Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Pathology for December 2019. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Severity of Autism Symptoms May Vary in Monozygotic Twins
TUESDAY, Dec. 31, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is markedly heritable, with probandwise concordance of 96 percent, but there is variation in the severity of symptomatology above the diagnostic threshold, according to a study published online Dec. 18 in Behavior Genetics.
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Study Shows Link Between Atopic Dermatitis and Vitiligo
TUESDAY, Dec. 31, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Atopic dermatitis (AD) is associated with vitiligo, according to a review and meta-analysis published online Dec. 24 in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology.
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fMRI Measures May Predict Psychiatric Symptoms in Children
TUESDAY, Dec. 31, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) measures may be able to predict symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or major depressive disorder in children, according to a study published online Dec. 26 in JAMA Psychiatry.
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Subtle Cognitive Difficulties May Predict Amyloidosis
TUESDAY, Dec. 31, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Individuals with objectively-defined subtle cognitive difficulties (Obj-SCD) have faster amyloid accumulation and faster entorhinal cortical thinning compared with cognitively normal (CN) individuals, according to a study published online Dec. 30 in Neurology.
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Incidence of Early-Onset Gastric Cancer Increasing in the U.S.
TUESDAY, Dec. 31, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- The incidence of early-onset gastric cancer has been increasing in the United States, and it seems to be distinct clinically and genetically from late-onset gastric cancer, according to a study recently published in Surgery.
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MIV-711 No Better Than Placebo for Pain Relief in Knee OA
TUESDAY, Dec. 31, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- A novel cathepsin K inhibitor, MIV-711, is no more effective than placebo for reducing pain in patients with symptomatic, radiographic knee osteoarthritis, according to a study published online Dec. 31 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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China Convicts Scientists Claiming First Genetically Edited Babies
MONDAY, Dec. 30, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- The Chinese scientist who claimed he had created the first genetically edited babies in the world was sentenced to three years in prison for his research, the Chinese government said Monday.
AP News Article
Exposure to Pyrethroid Insecticides Linked to Mortality
MONDAY, Dec. 30, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Environmental exposure to pyrethroid insecticides is associated with an increased risk for all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality, according to a study published online Dec. 30 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Multiple Health Benefits Reported for Intermittent Fasting
MONDAY, Dec. 30, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Intermittent fasting has multiple health benefits, according to a review article published in the Dec. 26 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Inflammation Linked to Thyroid Dysfunction in Psoriasis Patients
MONDAY, Dec. 30, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- While the rate of thyroid dysfunction among patients with psoriasis generally is not higher than expected, psoriasis in patients with thyroid dysfunction is more clinically severe and serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) are higher, according to a study published online Dec. 5 in the Journal of Dermatology.
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Number of Children With Opioid Poisonings Increasing
MONDAY, Dec. 30, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- The severity of pediatric admissions for acute opioid ingestions, especially following attempted suicide, increased from 2005 to 2018, according to a study published online Dec. 19 in Clinical Toxicology.
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Changes Needed to Address Out-of-Network Billing at Hospitals
FRIDAY, Dec. 27, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Requiring hospitals to sell a package of facility and physician services would protect patients from out-of-network bills at in-network hospitals, according to a report published online Dec. 16 in Health Affairs.
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Regular Cannabis Use May Cause Adverse Cardiac Changes
THURSDAY, Dec. 26, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Regular recreational cannabis use is associated with alterations in cardiac structure and function, according to a letter to the editor published in the December issue of JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging.
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Polygenic Risk Score More Strongly Linked to Early-Onset CRC
THURSDAY, Dec. 26, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- A polygenic risk score (PRS), developed from 95 colorectal cancer (CRC)-associated genetic risk variants, is more strongly associated with early- than late-onset cancer, especially in the absence of family history, according to a study published online Dec. 19 in Gastroenterology.
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Patient Share of Out-of-Network Costs Rising
TUESDAY, Dec. 24, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- The out-of-pocket costs for out-of-network (OON) care grew rapidly for privately insured Americans from 2012 to 2017, according to a study published in the December issue of the American Journal of Managed Care.
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Vitamin E Acetate ID'd in Lungs of Most Vaping Illness Patients
TUESDAY, Dec. 24, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Vitamin E acetate was identified in almost all patients with electronic cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury (EVALI), and there has been a decrease in EVALI cases since a peak in September 2019, according to a study and a report published online Dec. 20 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Enrollment in Affordable Care Act Holds Steady for Third Straight Year
MONDAY, Dec. 23, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Enrollment in Affordable Care Act coverage for next year has surpassed 8 million, a sign that many Americans still turn to the government health insurance program to help pay for their medical care.
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Biomarker May Predict Cardiac Risk in Noncardiac Surgery
MONDAY, Dec. 23, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- The preoperative level of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is associated with vascular death and myocardial injury after noncardiac surgery (MINS), according to a study published online Dec. 24 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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FDA Gives First Ebola Vaccine for Adults the Green Light
FRIDAY, Dec. 20, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- The first Ebola vaccine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is a single-dose injection called Ervebo. The vaccine from Merck & Co. is approved to protect against the Zaire ebolavirus in people ages 18 years and older.
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HbA1c Minimally Adds to CVD Risk Prediction in Prediabetes
FRIDAY, Dec. 20, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- For individuals with prediabetes, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) minimally adds to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk prediction, according to a study published online Dec. 18 in Diabetes Care.
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Heavy Drinking May Up Marker Levels for Cardiac Damage
THURSDAY, Dec. 19, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Heavy drinking has an adverse effect on biomarkers of cardiac damage and inflammation, according to a study published online Dec. 18 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
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Midlife Obesity in Women May Increase Risk for Dementia Later
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 18, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- In women, midlife obesity is associated with increased risk for dementia later in life, while no clear associations are apparent for low body mass index (BMI), low caloric intake, or inactivity at baseline, according to a study published online Dec. 18 in Neurology.
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CRC Screening Up for Ages 45 to 49 After ACS Guideline Update
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 18, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Following publication of updated guidelines by the American Cancer Society recommending that the age for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening be lowered to 45 years, there was an increase in screening among those aged 45 to 49 years, according to a study published online Dec. 18 in Cancer.
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Pregnancy-Related Heart Failure Tied to Higher Cancer Risk
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 18, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) are more likely to have cancer before PPCM diagnosis and more likely to develop cancer after PPCM, according to a study published in the December issue of the JACC: CardioOncology.
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Black Men Have Higher Breast Cancer Rates for All Subtypes
TUESDAY, Dec. 17, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Black-white patterns in subtype-specific breast cancer incidence rates differ for men and women, with breast cancer rates higher for blacks than whites for all subtypes among men, according to a study published online Dec. 12 in JNCI Cancer Spectrum.
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One in 10 Hospital Patients May Carry C. Diff at Admission
TUESDAY, Dec. 17, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly one in 10 patients admitted to a hospital with no symptoms of diarrhea may be a carrier of Clostridioides difficile, according to a study published online Dec. 11 in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.
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E-Cigarette Use Independent Risk Factor for Chronic Lung Disease
MONDAY, Dec. 16, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Current use of electronic cigarettes is an independent risk factor for respiratory disease, according to a study published online Dec. 16 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
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Inflammatory Bowel Disease Ups Risk for Serious Viral Infections
MONDAY, Dec. 16, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have a threefold higher risk for systemic serious viral infections (SVIs) compared with the general population, according to a study published online Nov. 14 in the United European Gastroenterology Journal.
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Cesarean Section Not Linked to Obesity in Offspring
MONDAY, Dec. 16, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- There is no association between elective or nonelective cesarean section with obesity in young adulthood, according to a study published online Dec. 6 in PLOS Medicine.
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Hahn Confirmed as New FDA Chief
FRIDAY, Dec. 13, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Stephen Hahn, M.D., was confirmed as commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in a 72-18 Senate vote on Thursday.
The New York Times Article
Moderate Physical Activity Tied to Lower Fasting GLP-1 in Men
FRIDAY, Dec. 13, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- For overweight men, physical activity (PA) even at moderate intensity is associated with lower fasting and greater glucose-stimulated glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) responses, according to a study published online Dec. 1 in Endocrine Connections.
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U.S. Primary Care Doctors Face Challenges in Coordinating Care
TUESDAY, Dec. 10, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Physicians from the United States and other high-income countries report difficulties with care coordination, with a substantial proportion of U.S. physicians not receiving timely notification or the information needed from specialists or other sites of care, according to a study published online Dec. 10 in Health Affairs.
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Low-Dose Aspirin May Cut Dementia Risk in Women With Diabetes
TUESDAY, Dec. 10, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Long-term use of low-dose aspirin may reduce the risk for dementia in women with type 2 diabetes, according to a study published online Dec. 4 in Diabetes Care.
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U.S. Health Care Spending Up 4.6 Percent in 2018
TUESDAY, Dec. 10, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- In 2018, U.S. health care spending increased 4.6 percent, a faster rate than that seen in 2017, according to a report published online Dec. 5 in Health Affairs.
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2016 to 2019 Saw Increase in Medical Students With Disabilities
MONDAY, Dec. 9, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- From 2016 to 2019, there was an increase in the proportion of medical students reporting disabilities, according to a research letter published in the Nov. 26 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Exposure to Air Pollution May Up Mortality After Heart Transplant
MONDAY, Dec. 9, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Exposure to air pollution is associated with increased mortality risk after heart transplantation, according to a study published in the Dec. 17 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Rural Children Experiencing Higher Mortality Rates
MONDAY, Dec. 9, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Mortality rates were higher for rural children than their urban peers during 1999 to 2017, according to a report published in the December issue of Health Affairs, a theme issue on rural health.
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Distinct Populations of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death ID'd
MONDAY, Dec. 9, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) can be classified into two groups based on the age of death, with distinct risk factors for sudden unexpected early neonatal deaths (SUENDs) and postperinatal SUIDs, according to a study published online Dec. 9 in Pediatrics.
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Rural Population Underrepresented Among Medical Students
FRIDAY, Dec. 6, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- In 2017, less than 5 percent of all incoming medical students were rural students, according to a study published in the December issue of Health Affairs, a theme issue on rural health.
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CDC: All 50 States Now Reporting Cases of Severe Vaping-Linked Lung Injury
FRIDAY, Dec. 6, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Cases of a serious, sometimes fatal, form of lung injury tied to vaping have now been reported in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In total, case numbers have risen to 2,291, according to the latest update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, issued Thursday.
More Information: CDC
CMAJ Report
European Respiratory Journal Report
Permanent Hair Dye Use Linked to Increased Breast Cancer Risk
THURSDAY, Dec. 5, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Permanent hair dye use is associated with an increased risk for breast cancer, especially among black women, according to a study published online Dec. 4 in the International Journal of Cancer.
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Early-Onset CVD Rate Up for Children of Moms With Diabetes
THURSDAY, Dec. 5, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Children of mothers with diabetes have increased rates of early-onset cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to a study published online Dec. 4 in The BMJ.
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First-Line Osimertinib May Up Survival in EGFR-Mutated NSCLC
THURSDAY, Dec. 5, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with previously untreated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with an EGFR mutation, overall survival is longer for treatment with osimertinib rather than comparator tyrosine kinase inhibitors of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR-TKIs), according to a study published online Nov. 21 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Services Affected by Rural Hospitals Joining Health Systems
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 4, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- While affiliating with health systems may boost a rural hospital's financial viability, the affiliation is often associated with reductions in critical services, according to a study published in the December issue of Health Affairs, a theme issue on rural health.
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Adults Not Living in Metro Areas Have Reduced Access to Care
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 4, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Adults not living in metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) are more likely to have reduced access to or use of health care services, according to a study published online Dec. 4 in the National Health Statistics Reports, a publication from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Deep Learning Models Can Help Interpret Chest Radiographs
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 4, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Deep learning models can be used for interpretation of chest radiographs, according to a study published online Dec. 3 in Radiology.
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Physician Depressive Symptoms Tied to Higher Risk for Medical Errors
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 4, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Physicians showing depressive symptoms are at higher risk for medical errors, according to a review published Nov. 27 in JAMA Network Open.
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Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution May Increase Risk for Glaucoma
TUESDAY, Dec. 3, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Exposure to ambient air pollution is associated with a higher risk for glaucoma and adverse structural characteristics of the disease, according to a study published in the November issue of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.
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T1DM May Up Progression of CAC During Menopausal Transition
TUESDAY, Dec. 3, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- For women going through menopause, type 1 diabetes is associated with higher coronary artery calcium (CAC) volume and accelerated progression of CAC over time, according to a study published in the December issue of Diabetes Care.
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Risk for Hodgkin Lymphoma Increased With Allergic Disease, Eczema
TUESDAY, Dec. 3, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- The risk for Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is increased in association with immunosuppression, allergic disease, and eczema, according to a study published online Nov. 12 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
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Current Statin Use May Lower Risk for Lethal Prostate Cancer
MONDAY, Dec. 2, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Current statin use is inversely associated with the risk for lethal prostate cancer, according to a study published online Nov. 21 in Clinical Cancer Research.
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Fracture Risk Increased in Adults With Atopic Eczema
MONDAY, Dec. 2, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with atopic eczema have an increased risk for fracture, especially major osteoporotic fractures, according to a study published online Nov. 19 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
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