Out of Control Health Costs or a Broken Society
Flawed Accounting for the US Health Spending Problem By Jeff Goldsmith Source: OECD, Our World in Data Late last year, I saw this chart which made my heart sink. It compared US life expectancy to its health spending since 1970 vs. other countries. As you can see,  the US began peeling off from the rest of the civilized world in the mid-1980’s. Then US life expectancy began falling around 2015, even as health spending continued to rise. We lost two more full years of life expectancy to COVID. By  the end of 2022, the US had given up 26 years-worth of progress in life expectancy gains. Adding four more ...
Source: The Health Care Blog - October 9, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: matthew holt Tags: Health Policy COVID Drug Overdoses gun violence Hospitals Jeff Goldsmith Maternal mortality Mental Health Obesity Poverty Regional Economy Society Source Type: blogs

Out of Control Health Costs or a Broken Society
Flawed Accounting for the US Health Spending Problem By Jeff Goldsmith Source: OECD, Our World in Data Late last year, I saw this chart which made my heart sink. It compared US life expectancy to its health spending since 1970 vs. other countries. As you can see,  the US began peeling off from the rest of the civilized world in the mid-1980’s. Then US life expectancy began falling around 2015, even as health spending continued to rise. We lost two more full years of life expectancy to COVID. By  the end of 2022, the US had given up 26 years-worth of progress in life expecta...
Source: The Health Care Blog - October 9, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: matthew holt Tags: Health Policy COVID Drug Overdoses gun violence Hospitals Jeff Goldsmith Maternal mortality Mental Health Obesity Poverty Regional Economy Society Source Type: blogs

Fight Aging! Newsletter, October 9th 2023
Fight Aging! publishes news and commentary relevant to the goal of ending all age-related disease, to be achieved by bringing the mechanisms of aging under the control of modern medicine. This weekly newsletter is sent to thousands of interested subscribers. To subscribe or unsubscribe from the newsletter, please visit: https://www.fightaging.org/newsletter/ Longevity Industry Consulting Services Reason, the founder of Fight Aging! and Repair Biotechnologies, offers strategic consulting services to investors, entrepreneurs, and others interested in the longevity industry and its complexities. To find out m...
Source: Fight Aging! - October 8, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs

Bonus Features – October 8, 2023 – 67% of Women are Having Issues with Getting a Clear Diagnosis – of which 25% are Still Waiting for Diagnosis or Gave up Entirely, Health Gorilla has 17 Healthcare Organizations Commit to Joining their QHIN, and More!
This article will be a weekly roundup of interesting stories, product announcements, new hires, partnerships, research studies, awards, sales, and more. Because there’s so much happening out there in healthcare IT we aren’t able to cover in our full articles, we still want to make sure you’re informed of all the latest news, announcements, and stories happening to help you better do your job. News This year’s Customer Forum and Innovation Summit from Avel eCare will double as a celebration of their 30th anniversary! PEP Health’s AI-powered Patient Experience Platform releases its first report offering qua...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - October 8, 2023 Category: Information Technology Authors: Grayson Miller Tags: Healthcare IT 9amHealth Accelecom Amazon Web Services Artisight athenahealth Atropos Health Avel eCare AVIA Banner Health BJC Healthcare Boston Children's Hospital Children's Mercy Kansas City Cottage Health DrFirst Emma Smit Source Type: blogs

More White Matter Hyperintensities, Greater Cognitive Decline
Researchers here show that the burden of white matter hyperintensities in the brain correlates with both age and with loss of cognitive function. A white matter hyperintensity is named for its appearance in MRI images of the brain, and is an area of damaged tissue. The cause can include rupture of small blood vessels, which is increasingly common with advancing age, particularly in patients with hypertension, or forms of inflammation and scarring, often associated with leakage of the blood-brain barrier, another issue that becomes prevalent with age. These incidences of damage to the brain are individually minor, but colle...
Source: Fight Aging! - October 4, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs

Fight Aging! Newsletter, October 2nd 2023
In conclusion, we identified several candidate genes that may confer cancer resistance in cetaceans, providing a new avenue for further research into the mechanisms of lifespan extension. « Back to Top A Relationship Between the Gut Microbiome and Bone Density https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2023/09/a-relationship-between-the-gut-microbiome-and-bone-density/ Changes in the gut microbiome take place with advancing age, an increase in populations that provoke chronic inflammation, a reduction in the populations producing beneficial metabolites. Even only considering rising levels of in...
Source: Fight Aging! - October 1, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs

Another Three Biosimilar Insulins Planned from Meitheal Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
On September 21, 2023, Chicago-basedMeitheal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (which is a subsidiary of a Chinese parent company named Nanjing King-Friend Biochemical Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.) announced an exclusive commercial licensing agreement with a different Chinese company known asTonghua Dongbao Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. with intent to sell three insulin biosimilars in the U.S. market.     The company press release can be seen athttps://www.meithealpharma.com/news/61 while the pharmaceutical industry trade press covered the story athttps://www.thepharmaletter.com/article/licensing-deal-to-bring-three-new...
Source: Scott's Web Log - September 30, 2023 Category: Endocrinology Tags: 2023 Biosimilar insulin Meitheal Pharmaceuticals Source Type: blogs

Beta Cell Senescence in Multiple Forms of Diabetes
The growing focus on cellular senescence as a contributing cause of aging has identified senescent cells as important agents in a range of conditions, age-related and otherwise. Interestingly, the pathology of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes appears to be mediated by senescent beta cells in the pancreas. Clearing senescent cells has been shown to be beneficial in animal models of these conditions, but it remains to be seen as to whether human patients will benefit. There are many conditions that might be treated with senolytic therapies to selectively destroy senescent cells, and only so many research groups and companies ...
Source: Fight Aging! - September 29, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs

Beyond The Hype: The Top 5 Digital Health Devices Making A Real Difference In My Life
In the digital health era, an abundance of devices promises to streamline our health and optimize every breath we take. For enthusiasts like us at The Medical Futurist, it’s a realm of fascinating trials, rigorous testing, and delightful discoveries. As Dr. Meskó and the team have experimented with over a hundred devices, we’ve had the pleasure of immersing ourselves in this tech-filled healthcare voyage. While all devices had their moments, five stood out as champions in enhancing our everyday lives and bringing the most practical benefit. Let’s see our subjective list of the top 5 digital health devic...
Source: The Medical Futurist - September 26, 2023 Category: Information Technology Authors: Andrea Koncz Tags: TMF Health Sensors & Trackers digital health smartwatch wearables continous glucose monitoring best digital health devices air quality Source Type: blogs

The Top 5 Digital Health Devices Making A Real Difference In A Healthy Lifestyle
In the digital health era, an abundance of devices promises to streamline our health and optimize every breath we take. For enthusiasts like us at The Medical Futurist, it’s a realm of fascinating trials, rigorous testing, and delightful discoveries. As Dr. Meskó and the team have experimented with over a hundred devices, we’ve had the pleasure of immersing ourselves in this tech-filled healthcare voyage. While all devices had their moments, five stood out as champions in enhancing our everyday lives and bringing the most practical benefit. Let’s see our subjective list of the top 5 digital health devic...
Source: The Medical Futurist - September 26, 2023 Category: Information Technology Authors: Andrea Koncz Tags: TMF Health Sensors & Trackers air quality digital health smartwatch wearables continous glucose monitoring best digital health devices Source Type: blogs

Fight Aging! Newsletter, September 25th 2023
In conclusion, this individual patient data meta-analysis of longitudinal cohort studies found that antihypertensive use was associated with decreased dementia risk compared with individuals with untreated hypertension through all ages in late life. Individuals with treated hypertension had no increased risk of dementia compared with healthy controls. « Back to Top Results from Human Clinical Trials Do Not Support Metformin as a Longevity Drug https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2023/09/results-from-human-clinical-trials-do-not-support-metformin-as-a-longevity-drug/ The SENS Research Fou...
Source: Fight Aging! - September 24, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs

Results from Human Clinical Trials Do Not Support Metformin as a Longevity Drug
The SENS Research Foundation staff have carried out the public service of extensively discussing and dismantling the evidence commonly cited in support of metformin as a way to modestly slow aging, showing that said evidence is problematic, to say the least. Metformin might make life modestly better for diabetics, but it doesn't slow aging. This view of the human data matches the poor quality of the animal model data, in which metformin makes a poor showing in comparison to the robust data for a modest slowing of aging that is produced by the use of, say, mTOR inhibitors, or the practice of calorie restriction. Rega...
Source: Fight Aging! - September 21, 2023 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs

How Could Digital Technology Make An Impact On Primary Care?
I truly hope that very soon I do not have to make an appointment at the GP when I suspect signs of a disease, but my GP will send me a message that she spotted something irregular in my latest test results and my digital health data, so I’d better visit. Let me show you in detail how primary care should be carried out in the future! Digital health should become an organic part of primary care in the future I live a fairly healthy life. I use data to improve my lifestyle and to make better decisions by optimising my sleep pattern, my physical, my cognitive or my emotional abilities; and I had several genetic tests....
Source: The Medical Futurist - September 21, 2023 Category: Information Technology Authors: berci.mesko Tags: Digital Health Research Healthcare Innovation technology wearables GP primary care general practitioner Source Type: blogs

Abbott Acquires Bigfoot Biomedical. Unity has a new home. Some Bigfoot employees might not like it.
In mid-September 2023, the medical technology startup known as Bigfoot Biomedical, reached a definitive agreement to be acquired by Abbott Laboratories (see the official press release athttps://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/abbott-to-acquire-bigfoot-biomedical-furthering-efforts-to-develop-personalized-connected-solutions-for-people-with-diabetes-301918254.html for details). Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Bigfoot ' s CEO Was Fired from JDRFSome people with diabetes might recall that Bigfoot Biomedical was co-founded by Jeffrey Brewer, whose previous job was as CEO of the JDRF. But Mr. Brewer was sh...
Source: Scott's Web Log - September 20, 2023 Category: Endocrinology Tags: 2023 Abbott Bigfoot Biomedical Bigfoot Unity Dexcom FTC Source Type: blogs

Cells Release Insulin in Response to Music
Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed an insulin delivery system that relies on music as a trigger. The unusual technology is based on calcium ion channels that typically reside in the cell membrane. Such channels are sensitive to mechanical deformation and these researchers discovered that sound waves will activate the channels. When insulin-producing cells are genetically modified to express this channel, they will experience an influx in calcium ions when music is played close by, prompting them to release insulin. The concept could be useful as a treatment for diabetes, whereby such cells, housed in a specialized ca...
Source: Medgadget - September 19, 2023 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Genetics Medicine diabetes ETH Zurich Source Type: blogs