Does dual enrollment in VA and Medicare advantage plans improve or fragment care?

The fixed combination of the drugs tafluprost and timolol (trade name: Taptiqom) has been approved in Germany since December 2014 for adults with open-angle glaucoma or increased intraocular pressure (ocular hypertension). The combination therapy is indicated in patients who are insufficiently responsive to topical monotherapy with beta-blockers or prostaglandin analogues, and who would benefit from preservative-free eye drops. The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) examined in a dossier assessment whether this drug combination offers an ...

We age in part thanks to "friendly fire" from the immune system -- inflammation and chemically active molecules called reactive oxygen species that help fight infection, but also wreak molecular havoc over time, contributing to frailty, disability and disease. The CD33rSiglec family of proteins are known to help protect our cells from becoming inflammatory collateral damage, prompting researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine to ask whether CD33rSiglecs might help mammals live longer, too. In a study published April 7 by eLife, the team ...

Viagra and other related drugs are not a universal 'cure-all' for impotence, according to a new study from The University of Manchester and NatCen Social Research. Drugs, clinically known as oral phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5i), have become the first-line medical treatment option for sufferers of erectile dysfunction (ED) - also known as impotence - since entering the UK market in 1998. An abundance of studies has demonstrated the effectiveness of such drugs. But researchers at The University of Manchester, who have studied the responses of more than 2,600 ...

Cancer researchers from the University of Zurich have identified a key signaling pathway in B-cell lymphoma, a malignant type of blood cancer. They demonstrate that the signaling pathway can be blocked using compounds that are already in clinical development. This finding might be extremely important for the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of this disease in the future. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a blood cancer and the most common malignant condition of the lymphatic system. Although DLBCL is always fatal if left untreated, the cure rate after chemo-therapy ...

Improving the quality and quantity of U.S. military members' sleep following deployment could help reduce other health problems, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a new RAND Corporation study. However, a lack of consistent and transparent sleep-related policies may impede efforts to promote sleep health among service members, researchers say. "The U.S. military has shifted from combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan toward helping service members and veterans reintegrate into noncombat roles," said Wendy Troxel, co-leader of the ...

BOULDER -The Sun undergoes a type of seasonal variability with its activity waxing and waning over the course of nearly two years, according to a new study by a team of researchers led by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). This behavior affects the peaks and valleys in the approximately 11-year solar cycle, sometimes amplifying and sometimes weakening the solar storms that can buffet Earth's atmosphere. The quasi-annual variations appear to be driven by changes in the bands of strong magnetic fields in each solar hemisphere. These bands also help shape ...

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is an extremely common virus, which as other members of the herpes virus family causes life-long infections in humans. Most individuals are exposed to HCMV during childhood, yet symptoms can be easily fought off by a healthy immune system. However, infections can be life-threatening for individuals with defective immunity, for instance newborn babies, people with AIDS, or those taking immunosuppressive drugs following organ transplantation. Scientists at École Polytechnique Fe?de?rale de Lausanne (EPFL) have discovered the molecular switch ...

In the world of the tiny zebrafish, the predatory red tiger oscar is the stuff of nightmares. And while the species has no natural reason to fear robots, researchers at the NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering have published the first study showing that, in a side-by-side comparison, a robotic predator can spook zebrafish just as well as the real thing. Their results may help advance understanding of fear and anxiety in animal populations, including humans. The study, along with an image of the strikingly lifelike robotic model, is the cover story of the forthcoming ...

Catheter-related bloodstream infection is the most prevalent and severe complication for patients who receive parenteral nutrition therapy at home. A new study by researchers at Aalborg University in Denmark examined whether environmental factors have any influence on the amount of time before a first infection. The study published today in the OnlineFirst version of the Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (JPEN), the research journal of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.), focused on tunneled vascular access devices and peripherally ...

A new study supports human milk as the optimal first food for babies, but the study raises questions about whether breast milk protects children from becoming obese. The Cincinnati Children's Medical Center review of more than 80 relevant breastfeeding studies that were conducted over a period of at least 20 years is published in Current Obesity Reports. "The best observational evidence up to now suggests that exclusively breastfeeding, or at least breastfeeding for a longer time, is associated with a 10 to 20 percent reduction in obesity prevalence in childhood," says ...