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The Trump administration asked Congress for billions in COVID-19 assistance for Americans while a report said government responses in both the United States and the United Kingdom were suddenly being influenced by a grim analysis forecasting half a million to over 2 million deaths if the virus is allowed to run rampant without nonpharmaceutical interventions—ie, social isolation.

The temporary relaxation and expansion of CMS' telehealth rules, which allows the use of methods like FaceTime and Skype, is aimed at protecting both older patients and their providers from COVID-19, which has led to curfews, shuttered schools, deserted Main Streets, and ravaged financial markets.

Propionic acid, a short-chain fatty acid, influences the multiple sclerosis (MS) disease course by an immunomodulatory mechanism, according to a study published in Cell.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of patients with vestibular migraine reveal abnormalities in the central vestibular cortex, according to a study published in Brain and Behavior.

Exposure to air pollutants alters the composition of gut microbiota, which increases the risk of obesity, diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, and other chronic illnesses, according to a study published in Environment International.

In adolescent patients with sickle cell disease, hydroxycarbamide therapy was associated with improvements in neurocognition variables such as working memory, verbal memory, and nonverbal IQ, according to study findings.

Adolescents who have had family members deported or detained were linked with poor psychological outcomes; AstraZeneca's phase 3 CASPIAN trial failed to meet its primary endpoint; tips on how to destress when you feel overwhelmed.

A special, noncontact boxing program was shown to potentially improve quality-of-life (QOL) and likelihood of exercise among patients with Parkinson disease compared with those who did not participate, according to preliminary study findings originally to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 72nd Annual Meeting.

Michael D. Abramoff, MD, PhD, is the Robert C. Watzke, MD Professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. He is also a professor of electrical and computer engineering and a professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Iowa. Abramoff’s research interests include how autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to improve the lives of patients, with a focus on autonomous AI-based diagnostic and quantification algorithms for retinal disease. He is the founder and executive chairman of IDx Technologies, which developed IDx-DR, an FDA-authorized autonomous AI diagnostic system for the detection of diabetic retinopathy and macular edema. An editor from The American Journal of Managed Care® recently conducted a question-and-answer session with Abramoff regarding the use of AI in the diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy.

pharmacytimes.org/on-demand/a-managed-care-review-of-unmet-medical-needs-new-treatments-and-health-economics-associated-with-schizophrenia-supplement

If you have a primary care relationship, there is at least one health care provider who does know you: your primary care physician (PCP). Yet in the turmoil of admission and the danger of discharge, it has often been likely that the only physician on earth who knows you and your health would never know that you spent 3 days in the hospital. That is, until you recovered and told the person.

While the cell and gene therapies approved so far are indicated for rare diseases with small patient populations, the successes of chimeric antigen receptor-T (CAR-T) therapies and expanding interest from biopharma stress the need to rapidly scale the supply chain as these therapies move toward commercial availability for more disease states and larger patient populations.

Children were found to exhibit distinct type 1 diabetes endotypes compared with older adolescents; DNA testing has shown to be beneficial but controversial when personlizing care for patients with breast cancer; artifical intelligence (AI) usage across healthcare.

The association of HIV infection with cardiovascular disease was particularly strong for heart failure and stroke.

Platelet indices may be altered in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and therefore act as a valuable diagnostic marker, according to research.

Men demonstrated higher levels of respiratory events and more periodic limb movements but women had significantly higher levels of sleep-associated complaints across all measures.

Harvard's Ashish Jha, MD, MPH, was senior author on a popular 2015 paper that addressed care fragmentation among those with chronic illness.

Changes in brain tissue iron relate to poorer cognition in Parkinson disease, according to a recent study.

A new study lends depth to the understanding of endogenous Candida endophthalmitis by comparing imagery from optical coherence tomography both before and after treatment.

Family history with migraine affect male and female patients differently, according to a recent study.

A new review article highlights the remaining challenge to making a meaningful immunotherapy to combat acute myeloid lymphoma (AML).

Overall, however, the FDA has reported 12 cases of dyshidrotic eczema caused by secukinumab, the investigators noted.

The most popular stories of the week on AJMC®.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, patients, as well as their physicians, have been put at risk while seeking or providing other healthcare. While several barriers to care have inhibited telehealth in the past, recent actions by CMS, HHS, and other governing bodies have sought to expand its availability nationwide. NYU Langone Health's telehealth service Virtual Urgent Care connects members with clinicians via phone or tablet to provide care without potential coronavirus exposure.

President Donald Trump on Friday declared the novel coronavirus a national emergency, which unlocks billions of dollars in federal funding to fight the disease’s spread. He also announced the creation of a website to direct symptomatic individuals to drive-through testing locations.

A primary analysis of data from the GeparOcto trial showed no difference in pathologic complete response among patients with early-stage breast cancer enrolled in 2 neoadjuvant treatment arms: sequential intense dose-dense epirubicin, paclitaxel, and cyclophosphamide and weekly paclitaxel and nonpegylated liposomal doxorubicin.

This week, top managed care news included WHO declaring coronavirus a pandemic; CMS’ creation of an insulin savings plan for seniors; racial bias from professionals as a factor in low minority participation in clinical trials.

Two individuals died after recieveing stool transplants; a CDC report highlights a lack of action on binge drinking; Congress has approved a food aid measure for seniors.