Deficit spending

Are 2 mid-career AFL retirements a sign Australian athletes are taking brain health more seriously?

Retrieved on: 
Friday, April 19, 2024
Health, Culture, Longevity, Sport, Concussion, Weakness, Brain damage, Risk, AFL, Research, Attitude, Brain, Life, Athlete, Deficit spending, Safety, Retirement, Injury, Language, Myenteric plexus, Rehabilitation, Entertainment

The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, following Angus Brayshaw’s in February and a number of other high-profile footballers in recent years, signals a shift in how athletes view brain trauma risks in sport.

Key Points: 
  • The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, following Angus Brayshaw’s in February and a number of other high-profile footballers in recent years, signals a shift in how athletes view brain trauma risks in sport.
  • Rather than downplaying or ignoring the potential damage being done to their health by a career filled with brain trauma, some athletes are now choosing to end their careers early.

Why do athletes risk their brains?

  • For decades, sports have fostered a win-at-all-costs culture, with a pseudo-military flavour of sacrifice and duty to one’s teammates.
  • This has given rise to athletes ignoring or downplaying injuries whenever possible to continue the game.
  • Media commentators also celebrate athletes who return to the field after sickening collisions as “courageous”, having “no fear”, or “gaining respect from teammates and opposition”.

A shift in attitude?

  • Murphy’s retirement and acknowledgement of his long-term brain health is one sign the culture of valorising injury and risk may be changing.
  • But there is other evidence of a shift.
  • Australian research shows risky attitudes and behaviours toward concussion have begun to dissipate over recent years.
  • However, a 2021 follow-up study, using the same survey in a separate group, showed significant improvements towards concussion.

Are more retirements to come?

  • In the meantime, the current group of athletes – professionals and amateurs alike – must weigh up the costs of participation in high contact games.
  • It’s in the best interests for the longevity of these sports – and the athletes we love to cheer on.
  • Alan is a non-executive unpaid director for the Concussion Legacy Foundation.
  • He has previously received funding from Erasmus+ strategic partnerships program (2019-1-IE01-KA202-051555), Sports Health Check Charity (Australia), Australian Football League, Impact Technologies Inc., and Samsung Corporation, and is remunerated for expert advice to medico-legal practices.

Caring for older Americans’ teeth and gums is essential, but Medicare generally doesn’t cover that cost

Retrieved on: 
Friday, April 19, 2024
Dental care, Radiation, Transplant, Attention, Climate change, Child care, Organization, Congress, Dentistry, Cardiovascular disease, Rheumatoid arthritis, Medicine, Pneumonia, Ronald Reagan, Infection, Federation, Diabetes, Risk, Inflammation, Patient, Conditional sentence, Nursing, Stroke, Hospital, HIV-AIDS, History, Tooth decay, Death, Quality of life, Insurance, House, Periodontal disease, Deficit spending, Atherosclerosis, Health, Pain, Dentist, Medicare Advantage, Senate, Fear, Health insurance

As dentistry scholars, we believe Koop also deserves credit for something else.

Key Points: 
  • As dentistry scholars, we believe Koop also deserves credit for something else.
  • Americans who rely on the traditional Medicare program for their health insurance get no help from that program with paying their dental bills aside from some narrow exceptions.
  • This group includes some 24 million people over 65 – about half of all the people who rely on Medicare for their health insurance.

‘Medically necessary’ exceptions

  • The list of circumstances that would lead patients to be eligible is short.
  • Some examples include patients scheduled for organ transplants or who have cancer treatment requiring radiation of their jaws.
  • But we believe that dental care is necessary for everyone, especially for older people.

Chew, speak, breathe

  • While many working Americans get limited dental coverage through their employers, those benefits are usually limited to as little as $1,000 per year.
  • And once they retire, Americans almost always lose even that basic coverage.
  • Rich Americans with Medicare coverage are almost three times more likely to receive dental care compared to those with low incomes.

Connected to many serious conditions

  • Having diabetes makes you three times as likely to develop gum disease because diabetes compromises the body’s response to inflammation and infection.
  • At the same time, treating diabetes patients for gum disease can help control their blood sugar levels.

Chemo can damage your teeth


Many cancer treatments can damage teeth, especially for older adults. As a result, Medicare has started to reimburse for dental bills tied to tooth decay or other oral conditions after they get chemotherapy or radiation treatment.

More than nice to have

  • Doctors and dentists are educated separately, and doctors learn very little about dental conditions and treatments when they’re in medical school.
  • Most dental electronic health records aren’t linked to medical systems, hindering comprehensive care and delivery of dental care to those in need.
  • Medical insurance was designed specifically to cover large, unpredictable expenses, while dental insurance was intended to mainly fund predictable and lower-cost preventive care.

Medicare Advantage plans

  • Until Medicare expands coverage to include preventive dental services for everyone, alternative plans such as Medicare Advantage, through which the federal government contracts with private insurers to provide Medicare benefits, serve as a stopgap.
  • In 2016, only 21% of beneficiaries in traditional Medicare had purchased a stand-alone dental plan, whereas roughly two-thirds of Medicare Advantage enrollees had at least some dental benefits through their coverage.


Frank Scannapieco is affiliated with The Task Force on Design and Analysis in Oral Health Research, and consults for the Colgate-Palmolive Company. Ira Lamster is a member of the Santa Fe Group. He currently receives consulting fees from Colgate, and research support from the CareQuest Institute.

Creyos Health Announces Addition of Dementia Screening, Testing, and Care Planning to its Online Platform

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
Western University, Diagnosis, AMGA, Research, Dementia, Prevalence, Entrepreneurship, Deficit spending, Disease, Caregiver, Patient, American Medical Group Association, OBE, Doctor of Philosophy, Statistics, MCI, Cognition

This protocol, now available in the Creyos platform, is the result of 30 years of rigorous research and scientific validation.

Key Points: 
  • This protocol, now available in the Creyos platform, is the result of 30 years of rigorous research and scientific validation.
  • It offers full spectrum cognitive care, from early detection of mild cognitive impairment, to testing for an accurate dementia diagnosis, followed by tailored care planning, and ongoing longitudinal monitoring.
  • Dementia testing includes four additional tasks and behavioral health questionnaires, aligned with DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for dementia.
  • “We started Creyos because we noticed a significant gap in how cognitive health was being addressed,” said Marc Lipton, Co-Founder and CEO of Creyos.

BrainCheck Showcases Latest Innovations at American Medical Group Association Annual Conference

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
Diagnosis, AMGA, Conference, Screen, Deficit spending, Risk, Patient, Tablet, American Medical Group Association, MD, D.O, Summit Health, Amnesia, Cognition, Pathology, Dementia, FDA, Medical device

AUSTIN, Texas, April 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- BrainCheck, Inc., a digital health innovator delivering next-generation technology into the growing digital cognitive assessment market, will showcase its comprehensive cognitive assessment platform, including its latest innovation, Screen™, in booth #202 at the American Medical Group Association (AMGA) Annual Conference from April 9-12 in Orlando, FL. Chelsea Dugan, Vice President of Marketing, and members of the BrainCheck team will attend the event to share BrainCheck's latest technology with medical groups and health system executives nationwide.

Key Points: 
  • Chelsea Dugan, Vice President of Marketing, and members of the BrainCheck team will attend the event to share BrainCheck's latest technology with medical groups and health system executives nationwide.
  • Expertly designed with patients in mind, BrainCheck's clinically proven platform offers a comprehensive digital solution, streamlining screening, assessment, care planning, and monitoring.
  • "BrainCheck's technology has transformed the way we assess patients' cognitive health in our practice," said Eric R. Penniman, D.O., Executive Medical Director, Summit Medical Group.
  • Early detection of cognitive impairment is key to unlocking opportunities to preserve patients' brain health," said Reza Ghomi, MD, MSE, neuropsychiatrist and Chief Medical Officer at BrainCheck.

Life Molecular Imaging and SOFIE announce Neuraceq® availability in Cleveland

Retrieved on: 
Friday, April 5, 2024
Diagnosis, Brain, Dementia, Growth, Doctor of Pharmacy, LMI, Deficit spending, Partnership, Patient, PET, Research, Radiopharmaceutical, Drug development, FDA, Physician, Medical imaging

BOSTON, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Life Molecular Imaging (LMI) and SOFIE Biosciences (SOFIE), a national US manufacturer and developer of PET radiopharmaceuticals, announce that the companies have expanded their strategic partnership and licensing agreement to provide and distribute Neuraceq® out of SOFIE's radiopharmaceutical manufacturing site located in Cleveland, Ohio. The first doses have been made available on April 4, 2024.

Key Points: 
  • BOSTON, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Life Molecular Imaging (LMI) and SOFIE Biosciences (SOFIE), a national US manufacturer and developer of PET radiopharmaceuticals, announce that the companies have expanded their strategic partnership and licensing agreement to provide and distribute Neuraceq® out of SOFIE's radiopharmaceutical manufacturing site located in Cleveland, Ohio.
  • "By adding Cleveland to our distribution network, Life Molecular Imaging is thrilled to provide additional availability of Neuraceq®, an important imaging tool for the detection of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain.
  • Brian Schumer, PharmD, SOFIE COO states, "We are excited to bring Neuraceq® availability to another SOFIE network site.
  • SOFIE is committed to the further expansion and availability of LMI's Neuraceq® PET diagnostic tracer throughout our national PET manufacturing and dispensing network."

Axsome Therapeutics Announces Results of CRESCENDO Narcolepsy Patient Survey Demonstrating Unmet Needs in Treated Narcolepsy Type 1 Patients

Retrieved on: 
Monday, March 25, 2024
Diagnosis, Neurology, Sleep, Depression, Somnolence, Deficit spending, Thomas Jefferson University, Partnership, Central nervous system, NT1, Cataplexy, Patient, CNS, Sleep disorder, Cognitive deficit, Ageing, EDS, Columbia, Anxiety, Hallucination, Narcolepsy Network, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Life, Therapy, Sleep paralysis, ESS, Medical director, Idiopathic hypersomnia, FDA, Human, Nursing

NEW YORK, March 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Axsome Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: AXSM), a biopharmaceutical company developing and delivering novel therapies for the management of central nervous system (CNS) disorders, today announced topline results from the CRESCENDO (Characterizing Patient Perspectives on Unmet Needs in Narcolepsy) survey of patients with narcolepsy type 1 (NT1, i.e., narcolepsy with cataplexy) receiving treatment, demonstrating high rates of persistent symptoms and significant patient burden, despite being on current treatments. CRESCENDO was conducted in partnership with Narcolepsy Network, a national non-profit patient support organization for people with narcolepsy, idiopathic hypersomnia, and related sleep disorders.

Key Points: 
  • CRESCENDO was conducted in partnership with Narcolepsy Network, a national non-profit patient support organization for people with narcolepsy, idiopathic hypersomnia, and related sleep disorders.
  • All patients taking part in the survey were currently undergoing treatment for NT1.
  • The most common treatments were wake promoting agents (about 53% of surveyed patients), oxybates (47%), and stimulants (42%).
  • Axsome plans to present the detailed results of the CRESCENDO survey at upcoming scientific meetings.

Anavex Life Sciences Initiates Placebo-Controlled U.S. Phase 2 Clinical Trial of ANAVEX®3-71 in Schizophrenia

Retrieved on: 
Monday, March 18, 2024
EEG, U.S. FDA, Schizophrenia, Deficit spending, Data analysis, Memory, Alzheimer's disease, Central nervous system, Part, Delusion, Patient, CNS, ERP, Biomarker, Doctor of Philosophy, Parkinson's disease, Quality of life, Personalized medicine, Life, Trial of the century, Positive, Rett syndrome, Hallucination, PANSS, Therapy, SIGMAR1, DSM-IV codes, FDA, Pharmaceutical industry

NEW YORK, March 18, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Anavex Life Sciences Corp. (“Anavex” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: AVXL), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing differentiated therapeutics for the treatment of neurodegenerative, neurodevelopmental, and psychiatric disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Rett syndrome, schizophrenia, and other central nervous system (CNS) diseases, today announced that the first patient in its U.S. FDA cleared placebo-controlled Phase 2 clinical study of ANAVEX®3-71 for the treatment of schizophrenia has been screened ahead of schedule.

Key Points: 
  • “Initiating our Phase 2 trial of ANAVEX®3-71 in schizophrenia ahead of schedule is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our clinical study team,” stated Christopher U Missling, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Anavex.
  • “Schizophrenia is a challenging disorder that can impair social and occupational functions and overall quality of life for the nearly 24 million people affected worldwide.
  • The placebo-controlled Phase 2, two-part, in-patient trial, ANAVEX®3-71-SZ-001 ( NCT06245213 ), will investigate the effects of ANAVEX®3-71 in patients with schizophrenia.
  • In addition to the electrophysiological biomarkers, Anavex is applying novel neuroinflammatory, metabolomic, and transcriptomic biomarkers at the intersection of schizophrenia pathophysiology and ANAVEX®3-71’s novel, dual mechanism of action.

Arctic Therapeutics and Nacuity Pharmaceuticals Announce European Medicines Agency Approval to Initiate First Clinical Trial of AT-001 (NPI-001) for the Treatment of HCCAA

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
Retinitis pigmentosa, Disease, Partnership, Tablet, SVP, Stroke, Deficit spending, EMA, Cystinosis, GMP, European Medicines Agency, Clinical trial, Intraparenchymal hemorrhage, NACA, Safety, CSO, Cataract, Usher syndrome, Dementia, Oxidative stress, Amyloid, Service provider, Pharmaceutical industry

Current treatment options are severely limited, focusing primarily on symptom management rather than addressing the underlying cause of the disease.

Key Points: 
  • Current treatment options are severely limited, focusing primarily on symptom management rather than addressing the underlying cause of the disease.
  • “EMA's approval paves the way for a comprehensive investigation into the safety and efficacy of a novel therapeutic approach designed to halt or reverse the progression of HCCAA.
  • Nacuity is also currently evaluating NPI-001 in Phase 1/2 clinical trials in Australia for retinitis pigmentosa associated with Usher syndrome and cystinosis.
  • “Our proprietary NPI-001 has potential to address the myriad diseases and conditions where oxidative stress plays a role.

Study Finds C₂N Diagnostics’ PrecivityAD® Blood Test Provides Opportunities for Robust Cost Savings in the Evaluation of Patients with Cognitive Impairment

Retrieved on: 
Monday, April 1, 2024
Other Health, Seniors, Other Science, Pharmaceutical, Research, Mental Health, Medical Devices, Hospitals, Consumer, Science, Clinical Trials, Managed Care, Medical Supplies, Biotechnology, Neurology, Health, Health Technology, Health Insurance, Brain, Deficit spending, Cognitive deficit, CSF, Patient, Evaluation, PET, Biomarker, University, Population Health Management, Cerebrospinal fluid, Diagnosis, Pathology

The test helps healthcare providers better determine the presence of amyloid plaques in the brain, a hallmark sign of Alzheimer’s disease.

Key Points: 
  • The test helps healthcare providers better determine the presence of amyloid plaques in the brain, a hallmark sign of Alzheimer’s disease.
  • The new research, “ Use of a Blood Biomarker Test Improves Economic Utility in the Evaluation of Older Patients Presenting with Cognitive Impairment ,” used a budget impact model in a hypothetical 1 million-member health plan to assess the economic utility of the PrecivityAD blood test.
  • Overall, the PrecivityAD blood test was associated with a cost savings of $643 per Alzheimer’s disease case (9% cost savings) identified.
  • We believe the use of the PrecivityAD blood test in the clinical care pathway may prevent unnecessary testing, provide cost savings and reduce the burden on both patients and health plans.”

New Research Shows the PrecivityAD2™ Blood Test Has High Accuracy Compared to Amyloid PET Scans in Individuals with Cognitive Impairment

Retrieved on: 
Monday, March 18, 2024
Mental Health, Managed Care, Medical Devices, Hospitals, Neurology, Science, Medical Supplies, Clinical Trials, Biotechnology, Health, Health Technology, Health Insurance, Other Science, Research, Radiology, Pharmaceutical, Seniors, Radiation, APS2, Certification, Brain, Alzheimer's disease, Deficit spending, Disease, Memory, AUC, Patient, Ageing, PET, Journal, Apolipoprotein, City, CLIA, Pathology, Medicare, Amyloid, Medical imaging

The AUC-ROC for the PrecivityAD2 test output, the Amyloid Probability Score 2 (APS2), was 0.94, yielding 88% agreement with brain amyloid status based on a single cut-off value.

Key Points: 
  • The AUC-ROC for the PrecivityAD2 test output, the Amyloid Probability Score 2 (APS2), was 0.94, yielding 88% agreement with brain amyloid status based on a single cut-off value.
  • The APS2 result was the most robust method among the individual plasma amyloid and tau analytes measured to identify disease.
  • In the published study, the PrecivityAD2 blood test was clinically validated in 583 individuals with cognitive impairment across two independent cohorts.
  • C₂N is working toward obtaining the requisite certification that will permit the PrecivityAD2 test to be available in New York in the near future.