UTMB News Articles

Adding plants to our homes helps to improve our health in several ways, writes Dr. Samuel Mathis in his latest column. Among other benefits, Mathis writes about how plants can help purify the air, help decrease symptoms associated with dry air and even improve our mood and cognition.

Copper intrauterine devices are associated with an increased risk for several sexually transmitted infections and other vaginal conditions than IUDs containing levonorgestrel, according to a retrospective chart review presented at a recent conference. Medscape quotes UTMB medical student Celese Traub and colleagues saying “Most prior research focuses on bacterial vaginosis and pelvic inflammatory disease risk in IUD users. Limited data exist regarding the broader impact of IUDs on other common reproductive tract infections.”

“On average, one infected person may infect about 15 other people,” UTMB’s Dr. Scott Weaver tells the Associated Press. “There’s only a few viruses that even come close to that.” Measles continues to spread across the U.S. with more than 1,000 cases across 30 states, the AP reports. This news was also shared by MedicalXpress, KUSI News, and ABC News.

UTMB is among the top spine and neurosurgery research hospitals in the nation according to a report by Avang-garde Health.

Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel explore the science and scientists who study the bubbles that make champagne fizzy, in their latest column.

Women with vs. without PCOS had a significantly increased risk for endometrial cancer, confirming findings from previous research, according to data presented by UTMB researchers at a recent conference, reports Healio. “This study is consistent with current literature. It corroborates that women with PCOS may be at increased risk of endometrial cancer,” said UTMB medical student Amani R. Patterson.

Dr. Gregory Gray also spoke to ZME Science for an in-depth explainer on bird flu. Even with vaccines, though, “we may not be able to put out this fire,” Gray said. “It appears, to many of us, that these viruses are going to be endemic, or we say ‘enzootic,’ for a long time.”

UTMB’s Dr. Shikha Wadhwani joined other experts to discuss the shift toward proteinuria-based endpoints that could finally bring a targeted drug to FSGS patients.

UTMB is the first academic healthcare center in Texas to add an artificial intelligence-based tool to routinely check for prostate cancer, reports KHOU. “AI allows the doctors to become much better at their work by recognizing patterns in medical images that they might otherwise miss,” UTMB’s Dr. Harsh Thaker tells the Houston TV station.

UTMB’s Dr. Gregory Gray tells CBS that he isn’t concerned about the CDC not identifying new human bird flu cases in months. "I don't think that anybody's hiding anything," Gray told CBS.

The American Psychiatric Association highlighted new research by UTMB’s Alec Manning, Benita Lalani and Dr. Josheph Shotwell that examines trends in the way popular music reflects national trends in substance use and mental health. “As the world changed, so did the music—and the stories it told about how we’re coping,” the authors of the study write.

Dopamine plays a crucial role in our motivation, reward system, learning and even motor control. Understanding its importance and how to naturally influence its levels can significantly impact well-being and productivity, writes Dr. Hasan Yasin.