CU Anschutz In The News

“These data suggest that it’s not the alcohol with meals but other ingredients in wine, perhaps antioxidants, that may be the factor in potentially reducing new-onset type 2 diabetes. While the type of wine, red versus white, needs to be defined, and validation of these findings and mechanisms of benefit are needed, the results suggest that if you are consuming alcohol with meals, wine may be a better choice,” said Eckel, professor of medicine, emeritus in the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes and the Division of Cardiology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

“Colorado is heading in a positive direction again, and vaccination coverage is almost certainly playing a key role in this decline,” said Glen Mays, chair of the Colorado School of Public Health’s department of health systems.

One concern about potentially implementing the vaccine passports is ensuring they are equitable for all people, said Dr. Matthew Wynia, director of the Center for Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus. Despite experiencing higher rates of infection and death from the coronavirus, people of color have been vaccinated against the coronavirus at a lower rate than white people.

“With the increasing utilization of marijuana in society as a whole, we are seeing more mothers who use marijuana during pregnancy,” said Erica Wymore, MD, MPH, primary investigator, neonatologist at Children’s Colorado and assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine on the Anschutz Medical Campus. “However, given the lack of scientific data regarding how long THC persists in breast milk, it was challenging to provide mothers with a definitive answer regarding the safety of using marijuana while breastfeeding and simply ‘pumping and dumping’ until THC was no longer detectable in their milk. With this study, we aimed to better understand this question by determining the amount and duration of THC excretion in breast milk among women with known prenatal marijuana use.”

Colorado is currently in the process of vaccinating residents, decreasing the number of people at risk of being hospitalized or dying from the virus, said Dr. Beth Carlton, a member of the COVID-19 modeling team for the state. “This is really about saving lives right now,” Carlton said, adding that if people do not follow safety guidelines, new strains of the virus could gain ground and increase spread.

Dr. Jean Kutner, chief medical officer of UCHealth University at Colorado Hospital [and CU School of Medicine faculty], said she’s volunteering at a clinic hosted by a church that brings in the vaccine and helps build trust between health care workers and residents.

Dr. Daniel Pastula, a neuroinfectious disease physician at UC Health University of Colorado Hospital [and CU School of Medicine associate professor of neurology], said the outdoor element of ski trips is generally safe during a pandemic, but the virus could spread if people congregate in places such as lift lines, lodges, restaurants and bathrooms. “I think you can ski smartly and safely. Again, not completely eliminating the risk, but really reducing it,” he said. Pastula listed now-common safety measures for skiers to follow, among them staying outdoors as much as possible, avoiding crowds and staying home when sick.

What the impact of school reopening will be will not be known until weeks into the school year. But officials anticipate some reduction in a statewide social distancing rate that in recent weeks has contributed to a leveling of new infections, Dr. Jonathan Samet, dean of the Colorado School of Public Health, and state epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy said.