Health Sciences In The Media

The complexity of the body’s immune system makes the impact of a booster shot difficult to assess. Antibody levels from any vaccine or natural infection will decline over time, says Deepta Bhattacharya, PhD, an immunologist at the College of Medicine – Tucson. Yet “the ones that are left tend to be of higher quality, so it takes far fewer of them to protect against disease,” Bhattacharya says, adding that it is difficult to tell exactly how much additional protection a booster shot would provide. This article was originally published in The Wall Street Journal.

Andrew Weil, MD, founder and director of the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, discusses his early life and career in integrative medicine.

One of the most common reasons Americans cite for not getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is that they're naturally protected by their past infection. Relying on previous infection alone as a means of protecting against COVID-19 is especially risky as coronavirus variants continue to emerge, according to Deepta Bhattacharya, PhD, an immunology professor at the College of Medicine – Tucson. "Antibody levels are really variable after recovering from infections, and those at the lower end of the spectrum might be more susceptible to reinfections. But after a single vaccine in people who have recovered from COVID-19, antibodies skyrocket up, including those that neutralize variants of concern," he said.

Toilet paper-shaped clothes have been used in lieu of toilet paper in the loo, then kept in a hamper or bag after use to be cleaned for later. The clothes are an eco-friendly alternative to the disposable toilet tissue paper. And this practice, that apparently gained attention on several blogs for years, is now a whole industry on online shop etsy.com. "This is just a risky practice overall, said Kelly Reynolds, PhD, MSPH, professor and chair of the community, environment and policy department at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. "The potential for cross contamination is very high from your bathroom, where they are stored, to your laundry room."

Joe Gerald, MD, PhD, an associate professor of public health policy at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and team leader for the UArizona COVID-19 modeling group joined The Show to talk more about Biden's vaccine mandate and the virus’ track in Arizona.

The Arizona Bioindustry Association announced that Celebrating Life & Science, a one-hour broadcast event highlighting inspiring stories of Arizonans working together and using science to make life better for people everywhere will premiere on ABC15 on Sunday, Oct. 3. Janko Nikolich-Zugich, MD, PhD, department head of immunobiology at the College of Medicine – Tucson, will be featured as the Arizona Bioscience Researcher of the Year.

Some experts differ in their conclusions of whether a third shot is needed for recipients of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. Deepta Bhattacharya, PhD, an immunologist at the College of Medicine – Tucson said it’s normal for antibody levels to fall over the course of several months. Vaccination triggers a “blood-thirsty competition” among antibodies, he explained, and only the best ones survive ― “the antibodies that stick most tightly to the virus.”

Michael Grandner, PhD, the director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the College of Medicine – Tucson, shares his expertise to help people get healthy sleep.

Last year's influenza season turned out to be the mildest on record, but health experts have renewed warnings that a ‘twindemic’ – in which flu and COVID-19 cases simultaneously rise and overwhelm hospitals – may be possible this year. “Last year, we didn’t have a very big flu season because people were using masks and that decreased the flu season activity. If we do the same thing this year and we wear masks as much as we can, then the flu season will not hit us as hard as years prior," said Ricardo Correa, MD, endocrinologist and associate professor of medicine at the College of Medicine – Phoenix.

Arizona is already starting to see cases of the flu. "I think this is something that tells us in terms of the flu numbers that we could have an earlier flu season this year. So if people were thinking about when to get their flu shot, sooner rather than later, especially if they're in more higher-risk populations," said Farshad Fani Marvasti, MD, an associate professor and director of the public health, prevention and health promotion curriculum at the College of Medicine – Phoenix.