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Obama Open To Using MedPAC To Set Medicare Payment Rates
As the administration searches for ways to pay for health care reform and restrain medical costs, President Obama suggested Wednesday that he would consider transferring the power to set Medicare reimbursement rates from Congress to the independent advisory agency known as MedPAC, MedPage Today reports. The move reflects legislation introduced by Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., last month that would move MedPAC into the executive branch as "a regulatory board similar to the Federal Reserve ... The move would transfer the power to set reimbursement rates from Congress -- and perhaps the interest groups that lobby it -- to an agency that critics say is better equipped to make nuanced medical payment decisions" (Walker 3/09).

Six Researchers To Receive Prestigious Awards From The American Society Of Hematology
The American Society of Hematology (ASH), the world"s largest professional society of blood specialists, will honor six scientists who have made significant contributions to the understanding of hematologic diseases. These awards, including the newly created Ernest Beutler Lecture and Prize, will be presented at the 51st ASH Annual Meeting taking place December 5-8 in New Orleans.
News of the day
U.S. Recommits To Improving Health, Education In Nigeria
The Guardian examines the recent U.S. commitment to continue support for the development of Nigeria"s health and education sector by Anne Fleuret, Nigeria"s acting mission director of USAID. At the conclusion of two USAID-funded projects in Nigeria, Fleuret said the HIV/AIDS programs were created six years ago "to empower communities." She added, "We envisioned so many things and we have substantially achieved that vision. We have provided support from the community level to the legislative level."
Diagnostics

How Weight Gain And Obesity In Men Reduce PSA Velocity And May Interfere With Prostate Cancer Detection

EHE International recently announced the findings of a study indicating that elevated PSA levels, often associated with prostate cancer, are potentially harder to detect in men who are obese or experiencing weight gain. Prostate specific antigens (PSAs) are proteins produced by the cells of the prostate gland and because elevated levels may be indicative of prostate cancer, PSAs are regularly measured in annual physicals. PSA velocity is a measure of how fast PSA levels are changing in a man through time, and a high PSA velocity is an important indicator of prostate cancer risk. The study describes how obesity and increases in Body Mass Index (BMI) make PSA velocity scores appear lower than they really are, thereby potentially obscuring clinically relevant changes in circulating PSA. Current data indicates that approximately 40 percent of American men aged 40-59 and 32 percent of men aged 60 and over are obese. While other studies have shown that obesity is not linked to overall prostate cancer incidence, it appears to be associated with a subset of cancers that are more aggressive. Therefore, much research is being devoted to how obesity might affect the screening for, diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men in the U.S. EHE International provided funding to Columbia University researchers Dr. Andrew G. Rundle and Dr. Alfred I. Neugut, to use hemodilution theory to model how obesity and weight gain affect clinically observed PSA velocity. Hemodilution theory states that higher blood volume in obese men effectively dilutes circulating PSA levels, resulting in lower PSA test results. The results of the models very closely predict the effects of weight change on PSA observed clinically in the NIH-funded Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT). Hemodilution formulas and models have been incorporated into a simple online calculator that adjusts PSA test scores and PSA velocity scores for obesity and weight gain between PSA tests. The calculator is available at http://www.eheintl.com/pas.jsp "The analyses show that PSA velocity is influenced both by changes in PSA through time and by the body size of the man at the first PSA test and by changes in weight between tests, noted Dr. Andrew Rundle, the study"s lead author and a member of EHE International"s Medical Advisory Board. "From a clinical point of view, it means that PSA velocity scores cannot be interpreted uniformly across men without considering the man"s weight and recent changes in weight." Recently, scientists have suggested that PSA test results in obese men be adjusted for hemodilution. The online calculator developed by Dr. Rundle and programmers at EHE International provides clinicians with a tool to assess how obesity and weight gain might be affecting PSA test results in their obese patients. The complete results of the study were published in the June 26, 2009 online edition of the scientific journal, The Prostate. EHE International


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