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Researchers find shared genetic link in autoimmune response among PV patients

Autoimmune disease occurs when the body's own natural defense system rebels against itself. One example is pemphigus vulgaris (PV), a blistering skin disease in which autoantibodies attack desmoglein 3 (Dsg3), the protein that binds together skin cells.

19 Jun 2014

State highlights: Illinois Medicaid digital shift delayed; N.C. hospitals fight cuts; heroin in New England

Alexian Brothers Health System is suspending its effort to launch a new Medicaid program, blaming the difficulty of connecting physicians using different electronic records systems. The Arlington Heights, Ill.-based health system was spearheading a so-called accountable care entity (ACE) to coordinate the care of about 46,000 patients on Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program for the poor and disabled. The ACEs are a form of managed care, one of Gov. Pat Quinn's initiatives to focus on preventative treatment to keep patients healthy and reduce health care costs (Schorsch, 6/17).

19 Jun 2014

Medicare faces cost tension with lawmakers, advocates

More than 130 lawmakers are urging the Obama administration to expand coverage for a lung-cancer test under Medicare that could cost the program billons, calling the screening important for vulnerable seniors. In a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the lawmakers called for a timely decision on coverage for low-dose CT scans for older patients at higher risk of developing lung cancer. ... A CMS spokesman said the agency's decision will be based on whether the test is "reasonable and necessary," without regard to its cost to Medicare (Yen, 6/17).

19 Jun 2014

Five Points Healthcare announces acquisition of BestCare Home Care

Five Points Healthcare announced that it acquired BestCare Home Care on April 30, 2014. BestCare is a home health provider of Medicare-certified, Medicaid-waiver and personal care services throughout Northern and Western Virginia.

18 Jun 2014

First Edition: June 18, 2014

Today's headlines include a report that the cost of health law subsidies may push the measure's overall price tag beyond projections.

18 Jun 2014

Clot-busting medications for treating pulmonary embolism patients linked with fewer deaths

Bringing clarity to a decades-long debate, a national team of researchers led by experts from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has found that adding clot-busting medications known as thrombolytics to conventional approaches when treating sudden-onset pulmonary embolism patients is associated with 47 percent fewer deaths than using standard intravenous or under-the-skin anticoagulant medications alone.

18 Jun 2014

Text message improves glycemic control in high risk Latinos with type 2 diabetes

"Don't forget! Check blood sugar before and after physical activity." "Use small plates! Portions will look larger and you may feel more satisfied after eating." "Tick, tock. Take your medication at the same time every day!"

16 Jun 2014

Weight loss most important factor for improving cardiovascular health in obese OSA patients

Obesity and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) tend to co-exist and are associated with a variety of cardiovascular risk factors, including inflammation, insulin resistance, abnormal cholesterol, and high blood pressure. While effective therapies are available for OSA, researchers are still unclear about what interventions are most effective in reducing the burden of risk factors for cardiovascular disease associated with OSA in obese patients.

13 Jun 2014

State highlights: Mass. near 0 percent uninsured; Ga. scraps Medicaid contract bidding; states turn to public health issues

When Massachusetts passed its landmark health coverage law under Gov. Mitt Romney in 2006, no one claimed the state would get to zero, as in 0 percent of residents who are uninsured. But numbers out today suggest Massachusetts is very close. Between December 2013 and March of this year, when the federal government was urging people to enroll, the number of Massachusetts residents signed up for health coverage increased by more than 215,000. If that number holds, the percentage of Massachusetts residents who do not have coverage has dropped to less than 1 percent (Bebinger, 6/9).

11 Jun 2014

Study: Lifetime costs for individual with autism spectrum disorder may reach $2.4 million

Costs for a lifetime of support for each individual with autism spectrum disorder may reach $2.4 million, according to a new study from researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

10 Jun 2014

Penn researchers awarded $10 million grant to study adverse health effects, remediation of asbestos

Researchers at the Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, have been awarded a $10 million grant from the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences over the next four years to study asbestos exposure pathways that lead to mesothelioma, the bioremediation of this hazardous material, and mechanisms that lead to asbestos-related diseases.

10 Jun 2014

Advances in understanding of genetics of CAD lead to more therapeutic targets

Advances in the understanding of the genetics of coronary artery disease, or CAD, will revitalize the field and lead to more therapeutic targets for new medicines to combat this common disease, suggests a genetics expert from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in a Perspective article in the new issue of Science Translational Medicine.

9 Jun 2014

Only 20% of health policy researchers use social media for communication, shows survey

Though Twitter boats 645 million users across the world, only 14 percent of health policy researchers reported using Twitter - and approximately 20 percent used blogs and Facebook - to communicate their research findings over the past year, according to a new study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

9 Jun 2014

PruittHealth announces winners of 2014 Guiding Light Caregiver Award

PruittHealth recently announced the 2014 winners of the Guiding Light Caregiver Award program at their annual Spring Conference.

4 Jun 2014

Breast cancer worry, risk behavior higher among teenage girls

Teenage girls with a familial or genetic risk for breast cancer worry more about getting the disease, even when their mother has no history, compared to girls their age with no known high risks, according to new data presented today by researchers from Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago (Abstract #9527).

3 Jun 2014

Palliative care can reduce pain and other distressing symptoms

When three-year-old Rachel was diagnosed with cancer, it was one of the worst days of her mother's life. Tests, medications, surgery—young Rachel's life turned upside down.

31 May 2014

Perelman School wins $10M renewal to study oldest part of human immune system

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has awarded the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania a five-year, $10 million renewal of a program project to study the oldest part of the human immune system called the complement system, or simply "complement."

30 May 2014

Hospice News and Research

Researchers find shared genetic link in autoimmune response among PV patients

State highlights: Illinois Medicaid digital shift delayed; N.C. hospitals fight cuts; heroin in New England

Medicare faces cost tension with lawmakers, advocates

Five Points Healthcare announces acquisition of BestCare Home Care

First Edition: June 18, 2014

Clot-busting medications for treating pulmonary embolism patients linked with fewer deaths

Text message improves glycemic control in high risk Latinos with type 2 diabetes

Weight loss most important factor for improving cardiovascular health in obese OSA patients

State highlights: Mass. near 0 percent uninsured; Ga. scraps Medicaid contract bidding; states turn to public health issues

Study: Lifetime costs for individual with autism spectrum disorder may reach $2.4 million

Penn researchers awarded $10 million grant to study adverse health effects, remediation of asbestos

Advances in understanding of genetics of CAD lead to more therapeutic targets

Only 20% of health policy researchers use social media for communication, shows survey

PruittHealth announces winners of 2014 Guiding Light Caregiver Award

Breast cancer worry, risk behavior higher among teenage girls

Palliative care can reduce pain and other distressing symptoms

Perelman School wins $10M renewal to study oldest part of human immune system

New research shows how misfolded proteins are precisely selected for degradation

Study gives hints about male versus female risk for certain psychiatric disorders

Chronic bystander viral impairs development of memory T cells

Discover how SciY empowers scientists

Why use light scattering to analyze proteins and viral vectors?

Changing the landscape of R&D to build clinical success from the ground up

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