In The News

The FDA recently approved a test for lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) activity that helps predict risk of future coronary heart disease events, such as heart attacks. It is intended to be used along with a clinical evaluation and cardiac risk assessment to help determine risk in people with no history of heart disease and is particularly helpful in predicting risk in women, especially African American women.

New draft guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force advise screening adults age 45 and older and those with risk factors for pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes. The updated recommendations now more closely align with existing guidelines from the American Diabetes Association.

Ebola continues to be a major international public health concern and now the first known transmissions of the virus have occurred in the U.S. A healthcare worker has contracted the disease from a patient she took care of in a hospital in Texas, and a second healthcare worker has tested positive. The situation in Texas is evolving and a CDC team is prepared to assist the healthcare system in Texas deal with additional healthcare personnel who become symptomatic.

The CDC recently launched a risk assessment tool called Know :BRCA as part of an education initiative to raise awareness and provide important information on BRCA genes. Mutations in BRCA genes can increase a woman's risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer and are more common in certain families and ethnic groups. The new tool helps identify women who may be at higher risk and, after genetic counseling, who might benefit from BRCA mutation testing.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has released two separate draft guidance documents detailing the agency's recommendations for manufacturers to improve both over-the-counter and point-of-care blood glucose meters. This marks the first time that the FDA has issued separate documents for the two types of meters, stemming from the need to address the different ways that patients and professionals use the meters.