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Body mass index (BMI) and low vitamin D are causal factors for multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent study published in Neurology Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation.

HHS will announce its Medicaid fixed-payment block grant proposal on Thursday; the United States reiterates its offer to send a team to China to help with the coronavirus outbreak; Maryland legislators renew their fight over medically assisted suicide.

Researchers exhibit recent advances in the basic characteristics of interleukin (IL)-24, a member of the IL-20 family of cytokines associated with pro-inflammatory autoimmune disorders such as psoriasis, arthritis, and inflammatory bowel diseases, as a catalyst in the pathogenesis of allergic skin inflammation.

Medical cannabis was found to exhibit an overall positive effect on maintaining nightime sleep in patients with chronic pain, but frequent use was associated with problems of both waking up at night and falling asleep, according to study findings.

In a press conference, HHS secretary Alex Azar provided updates on the US government’s response to the 2019 novel coronavirus. He was joined by the director of the CDC, Robert Redfield, MD; the director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Nancy Messonnier, MD; and the director of the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Anthony Fauci, MD.

Participants in Last Gift, an end-of-life HIV research program from UC San Diego, donate their blood and their bodies so researchers can uncover all the places that HIV hides, to both fight the disease and stop it. Before each autopsy, the following is read: “From our first breath to our last, each of us tells a unique story. Here, we honor our Last Gift participants for their altruism to further research into HIV and the human condition. We take this moment of silence to honor their gifts and express our gratitude for all the discoveries their selfless donations will yield.”

The American Medical Association Foundation announced a national fellowship program to promote best practices and shared outcomes for the LGBTQ community; the FDA issued guidances promoting development of gene therapy products; the CDC announces 110 possible cases of coronavirus in the United States.

Ipsen, a French pharmaceutical company based in Paris, announced it has paused studies conducted on a drug used to treat Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressive (FOP).

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a lawsuit filed against 2 former chief executive officers of Turing Pharmaceuticals, now known as Vyera Pharmaceuticals: “Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli, currently serving a 7-year sentence in federal prison for securities fraud, a crime that took place before the launch of Vyera, and his business partner Kevin Mulleady.

CMS said it is expanding coverage of next generation sequencing (NGS) for use as a diagnostic for patients with germline breast and ovarian cancer, paving the way for Medicare beneficiaries to receive more personalized medicine. However, an advocate said the wording of CMS' decision could actually limit testing access for some women with breast or ovarian cancer.

Heart failure (HF) taxes the American healthcare system by a total of $39.2 billion to $60 billion each year. This amount is expected to increase up to 20% by 2030 and total $70 billion. Worldwide, HF has been diagnosed in 26 million individuals, and this number is rising.

In study findings demonstrating differentially expressed genes (DEGs) among healthy patients and those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), researchers show that key genes CYP1B1, VEGFA, BCL2, and CDKN1A may have significance in analyzing the development and progression of COPD.

For the first time, scientists obtained high-definition images of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptors, enabling future research into treatments for type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in Nature Communications.

Patients with early-onset Parkinson disease may have been born with disordered brain cells that mishandled dopamine for decades, according to a study released Monday.

Chinese health authorities are testing an HIV drug, lopinavir and ritonavir, as a potential treatment for the new coronavirus; a debate is growing over the efficacy of the sole drug approved to prevent preterm birth; the Trump administration threatens to withhold Califonia’s federal funding due to its abortion coverage requirements.

Following cataract surgery, a submicron formulation of loteprednol etabonate (LE) gel, 0.38% administered three times daily (TID), is safe and effective for treating ocular inflammation with minimal risk of intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation, according to study findings.

Researchers recently discovered a sensitive and specific biomarker that may enable early diagnosis, treatment, and public awareness of spotted fever rickettsial infections, including Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF), according to a study published in the American Journal of Pathology.

Extracting lung function measurements from electronic health record (EHR) data through an automated tool, such as Microsoft SQL Server’s full-text search feature, may be efficient and improve the number of values available, leading to improved phenotyping of patients with COPD, according to study findings.

The authors write that the drug's apparent cardioprotective effects in the angiotensin II stressed mice—the decreased fibrosis, reduced inflammation and oxidative stress—all merit further study.

Researchers compared the cost-effectiveness of ninetedanib to pirfenidone for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and found nintedanib to be more cost-saving than pirfenidone, according to study findings.

The literature review examined randomized controlled trials for craniosacral therapy (CST) in patients with migraine and other conditions that cause pain.

The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) published a draft evidence report on crizanlizumab (Adakveo), voxelotor (Oxbryta), and L-glutamine (Endari) for sickle cell disease, as well as a draft scoping document on valoctocogene roxaparvovec, an investigational gene therapy, and emicizumab (Helimbra) for hemophilia.

Amid the disappointment that the Camden Coalition's "hot spotting" efforts did not reduce hospital readmissions, we note how a well-read 2007 paper in our archives showed that expenditures on disease management do not always produce a return on investment.

Shifting towards an anti-inflammatory and suppressive homeostatic immune system may contribute to increased clinical efficacy of siponimod in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), a recent study in JCI Insight reported.

This week, the top managed care stories included a case involving health coverage for birth control reaching the Supreme Court; polls on healthcare anger President Trump; a popular diabetes drug receives a new indication.

Balance training of moderate intensity (BT) may increase anti-inflammatory cytokines and neurotrophic factor levels of patients with Parkinson disease (PD), according to study findings.

A formulation of calcipotriene and betamethasone dipropionate cream met its primary endpoint for treating plaque psoriasis during its phase 3 trial in the European Union, according to an announcement from MC2 Therapeutics.

Coverage of our peer-reviewed research and news reporting in the healthcare and mainstream press.

A pharmaceutical company executive is sentenced for his role in the opioid crisis; the CDC confirms the second US case of the Chinese coronavirus; the FDA issues accelerated approval of Tazverik for epithelioid sarcoma.

While global public health officials grapple with how to screen international travelers for a spreading coronavirus and the 2019-2020 flu season has claimed the lives of 54 US children so far, hospital groups and physician groups warned this week in court filings about another issue they say is a public health emergency: The Trump administration’s public charge rule, which will defer immigrants, as well as citizens, from seeking healthcare.