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Advocate for respite care during COVID-19

By Commentary, COVID-19
Respite care provides short-term relief for primary caregivers. Find out more about how to get support from the National Institute on Aging: https://bit.ly/35YKagz Older adults and caregivers are facing unprecedented challenges as a result of COVID-19, and advocacy for respite care is needed now more than ever. California's revised budget cuts critical funding for programs and services for older adults. It eliminates funding for Community-Based Adult Services, the Multi-purpose Senior Services Program, and reduces funding for In-Home Support Services. The changes proposed will have a tremendous impact on local organizations as well as the community members who depend on them. To…
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The Next Generation of Alzheimer’s Research(ers)

By Commentary
Jamie Kamel Jamie Kamel (left) is an 8th Grader at Corona del Mar Middle School who is interested in genetics research and CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) technology. As part of service credit for Boy Scouts, he interviewed Amanda McQuade, REMIND Co-Chair and Doctoral Candidate, to learn about progress in Alzheimer’s research from the perspective of an up-and-coming scientist: Kamel: How did you become interested in Alzheimer’s disease? How did you get where you are today? McQuade: When I was young, I didn’t know I wanted to study Alzheimer’s disease. I first became interested in genetics and biology when I went…
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The Alzheimer’s-Air Pollution Link

By Carousel Slider, Commentary, In the News
UCI MIND faculty member Masashi Kitazawa, PhD comments for Scientific American: "In a field where scientists have spent decades focused on genetics and the buildup of damaged protein fragments called beta-amyloid as causes of the disease...now many experts agree that air pollution plays a major role. This assessment is echoed by Masashi Kitazawa, a toxicologist at the University of California, Irvine, and an expert on environmental toxins. “Genetics is huge in Alzheimer's research, and for years almost no one wanted to look beyond genes,” he says. “But in the past three or four years the number of papers linking air pollution and cognitive decline…
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Disease Detectives: COVID-19 and Contact Tracing Webinar

By Commentary, Community Events, COVID-19
Hear UCI MIND faculty member and Chair of the UCI Department of Epidemiology, Dr. Karen Edwards, lecture on "Disease Detectives: COVID-19 and Contact Tracing" this Thursday, May 21, 2020 at 12:30 PM. Register here > About Dr. Edwards: Dr. Karen Edwards is Professor and Chair of the UCI Department of Epidemiology. Her primary research focus is in genetic epidemiology and the use of multivariate approaches to define phenotypes for complex diseases. Dr. Edwards’ genetic epidemiology research covers a broad range of conditions, including diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, melanoma and Parkinson’s Disease. She also studies interactions between environmental factors (particularly…
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CDC and Alzheimer’s Association Livecast Series on COVID-19 and Dementia

By Commentary, COVID-19, Event Slider
Unique Considerations for Public Health Communities in Various Settings  COVID-19 and dementia present unique considerations for public health professionals in a variety of different settings. The livecast series focuses on three settings: Homes and Community-Based Settings, Emergency Departments and Hospitals, and Long-term Care Facilities.   Please Register for each Livecast Separately   Dementia Vulnerabilities in Homes and Around the Community Monday, May 18 from 1:00 to 1:30 p.m. ET  REGISTER   Dementia Challenges in Emergency Departments and Hospitals Monday, May 18 from 2:00 to 2:30 p.m. ET  REGISTER   Dementia Vulnerabilities in Long-Term Care Settings Tuesday, May 19 from 3:00…
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VIDEOS: Dr. Monuki speaks on COVID-19 testing

By Commentary, Community Events, COVID-19
UCI MIND Faculty member Dr. Edwin Monuki participated in multiple LIVE videos this week to discuss the current state of testing for COVID-19 in Orange County. The presentations were hosted by UCI Stem Cell Research Center and Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris, and you can view the videos below: 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UCI to take part in clinical trial of drug for critically ill COVID-19 patients

By Commentary, COVID-19, In the News
  “If successful, we hope that treatments such as Aviptadil may change the chances of survival for these patients,” says Dr. Richard Lee, who is leading the trial at UCI. Carlos Puma for UCI Health UCI Health will initiate a clinical study of a drug to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients who face a high mortality rate because of acute inflammation that fills their lungs with fluid, a grave condition that even mechanical ventilation cannot improve. Aviptadil, which has a 20-year history of use in human clinical trials for lung ailments, will be employed in a phase 2b/3 clinical study…
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Research team awarded $3.8 million to study molecular changes in the brain caused by Alzheimer’s disease

By Carousel Slider, Commentary, In the News
Irvine, CA - May 12, 2020 - A team of researchers from the University of California, Irvine and San Diego have been awarded $3.8 million by the National Institute on Aging to conduct an epigenomic analysis of neural circuits in the brain. By revealing molecular changes that occur during the course of Alzheimer's disease (AD), the team hopes to identify new therapeutic targets and molecular biomarkers for early detection and better treatment. The interdisciplinary research team is led by multiple principal investigators, including Xiangmin Xu, PhD, a professor of anatomy and neurobiology and director of the Center for Neural Circuit…
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Racing to deliver COVID-19 testing

By Commentary, Community Events, In the News
  Dr. Edwin S. Monuki watches microbiology lab scientist Jeanie Garcia process a patient's COVID-19 test sample. Photo Credit: Carlos Puma Read how through the efforts of the UC Irvine Health team, under the leadership of UCI MIND Faculty Member, Dr. Edwin Monuki, the medical center became the first hospital in Orange County to provide in-house COVID-19 testing on March 19 – more than two weeks ahead of schedule. http://www.ucihealth.org/…/racing-to-deliver-covid19-testing Dr. Monuki recently commented on antibody testing for the UCI MIND Blog and will participate in a virtual panel discussion tonight, May 14 at 7 PM PST. Click HERE to register.
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New partnership will give nursing home staff extra training to prevent coronavirus spread

By Commentary, COVID-19, In the News
CalOptima, which provides health insurance to Orange County’s low-income residents, announced on Friday, May 8, it is working with UC Irvine and the county Health Care Agency to provide intensive training on infection control to staff at 12 nursing homes. … Dr. Susan Huang, who teaches about infectious diseases at UC Irvine, is working with researchers and clinicians to develop the tools and training, and will measure their effectiveness with diagnostic and antibody testing.
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