View this email in your browser<http://mailchi.mp/statnews/isyuoki1g1-578669?e=4aad33fd68> [STAT]<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=a50edeb348&e=4aad33fd68> Tuesday, December 5, 2017 [Morning Rounds by Megan Thielking] Follow STAT on Facebook<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=e25d786a56&e=4aad33fd68> and Twitter<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=fe3e6a548f&e=4aad33fd68>, and visit us at statnews.com<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=9be6b59ed0&e=4aad33fd68> Welcome to Morning Rounds, everyone. Here's what you need to know about health and medicine this morning. FDA weighs in on 3-D printing in medicine There’s growing research interest in 3-D printing in medicine — which means it’s time for the FDA to weigh in on the technology. The agency just rolled out new guidance for companies that are working to create 3-D-printed tissues, medical devices, and drugs. That kind of work is already happening in hospitals and research labs across the country, from lab-grown voice boxes<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=8427514786&e=4aad33fd68> and custom heart models<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=dc2f437d7e&e=4aad33fd68> to help doctors prep for surgery to 3-D-printed scaffolds to mend broken bones<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=ab1a2683b6&e=4aad33fd68>. The FDA says this guidance is just to put the agency’s initial thoughts on 3-D printing down on paper. The next steps: Review the current regulations about 3-D printing to see if there’s a need for more guidelines aside from the new regenerative medicine rules <https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=eb972192d1&e=4aad33fd68> released earlier this month. How an L.A. housing program cut health care costs The health department for Los Angeles County launched a program in 2012 that connects people who are homeless and have complex medical issues with agencies that can help them find stable housing<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=8b31d10860&e=4aad33fd68> and get preventive health care. A new analysis <https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=5a76487b72&e=4aad33fd68> of nearly 900 people who’ve participated in the program shows it’s paid off: For every $1 invested, the county government saved $1.20 in health care and social service costs. Use of both medical and mental health services tumbled substantially after the participants got into stable housing. People made, on average, one fewer trip to the ER in the next year. The study only lasted two years and didn’t include a control group — but it points to the potential of housing programs to cut health care costs. More women in poor countries are using contraceptives A growing number of women in the world’s poorest nations are using modern contraceptives, according to a new report<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=cbd068a721&e=4aad33fd68> published by Family Planning 2020, a global initiative to improve contraceptive access. More than 309 million women and girls are now using a modern method of contraception in the 69 countries targeted by the program, an increase of 38.8 million women since it launched in 2012. The biggest gains were seen in Africa, which accounted for half of new contraceptive users since 2012. The authors of the new report say those rising rates of contraceptive use have prevented millions of unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions and thousands of maternal deaths. Inside STAT<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=cbdd523f52&e=4aad33fd68>: Pregnant women who need medications face a risky guessing game [87396691-e5ca-4560-8a09-e04a5b7a5bdb.png]<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=f6f6810671&e=4aad33fd68> (molly ferguson for stat) So many women face wrenching decisions about using medication during their pregnancies. Their fears and frustrations are slowly stirring change. Congress last year created a task force through the National Institutes of Health to study why so few women can get reliable answers on medication use during pregnancy — and to recommend solutions. Experts say it’s long overdue. Almost every medicine given to a pregnant woman, from prescription antacids for acid reflux to biologic drugs to prevent epileptic seizures, is considered an off-label use. The research “is pretty impressively minimal,” Dr. Catherine Spong, an obstetrician who is leading the federal task force, tells me. That’s left doctors and patients facing a high-risk guessing game. I've got the story here<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=8a88d16876&e=4aad33fd68>. I also gathered ideas from doctors, ethicists, and drug industry leaders on how to improve research on drug use during pregnancy — more here<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=6f1c1950c4&e=4aad33fd68> on STAT Plus. Why are some earlobes attached, and others aren't? New research<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=eabd98458d&e=4aad33fd68> finds there are at least 49 genes involved in determining whether your earlobes are detached or are stuck to the side of your face. Scientists collected genetic data and earlobe info from nearly 10,000 people, and pinpointed six genes that seemed strongly tied to earlobe attachment. Then, they partnered with 23andMe to run a similar study on nearly 65,000 people who’d used the service and consented to participate in research. That turned up similar evidence on those six genes, along with another 43 genes that seemed to be involved. Now, the researchers want to break down how those genes interact with one another to create our telltale earlobe shape. Minority health experts talk opioid crisis and disparities The committee tasked with advising HHS on how to improve the health of minorities is convening today<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=fc474f0a55&e=4aad33fd68> to talk about the opioid crisis and health disparities. Specifically, they’ll get into ways to use data to narrow health disparities and to prevent opioid addiction and overdose among minorities and other groups. They'll wrap all those ideas up into a memo, which will be publicly released soon. What to read around the web today § There's a shortage of the nutrients needed to feed premature infants. NBC News<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=c79eaf94ea&e=4aad33fd68> § For the first time, a study finds double-booked surgeries put patients at risk. Boston Globe<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=d7a0cdf94d&e=4aad33fd68> § As marketplace deadline nears, navigators feel the pinch. Kaiser Health News<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=dc907be127&e=4aad33fd68> More reads from STAT § Could this be the first prescription video game<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=9459dfdba5&e=4aad33fd68>? New data show it helps kids with ADHD. § Watch: The body changes dramatically during pregnancy — and that might mean medication doses <https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=a46956ecd5&e=4aad33fd68> are all wrong. The latest from STAT Plus § Colorado lifts Medicaid restrictions for treating hepatitis C.<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=377b8a5a05&e=4aad33fd68> § Sanofi dengue vaccine was supposed to be a blockbuster; now, it’s the focus of a scandal<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=b92fd16835&e=4aad33fd68>. Thanks for reading! More tomorrow, [Megan] [Facebook]<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=d5cfe580e9&e=4aad33fd68> [Twitter]<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=1b088630ae&e=4aad33fd68> [STAT]<https://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=c12f77bb43&e=4aad33fd68>