Medical Journal November 2022 Digital Edition
November 18, 20221 min
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DOJ cracks down on improper referral scheme among laboratories, hospitals, and health care providers
November 18, 20228 min
By Colleen Byrom and Beth Anne Jackson, Brown and Fortunato Compensation and referral arrangements among healthcare providers, hospitals, and laboratories have been a subject of scrutiny for many years, especially when the referral of federal healthcare beneficiaries is involved. Earlier this year, the United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”) intervened in a whistleblower lawsuit against laboratory executives, a hospital executive, and several marketers and healthcare providers, alleging violations of the False Claims Act, Anti-Kickback...
Two-thirds of nurses poised to quit in coming years: 8 steps to address potential mass exodus
November 18, 202214 min
By Pamela Williams, Partner, and Kevin Troutman, Partner, Fisher Phillips A recent survey by staffing company ShiftMed reported that two-thirds of nurses expressed an inclination to leave the profession within the next two years, a staggering jump from the 50% who expressed that intention just last year. And a study from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shows Texas is projected to have the second most severe nursing shortage in the country...
Update on cannabinoids and cancer care
November 18, 20229 min
By Victor S. Sierpina, MD is the WD and Laura Nell Nicholson Professor of Integrative Medicine, Professor of Family Medicine at UTMB-Health and the John Sealy School of Medicine “Nothing will sustain you more potently than the power to recognize in your humdrum routine, as perhaps it may be thought, the true poetry of life—the poetry of the commonplace.” –William Osler, MD A recent review article by Dr. Donald Abrams, MD of...
A “Tridemic” is a scary possibility
November 18, 20227 min
By John Hawkins, President/CEO, Texas Hospital Association We’ve all heard about bad things coming in threes. It’s a superstition that has persisted across generations and cultures. Any time three catastrophes happen to fall on top of each other, some point to it as a product of that old adage. There’s no scientific evidence of its validity, of course. But this flu season, it’s very possible that one of those validating trios of unfortunate events could...
Response-adapted ultra-low dose radiation achieves complete response in 90% of patients with orbital indolent B-cell lymphomas
November 18, 20226 min
Using a novel response-adapted ultra-low dose radiation therapy strategy, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center observed a 90% complete response rate in patients with orbital indolent B-cell lymphoma. This study, led by Chelsea C. Pinnix, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of Radiation Oncology, is the first to prospectively examine the use of a response-adapted strategy in this setting, allowing patients who have a complete response to ultra-low radiation doses — 4 Gray (Gy) in two fractions — to forego...
Rice bioengineer seeks better signals from cell
November 18, 20225 min
The cells in your body are pretty good at monitoring themselves, but they don’t always signal what’s going on to the outside world. A Rice University bioengineer has plans to enhance their ability to communicate. Jerzy Szablowski, an assistant professor of bioengineering at Rice’s George R. Brown School of Engineering, is developing technology to measure gene expression in deep tissues, particularly in the brain. His noninvasive, site-specific reporters will be secreted by cells to report on...
Researchers develop miniature human organ model that mimics pregnancy
November 18, 20225 min
Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch have developed a way to study gestational disease thanks to a breakthrough that mimics pregnancy using miniature organ models made up of human cells embedded onto silicon surfaces. The team, led by Dr. Ramkumar Menon, a professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, used these devices to successfully test drugs for conditions like preterm birth and pre-eclampsia during pregnancy. This breakthrough in preclinical research is...
Eyal Gottlieb, Ph.D., to join MD Anderson as Vice President for Research
November 18, 20224 min
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center announced that Eyal Gottlieb, Ph.D., has been named the institution’s vice president for Research. Gottlieb, an accomplished scientist and leader will join MD Anderson in January to uphold and expand the institution’s research excellence. In this role, Gottlieb will oversee laboratory science departments leading innovative discovery and translational research across a variety of disciplines. He will work closely with Chief Scientific Officer Giulio Draetta, M.D., Ph.D.,...