Author: Healthcare Propulsion Staff

As GLP-1 drugs reshape obesity and diabetes care, researchers are examining whether fractional dosing could ease side effects and extend treatment without sacrificing the broader benefits that make these therapies valuable. Multisystem Benefits of GLP-1 Microdosing: A Narrative Review. Image Credit: Celso Pupo / Shutterstock In a recent non-systematic narrative review published in the journal Cureus, researchers summarized current evidence on the effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) and discussed the possible benefits of microdosing these agents. Obesity remains a significant health concern worldwide. The prevalence of generalized obesity among adults (viz., body mass index [BMI] > 30 kg/m2) and…

One of Australia’s largest real world studies of younger adults with advanced bowel cancer has identified important differences between cancers diagnosed before and after the age of 50, which could help doctors tailor treatments for younger adults more effectively. The new study, led by Flinders University and Flinders Medical Center, and published in the prestigious Medical Journal of Australia, analyzed data from 1,691 Australians whose bowel cancer had spread only to the liver – and found that younger patients differed from older patients in tumor biology, disease characteristics and survival outcomes. The liver is the most common place for bowel…

Researchers followed nearly 2,000 children from infancy to preschool age to investigate whether an increasingly popular early-life aquatic activity might be connected to later cognitive development. Study: Associations between baby swimming and preschooler child intelligence quotient: a cohort study. Image Credit: Denis Moskvinov / Shutterstock In a recent study available online in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers examined whether baby swimming during the first 6 months of life is associated with intelligence quotient (IQ) at preschool age and whether maternal and infant-related factors modify this association. Background Physical activity has been positively associated with neurodevelopment, while current infant movement guidelines emphasize…

Kel Pults, Chief Clinical Officer & VP, Government Strategy at MediQuant i There was a time when legacy applications in healthcare were viewed as an inconvenience. They were something to manage, but not something to worry about. That time has passed. Today, the accumulation of outdated systems and inaccessible data has become a systemic risk, one that extends far beyond IT departments. It is showing up in delayed care, incomplete clinical decisions, rising cybersecurity exposure, and increasing regulatory scrutiny. What many organizations still treat as a technical challenge is, in reality, a clinical and operational one. When Data Exists but…

The following is a guest article by Anne Neal, Vice President of Product Management for Payment Accuracy at Availity As Payment Integrity Programs Face Rising Administrative and Provider Friction, the Next Maturity Curve is Not Another Downstream Fix; it is an Upstream Operating Model Shift Working with health plans on payment accuracy initiatives has revealed a consistent pattern: the greatest opportunities to improve payment integrity often exist before claims ever reach adjudication. Today’s ecosystem normalizes rework. Claims move forward with known gaps. Errors are addressed late. Teams are built to inspect, dispute, appeal, and recover months after the original transaction.…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Last week we showed you the state’s report into the recent medication mix-up at Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown. You’ll remember four patients who went in for routine surgeries got the wrong medication and suffered horrific complications.As bad as the state’s report may have looked to most of us, we wanted the perspective of someone who truly understands all of the medical jargon throughout the text. So we talked with someone who has read plenty of these sorts of reports to get his reaction.”It’s something that I have never dealt with in my 30 years of practice…

Researchers tested how children process color, luminance, motion, and competing visual information to explore whether everyday screen exposure is linked to different patterns of visual processing as they grow. Study: Screen time is differentially related to visual selective attention and visual feature processing across middle childhood. Image Credit: Dimron Co / Shutterstock Daily screen time may be differentially associated with visual attention and visual processing during middle childhood, according to a new study accepted for publication in Scientific Reports. Background Children born in the modern era have ready access to numerous digital devices, contributing to substantial daily screen exposure. A growing…

A meta-analysis of more than 6,000 adults reveals how semaglutide affects weight and key metabolic markers, while new evidence from higher doses raises an important question about how far its benefits could extend. Study: Effects of subcutaneous semaglutide on weight loss and inflammatory markers in adults with overweight or obesity without diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Image Credit: Edugrafo / Shutterstock In a recent systematic review published in the International Journal of Obesity, researchers used a meta-analytic approach to assess the efficacy and safety profile of subcutaneous semaglutide for weight management. The review focused on adults (n = 6,239…

Parents are an important line of defense against teen vaping, yet many lack the knowledge and tools needed to recognize vaping products, understand their risks and prevent their children from using them. A new University of Oklahoma study will examine whether targeted social media messages can give parents the information they need to help prevent their children from vaping nicotine and cannabis. The research, funded by a five-year, $2.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, will be led by Katelyn Romm, Ph.D., and Erin Vogel, Ph.D., members of the TSET Health Promotion Research Center (HPRC) at OU Health…

From microbial diversity to gut barrier function, researchers are uncovering how individual fiber types may interact differently with the developing gut ecosystem during a critical stage of childhood. Study: The impact of dietary fibres on gut microbiome of young children: insights from in vitro experiments and an observational cohort. Image Credit: Helena Nechaeva / Shutterstock A recent study accepted for publication in the journal Scientific Reports suggests that different dietary fibers may influence the structure and function of the gut microbiota during early childhood. The researchers found that fibers such as xyloglucan, arabinoxylan, and pectin increased short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production,…