View this email in your browser<http://mailchi.mp/statnews/tk-578421?e=4aad33fd68> [STAT]<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=1853c9ed35&e=4aad33fd68> Monday, November 27, 2017 [Morning Rounds by Megan Thielking] Sponsored by [https://gallery.mailchimp.com/f8609630ae206654824f897b6/images/064764e4-f6d2-46ff-83b1-b422f1e3fe0e.png] Welcome back from the holiday weekend, and welcome to Morning Rounds. States brace for CHIP funding to run out Reauthorizing CHIP funding remains on the to do list as Congress returns to Capitol Hill this week. Lawmakers missed a Sept. 30 deadline to extend federal funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program, which covers nearly 9 million children and 370,000 pregnant women. As a result, officials in nearly a dozen states are drafting plans to let families know that their coverage might run out by the end of the year. There’s widespread bipartisan support<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=2edaa0116e&e=4aad33fd68> for CHIP, but Congress hasn’t been able to agree on how to pay for it. Earlier this month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services — which runs the federal part of CHIP — told state officials that if they do run out of funds, they’ll need to decide whether kids previously covered by the program are eligible for Medicaid. After a decade of delays, anti-tobacco ads roll out Keep an eye out this week for new ads that detail the massive toll cigarettes take on our health — a campaign that's actually paid for by tobacco companies. Back in 1999, the Justice Department sued the tobacco industry to recoup some of the federal health care dollars spent caring for people with conditions tied to smoking. In 2006, a federal judge ruled that tobacco companies did mislead the public about the risks of smoking cigarettes and ordered the industry to own up in TV and print ads. After years of legal back-and-forth<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=a45a33fd9e&e=4aad33fd68>, the advertisements are finally out and acknowledge that "more people die every year from smoking than from murder, AIDS, suicide, drugs, car crashes, and alcohol, combined." Some experts say that because the campaign was delayed for so long, it won’t have as much of an impact, because fewer young people — who are the mostly likely to start smoking — now read print newspapers or watch network television. Scientists use CRISPR to create a cellular tape recorder Scientists have created<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=07619ec8e4&e=4aad33fd68> a tiny tape recorder that captures changes inside living cells with the help of CRISPR-Cas, an immune system found in some types of bacteria. It works as a kind of biological reference guide: When a virus invades, CRISPR-Cas copies pieces of DNA from that virus and stores the information to teach future generations of the bacteria how to fight off the attacker. Scientists used that system to tweak a strain of E. coli so that the bacteria can record cellular activity, complete with time stamps. To read the recording, researchers look at the spot in the genome where the CRISPR system resides and translate the information that’s stored there. The technology is still in the early stages; so far, the system has been able to capture information from a handful of simultaneous signals and can keep the tape recorder running for days. Sponsor content by CooperSurgical CooperSurgical Acquires PARAGARD® (intrauterine copper contraceptive), Continues Marketplace Evolution Since its inception in 1990, CooperSurgical<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=d50707556d&e=4aad33fd68> has evolved dramatically, shifting from a small domestic company singularly focused on women’s health to a global powerhouse in family-related healthcare. Over time, CooperSurgical has exhibited significant growth through 40+ acquisitions, including its recent acquisition of PARAGARD Intrauterine Device (IUD). As the first Long Acting Reversible Contraceptive (LARC) to enter the CooperSurgical family, PARAGARD bolsters CooperSurgical’s already robust portfolio of women’s and family healthcare products. Inside STAT<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=d70fae63c7&e=4aad33fd68>: What drove this young man to the brink of death? [87396691-e5ca-4560-8a09-e04a5b7a5bdb.png]<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=4b8d47bf1d&e=4aad33fd68> (molly ferguson for stat) By age 30, Colin McEwen’s life had become a living nightmare. He was hospitalized a few times a month with debilitating spells of excruciating abdominal pain. He experienced weakness, insomnia, seizures, and anxiety. He described the pain as “unholy, like someone is squeezing your intestines. It would take your breath away.” But doctors couldn’t offer any explanation, and even McEwen’s loved ones began wondering if his symptoms were real. It took eight years to get an answer. STAT contributor Dr. Allison Bond unravels the story in our latest medical mystery — read here<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=a687f3c83d&e=4aad33fd68>. Federal court orders journal publishers to stop "predatory" practices A federal court has ordered a group of academic journal publishers to hit the brakes on what the Federal Trade Commission says are “predatory” publishing practices. The FTC is suing the OMICS Group and two sister companies, which publish hundreds of online journals. The FTC alleges many articles aren’t peer-reviewed<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=39c4836ca7&e=4aad33fd68> as the publishers claim; many of the scientists listed on editorial boards didn’t sign up for them; and the publisher effectively holds manuscripts hostage by hiding fees until papers have been accepted, which makes it all but impossible for researchers to withdraw their papers and send them to other journals. The FTC says the companies are cheating researchers<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=12e06f2e1d&e=4aad33fd68> out of potentially millions of dollars. Now, as the case plays out, a federal court has issued a temporary order telling the companies to stop making claims that misrepresent their journals and conferences. Arthritis might be more common than we thought Arthritis might be much more common than previously thought, according to a new analysis <https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=7a8e35d865&e=4aad33fd68> published this morning. Researchers suspected national arthritis estimates — which are based on whether survey participants recall ever being told by a health professional that they have arthritis — might not capture all cases. So they used federal health data to find cases of both doctor-diagnosed arthritis and chronic joint symptoms that lasted for more than three months, pointing to arthritis. By those estimates, 56 percent of men and 69 percent of women over age 65 have signs of arthritis, higher than previous national estimates have suggested. What to read around the web today § Telemedicine for addiction treatment? Picture remains fuzzy. Side Effects Public Media<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=f7097e1be9&e=4aad33fd68> § Veterans are key as surge of states okay medical pot for PTSD. AP<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=834701ef16&e=4aad33fd68> § Senator calls for more scrutiny of home DNA test industry. NBC<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=7458373ae4&e=4aad33fd68> More reads from STAT § A holiday gift guide for all the science lovers on your list<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=3948931413&e=4aad33fd68>. § Match matters: Here’s some advice on how to interview for your residency<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=ed29f0b601&e=4aad33fd68>. The latest from STAT Plus § The FDA says it’s illegal to sell do-it-yourself kits to edit human genes<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=8f08e90b53&e=4aad33fd68>. But what, exactly, does that mean? § How biopharma execs coach their teams <https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=918489f3c7&e=4aad33fd68> to respond to setbacks. Thanks for reading! More tomorrow, [Megan] [Facebook]<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=47e677f3f6&e=4aad33fd68> [Twitter]<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=f7febf90be&e=4aad33fd68> [STAT]<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=c0d6e7937c&e=4aad33fd68>