DME owner sentenced to 12 years for $61M Medicare fraud; NIH study links air pollution to lung cancer mutations in non-smokers; new flexible X-ray-detecting fabric could transform wearable imaging tech – Morning Medical Update

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Florida DME owner sentenced to 12 years for $61M Medicare fraud

A Florida man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for masterminding a $61.5 million Medicare fraud scheme involving false claims for durable medical equipment (DME). Prosecutors say Peter Roussonicolos, 64, secretly owned five DME companies despite prior felony convictions, using straw owners and falsified documents to hide his involvement. The companies paid kickbacks for patient referrals and billed Medicare for medically unnecessary equipment, receiving $26.7 million in payments. Roussonicolos must also pay over $21 million in restitution and forfeiture. The case was part of the Department of Justice's (DOJ’s) Health Care Fraud Strike Force effort.

NIH study links air pollution to lung cancer mutations in non-smokers

Fine particulate air pollution causes more cancer-driving mutations in lung tumors than secondhand smoke, according to a new National Institutes of Health (NIH)-led study in Nature. Researchers analyzed whole-genome data from 871 never-smokers across 28 countries and found strong links between pollution exposure and key genetic changes — especially in the TP53 gene — associated with lung cancer. The team also observed premature telomere shortening, a marker of aging and cell instability, in those exposed to higher pollution levels.

This new flexible X-ray-detecting fabric could transform wearable imaging tech

Researchers at Hong Kong Polytechnic University have developed a flexible, all-inorganic “metafabric” that detects X-rays with 10 times the efficiency of previous flexible materials, according to a new study in Science Advances. Named “X-Wear,” the breathable, high-performance fabric uses electrospun inorganic fibers and may enable wearable X-ray imaging and radiation shielding. The innovation could overcome the limitations of rigid scintillators currently used in medical diagnostics. Potential applications range from mobile health monitoring to safer protective gear in high-radiation settings.