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 March/April 2019
Focus on Health

UC San Diego Health

Don't Ignore the Snore

Loud, habitual snoring may be a sign of sleep apnea, a condition that affects 18 million people, not to mention everyone else in hearing range. Sleep apnea can cause more than just chronic tiredness. It may impact neurocognitive and cardiovascular health, perhaps even contributing to a stroke. UC San Diego Health experts discuss what can be done, from lifestyle changes to assistive devices to surgery.

Cancer Services Expansion

Living with cancer means frequent visits to the doctor at a time when illness can be debilitating and exhausting. To make it easier for patients to receive world-class care from San Diego's only National Cancer Institute-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, UC San Diego Health has added a new multidisciplinary cancer clinic in Hillcrest, staffed with physicians who specialize in some of the most commonly diagnosed malignancies.

Cardiac Rehab Center's First Birthday

The Step Family Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Center at UC San Diego Health is celebrating its first birthday with nearly 300 graduates. The center is already one of the largest intensive cardiac rehab programs in the nation, conducting innovative research and transforming the lives of patients like Malcolm Tovey, who has lost 20 pounds and no longer needs one of his insulin medications.

Stroke Tales

Strokes occur when a blood vessel carrying oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked or bursts. When that happens, the affected part of the brain cannot get sufficient oxygen and neurons begin to die. Eighty percent of strokes are preventable if you take certain actions and recognize symptoms. Here's your checklist.

Bones of Retention

The risk of bone fractures due to osteoporosis increases with age, but lifestyle-related steps can help reduce the odds. Calcium intake through diet and supplements is often advised, but recent research on its effectiveness and possible harms may confuse patients. Bone health specialist Deborah Kado, MD, explains.

The Milking Way

The image above, a winner in Nikon's 2018 Small World competition, captures the inner workings of human lactation. The reddish spheres are breast tissue filled with milk, surrounded by tiny muscle cells (yellow) that squeeze the milk out. The bluish spots are immune cells monitoring for infection.

March is Workplace Eye Wellness Month, but really, there's no special time to focus on your vision health. At least 75 percent of Americans require some form of vision correction, with approximately 4.2 million adults age 40 and older visually impaired. Seventy percent of Millennial-age workers report symptoms of digital eye strain. Yet more than 23 million Americans age 18 and older have never had an eye exam! Go see a doctor (while you still can)! One good place to start: Shiley Eye Institute.

Vocal Support

Philip Weissbrod, MD, surgeon and director of the Center for Voice and Swallowing, and Erin Walsh, a UC San Diego Health speech-language pathologist, help people regain their voice, literally, after injury or illness, such as singer Richard Geiler, who had a tumor on his right vocal cord.

Senior Emergency Care Unit

UC San Diego Health has opened a state-of-the-art unit specializing in emergency treatment of seniors. Our Senior Emergency Care Unit in La Jolla is the first in California to treat qualifying patients over the age of 65 in a dedicated, customized space.

Expiration Dates Explained

Over time, medications lose effectiveness or even become bad for you. Learn how to assess the safety and efficacy of medications, and what to do with dubious drugs. Also, how and where to best store them in your house. Hint: It's not the bathroom medicine cabinet.

An explanation perhaps for long-term postpartum obesity; 3D-printed implants for spinal cord injuries; genetic influences associated with a person's willingness to take risks; youthful cognitive ability predicts mental capacity later in life; Alzheimer's looks different in Hispanic patients; how men continually produce sperm; and the ways of wisdom in schizophrenia.

The Untold Story of Congenital Syphilis

Congenital syphilis has been on the rise since 2001, with a sharp increase in 2014 across the U.S. In this episode, Jennifer Wagman, PhD, shares her thoughts on why we might be seeing a rise in congenital syphilis and what steps can be taken to help combat this epidemic.

Corner Clinic: Male Pelvic Exercises, a New Polio-Like Illness and Germs in the Gym



L-R: Vanessa True, physical therapist; Robert Coles, MD; Amruti Borad, DO
  1. Should men do Kegels?
  2. What should parents know about a new polio-like illness?
  3. How can I prevent infections while at the gym?

Nutritional Needs Across Your Lifespan

Nutritional needs change over the years. What's healthy for someone in their thirties or forties may not be for someone in their sixties or seventies. UC San Diego Health nutrition experts Byron Richard and Betty Garrity offer tips on how to eat healthy through the ages.

Clinical Trials

Clinical trials are the last and most important step before scientific discoveries can be delivered to patients in the form of new medicines and therapies. Each year, UC San Diego Health researchers and doctors, including those at Moores Cancer Center, conduct hundreds of such trials involving a vast array of diseases, disorders and conditions. Among studies currently recruiting participants are:

Self-management of Blood Pressure Medication for Hypertensive Veterans

Correlating Probiotic Dietary Supplements During Pregnancy with Maternal Microbiome Profiles

Atrial Cardiopathy and Antithrombotic Drugs in Prevention After Cryptogenic Stroke

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