Tampa, FL (Jan 3, 2012) – Immune system abnormalities that mimic those seen with autism spectrum disorders have been linked to the amyloid precursor protein (APP), reports a research team from the University of South Florida’s Department of Psychiatry and the Silver Child Development Center. The study, conducted with mouse models of autism, suggests that elevated levels of an APP fragment circulating in the blood could explain the aberrations in immune cell populations and function – both observed in some autism patients. The findings were recently published online in the […]

Tampa, FL (Dec. 27, 2011) — A nationally recognized maternal and child health epidemiologist has joined USF Health as chair of the College of Public Health’s Department of Community and Family Health and director of the Lawton & Rhea Chiles Center for Healthy Mothers and Babies. William Sappenfield, MD, MPH, brings nearly 27 years experience in maternal and child health (MCH) epidemiological research and practice at the national, state and local levels. Dr. Sappenfield joins the University of South Florida from the Florida Department of Health, where for six years […]

TAMPA, FL (Dec. 8, 2011) — The University of South Florida has renamed its medical college the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine in honor of the philanthropic commitment of Frank and Carol Morsani. In total, the Morsanis have given $37 million to USF Health and a total of $43 million to the university. Today, the Morsanis are announcing a new gift of $20 million to USF Health, the largest individual donation ever received by the university, to reach the total of $37 million. USF President Judy Genshaft and the […]

Tampa, FL (Dec. 5, 2011) — Physician-scientist Sarah Yuan, MD, PhD, a nationally recognized leader in translational cardiovascular research, has been named chair of the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology at USF Health. Dr. Yuan recently joined the University of South Florida from the University of California Davis Medical Center, where she was the Pearl Stamps Stewart Professor of Surgery and Director of Research. Known for innovative research in cardiovascular disease and health, Dr. Yuan’s work moves laboratory findings toward applications in patient care. She has an extensive track […]

Mini-apartment to test ability of patients to live on their own helps set new center apart Tampa, FL (Nov. 17, 2011) — The  University of South Florida today opens a distinctive center offering people with memory disorders and their families a full range of individualized, multispecialty services in one welcoming place. The Center for Memory C.A.R.E. (Clinical Assessment, Research and Education), on the second floor of the six-story USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute, is designed to support patients and their caregivers while providing convenient access to the latest research, technology […]

Tampa, FL (Nov. 10, 2011) — Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are chronic, life-long conditions that require careful monitoring and control of blood sugar. When you’re worried, frightened or angry about living with diabetes, the stress you feel can cause your blood sugar levels to run higher.  Stress also indirectly affects diabetes by making it more difficult to for you to remember your medications and blood sugar checks. It may interfere with making healthy lifestyle choices that help control your diabetes. Laura Smith, PhD, clinical psychologist for the […]

Tampa, FL (Nov. 10, 2011) — You don’t have to miss out on eating out because you have diabetes. Like most people trying to maintain healthy diet, you just have to keep track of what you eat and eat certain foods in moderation. Jane Norman, clinical dietitian and certified diabetes educator at the USF Diabetes Center, offers the following tips to make dining out easier: • Control portion sizes.  When ordering at a restaurant that does not allow you to split an entrée with someone else, or does not offer “smaller” […]

Tampa, FL (Nov. 10, 2011) – Planning for your child’s diabetes management at school may seem like a daunting task, but there’s plenty of help available. Amanda Vasquez, clinical social worker at the USF Diabetes Center, offers the following suggestions for parents to help their kids with diabetes at school: • Set up a meeting with the school to discuss your child’s diabetes care needs.  Sit down with your child’s teachers, administrators and/or other personnel to review his or her diabetes medical management plan. If your child is old enough involve […]

Tampa, FL (Nov. 9, 2011)– Using innovative techniques for unbiased counting of brain cells, Peter R. Mouton, PhD, of the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute and a diverse team of researchers have confirmed a new theory about a cause of autism. The pivotal study, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, confirmed that the brains of children with autism have an overabundance of brain cells produced only before birth, suggesting that autism arises from prenatal processes gone awry. Led by Eric Courchesne, PhD, at the University of California […]

Tampa, FL (Oct. 24, 2011) – Researchers at the University of South Florida (USF) College of Public College Health have shown for the first time in a rodent model that the earliest form of malaria parasites can lay dormant in red blood cells and “wake up,” or recover, following treatment with the antimalarial drug artesunate. The study, which appears today in the online journal PLoS ONE, suggests that this early-stage dormancy phenomenon contributes to the failure of artesunate alone, or even combined with other drugs, to eliminate the mosquito-borne disease.  […]