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A recent review evaluated current data on the effects of sex hormones on transient receptor potential channels, which contribute to the sensitization in migraine and chronic pain syndromes.

A recent study at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy discovered a new way to use bioinformatics to determine how a patient’s immune system responds to immunotherapy.

Here are 5 things to know about respiratory health, including diseases like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and the environment, both the external and the internal.

A Health Affairs analysis showed a wide range of cost-effectiveness estimates for 30 of the most commonly prescribed cardiovascular drugs, suggesting that drug pricing is not consistently aligned with value.

Researchers recently developed a systematic map of the cell types that make up the mouse nervous system which has the ability to reveal new information about the origin of neurological diseases, and may lead to a detailed map of the human brain.

This week, the top managed care news included a panel mostly endorsed the use of patient-reported outcomes for coverage of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy; the US Preventive Services Task Force released new recommendations for cervical cancer screening; research found accountable care organization penetration may be changing how physicians work.

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

Researchers found that pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) usage is linked to routine care, such as influenza vaccination, tobacco and depression screening, and glucose testing.

The Senate approved an $854 billion spending measure, including a 5% boost for the National Institutes of Health; Maine’s Supreme Judicial Court said 2 lower-court rulings ordering the state to implement the voter-approved Medicaid expansion stand; the chief information officer of California’s public employee benefits and retirement system (CalPERS) is trying to use data to analyze trends and recommend policies to stem rising costs.

https://www.pharmacytimes.org/on-demand/scientific-advances-in-als

https://www.pharmacytimes.org/on-demand/new-horizons-in-the-diagnosis-and-treatment-of-hereditary-angioedema

A chronic health situation may worsen or, more likely, a crisis may happen suddenly with a call in the middle of the night. Millions of Americans then find themselves as a caregiver to a loved one, and as people live longer, as well as farther away from their families, healthcare providers, healthcare systems, policy makers, and employers need to change how they recognize and respond to the growing numbers of caregivers taking care of older adults, experts in the field said.

Earlier this month, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) released new treatment guidelines for a group of rare cancers that impact women during pregnancy.

The proposed Medicare Shared Savings Program rule has many sweeping changes that present a number new opportunities, but also challenges. In addition, the National Association of ACOs highlighted its concerns that the changes will decrease the number of ACOs and may discourage new entrants.

The diagnosis of osteoporosis is typically determined by bone mass density (BMD); however, bone turnover markers (BTMs) can provide information involving the bone remodeling process. A recent study found that BMD correlates negatively with BTM and positively with estradiol (E2) and magnesium (Mg(2+)) levels, and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-5b (TRAP-5b) demonstrates a specificity in identifying patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Facing ever-increasing costs, some families are forgoing traditional medical insurance in favor of patching together an alternative using multiple sources; a new initiative led by former CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt is looking to transform Medicaid with actionable solutions to address the health and social determinants of vulnerable populations; before kids go back to school, sales of the EpiPen usually spike, but this year parents are scrambling to find the injector.

According to the CDC, understanding disparities in access to care could help identify interventions that would improve access, receipt of necessary services, and care coordination. Such interventions, the report notes, could help improve health-related behaviors, prevent secondary conditions, and delay the progression of disability.

During a meeting of the Medicare Evidence Development and Coverage Advisory Committee (MEDCAC), panelists heard from chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T therapy drug makers, health researchers, and policy makers, and mostly endorsed including patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in its final national coverage analysis decision, expected next year.

CMS today released a formal guidance that outlines the federal payer’s approach to calculating budget neutrality for Medicaid section 1115 demonstration projects, “to strengthen fiscal accountability.”

The investigators in a recent study found that prior thrombotic events and leukocytosis were linked to subsequent thrombotic events in general, and prior arterial events and hyperlipidemia were linked with subsequent arterial events.

Results from a long-term observational study found that disease-modifying therapies lowered conversion rates to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) among patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

A blood test that tracks the rise and fall of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) levels can predict how patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma will respond to therapy within days of starting treatment.

As healthcare innovation accelerates, it’s important to have scientific methods and begin to move towards a more inclusive and transparent approach to measuring value—one that acknowledges diversity among patients’ characteristics, preferences, and related treatment effects.

Patients living in rural areas have fewer options for a hospital as closures continue at a rate of about 30 a year; the Trump administration is sending mixed messages about how it views pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs); thousands of veterans suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder may be left without benefits after the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) improperly handled as many as 1300 sexual trauma claims.

Health organizations reacted with dismay at the decision by the Environmental Protection Agency to reverse the Clean Power Plan, which set limits on coal-fired power plants, and replace it with one called the Affordable Clean Energy Rule, which gives more authority to states in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A regulatory impact analysis prepared for the rule indicates 1400 excess deaths created per year by the rule.

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with a history of at least 1 emergency department visit or hospitalization are eligible for a new digital health initiative announced by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield for its Ohio Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, where it will cover digital sensors from Propeller Health.

Tocilizumab (TCZ) monotherapy was noninferior to TCZ and methotrexate (MTX) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) following initial treatment with tocilizumab and MTX to a low disease activity state, according to a recent study.

The first chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy was approved just a year ago, changing the face of treatment for certain types of leukemias and lymphomas but carrying with it the downsides of toxicity and cost. A year later, scientists from a major cancer center said that they’ve made headway to discovering more about the T-cell signaling patterns and that understanding more about the biological pathways could help design the next generation of CAR-T treatments.