The booster is designed specifically for the omicron variant, said Dr. Janak Patel, director of infection control and health care epidemiology at the University of Texas Medical Branch. “This is our first effort to move towards a vaccine that is adapted to the more virulent strains,” Patel said. The idea is this booster could begin what scientists hope will be an annual cycle of vaccination against COVID, he said. “This is the future,” Patel said. “I believe this is the future for learning to live with COVID infection.”
On the program Town Square, Dr. Jeff Temple offered perspectives on abuse during the conversation. Temple is vice dean for Research and Scholarship at the School of Nursing; the John Sealy Distinguished Chair in Community Health; and the director of the Center for Violence Prevention at UTMB.
Researchers at the Center for Violence Prevention at the medical branch received the rare score on their renewal of a grant focusing on long-term effectiveness of dating violence prevention program. The program, known as Fourth R, is presented to middle schoolers to teach them the dangers of abusive relationships and the benefits of healthy ones. “I am thrilled to receive such a rare perfect score,” said researcher Jeff Temple, vice dean for research at the School of Nursing and director of the center.
In the recent Vaccine Smarts column, Drs. Megan Berman and Richard Rupp advise everyone to prepare for a potentially rough flu season. One way to forecast the season is to observe what happens to people in the Southern hemisphere as their winter occurs during our summer, and some of their influenza strains make their way to us. We may be in for a bad one as Australia had a rough flu season. This winter we may have a “twin-demic” of both COVID and flu filling hospital beds and clinics. It is important that people receive their influenza vaccination to keep this from happening.
Dr. Victor Sierpina wrote about a study about taking heart and blood pressure medications at night. This may not be the best choice for everyone, and Sierpina explained why.
Your biological age, also called your functional or physiological age, gauges how old you appear, Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel wrote in Medical Discovery News. Biological age uses many variables including your genes, lifestyle, diet, activity level and even how well you sleep. Your mental condition is also a factor. As with any tool like this, take the results with a grain of salt.
Researchers from the Center for Violence Prevention at the University of Texas Medical Branch received a rare perfect score, also known as the “unicorn score,” on their renewal of a nearly $4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. The funding will continue testing the violence prevention program implemented by UTMB researchers.
Journalists at the San Francisco radio station interviewed Dr. Vineet Menachery, Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Coronavirus has been on a mission to evade the immune system since its beginning, he said. “As these new variants emerge, part of the issue is that they have an increased ability to get around our immune defenses, so developing new vaccine platforms that target these new variants will improve our immunity, is the hope,” Menachery said. MSN also carried this interview.
The San Francisco radio station also featured Dr. Jeff Temple, Professor and Licensed Psychologist and Founding Director of the Center for Violence Prevention at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Everyday gun violence leaves a shockwave of lasting trauma in families and communities, particularly young children who witness their parents being killed. Not all have access to psychological help, but some good programs exist in the United States. “It is possible to heal,” Temple said.
In a large cohort of men, pre‐diagnostic use of metformin and testosterone replacement therapy was associated with lower incidence of prostate and colorectal cancers, but not male breast cancer. “The greatest reduced risks of prostate and colorectal cancers were observed when metformin and testosterone replacement therapy were combined,” said Dr. David S. Lopez, associate professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch School of Public and Population Health, told Healio.
“This will be a very emotional production,” said Miranda Culligan, injury prevention specialist with medical branch Trauma Services, who organized the event. “It can be very upsetting. But we feel passionately that it can save a life by accurately depicting the dangers and consequences of impaired driving.”
In Medical Discovery News, Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel wrote about the demand for organs that match transplant recipients and the emerging research on creating universal blood types and possibly universal organs. “This would move all organs into the universal donor category and double the number of lungs available for transplant.”
The news website interviewed Dr. Susan McLellan, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. “At this point, if it was so easy to jump into the child population, it seems like it would have done so,” she said. “There might be isolated outbreaks, but I’m not super worried about elementary schools and day cares turning out to be hugely important.” Dr. McLellan also spoke to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on the same topic. “Worrying about it on the bus I think is silly,” McLellan said. “Worry more about being hit by the bus.”
Dr. Gary Kobinger, director of the Galveston National Laboratory at the University of Texas Medical Branch, told Newsweek, "It is expected that current vaccination regiments that show protection in other animal species, and/or humans, will also work in dogs. This could be one prevention measure to confirm (in dogs) and use."
The Houston Public Media program addressed grief and healing. One panel member was Dr. Jeff Temple, vice dean for Research at UTMB's School of Nursing, John Sealy Distinguished Chair in Community Health, and director of The Center for Violence Prevention at UTMB.
Dr. Jeff Temple said that the oxygen mask analogy — the one about making sure you put your own on before helping others — is used ad nauseum for a reason: It’s the truth. “If you run out of oxygen, you’re of no use to your fellow passengers,” he says. “Same holds true for parenting. If you don’t take care of yourself, you’ll be a less effective parent and more prone to burnout and lashing out.”
“As health care workers test positive for COVID-19, hospitals are facing challenges to appropriately staff units to take care of their patients,” wrote Dr. Prashant Rai. “A new study by Dr. G. Singh looks at a new method technique in performing a common procedure in patients who have tested positive for COVID-19.”
An accurate diagnosis is necessary to establish a proper care plan. Dr. Victor S. Sierpina lists some ways of treating joint issues. Here is one: “Start conservatively because a lot of joint pain will resolve with time and TLC.”
Students in the Bachelor of Science Nursing program at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston’s School of Nursing collected items to donate to the Galveston Diaper Bank. The students and staff donated 3,156 baby diapers and toddler pull-ups, 2,110 baby wipes and 314 adult supplies.
In Medical Discovery News, Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel explore the mystery—and the science—of cats. Be cool out there.