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

Genelex announces new genetic testing options

Genelex is excited to announce the next chapter in the company’s ongoing mission to improve patient care and reduce adverse drug events. Genelex is unveiling five new panels and 17 new genetic testing options to augment our existing panel of six tests that form the core of the YouScript Personalized Prescribing System. In conjunction with the YouScript Personalized Prescribing software, … Read More

Study: Falls more common among older adults with pain

Recurrent falls were more than twice as common in elderly people suffering from pain than those who were not, according to the results of a recent study. The article, published in the October issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, found that 19.5 percent of adults 65 and older who reported bothersome pain in the last month also … Read More

The Pharmacist’s Corner: Clopidogrel dosing and genetic variations

By Rachel Sass, PharmD Should providers increase the clopidogrel dose in patients with decreased functioning CYP2C19 enzymes? Clopidogrel (Plavix) is one of the most well studied medications in pharmacogenetics.  Clopidogrel is a prodrug, meaning that it needs to be converted to an active metabolite in the body to have an effect. This metabolizing process occurs in part via the polymorphic … Read More

Public-facing genetic registry launched

A genomic research project funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) dedicated to finding which genetic variants are most relevant to patient care has launched a registry where people can enter de-identified information about their genetics. The Clinical Genome Resource project has launched its GenomeConnect patient portal, the PharmGKB Blog reports. The patient portal, or registry, is a repository … Read More

Raising awareness of diabetes in November

November is diabetes awareness month in the U.S., a time to learn more about a disease that affects an estimated 30 million American children and adults. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of adults with diabetes nearly tripled between 1980 and 2011, going from 5.6 million people to 20.9 million. The American … Read More

Study shows 50% drop in serious bleeding with DNA-guided warfarin treatment

A new meta-analysis of clinical trials scrutinizing warfarin dosing methods found that warfarin treatment guided by individual genotypes reduced instances of serious bleeding by more than half compared to standard dosing approaches. The work lends support to the importance of genetic testing for the genes CYP2C9 and VKORC1, variations of which can influence warfarin’s therapeutic effect. In August 2007, the U.S. … Read More