Health Sciences In The Media

Ricardo Correa, MD, an endocrinologist and director of the Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism Fellowship Program at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, is co-author of this article about how the Latinx community has been affected by the pandemic.

The peak of the Omicron variant is almost here according to some local and national experts. Joe Gerald, MD, PhD, an associate professor of public health policy at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, believes the peak could come between Jan. 16 and Jan. 23, and certainly by the end of the month.

Researchers are seeing lower birth weights and an increase in the number of stillbirths in women who have had COVID-19. To learn about everything from vaccines, immunity and Omicron, The Show spoke with Laura Mercer, MD, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the College of Medicine – Phoenix.

The Billings Clinic has partnered with the College of Medicine – Phoenix to bring fourth-year surgery resident physicians to train in Montana and Wyoming. The program is the state's first general surgical residency rural track with a focus on rural care.

There's no magic number, but the science behind how our immune system works means you might want to wait weeks or even months after an Omicron infection to reap the benefits of a booster shot. Deepta Bhattacharya, PhD, a professor of immunobiology at the College of Medicine – Tucson, is quoted.

The pandemic has taken its toll on our sleep. Rubin Naiman, PhD, a clinical assistant professor of medicine at the UArizona Center for Integrative Medicine and a sleep and dream specialist, said we lack dreams rather than sleep.

The highly transmissible coronavirus variant known as Omicron has sent cases skyrocketing around the world, including in Arizona. UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson researchers Deepta Bhattacharya, PhD, a professor of immunobiology and Janko Nikolich-Žugich, MD, PhD, the head of the immunobiology department and co-director of the Arizona Center on Aging, are quoted.

A new study led by Amelia Gallitano, MD, PhD, professor of basic medical sciences and psychiatry at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, found that sleep deprivation, can significantly increase the levels of serotonin 2A neurotransmitter receptors.

42 experts say this wave of Omicron is no time to let our guard down. "The fatigue, frustration, and burnout of healthcare workers is a serious concern of mine," said Sydney Pettygrove, PhD, an associate research professor at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.

Omicron has been known to more easily infect those who have had the vaccine due to its ability to circumvent immune system defenses, according to one study by Danish researchers. But the vaccine is playing a role in why Omicron is causing fewer hospitalizations and is less severe than the Delta variant. Shad Marvasti, MD, an associate professor of family and community medicine at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, is quoted.