News Hub | News Direct

Healthcare

Addiction Biotech Cannabis Genetics Healthcare Medical Devices Pharmaceutical Science Veterinary
Article thumbnail News Release

Envision2bWell Kicks Off New Year with EnvisionWell 2.0 Health and Wellness App Release Featuring Face-Scan Tech

Envision2bWell Inc.

Envision2bWell ®, a digital health and wellness company whose mission is to empower people to live sustainably healthier, more joyful lives, has released an updated second version of its health and wellness app, EnvisionWell ®. Now available for both iOS and Android, EnvisionWell 2.0 sports a new user interface that improves the user’s overall experience. It also rolls out a revamp of one of its key features, “My Personal Body Blueprint,” (MPBB) with contactless face scanning technology. MPBB 2.0 provides users with important health biomarkers such as blood pressure, stress index, BMI and more, with just a smartphone — never needing to don a wearable device. The company also makes improvements to the “My Energy” module to better help users track their food, physical activity and water consumption. EnvisionWell syncs with more than 400 devices, bridging the gap created by the myriad separate apps that help users keep track of their fitness, their nutrition, their health, and more, but are unable to communicate with one another. It brings people’s data to life in one centralized location, eliminating the need for multiple apps. EnvisionWell empowers and enables sustainably healthy behaviors in all areas of wellness. “This is not your average health or fitness app,” says Envision2bWell CEO, Tammy Williams. “EnvisionWell provides information that communicates the true health of your body, mind and spirit, based on more than just your height, weight and BMI. It is data that allows you to decide for yourself how to best meet your personal health and wellness goals — whether it is reducing stress, improving or maintaining your physical fitness, practicing mindfulness, eating healthier or other aspirations.” In addition to being available for individual consumer use, the EnvisionWell platform serves up workplace wellness solutions for businesses. Because it is both digital and mobile, EnvisionWell can be utilized by virtually any company worldwide. “Our enterprise platform provides employers with a full portal of analytics that inform them of the overall health of their company, as well as engagement in the platform,” explains Williams. “EnvisionWell fully empowers people on their journey to 360 Well-Being ® and Social Health Empowerment ®.” Envision2bWell leverages the lens of social determinants of health and their proprietary engagement model based on the four foundational elements of the Social Health Empowerment Framework, “Knowledge, Support, Access and Autonomy” (KSAA ® ). “We are reimagining wellness, so everybody has an equal shot at being healthy and well.” Envision2bWell already has its next set of EnvisionWell updates in the works, including “B360 Score,” as well as new modules, “My TeleWellness” and “My Journal,” anticipated in mid-2022. About Envision2bWell Inc. Envision2bWell Inc. is a West Chester, Pennsylvania-based mission driven, for-profit social impact company committed to empowering, enabling, and inspiring health and well-being. The Black woman-owned business is MBE and WBE-certified with a diverse, multicultural team. Envision2bWell reimagines wellness through its signature product, EnvisionWell, a unified digital health and wellness platform that helps people live sustainably healthier lives with personalized engagement, robust data, and digital, social and human experiences to support them on their wellness journey. EnvisionWell is available for companies and individual consumers. To learn more, visit https://www.envision2bwell.io. Contact Details Helena Duzenski, VP Marketing & Communications 844-473-4748 Ext: 710 helena@envision2bwell.io Sherylle Linton Jones, Media Relations Consultant 844-473-4748 Ext: 718 sherylle@envision2bwell.io

January 04, 2022 02:30 PM Eastern Standard Time

Article thumbnail News Release

Altais Finalizes Family Care Specialists Acquisition

Altais

Healthcare services and technology company Altais, has finalized the agreement to acquire Family Care Specialists Medical Corporation (FCS). FCS was founded in 1988 and provides all-age family healthcare to communities in the eastern and northern Los Angeles metropolitan area. It is comprised of a medical group with more than 120 staff, an independent physician association with more than 340 primary care physicians and specialists, and a nationally recognized family-medicine residency program. The deal was announced in October. Altais is a healthcare services company pioneering integrated, scalable technology solutions and business models that are designed to enhance the patient experience, improve health outcomes, reduce cost, and drive professional gratification among physicians. Altais invests directly in physician practices, clinics, and related business models. In 2020, Brown & Toland Physicians, a network of 2,700+ independent physicians in the San Francisco Bay Area, joined the Altais family of companies. Altais also opened two independent primary care clinics serving essential civic employees and educators in the Monterey-Salinas market. FCS was formed by six Latinx physicians who still lead the group. They are all native Angelenos from the East Los Angeles community. Their aims for FCS were to provide high-quality and affordable healthcare and cultivate future generations of physicians for their community. “We founded Family Care Specialists with the goals of giving back to the community, in both healthcare services and medical education,” said Dr. Hector Flores, co-founder and medical director of FCS. “Our residency program continues to be an incubator for independent physicians who are committed to care for families in underserved communities. We believe the new relationship with Altais will provide FCS access to greater resources and technology. Driven by the power of our common cause, we’ll enhance healthcare for the community at large.” "Altais’ mission is to ignite an exceptional healthcare system that cultivates the health and well-being of physicians, patients and the clinical community,” said Altais CEO Dr. Jeff Bailet. “One of our primary goals in the pursuit of that mission is to support physician practices in delivering high-quality patient care and better health outcomes at lower costs. Family Care Specialists has done an outstanding job providing comprehensive healthcare to underserved communities in the Los Angeles area and developing future generations of family-medicine physicians through its residency program. Our organizations’ aligned missions make us a perfect fit for bolstering value-based community healthcare to the residents of Los Angeles.” FCS recently received Advisory Board’s prestigious “Innovation Showcase: Strategies to Advance Diversity” Award. FCS will reinvest the $10,000 award into its extensive healthcare workforce development programs that are designed to advance diversity, ensure placement of residency graduates in underserved areas, and build future leaders in healthcare. * * * About Altais Altais is a healthcare services company that helps physicians and the clinical community maximize the health and well-being of their patients in an affordable and sustainable way. Altais has two divisions. Altais Clinical Services offers a range of affiliation and employment models for physicians, and high-quality, affordable care for patients. Altais Health offers a broad platform of clinical support tools and technology, along with high-touch support. Ultimately, Altais seeks to enhance the vibrancy of physician practice and strengthen the heart of medicine – physicians connecting with patients and providing personalized, high-quality care. For more information about Altais, please visit www.altais.com. About Family Care Specialists The Family Care Specialists (FCS) Medical Corporation, aka FCS Medical Group, and the FCS IPA collectively serve approximately 30,000 beneficiaries comprised of Medi-Cal, Medicare, Commercial and Covered California coverage and 5% who are uninsured. The FCS Medical Group is dedicated to improving the health status of its patients, their families, and the entire community. FCS utilizes culturally and linguistically competent services and deployment of performance standards that reduce or eliminate health disparities. The FCS medical group is also the founding partner of the Adventist Health White Memorial Family Medicine Residency Program. The residency program is nationally recognized for its academic success, placement of more than 70% of graduates in medically underserved areas, and for contributing to diversity in the health professions. More than 65% of its graduates come from groups known to be under-represented in medicine. For more information about Family Care Specialists, please visit www.fcsmg.com. ### Note: In this transaction, Synergy Advisors, LLC, served as exclusive financial advisor to Family Care Specialists Medical Corporation and its principal physicians, and Kaufman Hall served as exclusive financial advisor to Altais and Altais Clinical Services. Editors, please note: Photos and interviews are available by contacting Robin Carr at (415) 971-3991 or Altais@landispr.com. Contact Details Landis Communications Inc. Robin Carr +1 415-971-3991 altais@landispr.com Company Website https://altais.com/

January 04, 2022 08:11 AM Pacific Standard Time

Article thumbnail News Release

AppYea completes acquisition of SleepX, entering a $6-9 billion sleep treatments market: expects to begin marketing during 2H2022

Appyea

AppYea (OTC: APYP), a medical device technology company, announced today the deemed completion of its previously announced acquisiiton of SleepX, an innovative medical device company focused on the development of SleepX’s flagship product DreamIT – an uncompetitively accurate wearable monitoring solution to treat sleep apnea and snoring and fundamentally improve quality of life. After the acquisiiton, SleepX will continue operating under its own brand name as a fully owned AppYea subsidiary. The merged company will focus on further development and commercialization of SleepX’s solution, including continued R&D investments and new initiatives in sales and marketing. Also, SleepX intends to begin a calibration trial with DreamIT. “I am delighted that we have completed the acquisition of SleepX. The company develops a wearble technology solution to treat snoring and sleep apnea, which is patent protected in the US, EU and Israel, and caters to two growing markets in high demand", said Boris (Bary) Molchadsky, AppYea’s Chairman. “This aqisition allows us to execute our growth strategy towards the beginning of DreamIT’s marketing during the second half of 2022, while continuing its development with the Biomedical Department at Ben Gurion University in Israel, and launching our first calibaration trial. Meanwhile, we are examining the acquisition of other synergetic activities that will complement the SleepX vision to improve sleep quality and quality of life globally.” According to the market intelligence company Fior Markets, the global anti-snoring treatment market is expected to grow at a 9.07% CAGR to USD 8.6 billion by 2028. The global sleep apnea devices market is expected to grow at a 6.2% CAGR to USD 6.1 billion by 2028, according to Grand View Research’s report. About SleepX SleepX, an AppYea (OTC: APYP) subsidiary, is a medical device company, focused on the development of uncompetitively accurate wearable monitoring solutions to treat sleep apnea and snoring and fundamentally improve quality of life. The company’s solutions are based on its proprietary IP portfolio of AI and sensing technologies for the tracking, analysis, and diagnosis of vital signs and other physical parameters during sleep time, offering extreme accuracy and resistance at affordable cost. SleepX’s flagship solution is DreamIT – a patented wristband communicating with its smartphone app to gently vibrate with every breathing interruption, and cause a shift from deep to lighter sleep, training the brain to breath properly. The app tracks sleep patterns and using the company’s machine learning technology to adapt the treatment and recommend improvements according to the user’s sleep and breathing patterns. In addition to reducing snoring and improving sleep quality, users will be able to access important statistics relating to their sleep patterns via the app to track and detect anomalies over time. DreamIT is being developed in collaboration with the Biomedical department of the Ben Gurion University of the Negev and is patent protected in the US, EU and Israel. According to the market intelligence company Fior Markets, the Global Anti-Snoring Treatment Market is expected to grow to USD 8.6 billion by 2028, at a 9.07% CAGR during 2021-2028. The global sleep apnea devices market size was valued at USD 3.7 billion in 2020 and is expected to expand at a 6.2% CAGR from 2021 to 2028, reaching USD 6.1 billion by 2028, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc SleepX was founded in 2019, and following the acquisition, its headquarters are in Boca Raton, Florida. Safe Harbor and Forward-Looking Statements This release includes forward-looking statements. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth herein. No statement herein should be considered an offer or a solicitation of an offer for the purchase or sale of any securities. Although APYP believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements and the assumptions upon which they are based are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations and assumptions will prove to have been correct. Although we believe that our plans, intentions and expectations reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking statements in this report are reasonable, we cannot assure stockholders and potential investors that these plans, intentions or expectations will be achieved. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors, some of which are beyond our control and difficult to predict and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in the forward-looking statements. The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, as these statements are subject to numerous factors and uncertainties, including but not limited to our ability to raise capital needed to develop amd market our products, our ability to maange the business post acquisition, economic conditions, intense competition, entry of new competitors and products, adverse federal, state and local government regulation, inadequate capital, unexpected costs and operating deficits, increases in general and administrative costs, unanticipated losses, financial condition and stock price, inability to carry out research, development and commercialization plans and other specific risks. APYP does not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement. Neither APYP nor SLEEPX are subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Contact Details AppYea Inc. Asaf Porat info@appyea.com Company Website http://www.appyea.com

December 31, 2021 08:45 AM Eastern Standard Time

Video Image
Article thumbnail News Release

Breakthroughs in roofing for residential clean energy, non-flammable safer batteries, people struggling with hearing loss coming to ShowStoppers press event during CES

ShowStoppers

Tech and business journalists will see breakthroughs in roofing for residential clean energy, safer batteries than lithium ion, and medical-grade hearing earbuds, at ShowStoppers® at CES, the press event scheduled for 5 Jan. 2022 during the CES tradeshow in Las Vegas. For press registration, please contact Steve Leon, mailto:sl@showstoppers.com, +1 310-936-8530. “The world’s first true solar residential roof” is coming to shake up the entire industry. Nanotech Energy, https://nanotechenergy.com, a CES 2022 Innovation Award Winner and the only producer of non-flammable, graphene-based batteries on the market, will show batteries that are infinitely safer and higher performing than the industry-standard, highly-flammable lithium-ion batteries that power consumer electronics and electric vehicles but can suddenly catch fire or explode. Jabra, https://www.jabra.com, a world-leading audio and video pioneer, flexes its engineering excellence with several new products, including the Jabra Enhance Plus, a medical-grade hearing solution with advanced audio engineering for better conversations, music, and calls. Also, their latest True Wireless Earbuds will be on display. The ShowStoppers press event organizes product launches, sneak previews and hands-on demonstrations of new tech for work, home and play for journalists, industry and financial analysts, venture capitalists and business executives -- from AI to 5G to cloud, VR to digital health; to better, safer, healthier tools for working from home or going back to the office; to future mobility and autonomy, robotics or smart cities; to apps and hardware that drive mobile and desktop innovation; to wearables, IoT, appliances, entertainment, and more. About ShowStoppers Now in its 26th year, ShowStoppers, https://www.showstoppers.com/, is the global leader in producing press and business events spanning the U.S., Europe and Asia. Each event organizes product launches, sneak previews and demonstrations for selected journalists, bloggers, industry and financial analysts, venture capitalists and business executives. Industry leaders, innovators and startups exhibit to generate news coverage and product reviews, make new connections, promote brand and open new markets. ShowStoppers produces official press events at CE Week, IFA and NAB; partners with CTA, IFA, GSMA and CEATEC; and produces events during CES, IFA, MWC, NAB, CE Week, CEATEC and other tradeshows. ShowStoppers streams online, broadcasting live events, month after month. To learn more about how you and your company can meet the press at ShowStoppers press events in person and online at ShowStoppers TV, contact Lauren Merel, m a ilto:lauren@showstoppers.com, +1 908-692-6068, or Dave Leon, mailto:dave@showstoppers.com, +1 845-821-6123. Contact Details Steve Leon +1 310-936-8530 sl@showstoppers.com Company Website https://showstoppers.com

December 28, 2021 09:45 AM Eastern Standard Time

Article thumbnail News Release

New research shows how combining anxiety medications and opioids can be risky for elderly patients

Patient Safety Authority

A new analysis from the Patient Safety Authority (PSA) demonstrates that despite the documented risks, benzodiazepines are used together with opioid pain medications among patients aged 65 and older in the hospital setting. The combination can cause changes in mental status, breathing, heart rate and blood pressure. In two-thirds of cases studied, a reversal agent was required to treat the reaction. The report is published in the December 2021 issue of PATIENT SAFETY. Researchers at the Patient Safety Authority reviewed 80 patient safety reports from January through December 2020 from 39 facilities throughout Pennsylvania. The most common adverse drug reactions (ADRs) related to this combination of medications occurred in the surgical, imaging/ diagnostic and medical-surgical care areas. The cases studied are from the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System, the largest database of its kind in the United States. “The problem may be much larger than it appears,” says executive director, Regina Hoffman, MBA, RN. “Many ADRs go unreported, so we believe our analysis likely only includes a fraction of those related to the combination of benzodiazepines and opioids with elderly patients. Our goal is to make providers more aware of the risks. We hope they may re-evaluate their prescribing habits and facility practices and move toward safer patient care for this vulnerable population.” Other topics in this issue of PATIENT SAFETY include: Emergence delirium and patient risk: what can we do? – Patient Safety Authority researchers offer a data analysis of safety events related to perioperative delirium and offer a four-phase intervention package to reduce risk to patients and providers. COVID nurses and PTSD - Just when we need them most, many nurses caring for patients on the front lines feel abandoned and expendable. Cassandra Alexander relates the toll the daily struggle has taken on her mental health—a sobering glimpse at the experiences of nurses like her around the country. Atrial fibrillation and cancellations - New-onset atrial fibrillation can pose a significant patient safety risk during the perioperative period. The Patient Safety Authority examines the impact and opportunities for improvement in ambulatory surgical facilities. Fixing healthcare: how activated patients can guide us forward – One critical way to make healthcare safer is to involve the patients themselves. What does it mean to be activated and how may it save your life? Patient engagement expert Dr. Judith Hibbard explains the importance and how to do it. A study and a toolkit to reduce urinary tract infections (UTIs) in long-term care facilities - UTIs are common in long-term care facilities, but they’re notoriously difficult to diagnose. The Patient Safety Authority analyzed trends in rates, infection types and treatments. Researchers offer a toolkit they developed to help reduce the occurrence of UTIs and promote antibiotic stewardship. PATIENT SAFETY is the peer-reviewed journal of the Patient Safety Authority. A scientific publication, PATIENT SAFETY humanizes patient harm with stories, opinion pieces, and magazine-quality design. It has a readership of more than 45,000 people in 164 countries. About PSA Established under the Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error (MCARE) Act of 2002, the PSA, an independent state agency, collects and analyzes patient safety data to improve safety outcomes and help prevent patient harm. http://patientsafety.pa.gov/ Contact Details Bev Volpe +1 609-230-4696 bev@madisongall.com Company Website http://patientsafety.pa.gov/

December 21, 2021 11:43 AM Eastern Standard Time

Image
Article thumbnail News Release

Revolutionizing the Way We Pay for Healthcare: Can Tech Give You Freedom from Health Insurance?

YourUpdateTV

Every year, a quarter million Americans declare bankruptcy due to medical bills despite having health insurance. Recently, Andy Schoonover, Founder and CEO of CrowdHealth, teamed with YourUpdateTV on a satellite media to discuss how leveraging technology can help you get your healthcare freedom back without breaking the bank. A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/7HLiYcpGqFU For 30 years, the middle class has experienced no real income growth due to the increasing costs of health insurance. Research shows inadequate health insurance accounts for nearly 67 percent of all bankruptcies. This statistic is staggering and illustrates a difficult reality for the many American families navigating today’s insurance market. Technology is being used to build a new, community-powered solution for all. CrowdHealth is an app and technology platform that allows you to make a monthly contribution to the Community and those funds are used to fund the community’s health care bills. Crowdfunding models of paying for health care maximize the probability that all members’ eligible bills will be paid in full each month. These models come without the burdens of skyrocketing premiums and deductibles. Unlike traditional models, members aren’t chained to yearly contracts and have more flexibility and autonomy with crowdfunded models. CrowdHealth provides app-based tools such as: The latest innovation in fintech, allowing their members to aggregate crowdsourced funds to pay doctors quickly and directly. A nationwide doctor quality and cost database that empowers their members to make informed decisions about their care without the limitation of restrictive networks. Highly engaged, personalized Care Advocacy to help their members navigate their health journeys. Negotiation and legal services that fight for patients when dealing with outrageous bills. Access to deeply discounted prescription drugs. By eliminating insurance plan middlemen, reimagining the healthcare payment system and empowering doctors to direct care choices, CrowdHealth will help their members significantly reduce their out-of-pocket expenses when compared to healthcare.gov plans. To learn more about CrowdHealth go to joincrowdhealth.com. About Andy Schoonover Andy Schoonover is founder and CEO of CrowdHealth, a community-powered alternative to health insurance that provides a revolutionary way of paying for healthcare bills through crowdfunding. Schoonover was previously CEO of VRI, a healthcare technology company focused on monitoring patients with chronic conditions out of their homes. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia and Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business About YourUpdateTV: YourUpdateTV is a social media video portal for organizations to share their content. It includes separate channels for Health and Wellness, Lifestyle, Media and Entertainment, Money and Finance, Social Responsibility, Sports and Technology. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

December 20, 2021 05:00 PM Eastern Standard Time

Video
Article thumbnail News Release

Inaugural VinFuture Prize Award Ceremony – Celebrating 4 Scientific Innovations for Humanity

Vingroup

HANOI, VIETNAM - Media OutReach - 20 December 2021 - One year after its launch, the VinFuture Prize Council has completed the evaluation process and selected 4 groundbreaking scientific innovations that have made and will continue to make positive impacts in the everyday lives of millions of people around the world. Prize winners will be announced at the inaugural VinFuture Prize Award Ceremony to be held on January 20, 2022 at the Hanoi Opera House and the VinFuture Sci-tech Week during January 18-21, 2022 in Hanoi. This is an international event to honor outstanding scientific achievements and promote innovations for humanity in 2021 with the participation of world-leading scientists, policy makers, leaders of technology corporations, and the Prize winners. The award ceremony will be held on January 20, 2022 evening to honor the winners of the inaugural VinFuture Prize, including the VinFuture Grand Prize and 03 Special Prizes for female innovators, innovators from the developing countries, and innovators with outstanding achievements in emerging fields. As part of the Award Ceremony event series, VinFuture will organize a sci-tech week for the scientific community, business and start-up leaders in industry and technology. The Foundation will also hold dialogues and interactive sessions with the Prize Council members and the VinFuture Laureates which will catalyze the intellectual connection between Vietnam's scientific and technological community and the world as well as bridge academia and industry, thus contributing to the transformation of science and technology innovations into real life applications. Commenting on the upcoming events, Professor Sir Richard Henry Friend – Chair of the VinFuture Prize Council and a 2010 Laureate of the Millennium Prize, said: " Science and technology need to deliver benefits to all peoples and all nations. The VinFuture Prize will recognize those whose brilliant science or engineering achievements can have positive impact on the lives of millions of people across the planet." The VinFuture Foundation is founded by Mr. Pham Nhat Vuong - Chairman of Vingroup, and his wife - Mrs. Pham Thu Huong, with the vision of creating meaningful change in the everyday lives of millions of people. In its inaugural year, VinFuture received 599 quality nominations from more than 60 countries around the world. Among these, nearly 100 nominations came from the world's top 2% most-cited scientists, many of whom are laureates of distinguished awards, such as the Nobel Prize, Breakthrough Prize, Tang Prize, Japan Prize, among others. All the nominations were assessed in multiple evaluation and selection rounds by a 12 member- Pre-screening Committee, and then by 11 members of the Prize Council. With a large number of quality nominations going through a rigorous assessment process conducted by the Prize Council of globally influential scientists and leaders in academia, research, and innovation, the 2021 VinFuture Prize is expected to identify breakthrough inventions and innovations that will bring about practical applications and meaningful impacts on the everyday lives of people. Remarkably, the in-person presence of great minds of the global science and technology community at the inaugural VinFuture Prize Award Ceremony and the VinFuture Sci-tech Week will contribute to positioning Vietnam as a new destination full of potentials and open up opportunities to build direct and multi-dimensional cooperative relationships between scientists and entrepreneurs, promoting the commercialization and application of scientific innovations into the real world. Besides the Laureate Announcement and the Award Ceremony on January 20th, 2022, there will be academic activities taking place from January 18-21, 2022, which include: - Conversation with the VinFuture Prize Council members - Symposium: Science for Life - Scientific Dialogue with the inaugural VinFuture Prize Laureates. The VinFuture Prize Foundation, introduced on International Solidarity Day, December 20 th, 2020, is an independent and non-profit organization in Vietnam. The Foundation was established with the vision of catalyzing meaningful change in the everyday lives of millions of people by honoring transformational technological innovations at a global scale. The Foundation's core activity is awarding the annual VinFuture Prize for breakthrough scientific and technological innovations that have made or have the potential to create meaningful changes in people's lives. In addition, the Foundation will conduct many activities to accomplish its mission, such as funding research projects, collaborating in academic development, and promoting STEMM education. A total of four prizes are awarded by the VinFuture Prize Foundation every year, consisting of the VinFuture Grand Prize valued at US$3 million - one of the largest ever annual prizes globally. VinFuture also awards 03 Special Prizes, each valued at US$500,000, dedicated to female innovators, developing country innovators, and innovators with outstanding achievements in emerging fields. Contact Details Vingroup Media Contact v.nammh@vingroup.net

December 20, 2021 08:30 AM Eastern Standard Time

Image
Article thumbnail News Release

Record 40,000 Transplants Honors Legacy of Donors

United Network for Organ Sharing

Today, Dec. 17, 2021, the United States has officially surpassed 40,000 transplants in one year, a historic first for the nation. This is according to United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the engine that powers the national organ donation and transplantation system under contract with the federal government. 2020 marked the 10th consecutive record-breaking year for organ donations from deceased donors and the 8th in a row for deceased donor transplants. “Reaching 40,000 organs transplants in a single year is a testament to the lifesaving work being done day in and day out that makes our donation and transplantation system the highest performing in the world,” said Matthew Cooper, M.D., president of the UNOS Board of Directors. "It is also a testament to the generosity of so many inspiring donors and their courageous families who gave the gift of life. “This news serves as a reminder that no matter what challenges we face as a nation, our community of doctors, patients, donor families, hospitals, organ procurement professionals, and advocates are dedicated to building on past successes to save even more lives. But there is always more work to do.” As of today, 106,962 men, women and children are on the waiting list for a transplant, which is at the lowest it has been since 2009. The list topped 124,000 at its height in 2014. "Every one of us has the potential to save multiple lives by registering to be an organ, tissue and eye donor," Cooper said. Learn more about organ donation and transplantation and how to register to be a donor at www.unos.org. Matthew Cooper, M.D., FACS, is president of the UNOS Board of Directors, Director of Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation at MedStar Georgetown Transplant Institute at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, and a professor in the department of surgery at Georgetown University School of Medicine. ### About United Network for Organ Sharing United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is a non-profit, charitable organization that serves as the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) under contract with the federal government. The OPTN helps create and define organ allocation and distribution policies that make the best use of donated organs. This process involves continuously evaluating new advances and discoveries so policies can be adapted to best serve patients waiting for transplants. All transplant programs and organ procurement organizations throughout the country are OPTN members and are obligated to follow the policies the OPTN creates for allocating organs. Contact Details United Network for Organ Sharing Eric Steigleder +1 804-782-4730 eric.steigleder@unos.org Company Website https://unos.org

December 17, 2021 06:43 PM Eastern Standard Time

Image
Article thumbnail News Release

METER Group Unveils Major Update to AQUALAB Vapor Sorption Analyzer Software

METER Group, Inc.

Moisture Analysis Toolkit enables food and pharma manufacturers to address ingredient source changes, accelerate product formulation, extend shelf life, and employ the most cost-effective packaging using research-tested predictive models that present complex isotherm and water activity data as clear, actionable insights METER Group, Inc. USA (METER) today unveiled a major update to the AQUALAB Vapor Sorption Analyzer (VSA) Moisture Analysis Toolkit, enabling food and pharma companies to harness analytics and predictive modeling that accelerates product formulation, maximizes cost-efficiency of packaging, and extends shelf life. The AQUALAB VSA Moisture Analysis Toolkit (MAT) is a first-of-its-kind, intuitive, full-featured modeling solution that transforms moisture data into solutions using research-tested predictive models. This software helps overcome key water-related research and development challenges. It is particularly relevant as food manufacturers turn to high-tech solutions to increase profitability in the face of supply chain issues and consumer concern over safety and sustainability. Like most manufacturers, food producers are increasingly impacted by supply chain shortages. The pandemic has exacerbated existing ingredient sourcing problems caused by climate change. With the Moisture Analysis Toolkit, manufacturers can use high-resolution moisture data to predict the effect of new ingredient candidates on moisture in the final product. “In a new supplier situation, our clients rely on the toolkit to make faster decisions and react quickly to new ingredient sourcing,” says METER Executive Vice President Takuya Ohki. “That’s what the toolkit is all about—faster, data-driven decisions that allow our clients to stay competitive in a fast-changing marketplace.” Ohki says that data-driven decision making is at the heart of the MAT, which includes tools for selecting the correct packaging and determining shelf life. “Historically, companies have tended to over-package and set a conservative best-by date. Now consumers are pushing companies to address issues of 30-40 percent waste in the food supply—while still demanding a mold-free product. Tackling safety and sustainability in tandem requires our best use of science. Too much of this research is still not implemented in industry. The Moisture Analysis Toolkit is something designed to make this science immediately accessible, to allow food manufacturers to solve these problems today.” The MAT takes advantage of a unique moisture map created by METER Group’s AQUALAB VSA. The VSA generates a high-resolution isotherm called a Dynamic Dewpoint Isotherm (DDI) curve. DDI curves can save companies months spent identifying a critical water activity in low and intermediate moisture food and pharmaceutical products, because they clearly illustrate the change in sorption properties. While competitor instruments use just the DVS method, METER Group’s MAT not only delivers DVS isotherms, but it also provides truly dynamic high-resolution DDI isotherm curves, uncovering granular details which have never been seen before. Unlocking access to these critical insights allows for more precise formulation, more accurate predictions, and more complete product knowledge. The business benefits and value are significant. For example, a dry ingredients company struggling with excessive labor, time, and space spent on shelf-life studies reduced the amount of physical shelf-life tests by 75 percent, cutting expenditures on testing from $300,000 to less than $50,000 per year. METER’s Moisture Analysis Toolkit also lets manufacturers work backward, picking a final water activity that maximizes shelf life and then getting guidance on specific formulation decisions around ingredient selection. This not only makes the formulation process more precise, but also speeds it up. A cold press bar company used the MAT with VSA-generated DDI isotherms to assess moisture migration during the R&D process, allowing them to release new products 5x faster and bring new flavors to market before competitors. “We see our clients succeeding from a profitability standpoint, but to me, that’s only part of the equation,” says Ohki. “The Moisture Analysis Toolkit empowers food and pharma companies to eliminate waste and inefficiencies across their respective supply chains on an unprecedented scale. That’s about more than profitability—it’s about putting existing science to work on the big problems we have to tackle as a society.” About METER Group METER Group, a Decagon and UMS combined company, delivers real-time, high-resolution data that fuels production and processes for the food quality, environmental research, urban and agriculture sectors. Through the power of its employees, METER combines science, engineering, and design expertise to turn physical measurements into useful information. Learn more at www.metergroup.com. Contact Details JMRConnect Mostafa Razzak +1 202-904-2048 m.razzak@jmrconnect.net

December 16, 2021 08:30 AM Eastern Standard Time

1 ... 240241242243244 ... 302