A study, published in Cell, identifies a specific scent emitted from both Zika- and dengue-infected mice that makes them more attractive to mosquitos than those without the viruses. It also points to a potential route to neutralize the olfactory flag. “This is a highly, highly influential study,” said Nikolaos Vasilakis, a professor of pathology at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston who was not involved with the research. “I’m pretty sure it’s going to foster or spin off several new lines of experimentation to get a better understanding of what’s happening in humans.”

Dr. Jeff Temple, who spoke about violence on the NPR program 1A, is a professor at The University of Texas Medical Branch where he serves as the Vice Dean for Research at the School of Nursing. He is the founding director of the Center for Violence Prevention there. He said without hesitation that he would prioritize the importance of schools and communities teaching the essential human skill of how to create healthy relationships. He said passionately, “We teach our children how to dribble a basketball or do math or read literature, but we do not teach them how to be in a relationship.” He believes universal implementation of the program reduces the likelihood that a student falls through the cracks and, as a bonus, kids not at risk for violence will learn important skills to be healthier and happier.

Dr. Jeff Temple was also on this Houston Public Media program to discuss the awareness of mental health across all spectrums of the population and how it has grown after years living in the pandemic—specifically in the youngest generations.

After a long wait, the FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization for COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 6 months to 5 years old. Shortly thereafter, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended them for this age group regardless of whether they have had COVID-19. Drs. Megan Berman and Richard Rupp answer some common questions about the vaccines for young children in the Vaccine Smarts column.

Hospice is comfort care without curative intent. The patient no longer has curative options or has chosen not to pursue treatment because the side effects outweigh the benefits. Palliative care is comfort care with or without curative intent. Drs. Victor S. Sierpina and Rebecca Burke explain the differences.

Neanderthals lived on Earth from about half a million years ago until about 12,000 years ago. They co-existed and interbred with humans as they spread out of Africa across Europe and Asia. Researchers think Neanderthal brains matured faster, which helped survival, but human brains developed slower, which helped them develop societies. Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel discuss the research on one gene that might explain why humans dominated their cousins.

Although some people are eager to vaccinate their children, health care workers might have a hard time convincing parents to get the vaccine for their children, said Dr. Janak Patel, director of infection control and health care epidemiology at the medical branch. Many people believe children don’t get sick from COVID and so don’t need to be vaccinated, he said. “We’ve had many, many children infected with COVID in the past two years,” Patel said. “Some have not survived. Some have developed complications. We also know children take the infection to high-risk parents and grandparents.”

A recent study by the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) revealed that physician burnout on a national scale is increasing the frequency of premature retirement and attrition rates. “Effective solutions should target continued research and collective accountability at both individual physician and HCO levels with an amalgam of authentic, servant, and transformational leadership to fulfill healthcare’s mission as articulated by the Institute of Medicine in providing ‘safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient and equitable,’ patient care while meeting the needs of all other stakeholders,” wrote Dr. Anish Bhardwaj, chair of the Department of Neurology at UTMB.

Unfortunately, there isn't a single test or factor of determination that healthcare providers can turn to for diagnosing someone with Long COVID symptoms. Currently, healthcare providers are often backtracking with patients to document and pinpoint lingering or recurrent symptoms after an initial SARS-CoV-2 infection; it's the main method of determining if someone may be experiencing Long COVID, explains Pei-Yong Shi, M.D., a molecular biology professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch who is currently leading clinical COVID-19 vaccine research, among other fronts. “We currently don't have any tests to diagnose Long COVID conditions; [these] patients may have a wide variety of symptoms that could stem from other health problems,” he tells Good Housekeeping. “This can make it difficult for healthcare providers to recognize Long COVID conditions.”

The University of Texas Medical Branch has won a $56 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to combat three major classes of viruses with pandemic potential. The funds will allow UTMB and partner Novartis to establish an Antiviral Drug Discovery Center for Pathogens of Pandemic Concern to focus on coronavirus, flavivirus and henipavirus. “We must prepare for the next pandemic by working together across governmental, non-governmental, academic and private sectors to develop an arsenal of countermeasures,” said Dr. Pei-Yong Shi, a professor in the department of biochemistry and molecular biology and one of the leaders of the partnership. The San Antonio Express-News also reported this news.