2022

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‘One needs to feel safe’: Racism can put sleep — and its health benefits — out of reach

STAT

Lots of people struggle to get enough sleep — and the responsibility for fixing the problem tends to fall on the individual. Experts offer advice like reducing screen time, exercising more, or just going to bed earlier in the evening. But many restless nights can’t be solved with blackout curtains, ear plugs, or other typical suggestions.

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5 enduring mysteries of the Barry and Honey Sherman murders

PharmaVoice

After nearly five years, the homicide case involving pharma billionaires continues to perplex investigators.

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Opinion: Hospice care needs saving

STAT

Hospice in America is gravely ill. An extensive investigation jointly published by The New Yorker and ProPublica documented outright fraud, predatory practices, and flagrant mistreatment by specific publicly traded and private equity-owned hospice companies.

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STAT+: Nine in 10 health care companies with financial stress are owned by private equity

STAT

Almost 90% of the health care companies deemed to be under financial stress by a leading credit rating agency are owned by private equity , a stark indicator of the toll financial investors have taken on a vital sector. The striking finding is part of a new Moody’s Investors Service report released this week that shows broad turbulence throughout an industry weakened by private equity’s practice of loading companies with debt, making them less resilient to challenges like Covid-19,

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From Diagnosis to Delivery: How AI is Revolutionizing the Patient Experience

Speaker: Simran Kaur, Founder & CEO at Tattva Health Inc.

The healthcare landscape is being revolutionized by AI and cutting-edge digital technologies, reshaping how patients receive care and interact with providers. In this webinar led by Simran Kaur, we will explore how AI-driven solutions are enhancing patient communication, improving care quality, and empowering preventive and predictive medicine. You'll also learn how AI is streamlining healthcare processes, helping providers offer more efficient, personalized care and enabling faster, data-driven

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STAT+: Bone marrow transplant patients could be spared from ‘bland’ diet, study finds

STAT

Whenever a hematopoietic cell transplant patient tries to get a family member to sneak food in past the nurses, Federico Stella, a resident hematologist at the University of Milan, remembers. One was a girl who tried to get her sister to bring her a panettone, a Milanese sweet bread usually eaten around the holidays. A week before Christmas, the sister tried to hide the panettone in a bag.

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Opinion: Artificial intelligence: crossing the border between health care and tech

STAT

There’s been significant investment in companies creating artificial intelligence (AI) applications for health and health care over the last decade. But while there have been successes, notably in the area of medical imaging, the industry is known more for not yet living up to its potential — think IBM Watson. The slow pace of AI adoption in health care stems from the fact that health AI sits on the border between two large industries, health care and tech.

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Opinion: A tripledemic hurricane is making landfall. We need masks, not just tent hospitals

STAT

A viral hurricane is making landfall on health care systems battered by three pandemic years. With the official start of winter still weeks away, pediatric hospitals are facing crushing caseloads of children sick with RSV and other viral illnesses. Schools that promised a “return to normal” now report widespread absences and even closures from RSV and flu in many parts of the country , contributing to parents missing work in record numbers.

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‘A very worrying scenario’: Internal documents on India Covid-19 vaccine raise troubling questions about approval process

STAT

As the Covid-19 pandemic spread across the world two years ago, one of India’s leading biotech companies was racing to develop a vaccine with crucial backing from the Indian government. The shot engineered by Bharat Biotech was, in part, an important effort to create a home-grown product that could   bolster the fortunes of the Indian pharmaceutical industry.

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Holmes gets more than 11 years in prison for Theranos scam

STAT

A federal judge on Friday sentenced disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes to more than 11 years in prison for duping investors in the failed startup that promised to revolutionize blood testing but instead made her a symbol of Silicon Valley’s culture of audacious self-promotion. The sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Edward Davila was shorter than the 15-year penalty requested by federal prosecutors but far tougher than the leniency her legal team sought for the mother of a year-o

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Boston University researchers’ testing of lab-made version of Covid virus draws government scrutiny

STAT

Research at Boston University that involved testing a lab-made hybrid version of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is garnering heated headlines alleging the scientists involved could have unleashed a new pathogen. There is no evidence the work, performed under biosecurity level 3 precautions in BU’s National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, was conducted improperly or unsafely.

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Why Every Small Business Needs an HCM Solution: A Comprehensive Guide

Managing HR tasks like payroll, compliance, and employee data can overwhelm small businesses. That’s where a Human Capital Management (HCM) solution comes in. Our eBook, Why Every Small Business Needs an HCM Solution: A Comprehensive Guide , shows how an HCM system automates tedious processes, ensuring your business stays compliant and efficient. You’ll learn how to simplify payroll, eliminate costly errors, and empower your employees with self-service tools.

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Opinion: Maternity care in the U.S. is in crisis. It’s time to call the midwife

STAT

After pushing for several hours, my patient looks exhausted but happy, clutching her seconds-old newborn to her chest. As I help her put her baby to breast for the first time, she isn’t thinking about anything other than the tiny human blinking up at her. As well she shouldn’t.

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Opinion: Messaging — the unrecognized coefficient in pandemic control — matters

STAT

A little over a century ago, scientists working in laboratories discovered that microbes were the cause of many epidemics. Once they understood that, they began to put their faith more and more in laboratory science. This major transformation, called the bacteriological revolution, began in the 1880s. During this period, diphtheria was one of the leading causes of death among mostly poor children in New York City.

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Fungi find their way into cancer tumors, but what they’re doing there is a mystery

STAT

For a while, scientists thought the trillions of microbes on our bodies lived in landscapes connected to the outside world — our skin, hair, and gut — but research in the last few years has shown that’s not so. When Ravid Straussman, a cancer biologist at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, looked deeper, he and several other research groups around the world found bacteria in the milieu of tumors.

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Opinion: Doctors who knowingly spread Covid-19 lies should be held accountable

STAT

The California State Legislature has sent a bill to Gov. Gavin Newsom that strengthens discipline for doctors who knowingly spread Covid-19 misinformation. Legislation like this is sorely needed across the country. More than two years into the pandemic, Covid-19 misinformation still runs rampant. Some comes from doctors spreading lies about unproven — and actually harmful — “treatments” for Covid-19 and promoting anti-vaccine conspiracy theories.

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Best Practices to Streamline Compensation Management: A Foundation for Growth

Speaker: Joe Sharpe and James Carlson

Payroll optimization can be one of the most time-consuming and complex factors of small business management. Yet, organizations that crack the code on streamlining employee compensation often discover innovative avenues for growth. With the right strategies in place, outsourcing and streamlining payroll processes can result in substantial time and resource savings.

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STAT+: Moderna says cancer vaccine reduces melanoma’s return by 44%

STAT

An experimental cancer vaccine being developed by the biotechnology firm Moderna and the drug giant Merck reduced the risk that melanoma would return after surgery or that patients would die by 44%, the company said. The data, made public in a press release, represent the first evidence of an effective individualized cancer vaccine based on mRNA, the technology used in the Covid shots.

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On the Texas-Mexico border, a bold plan to diversify Alzheimer’s research takes shape

STAT

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — Gladys Maestre is on a scouting mission. The Alzheimer’s disease researcher is driving through Southmost, a Mexican American neighborhood just north of looming sections of the border wall and a checkpoint that leads to Mexico. She passes barking dogs and “no trespassing” signs, but doesn’t see a single person outside, despite the comfortable stuffed recliners, refrigerators, and shade canopies that furnish many yards.

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STAT+: USDA starts cracking down on companies that ship animals without timely inspections

STAT

Earlier this year, a leading animal rights group asked U.S. authorities to investigate medical research labs for allegedly violating federal law after finding numerous instances where nearly 2,000 monkeys were shipped between facilities without required veterinary inspections. Now, the federal government appears to be acting.

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Where caregiving is a family affair, Alzheimer’s places a heavy burden on children and spouses

STAT

HARLINGEN, Texas — Here in the Rio Grande Valley almost everyone knows, or cares for, someone with dementia. It’s not a surprise. The region has some of the nation’s highest rates of the disease. But what’s less appreciated is the enormity of the burden carried by the mostly Mexican American caregivers. In a culture where caregiving is a family affair, it’s almost unthinkable for children and spouses to place loved ones in nursing facilities or ask for outside

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Position Your Pharmacy for Expansion

Speaker: Chris Antypas and Josh Halladay

Access to limited distribution drugs and payer contracts are key to pharmacy expansion. But how do you prepare your operations to take the next step? Meaningful data: Collect and share clinical data regarding outcomes, utilization, and more Reporting: Limited distribution models require efficient tracking and reporting systems Workflows: Align workflows with specific pharma and payer contractual requirements For in-depth, expert insights on pharmacy expansion, watch this webinar from Inovalon.

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STAT+: In reversal, FDA advisers vote to support approval of Amylyx’s drug for ALS

STAT

At the end of an unusual and dramatic meeting on Wednesday, an independent panel of advisers to the Food and Drug Administration recommended the approval of a new drug to treat people with ALS developed by Amylyx Pharmaceuticals. The vote was 7-2, a substantial margin of support for the Amylyx drug called AMX0035 and a reversal of the same group’s vote against the drug last March.

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Pfizer isn’t sharing Covid vaccines with researchers for next-gen studies

STAT

WASHINGTON — Researchers studying next-generation vaccines to fight an evolving Covid-19 threat are running into problems getting existing vaccines to use in their research. Because Pfizer and Moderna hold the patents for the current vaccines, researchers would likely have to get the companies’ permission to use them for research into products like nasal or pan-coronavirus vaccines.

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After three years in prison, ‘CRISPR babies’ scientist is attempting a comeback

STAT

He Jiankui, the Chinese biophysicist who created the first gene-edited children , had been quiet since completing a three-year prison sentence in April, leaving many to wonder whether he had plans to return to scientific research. Earlier this month, we got his answer. On Nov. 9, He posted photos to Twitter of himself sitting at a computer in a white office.

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Ebola experimental vaccine trial may begin soon in Uganda

STAT

A clinical trial of one or perhaps two experimental vaccines designed to protect against the Ebola Sudan virus could soon begin in Uganda, as long as the country agrees to allow the research to take place, an official of the World Health Organization said Wednesday. The trial could get underway within a couple of weeks and definitely before the end of October, said Ana Maria Henao-Restrepo, who heads WHO’s R&D Blueprint effort to develop drugs, diagnostics, and vaccines to respon

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Enhance Healthcare Efficiency With Top Payroll & HCM Services

Running a healthcare facility requires precision and care, not just for patients but also for your staff. Our guide, "A Buyer’s Guide to Payroll & HCM Services," helps healthcare providers choose the best provider. Efficient payroll management ensures timely, accurate payments, critical for maintaining staff morale and trust. Compliance support helps navigate complex healthcare regulations and avoid costly fines.

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Human neurons implanted in a rodent’s brain lead a rat to water — and make it drink

STAT

The scientist flicked on a laser, filling the rat’s brain with blue light. The rodent, true to its past two weeks of training, scampered across its glass box to a tiny spout, where it was duly rewarded with a drink of water. From the outside, this would appear to be a pretty run-of-the-mill neuroscience experiment, except for the fact that the neurons directing the rat to its thirst-quenching reward didn’t contain any rat DNA.

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Covid vaccines averted 3 million deaths in U.S., according to new study

STAT

This Wednesday will mark two years since nurse Sandra Lindsay became the first person in the U.S. to receive a Covid-19 vaccine outside of a clinical trial. A study released Tuesday by the Commonwealth Fund shows that in those two years, the Covid vaccines have averted over 3 million deaths in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 1 million Americans have died from Covid-19 since the onset of the pandemic.

Vaccines 360
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STAT+: Detailed data on Alzheimer’s therapy from Eisai, Biogen hold up to scientific scrutiny

STAT

SAN FRANCISCO — A closely watched new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease held up to scrutiny in a detailed scientific presentation Tuesday, as its developers, partners Eisai and Biogen, begin the lengthy process of turning this medicine into what they hope could be a groundbreaking therapy. The drug, lecanemab, slowed the cognitive and functional decline of patients with early-stage Alzheimer’s by 27% relative to placebo in a roughly 2,000-volunteer clinical trial.

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STAT+: European Prosecutor’s Office confirms it’s investigating European Union Covid vaccine contracts

STAT

In an unusual step, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) confirmed it has opened an investigation into the Covid-19 contracts signed by the European Union, a move that comes shortly after numerous members of the European Parliament harshly criticized a lack of transparency surrounding an agreement with Pfizer. The EPPO is an independent public prosecution office that is responsible for investigating, prosecuting, and bringing to judgment crimes such as fraud, money laundering an

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5 Reasons to Upgrade Your Pharmacy Management Software

Are you still using workarounds to manage your daily operations? To achieve peak performance, it's time to explore other options for specialty and infusion pharmacy software. Streamline pharmacy operations and improve clinical performance with automated processing, real-time data exchange, and electronic decision support. Download this helpful infographic to: Drive efficiency and patient adherence from referral receipt to delivery and ongoing care – all with our Pharmacy Cloud.

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Top U.S. addiction researcher calls for broad deregulation of methadone

STAT

BOSTON — The U.S. government’s top addiction researcher is calling for broad deregulation of methadone , a key drug used to treat opioid use disorder. American doctors should “absolutely” be allowed to prescribe methadone directly to patients, Nora Volkow, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said Wednesday.

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Opinion: Victims of domestic abuse should get the same top-notch concussion care as athletes

STAT

Two vastly different experiences — serving as a “guest coach” on the sidelines for a Division I football team and volunteering in a busy emergency department — showed me just how unequal and damaging the lack of care provided for women who are victims of domestic violence can be. In the first decade of the 2000s, one of the benefits of being a professor at Wake Forest University was the opportunity I received nearly every year to serve as a guest coach.

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STAT+: Gilead drug prolongs survival of women with common form of breast cancer

STAT

Gilead Sciences said Wednesday that its cancer drug Trodelvy prolonged the survival of women with the most common form of breast cancer by just under 30% — a clinical trial result that could lead to a better treatment option for patients with advanced disease and strengthen the drug’s commercial outlook. In the study, called TROPICS-02, Trodelvy showed a median overall survival of 14.4 months compared to 11.2 months for comparator chemotherapy.

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Opinion: If you think health care is dysfunctional now, just wait until after January 1

STAT

Doctors across the country, especially those in primary care, have been up in arms about Medicare’s proposed cuts in reimbursement that are scheduled to go into effect on January 1. They are concerned — rightfully so — that these cuts will be ruinous to their practices and compromise the care they can provide to their patients. As an emergency physician, I worry about the cuts for a different reason: emergency departments might soon be filled with more and more people who ca

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STAT+: Akero treatment for NASH reduces liver scarring, achieves goals of mid-stage study

STAT

Akero Therapeutics said Tuesday that an experimental medicine improved liver scarring at twice the rate of a placebo without worsening other symptoms — achieving the main goal of a mid-stage clinical trial involving patients with the fatty liver disease known as NASH. If the encouraging study results are confirmed in later Phase 3 clinical trials, the Akero drug, called efruxifermin, could become an effective treatment for a chronic disease that has grown into one of the leading causes of

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