CU Anschutz In The News

Robert Page, a clinical pharmacist who specializes in heart disease at the University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy, is worried about the emerging connections between marijuana consumption and the heart. Page was the lead author of a comprehensive statement on cannabis released by the American Heart Association in 2020. “I think we’re beginning to see the same things we saw with smoking cigarettes back in the ’50s and ’60s — that this is a signal,” Page said. “I feel like we’re repeating history.”

Millions of people deal with acne, but those who suffer from cystic acne know how difficult it is to treat compared to ordinary pimples. As its name suggests, cystic acne is a severe form of acne that results in large, pus-filled cysts forming underneath the skin’s surface, which usually makes them more painful than normal bumps and, depending on the severity, can cause scarring, says Dr. Emma Weiss, a board-certified dermatologist and assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. 

“I’m very worried,” said Robert Page, a clinical pharmacist who specializes in heart disease at the University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy. “It’s looking like cannabis may be a risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease.”

"Many people will be sick and die simply from loss of fluids," said May Chu, a professor with the Colorado School of Public Health and interim director of the Center for Global Health at CU Anschutz in Denver.

More than 50 million Americans suffer from chronic back pain — but a new drug-free groundbreaking treatment, pain reprocessing therapy, from researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, is helping patients and offering new hope. NBC’s Jacob Soboroff reports for TODAY.

As its name suggests, cystic acne is a severe form of acne that results in large, pus-filled cysts forming underneath the skin’s surface, which usually makes them much more painful than normal bumps and, depending on the severity, can cause scarring, according to Dr. Emma Weiss, a board-certified dermatologist and assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus. Though this type of acne can be hard to treat, it’s not impossible, and the dermatologists we spoke to recommend treating cystic acne as soon as possible to avoid permanent scarring.

David Kroll, a toxicologist and co-director of the cannabis science and medicine education programs at the University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy, also called the drug promising, but noted that it appears to have been tested on lower potency products than what is often available in the market. (He also was not involved in the study.)

Dr. Sam Dominguez, an infectious disease specialist at Children’s Hospital Colorado and a professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, said his hospital saw about 80 cases of invasive strep from October to March. By contrast, there were about five to 10 cases annually in pandemic years and roughly 20 per year before that, he said.