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New NIH projects to target Fragile X syndrome, nicotine addiction and AMD

The National Institutes of Health has launched three innovative projects that will focus on development of therapeutics for Fragile X syndrome, nicotine addiction, and age-related macular degeneration. These projects are funded through the NIH Blueprint Neurotherapeutics Network which provides access to a variety of drug development resources.

1 Aug 2013

NIH-funded study finds that rituximab is as effective as standard therapy for severe vasculitis

Administering the drug rituximab once weekly for one month provides the same benefits as 18 months of daily immunosuppressive therapy in people with severe forms of vasculitis, or inflammation of the blood vessels, a study has found.

1 Aug 2013

Obama administration touts slower health care cost increases

According to USA Today, personal health care costs rose at the slowest rate in the last 50 years, based on statistics for the past year ending in May.

31 Jul 2013

Task force recommends annual CT scans for high-risk smokers

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recommended that high-risk current and former smokers get an annual CT Scan to look for cancer. If the draft recommendation becomes final, insurers will likely have to cover the scan at no co-pay cost to consumers.

31 Jul 2013

First Edition: July 30, 2013

Today's headlines include a USA Today story reporting that personal health care costs rose in the 12 months ending in May at the slowest rate in the last 50 years -- a finding that makes the White House happy.

30 Jul 2013

NIH expands CRIC study to identify risk factors for progression of early stage CKD

Researchers from the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort study are embarking on another five years of work to identify risk factors for progression of early stage chronic kidney disease, better understand the importance of reduced kidney function in older persons, and learn what role CKD may play in other illnesses that require hospitalization. CRIC is supported by the National Institutes of Health.

30 Jul 2013

Mississippi, Nevada Wrestle with the development of their health exchanges

In other state and local health law implementation news, the health law may prove key to Detroit's efforts to manuever its bankruptcy process. Also, opponents in many states focus on limiting what they see as "the long arm of Washington."

30 Jul 2013

Hepatitis C (HCV) testing for baby boomers: an interview with Dr. Donald Jensen, Director, Center for Liver Diseases, University of Chicago

The USPSTF agreed with the CDC that since most patients (75%) who are currently infected with hepatitis C were born between 1945 - 1965, and since risk-based screening has not been successful in identifying these individuals, that a one time age-based hepatitis C blood test was necessary.

29 Jul 2013

First Edition: July 29, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about the White House's strategy for building support for the health law.

29 Jul 2013

First Edition: July 26, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about an effort by some GOP lawmakers to force a showdown over health law funding.

26 Jul 2013

Researchers find how brain cells communicate with each other in different voice tones

Brain cells talk to each other in a variety of tones. Sometimes they speak loudly but other times struggle to be heard. For many years scientists have asked why and how brain cells change tones so frequently. Today National Institutes of Health researchers showed that brief bursts of chemical energy coming from rapidly moving power plants, called mitochondria, may tune brain cell communication.

26 Jul 2013

Supporting cells in the inner ear can help repair damaged sensory hair cells, say researchers

Researchers have found in mice that supporting cells in the inner ear, once thought to serve only a structural role, can actively help repair damaged sensory hair cells, the functional cells that turn vibrations into the electrical signals that the brain recognizes as sound.

26 Jul 2013

For many states, Medicaid expansion plans remain unsettled

Federal officials remind Florida lawmakers that it is not too late to opt into the program, while in Virginia, Politico reports the issue could be decided by this fall's gubernatorial election. Also, an Arizona push to get the issue on the ballot in November may fail because of paperwork errors and the Michigan Senate considers a tweaked expansion bill that requires co-pays for new Medicaid enrollees.

26 Jul 2013

FDA allows marketing of Xpert MTB/RIF Assay for treatment of TB

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today allowed marketing of the Xpert MTB/RIF Assay, the first FDA-reviewed test that can simultaneously detect bacteria that cause tuberculosis and determine if the bacteria contain genetic markers that makes them resistant to rifampin, an important antibiotic for the treatment of TB.

26 Jul 2013

Silk implants placed in brain of animals may help stop progression of epilepsy

Silk has walked straight off the runway and into the lab. According to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, silk implants placed in the brain of laboratory animals and designed to release a specific chemical, adenosine, may help stop the progression of epilepsy.

26 Jul 2013

Study reveals that black women with breast cancer continue to have lower survival rate

In an analysis of 5-year survival rates among black and white women diagnosed with breast cancer between 1991 and 2005, black women continued to have a lower rate of survival, with most of the difference related to factors including poorer health of black patients at diagnosis and more advanced disease, rather than treatment differences, according to a study in the July 24/31 issue of JAMA.

25 Jul 2013

Some states plan aggressive marketing of health exchanges

News outlets report on state implementation activities, including efforts by California and Oregon to promote new health insurance marketplaces, presentations made to New Hampshire's special commission weighing whether to expand Medicaid and a closed door meeting by Idaho exchange officials.

25 Jul 2013

Combination of 6 comprehensive measures to prevent spread of hepatitis C

UC San Francisco researchers are recommending a combination of six comprehensive measures to prevent the spread of hepatitis C, in an effort to address the more than 31,000 young people they estimate may be newly infected with the virus each year in the United States due to injection-drug use.

25 Jul 2013

Study shows good doctor-patient relationships facilitate discussions about health care costs

Strong relationships with physicians, particularly those that are long standing, are likely to increase patients' openness to talk about health care costs when decisions are being made about their treatment options.

24 Jul 2013

FDA seeks additional information to make informed decisions about menthol in cigarettes

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) seeking additional information to help the agency make informed decisions about menthol in cigarettes. Despite decades of work to reduce tobacco use in the United States, it continues to be the leading cause of preventable death and disease.

24 Jul 2013

Health and Human Services News and Research

New NIH projects to target Fragile X syndrome, nicotine addiction and AMD

NIH-funded study finds that rituximab is as effective as standard therapy for severe vasculitis

Obama administration touts slower health care cost increases

Task force recommends annual CT scans for high-risk smokers

First Edition: July 30, 2013

NIH expands CRIC study to identify risk factors for progression of early stage CKD

Mississippi, Nevada Wrestle with the development of their health exchanges

Hepatitis C (HCV) testing for baby boomers: an interview with Dr. Donald Jensen, Director, Center for Liver Diseases, University of Chicago

First Edition: July 29, 2013

First Edition: July 26, 2013

Researchers find how brain cells communicate with each other in different voice tones

Supporting cells in the inner ear can help repair damaged sensory hair cells, say researchers

For many states, Medicaid expansion plans remain unsettled

FDA allows marketing of Xpert MTB/RIF Assay for treatment of TB

Silk implants placed in brain of animals may help stop progression of epilepsy

Study reveals that black women with breast cancer continue to have lower survival rate

Some states plan aggressive marketing of health exchanges

Combination of 6 comprehensive measures to prevent spread of hepatitis C

Study shows good doctor-patient relationships facilitate discussions about health care costs

FDA seeks additional information to make informed decisions about menthol in cigarettes

Event guide: 6th Operationalize Expanded Access Programs Summit East eBook

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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