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Poisonings, Overdoses, and Toxic Exposures
There are things in our environment that we know are dangerous like venomous snakes and poisons, and then there are substances that seem innocent but can be toxic, especially to children. This new series from UCSF explores common medications, herbal therapies, and household chemicals that can make our lives healthier, more convenient, and better but…
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A Molecular Roadmap to Global Health
Immunologist Erica Ollman Saphire, an expert who has worked on the front lines in west Africa battling viral hemorrhagic fevers, gives a fascinating and sometimes frightening on-the-ground account of how something called the VIC global consortium developed the only effective strategy to fight the Ebola virus. The VIC or Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Immunotherapeutic Consortium, was…
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Medical Care: More is Not Always Better
If some medical care is good, more must be better. Right? Unfortunately, this is often not the case. In fact, the opposite can be true—some measures of health are worse in areas where people receive more health services. Join leaders in research and health policy at UCSF who highlight situations in which the overuse of…
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New Brain Channel Series on Movement Disorders
Moving is something we do without thinking but it’s not as simple as it may seem. Movement is an incredibly complex process that requires different parts of the brain working with muscles and nerves throughout the body. Signals move between the brain and the rest of the body controlling the coordination needed — but sometimes…
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“White Dots” in the Brain Predict Walking Problem
Fatta Nahab, MD, is a board-certified neurologist and director of the neuroimaging program at UC San Diego Health’s Movement Disorder Center. Find out how he is using innovative brain imaging techniques to reveal clues in understanding and developing new therapies to treat movement disorders. He explains about “white dots” in the brain and how they…
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Decoding the Microbiome
There are on average about 110 trillion cells in the human body… and 100 trillion of those aren’t human. That’s the human microbiome, a mix of interdependent organisms living in a variety of ecosystems as diverse as guest Rob Knight puts it, “between a prairie in Kansas and a coral reef in Florida.” And that’s…
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Dentistry – Gateway to Your Body
We all know it’s important to visit the dentist regularly for the health of our teeth, but that’s not the only reason to do so. We often think that dentists deal exclusively with the teeth, and from the tonsils on it’s the physicians’ realm. But there are conditions in the mouth that blur that boundary…
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Your Brain in Health and Disease
The brain is the most important organ in the body. It is the hub of the nervous system and controls all the body’s functions. But sometimes there are problems with the brain. For example, with our aging population the incidence of brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease are predicted to reach epidemic proportions. But decline…
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Is There a Link Between Obesity and Diabetes?
Diabetes is the nation’s seventh-leading cause of death and a prime cause of kidney failure, blindness, nontraumatic limb amputations, heart disease, and stroke. Of the people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, about 80 percent are also diagnosed as obese. This fact provides a clue to the link between diabetes and obesity. Being overweight places extra…
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Movement Disorders: New Series on The Brain Channel
UC San Diego physicians and researchers are hard at work uncovering the symptoms, secrets, and progression of movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. William Mobley, MD, PhD sits down with those on the front lines to find out what we currently know, where research is trending, and what potential therapies are on the horizon in…