Chronic Disease News and Research

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LVHT more common in afro-Caribbean athletes

Left-ventricular hyper-trabeculation (LVHT) - a feature of certain cardiomyopathies (chronic disease of the heart muscle) - has been found to be more common in black, male athletes according to a new study presented today at the World Congress of Cardiology.

19 Apr 2012

Entrepreneurs dig into health IT

If ever an industry were ready for disruption, it is the American health care industry. Americans spend about $7,600 a year per person on health care, one in two adults lives with a chronic disease and the average wait time to see a doctor in a metropolitan area is 20 days.

12 Apr 2012

First Edition: April 12, 2012

Today's headlines include reports about Massachusetts' health reform's sixth birthday.

From Medtronic 12 Apr 2012

Coalition members discuss value of collaboration in diabetes patient care

With so much discussion about what's not working in healthcare today, experts are increasingly pointing to a model of care that is working to improve outcomes for patients.

9 Apr 2012

New text messaging program to manage diabetes

D.C. Chartered Health Plan, Inc., the oldest Medicaid managed care organization in the District of Columbia, is launching a new text messaging program for 50 of its members to help them better manage diabetes, which requires regular care to avoid costly complications.

9 Apr 2012

State roundup: Health costs cloud forecast for state budgets; Minnesota to use HMO refund on personal care

U.S. state and local governments' fiscal situations have improved recently but will still deteriorate through 2060, the Government Accountability Office said on Thursday. ... The outlook remains gloomy for the future, with healthcare costs, both for public employees and for the Medicaid insurance program for the poor, swelling and weighing on budgets, GAO said.

7 Apr 2012

Positive effect of tafamidis on neurological degeneration

Tafamidis meglumine was approved in November 2011 for the treatment of transthyretin amyloidosis in adults. This rare disorder is caused by a defective gene and is associated with progressive nerve damage (neurological degeneration) that tafamidis is supposed to delay.

6 Apr 2012

New guidelines offer guidance on how and when to switch between RA drug classes

A trend toward more aggressive treatment in patients just starting to develop rheumatoid arthritis is among the most important changes in treatment guidelines for the disease, according to updated American College of Rheumatology recommendations published today in the journal Arthritis Care & Research. The trend may proceed from emerging opinions that joint damage caused by RA is irreversible, and that early, intensive therapy better preserves physical function, quality of life and capacity to work.

2 Apr 2012

Cancer cells grow and proliferate more robustly when exposed to human cells

New research from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute and the Rambam Medical Center may lead to the development of new methods for controlling the growth of cancer, and perhaps lead to treatments that will transform cancer from a lethal disease to a chronic, manageable one, similar to AIDS.

30 Mar 2012

Cancer death rates declining but obesity still needs to be tackled

According to a new report from four major national cancer tracking groups there has been a steady decline in cancer death rates for men, women and children from 2004 to 2008. The declines in death and new cases of cancer reflect progress against the disease in terms of prevention, diagnosis and treatment, but experts say rising obesity may present a new challenge in the fight against cancer.

29 Mar 2012

Daiichi Sankyo, NGM to discover and develop new treatments for diabetes

Daiichi Sankyo Company, Ltd. and NGM Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that they have entered into a research collaboration and license agreement to discover and develop novel therapeutics that modulate beta-cell regeneration for the treatment of diabetes.

29 Mar 2012

Greater out-of-pocket asthma medication costs associated with frequent hospitalizations among children

Greater out-of-pocket asthma medication cost was associated with small reductions in medication use and with more frequent asthma-related hospitalizations among children ages 5 years or older, according to a study in the March 28 issue of JAMA.

28 Mar 2012

Study: 20.1M individuals infected with HEV across 9 world regions

New research funded by the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 20.1 million individuals were infected with hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotypes 1 and 2 across 9 world regions in 2005.

28 Mar 2012

UT Southwestern researcher wins prestigious award from International Atherosclerosis Society

Dr. Helen Hobbs, a preeminent researcher on the genetics of cholesterol metabolism at UT Southwestern Medical Center, has won a prestigious award from the International Atherosclerosis Society.

28 Mar 2012

Viewpoints: Opposition from the right weakening support for Ryan's budget plan; Doctors need to confront overweight patients

It's no surprise that the White House has denounced Paul Ryan's new House budget as the end of welfare-state civilization. The puzzle is why some conservatives are taking shots at the best chance in decades for serious government reform.

28 Mar 2012

Polio eradication must be achieved or world risks rise in number of cases

In this BMJ Group blogs post, Richard Smith, editor of the BMJ until 2004 and director of the United Health Group's chronic disease initiative, examines whether efforts to eradicate polio can be successful.

23 Mar 2012

iPSYCH project to study five specific mental disorders

Is it possible to prevent the development of schizophrenia? Can certain patients develop autism if they carry a specific gene and have been exposed to a viral fetal infection? Should all ADHD patients take the same type of medication? This unique research project will try to answer these questions. The project is based at Aarhus University and will be known as 'The Lundbeck Foundation's Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research.'

20 Mar 2012

Viewpoints: Sandra fluke on slurs; Shifting the cost of uncompensated care

(D)espite the misinformation being spread, the regulation under discussion has absolutely nothing to do with government funding: It is all about the insurance policies provided by private employers and universities that are financed by individual workers, students and their families -- not taxpayers.

14 Mar 2012

Hospital Charitable Service Awards names Jefferson ARCHES Project as Program of Excellence

The ARCHES Project, a program of Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, was one of 10 programs from across the country named a Program of Excellence by the Hospital Charitable Service Awards, a national program sponsored by Jackson Healthcare.

14 Mar 2012

Electronics Letters publishes special supplement on Semiconductors in Personalised Medicine

Electronics Letters, renowned for its short, high quality international research papers at the cutting edge of technology, has now embraced Semiconductors in Personalised Medicine in its latest special supplement, available FREE online www.theiet.org/el-special.

14 Mar 2012