Continued coverage of a $3.5 million NIH grant awarded to Luiz Bertassoni, D.D.S., Ph.D., to study how oral cancer interacts with bone using a new tumor-bone interface on a chip.”

In a The Rheumatologist article about patients asking whether they need to be revaccinated or tested for measles immunity, Kevin Winthrop, M.D., says: “The true numbers of cases are probably much higher than the officially confirmed cases would indicate because many patients may not come to medical attention.”

Medscape notes the review by Slifka and colleagues emphasizes that adult booster doses, which have already been phased out in several European countries, can be safely discontinued if high vaccination coverage in children is maintained and vaccines remain available for specific clinical needs.

A new review by Mark Slifka, Ph.D., and colleagues finds the U.S. could safely drop tetanus and diphtheria booster shots for adults and save an estimated $1 billion a year; he says: “We ask that [the U.S.] consider revisiting the current guidelines for adult booster vaccinations."

In an interview with Yahoo!News about how the morning-after pill works, Alison Edelman, M.D., says: "Although the morning-after pill is kind of a catchy name for emergency contraception, it’s actually misleading since emergency contraception works best if you take it as soon as possible after unprotected sex."

A study by the National University of Medicine and OHSU finds adults with low incomes reported lower depression following three months of psilocybin treatment.

Slifka says: "This study is actually a pro-vaccine study. If we maintain our high vaccination coverage for tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis for kids, we no longer need the vaccine for adults."

The National Institutes of Health awards OHSU $2.8 million to lead the Advancing Geriatrics Infrastructure & Network Growth, or AGING, Initiative, to create a national resource for advancing interdisciplinary research focused on older adults with multiple chronic conditions; Ana Quiñones, Ph.D., says: “I’m excited to add this important work to OHSU’s portfolio, where I am sure we’ll continue to successfully push toward fostering high-quality, person-centered care for this growing population of older Americans in Oregon and across the country.”

Suvi Neukam, M.D., discusses how social engagement supports cognitive and emotional health in older adults: “Social interaction isn’t just something nice to have. It plays a central role in brain function, emotional resilience, and even longevity.”

A Knight Cancer Institute research team develops a powerful new tool called the OmicsTweezer that makes it easier to study the mix of cell types in human tissue, which is crucial for understanding diseases such as cancer; Zheng Xia, Ph.D., says: “With this tool, we can now estimate the fractions of those populations defined by single-cell data in bulk data from patient groups. That could help us understand which cell populations are changing during disease progression and guide treatment decisions.