Select areas of the Medical Sciences Building at the University of Florida were back in business Friday after closing temporarily Thursday afternoon because of asbestos concerns. UF’s Office of Environmental Health and Safety secured three areas of the building Thursday after air tests during routine asbestos abatement revealed higher than regulatory-approved levels for long-term occupancy. [...]

“Red on yellow, kill a fellow; red on black won’t hurt Jack” might be a familiar folk rhyme in Florida and elsewhere in the deep South to distinguish the deadly Eastern coral snake from the harmless scarlet king snake. But Larry Ferguson, who recently moved to Gainesville from Arkansas, had never heard of a coral [...]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download Most parents have probably heard all the warnings about letting babies watch TV. Experts worry that this early exposure could lead to obesity, ADHD or even language delays. But a recent survey found that 90 percent of parents say their kids under the age of 2 watch some [...]

The University of Florida and Shands are working to create a new model for offering health and wellness insurance to provide more cost-effective, customized care and better health outcomes for employees and their dependents. The new health plan, to be called GatorCare, is expected to be effective January 2013, with open enrollment occurring for most [...]

For patients who have severe narrowing of the aortic valve, a condition known as aortic stenosis, standard treatment is surgical replacement of the damaged valve. But advanced age or medical problems such as lung disease prevent many of those patients from having open chest surgery. In the past, the best such patients could hope for [...]

As part of first lady Michelle Obama’s Joining Forces initiative, the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System and the University of Florida College of Medicine have committed to creating a new generation of doctors, medical schools and research facilities that will make sure our heroes receive the care worthy of their service. Recognizing veterans and [...]

The Park Avenue Imaging Center, a diagnostic facility of the UF&Shands Breast Center, has received national accreditation from the American College of Radiology for stereotactic breast biopsies. This recognition, along with its existing accreditation for mammography and breast ultrasound, makes it the first ACR Breast Imaging Center of Excellence in north central Florida. Stereotactic breast [...]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download You walk outside into the sunlight with your toddler in your arms. As the light hits his face, he starts sneezing. Two times. Four times. Six times. Eight times. You start to worry that he’s getting sick, and the next day it happens again when he goes outside. [...]

Special to the St. Petersburg Times Threats of extensive cuts to federal support for medical research deserve the attention of Floridians who expect continued improvement in medical care — and who hope to see the state grow its innovation economy. Click to access full release.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download Does where you live affect your weight? It might, according to an article recently published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Results of a social experiment organized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development suggest that moving away from areas with high poverty rates might [...]