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A single blood test could diagnose 8 different types of cancer
Tammy Hinojos Medical & Allied HealthcareCancer is such a mysterious disease. For many different types of cancer, diagnosis can be a long and challenging process. A new blood test, however, might offer a much-needed simpler and more effective diagnostic technique. Called CancerSEEK, this new blood test has the potential to identify eight cancer types using just one blood sample. In the study, researchers show how the test shows high levels of sensitivity and specificity for cancer detection in more than 1,000 participants with the disease.
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Research provides new insight into transplant rejection
Lynn Hetzler Medical & Allied HealthcareSurgeons now perform more than 30,000 organ transplants a year, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and each of the recipients of those organs face the possibility of organ rejection. Not all organ transplant rejection is the same. Recipients of liver transplants rarely experience organ rejection, for example, while skin graft rejection rates are high. In a new study, published in Nature Communications, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital reveal insights that may help explain the mechanisms behind skin graft failure.
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Eliminate hidden germ hazards at your hospital
Lisa Mulcahy Healthcare AdministrationEvery hospital administrator knows that a clean, safe environment for patients is a top priority. There are great, new innovations in terms of bacteria control that many hospitals are implementing — a study from Duke University Health reports that the use of ultraviolet (UVC) light machines are on the rise, for instance. Yet, research also shows that, surprisingly, many areas in the hospital are overlooked when it comes to harboring hidden germs — and often aren't disinfected thoroughly as a result. Focus your cleaning protocol more thoroughly in the following places.
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Tapering off opioids after surgery: The Transitional Pain Program
Dorothy L. Tengler PharmaceuticalPreoperative opioid use is reported in 23.1 percent of patients undergoing surgery. However, there is an increased incidence of patients who receive prescription opioids after surgery compared with nonsurgical patients. In fact, a study of health insurance claims showed that patients undergoing two of the most common types of surgery were at an increased risk of becoming chronic users of opioid painkillers. Although prescriptions for opioids are most often related to surgical care, recent data suggest that 6 percent of patients undergoing either major or minor elective surgical procedures develop long-term opioid dependence.
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FDA campaign targets teen e-cigarette use
Tammy Hinojos Oral & Dental HealthcareThe commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently called the use of e-cigarettes among teens an "epidemic," and announced a campaign to educate young people along with an initiative to target retail and online sales of the addictive product. Is it really such a big deal? Yes. Some e-cigarette devices can contain as much nicotine as a pack of 20 regular cigarettes, according to information on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
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CDC issues new recommendations for treating pediatric mild traumatic brain…
Lynn Hetzler Medical & Allied HealthcareEpidemiological data indicate a market increase in the number of emergency department (ED) visits for pediatric mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) over the past decade, yet there are no evidence-based guidelines for diagnosing and managing these concussions. To address this, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has now established the Pediatric Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Guideline Workgroup. Children made nearly 3 million visits to the ED and more than 2 million outpatient visits for mTBI from 2005 to 2009. Because many patients seek treatment at a variety of settings, including in their schools, the actual number of mild TBIs cases in children is difficult to assess.
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First of its kind: Housing for homeless vets at the Cabin in the Woods…
Miranda Y. Brumbaugh Civil & GovernmentOne of the most concerning issues for military veterans is homelessness. Whether vets are struggling with mental health issues or simply don’t have the funds for a home, one state is offering a solution. The Togus Veterans Administration Medical Center in Chelsea, Maine, has recently opened the Cabin in the Woods project. Thanks to this new project, 21 veterans now have their very own home. However, this initiative is dedicated to providing homeless veterans in Maine more than just a home.
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HIV/AIDS program cuts to pay for immigrant child detentions
Michelle R. Matisons Civil & GovernmentAmidst the news about the controversial practice of locking up immigrant children whose parents are not U.S. citizens is the looming question of who will pay for these detentions. Corrections facilities already face overcrowding and harsh conditions, and now we are seeing how the Trump administration plans to pay for all this: shifting funds from programs essential to some Americans’ lives, including HIV/AIDS programs. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) provides myriad social service programs and also pays for the more than 13,000 children held in U.S. immigration detention facilities.
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Study shows prevalence of e-cigarette cannabis use among US youth
Dr. Denise A. Valenti Medical & Allied HealthcareThe results of a study that estimated the prevalence nationally of marijuana use with electronic cigarettes among middle and high school students in the United States were recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics. Close to 9 percent of the more than 20,000 youths between the ages of 9 and 19 in the study reported having used marijuana in vaped form in 2016. This is approximately 1 in every 11 youths.
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Per-employee healthcare costs to rise in 2019, but not as much as this…
Scott E. Rupp Healthcare AdministrationAs expected, employee health plan costs are likely to rise again, even if only marginally, by an estimated 4.1 percent in 2019, according to new research by the Mercer National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans. The rise is actually slightly less than that of 2018, which has grown by as much as 4.2 percent. Mercer says the rise this year has fallen significantly from highs of 6.5 percent in years' past. While past years' increases have been substantial, the rises in premiums also were accompanied by common employer cost-control tactics.
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