Broken handrail to be privately repaired
A missing handrail next to a stairway on Prospect Street will be privately replaced in coming months.
The handrail was removed after a tourist visiting La Jolla from out of state suffered minor injuries last month when the handrail broke from its base and gave way, causing the man to fall.
The broken handrail was removed, and the handrail on the other side of the stairs remains.
Originally, San Diego city spokesman Anthony Santacroce said the city of San Diego would be “making interim repairs to the damaged section of the stairs until the city is able to initiate a capital improvement project to construct a new staircase.”
However, later discovering the stairway is on private property — connecting Prospect Street to Coast Boulevard — the city stepped back from the replacement project.
Soon after, property owner Don Allison confirmed to the La Jolla Light that the handrail would be replaced by his property management team. A schedule was not immediately available.
Rehabilitated bird found at Torrey Pines beach released back into the wild
A loon that was found at Torrey Pines State Beach covered in tar was rehabilitated and returned to the wild this month.
The loon was unable to stay warm or fly, and SeaWorld San Diego’s rescue team took it to its Oiled Wildlife Care Center, where the team stabilized the bird with hydration, feeding and multiple washes to remove the tar.
After a month of care, the loon regained its strength and was ready to return to its natural habitat.
La Jolla Country Day wins beach volleyball league title
The rivalry between Santa Fe Christian and La Jolla Country Day School was renewed last week with the Coastal League beach volleyball championship at stake.
The Torreys were dominant on their home sand April 23, winning all five matches against the Eagles.
Four matches were completed in straight sets and the other went three sets.
The Torreys improved to 15-3 overall and 7-0 in league play.
Drug being researched for possible role to treat brain tumors
Brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer-related death in childhood, and the deadliest of these tumors are known as high-grade gliomas, with the grade referring to how quickly certain tumors grow and spread throughout the central nervous system.
Recently, scientists from an international team that includes the Chavez Lab at La Jolla-based Sanford Burnham Prebys and many other institutions published findings in Cancer Cell indicating that the drug avapritinib may be effective against certain brain tumor cells.
Notably, the drug was found to be one of the rare few that can cross the blood-brain barrier known to prevent the age of more than 98% of small molecule drugs.
Avapritinib is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug istration for treating gastrointestinal and other cancers. With more research, it may be possible to repurpose avapritinib to treat high-grade gliomas, the researchers say.
Genetically modified crops studied for carbon sequestration
UC San Diego researchers say genetically enhanced crops of plants featuring enlarged roots present an opportunity for society to achieve a drawdown of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
A new study from scientists at UCSD’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography and School of Global Policy and Strategy compares this potential agricultural solution to other proposed methods of carbon dioxide removal as a way of showing what needs to happen to address climate change on a global scale.
Scientists contributing to the most recent Intergovernmental on Climate Change report estimated that if society is to have a chance at counteracting global CO2 emissions, it must find a way to remove 5-16 billion tons of the greenhouse gas every year. That would need to be done in addition to stopping or substantially slowing how much greenhouse gas continues to be added to the atmosphere daily.
Failure to do this in a timely manner puts the planet at risk of experiencing catastrophic changes in weather, crop failures and spread of diseases, according to the report.
Following an analysis, so-called carbon-enhanced crops could, within 13 years of first adoption, remove 0.9 to 1.2 gigatons annually, the research team said. That is about seven times more than all CO2 offsets supplied today to the global market.
New potential treatment for high blood pressure being explored
Researchers at the UC San Diego School of Medicine recently identified a potential new treatment for people with uncontrolled or treatment-resistant hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure.
The study, published in the April 23 online edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, was designed to “look at the impact of a novel medication in lowering blood pressure for individuals whose hypertension is inadequately controlled by current standard medications,” said Dr. Michael Wilkinson, principal investigator for the study and a cardiologist at UC San Diego Health.
The study determined that clinical trial participants taking a new drug called lorundrostat experienced a 15-point reduction in systolic blood pressure, the top number in a blood pressure reading, compared with a seven-point reduction for patients who received a placebo.
Being able to reduce pressure by 15 points, Wilkinson said, could be clinically significant, especially for those on the more extreme side of the scale.
“We would expect that being able to help these patients achieve safer blood pressure levels will make a significant difference in helping them to avoid heart attacks and strokes,” Wilkinson said.
This marked the second phase of the effort and was done in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic Coordinating Center for Clinical Research. Researchers say their next step is a larger third-phase trial of the medication.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hypertension affects about 120 million people across the United States, nearly half of all adults, and is considered the leading cause of heart disease in the country. Usually, high blood pressure has no signs or symptoms.
Read the full study at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2501440.
La Jolla immunologist named to Academy of Arts and Sciences
Immunologist Shane Crotty, a professor and chief scientific officer at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Crotty was elected in recognition of his leadership in immune system research and his breakthroughs in understanding fundamental aspects of how the immune system works.
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences was founded in 1780 by John Adams, John Hancock and a group of other American leaders to promote research and learning. Since then, elected have included John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. and Dr. Jonas Salk.
Crotty ed the LJI faculty in 2003. His research has been considered critical for understanding how the immune system’s T cells and B cells work together to fight pathogens such as HIV and SARS-CoV-2. Crotty also is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Microbiology and has been honored by the American Association of Immunologists for outstanding career contributions to B cell biology.
In addition to research, Crotty has dedicated his career to mentoring early-career scientists and to public outreach.
He says the goals of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences hold deep meaning for him.
“It’s an honor to an organization with a mission to serve — to advance health and quality of life,” Crotty said. “That really resonates with me.”
Researchers find higher risk of death for children with liver disease
A recently published study on children diagnosed with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, or MASLD, says they are at high risk of premature death or serious health complications.
The Longitudinal InVestigation Evaluating Results of Steatosis, or LIVERS, study followed 1,096 children over an average span of 8½ years, according to UC San Diego Health Sciences. Researchers found their mortality rate “was 40 times higher than that of similar peers in the general U.S. population.”
Jeffrey Schwimmer, a professor of pediatrics at the UCSD School of Medicine and director of the Fatty Liver Clinic at Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego, put the results into context.
“MASLD poses a real and measurable threat to pediatric health,” he said. “To truly change outcomes, we need better tools to diagnose this disease, treatments that work for children and systems that ensure every child has access to that care.”
MASLD was previously referred to as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD. It is the most common chronic liver disease children are affected by, including one-quarter of people with obesity.
The findings were published April 22 in Hepatology, the scientific journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. Researchers say the study is the “most comprehensive assessment to date of clinical outcomes in pediatric MASLD.”
La Jolla Loves Pets Foundation announces summer Mutt Strut
From the group that brought you Dog-O-Ween and Santa Paws, the La Jolla Loves Pets Foundation is coming back with the 2025 La Jolla Mutt Strut.
The event is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, June 22, throughout The Village — beyond the usual meeting place at the La Jolla Recreation Center.
At this year’s Mutt Strut, participants will have the opportunity to solve a pet-themed puzzle with stops at local businesses. Upon completion, a prize will be available at a participating location.
To learn more or a business, visit lajollalovespets.org.
— Writer Breven Honda and San Diego Union-Tribune staff writer Paul Sisson contributed to this report. ♦
