UTMB News Articles

Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system, which is designed to protect the body from infections and other harmful agents, begins attacking the body’s own cells, writes Dr. Hasan Yasin. Recent research, he writes, has highlighted the growing connection between environmental toxins and the rise of autoimmune diseases.

UTMB’s Dr. Jochen Reiser was featured on Becker’s Healthcare podcast. Reiser discussed cybersecurity, advancements in AI for clinical and operational use, and fostering partnerships to enhance cancer care in Southeast Texas.

Healio reports on a UTMB study that found that hypothyroidism may be associated with increased perioperative and implant complications after shoulder arthroplasty. “This is a valuable finding which holds significant importance for both surgeons and hypothyroid patients, influencing their choices between shoulder arthroplasty and non-surgical options,” Jad J. Lawand, medical student at UTMB, and colleagues wrote in the study.

Recently more than 20 cases of Oropouche virus infections were identified in the U.S. in people who traveled to Cuba write Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel in their weekly Medical Discovery News column. Oropouche virus causes a disease that resembles Zika virus disease.

“We're not proposing that semaglutide causes erectile dysfunction or that it causes low testosterone, but there's an association between the two,” UTMB’s Dr. Joseph Sonsteintells Men’s Health in this story about how semaglutide, the active ingredient in popular weight loss drugs such as Ozempic, may come with a side of erectile dysfunction. This story was also published in Yahoo!life.

“Fighting neurological diseases is an exhausting battle, but absolutely worth the effort. Working in collaboration, I think we can truly change the world,” said UTMB President Jochen Reiser at a ceremony celebrating the collaboration between UTMB’s Moody Brain Health Institute and Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering, a nonprofit research organization based in Geneva, Switzerland. This news was also reported in Philanthropy News Digest.

“A UTMB Galveston pathologist can now use AI to help diagnose prostate cancer,” reporter Haley Hernandez tells KPRC viewers. KPRC featured UTMB’s first in the state AI assisted prostate diagnoses process on their news broadcast. The next step, Hernandez reports, is using the tool for breast biopsies.

Becker’s highlighted a UTMB study that finds that patients using GLP-1s may face higher risks of complications and readmissions following total shoulder arthroplasty.

Drs. Megan Berman and Richard Rupp highlight the importance of seeking medical care after a possible rabies exposure in their latest Vaccine Smarts column. Once symptoms emerge it is nearly one hundred percent fatal, yet it is entirely preventable if treated promptly, they write.

Asking for help can be scary but studies show being aware of our limitations can boost mental health and resilience writes Dr. Samuel Mathis.

“They take care of people. If you’re poor, you still get health care. And you don’t have to have a job to get health insurance,” UTMB’s Dr. Kyriakos S. Markides tells STAT about Portugal’s health care system. STAT reports that Portugal has a life expectancy nearly four years longer than the U.S. despite spending 20% of what the U.S. does on health care per person.

Research from a large study in Finland has shown that some mental illnesses may be transmissible among adolescents, write Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel in their weekly Medical Discovery News column.