Dancing has been shown to improve flexibility, increase energy. Levels and improve coordination, strength and balance, among other things, says UTMB’s Dr. Samuel Mathis in his latest health column.

UTMB’s Deborah Mordecai is featured in this list of executives and their priorities. Mordecai said staffing growth, business growth, and support for leadership teams were among her top priorities for the remainder of 2023.

New UTMB research points to an effective treatment for Lassa fever, a dangerous, often fatal disease common to much of West Africa but considered a major threat to global health. "This study represents yet another proof that broad protective treatments, here against the highly complex and variable hemorrhagic fever Lassa virus, can be developed with cutting-edge research within secure high-containment laboratory environments," said UTMB’s Dr. Gary Kobinger.

UTMB’s Dr. Samuel Mathis helped the online outlet Prevention explain the benefits of saunas and steam rooms. While both can help with a variety of medical issues and reduce stress, Mathis also told the outlet that “most of these benefits come from combining sauna use with other healthy lifestyle choices.”

Green tea is full of health-boosting compounds writes Dr. Samuel Mathis in his latest health column. Green tea is something that should be added to all our diets to help improve our overall health, he writes.

The FDA recently approved two RSV vaccines for adults 60 and older, write Drs. Richard Rupp and Megan Berman in their latest Vaccines Smarts column. Those at the highest risk for serious RSV disease, such as those with chronic heart and lung problems, should strongly consider being vaccinated, they write.

“Ghosting may be an incredibly common practice, but that doesn’t make it less rude or unkind,” says UTMB’s Jeff Temple. Ghosting—the practice of ending all communication with someone without giving an explanation—can happen at any time and in any relationship explains Reader’s Digest. Temple helped Reader’s Digest explain why it happens and how to respond.

UTMB’s Dr. David Walker spoke to Healthline about a new bacterium reported in the US by the CDC. Little is known about the bacterium and Walker said there is still a lot to learn about it. “This is another anaplasma that affects humans so it’s the beginning of the story that we need to learn more about,” Walker told Healthline. “It was only 4 samples out of 30,000 samples so it’s a low percentage.”

UTMB’s Vivan Tat, a graduate student in Experimental Pathology and co-founder and co-leader of Taking Our Best Shot, was named a Woman to Watch by the Houston Business Journal in its 2023 Women Who Mean Business Awards. The criteria for selection according to the journal included career achievement, contribution to company and city success, community involvement and leadership.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever is the deadliest tick-borne disease. If left untreated, it will kill roughly 20 percent of those who contract it, said Dr. David Walker, a professor of pathology at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Even when treated with doxycycline, it is fatal in about 4 percent of cases, he said. “You’ve got to treat them before day five if you don’t want death to start occurring,” Walker said. “It’s not an easy diagnosis to make.”