The year 2014 ended on a positive note for Genelex, with multiple publications bestowing the company with six awards or accolades for business growth and technological advancement. In November, Inc. magazine included the Seattle-based company at the number 10 spot in its list of the top-10 fastest-growing private companies in Seattle. Genelex was the only healthcare software and genetic testing company included … Read More
The Future: Pharmacogenetics in Primary Care
Primary care physicians are in a prime position to advance the continued implementation of pharmacogenetic testing to improve patient care, according to a review article in the journal Primary Care Reports. The article, which appeared in the October issue of Primary Care Reports, makes the case that primary care physicians are ideally positioned to advise patients in a manner that … Read More
HIMSS health care conference kicks off in April
Nearly 40,000 health care technology executives, physicians and policymakers are expected to descend upon Chicago in April for the HIMSS annual conference and exhibition. The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) annual convention starts April 12 in Chicago and runs until April 16. The largest health care trade show in the U.S., HIMSS 2015 will showcase the newest technologies, … Read More
Keep heart healthy during the month of February
February is a time to keep hearts on the mind: both with Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14 and the entire 28 days being recognized as American Heart Month. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. among both men and women, with about 600,000 people per year … Read More
Possible Meaningful Use reprieve on the horizon?
Health care providers may find reason to celebrate after a recent announcement by the agency that oversees the federal Meaningful Use requirements. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced in late January that they intend to “engage in rulemaking” this spring to update the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs, more commonly referred to as … Read More
Case Report: Muscle weakness in both father and son after statin therapy suggests genetic link
A 48-year man came to his cardiologist for an unscheduled visit complaining of worsening muscle pain and weakness in his arms and legs. He was finding it hard to exercise and even climb stairs. Two weeks before, the man had been fitted with a stent in his right coronary artery after he showed signs of coronary artery disease and put … Read More
Flawed studies informed recommendations against CYP2D6 testing for tamoxifen treatment, new study finds
A recent Mayo Clinic study has found that clinical recommendations discouraging the use of CYP2D6 genetic testing to advise tamoxifen treatment in women with breast cancer should be reconsidered because some of the studies the recommendations were based on had flawed methodology. The article, published in the January issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, found that some … Read More
What President Obama’s precision medicine push could mean for the field of pharmacogenomics
By Josh Schwartz Each year the President of the United States goes before Congress to present a report on the State of the Union. The range of topics covered in this address is typically quite broad, but one of the president’s newest initiatives stood out among the others: Precision Medicine. In between talking about how to create more jobs in … Read More
Falls among elderly increase over 12-year period
One of the most serious health concerns for the elderly seems to be becoming more common. A recent study out of the University of Michigan has found that self-reported falls among Americans 65 years and older increased by about 8 percent between 1998 and 2000. The researchers report that a greater increase in falls was seen than what would have … Read More
More research needed to find genetic link to depression risk
Parsing out the genetic underpinnings of depression remains a challenge for researchers, despite the rise in the number of studies focusing on the human genome, the authors of a new scientific review article report. The researchers behind the article, published in the January issue of the Harvard Review of Psychiatry, reviewed a number of studies on the genetic link to … Read More