Research by UTMB’s Dr. Isabella Faria and colleagues found that children with acute uncomplicated appendicitis (UA) treated with antibiotics alone faced significantly higher risks of treatment failure and serious complications within a year compared with those who underwent appendectomy. "What we're seeing now is that, as the volume and quality of evidence increase, a clearer signal is emerging: nonoperative management is associated with higher failure rates and more complications," Faria told MedPage Today.

“This updated recommendation means the Covid vaccine is available to everyone six months and older,” write Drs. Megan Berman and Richard Rupp in their latest Vaccine Smarts column. While recent changes to Covid vaccine guidelines have caused some confusion, Berman and Rupp write that the good news is the vaccine is available for everyone six months and older and patients are encouraged to have a conversation with their health care provider about the vaccine.

UTMB is the recipient of a seven-year, $29 million Clinical and Translational Science Award from to establish and lead the new Greater Gulf Coast Translational Science Alliance. “This award allows us to bring together the unique strengths of four institutions to impact the Houston/Galveston biomedical ecosystem,” said Dr. Randall Urban.

Dr. Samuel Mathis takes some time in this week’s column to explore how over-the-counter pain relievers work. “Over-the-counter medications are generally safe when used appropriately according to their instructions,” Mathis writes.

Recent studies have focused on the consumption of meat, especially processed meats, as an important risk factor for colorectal cancer, write Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel in their latest Medical Discover News column. They write that according to a recent study, “Eating just 2.5 ounces a day of red and processed meats led to a 32 percent and 40 percent greater risk, respectively, for colorectal cancer.”

Medscape reports on a study published earlier this year that found that CT scans may be a major cause of cancer. Those results are disputed by many. Medscape quoted a letter penned by UTMB’s Chris Hsu, Alexander David and Dr. James Roberts that states the study doesn’t take recent innovations in medical imaging into account. “This leads to an overestimation of the projected risk of cancer alongside the upward trend of CT use,” Medscape quotes from the letter.

Dr. Jochen Reiser, president of UTMB and CEO of UTMB Health, spoke to Becker’s about rethinking what growth means and how organizations deliver care. “UTMB’s most unexpected growth has been in pharmacy, where retail and specialty services have delivered more than 30% compound annual growth rate over the past three years,” Reiser said.

From reducing inflammation to improving gut health and blood sugar levels, berries have a myriad of health benefits writes Dr. Samuel Mathis. “Consider adding 1/2 a cup of berries to your daily diet for the greatest health benefits,” Mathis writes.

Fungal infections kill more than a million people every year worldwide but we still don’t have a single licensed vaccine to prevent them, write Drs. Megan Berman and Richard Rupp. The Vaccine Smarts writers dig into the challenges scientists face in creating a vaccine against the various fungi spreading disease.

The lives of hundreds of women could be saved if they underwent not only the tried-and-true mammography but also additional imaging to screen for breast cancer, write Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel.