Access to human big data to accelerate research and improve patient care

Registered researchers will have rapid access to an “unprecedented scale” of clinical research data through the new Common Infrastructure for National Cohorts in Europe, Canada and Africa (CINECA), launched today. Simon Fraser University professor Fiona Brinkman, the initiative’s Canadian lead, says the project will not only accelerate disease research but will also help to advance…

60+ health care groups urge CMS to maintain coverage for medically necessary cancer testing

WASHINGTON, DC – February 1, 2019 – Leading health care companies and organizations representing patients, providers, academic medical centers, laboratories, and diagnostic manufacturers urged the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to revise its interpretation of the National Coverage Determination (NCD) for Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). In a letter to CMS Administrator Seema Verma,…

New UC study may help guide treatment of pediatric anxiety

Researchers from the University of Cincinnati (UC) examined common medications prescribed for children and adolescents with anxiety disorders, to determine which are the most effective and best-tolerated. This study revealed that the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) performed best overall compared to other types of medications. The results, available online in the Journal of Clinical…

Walking for health benefits just got easier to track

IMAGE: Professor of kinesiology at University of Massachusetts Amherst. view more  Credit: UMass Amherst In an ongoing study exploring walking for health across the adult lifespan, University of Massachusetts Amherst kinesiology researchers found that walking cadence is a reliable measure of exercise intensity and set simple steps-per-minute guidelines for moderate and vigorous intensity. Catrine Tudor-Locke, professor…