Women with vs. without PCOS had a significantly increased risk for endometrial cancer, confirming findings from previous research, according to data presented by UTMB researchers at a recent conference, reports Healio. “This study is consistent with current literature. It corroborates that women with PCOS may be at increased risk of endometrial cancer,” said UTMB medical student Amani R. Patterson.

Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel explore the science and scientists who study the bubbles that make champagne fizzy, in their latest column.

The common treatments for pain have not changed in years write Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel but good news may be on the horizon. Scientists have found an entirely new class of pain drugs based on the sodium ion channels related to pain transmission, they write.

UTMB is the first academic healthcare center in Texas to add an artificial intelligence-based tool to routinely check for prostate cancer, reports KHOU. “AI allows the doctors to become much better at their work by recognizing patterns in medical images that they might otherwise miss,” UTMB’s Dr. Harsh Thaker tells the Houston TV station.

UTMB’s Dr. Gregory Gray tells CBS that he isn’t concerned about the CDC not identifying new human bird flu cases in months. "I don't think that anybody's hiding anything," Gray told CBS.

UTMB’s Dr. Shikha Wadhwani joined other experts to discuss the shift toward proteinuria-based endpoints that could finally bring a targeted drug to FSGS patients.

The American Psychiatric Association highlighted new research by UTMB’s Alec Manning, Benita Lalani and Dr. Josheph Shotwell that examines trends in the way popular music reflects national trends in substance use and mental health. “As the world changed, so did the music—and the stories it told about how we’re coping,” the authors of the study write.

UTMB’s Dr. Sarah Samreen shared insights and advice regarding surgical weight loss with KPRC. “Surgery is safe and can allow patients to lose weight without being on medication for life,” she tells KPRC.

Dopamine plays a crucial role in our motivation, reward system, learning and even motor control. Understanding its importance and how to naturally influence its levels can significantly impact well-being and productivity, writes Dr. Hasan Yasin.

Once a safe, effective vaccine already exists, giving some participants in a vaccine study a placebo means knowingly withholding protection, write Drs. Richard Rupp and Megan Berman. So, when scientists need to test an updated version of an existing vaccine, instead of giving half the group a placebo, scientists compare the immune response from the new version to what was seen in earlier, already successful trials, Berman and Rupp explain in their Vaccine Smarts column.