A nicotinic drug approved for smoking cessation significantly improved the walking ability of patients suffering from an inherited form of ataxia, reports a new clinical study led by University of South Florida researchers. The randomized controlled clinical trial investigated the effectiveness of varenicline (Chantix®) in treating spinocerebellar ataxia type 3, or SCA3. The findings were published online earlier this month in Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neuroscience. Lead author Dr. Theresa Zesiewicz and colleagues at the USF Ataxia Research Center collaborated with researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess […]

Reminder: USF Health Research Day is Feb. 24. This event just keeps on growing.  While last year’s event set new records, this year’s breaks them again.  More details follow, but highlights include: • The venue was a huge hit last year, so the location remains at the Marshall Center. • A dedicated shuttle running between USF Health and the Marshall Center. • A record-number of poster presentations (340 vs. 260 last year). • A record-number of undergraduates presenting (29 vs. 22). • First year for presentations from the new College of Pharmacy students. • Ten selected […]

Tampa Bay area media got their first look Wednesday at USF Health’s new Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS), a first-of-its-kind center on a fast track to become a national model for transforming the education, training and assessment of health professionals based on competence. The $38-million three-story facility, which covers a full city block in downtown Tampa, opened for business last week and already has hundreds of bookings for courses and events by learners and stakeholders.  The grand opening ceremony will be held next month. Journalists were greeted […]

The study will be conducted at three community health centers across Florida Tampa, FL (Feb. 8, 2012) — A new $1.2-million federal grant to USF Health will help disseminate evidence-based psychological treatments for anxious children to three community mental health centers across Florida. The three-year grant from the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research will allow University of South Florida pediatric clinical psychologist Dr. Eric Storch and colleagues to test the feasibility and effectiveness of a computer-assisted cognitive behavioral therapy protocol in community mental health centers. The three federally and […]

Kids coached by athletes who share their daily challenges of living with type 1 diabetes  The kids who attended the first annual Sam Fuld USF Diabetes Center Sports Camp this weekend got more than a chance to catch fly balls, practice a tennis swing or hone hoop skills.   Throughout the day the youngsters heard positive messages from the camp coaches, all of whom share their daily challenges of living with type 1 diabetes.  Perhaps none more reassuring than the one emphasized by the  athlete who helped organize the camp, Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Sam Fuld. “I’m a […]

Repeated injections of human umbilical cord blood cells improved motor neuron survival, delayed disease progression, and increased lifespan Tampa, FL (Feb. 3 , 2012) – Repeated, low-dose injections of mononuclear cells derived from human umbilical cord blood (MNC hUCB, tradename: U-CORD-CELL™) have been found effective in protecting motor neuron cells, delaying disease progression and increasing lifespan for mice modeling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, also referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease, report University of South Florida researchers and colleagues from Saneron CCEL Therapeutics, Inc., and the Ribeirao Preto School of […]

Tampa, FL (Feb. 2, 2012) — USF Health’s Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation doesn’t officially open until Monday. But on Thursday, USF Health hosted its first public event at CAMLS: a visit from U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, in Tampa to tout the benefits of the federal Affordable Care Act.  She was welcomed by USF President Judy Genshaft and City of Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn. “This is an amazing university, and this facility will be on the map across the country and across the world,” […]

The rapid success of the 21-month-old Monsour Executive Wellness Center at USF Health has resulted in the need for a full-time physician director to help propel and shepherd the Center in its next growth phase. H. James Brownlee, Jr., MD, has been named medical director of the Center, one of the fastest growing differentiated programs at USF Health. He joins the Center after retiring as chair of the USF Department of Family Medicine. The expansion of the Center – now with four faculty physicians – is in keeping of its […]

The Department of Defense grant may lead to better treatments, readjustment skills for veterans Tampa, FL (Jan. 31, 2012) — The University of South Florida has received a $1.57 million U.S. Department of Defense grant to conduct translational research on traumatic brain injury and other battlefield related injuries and diseases. The studies, many in collaboration with James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital, are intended to improve the quality of life for military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is known as the signature injury of soldiers […]

For years, Sarah Maloney’s definition of “planning ahead” meant figuring out how to get through another day. From the time she was 13, Maloney, now 22, struggled with depression – cycling in and out of therapy and trying just about every anti-depressant on the market. Unable to cope or hold a job, she made several attempts on her life. In March 2011, suicidal and desperate for help, Maloney voluntarily checked herself into Tampa General Hospital’s emergency room. This time, things would be different. As a patient in the psychiatric services […]