University of Texas Medical Branch Professor Dr. Peter Cram is featured on the latest episode of the podcast, Freakonomics, M.D. Cram, who is chair of Internal Medicine at UTMB, did the math on how Katie Couric influenced people to get colonoscopies. But were they the people who needed cancer screening?

An implant little bigger than a grain of rice, put gently in place alongside a strategically placed blood vessel, could replace much bulkier devices that stimulate nerves. A collaboration of Texas Medical Center institutions published the first proof-of-concept results from a years-long program to develop tiny, wireless devices that can treat neurological diseases or block pain. Dr. Peter Kan, a professor and chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, is a co-lead author of the paper.

The subvariant known as BA.2 accounted for 55.4% of new COVID-19 cases in New England during the week of March 13-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Clearly, this BA.2 is really increasing,” said Pei-Yong Shi, Ph.D., vice president for research innovation at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. The new subvariant already has taken center stage in Europe, and if past surge trends continue, will come to dominate new cases across the U.S., Shi said.

About 90 percent of the older people with mild cognitive impairment showed higher levels of certain microRNAs in their blood, Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel explain in their recent Medical Discovery News column. In mice, the levels of these microRNAs began to increase even before the mice showed any signs of mental impairment. Scientists determined that the levels of these molecules were predictive of dementia two to five years into the future. These could be the first blood-based biomarkers that we could use for early diagnosis of dementia.

It has been reported that a single infant’s intake of microplastics from feeding bottles ranged from 14,600 to 4,500,000 particles. This enormous range of the number of particles shows the difficulty of measuring during early life and the difficulty of measuring such small particles, writes Dr. Sally Robinson in her regular column.

For those planning to safari in Sub-Saharan Africa or cruise the Amazon River, the yellow fever vaccine is a must. Drs. Megan Berman and Richard Rupp explain why in the latest Vaccine Smarts column.

Chronic pain, chronic fatigue syndromes, sleep disorders like sleep apnea and restless legs, anxiety, medications, organ problems like a bladder issue — all these and more must be considered as part of assessing the cause of sleep problems and treating them. Dr. Victor S. Sierpina offers tips to help you get the sleep you need. One is to reduce screen time before bedtime, so go ahead and put your cell phone down now.

Galveston’s St. Vincent’s House, working with the University of Texas Medical Branch, has opened this clinic for the most underserved on the island at Central Methodist Church, 3308 Ave. O 1/2. “Here, they are in a safe, trusted environment,” said Dr. Miles Farr. “Working alongside the church leadership is a key element to the success of this collaboration.”

More than 200 fourth-year medical students learned March 18 where they will serve as residents during the annual Match Day event at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Match Day is a national event in which medical students find where they will do their postgraduate residency programs.

The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston is receiving an endowment of $250,000 toward a Doctor of Clinical Nutrition program from Sodexo, a health care food service and facilities management company, officials with Sodexo said Monday. Pending approval, the program will begin in the spring semester of 2023.