Testing in small animals suggests a novel vaccine design from scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch could outsmart the ongoing evolution of the coronavirus’ spike protein, reports Corinne Purtill at the Los Angeles Times.

“Western medicine confronted a deadly new disease during the Korean conflict, then [known as] Korean haemorrhagic fever, but it took nearly 3 decades of persistent study for the cause to finally be discovered by Dr .Ho Wang Lee,” said James Le Duc, former director of Galveston National Laboratory at University of Texas Medical Branch.

The burnout epidemic has far-reaching implications across productivity, care and costs. The University of Texas Medical Branch estimated the total annual cost of burnout among healthcare managers to be $300 billion.

In the latest Vaccine Smarts column, Drs. Megan Berman and Richard Rupp offered a Q&A on the new COVID-19 bivalent boosters. And the answer is yes, you can get your COVID and flu shots at the same time.

“An extremely important aspect in human development is the moment that a baby looks at its parent,” wrote Dr. Sally Robinson. “Eye contact is associated with strong communication, memory for faces and social connection.”

“Research has shown that having at least three close friends, especially for men, improves longevity,” wrote Dr. Victor S. Sierpina. “It makes sense that with someone else around to help share the joys and burdens of life, we become more resilient.”

Researchers are trying to determine if changing the gut microbiome is a viable treatment option for those with bipolar disorder. In Medical Discovery News, Dr. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel discuss fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) as a treatment. “Yes, that means transplanting poop!”