Studies Reveal Antibody Responses of Pregnant Women Infected with SARS-CoV-2
Two recent studies effectively determined the antibody responses of pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2 and the effect of the fetal sex on those responses, as well as the direct clinical implications for COVID-19 infection and future maternal-fetal vaccination strategies.
CMS Launches New Medicare.gov Tool to Compare Nursing Home Vaccination Rates
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is making it easier to check COVID-19 vaccination rates for nursing home staff and residents by making vaccination data available in a user-friendly format.
Interim Rule Advances Key Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills
An interim final rule with comment period to further implement the No Surprises Act details a process that will take patients out of the middle of payment disputes, provides a transparent process to settle out-of-network (OON) rates between providers and payers, and outlines requirements for healthcare cost estimates for uninsured (or self-pay) individuals.
HHS Announces the Availability of $25.5 Billion in COVID-19 Provider Funding
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is making $25.5 billion in new funding available for healthcare providers affected by the COVID- 19 pandemic.
OCR Issues Guidance on HIPAA, COVID-19 Vaccinations and the Workplace
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued guidance to help the public understand when the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy Rule applies to disclosures and requests for information about whether a person has received a COVID-19 vaccine.
High Oncotic Pressure Cardiopulmonary Bypass Priming with Human Albumin Improves Outcomes in Pediatric Open-Heart Surgery
Specialists at India’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital conducted a double-blinded, randomized controlled study to examine the impact of high oncotic pressure priming by the addition of 20 percent human albumin prior to the initiation of CPB
First-Line Intravenous Immune Globulin Monotherapy Evaluated in Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathy
The investigators concluded first-line IVIG monotherapy led to clinically relevant improvement in nearly one-half of IIM patients, the majority of whom experienced a rapid clinical response.
Subcutaneous Immune Globulin May Be a Treatment Option in Stiff Person Syndrome Patients Intolerant to Intravenous Immune Globulin
SCIG may be a reasonable and safe alternative for SPS patients who do not tolerate IVIG, with the caveat that allergic and injection site reactions can be a limiting factor for some patients.
Low Rate of Inhibitor Development in Previously Untreated Hemophilia A Patients Managed with Simoctocog Alfa (Nuwiq)
The investigators concluded PUPs treated with simoctocog alfa had a lower high-titer inhibitor rate than PUPs initially treated with hamster-cell-derived recombinant FVIII products.
Plasma Exchange May Slow Alzheimer’s Disease Cognitive and Functional Decline: Phase 2b/3 Clinical Study Findings
This trial suggests that plasma exchange with albumin replacement could slow cognitive and functional decline in Alzheimer’s disease, although further studies are warranted.
