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MDLinx
The Organ Transplant and Procurement Network (OTPN) is set to undergo modernization and improvement after being criticized for lack of transparency, long waits, mishandling of organs, and the number of people who die on the waitlist each year. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has launched the OTPN modernization project, which will focus on accountability. The current system is outdated and has been responsible for 70 deaths between 2010 and 2020, according to a 2022 senate report. The HRSA plans to take steps, such as creating a new dashboard, to provide transparency and better serve patients and their families. Additional modernization will focus on overhauling the operations of the OTPN system to ensure higher compliance and a greater focus on patient safety. Organ transplants and the OTPN disproportionately affect the Black community in the US. About 30% of the ONTP waitlist is Black Americans, and about 90% are waiting for kidney transplants. The HRSA’s plan hopes to address the inequality by improving accountability, transparency, and systems of organ retrieval and matching. The changes will benefit patients, and physicians might be able to see more of their patients receive the life-saving transplants they need.
Cardiology April 24th 2023
MedTech Dive
Medtronic is collaborating with Nvidia on developing means to allow AI to run on its devices. The solution will use Nvidia chips on Medtronic devices and an AI layer that would allow doctors to create their own algorithms to run on the machines. The first will be implemented on the GI Genius endoscopy module. Medtronic hopes the strategy will mean that millions of users around the globe will be contributing to making their devices more capable and flexible for the diversity of real-world clinic challenges.
Gastroenterology March 29th 2023
Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology (CTG)
Long-term outcomes of lifestyle interventions to promote weight maintenance — the current first-line management for patients with NAFLD — are often unsatisfactory. DTx can overcome the drawbacks of traditional lifestyle treatments through telecare medical services. At the same time, implementing DTx introduces a different level of self-management motivation for patients, greatly improving the treatment adherence and therapeutic effect among NAFLD patients.
ACP Internist
The CDC now calls for screening of all adults aged 18 years or older at least once during their lifetimes. And vaccination should be offered to all who have not previously been vaccinated, regardless of serologic testing results. The CDC is now also recommending screening during every pregnancy, preferably in the first trimester, regardless of a patient’s vaccination status or history of testing.
Family Medicine/General Practice March 23rd 2023
Clinical Oncology News
Data on patients with mismatch repair deficiency (MMRD) CRC, the majority of whom could not undergo surgery due to various health conditions unrelated to cancer, were presented at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium (ASCO GI). Instead of radiation therapy or chemotherapy, the patients received immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors. It should be noted that the patients were treated outside of clinical trials. The overall response rate in this patient group was 74%, with 57% of those who responded experiencing complete tumor regression. Some of the patients have been in complete remission for a year or more after their diagnoses. The data indicate that immunotherapy is an effective treatment for patients who are unable to undergo surgery for a variety of reasons, including advanced age or a variety of health issues.
Gastroenterology March 6th 2023
Hepatoma Research
The assessment of response to radiation-based therapies can be complicated by persistent or changing imaging features, and this field of study is still in active development even though imaging-based response assessment systems have been validated for the evaluation of response to ablative locoregional therapies. Research is still needed to address the shortcomings of current imaging criteria for evaluating tumor response to these novel techniques, despite the increased application of radiation-based local-regional therapies for the treatment of HCC following technological advancements and a better understanding of tumor biology.
Gastroenterology February 13th 2023