Florida man sentenced in $11.5M Medicare fraud; head impacts trigger early brain damage in young athletes; eyedrop formula to prevent vision loss – Morning Medical Update

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Florida man sentenced in $11.5M Medicare genetic testing scam

Robert Desselle, 47, of Tampa, Florida, was sentenced to nearly five years (57 months) in prison for orchestrating an $11.5 million genetic testing fraud and kickback scheme that targeted Medicare beneficiaries. Prosecutors said Desselle recruited vulnerable seniors through deceptive marketing at grocery stores and car dealerships, bribed telemedicine providers for bogus doctors’ orders, and funneled the tests to labs that paid him kickbacks. Medicare paid out $4.5 million on false claims, while Desselle pocketed more than $2.1 million. He was also ordered to pay $4.5 million in restitution and forfeit $2.1 million.

Head impacts trigger early brain damage in young athletes

Repeated hits to the head from contact sports can cause neuron loss and inflammation in young athletes years before chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) develops, according to National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded research led by Boston University and the Veterans Affairs (VA) Boston Healthcare System. Analyzing brain tissue from athletes under 51, most of them football players, researchers found a 56% loss of neurons in key brain regions, even in those without CTE’s hallmark tau buildup. The study also showed heightened immune cell activity and blood vessel changes tied to years of play. Scientists say these early warning signs could help detect and prevent brain disease long before CTE becomes visible.

Eyedrop breakthrough shows promise for preventing vision loss

Scientists at RMIT University in Australia have developed an experimental eyedrop that successfully delivers protective antioxidants to the back of the eye, a region currently reached only through injections. In pre-clinical tests, the lutein-based formula — using nanotech “cubosomes” to carry fragile compounds — protected retinal cells and reached the retina in mice, raising hopes for less invasive treatments for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness. Researchers caution the work is still early, with human trials yet to come, but say the approach could transform care by offering patients an easier, preventive option.