Health Sciences In The Media

A University of Arizona Health Sciences study of COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness and immunity among frontline workers has received a $15 million award from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to continue the current research for another year and expand to include children and focus on underserved populations.

Certain yoga positions can bring about relaxation, ease anxiety, and help with sleep issues. “I think yoga is helpful for anybody and everybody, because it really helps refashion our relationship with the body,” said Rubin Naiman, PhD, a sleep and dream specialist and clinical assistant professor of medicine at the UArizona Center for Integrative Medicine. “There are 10 ways to do yoga, and not all are helpful. But when it’s done right, it’s almost like a friendly dialogue with our body.”

As coronavirus cases once again rise in the U.S., experts say breakthrough cases will also go up, but that doesn't mean the vaccines aren't working. "It may be that for the vast majority of vaccinated people who get infected, they just don't make enough virus to infect another person," said Janko Nikolich-Žugich, MD, PhD, an immunologist and professor of medicine at the College of Medicine – Tucson.

Interview with Lisa Shubitz, DVM, a veterinarian and research scientist at the University of Arizona Valley Fever Center for Excellence.

Cannabis use by older adults has increased substantially over the last decade, a trend that has paralleled the legalization of its use for medical and recreational purposes. C. Bree Johnson, MD, MPH, associate professor in the College of Medicine – Tucson, is interviewed.

Continuing coverage: Women on hormone replacement therapy for menopause go on to have a 58% lower risk of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions, a new study finds. "This is not the first study on the impact of hormone therapies on neurodegenerative disease reduction," said study senior author Roberta Diaz Brinton, director of the University of Arizona Center for Innovation in Brain Science. "But what is important about this study is that it advances the use of precision hormone therapies in the prevention of neurodegenerative disease, including Alzheimer's."

Ahead of this school year, the American Academy of Pediatrics published new guidance recommending students of all ages continue to use masks this fall, regardless of vaccination status. Ricardo Correa, MD, an endocrinologist and associate professor of medicine at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, was frustrated by the Arizona legislature's move to ban masks and COVID-19 testing in public schools. "That was not an evidence-based policy," he said. "If you don't know who is vaccinated and not vaccinated, then you cannot ban the mandate of having a mask in schools."

Health experts agree more needs to be done to combat misinformation online. Ricardo Correa, MD, associate professor at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, who helps lead a Spanish-language vaccine campaign called “¡Vacúnate ya!” responds to the biggest myths about the COVID-19 vaccine circulating on social media and why they’re false.

The Oak Creek School Mountain Bike Skills Park is set to break ground in the spring and will include both a bike track and an integrated fitness track with stations for activities such as pull-ups, sit-ups and other fitness challenges. The skills park will be built “by students for students” — by kids enrolled in the Verde Academy for Career Technical Education. The project will cost just over $100,000 to complete at no cost to the school district, thanks to grants and donations from the UArizona Center for Rural Health and other non-profit and private donors.

Researchers at the University of Arizona Health Sciences found that Cannabis terpenes, when used alone, mimic the effects of cannabinoids, including a reduction in pain sensation. When terpenes were combined with a synthetic cannabinoid, the pain-relieving effects were amplified – an “entourage effect” – that reduced pain levels without an increase in euphoria and other side effects.