Skylar is an associate editor for The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) and The Center for Biosimilars®, and joined AJMC® in 2020. She is responsible for covering all aspects of the ever-changing global biosimilar industry and produces content that is accessible and informative for all health care stakeholders.
She has a BA in journalism and media studies from Rutgers University. You can connect with Skylar on LinkedIn.
Lymphocyte-HDL Ratio Outperforms Other Biomarkers for Predicting Pulmonary Function in COPD
Investigators found that the ratio of lymphocytes to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) performed better in predicting pulmonary function than the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and the platelet-lymphocyte ratio.
Family History, Genetics May Help to Predict, Detect Early-Stage CKD
A population-based study from the Netherlands showed that individuals with had at least 1 direct relative affected with chronic kidney disease (CKD), suggesting that biomarkers for CKD can aid in detecting the early stages of the disease.
Risk of Respiratory Complications, but Not Death, Is Higher for Patients With COPD Who Receive TAVI
Study findings show that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) had increased risks of respiratory complications and pneumonia after undergoing a transcatheter aortic valve insertion (TAVI) compared with those without COPD.
Study Identifies Platelet Distribution Width as a Predictor of Heart Failure Prognosis
Amid speculation that total blood counts may be associated with heart failure prognosis, researchers find that higher levels of platelet distribution width could be used to predict a worse prognosis for heart failure.
Study Finds Lack of Health Literacy Does Not Increase Mortality Risk in COPD
A study from Denmark found that low health literacy was not a risk factor for mortality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) compared with the general population and patients with other chronic conditions.
Virtual Platform Allows Transplant Evaluations, Wait-Listing to Continue Despite Pandemic
A study evaluating whether a virtual platform can improve access to evaluations for kidney transplants found that surgical teams could continue to keep up with evaluations adding patients to wait lists during the pandemic.
Study Finds 3 Key Components That Could Make Pulmonary Rehabilitation More Effective for AECOPD
A review found that including exercise, breathing techniques, and education components in pulmonary rehabilitation for patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) optimizes such programs.