UCLA in the News lists selected mentions of UCLA in the world’s news media. Some articles may require registration or a subscription. See more UCLA in the News.
Fall quarter begins at UCLA | KCBS-TV
And while it’s true the campus is celebrating being named the No. 1 public university for a fifth year in a row by U.S. News & World Report and the opening of two residence halls, the palpable excitement on campus is undoubtedly due to being able to again live and learn in person together on the picturesque Westwood campus.
How well do mRNA vaccines prevent severe infection? | Los Angeles Times
Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are based on mRNA technology, which delivers temporary instructions to the body’s muscle cells that help it learn to recognize the spike protein, a key part of the coronavirus’ structure. But “they’re actually not necessarily interchangeable,” said Dr. Timothy Brewer, a professor of medicine and epidemiology at UCLA. Each vaccine is formulated and administered differently, Brewer said, and those differences could affect the strength and duration of the two vaccines’ protection.
Camp for kids traumatized by natural disasters | NBC News
Each child reacts differently to traumatic events. Where one might act out for days or weeks, another might bounce back almost immediately. The difference often comes down to previous experiences and how parents are handling their own stress, according to Melissa Brymer, director of Terrorism and Disaster Programs at the UCLA–Duke National Center for Child Traumatic Stress.
Rising cases of babies with syphilis | Los Angeles Times
Jennifer Wagman, an associate professor of community health sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, said the rebounding numbers of congenital syphilis across the country are a sign of missed opportunities to stop the disease. Researchers have found that nationally, not all pregnant people are screened for syphilis despite the urgings by health officials.
Are COVID rapid home tests reliable? | Wall Street Journal
If you are symptomatic and a rapid test is negative, monitor your symptoms, says Omai Garner, director of clinical microbiology for the UCLA health system. If they get worse, go get a PCR test. If there are no immediate appointments, take another rapid test.
Recall race was tight in the Central Valley | Los Angeles Times
Data from the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Initiative show that Latino residents of Merced County voted 75% against the recall, while white voters there came in at 75% in favor of ousting Newsom. The takeaway, said Sonja Diaz, the founder and director of the UCLA center, is that California’s electorate is increasingly influenced by younger voters of color, even as “mature” white voters decline across the state. (Also: San Francisco Chronicle.)
First responders sue over L.A.’s vaccine mandate | Los Angeles Times
But Dr. Timothy Brewer, a UCLA physician epidemiologist, has answers. “As for government overreach, every one of them who went to public school had to be vaccinated,” Brewer said. “So it’s kind of silly to say I’m OK getting vaccines to go to public school, but it’s government overreach to tell me to get a COVID-19 vaccine.”
LGBT Texans face double the national discrimination rate | Houston Chronicle
(Commentary by UCLA’s Brad Sears) A national survey by [UCLA’s] Williams Institute conducted in May 2021 found that nearly one in ten LGBT employees of the 935 participants in the study report experiencing discrimination because of their LGBT status during the past year. Things appear worse for LGBT employees in Texas: respondents were nearly twice as likely (18.5 percent) to report discrimination in the past year.
Severe infections may increase autism risk | Spectrum
“If the TSC2 mutation was sufficient to cause autism, then everyone with that mutation would have autism — but they don’t,” says senior investigator Alcino Silva, director of the Integrative Center for Learning and Memory at the University of California, Los Angeles. (Also: The Scientist and United Press International.)
UCLA helps pregnant mom through harrowing COVID ordeal | KABC-TV
“Once the breathing tube went in, it became pretty clear that her lungs weren’t going to sustain her,” said Dr. Peyman Benharash with UCLA Health. He and his mobile ECMO team transported Pederson to Westwood. To provide oxygen for her and her baby, the team inserted cannulas into her arteries. “That removes blood from the patient and in this particular case adds blood and removes carbon dioxide, and then returns the blood to the patient,” Benharash said. (UCLA’s Dr. Christina Han is also quoted.)
FDA panel recommends against boosters for all | Time
And there is an immunological reason for that, says Dr. Otto Yang, professor of medicine and infectious disease at University of California Los Angeles, who is not part of the FDA advisory committee. “Antibodies undergo a process called somatic hypermutation, and mutate to become more efficient with longer exposure to a target,” he says. “So additional boosters give you both a renewed quantity of antibodies after the original target but also better activity against variants.”
FDA ‘followed the science’ in decision on boosters | Fox News
“What the FDA did is they followed the science. What the science shows us is that right now, the vaccine is doing a great job at doing what it’s supposed to do: prevent severe disease, hospitalization and death in the vast majority of people. However, we’re seeing waning immunity. We’re seeing the antibodies decrease over time in people who are over the age of 60, and really over 65,” said UCLA’s Anne Rimoin.
Half of LGBT renters behind on rent fear eviction | Santa Monica Mirror
In as quick as two months, LGBT renters fear they could be displaced, according to research released by the University of California–Los Angeles. Examining housing stability during the coronavirus pandemic, a brief compiled by the Williams Institute at University of California Los Angeles found that 19% of LGBT respondents said they are behind on rent, and 47% of them fear eviction within the next two months.
Preparing children to return to school | Well + Good
Shira Shafir, PhD, an associate professor of epidemiology and community health sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, recently sent her 3-year-old son to preschool. So I asked her a few questions about how she prepped him — and her household — to best keep everyone protected. Below, her best advice on how to keep kids safe from COVID-19 this school year. (Shafir is interviewed.)
