A threat to Minnesota fish
(5/8/2008) The University is lending a hand to help stop a lethal fish virus that is capable of producing massive fish kills in some of Minnesota anglers' favorite game and eating fish including walleye, muskie, perch, sunfish, crappie, and smallmouth and largemouth bass.

Getting to the Bottom of Eating Disorders
(5/7/2008) Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are the two most common eating disorders. People with anorexia nervosa are usually underweight, anxious, maintain rigid rules, exercise excessively, and constantly see themselves as grossly overweight. People with bulimia nervosa, however, have varied weights that often fall within the normal range. Their eating habits usually consist of eating binges followed by an action to counteract the binge, such as self-induced vomiting, using laxatives or diuretics, exercising excessively, or starving themselves.

U student wins medal for bravery
(5/2/2008) A rare display of courage, heroism, and selfless action earned Nate Lund the Soldier's Medal, one of the highest honors bestowed by the Army. The award was presented Thursday during a special ceremony at the University of Minnesota.

On public opinion and health care
(4/30/2008) According to new University of Minnesota research, presidential candidates must understand public opinion on health care if they expect to woo voters. Americans ranked health care among the most important problems facing the country.

Begin Alcohol Education Early
(4/30/2008) Alcohol prevention programs instituted by schools and supported by parents are vital to discouraging youth from using alcohol, but we may not be starting these programs soon enough.

Whole foods beat single nutrients
(4/18/2008) It's easy to study the effects of single-nutrient dietary supplements because the composition of pills and the like is known exactly. But an epidemiology professor urges that the focus of health and diet research switch to whole foods.

Westward expansion
(4/18/2008) The School of Dentistry's outreach program will stretch to west central Minnesota in response to the challenges rural communities face when recruiting health care professionals. The program hopes to bring long-term dental care to underserved regions.

Giving hope
(4/18/2008) Sponsored by the American Cancer Society, the newly opened Hope Lodge is a free living space open to any adult receiving cancer care in the Twin Cities.

From hunch to hope
(4/16/2008) If you're a clinician or biomedical researcher looking for a cure, you could start your search at the University of Minnesota. The fairly new Institute for Therapeutics Discovery and Development is bringing together sophisticated technology and some of the best and brightest players in drug discovery from academia and industry.

Why Miss Muffett skedaddled
(4/16/2008) A U graduate student has helped uncover evidence that babies can quickly learn to recognize spiders. This may later help them develop a protective fear.

Go, girl!
(4/14/2008) A new study by the Tucker Center shows that girls are participating in sports more and more but engaging in physical activity outside of organized sports less and less.

University receives $65 million for Cancer Center
(4/10/2008) The Masons have just given the University of Minnesota the largest gift in its history to support cancer research, treatment, and education. In recognition, the Cancer Center has been renamed the Masonic Cancer Center.

Filling the need
(4/2/2008) A new dental clinic--a partnership between the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry and Rice Memorial Hospital--offers students learning opportunities while bringing needed care to patients in west central Minnesota.

Another weapon to fight ovarian cancer
(4/1/2008) About 2,000 Minnesota women are diagnosed and treated each year for ovarian cancer. For most of these women, the cancer will recur.

Keep Your Skin Safe from Frostbite
(4/1/2008) Mittens, scarves, hats, coats, and boots; all important clothing designed to keep out Minnesota's winter weather. These layers are especially important to prevent frostbite.

Mesothelioma: a rare and deadly cancer
(4/1/2008) Mesothelioma is a form of lung cancer typically linked to asbestos exposure. It is relatively rare, with only 2,000 to 3,000 new cases diagnosed in the U.S. each year (compared with over 150,000 new cases of lung cancer diagnosed each year). Mesothelioma has been in the news locally because of the Minnesota Department of Health's release of historical data identifying 58 cases of mesothelioma in northeastern Minnesota taconite miners, a much higher number than would be expected in that group.

Care for a lifetime
(3/20/2008) A new grant gives the School of Nursing the tools needed to educate a new generation of geriatric nurses--and care for a rapidly aging population.

Secrets of the hive
(3/19/2008) Traditional healers from South America to Eastern Europe and China have valued bee propolis as a remedy for ailments such as skin problems, oral sores, and the common cold. Today, University of Minnesota researchers are looking at it as a possible inexpensive treatment for HIV.

In search of the perfect human
(3/17/2008) Through May 4, the U's Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the Science Museum of Minnesota are sponsoring an exhibit, "Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race," and a series of public lectures that explore eugenics and the Holocaust.

A feline lifeline?
(3/14/2008) Sure, cats rip furniture to shreds and treat people as inferior beings. But a University study shows they may do our hearts good, in more ways than one.

Well done
(3/11/2008) Long before the hit documentary Super Size Me, the University experimented with the health effects of eating nothing but White Castle hamburgers.

A sickle-cell sleuth
(3/7/2008) He was a political science major--until he discovered medical research. Now, Regents Professor of Medicine Robert Hebbel is a leading authority on sickle-cell and other blood-related diseases.

Calming the storm
(3/5/2008) Three University of Minnesota top talents are launching a new era in epilepsy research and care: Aviva Abosch, Thomas Henry, and Steven Rothman. All are collaborating on translational research that ranges from enhancing the effectiveness of conventional drug therapies to venturing deep within the brain in novel ways.

Biomedical boom?
(3/4/2008) This year the U is again renewing a request for its Minnesota Biomedical Research Program, and more than 100 faculty, staff, students, and other U backers attended a legislative hearing last week to show their support for the plan.

Champions of breakfast
(3/4/2008) Teens who want to lose weight may be tempted to skip breakfast. It's a temptation they may do well to resist, though, says a new study.

Cause for paws
(2/28/2008) U professor Jaime Modiano is evaluating an experimental gene therapy for bone cancer in dogs that not only kills tumor cells, but also activates the immune system to destroy any remnants lurking in the body.

New research takes aim at oral cancer
(2/19/2008) An interdisciplinary research team at the University of Minnesota is working to change oral cancer statistics by studying the proteins found in saliva.

National Pool of Eligible Blood Donors Smaller
(2/15/2008) It was previously estimated that more than 177 million people were eligible to donate blood in the United States. However, last fall at the University of Minnesota my colleague Jeffrey McCullough and I found that only 111 million individuals are actually eligible. The pool of eligible blood donors was overestimated by 59 percent.

Respect for the voice of children
(2/6/2008) "Children know best what comforts them when they're sick," says Linda Lindeke. The University of Minnesota associate professor is capturing the child's voice for quality improvements at hospitals and clinics nationwide.

Biomedical informatics leaders join forces for research, education
(2/5/2008) The first Biomedical Informatics and Computational Biology Research Symposium brought together teams from the University of Minnesota, the Mayo Clinic, IBM and the Hormel Institute.

Blood donor pool shrinking
(2/5/2008) Estimates of the number of Americans eligible to donate blood are off by as much as one-third, according to new research from the University of Minnesota.

Take food allergies seriously
(1/23/2008) Eating is an enjoyable experience for most of us, but it can be frightening and even life threatening for people with food allergies. University of Minnesota Extension has some tips on how to avoid a harmful reaction for those with food allergies or food intolerance.

Music to soothe the stressed-out patient
(1/23/2008) Listening to music tailored to a hospital patient's personal and cultural preferences can significantly reduce that patient's anxiety, according to University associate professor Linda Chlan.

Maps of the body
(1/22/2008) The U's Owen H. Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine has in its collection hundreds of anatomical atlases dating from the 1400s to the 20th century. The collection reveals not only medical ideas about the body, but also the philosophies of the anatomists and the times they lived in.

To your health in 2008
(1/14/2008) Rewards are available to employees who go to a fitness club at least eight times a month or take or retake the health assessment.

A proposal for postemployment health care costs
(1/14/2008) The Civil Service Committee and Office of Human Resources request feedback on a proposal that would allow employees who leave the U or retire to use accrued vacation time to pay for health care costs.

Researchers create a new heart in the lab
(1/14/2008) University researcher Doris Taylor and her colleagues have found a way to create beating hearts in the laboratory by first stripping away the cells, leaving only the matrix, then repopulating with new cells.

The sound of silence
(1/11/2008) For U professor Peggy Nelson, the sound of silence is the sound of children learning. Nelson has spent her career studying the effects of noise on classroom learning.

Family meals quell eating disorders in teenage girls
(1/9/2008) U researchers surveyed teenage girls and boys over a five-year span and found that regular family meals can decrease eating disorders among girls.

Fall Prevention
(12/26/2007) As Minnesotans gear up for winter, and ice and snow makes it way into the weather forecast, many families may begin to worry about their older relatives navigating slippery sidewalks. Research has shown that approximately 34 percent of people age 65 years and older fall each year. The statistics only get worse as people get older. Falls cost older adults their health and independence and can lead to expensive hospitalizations. In some cases, a particularly bad fall may even hasten death.

Family meals are important: TV on or off
(12/26/2007) The prevalence of overweight children aged 12 to 19 in the United States has more than tripled in the past 20 years, and researchers at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health are taking a serious look at one of the major factors that influence childhood obesity: what influences the eating patterns of adolescents.

Fighting HIV in cyberspace
(12/21/2007) A new Web-based software program is the latest tool University of Minnesota researchers are using to help fight the spread of HIV.

When alumnus Earl Bakken invented a wearable pacemaker, he sparked a revolution in medicine
(12/21/2007) Alumnus and Medtronic founder Earl Bakken was feted this month to honor his invention 50 years ago of the world's first wearable cardiac pacemaker.

To forgive or not to forgive
(12/19/2007) Ling-Hsuan Tung, a University of Minnesota doctoral candidate in counseling psychology, examines how forgiveness and healing can go hand in hand.

A class act
(12/3/2007) With the help of matching funds, the School of Nursing class of 1960 banded together to create the first-ever alumni scholarship.

Good news for stem cell research
(11/30/2007) University researcher Meri Firpo tells how a new method to create stand-ins for human embryonic stem cells will aid in the fight against intractable diseases.

Outstanding in his fields
(11/27/2007) Kamil Ugurbil has achieved national recognition for his pioneering work in MRI scanning. In October he was elected to the Institute of Medicine.

Survey measures health of college students
(11/20/2007) A report released last week by the University of Minnesota's Boynton Health Service reveals results from the state's first-ever comprehensive study of the health of college and university students.

At the front lines of interdisciplinary inquiry
(11/9/2007) The U's Network of Interdisciplinary Inquiry, which will meet Nov. 19, is a sign of a sea change in higher education in which the University of Minnesota is leading the way.

U offers unique chance
(11/1/2007) Using bone marrow and cord blood transplants, U physicians are the first to try a new procedure to save the life of a child with a fatal skin disease.