University of Florida News

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Good things may indeed come in small packages for scientists eager to find natural substances to help cure diseases. The challenge is to analyze material that is smaller than the proverbial gnat’s eyelash.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A gravely ill 9-year-old Florida boy awaiting a heart transplant is the first in the state to receive the Berlin Heart, a mechanical heart device sized specifically for children.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A 4-year-old Ocala boy born with a severe form of scoliosis became one of the first children in the Southeast to receive a titanium rib device that will allow his rib cage to expand as he grows, said University of Florida surgeons, who performed the two-and-a-half-hour operation today at Shands at UF medical center.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — University of Florida researchers have discovered the appetite-controlling hormone leptin could also combat type 2 diabetes, a disease that has become a growing problem in the United States as more Americans pack on extra pounds.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Carbohydrates can be attractive, especially when they come packaged in candy bars or never-ending bowls of pasta.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Infants receiving a new combination of vaccines were twice as likely to require medical attention for fevers after their shots as babies who received the prior shot regimen, University of Florida and Columbia University researchers have found.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — University of Florida researchers have discovered a link between morbid obesity in toddlers and lower IQ scores, cognitive delays and brain lesions similar to those seen in Alzheimer’s disease patients, a new study shows.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Cigarette smoke can turn normal breast cells cancerous by blocking their ability to repair themselves, eventually triggering tumor development, University of Florida scientists report.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Children with obsessive-compulsive disorder are three times more likely to be bullied than other children, and the name-slinging could cause symptoms of OCD to worsen, University of Florida researchers have found.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Determining the derivative of y times 23 to the 15th power is tough enough. Figuring it out on just a few hours of sleep could be almost impossible.