Chronic News and Research

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First Edition: June 11, 2014

Today's headlines include a range of stories about the upset of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor -- a Virginia primary election shocker -- as well as continuing coverage of health law implementation issues and congressional responses to the VA's health care troubles.

11 Jun 2014

New prescription weight-loss medication combines antidepressant with addiction medication

A new prescription weight-loss medication that combines a popular antidepressant with a medication for addiction will be reviewed by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) for potential approval.

11 Jun 2014

Researchers find standard heart disease risk assessment tools for rheumatoid arthritis patients

Rheumatoid arthritis patients overall are twice as likely as the average person to develop heart problems. Pinpointing which rheumatoid arthritis patients need stepped-up heart disease prevention efforts has been a challenge; research by Mayo Clinic and others has found that standard heart disease risk assessment tools may underrate the danger a particular person faces.

11 Jun 2014

AbbVie's ALIGN study underscores patients’ attitudes and adherence toward TNF inhibitors

AbbVie today announced results from its multi-country ALIGN study, which shows that across six chronic immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs), adherence to treatment was generally higher in patients being treated with TNF inhibitors compared to patients treated with conventional therapy.

11 Jun 2014

Paradigm shift in new, highly targeted leukaemia therapy

Australian researchers are zeroing in on a promising new approach to killing off cancer cells in patients with leukemia.

11 Jun 2014

Knowing summer allergies

As if a runny nose and red eyes weren't enough to ruin your warm weather look, summer allergies can gift you with even more than you've bargained for this year. In fact, some unusual symptoms can leave you looking like you lost a round in a boxing ring.

11 Jun 2014

Study presents oxytocin as latest treatment target for age-related muscle wasting

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have discovered that oxytocin -- a hormone associated with maternal nurturing, social attachments, childbirth and sex -- is indispensable for healthy muscle maintenance and repair, and that in mice, it declines with age.

11 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

New framework for monitoring oral cancer development, progression, recurrence

Each year, approximately 22,000 Americans are diagnosed with oral cancer. The five-year survival rate of 40% in the U.S. is one of the lowest of the major cancers, and it has not improved in the past 40 years.

11 Jun 2014

FDA grants orphan drug designation to EffRx Pharmaceuticals' EX404 for treatment of PCOS

EffRx Pharmaceuticals SA, a specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted orphan drug designation to its proprietary metformin-based product candidate, EX404, for the treatment of pediatric polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

11 Jun 2014

Mirna enrolls first patient in hematological malignancy cohort of MRX34 Phase 1 clinical trial

Mirna Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering microRNA-based Replacement Therapy to treat cancer, today announced the enrollment of the first patient in the hematological malignancy cohort of its ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial of MRX34, the company's lead product candidate and first microRNA mimic in human clinical trials in oncology.

11 Jun 2014

First Edition: June 10, 2014

Today's headlines include details of an extensive, nationwide audit of the wait times for care at VA hospitals and clinics.

10 Jun 2014

Professor opens new University of Leicester British Heart Foundation CRC on 11 June 2014

The new University of Leicester British Heart Foundation Cardiovascular Research Centre (CRC) will be officially opened on Wednesday 11 June 2014 by Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Robert Burgess.

10 Jun 2014

electroCore's non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation therapy reduces cluster headache attacks

In a multi-center, randomized, trial across Europe, electroCore's non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS) therapy was found to meet its primary endpoint of statistical significance in reducing the number of cluster headache attacks when compared with the standard of care.

10 Jun 2014

Aetna partners with Fresenius Medical Care to improve lives of people with end stage renal disease

Fresenius Medical Care announced today a collaborative care model designed to improve the quality of care for Aetna's Medicare Advantage members who have end stage renal disease, while lowering health care costs.

10 Jun 2014

Under health law, states serve as testing grounds for innovation

Media outlets report on a range of issues related to the measure's implementation, including how some states are finding opportunities in the overhaul to pursue their own health system changes.

10 Jun 2014

Chronic sleep loss can cause certain neurotoxic molecules to permeate into brain tissue

The longer the insomnia, junctions of cerebral blood vessels begin to degrade. In search of the answer to why do we sleep, research conducted at the Mexican Metropolitan Autonomous University (UAM) revealed that chronic sleep loss can cause certain neurotoxic molecules, which normally circulate in the blood, to be transported to the central nervous system and interfere with the function of neurons.

10 Jun 2014

State highlights: Improving chronic care in Las Vegas; standoff over Medicaid in N.C.

Now, Las Vegas is emerging as a test of how much a community can improve chronically poor health by expanding insurance coverage and using models of medical care pioneered in healthier places. "We are a prime example of what people see as problematic about the American healthcare system," said Larry Matheis, the former longtime head of the Nevada State Medical Assn. "That makes a lot of the ideas in health reform very attractive. … The challenge is going to be figuring out how to make it all work" (Levey, 6/7).

10 Jun 2014

Most breast cancer patients fail to meet national physical activity guidelines

Physical activity after breast cancer diagnosis has been linked with prolonged survival and improved quality of life, but most participants in a large breast cancer study did not meet national physical activity guidelines after they were diagnosed. Moreover, African-American women were less likely to meet the guidelines than white women.

10 Jun 2014

Urodynamic study clinically useful in young men with LUTS

Urodynamic studies are useful for aiding diagnosis and treatment decisions in young men with chronic lower urinary tract symptoms but without symptoms suggestive of chronic prostatitis, Korean researchers say.

9 Jun 2014

Chronic News and Research

First Edition: June 11, 2014

New prescription weight-loss medication combines antidepressant with addiction medication

Researchers find standard heart disease risk assessment tools for rheumatoid arthritis patients

AbbVie's ALIGN study underscores patients’ attitudes and adherence toward TNF inhibitors

Paradigm shift in new, highly targeted leukaemia therapy

Knowing summer allergies

Study presents oxytocin as latest treatment target for age-related muscle wasting

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

New framework for monitoring oral cancer development, progression, recurrence

FDA grants orphan drug designation to EffRx Pharmaceuticals' EX404 for treatment of PCOS

Mirna enrolls first patient in hematological malignancy cohort of MRX34 Phase 1 clinical trial

First Edition: June 10, 2014

Professor opens new University of Leicester British Heart Foundation CRC on 11 June 2014

electroCore's non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation therapy reduces cluster headache attacks

Aetna partners with Fresenius Medical Care to improve lives of people with end stage renal disease

Under health law, states serve as testing grounds for innovation

Chronic sleep loss can cause certain neurotoxic molecules to permeate into brain tissue

State highlights: Improving chronic care in Las Vegas; standoff over Medicaid in N.C.

Most breast cancer patients fail to meet national physical activity guidelines

Urodynamic study clinically useful in young men with LUTS

Industry Focus eBook - Neurology/Neuroscience - 2nd edition eBook

Improving healthcare sustainability through carbon data

Managing vibration in IVF laboratories

A New Approach to Preventing Bladder Cancer Recurrence

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