickly researchers and UCLA Health embraced it, and most importantly, how the people in the community took to it,” Naeim said. “That it proved successful without having to do much fine-tuning out of the gate makes me very optimistic that the registry is ready to expand.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Naeim added that the model could also be applied to gather potential participants for studies on a wide range of other health conditions.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The registry is a collaboration between the UCLA Center for SMART Health, which aims to transform health care through emerging data and technologies, and the &lt;a href="https://grandchallenges.ucla.edu/depression/"&gt;UCLA Depression Grand Challenge,&lt;/a&gt; a campuswide initiative to help cut the global burden of depression in half by 2050. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“We embrace collaboration and never shy away from trying new tactics, and Arash’s idea for the registry has proven itself to be a major asset to us,” said Dr. Nelson Freimer, the director of the Depression Grand Challenge. “For a condition as complex and far-reaching as depression, large sample sizes are paramount to identify patterns. We also need to represent the full population to be certain that our discoveries apply to everyone. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“The registry makes us more confident than ever in our ability to meet our size and representation recruitment targets and ensure the highest breadth and quality of research possible.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;b&gt;A straightforward approach&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The way it works is surprisingly straightforward: Participants need only submit basic demographic details about themselves and indicate which study topics they’re interested in. Enrollment is open to anyone, and registrants do not need to have a history of specific symptoms or to have been diagnosed with depression or any other condition. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;When a UCLA study is about to begin, the researcher can search the registry for people who meet their criteria. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“It’s like matchmaking,” said Antonia Petruse, director of the UCLA SMART Health Embedded Clinical Research and Innovation Center, which administers the registry. “With this tool, we’re able to reach community members and researchers, and more importantly, help them reach one another at a much faster pace.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The registry will help UCLA researchers toward a key goal for the Depression Grand Challenge: engaging with a diverse representation of communities that have long been underrepresented in clinical research.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“We want to ease the burden of depression and find what works to do so,” Freimer said. “That means nothing if we’re only researching a subset of the millions of people affected by depression.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Making the effort to invite all populations in research is only one step: Even if researchers attempt to include a diverse range of people, those people might be hesitant to engage. Many from marginalized communities are reticent to participate in medical research, due in part to past mistreatment in research and health care. And, when it comes to research on depression and mental health, social stigmas can be another hurdle. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“The registry doesn’t resolve this all in one fell swoop, yet we are acutely aware of the need for equitable, inclusive and diverse research, and this is a major step forward,” Naeim said.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Because each participant self-reports their demographic data, researchers can identify — more easily and earlier in the process&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt; — &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;when their recruitment efforts are lacking subjects from underrepresented populations, and then can adjust accordingly. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The registry aims to add several thousand participants per month, with a goal to reach a total of 25,000 participants by the summer. Researchers are currently screening participants for the grand challenge&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;’&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;s &lt;a href="https://dgc.uclahealth.org/optima/home"&gt;OPTIMA study,&lt;/a&gt; which is using Apple Watches and magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, to research anhedonia, a debilitating type of depression that depletes the ability to feel enjoyment.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/body&gt;&lt;/html&gt;</content:encoded><default_file><default_file:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20233/Digital+illustration+of+brain+connected+to+technology.jpg</default_file:url><default_file:title>Digital illustration of brain connected to technology</default_file:title><default_file:caption>The registry streamlines the recruitment process by creating a pool of willing, eligible research subjects.</default_file:caption></default_file><attachments><attachment><attachment:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20233/Digital+illustration+of+brain+connected+to+technology.jpg</attachment:url><attachment:title>Digital illustration of brain connected to technology</attachment:title></attachment></attachments><contacts><contact><contact:first_name>Anne</contact:first_name><contact:last_name>Dahlem</contact:last_name><contact:email>adahlem@conet.ucla.edu</contact:email></contact></contacts><description><![CDATA[A new approach developed by UCLA has already improved recruitment for research studies on mental health.]]></description><author>Yasmín Elqutami </author><guid isPermaLink="true">https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/depression-grand-challenge-research-registry</guid><pubDate>Tue, 25 Apr 2023 20:16:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Small acts of kindness are frequent and universal, study finds</title><link>https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/small-acts-of-kindness-frequent-and-universal</link><contentType>releases</contentType><image>&lt;img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20233/6441cd252cfac278e888eb2d_Helping+someone+get+up+Annie+Spratt+Unsplash/Helping+someone+get+up+Annie+Spratt+Unsplash_thmb.jpg" alt="Child helping another child get up in a wooded area" align="left" hspace="15" vspace="5" /&gt;</image><subtitle>Around the world, research reveals, people help each other about every 2 minutes</subtitle><content:encoded>&lt;html&gt;&lt;body&gt;&lt;div class="simplebox align-center"&gt;
&lt;div class="simplebox-content"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Key takeaways&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A study by researchers from UCLA, Australia, Ecuador, Germany, the Netherlands and the U.K. found that people around the world signal others for assistance every couple of minutes.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The research, which examined behaviors in towns and rural areas in several different countries, revealed that &lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;people comply with these small requests for help far more often than they decline them.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The findings suggest that &lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;people from all cultures have more similar cooperative behaviors than prior research has established. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;A new study by UCLA sociologist Giovanni Rossi and an international team of collaborators finds that people rely on each other for help constantly.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;In the study, published in &lt;a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-30580-5"&gt;Scientific Reports,&lt;/a&gt; the authors — who also included researchers at universities in Australia, Ecuador, Germany, the Netherlands and the U.K. — explore the human capacity for cooperation. They found that people signal a need for assistance, such as asking someone to pass them a utensil, once every couple of minutes. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;And the research revealed that those requests for help do not go unanswered: Across cultures, people comply with these small requests far more often than they decline them. On the rare occasions when people do decline, they explain why. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Those human tendencies — to help others when needed and to explain when such help can’t be given — transcends cultural differences, suggesting that, deep down, people from all cultures have more similar cooperative behaviors than prior research has established. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The new findings help solve a puzzle generated by prior anthropological and economic research, which has emphasized variation in rules and norms governing cooperation. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;For example, while whale hunters of Lamalera, Indonesia, follow established rules about how to share out a large catch, Hadza foragers of Tanzania share their food more out of a fear of generating negative gossip. In Kenya, wealthier Orma villagers are expected to pay for public goods such as road projects. Wealthy Gnau villagers of Papua New Guinea, on the other hand, would reject such an offer because it creates an awkward obligation to reciprocate for their poorer neighbors.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage textImage-right textImage-large_uncropped"&gt;&lt;img align="right" alt="" author="Courtesy of Giovanni Rossi" data-imgheight="880" data-imgwidth="872" file_id="6442ed8e2cfac278e49d5902" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20233/6442ed8e2cfac278e49d5902_Giovanni+Rossi/Giovanni+Rossi_22f8663c-3dd9-4fe6-8c26-6248bb814659-prv.jpg" title="UCLA sociologist Giovanni Rossi" width="340"/&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage-creditBody"&gt;Courtesy of Giovanni Rossi&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage-captionBody"&gt;UCLA sociologist Giovanni Rossi&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“Cultural differences like these have created a puzzle for understanding cooperation and helping among humans,” said Rossi, the paper’s first author. “Are our decisions about sharing and helping shaped by the culture we grew up with? Or are humans generous and giving by nature?”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;To answer those questions, the authors analyzed over 40 hours of video recordings of everyday life involving more than 350 people in geographically, linguistically and culturally diverse sites — towns in England, Italy, Poland and Russia, and rural villages in Ecuador, Ghana, Laos and Aboriginal Australia. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The analysis focused on sequences in which one person sent a signal for help, such as asking directly or visibly struggling with a task, and another person responded. The authors identified more than 1,000 such requests, occurring on average about once every two minutes. The situations involved “low-cost” decisions about sharing items for everyday use or assisting others with tasks around the house or village, for example. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Such decisions are many orders more frequent than “high-cost” decisions such as sharing the spoils of a successful whale hunt or contributing to the construction of a village road, the types of decisions that have been found to be significantly influenced by culture.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;People complied with small requests seven times more often than they declined, and six times more often than they ignored them. People did sometimes reject or ignore small requests, but a lot less frequently than they complied. The average rates of rejection (10%) and ignoring (11%) were much lower than the average rate of compliance (79%). &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The preference for compliance held across all cultures and was unaffected by whether the interaction was among family or non-family members.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;People helped without explanation, but when they declined, 74% of the time they gave an explicit reason. That suggests that while people decline helping only for a good reason, they give help unconditionally, without needing to explain why they are doing it.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“A cross-cultural preference for compliance with small requests is not predicted by prior research on resource-sharing and cooperation, which instead suggest that culture should cause prosocial behavior to vary in appreciable ways due to local norms, values, and adaptations to the natural, technological, and socio-economic environment,” said N. J. Enfield, the paper’s corresponding author and a linguist at the University of Sydney. “These and other factors could in principle make it easier for people to say ‘no’ to small requests, but this is not what we find.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The findings suggest that being helpful is an ingrained reflex in the human species, Rossi said.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“While cultural variation comes into play for special occasions and high-cost exchange, when we zoom in on the micro level of social interaction, cultural difference mostly goes away, and our species’ tendency to give help when needed becomes universally visible,” he said.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/body&gt;&lt;/html&gt;</content:encoded><default_file><default_file:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20233/Helping+someone+get+up+Annie+Spratt+Unsplash.jpg</default_file:url><default_file:title>Child helping another child get up in a wooded area</default_file:title><default_file:caption>The study found that, across cultures, people comply with small requests for help far more often than they decline them.</default_file:caption></default_file><attachments><attachment><attachment:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20233/Helping+someone+get+up+Annie+Spratt+Unsplash.jpg</attachment:url><attachment:title>Child helping another child get up in a wooded area</attachment:title></attachment></attachments><contacts><contact><contact:first_name>Holly</contact:first_name><contact:last_name>Ober</contact:last_name><contact:phone>310-956-6465</contact:phone><contact:email>hober@stratcomm.ucla.edu</contact:email></contact></contacts><description><![CDATA[An international team including UCLA sociologist Giovanni Rossi found that people rely on each other for help constantly.]]></description><author>Holly Ober </author><guid isPermaLink="true">https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/small-acts-of-kindness-frequent-and-universal</guid><pubDate>Fri, 21 Apr 2023 20:25:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>In memoriam: Charles Williams, 88, philanthropist and co-founder of UCLA’s Williams Institute</title><link>https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/in-memoriam-charles-williams-co-founder-of-williams-institute</link><contentType>stories</contentType><image>&lt;img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20233/644173882cfac278e8850ac4_Obit-Chuck+Williams/Obit-Chuck+Williams_thmb.jpg" alt="Chuck Williams in tuxedo standing at podium" align="left" hspace="15" vspace="5" /&gt;</image><content:encoded>&lt;html&gt;&lt;body&gt;&lt;p&gt;Charles “Chuck” Williams, a philanthropist and businessman who co-founded the&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;span&gt;Williams Institute&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; at the UCLA School of Law in 2001, died April 12 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 88.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Williams was known across UCLA for his generosity and vision. His $2.5 million gift to found Williams Institute — the nation’s preeminent center of LGBTQ legal research and policy, and the first to be housed at a law school — &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;was at the time&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt; the largest donation ever given to a college or university in support of LGBTQ research. To date, Williams and his partner Stu Walter have committed more than $20 million to UCLA, with most of it supporting the institute.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The Williams Institute has been at the forefront of the key issues involving LGBTQ people for the past two decades, including, most notably, the successful push for marriage equality. Today, it is recognized as the national leader in rigorous, independent research on sexual orientation and gender identity law and policy. The institute disseminates its research to policymakers, judges, the media and other stakeholders to ensure that decisions impacting the lives of millions of LGBTQ people and families are based on data and facts.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“This is a difficult loss,” wrote Brad Sears, the institute’s founding executive director, in a message to the UCLA Law community. “Chuck’s legacy lies in his incredible warmth towards other people, his relationships with Stu and his many friends, and his vision and philanthropy in support of the LGBTQ community and the Williams Institute.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;A double Bruin, Williams earned his bachelor’s degree and a master’s in business administration at UCLA. He was a former senior executive at Sperry Corp., an electronics company, and more recently ran the consulting firm Williams and Associates. A visionary business leader, he also taught business courses in policy and strategy and continued to consult in this area late into his life. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;In addition to his service to and engagement with UCLA Law — both with the Williams Institute and as a trusted member of the school’s board of advisors — Williams was a board member of The UCLA Foundation and a member of the Gill Foundation's OutGiving advisory committee.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Throughout his career, Williams was recognized by many LGBTQ organizations and publications. In 2002, the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association honored him with their Co-President’s Award, and OUT magazine named him one of their “Out 100.” In 2003, the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center (now the Los Angeles LGBT Center) presented Williams with its Board of Directors Award.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;A memorial service is being planned for June and details will be announced in the coming weeks.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/body&gt;&lt;/html&gt;</content:encoded><default_file><default_file:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20233/Obit-Chuck+Williams.jpg</default_file:url><default_file:title>Chuck Williams in tuxedo standing at podium</default_file:title><default_file:caption>For over 20 years, the institute that bears Chuck Williams’ name has been at the forefront of research on issues involving LGBTQ people.</default_file:caption></default_file><attachments><attachment><attachment:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20233/Obit-Chuck+Williams.jpg</attachment:url><attachment:title>Chuck Williams in tuxedo standing at podium</attachment:title></attachment></attachments><contacts><contact><contact:first_name>Annabel</contact:first_name><contact:last_name>Adams</contact:last_name><contact:email>adams@law.ucla.edu</contact:email></contact></contacts><description><![CDATA[For over 20 years, the institute that bears his name has been at the forefront of research on issues involving LGBTQ people.]]></description><author>Annabel Adams </author><guid isPermaLink="true">https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/in-memoriam-charles-williams-co-founder-of-williams-institute</guid><pubDate>Thu, 20 Apr 2023 18:15:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>The brain cells you haven’t heard about</title><link>https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/the-brain-cells-you-havent-heard-about</link><contentType>stories</contentType><image>&lt;img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20233/6435d4f82cfac278e81db377_Baljit+Khakh+Photo/Baljit+Khakh+Photo_thmb.jpg" alt="Head-and-shoulders photo of Baljit Khakh in front of window" align="left" hspace="15" vspace="5" /&gt;</image><subtitle>UCLA’s Baljit Khakh will discuss the long-overlooked role of astrocytes in health and disease during his Faculty Research Lecture on April 19</subtitle><content:encoded>&lt;html&gt;&lt;body&gt;&lt;p&gt;For years, Baljit Khakh has been studying stars — not those in the firmament but those in our brains. Astrocytes, so named because of their starlike shape, make up around half of our brain cells, but in research they’ve long taken a back seat to neurons.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Khakh’s research is changing that. The professor of physiology and neurobiology still recalls sifting through scientific studies, seeing the progress being made in neuronal research and being struck by how little was known about astrocytes. “The more I read,” he recalled, “the more I became convinced that key questions remained to be tackled.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;To that end, &lt;a href="https://www.physiology.ucla.edu/Labs/khakh/index.htm"&gt;Khakh’s lab&lt;/a&gt; has developed new concepts and tools that have helped elucidate the structure, function and distribution of these specialized glial cells across the brain. Thanks in large part to those efforts, it is now known that astrocytes, in a broad sense, act as neurons’ housekeepers, providing them with nutrients and maintaining an optimal chemical environment that enables them to communicate effectively with each other. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;But Khakh’s groundbreaking research has also revealed that astrocyte dysfunction plays a crucial role in neurological and psychiatric diseases, from Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s to ADHD and obsessive-compulsive disorder. “Essentially all brain diseases likely contain an astrocytic component,” Khakh said. &lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The key is to dissect it and exploit it.” &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;In advance of delivering the 134th Faculty Research on Wednesday, April 19, Khakh spoke with us about his research, his work with high school students from underserved backgrounds and what the future may hold in terms of therapeutics for brain-related disorders.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;What inspired you as a young person to study science?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;I liked doing experiments and thinking about how things worked, even as a child. And as I grew older, I valued being left alone to do so. Then, when I was an undergraduate, one of my tutors suggested I read “Adventures in Physiology” by Nobel laureate Sir Henry H. Dale. I found that fascinating and decided to do a Ph.D. on the ATP receptors thought to mediate signaling between nerves and between nerves and smooth muscle — it was an idea that, at the time, seemed to challenge Dale’s principle. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Your research has shown that astrocytes play a key role in neuron signaling and other functions. These cells were first identified in 1891, yet they have been ‘understudied’ for quite some time. Why do you think that is?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Neuroscience advanced through the development of tools to study neurons. Often those tools were not ideal to study non-neuronal cells such as astrocytes. This is because unlike neurons, astrocytes are electrically silent. As a result, our understanding of these cells has lagged behind. However, in the last few years, there has been excellent progress, and the use of designer tools is now beginning to reveal the functions of astrocytes in the brain.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Astrocytes appear to play a key role in both neuronal health and dysfunction. What do you foresee as the future of disease-related research involving astrocytes?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Studies of astrocytes in disease have strong implications for the development of new therapies. By highlighting astrocyte pathobiology and how it affects neurons, these studies suggest that treatment approaches that target only neurons are likely to fail. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Those neuronal targets of therapy necessarily reside in an environment that contains astrocytes — as well as other glial cells, both oligodendrocytes and microglia — which are themselves dysfunctional, and hence inadequate in their essential supportive roles during disease. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;In broad terms, tackling brain diseases from the standpoint that multicellular disorders may require multimodal therapeutics may hold the greatest promise for advancing novel and effective therapies.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;You run a summer program, the &lt;a href="https://www.uclapop.org/"&gt;UCLA Physiology Outreach Program,&lt;/a&gt; that offers science instruction and mentorship to high school students from underserved communities. How did that start, and how is it going? &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;I started that because there were few opportunities for kids from underserved communities to engage in experimental work in research labs. Therefore, Tom Vondriska, a professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and I teamed up to start a program that allowed this to happen at UCLA. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The program, which has now been running for 15 years, is doing extremely well, and I know that we could accomplish even more with a boost in financial and administrative support. It would be great to be able to eventually endow the program and expand it across UCLA. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;If you could give a message to young scientists, what would it be? &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;As a Ph.D. student, when I went to my first international scientific conference, in Vienna, Professor Geoffrey Burnstock from University College London, a giant in his field, invited me for a coffee in a Vienna café. As he drank a cappuccino and hacked away at an enormous apple strudel, he looked up at me from beneath his impressive eyebrows and said, “You seem to be doing well. Remember, always stay positive. In science, negative people don’t survive.” I think that is good advice.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;What was your reaction to being chosen for the Faculty Research Lecture?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;I was happy and honored. Although I am giving the lecture, it is really recognition for the wonderful trainees who have contributed to the success of my lab.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Outside of your research, what do you like to do?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;I like going on long walks and hiking with my wife and two dogs.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/body&gt;&lt;/html&gt;</content:encoded><default_file><default_file:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20233/Baljit+Khakh+Photo.jpg</default_file:url><default_file:title>Head-and-shoulders photo of Baljit Khakh in front of window</default_file:title><default_file:caption>“Essentially all brain diseases likely contain an astrocytic component,” Khakh said. “The key is to dissect it and exploit it.”</default_file:caption></default_file><attachments><attachment><attachment:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20233/Baljit+Khakh+Photo.jpg</attachment:url><attachment:title>Head-and-shoulders photo of Baljit Khakh in front of window</attachment:title></attachment></attachments><description><![CDATA[Baljit Khakh will discuss the long-overlooked role of astrocytes in health and disease during his Faculty Research Lecture on April 19.]]></description><author>UCLA Newsroom </author><guid isPermaLink="true">https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/the-brain-cells-you-havent-heard-about</guid><pubDate>Wed, 12 Apr 2023 17:38:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Worldwide, those with ‘traditional’ values adhered more strictly to COVID precautions</title><link>https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/traditional-values-and-covid-precautions</link><contentType>releases</contentType><image>&lt;img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20233/643032b42cfac278e3496a01_COVID+precautions/COVID+precautions_thmb.jpg" alt="Man wearing a Covid-19 mask looks out from window in Lagos, Nigeria" align="left" hspace="15" vspace="5" /&gt;</image><subtitle>UCLA-led study could help officials tailor health and safety policies to appeal to populations with a variety of social views.</subtitle><content:encoded>&lt;html&gt;&lt;body&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Given the battles over COVID-19 rules and recommendations in the United States over the past three years, the findings of a new UCLA-led study may come as a bit of a shock: Globally, those who professed to hold traditional values tended to adhere more closely to coronavirus-prevention measures than those who considered themselves more liberal.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“Across a wide range of countries, people who endorsed traditional cultural values — a position that often underlies socially conservative political philosophies — were more likely to report taking strict COVID-19 precautions, despite the opposite pattern being observed in the U.S.,” said study author Theodore Samore, a UCLA doctoral student in anthropology.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The findings, &lt;a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-29655-0" rel="" target="" title=""&gt;published today&lt;/a&gt; &lt;span&gt;in the peer-reviewed, open-access journal Scientific Reports, &lt;/span&gt;have important implications for understanding how people around the world may respond to future disease outbreaks and measures designed to protect them from pandemics and other global threats. The results, the authors say, can help public health officials better craft policies that account for differences in values across populations.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Previous research on the intersection of politics and psychology has shown that social conservatives are more strongly attuned to threats and dangers than social liberals, who tend to view the world as a generally safe place. Conservatives and traditionalists, therefore, display a stronger inclination to embrace protective behaviors. Although the specific issues on which conservatives and liberals differ can vary from country to country, all societies have some values that are considered traditional.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The COVID-19 pandemic allowed social scientists to examine this relationship between traditionalism and threat response on a global scale. To counter the threat of the virus in its early days, before vaccines were widely available, public health officials around the world recommended similar precautionary measures, including hand-washing, mask-wearing and physical distancing.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;An international team of 44 scholars led by Samore and anthropology professor Daniel Fessler surveyed nearly 8,000 people in 27 countries across North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. The researchers asked participants to respond to a series of questions and statements — for example, “Traditions are the foundation of a healthy society and should be respected” — to determine if they considered themselves to be “traditional.” They followed up with queries about which precautionary measures people took in their efforts to avoid becoming infected with COVID-19. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;In 21 of the 27 countries, the investigators found a strong link between traditional values and strict adherence to precautionary behaviors. In some societies, the effect was small but significant; in others, it was more substantial. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Digging deeper, they found that individuals balanced the relative benefits of taking precautions to mitigate the risk of a hazardous disease against the social costs and missed opportunities entailed by being cautious — and that a person’s values influenced how much weight they place on the latter. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;T&lt;span&gt;he results did not seem to differ any way based on where the country was located or how economically developed it was.&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Why the difference with American conservatives? &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;In the U.S. — which &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/conservatives-sensitivity-to-pandemic-threat-suppressed-by-distrust-of-science-media"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;has been shown to be something of a global outlier&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt; in this regard — the investigators found that factors like a distrust of science, concerns about the effects disease precautions may have on the economy and the desire to preserve personal liberties suppressed the predicted cautionary decision-making of social conservatives, even though that group is more likely to self-describe as “traditional.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“In countries where the discourse around science and trust was less polarized, traditionalists were more willing to embrace precautions than their more socially liberal counterparts,” Fessler said. “The U.S., where these topics were highly politicized, suffered more COVID-19 deaths per capita than any other highly developed nation.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;American social conservatives, for example, were more likely to attend a group religious observance at a church or temple even though public health officials had recommended avoiding large gatherings. However, after the investigators took into account that these social conservatives trusted science less and were more concerned about the economy than their socially liberal counterparts, the expected relationship between traditionalism and heightened precautions appeared in the U.S. too. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The researchers said that designing health policies that resonate with less traditional people, as well as with social conservatives in the U.S. and other countries who bucked against COVID-19 precautions, will be crucial to saving lives in the future.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“Marshalling broad support for policies intended to protect the public,” Samore said, “will hinge on rebuilding widespread trust in science and crafting policies in ways that take differences in concerns and priorities seriously — and on encouraging influential information sources to provide accurate accounts of the pros and cons of those policies.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/body&gt;&lt;/html&gt;</content:encoded><default_file><default_file:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20233/COVID+precautions.jpg</default_file:url><default_file:title>Man wearing a Covid-19 mask looks out from window in Lagos, Nigeria</default_file:title><default_file:caption>A man wearing a mask looks out from a window in Nigeria. The researchers surveyed people in 27 countries across North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Africa.</default_file:caption></default_file><attachments><attachment><attachment:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20233/COVID+precautions.jpg</attachment:url><attachment:title>Man wearing a Covid-19 mask looks out from window in Lagos, Nigeria</attachment:title></attachment></attachments><contacts><contact><contact:first_name>Elizabeth</contact:first_name><contact:last_name>Kivowitz</contact:last_name><contact:phone>310-466-8769</contact:phone><contact:email>ekivowitz@stratcomm.ucla.edu</contact:email></contact></contacts><description><![CDATA[New UCLA-led findings could help officials tailor health and safety policies to appeal to populations with a variety of social views.]]></description><author>Elizabeth Kivowitz </author><guid isPermaLink="true">https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/traditional-values-and-covid-precautions</guid><pubDate>Tue, 11 Apr 2023 09:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Drug overdose fatalities among older adults have quadrupled in past 20 years</title><link>https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/drug-overdose-fatalities-quadrupled-older-adults</link><contentType>releases</contentType><image>&lt;img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20233/642dc8452cfac278e8dcb14a_Overdose+fatalities/Overdose+fatalities_thmb.jpg" alt="Prescription bottle with pills spilling out" align="left" hspace="15" vspace="5" /&gt;</image><content:encoded>&lt;html&gt;&lt;body&gt;&lt;p&gt;The rate of overdose deaths among people age 65 and older quadrupled over the 20-year period starting in 2002, according to a new study co-authored by UCLA Health’s Chelsea Shover.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The findings suggest a need for better public health policies aimed at mental health and substance use disorders.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The deaths stemmed from both suicides and accidental overdoses, with nearly three-fourths of the unintended fatalities involving illicit drugs such as synthetic opioids like fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamines.  Prescription opioids, antidepressants, benzodiazepines, antiepileptics and sedatives were used in 67% of intentional overdoses.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“The dramatic rise in overdose fatalities among adults over 65 years of age in the past two decades underscores how important it is for clinicians and policymakers to think of overdose as a problem across the lifespan,” said Shover, a co-author of the paper and an assistant professor of medicine in the division of general internal medicine and health services research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “Updating Medicare to cover evidence-based treatment for substance use disorders is crucial, as is providing harm reduction supplies such as naloxone to older adults.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2802945" title="Overdose mortality among older adults"&gt;The study, which was published&lt;/a&gt; in JAMA Psychiatry, found that fatal overdoses quadrupled to 6,702 (12 per 100,000) in 2021, from 1,060 in 2002 (3 per 100,000 population). Keith Humphreys of Stanford University and Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System is the paper’s other co-author.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.uclahealth.org/news/drug-overdose-fatalities-among-us-older-adults-has" rel="" target="" title=""&gt;Read the full news release on the UCLA Health website.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/body&gt;&lt;/html&gt;</content:encoded><default_file><default_file:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20233/Overdose+fatalities.jpg</default_file:url><default_file:title>Prescription bottle with pills spilling out</default_file:title><default_file:caption>The study found that prescription opioids, antidepressants, benzodiazepines, antiepileptics and sedatives were used in 67% of intentional overdoses among adults 65 and older from 2002 to 2021.</default_file:caption></default_file><attachments><attachment><attachment:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20233/Overdose+fatalities.jpg</attachment:url><attachment:title>Prescription bottle with pills spilling out</attachment:title></attachment></attachments><contacts><contact><contact:first_name>Enrique</contact:first_name><contact:last_name>Rivero</contact:last_name><contact:phone>310-267-7120</contact:phone><contact:email>erivero@mednet.ucla.edu</contact:email></contact></contacts><description><![CDATA[The findings suggest a need for better public health policies aimed at mental health and substance use disorders.]]></description><author>Enrique Rivero </author><guid isPermaLink="true">https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/drug-overdose-fatalities-quadrupled-older-adults</guid><pubDate>Tue, 04 Apr 2023 23:15:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Nanoparticle with mRNA appears to prevent, treat peanut allergies in mice</title><link>https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/nanoparticle-mrna-possible-treatment-peanut-allergies</link><contentType>releases</contentType><image>&lt;img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/6425d1d02cfac278e460099c_Nanoparticle+to+treat+allergy/Nanoparticle+to+treat+allergy_thmb.jpg" alt="Nanoparticle to treat allergy" align="left" hspace="15" vspace="5" /&gt;</image><subtitle>UCLA-developed technology could provide platform to fight other allergies, autoimmune disorders</subtitle><content:encoded>&lt;html&gt;&lt;body&gt;&lt;div class="simplebox align-center"&gt;
&lt;div class="simplebox-content"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Key takeaways&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Peanuts are one of the most common food allergens for children.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;UCLA scientists have developed a nanoparticle that delivers mRNA to liver cells in order to teach the immune system to tolerate peanut protein and alleviate allergies.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;In mice, the nanoparticle successfully dampened symptoms of serious allergy.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Peanut allergies affect 1 in 50 children, and the most severe cases lead to a potentially deadly immune reaction called anaphylactic shock. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Currently, there is only one approved treatment that reduces the severity of the allergic reaction, and it takes months to kick in. A group of UCLA immunologists is aiming to change that. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Taking inspiration from COVID-19 vaccines as well as their own research on the disease, they created a first-of-its-kind nanoparticle — so small it’s measured in billionths of a meter — that delivers mRNA to specific cells in the liver. Those cells, in turn, teach the body’s natural defenses to tolerate peanut proteins. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;In testing in mice, the nanoparticle not only reversed peanut allergies, but also prevented them from developing. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36853930/"&gt;The study was published&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt; in the journal &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;ACS Nano&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“As far as we can find, mRNA has never been used for an allergic disease,” said Dr. André Nel, the paper’s co-corresponding author, a UCLA distinguished professor of medicine and director of research at the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="https://cnsi.ucla.edu/"&gt;California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt; “We’ve shown that our platform can work to calm peanut allergies, and we believe it may be able to do the same for other allergens, in food and drugs, as well as autoimmune conditions.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The researchers focused on the liver for two reasons: First, the organ is trained not to respond to every challenge because it is regularly bombarded with foreign substances, including allergens. Second, the organ is home to cells called antigen-presenting cells, which collect foreign proteins and train the immune system to tolerate them rather than attacking when they’re detected.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The study builds on two previous advances from Nel and his colleagues. In 2021, they found that a nanoparticle delivering a carefully selected protein fragment, called an epitope, to the liver reduced symptoms of dangerous egg allergy in mice. The following year, they identified one epitope that alleviated peanut allergies in mice when delivered to the liver via a nanoparticle. Because these epitopes leave out the part of the peanut or egg protein that triggers allergies, they’re expected to be safer as part of a treatment.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“If you’re lucky enough to choose the correct epitope, there’s an immune mechanism that puts a damper on reactions to all of the other fragments,” said Nel, who also directs the University of California’s &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.cein.ucsb.edu/"&gt;Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology,&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt; or &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;CEIN&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;. “That way, you could take care of a whole ensemble of epitopes that play a role in disease.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The scientists improved on the design of their previous nanoparticle by adding a sugar molecule on its surface that specifically binds to antigen-presenting cells. Using mRNA was another step forward. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;In the upgraded nanoparticle, the investigators designed part of the mRNA payload to encode the selected epitope or epitopes — in this case, the peanut protein fragment identified in a previous study — the same way that mRNA vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 encode the entire spike protein of the virus. Using mRNA makes it easier to load the nanoparticle and eliminates the complications that come with including more than one epitope, an advantage that may expand the scope of application. For instance, multiple epitopes might be needed to address certain other allergies, or multiple allergies.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;To evaluate whether their upgraded nanoparticle would prevent peanut allergies, the researchers gave it to six mice in two doses, a week apart. Another group of six mice got a nanoparticle with the same mRNA payload, but with no targeting sugar on its surface; six other mice got the upgraded nanoparticle but with mRNA inside that didn’t code for any protein or epitope; and a third group of six got no nanoparticle at all. Starting one week after the second dose, they fed the mice a crude peanut protein extract to sensitize them to the peanut allergens. Another week later, they exposed the mice to peanut protein to trigger anaphylactic shock. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Mice that were pretreated with the upgraded nanoparticle showed milder symptoms compared to those who received a nanoparticle with no targeting sugar, while more-serious symptoms appeared in the control group receiving no treatment and the group getting a targeted nanoparticle with noncoding mRNA.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The scientists repeated the experiment, changing the order of operations — so that mice were sensitized to peanut protein before receiving the nanoparticle. Again, the upgraded nanoparticle outperformed a similar one that lacked the targeting sugar, &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;and both produced far milder symptoms than the researchers observed in mice given no treatment or a nanoparticle containing noncoding mRNA. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;In both versions of the experiment, the scientists measured the levels of specific immune cells as well as certain antibodies, enzymes and cytokines, which confirmed that the upgraded nanoparticle had increased the animals’ tolerance for peanut protein.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Nel estimates that, with success in further lab studies, the nanoparticle could be in clinical trials within three years. (His lab will soon begin the regulatory process that’s required to test the approach for peanut allergies in clinical trials.) He added that substituting an mRNA payload coding for different epitopes opens up the potential to adapt the nanoparticle for other allergies and autoimmune disorders. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The team is exploring whether the nanoparticle could be used to treat type 1 diabetes, a disease in which the immune system attacks cells in the pancreas that enable the body to get energy from food. Important epitopes from the proteins that trigger the immune attack in diabetes have already been identified by other researchers.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The study’s co-first authors are Xiao Xu, a UCLA postdoctoral scholar, and Dr. Xiang Wang, a UCLA senior researcher. Dr. Tian Xia, a UCLA associate adjunct professor of nanomedicine, is co-corresponding author. Other authors are senior researcher Yu-Pei Liao and postdoctoral scholar Lijia Luo, both of UCLA.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Marlin Miller Jr. Family Foundation and the Noble Family Innovation Fund at CNSI.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/body&gt;&lt;/html&gt;</content:encoded><default_file><default_file:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/Nanoparticle+to+treat+allergy.png</default_file:url><default_file:title>Nanoparticle to treat allergy</default_file:title><default_file:caption>The UCLA-developed nanoparticle has sugars on its surface that target specific cells in the liver (dark blue and pink shapes) and an mRNA payload that encodes for a specific protein fragment (red). </default_file:caption></default_file><attachments><attachment><attachment:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/Nanoparticle+to+treat+allergy.png</attachment:url><attachment:title>Nanoparticle to treat allergy</attachment:title></attachment></attachments><contacts><contact><contact:first_name>Nicole</contact:first_name><contact:last_name>Wilkins</contact:last_name><contact:phone>310-869-6835</contact:phone><contact:email>nwilkins@cnsi.ucla.edu</contact:email></contact></contacts><description><![CDATA[A UCLA-developed technology could also provide a platform for fighting other allergies and autoimmune disorders.]]></description><author>Wayne Lewis </author><guid isPermaLink="true">https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/nanoparticle-mrna-possible-treatment-peanut-allergies</guid><pubDate>Mon, 03 Apr 2023 17:24:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Would more parks and trees help L.A. County residents live longer?</title><link>https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/more-parks-and-trees-could-mean-greater-longevity</link><contentType>releases</contentType><image>&lt;img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/641d43b92cfac278e85321ed_Park+in+Los+Angeles/Park+in+Los+Angeles_thmb.jpg" alt="Grand Hope Park with the skyline of downtown Los Angeles in background" align="left" hspace="15" vspace="5" /&gt;</image><subtitle>UCLA-led study predicts that an equitable ‘greening’ plan could add up to a million years in collective life expectancy</subtitle><content:encoded>&lt;html&gt;&lt;body&gt;&lt;div class="simplebox align-center"&gt;
&lt;div class="simplebox-content"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Key takeaways&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Researchers quantified the relationship between life expectancy and the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;amount of green space in Los Angeles County’s census tracts.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;They found that two-thirds of the county’s Black and Latino populations live in areas that have disproportionately less green coverage and lower average life expectancies.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;They estimated that by increasing tree canopy, vegetation and park access in green-poor areas, county residents could gain hundreds of thousands of years in overall life expectancy.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;​&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Improving tree coverage and access to parks and green spaces in Los Angeles County, particularly in lower-income communities of color, could significantly boost life expectancy for local residents, according to a new study by UCLA public health researchers and colleagues. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Their study, &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412023000582"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;published&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt; in the peer-reviewed, open-access journal Environment International, is the first in the U.S to combine life expectancy data at the census tract level with data on parks, trees and overall neighborhood vegetation.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Prior research has suggested that parks and greenery have mental and physical health benefits for residents of urban areas, providing clean air to breathe, shade during hot weather, and open and secluded areas for recreation and mental relaxation. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The current findings extend those potential benefits and, the study authors say, provide policymakers with a blueprint for targeted green strategies that could increase longevity among predominantly Black and Latino residents of “park poor” neighborhoods and help reduce health disparities in the region. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“If policies are implemented where they are needed most, there could be a significant decrease in life expectancy disparities across Los Angeles,” said &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="https://ph.ucla.edu/about/faculty-staff-directory/michael-jerrett"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Michael Jerrett,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt; professor of environmental health sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and corresponding author of the study.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Adding nearly a million years in life expectancy across the county&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Using newly available data from the U.S. Small-Area Life Expectancy Estimates Project, the research team developed a model that quantified the relationship between life expectancy and the amount of tree canopy coverage, live green vegetation and accessible park space in Los Angeles County’s census tracts. &lt;span&gt;The data on greenery was drawn from&lt;/span&gt; the Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the local environmental organization Tree People and other sources.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage textImage-left textImage-original"&gt;&lt;img align="left" alt="Map showing life expectancy estimates for Los Angeles County by census tracts. " author="UCLA Fielding School of Public Health" data-imgheight="825" data-imgwidth="731" file_id="6426853c2cfac278e2236ead" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/Life+expectancy+map.jpg" title="Life expectancy estimates for Los Angeles County by census tracts. " width="450"/&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage-creditBody"&gt;UCLA Fielding School of Public Health&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage-captionBody"&gt;Life expectancy estimates for Los Angeles County by census tracts.&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The researchers found that socially and economically disadvantaged census tracts tended to have far less tree canopy and green space than other neighborhoods and that roughly two-thirds of the county’s Black and Latino populations live in areas with disproportionately less green coverage. Additionally, tracts in affluent and better-covered areas like Beverly Hills had life expectancies as high as 90, while just 15 miles away, in South Los Angeles communities, median life expectancy was 77.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Controlling for other variables that could impact life expectancy, like smoking, obesity and physical inactivity, the team looked at all of Los Angeles County — a population of roughly 10 million covering 4,000 square miles — and made a number of predictions. Among them: &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;If tree canopy and green vegetation were brought up to the county’s median levels in each census tract, residents in areas currently below those medians could gain between 570,300 and 908,800 years collectively in life expectancy.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;If park acreage was increased to the median level of 54 acres in census tracts with below-median park space and tree canopy, approximately 155,300 years in life expectancy could be gained across the county.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The above 155,300-year total increase includes a gain of more than 110,000 years in life expectancy for Black and Latino residents alone. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;However, the researchers found that increasing park access in areas already above the county median for green space and tree canopy, like many Westside neighborhoods, would not have a significant impact on life expectancy.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage textImage-left textImage-original"&gt;&lt;img align="left" alt="Map showing potential years of life saved from added park space in greenness-deprived census tracts in the southern portion of Los Angeles County." author="UCLA Fielding School of Public Health" data-imgheight="1588" data-imgwidth="2429" file_id="641d3cd82cfac278e7fe0209" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/Life+expectancy+graphic+2.jpg" title="Potential years of life saved from added park space in greenness-deprived census tracts in the southern portion of Los Angeles County."/&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage-creditBody"&gt;UCLA Fielding School of Public Health&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage-captionBody"&gt;Potential years of life saved from added park space in greenness-deprived census tracts in the southern portion of Los Angeles County.&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Informing L.A. and California green policies&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The study, the researchers said, could help guide proposals by the County Board of Supervisors and local city councils concerning Measure A funding allocations. Approved by county voters in 2016, the parcel tax measure provides millions of dollars annually, in perpetuity, toward the creation and improvement of parks. A third of those funds are set aside to improve park equity. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Findings from the study are already being used in related research funded by the California Air Resources Board to estimate the health benefits of increasing green space and tree canopy in California. Such information will help the board develop a scoping plan for managing the impacts of climate change by investing in parks, tree planting and green space expansion. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Following more than 50 years of increases in life expectancy, the U.S. has seen declines in the past 10 years, likely due to the effects of the opioid epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“It’s critical to understand modifiable environmental factors, such as access to green spaces, that can increase life expectancy,” said UCLA doctoral candidate Rachel Connolly, lead author of the study.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The study was supported by the Urban Institute through funds provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Visualizing and Powering Healthy Lives grant initiative. Additional co-authors included members of the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.preventioninstitute.org/about-us/our-approach"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Prevention Institute,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt; a nonprofit focused on building prevention and health equity into key policies and actions to foster health, safety and well-being.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/body&gt;&lt;/html&gt;</content:encoded><default_file><default_file:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/Park+in+Los+Angeles.jpg</default_file:url><default_file:title>Grand Hope Park with the skyline of downtown Los Angeles in background</default_file:title><default_file:caption>Grand Hope Park with the skyline of downtown Los Angeles in background.   </default_file:caption></default_file><attachments><attachment><attachment:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/Park+in+Los+Angeles.jpg</attachment:url><attachment:title>Grand Hope Park with the skyline of downtown Los Angeles in background</attachment:title></attachment><attachment><attachment:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/Map+of+live+green+vegetation+across+the+county.jpg</attachment:url><attachment:title>Map of live green vegetation across L.A. County</attachment:title></attachment></attachments><contacts><contact><contact:first_name>Alison</contact:first_name><contact:last_name>Hewitt</contact:last_name><contact:phone>310-206-5461</contact:phone><contact:email>ahewitt@stratcomm.ucla.edu</contact:email></contact></contacts><description><![CDATA[A UCLA-led study predicts that an equitable ‘greening’ plan could add up to a million years in collective life expectancy.]]></description><author>Elizabeth Kivowitz </author><guid isPermaLink="true">https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/more-parks-and-trees-could-mean-greater-longevity</guid><pubDate>Mon, 03 Apr 2023 13:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Those who support Black Lives Matter tend to be less hesitant about vaccines, UCLA study finds</title><link>https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/black-lives-matter-support-may-spark-less-vaccine-hesitancy</link><contentType>releases</contentType><image>&lt;img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/6424d2692cfac278e72d121b_BLM+protest+Lee+Chinyama+Pexels/BLM+protest+Lee+Chinyama+Pexels_thmb.jpg" alt="Participants at a Black Lives Matter rally" align="left" hspace="15" vspace="5" /&gt;</image><content:encoded>&lt;html&gt;&lt;body&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div class="simplebox align-center"&gt;
&lt;div class="simplebox-content"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Key takeaways&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A UCLA study found that &lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;people who expressed support for the Black Lives Matter movement were less hesitant about receiving COVID-19 vaccines than those who did not.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;One possible explanation for the phenomenon could be that people expressing concern for others through support of a social movement, for example, are also willing to get vaccinated out of concern for others. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The findings suggest that involvement in anti-racism activities could have other unintended, positive consequences.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Efforts to encourage vaccination might do well to take advantage of the positive feelings and actions between different social groups, according to a study of attitudes toward vaccines among supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115768"&gt;&lt;span&gt;The study by UCLA psychologists,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; published in the journal &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Social Science and Medicine&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;, found that across all racial, ethnic and income groups, people who expressed support for the BLM movement were less hesitant about receiving COVID-19 vaccines than those who did not. The evidence suggests that altruistic feelings about interactions between members of different social groups might account for reduced vaccine hesitancy. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“We found that support for BLM or other anti-racism activities can have far-reaching, possibly unintended yet positive public health outcomes,” said first author Tiffany Brannon, a UCLA assistant professor of psychology. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“Efforts to get people vaccinated for COVID-19 or other diseases usually involve campaigns rooted in medical facts,” Brannon said. “Our work suggests that promoting prosocial attitudes — concern between groups, seeing things from the perspective of another group, and using privilege to be good allies to less advantaged groups — could complement these efforts.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Brannon and Riley Marshall, a UCLA doctoral student, began with the idea that systemic racism and COVID-19 are “twin pandemics,” a concept supported by historical and epidemiological data. Because both issues are rooted in interconnected historical and contemporary racial and ethnic disparities, the researchers hypothesized that they could also have intertwined solutions. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;They predicted that a person’s support for BLM and other indicators tied to BLM protests and discourse — such as Google searches — would relate to less hesitancy about vaccines. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;To test their hypothesis, they designed three studies. The first examined the relationships among BLM protest attendance numbers, Google searches and news reports for a six-week period in 2021. The study used data about people’s about attitudes toward vaccines from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey. Brannon and Marshall found that as interest and participation in BLM activities increased, vaccine hesitancy declined.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The second study analyzed whether there were links among people’s support for BLM support, vaccine hesitancy and prosocial intergroup attitudes among racial and ethnic minority and white respondents. The researchers used data from an American National Election Studies survey that asked respondents questions about their political affiliation and attitudes toward protests, other social groups, racism and vaccines. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The researchers found that support for BLM was associated with lower vaccine hesitancy across all groups. One possible reason, according to the study, is that those supporting the movement also held prosocial attitudes toward different groups.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;In the third study, the researchers attempted to replicate the findings of the first two but using data from a different source, the Pew Research Center. The results were very similar to the second study: lower vaccine hesitancy across all social groups among people who expressed support for BLM. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Marshall said the correlations could be because people expressing concern for others — through support of BLM, for example — translates into a willingness to get vaccinated, also out of concern for others. The authors conclude that promoting prosocial attitudes between groups may be especially important when dealing with complex public health issues such as COVID-19 that have drastically different effects on different racial and ethnic groups.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“This work shows the importance of broadening our scope in trying to understand vaccination behaviors,” Marshall said. “Prosocial attitudes may play a key role in encouraging individuals to consider the health of those around them when making such decisions, and these attitudes can come directly from our interactions with and concern for others.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/body&gt;&lt;/html&gt;</content:encoded><default_file><default_file:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/BLM+protest+Lee+Chinyama+Pexels.jpg</default_file:url><default_file:title>Participants at a Black Lives Matter rally</default_file:title><default_file:caption>The concept for the UCLA study emerged from the idea that systemic racism and COVID-19 are interconnected “twin pandemics.” </default_file:caption></default_file><attachments><attachment><attachment:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/BLM+protest+Lee+Chinyama+Pexels.jpg</attachment:url><attachment:title>Participants at a Black Lives Matter rally</attachment:title></attachment></attachments><contacts><contact><contact:first_name>Holly</contact:first_name><contact:last_name>Ober</contact:last_name><contact:phone>310-956-6465</contact:phone><contact:email>hober@stratcomm.ucla.edu</contact:email></contact></contacts><description><![CDATA[The findings suggest that efforts to encourage vaccination might do well to take advantage of positive feelings between different social groups.]]></description><author>Holly Ober </author><guid isPermaLink="true">https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/black-lives-matter-support-may-spark-less-vaccine-hesitancy</guid><pubDate>Thu, 30 Mar 2023 18:37:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Gap in ‘excess deaths’ has widened between U.S. and Europe, but only partly due to COVID-19</title><link>https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/excess-deaths-gap-widened-us-europe</link><contentType>releases</contentType><image>&lt;img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/642385dc2cfac278e59114f7_Patrick+Heuveline/Patrick+Heuveline_thmb.jpg" alt="Patrick Heuveline speaking in front of a slide presentation" align="left" hspace="15" vspace="5" /&gt;</image><subtitle>Among all but oldest age groups, U.S. has higher death rates than five high-income European nations</subtitle><content:encoded>&lt;html&gt;&lt;body&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;New UCLA research reveals that the U.S. has substantially higher death rates at all but the oldest age groups than five similarly high-income European countries. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The study, conducted by UCLA sociologist Patrick Heuveline, also found that the gap between the U.S. and the five other nations — England and Wales, France, Germany, Italy and Spain — widened during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the study reveals, only a portion of that phenomenon was directly attributable to COVID-19. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Heuveline found that between 2019 and 2021 in the U.S., the annual number of excess deaths — meaning the difference between the actual number of deaths and the number that would have been expected under normal condtions — nearly doubled. But his research concluded that 45% of that rise was due to causes other than COVID-19.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0283153"&gt;&lt;span&gt;The findings were published&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt; today in the open-access journal PLOS One.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“The mortality gap widened during the pandemic, but not just due to the U.S. handling of the crisis mortality from COVID-19,” Heuveline said. “The chronic toll of excess deaths due to causes other than COVID-19 continued to increase as well, further demonstrating the U.S. health policy failure to integrate the social, psychological and economic dimensions of health, from a weak social security net and lack of health care access for all to poor health behaviors.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Calculating excess death rates can be useful for comparing mortality between different countries or subpopulations, as well as before and after the onset of a health crisis. Previous studies have documented a substantial widening of the mortality gap between the U.S. and the five European countries between 2000 and 2017. And mounting evidence suggests that the U.S. experienced even higher mortality from COVID-19 than the other countries. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Building on those earlier studies, Heuveline calculated excess death rates in the U.S. and the five other countries for 2017 through 2021. His calculations account for different population sizes between the countries. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The study found that the number of excess deaths between the U.S. and the five European countries did indeed increase between 2017 and 2021, and that COVID-19 mortality contributed to the increase — but perhaps to a smaller degree than might have been expected. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;In 2021, for example, 25% of all excess deaths in the U.S. were attributed to COVID-19, representing 223,266 deaths out of 892,491 total excess deaths from any cause. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Further research will be needed to identify specific underlying reasons for how, exactly, the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the widening gap in excess deaths between the U.S. and the other five nations. For instance, Heuveline said, additional studies could explore differences in vaccination rates or social conditions that place a disproportionate impact on minority populations. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/body&gt;&lt;/html&gt;</content:encoded><default_file><default_file:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/Patrick+Heuveline.png</default_file:url><default_file:title>Patrick Heuveline speaking in front of a slide presentation</default_file:title><default_file:caption>UCLA sociologist Patrick Heuveline says the “chronic toll of excess deaths due to causes other than COVID-19 continued to increase as well,” which highlights failures in U.S. health policy.</default_file:caption></default_file><attachments><attachment><attachment:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/Patrick+Heuveline.png</attachment:url><attachment:title>Patrick Heuveline speaking in front of a slide presentation</attachment:title></attachment></attachments><contacts><contact><contact:first_name>Elizabeth</contact:first_name><contact:last_name>Kivowitz</contact:last_name><contact:phone>310-466-8769</contact:phone><contact:email>ekivowitz@stratcomm.ucla.edu</contact:email></contact></contacts><description><![CDATA[Except among its oldest citizens, the U.S. has higher death rates in all age groups than five high-income European nations.]]></description><author>UCLA Newsroom </author><guid isPermaLink="true">https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/excess-deaths-gap-widened-us-europe</guid><pubDate>Wed, 29 Mar 2023 18:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Rats! Rodents seem to make the same logical errors humans do</title><link>https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/rodents-make-same-logical-errors-as-humans</link><contentType>releases</contentType><image>&lt;img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/641d13012cfac278e57e73b8_Rats+and+conjunction+fallacy/Rats+and+conjunction+fallacy_thmb.jpg" alt="White rat against blue background" align="left" hspace="15" vspace="5" /&gt;</image><subtitle>Both tend to judge the co-occurrence of two events as more probable than one event alone. Could mental shortcuts be to blame? </subtitle><content:encoded>&lt;html&gt;&lt;body&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Animals, like humans, appear to be troubled by a Linda problem.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The famous “Linda problem” was designed by psychologists to illustrate how people fall prey to what is known as the conjunction fallacy: the incorrect reasoning&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt; that if two events sometimes occur in conjunction, they are more likely to occur together than either event is to occur alone.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Now, for the first time, UCLA psychology researchers have shown that this type of logical error isn’t the sole province of humans — surprisingly, rats seem to make the same mistakes. Their &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13423-023-02251-z"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;study is published&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt; in the journal Psychonomic Bulletin and Review.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“The classical research has all been done with humans, so the usual explanation for the effect attributes it to a departure from rationality distinct to humans,” said Valeria González, a postdoctoral psychology researcher at UCLA and first author of the study. “Our work shows that maybe there is a more general mechanism shared between humans and rats.” &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;If rats do, as the research findings suggests, succumb to the conjunction fallacy, they could potentially serve as good research models for studying psychopathological conditions characterized by false beliefs or the perception of nonexistent events, like schizophrenia and certain anxiety disorders, the authors said.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;But back to Linda. In the 1980s, Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman and his colleague Amos Tvesrky showed that in a variety of scenarios, humans tend to believe, irrationally, that the intersection of two events is more probable than a single event. They asked participants to answer a question based on the following scenario.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Linda is 31 years old, single, outspoken and very bright. She majored in philosophy. As a student, she was deeply concerned with issues of discrimination and social justice and also participated in anti-nuclear demonstrations.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Which is more probable?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Linda is a bank teller.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Linda is a bank teller and is active in the feminist movement.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The great majority of participants chose No. 2, although logically it is less probable than Linda being a bank teller alone. After all, No. 1 would not preclude Linda from also being an active feminist, but given the description of Linda, No. 2 may be easier for respondents to imagine.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The Linda problem and numerous similar studies seem to indicate that humans estimate the likelihood of an event using mental shortcuts, assessing how similar the event is to a model they already have in their minds. The formation of these models, known as&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;representativeness&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt; heuristics, relies on a combination of memory, imagination and reasoning universal in humans but thought to be rare or nonexistent in other animals.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Sound, light and the conjunction fallacy in rats&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Some have argued that the conjunction fallacy, rather than being a true logical error, may hinge on language, particularly people’s uncertainty about the meaning of words like “likely” and “probability.” Others have pointed out that Linda’s detailed backstory might have biased respondents. But previous research has suggested that humans also are prone to conjunction fallacies when performing physical tasks.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;To determine whether the fallacy necessarily involves language and whether it is unique to humans, González engaged rats in a physical, not social, task. With psychology professor Aaron Blaisdell, she designed two experiments that required the rats to judge the likelihood of just a sound being present or both a light and sound being present in order to receive a food reward.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Rats were trained in two scenarios:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Tone + light = reward. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;In the first, they received sugar pellets if they pressed a lever when a tone played and a steady light was on; they received no food if they pressed they lever when the tone played but the light was off. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Noise alone = reward.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt; In the second scenario, they received pellets if they pressed a lever while a white noise played and a flashing light was off; they received nothing if they pressed the lever when the noise played and the flashing light was on.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The researchers then played the different sounds, a tone or white noise, while the light bulb was unobscured but turned off. The rats reacted accordingly, tending to avoid pressing the lever in response to the tone and pressing it in response to the white noise.  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;But when researchers obscured the light bulb with a piece of metal and played the sounds, the rats were forced predict whether it was on or off in hopes of receiving the food reward. Interestingly, the rats were much more likely to predict that the obscured light was on. This was true regardless of whether the light had previously signaled the presence or absence of food when accompanying the sound.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The tendency to overestimate the likelihood that both sound and light were present, even if it meant no reward, demonstrates that, like humans, rats can show a conjunction fallacy, the authors said.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“Until now, researchers said this is unique to human cognition only because we haven’t looked for it in animals,” Blaisdell said. “If humans and other animals consider alternative states of the world during ambiguous situations to help decision-making, we might expect systematic biases such as the conjunction fallacy to show a broader distribution in the animal kingdom.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/body&gt;&lt;/html&gt;</content:encoded><default_file><default_file:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/Rats+and+conjunction+fallacy.jpg</default_file:url><default_file:title>White rat against blue background</default_file:title></default_file><attachments><attachment><attachment:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/Rats+and+conjunction+fallacy.jpg</attachment:url><attachment:title>White rat against blue background</attachment:title></attachment></attachments><contacts><contact><contact:first_name>Holly</contact:first_name><contact:last_name>Ober</contact:last_name><contact:phone>310-956-6465</contact:phone><contact:email>hober@stratcomm.ucla.edu</contact:email></contact></contacts><description><![CDATA[Both tend to judge the co-occurrence of two events as more probable than one event alone. Could mental shortcuts be to blame? ]]></description><author>Holly Ober </author><guid isPermaLink="true">https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/rodents-make-same-logical-errors-as-humans</guid><pubDate>Wed, 29 Mar 2023 17:40:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>UCLA Nursing receives UC grant to diversify pool of nursing doctoral candidates </title><link>https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/grant-to-diversify-nursing-faculty</link><contentType>releases</contentType><image>&lt;img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/64233b112cfac278e882fe48_Robert+Lucero+speaking+with+colleague/Robert+Lucero+speaking+with+colleague_thmb.jpg" alt="Robert Lucero speaking with colleague" align="left" hspace="15" vspace="5" /&gt;</image><content:encoded>&lt;html&gt;&lt;body&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The UCLA School of Nursing has been awarded a grant from the University of California’s &lt;a href="https://www.ucop.edu/graduate-studies/initiatives-outreach/uc-hsi-ddi.html" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;span&gt;Hispanic-Serving Institutions Doctoral Diversity Initiative&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; to increase the number of underrepresented students in its doctoral programs with the long-term goal of developing a nursing faculty that reflects California’s diversity. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The new UCLA Nursing program, spearheaded by the school’s Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Robert Lucero, will invest a total of $700,000 — $350,000 each from the UC and UCLA Nursing — to recruit and support students from federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institutions of higher education in Southern California over the next five years.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href="https://sites.ed.gov/hispanic-initiative/hispanic-serving-institutions-hsis/"&gt;► What is a Hispanic-Serving Institution?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;While doctoral education in nursing continues to expand nationally, 64% of students who received nursing doctorates between 2010 and 2020 were white, according to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Measured against the changing racial and ethnic composition of the U.S. — and particularly California, where in 2020 the population was 39% Hispanic/Latino, 37% white, 15% Asian and 5% Black — it’s clear the demographics do not align. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“It is imperative that we take the steps today to build a health care workforce that reflects the diversity of the region in which we live,” said Lin Zhan, a professor of nursing and dean of the UCLA School of Nursing. “I am proud of supporting this initiative; we are grateful for the opportunity to work with other institutions in our state to promote diversity in higher education.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href="https://nursing.ucla.edu/news/uc-grant-to-expand-pathways-to-the-professoriate"&gt;Read the full story on the UCLA Nursing website.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/body&gt;&lt;/html&gt;</content:encoded><default_file><default_file:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/Robert+Lucero+speaking+with+colleague.jpg</default_file:url><default_file:title>Robert Lucero speaking with colleague</default_file:title><default_file:caption>Robert Lucero, UCLA Nursing’s associate dean for equity, diversity and inclusion, speaks with a colleague about the new diversity initiative.</default_file:caption></default_file><attachments><attachment><attachment:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/Robert+Lucero+speaking+with+colleague.jpg</attachment:url><attachment:title>Robert Lucero speaking with colleague</attachment:title></attachment></attachments><contacts><contact><contact:first_name>Aaron</contact:first_name><contact:last_name>Hilf</contact:last_name><contact:phone>310-490-6602</contact:phone><contact:email>ahilf@sonnet.ucla.edu</contact:email></contact></contacts><description><![CDATA[The school intends to recruit more students from Hispanic-serving institutions to its doctoral programs and, ultimately, its faculty.]]></description><author>UCLA Newsroom </author><guid isPermaLink="true">https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/grant-to-diversify-nursing-faculty</guid><pubDate>Tue, 28 Mar 2023 19:12:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Q&amp;A: Bioengineer Mireille Kamariza can’t wait to see what’s next</title><link>https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/bioengineer-mireille-kamariza-interview</link><contentType>stories</contentType><image>&lt;img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/641c922e2cfac278e11336db_Mireille+Kamariza+in+jacket+UCLA+Jeremy+RondonCNSI/Mireille+Kamariza+in+jacket+UCLA+Jeremy+RondonCNSI_thmb.jpg" alt="UCLA bioengineer Mireille Kamariza " align="left" hspace="15" vspace="5" /&gt;</image><subtitle>The newly minted UCLA professor is dedicated to improving testing for tuberculosis and other infectious diseases</subtitle><content:encoded>&lt;html&gt;&lt;body&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Editor’s note: This page was updated on April 28, 2023, to correct Dean Tracy Johnson’s current job title.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;When Mireille Kamariza joined the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="https://samueli.ucla.edu/"&gt;&lt;span&gt;UCLA Samueli School of Engineering&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt; as an assistant professor of bioengineering in January, she brought with her an early record of innovation.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Just a decade after earning her undergraduate degree at UC San Diego, Kamariza has already developed a potential point-of-care diagnostic test for tuberculosis. TB is the world’s second-deadliest infectious disease, behind COVID-19, and still a serious burden in low-income countries. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;In the late 2010s, as a doctoral fellow at Stanford University, Kamariza and colleagues designed a system with a fluorescent “reporter” molecule attached to a sugar that is the cornerstone of the tuberculosis bacterium’s metabolism. The reporter molecule can then be used to illuminate the germ under a fluorescent microscope. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;In regions with limited health care resources, TB tests can take months to return results. If Kamariza’s system proves successful, it could result in a simple, inexpensive test that works in under an hour — which could improve care for millions around the world.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;As a teenager, Kamariza immigrated to the U.S. from her native Burundi. While she was taking community college courses, an instructor encouraged her to attend UCSD. There, she connected with another mentor, biologist &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="https://lifesciences.ucla.edu/tracy-johnson/"&gt;&lt;span&gt;Tracy Johnson,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt; who helped Kamariza see herself for the first time as a future scientist. (Johnson herself joined the UCLA faculty in 2013 and is now dean of life sciences in the UCLA College.)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;In an interview, Kamariza, a member of the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="https://cnsi.ucla.edu/"&gt;&lt;span&gt;California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt; discussed the inspiration for her work, the importance of representation and a recent honor from the journal Nature Medicine. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;What was the intellectual process that led to the tuberculosis diagnostic?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The original idea was, “What if we took this sugar and modified it by adding a reporter?” We wanted a research tool so we could follow TB cells in an infectious state, in real time. It turned out that the cells loved our modified sugars, and somehow, the dye maintained its fluorescence. We could see it! &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Once we optimized the system, using it was so simple. I would just put one drop of the modified sugar in a sample, go grab coffee for 30 minutes, and when I came back, I’d transfer the sample to a microscope. Voila, I had my results. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVsmIhWxTQc"&gt;&lt;span&gt;► W&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;atch PBS NewsHour’s 2021 profile of Kamariza&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I realized that this could have a bigger impact as a simple, modern way of detecting tuberculosis. The last time someone built a new, microscope-based TB detection method was 1932. That was shocking to me! My first thought was, “Why has it taken this long?” And the second was, “This is much, much needed.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;We looked for someone to team up with and figure out whether it would work in low-income environments. Through the Gates Foundation, I found a collaborator at Witswatersrand University in South Africa — Bavesh Kana, who’s a really creative and talented thinker. I traveled to his lab to test our sugars in samples from patients with TB. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/scitranslmed.aam6310"&gt;&lt;span&gt;We published a paper together&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt; showing our modified sugar works to detect TB in less than an hour in the clinic. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;How did your personal history inform your research?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;I knew diagnostic technologies were outdated in Burundi, where I come from. I knew the urgency of addressing tuberculosis. Instead of saying, “Oh, this is cool. We have a new research method,” it was like, “No, no, let’s think about applying this. How can we optimize this so we can get it out of the lab? Let’s go to South Africa. Let’s go to Vietnam. Let’s talk to folks on the ground and understand how we can best implement this system where it’s needed most.” &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;In previous interviews, you’ve mentioned that your love of science began with stargazing. What led you from that to bioengineering?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Looking at the stars, I always wondered, “What’s up there?” It made me want to be an astronaut. But as a little girl in Burundi, I believed there was no way I could be. Then again, becoming a biochemist or a professor at UCLA would also have been a silly idea at the time, to be honest. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;There really wasn’t any planning. I just followed my curiosity — about science, nature and the world around me. I’ve been lucky to have supporters, mentors, friends and family who helped me every step of the way.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;To what extent do you see yourself as a role model for the next generation of scientists from underrepresented groups? &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;I’m so grateful and proud that I’m part of improving and increasing representation. Undergrads from backgrounds typically underrepresented in engineering or in the Samueli School are seeing themselves reflected back in me and so many other faculty of color at UCLA. First, they can say, “Yes, I belong here.” Second, “I could totally be a bioengineer.” &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage textImage-left textImage-large_uncropped"&gt;&lt;img align="left" alt="" author="Jeremy Rondon/UCLA CNSI" data-imgheight="1280" data-imgwidth="1920" file_id="641c924f2cfac278e84cc4c4" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/641c924f2cfac278e84cc4c4_Mireille+Kamariza+outside+of+CNSI+Jeremy+RondonCNSI/Mireille+Kamariza+outside+of+CNSI+Jeremy+RondonCNSI_516cfaa1-6e74-40b1-b0ca-295bba4bff07-prv.jpg" title="Mireille Kamariza outside of the California NanoSystems Institute Building at UCLA."/&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage-creditBody"&gt;Jeremy Rondon/UCLA CNSI&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage-captionBody"&gt;Mireille Kamariza outside of the California NanoSystems Institute Building at UCLA.&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;You came to Los Angeles after completing a fellowship at Harvard University. Why launch your lab at UCLA? &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;UCLA has world-renowned engineering and life sciences research programs, one of the best hospital networks in the country and a sizable infectious-disease research community. And in particular for me, UCLA has two facilities set up to safely investigate diseases such as TB, which is an absolute must for my work. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;From a broader perspective, I’m trying to develop technologies that can be rapidly implemented outside of my lab, and UCLA — and particularly UCLA Engineering — has an outstanding track record of doing just that. And at CNSI, they have startups literally being born and bred in the building! So the UCLA ecosystem was just the right fit for my work.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;What’s happening now with the tuberculosis diagnostic research?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;International clinical trials of the diagnostic shut down due to the pandemic. Now we are reopening. Testing hasn’t started, but they’re recruiting patients and we’re getting back on track — hallelujah!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a name="_Hlk130398017"&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;At UCLA, we’re trying to use a similar system to test whether drug treatments work and to detect inactive TB hiding in the body.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;What other projects are you developing for your UCLA research group?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;My research focuses on the infectious diseases that are burdening low-resource environments and are some of the deadliest in the world. My work at Harvard leveraged a CRISPR-based system to detect Ebola and Lassa virus, as well as other viruses that are prevalent in West Africa. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;In my lab, we will use that system to detect malaria-causing pathogens, along with many other bacterial infections that are endemic in low- and middle-income countries. The beauty of this CRISPR system is that it enables us to test multiple samples at one time, and to detect multiple bacteria with the same test.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;In December, Nature Medicine named you one of its&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-022-02133-2"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span&gt;“11 early-career researchers to watch.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt; What did that mean to you?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;I was in complete shock! I still have a remnant of impostor syndrome, because I looked at the list and I was like, “Gosh, all of these people are professors already. I don’t know how I made it onto this list.” I feel the pressure to perform — to earn that spot. But I feel incredibly honored to be in such good company.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span class="MsoSubtleEmphasis"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;After that came out, I received so many emails saying, “Look how far you’ve come. I can’t wait to see what you have in store.” And, look, I can’t wait either!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/body&gt;&lt;/html&gt;</content:encoded><default_file><default_file:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/Mireille+Kamariza+in+jacket+UCLA+Jeremy+RondonCNSI.jpg</default_file:url><default_file:title>UCLA bioengineer Mireille Kamariza </default_file:title><default_file:caption>Kamariza is focused on some of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, which are particularly burdening regions without sufficient resources. </default_file:caption></default_file><attachments><attachment><attachment:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/Mireille+Kamariza+in+jacket+UCLA+Jeremy+RondonCNSI.jpg</attachment:url><attachment:title>UCLA bioengineer Mireille Kamariza </attachment:title></attachment></attachments><contacts><contact><contact:first_name>Nicole</contact:first_name><contact:last_name>Wilkins</contact:last_name><contact:phone>310-869-6835</contact:phone><contact:email>nwilkins@cnsi.ucla.edu</contact:email></contact></contacts><description><![CDATA[The newly minted UCLA professor is dedicated to improving testing for tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.]]></description><author>Wayne Lewis </author><guid isPermaLink="true">https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/bioengineer-mireille-kamariza-interview</guid><pubDate>Thu, 23 Mar 2023 19:52:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>When it comes to identifying new gene therapies, she’s in it for the long run</title><link>https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/grace-mcauley-identifying-new-gene-therapies</link><contentType>stories</contentType><image>&lt;img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/641b66bb2cfac278e842686c_Grace+McAuley+composite/Grace+McAuley+composite_thmb.jpg" alt="Grace McAuley composite" align="left" hspace="15" vspace="5" /&gt;</image><subtitle>2 years after first joining a UCLA lab, Grace McAuley identified a critical step toward a possible therapy for a rare disease </subtitle><content:encoded>&lt;html&gt;&lt;body&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Editor’s note: This page was updated on March 23, 2023, to correct the date of McAuley’s senior year at UCLA.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Like any experienced distance runner, Grace McAuley always keeps her focus on the finish line — even if it’s out of sight. That’s what makes her such a promising young scientist. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;In spring 2020, McAuley was a UCLA senior who was wrapping up four years on the Bruin track and cross-country teams. Not long after running her last race for UCLA, she joined the lab of Dr. Donald Kohn, a UCLA physician-scientist known for developing gene therapies for blood and immune disorders. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“I kept telling Grace she was too busy to join the lab, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer,” says Kohn, a member of the &lt;a href="https://stemcell.ucla.edu"&gt;Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research.&lt;/a&gt; “She told me track season was over, and that she wanted to join the lab, work here for two years, and then apply to M.D.-Ph.D. programs. I like people who know their own minds so well, so I brought her on.” &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;With no previous laboratory experience — “I actually didn’t even know how to pipette, one of the most basic skills there is,” she says — McAuley faced a steep learning curve. She logged long hours studying techniques and reading up on the latest research, determined to make herself an asset to scientists who had been immersed in the field for years. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;McAuley soon found her stride. By the time she earned her bachelor’s degree, just a few months after joining the lab, the decision to keep McAuley on was a no-brainer, Kohn says. As a research technician, her job would be to support the more senior scientists who were pursuing gene editing as an approach for treating blood and immune disorders. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Then, an unexpected opportunity emerged: Dr. Nicola Wright, a pediatric hematologist and immunologist at Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute in Canada, asked Kohn if gene therapy could be used treat a rare and deadly genetic condition called CD3 delta severe combined immunodeficiency. &lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage textImage-left textImage-medium"&gt;&lt;img align="left" alt="" author="Courtesy of Grace McAuley" data-imgheight="422" data-imgwidth="602" file_id="641b69182cfac278e577f615" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/641b69182cfac278e577f615_Grace+McAuley+and+Donald+Kohn+at+American+Society+of+Gene+and+Cell+Therapy+conference/Grace+McAuley+and+Donald+Kohn+at+American+Society+of+Gene+and+Cell+Therapy+conference_thmb.jpg" title="McAuley and Kohn at an American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy conference." width="340"/&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage-creditBody"&gt;Courtesy of Grace McAuley&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage-captionBody"&gt;Grace McAuley with Dr. Donald Kohn at an American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy conference.&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;CD3 delta SCID is extremely rare in general, but the mutation that causes this disease is prevalent in the Mennonite community, of which there is a large population in Alberta. Most doctors will never see a patient with the disease, but Wright has treated several.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The CD3 delta SCID mutation makes patients’ blood stem cells unable to produce T cells. And without T cells, babies born with the disease are completely defenseless against infections. Currently, the only treatment is a bone marrow transplant, which can be risky and can take up to a year. &lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Because all cases of CD3 delta SCID are caused by a single mutation, McAuley suggested that base editing, a new and ultraprecise form of genome editing that changes a single DNA letter to fix a broken gene, could be a possible treatment. With a green light from Kohn, McAuley dove in to find out. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“I knew this project was a big deal and I felt so honored that Don even trusted me with it as a lowly new scientist,” McAuley says. “That felt like a leap of faith, and I really didn’t want to let him or these patients down.” &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Kohn’s lab had never attempted base editing, so it was up to McAuley to figure out how to make it work. The problem stretched out in front of her like a long-distance run.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“In the beginning, base editing wasn't working for me, so I had to push through a lot of failure,” McAuley says. On days when things felt impossible, she applied the tenacity and perseverance she had honed through her running career. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“I probably don’t even know half of the times she was in the lab until 2 a.m. working,” says Kohn, who is also a distinguished professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics in the &lt;a href="https://www.college.ucla.edu/" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;span&gt;UCLA College&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and of pediatrics and molecular and medical pharmacology at the &lt;a href="https://medschool.ucla.edu/" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;span&gt;David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; “She’s not the type to come in the next day and tell everyone how late she stayed; she’d just come back a few hours later and start again.” &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Even as she split her time among the lab, organizing food drives, and working with UCLA faculty members to establish a new sickle cell disease center at UCLA Health, McAuley stayed engaged in her gene editing research. Eventually, she made a critical discovery, identifying a base editor that corrected the disease-causing mutation. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;“One of the wonderful things about being at UCLA is there are so many smart people here, but she’s really unique in her smarts, her capability and her drive.”&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;em&gt;– Donald Kohn&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;After further research and testing to ensure the approach was safe, McAuley and Kohn collaborated with UCLA colleagues to determine whether it would be effective at restoring T cell production. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Dr. Gloria Yiu — using a technique pioneered by UCLA’s Dr. Gay Crooks — introduced corrected blood stem cells into artificial thymic organoids, which enabled her to recreate the process by which blood stem cells give rise to T cells in a human organ called the thymus. The corrected blood stem cells were able to produce fully mature and functional T cells. And further experiments in mice indicated that the corrected stem cells could proliferate and survive long-term. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href="http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/ucla-base-editing-mutation-cd3-delta-scid"&gt;► Read more about the base editing study&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Taken together, the studies suggest that base editing could potentially serve as a one-time treatment that would enable patients with CD3 delta SCID to produce healthy T cells, essentially creating a functional immune system where there was none before. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Wright says the approach appeared to work even better than she expected it would. “To be able to stand in front of the families affected by this disease and tell them we’re going to have better treatment options in their lifetimes is amazing,” she says. “It just creates so much hope for all of us.” &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage textImage-right textImage-medium"&gt;&lt;img align="right" alt="" author="Courtesy of Grace McAuley" data-imgheight="421" data-imgwidth="602" file_id="641b69222cfac278e84277e1" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/641b69222cfac278e84277e1_Grace+McAuley+and+Gloria+Yiu/Grace+McAuley+and+Gloria+Yiu_thmb.jpg" title="Dr. Gloria Yiu with Grace McAuley at the Broad Stem Cell Research Center. " width="340"/&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage-creditBody"&gt;Courtesy of Grace McAuley&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class="textImage-captionBody"&gt;Dr. Gloria Yiu with Grace McAuley at the Broad Stem Cell Research Center.&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;A study detailing the remarkable findings was published March 20 in the journal Cell. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;While the UCLA team is working with Wright to bring base editing to clinical trial for babies with CD3 delta SCID, McAuley is doing her best to stay involved while finishing up the first year of her M.D.-Ph.D. program at the UC San Diego School of Medicine. She hopes to one day follow in Kohn’s footsteps, by both treating patients and continuing to explore new therapies. Kohn has no doubt she’ll make that dream a reality. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“I call her Amazing Grace,” he said. “One of the wonderful things about being at UCLA is there are so many smart people here, but she’s really unique in her smarts, her capability and her drive.” &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;And while many first-year graduate students would be over the moon to have a paper published in a prestigious journal, McAuley remains focused on a bigger goal.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“The Cell paper is awesome, but it’s not the finish line,” she says. “The finish line is getting this therapy to the patients who need it. There’s still a lot of work to be done.” &lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/body&gt;&lt;/html&gt;</content:encoded><default_file><default_file:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/Grace+McAuley+composite.png</default_file:url><default_file:title>Grace McAuley composite</default_file:title><default_file:caption>Grace McAuley joined Dr. Donald Kohn’s lab after completing four years on the UCLA track and field and cross-country teams.  </default_file:caption></default_file><attachments><attachment><attachment:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/Grace+McAuley+composite.png</attachment:url><attachment:title>Grace McAuley composite</attachment:title></attachment></attachments><contacts><contact><contact:first_name>Tiare</contact:first_name><contact:last_name>Dunlap</contact:last_name><contact:phone>310-206-8367</contact:phone><contact:email>tdunlap@mednet.ucla.edu</contact:email></contact></contacts><description><![CDATA[Two years after she first joined a UCLA lab, Grace McAuley identified a critical step toward a possible therapy for a rare disease.]]></description><author>Tiare Dunlap </author><guid isPermaLink="true">https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/grace-mcauley-identifying-new-gene-therapies</guid><pubDate>Wed, 22 Mar 2023 22:33:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Vegan, Mediterranean diets have lower carbon footprints than standard U.S. diet</title><link>https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/paleo-keto-climatarian-diet-carbon-footprint</link><contentType>releases</contentType><image>&lt;img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/6414f7262cfac278e7ca4847_Fruit+at+farmers+market/Fruit+at+farmers+market_thmb.jpg" alt="Fruit at farmers market" align="left" hspace="15" vspace="5" /&gt;</image><subtitle>UCLA study suggests emissions from basic American diet are equivalent to driving a car up to 20 miles per day</subtitle><content:encoded>&lt;html&gt;&lt;body&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Twenty-six percent of the United States’ total greenhouse gas emissions comes from food production and consumption. So what people choose to eat matters — to personal health and to the global climate. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;A new UCLA study published in the journal Nutrients finds that diets centered on plants and unprocessed foods benefit the health of both people and the planet.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The study analyzed six diets: standard American, Mediterranean, vegan, paleo and keto, as well as “climatarian” — a diet that minimizes the consumption of red meats and other foods, such as out-of-season produce, that have large carbon footprints.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Carbon dioxide emissions associated with food come mainly from production, transportation and disposal in landfills, rather than from the food itself. The study’s authors quantified the carbon emissions associated with each of the six diets by using previously published research and a database that tracks foods by their carbon emissions. They analyzed the food consumed in a typical day following each diet, limiting the study to foods that are available in North America, and then standardized the data to 2,000 calories per day.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Their findings:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;table align="center" border="2" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3" style="height: 600px; width: 800px;"&gt;
&lt;thead&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;th scope="row"&gt;Diet&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;th scope="col"&gt;Description&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;th scope="col"&gt;Carbon emissions per day per person&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;th scope="col"&gt;Equivalent carbon emissions in distance driven by car&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/thead&gt;
&lt;tbody&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;th scope="row"&gt;Standard American&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;td&gt;Five main food groups; no reduction of salt, sugar, saturated fats or processed food.&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;5.8 to 18 pounds&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;6.5 to 20 miles&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;th scope="row"&gt;Mediterranean&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;td&gt;Focused on whole grains, fruit and vegetables, fish and olive oil; includes animal products but excludes processsed food.&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;4.8&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;5.4&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;th scope="row"&gt;Vegan&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;td&gt;Excludes animal-based products.&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;3.6&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;4.0&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;th scope="row"&gt;Paleo&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;td&gt;Excludes processed food and sugars, salts, grains and most dairy.&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;6.9 to 13&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;7.7 to 14.6&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;th scope="row"&gt;Keto&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;td&gt;Focused on protein and fat-rich products; limits sugar and grains.&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;10.7 to 21.4&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;12.0 to 24.0&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;th scope="row"&gt;Climatarian&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;td&gt;Focused on local, seasonal and fresh food; limits nonsustainable animal products and processed food.&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;4.1 to 5.6&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;4.7 to 6.3&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;While the differences in carbon emissions created by the various diets are relatively small on a per-person per-day basis, they do add up. A climatarian diet with meat would release up to about 4,500 fewer pounds of carbon dioxide per year than a standard American diet — the equivalent of driving a car 5,060 miles. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;According to some estimates, more than 80% of the U.S. population consumes the standard American diet. If all of those people converted to a climate-friendly diet, the carbon emissions savings would be roughly equivalent to driving 1.34 trillion fewer miles.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Not only do Mediterranean, vegan and climatarian diets support human health, according to previous research cited by the authors, but they also create smaller carbon footprints because they rely less on red meat and processed foods, said Catherine Carpenter, a UCLA adjunct professor of nutrition and the study’s senior author. Red meat has an especially large carbon footprint because raising animals for meat requires a large amount of land and water, and because livestock flatulence releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;And foods that are heavily processed create high carbon emissions because of how they are produced, processed and transported, said Kiera Dixon, the study’s lead author and a master’s student in environmental health sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;“You can decrease your individual carbon footprint quite significantly and still consume meat, but it is highly dependent on the type of meat that you're consuming,” said Malia Michelson, a third-year undergraduate student at UCLA and co-author of the paper. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;While people can reduce their climate footprint through the diets they choose, Michelson said, those choices are often limited by financial considerations — climate-friendly food is usually more expensive — and by the availability of certain foods in certain neighborhoods and regions of the country. Michelson said governments could help address the problem by subsidizing healthy food, corporations and other organizations that serve large numbers of constituents could make healthier food more accessible and less expensive, and producers could increase improve labeling to better inform consumers about their food’s climate impact.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;The study was conducted in partnership with Airly, a snack food company that was seeking to compare the carbon footprints of various diets. The company played no role in the research or the writing of the paper.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/body&gt;&lt;/html&gt;</content:encoded><default_file><default_file:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/Fruit+at+farmers+market.jpg</default_file:url><default_file:title>Fruit at farmers market</default_file:title><default_file:caption>A UCLA study found that vegan, Mediterranean and climatarian diets create smaller carbon footprints because they rely less on red meat and processed food.</default_file:caption></default_file><attachments><attachment><attachment:url>https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20232/Fruit+at+farmers+market.jpg</attachment:url><attachment:title>Fruit at farmers market</attachment:title></attachment></attachments><contacts><contact><contact:first_name>David</contact:first_name><contact:last_name>Colgan</contact:last_name><contact:phone>818-203-2858</contact:phone><contact:email>dcolgan@ioes.ucla.edu</contact:email></contact></contacts><description><![CDATA[A UCLA study suggests emissions from basic American diet are equivalent to driving a car up to 20 miles per day.]]></description><author>Anna Novoselov </author><guid isPermaLink="true">https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/paleo-keto-climatarian-diet-carbon-footprint</guid><pubDate>Mon, 20 Mar 2023 19:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item></channel></rss>