Health Sciences In The Media

Through a webinar organized by the National Hispanic Medical Association, a group of medical experts explained one by one the doubts and myths that many people expressed regarding vaccines against COVID-19. Ricardo Correa, MD, from the Phoenix Allies Community-Health Clinic and UArizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, said that although the doses were emergency approved by the FDA, they can be trusted, as they have proven to be one of the best ways to avoid serious consequences of the virus and explained that the vaccine was not created as quickly as the general public believes.

University of Arizona Health Sciences researchers recently completed a study that has the potential to improve cancer treatment for colorectal cancer and melanoma by using nanotechnology to deliver chemotherapy in a way that makes it more effective against aggressive tumors. The findings were published today in Nature Nanotechnology.

“After a mild traumatic brain injury, there is usually a headache that occurs, and that is called a post traumatic headache,” said Frank Porreca, PhD, a professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Anesthesiology in at the College of Medicine – Tucson. “It can persist continuously or intermittently for up to three months, which is called acute post traumatic headache. If the headache persists for longer than three months, then it is called persistent post traumatic headache.”

Christina Bergin, MD, a clinical associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, is urging the governor to require masks in schools after her child was exposed to COVID-19.

Are you more likely to get long-haul COVID-19 from the original strain of the coronavirus or from the delta variant? Janko Nikolich-Zugich, MD, PhD, Department Head of Immunobiology at the College of Medicine – Tucson, says that’s still something they are researching. Most of the long-haul cases that have been diagnosed so far come from the original strain or early variants like Alpha.

A new CDC study looked at 2,500 pregnant women who got the mRNA vaccine and found no increased risk of miscarriage. Now, the CDC is strengthening its recommendation and urging all pregnant women to get protected as the delta variant surges. Debra Guinn, MD, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology and vice chair of research at the College of Medicine – Tucson, studies the impact of COVID-19 on pregnant women. Dr. Guinn said her research backs up the CDC's findings. "There is no evidence it causes infertility or miscarriage. The vaccine is safe. There are no apparent negative impacts on pregnancy," Dr. Guinn said.

A parent can legally ask individual teachers if they’re vaccinated, but the teacher doesn’t have to answer, said a recent advisory in Education Week, a journal of K-12 education news. “Anyone can refuse to answer the question, but they should be prepared to be treated as if they are unvaccinated,” wrote Sarah Whitley Coles, MD, a family physician and assistant professor at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, in Dear Pandemic, a website and newsletter that offers family-friendly medical advice.

Murtaza Akhter, MD, emergency physician at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, discusses the CDC's announcement that fully vaccinated students do not need to wear masks in schools.

As CBS News' Omar Villafranca reports, the U.S. is now averaging more than 100,000 new coronavirus cases daily. The former head of the FDA warns that numbers could become higher as the new school year kicks off. Dr. Shad Marvasti, a family medicine physician and associate professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine Phoenix, joins CBSN's Elaine Quijano with more.

The FDA is speeding efforts to authorize extra doses of the coronavirus vaccines for Americans with weakened immune systems. Additional doses may help some people with weak immune systems, but others may show little improvement, and still others may not need extra doses at all. In a study of organ transplant recipients, only a third of the patients who received a third dose showed a benefit. “I wish we had a more rational process to identify individuals within these categories who actually need it versus not,” said Deepta Bhattacharya, PhD, an immunologist at the College of Medicine – Tucson.