Health Sciences In The Media

Data from the CDC has found that five million people in the U.S., roughly 8% of those who received a first dose, have missed their second shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. Yet many scientists see a glimmer of hope: 8% missed means 92% returned, which is surprisingly high. "I see that as a really amazing win," said Saskia Popescu, an infection prevention epidemiologist at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. "There's not enough credit that goes into acknowledging how national vaccination in the middle of a pandemic is a Herculean effort."

A new study found people may benefit from taking blood pressure medication even if they don’t have hypertension. Dr. Joseph Alpert, a professor of medicine and a cardiologist at the College of Medicine – Tucson and Sarver Heart Center, said some people with mildly elevated blood pressure levels are given blood pressure-lowering medications. “Studies show that they have lower risk for stroke, for example, if we get their BP down to the new lower levels of BP,” Alpert said.

"Everywhere we go, we take variants with us," said Dr. Shad Marvasti, director of public health, prevention and health promotion at the University of College of Medicine – Phoenix. "If anyone is infected with the variant in New York and the Midwest, any other part of the world, and they're coming to Phoenix, Sky Harbor, they're bringing the variant with them."

While the UA POD may be decommissioning at the end of June, the pandemic is not over. As health departments battle vaccine hesitancy, the College of Public Health’s Mobile Health Unit is working to increase access to the vaccine for communities of color, building on their work in providing preventative care for these communities. Dr. Cecilia Rosales, associate dean of community engagement and outreach, discusses the MOVE UP initiative.

College of Nursing student Alexa Kingman and Sharon Hom, a clinical assistant professor, share their learning and teaching experiences during the pandemic.

A new study found that COVID-19 survivors have a higher risk of death and health problems. Researchers also found that doctors are using prescription opioids to manage symptoms experienced by those long haul survivors. "So, the COVID-19 virus itself is very insidious. It has an umbrella of effects, including respiration, nervous system, mental health effects, metabolic disorders. So some of them also result in excessive pain and headache and myalgia among these patients," said Dr. Rajesh Khanna, a professor and co-director at the Center for Chronic Pain and Addiction at the College of Medicine – Tucson.

While you may not think of sweat as a form of testing for health conditions, some researchers believe it could be as beneficial as routine bloodwork. One research team from the University of Arizona Health Sciences is working to find more evidence that molecules in sweat can provide information on your stress response levels, circulatory system, immune system, and nervous system.

White people have been vaccinated against COVID-19 at a higher rate than other racial or ethnic groups in Arizona, even though they have had the lowest overall rate of COVID-19 cases per capita during the pandemic. The misalignment is not caused by race alone, said Joe Gerald, an associate professor with the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. "It's not race, per se, but rather the conditions and structural inequities that these groups face. Some of it may be, they may be more likely to live in an area where there's a health care provider shortage. That kind of thing. So, it may be unrealistic to expect them to ever catch up fully."

Thousands of New Mexico residents still haven’t registered to obtain coronavirus shots, though the state is among the leaders in the country in the percentage of those who have acquired them. Dr. Daniel Derksen, director of the University of Arizona's Center for Rural Health, said the vaccines are effective and carry little risk.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released new guidance making it easier for more medical professionals to prescribe a common medication to treat opioid abuse. "It seems like less than a fifth of people with opioid use disorder are on methadone or buprenorphine or have access to it," said Dr. Melody Glenn, an assistant professor in the College of Medicine – Tucson's Department of Emergency Medicine. According to Benjamin Robert Brady, a researcher with the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, a little more than 2,300 providers had received their waivers to administer buprenorphine in Arizona.