OCT News and Research

RSS

Viewpoints: House Republicans help themselves, and the country, with smart, tough questions to Tavenner; Kentucky senators out of step with eager constituents; replace health law with single payer system

When House Republicans direct their opposition to Obamacare toward aggressive oversight rather than apocalyptic budget shenanigans, they can do themselves and the country a lot of good. That was obvious when the House Ways and Means Committee posed some smart, tough questions about HealthCare.gov to Marilyn Tavenner, who, as the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is perhaps the person most directly responsible for the fiasco. Yes, there were a few "gotcha" questions meant to showcase individual representatives' hatred of the health-care law. But for the most part, the queries seemed designed to find a path toward more competent management of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (10/29).

31 Oct 2013

Scientists unravel the major cause of protein citrullination in rheumatoid arthritis

Experiments by scientists at Johns Hopkins and in Boston have unraveled two biological mechanisms as the major cause of protein citrullination in rheumatoid arthritis. Protein citrullination is suspected of sparking the immune system and driving the cascade of events leading to the disease.

31 Oct 2013

Losing weight not always have positive effect on romantic relationship

Losing weight is generally beneficial for human health, but when one partner in a romantic relationship loses weight, it doesn't always have a positive effect on the relationship.

31 Oct 2013

Sebelius faces withering criticism on and off Capitol Hill

The Health and Human Services secretary is testifying before the House Energy and Commerce Committee today, as critics question her leadership of the department.

31 Oct 2013

Healthcare.gov contractor says it flagged problems

A House committee released a letter from CGI, one of the main developers of the government's health insurance website.

31 Oct 2013

House panel grills CMS chief Tavenner about health law website, insurance cancellations

Tavenner, who oversees the agency responsible for developing Healthcare.gov, apologized for the many problems consumers are encountering as Republicans expand their concerns.

30 Oct 2013

Genetic factors may be the same for specific language impairment and language-impaired autism

In the first molecular genetic study of families with a history of both language impairment and autism, scientists may have uncovered a shared origin for the two conditions, an important step toward explaining why some cases of autism are accompanied by language difficulties and others are not. The study, a collaboration of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital with experts at Rutgers University, indicates that a disorder called specific language impairment—one of the most common developmental delays in children—may be caused by the same genetic variants that lead to language difficulties in some children with autism.

30 Oct 2013

First Edition: October 31, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about how health law complications are quickly moving beyond problems with the healthcare.gov website to include other issues.

30 Oct 2013

Top official apologizes for bumpy rollout of HealthCare.gov

Testifying before the House Ways and Means Committee, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Marilyn Tavenner apologized for the website's difficulties and faced tough questioning from members of the panel.

30 Oct 2013

States struggle with enrollment data, outreach to minority populations

News outlets report on state health exchange developments in Colorado, Maryland, California and Minnesota.

30 Oct 2013

Common birth defect in male infants weakly linked to commercial pesticides

A study of several hundred chemicals used in commercial pesticides has found only weak evidence that any of them are associated with a common birth defect in male infants.

30 Oct 2013

C2 Health launches interactive portal to educate consumers on healthcare law

C2 Health, a division of C2 Technologies, Inc., announced today the launch of its Health Exchange Learning Portal (HELP) at C2-Health.com, a complete suite of classroom, eLearning courses, and resources for nationwide education of Navigators/Consumer Assistors, Consumers, Brokers, Call Center Representatives (CSRs), Health Workers and Volunteers tasked with helping consumers enroll for healthcare coverage under the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA).

30 Oct 2013

Study investigates link between sedentary behavior and recurrence of colorectal adenomas

Men who spend the most time engaged in sedentary behaviors are at greatest risk for recurrence of colorectal adenomas, benign tumors that are known precursors of colorectal cancers, according to results presented here at the 12th Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, held Oct. 27-30.

29 Oct 2013

Mount Sinai cardiologists use FDA-approved device for severely calcified coronary arteries

Leading interventional cardiologists at The Mount Sinai Hospital are the first in the world to use a newly U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved device for the treatment of severely calcified coronary arteries before the placement of a cardiac stent to open a blocked artery.

29 Oct 2013

Serotonin 2C receptors induce fast-acting antidepressant effects in mice

More than 1 in 10 Americans take antidepressants, but these medications can take weeks-and for some patients, months-before they begin to alleviate symptoms. Now, scientists from the University of Chicago have discovered that selectively blocking a serotonin receptor subtype induces fast-acting antidepressant effects in mice, indicating a potential new class of therapeutics for depression. The work was published Oct. 29 in Molecular Psychiatry.

29 Oct 2013

NEI-funded study explores methods to improve diagnosis, treatment of common eye diseases

If you've ever been sleep-deprived, you've probably had a firsthand glimpse of the blood vessels in your eyes. But what you haven't seen—and what many eye care professionals cannot see as well as they would like—are the vessels closest to the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye.

29 Oct 2013

State highlights: Vt. readies universal health care launch; Fla. adds four contractors to Medicaid managed care

As states open insurance marketplaces amid uncertainty about whether they're a solution for health care, Vermont is eyeing a bigger goal, one that more fully embraces a government-funded model. The state has a planned 2017 launch of the nation's first universal health care system, a sort of modified Medicare-for-all that has long been a dream for many liberals (Gram, 10/26).

29 Oct 2013

State exchange updates: Football marketing, slow starts and Calif.'s litmus test

News outlets provide updates on state health insurance exchanges in Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota and California, the state that many believe will provide a litmus test on how, and if, the state-based exchanges can work elsewhere.

29 Oct 2013

Subtle warning signs of autism may warrant referral to developmental specialist before age 18 months

How early can you diagnose autism? The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends screening children beginning at 18 months, but research suggests subtle warning signs may be apparent even earlier, according to Patricia Manning-Courtney, MD, FAAP, who delivered a plenary address at 11:10 a.m. ET Tuesday, Oct. 29, at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in Orlando.

29 Oct 2013

Study finds high rate of lower back injuries in athletes under age 18

Lower back injuries are the third most common injuries suffered in athletes under age 18, according to a study presented by Loyola University Medical Center sports medicine physician Neeru Jayanthi, MD.

29 Oct 2013

OCT News and Research

Viewpoints: House Republicans help themselves, and the country, with smart, tough questions to Tavenner; Kentucky senators out of step with eager constituents; replace health law with single payer system

Scientists unravel the major cause of protein citrullination in rheumatoid arthritis

Losing weight not always have positive effect on romantic relationship

Sebelius faces withering criticism on and off Capitol Hill

Healthcare.gov contractor says it flagged problems

House panel grills CMS chief Tavenner about health law website, insurance cancellations

Genetic factors may be the same for specific language impairment and language-impaired autism

First Edition: October 31, 2013

Top official apologizes for bumpy rollout of HealthCare.gov

States struggle with enrollment data, outreach to minority populations

Common birth defect in male infants weakly linked to commercial pesticides

C2 Health launches interactive portal to educate consumers on healthcare law

Study investigates link between sedentary behavior and recurrence of colorectal adenomas

Mount Sinai cardiologists use FDA-approved device for severely calcified coronary arteries

Serotonin 2C receptors induce fast-acting antidepressant effects in mice

NEI-funded study explores methods to improve diagnosis, treatment of common eye diseases

State highlights: Vt. readies universal health care launch; Fla. adds four contractors to Medicaid managed care

State exchange updates: Football marketing, slow starts and Calif.'s litmus test

Subtle warning signs of autism may warrant referral to developmental specialist before age 18 months

Study finds high rate of lower back injuries in athletes under age 18

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

Latest News