The community refrigerator project was planned and executed by medical students at the University of Texas Medical Branch, who approached the church with the idea that was part of a project to battle food insecurity. “What better way is there to address food insecurity and prevent food waste,” said Nicole Michael, a fourth-year medical student at the medical branch. “There are a lot of resources to get people food, like the food bank and churches. The thing that’s different about this is the community sustainability piece of it.”
About 1 out of every 20 COVID-19 tests administered in Galveston County since the early days of the pandemic has been paid for through a county-funded program meant to help keep the tests easily accessible. Since Galveston County and the University of Texas Medical Branch began the local testing program in May 2020, more than 36,000 uninsured people have used the service, according to numbers released by the county.
A UTMB professor says the virus can be especially harmful to pregnant women since the infection can cause birth defects. Dr. Pei-Yong Shi, a professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at UTMB Galveston, says the virus is carried by the bite of infected mosquitoes. It can be especially harmful to pregnant women since the infection can cause certain birth defects. "That virus can infect the fetus's brain, leading to the baby born with a small head.” Austin-based KXAN also reported on UTMB’s research that found a single mutation in the Zika virus could lead to a “major outbreak.” The Indian news outlet Sakshi Post also reported this news.
The Australian news outlet story about intimate partner violence included quotes from Dr. Jeff Temple, an expert on teen dating violence at the University of Texas Medical Branch. “Practice is huge for when they get into that situation in real life,” Temple said. “What the research tells us is that kids who are able to resolve conflicts and manage their emotions are less likely to be in violent relationships later on.”
Women who have certain pre-existing medical conditions – such as thyroid disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma and/or lupus – should note any changes in their condition during pregnancy. “If your thyroid hormone levels are too high or too low, you may be at increased risk of miscarriage,” says Dr. Gayle Olson, a maternal-fetal specialist at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. “If your blood sugar isn’t tightly controlled, you may be at increased risk of miscarriage or fetal abnormalities. Any flare-up in an underlying condition is a red flag and should be followed.” Several other international news outlets included this health story from WebMD.
“For those of you unfamiliar with Dr. Sir William Osler, he’s one of the most legendary figures in modern medicine, medical education, and the intersection of science and the humanities,” writes Dr. Victor S. Sierpina in his column. “His methods of clinical bedside teaching, the requirements for a college degree before medical school, two years of basic science followed by two clinical years as the core of medical school, and a progressive residency program were innovative, setting the standard for our current system of medical training over a century ago.”
After any disaster or crisis parents can start to talk to their children by asking them what they’ve seen or heard, writes Dr. Sally Robinson in her column. No matter what age the child is, it’s better to be straightforward and direct. It’s suggested that it’s best to share basic information but not graphic or unnecessary details. Keeping young children away from the repetitive graphic images and sounds that appear on television, radio, social media and computers is strongly suggested. Perhaps it’s better to record the news and watch it later or with your older children so it can be stopped and discussed.
A few years ago, studies showed that transferring blood from young animals to older animals improved the older animals’ memory. In new research, scientists assessed whether blood plasma from active mice would lead to improvements in the brains of “couch potato” mice. In Medical Discovery News, Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel consider the possibilities. Remember where you read it.
Tongue-tie is a condition that’s present at birth that restricts the tongue’s range of motion. Dr. Sally Robinson explains the condition.
Body odor is usually a strange topic to talk about, but not for Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel. Some new scientific work identified a body odor chemical produced by babies’ skin that makes men less aggressive and women more aggressive. Let’s bottle this scent.
Dr. Mariano Garcia-Blanco was named a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.
Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch recently confirmed the presence of neutralizing antibodies to SARS--COV-2 in a common subcutaneous antibody therapy (Hizentra) used to treat immunocompromised or immunodeficient patients, citing its protective benefits to the immunocompromised patient community. The findings were recently published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
Here are some tips for parents when a child has a lengthy hospital stay.
A single mutation in an already rapidly evolving Zika virus could trigger another major outbreak of the disease by evading existing immunity, scientists have warned. The Zika virus, which is carried by mosquitoes, is usually mild in adults, however it can infect a developing fetus resulting in birth defects. In severe cases, it can cause fatal brain damage in babies and miscarriage or stillbirth in pregnant women, and its spread in the Americas in 2015 and 2016 caused global alarm. Researchers at La Jolla Institute for Immunology co-led the study with a team from the University of Texas Medical Branch. BBC, Sky News and Salon reported the findings of the study published in Cell Reports. Also, ScienceDaily and many smaller international outlets reported the news and mentioned that Dr. Pei-Yong Shi at UTMB co-led the Cell Reports study.
Melissa Lucio, the South Texas woman convicted of killing her 2-year-old child Mariah in 2007, is set to die by lethal injection on April 27. Eighty-three state representatives recently wrote to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles asking that Lucio be granted a reprieve or clemency. “Doctors who recently reviewed the autopsy — including a leading specialist from The University of Texas Medical Branch — concluded that the jury heard false testimony about whether Mariah was abused,” the letter said.
Scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch have developed a vaccine showing promising protection against Nipah, a zoonotic virus with a mortality rate as high as 70 percent. “Our data suggest that this vaccine can help rapidly generate protective immunity in humans against the virus,” said Dr. Courtney Woolsey, co-lead author of the researchers’ study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The CDC said that you “could” receive a second booster shot but stopped short of saying that one “should.” They previously recommended that everyone 12 and older should receive the first booster for optimal protection. The benefit of a second booster isn’t as extreme, but it’s still there. Drs. Meagan Berman and Richard Rupp explore the issue in their Vaccine Smarts column.
“My Tuesday morning acupuncture clinic is busier than ever,” writes Dr. Victor S. Sierpina in his column. “Medicare started paying for this effective, safe therapy for the specific diagnosis codes of chronic low back pain a couple of years ago. This was done after a review of evidence-based sources that showed positive, non-placebo effect of acupuncture on low back pain.”
According to American Academy of Pediatrics, “climate change poses threat to human health, safety and security. Children are uniquely vulnerable to these threats. Given this knowledge failure to take prompt, substantive action would be an act of injustice to all children.” Dr. Sally Robinson discusses the health risk to children in her column.
A variety of theories have been proposed to explain Washington’s death. Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel cover these in their recent Medical Discovery News column. Washington’s physicians at the time thought it was croup, an infection of the upper airway. Later, physicians have guessed that Washington died of diphtheria, strep throat, quinsy, Ludwig’s angina, Vincent’s angina or pneumonia, but none of these explained all the symptoms. What is your diagnosis?