Article – Page 35

July 12, 2023July 12, 2023

Healthy diet including full-fat dairy lowers risk for heart disease, death worldwide

By Regina Shaffer

Researchers reported that a diet comprised of higher amounts of fruit, vegetables, nuts, legumes, fish and whole-fat dairy is associated with lower CVD and mortality in all world regions, especially in countries with lower income.

In an analysis of data from four large, international prospective cohort studies from 80 countries and two case-control studies from 62 countries, researchers found that a 20% higher PURE healthy diet score was associated with a 6% lower risk for major CV events and an 8% lower risk for mortality. Read the full article in Healio.

July 11, 2023July 11, 2023

CareDx’s AlloSure Lung dd-cfDNA Testing Service Receives Medicare Coverage for Lung Transplant Rejection Monitoring

AlloSure Lung Represents First dd-cfDNA Approved by Medicare for Lung Transplant Patients

BRISBANE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– CareDx, Inc. (Nasdaq: CDNA) – The Transplant Company™ focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of clinically differentiated, high-value healthcare solutions for transplant patients and caregivers – today announced that CareDx’s AlloSure® Lung donor-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA) molecular testing service has received Medicare coverage.

The MolDX technology assessment program has determined that AlloSure Lung will be covered under the existing Medicare Local Coverage Determination for Molecular Testing for Solid Organ Allograft Rejection for use in the surveillance setting in lung transplant patients, effective May 9, 2023.¹ Read the complete press release on CareDx.com.

July 11, 2023July 11, 2023

With heart transplant advances, a quest for ‘holy grail’ of tolerance, improved outcomes

By Regina Shaffer

Editor’s Note: This is part 1 of a three-part Healio Exclusive series on developments and challenges in heart transplantation.

Heart transplantation is considered standard therapy for patients with end-stage HF, and survival and the availability of donor hearts have continued to improve over time.

In 2022, there were 4,111 heart transplants in the United States, an increase of 21.5% from 2021, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). Read the full article in Healio.

July 10, 2023July 10, 2023

Kidney Care Partners expresses disappointment with proposed dialysis payment increase

By Mark E. Neumann

Kidney Care Partners, a coalition of 30 organizations involved in kidney care, said it was “extremely concerned” about a proposal by CMS to increase the Medicare bundled payment rate by 1.6% next year, according to a press release.

The proposed additional payment, about half of the increase that CMS agreed to pay dialysis providers in 2023, “fails to heed calls from the kidney care community for meaningful relief to address the ongoing workforce crisis,” Kidney Care Partners (KCP) said in the release.
Read the full article in Healio.

July 10, 2023July 10, 2023

Study finds thresholds for low oxygen leading to acute kidney injury in cardiac surgery

By Erik Swain

Researchers identified thresholds for low oxygen delivery leading to acute kidney injury during cardiac surgery that were lower than previously reported.

“Our team has a longstanding interest in evaluating determinants of postoperative acute kidney injury using clinically informed datasets,” Donald S. Likosky, PhD, head of the Section of Health Services Research and Quality at the University of Michigan Health Department of Cardiac Surgery, told Healio. Read the full article in Healio.

July 9, 2023July 7, 2023

Researchers advocate for promotion of skin self-examination for early melanoma detection

By Gabrielle Capaldo

Skin self-examination is a viable secondary prevention method for the early detection of primary melanoma and should be promoted to patients, according to an article published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

While reducing melanoma mortality by removing early-stage melanomas has long been a goal for dermatologists, the authors of this article believe that physician-led screenings of asymptomatic adults have done little to achieve this goal. Read the full article in Healio.

July 8, 2023July 7, 2023

Noninvasive blood glucose monitor compares favorably to fingersticks in diabetes

By Jill Rollet and Michael Monostra

SAN DIEGO — A novel noninvasive blood glucose monitor may be able to measure glucose levels with an accuracy similar to fingersticks, according to a presenter.

The GWave blood glucose monitor (Hagar) uses radiofrequency waves to noninvasively measure venous blood glucose concentrations while filtering out white noise. The device measures glucose in the venous blood as opposed to CGMs, which measure glucose within interstitial fluid. Read the full article in Healio.

July 8, 2023July 7, 2023

Pittsburgh native with a kidney transplant competes on ‘Survivor’: ‘I never thought that could be me’

By Hanna Webster

Josh Wilder never expected to spend weeks surviving in the wild on national television.

He was born with Prune Belly syndrome, a rare genetic condition in which some internal organs and the abdominal muscles don’t fully develop. He frequented Pittsburgh doctor’s offices and hospitals throughout his childhood and was put on a strict, low-fat diet of healthy fruits and vegetables (a kid’s favorite) to protect his kidneys.
Read more in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

July 7, 2023July 7, 2023

Q&A: Mental Health Matters

CareDx hosted the “Ask the Experts: Mental Health Matters” webinar in partnership with the National Kidney Foundation serving Northern California and the Pacific Northwest on Wednesday, May 18, 2022. More than 600 members of the transplant community, comprised of transplant recipients, caregivers, and clinicians, joined the live virtual discussion to learn more about the role mental health plays in the pre- and post-transplant journey. Read the full article from CareDx.