Health Sciences In The Media

Michael Badowski, PhD, an associate research scientist at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Biorepository, writes that the response to the COVID-19 outbreak has better prepared global infrastructure for a more deadly pandemic.

University of Arizona Cancer Center researchers recently found a promising method to battle cancer, slow its growth and overcome drug resistance. Noel Warfel, PhD, an associate professor of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the College of Medicine – Tucson, is leading the study.

New research at the University of Arizona Health Sciences found that patients undergoing active chemotherapy had a lower immune response to two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, but a third dose increased response. "We wanted to make sure we understand the level of protection the COVID-19 vaccines are offering our cancer patients, especially as restrictions were being eased and more contagious variants were starting to spread," said Rachna Shroff, MD, MS, chief of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology at the UArizona Cancer Center and director of the Cancer Center Clinical Trials Office.

Murtaza Akhter, MD, an emergency medicine physician at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, discusses the stress on doctors and nurses in hospitals in states hardest hit by the covid delta surge.

If you come down with COVID-19, what can you take to get over it faster and start feeling better again? The internet has lots of ideas—some good, some useless, and some dangerous for your health.

Several European nations have decided to "live with COVID-19" rather than focus largely on trying to eradicate the virus, but experts say that strategy likely would fail in the U.S. because case levels vary widely across the country and cases overall are too high right now to try. Kacey Ernst, PhD, MPH, epidemiologist at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, is quoted.

People who are eligible for a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine are only supposed to get it at least six months after receiving their second dose. So that means not everyone is going to be needing the booster at the same time. Arizona COVID-19 adviser Richard Carmona, MD, MPH, distinguished professor of public health at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, recently received his third Pfizer doses. “I went and got a booster because of age, because of the fact that my immunity was dropping," Carmona said Monday during a University of Arizona briefing. "Why take a chance? There’s no downside with getting a booster and we know that it starts to drop off after a little while, six, eight months, in that ballpark."

John Galgiani, MD, the director of the Valley Fever Center for Excellence at the University of Arizona, has long recognized the importance of researching the pathogen. Researchers at the Center study Valley fever and help educate medical professionals about the disease. But he said it's been difficult at times to generate enough funding or interest in its dangers. "But the data don't lie. I didn't make these numbers up," he said.

Women with a history of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are more likely to experience somatic and urogenital symptoms post menopause, but they were no more likely to experience severe hot flashes than were other women with similar characteristics, according to research presented Sept. 24 at the annual meeting of the North American Menopause Society. "Given that PCOS prevalence is about 6%-10%, I feel this association should be further studied to improve our counseling and treatment for this PCOS population," said Rachael B. Smith, DO, clinical assistant professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the College of Medicine – Phoenix. "The take-home message for physicians is improved patient-tailored counseling that takes into account patients' prior medical history of PCOS." Dr. Smith was not involved in the research.

Exercise training could be a useful supplemental treatment for people with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, a small study finds. The findings, reported this week at the American Heart Association's Hypertension Scientific Sessions virtual conference, are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. The research makes a good case as to why exercise should be added to the treatment strategy for sleep apnea, said Michael Grandner, PhD, director of the Sleep and Health Research Program and associate professor of psychiatry at the College of Medicine – Tucson. Dr. Grandner was not involved in the study.