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Drink specials quadruple likelihood of exiting a bar over legal limit to drive

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A last call should be issued for drink specials because they dramatically increase the risk of college students walking out of a bar intoxicated, especially if they are underage, a new University of Florida study finds.

Filed under Research, Health, Family, Florida, Gender on Tuesday, May 13, 2008.

MicroRNAs appear essential for retinal health

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Retinas in newborn mice appear perfectly fine without any help from tiny bits of genetic material called microRNAs except for one thing — the retinas do not work.

Filed under Research, Health on Wednesday, May 7, 2008.

UF scientists discover compound that could lead to new blood pressure drugs

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — University of Florida researchers have identified a drug compound that dramatically lowers blood pressure, improves heart function and — in a remarkable finding — prevents damage to the heart and kidneys in rats with persistent hypertension.

Filed under Research, Health on Thursday, May 1, 2008.

‘Destruct’ triggers may be jammed in tumor cells, UF geneticists say

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Tumor cells living in the cross hairs of radiation or chemotherapy may be able to escape death because their self-destruct mechanisms are jammed, say University of Florida scientists writing in a recent issue of Developmental Cell.

Filed under Research, Health on Wednesday, April 30, 2008.

Maternal respect stronger among African-American and Latina girls

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Young African-American and Latina girls treat their mothers with greater deference than do whites but their mothers take it harder when tempers flare, according to a new University of Florida study.

Filed under Research, Health, Family, Gender, Race, Black, Hispanic on Tuesday, April 29, 2008.

Social form of bullying linked to depression, anxiety in adults

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Spreading rumors and gossiping may not cause bruises or black eyes, but the psychological consequences of this social type of bullying could linger into early adulthood, a new University of Florida study shows.

Filed under Research, Health, Family on Tuesday, April 22, 2008.

Engineering students: Headset muffles loud, unnerving MRI noises

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Having an MRI exam, an experience many people describe as stressful and uncomfortable, could soon become a bit more pleasant, thanks to the work of a team of University of Florida engineering students.

Filed under Research, Health, Engineering on Tuesday, April 22, 2008.

Scientists test device to track medication adherence in patients with HIV/AIDS

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Most of us have missed a dose of antibiotic or forgotten to take a daily vitamin. But when the stakes are higher — as they are for people with HIV/AIDS — a skipped pill could mean the difference between health and hazard for the entire population. Now, a breath monitoring device developed by scientists at the University of Florida and Xhale Inc. could help prevent the emergence of drug-resistant strains of HIV by monitoring medication adherence in high-risk individuals.

Filed under Research, Health on Monday, April 21, 2008.

UF researchers identify key target for cancer therapies

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — New therapies must target a key protein interaction to destroy aggressive cancer cells’ protective force field, University of Florida scientists reported this week at the American Association for Cancer Research’s annual meeting in San Diego.

Filed under Research, Health, Gender on Thursday, April 17, 2008.

Mental stress reduces blood flow to the heart in patients with gene variation

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — University of Florida researchers have identified a gene variation in heart disease patients who appear especially vulnerable to the physical effects of mental stress — to the point where blood flow to the heart is greatly reduced.

Filed under Research, Health, Aging on Tuesday, April 15, 2008.