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Ping! It's time to get a mammogram. Now, if only your boss would give you time off.

Earlier this week, Facebook launched a new healthcare feature called Preventive Health for users in the U.S. When you search for Preventive Health in the Facebook mobile app, it will surface recommended screenings based on your age and sex, as well as other preventative health measures like flu shots.

The tool gives recommendations for nearby Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), allows you to set appointment reminders, and mark when tests and appointments are completed.

Facebook also took great pains to articulate that your activity in the Preventive Health tool won't be shared with advertisers. But is that enough for people to trust Facebook with their sensitive personal health data? And while its nearly 2 billion users are enticing to healthcare professionals, there are questions about whether Facebook can actually make a difference.

For tech companies, work in healthcare has the potential to breed public goodwill, as well as new business opportunities. But so far, the tech industry's approach to healthcare has been to suggest splashy ideas that won't necessarily do much good.

Both Google and Amazon are pouring money into health initiatives with nebulous goals. Apple branded the Apple Watch as the "ultimate guardian for your health," but the device hasn't won over doctors, and its self-lauded heart-monitoring features have yet to prove that they're making a difference.

Time for my cholesterol test! But how do I get there?

Facebook's Preventive Health tool does have a couple things going for it.

First, the actual recommendations for tests and screenings come from reputable organizations including the American Heart Association and American Cancer Society. The preventive measures they recommend are backed up by studies that prove their effectiveness. The recommendations now focus on heart health, cancer screening, and seasonal illness (like the flu), but Facebook says it plans to add more in time.

Next, experts are excited about the ability to reach people through Facebook. Estimates put Facebook's current U.S. user base at around 200 million people. Dr. Vish Viswanath, a professor of health communication at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, says that casting a wide net is a crucial component of public health campaigns. However, he still has some reservations.

"Given that we have to reach people through a variety of mechanisms, and certainly on social media, given [Facebook's] very wide usage, I think it's a good idea," Viswanath said. "Having said that, the devil is in the details."

Research has shown that there are a few principles necessary for a successful public health campaign, according to Viswanath. First, the messaging and mechanisms of campaigns have to specifically be adjusted to best suit the populations they are trying to reach

"The one size fits all approach is unlikely to be successful," Viswanath said.

Facebook tailors recommendations based on demographics, but not the way it delivers those messages. For example, wouldn't it be more effective to reach younger people on Instagram? This is consistent with another principle: that campaigns should be multi-dimensional, utilizing multiple mediums to get the message out. One notification on one platform may not cut through the noise.

Another challenge is the complementary action needed on behalf of government agencies and health providers. Viswanath said research has found that if the public is going to make an effort to address a health concern, other stakeholders (like the government, health facilities, or employers) need to make a similar effort to provide it. A huge problem with Facebook's campaign is that it is one sided, and puts all of the burden on the user.

"We cannot just pat ourselves on the back, saying we have provided you the information, now go and do it."

"We cannot just pat ourselves on the back, saying we have provided you the information, now go and do it," Viswanath said.

Facebook does provide some resources: a list of federally accredited and affordable health clinics nearby. However, Viswanath said finding places to get care is not as big of a hurdle for people as issues like how to negotiate time off work, and how to actually get to clinics.

"If I'm a single parent, working one job or two jobs or with limited transportation, I'm faced with multiple demands in my time, you can provide me all the information you want, but at the end of the day, that still doesn't solve my problem," Viswanath said.

Given these limitations, some think that the effort may sound nice, but are skeptical that it will have much of an effect.

"Theres nothing wrong with what theyre doing," said Vince Kuraitis, an independent health and technology consultant with 30 years of industry experience. "But the functions of the app as described are pretty minimal, and I dont see them moving the needle on the public health side."

Another reason health experts are keeping their expectations at a minimum is privacy concerns. In tandem with the announcement of the tool, Facebook published a blog post detailing the measures it was taking to secure user privacy. It says that user activity won't be sent to advertisers or third parties, and won't be available widely across the company to employees.

"Information you provide is securely stored and access is restricted to a group of people at Facebook who work on the product or maintain our systems," the post reads.

However, these promises can be less than reassuring for people who know Facebook's track record on data collection and privacy breaches.

"Theyve got a deep hole to dig out of in terms of winning trust," Kuraitis said. "That becomes particularly difficult with healthcare, because its such a sensitive area."

Data backs up that sentiment, too. Recently, the tech-healthcare analysis firm, Rock Health, along with Stanford Medicine, conducted a survey asking respondents with which companies they would feel comfortable sharing their health data. Only 10 percent of respondents said they felt comfortable turning to tech companies for healthcare, and of that 10 percent, only 36 percent said they would feel comfortable sharing health information with Facebook specifically.

The proof of Facebook's ability to protect user privacy, especially around health data, will be something experts plan to watch closely.

"I don't think Facebook has acquitted itself very well, in terms of protecting privacy, given their history, and their reluctance to admit their problems," Viswanath said. "Over time, to me, it is an empirical question, to see how this will work out and see if it really makes the big difference."

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Experts skeptical that Facebook Preventive Health will have an impact - Mashable

Caroline Roberts/CNET

What if I told you that kicking off your shoes and spending just a few minutes in nature could lower your stress and blood pressure? You don't need any fancy equipment, medication or confusing techniques. Forest bathing is a simple way to de-stress, find calm and improve your overall health. The best part? It actually works.

It's no secret that in today's world, stress is a growing problem. In 2017, a Gallup poll reported that the world's population is more stressed, angry, sad and in pain than ever. A lack of clean drinking water, food insecurity and widespread illness wreaks havoc on the health of populations worldwide. Furthermore, people in every pocket of the globe can find something to worry about -- personal relationships, looming deadlines at work and the health of loved ones are just a few of the many things that make us fret everyday.

Personally, I can thank my lucky stars that I don't have anything major to be stressed about, but I still often find myself anxious. In between classes, work, and trying to write the next great American novel, I've got a lot on my plate, and I know you all do, too. In today's world, we're constantly staring at screens, and it isn't helping our mental health. A lot of the de-stressing solutions that have been popping up -- meditation apps, improved sleep trackingand online workout subscriptions -- can work extremely well, but on some level they're just adding more technology to our lives.

I've been reading about a growing phenomenon called forest bathing for a while now, and I decided to try it out. I meditate for 10 minutes every day and usually fit in a good amount of exercise, but I still feel the grip of stress almost every day. I was hoping that forest bathing would give me a greater sense of calm. I'm also continually working on my ability to let stressful thoughts go without hanging on to them, and I thought that spending a few hours unplugged in nature would help with this relaxed state of mind.

Contrary to what the name might suggest, forest bathing doesn't involve taking off all of your clothes and swimming around in some pine needles. It's a Japanese practice of nature therapy, used to help people de-stress and take a break from technology. I ended up loving my time experimenting with forest bathing, and I hope you can take the lessons of the research, my personal experience, and the rich history of forest bathing to implement more nature therapy in your own life.

In the early 1980s, the Japanese government noticed some growing issues with their population. High suicide rates, social isolation and over-reliance on technology were hurting the people's well-being. Seventy percent of Japan is forested, and the government took to the trees to find a solution. A public health program called shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, was started in 1982.

Forest bathing involves simply going into nature and being present with all five senses. The use and presence of technology is discouraged (turn off your phone!) and many participants forest bathe with bare feet for the full grounding effect. It's not a strenuous hike -- though those are great for you, too -- it's a meandering stroll with frequent breaks to observe what's around you. There's no peak or end goal in sight. Many experts recommend practicing shinrin-yoku for a full two hours, but of course many people fit as much time in the forest as they can, even if that means just 15 minutes.

Any place with a bit of green is suitable for forest bathing.

Shinrin-yoku began as preventative medicine for the immune system, cardiovascular system, depression and anxiety, inflammation and other prevalent health problems. Since 1982, many researchers have published a wealth of evidence for the benefits of shinrin-yoku, and it has become imperative in the Japanese healthcare system. Today, the healing power of forest bathing is being spread all around the world.

Forest bathing has been shown to lower your heart rate and blood pressure. It has a whole host of positive mood effects, including a reduction in hostility and depression. Forest bathing also decreases fatigue, anxiety and confusion, and generally has a strong relaxing effect. In Japan, increased forest coverage has even been suggested to lower overall mortality rates. I could go on and on -- the point is, overwhelming scientific research backs up the power of forest bathing to help with numerous mental and physical health ailments.

Despite spending a lot of time outside, and going on some cool backpacking trips, I hadn't really done something quite like this. All of my hiking trips were more goal-focused, and I loved the feeling of accomplishment that came from "completing" a hike or getting to camp. But with forest bathing, the goal isn't to accomplish anything specific or do something strenuous. It's simply to exist in a green area with minimal distractions.

The first time I tried it out, I went all in. I texted a few important people that I would be offline, walked up to my campus's arboretum, turned off my phone and stayed outside in the same patch of lawn and surrounding path for two hours. The first thing I did after dumping my stuff and taking off my shoes and socks was promptly lie down in the grass and close my eyes for a while.

Life feels a lot easier when you're napping on a grass field.

After resting in the sun, I got around to strolling across the lawn a few times. I walked slower than I had ever walked before, and on my first loop I made friends with a couple of small salamanders. Later in the afternoon, I had a staring contest with a group of deer from several yards away. I think we were both surprised at how still the other was being. If I had been walking along in my usual hurried fashion, I would have definitely missed these cute creatures.

A few laps of walking the lawn and laying down in the sun later, I was ready to do some more serious thinking. I'm a very goal-oriented person, and I had recently hit some benchmarks that I now needed to reset. My mind was quiet enough for me to decide on what I wanted to focus on next for my fitness and writing pursuits, something I had been too stressed and busy to think about for a few weeks.

Mostly though, the whole time I was there I thought about nothing. And it felt amazing.

Being barefoot forced me to walk way slower than I naturally would.

The arboretum was surprisingly quiet for a Friday afternoon, but a few people passed by while I was doing my thing. I was nervous when I heard voices approaching, but with everyone I saw we simply smiled at each other and went on with our day. Luckily, no one asked why I was wandering around with my shoes off.

At the end of the first day, I was pretty excited to put my socks back on -- my feet had been getting cold -- but more reluctant to switch on my phone. I felt rested and calm, and I didn't quite want to go back into the busy electronic world.

The second time I tried it out was pretty similar to the first, though I only had time to stay for an hour. I didn't have any more breakthroughs in personal goal-setting (probably due to lack of time), but I loved just being able to take some time to let my mind go blank.

The last time I went was the only session I did on a weekday, and it definitely changed by mindset. I had a two-hour break between classes that I usually spent trying to knock out some work, but this Monday I was spending it forest bathing.

I'll be honest. I was a little stressed heading back to the arboretum on a typical weekday, and the stress didn't magically disappear as soon as I took my shoes off. As hard as I tried not to, my mind kept rehearsing everything I had to get done throughout the day, even though I wasn't that busy. I kept noticing my jaw clenching -- a classic sign of overthinking for me.

The arboretum was practically empty, and I meandered to some places I'd never been before, like a quaint bridge. I also saw a baby salamander, and it was as cute as can be. I took some time resting my eyes and opening my ears. I had just spent two hours in a classroom right next to a construction site, and the silence of the arboretum was extremely welcome.

I returned after I was done forest bathing to snap pictures.

After an hour, I turned my phone back on and continued with my day. I kept checking in with myself did I feel more calm, more productive, or less hurried?

I soon realized that the answer was a shaky "yes." Sure, my eyes felt better with a break from staring at a screen, and my chest felt a little less tight than usual. But, I only really started to feel calmer once I got back on track with the work I wanted to get done. I headed to class right after, and I did notice something pretty cool I was noticeably less inclined to secretly check my phone during the lecture. I had proved to myself that, shockingly, I could survive on my college's campus without constantly touching my phone.

Overall, my experience trying out forest bathing was great. The rest was mentally rejuvenating, and I enjoyed wandering a lot more than I thought I would. The one part I kept mulling over was what exactly was helping me feel relaxed -- was it something to do with being barefoot in nature, or was it simply that I wasn't staring at a screen like I spend so much time doing? I decided that ultimately, it doesn't really matter, and it was probably a mixture of both. The grounding aspect of standing in the dirt has been shown to physically reduce stress, but it also just feels nice to escape the constant buzz of notifications for a few hours.

I'll definitely be back to this beautiful lawn, though I might not be alone.

Would I do it again? I'm not sure I absolutely loved being alone with nothing to do, but I definitely want to incorporate spending more time outside with my phone turned off. Whether that's having a picnic with friends or bringing a book back to the arboretum, taking some time away from screens is desperately needed in my life.

While I think forest bathing is a wonderful thing, I know that it's unrealistic for most people to take several hours out of your workday to unplug. But, if you can find time to try forest bathing on a weekend, you can still reap the benefits.

I know I'm in a pretty lucky situation to be able to find a green space nearby, turn off my phone for two hours and lounge around. If you live in the middle of a city, or have children, forest bathing is a lot harder to pull off. But, you don't have to go whole hog -- even just slipping off your shoes and standing in your front lawn for a few minutes before work can be de-stressing -- or head your backyard if you worried what your neighbors will think If you raise children with a partner or a family member, ask them to watch the kids for an hour while you escape to your local park.

If you'd rather not walk around barefoot, simply spending time outside with your electronics turned off can do wonders for your mental health. Forest bathing was originally designed to benefit public health, and as such you should modify it to best fit your needs.

If you live in an urban area, you may be surprised to find that there's likely open space near you that you can use for forest bathing. Besides just Googling "green space near me," there are several crowd-sourced websites, like Map of Play, to find an open area in your city. If you're still out of luck, try finding a window and sitting with the sun on your face. It might not technically be forest bathing, but if you switch off your mind for a while, I promise you'll feel much better.

See the rest here:
Forest bathing: The free cure for stress and anxiety? - CNET

A SYRIAN refugee who arrived in Ireland just three years ago after fleeing her war-torn country has been awarded a prestigious scholarship after acing her Leaving Cert exams.

Suaad Alshleh, 17, who was granted asylum in Ireland with her parents in 2016, secured a place studying medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI) this September.

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And Suaad says she wants to be an inspiration for other teens who are living in direct provision that they can escape the system and achieve their dreams.

She said: Being in direct provision was probably one of the hardest times of my life, it was definitely very tough.

"A lot of people dont understand how tough it is. But I powered through it.

There was an incredible support from the community itself.

"Even the people running the direct provision, they provided a lot of support for me. Despite it being a horrible tough process, youll find nice people everywhere.

There is light at the end of the tunnel. These first few weeks in college, when Im sitting down and just having a chance to reflect, its an incredible feeling to have made it here.

I want to be a success story for a refugee to show people what you can do, even if you are a refugee. I want to represent Syria and refugees, in general, in a good way.

"I hope to be a success story to show that you can escape direct provision and that if communities are helpful and supportive, youll get through."

Suaads parents Wisam and Isham, who are both engineers, fled Syria back in 2011 after the civil war broke out which has since displaced more than 5.6million people.

The family first moved to United Arab Emirates where they stayed for four years before moving to Ireland.

They were then placed in a direct provision centre in Monaghan where Suuad and her mother were separated from dad, Isham.

Suuad says staying in the centre was terrible and admits studying for her exams was very difficult under the circumstances.

But she says shes grateful that they were given the opportunity to stay there.

She said: It was terrible, I was only 14 and I was away from my dad too.

My mother and I were in a room that wasnt very big. There was the issue of food and I was used to my mothers home cooking, it was very difficult.

It was one of the hardest moments of my life. Those nine months, I kind of just block them out but look where I am now. Without that experience I probably wouldnt be here.

But I dont see any alternative to direct provision. The fact that Ireland is taking in refugees is incredible and it would be great if communities continue to be accepting in future.

The family moved from Monaghan to Portlaoise where Suaad attended school in nearby Mountmellick.

Suaad fit straight in, she says, and credits the community for being so welcoming.

She said: When I moved there, I sort of looked like an alien.

"Many people didnt know why I wore my scarf and I was the first person many people had interacted with who wasnt Irish even. I was just different but people were very accepting.

When I moved to Mountmellick, I was also an alien there but I made loads of friends and they were so accepting of me as well. Im very lucky in the sense that I havent faced anything major.

Obviously being a new student in school in general is difficult but I havent faced any added difficulty because of how I look or where Im from and I think thats been wonderful.

Despite now calling Ireland home, Suaad says she would love to return to Syria someday.

She says she will be eternally grateful to her parents, however, for making the brave decision to flee their home country before it was too late.

She said: My parents were very good in the sense that they got us out before I could experience anything major in Syria. It saddens me when I think of it, because its a very big part of my identity.

They have made massive sacrifices for me, to uproot their lives at their age and to go somewhere completely different where they dont know the language. Theyve had to rely on me for a lot for that. I reallyappreciate everything they did for me, I hope Im making them proud.

Today, Suaad was awarded the Professor William C Campbell Bursary by Minister for Education and Skills, Joe McHugh TD.

Minister McHugh said he was delighted to award Suaad with the scholarship after everything shes been through.

Minister McHugh said: Our aim with the Bill Campbell bursary was first of all to recognise a Donegal man who worked to become a giant in the world of science and preventative medicine.

But I also want to see us use Bills life, legacy and works to motivate the next generation of students to follow in his footsteps, to replicate his ambitions and dedication and to work to transform the lives of others.

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I am delighted to be able to offer the scholarship to Suaad Alshleh.

"She is an inspiration and I hope she enjoys her studies at such a prestigious institution as the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland.

"Professor Campbells legacy is something that we should build on and by supporting students like Suaad and others in the coming years we can do that.

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Syrian refugee who arrived in Ireland three years ago awarded scholarship to study medicine after acing - The Irish Sun

Wellness describes itself as complete physical mental and social well-being. It comprises all the components used to lead a healthy life. Wellness is multidirectional and constitutes social, emotional, physical, spiritual, intellectual and emotional wellbeing. According to National Wellness Institute, two more component of wellness includes cultural and environmental wellness. Mental health and well-being are an integral and essential component of health. Wellness goes further than disease or disability and highlights the maintenance and improvement of health and well-being of the person. Wellness includes activities that improve health, enhance the quality of life and increase the levels of well-being of the person. Different types of wellness include workplace wellness, wellness tourism, lifestyle wellness and others. In order to help prevent disease, reduce stress, and enhance the overall quality of life Global Wellness Institute (GWI) organizes e Global Spa & Wellness Summit (GSWS) annually, that brings together leaders and visionaries to discuss various aspects of health and wellbeing.

Get Sample Copy of Report @https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/18787

Nowadays, people are focusing on preventive, proactive aspects of wellness, wellness economy incorporates industrial sector that enables consumers to incorporate wellness into their lives. Consumers are inclining towards preventive measures to prevent diseases and maintain good health. The key sector of wellness includes wellness tourism, fitness, complementary & alternative medicine, lifestyle wellness, rejuvenation and spa industry, workplace wellness and others.

Wellness is self-responsibility and is opening new opportunities for wellness market as due to increase in geriatric population, rise in disease population due to sedentary lifestyle, new research on wellness procedures using alternative medicines, expansion of consumer base and wellness industries, tourism is growing, that will incorporate wellness into travel, shift of consumers towards personal care products are some of the factors that will drive the medical wellness market. The awareness about medical wellness will help consumers, spread wellness to homes and their workplace and help the right way to exercise, include healthy eating in their diet, focus on preventive and personalized health and others. Lack of awareness about medical wellness, rise in products and services of wellness industry, lack of workforce and others are some of the factors restraining the market growth.

The global medical wellness market is segmented on basis of wellness sector, distribution channel and geography:

Segment by Wellness Sector

Segment by Distribution Channel

The global medical wellness market is segmented into wellness sector and distribution channel. Based on the wellness sector, the medical wellness market is segmented into complementary and alternative medicine, beauty care and anti-aging (surgical and non-surgical), preventative and personalized medicine, healthy eating, nutrition and weight loss, rejuvenation and others. The beauty care and anti- aging segment will dominate the wellness market due to rise in number of aesthetics procedures and increase in number of beauty care wellness sectors. Based on the end user, the medical wellness market is segmented as franchise and company owned outlets. The global medical wellness market is going to increase significantly is near future due to shift of consumers towards proactive approaches and include wellness in day to day life

By regional presence, the global medical wellness market is segmented into five broad regions viz. North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. North America market is expected to dominate in terms of revenue share, owing to the high availability of advanced products and services, wellness tourism, expenditures growth, , increasing penetration of leading companies in the region along with increase in patient population. Significant economic development has led to an increase in healthcare availability in Asia Pacific region, growing number of multi-specialty care centers, rejuvenation and fitness centers and penetration of global players in Asia is expected to fuel the medical wellness market

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Some of the major players in medical wellness market are Enrich Hair & Skin Solutions, VLCC Wellness Center, Guardian Lifecare, Healthkart, WTS International, The Body Holiday, Bon Vital, Biologique Recherch, MINDBODY Inc., Massage Envy, ClearCost Health, Golds Gym International, Inc., World Gym, Spafinder Wellness 365, Kaya Skin Clinic, Body master and others

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Medical Wellness Market to Witness a Healthy Growth during 2017 2025 - Zebvo

The world has long looked at the Nordics as an example fordriving much of the innovation that is happening nowadays, and the situation is no different in digital health, according to a new study from HIMSS, in cooperation with McKinsey,published today.

Supported by international management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, it reveals that the Netherlands and the Nordicscontinue to be seen as role models for the adoption and use of eHealth in Europe, based on the responses of over 500 professionals in the field.

But Estonia has swapped places with Denmark and is now perceived to be the leading eHealth country in Europe, following the launch of an initiative that allows EU citizens to retrieve medication prescribed electronically by doctors in Finland in Estonian pharmacies through the new eHealth Digital Service Infrastructure.

TOPLINE DATA

Despite progress being made, findings indicate that eHealth professionals in Europe continue to grapple with many of the challenges seen in other regions around the globe, from the lack of funding or political direction to poor interoperability.

The shortage of skilled workers is another concern for all the stakeholder groups surveyed. Jrg Studzinski, director of research and advisory services at HIMSS Analytics, said workforce development should be a priority for every organisation in a separate interview with Healthcare IT News published today.

Improving the competencies of the workforce can lead to significant efficiency gains, higher work satisfaction and improved safety for patients. Ideally this is a combination of process changes and staff trainings.

If we give healthcare staff members better digital tools and if we want them to be accountable for their work performance, we need to make sure that they are properly trained, but also that these tools are aligned with internal workflows, Studzinski said.

IT security, EMR implementation and improving patients access to information are seen as top priorities for the next 12 months, although the results vary according to each countrys level of digital maturity.

While the deployment of electronic records is the main concern for those in Germany and the UK, the Netherlands and the Nordics are focusing more on ensuring patients have access to their data, improving interoperability and leveraging the use of artificial intelligence.

IT security and EMR solutions are top of mind topics for German eHealth professionals. This is important to build a solid foundation for working in a digital health system, said Tobias Silberzahn, partner at McKinsey & Company.

However, we should already now think about tomorrow and ask ourselves: What is the goal of digitising the healthcare system? Or more specifically: How do we intend to link the more than 25 digital product categories that are currently being created with our existing healthcare system for the benefit of the patient? These are exciting questions that range from digitally integrated care delivery to personalised medicine,"Silberzahn added.

Looking a bit further ahead, over the next two to three years, eHealth professionals from most European countries expect a shift of priorities towards empowered and more active patients, the provision of telemedicine, and the enablement of continuity of care.

According to the study, anincrease inAI-based solutions and the provision of more personalised medical or preventative services is also expected.

But it is rather unlikely that we willseewidespread implementation and use of products and services featuring augmented reality capabilities or blockchain technology within the next three years. This will either take longer or work for special use cases, the researchers cautioned.

WHY IT MATTERS

Furthermore, across all the countries polled, a majority of healthcare staff believethat their organisations IT budget is too low.

Clinical staff members do more often perceive the IT budgets of their own organisations to be insufficient than their colleagues from IT departments. This can be a sign of frustration, i.e. digital solutions not delivering the expected benefits from an end user perspective. We recommend to investigate this further, the researchers noted.

But the findings show that the countries that are ahead are also the ones that are prioritising investment in digital.

While the reported spending numbers will have to be interpreted with some caution because they are based on estimations from professionals that do not always have insights into the exact accounting figures, it is still intriguing to see that the countries that are perceived to be more digitally mature in eHealth are also those who spend the most on technology, Studzinski said.

THE LARGER TREND

The study published today echoes many of the challenges and priorities identified in reports from previous years.

Only this month, management and technology consultancy Sopria Steria Consulting found in a survey that a majority of Germans were disappointed with the progress that their country was making in digitising healthcare, based on the responses of around 200 citizens.

On the provider side, in the UK, a recent study found that around 80% of GPs saw poor IT and tech support as key barriers to the widespread adoption of video consultations.

But with increasing pressures on health systems, including ageing populations and workforce shortages, it is clear that more stakeholders are turningto evidence-based innovations to provide services that are fit for the future.

ON THE RECORD

Commenting on the eHealth trends identified in the HIMSS report, Jochen Messemer, partner at McKinsey & Company, said: In Germany and many other countries, providers must speed up empowering patients through pan-organisational electronic patient records and the supplementary provision of telemedicine.

Healthcare IT News is a publication of HIMSS Media.

Originally posted here:
Estonia, the Netherlands & Nordics continue to drive eHealth adoption and use in Europe, study finds - Healthcare IT News

Dr. Jacques Sebisaho, Congolese physician and Amani Global Works founder. Photo by: Amani Global Works

NEW YORK If a patient arrives at a public health clinic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with symptoms of a serious noncommunicable disease, they are rarely presented with options for further care, according to Jacques Sebisaho, a Congolese physician and the founder of the health care nonprofit Amani Global Works.

If you go to a clinic, usually they say, in that case, We cannot treat you. For pregnant women they will refer you to a hospital, but for other issues they just tell you, There is nothing we can do, Sebisaho said.

It costs us $18 per person for primary health care. The government is spending $40. It is cheaper because of the massive community involvement.

The ongoing Ebola response hasdiverted doctors from primary health care to focus on the outbreak, weakening the countrys already fragile health care system, Mdecins Sans Frontireswarnedlast month.

Sebisaho is hoping that a model of referral systems and community health care he pioneered on the remote island of Idjwi which sits on Lake Kivu, near Congos border with Rwanda could help strengthen primary health care in the rest of Congo. His system is cheaper, and more efficient than the existing public health care across the country, according to Sebisaho.

It costs us $18 per person for primary health care. The government is spending $40. It is cheaper because of the massive community involvement. We structure the community with health workers and they see people all the time. They wind up not having to refer many people to health clinics, Sebisaho said. For lots of them, disease is getting caught early, at the community level.

Amani Global Works has an agreement with Congos health ministry and plans to begin replicating its model by 2021, Sebisaho said.

The population of Idjwi has ballooned since the late 1970s, when Sebisaho, 47, and his family left the island for the nearby city of Bukavu. Since then, the island has grown from 37,000 people to more than 300,000, according to Sebisaho a result of a birth rate of more than 8 live births per woman, coupled with a historic lack of available family planning services.

Idjwi has one of the highest infant and maternalmortality rates in the world and a life expectancy of just 25 years. One main component of Amanis work is family planning services, including offering birth control.

They have gone gangbusters with family planning provisions, which was nonexistent before. They are hiring local staff to ensure that the patients are influencing the direction of the organization, said Andy Bryant, executive director of the Segal Family Foundation, which funds Amani.

The patient numbers are skyrocketing. They saw or touched 140,000 in 2018 with their work. Between the family planning work and the vaccine programming, they are hitting sort of big preventative measure pieces that can lead to a really healthy population, Bryant said.

Malaria, intestinal parasites, and severe anemia are all common. But Idjwi has also been immune to the conflict that has played out in surrounding regions, making it an interesting case study for new models of health care, according to Sebisaho.

Our model is set on integration of community health workers and health centers. Government ones are undersupplied and understaffed, Sebisaho said in a recent sit-down interview with Devex in Harlem, a Manhattan neighborhood he calls home for half the year. He spends the other half working on Idjwi.

The health centers and clinics are there [in the rest of the country], so we want to use the same approach for health workers and make sure that we integrate and put in place a supply chain system, which is missing, Sebisaho continued.

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Idjwi village chiefs lead their communities in selecting some of the most respected people mainly women to train as community health workers. Those women go through multiple rounds of testing and a 27-day intensive training course, where they learn how to use and read portable ultrasound machines and other health skills. The workers are each tasked with visiting about 150 households each month and ensuring that women have three prenatal care visits at the hospital. There is prestige to the position, and a high level of accountability among the health workers, Sebisaho said.

WHO launches new guideline for community health workers

A new guideline from WHO looks to improve best practices and working conditions for community health workers.

In the past few years, Amani has trained nearly 200 community health care workers, who receive a monthly stipend of $30. And since its inception in 2010, it has also set up 12 satellite health clinics and one referral hospital, equipped with 50 beds.

We believe we cannot build a health care system on volunteers. It doesnt work. But our referral numbers have increased and the number of facility deliveries have been heightened, Sebisaho said. At the hospital, we now have about 70 deliveries a month. These are people who have never delivered in any facility before.

The referral hospital, health care clinics, and community health care workers all coordinate to make referrals and conduct follow-up appointments. If a patient is discharged from the hospital, a community health worker will be alerted, for example, to follow up with them at home. And if a health worker finds someone has a high fever, they will give them medicine and then return the next day to see if a referral to a health clinic is necessary.

Amani will gain a better sense of its impact on health care early next year, after a team of Princeton University researchers conduct a follow-up study to the baseline demographics study it did with Harvard University that was published in 2015. The hopeful outcome would be major improvements in child mortality rates, according to Christopher Hale, a Ph.D. population studies student and researcher at Princeton. But demonstrated change in health awareness and behaviors might come faster, Hale said.

It is a program that had a lot of resilience in that sense and is doing a lot of good without having a lot of resources. Health workers can be easily replicated and could have a lot of success in being able to do the low-cost program in low-resource areas, Hale told Devex. What will be harder is some of the thingsthey have in Idjwi. One of the big advantages is that they have a lot of cooperation from the local leaders.

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A remote Congolese island offers a test case for improving the country's health care - Devex

Introduction

Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to the capacity of machines to perform tasks that are typically associated with human decision-making. AI computer systems use a variety of datasets and sensory inputs to make decisions in real time and to modify future decisions with additional data and experience with minimal human intervention or additional programming. In conjunction with machine learning, AI touches on nearly all aspects of modern life. As digital technologies take the place of certain human activities, legal disputes surrounding AI are inevitable.

Already, such issues have reached both federal and state courts. Judges are tackling emerging AI issues and creating case law that will impact the future course of technological innovation. For example:

In these and other cases, judges must understand the role that AI and machine learning play in the legal system itself. Lawyers, as well as judges and their staff, use machine learning to improve case law searches for relevant legal authority to cite in briefs and decisions. Document production and technology-assisted reviews use AI to search for relevant documents to produce and to mine those documents for the information most important to a partys claims without attorneys having to review every document. Some scholars and practitioners are already using AI to predict the outcome of cases based on algorithms based on tens of thousands of prior cases. Recent research suggests that such outcome predictions may have around a 70% accuracy rate. AI is ushering in a new era of quantitative legal decision forecasting.2

AI is ushering in a new era of quantitative legal decision forecasting.

In short, courts face no small task in: identifying the legal and ethical issues at stake, including concerns about transparency, due process, and data privacy; understanding the AI technology at issue in order to make sound legal rulings; and appreciating the potential implications of legal rulings on future technological advances and individual rights.

With that in mind, it is vital to improve judges ability to understand the technical issues in AI-related litigation. There are several things court systems and professional organizations should do to enhance the technical capabilities of judges:

A variety of strategies are available to educate judges on the AI-related technology at issue in a litigation. These include the use of science or technology tutorials, court-appointed technical advisers or special masters, and court-appointed experts.

I have written previously on the use of technology tutorials to allow judges to ask the parties, experts, or technical advisers to identify and educate a judge about scientific and technological issues central to a litigation. The goal of a technology tutorial is to transform the courtroom into a classroom. Tutorials may include a demonstration of how a certain method, software, or product works, an overview of key technical terminology, or a presentation of how a certain innovation developed over time. Judges may request, or the parties may recommend, live presentations by one or more experts or by the parties, question and answer sessions, or videotaped tutorials or demonstrations. Tutorials provide a forum for judges to ask questions about AI technology outside the context of the parties advocating on behalf of a particular motion or at trial.

[S]afeguards should be added to ensure that there is limited opportunity for technical advisers to introduce bias into the judicial decision-making process.

In addition, federal judges have the authority to appoint technical advisers, use specially trained clerks, or request special masters to provide them with the technical expertise they need. These advisers usually do not testify at trial; their role is to educate the judge on technical issues involved in a case. To avoid any undue influence and to ensure that the parties views on science and technology are given proper weight, safeguards should be added to ensure that there is limited opportunity for technical advisers to introduce bias into the judicial decision-making process. These safeguards include limiting the scope of case-specific materials that a technical adviser reviews or analyzes and defining the content and nature of any scientific or technical help to be provided to the judge. Technical adviser appointments are mentioned in federal case law as early as 1950, and their use is becoming increasingly common.

Finally, judges may appoint experts for exceptional circumstances and particularly complex AI issues in a litigation. Judges may appoint such experts on a partys motion or on the judges own initiative. A court-appointed expert must advise all parties of any findings, may be deposed by any party, may be called to testify at trial, and can be subjected to cross examination by any party.3 While still fairly novel, court-appointed experts have been used in a number of litigations, and their use is becoming more common.

Regardless of the strategy used, it is crucial that the process provides technical information and expertise to judges in as neutral a fashion as possible. Sound, subsequent judicial decision-making is best served by an educational, neutral delivery of information on AI through a tutorial, technical adviser, or court-appointed expert. While it may seem counter to the underpinnings of our adversarial system, the judge should require that the parties work together to provide the court with mutually agreed-upon recommendations on the format, topics, and ideal presenters for tutorials, or a joint list of potential technical advisers, or court-appointed experts (should one be needed).

These methods, however, should not be read to preclude the parties from putting forth their own, separate expert witnesses at trial. Moreover, it is important that, regardless of the strategy used, these methods conform to the basic expectation underlying the adversary system that, with limited exceptions, judges should not receive advice and guidance without the parties to the dispute having an opportunity to contest that advice and guidance.

In addition to the practices outlined above, court systems and professional organizations should undertake research and pilot programs for the judiciary to explore other strategies that may be useful in assisting judges in developing the technical understanding needed for AI-related lawsuits. One example would be a pilot program to conduct technology tutorials at the appellate level. To date, trial court judges have been the primary users of tutorials. Scholars and judges alike have questioned the reliability of technical information obtained by judges informally outside the existing factual record, including information that has appeared in appellate and Supreme Court decisions. Providing tutorials on key AI-related issues to appellate judges may reduce reliance on non-validated resources, such as amicus briefs, that have not undergone third-party fact checking or materials that have not been subjected to cross examination by the parties at trial. Tutorials may help limit the perceived need for judges and clerks own independent research to supply additional facts in appellate decisions.

[G]iven the need for technical expertise in AI-related litigations, specialized technical courts may provide a viable solution in some instances.

Another proposal that has re-emerged recently is the creation of expert panels or science courts with special jurisdiction to hear complex scientific or technological disputes.4 Some judges, legislators, and legal scholars have argued that technically trained judges or panels should decide scientific issues instead of generalist judges or layperson juries to ensure that the scientific or technological components of litigation are decided correctly by those with the relevant expertise. Though this concept remains controversial, the idea of science or technology courts has gained renewed interest in our increasingly complex world. Further research is warranted to explore whether these panels meet our societal expectations of judicial fairness and process. It is also unclear whether complex scientific issues can be separated from policy and legal issues that arise, as well as which court should decide these issues where they overlap. As AI makes its way into all aspects of our daily lives, it may be seen as unreasonable to take away general courts (and juries) role in legal decisions surrounding AI. Nonetheless, given the need for technical expertise in AI-related litigations, specialized technical courts may provide a viable solution in some instances.

Initiatives to provide judges with the technical understanding needed for AI-related litigation are unlikely to succeed without support from the parties involved in a dispute and their counsel. It is important for state bars and other legal professional organizations to familiarize attorneys with the broader implications of AI-related legal cases and the methods that they can suggest to judges to provide them with neutral information on AI.

Attorneys may be understandably hesitant to recommend to either their client or a judge the use of tutorials, technical advisers, or other strategies with which they are unfamiliar. However, education of not just the judiciary but other legal professionals can help ensure their necessary buy-in to implement existing strategies, to participate in pilot programs of new approaches, and to assist judges in receiving technological understanding needed for sound judicial decision-making.

AI professional organizations and their members should work together to provide additional educational opportunities and resources to both federal and state courts. There are a number of models that professional organizations can follow to provide valuable assistance and technical expertise to judges generally. The Federal Judicial Center, the research and education agency of the federal judiciary, provides information to and educates judges on areas of emerging science and technology through written pocket guides, online tutorials and modules, and in-person workshops. The legal community often relies on the centers Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence to better understand and evaluate the relevance and reliability of scientific and technical evidence being proffered by experts in litigation.5 The centers new Technology and the Bench initiative will help provide federal judges with critical information on areas where technology and legal issues overlap. In addition, the National Academies of Sciences provides valuable opportunities for members of the judiciary (and the technology community) to discuss areas of emerging technology that are likely to appear in lawsuits.

AIs pervasive nature will require coordination among a variety of technology professionals to educate the public about AI and machine learning.

It is essential that AI professional organizations and relevant stakeholders join in these efforts and work together to develop additional neutral, educational content to the courts. Providing judges with silos of subject matter-specific training is unlikely to be effective, as AI reaches into all aspects of lifedata privacy, financial transactions, transportation, human health and safety, and the delivery of goods and services. AIs pervasive nature will require coordination among a variety of technology professionals to educate the public about AI and machine learning.

AI professionals should also consider developing a universal glossary of key technical terms or a basic set of general reference materials designed specifically to provide the judiciary with general background on AI that would be broadly applicable, regardless of any particular case assignment. Reference manuals on other science and technology-related topics have proven highly effective in delivering useful content to judges.6

In addition, AI professional organizations should consider forming a technical adviser referral system or panel that is available to assist judges or arbitrators in cases with unique AI issues. Such a panel or referral system, when requested, could provide judges with the names of potential independent AI experts, including computer scientists, engineers, data analysts, and software programmers. The American Association for the Advancement of Science assists the legal profession by providing an independent expert referral system for issues related to science. This type of system could be adapted to address AI-related technical expertise needs of judges. However, additional research is needed to assess whether judges are aware of this resource, how frequently judges have used this resource, and any changes that could improve its usefulness to them.

Finally, skilled individuals with technical expertise must be able to convey effectively, to judges and juries, relevant key concepts in their respective fields. This means that data scientists, programmers, and software developers will need training in communicating with lay audiences about the key aspects of the technology likely to be at issue in AI-related lawsuits. This is especially true given recent findings of low public literacy on topics related to technology generally and AI concepts in particular.

Others have written extensively on the costs and benefits of judicial policymaking, and that is not the focus of this policy brief. Nonetheless, it bears repeating that when legislators, policymakers, and regulators fail to anticipate and act on issues of emerging technology, judges are left in the unfortunate position of being the first branch of government to evaluate new issues related to AI.

[W]hen legislators, policymakers, and regulators fail to anticipate and act on issues of emerging technology, judges are left in the unfortunate position of being the first branch of government to evaluate new issues related to AI.

Legislation guided by sound policy considerations would establish means to provide courts with the guidance they need to avoid setting legal precedent that unintentionally stifles technological advancement on the one hand, or improperly interferes with individuals freedoms, safety, privacy, or right to fair compensation for harm on the other. Because both state and federal law impact AI-related litigation, actors at the state and federal level must work together to try to ensure federal and state policies and legislation are aligned. That would help address AI issues while also elevating the level of expertise available to decision-makers.

The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit organization devoted to independent research and policy solutions. Its mission is to conduct high-quality, independent research and, based on that research, to provide innovative, practical recommendations for policymakers and the public. The conclusions and recommendations of any Brookings publication are solely those of its author(s), and do not reflect the views of the Institution, its management, or its other scholars.

Microsoft provides support to The Brookings InstitutionsArtificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology (AIET) Initiative, and Google provides general, unrestricted support to the Institution. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions in this report are not influenced by any donation. Brookings recognizes that the value it provides is in its absolute commitment to quality, independence, and impact. Activities supported by its donors reflect this commitment.

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How to improve technical expertise for judges in AI-related litigation - Brookings Institution

The Cottage Sexual Assault Center & Children's Advocacy Center is hosting today its sixth annual Unplugged for the Cottage fundraiser.

The Cottage educates to prevent sexual violence and child sexual abuse and provides in-house therapy to those who have survived it. They help survivors pay for referrals to other therapeutic resources when it is necessary.

The Cottage Sexual Assault Center & Children's Advocacy Center hopes that Unplugged for the Cottage will raise awareness about their cause and $10,000 to provide therapy to children and adults who have survived sexual abuse and assault.

It began as a music event for local musicians to show their support for our mission, said Sally Kimel-Sheppard, the executive director of The Cottage Sexual Assault Center & Children's Advocacy Center. We had a board member who knows a good bit of the local musicians here and she thought it would be a great idea for us to have a gathering where musicians who support the cause could come together and play acoustically.

This year, Caroline Aiken, Athens Tiny Jazz Arkestra, Betsy Franck and Diet Dangfly will perform. Kimel-Shepard says that the music is her favorite part because it is uplifting.

Mama's Boy, Ike & Jane, Sweetie Pie by Savie and several others will provide food for the event. Lori Karr will be recognized for working with The Cottage for 10 years.

There will be a silent auction, a donate-to-win and a cork pull. Most of the prizes for all of the activities are from local businesses because The Cottage wanted to make this event about the community.

Its a local event celebrating our communitys support of child abuse and sexual assault intervention that is done by the cottage, said Kimel-Sheppard.

Guests can donate for a chance to win a handmade wine rack, a Sarah Cook Painting or a pet portrait by Rebecca Pearson. The cost is $10 for one chance to win or three chances for $25.

In the silent auction, guests can bid on Art by David Hale, rounds of golf at the University of Georgia Golf Course and Athens Country Club, a basket from Thrive Integrative Medicine, a basket from Jittery Joes and more. Those who are not interested in those prizes can participate in the cork pull and try to win wine and spirits.

Winners of the silent auction and donate-to-win will be chosen the night of the event.

Unplugged for the Cottage will take place at Little Kings Shuffle Club from 6-9 p.m. Tickets are $25 and can be bought at the door or at northgeorgiacottage.org.

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Unplugged fundraiser benefits The Cottage - News - The Augusta Chronicle

While most people in developed nations may not think much about dietary iron, almost a quarter of the global population lacks this essential nutrient.

Iron plays a critical role in providing oxygen to the bodys cells. Too little iron can lead to iron deficiency anemia and symptoms such as fatigue, heart palpitations and shortness of breath. Too much can lead to iron overload and a disease called hemochromatosis, which can cause heart failure.

Michigan Medicine researchers have unlocked a mechanism behind how the body decides whether or not to absorb iron from the food--one that involves the trillions of bacteria in our guts known as the gut microbiome.

If you have a low-iron diet, the body absorbs more of it in an adaptive mechanism to get enough, says Nupur Das, Ph.D., a research investigator in the Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology. Our gut microbiomes are also dependent on iron. Different microbes have different iron needs to survive.

He along with Yatrik Shah, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and Molecular and Integrative Physiology, and their research team have shown that the bacteria in the gut actively compete with the human body for iron from the diet. They describe their work in a new paper in Cell Metabolism.

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Using mice, they found that certain bacteria in the gut produce metabolites that inhibit the transcription factor HIF-2 in the intestine. By doing so, the gut bacteria block iron absorption by the body.

During a pilot experiment, we found that germ-free mice [mice specially bred to have no bacteria anywhere in their systems] were resistant to anemia, says Shah, senior author on the paper. The easiest explanation is that youve gotten rid of a trillion bacteria and they no longer need iron. But interestingly, we saw that the iron absorptive mechanisms were all highly upregulated in the absence of microbiota.

In other words, without the gut bacteria there to dial back iron absorption, the bodys systems for taking iron in were turned all the way up. To confirm this observation, the group administered antibiotics to normal mice. They found that mice treated with antibiotics also saw an increase in iron absorption. Further, germ-free mice that had gut bacteria transplanted into their systems had reduced iron levels.

What these intriguing findings suggest is an unconventional treatment for iron-related disorders. In an anemic patient, you could help by getting rid of the gut microbiota. Conversely, reintroducing the microbial metabolites that inhibited the absorptive system would reduce iron absorption in patients that have iron overload disorders, says Shah.

Das and Shah note that the antibiotics are inexpensive, readily available and could hold promise for the more than 1.5 billion people globally with iron-deficiency anemia. In the anemic scenario, some places of the world cant afford food with enough iron. These findings suggest we can still improve anemia even when faced with a low iron diet, says Das.

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Furthermore, they note that there are gut specific antibiotics, reducing the risk of antibiotic resistance and can be administered to lower but not completely eliminate beneficial gut microbiota.

Says Shah, We feel that decreasing the microbialburden for a short time would outweigh some of the consequences as anemia, especially in developingnations, can be quite crippling for individuals.

Paper Cited: Yatrik M. Shah et al. "Microbial metabolite signaling is required for systemic iron homeostasis", Cell Metabolism. DOI:10.1016/j.cmet.2019.10.005

Read the original here:
Gut Microbiome Puts the Brakes on Iron Absorption - Michigan Medicine

TORONTO, Nov. 08, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CB2 Insights (CSE:CBII; OTCQB: CBIIF) (CB2 or the Company), a leading data-driven company focused on bringing real-world evidence driven from the point-of-care to the medical cannabis community, announced its results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019. All figures are reported in Canadian dollars ($), unless otherwise indicated. CB2 Insights financials are prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

This was a milestone quarter for us at CB2, it was the first full reporting period that included the contributions of all three clinical businesses. We now operate one of the largest networks in the US, serving more than 100,000 unique patients annually, said Prad Sekar, CEO of CB2 Insights. Beyond our clinical business, we started to see our technology and research and development services begin to materialize into revenue-generating divisions. The Company has now booked approximately a quarter of a million in trials that will commence over the next 6 months, with $4 million of opportunities in the pipeline. We continue to blend the three divisions to gather Real-World Data and provide Real-World Evidence with our global partners. Going forward, the Company will remain focused on transformative growth in all areas of our business. Therefore, giving us a clear path to profitability in the near future.

Financial highlights for the third quarter ended September 30, 2019

The following are the major financial highlights of CB2s operating results for the three months ended September 30, 2019 compared to the three months ended June 30, 2019:

Corporate Highlights for the third quarter ended September 30, 2019

For a more detailed overview of the Corporate Highlights, please refer to the Managements Discussion and Analysis for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019.

Subsequent highlights to the quarter ended September 30, 2019

Results from Operations

The following table set forth consolidated statements and financial information for the third quarter of 2019 ended September 30, 2019, and second quarter ended June 30, 2019. For further information, please refer to the Companys Managements Discussion & analysis on SEDAR at sedar.com.

* Adjusted EBITDA is defined as earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization, adjusted by significant one off, non-operational expenses and partially offset by the cash impact of certain accounting treatments during the period.

Financial Measures

This news release makes references to certain non-IFRS measures, including certain industry metrics. These metrics and measures are not recognized measures under IFRS do not have meanings prescribed under IFRS and are as a result unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. These measures are provided as information complimentary to those IFRS measures by providing a further understanding of our operating results from the perspective of management. As such, these measures should not be considered in isolation or in lieu of review of our financial information reported under IFRS. This news release uses non-IFRS measures including "EBITDA", "adjusted EBITDA". EBITDA, and adjusted EBITDA are commonly used operating measures in the industry but may be calculated differently compared to other companies in the industry. These non-IFRS measures, including the industry measures, are used to provide investors with supplementary measures of our operating performance that may not otherwise be apparent when relying solely on IFRS metrics.

Conference Call Details (phone audio only)

CB2 Insights management team will hold a conference call to discuss our 2019 Q3 Earnings on November 8, 2019 at 9:00am EDT.

Milestone Update for Rae of Sunshine Health Services LLC

CB2 is pleased to announce that during the quarter, the acquired assets of Colorado-based medical clinic group Rae of Sunshine Health Services LLC (ROSH), operating as Relaxed Clarity has achieved their milestone and out-performed initial estimates. On September 28, 2019, ROSH was granted 900,380 shares as part of its milestone incentive payments. The team continues to demonstrate that having a strong management team, solid operational platform and economy of scale are key to achieving great success in a mature cannabis market like Colorado.

Story continues

CB2 Insights Completes Payment Obligation to MedEval Clinics LLC

CB2 is pleased to announce that it has successfully completed its payment obligation to its previously announced acquisition of MedEval Clinics LLC (See April 10, 2019 press release). The initial terms of the agreement included a combination of cash and stock paid on closing of US$150,000 and 450,000 shares of CB2 Insights with a deemed value of US$225,000 and milestone payments up to US$300,000 in additional shares over a full 12-month period, however both parties have agreed to an early payout of 100,000 shares in exchange for a discount on the total value of the acquisition. All shares issued are subject to a minimum hold period of four (4) months plus one (1) day from the date of issuance. By completing these payment obligations early, we can immediately satisfy any additional earn-out payments and are able to concentrate on continuing to grow the Colorado market driving even more impact to our bottom line

Interest Payment to Merida Capital

During the quarter, the Company issued 971,179 shares to Merida Capital as part of its interest payment on a debt note.

About CB2 Insights

CB2 Insights (CSE:CBII) is a global leader in clinical operations, technology & analytics solutions and research and development services with a mission to mainstream medical cannabis into traditional healthcare. Providing immediate market access through its wholly-owned clinical network across 12 jurisdictions, proprietary data-driven technology solutions and comprehensive contract research services designed for those in both the medical cannabis and traditional life sciences industries, CB2 Insights is able to support its partners across the entire data and research spectrum.

CB2s Clinical Operations business unit leverages extensive experience to develop clinical models with standard operating procedures, advanced workflows, training and ongoing management support. CB2 also owns and operates its own speciality clinics including the brands Canna Care Docs and Relaxed Clarity which assess nearly 100,000 patients seeking medical cannabis treatment to provide immediate market access to US-based product manufacturers for clinical trial and research programs.

The Company has built both electronic data capture (EDC) and clinical data management software (CDMS) which work to support its partners of any size to execute their data and clinical strategies.

CB2 also offers comprehensive contract research organization (CRO) services including full scale clinical trial management, trial design, monitoring and other key research functions used by licensed producers, multi-state operators and traditional pharmaceutical companies entering the medical cannabis space.

For more information please visit http://www.cb2insights.com.

For additional information, please contact:

Kim Nguyen Director, Investor Relations1.855.847.4999 ext. 212kim.nguyen@cb2inights.com

Disclaimer Regarding Financial Information

The financial information presented in this press release is based on preliminary, unaudited financial statements prepared by management, for the third quarter ended September 30, 2019. Accordingly, such financial information may be subject to change. All information contained in this press release will be qualified with reference to the interim/ unaudited financial results for the three- and nine-month period ending September 30, 2019, which will be released on November xx.2019, and will be posted on sedar.com. While the Company does not expect there to be any material changes to the financial information provided in the press release. Any variation between the Companys actual results and the preliminary financial information set forth herein may be material.

Forward Looking Statements

Statements in this news release that are forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties concerning the specific factors disclosed here and elsewhere in CB2s filings with Canadian securities regulators. When used in this news release, words such as "will, could, plan, estimate, expect, intend, may, potential, believe, should," and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, statements regarding the opportunity to provide services and software to the U.S. cannabis industry.

Although CB2 has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, there can be other factors that cause results, performance or achievements not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, including, but not limited to: dependence on obtaining regulatory approvals; investing in target companies or projects which have limited or no operating history and are subject to inconsistent legislation and regulation; change in laws; reliance on management; requirements for additional financing; competition; hindering market growth and state adoption due to inconsistent public opinion and perception of the medical-use and recreational-use marijuana industry and; regulatory or political change.

There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate or that management's expectations or estimates of future developments, circumstances or results will materialize. As a result of these risks and uncertainties, the results or events predicted in these forward-looking statements may differ materially from actual results or events.

Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this news release are made as of the date of this release. CB2 disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise such information, except as required by applicable law, and CB2 does not assume any liability for disclosure relating to any other company mentioned herein.

No securities regulator or exchange has reviewed, approved, disapproved, or accepts responsibility for the content of this news release.

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CB2 Insights Announces Record Revenue of $4.2 million for the Third Quarter 2019; Sequential Growth of 29% - Yahoo Finance

By Oliver Giles November 08, 2019

Its been around since 3000 BC, but traditional Chinese medicine is not only survivingits thriving. Practitioners and manufacturers explain why and what the future holds

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In the future, people will send photos of their tongue via WhatsApp, says Lin Zhixiu. Hes not talking about the latest quirky internet craze or teenagers Snapchat habits. Lin is predicting how people will contact their doctors.

Lin is associate director of the school of Chinese medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), a department whose very existence may seem surprising in an era when medicine is so closely tied to technology that computers powered by artificial intelligence are diagnosing patients in Shanghai hospitals.

Everyone from toddlers to 90-year-olds comes to our clinic for traditional medicine, says Lin. I also see a growing trend of young people opting for Chinese medicine, especially when they have things like a cold, cough, flu or pain such as back or neck pain.

Hes not the only one. Rather than quietly closing shop as robots steal their jobs, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners are arguing that there is a place for their ancient remedies in the 21st centuryand theyre generating cutting-edge research to prove it.

In 2015, chemist Tu Youyou from the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine won a Nobel Prize for deriving an anti-malaria drug from sweet wormwood. Other researchers have proved traditional remedies effectiveness at tackling everything from eczema to infertility, and for the first time this year the World Health Organisation has listed TCM in its annual global compendium that instructs doctors around the world.

This scientific backing is contributing to a global boom in TCM, which as an industry is estimated to be worth about US$60 billion a year and is growing 11 per cent annually.

Theres been a big change in the image of traditional Chinese medicine, says Viola Man-Chan, an executive director of PuraPharm, a major manufacturer of traditional medicines. Were disrupting the Chinese medicine industry by changing it from a very old-fashioned industry to something that is trendy, modern and accepted by the young generations. In modern life we cant just rely on traditions; we need evidence-based science to understand how it works.

PuraPharm operates its own laboratory, which collaborates with universities around the world. Weve been working with the University of Hong Kong faculty of medicine for, I think, 10 years now and we have identified a new active ingredient in one of the herbs, Man-Chan says. Weve found that this herb has very powerful antiviral and anti inflammatory effects, which is similar or comparable to the best-selling antiviral Western medicine.

Wai Yuen Tong, a Hong Kong-based company founded in 1897 that manufactures premium Chinese medicine sought-after around Asia, is similarly investing heavily in science.

Our research and development team is not focused on creating new drug formulas, explains Vivian Tang, the companys executive director. Instead, were focusing on two aspects: how to measure and improve traditional formulas efficacy and how to translate century-old production methods and re-engineer it as modern-day mass production.

Re-engineering traditional formulas is key to the industrys newfound success with younger generations. For centuries, Chinese herbal medicine has relied on patients cooking their own medicine, normally by boiling herbs, sometimes for hours at a stretch. Many people now simply dont have the time, so manufacturers are releasing their formulas as granules that dissolve quickly in boiling water.

At the CUHK clinic, Lin estimates that half the patients opt for granules. When it comes to Wai Yuen Tongs customers, Tang believes the proportion is even higher. Ninety-nine per cent of our younger clients will never spend an hour boiling raw traditional Chinese medicine themselves, says Tang.

See also: Vivian TangFrom Wai Yuen Tong Talks Traditional Chinese Medicine

Refining recipes to pill or granule form has also made it easier for TCM to be dispensed in hospitals. The way forward for traditional Chinese medicine for me is combining it with Western medicine. This could offer the best of both systems to the patient, says Lin, who is also director of the Hong Kong Institute of Integrative Medicine.

One of the most successful examples of the disciplines being combined is in treating cancer patients.

Cancer treatmentoperations, chemotherapy and radiotherapycauses serious side effects, says Lin. Patients may lose weight, they may lose their appetite, they may feel tired all the time. In these cases, we can give them herbal medicine to try and boost their immune system. Herbal medicine can also really help digestion and improve their energy levels. This is a very common practice in Mainland China and increasingly in Hong Kong.

Despite these steps forward, the industry still commonly hits headlines not for scientific discoveries or its rapid modernisation, but for some unethical doctors continued and controversial use of animal products.

Ingredients such as rhino horn and pangolin scales have long been prized by TCM practitioners, which has decimated wild populations and driven these animals, among others, to the brink of extinction. The trade of these ingredients is now illegal in almost all countries, and academics are searching for alternatives to try to curb the black market trade.

There are almost always substitutes, and I see a big trend towards plant-based medicine, especially with millennials, who care deeply about the environment and sustainability, says Man-Chan. Feng Yibin, an associate professor at the University of Hong Kong, has found plant-based alternatives to bear bile, for example, and multiple herbal substitutes for rhino horn.

People who might choose to pop an aspirin before boiling a medicinal brew might find that TCM is finding its way into their lives in other ways.

Herbal, a cocktail bar in Beijings trendy Sanlitun district, serves drinks inspired by ancient remedies. Singaporean Jamie Koh, the founder of Brass Lion Distillery, the citys only gin brand, scoured local TCM shops for ingredients when she was developing her infusion. LVMH is also betting on increasing interest in Chinese healthcare with Cha Ling, a skincare brand that combines traditional medical knowledge and the anti-ageing properties of puer tea.

In Shanghai, entrepreneurs Jen Hau and Polly Zhang are building a whole lifestyle brand inspired by Chinese medicine. The pair launched Jova Health in 2013 with three different blended juices, all of which were based on traditional medical recipes.

Purify is a pear juice-based drink with rock sugar, to purify your lungs and your system; Replenish has a lot of iron and vitamins and is great for women having their period; and Nourish is a great substitute for milk drinksits almond milk and almond is a big ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine, says Hau.

Since then, theyve expanded their drinks range, released candles made using classic ingredients from TCM and launched Jova Senses, wellness classes that combine yoga, meditation and TCM.

As a millennial herself, Hau understands why TCM appeals to younger generations. It is all about implementing things into your daily life to improve your health, and its all natural, says Hau.

As opposed to, I dont feel well so Im going to take a painkiller. Or, I dont feel well so Ill drink some cough syrup, and on and on. Those are very short-term solutions, while Chinese medicine is a very long-term way of conditioning your body to put you in better health. And when you do need to see a doctor, the approach is very different. Chinese medicine always looks for the root cause, and its a lot less invasive, says Lin.

Its so non-invasive that, in five years, when you feel a cold coming on, you might not even need to see a doctor. Youll simply stick your tongue out and snap a photo from the comfort of your bed.

In Chinese medicine, we always look at the tongue. It says a lot about your health, says Lin. If the patient WhatsApps a photo of their tongue and leaves a message about symptoms, the doctor can make a diagnosis and write a prescription. I think that will become more and more popular in the future.

See also: Urban Escapes: Where To Find The Cleanest Air In Asia

Here is the original post:
In Good Health: How Traditional Chinese Medicine Is Evolving In Leaps And Bounds - Hong Kong Tatler

Its becoming pretty clear to us that the vitamin conversation is never really over. There is so much to know about the pills we pop on a daily basis, and we want to be experts on every. little. thing. While we have solved the mystery that is the multivitamin, were now asking ourselves WTF the difference is, if anything, between vitamins and supplements. Seriously, what even are ~supplements~, and why is Elle Macpherson plugging them? Were done being naive with these things, which is exactly why we consulted MD Sara Gottfried, to get some answers. You may recognize Gottfried's name from Goop Wellness as she is the one who creates one of their well known vitamin regimes (they're so good), High School Genes. When we chatted Gottfried, not only did she set a few (JK, a lot) of things straight, but she also let us know about three supplements we had no idea existed let alone should actually be taking. Prepare to be enlightened.

The actual difference between vitamins and supplements:

Supplements are any product that adds nutritional value to your diet or augments health. Vitamins are a type of supplement. Other types of supplements include minerals, herbs, or nutrients like fiber.

Is it possible to overdo it with a vitamin or supplement?

Yes. In health, theres almost always a U-shaped curve, meaning too little is bad and too much is badgetting the right dose is crucial. In addition, not everyone needs vitamins or supplements, so its important to determine whether any supplement is totally necessary. Too little vitamin A causes eye problems; too much vitamin A can cause hair loss, dizziness, nausea, headaches, coma, and even death. Too little vitamin D can cause osteoporosis, bone pain, muscle weakness, heart disease; too much can cause buildup of calcium in your blood (hypercalcemia), poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, weakness, frequent urination, and kidney problems. Consult with your doctor. In functional medicine, we track the blood levels of many supplements over time to make sure our patients are absorbing them well and getting the correct dose.

Three-lesser known supplements to get familiar with:

Chasteberry (Vitex agnus-castus)for PMS. Also known by several other terms, including chaste tree, chaste tree berry, and vitex. It is proven to reduce PMS and infertility, presumably by raising progesterone. Chasteberry, used by the ancient Greeks more than two thousand years ago, restores normal progesterone levels in the body. In Germany, where integrative medicine is practiced as the standard of care, chasteberry is approved for menstrual irregularity, PMS, and breast pain. A Stanford University School of Medicine study shows that in women with low progesterone, fertility rates are higher among those taking chasteberry.

Berberine. Blood sugar rises with age (starting at fifty), and berberine is one of the supplements proven to help you normalize serum glucose. Not only that, berberine will cool inflammation in your body, lower cholesterol, assist weight loss, and behaves like an antioxidant. Taking 300 to 500 milligrams once to three times per day has been shown to activate an important enzyme called adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase, or AMP, nicknamed metabolic master switch.

Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA). This powerful antioxidant significantly lowers blood sugar levels and reduces nerve-related symptoms from diabetes. [It] acts to prevent cell damage and restore the function of neurons in [diabetics]. Even with a whole-foods diet, its hard to get enough to keep your oxidant/antioxidant status in balance. ALA repairs damaged cells, and its one of the most critical anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant agents you can ingest. When applied as a serum, alpha-lipoic acid (5%) has been shown to reduce aging in the face over twelve weeks. ALA is 400 times stronger than vitamins C and E.

The most common misconception with vitamins and supplements:

That they are regulated by the government. Supplements, including herbal therapies (also known as botanicals), often lack the scientific scrutiny that the Federal Drug Administration requires prescription medications to have. Since the mandatory regulation is minimal, its a case of buyer beware. Quality of a product is left to the manufacturer, which means that you must take great care when choosing your supplements.

Pro tip:

Consider taking only one new supplement at a time so you are able to determine whether it is helping you. Give it at least 6-12 weeks, and if it isnt working after this period, move on to another choice.

[As always, we are definitely not doctors or medical know-it-alls. And everybody is different, so make sure to check with a doctor before trying anything!]

Photo: Trays,Herms; Supplements, HUM Nutrition

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MD Sara Gottfried Talks the Differences Between Vitamins and Supplements - coveteur.com

Detox is required in order to eliminate toxins from your body, promote weight loss and improve your health. Common ways ofbody detox include limiting alcohol, fasting, consuming simple and light foods, etc. In this article, we are going to talk about 2 simple, easy and inexpensive ways to detox, shared by lifestyle coach Luke Coutinho on a live session on Facebook. He informs that lungs, liver, kidney, bowels and skin are the five eliminatory organs of the human body. Even if one of them is jammed, you will experience more sickness, inflammation, body pain, skin problems, weight gain and hormonal imbalance.

Before knowing about the detox, Luke shares about symptoms that you need a detox:

1. When the lungs are unable to eliminate toxins (carbon dioxide from the body), you get sick, experience heart palpitations and toxicity in the body.

2. Liver functioning slows down if it is unable to deal with burden of toxins. It results in fatty liver, sluggishness, fatigue, etc.

3. If the kidneys are unable to filter toxins from the body, it will result in high uric acid in your body and increases toxicity in the body.

Also read:Delhi Pollution: 5 Simple Drinks To Detoxify Your Lungs Naturally

4. If your bowels don't function properly, it will result in constipation and increase the duration of waste in your body. This leads to gastric issues, gut issues, bacterial issues, migraine and low immunity to name a few.

5. Skin, being the largest eliminatory organ of the body, will react with acne, eczema, skin irritation, dry skin, flaky skin etc.

"The human body is meant to detoxify naturally. And this can be achieved by taking proper rest and getting adequate sleep," says Luke.

Resting and fasting can naturally detox your bodyPhoto Credit: iStock

Luke says that rest refers to fasting when it comes to body detox. Continuously eating makes your digestive system work continuously. Fasting gives your digestive system some rest. Your digestive system, gut and pancreas can only heal and repair itself when it is in a state of rest. People going through cancer treatment, chemotherapy or liver problems need a detox because of high intake of medicines.

Giving yourself breaks and rests will automatically help you with bodydetox.

Well, intermittent fasting is the perfect and most natural way to detox your body. You can fast for 12 hours starting after sunset to post-sunrise, and it will give your kidneys, lungs, liver and bowel the required time and space for a detox.

Also read:Intermittent Fasting: Know How To Practice It And The Benefits And Drawbacks That Follow

Sleep

Sleeping well is important for a healthy weight and good overall health. All the detox in your body occurs when you sleep. So, if you want a natural body detox, make amends in your lifestyle so that you are able to sleep well. Create a comfortable and cosy environment in your room, exercise regularly, quit smoking and alcohol, and do not use any gadgets at least an hour before your bed time, to get a good night's sleep.

Sleeping well can help you with a full body detoxPhoto Credit: iStock

Sleeping and resting/fasting, is the perfect way to detox your body naturally.

Also read:Top 6 Ways To Fix Your Sleep Cycle

(Luke Coutinho, Holistic Lifestyle Coach - Integrative Medicine)

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.

Get Breaking news, live coverage, and Latest News from India and around the world on NDTV.com. Catch all the Live TV action on NDTV 24x7 and NDTV India. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for latest news and live news updates.

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Full Body Detox: Try These 2 Simple, Inexpensive And Easy Ways To Naturally Detox Your Body - NDTV News

Photo: Golden Roots Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine/Yelp

Looking for the best acupuncture options near you?

Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top acupuncture spots around Anaheim, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of the best spots to venture next time you're in the market for acupuncture.

Anaheim-area consumers historically spend more in November at health and beauty businesses than other months of the year, according to data on local business transactions from Womply, a provider of online reputation management and direct response marketing for small businesses. The average amount spent per customer transaction at Anaheim-area health and beauty businesses grew to $53 for the metro area in November of last year, second only to December with an average of $54, and 3% higher than the average for the rest of the year.

Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions.

First on the list is Evolve Integrative Health. Located at 6200 E. Canyon Rim Road, Suite 109D in Anaheim Hills, the chiropractor and acupuncture spot is the highest-rated acupuncture spot in Anaheim, boasting five stars out of 49 reviews on Yelp.

Next up is West Anaheim's Peebro Skin & Total Health Care, situated at 408 S. Beach Blvd., Suite 108. With 4.5 stars out of 102 reviews on Yelp, the medical spa, acupuncture and skin care spot has proven to be a local favorite.

West Anaheim's Jaein Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine, located at 3441 W. Ball Road, Suite E, is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the acupuncture, tui na and pain management specialist spot five stars out of 37 reviews.

Golden Roots Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine, a Chinese medicine specialist and acupuncture and massage therapist spot in Northwest Anaheim, is another much-loved go-to, with five stars out of 19 Yelp reviews. Head over to 1781 W. Romneya Drive, Suite D to see for yourself.

Story continues

Last but not least, over in Anaheim Hills, check out Hands on Wellness Center, which has earned 4.5 stars out of 40 reviews on Yelp. You can find the chiropractor, acupuncture and massage therapist spot at 5100 E. La Palma Ave., Suite 104.

This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.

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The 5 best acupuncture spots in Anaheim - Yahoo News

The 28-year-old model and bo-po activist took to Instagram this week to announce that shes expecting her first child with her boyfriend Philip Payne.

"Its not just the two of us anymore, we're soon to be a family of 3 , she captioned a snap of the pair holding a positive pregnancy test.

RELATED:Iskra Lawrences Red Carpet Look Is Turning Heads For All The Right Reasons

But later, during an Instagram Live, Iskra admitted that the news had come as a total shock to them both. Especially seeing as shed been on birth control at the time of conception - and had been for the past 11 years.

"It was not planned, and it was a surprise, and it was a terrifying surprise," she said. "I was crying not out of joy, not out of happiness, but out of fear."

I was waiting and thinking in a couple of years...that's when we'll start a family. But that isn't always the case."

She explained that she probably wasnt as stringent at taking the pill as she could have been: "In my head I was like, even though I travel and there are time differences, I thought I was taking it consistently.

FYI, even missing just one dose or taking it two hours later than usual can seriously up your chances of falling pregnant. Plus, there are certain factors that increase this risk, like mixing certain medications or taking antibiotics.

But regardless of whether it was planned or not, Iskra who is due in five months - cant wait to start her journey to motherhood.

Ive never been more excited to meet anyone, and Philip and I are in love with our mini baby P bump, she added on IG.

Congrats to the happy fam!

RELATED:Turns Out The Pill Is More Effective If You Skip Your Period

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Iskra Lawrence On Getting Pregnant While Taking The Pill - Women's Health

5 November 2019

Singapore A*STARs Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) has teamed up with the Singapore Institute of Advanced Medicine Holdings Pte Ltd (SIAMH) to explore how to better tackle nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), a type of head and neck cancer, through targeted proton therapy.

The two parties are collaborating through an agreement to evaluate and optimise proton therapy for NPC with the use of patient-derived xenografts as well as in vitro 3D organoid models developed at A*STARs IBN, specifically for the treatment of recurrent and radioresistant NPC. The parties will also perform research on designing and establishing novel nano-radiotheranostic agents.

NPC that is detected early is often treated by radiotherapy, concurrently with chemotherapy. However, NPC presents a unique treatment challenge for radiation oncologists due to the proximity of cancer tissues to several critical organs and tissues such as the brain, the spinal cord, the salivary gland, and the optical nerves. Any damage to these adjacent structures could severely impair the quality of life of patients following the treatment.

Figure-1---The-treatment-room-of-a-proton-facility - Image-Credit-SIAMH

Proton therapy could help solve some of these existing treatment challenges. It is a newer mode of radiation therapy that allows proton beams to more precisely irradiate the tumour compared to the x-rays used in conventional radiotherapy. This results in sparing damage to nearby healthy tissues and organs, and potentially less treatment-related side effects for patients to enjoy improved quality of life.

We are excited to partner with SIAMH to explore ways of optimising proton therapy for treating NPC, through leveraging IBNs expertise in developing tumour models and organoids for disease modelling and therapeutic optimisation, said Dr. Lucky Sasidharan, Postdoctoral Fellow at A*STARs IBN.

This collaboration offers a great opportunity to mutually apply our technologies and expertise in an innovative fashion for the benefit of cancer patients, added Dr. Lim Chwee Ming, Adjunct Clinician Scientist at A*STARs IBN.

Figure-2---Components-of-the-proton-facility-of-SIAMH - Image-Credit-SIAMH

Dr. Djeng Shih Kien, Chairman and CEO of SIAMH said, We are very happy to be able to collaborate with A*STAR's IBN and develop a focus group interested in treating Asian cancers like NPC. Although NPC is rare in the Western world, it is common in Asia. There are 300 new cases a year in Singapore alone. It is the 3rd most common cancer in Malaysia, after colorectal and lung cancer.

Dr. Djeng added: Singapore is a small country with limited resources and talent pool. SIAMH's first collaboration with IBN is our attempt to bring together leaders of IBN and the private sector in Singapore as well as domestic and international experts to maximise talent usage. Proton Therapy will be available in Singapore by early 2020. It would significantly reduce side effects due to its characteristic tumour targeting abilities which would be very advantageous in sparing critical structures in the case of NPC patients.

Recently, the group also presented their work at the Australia and New Zealand Head and Neck Cancer Societys Annual Scientific Meeting held at Adelaide[1][1].

NPC is the 9th most common cancer and 7th most frequent cause of cancer related deaths amongst males in Singapore.2 It is often associated with an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection of the white blood cells and nasal lining at the back of the nose. One of the most common signs of newly-diagnosed NPC is the appearance of one or more lumps in the nose or on the neck.

About the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology

The Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) is the worlds first bioengineering and nanotechnology research institute. Established in 2003, IBNs mission is to conduct multidisciplinary research across science, engineering, and medicine for breakthroughs to improve healthcare and quality of life. IBNs research activities are focused on Nanomedicine and Biomaterials, Synthetic Xenobiology and Biosystems, Tissue and Organoid Models, and Green and Safe Biomaterials. The Institute has published over 1,320 papers in leading scientific journals, filed over 660 active patents and patent applications on its inventions, and established 12 spin-off companies. For more information on IBN, please visit http://www.a-star.edu.sg/ibn.

About the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)

The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is Singapore's lead public sector agency that spearheads economic oriented research to advance scientific discovery and develop innovative technology. Through open innovation, we collaborate with our partners in both the public and private sectors to benefit society.

As a Science and Technology Organisation, A*STAR bridges the gap between academia and industry. Our research creates economic growth and jobs for Singapore, and enhances lives by contributing to societal benefits such as improving outcomes in healthcare, urban living, and sustainability.

We play a key role in nurturing and developing a diversity of talent and leaders in our Agency and research entities, the wider research community and industry. A*STARs R&D activities span biomedical sciences and physical sciences and engineering, with research entities primarily located in Biopolis and Fusionopolis. For ongoing news, visit http://www.a-star.edu.sg.

About the Singapore Institute of Advanced Medicine Holdings Pte Ltd

The Proton Therapy Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of the Singapore Institute of Advanced Medicine Holdings Pte Ltd (SIAMH), will provide proton beam therapy treatment in Singapore. It is part of a new oncology center that is located at the Biopolis, Singapore. The new oncology center will include a comprehensive diagnostic center providing both imaging and laboratory services using advance medical technologies. Its training facility, the Advanced Medicine Training Centre, will provide the necessary training to the specialists in this part of the world. For more information, search proton.sg.

See more here:
Taking Better Aim at Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Using Proton Therapy - BioSpace

Over billions of years nature has perfected ingenious ways for biological cells to move around their environment and harmlessly transport packages of chemicals between one another.

Now scientists are mimicking some of these processes to create new nanomachines that could eventually help treat diseases like leukaemia and other cancers.

One approach takes its inspiration from the story of the siege of Troy, when the Greeks hid their warriors inside a giant wooden horse in order to get inside the city.

Professor Valentina Cauda, a chemical engineer at the Politecnico di Torino in Italy, is leading a project to create nano-sized crystals of zinc oxide that can kill cancer cells from the inside. By themselves the crystals, which are around 20 nanometres in size about 6,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair can be toxic to healthy cells in the body and can trigger an immune reaction that prevents them from reaching the tumour.

But Prof. Cauda and her colleagues on the TrojaNanoHorse project have developed a shell around the crystals so they can slip them past the bodys defences and inside cancer cells.

The idea is to elude the immune system and to elude the barrier of the cell membrane thanks to the biomimetic shell, says Prof. Cauda. In the Trojan horse analogy, the (cancer) cell can be the city of Troy.

Fatty

The tiny shells, which are between 100-200nm or 1,000 times smaller than a human hair, are made from fatty molecules called lipids that form the outer membrane of almost all living cells. In nature, small droplets made from these lipids known as vesicles constantly bud off from the surface of our cells with chemical messages or unwanted materials inside so they can be carried safely to other parts of the body.

Prof. Cauda and her team have tried to copy this by coating their nanocrystals in vesicles produced by cells grown in the lab so they too can pass harmlessly through the body. The surface of the vesicles can also be studded with antibodies against specific cancer cells, helping them to hone in on only the cells they want to kill.

Once a vesicle finds a cancer cell, its antibodies will bind to the surface, allowing the lipids to merge with the cell and releasing the toxic nanocrystal inside. And by growing nanoshells from cells taken from a patients own body, Prof. Cauda believes it will be possible to create personalised treatments that can evade the immune system while still killing cancer cells.

The team have already tested the nanoshell approach against leukaemia cells and cervical cancer in the laboratory. While they hope to be able to perform human trials in the future, Prof. Cauda warned it could still be many years before they reach that stage.

Benefits

If successful, however, this nanomedicine approach could bring benefits compared to traditional chemotherapy treatments by only targeting tumour cells, leaving healthy tissue unaffected and so reducing side-effects.

The nanomedicine approach could offer a site-selective and personalised treatment for the patient, said Prof. Cauda.

In the Trojan horse analogy, the (cancer) cell can be the city of Troy.

Professor Valentina Cauda, Politecnico di Torino, Italy

This approach, however, still largely relies upon the nanoshells chancing upon the cancer cells as they circulate in the patients bloodstream so they can attach to them.

Another team of researchers are working on nano- and micro-machines that might actively be able to improve this by carrying treatments to the site in the body where they are needed.

Dr Larisa Florea, a materials scientist at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland, is leading a project called ChemLife to create miniature vehicles that can move by themselves in a liquid.

Chemotaxis

The team is attempting to emulate a form of movement known as chemotaxis, which is employed by some basic microorganisms and enables them to move through solutions from low salinity to high salinity, or from acidic to alkaline solutions, for example.

Other research teams in the US have previously shown that man-made droplets can be very precisely navigated through complex mazes with this approach. Dr Florea and her colleagues have sought to extend this by using light to control the movement of droplets.

They have created vesicle-like droplets that pair light sensitive molecules with compounds known as surfactants. Surfactants are commonly found in detergents but are also commonly found in many biological systems.

When exposed to light, the photosensitive molecules react by changing their shape, altering the surface tension on each side of the droplet. This causes the molecules in the droplet to flow from one side to the other, driving it forward, a little like the tread of a tank.

The team have shown they can accurately steer droplets through three dimensional spaces and reach speeds of up to 10.4mm per second (0.02mph).

By adding a photoactive material to a droplet, scientists have been able to control its movement in three dimensions through water using light. Video credit -Yang Xiao (author) and co-authors: Sara Zarghami, Klaudia Wagner, Pawel Wagner, Keith C. Gordon, Larisa Florea, Dermot Diamond, David L. Officer.

If you compare the speed of the movement to the size of these microdroplets, they are faster, pound for pound, than some of the best swimmers in the world, said Dr Florea.

They have also been able to demonstrate that their droplet-shaped vehicles can carry cargo, delivering it to other droplets to trigger a chemical reaction. It raises hopes that similar methods could be used to deliver drugs or other sorts of treatments to specific cells in the body.

While it may be difficult to use light to navigate a drug-carrying droplet through the body, Dr Florea and her colleagues have also explored using mild electrical currents.

Propel

The team have also been developing more complex micromachines that can swim or crawl through liquids like tiny bacteria. Using highly precise 3D printing techniques, they have been able to create hydrogel structures around a few micrometres in size that can contract and expand to propel a structure forward.

We have been making tiny flower-like structures, for example, that can open and close in response to different stimuli, she said. For example it might open at a certain pH and close at another.

This happens because the hydrogels expand by absorbing water and contract by expelling it according to the pH of the surrounding solution.Dr Florea said they hope to also control the movement of hydrogels with changes in temperature or pulses of light.

The ChemLife team are using these hydrogels to create structures with tiny rotating flagella the tiny tail-like appendages that some bacteria use to propel themselves. They are also creating worm-like structures from the same kind of hydrogels that can crawl along surfaces or through liquids.

The ultimate goal is to have these micro-vehicles perform actions like drug delivery or (chemical) sensing, said Dr Florea. But we have to be realistic that this might not be achieved in the near future as the body is a very difficult environment.

The tiny moving structures could also find uses in other ways too. These include delivering chemicals to better improve industrial reactions or creating soft micro-grippers that could be remotely activated to handle delicate components like cells without damaging them.

When you look at what nature can achieve, the opportunities are endless, added Dr Florea.

The research in this article was funded by the EUs European Research Council. If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.

See the rest here:
Nanovehicles that mimic nature could deliver treatments of the future - Horizon magazine

Nanomedicine Market report has been structured after a thorough study of various key market segments like market size, latest trends, market threats and key drivers which drives the market. This market study report has been prepared with the use of in-depth qualitative analysis of the global market. The report displays a fresh market research study that explores several significant facets related to Nanomedicine Market covering industry environment, segmentation analysis, and competitive landscape. This global market research report is a proven source to gain valuable market insights and take better decisions about the important business strategies.

Industry Analysis:

Global nanomedicine market is registering a healthy CAGR of 15.50% in the forecast period of 2019-2026. This rise in the market value can be attributed to increasing number of applications and wide acceptance of the product globally. There is a significant rise in the number of researches done in this field which accelerate growth of nanomedicine market globally.

Top Dominating Competitors are: Abbott, Invitae Corporation, General Electric Company, Leadiant Biosciences, Inc., Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc., Mallinckrodt, Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., NanoSphere Health Sciences, Inc., Pfizer Inc., CELGENE CORPORATION, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Gilead Sciences, Inc., Amgen Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, AbbVie Inc., Novartis AG, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Luminex Corporation, Eli Lilly and Company, Nanobiotix, Sanofi, UCB S.A., Ablynx among others.

Nanomedicine Market Report incorporates the precisely contemplated and surveyed information related to the Nanomedicine Market by utilizing various explanatory tools and techniques. The explanatory devices, for example, PEST analysis, Porters five Forces examination, SWOT investigation, speculation return examination and feasibility analysis have been utilized to break down complex Nanomedicine Market data.

Market Drivers and Restraint:

Table of Contents:

Chapter 1 Industry Overview:

Chapter 2 Premium Insights

Chapter 3 Production Market Analysis:

Chapter 4 Major Market Classification:

Chapter 5 Major Application Analysis:

Chapter 6 Industry Chain Analysis:

Chapter 7 Major Manufacturers Analysis:

Chapter 8 New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis:

Chapter 9 Market Driving Factors:

Explore Full Report with Detailed TOC Here at https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/toc/?dbmr=global-nanomedicine-market

Geographical landscape

Have look on the Premium Insights of the Report

About Data Bridge Market Research

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Data Bridge set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.

Data Bridge is an aftermath of sheer wisdom and experience which was formulated and framed in the year 2015 in Pune. We ponder into the heterogeneous markets in accord with our clients needs and scoop out the best possible solutions and detailed information about the market trends. Data Bridge delve into the markets across Asia, North America, South America, Africa to name few.

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Nanomedicine Market Analysis by Growth, Segmentation, Performance, Competitive Strategies with Top Players Pfizer Inc., CELGENE CORPORATION, Teva...

Japanese researchers have developed a machine learning model that allows scientists to reconstruct the neuronal circuitry of the brain by measuring signals from the neurons themselves.

According to experts in the field, the brain is considered to be one of the most complex systems in existence. While significant headway has been made to understand how the brain works, researchers tend to generate more questions than answers about this entity.

However, the creators of the machine learning model - a team from Kyoto University - believe it has the potential to explain the difference in neuronal computation in different brain regions more clearly.

To comprehend the brain, neurologists must look at the neurons that construct it. Our entire world of perception runs across these billions of cells in our head and that is compounded by the exponentially larger number of connections known as synapses between them. This, therefore, makes the path to our understanding of the brain a challenge.

Shigeru Shinomoto from Kyoto Universitys School of Science, who led the project, explained that although it is possible to record the activity of individual neurons in the brain and that number has increased dramatically over the last decade it is still a challenge to map out how each of these cells connects to each other.

It has been suggested that neuronal connectivity can be estimated by analysing the correlation between neuronal signals, Shinomoto explained. But getting accurate inference was difficult because of the amount of external noise coming from other neurons.

As part of their study, the team constructed an analytical method that takes the signal spikes from individual neurons and estimates the inter-neuronal connections from them.

To eliminate data-contaminating 'noise', the researchers applied a generalised linear model (GLM), a basic model in machine learning, to a cross correlogram (an image of correlation statistics) that records the firing correlation between neurons.

We called our analysis GLMCC and it estimated the strength of nerve connections in units of synaptic membrane potential, said Ryota Kobayashi from the National Institute of Informatics (NII) based in Tokyo.

To confirm if our data reflected real-world connectivity, we evaluated its accuracy through a simulation of a large network of neurons. We confirmed that the new model has an accuracy of 97 per cent, much higher than any previous method.

A brain circuit diagram can be obtained by applying the GLMCC (Generalised Linear Model for Cross Correlation) programme

Image credit: Kyoto University/Shinomoto Lab

The model was then applied to experimental data of neuron activity in the hippocampus (a brain structure embedded deep in the temporal lobe of each cerebral cortex) of rats. When analysed, the team found the estimated connections matched the results inferred with other physiological cues.

A 'ready-to-use' version of the deep learning model is available online and the team hopes it will be utilised by neuroscientists around the world.

Shinomoto concluded: As we advance in technology, the amount of neurological data we collect will increase. Our new analytical model will be vital in processing that information and will lead us to better understand how our brains process the world around us.

The paper, Reconstructing Neuronal Circuitry from Parallel Spike Trains,waspublished in the journalNature Communications.

In April, researchers from UC Berkeley and the US Institute for Molecular Manufacturing (iMM) predicted that exponential progress in nanotechnology, nanomedicine, artificial intelligence and computation will lead to the development of a human brain/cloud interface and will give people instant access to vast knowledge and computing power via thought alone.

In October 2018, E&Texplored advances in neuroimaging which could pave way for researchers to observe brain activity in real-time, investigating how these new techniques could reshape the way mental illness is diagnosed and treated.

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Machine learning constructs map of the brain's neural circuit - E&T Magazine

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Advances in Cancer Treatment and Introduction of Innovative Cancer Treatment Drugs to Boost Revenue Growth of the Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Treatment Market

Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in women, and over the years, pharmaceutical and life sciences companies have been conducting advanced research and development activities to devise newer treatment options and drugs to treat breast cancer. Several new drug formulations are currently in the pipeline in different stages of clinical development and this is expected to bode well for the triple-negative breast cancer treatment market. Innovation in oncology therapeutics has shifted focus towards an outcome based approach to cancer care, with an increasing emphasis on combination drugs and newer therapeutic modalities. This is further likely to put the global triple-negative breast cancer treatment market on a positive growth trajectory in the coming years.

Combination Therapy and Advancements in Nano Medicine Research Trending the Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Treatment Market

One of the biggest trends being observed in the global market for triple-negative breast cancer treatment is the shift towards combination therapy. Companies in the global triple-negative breast cancer treatment market are conducting clinical trials for combination therapies by collaborating with other players in the market. Combination therapies are the latest innovation in the field of oncology and the combination of therapeutic drugs with chemotherapy is said to be an effective protocol for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer.

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Triple Negative Breast Cancer Treatment Market is Countable to Translate to a Revenue of CAGR 4.7% by 2018 to 2026 in Step With Market Forecast -...