UCLA in the News lists selected mentions of UCLA in the world’s news media. Some articles may require registration or a subscription. See more UCLA in the News.
Why California is the capital of fake meat | Los Angeles Times
Cultured meat — think boneless chicken breasts and salmon sashimi starting as individual animal cells — has captured the imagination of bioscientists and engineers at UC Davis … (UCLA has a nascent cultured meat lab under the direction of professor Amy Rowat, a biophysicist specializing in cell behavior.)
Measuring COVID vaccine and booster protection | Los Angeles Times
After any new vaccine is rolled out, it can take decades for scientists to agree upon a standard way to measure its protection, said Dr. Joel I. Ward, a retired professor of immunology at UCLA. Sometimes they just give up … The earliest COVID-19 vaccines began rolling out less than a year ago, so it’s no surprise that scientists have yet to find and agree on a common measure of immunity, Ward said.
How smartphone apps could help treat depression | Wall Street Journal
At the University of California, Los Angeles, therapists are also using voice analysis to recognize patterns in tone or word choice that indicate a patient with a serious mental illness may be heading for a crisis, which may not be apparent at a clinic visit but could be picked up by machine-learning algorithms … Researchers at UCLA’s Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior created a system called MyCoachConnect, which uses an interactive voice-response app to collect patients’ reports about their state of mind and analyze their voices over time. (UCLA’s Armen Arevian is quoted and UCLA’s David Miklowitz is cited.)
Shopping early to avoid holiday shipping delays | KNBC-TV
“We have shortages of appliances, people waiting to get their refrigerators and washers and dryers. We have shortages right now of things like drywall and insulation. It was lumber earlier in the pandemic. Because you don’t have semiconductors, you don’t have car production, which means you don’t have as many new cars, which means that people are buying used cars. That’s not related to Christmas,” said UCLA’s Leo Feler (approx. 1:50 mark).
Climate change–related health problems on the rise | Associated Press
The report said 65 of the 84 countries included subsidize the burning of fossil fuels, which cause climate change. Doing that “feels like caring for the desperately ill patient while somebody is handing them lit cigarettes and junk food,” said Dr. Richard Jackson, a UCLA public health professor who wasn’t part of the study.
Helping people pay rent can fight the pandemic | NPR’s “All Things Considered”
“So a person loses their home, they often move in with friends or family. They might enter a homeless shelter. That increases your number of contacts in the community, and it increases the efficiency with which COVID can spread through a community … People take on all kinds of work to avoid that eviction, and that might actually drive up risk of COVID.” said UCLA’s Kathryn Leifheit.
COVID vaccinations for younger children | KPCC-FM’s “AirTalk”
“The White House has released some information about their plans for vaccinating kids ages 5 to 11. I think it’s important to know that the vaccines are not approved for that age group quite yet. But the results of the clinical trials of COVID vaccines with kids are looking very promising. And it’s expected that they will probably be authorized for emergency use quite soon here in the next few weeks,” said UCLA’s Kristen Choi (approx. 1:30 mark).
Disabled audiences unhappy with on-screen portrayals | Deadline
A new survey conducted by the Center for Scholars & Storytellers at the UCLA Psychology Department sought to examine the needs and opinions of disabled individuals in terms of media representation. The center said it “worked with the advocacy nonprofit organization RespectAbility after data analysis to ensure greater impact for this study.”
COVID and flu: Is a ‘twindemic’ threat lurking again? | CalMatters
“Unfortunately, this year we have relaxed most of these measures,” said Shira Shafir, an epidemiology professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. That’s bad news for both COVID and non-COVID respiratory infections, she said.
10 years on, gene therapy still beating ‘bubble boy’ disease | HealthDay News
Nine of 10 patients with so-called “bubble boy” immune disease who received gene therapy about a decade ago are still disease-free, researchers report. The gene therapy was developed at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), to treat the rare and deadly immune system disorder formally known as adenosine deaminase–deficient severe combined immunodeficiency (ADA-SCID). (UCLA’s Donald Kohn is quoted.)
Women not receiving needed mental health care | Medical Xpress
Among women in California who have recently experienced mild to moderate psychological distress and are eligible for public health services, 4 out of 5 said they received no treatment, a report published today by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research shows … “A public health–focused approach is vital because it can help to promote mental well-being and may prevent more severe impacts on individuals’ lives, their educational goals and their employment pursuits,” said [UCLA’s] D. Imelda Padilla-Frausto.