Sleep is arguably the most overlooked tenet of health and fitness there is. It also tends to be the one people are most reluctant to take steps to improve. Those on a health kick will happily compare workout plans, diets, supplements and shiny new recovery tools, pouring time and money into each category. Then they […]
Sleep is arguably the most overlooked tenet of health and fitness there is. It also tends to be the one people are most reluctant to take steps to improve.
Those on a health kick will happily compare workout plans, diets, supplements and shiny new recovery tools, pouring time and money into each category. Then they go home, watch TV into the early hours and wonder why they don’t feel so good. Yet experts agree that your time between the sheets could be the key to unlocking untold benefits.
“It’s free, but not everyone uses it,” Coros athlete and Scotland’s first four-time Olympian Eilish McColgan tells me. “It’s probably the thing that’s neglected the most, but it should be a key focus – that is when your body recovers.”
“Sleep is a massive thing for me, but it’s something I neglected for a long time,” fellow Olympian, Red Bull athlete and BMX supremo Kieran Reilly adds. “I thought it wasn’t a big deal, and if I focused on everything else it would be fine. But [since fine-tuning my approach in 2022] the difference in my energy levels, recovery and performance has been massive.”
The problem is, elite athletes don’t live the same lives as the majority of people. For the rest of the world, sleep can’t always be a priority, and the fabled (though scientifically dubious) eight hours per night reads more like fiction than aspiration.
For those in this camp, for whom improving sleep quantity isn’t an option, upping their sleep quality might be enough to enjoy some of the impressive benefits of an optimised kip – improved appetite regulation, focus, mood and immune function, to name a few.
This is something the UK’s best-known trainer, Joe Wicks, found as a father of four with frequent interruptions to his nightly resting efforts.
“The first thing to really prioritise, and I think a lot of people will resonate with this, is getting your sleep right,” he says. “When you’re sleeping well, the food and exercise side of things comes a little bit easier.”
He said two changes have proved transformative to this; improving his sleep regularity, and investing in a Lumie alarm clock so he can leave his phone downstairs when bedtime rolls around.
“The truth is, if you remove the phone from your bedroom, you’re way less likely to doom-scroll, to wake up in the night and check your phone or to lay in bed for an extra hour in the morning – it is the most important thing you can do,” he says.
If you’re in the market for some sleep tips to supercharge whatever slumber you are able to snag, read on. We’ve spoken to experts and raided the research to find the best actionable advice for doing just that.
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Joe Wicks, seen here at EE Learn Live 2025, says improving your sleep is ‘the most important thing to do’ if you’re looking to improve your fitness (Joshua Bratt/EE Learn Live 2025)
Sleep regularity
As Wicks mentions, sleep regularity is key. This simply means attempting to establish consistent times at which you fall asleep and wake up.
In fact, sleep regularity is now believed to be almost as important as sleep duration for our long-term health, with a 2023 consensus statement published in the Sleep Healthjournal highlighting its role in “health, safety and performance”. However, the statement also concludes that “when insufficient sleep is obtained during the week or work days, weekend or non-work day, catch-up sleep may be beneficial”.
The reason sleep regularity is so important is because of your circadian rhythm – an intrinsic 24-hour body clock plugged into every cell and system in the body. Disrupting this rhythm with irregular sleep throws the body off balance, playing havoc with our internal systems and contributing to an increased risk of conditions such as fatigue, depression and heart disease.
Read more: I walked 10,000 steps with a weighted backpack every day for a week – here are five reasons I’m not stopping
Be careful with food and caffeine timings
Don’t consume caffeine in the eight hours before you plan to sleep, and avoid eating at least two hours before heading to bed, The Sleep Scientist founder Dr Sophie Bostock advises.
Caffeine’s stimulatory effects are widely known, and most people will be able to work out why swerving it ahead of bedtime is a good idea. With food, Dr Bostock says eating sends signals to our body that it still has a job to do – namely, digesting – so it will struggle to access deep sleep in the hours afterward.
Read more: I tried mouth taping for three weeks, and the results surprised me
Leaving a gap between your last meal and bedtime can help you have a deeper sleep (Alamy/PA)
Moderate phone use
It was previously believed that exposure to bright light from phone screens before bed was derailing your slumber. While this probably doesn’t help, recent research suggests it doesn’t play as significant a role as many once thought. However, your phone is still standing between you and a solid night’s kip.
A 2024 theoretical review proposed that other tech-linked factors are also at play – its phrasing of “bedtime procrastination” may strike uncomfortably close to home for some.
“Bright light and arousal do not seem to matter as much as how we manage our screen time in the evening,” it states. “For some individuals and families, removing technology from bedrooms overnight could be a helpful way to prevent any possible impacts of technology use on sleep. However, restricting devices may not suit everyone, or for some families this could be difficult to implement.
“Technology is here to stay, and a harm minimisation approach is warranted – technology can be in the bedroom, but to avoid a negative impact on sleep it should not disturb you during the night [or be put on flight mode]. It should not be used later than the intended bedtime, and it should be used for less engaging activities like TV watching [before your set bedtime].”
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Don’t let your phone delay your bedtime if you want to avoid hampering your sleep, research suggests (Alamy/PA)
Use light to your advantage
While phone light may not be as important as first thought, light in general remains vital for regulating your sleep.
Consistent signalling is key to keeping your body operating smoothly, and for time-signalling, these signals are called zeitgebers or time-givers. Natural light, Dr Bostock says, is the most powerful zeitgeber at our disposal.
For this reason, it’s important to expose yourself to plenty of natural light shortly after waking wherever possible. Working in a well-lit area during the day will also help.
Contrastingly, in the two hours before bed, turn down the lights in your home. This advice comes from a list of tips given to participants in a 2020 sleep study published in The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, with a view to improving their sleep.
Further featured advice includes the three points above, as well as keeping your bedroom quiet and cool, doing calm and positive activities before bed, “trying to get so much sleep that you do not need an alarm clock to wake up”, and learning a relaxation technique. This brings us nicely to our final point.
Read more: Sleepmaxxing: Is the pursuit of the perfect night’s rest making us more anxious?
Learn a relaxation technique
This can be anything from meditation to journaling. You might even benefit from drafting up a quick action plan for the next day or a simple to-do list, Dr Bostock says.
It’s all about giving yourself a sense of control, she advises. “Reflect on each thought, express it so it’s not just churning around in your head, then move on.”
Read more: 17 best mattresses, tried and tested by The Independent’s sleep expert
Surprise third place finish at the MPSF championship for Bears | Water Polo
The Bears took third place at the MPSF championship in Los Angeles this weekend. The first two games yielded expected results. No. 4 Cal beat No. 14 San Jose State 15-7 in its debut match Friday, bringing its record to 4-0 with another decisive victory. Then the Bears lost to No. 1 UCLA the following […]
The Bears took third place at the MPSF championship in Los Angeles this weekend.
The first two games yielded expected results. No. 4 Cal beat No. 14 San Jose State 15-7 in its debut match Friday, bringing its record to 4-0 with another decisive victory. Then the Bears lost to No. 1 UCLA the following day, but the 14-15 loss showed improvement from an earlier 7-12 defeat March 8.
The real surprise came Sunday in the third place game: Cal upset No. 2 USC.
In game one, although the Spartans scored first, the Bears quickly dominated with four uncontested goals in the first period. The second quarter had Cal outscoring San Jose State 3-2, which sent the Bears into halftime with a 4-point lead.
Cal similarly outperformed the Spartans 4-2 in the third. To finish off the game, San Jose State burst into the fourth quarter with two quick goals to narrow the deficit to 5 points, but sophomore Julia Bonaguidi, freshman Holly Dunn and sophomore Kate Meyer all scored in the final minutes to propel Cal to a tone-setting 15-7 win in its MPSF debut.
The next day, the underdog Bears faced off against the hometown Bruins.
The first quarter saw multiple changes to the scoreboard as both schools rallied for the lead. In the second quarter, Cal began to break away and led 7-4 with three minutes remaining in the half. But in a defensive lapse amid an offensive surge by the Bruins, UCLA outscored Cal 5-1 before the buzzer, reducing the Bears’ lead to 1 point.
After the half, UCLA gradually increased its advantage to 13-10. Determined to go into the quarter break on a high note, freshman Miriam Bogachenko found the back of the net with three seconds remaining.
The fourth quarter began with a stalemate: Neither team scored for almost two and a half minutes. Suddenly, the ball came flying out of sophomore Feline Voordouw’s hand, penetrating the Bruins’ defense to make it a 1-point game. UCLA fought back, but Bonaguidi put away her fourth goal of the game — tying her career high — to make the score 15-14 with 56 seconds remaining.
The stars aligned for Cal as it forced a turnover in the following possession, and head coach Coralie Simmons called a timeout with 26 seconds left. The opportunity did not pan out though, and the final whistle blew with a bitter loss for the Bears.
“I think we match up well with (UCLA), and we found a fun rivalry with them — with any of the top teams that we face. We’re always in the mix with big games with them, and getting the opportunity to play them again at the NCAA tournament would be awesome,” Simmons said. “I think really highlighting our speed, our center play and our ability to shoot the ball at a very high level is going to be very hard for them to contend with.”
In the final test of the three-day saga, Cal returned Sunday for another uphill battle against the Trojans.
Just 24 seconds into the game, USC scored on a power play. Undeterred, Cal responded with five uncontested goals — three of which came from Voordouw. The Trojans then racked up 3 points, but the Bears got the final word with two more goals to wrap up the first quarter. With the scoreboard already reading 7-4 after the first eight minutes, the game looked poised to be an offensive duel between two powerhouse programs.
Fueled by a penalty shot, Bogachenko notched the first point in the second quarter. USC then reduced its deficit to two, but Cal’s offense was unrelenting. Led by freshman-senior duo Eszter Varró and Ruby Swadling, the Bears went into the half with a 4-point advantage.
Cal’s offense buffered in the second half — the team failed to score in the third quarter and put up 1 point in the fourth.
“We scored one goal in the second half, which made our ability to make stops on defense super important. I thought our defensive plan, and our grit and our grind to get the job done elevated in the second half where things weren’t dropping, we weren’t able to put shots away,” Simmons said. “Our good start and strong finish on the defensive end allowed us to come out on top, and we knew that was going to be a down-to-the-wire finish.”
The Trojans put up one last goal with 3:54 left, but Cal’s stellar defense held on for a stunning 13-12 upset to secure third place.
While the Bears aimed to appear in the championship game, the victory over the Trojans still highlighted Cal’s growth since its 9-13 loss to USC on March 22.
Skyler Varga’s impact at The Beach – Long Beach Current
Redshirt junior opposite hitter Skyler Varga smiles and celebrates after one of many LBSU points as UCI beat LBSU 3-0. Photo credit: Samuel Chacko Watch a Long Beach State men’s volleyball game for five minutes and you will notice that Canadian redshirt junior opposite hitter Skyler Varga is always the most animated presence after each […]
Redshirt junior opposite hitter Skyler Varga smiles and celebrates after one of many LBSU points as UCI beat LBSU 3-0. Photo credit: Samuel Chacko
Watch a Long Beach State men’s volleyball game for five minutes and you will notice that Canadian redshirt junior opposite hitter Skyler Varga is always the most animated presence after each point the team scores; he is the first to initiate a quick team huddle, rallying his teammates with shouts, chants and a vibrantly contagious energy.
Elevating team morale with intensity defines the Canadian who now anchors the top-ranked team in the nation.
Varga grew up in Muenster, Canada, a village of about 450 people. He played almost every sport just so their town would have enough people to create teams and conduct games.
In 2022, Varga transferred to The Beach from the University of Saskatchewan and quickly rose as a preeminent player across the board.
“Before coming to America, I didn’t even know anything about NCAA volleyball. I didn’t know Long Beach existed, I didn’t know all these teams existed, and how big of a stage it could actually get to,” Varga said. “I’m grateful that I can be given this opportunity, especially coming from such a small town.”
Though he played many sports growing up, Varga committed to volleyball during the COVID-19 pandemic, knowing he would need to travel to pursue volleyball at a high level.
Redshirt junior opposite hitter Skyler Varga dives to the ball after a UC Santa Barbara kill on April 4 at the Walter Pyramid. Varga’s four kills helped Long Beach State beat UCSB 3-0. Photo credit: Samuel Chacko
That decision led to a gold medal with Team Saskatchewan at the 2022 Canada Games and a silver medal with Team Canada at the U23 Bicentennial Independence Cup in Rio.
Playing for his national team and in matches across the globe not only sharpened his ability to handle higher competition, but it also invigorated his passion for the sport.
“He’s been out in the world of volleyball and seen something bigger than college volleyball, so he really knows where he wants to be,” LBSU head coach Alan Knipe said. “It’s not going to shock me at all when you see Sky representing Canada in the Olympics.”
Varga’s first year at The Beach was cut short by a knee surgery, but he returned the following season to be the team leader in aces per set and earn Honorable Mention All-America and All-Conference honors.
Amid LBSU’s historic season this year, Varga has already achieved the most kills of his career with 235 and sits 14th in the nation inattack percentage at .387.
Varga is, as described by Knipe, a “five-tool volleyball player” whose versatile abilities on the court make him a threat at every position he is in.
“There’s nothing on the court that Sky doesn’t do to help us score points, so as a coach, you’re very fortunate,” Knipe said. “Those are rare to get.”
Despite his standout statistics, Varga puts the team’s success above all else.
Redshirt junior opposite hitter Skyler Varga goes up for a kill against two UC Irvine defenders at the Walter Pyramid on March 28. Although Varga scored a game-high 13 kills, UCI beat Long Beach State 3-0 as and LBSU lost its first game of the season. Photo credit: Samuel Chacko
This season, he admitted he has not been tracking his own numbers; instead, he is fully locked in on the flow of each game and what the team needs in each moment.
“If I go and kill 20 balls versus two balls, it doesn’t really matter as long as I help the team get the win,” Varga said. “That’s all that matters for me.”
Varga’s impact as an athlete goes beyond his on-court performance– competing alongside elite players showed him how much his attitude influences those around him.
That awareness, shaped by the contrast between playing casually in Muenster and professionally with Team Canada, now fuels the dynamic spark he brings to every LBSU game.
“I just immediately sprung into the role of like, I’m gonna get fired up, and I’m happy that I get to play with people who are just as skilled as me,” Varga said. “It brought me a lot of energy and I think that’s carried over throughout the years.”
With deep reverence for both volleyball and his team, the LBSU team captain represents what it means to be an inspiring athlete.
Varga leads by example, Knipe said, showing his teammates the ways a top competitor must take care of his own health, training and education through his own daily practices.
“He’s incredible, he’s our captain– he’s, in a lot of ways, our leader,” Knipe said. “As good of a volleyball player he is, he’s an even better human and teammate.”
GCU announces end of Division I men’s volleyball, but faces heavy resistance
The university announced that it would be discontinuing the program after 17 years. Volleyball will still be offered as a club sport. PHOENIX — After 17 years, Grand Canyon University’s varsity men’s volleyball program is coming to an end. The university announced Monday that it would be discontinuing the program after the end of the […]
The university announced that it would be discontinuing the program after 17 years. Volleyball will still be offered as a club sport.
PHOENIX — After 17 years, Grand Canyon University’s varsity men’s volleyball program is coming to an end.
The university announced Monday that it would be discontinuing the program after the end of the team’s season last week. Although they’ll no longer be sponsored, men’s volleyball will still be offered as a club sport.
“In a rapidly evolving college athletics landscape, GCU is constantly evaluating how it can best position itself as a Division I athletic department and a university,” the university announced on its website. “The move will allow GCU to focus on supporting its remaining 20 athletic programs at the highest levels in their respective conferences.”
The Lopes boasted a solid season, going 18-10 and making it all the way to MPSF Championship Quarterfinals.
But for student athletes pursuing a career in men’s volleyball, options are getting scarce. While 346 of the 364 Division I schools sponsor women’s volleyball, there are only about 20 to 30 schools that sponsor men’s volleyball.
The Lopes had their best season in program history in 2024, upsetting top-ranked UCLA to win their first MPSF title and advancing to the NCAA Final Four for the first time. They finished just five points short of a spot in the national championship match.
Now, the team’s 20 players — including five from Arizona — will be forced to transfer if they wish to continue to play. GCU was the only D-I men’s volleyball program in Arizona and one of just 28 in the country.
For players like junior setter and team captain Jaxon Herr, the announcement came without warning. He is an Arizona native who dreamed of playing for GCU since seventh grade, but now faces an uncertain future.
“It was hard to sleep last night thinking that I won’t be able to come back here next year,” he said.
GCU said it will continue to offer men’s volleyball as a club sport and that student-athletes on scholarship will have their scholarships honored if they remain enrolled. The university said the decision is final and no other athletic programs are being cut.
Former assistant coach Matt August, who helped lead GCU to its historic 2024 season, launched the online petition to save the team.
“Not even being a part of it anymore, everything in me just made me want to do something to help fix this,” August said. “The volleyball community in Arizona really loves this program.”
The decision has left players and coaches with unanswered questions.
“We had a couple questions, and they didn’t fully get answered,” Herr said. “We’re kind of puzzled here today.”
Despite the uncertainty, players say the public support has been a source of comfort.
“It’s honestly amazing to see how much support we do have and the impact we have on this community,” Herr said.
Arizona State University tells 12 News it has no plans to add a men’s volleyball team or any additional sports teams in the near future.
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Bears set for final tournament of season | Beach Volleyball
The NCAA hosts 24 sports in a final, single-elimination tournament to mark the end of their respective seasons — and beach volleyball is no exception. Just because March has passed doesn’t mean the madness has. Cal beach volleyball will be entering the NCAA tournament following its recent showing at the MPSF championship. The Bears finished […]
The NCAA hosts 24 sports in a final, single-elimination tournament to mark the end of their respective seasons — and beach volleyball is no exception.
Just because March has passed doesn’t mean the madness has.
Cal beach volleyball will be entering the NCAA tournament following its recent showing at the MPSF championship. The Bears finished the MPSF tournament with a heartbreaking and narrow 3-2 loss to No. 3 USC, which knocked Cal out of the tournament but allowed it to maintain its bid to the NCAA finals as the No. 10 seed, per the selection show Sunday.
The last game against the Trojans came down to the final set, with both pairs battling for every point.
The loss was determined on the fifth court where senior Ella Dreibholz and junior Jenna Colligan matched up against USC’s Madison Goeliner and Kaleigh Truslow. The first two sets were determined by extra points, the first going in Cal’s favor and the second going to the Trojans. USC, however, came out strong for the third set and held its lead to win the set and the game.
“Honestly, it is better to learn from those losses,” said sophomore Emma Donley. “We are ready to come at people now.”
Before the semifinal against the Trojans, the Bears twice beat No. 13 Grand Canyon and were swept by No. 1 UCLA.
No. 2 Stanford upset the Bruins 3-1 to advance to the tournament final, where it earned the conference’s first-ever title in a 3-2 win over USC. UCLA has consistently been ranked first in the nation throughout the season, with this upset only proving the true threat of all the teams entering the NCAA tournament from the West Coast.
After returning to Berkeley for the weekend, Cal heads back on the road for its final and farthest trip for the NCAA tournament. This is the Bears’ fourth consecutive appearance in the tournament, having exited in the second round last year.
Cal is set to face off against No. 7 Texas on Friday, whom it has played twice for a 2-3 loss and then a 3-2 win in March. Despite being familiar foes, the Longhorns will be a tough matchup — not just because they are seeking redemption, but because they are hot off of a Coastal Collegiate Sports Association conference championship win against No. 8 Florida State whom they swept for the title.
The Bears have tried to assert their potential at winning a national title all season, but have continued to fall short in some key moments and had some unlucky finishes in notable losses against Stanford, USC and Texas. Nonetheless, the team is putting their all into finishing off this season on a deserving note.
“Cal hasn’t ever won past the second rounds of NCAA,” Donley said. “I think it would be a huge thing, even if it doesn’t mean winning, just being able to make that milestone.”
Donley and her partner junior Portia Sherman remain the top of the lineup at court one, with little changes being made to the roster since the Hawaii Invitational about two weeks ago.
The Bears have three days to practice in Alabama before taking the courts Friday, sorting out last-minute adjustments and adapting to the conditions 2,367 miles away on an away court disadvantage.
Wind forecasts have been a huge factor for Cal this season because it gets less gusts at home pits than many of its opponents, especially those who regularly practice on an actual beach.
Cal’s first game starts at 11 a.m. May 2 and will be streamed on ESPN.
“I hope the team can show to other people how much effort and togetherness we have,” Donley said. “That’s what makes our team so great.”
Georgetown (Ky.) Triumphs Over Lawrence Tech (Mich.) in NAIA Men’s Volleyball National Championship Pool Play
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa [BOX SCORE | SCHEDULE] – On the first day of pool play, the No. 11 Georgetown (Ky.) Tigers upset the No. 3 Lawrence Tech (Mich.) Blue Devils in a thrilling five-set match during the 2025 NAIA Men’s Volleyball National Championship at the Alliant Energy Power House. Georgetown (24-4) secured the win with […]
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa [BOX SCORE | SCHEDULE] – On the first day of pool play, the No. 11 Georgetown (Ky.) Tigers upset the No. 3 Lawrence Tech (Mich.) Blue Devils in a thrilling five-set match during the 2025 NAIA Men’s Volleyball National Championship at the Alliant Energy Power House.
Georgetown (24-4) secured the win with set scores of 25-18, 23-25, 25-21, 25-27, and 15-8. Lawrence Tech (26-3) put up a formidable fight, pushing the match to a decisive fifth set.
Michal Bak led Georgetown with an impressive 21 kills and a hitting percentage of .367, making significant contributions to the team’s offensive strength. He also added two service aces and eight digs to his performance. Kristjan Unt followed with 18 kills, hitting at a .238 percentage, and was crucial in maintaining the team’s momentum. Finn Heinemann played a pivotal role as the setter, posting a double-double, amassing 45 assists and 19 digs, while also contributing four service aces. Ariza Vega Miguel had a strong performance at the net with five blocks (three solo, two assisted) in the match
For Lawrence Tech, Nestor Addah led the attack, delivering 15 kills and contributing 17 digs. Addah was followed by his teammate, Brendon Down, who recorded 11 kills. Akram Askoul was efficient with a .429 hitting percentage, adding nine kills and five block assists to his team’s efforts.
Georgetown demonstrated superior attacking efficiency with a .233 hitting percentage compared to Lawrence Tech’s .096. The Tigers’ strategic play was evident in their ability to capitalize on key moments, particularly in the decisive fifth set, where they hit .444 without committing any errors.
Defensively, both teams showcased resilience, with Georgetown recording 59 digs and Lawrence Tech closely behind with 57. The blocking battle was competitive, with the Tigers boasting 16 block assists against the Blue Devils 18.
Broken handrail, rehabilitated bird, beach volleyball, medical news, more – San Diego Union-Tribune
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 […]
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.
A loon that was rescued from Torrey Pines State Beach is returned to the wild after being rehabilitated at SeaWorld. (SeaWorld)
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.
La Jolla Country Day’s Ria Loomba plays the ball against Santa Fe Christian on April 23. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
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.
Sanford Burnham Prebys in La Jolla participated in a study indicating that the drug avapritinib may be effective against certain brain tumor cells. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Notably, the drug was found to be one of the rare few that can cross the blood-brain barrier known to prevent the passage of more than 98% of small molecule drugs.
Avapritinib is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration 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 Panel 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.
A 3D illustration depicts a human heart and an artery with high blood pressure, or hypertension. (Getty Images)
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 members have included John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. and Dr. Jonas Salk.
Crotty joined 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 join 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 register a business, visit lajollalovespets.org.
— Writer Breven Honda and San Diego Union-Tribune staff writer Paul Sisson contributed to this report. ♦
