Public Health and Research News

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., April 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — GuideWell Mutual Holding Corporation (GuideWell), the parent to a family of forward-thinking companies focused on transforming health care, announced its COVID-19 Health Innovation Collaborative, an initiative that seeks to connect diverse innovative health-technology companies across the U.S. to bring forth solutions that address gaps in response to global health pandemics. [Read more…]

WELLESLEY, Mass., March 31, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Harvard Pilgrim Health Care today announced it is waiving member cost-sharing related to treatment for COVID-19. The waiver applies to medical costs associated with COVID-19 treatment at in-network facilities and out-of-network emergencies. [Read more…]

LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla., April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Care Bridge International, a data analytics corporation, today announced a new COVID-19 Calculator that estimates the true exposure of medical treatment and costs related to COVID-19 claims. As a public service during this difficult time, Care Bridge International is offering a FREE interactive tool at https://www.AnalyticPoweredCOVID19.com for businesses who need to understand the average medical costs associated with a COVID-19 diagnosis for a Workers Compensation claim, Group health or General Liability claims or the costs for Medicare beneficiaries. [Read more…]

One quarter (25%) of U.S. employees surveyed have worked with an executive who became severely ill and whose illness affected the company. This finding of the HealthMine 2018 Rising Risk Survey highlights the need for companies to do a better job of identifying key employees who are at-risk for a chronic illness. Once risks are identified, plan members can engage in personalized health actions to help ward off disease. In addition, companies can implement contingency and succession plans should these employees suddenly become sick. [Read more…]

Research and knowledge on the effects of nut consumption on human health has increased in recent years, suggesting that nut consumption may play a key role in the prevention of chronic diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD), among others. [Read more…]

Wellthy Therapeutics, a Digital Therapeutics company based out of Mumbai, is one of the five companies selected, and the only Healthcare company to enrol into Swiss Re InsurTech Accelerator programme this year. Wellthy’s artificial intelligence powered mobile intervention focuses on reversing and controlling diabetes through integrated care. Wellthy facilitates behavioural change and enables on demand care to improve health through a clinically proven policyholder centric tool, while reducing risk for health and life insurers. [Read more…]

A young Ohio father and his baby boy who battled brain cancer at the same time are among the 22 million Americans at risk of losing health insurance if a bill being considered by the United States Senate becomes law. The family is featured in a new video released today urging lawmakers to vote no. [Read more…]

TORONTO, May 16, 2017 /CNW/ – Alternate Health Corp. (CSE:AHG, OTC:AHGIF), a diverse healthcare company revolutionizing patient care and research through compliance and technology in the emerging medical cannabis industry, announced today the completion of its initial study to demonstrate the effectiveness of cannabinoid in treating chronic post-Zika virus symptoms. [Read more…]

It is that time of year when offers of university places start to drop into electronic mailboxes around the world. Higher education is big business now, places at UK universities are some of the most sought after in the world. These institutions will often charge overseas student annual fees of well over £25,000, so for the parents, ensuring the success of the academic investment is as significant as it is for a company sending key employees abroad. [Read more…]

To help people affected by breast cancer understand and prepare for changes to healthcare insurance policies that might affect them, Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) has created a Healthcare Newsroom on LBBC.ORG. [Read more…]

Adult obesity rates remained high overall, increased in six states in the past year, and did not decrease in any, according to The State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America, a report from the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).

The annual report found that adult obesity rates increased in Alaska, Delaware, Idaho, New Jersey, Tennessee and Wyoming. Rates of obesity now exceed 35 percent for the first time in two states, are at or above 30 percent in 20 states and are not below 21 percent in any. Mississippi and West Virginia tied for having the highest adult obesity rate in the United States at 35.1 percent, while Colorado had the lowest at 21.3 percent.

Findings reveal that significant geographic, income, racial, and ethnic disparities persist, with obesity rates highest in the South and among Blacks, Latinos and lower-income, less-educated Americans. The report also found that more than one in ten children become obese as early as ages 2 to 5.

Other key findings from The State of Obesity include:

After decades of rising obesity rates among adults, the rate of increase is beginning to slow, but rates remain far too high and disparities persist.

In 2005, the obesity rate increased in every state but one; this past year, only six states experienced an increase. In last year’s report, only one state, Arkansas, experienced an increase in its adult obesity rate.
Obesity rates remain higher among Black and Latino communities than among Whites:
Adult obesity rates for Blacks are at or above 40 percent in 11 states, 35 percent in 29 states and 30 percent in 41 states.
Rates of adult obesity among Latinos exceeded 35 percent in five states and 30 percent in 23 states.
Among Whites, adult obesity rates topped 30 percent in 10 states.
Nine out of the 10 states with the highest obesity rates are in the South.
Baby Boomers (45-to 64-year-olds)* have the highest obesity rates of any age group – topping 35 percent in 17 states and 30 percent in 41 states.
More than 33 percent of adults 18 and older who earn less than $15,000 per year are obese, compared with 25.4 percent who earn at least $50,000 per year.
More than 6 percent of adults are severely** obese; the number of severely obese adults has quadrupled in the past 30 years.

The national childhood obesity rate has leveled off, and rates have declined in some places and among some groups, but disparities persist and severe obesity may be on the rise.

As of 2011-2012:
— Nearly one out of three children and teens ages 2 to 19 is overweight or obese, and national obesity rates among this age group have remained stable for 10 years.
— More than 1 in 10 children become obese between the ages of 2 to 5; and 5 percent of 6- to 11-year-olds are severely obese.
— Racial and ethnic disparities emerge in childhood (ages 2-19): The obesity rates are 22.4 percent among Hispanics, 20.2 percent among Blacks and 14.1 percent among Whites.
— Between 2008 and 2011, 18 states and one U.S. territory experienced a decline in obesity rates among preschoolers from low-income families.

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According to the new research report “Oligonucleotide Synthesis Market by Product & Services (Equipment, Reagent, Primer, Probe, Custom Oligos), End-User (Research, Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology), Application (Diagnostics, PCR, QPCR, Gene Synthesis, NGS, DNA, RNAi) – Global Forecast to 2019″ published by MarketsandMarkets, the global Oligonucleotide Synthesis Market is expected to reach $1,712.1 Million by 2019 from $1,070.7 Million in 2014, growing at a CAGR of 9.8% from 2014 to 2019..

Browse 84 market data tables and 40 figures spread through 185 pages and in-depth TOC on “Oligonucleotide Synthesis Market”

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/oligonucleotide-synthesis-market-200829350.html

Based on products and services, the market is broadly segmented into equipment, reagents, and synthesized oligonucleotides. Among these segments, the synthesized oligonucleotides market segment is expected to register the highest growth rate during the forecast period, owing to the increasing number of applications of synthesized oligonucleotides in research, diagnostics and therapeutics; and a growing demand for custom oligos.

The market by applications is classified into diagnostics, research, and therapeutics. Research applications are further segmented into PCR, qPCR, sequencing, gene synthesis, and others. The therapeutics market is further segmented into DNA/antisense oligos, RNAi, aptamers, and others. In terms of applications, the research segment commanded the largest share in 2014, while the diagnostics segment is forecasted to be the fastest-growing segment in the Oligonucleotide Synthesis Market. By end users, the market is segmented into academic research institutes, pharmaceutical and biotech firms, and diagnostic labs. Academic research institutes contributed the major market share in 2014; however, diagnostic laboratories are expected to be the fastest-growing end user segment during the forecast period.

Based on geography, the global Oligonucleotide Synthesis Market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Asia-Pacific (APAC). North America is expected to account for the largest share of the market in 2014. However, Asia-Pacific is poised to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period, owing to increase in research and development activities, rising R&D funding and growing availability of synthesized oligos in the region.

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The Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALY) approach to deciding which treatments are available on health services – used by the UK and generating much interest across Europe – is dangerously flawed and should be abandoned, according a European Commission funded research project.

HTA agencies are charged with recommending whether new treatments are publicly funded. NICE uses QALY – an economic theory which mathematically weighs number of life years by quality of life provided by different treatments. Based on this calculation, decisions are made about whether treatments are offered by the National Health Service. In the UK, if the incremental cost per QALY (= cost for one additional year in perfect health) is below £30,000, the treatment is usually made available. Many European countries are currently considering replicating the NICE model.

The research surveyed 1,300 respondents in Belgium, France, Italy and the UK, and is the largest investigation into QALYs ever undertaken.

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Mevion Medical Systems, a radiation therapy company dedicated to advancing the treatment of cancer, has received CE Marking certification for the MEVION S250 Proton Therapy System. This important commercial milestone indicates that Mevion has completed its development in compliance with the European Union’s Medical Device Directive. The CE Marking allows the MEVION S250 to be marketed, sold, and installed in the European Union and in any country recognizing CE Mark approval. [Read more…]

Argos Therapeutics Inc. recently announced that updated results from an open label Phase 2 study of its Arcelis™ immunotherapy, AGS-003, in combination with sunitinib in patients with unfavorable risk, metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), had demonstrated prolonged survival. Based upon these results, the company is planning to initiate the international Phase 3 ADAPT study. Data from the open-label Phase 2 study were presented in a poster and oral session at the 2012 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in San Francisco.

Twenty-one patients with newly diagnosed, metastatic clear cell RCC were enrolled in this Phase 2 study. Following nephrectomy or metastasectomy to harvest tumor mRNA, autologous monocytes were collected by leukapheresis, in order to produce RNA-loaded dendritic cells specific to each patient’s disease. Treatment consisted of six-week cycles of sunitinib, four weeks on and two weeks off, plus AGS-003, which was administered as an intradermal injection every three weeks for five doses, and then every 12 weeks until progression in combination with sunitinib. Immune responses were evaluated at baseline and following five doses of AGS-003 using multiparametric flow cytometry, to assess the induction of anti-tumor, CD28+ memory T cell responses.

Results indicate that multiple partial responses were observed with this combination regimen, while 11 of 15 (73%) patients with serial immune assessments demonstrated increases in their CD28+ memory T cells. These immune responses correlated directly with prolonged survival in this study. Overall, the median progression-free survival was 11.2 months and estimated Kaplan-Meier median overall survival was 29.3 months in this study, based upon follow-up through January 2012. In addition, AGS-003 was well tolerated in combination with sunitinib, with no immunotherapy related serious adverse events observed.

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Giselle Singh is a 28 year-old single mom who struggled with her weight for years, trying nearly every weight-loss approach including dieting, exercise and weight-loss pills before changing her life with the Lap-Band® procedure.

“Starting at around 21, I began to gain weight, and it kept increasing each year,” she says. At my heaviest, I weighed close to three hundred pounds!” says Giselle, who is 5’9″ tall. “I tried to lose weight by eating much less, but always ‘rebounded’ and ate even more. I tried over-the-counter diet pills, and eventually managed to lose about 80 pounds. Then I got pregnant and started to pile the weight back on. I had my son in 2007, and was back up to 260 pounds and still gaining.”

Giselle says that after having her baby she decided to do her best to lose weight again. “I bought a set of home workout DVD’s, but I just couldn’t motivate myself to lose the weight. I’d lose maybe 5 pounds, then gain 10 right back.” To make matters worse, Giselle says she also suffered from post-partum depression. “When I looked at myself in the mirror before starting to work out, I’d think ‘Look at me, why even try?'”

Giselle remembers driving by a 1-800-GET-THIN billboard near her home. “Each time I passed that billboard I thought to myself, ‘I could never be that lucky person whose insurance would be accepted and be able to lose the weight. I couldn’t really do it.'” But Giselle realized she had to try something that could work, and she eventually decided to call 1-800-GET-THIN to learn more about the Lap-Band®. She attended a free seminar in her area. “Everyone was so helpful,” she says. “They helped me with my insurance, and after I got approval I was able to schedule my Lap-Band® to be done last October. My doctor was very attentive and he has been watching me closely since having my procedure. And you know what? I’ve already lost 100 pounds in 5 months. I never thought of myself as being healthy, but now I do. I’m really motivated to keep the weight off and now I’m exercising every day at home. I have transformed my life!”

1800GetThin.com has helped thousands of people to take the first steps to a new, healthier life. And with a study recently reported on CBS News showing that obesity now affects 25% of California’s population, The Lap-Band® may be the right answer for those who have failed with diet and exercise.

For information on weight loss, lifestyle changes and the Lap-Band®, call 1-800-GET-THIN or visit www.1800getthin.com. All individuals should consult their physician prior to any weight loss program. Studies indicate that individuals can achieve 30-50% excess weight loss at 3 years. 1 800 GET THIN does not provide any medical services, hire any doctors or operate any medical facilities.

SOURCE 1-800-GET-THIN

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If you’re a lady along with your mother had a stroke, you might have a risk of heart attack in addition to a higher threat of stroke, in accordance to new research on family members history and heart disease published within the American Heart Association journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics. [Read more…]