What are the odds? Stem cell recipient learns her donor is also in Ottawa – Ottawa Citizen

Colleen LeCours lay in a hospital bed at the General campus of The Ottawa Hospital on August 12, 2016, waiting for the only thing that could save her life a stem cell transplant from a stranger.

The donor could be anywhere in the world if a related blood donor cant be found, the call to find a match goes out to registries all over the globe and the donated stem cells are rushed across international borders.

What LeCours didnt know is that her donor, an 18-year-old Carleton University student named Timothy White, was just one floor below. Similarly, White didnt know that his recipient was in the same hospital.

There are currently more than 450,000 people on the Canadian Blood Services Stem Cell Registry formerly known as OneMatch and 36 million on affiliated international registries. Still, some people never find a match. There are more than 900 Canadians in need of a transplant who have not found a match anywhere in the world.

What were the odds that the match for LeCours, now 57, would be found in the same city?

Astronomical, she said.

The chances that White would even ever be asked to donate were also very low only about one in a thousand. After he agreed to donate, he was not told where the recipient might be. I was told the recipient could be anywhere. They could be in Africa, said White, now 22 and a recent graduate in computer science.

White had signed up for the registry through a cheek swab booth at ComiCon less than six months earlier. A smart place to recruit would-be stem cell donors, he notes. The optimal donor is a male between the age of 17 and 35 and thats the ComiCon demographic.

He decided to register as a potential donor because he grew up in the scouting movement. One of the main philosophies is to do a good turn every day, he said.

The donation was a non-surgical procedure in which Whites blood was removed though a needle, the stem cells were separated from his blood and the remaining blood components returned to his body through another needle. The procedure started at about 8 a.m. and was over by about 5 p.m.

I figured if I gave someone a day for a thousand more days (of life) then I felt it was a fair trade. I have many years of life. Why not spend one day? said White.

LeCourss medical journey started in 2009 with an emergency room visit for abdominal pain. She was eventually diagnosed with Stage 4 follicular lymphoma, a blood cancer that affects infection-fighting white blood cells. At the time, LeCours was working for Gov.-Gen. Michalle Jean and was able to stay on the job most of the time during her six months of treatment.

Four years later, the lymphoma returned. It was back again two years after that, in a more aggressive form. The only treatment was stem cell transplant.

There are two main kinds of stem cell transplants autologous and allogenic. In an autologous transplant, stem cells are collected from a patients own blood and reintroduced after being treated to remove cancer cells. In an allogenic stem cell transplant, the stem cells come from a donor.

At this point, LeCours was a candidate for an autologous transplant. Once again, she underwent aggressive chemotherapy. A year later, the cancer returned.

Doctors told LeCours there wasnt much else they could do and advised her to get her affairs in order. But the hospitals transplant team felt she could be a candidate for an allogenic transplant. Theres risk rejecting donated stem cells can be fatal to the patient.

LeCours learned that her brother was a match. But the medical work-up would last about three months and she couldnt wait that long.

I wasnt sure I wanted to do it but I didnt have much choice, she said. They said, We have someone waiting in the wings.

And I said, He probably has wings.

After the transplant, LeCours recovered as an outpatient in the home of her brother and sister-in-law. It took three months to rebuild her immune system. Her only rejection symptoms were a bit of skin irritation.

In January 2018, LeCours received an email asking if she would like to exchange contact information with her donor. She replied that she would.

A few months later, she got a message with Whites co-ordinates and was astonished to find that her donor was in Ottawa. It took her a few weeks to formulate an email.

I didnt want to scare him. I just wanted him to know how incredibly grateful I was. And I wanted to pay it forward, said LeCours.

After careful consideration, she sent White an email on Oct. 8, 2018.

Today, being Thanksgiving, I have so much to be thankful for, namely you giving your stem cells and saving my life and the success of the stem cells grafting to my bone marrow, LeCours wrote. I cant thank you enough for your wonderful selfless act.

Stem cell donor 18-year-old Carleton University student Timothy White at The Ottawa Hospital, General campus, donating stem cells for Colleen LeCours in August 2016. At the time he did not know that LeCours would be the recipient. Courtesy Timothy White.jpg

She added that she didnt know anything about him except for his name and email address, and asked if they could meet. They got together for the first time over lunch in a burger restaurant.

As soon as I saw him, I broke down, said LeCours.

It has been three and a half years since the transplant and LeCours remains in remission. She invited White to her familys Thanksgiving this year, and the two meet to catch up every few months. Its one of the quirks of stem cell donation that the recipient assumes the blood type of the donor. LeCours, once O-positive, now has blood type A-negative, like White.

Im a grandmother. The fact that my grandson has his moma is huge.

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What are the odds? Stem cell recipient learns her donor is also in Ottawa - Ottawa Citizen

Understanding the Key Aspects of a Multiple Myeloma Diagnosis – Curetoday.com

A multiple myeloma expert helps newly diagnosed patients understand the standard of care for their disease.

Richter, an assistant professor of medicine at the Tisch Cancer Institute at the Ichan School of Medicine in Mt. Sinai Hospital located in New York City, noted that there are always exceptions to this rule, but the standard of care is to keep patients with multiple myeloma to continue therapy long term.

This standard of care, however, presents unique challenges and questions for newly diagnosed patients about to undergo treatment. In an interview during the 2019 CURE Educated Patient Summit on Multiple Myeloma in Charlotte, North Carolina, Richter had the chance to address the key aspects of a multiple myeloma diagnosis and how he addresses common questions from patients.

CURE: What does transplant eligible and transplant ineligible mean for patients?

Richter: The notion of transparent eligibility in the U.S. is not clearly defined. One of the people who trained me used to say, Do the patients have the tiger? relating back to Rocky, and essentially what this means is people who are younger tend to be more eligible. So, are you able to undergo the intensive nature of that procedure and chemotherapy?

If you're younger and healthier, you're generally transplant eligible. As you get older, with more medical problems, it becomes more of a risk. Everything in medicine from a Tylenol to a transplant has a risk and benefit. If you are 105 years old and had a heart attack last week, you're not going to be eligible. If you're 40 and otherwise healthy, you're eligible and everywhere in between is an evaluation of risks and benefits.

How would you describe the standard of care for patients with multiple myeloma?

In general, the standard of care is to attempt to get people onto three drugs. The three drugs usually mean a steroid, and then either an immunomodulatory drug, a proteasome inhibitor or a monoclonal antibody, and using those different combinations to come up with two or three-drug combinations, and actually in some cases four-drug combinations.

The general discussion of which one makes sense is we generally try to put some on a three-drug combination and the two most common ones now VRd (Velcade, Revlimid, and dexamethasone) is really a very big standard approach. There's some really wonderful, emerging data from the MAIA study, looking at taking Revlimid and dexamethasone and adding Darzalex (daratumumab) as a three-drug regimen for people who are not going on to transplant and some of that data looks amazing.

But for the most part, the precision that we use has to do not so much with the tumor but with the patient. Meaning for some diseases, the precision in the upfront setting is we look at a genetic marker and we target that. But for myeloma our upfront choice of therapy is saying, what are your comorbidities? What are your risks? For someone who has neuropathy, we may avoid Velcade. Someone has heart issues, we may avoid carfilzomib (Kyprolis) and if someone has difficult coming back and forth for long infusions, we may avoid Darzalex. So, most of the precision that we use is custom tailoring it not necessarily to the disease upfront, although that's part of it, but also to the patient.

What is the role of stem cell transplantation in treating patients with multiple myeloma?

The role of transplant is constantly evolving in myeloma. A generation ago, when we didn't have very good drugs, transplant was clearly the best thing to do because we didn't have good medicines. Transplant was the only way to get deep and durable remissions. Nowadays that we have such better therapies and even better ones along the way, it's being called into question about how much do we still need transplant. And it's a case by case basis, some people still clearly benefit from transplant.

It's an important discussion to have with your provider. But the risks have been well established for many years and we know how to manage them very well. Although there are risks for it, they're generally consolidated into a couple weeks to a couple of months, as opposed to being on long term treatment that can have ongoing risk of side effects. So, yes, they may be higher, but it's usually for a self-contained amount of time.

It's still a very important tool in our armamentarium to treat patients. Now, that being said, the majority of patients in the United States do not receive autologous transplant, so only about 30% and part of the reason has to do with the age of patients. The average age of a myeloma patient in the U.S. is 69, and many people in their 70s and 80s have other medical problems that make them not eligible for transplant.

There are some socioeconomic reasons, as well as referral patterns and access to care. I live in New York City, you can throw a rock and hit a transplant center, but there are parts of the country where the closest transplant center is hours and hours and hours away. And if you are older, sick or don't have easy transportation, it may be more difficult. So, many people do not receive transplant. However, many people nowadays may not even need it because our drugs have gotten so much better.

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Understanding the Key Aspects of a Multiple Myeloma Diagnosis - Curetoday.com

The ‘supercells’ that cured an infant’s grave genetic illness – FRANCE 24

McLean (United States) (AFP)

When a person's immune system is impaired by a genetic disease, a bone-marrow transplant can be a powerful therapeutic tool, but with a major downside: during the first few months the recipient's defenses against viruses are severely weakened. The slightest infection can lead to a hospital trip.

A still-experimental type of treatment known as T-cell therapy aims to assist during this vulnerable period -- the months during which the body is rebuilding its natural defenses. After two decades of clinical trials, the technology has been refined, and is being used to treat more and more patients, many of them children.

A boy named Johan is one of them.

Today he is a mischievous, smiling toddler with a thick shock of light-brown hair, who never tires, playfully tormenting the family's puppy, Henry.

There is no sign of the three-year-long medical and emotional roller-coaster ride he and his family, who live in an affluent Washington suburb, have been on.

The first traumatic surprise came with the results of a pregnancy test: Johan was not planned.

"That was a huge shock. I cried," said his mother, 39-year-old Maren Chamorro.

- Risky procedure -

She had known since childhood that she carried a gene that can be fatal in a child's first 10 years, chronic granulomatous disease (CGD).

Her brother died of it at the age of seven. The inexorable laws of genetics meant that Maren had a one in four chance of transmitting it to her child.

For their first children, she and her husband Ricardo had chosen in-vitro fertilization, allowing the embryos to be genetically tested before implantation.

Their twins Thomas and Joanna were born -- both disease-free -- seven and a half years ago.

But in Johan's case, a post-birth genetic test quickly confirmed the worst: he had CGD.

After conferring with experts at Children's National Hospital in Washington, the couple took one of the most important decisions of their lives: Johan would receive a bone-marrow transplant, a risky procedure but one that would give him a chance of a cure.

"Obviously, the fact that Maren had lost a sibling at a young age from the disease played a big role," Ricardo confided.

Bone marrow, the spongy tissue inside bones, serves as the body's "factory" for the production of blood cells -- both red and white.

- His brother's immune system -

Johan's white blood cells were incapable of fighting off bacteria and fungal infections. A simple bacterial infection, of negligible concern in a healthy child, could spread out of control in his young body.

Luckily, Johan's brother Thomas, six years old at the time, was a perfect match. In April 2018, doctors first "cleansed" Johan's marrow using chemotherapy. They then took a small amount of marrow from Thomas's hip bones using a long, thin needle.

From that sample they extracted "supercells," as Thomas calls them -- stem cells, which they reinjected into Johan's veins. Those cells would eventually settle in his bone marrow -- and begin producing normal white blood cells.

The second step was preventive cell therapy, under an experimental program led by immunologist Michael Keller at Children's National Hospital.

The part of the immune system that protects against bacteria can be rebuilt in only a matter of weeks; but for viruses, the natural process takes at least three months.

- Hurdles remain -

From Thomas's blood, doctors extracted specialized white blood cells -- T-cells -- that had already encountered six viruses.

Keller grew them for 10 days in an incubator, creating an army of hundreds of millions of those specialized T-cells. The result: a fluffy white substance contained in a small glass vial.

Those T-cells were then injected into Johan's veins, immediately conferring protection against the six viruses.

"He has his brother's immune system," said Keller, an assistant professor at Children's National.

Johan's mother confirmed as much: today, when Thomas and Johan catch a cold, they have the same symptoms, and for nearly the same amount of time.

"I think it's pretty cool to have immunity from your big brother," Maren Chamorro said.

This therapeutic approach -- boosting the body's immune system using cells from a donor or one's own genetically modified cells -- is known as immunotherapy.

Its main use so far has been against cancer, but Keller hopes it will soon become available against viruses for patients, like Johan, who suffer from depressed immune systems.

The chief obstacles to that happening are the complexity of the process and the costs, which can run to many thousands of dollars. These factors currently restrict the procedure to some 30 medical centers in the United States.

For Johan, a year and a half after his bone marrow transplant, everything points to a complete success.

"It's neat to see him processing things, and especially play outside in the mud," his mother said.

"You know, what a gift!"

Her only concern now is the same as any mother would have -- that when her son does fall ill, others in the family might catch the same bug.

2020 AFP

More:
The 'supercells' that cured an infant's grave genetic illness - FRANCE 24

How supercells cured an infants grave genetic illness – Raw Story

When a persons immune system is impaired by a genetic disease, a bone-marrow transplant can be a powerful therapeutic tool, but with a major downside: during the first few months the recipients defenses against viruses are severely weakened. The slightest infection can lead to a hospital trip.

A still-experimental type of treatment known as T-cell therapy aims to assist during this vulnerable period the months during which the body is rebuilding its natural defenses. After two decades of clinical trials, the technology has been refined, and is being used to treat more and more patients, many of them children.

A boy named Johan is one of them.

Today he is a mischievous, smiling toddler with a thick shock of light-brown hair, who never tires, playfully tormenting the familys puppy, Henry.

There is no sign of the three-year-long medical and emotional roller-coaster ride he and his family, who live in an affluent Washington suburb, have been on.

The first traumatic surprise came with the results of a pregnancy test: Johan was not planned.

That was a huge shock. I cried, said his mother, 39-year-old Maren Chamorro.

Risky procedure

She had known since childhood that she carried a gene that can be fatal in a childs first 10 years, chronic granulomatous disease (CGD).

Her brother died of it at the age of seven. The inexorable laws of genetics meant that Maren had a one in four chance of transmitting it to her child.

For their first children, she and her husband Ricardo had chosen in-vitro fertilization, allowing the embryos to be genetically tested before implantation.

Their twins Thomas and Joanna were born both disease-free seven and a half years ago.

But in Johans case, a post-birth genetic test quickly confirmed the worst: he had CGD.

After conferring with experts at Childrens National Hospital in Washington, the couple took one of the most important decisions of their lives: Johan would receive a bone-marrow transplant, a risky procedure but one that would give him a chance of a cure.

Obviously, the fact that Maren had lost a sibling at a young age from the disease played a big role, Ricardo confided.

Bone marrow, the spongy tissue inside bones, serves as the bodys factory for the production of blood cells both red and white.

His brothers immune system

Johans white blood cells were incapable of fighting off bacteria and fungal infections. A simple bacterial infection, of negligible concern in a healthy child, could spread out of control in his young body.

Luckily, Johans brother Thomas, six years old at the time, was a perfect match. In April 2018, doctors first cleansed Johans marrow using chemotherapy. They then took a small amount of marrow from Thomass hip bones using a long, thin needle.

From that sample they extracted supercells, as Thomas calls them stem cells, which they reinjected into Johans veins. Those cells would eventually settle in his bone marrow and begin producing normal white blood cells.

The second step was preventive cell therapy, under an experimental program led by immunologist Michael Keller at Childrens National Hospital.

The part of the immune system that protects against bacteria can be rebuilt in only a matter of weeks; but for viruses, the natural process takes at least three months.

Hurdles remain

From Thomass blood, doctors extracted specialized white blood cells T-cells that had already encountered six viruses.

Keller grew them for 10 days in an incubator, creating an army of hundreds of millions of those specialized T-cells. The result: a fluffy white substance contained in a small glass vial.

Those T-cells were then injected into Johans veins, immediately conferring protection against the six viruses.

He has his brothers immune system, said Keller, an assistant professor at Childrens National.

Johans mother confirmed as much: today, when Thomas and Johan catch a cold, they have the same symptoms, and for nearly the same amount of time.

I think its pretty cool to have immunity from your big brother, Maren Chamorro said.

This therapeutic approach boosting the bodys immune system using cells from a donor or ones own genetically modified cells is known as immunotherapy.

Its main use so far has been against cancer, but Keller hopes it will soon become available against viruses for patients, like Johan, who suffer from depressed immune systems.

The chief obstacles to that happening are the complexity of the process and the costs, which can run to many thousands of dollars. These factors currently restrict the procedure to some 30 medical centers in the United States.

For Johan, a year and a half after his bone marrow transplant, everything points to a complete success.

Its neat to see him processing things, and especially play outside in the mud, his mother said.

You know, what a gift!

Her only concern now is the same as any mother would have that when her son does fall ill, others in the family might catch the same bug.

then let us make a small request. Like you, we here at Raw Story believe in the power of progressive journalism. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnstons DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. Weve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. Weve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and legal efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. And unlike other news outlets, weve decided to make our original content free. But we need your support to do what we do.

Raw Story is independent. You wont find mainstream media bias here. Unhinged from billionaires and corporate overlords, we fight to ensure no one is forgotten.

We need your support to deepen our investigative reporting. Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Invest with us. Make a one-time contribution to Raw Story Investigates, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click to donate by check.

then let us make a small request. Like you, we here at Raw Story believe in the power of progressive journalism and were investing in investigative reporting as other publications give it the ax. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnstons DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. Weve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. Weve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. We need your support to do what we do.

Raw Story is independent. You wont find mainstream media bias here. Unhinged from corporate overlords, we fight to ensure no one is forgotten.

We need your support to keep producing quality journalism and deepen our investigative reporting. Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Invest with us in the future. Make a one-time contribution to Raw Story Investigates, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you.

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How supercells cured an infants grave genetic illness - Raw Story

Firm adds a new wrinkle to anti-aging products – Williamson Daily News

HUNTINGTON Serucell Corporation, a cosmeceutical company based in Huntington, has developed the worlds only dual-cell technology to create and produce anti-aging skincare products, and they did it in Huntington.

Serucell KFS Cellular Protein Complex Serum is made start to finish at Serucells laboratory on the south side of Huntington.

This has been one of the best kept secrets in West Virginia, said Cortland Bohacek, executive chairman and a co-founder of Serucell Corporation.

The company soft launch was in September 2018 at The Greenbrier Spas. The Official online launch was April 2019 and is getting exposure with some well known sellers like Neiman Marcus, local dermatologist and plastic surgeons offices and several other retail locations from New York to California. It is also sold online at serucell.com.

One person that has tried the product is Jennifer Wheeler, who is also a Huntington City Council member.

As a consumer I have an appreciation of the quality of the product and the results Ive seen using it, she said. It has been transformative for my skin and seems like its success will be transformative for our city as well.

She said Serucell and the people behind it are impressive on every level.

In my role on council, Im especially grateful for the companys conscious effort to stay and grow in our city, Wheeler said.

A one-ounce bottle of the serum costs $225. The recommended usage is twice per day and it will last on average of about six weeks.

Serucells active ingredient is called KFS (Keratinocyte Fibroblast Serum), which is made up of more than 1,500 naturally derived super proteins, collagens, peptides and signaling factors that support optimal communication within the cellular makeup of your skin.

This is the first and only dual-cell technology that optimizes hydration and harnesses the power of both keratinocytes and fibroblasts, two essential contributors to maintaining healthy skin by supporting natural rejuvenation of aging skin from the inside out, said Jennifer Hessel, president and CEO of the company.

When applied to the skin, KFS helps boost the skins natural ability to support new collagen and elastin, strengthen the connection and layer of support between the upper and lower layers of your skin. The result, over time is firmer, plumper and smoother skin, according to Hessel.

Why it works so naturally with your skin is because it is natural, Hessel said. These proteins play an important role in strengthening the bond between the layers of your skin, and thats where the re-boot happens.

KFS is the creation of Dr. Walter Neto, Serucells chief science officer and co-founder of the company. Neto is both a physician and a research scientist, specializing in the field of regenerative medicine with an emphasis on skin healing and repair.

Neto said Serucells technology unlocks the key to how our cells communicate and harnesses the signaling power actions to produce the thousands of bioactive proteins necessary to support the skins natural rejuvenation.

Originally from Brazil, Neto studied at Saint Matthews University and completed his clinical training in England. His clinical research on stem-cell cancer therapies, bone and tissue engineering and wound and burn healing led to his discovery in cell-to-cell communication, and ultimately the creation of Serucells KFS Cellular Protein Complex Serum.

Neto received multiple patents for the production method of Serucell KFS Serum. He lives in Huntington with his wife and four golden retrievers and works alongside his longtime friend, Dr. Brett Jarrell.

I have known Brett since I was 18 years old, Neto said.

Jarrell practices emergency medicine in Ashland, Kentucky, and oversees all aspects of quality control for Serucell. He received his bachelors degree in biology from Wittenberg University, his masters degree in biology from Marshall University and his medical degree from the Marshall University School of Medicine. Jarrell completed his residency at West Virginia University and is board certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine.

Jarrell has served as a clinical instructor of emergency medicine at the Marshall School of Medicine, president of the West Virginia chapter of the American College of Emergency Medicine and he has published a number of peer-reviewed journal articles on stroke research.

Jarrell also lives in Huntington.

Another co-founder of the company is Dr. Tom McClellan.

McClellan is Serucells chief medical officer and director of research and is a well-respected plastic and reconstructive surgeon with a private practice, McClellan Plastic Surgery, in Morgantown.

McClellan completed his plastic and reconstructive surgery training at the world-renowned Lahey Clinic Foundation, a Harvard Medical School and Tufts Medical School affiliate in Boston, Massachusetts. While in Boston, he worked at Lahey Medical Center, Brigham and Womens Hospital, as well as at the Boston Childrens Hospital. McClellan is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

In addition to his practice and role at Serucell, McClellan utilizes his surgical skills through pro bono work with InterplastWV, a non-profit group that provides comprehensive reconstructive surgery to the developing world. He has participated in surgical missions to Haiti, Peru and the Bahamas.

McClellan lives in Morgantown with his family.

All three doctors here have strong connections to West Virginia, and we didnt want to leave, Neto said. We all want to give back to West Virginia, so that is the main reason we have our business here in Huntington.

We are building a company we believe can make a difference in the community, Hessel added. Our goal is to grow Serucell and build our brand right here in Huntington. There is a pool of untapped talent here in Huntington. When we expand our business here, we can provide another reason for young people to be able to stay and grow their careers, whether it is in science, operations or manufacturing. The team is a pretty excited to make an impact in the community where it all started.

Hessel decline to give sales numbers, but said the business has been growing each year since the product was introduced. She also declined to give the number of employees at the facility, but did say it has sales representatives across the country.

Visit link:
Firm adds a new wrinkle to anti-aging products - Williamson Daily News

First Edition: January 3, 2020 – Kaiser Health News

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.

Kaiser Health News:Grade A All-American Pot: The Next Big Export?In a large warehouse, LivWell Enlightened Health feeds its cloned cannabis plants a custom blend of nutrients, sprays them with filtered water and pumps extra carbon dioxide into the air. LivWell releases three types of insects to clear the plants of unwanted pests without the use of toxic pesticides. Every part of the growing process is meticulously documented and evaluated to constantly refine the process. (Hawryluk, 1/3)

Kaiser Health News:One-On-One With Trumps Medicare And Medicaid Chief: Seema VermaSeema Verma, administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, sat down for a rare one-on-one interview with Kaiser Health News senior correspondent Sarah Varney. They discussed her views on President Donald Trumps plan for sustaining public health insurance programs, how the administration would respond if Obamacare is struck down by the courts in the future and her thoughts on how the latest Medicare for All proposals would affect innovation and access to care. (Varney, 1/3)

Kaiser Health News:Watch: Behind The Troubling Rise Of Uninsured American KidsMore than a million fewer children receive public health insurance now than in December 2017. In some cases, their parents acquired coverage at work. But researchers also see a troubling rise in uninsured children and say the Trump administrations policies are partially to blame. (Varney, 1/3)

Kaiser Health News:KHNs What The Health?: How Do Other Countries Pay For Health Care?Many proponents of creating a Medicare for All system in the United States say it would make this country more like other industrialized nations. But, in fact, other countries structure their systems in a wide variety of ways. Some have a Medicare for All-type system, with private providers and public payment. But some systems are closer to government-run, while others include large roles for private insurance. (1/2)

Kaiser Health News:Watch: Woman Hit With $28K Bill For A Throat SwabA routine doctors visit for a sore throat brought more than $28,000 in charges for one New York City woman in our latest Bill of the Month installment. David Begnaud of CBS This Morning, in partnership with NPR and Kaiser Health News, discussed the case with KHN Editor-in-Chief Elisabeth Rosenthal in the Dec. 31 broadcast. (1/2)

The Washington Post:Sales Of Mint- And Fruit-Flavored E-Cigarette Pods To End By Early FebruaryThe Food and Drug Administration on Thursday ordered companies to stop manufacturing, distributing and selling most cartridge-based e-cigarette flavors including mint and fruity flavors by early February, saying the crackdown is urgently needed to stem a surge in teen vaping. The deadline was announced as the Trump administration officially unveiled its long-debated vaping policy. (McGinley, 1/2)

Los Angeles Times:Softer Trump Vaping Ban Replaces Strict Ban On All FlavorsThe new ban does not extend to refillable, tank-based vaping systems purchased in most vape shops, which users can fill with flavored e-liquid. It also excludes menthol-flavored cartridges. Together, the two exemptions represent a major retreat from an earlier White House plan to bar all flavors other than tobacco. The new policy will also leave Juul, the leading e-cigarette among teens, largely untouched. The company suspended nationwide sales of sweet flavors like mango and cucumber in October, then added mint to the list in November. It still sells menthol pods. (Baumgaertner, 1/2)

Politico:Trump's Dialed-Back Vaping Ban Angers Anti-Tobacco GroupsThe plan delivers relief to free-market advocates and thousands of small vape shops and vape-makers who protested that a sweeping favor ban would shutter their businesses. The measure will largely affect big tobacco companies that make popular vaping pods, though Juul has already pulled many of its products off the shelf. The larger firms can weather the challenge as well as a costly application process with the Food and Drug Administration that is likely to thin out small players from the market over the next few years. (Owermohle, 1/2)

NPR:Trump Administration Cracks Down On Some Flavored Vaping Products"We're striking a balance," Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said during a news conference, explaining that e-cigarettes need to remain an "off-ramp" for adults to transition away from combustible cigarettes, but they can't become an "on-ramp" for children to become addicted to nicotine. Azar stressed that all vape products are currently "illegal" because they are on the market despite not being cleared by the FDA. (Lupkin, 1/2)

The Wall Street Journal:FDA Bars Fruit, Mint Flavors In Vaping Cartridges But Makes Exemption For Vape ShopsE-cigarettes, most of them cartridge based, generate $6.4 billion in annual U.S. sales while tank vaping systems generate $2.6 billion, according to Wells Fargo. Cartridge-based vaporizers such as those made by Juul Labs Inc. are sold in gas stations and convenience stores as well as tobacco and vape shops. Tank-based systems and their accompanying nicotine liquids are sold primarily in vape shops, but are also available online and in some convenience stores. Major retail chains such as Walmart and Walgreens stopped selling all vaping products last year. (Maloney and Burton, 1/2)

The New York Times:With Partial Flavor Ban, Trump Splits The Difference On VapingAround the West Wing, polling data was circulated that had the imprimatur of one of Mr. Trumps pollsters, John McLaughlin, showing that in battleground states, the presidents supporters opposed regulations against vaping. But the poll was commissioned by a vaping industry group, and ultimately, those resisting any crackdown, such as the presidents 2020 campaign manager, Brad Parscale, lost to the advisers who wanted to keep flavored e-cigarettes away from young people. (Goodnough, Haberman and Kaplan, 1/2)

Reuters:Trump Administration Restricts Some E-Cigarette FlavorsRepresentative Frank Pallone, the Democratic chair of the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee, which has launched probes into e-cigarette manufacturers, dismissed the impact of the ban. "A flavor ban that exempts menthol and vape shops is no ban at all," Pallone tweeted. (Kirkham, 1/2)

The Associated Press:Trump's Plan To Curb Teen Vaping Exempts Some FlavorsAnti-tobacco advocates immediately condemned the decision to permit menthol and exempt tank-based vapes, accusing the administration of caving to industry pressure. Its disturbing to see the results of industry lobbying to undermine public health protections, especially the lives and health of our youth, said American Lung Association President and CEO Harold Wimmer. The association and other health groups argue that teenagers who vape will simply shift to using menthol if it remains on the market. (Perrone, 1/2)

The Washington Post:D.C. Council Weighs Banning Flavored E-Cigarettes And Menthol CigarettesAnti-tobacco advocates on Thursday urged the D.C. Council to add menthol cigarettes to its list of banned items as lawmakers consider prohibiting all flavored vaping products in the nations capital. The testimony came during a five-hour hearing on bills meant to rein in youth vaping and the rise of electronic cigarettes. But advocates also revived a decades-old fight over menthol cigarettes, a minty flavor disproportionately marketed to and used by African Americans. (Nirappil, 1/2)

The Associated Press:Smokers, Do Not Apply: U-Haul Won't Hire Some Nicotine UsersU-Haul has a New Year's resolution: Cut down on hiring people who smoke. The moving company said that it won't hire nicotine users in the 21 states where it is legal to do so, saying that it wants to ensure a healthier workforce." The new policy will start Feb. 1, and won't apply to those hired before then. (1/2)

The Washington Post:More Than 200 Republican Members Of Congress Urge Supreme Court To Reconsider Roe V. Wade Abortion Rights DecisionMore than 200 members of Congress nearly all of them Republicans on Thursday urged the Supreme Court to reconsider the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion rights decision, prompting a wave of protests from Democrats and reproductive rights groups. The 207 lawmakers signaled their position in an amicus brief supporting a restrictive Louisiana abortion law that is expected to be reviewed by the Supreme Court on March 4. The 2014 law, which was stayed by the Supreme Court in February, would require doctors at abortion clinics to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. (Sonmez, 1/2)

The New York Times:More Than 200 Republicans Urge Supreme Court To Weigh Overturning Roe V. WadeRoughly 80 percent of the Republicans in Congress 39 senators and 166 House members and two centrist House Democrats signed the amicus, or friend of the court, brief in the case of June Medical Services L.L.C. v. Gee. They also asked the justices to consider overturning another landmark abortion ruling in the 1992 case Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The court has exercised that judgment to overrule precedent in over 230 cases throughout its history, the lawmakers wrote. Forty-six years after Roe was decided, it remains a radically unsettled precedent: Two of the seven justices who originally joined the majority subsequently repudiated it in whole or in part, and virtually every abortion decision since has been closely divided. (Stolberg, 1/2)

CNN:Abortion: Lawmakers Ask Supreme Court To 'Reconsider' Roe V. WadeThe Republican brief comes on the heels of nearly 200 congressional Democrats filing a brief last month defending Roe and Louisiana abortion providers. The Louisiana challenge is the first abortion-related case that will be heard since Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch took the bench. Supporters of reproductive freedom fear that the case will present the justices with a chance to chip away at abortion rights. (De Vogue and Kelly, 1/2)

CBS News:Republican Senators And Congressmen Ask Supreme Court To Consider Overturning Roe V. WadeJune Medical Services challenged a Louisiana law, passed in 2014 and currently not in effect, which required doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges at a local hospital within 30 miles of the facility where the abortion is performed. If the law is allowed to be implemented, all of Louisiana's abortion clinics would close, as first reported in October by CBS News. (Segers, 1/2)

NBC News:Over 200 Members Of Congress Ask Supreme Court To 'Reconsider' Roe V. WadeA federal district judge blocked the law in 2017. But in 2018, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld it, arguing that the law would not impose an "undue burden," which has been the high court's key legal test for challenges to abortion restrictions. The Supreme Court reimposed the stay in February to weigh its constitutionality, and it said Tuesday that it would hear the case on March 4. (Clark, 1/2)

NPR:To Get An Abortion, Teens In 26 States Must Ask Parent Or JudgeThe teenager was just 15, and recovering from a rape, when she realized she was pregnant. This young woman, whom NPR has agreed not to name, says she knew right away that she wanted to terminate the pregnancy. But like a lot of states, Massachusetts required and still requires minors to get a parent's consent before obtaining an abortion. (Bebinger, 1/2)

The Washington Post:Poll: White Evangelicals Distinct On Abortion, LGBT PolicyWhite evangelical Protestants stand noticeably apart from other religious people on abortion restrictions and LGBT discrimination protections, two of the most politically divisive issues at play in the 2020 presidential election, according to a new poll. The findings point to an evangelical Protestant constituency thats more firmly aligned with President Donald Trumps agenda than other Americans of faith. White evangelicals were also more likely than members of other faiths to say religion should have at least some influence on policymaking. (Schor and Swanson, 1/2)

The Wall Street Journal:Drug Prices Climb By 5.8% On Average, Less Than Last YearPharmaceutical companies started 2020 by raising the prices of hundreds of drugs an average of 5.8%, according to a new analysis, a smaller increase than a year prior as the industry faces growing scrutiny from patients, lawmakers and health plans. Pfizer Inc. led the way, including increasing prices by over 9% on more than 40 products. The drug industry traditionally sets prices for its therapies at the start of the year and again in the middle of the year. (Hopkins, 1/2)

Bloomberg:Drugmakers Hike 2020 Medicine Prices Despite Lawmakers IreSome key drugs, such as Merck & Co.s top-selling cancer drug Keytruda, have yet to see higher prices, according to data compiled by Evercore ISIs Umer Raffat. But last years price increases didnt occur until a few days into the new year, the analyst said. Companies may be delaying some of those increases to later this month to escape early January scrutiny, Bernstein analyst Ronny Gal said in an email. While its too soon to tell, Gal expects price hikes may go up modestly from last year. So far, 85 drugmakers have reported with price increases on over 300 unique drugs, according to 3 Axis analysis. (Flanagan, 1/2)

Stat:It's 'Business As Usual' As Many Drug Makers Boost Prices For The New YearFor instance, Gilead Sciences (GILD) increased prices for several HIV pills by 4.8%, Biogen (BIIB) boosted its Tecfidera multiple sclerosis treatment by 6%, Eli Lilly (LLY) raised the cost of two diabetes medicines by 6%, and Pfizer (PFE) increased the list price of its Prevnar vaccine for pneumococcal disease by 7.3%. Notably, AbbVie (ABBV) boosted the price of its Humira rheumatoid arthritis treatment by 7.4%, and this comes after the company reached deals with several other drug makers to delay competition in the U.S. until 2023. (Silverman, 1/2)

CNN:Best And Worst Diets For 2020, Ranked By ExpertsWho won the 2020 battle of the diets? For the third year in a row, the well-researched Mediterranean diet KO'd the competition to win gold in US News and World Report's 2020 ranking of best diets. The report, released Thursday, is now in its 10th year. (LaMotte, 1/2)

CNN:Intermittent Fasting: Benefits And LimitationsAbstaining from food for 16 to 18 hours a day could be key to treating a variety of health conditions -- even if you've got to train yourself to push past the hunger. A review of past animal and human studies in The New England Journal of Medicine suggests that intermittent fasting can reduce blood pressure, aid in weight loss and improve longevity. (Andrew, 1/2)

The Associated Press:Parents Of Adult Children With Disabilities Fill Housing GapFor caretakers, the inevitable question of where to place their children with disabilities when they are no longer around can be scary and overwhelming. But some are literally breaking new ground in finding an answer. Parents in Arizona, Wisconsin, Maryland and other states have become the architects of their childrens futures. One reason: Social media and online resources are inspiring parents to look beyond the status quo, said Desiree Kameka, director of the nonprofit Autism Housing Network, which maintains a list of U.S. residential opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It shows nearly 50 communities are being developed or are in the planning phase nationwide, including several that are parent-driven. (Tang, 1/3)

NPR:Sickle Cell Patients Are Left In Pain, As Hospitals Cut Back On OpioidsIndia Hardy has lived with pain since she was a toddler from dull persistent aches to acute flare-ups that interrupt the flow of her normal life. The pain is from sickle cell disease, a group of genetic conditions that affect about 100,000 people in the U.S., many of them of African or Hispanic descent. Sitting in the afternoon heat on her mom's porch in Athens, Ga., Hardy remembers how a recent "crisis" derailed her normal morning routine. (Whitehead, 1/2)

NPR:These Women's Health Taboos Are Overdue To Be BustedAs the decade changes and we consider the state of women's health in America, who better to turn to than the authors of five taboo-busting books from 2019 that took on issues that generations of women haven't been talking about, but need to. We asked these outspoken doctors and health advocates to give us their Top 7 messages to women for 2020. Here's what they said. (Vaughn, 1/2)

The Associated Press:Backlog Of Toxic Superfund Clean-Ups Grows Under TrumpThe Trump administration has built up the biggest backlog of unfunded toxic Superfund clean-up projects in at least 15 years, nearly triple the number that were stalled for lack of money in the Obama era, according to 2019 figures quietly released by the Environmental Protection Agency over the winter holidays. The accumulation of Superfund projects that are ready to go except for money comes as the Trump administration routinely proposes funding cuts for Superfund and for the EPA in general. (Knickmeyer, Brown and White, 1/3)

The New York Times:Texas Judge Rules That Hospital Can Take Baby Off Life SupportA Texas judge ruled on Thursday that a hospitals plan to remove an 11-month-old girl from life support over her familys objections could proceed, the latest twist in a case that has drawn notice from conservatives around the state. The child, Tinslee Lewis, was born prematurely and suffers from a rare heart defect and other health issues, according to Cook Childrens Medical Center in Fort Worth, where she had been treated for 11 months. Doctors there had done everything possible to save Tinslees life, but ultimately concluded that they could not do so, the hospital said in a statement. (Zraick, 1/2)

The Wall Street Journal:One-Year-Old Girl Can Be Removed From Life Support, Texas Court RulesCook Childrens Medical Center in Fort Worth told the family of 11-month-old Tinslee Lewis in October that it wouldnt continue treating her because doctors believe she has no chance of recovery and is only suffering, according to a timeline provided by the hospital. Twenty other hospitals and pediatric cardiac specialists also agreed with Cook Childrens assessment and declined to treat Tinslee, according to the hospital. Tinslees family has fought to keep the baby alive with the help of Texas Right to Life, an antiabortion group, and said they plan to appeal Thursdays ruling to another state court. (Findell, 1/2)

The Associated Press:Texas Judge: Hospital Can Remove Baby From Life SupportDoctors at the Fort Worth hospital had planned to remove Tinslee from life support Nov. 10 after invoking Texas 10-day rule, which can be employed when a family disagrees with doctors who say life-sustaining treatment should be stopped. The law stipulates that if the hospital's ethics committee agrees with doctors, treatment can be withdrawn after 10 days if a new provider cant be found to take the patient. (1/2)

The Wall Street Journal:Transit Systems Take On Role As Homeless AdvocatesJeffrey Knueppels skills include running trains, buses and subways, and helping people who are homeless find jobs and housing. The retired general manager of the Philadelphia regions transit authority, like a growing number of transit officials around the country, increasingly assumed a social-welfare role in recent years as his agency struggled to cope with rising homelessness. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority spent more than $1 million partnering with the city of Philadelphia to build an 11,000-square-foot homeless drop-in center at a busy subway station. (Berger, 1/2)

Continued here:
First Edition: January 3, 2020 - Kaiser Health News

Finn the Fabulous to ring treatment bell after leaving hospital – expressandstar.com

The family of Finn the Fabulous were overjoyed to announce that Finley Hill has returned home, and will be ringing the hospital treatment bell, at the beginning of 2020.

The seven-year-old, from Belbroughton, near Stourbridge, was diagnosed with rare immune system disorder familial HLH, which causes damaged and enlarged organs.

Without stem cell treatment he will die.

His mother Jo Hill said she knew Finn still had a mountain to climb but that he had done amazingly well to get to where he was.

She said: We would like to give everyone an extra reason to raise a glass and everyone a little hope, we hope, who may be facing what feels like an impossible battle.

Finn was discharged the day before New Years Eve. He is ringing the bell next Tuesday.

We know neither of these means he doesnt still have a mountain to climb but he has done so brilliantly, so far and should be immensely proud of himself.

We enter this new year at home together, this new decade with a reinforced positivity that this boy can and he will.

Earlier this year, after a lengthy search, a stem cell donor match was found for Finn in the form of a 43-year-old man from Brazil, which gave the family hope.

It meant Finn, a pupil at Hagley Primary, went into hospital in November to undergo gruelling treatment.

Doctors said he would be in hospital for three months, but he returned home just in time to see in 2020.

Jo added: We couldnt be happier. Although we didnt make it to midnight, we all just fell asleep!

Finn gets to ring the treatment bell on Tuesday because hes been discharged, and then he can come back and ring it again once all the T cells come in and he can fight infection himself again. That will be on day 100 and were on about day 34 so far.

Its still very early days but hes just done outstandingly well. Finn looks amazing, hes so bright and bubbly and laughing all the time.

Were back in time for his birthday too he turns eight on January 19 and we thought he might still be in hospital.

Only two per cent of people in the UK are on the stem cell register and the fact that Finley has a rare tissue type makes finding a donor even harder.

Jo said she urged everyone to sign up and register to be a stem cell donor, to give other families like Finns hope.

For more details, visit the UK Stem Cell Register via dkms.org.uk or anthonynolan.org

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Finn the Fabulous to ring treatment bell after leaving hospital - expressandstar.com