Trending News Today: Medicare Will Cover CAR T-Cell Therapy for Some Cancers

Officials announced on Wednesday that Medicare will cover chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies for certain types of lymphomas and leukemias, The Associated Press reported. According to the article, Medicare said it will cover CAR T-cell therapies when the treatment is provided in institutions that are enrolled with the FDA in mandated safety program. In addition, it will also cover the treatment for other uses if they are recommended by agency-approved medical research literature, the article reported.

A new study indicates that Apple devices, such as the iPhone, in combination with digital apps may be able to help differentiate individuals with mild Alzheimer disease dementia and those without symptoms, Reuters reported. According to the article, the study, which was conducted by Eli Lilly and Evidation Health, evaluated 113 participants over the age of 60 and included the use of Apple devices along with the Beddit sleep monitoring device and digital apps. The participants were asked to answer a pair of 1-question surveys daily and perform simple activities every 2 weeks. The early results showed that those with symptoms tended to have slower typing than healthy volunteers, the article reported.

A recent study has found a link between excessive caffeine intake and migraines, MD Magazine reported. According to the article, the researchers evaluated 98 adults between March 2017 and October 2017. The participants reported their caffeinated beverage intake, other lifestyle factors, and the timing and characteristics of each migraine headache every day for at least 6 weeks. Overall, the study showed a statistically significant nonlinear association between the number of caffeinated beverages a participant consumed and the odds of suffering from a migraine on that day, the article reported.