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.
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.
In a new study, researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch show that a new vaccine developed to fight Lassa Virus, a pathogen that causes Lassa fever, provides rapid protection against the deadly pathogen.
“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.”
“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.”
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
League City resident credits UTMB Health Clear Lake Emergency team with saving his life. Patients like him are why UTMB Health works so hard to have hospitals and clinics, including Urgent Care locations across the region.
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.
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.
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.
A study, published in Cell, identifies a specific scent emitted from both Zika- and dengue-infected mice that makes them more attractive to mosquitos than those without the viruses. It also points to a potential route to neutralize the olfactory flag. “This is a highly, highly influential study,” said Nikolaos Vasilakis, a professor of pathology at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston who was not involved with the research. “I’m pretty sure it’s going to foster or spin off several new lines of experimentation to get a better understanding of what’s happening in humans.”
Dr. Jeff Temple, who spoke about violence on the NPR program 1A, is a professor at The University of Texas Medical Branch where he serves as the Vice Dean for Research at the School of Nursing. He is the founding director of the Center for Violence Prevention there. He said without hesitation that he would prioritize the importance of schools and communities teaching the essential human skill of how to create healthy relationships. He said passionately, “We teach our children how to dribble a basketball or do math or read literature, but we do not teach them how to be in a relationship.” He believes universal implementation of the program reduces the likelihood that a student falls through the cracks and, as a bonus, kids not at risk for violence will learn important skills to be healthier and happier.
Dr. Jeff Temple was also on this Houston Public Media program to discuss the awareness of mental health across all spectrums of the population and how it has grown after years living in the pandemic—specifically in the youngest generations.
After a long wait, the FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization for COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 6 months to 5 years old. Shortly thereafter, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended them for this age group regardless of whether they have had COVID-19. Drs. Megan Berman and Richard Rupp answer some common questions about the vaccines for young children in the Vaccine Smarts column.
Hospice is comfort care without curative intent. The patient no longer has curative options or has chosen not to pursue treatment because the side effects outweigh the benefits. Palliative care is comfort care with or without curative intent. Drs. Victor S. Sierpina and Rebecca Burke explain the differences.