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.FITNESS & WELLNESS
The world is sad. People share 15 small things that make them happier
Today
There’s not much to smile about after a year filled with anxiety, grief and fear, and with warnings that a surge in COVID-19 cases will make it a “very dark winter.”
Americans in 2020 are sadder than they’ve been in most years over the past decade, with more than a quarter, 27%, reporting they experienced a lot of sadness the previous day, the Gallup 2020 Global Emotions Report found.
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The benefits of yoga for bad knees
Verywell Health
If you struggle with knee pain, yoga may offer relief. A regular exercise routine can help maintain good strength and mobility in the knees, which are crucial for walking and other daily activities, but choosing the right kind of exercise can be tricky. Many common exercises like running and aerobics are high-impact exercises, which can put pressure on the knees and worsen knee pain.
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.DIET & NUTRITION
'Ensure that your diet is 90% to 100% plant-based': 9 food rules from the world's longest-living people
CNBC
More than 15 years ago, I set out to reverse-engineer a formula for longevity. Working with renowned doctors and nutritionists, I identified several Blue Zones: Places around the world where people live the longest.
Along the way, I met experts who helped me understand why the foods people ate led to longer lives. We also distilled 150 dietary surveys of centenarians, or those who live to 100 or longer, to reveal the secrets of a strong longevity regimen.
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The biggest diet myths debunked in 2020, from the alkaline diet to 'loaded' fat loss tea
Insider
Nutrition advice is constantly changing, with competing, and even contradictory, recommendations appearing from reputable sources.
Even in the midst of a global pandemic, this year was no exception. Nutrition advice took on a new urgency in 2020 as people tried to find the best diet to protect against the coronavirus. New fad diets like the Mayr Method also emerged, and old ones like the alkaline diet resurfaced.
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Eating a Mediterranean diet may reduce the effects of stress
Medical News Today
According to a survey by the polling organization Gallup in 2019, people living in the U.S. reported some of the highest levels of psychological stress in the world.
Chronic stress not only increases a person’s risk of depression and anxiety but also their chances of developing diseases including obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke and Alzheimer’s.
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.RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Diet modifications — including more wine and cheese — may help reduce cognitive decline
Iowa State University via ScienceDaily
The foods we eat may have a direct impact on our cognitive acuity in our later years, according to new research. The study is the first of its kind to connect specific foods with cognitive decline. The findings show cheese protected against age-related cognitive problems and red wine was related to improvements in cognitive function.
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Study: Just 11 minutes of exercise a day is enough to help you live longer
CNBC
Finding time in your busy day to exercise is a challenge. But new research suggests that you may only need 11 minutes of exercise each day to live longer, according to a study published in the British Journal of Medicine.
Research has long shown that exercise can improve your life expectancy, because it lowers your risk of developing age-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
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Exercise may protect bone health after weight loss surgery
Wiley via ScienceDaily
Although weight loss surgery is a highly effective treatment for obesity, it can be detrimental to bone health. A new study published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research suggests that exercise may help address this shortcoming.
The study randomized 84 patients undergoing weight loss surgery to an exercise group or a control group for 11 months.
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.VITAMINS & PHARMACEUTICALS
Vitamin D deficiency in COVID-19 quadrupled death rate
Medscape
Vitamin D deficiency on admission to hospital was associated with a 3.7-fold increase in the odds of dying from COVID-19, according to an observational study looking back at data from the first wave of the pandemic.
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Study hints that supplements may reduce COVID-19 risk in females
Medical News Today
Researchers at King’s College London, in the U.K., analyzed data from 1.4 million users of the COVID-19 Symptom Study app in the U.K., the U.S. and Sweden. The participants answered questions about their regular use of dietary supplements.
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Dear Dietitian — What is vitamin K's role in health?
Kiowa County Press
An old vitamin is getting rave reviews lately. Most of you have heard of vitamin K, but did you know it is found in the diet in two forms? Vitamin K1, the most common form, was discovered by Danish scientist Henrik Dam in 1929 as he was studying cholesterol metabolism. It was known as the Koagulations vitamin for its distinct role in blood coagulation. The vitamin was spelled with a K because its discovery was first published in a German medical journal.
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.NAMCP UPDATES
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| Biodesix, Inc., a leading data-driven diagnostic solutions company with a focus in lung disease, today announced publication of an analysis of the company’s Nodify XL2® lung nodule test. The test supports clinical decision-making for suspicious nodules by more accurately identifying patients with a very low risk of malignancy and shifting those patients into surveillance, thereby minimizing invasive procedures on those with benign nodules. Please click here to view the full press release.
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| LivaNova PLC, a market-leading medical technology and innovation company, today announced the publication of a new study in the International Journal of Bipolar Disorders that showed adding Vagus Nerve Stimulation Therapy (VNS Therapy®) to treatment as usual (TAU) significantly improves outcomes in patients with treatment-resistant bipolar depression (TRBD). The study examined patients from a five-year prospective registry and found 63% of TRBD patients treated with adjunctive VNS Therapy in addition to TAU had a significant reduction in depressive symptoms, as measured by a 50% or greater reduction in the Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), compared with 39% of patients in the TAU alone group. Click here to view the entire press release. Click here to view the entire press release.
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| Additionally, LivaNova PLC announced a publication in Contemporary Clinical Trials, which details the design for “A Prospective, Multi-center, Randomized Controlled Blinded Trial Demonstrating the Safety and Effectiveness of VNS Therapy® System as Adjunctive Therapy Versus a No Stimulation Control in Subjects With Treatment-Resistant Depression” or the RECOVER clinical study. RECOVER is currently under way as part of a Coverage with Evidence Development framework of the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) National Coverage Determination process. Click here to view the entire press release.
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| In late 2018, the National Association of Managed Care Physicians (NAMCP) decided to create the Value Based Care Council (VBCC). The VBCC mission supports empowering medical directors with information and resources to assist them in making value based decisions that support achieving the Triple AIM of improved outcomes and the patient experience while reducing overall costs. The goal is to improve the integration of cost, quality, and access in the clinical decision making process so as to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of extracting value from the associated spend in order to optimize outcomes.
Pursuant to the above, and in response to an unmet need in the marketplace, the VBCC developed a short form in order to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency with which value propositions can be shared between industry and the medical leadership of various payers throughout the country. This same short form provides a concise and consistent manner with which value propositions can be shared and provides the ability to align expectations prior to actually conducting conversations or having a meeting regarding a product or service.
The Product Value Proposition Customer Engagement Short Form can be found on the NAMCP website (www.namcp.org) in the Value Based Care Council subsection of the Councils tab, under tools and resources. Please contact Will Williams at wwilliams@namcp.org with questions or for additional information.
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| Jazz Pharmaceuticals is excited to announce the approval of ZEPZELCA™ (lurbinectedin) for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic small cell lung cancer (SCLC) with disease progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy. ZEPZELCA is a second-line therapy that has been studied in both platinum-sensitive and -resistant SCLC patients. Please click here for more information.
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| Takeda Pharmaceuticals is part of, "The Fight Is In Us", an initiative to maximize the individual and societal benefit of COVID-19 plasma. The campaign will focus on recruiting COVID-19 survivors to donate their plasma at licensed blood and plasma donor centers.- If you’ve recovered from #COVID19, your immune system has antibodies that could be used as a treatment. See if you can help others by donating plasma www.TheFightIsInUs.org. #TheFightIsInUS
- The antibodies that helped you or someone you know fight off COVID-19 may be able to help others. Visit www.TheFightIsInUs.org to see if you qualify to donate plasma. #TheFightIsInUs
You are a survivor, now you could be a hero. Plasma from recovered #COVID19 patients could play a key role in creating a potential therapy for coronavirus. Learn how you can donate at www.TheFightIsInUs.org #TheFightIsInUs
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| Biodesix, Inc., a leading diagnostic company in lung disease, recently announced a partnership with Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: BIO and BIOb) to bring a COVID-19 Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR) test to the FDA for an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) approval to support the escalating need for testing in the U.S. Two studies published this month, ahead of peer review, reported that ddPCR testing showed superior sensitivity and precision for clinical detection of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) compared to existing test methods that are performed using qPCR. Biodesix currently has a focus on lung disease and offers other diagnostic testing for lung cancer utilizing the ddPCR platform.Click here for more information.
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| "Modeling Cost-Effectiveness of On-Demand Treatment for Hereditary Angioedema Attack" was recently published in the Journal of Managed Care Pharmacy's February 2020 issue. Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a rare disease that causes painful and potentially fatal episodes of swelling (attacks). HAE attacks can be unpredictable and the need to treat sudden attacks promptly and effectively is critical to minimize risk of hospitalization, morbidity, and mortality. A cost-effectiveness model was evaluated that considers evaluation of on-demand medications, healthcare utilization and patient well-being. For access to the publication, please click here.
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| Biodesix, Inc. announced initiation of the next phase of their biomarker development program with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and Pfizer Inc. The companies have completed initial discovery and development of a new proteomic test that identifies likely responders to the anti-PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor (BAVENCIO®) (avelumab). Development efforts will now focus on transferring the test into Biodesix's CLIA lab in Boulder, CO for clinical phase test validation. The new test was developed through retrospective analysis of the circulating proteome of cancer patients treated with the investigational drug candidate, utilizing the proprietary Biodesix Diagnostic Cortex™ artificial intelligence (AI) platform. Click here to read the full press release.
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| The NAMCP Medical Directors Institute recently held the first meeting of its Executive Leadership Council (ELC) at the recent Fall Managed Care Forum. The NAMCP Medical Directors Institute decided in late 2018 to create the Value Based Care Council (VBCC) with a mission to empower medical directors with information and resources to assist them in making value based decisions that support achieving the Triple AIM of improved outcomes and the patient experience while reducing overall costs. Click here to view an overview of the genesis, formation, and work of NAMCP's Value Based Care Council. Please click here to view the press release.
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| LivaNova PLC (NASDAQ:LIVN), a market-leading medical technology and innovation company, today announced the first patient enrolled in "A Prospective, Multi-center, Randomized Controlled Blinded Trial Demonstrating the Safety and Effectiveness of VNS Therapy® System as Adjunctive Therapy Versus a No Stimulation Control in Subjects With Treatment-Resistant Depression" (RECOVER). The study will evaluate Vagus Nerve Stimulation Therapy (VNS Therapy) for Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD) in accordance with the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) National Coverage Determination as part of its Coverage with Evidence Development Program. The first patient was enrolled by Dr. Azfar Malik in St. Louis. Click here to read the full press release.
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| Biodesix, Inc. this week highlighted findings from multiple studies demonstrating the significance and clinical utility of its VeriStrat® blood-based proteomic test as a predictive biomarker for patient survival outcomes and as a diagnostic tool to improve the clinical management of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This information is vital to implementing optimal treatment strategies for patients and supports disease state monitoring. To date, VeriStrat testing has helped more than 50,000 patients in determining the best treatment for their lung cancer. Click here to see the full press release. | |
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