"Now it looks like we have new strains of virus that may escape some of the immunity associated with the other strains of viruses that could exacerbate the epidemics among animals and wildlife," UTMB’s Dr. Gregory Gray tells Reuters after a new strain of bird flu has been detected in U.S. dairy cattle. This news was also reported in VOA, Dairy Herd Management, AgWeek, and other national and international outlets.

“If you can understand how these drugs are accessing the brain and where they are acting, then potentially that could guide future drug development to be able to better target these regions,” UTMB’s Dr. Kevin Williams tells Men’s Health for this story on how the popular weight loss drug Ozempic can affect the brain.

Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel explore how animals can act as reservoirs for viruses and other infectious microbes in their latest Medical Discovery News column.

Medical Xpress reports on a quick test for tick-borne spotted fever rickettsioses developed by researchers at UTMB and the University of Houston. In their paper, the group describes how an enzyme present in all groups of Rickettsia was used as a marker for a test that can quickly diagnose tick-borne spotted fever rickettsioses.

“I really want to see Texas lead. I think this is ideal for Texas,” said UTMB’s Dr. Jochen Reiser during comments at The Brain House in Davos. Reiser spoke about the interest by state leaders to fund research on brain health.

UTMB researchers identified a potential new treatment for Marburg virus, the Daily News reports. In a study published in Nature Medicine, UTMB’s scientists showed that the oral drug Obeldesivir “was associated with a survival rate of 80 percent” in nonhuman primates. “This is one of those things where you can hopefully really head off or deal with an outbreak, or better control it, if you can give a pill or a tablet that somebody can take,” Dr. Thomas Geisbert tells the Daily News.

UTMB’s Dr. Giulio Taglialatela commented on a study that examined how the time it takes to get to the rapid eye movement stage of sleep is related to Alzheimer’s disease. “While the observation is interesting and deserving further development, the current study is on a limited number of patients, compromising its full statistical power,” Taglialatela told Medical News Today. His comments were also reported in MA Clinique and AOL.

Individuals who take time to regularly play have improved mood, lower stress levels, and improved overall health, writes Dr. Samuel Mathis.

Adding more parks, green space and opportunities to visit nature could provide a number of health benefits, UTMB’s Dr. Kim Gushanas tells Community Impact. “Exposure to sunlight, soil, the colors green and blue ... have been attributed to health outcomes,” she said.

UTMB’s School of Nursing was listed among the top 10 best online nursing degree programs by U.S. News & World Report.