UC Science Today

A man’s risk of prostate cancer increases with elevated blood levels of prostate-specific antigen, or PSA. But PSA screenings can sometimes lead to false-positives or false-negatives, and even invasive procedures like biopsies or surgeries. Epidemiologist John Witte of the University of California, San Francisco says that his team is looking to improve the accuracy of PSA tests by examining the genes that affect PSA levels.

"Everyone has a different constitutive level of their PSA, kind of like we have different levels of cholesterol that are somewhat genetically determined. Right now, every PSA is treated the same. But if we knew, "Oh, this person is just a high PSA producer genetically," then they would have to cross a higher threshold to go to the next step in being screened for prostate cancer. Or if someone is a low PSA producer, then maybe they would have a lower level instead of just using a single cut off for all men. So this actually I could see actually having really near-term value."

A new study by the University of California, San Diego is building upon previous research that has linked high blood sugar levels to an increased risk of breast cancer. In their study, Catherine Marinac says they found a connection in women between nighttime fasting and a decrease in blood glucose levels, which has been previously discovered in mice.

"Our studies are leaning from these animal models, including some unpublished work here at UCSD that have shown the same favorable effects between fasting and glucose control parameters and these epidemiologic studies are kind of the first step in humans – like, does this trend hold up?"

The researchers found that women who reported fasting for longer periods of time overnight had significantly better control of their blood glucose concentrations.

"We don’t know the exact mechanisms, but hopefully randomized trials in humans will be able to give us a little more insight into the actual mechanism. Then, how can we figure out how that might influence health outcomes."

A new study by the University of California, San Diego is building upon previous research that has linked high blood sugar levels to an increased risk of breast cancer. In their study, Catherine Marinac says they found a connection in women between nighttime fasting and a decrease in blood glucose levels, which has been previously discovered in mice.

"Our studies are leaning from these animal models, including some unpublished work here at UCSD that have shown the same favorable effects between fasting and glucose control parameters and these epidemiologic studies are kind of the first step in humans – like, does this trend hold up?"

The researchers found that women who reported fasting for longer periods of time overnight had significantly better control of their blood glucose concentrations.

"We don’t know the exact mechanisms, but hopefully randomized trials in humans will be able to give us a little more insight into the actual mechanism. Then, how can we figure out how that might influence health outcomes."

A new study by the University of California, San Diego is building upon previous research that has linked high blood sugar levels to an increased risk of breast cancer. In their study, Catherine Marinac says they found a connection in women between nighttime fasting and a decrease in blood glucose levels, which has been previously discovered in mice.

"Our studies are leaning from these animal models, including some unpublished work here at UCSD that have shown the same favorable effects between fasting and glucose control parameters and these epidemiologic studies are kind of the first step in humans – like, does this trend hold up?"

The researchers found that women who reported fasting for longer periods of time overnight had significantly better control of their blood glucose concentrations.

"We don’t know the exact mechanisms, but hopefully randomized trials in humans will be able to give us a little more insight into the actual mechanism. Then, how can we figure out how that might influence health outcomes."

Although excess white fat is linked to conditions like obesity and diabetes, we could all benefit from a little extra brown fat. PhD student Kevin Tharp of the University of California, Berkeley’s Department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology says that compared to the energy storing white fat, brown fat releases energy and can even provide metabolic benefits including weight loss.

"White fat is a storage organ that doesn’t necessarily provide a metabolic benefit to someone with a whole lot of white fat. Brown fat is thermoregulatory organ that when activated by cold stress will produce incredible amounts of core body temperature through high metabolic rates."

Tharp’s team synthetically created a similar brown fat tissue without the temperature drop, which he says could eventually provide therapeutic solutions to conditions like obesity and diabetes.

"We have generated a metabolically functional synthetic tissue that does have a therapeutic application."

Although excess white fat is linked to conditions like obesity and diabetes, we could all benefit from a little extra brown fat. PhD student Kevin Tharp of the University of California, Berkeley’s Department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology says that compared to the energy storing white fat, brown fat releases energy and can even provide metabolic benefits including weight loss.

"White fat is a storage organ that doesn’t necessarily provide a metabolic benefit to someone with a whole lot of white fat. Brown fat is thermoregulatory organ that when activated by cold stress will produce incredible amounts of core body temperature through high metabolic rates."

Tharp’s team synthetically created a similar brown fat tissue without the temperature drop, which he says could eventually provide therapeutic solutions to conditions like obesity and diabetes.

"We have generated a metabolically functional synthetic tissue that does have a therapeutic application."

Although excess white fat is linked to conditions like obesity and diabetes, we could all benefit from a little extra brown fat. PhD student Kevin Tharp of the University of California, Berkeley’s Department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology says that compared to the energy storing white fat, brown fat releases energy and can even provide metabolic benefits including weight loss.

"White fat is a storage organ that doesn’t necessarily provide a metabolic benefit to someone with a whole lot of white fat. Brown fat is thermoregulatory organ that when activated by cold stress will produce incredible amounts of core body temperature through high metabolic rates."

Tharp’s team synthetically created a similar brown fat tissue without the temperature drop, which he says could eventually provide therapeutic solutions to conditions like obesity and diabetes.

"We have generated a metabolically functional synthetic tissue that does have a therapeutic application."

Implantable microdevices have been used to develop cochlear implants and artificial retinas – and now researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are working to develop the world’s first neural device to help restore memory. Research engineer Angela Tooker says what makes their devices different is the use of microfabrication.

"There are a number of commercially available neural implants out there, but they’re not microfabricated. So we’re getting small, able to access all portions of the brain. That’s another limitation of kind of commercially-available technology – you can’t go everywhere in the brain with it."

Tooker says with microfabrication, engineers can put thousands of electrodes on these devices and access thousands of neurons within the brain.

"Essentially, what that means is that we’re making devices in the micron scale. You know, to put that in a size perspective, a hair is generally considered to be about a hundred microns wide, so our devices are smaller than that."

The Lab’s Neural Technology group is collaborating on their implantable neural device with UCLA and private industry.

Implantable microdevices have been used to develop cochlear implants and artificial retinas – and now researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are working to develop the world’s first neural device to help restore memory. Research engineer Angela Tooker says what makes their devices different is the use of microfabrication.

"There are a number of commercially available neural implants out there, but they’re not microfabricated. So we’re getting small, able to access all portions of the brain. That’s another limitation of kind of commercially-available technology – you can’t go everywhere in the brain with it."

Tooker says with microfabrication, engineers can put thousands of electrodes on these devices and access thousands of neurons within the brain.

"Essentially, what that means is that we’re making devices in the micron scale. You know, to put that in a size perspective, a hair is generally considered to be about a hundred microns wide, so our devices are smaller than that."

The Lab’s Neural Technology group is collaborating on their implantable neural device with UCLA and private industry.

Implantable microdevices have been used to develop cochlear implants and artificial retinas – and now researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are working to develop the world’s first neural device to help restore memory. Research engineer Angela Tooker says what makes their devices different is the use of microfabrication.

"There are a number of commercially available neural implants out there, but they’re not microfabricated. So we’re getting small, able to access all portions of the brain. That’s another limitation of kind of commercially-available technology – you can’t go everywhere in the brain with it."

Tooker says with microfabrication, engineers can put thousands of electrodes on these devices and access thousands of neurons within the brain.

"Essentially, what that means is that we’re making devices in the micron scale. You know, to put that in a size perspective, a hair is generally considered to be about a hundred microns wide, so our devices are smaller than that."

The Lab’s Neural Technology group is collaborating on their implantable neural device with UCLA and private industry.