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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20181015T010000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20181207T010000
DTSTAMP:20231109T155322Z
CREATED:20231025T162138Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231109T155322Z
UID:24324-1539565200-1544144400@healthjournalism.org
SUMMARY:Medicare Open Enrollment
DESCRIPTION:CMS has an FAQ on its website which explains how to change plans\, purchase part D/prescription drug coverage and other eligibility rules. It might be a good time for reporters to think about doing a story on what’s changed\, what’s the same and how rates/coverage may differ due to various CMS budget changes. \n 
URL:https://healthjournalism.org/event/medicare-open-enrollment/
CATEGORIES:Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20181021T010000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20181023T010000
DTSTAMP:20231109T155316Z
CREATED:20231025T162129Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231109T155316Z
UID:24317-1540083600-1540256400@healthjournalism.org
SUMMARY:Embargoed abstracts to be presented at American Neurological Association annual meeting
DESCRIPTION:Embargoed abstracts to be presented at the American Neurological Association’s 143rd Annual Meeting Oct. 21-23 at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta are now available to journalists upon request. To request access to the full program of abstracts (embargoed until the start of the Annual Meeting on Oct. 21)\, please contact Rachel Brown at rbrown@steegethomson.com. Below is an overview of a few noteworthy abstracts that will be presented. \nFor the first time\, the meeting will feature a media roundtable on Monday\, Oct. 22\, 2018 from 11:45-1 p.m. at which presenters of the six principal symposia will present highlights\, discuss the relevance of the work\, and answer questions. To RSVP for the media roundtable or request dial-in information if you are not able to attend in person\, please contact Rachel Brown at rbrown@steegethomson.com.  \nMembers of the media are welcome to attend the full meeting and can view the advance program here. For the meeting schedule at a glance\, click here.  \nTo register and obtain press credentials\, please click here. \n2018 ANA Annual Meeting Abstract Highlights [Embargoed until Oct. 21]\n1. Chadwick Christine\, MD\, UCSF Medical Center: “VY-AADC01 in Medically Refractory Parkinson’s Disease: Safety and Efficacy of a Phase 1b Dose-ranging Study 12 Months and Beyond” \nInvestigators at UCSF and UPMC report an early phase clinical trial of adenovirus-delivered gene therapy for the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease that is resistant to standard medical treatment. The engineered virus is injected into a brain region called the putamen to transfer DNA that encodes an enzyme called AADC.  This enzyme enhances the synthesis of the neurotransmitter\, dopamine\, which is reduced in Parkinson’s. In this preliminary study\, improvements in mobility and reduction in abnormal movements were still measurable a year and a half out from treatment. Though the patient numbers are small and further larger trials are required\, this study provides highly encouraging support for the potential of gene therapy in Parkinson’s disease. \n2. Nicolas Barthélemy\, PhD\, and Randall J. Bateman\, MD\, Washington University at St. Louis: “Profiling Alzheimer Disease Stages in Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Disease Using CSF Tau Phosphorylation Isoforms: Position Matters” \nTau is a neuronal protein that is a key part of the plaques and tangles that are hallmarks of brains affected by Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Although Tau has important normal functions\, a modification called phosphorylation of the Tau protein has been implicated in AD. In an inherited form of AD for which the disease progression can be more accurately predicted\, investigators at Washington University at St. Louis report that phosphorylation on a particular amino acid of Tau can be measured in patient spinal fluid\, correlating with the distinct biological stages of the disease. Importantly\, phosphorylated Tau starts increasing as early as 21 years before the estimated age of symptom onset and 2 years before signs of AD are seen on brain imaging. This study shows that chemical markers of AD in patients may enable identification of those at greatest risk so that treatment can be started early and success of the selected treatment may be assessed biochemically\, without having to wait decades to see an outcome. \n3. Alexander Merkler\, MD\, PhD\, Weill Cornell Medical College: “Duration of Heightened Ischemic Stroke Risk After Acute Myocardial Infarction” \nThe weeks following a heart attack have been associated with an increased risk of stroke\, but how long that increased risk lasts was unknown until now. Investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine studied the course of 1\,750\,000 patients suffering an acute myocardial infarction between 2008-2015\, selected randomly from Medicare beneficiaries aged 66 or older. After adjustment for other factors\, they found that the risk of stroke was still elevated up to 3 months after acute heart attack\, two months longer than was previously thought. These results will likely encourage more active and prolonged stroke prevention management of patients after a heart attack. \n4. Ahmet Hoke\, MD\, PhD\, Johns Hopkins University: “Development of EQ-6 for Neuroprotection Against Chemotherapy-induced Peripheral Neuropathy”  \nChemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) causes numbness\, tingling and often burning pain mostly in limbs that limits the use of effective anticancer drugs. Investigators at Johns Hopkins University have produced a modification\, EQ-6\, of their previously reported candidate for a drug that could prevent nerve damage due to the chemotherapeutic drug\, paclitaxel. Here they report that EQ-6 prevents nerve fiber loss\, sensory changes\, and reduces protein markers of nerve damage in animal models of CIPN. Furthermore\, EQ-6 was well tolerated without any significant toxicity. This is an important step toward clinical trials of a drug that may prevent one of the most long lasting and debilitating side effects of chemotherapy. \n5.  Bridgette Jeanne Billioux\, MD\, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: “Case Series of Ebola Survivors from Liberia with Neurological Sequelae Undergoing In-Depth Neurological Evaluation at the National Institutes of Health” \nAcutely\, Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) causes severe brain symptoms including seizures\, meningitis\, coma and stroke-like symptoms. However\, the long-term effects on brain among EVD survivors are poorly understood. Investigators at NIH have studied 20 Liberian volunteers who survived the West African Ebola epidemic in 2015\, three of whom underwent intensive evaluations including brain imaging and nerve function testing. Preliminary findings suggest EVD survivors demonstrate residual effects of meningoencephalitis and small blood vessel disease presenting as persistent abnormalities on brain imaging\, visual\, motor and cognitive functions. Although more data including controls of non-Ebola sufferers matched from the same community are needed\, these studies indicate that measures to protect brain from the effects of EVD will be critical to successful management of the acute infection. \n6. Suman Dutta\, PhD\, and Gal Bitan\, PhD\, UCLA: “α-synuclein in Brain-derived Blood Exosomes Distinguishes Multiple System Atrophy From Parkinson’s Disease” \nClumps and deposits of a synaptic protein\, a-synuclein\, are found in neurons and certain glia of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD)\, Dementia with Lewy body disease (DLB)\, and multiple system atrophy (MSA)\, but distinguishing these overlapping diagnoses is often challenging. Exosomes are tiny packets filled with protein\, DNA and RNA that are shed by cells and brain derived a-synuclein containing exosomes have recently been identified in blood. Investigators from UCLA have examined neuronal and oligodendroglial exosomes isolated from blood samples of 50 healthy controls\, 50 patients with PD and 30 patients with MSA. They found that a-synuclein was elevated in patients relative to controls and that the fractions of the protein in neuronal to glial exosomes were different enough to distinguish PD from MSA patients with 90% accuracy and sensitivity. This is a significant step toward developing a blood test specific for diagnosing these “synucleinopathies” in life\, paving the way for more precise prevention and treatment of these devastating brain diseases. \n7. Eleanor Donnelly\, PhD\, Georgia Institute of Technology: “Image-Guided Delivery\, Tracking and Quantification of Stem Cells in the Spinal Cord” \nAs stem cells are intensively studied for their usefulness in restoring injured or degenerating nerves\, tools are needed for the delivery of these cells to the right place in the spinal cord while minimizing any additional damage to the tissue. Investigators at Georgia Tech report a new method of using a photoacoustic contrast agent and ultrasound needle guidance to precisely inject stem cells into the spinal cord of experimental animals. The labeled stem cells could be tracked to observe their numbers and distribution over time within the spinal cord. This tool has great potential for application to the development of cell therapeutics for spinal cord trauma and diseases like ALS. \nMethods to more precisely inject stem cells into the spinal cord; an enzyme that enhances the synthesis of dopamine in people with Parkinson’s disease; a drug that protects against chemotherapy-induced neuropathy – these are just a few of the exciting research findings that will be presented at the meeting. \n“This meeting reflects a landmark year in neurology\, as we highlight cell-based therapies coming on board for neurological disorders\,” said M. Elizabeth Ross\, MD\, PhD; Director\, Center for Neurogenetics at Weill Cornell Medicine and Chair of the ANA’s Scientific Program Advisory Committee.   “There’s a feeling of optimism in neurology as we anticipate having a range of new and highly effective tools for improving the lives of many individuals with neurological disorders.” \n2018 Plenary Sessions include: \n\n\nViral Based Vectors in Neurotherapeutics \n\n\nLewy Body Dementia: From Symptoms to Synuclein featuring Susan Schneider Williams\, widow of the late comedian Robin Williams\, who suffered from Lewy Body Dementia (Monday\, Oct 22\, 9:15-11:15 am) \n\n\nAdvances in Cell-Based Therapeutics \n\n\nInflammation and Neurological Disease: Friend or Foe? \n\n\nToward Disease-Modifying Therapies in Traumatic Brain Injury \n\n\nVascular Contribution to Dementias \n\n\nContact: Denise Portner dportner@steegethomson.com / 267-670-7010 or Rachel Brown rbrown@steegethomson.com / 267-670-7011 \n 
URL:https://healthjournalism.org/event/embargoed-abstracts-to-be-presented-at-american-neurological-associationa-annual-meeting/
CATEGORIES:Event
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20181023T010000
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DTSTAMP:20231109T155315Z
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LAST-MODIFIED:20231109T155315Z
UID:26500-1540256400-1540256400@healthjournalism.org
SUMMARY:On the Beat: Local Journalism\, Truth\, and Democracy
DESCRIPTION:Tickets are available for the upcoming Virginia Humanities program titled\, “On the Beat: Local Journalism\, Truth\, and Democracy\,” which will take place in Fitzpatrick Hall at the Jefferson Center in Roanoke\, Va.\, at 7 p.m. on the evening of Oct. 23. \nRegional journalists Monica Hesse (The Washington Post) and Beth Macy (The Roanoke Times) will join Pulitzer Prize recipient Eric Eyre (Charleston Gazette-Mail) in a discussion of important issues impacting communities nationwide—including the opioids crisis and the effects of economic decline on rural communities—and the vital role of local journalism to an informed citizenry. Community questions will follow the panel discussion\, moderated by Dr. Reginald Shareef (Radford University). Book sales and signings will follow. \n\n\nWhat: “On the Beat: Local Journalism\, Truth\, and Democracy\,” a panel discussion open to the public \n\n\nWhen: October 23\, 2018\, from 7:00-8:30 PM \n\n\nWhere: Fitzpatrick Hall at the Jefferson Center\, 541 Luck Avenue SW\, Roanoke \n\n\nCost: Admission is $5 and includes a $5 book voucher for Book No Further (Roanoke-based bookseller); Tickets are available online\, or at the door\, depending on availability. Seating is limited. \n\n\nMore details: VaBookCenter.org \n\n\nAbout the Speakers \n\n\nMonica Hesse is the national bestselling author of the true crime love story American Fire and the Edgar Awardwinning young adult historical mystery novel Girl in the Blue Coat. She is a feature writer for The Washington Post\, and she was winner of the Society for Feature Journalism’s Narrative Storytelling award and a finalist for a Livingston Award and a James Beard Award. “Hesse has managed to wring tension and excitement out of a story with a known ending. She also superbly conveys the folkways of the Eastern Shore and the disruptive\, confusing effect the fires had on its community.”—The New York Times \n\n\nBeth Macy\, author of Dopesick: Dealers\, Doctors\, and the Drug Company that Addicted America\, is from Roanoke\, Virginia\, where her reporting for The Roanoke Times has won more than a dozen awards\, including a Nieman Fellowship for Journalism at Harvard. “[Dopesick is] a harrowing\, deeply compassionate dispatch from the heart of a national emergency… a masterwork of narrative journalism\, interlacing stories of communities in crisis with dark histories of corporate greed and regulatory indifference.”—New York Times Book Review \n\n\nEric Eyre received the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting\, recognizing his work as a statehouse reporter for the Charleston Gazette-Mail. He also received the Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE) Medal\, Fred M. Hechinger Grand Prize in Education Reporting from the Education Writers Association\, National Headliners Award\, Society of American Business Editors and Writers award\, Gerald Loeb Award for business writing\, and an Association of Health Care Journalists award. He also was the recipient of a Kaiser Family Foundation fellowship. \n\n\nHosted by Virginia Humanities\, the Virginia Center for the Book\, and With Good Reason radio\, this program is part of the “Democracy and the Informed Citizen” initiative\, administered by the Federation of State Humanities Councils. The initiative seeks to deepen the public’s knowledge and appreciation of the vital connections between democracy\, the humanities\, journalism\, and an informed citizenry. We thank The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for their generous support of this initiative and the Pulitzer Prizes for their partnership.
URL:https://healthjournalism.org/event/on-the-beat-local-journalism-truth-and-democracy/
CATEGORIES:None
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