Galveston County Daily News, Nov. 18, 2009
There are a number of steps parents can take to avoid or ease sleep problems, wrote UTMB Drs. Sally Robinson and Keith Bly in their Keeping Kids Healthy column. Most important is to begin parenting with consistent routines for going to bed. Pick a bedtime that allows sufficient sleep, establish a routine of getting ready for bed and ready for sleep, and stick to it.
The Scientist, Nov. 17, 2009
The government agency tasked with funding crucial life science research needs to focus more attention on ethical quandaries and nefarious business practices that often obscure the path from discovery to public benefit, says a strongly worded letter to Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health. The letter was signed by prominent figures in the biomedical community, including Jerry Avorn, the Harvard MD who invented “academic detailing,” the widely-employed practice of educating doctors in cost-effective prescribing practices, Virginia Barbour, chief editor of PLoS Medicine, and Dr. Howard Brody, director of the Institute for the Medical Humanities at UTMB.
Current Health 2, November 2009
A common reason sexually active teens don’t use birth control is lack of information. According to UTMB Dr. Abbey Berenson, “If you decide to become sexually active, you should know that your chance of becoming pregnant in any given year is at least 85 percent.” The birth control pill can have a number of beneficial effects besides contraception, she said. Current Health 2 is an educational magazine distributed to schools for grades eight through twelve. (Link unavailable.)
Current Health 2, October 2009
Eighteen percent of U.S. women ages 18 to 24 reported having had sex when they didn’t want to, according to a recent study; 61 percent of the women who did so said it was because of pressure from their partners. Jeff Temple, UTMB psychologist and assistant professor in obstetrics and gynecology, offers advice. “If you set limits, even just in your mind, you’re more likely to follow through on them.” (Link unavailable.)
Medical News Today, Nov. 17, 2009
A study by UTMB Dr. Allan Brasier and colleagues, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, found that “inflammation is critical in aortic dissection.” Interleukin-6 “plays the central role in the process. Without it, you don’t have dissection,” Brasier said.
Galveston County Daily News, Nov. 17, 2009
Patients react differently to appraisals of their medical conditions, wrote UTMB Dr. Michael Warren in his It’s Your Health column. Some aren’t comfortable with uncertainty and want to know the unvarnished truth. “If the disease is life-threatening, with a predictably poor outcome, I share this information with the patient. And I offer some suggestions: Live one day at a time, as if each is your last, and enjoy each waking hour … .”
Universe Today, Nov. 16, 2009
This article is an account of studies conducted at UTMB’s Flight Analog Research Unit. The article quotes a subject participating in the 21-day Lunar Analog Feasibility Study about her experiences. In addition to the 21-day study, an 87-day bed rest study is conducted in the FARU.
KUHF-FM (88.7, Houston), Nov. 14, 2009
Norbert Herzog and David Niesel of UTMB’s Medical Discovery News responded to listeners questions about swine flu. “Projections are that one to two million people will die worldwide and 70,000 in the U.S. But put in perspective, consider the seasonal flu kills about 40,000 in the U.S. every year,” they said.
Portland Business Journal, Nov. 13, 2009
Dr. Howard Brody, director of UTMB’s Institute for the Medical Humanities, is quoted in this article about doctors in Oregon who receive payments from pharmaceutical companies. “People are belatedly waking up to the idea that this creates an ethical problem” that leads physicians to prescribe the best-known drugs, rather than the best-proven treatments, Brody said. (The full article is available in the attached text file.)
MedPage Today, Nov. 13, 2009
This article outlines UTMB’s recovery from Hurricane Ike. It quotes Dr. Steven Lieberman, vice dean for academic affairs, David Marshall, interim chief operating officer, Mike Shriner, vice president of facilities, operations and management, and Dr. William Mileski, chief of trauma services. A video is included that also features Bill New, associate dean for research administration.