UTMB News

  • AAAS inducts new members

    This year’s new inductees include Mariano Garcia–Blanco, a professor and distinguished chair in biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and an adjunct professor at the Duke–National University of Singapore Medical School. His lab is known for its research on RNA-binding proteins in infection and immunity. They have identified numerous RNA-binding proteins that affect the replication of flaviviruses such as dengue, yellow fever and Zika. They also have studied the role of RNA helicase DDX39B in alternative splicing of the interleukin 7 receptor, which affects some autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis.

  • No time for public health

    James Bond lives with no health consequences, and some scientists have listed all the times Bond took no precautions at all. Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel analyze the data in Medical Discovery News.

  • Remember the number 988

    Dr. Sally Robinson writes about a new number to contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 24/7. It is 988. This will help anyone experiencing a mental health crisis to connect with trained staff. It is free and confidential. If needed, connection to local support will be given.

  • I tested positive for COVID. What should I do now?

    Dr. Victor S. Sierpina lists things to consider if this is you, including checking with your doctor. “COVID cases are still occurring regularly locally and nationally though at a much lower rate than at the beginning of the year when Omicron variants emerged,” he writes. “It is still highly contagious but with high vaccination rates and natural immunity from exposures, hospitalizations and deaths are way down. Still, it pays to be cautious.”

  • How much sleep do we really need for good health?

    Sleep is essential to perform simple to complex tasks and even to carry out our routine activities of daily living, Dr. Prashant Rai writes. His column offers some suggestions.

  • APHA elects Guillot-Wright as governing councilor

    American Public Health Association members have elected Dr. Shannon Guillot-Wright to serve as a governing councilor representing the Community Health Planning and Policy Development section.

  • What we know so far about the new BA.4 and BA.5 COVID Variants

    “Among the known Omicron sub-lineages (i.e. BA.1, BA.2, BA.2.12.1, BA3, BA.4, and BA.5), BA.4 and BA.5 are least susceptible to vaccine-elicited neutralizing antibodies,” said Dr. Pei-Yong Shi, professor, UTMB Chair in Innovations in Molecular Biology. Both variants have their own specific mutations including ones affecting the spike protein of the virus—the part responsible for attaching to human cells and infecting them. “Vaccine boosters will continue to prevent severe diseases and deaths,” Shi said. “Wearing masks in events with a lot of people helps to reduce the risk of Omicron infections.”

  • UTMB study links COVID-19 pandemic to poor mental health in adolescents

    “These findings add to the growing knowledge that we are in a youth mental health crisis that is likely to get worse before it gets better,” said Jeff Temple, vice dean for research in the School of Nursing at the medical branch and lead author of the study. “On an individual level, we need to check in with our kids often, have open conversations about mental health, relationships and substance use.”

  • Gamer Lifestyle: why gaming is good for downtime?

    The British newspaper reported that scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch experimented with high school kids who played video games and their resident surgeons. They had both groups perform virtual surgery to see who outperformed the other, and to their surprise, the high school students did better than the actual surgeons. While the surgeons would do better on a real body, the experiment was telling regarding the high school kids’ precision and coordination, and this was all because they were regular gamers while the medical residents had no time to play games.

  • Breaking a leg leads to career change

    Laura Yuhas will graduate in August with a doctorate in Occupational Therapy from UTMB. She was an international business student until she broke her leg. “I feel like I am able to relate to more people because of my past experiences,” said Yuhas. “The pay was good in my first career, but this career is already bringing other types of rewards. When I go home at night, I feel like I’ve done something that makes a difference in people’s lives.”

  • Polio in sewage indicates unsafe vaccination rates

    The poliovirus in London does not mean that polio is making a comeback, Drs. Megan Berman and Richard Rupp write in the Vaccine Smarts column. It does demonstrate that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an unsafe drop in vaccination rates. Likewise, major measles outbreaks have occurred in 26 countries due to pandemic disruption of vaccination programs.

  • Hygiene theory may explain allergies in children

    Dr. Sally Robinson explains that hygiene theory suggests that children who have more exposure to germs and certain infections at a very early age develop immune systems that are better suited to differentiating harmless substances from harmful substances. Always talk to your physician, she advises.

  • Integrative therapies can help improve hospice care

    One of the most common complaints at the end of life is pain, writes Dr. Samuel Mathis. While medication can help, acupuncture or acupressure can be very helpful without affecting an individual’s mentation. It can be difficult to find traveling acupuncturists, but acupressure is something that families can learn and perform themselves.

  • Olive oil: Tasty for cooking but also good for your health

    A new study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology confirms something we all suspected: Olive oil is good for your health. Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel discuss why. It is a mainstay of the Mediterranean diet, which has been touted for years for its health benefits. Other studies have demonstrated that this diet may be important in reducing the incidence of stroke and the onset of dementia.

  • UTMB neurosurgeons perform rare procedure at Clear Lake hospital

    Surgeons at the University of Texas Medical Branch’s Clear Lake Hospital recently combined two different neuroscience procedures to treat a patient’s rare condition. The innovative and life-saving procedure was a first for UTMB.

  • UTMB research links COVID-19 pandemic to poor mental health in adolescents

    A new University of Texas Medical Branch study links COVID-19 restrictions to poor mental health in adolescents. “While it was necessary to prevent the pre-vaccine spread of COVID-19, removing children from school was not without consequences,” said Dr. Jeff Temple, Vice Dean for research at UTMB’s School of Nursing and the director of the Center for Violence Prevention. Temple is the lead author of the study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

  • Health and wellness with UTMB Health and Houston Moms

    Mommy Makeovers 101

    UTMB experts Dr. Kathleen Kroger and Dr. Linda Phillips discuss all the surgical and non-surgical options for moms looking to have some cosmetic work done.