Health Sciences In The Media

As millions now know from personal experience, the COVID-19 vaccines can cause temporary side effects. But if you don’t experience side effects, does that mean the vaccine did not work? The short answer is no, infectious-disease experts say. Sarah Coles, a family physician and assistant professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, is interviewed.

Businesses are now being given the option to go back to normal. This comes a year after safety measures were first put in place. Dr. Shad Marvasti with the University of Arizona’s College of Medicine – Phoenix says people should still be wearing masks. In regards to Ducey’s order, he said, “I think it's premature. I would have liked to see us wait until we have at least 60% of the population vaccinated."

State Rep. Randy Friese of Tucson announced Thursday he’s running for Congress. Friese is a trauma surgeon who has served in the Arizona House since 2015. He is a U.S. Navy Medical Corps veteran and a retired University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson professor.

Gregory Thatcher, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology and toxicology in the UArizona College of Pharmacy, examined the role of cholesterol in both Alzheimer's disease and Type 2 diabetes to identify a small molecule that may help regulate cholesterol levels in the brain, making it a potential new therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease.

A commentary written by Joseph S. Alpert, MD, professor of medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson and editor-in-chief of The American Journal of Medicine, examines the increase in patients with serious illnesses avoiding urgently needed care over concerns they’ll contract COVID-19 in hospitals.

Medical experts say people should keep wearing masks until more people are vaccinated. From a public health perspective, it’s too soon to lift the mitigation efforts, as not enough people are vaccinated and variants can spread, according to Dr. Farshad Fani Marvasti, a physician and associate professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix.

When managing dementia-related psychosis, experts recommend trying to control behavioral symptoms and optimizing the patient's environment before turning to pharmacotherapy. Pierre N. Tariot, MD, research professor of psychiatry at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix and director of the Banner Alzheimer's Institute, discusses the use of atypical antipsychotics in elderly patients with dementia.

The ongoing pandemic has given rise to a significant and alarming trend of increased alcohol use and abuse – especially among younger adults, males and those who have lost their jobs – according to a new study by University of Arizona Health Sciences researchers.

Fitbit data shows that people between the ages of 18 and 24 saw the most variation in sleep during the early months of the pandemic. "Younger adults may live under increased circadian pressure to advance their sleep period to conform to social norms and work schedules. When the opportunity was presented, this age group went to bed later but slept more," wrote Michael A. Grandner, director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson.

In a new report about the status of COVID-19 in Arizona, Joe Gerald, an associate professor in the University of Arizona's Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, said that as case positivity continues to decline and the number of vaccine doses continues to rise, Arizona could see herd immunity by late April or early May, adding that herd immunity is based on several factors including "vaccine efficacy, viral transmissible and natural immunity."