Advancing Health Worldwide Content / Advancing Health Worldwide Content for UC Davis en Outside-In Signaling Shows a Route Into Cancer Cells /news/outside-signaling-shows-route-cancer-cells <p>A new study shows how an anticancer drug triggers an “outside in” signal that gets it sucked into a cancer cell. The work, published Jan. 29 in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-56478-6">Nature Communications</a>, reveals a new signaling mechanism that could be exploited for delivering other drugs.&nbsp;</p><p>Many malignant cancers overexpress a protein called P-cadherin, which is embedded in the cell membrane. Because cancer cells have a lot of P-cadherin sticking out of their surface, the protein has been targeted for drug development.&nbsp;</p> February 04, 2025 - 9:08am Andy Fell /news/outside-signaling-shows-route-cancer-cells Long-Term Study on Health Impacts of Los Angeles Wildfires Launched /climate/blog/long-term-multi-institutional-study-health-impacts-los-angeles-wildfires-launched <p>In an unprecedented collective scientific effort to understand the short- and long-term health impacts of wildfires, researchers from four universities have launched a 10-year study of the Los Angeles fires. The wildfires that began in early January 2025 killed 29 people, destroyed more than 16,000 structures, and exposed millions to toxic smoke.</p><p>The research aims to evaluate which pollutants are present, at what levels, and where, and to assess the respiratory, neurological, cardiovascular, reproductive, and immune system impacts of the wildfires.</p> January 31, 2025 - 12:10pm Katherine E Kerlin /climate/blog/long-term-multi-institutional-study-health-impacts-los-angeles-wildfires-launched Developing Molecular Windows to Advance Health /blog/developing-molecular-windows-advance-health <p><span>The image is like an abstract stained-glass window. Set against a black background, a nexus of fluorescent greens, yellows and blues mushrooms out into purples and deep reds. It’s striking — the beauty of cells when viewed through the lens of mass spectrometry.</span></p> January 16, 2025 - 4:50pm Andy Fell /blog/developing-molecular-windows-advance-health The Hunt Narrows for Ebolavirus Hosts /health/news/hunt-ebolavirus-hosts-narrows <p>Bats are widely recognized as the primary hosts of filoviruses, such as Ebola, yet the specific host species of ebolaviruses are not definitively known. In a study led by the University of California, Davis, and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Einstein), scientists have developed a new tool to narrow down potential host species of filoviruses and better prioritize wildlife surveillance. The research is part of global efforts to prevent viral spillover between animals and humans.</p> January 15, 2025 - 9:30am Katherine E Kerlin /health/news/hunt-ebolavirus-hosts-narrows Wrong Place, Wrong Time: Why Zika Virus Hijacks a Protein Needed for Brain Growth /news/wrong-place-wrong-time-why-zika-virus-hijacks-protein-needed-brain-growth <p>The mosquito-borne Zika virus is known for causing microcephaly, a birth defect in which abnormal brain development results in a smaller-than-expected head. A new study published Jan. 13 in <a href="https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mbio.02683-24">mBio</a> shows that the Zika virus hijacks a host protein called ANKLE2, which happens to be important for brain development, to assist its own reproduction. Because Zika, unlike most related viruses, can cross the placenta, this can have disastrous consequences in pregnancy.&nbsp;</p> January 13, 2025 - 11:13am Andy Fell /news/wrong-place-wrong-time-why-zika-virus-hijacks-protein-needed-brain-growth Media Experts on Avian Influenza /health/news/media-experts-avian-influenza UC Davis media experts for avian influenza or bird flu. December 18, 2024 - 8:30am Amy M Quinton /health/news/media-experts-avian-influenza Nigeria Adopts Multiple Micronutrient-Fortified Bouillon Cube Standards to Reduce Malnutrition and Child Mortality /news/nigeria-adopts-multiple-micronutrient-fortified-bouillon-cube-standards-reduce-malnutrition <p><span>The&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4CZn9V4INE"><span lang="EN-US">Nigerian government has enacted a new industrial standard for bouillon which includes a provision for&nbsp;</span></a><span>adding vital micronutrients.&nbsp;</span><span lang="EN">The new standard specifies&nbsp;the inclusion&nbsp;of iron, zinc, folic acid and vitamin B12 on a voluntary basis in nationally produced and imported bouillon cubes to reduce malnutrition and child mortality.</span></p> December 17, 2024 - 10:48am Andy Fell /news/nigeria-adopts-multiple-micronutrient-fortified-bouillon-cube-standards-reduce-malnutrition Agricultural Workers Reduce Hours or Move Locations to Avoid Wildfire Smoke /health/news/agricultural-workers-reduce-hours-or-move-locations-avoid-wildfire-smoke Wildfires forced farmworkers to move locations or reduce hours on smoky days when elevated levels of particulate matter were in the air. December 12, 2024 - 11:02am Amy M Quinton /health/news/agricultural-workers-reduce-hours-or-move-locations-avoid-wildfire-smoke A Chip to Measure Immunity /news/chip-measure-immunity <p>Every winter, influenza returns with a new variant. People who have previously been infected with or vaccinated against flu may have some protection, but this depends on how well their immune system’s “memory” of the previous virus or vaccine cross-reacts with the new variant. At present, there is no good way to measure this. A new NIH-funded project by researchers at the University of California, Davis and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health aims to solve that problem with a new device to measure this immune system “memory” in the blood.&nbsp;</p> December 04, 2024 - 4:16pm Andy Fell /news/chip-measure-immunity Transparent Worms with Glowing Proteins May Help Fertility Treatments /news/transparent-worms-glowing-proteins-may-help-fertility-treatments <p><span>The development of maternal egg cells is pivotal for survival – but also precarious. During meiosis, the DNA-containing chromosomes can easily be broken or lost, causing infertility, miscarriage or genetic disorders like Down syndrome. Scientists have struggled to study these crucial cellular events in humans and other mammals.</span></p> November 21, 2024 - 2:03pm Andy Fell /news/transparent-worms-glowing-proteins-may-help-fertility-treatments