A $3.3 million NIH grant will allow University of Arizona Health Sciences researchers to characterize the unique immune response associated with emphysema, ultimately informing earlier and more personalized treatment approaches for COPD.

In March, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that small gatherings of vaccinated people are low risk. Kelly Reynolds, professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Arizona’s Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, recommends taking precautions if you don’t know whether the people you will be with are vaccinated.

University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix faculty and physicians Dr. Natasha Bhuyan and Dr. Farshad Fani Marvasti answer questions about travel safety for people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

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."

With a $3.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Francesca Polverino will investigate B cell responses in patients with emphysema.

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.