People diagnosed with an autoimmune condition called alopecia areata suffer from a disruption in hair growth that leaves them with patchy scalps and uneven hair, write Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel in their latest Medical Discovery News column. But new drugs are available that can restore hair growth.

Medpage reports on a UTMB retrospective cohort study that linked GLP-1 receptor agonists to a lower risk of legal blindness in patients with type 2 diabetes and risk for cardiovascular disease. UTMB’s Dr. Praveena Gupta, Dr. Andrew G. Lee and UTMB medical student Ethan Jarrett, all authors on the study, were quoted in the Medpage article.

Honoring Darleene “Dolly” Warren's legacy of service, Dolly’s Promise, plans to offer all breast health services to support underserved residents of Galveston County to help prevent, detect, or treat breast cancer.

A breast cancer diagnosis is life-changing news. Understanding the emotional impact is the first step in supporting patients and families as they cope with everything and move forward toward treatment and recovery.

“It is the rural communities that are being disproportionately affected by the power outages,” UTMB’s Dr. Brian Downer tells The Daily Yonder. Recent research shows that the elderly and those in rural areas are at greater risk from adverse climate events and power outages, reports The Daily Yonder.

“The present situation demands AI literacy to empower young people to understand, question and navigate the tools that show no signs of slowing down,” writes Dr. Jarrel De Matas in a guest column in the Daily News.

At the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting, UTMB’s Dr. Andrew G. Lee explained that El Nino and La Nina weather patterns — worsened by climate change — can worsen eye conditions such as dry eye, cataracts, infections and UV-related damage while also influencing disease outbreaks and access to care.

A breast cancer diagnosis is generally the worst news a woman can receive, but although the journey is challenging, there are also many reasons for genuine hope. Each year, more women are not only surviving breast cancer, but thriving afterward, thanks to treatments that are more effective and more compassionate than ever.

Breast health is highly individual, with varying expert opinions and personal risk factors, making early education and proactive care essential. Understand your risk through family history and medical consultation, know your breasts by recognizing changes, and follow personalized screening plans with your doctor.

The University of Texas Medical Branch is hosting the 3rd Annual Howard and Lillian Becker Perinatal Care Conference today and Thursday on its Galveston Campus, serving as the required annual all-staff training mandated by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission through UTMB’s Regional Women’s Services and Pediatrics (RWSP) grants.

The Moody Brain Health Institute, in partnership with the Institute for Human Infections & Immunity, announced the winners of the first I-DID (Intersection of Dementia & Infectious Disease) Pilot Program.

Exercise snacks are short bursts of intentional movement sprinkled throughout the day, writes Dr. Hasan Yasin. Rather than one long workout session, people strapped for time are finding ways to fit short exercise snacks into their schedule.

Every parent wants to keep their baby safe and a new vaccine is helping parents keep their babies safe from RSV, write Drs. Megan Berman and Richard Rupp in their latest Vaccine Smarts column. “Like installing a car seat or covering an outlet, it’s a simple step that can make all the difference,” they write.

“As this technology matures, predicting future health issues in embryos may become a standard part of in vitro fertilization,” write Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel in their latest Medical Discovery News column.

UTMB’s Nellie Loewen was a speaker on a recent domestic violence panel discussion. Speaking about strangulation, Loewen highlighted the importance of following up with a victim of abuse. “Don’t think that you’re going to always see any issues, and don’t think that they’re going to remember it, because once they have lost consciousness, they won’t remember to tell you,” Loewen said.

The autopsy of a man who committed a deadly shooting in Manhattan earlier this year showed he suffered from CTE, a progressive brain disease caused by repeated head injuries, according to New York City’s chief medical examiner. But the diagnosis doesn’t mean CTE caused the tragedy, experts tell the New York Post. “It could be a factor. But did this happen strictly due to this gentleman having CTE? Probably not,” Dr. Brent Masel said.

Second-year medical students at the University of Texas Medical Branch assembled 400 Chemo Comfort Kits to support patients undergoing the physically taxing and emotionally challenging treatment of chemotherapy.

Dr. Samuel Mathis dives into the health benefits of Vitamin B-9 in this column. The vitamin is naturally found in foods such as dark leafy greens, citrus fruits, legumes like beans and lentils, and animal liver and has been added to flour and grain products. “It is always recommended to get this vitamin through our diet rather than from supplements,” Mathis writes.

Young women with a family history of breast cancer can benefit from genetic counseling to assess hereditary risk, guide screening decisions, and consider lifestyle changes. UTMB counselors stress self-advocacy and early awareness for better outcomes.

Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel write about how HIV patients who were cured after receiving a stem cell transplant with a specific gene mutation.