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Cancer Research News
UF study finds physicians, patients talking less about lung cancer screening
Smoking rates are down nationally, but so are discussions among physicians and smokers about lung cancer screening, University of Florida researchers have found. However, the study also found these patient-physician conversations did not affect current smokers’ intent or attempts to quit. READ MORE
University of Florida Researchers Investigate Chronic Opioid Use in Patients with Head & Neck Cancer
At a time when overdose deaths from prescription and non-prescription opioids have reached epidemic proportions, researchers at the University of Florida College of Medicine’s Department of Otolaryngology — part of UF Health, the Southeast’s most comprehensive academic health center — have taken a closer look at chronic opioid use in patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. The retrospective analysis, which will be published in Laryngoscope in early 2019, found that an alarming number of patients were chronic opioid users three months after treatment. READ MORE
CBD: Rising star or popular fad?
Cannabidiol, or CBD, has become a household name. On many social media sites, people suggest “but have you tried CBD oil?” on posts pertaining to any health-related issue.
CBD, a minor constituent of marijuana, is widely touted as nature’s miracle by CBD enthusiasts. It does not get people high, unlike marijuana’s main constituent, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). However, given the recent surge in its popularity, you’d think the molecule is magic.
We are behavioral pharmacology scientists, and we study how drugs act on the body. Specifically, we have an interest in developing new drugs for the treatment of pain that possess lessened drug abuse potential, and therapeutic interventions for drug abuse. Although there is scientific interest in the use of CBD for both pain and drug addiction, as well as many other medical indications, there is a lot that we still do not know about CBD. READ MORE
Cyclic peptide could provide pain relief without causing euphoria
In the 1980s, pharmaceutical companies tried to build opioid painkillers that wouldn’t lead to addiction by taking advantage of an interesting phenomenon that happens when targeting the kappa opioid receptor in the brain. Compounds that activate this receptor cause both pleasant side-effects, like euphoria, and less pleasant ones, like depression. The hope in targeting this receptor was that the less pleasant side effects would quell the pleasant ones that often led to misuse. READ MORE
Announcements
UFHCC at AACI/AACR Hill Day
On Tuesday, April 30, University of Florida Health Cancer Center leaders Jonathan Licht, M.D., Thomas George, M.D., Betsy Shenkman, Ph.D., and John Wingard, M.D., spent the day in Washington D.C. at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) AACI Hill Day, joining 91 advocates from 24 states to meet with legislators and staff on Capitol Hill to discuss the importance of National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute funding.
All of Us Research Program marks first anniversary at UF Health
In May, we marked the one-year anniversary of UF’s involvement in the groundbreaking nationwide All of Us Research Program. The mission for All of Us complements ours: to support health research and improve health for all Americans. READ MORE
Cancer Policy Internship
To learn more about this opportunity, please visit our website and go to UF Careers (Job #: 510808) to submit an application. The application deadline is May 31, 2019.
Where: Washington D.C.
Contact: Wendy Malorzo| education@cancer.ufl.edu | (352) 273-8294
Free professional portrait
UF Health Creative Services offers open studio hours at Communicore C2-20 every month. Simply stop by during one of the time slots listed on the bottom of their webpage — there’s no need to sign up beforehand, and it only takes five minutes! Here are some of the upcoming sessions:
05/29 9-10 a.m.
06/11 3-4 p.m.
06/13 9-10 a.m.
06/24 3-4 p.m.
06/26 9-10 a.m.
07/09 3-4 p.m.
07/11 9-10 a.m.