2009 RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
Disability may be on the rise again after 20-year decline
(21 December)
Disability rates among non-institutionalized older Americans increased between 2000 and 2005, a trend that could seriously impact the quality of life of seniors in the coming decades if it continues, according to a study led by researchers at the University of Toronto and the University of California, Berkeley.
Cutting greenhouse pollutants could directly save millions of lives worldwide
(25 November)
Tackling climate change by reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse emissions will have major direct health benefits in addition to reducing the risk of climate change, especially in low-income countries, according to a series of six papers appearing Nov. 25 in the British journal The Lancet.
Breaking the language barriers in health care: UC Berkeley study promotes effective use of language resources
(9 September)
A new UC Berkeley study titled California's Limited English Proficient Population (LEP) and Strategies to Promote Health Care Access identified California's various limited English proficient groups by language and birth country, assessed health care difficulties, and evaluated strategies to increase health care understanding.
Improving vaccines to trigger T cell as well as antibody response
(3 September)
Most successful vaccines stimulate antibodies that attack and kill viruses as they scoot from one cell to another. But what about viruses and other pathogens that never leave the cell? A new theory of how the immune system recognizes pathogens suggests ways to make vaccines that trigger both antibodies and a T cell response, targeting extracellular as well as intracellular pathogens.
Huge wage cost to filling gap in sub-Saharan Africa's health workforce, study projects
(6 August)
Hiring the workers needed to eliminate the staggering shortage of health care professionals in sub-Saharan Africa by 2015 will cost $2.6 billion a year, or 2.5 times the annual funds currently allocated for health worker wages in the region, according to a new study led by UC Berkeley researchers.
Gene variant linked to higher risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma
(20 July)
A study led by UC Berkeley researchers has identified a gene variant that carries nearly twice the risk of developing an increasingly common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a group of cancers that develop in the immune system's white blood cells.
Researchers find early markers of Alzheimer's disease
(14 July)
A large study of patients with mild cognitive impairment revealed that results from cognitive tests and brain scans can work as an early warning system for the subsequent development of Alzheimer's disease. The findings by UC Berkeley researchers are a major step forward in the march toward earlier diagnoses of the debilitating disease.
The missing piece of the health care reform puzzle? Focus on the health care user, says UC Berkeley report
(10 July)
If health care reform is to meet the needs of consumers, then consumers need to become actively involved in their own care, according to a new report out of the University of California, Berkeley, titled From Patients to Partners: A Consensus Framework for Engaging Californians in Their Health and Health Care.
Children susceptible to pesticides longer than expected, study finds
(22 June)
UC Berkeley researchers recommend that the U.S. EPA re-evaluate current standards for pesticide exposure in light of a new study finding that children's increased vulnerability to pesticides lasts much longer than expected.
Computer-based smoking cessation programs work, finds metanalysis
(26 May)
A new analysis led by UC Berkeley researchers suggests that Web- and computer-based smoking cessation programs are worth a try, and fortunately during these tough economic times, many of them are free.
Unprecedented use of DDT to combat malaria concerns experts
(4 May)
The current practice of spraying DDT indoors to fight malaria is leading to unprecedented—and insufficiently monitored—levels of exposure to the pesticide, say experts concerned about the risk to human health.
ADHD medication can improve math and reading scores, study suggests
(27 April)
Pediatricians and educators have long known that psycho-stimulant medications can help children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) concentrate on learning for short periods of time. But a new study from the UC erkeley has found evidence that grade schoolers with ADHD who take medications can actually improve their long-term academic achievement, and make greater gains in standardized math and reading scores than students with ADHD who do not take medications.
Long-term ozone exposure linked to higher risk of death, finds nationwide study
(11 March)
A study analyzing two decades of data for 450,000 people across the nation found that long-term exposure to ground-level ozone, a major component of smog, raises the risk of death from respiratory ailments. It is the first major study connecting chronic exposure to ozone to elevated mortality rates, and could be used in future evaluations of federal standards for acceptable ozone levels.
Inexpensive flooring change improves child health in urban slums
(10 March)
Replacing dirt floors with cement in the homes of urban slums makes for more comfortable living—but more importantly, it significantly improves children's health by interrupting the transmission of intestinal parasites and boosts their cognitive abilities, according to a new study conducted for UC Berkeley's Center of Evaluation for Global Action.
Babies born in pollen and mold seasons have greater odds of developing asthma symptoms
(23 February)
A new UC Berkeley study suggests that newborns whose first few months of life coincide with high pollen and mold season are at increased risk of developing early symptoms of asthma.
Studies link maternity leave with fewer C-sections and increased breastfeeding
(5 January)
Two new studies led by UC Berkeley researchers find that women who take a break from work in the last month of pregnancy are less likely to have cesarean deliveries, and that new mothers are more likely to establish breastfeeding the longer they delay their return to work. The studies take a rare look into whether taking maternity leave can affect health outcomes in the United States.