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In a review of sex hormones and their role in the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), Ysrraelit and Correale compiled multiple references to provide clinical details regarding hormones and their respective immunological mechanisms.

Earlier this week, 3 studies were released that investigated the financial difficulties seen in patients living with cancer. Such difficulties are referred to as “financial toxicity,” which was studied in patients with metastatic breast cancer and older patients, as well as the conversations about cost of care that women with breast cancer have with their physicians.

Researchers recently investigated what role exercise plays in migraine prevention and found that although exercise can trigger migraine attacks, regular exercise may have prophylactic effects on migraine frequency.

Earlier this week, drug manufacturer Astrazeneca announced the results from a phase 3 trial studying durvalumab (Imfinzi) among patients with stage III unresectable non­–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who did not have disease progression after concurrent chemoradiotherapy.

Patients who use inhaled steroids to control their asthma or other breathing problems may be at a greater risk for developing nontuberculous mycobacterial lung infections.

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often have a significant disease burden that is particularly associated with the peak incidence of exacerbation events during winter months. A review assessed previous population studies that evaluated the impact of seasonality in COPD, emphasizing the importance of understanding how all factors impact patients and where interventions can be targeted.

Implicit biases may be unconsciously formed, but they can have real impacts for patients in the healthcare system if physicians or other healthcare providers don’t take the time to recognize their own implicit biases.

A recent meta-analysis shows that combined telemedicine involving telecase management or teleconsultation has significant improvements in asthma control and quality of life.

A phase 2 trial evaluating the 2 checkpoint inhibitors, nivolumab and ipilimumab, found significantly better tumor responses with the combination compared with nivolumab alone in patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer.

Aetna is selling its Medicare Part D prescription drug unit to WellCare Health Plans; Seema Verma, administrator of CMS, defended Medicaid work requirements, saying they are not intended to kick people out of the program; an experimental tuberculosis (TB) vaccine demonstrated 54% protection in a clinical trial.

Coverage of our peer-reviewed research and news reporting in the healthcare and mainstream press.

New research findings and critical evaluation of existing data can lead to changes in screening and treatment of certain cancers. Here are some updates to the diagnosis and treatment of breast, uterine, and cervical cancers.

This week, the top managed care news included comments to several proposals from CMS; Medicare advocates say voters will be motivated by healthcare cost concerns during the midterm elections; research showed diabetes drug dapagliflozin, an SGLT2 inhibitor, reduces risks of major cardiovascular events.

Young men who have sex with men (MSM) who used the PrEPmate intervention were more likely to attend study visits and have higher rates of adherence to the prevention treatment.

Local leaders from northern New Jersey heard national best practices of social determinants of health at the Building a Culture of Health conference.

The in-home visit gives the pharmacist a unique perspective on the medication experience of the member, allowing them to compare discharge information and Part D claims information to the medications present in the home, as well as assess adherence and discover discrepancies by having the member walk them through when and how they take their medications each day.

Readmission rates for Medicare patients with 6 major diseases were statistically higher among for-profit hospitals compared with nonprofit or government hospitals, according to a new study.

Not only do drug prices increase during shortages, but drugs prescribed as substitutes also have higher costs; small business owners have identified the cost of healthcare as the most important issue affecting them; the average enrollee share of premiums for federal employees will increase 1.5% in 2019.

The new initiative will not focus on donor-related bone marrow transplants in sickle cell disease, but instead will home in on genetic modifications of a patient’s own stem cells.

A study has found that noninvasive vagus nerve stimulation can provide pain relief for up to 60 minutes after an acute attack.

The costs of pivotal trials ranged from $2.1 million to $346.8 million, with a central cluster of trials with estimated costs of $12.2 million to $33.1 million.

A recent study compared the fracture risk between osteoporosis and osteopenia.

Hospital groups and other organizations and individuals sent blistering comments to CMS expanding its site-neutral payments between what Medicare pays for at physicians’ offices and off-campus hospital clinics, where rates are higher because of added hospital facility fees. It is also extending 340B drug discounts to off-site hospital clinics.

Advocates for keeping Medicare as it is were joined by a well-known pollster to discuss that voters are concerned about out-of-pocket costs, including what they pay for prescription drugs, as the 2018 midterm elections approach.

Medicare will ease up on annual readmission penalties for safety-net hospitals; the House of Representatives has passed a bill prohibiting pharmacy gag clauses, sending the bill to President Donald Trump's desk; the Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples (CREATES) Act of 2018 would reduce federal spending on prescription drugs by $3.3 billion from 2019 to 2028.

For patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) being treated with natalizumab, cognitive function improved from baseline to 1 year and improved significantly across all domains from baseline to 2 years.

The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) found enough evidence that biologics provide a benefit over the usual standard of care for patients with moderate to severe asthma, the organization said in a draft evidence report released Tuesday. However, since biologics cost much more than other pharmaceutical treatments, ICER said the 5 drugs it reviewed did not meet its usual cost-effectiveness thresholds.

A recent study found that statin use reduced the risks of osteoporosis, hip fracture, and vertebral fracture in stroke patients by 30% to 40%, and a dose-effect relationship was observed between statin cumulative defined daily doses and decreased risks of osteoporosis and fractures.

Black and Latino individuals are less likely than their white peers to develop early-onset atrial fibrillation (EOAF), yet these individuals experience higher rates of stroke, heart failure, and mortality from AF than do white patients. To date, little has been known about this paradox, as most research into EOAF focuses on white patients.

Gilead Sciences will sell authorized generics of its blockbuster hepatitis C drugs Epclusa and Harvoni; the pharmaceutical industry inserted a measure into an opioid bill to reverse discounts they would be required to give next year to seniors enrolled in Medicare Part D plans; the Trump administration has terminated a contract with a fetal tissue firm after being criticized by antiabortion groups and Republican lawmakers.