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Friday, April 20, 2018
[Morning Rounds by Megan Thielking]
Sponsored by
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Happy Friday, everyone! I'm here to get you ahead of the day's news in science and medicine.
FDA panel endorses marijuana-based epilepsy drug
An expert panel says<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=2dd4d76c07&e=4aad33fd68> the FDA should approve a new medicine for two rare forms of epilepsy that's made of cannabidiol, or CBD, a component of cannabis that doesn't make people high. If it's approved, the drug, Epidiolex, would become the country's first medication made from marijuana. The committee's unanimous vote isn't binding. In documents released this week, FDA officials also said<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=637f50dfef&e=4aad33fd68> they supported approval, citing clinical trial data that showed Epidiolex reduced the number of seizures<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=47dd11e476&e=4aad33fd68> in patients. The agency is slated to make a decision by the end of June.
Here are the health leaders highlighted on the Time 100 list
Several big figures in health and medicine made Time’s 100 most influential people list, including Dr. Ann McKee<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=928df18ce3&e=4aad33fd68>, who runs the chronic traumatic encephalopathy research center at Boston University. McKee — who has dedicated her career to studying traumatic brain injuries — has built a research bank that includes hundreds of brains from people who had head injuries, some of which had CTE. Also on Time’s list: cancer researcher Carl June<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=a22377cb28&e=4aad33fd68>, Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=4a103c861e&e=4aad33fd68>, and Nice Nailantei Leng'ete<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=00a2071fb2&e=4aad33fd68>, who has worked to prevent female genital mutilation and improve sexual health in Kenya.
Today's your day to ask Francis Collins anything
Have a burning question for the NIH director? Here's your chance to ask. Francis Collins is hosting an Ask Me Anything chat, or AMA, on Reddit at 2 p.m. EST today. Before he ran the NIH, Collins played a critical role in completing the Human Genome Project. Now, he’s spearheading a new generation of genome research through the All of Us<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=1937c01e0b&e=4aad33fd68> research program. You can quiz Collins about the history of the HGP or pick his brain about the future of precision medicine here<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=ae29d92c0f&e=4aad33fd68>.
Sponsor content by PACIRA PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. AND DEPUY SYNTHES COMPANIES
Research shows opioid-free pain relief for total knee replacement surgery is possible
A Total Knee Replacement (TKR) is one of the most commonly performed orthopedic procedures. A recent study has demonstrated that non-opioid EXPAREL may provide long-lasting pain control. Read more.<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=0c15095715&e=4aad33fd68>
Inside STAT<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=2133ef0d06&e=4aad33fd68>: Some teaching hospitals rack up serious violations
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(mike reddy for stat)
Physicians in training get practice treating patients at teaching hospitals, which carry a reputation as places that provide cutting-edge care, thanks to their ties to academic institutions. But a new STAT analysis of CMS data finds there’s a wide gap in the quality of training at the roughly 1,200 teaching hospitals in the U.S. While the majority weren’t cited at all between 2014 and 2017, others racked up dozens of safety violations during that time, putting patients at risk and compromising the training of residents. STAT contributor Max Blau has the story here<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=1bce2fdcab&e=4aad33fd68>.
New hepatitis C infections continue to climb
Reported cases of acute hepatitis C jumped nearly 22 percent in the U.S. between 2015 and 2016, health officials report<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=cde2389cdb&e=4aad33fd68>. There were 2,967 cases of hepatitis C flagged to the CDC in 2016, but the agency says that there were likely more than 41,000 new hepatitis C infections in 2016, given that many cases aren't caught or reported. Cases of hepatitis C have ticked up as the opioid epidemic has worsened. And new cases of hepatitis A rose 44 percent between 2015 and 2016, largely due to two outbreaks tied to contaminated imported foods.
The risk factors behind Utah's high youth suicide rate
The youth suicide rate in Utah is consistently higher than the national rate and has been rising for a decade — roughly 20 percent of Utah students in grades 8 through 12 reported having suicidal thoughts in 2015, and 8 percent reported attempting suicide in the past year. In a new report<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=bee52a30a0&e=4aad33fd68>, the CDC and state health officials pinpointed several risk factors for suicidal thoughts: being bullied, using illegal substances or tobacco, and experiencing psychological distress. Utah health officials say they’re using the findings to create new suicide prevention strategies.
How flexible diamonds could be used to deliver drugs
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diamonds are a cell's best friend. (yang lu et. al / science)
Scientists have created<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=e7a75b6938&e=4aad33fd68> nanodiamonds that can bend and stretch like a rubber band, and which could be useful in the development of new drug delivery tools. Researchers made minuscule diamond needles that were just a few hundred nanometers across. They could flex without breaking and bounce back more easily than standard diamonds can. Scientists are already testing the idea of using nanodiamonds as a way to ferry drugs into cells. MIT material engineer Ming Dao, who played a role in the research, tells me the nanodiamonds were "much more durable than expected," making them a better candidate for drug delivery.
What to read around the web today
§ When will the gender gap in science disappear? The Atlantic<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=ae20ad6fd2&e=4aad33fd68>
§ For the first CAR-T therapy, early sales are weak but hopes are still high. STAT Plus<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=86ecef0afc&e=4aad33fd68>
§ Pasta is good for you, say scientists funded by Big Pasta. Buzzfeed<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=d9a2901e91&e=4aad33fd68>
§ Bodies remodeled for a life at sea. New York Times<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=65ce58fbd2&e=4aad33fd68>
§ U.S. spending on prescription drugs rose less than 1 percent last year. STAT Plus<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=2888fefbf9&e=4aad33fd68>
Hope you have a wonderful weekend! Back first thing Monday morning,
[Megan]
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