BioMedWire Stocks Archives - Page 27 of 77

WednesdayMay 29, 2024 10:00 am

Understanding Medigap vs. Medicare Advantage Plans

Medicare is a health insurance program that caters to aging persons at a fee. While the program provides a range of benefits and different types of coverage, it has its issues. To help with this, individuals should consider enrolling in a Medigap or Advantage plan. What is Medicare Advantage? Medicare Advantage, which is sometimes referred to as Part C, is offered by private insurers and is basically an individual’s primary insurance. It provides all benefits under Medicare as well as additional ones, including vision, dental, hearing and fitness coverage. Individuals eligible for the Advantage plan include younger individuals with disabilities,…

FridayMay 24, 2024 10:00 am

Study Discovers Elevated Risk of Toxicity Among Autistic Kids

In the last couple of decades, the number of individuals being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has greatly increased. Researchers hypothesize that disorders such as ADHD and ASD are caused by a combination of environmental and genetic factors. One study found that there’s a difference in how kids with ADHD or autism eliminate bisphenol A from their bodies, in comparison to neurotypical kids. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a common plastic additive used in plastic production processes. It can also be found inside drink and food cans. Prior studies have also linked the plastic…

WednesdayMay 22, 2024 10:00 am

Study Identifies Genetic Link Between Parkinson’s, Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease is an umbrella term for two illnesses: ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. These illnesses are characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. On the other hand, Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative illness that affects an individual’s nervous system, causing issues with their movement by affecting body parts controlled by nerves. One analysis that involved 12 million participants determined that patients with inflammatory bowel disease have a heightened risk of being diagnosed with Parkinson’s, especially after age 65. Furthermore, the use of anti-inflammatory medications such as TNF-alpha inhibitors is linked to a decline in Parkinson’s risk. These…

MondayMay 20, 2024 10:00 am

Study Offers Insights on Why Autoimmune Conditions Disproportionately Afflict Women

Autoimmune illnesses such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, lupus, scleroderma and psoriasis, usually cause an individual’s immune system to attack normal cells. Recent research has observed annual increases in overall incidence and prevalence of autoimmune illnesses. As of 2024, these figures stood at 19% and 12% respectively. Prior research has also found that a significant number of women, as compared to men, suffer from autoimmune illnesses. It is estimated that four out of every five patients with these illnesses are women. For the longest time, researchers could not explain this phenomenon, until now. New research has found an…

FridayMay 17, 2024 10:00 am

Robots Could Ease Order Fulfilment for eCommerce Companies

Small- to medium-sized e-commerce companies sometimes face challenges with fulfilling orders, especially when one considers the costs incurred when managing warehouses and fulfilment centers. To make it easier, most of these companies outsource the tasks. It is expected, however, that robots may soon take up these tasks as warehouse automation is adopted more by smaller companies. A recent report by Gartner forecasts that the warehouse automation industry will generate more that $21 billion in revenue globally this year. This is expected to hit $71 billion by 2032. Most of the revenue generated and growth observed in the industry can be…

WednesdayMay 15, 2024 10:00 am

New mRNA Vaccine Offers Hope Against Glioblastoma

Scientists from the University of Florida in America have designed a new vaccine for cancer that prompts the immune system to target glioblastoma. Glioblastoma is an aggressive type of cancer that forms in the spinal cord and/or brain. Roughly 19,000 people in the European Union are afflicted by this disease annually. The treatments used to manage glioblastoma haven’t changed since around 2000, with common treatments including radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgical interventions. The average duration of survival for patients with glioblastoma is roughly 15 months. The new vaccine triggers the immune system to eliminate cells for cancers that are hard to…

MondayMay 13, 2024 10:00 am

Hospice Remains Underserved by Medicare Advantage, Data Shows

While the Medicare Advantage space grows bigger, it is difficult for regulators and the medical industry to decide how best to integrate hospice into MA programs. This is a major concern because hospice care is the only segment of the healthcare sector that isn’t catered for in Medicare Advantage (MA). This is despite the fact that at least one-half of enrollees to MA programs require hospice care. A recent announcement that an experiment to test the inclusion of hospice in MA plans is coming to an early end due to limited insurer interest and operational challenges has raised several questions.…

FridayMay 10, 2024 10:00 am

Breakthrough MRI Tech is Poised to Revolutionize Early Disease Detection

A recent breakthrough in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology could potentially revolutionize earl- disease detection and make it easier for physicians to diagnose medical conditions earlier than they currently do. Researchers from Northeastern University have developed a screening technique that produces MRI images of significantly better quality compared to conventional MRI scans, opening the door to the creation of more superior means of diagnosing diseases such as cancer. When bioengineer and physicist Codi Gharagouzloo enrolled in Northeastern University’s PhD program nearly 15 years ago, he dreamed of developing a cure for cancer and was convinced that nanoparticles could open up…

WednesdayMay 08, 2024 10:00 am

Researcher Wants to Untangle Environmental, Genetic Complexities of Autism

Associate professor Heather Volk of Johns Hopkins University has been researching how interactions between genetic factors such as mutations, and environmental factors, such as air pollution, cause autism spectrum disorder in children. Volk’s focus is to understand how the environment affects children’s health and find ways to help children thrive by changing these environments. This differs slightly from research in the early 2000s, which focused more on getting to the bottom of what caused autism. Recent data from the WHO estimates that globally, roughly 1 in 100 children has autism. Statistics also show that boys are almost four times more…

MondayMay 06, 2024 10:00 am

Researchers Link Dietary Fats to Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative illness that causes a gradual decline in an individual’s memory, behavior and thinking. Researchers believe that the illness can be caused by multiple factors, the most common one being dementia. Now, new research conducted by the Universitat Rovira i Virgili has linked saturated fats to the disease. The research was led by Professor Mònica Bulló of the institution’s department of biotechnology and biochemistry, in association with the University of Barcelona, CIBERobn, and the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute. For their research, the scientists used mice models that had developed Alzheimer’s in adulthood. They centered…