UC Davis Health System News

UC Davis to create community-based bike and car seat safety programs

Phyllis Brown — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (November 12, 2009) - Sacramento County communities with high rates of bicycle and motor vehicle deaths and injuries among children will be the beneficiaries of a new UC Davis program designed to save lives by promoting bike and car seat safety.

UC Davis MIND Institute to receive nearly $12 million in stimulus funds

Phyllis Brown — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (November 2, 2009) - Researchers with the UC Davis MIND Institute will receive nearly $12 million over two years to study causes and treatments for autism and other disorders, in funding provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or the federal economic stimulus.

M.I.N.D. Institute lecture to address lupus, autoimmunity and autism

Phyllis Brown — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (October 29, 2009) - Betty A. Diamond, one of the nation’s leading lupus researchers, will discuss what is known about the autoimmune disease and how this knowledge can broaden understanding of the effects of autoimmunity found in some families of children with autism during the Nov. 9 UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute Distinguished Lecture Series address.

$1 million study of inhaling carbon nanotubes funded by federal stimulus

Phyllis Brown — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (October 28, 2009) - Researchers at UC Davis have received a $1 million grant from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, or federal stimulus, to study the health effects of breathing a ubiquitous substance used in everything from sunblock to bicycles.

AAMC awards UC Davis' Elizabeth Miller prestigious Nickens Fellowship

Phyllis Brown — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (October 8, 2009) - Elizabeth Miller, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the UC Davis School of Medicine, has been awarded the 2009 Herbert W. Nickens Faculty Fellowship by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the nation’s leading medical education organization. Miller will receive the award during the AAMC’s annual meeting Nov. 6 through 11 in Boston.

MIND Institute's Robin Hansen honored for her role in fostering inclusion for the disabled

Phyllis Brown — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (October 8, 2009) - Robin Hansen, director of clinical programs at the UC Davis MIND Institute, was honored at the 16th Annual Supported Life Institute’s (SLI) Inclusion Celebration on Wednesday, Oct. 7, as an outstanding role model in supporting community inclusion of all people, including people with developmental disabilities.

Teen homeless organizations, UC Davis Children's Hospital collaborate to create "HealthShack"

Phyllis Brown — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (September 22, 2009) - For homeless youth, finding a way to keep track of your health records can be as challenging as finding a place to lay your head. Whether your inoculations are up-to-date and what kind of birth control pill you’re taking can get lost in the shuffle.

Study identifies which children do not need CT scans after head trauma

Susan Mar-Schwab — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (September 14, 2009) - A substantial percentage of children who get CT scans after apparently minor head trauma do not need them, and as a result are put at increased risk of cancer due to radiation exposure. After analyzing more than 42,000 children with head trauma, a national research team led by two UC Davis emergency department physicians has developed guidelines for doctors who care for children with head trauma aimed at reducing those risks.

National Child Passenger Safety Week seeks to reduce child motor vehicle fatalities

Phyllis Brown — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (September 10, 2009) - Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children aged 3 to 6 and 8 to 14 years in the United States. In 2007, the most recent year for which statistics are available, 6,532 passenger vehicle occupants aged 14 and younger were involved in fatal crashes nationwide.

Painting for Miracles art auction slated

Phyllis Brown — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (September 9, 2009) - The fifth annual Painting for Miracles silent auction of art based on the touching stories of children who have been patients at UC Davis Children’s Hospital and at Children’s Miracle Network hospitals throughout the country will be held on Saturday, Sept. 26, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Creative Group, Inc., 304 N. 12th St., Sacramento. Admission to Painting for Miracles will be $5.

UC Davis physician, patient to be featured on Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Labor Day Telethon

Phyllis Brown — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (September 3, 2009) - Four-year-old UC Davis patient Kayla Vittek, and her physician, Craig McDonald, a professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation who specializes in the treatment of children and adults with muscular dystrophy, will be featured during a segment of the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association Labor Day Telethon.

Volunteer, eat barbecue, support UC Davis Children's Hospital

Phyllis Brown — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (September 3, 2009) - On Sunday, Sept. 6, Tex Wasabi’s Rock-N-Roll Sushi-BBQ restaurant will team up with the Children’s Miracle Network to raise funds for UC Davis Children’s Hospital at the 10th Annual Country in the Park concert at Gibson Ranch County Park in Elverta, Calif. The restaurant is seeking up to 40 volunteers to staff the festival’s beer garden, and will donate $75 per volunteer to the hospital, up to a total of $3,000.

Prenatal exposure to dioxin-like PCBs interferes with brain development

Phyllis Brown — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (September 1, 2009) - A study by researchers with the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute has found that prenatal exposure to a particular category of the persistent environmental pollutants PCBs is associated with the strongest detrimental effects on fetal neurodevelopment.

UC Davis Children's Hospital endocrinologists featured on Discovery Channel series

Phyllis Brown — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (August 19, 2009) - UC Davis Children’s Hospital endocrinologists Dennis Styne and Andrew Bremer will be featured on the Saturday, Aug. 22, episode of the Discovery Channel series “Extreme Bodies.”

UC Davis researchers launch study of second-hand smoke and infection in infants, young children

Phyllis Brown — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (July 2, 2009) - Each year during the winter and spring, pediatricians’ offices are inundated by visits from very young children suffering from a variety of upper respiratory infections, ranging from rhino virus, or the common cold, to seasonal flu viruses, respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, and pneumonia.

UC Davis researchers develop new test for fragile X syndrome

Phyllis Brown — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (June 25, 2009) - Researchers at UC Davis have developed a new test that will measure the protein deficit responsible for fragile X syndrome — the single-most common cause of intellectual impairment and the most-commonly inherited cause of autism.

UC Davis researchers visualize formation of a new synapse

Phyllis Brown — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (June 17, 2009) - A protein called neuroligin that is implicated in some forms of autism is critical to the construction of a working synapse, locking neurons together like "molecular Velcro," a study lead by a team of UC Davis researchers has found.

Health system severs ties with KRXQ

David Ong — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (June 10, 2009) - Due to recent comments made by announcers on KRXQ about transgender children, and the lack of a public response from KRXQ management about those comments, UC Davis Health System has canceled its advertising on the radio station and ended its partnership with the station for Children's Miracle Network fundraising.

UC Davis to collaborate on nation's most comprehensive study of autism early risk factors

Phyllis Brown — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (June 9, 2009) - A network of leading autism researchers from three regions across the country today launched one of the largest research studies of its kind to investigate early risk factors for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).

UC Davis researcher to participate in media teleconference on launch of nation's most comprehensive study of autism

Phyllis Brown — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 07:00:00 GMT

June 9, 2009 - Leading autism researchers nationwide will hold a media teleconference to launch one of the largest research studies of its kind to investigate early risk factors for autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The research network, called the Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation (EARLI), will follow a cohort of up to 1,200 pregnant women who already have a child with autism. The study is considered one of the best-equipped to discover biological markers and environmental risk factors for autism. The researchers will be joined on the call by the study's funders, the National Institutes of Health and Autism Speaks.

UC Davis Children's Hospital institutes hypothermia therapy for infants at risk of neurological damage

Phyllis Brown — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (June 5, 2009) - UC Davis Children's Hospital has instituted an innovative new treatment for infants born at risk of neurological damage that utilizes induced whole-body hypothermia  — or cooling  — in an effort to reduce the incidence of birth-related brain injury and  including cerebral palsy and cognitive delays.

Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities to host Act Early Summit

Phyllis Brown — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (June 2, 2009) - Leaders in early identification of autism from the western United States and beyond will hold a summit in Sacramento to strategize how to better identify children at risk of the disorder for the earliest possible interventions. The timing of the summit is especially significant given looming state and federal budget cuts that threaten health and education programs for young children.

Fourth Annual Cops for Kids Fly-in Charity Event to be held June 3

Phyllis Brown — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:00:00 GMT

June 1, 2009 - On Wednesday, June 3, dozens of representatives of law enforcement agencies from throughout the Sacramento region, organized by representatives of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department Air Operations Bureau, will arrive in a convoy to deliver toys to children who are sick or injured and are inpatients at UC Davis Children’s Hospital, in the Fourth Annual Cops for Kids Fly-In Charity Event.

UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute to hold day-long conference on autism, neurodevelopmental disorders

Phyllis Brown — Thu, 28 May 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (May 28, 2009) - State-of-the-art research and best practices for interventions to support children and adults with autism, Asperger syndrome, fragile X syndrome and other neurodevelopmental disorders will be presented by leaders in the field during a one-day conference for families, educators and other professionals on Friday, August 7, 2009.

Poor attention in kindergarten predicts lower high school test scores, UC Davis researchers find

Phyllis Brown — Tue, 26 May 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (May 26, 2009) - As thousands of students nationwide prepare to leave high school, a UC Davis study appearing online today in the June issue of the medical journal Pediatrics shows a clear link between attention problems early in school — as early as kindergarten — and lower high school test scores.

Robert Hales named acting director of UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute

Phyllis Brown — Thu, 21 May 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (May 21, 2009) - Robert E. Hales, chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the UC Davis School of Medicine, will assume the role of acting director of the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute while a search is conducted for a permanent director. His appointment is effective on July 1.

UC Davis Children's Hospital "survivors" to celebrate their triumph over childhood illnesses, injuries on "Miracle Island"

Phyllis Brown — Thu, 14 May 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (May 14, 2009) - Nearly 1,000 former UC Davis Childrens Hospital patients, who outwitted and outlasted serious childhood illnesses to become survivors as well as the doctors, nurses, therapists and other caregivers who treated them will come together to "outplay" during a celebratory reunion on children's hospital “Miracle Island."

Pediatrician Lau receives 2009 Dr. Eli Gold Award

David Ong — Wed, 13 May 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (May 13, 2009) - Keith Lau, a UC Davis assistant professor of pediatric nephrology, has received the 2009 Dr. Eli Gold Award, which honors the memory of the second chair of the UC Davis Department of Pediatrics.

UC Davis physician wins prestigious award from the national Academic Pediatric Association

Phyllis Brown — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (April 17, 2009) - Nathan Kuppermann, a professor of emergency medicine and pediatrics and chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the UC Davis School of Medicine, has been awarded the Miller-Sarkin Mentoring Award by the national Academic Pediatric Association (APA).

Researchers identify how PCBs may alter in utero, neonatal brain development

Phyllis Brown — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (April 13, 2009) - In three new studies — including one appearing online today in the Public Library of Science - Biology (PLoS - Biology) — UC Davis researchers provide compelling evidence of how low levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) alter the way brain cells develop.

UC Davis researcher receives $2.6 million grant to study most common human genetic deletion

Phyllis Brown — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (April 2, 2009) - The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded Tony J. Simon, pediatric cognitive neuroscientist with the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute, a five-year, $2.6 million grant to study the syndrome associated with the single most common genetic deletion in humans — chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

"The fever effect" in autism subject of April 2009 M.I.N.D. Institute Distinguished Lecture

Phyllis Brown — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (March 24, 2009) - More often than children with other neurodevelopmental disorders, children with autism are observed to experience periods of improved behavior and language use during fevers and illness. Studies of this behavioral anomaly, known as “the fever effect,” will be the topic of the April 2009 UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute Distinguished Lecturer Series.

Inconsistent performance speed among children with ADHD may underlie how well they use memory

Phyllis Brown — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (March 24, 2009) - Children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show more variable or inconsistent responses during ‘working’ or short-term memory tasks when compared with typically developing peers, a study by UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute researcher Julie Schweitzer has found.

Statewide sickle cell disease symposium to explore the diverse faces of sickle cell

Phyllis Brown — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (March 20, 2009) - The image that comes to mind for most people when they think of sickle cell disease is that of an African American. But, due to immigration and a variety of other factors, in California the face of sickle cell disease has become decidedly more diverse.

Media advisory: Going bald for the seventh time

Karen Finney — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 07:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (March 10, 2009) - The Luigi boys  Tino, 13, and Jake, 15  have something to celebrate: They are going bald for the seventh year in a row. As part of the St. Baldrick's Foundation head-shaving event hosted by the Keaton Raphael Memorial at UC Davis Cancer Center, they will go hair-free to honor Tino being cancer-free for seven years.

Autism in the U.S. and around the world the topic of March M.I.N.D. Institute distinguished lecture

Phyllis Brown — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 08:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (February 23, 2009) - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researcher and developmental pediatrician Marshalyn Yeargin-Allsopp will provide a global perspective on autism and discuss surveillance and early identification efforts in the United States on Wednesday, March 11, as part of the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute Distinguished Lecturer Series.

UC Davis study finds vitamin use is highest in kids who don't need them

Phyllis Brown — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 08:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (February 2, 2009) - A study by UC Davis Children's Hospital researchers published in the February 2009 issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals, has found that most of the healthy children and teenagers in the United States who are taking daily vitamin and mineral supplements probably don't need them.

Telemedicine can dramatically improve child sexual assault examinations in rural areas, UC Davis study finds

Phyllis Brown — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 08:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (January 23, 2009) - The use of telemedicine can dramatically improve the quality of child sexual assault examinations in rural communities where rates of abuse and neglect are highest — sometimes more than double the statewide rate  — a study published in the January issue of the medical journal Pediatrics has found.

UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute study shows California's autism increase not due to better counting, diagnosis

Phyllis Brown — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 08:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (January 7, 2009) - A study by researchers at the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute has found that the seven- to eight-fold increase in the number children born with autism in California  since 1990 cannot be explained by either changes in how the condition is diagnosed or counted — and the trend shows no sign of abating.

New drug shows promise for treatment of adults with fragile X syndrome

Phyllis Brown — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (January 6, 2009) - A study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago and the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute has found that an oral drug therapy, called fenobam, shows promising results and could be an effective new treatment for adults with fragile X syndrome.

"Update on Genetics and Neurosciences Advances" January M.I.N.D. Institute Distinguished Lecturer address

Phyllis Brown — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (January 6, 2009) - On Jan. 14 Pat Levitt, the new director of the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, and previous director of the Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, will be the fourth presenter of the 2008-2009 UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute Distinguished Lecturer Series.

UC Davis Children's Hospital image to be included in national children's hospital photo exhibit

Phyllis Brown — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 08:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (December 30, 2008) - A photograph taken at UC Davis Children's Hospital has been selected for the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institution's (NACHRI) 2009 Children's Hospital Photo Exhibit, which will debut at the organization's "Creating Connections" conference in Nashville, TN.

UC Davis Children's Hospital CAARE Center cautions economy, holiday stress can lead to abuse

Phyllis Brown — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 08:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (December 11, 2008) - For many families this year there is an unwelcome gift in their holiday stocking — the lump of coal that is the recession, joblessness, home foreclosures and the looming fear that the economy will get worse before it gets better.

Holiday celebration planned for children with sickle-cell disease and thalassemia

Phyllis Brown — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 08:00:00 GMT

December 10, 2008 - Dozens of children who suffer from two incurable blood disorders, sickle-cell disease and thalassemia, will celebrate the holidays in a special party sponsored by the UC Davis Children's Hospital Department of Pediatric Hematology in cooperation with the Children's Miracle Network (CMN). The event will include a special visit from Santa.

CAARE Center video wins best educational video for health-care professionals of 2008

Phyllis Brown — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 08:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (December 9, 2008) - After garnering the top prize for patient-care video at the FREDDIE International Health Care Media Awards, the UC Davis Children's Hospital CAARE (Child and Adolescent Abuse Resources and Evaluation Diagnostic and Treatment) Center was also honored with a prestigious Surgeon General's Award as 2008's Best Educational Video for Health-Care Professionals. Both awards were presented at the FREDDIE ceremonies in November.

UC Davis Children's Hospital offers holiday gift-giving drive-through event

Phyllis Brown — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 08:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (December 8, 2008) - UC Davis Children's Hospital is holding a holiday gift giving drive-through event on Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 22 and 23, to make donations a little easier for the many generous businesses, charities and individuals who would like to help make the season brighter for infants, children and teens at UC Davis Children's Hospital.

How do you get reindeer antlers on a kayak?

Phyllis Brown — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 08:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (December 1, 2008) - How do you get reindeer antlers on a kayak?
We'll find out on Saturday, Dec. 13, when kayaks regaled in antlers, angel wings and Christmas lights will participate in the First Annual Kayakers 4 Kids Decorated Christmas Parade, a benefit for UC Davis Children's Hospital.

M.I.N.D. Institute researchers call for fragile X testing throughout the lifespan

Susan Mar-Schwab — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 08:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (November 25, 2008) - Writing in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association, UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute researchers urge physicians to test for mutations of the fragile X gene in patients of all ages. That's because, after decades of research, it is clear that mutations in this gene cause a range of diseases, including neurodevelopmental delays and autism in children, infertility in women and neurodegenerative disease in older adults.