UCSF employees and students traveling in the United States or abroad have an important online tool that allows them to find out about emerging health threats – from cases of civil unrest to swine flu.

Infection with anal human papillomavirus (HPV), a virus that can cause anal and cervical cancers, is associated with a higher risk of new HIV infection in previously HIV-negative men who have sex with men (MSM), according to new UCSF research.

The campus community is invited to “Love and Laughter” comedy competition, a fundraiser hosted by the Auxiliary at UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion on Saturday, May 2.

A new UCSF study examining the mechanism of a novel therapy that uses magnetic pulses to treat chronic migraine sufferers showed the treatment to be a promising alternative to medication.

UCSF researchers have identified a correlation between higher levels of glutamate, which occurs naturally in the brain as a byproduct of metabolism, and greater disease burden in multiple sclerosis patients. The study is the first to measure glutamate toxicity in the brain over time and suggests an improved method for tracking the disease and predicting its course.

New data on immunotherapy to boost cancer fighting immune cells shows promise. A UCSF oncologist played a key role in testing the Dendreon drug Provenge in prostrate cancer.

UCSF has announced the establishment of the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, the first joint department at the University.

Members of the public are invited to attend the Firefly Project’s live reading of letters that were exchanged this year between critically ill patients being treated at UCSF Medical Center and teenage pen pals who attend San Francisco Bay Area high schools.

Lawrence Drew, MD, PhD, director of the clinical virology laboratory at UCSF, answered some questions related to an unusual swine flu that has infected and killed people in Mexico.