Joe Gerald, MD, PhD, an associate professor of public health policy and management at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, says COVID-19 conditions in the state of Arizona are getting worse and could reach a peak by the end of the month.

Continuing coverage: University of Arizona Health Sciences researchers have developed a new therapy for Alzheimer’s disease designed to restore cognitive function in early-stage patients. The therapy is now proceeding through a Phase 2b clinical trial. Roberta Diaz Brinton, PhD, director of the UArizona Center for Innovation in Brain Science, is the lead investigator.

Researchers at the University of Arizona Health Sciences say using nanotechnology to deliver chemotherapy, could be a more effective way to fight aggressive tumors. "We found that our nano platform can not only increase effectiveness of the immunotherapy but also can activate our body's own memory immunity," said Jianqin Lu, PhD, an assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the College of Pharmacy.

Breast milk acts as medicine, and providing breastfeeding support keeps mothers and babies healthy.

A University of Arizona researcher says COVID-19 conditions around the state could be more devastating by the end of the month. “No matter how I squeeze the lemon, this week's coronavirus update is sour,” Joe Gerald, MD, PhD, a researcher at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not include vertigo or dizziness as symptoms of COVID-19. But some doctors believe there could be a link. COVID has caused "a range of neurological symptoms, including dizziness" in patients, according to Natasha Bhuyan, MD, One Medical provider and clinical assistant professor of family, community and preventive medicine at the College of Medicine – Phoenix.

The University of Arizona is planning for in-person classes starting on Aug. 24. While face coverings are required in all indoor spaces where social distancing can't be maintained, the university is encouraging but is not mandating getting the COVID vaccine. "Delta is not done with us yet. It really changed the ballgame," said Joe Gerald, MD, PhD, an associate professor of public health policy at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and the co-chair of the university's Public Health Advisory COVID Team. “The things that we might have considered to be sufficient to work a year ago, when we’re talking about coronavirus classic, just don’t make the same sense anymore because this is several times more transmissible, and it just changes the rules of the game.”

Indigenous communities in the U.S. experience a disproportionately higher burden of disease and lower life expectancy than most Americans. Studies cite higher poverty rates, challenging social conditions, mistrust in the delivery of health services and a history of exclusion from clinical research as factors that contribute to these disparities. At the University of Arizona Health Sciences, educators and researchers are working to change this legacy and decrease health disparities within Native American communities by introducing Native students to biomedical research.