Read article – Jose Mercado, assistant professor of medicine, is interviewed about the prospect that a booster may be needed by people who have received their COVID-19 vaccinations. Mercado said, “Before we do decide to get the boosters, we do still need to answer a couple questions. One is, does it actually boost the immune system and is it safe to do so?”

Read article – Keith Loud, chair and associate professor of pediatrics, is quoted on COVID-19 vaccination rates among children. He says, “Over a third of New Hampshire teens and more than half of Vermont teens have already had a first dose. Northern New England is showing the way.” Loud served as a panelist in a recent virtual conversation on children, COVID-19, and vaccinations.

Read article – Bryan Luikart, associate professor of molecular and systems biology, is quoted about a study with mice finding that women who are genetically predisposed to inflammation may be more likely to have children with autism traits. “These new findings point to both: a gene-environmental interaction with some sort of inflammation and a gene-gene interaction between mothers and offspring,” said Luikart.

Read article – Timothy Gardner, an associate professor of medicine, is quoted in an updated article about a 1980 study on whether chlorophyllin could help control body and fecal odors, chronic constipation, and flatulence. According to the article, Gardner thinks a large placebo effect could have explained the study’s results for which the groups had improved symptoms, including decreasing bloating, which wasn’t part of the study but is a popular claim on TikTok.

Read article -A new study by researchers from the Geisel School of Medicine, The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center finds that “just 16” of 315 randomized controlled trials evaluating the efficacy of various dietary supplements and alternative therapies for weight loss had an impact on weight-loss.

Read article – Anne Hoen, associate professor of microbiology and immunology, is cited in an article about a study finding that Cesarean-delivered newborns swabbed with a gauze soaked with their mothers’ vaginal fluids made their skin and gut microbiota similar to that of vaginally born babies. The study entailed monitoring the babies for a year, a long-term follow-up period that really stood out for Hoen, according to the article.

Read article – Brayson Pawelczyk, MED ’24, is featured in an article on how members of Bucknell’s Class of 2020 transitioned from college life to graduate programs and other endeavors. He discusses how his days are filled with lectures, anatomy labs, team-based learning classes, case-based learning classes, and problem-based learning sessions. The article mentions that Pawelczyk is a medical student at the Geisel School of Medicine.

Read article – Stewart Tepper, professor of neurology and study investigator, is quoted about a novel formulation containing meloxicam and rizatriptan, which provides effective pain relief for patients with migraines. “Rizatriptan’s primary mechanism is peripheral, and NSAIDs have both peripheral and central benefit,” said Tepper.

Read article – Continued coverage of research co-authored by Anna N.A. Tosteson, interim director and professor of The Dartmouth Institute, and professor of medicine. Tosteson’s research found that selective second opinions could increase diagnostic accuracy and lower costs for patients being tested for skin cancers.

Read article – Peter Wright, professor of pediatrics, is quoted in an article reporting that Vermont is lifting remaining COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Asked for advice on what parents should do if their children aren’t old enough to get vaccinated, Wright said, “It just becomes a matter of your own assessment of the risk you want to take for your child … You’re really trying to think about the whole umbrella you’re under.”