INTRODUCTION: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) fibrosis, a leading cause of liver-related mortality, affects approximately 15 million US adults. First-degree relatives (FDRs) of adults with advanced MASH fibrosis have a 12-fold increased risk of the disease. Early detection is crucial to prevent advanced MASH. We hypothesize that the EHR can serve as a tool to identify at-risk FDRs who could benefit from MASH fibrosis screening. METHODS: We defined at-risk FDRs eligible for screening as parents, siblings, adult children, or spouses with ≥ 1 cardiometabolic risk factor (BMI ≥ 25, prediabetes/type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, or hypertension). From a cohort of UCLA Health adult patients with advanced fibrosis from MASH, we performed a chart review of their emergency contacts to identify at-risk FDRs who were also UCLA Health patients. We collected the FDRs’ demographic and clinical data, including any prior MASH fibrosis screening (FIB-4 score or elastography). RESULTS: Among 128 patients with advanced MASH fibrosis in our cohort, 47% (n=60) listed ≥ 1 emergency contact who was an FDR and a UCLA Health patient. Out of 225 total emergency contacts, 35% (n=79) were patients at UCLA and FDRs. Of the identified FDRs, 87% (n=69) had ≥ 1 cardiometabolic risk factor. Only 14% (n=10) of these eligible FDRs had undergone prior MASH fibrosis screening. CONCLUSION: Our early findings suggest that relationships can be inferred from the UCLA Health EHR to identify at-risk FDRs for targeted MASH fibrosis screening.

Although Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by progressive motor impairment, non-motor symptoms such as depression are common, affecting up to 50% of cases. However, longitudinal evidence examining association between depression and motor progression remains limited. This study assessed whether baseline depression is associated with time to clinically significant motor impairment. We analyzed 418 participants in California’s Central Valley with neurologist-confirmed PD from the UCLA Parkinson’s Environment and Genes (PEG) Study. Baseline depression was defined using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS ≥ 5). The outcome was time to Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale Part III (UPDRS-III) ≥ 35. Kaplan–Meier curves and log-rank tests compared differences in the probability of remaining free from motor impairment over time. Cox proportional hazards models estimated associations adjusting for age, sex, race, and PD duration. Sensitivity analyses additionally adjusted for study waves. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that participants with baseline depression had a lower probability of remaining free from motor impairment (log-rank p=0.039). Cox models indicated baseline depression was associated with shorter time to motor impairment (HR=1.88, 95% CI: 1.09–3.24, p=0.022), consistent in sensitivity analyses (HR=1.84, 95% CI: 1.06–3.17, p=0.029). These findings suggest baseline depression is a clinically meaningful predictor of increased motor decline in PD, highlighting importance of early and reliable depression screening.

We operate a preventative care clinic within the San Bernardino county region to serve low-income and medically-underserved communities. Alongside our work, we developed a research project in order to get a data-based analysis of the region’s accessibility to healthcare. As a result of such a geographically large region with an incredibly socioeconomically diverse population collected into one county, we believe that this negates the barriers to attaining medical treatment that individuals may face. Outside of the direct effects of our work, we wanted to create a long-lasting piece to continue advocacy efforts for the communities we work with.

Contamination from Escherichia coli (E. coli) causes millions of waterborne infections annually, with low-resource communities in the Global South bearing a disproportionate burden. However, current methods for detecting E. coli in water, like culture-based assays and PCR, require specialized equipment, trained personnel, and long processing times. These limitations reduce accessibility in those low-resource settings where rapid testing is most needed. To address this, we propose a diagnostic platform built on two methods that inherently favor portability, simplicity, and affordability: loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and microfluidic lab-on-a-chip. We first validate LAMP-based detection under controlled conditions using spiked molecular-grade water, then extend testing to real-world water sources (including wastewater, river, and ocean samples), exploring sample preparation steps to handle the complexity of environmental matrices. Chip geometry is optimized using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. Results are delivered instantly through a machine learning-powered smartphone readout, requiring no additional hardware. By providing an open-source, field-deployable detection protocol, this platform aims to democratize access to molecular diagnostics in resource-limited settings where waterborne disease burden is greatest.

Many studies have demonstrated that both in-person and virtual parent training programs are effective non-pharmacological interventions for children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), demonstrating positive outcomes in areas such as improved rule compliance and self-regulation. However, a widespread transition across healthcare from in-person to telehealth following the COVID-19 pandemic raises the question of whether virtual parent training is as effective as in-person training for families of children with ADHD. To this end, this quasi-experimental study examines parent-child conflict outcomes of children with ADHD whose parents are enrolled in the UCLA Parent Training Group program, a 13-week evidence-based program delivered via telehealth for parents of children aged 2-12 with behavioral difficulties. Few studies have explicitly explored how parent-training interventions reduce parent-child conflict for children with ADHD, and none have investigated how the effectiveness of parent-training programs may be affected by the child’s ADHD subtype. As such, this study will investigate parent-child conflict outcomes through participating parents’ pre- and post-intervention Parent Report of Home Behavior (PRHB) submissions, which will be evaluated both cumulatively and across ADHD subtypes. The findings of this study, particularly its effectiveness across ADHD subtype, may be used to inform future parent training programs, further improving the outcomes of the families they serve.