• UTMB students train people to save overdose victims

    What has become a major push among local groups to get information and life-saving medication into the community to fight a crisis of fentanyl overdoses and poisoning continued Saturday with a presentation about recognizing the signs of overdose and using Narcan. Taking Our Best Shot, a University of Texas Medical Branch student-led initiative held the first of several community health seminars Feb. 11 in Texas City.

  • Robots are making COVID testing faster, safer at UTMB

    Robots are making COVID-19 antibody tests for research and diagnostics faster and safer at the University of Texas Medical Branch, officials said. The benefit of having robots conduct the tests is that it will eliminate the risk staff members face from infection and produces tests at higher rates, said Dr. Michael Laposata, professor and chairman of the department of Pathology at the medical branch.

  • 7 myths about fevers doctors wish people would stop believing

    It’s a myth that having a fever means you’ve come down with a virus. While viruses can cause fevers, Dr. Megan Berman, an internal medicine doctor and associate professor of general medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch, says that there are many other causes, too. She says that infections (including urinary tract infections and ear infections) can also cause fevers.

  • World's largest collection of viruses: Inside the massive biodefense lab in Houston area

    The largest collection of viruses in the world is protected and studied inside a massive biodefense lab. The largest high-containment lab of its kind in the country is in the Houston area. The Galveston National Laboratory isn't exactly a secret, but it's not open to the public either. “I’m proud of the work that the scientists are doing here, said Dr. Gary Kobinger, lab director. “I’m just one of the supporters, let's say. There are a lot of great scientists doing the work.”

  • Communication is key to form deeper connections

    “One of the greatest gifts we can give people is our time and attention,” wrote Dr. Samuel Mathis. “The feelings of love and connection grow when we actively set aside time for others with curious engagement.”

  • Brain cells in a lab dish can play pong

    Recent research reported in the journal Neuron has reported that brain cells in culture have been taught to play Pong, wrote Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel in Medical Discovery News. Human neurons were better at Pong than mouse neurons, by the way.

  • Landscape photo of mountains

    UTMB among top 2 percent in NIH funding

    The University of Texas Medical Branch is in the top 2 percent of research institutions receiving funding from the National Institutes of Health moving up in the latest rankings released by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research.

  • COVID vaccine can decrease chances of developing long COVID

    There is a myriad of symptoms people describe following COVID. Many complain of brain fog and fatigue. Other common symptoms include chronic cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, fast heart rate, diarrhea, lightheadedness, depression and persistent loss of taste or smell. This list is far from comprehensive, as many experiences other symptoms as well.

  • Here's how long the flu is actually contagious, according to doctors

    Dr. Megan Berman, an internal medicine doctor and associate professor of general medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch, explains that the flu is primarily spread through respiratory droplets, AKA very small droplets made when someone infected coughs, sneezes or talks. “They find their way to someone’s mouth or nose nearby,” she said, adding that the flu can also be spread through kissing or sharing eating utensils.

  • Why U.S. odds are stacked against a promising new COVID drug

    A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that a single injection of a so-called interferon drug slashed by half a COVID patient’s odds of being hospitalized. The New York Times interviewed top experts not involved in the study for comments. In targeting patients’ immune responses, rather than the virus itself, those treatments potentially offered another advantage over existing treatments, reducing the chance that a variant would evolve that could resist the drug, said Vineet Menachery, an immunologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch.

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