About Melissa Masatani

This author has not yet filled in any details.
So far Melissa Masatani has created 2179 blog entries.

Arthritis-related gene also regenerates cartilage in joints and growth plates

The IL-6 family of proteins has a bad reputation: it can promote inflammation, arthritis, autoimmune disease and even cancer. However, a new USC-led study published in Communications Biology reveals the importance of IL-6 and associated genes for maintaining and regenerating cartilage in Read More »

January 18th, 2022|Announcements, Keck Net Intranet|

Tackling health disparities: Alzheimer’s and sleep issues for African Americans

In recent years, the scientific community has engaged in a necessary transformation to acknowledge and address health disparities. One of the keys to addressing health disparities is making clinical and scientific research more inclusive. USC Researchers in medical and scientific Read More »

January 14th, 2022|Announcements, Keck Net Intranet|

USC Transplant Institute programs reach a new high in 2021

The USC Transplant Institute hit a milestone in the latest calendar year, as its physicians performed 436 transplants in 2021, a new single-year record. The number is especially remarkable because, due to precautions during a COVID-19 surge, the transplant team Read More »

January 13th, 2022|Announcements, Keck Net Intranet|

Can schoolchildren be tested regularly for COVID? USC study explores challenges

Can schools handle the challenge of testing all students and staff for COVID-19?

It depends on which stakeholder you ask. A group of USC researchers conducted interviews in nine Los Angeles County school districts. The information was collected from focus groups Read More »

January 12th, 2022|Announcements, COVID-19, Keck Net Intranet|

Reducing air pollution could lower dementia risk

Improving air quality appears to slow cognitive decline and reduce the risk of developing dementia in older women living in the U.S., according to a new study by researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Their research was Read More »

January 11th, 2022|Announcements, Keck Net Intranet|

Household pesticide use harms infant gross motor development, study shows

Ixel Hernandez-Castro grew up next to a dairy farm near Fresno, where she remembers a plane would fly by on weekends and spray the fields surrounding her family home with pesticides.

“They’d finish spraying, and we’d run outside to play,” said Read More »

January 11th, 2022|Announcements, Keck Net Intranet|

New study is a crowning achievement in understanding head development

Cranial neural crests cells, or CNCCs, contribute to many more body parts than their humble name suggests. These remarkable stem cells not only form most of the skull and facial skeleton in all vertebrates ranging from fish to humans, but Read More »

January 10th, 2022|Announcements, Keck Net Intranet|

USC Verdugo Hills Hospital welcomes first new baby of 2022

USC Verdugo Hills Hospital welcomed a New Year’s baby and the first child born in 2022. Baby Atreus Romo was born to mother Alyssa Marie Cruz at 10:25 a.m. on Jan. 1, at 7 lbs., 1 oz., via C-section. In Read More »

January 7th, 2022|Announcements, Keck Net Intranet|

In Memoriam: Hugo Rosen, 58

Hugo Rosen, MD, who was chair of the Department of Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, died Dec. 28. He was 58.

“We are saddened by the loss of Dr. Hugo Rosen,” said Steven D. Shapiro, MD, senior Read More »

January 5th, 2022|Announcements, Keck Net Intranet|

Curiosity, commitment and compassion drive Yichen Li’s research in neurodegenerative diseases

Yichen Li has always been driven to understand the world around her. Growing up in an Eastern province in China, Li’s inquisitive nature steered her toward science.

“When I was a girl, I wouldn’t stop asking my dad questions, such as Read More »

January 5th, 2022|Announcements, Keck Net Intranet|

Tarina Kang, MD, MHA, named chief medical officer for USC Verdugo Hills Hospital

Tarina Kang, MD, MHA, has been named chief medical officer for USC Verdugo Hills Hospital, effective immediately, USC-VHH CEO Armand Dorian, MD, MMM, announced Jan. 4.

In this role, Kang will oversee the coordination of patient Read More »

January 4th, 2022|Announcements, Keck Net Intranet|

Uniform supplier enables surgical training with PPE donation

Practice is a key part of surgical training. A young surgeon wants to be ready for anything and needs to get the intricate steps of a surgical procedure deep into the muscle memory. That means practicing a given procedure hundreds Read More »

January 4th, 2022|Announcements, Keck Net Intranet|

Employees’ pandemic work honored with monuments representing USC’s Presidential Medallion

In recognition of the extraordinary work of the university’s employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, four monuments are being placed around USC in honor of the unprecedented award.

The pedestal monuments represent the presentation of the 2021 Presidential Medallion to all Read More »

January 3rd, 2022|Announcements, COVID-19, Keck Net Intranet|

Not a dry eye in the house: Treating a common, potentially dangerous eye ailment

Some 17 million adults in the U.S. have dry eye disease. Meet the physicians and researchers at the USC Roski Eye Institute’s Dry Eye Center who are fighting it.

To continue reading this story, click here.

December 30th, 2021|Announcements, Keck Net Intranet|

USC Chan Division researchers review link between autism and gut-microbiome

A new scoping review of nearly 200 publications covering the relationships between autism spectrum disorder and the brain–gut–microbiome system was published online Dec. 16 in Nutrients. The review synthesizes the growing body of research suggesting that gut microbiota Read More »

December 30th, 2021|Announcements|

COVID-19 may have spread faster in the U.S. because the first symptom was cough

The strain of COVID-19 virus that was circulating in the United States and Europe during the first wave of the pandemic may have been particularly infectious because the most common first symptom was likely a cough, according to a Read More »

December 29th, 2021|Announcements, Keck Net Intranet|

Communication between cells plays a major role in deciding their fate

Scientists have found a way to prove that biochemical signals sent from cell to cell play an important role in determining how those cells develop.

The study was published in the journal Development on Dec. 22.

To continue reading this story, Read More »

December 28th, 2021|Announcements|

2021 in review: In USC labs, another year of groundbreaking discoveries

Pandemic or not, USC researchers continue to make discoveries that are changing people’s lives. From studies on why we’re so polarized to work on treating and someday curing Alzheimer’s, Trojans remain at the forefront of science — whether that’s in Read More »

December 27th, 2021|Announcements, Keck Net Intranet|

Children donate socks to give patients happy feet

USC Verdugo Hills Hospital CEO Armand Dorian, MD, MMM, knows that sometimes, patients need more than the physical care that clinicians in the emergency department can provide. This holiday season, his children Avand, Hooys and Jivan understood their assignment. The Read More »

December 23rd, 2021|Announcements, Keck Net Intranet|

Leading health systems continue public service campaign to encourage Angelenos to access care as the holidays approach

Five of Los Angeles County’s largest nonprofit health systems with hospitals, clinics and facilities regionwide continue their BetterTogether.Health campaign as the holidays approach. With a mission to encourage Angelenos to put health first and access care when needed, the campaign is Read More »

December 22nd, 2021|Announcements, Keck Net Intranet|