Health Sciences In The Media

In October 2019, the FDA approved emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (FTC/TAF) as a second option for HIV PrEP in at-risk adults and adolescents but excluded cisgender women from the approval because of a lack of efficacy data. The FTC/TAF decision underscored existing concerns over leaving women out of clinical research. “There are sex differences in immune responses, drug metabolism and disease states. Some differences are mediated by hormonal differences and others by other biological factors,” said Infectious Disease News Editorial Board Member Elizabeth Connick, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the division of infectious diseases at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.

Experts say access to affordable and reliable health care is one of the hot topics of this election. "I believe everyone in Arizona and across the United States should have access to care," said Dr. Daniel Derksen, associate vice president for health sciences at the University of Arizona and director of the Arizona Center for Rural Health. "We are certainly spending enough as a nation and spending enough as a state to cover every single person with the care that they need, so that they get it when they need it, such as during a COVID-19 pandemic."

Dr. Cheryl O'Malley, associate dean of graduate medical education at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, is interviewed about the biggest changes to the residency application process due to COVID-19, including the virtual interview.

A breast cancer survivor and longtime supporter of the University of Arizona has given $8.5 million to the University of Arizona Cancer Center to strengthen the center's breast cancer patient care and research programs.

The Tohono O'odham Nation has committed $1 million to the University of Arizona to help researchers fight COVID-19. UA researchers have been involved in understanding the coronavirus and testing people across the state since the pandemic’s arrival in the United States in the spring. An antibody test developed by immunologists in the College of Medicine-Tucson has been deployed throughout Arizona in partnership with Gov. Doug Ducey, according to the UA.

Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, said Arizona is at a "pivotal" moment for COVID-19. Daily case reports are about the same as seen in late May and early June, four weeks before the peak of the outbreak. Given that Arizona is at that level now, it's possible rapid infection could take off, said Joe Gerald, an associate professor at University of Arizona's Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. "It's almost as if we have a loaded gun in our hand and if we're not careful, it can go off and hurt someone," he said of the case trends.

Can Some Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients Skip Radiation? The new study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, enrolled 132 eligible patients with stage I and II diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The study was led by Dr. Daniel Persky, a professor of medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and associate director for clinical investigations at the University of Arizona Cancer Center in Tucson.

Quit smoking. “Cigarette smoking is probably public enemy number one,” says Joseph Alpert, MD, a cardiologist as the University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center. “People who smoke a pack of cigarettes a day are twice as likely to get a heart attack over non-smokers.”

A study conducted by researchers at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix and an international team shows about 14% of cerebral palsy cases may be tied to de novo genetic mutations or mutations that appear in a child but not in the parents.

There is concern among ophthalmologists that increased screen time might further accelerate the myopia epidemic. “As ophthalmologists, we have now an opportunity to raise awareness among parents and teachers and eventually engage with policy makers and curriculum developers to set up strategies for myopia mitigation that will help students also beyond the pandemic,” said Jordana M. Smith, MD, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson.