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Palliative medicine consultations for heart failure were linked with increased rates of advance directives being included in a patient’s electronic medical record, according to study results published this month in Journal of Maine Medical Center.

A new analysis of bone marrow plasma cells has helped to identify two biomarkers for multiple myeloma, which appear to play a role in the prognosis and clinical characteristics of the disease.

The focus on curbing COPD prevalence has largely focused on smoking cessation, but there are other factors, including diet, that can contribute to the risk of developing COPD.

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic presents a new challenge: patients have severe flu-like symptoms, but the virus can also cause renal failure. Doctors and patients need analgesics that go easy on the liver and kidneys but are not addictive, and this week researchers at LSU Health New Orleans Neuroscience Center of Excellence announced they have discovered a new class of drugs that can do the job.

This week, the top managed care news included CMS planning to pay more for at-home dialysis equipment; ACR supports continued use of telemedicine after the COVID-19 pandemic passes; AJMC®’s coverage of AIDS 2020, the 23rd International AIDS Conference.

Scientists do not yet have a full understanding of how multiple myeloma develops, but a new article suggests the gut microbiome is one factor that may play a role.

In patients with Parkinson disease (PD) who underwent deep brain stimulation, dementia prevalence and incidence were not found to be higher than those in the general PD population, according to study findings.

A new study suggests that people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) are often concerned about the costs of their care, but they do not always raise the concern with their doctor.

Investigators used death certificate data to determine the annual average decline of deaths attributed to systemic sclerosis.

Twenty pharmaceutical companies created a $1 billion fund to aid financially strained antibiotic development start-ups; the World Health Organization (WHO) concedes that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can become airborne; the WHO will launch an independent review into the global pandemic response after the United States formally withdrew from the organization.

Polygenic risk scores, which evaluate disease risk based on DNA variants, have previously been based almost entirely on patients who had European ancestry.

Companion diagnostic testing identifies patients most likely to benefit from biomarker-driven treatments. Much of the promise in lung cancer treatment comes from use of testing to match patients with targeted therapies, checkpoint inhibitors, or combinations.

A recent analysis conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS found donor governments spent $7.8 billion for HIV in 2019, a decrease of $165 million from the previous year. This number is similar to that spent a decade ago, despite a 25% increase of individuals now living with HIV in regions receiving the aid.

Treatment options for psoriatic arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis are increasing, and with studies already identifying response predictors for tumor necrosis factor inhibitors, there is a need to predict response to the interleukin-17A inhibitor secukinumab.

Walgreens announces it will be opening 500 to 700 in-store primary care clinics within the next 5 years; the mayor of New York City unveils plans for reopening the largest school system in the country; the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic takes a toll on Puerto Rico, the region with the highest poverty rate in the United States.

In medical and nursing staff experiencing insomnia while working in Wuhan, China, during the coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic, stress was a notable predictor in those with comorbid sleep apnea–hypopnea syndrome, according to study findings.

Smoking history can both increase the risk of cancer and create a hypoxic environment within the body, leading to poor outcomes, including less-effective treatment, among patients who undergo radiotherapy.

Women with heart disease during their first pregnancy had a higher rate of maternal cardiac events and neonatal complications, especially if they also had pulmonary hypertension, according to study findings published in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. The study also identified factors that can predict which pregnant women with heart disease will develop heart failure.

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may consider hydroxychloroquine essential to their treatment, but after the drug was identified as a potential therapy for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), patients with SLE experienced reduced access to the treatment, which could increase the risk of SLE flare.

Heart failure yields the greatest 5-year mortality risk for individuals newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (T2D) compared with any other heart or kidney diseases, according to a study published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

With more states reporting record numbers of new infections of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the United States has surpassed 3 million confirmed cases; the Trump administration has notified the United Nations that it will be withdrawing from the World Health Organization (WHO); a new injectable given to patients every 2 months can protect against HIV better than the commonly used daily pill.

Racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic status disparities exist in uveal melanoma treatment and survival, according to a study published in JAMA Ophthalmology.

There are 3 key issues that, if addressed by Congress, can optimally assist medical groups and health systems dealing with financial struggles amid the pandemic. These include continued funding to the CARES Act Provider Relief Fund, reinstating the Medicare Accelerated and Advanced Payment program, and permanently lifting waivers on telehealth, said Jerry Penso, MD, MBA, president and CEO of the American Medical Group Association.

FDA has lifted a partial clinical hold on a phase 2 trial of a treatment for patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) Hodgkin lymphoma from ADC Therapeutics. The trial of camidanlumab tesirine (Cami), an antibody drug conjugate that binds to CD25, is evaluating the safety and efficacy of the therapy and is intended to support the submission of a Biologics License Application to the FDA.

JNCCN is the official journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a group of cancer centers that develops treatment guidelines that are considered the “gold standard” for payers.

A 52-week interim analysis confirmed previous findings highlighting the benefits of ruxolitinib in patients with polycythemia vera (PV) who are resistant or intolerant to hydroxyurea. The full study findings with a 24-month follow-up are still to come.

Hospitalized patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were shown to be at greater risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and insomnia than those without COPD, with worse outcomes for in-hospital sleep quality and quantity also observed, according to study findings.

Between 2002 and 2015, data showed an increase in the percentage of intimate partner violence (IPV)–related emergency department claims paid by private insurance in the United States. This finding suggests the Affordable Care Act (ACA) may have increased women’s willingness and ability to seek medical attention for IPV-related injuries and disclose IPV as the source of the injuries, according to a study published in Women’s Health Issues.