4D Pharma (LSE:DDDD)

4D Pharma (LSE:DDDD) shares have surged from an all-time low of 23.5p in March to hit as high as 122p in recent days. Thats a share price not seen since May 2019. So, could the firm soar back to the 1,000p price it held four years ago?

The live biotherapeutics firm looked to be in a long and slow decline towards zero pence, dogged by hefty levels of cash burn since its 2014 AIM debut with zero revenue or profit to speak of.

The bounce back really began in mid-April 2020, when the company won approval from the UK medicines regulator, the MHRA, to start a phase II study of its MRx-4DP0004 drug for Covid-19 patients. This orally-administered drug was originally produced to treat patients with severe and uncontrolled asthma.

However, this is not the full story. The real opportunity is on a whole different scale.

Trust your gut

4D Pharmas pioneering innovation is to harness bacteria to create a revolutionary new class of medicine.

This invention called live biotherapeutics or LBPs takes gut cultures from the gastrointestinal tract and uses them to produce treatments and drugs that can aid recovery in other parts of the body.

The interplay between the gut and the brain plays an important role in treating and understanding health and disease. This is a part of human pathophysiology which is only now starting to be better understood.

Clearly, as 4Ds scientists are working to break ground in a new avenue in the science of human anatomy with few competitors worldwide there exists the potential for a fierce and defensible economic moat.

The question that investors need to ask is really whether 4D can produce defendable intellectual property from its scientific investigations before it runs out of operational cash.

MicroRx is 4D Pharmas proprietary platform that can select gut bacteria with potential therapeutic effects to treat diseases.

Its pipeline includes 15 specific candidates across cancer (oncology), IBS and Crohns Disease, gastrointestinal, autism, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma and Covid-19.

The first of these areas produced a partnership with Tier-1 pharma giant Merck to run a clinical trial for its candidate MRx0518 to be paired with Mercks Keytruda to treat solid tumours.

Then, in October 2019, Merck signed a deal with 4D for three specific indications of its LBPs.

Merck, incidentally, remains one of 4D Pharmas largest institutional shareholders with 5.8% of the issued share capital, alongside Hargreaves Lansdown, Barclays, Halifax and South Ocean Capital Partners.

Could a Merck buyout be on the cards? Its certainly something to watch out for.

The NASDAQ listing

The game changing piece of news in 4Ds favour is that it has accepted a merger with US Special Purpose Acquisition company (SPAC) Longevity in exchange for $14.6 million in cash. 4D shareholders automatically own 86% of the shares in the new vehicle, and the merger was done at a price of 110p per share, an 18% premium to the previous days closing price.

The addition of nearly $15 million in cash will help support 4Ds pipeline of treatments, while the merger will get 4D Pharma listed on NASDAQ much more quickly than it could do otherwise.

SPACs are a relatively new kind of investment vehicle in the US which mirror the reverse takeover route which has become quite popular here in the UK.

The SPAC is normally a cash shell with no operations of its own. Because its a straightforward merger the US market regulator, the SEC, rarely delays an American market debut for the new company, and it comes at much lower risk and cost than for a standard IPO.

One hundred and seventy SPAC offerings have raised more than $62 billion this year alone, with an average IPO size of $362 million. Compare that to 4D Pharmas current market cap of 153 million and the numbers start to look very juicy indeed.

The benefit to 4D Pharma of a NASDAQ listing is, of course, access to a much larger pool of capital.

NASDAQ boasts vastly improved liquidity compared to AIM, 4Ds current stock market listing.

And US investors are, in the main, much more sophisticated than those in the UK. Dont take it as an insult, its just a fact of life. What this means in reality is there are far more investors willing to buy smaller pharma companies across the Atlantic than there are here in Blighty. Especially those that are pre-profit or pre-revenue.

At 92p 4D Pharma could have much further to rise.

In August, Seres Therapeutics a company pioneering the same biotech science as 4D in the USA released very encouraging results from its clinical trials. Its market cap went on to increase from $400 million to $3 billion on that news alone.

4D Pharma shares have given up a lot of value over the years, but the Merck partnership, the proof of concept by Seres Therapeutics, and the recent NASDAQ listing news makes a re-rate much more likely. It could even mark out the company as a takeover target.

4D is certainly one to watch at these levels.

See more here:
The second-gen Covid-19 stocks offering explosive opportunities: 4D Pharma - Value The Markets

Photo:Deep Longevity added SquareOne Wellness to its growing longevity network. SquareOne physicians will get training in longevity medicine and interpret the AgeMetric reports incorporating multiple aging clocks.view more

Credit Image: Deep Longevity, Inc

Today, Deep Longevity Inc, a pioneer in deep biomarkers of aging and longevity, and SquareOne Wellness announced a collaboration to deploy an extensive range of AI-powered aging clocks. Deep Longevity is to develop and provide the customized predictors of human biological age to the network of SquareOne Wellness clinicians and to provide a training program in longevity medicine.

Deep Longevity is a fully-owned subsidiary of a public company, Regent Pacific Group Limited (SEHK:0575.HK). Deep Longevity developed and exclusively in-licensed a portfolio of granted and pending patents on aging clocks developed using the latest advances in artificial intelligence.

Deep Longevity aging clocks are supported by a number of academic publications summarized in a recent review titled BioHorology and biomarkers of aging: Current state-of-the-art, challenges and opportunities

SquareOne Wellness has been on the forefront of total wellness in the treatment of addiction. SquareOne has a holistic approach to wellness and addiction whose goal is to help patients live happier, healthier and longer lives. Deep Longevity and SquareOne will partner to see the impact that the utilization of aging clocks has on continued recovery. We are always looking for new tools to help our patients reach their full potential in their recovery and in their overall health and life. We believe that the addition of deep aging clocks will be an added tool in long term patient success, said Joshua Jones, Director of Patient Interactions of SquareOne Wellness.

In the scope of the partnership SquareOne Wellness physicians will be trained in deep aging clocks and will be able to provide their customers with AgeMetric reports and engage in advanced research to assess the performance of aging clocks in the context of continued recovery.

The traditional approach to preventative medicine is focused on preventing disease by diagnosing the symptoms early or reducing the risks of disease. The AI-guided longevity medicine goes much further then that and is focusing on tracking the persons rates of aging at many levels, identification of longevity bottlenecks, and utilizing the latest advances in science and technology to slow down or reverse biological and psychological aging. We are very happy to have SquareOne join the rapidly growing network of our research and clinical partners focused on providing customers with extra years of productive and happy life, said Alex Zhavoronkov, Chief Longevity Officer of Deep Longevity Inc.

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About Deep Longevity, Inc

Deep Longevity has been acquired by Regent Pacific (SEHK:0575.HK), a publicly-traded company. Deep Longevity is developing explainable artificial intelligence systems to track the rate of aging at the molecular, cellular, tissue, organ, system, physiological, and psychological levels. It is also developing systems for the emerging field of longevity medicine enabling physicians to make better decisions on the interventions that may slow down, or reverse the aging processes. Deep Longevity developed Longevity as a Service (LaaS) solution to integrate multiple deep biomarkers of aging dubbed deep aging clocks to provide a universal multifactorial measure of human biological age. Originally incubated by Insilico Medicine, Deep Longevity started its independent journey in 2020 after securing a round of funding from the most credible venture capitalists specializing in biotechnology, longevity, and artificial intelligence. ETP Ventures, Human Longevity and Performance Impact Venture Fund, BOLD Capital Partners, Longevity Vision Fund, LongeVC, co-founder of Oculus, Michael Antonov, and other experts AI and biotechnology investors supported the company. Deep Longevity established a research partnership with one of the most prominent longevity organizations, Human Longevity, Inc. to provide a range of aging clocks to the network of advanced physicians and researchers.

http://longevity.ai/

About Regent Pacific (SEHK:0575.HK)

Regent Pacific is a diversified investment group based in Hong Kong currently holding various corporate and strategic investments focusing on the healthcare, wellness and life sciences sectors. The Group has a strong track record of investments and has returned approximately US$298 million to shareholders in the 21 years of financial reporting since its initial public offering.

http://www.regentpac.com/

About SquareOne Wellness.

SquareOne Wellness is an addiction and wellness clinic that focuses on recovery of opioid addiction and behavioral health. SOW focus is on helping patients look at every aspect of their health utilizing medically assisted treatment, behavioral health therapy and lifestyle changes to help sustain recovery and live healthier and longer lives. For more information, visit Squareonewellness.org.

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Biology: Deep Longevity and SquareOne Wellness partner on deep biomarkers of aging and longevity - Tdnews

When veterinarianCynthia Ottowas in Manhattan in the wake of the 9/11 attacks helping support the search and rescue dogs, she heard rumors about the possible impact on the dogs long-term health.

I was at Ground Zero and I would hear people make comments like, Did you hear that half of the dogs that responded to the bombing in Oklahoma City died of X, Y, or Z? Or theyd say dogs responding to 9/11 had died, she recalls. It was really disconcerting.

It also underscored to her the importance of collecting rigorous data on the health of dogs deployed to disaster sites. An initiative that launched in the weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks did just that, and this week, 19 years later, Otto and colleagues findings offer reassurance. Dogs that participated in search-and-rescue efforts following 9/11 lived a similar length of time, on average, compared to a control group of search-and-rescue dogs and outlived their breed-average life spans. There was also no discernible difference in the dogs cause of death.

Honestly this was not what we expected; its surprising and wonderful, says Otto, director of theSchool of Veterinary MedicinesWorking Dog Center, who shared the findings in theJournal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

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While postmortem results showed that dogs that deployed after the 9/11 attacks had more particulate material in their lungs upon their death, it seems this exposure didnt cause serious problems for the animals in life. The most common cause of death were age-related conditions, such as arthritis and cancer, similar to the control group.

During and in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 response, Otto and colleagues reached out to handlers to recruit search-and-rescue dogs into a longitudinal study that would track their health, longevity, and cause of death. They recruited 95 dogs that had worked at the World Trade Center, Fresh Kills Landfill, or Pentagon disaster sites. As a control group, they also included in the study 55 search-and-rescue dogs that had not deployed to 9/11.

As part of being involved, the dogs received annual medical examinations, including chest X-rays and blood work. When the dogs died, the researchers paid for the handlers to have veterinarians collect samples of various organ tissues and send them for analysis at Michigan State University. Forty-four of the 9/11 dogs and 19 of the control group dogs underwent postmortems. For most of the other dogs in the study, the research team obtained information on cause of death from medical records or the handlers themselves.

While the team had expected to see respiratory problems in the exposed dogsconditions that have been reported by human first responders to 9/11they did not.

We anticipated that the dogs would be the canary in the coal mine for the human first responders since dogs age faster than humans and didnt have any of the protective equipment during the response, Otto says. But we didnt see a lot that was concerning.

In fact, the median age at death for 9/11 dogs was about the same as the control group: 12.8 compared to 12.7 years. The most common cause of death for the dogs that deployed was degenerative causestypically euthanasia due to severe arthritisfollowed closely by cancer, though the risk of cancer was about the same as in control group dogs.

Otto and her colleagues have ideas for why the foreign particulate matter found in some of the dogs lungs did not translate to ill health, though they emphasize that theyre speculations, not yet based in data.

For the pulmonary effects, its somewhat easier to explain because dogs have a really good filtering system, Otto says. Their lungs are differentthey dont get asthma, for exampleso it seems like there is something about their lungs thats more tolerant than in humans.

She notes that working dogs tend to be extremely physically fit compared to pet dogs, perhaps counteracting any ill effects of the deployment conditions on health. But working dog handlers and trainers can always do more to focus on fitness and conditioning, especially because doing so could slow the progression of arthritis, a disease which played a role in the death of many dogs in the study.

We know when people stop moving, they gain weight and that puts them at a higher risk of arthritis, and arthritis makes it painful to move, so its a vicious cycle, she says. The same can be true of dogs.

The mind-body connection may also help explain the difference between humans and dogs and the longevity of the working dogs, Otto says, as dogs dont necessary worry and experience the same type of stress in the wake of a disaster.

These dogs have an incredible relationship with their partners, Otto says. They have a purpose and a job and the mental stimulation of training. My guess is that makes a difference, too.

Ottos coauthors were Elizabeth Hare and Kathleen M. Kelsey from the Penn Vet Working Dog Center and John P. Buchweitz and Scott D. Fitzgerald from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University.

Article used with permission of University of Pennsylvania

Continue reading here:
Tracking the Working Dogs of 9/11 - The Bark

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a chemical found in hemp or marijuana plants that does not make users high. Despite CBD only beingapprovedby the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat rare forms of childhood epilepsy, CBD has been widelymarketed as a cure-allunder the auspices of wellness. These claims have coincided with anexplosion in CBDs popularityraising the troubling question: Are patients using CBD to treat medical conditions that could otherwise be improved or cured by established treatments with verifiable efficacy?

A new study lead by theQualcomm Institutes Center for Data Driven Health at the University of California San Diego, published inJAMA Network Open, reviewed CBD user testimonials to discover why they take CBD, finding the vast majority used CBD to treat diagnosable medical conditions, including for psychiatric, orthopedic, and sleep conditions while fewer took CBD for wellness.

The reasons consumers take CBD had not been previously studied because experts lacked access data where large groups of users discussed in detail why they take CBD, said Dr. Eric Leas, Co-Founder of the Center for Data Driven Health, Assistant Professor in the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Longevity Science at UC San Diego, and lead author.

To fill this gap the team turned to Reddit, a social media website with 330 million active users. Reddit is organized into communities focused on specific topics, many of which deal exclusively with health. The team monitored all r/CBD posts, where users can find anything and everything CBD related, from its inception in January 2014 through February 2019.

A random sample of posts was drawn and analyzed by the team who labeled them according to if the poster testified to using CBD to treat a diagnosable medical condition or using CBD for non-specific wellness benefits. On r/CBD users tell us in their own words why they take CBD, addedDr. John W. Ayers, also with the Center for Data Driven Health and Vice Chief of Innovation in the Division of Infectious Disease and Global Public Health who co-authored the study.

90 percent of testimonials on r/CBD cited using CBD to treat diagnosable medical conditions. For example, many testimonials recounted experiences such as, after using CBD for 2 months, my autism symptoms have improved. My family has noticed great improvements and I have finally been able to attend important social events.

Through a process of labeling the posts, the team grouped this subset of testimonials into 11 categories corresponding to medical subspecialties. Psychiatric conditions (e.g., autism or depression) were the most frequently cited sub-category, mentioned in 64 percent of testimonials, followed by orthopedic (26 percent), sleep (15 percent), and neurological (7 percent) conditions. There were also testimonials that claimed CBD treated addiction, cardiological, dermatological, gastroenterological, ophthalmological, oral health, and sexual health conditions, ranging from 1 to 4 percent of all posts [as detailed in the accompanying study materials].

The public appears to believe CBD is medicine, added Dr. Davey Smith, Chief of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health and study coauthor. Who would have predicted that the public might ever think CBD is a cardiology medication?

By contrast, just 30 percent of testimonies cited using CBD for wellness benefits, the vast majority citing mental wellness, e.g., quieting my mind, and about 1 percent citing any physical wellness benefit, e.g., exercise performance.

CBD retailers attempt to evade FDA regulation by framing their product as a wellness aid, rather than a therapeutic, said Dr. Alicia Nobles, with the Center for Data Driven Health and Assistant Professor in the Division of Infectious Disease and Global Public Health. But when users explain why they take CBD in absence of any prompts they will commonly cite they are using it for medicinal purposes like to treat acne.

At this time there are no known medical uses for over-the-counter CBD, said Dr. Leas. CBD is this generations snake oil as millions believing to have discovered a new medical breakthrough are actually taking a product without evidence of a benefit.

The obvious harm is that some patients might forgo seeing a physician or taking medications with known, tested and approved therapeutic benefits in favor of CBD and thereby become sicker or succumb to their illness, added Mr. Rory Todd, study co-author and research associate in the Center for Data Driven Health.

While many think that using CBD poses few risks to consumers trying CBD out, the team notes that taking CBD can harm patients in other ways that warrant cautious use. There are several documented cases of CBD products leading to mass poisons, because unlike FDA-approved medications there are no uniform safety standards governing the manufacture or distribution of CBD, said Mr. Erik Hendrickson, study co-author and research associate with the Center for Data Driven Health. CBD can also interact with patients prescribed medications, including resulting in rare but dangerous side effects such as liver damage and male reproductive toxicity, added Dr. Smith who is also a practicing physician.

The lack of regulation governing the CBD marketplace may drive misperceptions of CBD the team notes. The public isnt spontaneously coming to the conclusion that CBD is medicine. Instead, this is a natural response to the largely unchecked marketing claims of CBD retailers, added Dr. Ayers. A lack of regulation puts the onus on physicians who must raise concerns about CBD with patients one-on-one instead of focussing on evidence-based treatments. For instance, since the COVID-19 outbreak claims that CBD prevents or treats COVID-19 are now commonplace.

Now is the time to act, concluded Dr. Leas. Government regulators must step up to the plate and give CBD the same level of scrutiny as other proven medications. Moreover, anyone considering taking CBD should instead consult a physician to identify a proven medication.

Reference: Self-reported Cannabidiol (CBD) Use for Conditions With Proven Therapies by Eric C. Leas, PhD, MPH; Erik M. Hendrickson, MPH, MA; Alicia L. Nobles, PhD, MS; Rory Todd, BA; Davey M. Smith, MD, MAS; Mark Dredze, PhD and John W. Ayers, PhD, MA, October 2020, JAMA Network Open.DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.20977

Link:
CBD Users Think Its Real Medicine That Cures Acne, AFib, Anxiety Where's the Evidence? - SciTechDaily

The environment directly affects our health and plays a major role in our quality of life, longevity, and health disparities.

By Kunal Sood

When it comes to Global Health, there is no THEM, only US

GLOBAL HEALTH COUNCIL

Global health is an important phenomenon nowadays and an urgent social concern. A sick and ailing population across the globe has created geo-political instability and compromised our security. Mutating patterns of diseases that include the COVID-19 pandemic as well as other factors such as the lack of PPE in the field to protect our frontline global health practitioners have created tremendous challenges. We are in the midst of a global health crisis here and now. More than ever before do the fields of science, psychology, innovation and technology need to come together to create a better future for us.

Here are some of the most pressing global health issues we face today that we need to solve for with scientific and technological innovation:

Efficient and affordable access to effective healthcare: Good and affordable health services should be a human right and available within reasonable reach given the exponential innovation in the field of medicine to those who require them whenever necessary. It should be convenient, effective and affordable irrespective of ones age, caste, colour, creed, sex, race or religion. Apart from easy access, there should be a safe, evidence-based protocol when treating the likes of a global health crisis from such communicable diseases like the current pandemic and rarer diseases like chikungunya. Additionally With the overall increase of illness like cancer, diabetes, and other non-communicable diseases worldwide, access to quality health care for all is essential in reducing health inequality and the road map in order to do this lies in using technological innovation and democratizing digital health for all

Environmental quality: The environment directly affects our health and plays a major role in our quality of life, longevity, and health disparities. Poor air quality is linked to premature death, cancer, and long-term damage to our respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Secondhand smoke containing toxic and carcinogenic chemicals that contributes to cardiovascular disease and lung cancer in non-smoking adults. Globally, nearly 25% of all deaths and the total disease burden can be attributed to poor environmental factors. Safe and clean air, land, and water are fundamental to a healthy community and a healthy environment. Smoke and pollution-free environment help prevent disease and even helps advanced medicine heal and cure other health problems. As an alternative today we have technologies such as HEPA and UV light air purifiers that can help control the high levels of air pollution and second-hand smoke to protect the ones we love and create a healthier environment by design

Mental health: Mental health problems have spiked given the recent lockdowns and although help is available we must deploy more resources and capital towards helping those that suffer. People with mental health problems can get better and many fully recover from depression and other forms of mental illness. Mental health includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act and often causes stress which is the underlying cause for many physical ailments as well. Our mental state often determines how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. Over the course of your life, if you experience mental health problems, your mindset, mood, and behaviour could be affected negatively. Hence it is vital to pay attention to your mental health and use health-based apps such as headspace or calm on your smartphone to help inculcate the practice of mindfulness to regulate your emotional wellbeing. Yoga is also known to do wonders for the mind, body and soul connection so find time in your daily routine to integrate mediation and yoga into your way of life.

Substance abuse: Substance abuse can be very harmful to your health given the hazardous nature of certain substances if overdosed, including alcohol and illicit drugs. Psychoactive substance use can lead to addiction and eventually in some cases leads to isolation and even death. The solution lies in legislating effective policies which influence the consumption levels and patterns of substance use to minimize related harm can significantly reduce the public health problem.In addition health interventions that use technology to track and alert health care workers in time to intervene in cases where one may overdose can save a life. Such interventions with technology can also be used for rehab once the patient is stable with the right kind of medical supervision can recover and restore their overall wellbeing.

Tobacco: Over 80% of the worlds 1.3 billion tobacco users live in low- and middle-income countries. The tobacco epidemic is the second biggest public health threats the world has ever faced, killing more than 8 million people a year around the world. More than 7 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while around 1.2 million are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke. Again here we must be able to use conscious media and technology to help change behaviour and quit smoking. Furthermore, we must create awareness around protecting those that suffer around smokers due to second-hand smoke.

Obesity: Obesity has become the number one epidemic globally outpacing even tobacco and is defined as the abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk of our health in all forms. Obesity is one side of the double burden of malnutrition, and today more people are obese than underweight. It is associated with a higher risk for serious diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer and chronic lower back pain which affects ones overall quality of life.

It is critical that we as a nation and planet take stock of both our personal and communal healthcare systems and personal wellbeing. There has never been a better time for us to launch a Global Health Revolution. We can light the spark that ignites a movement that doesnt just save our planet but transforms humanity to usher in a new era of human prosperity and planetary flourishing. A place where technology truly serves all of the wonder and biodiversity that exists in our world. But most important make sure that every life counts and every human being matters.

(The author is Founder, We The Planet. Views expfressed are personal.)

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Editors note: This is Part 3 of a four-part series on longevity in the High Country. The series is being produced in partnership with The Aspen Times, Vail Daily, Glenwood Post Independent, Summit Daily News and Steamboat Pilot & Today. Read more at SteamboatPilot.com/longevity.

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS Across the high country and Western Slope, hospitals during the past two decades have significantly increased their offerings to patients through adding specialized medicine, technology and facility upgrades.

Patients living in more isolated and rural communities are experiencing less of a need to drive to the Front Range or other metropolitan areas for certain surgeries, treatments and other specialty or emergency care.

At UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center, the list of expansions, additions and upgrades during the past 15 years is extensive, from the Gloria Gossard Breast Care Center in 2014 and the Jan Bishop Cancer Center in 2017, to the Level III trauma center designation in 2018 and the opening of the Steamboat Surgery Center in August, which the hospital operates in partnership with Steamboat Orthopaedic & Spine Institute.

Today, Yampa Valley Medical Center CEO Soniya Fidler said many second homeowners wait until their time in Steamboat Springs to schedule appointments.

We have some advanced technology unheard of even in larger cities, she said, also emphasizing improvements to patient experience and noting patients come to the hospital in Steamboat Springs from outlying areas that may be just as close in proximity to the Front Range.

And it goes beyond comfort and convenience. In the rare life-or-death situation, time spent on the road can play a deciding role in the outcome.

The Level 3 trauma center designation at the hospital has been huge, Fidler said.

The designation provides emergency care for people who would otherwise have been on a flight to Denver or Grand Junction. And with the addition of Telestroke technology, specialists are able to rule out strokes to prevent unnecessary transportation. From its implementation in the hospitals emergency department in November 2018, 123 patients have benefited from the technology.

Patients who had even a sign of stroke were often previously flown out, she said. But now, the quick access to a neurologist can provide an immediate, and more thorough, assessment.

On the flip side, people with special care needs, such as oncology, cardiology and chronic pain management, often choose where to live based on the services available within the area.

Fidler also observes travel time and ease of access can make the difference between patients getting non-emergent care and neglecting it.

Working to keep more patients in Steamboat a more geographically remote location is also enticing some to stay close to home instead of traveling to the Eagle or Roaring Fork valleys.

Many of Colorados recent leaps and strides toward better, more accessible health care were facilitated in part by the states expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act in 2013, said Cara Welch, the Colorado Hospital Association director of communications.

At Yampa Valley Medical Center, growth was already well underway, but the merger of the hospital in 2017 into the UCHealth network led to a more rapid expansion of offerings from the opening of the endocrinology and ear nose and throat clinics, in 2018 and 2019 respectively, to the 2020 addition of a midwifery program in theUCHealth Womens Care Clinic and the opening of a full-time neurology clinic and rheumatology clinic just in recent weeks.

The merger, referred by some community members as more of a takeover, was not without challenges. There was strong sentiment against the move from both hospital staff and community members over concerns of what a corporate union would do to the independent community hospital.

Several years later, it is unlikely all discontent has disappeared, but Fidler said on the recent marking of the three-year anniversary, the decision to seek out and choose a partnering organization has only been solidified.

Not only by the list of accomplishments, she said, but also in the past six months going through the unprecedented experience of a global pandemic.

There is a lot of pride in our workforce and community in being associated with UCHealth, Fidler said.

On the merger, UCHealth Communications Specialist Lindsey Reznicek added the move was made proactively to ensure the community maintained access to high quality care.

While there are rural hospitals struggling and closing in many parts of the country, a rural hospital has not closed in Colorado since the 1980s, according to the hospital associations data.

Reznicek said the timing of the merger was important to ensure the hospital in Steamboat had control of the decision and was an attractive partner. Fidler also pointed to the importance of making sure the values and mission were aligned between the two organizations.

Another expansion not without strife was the partnership with local orthopedic surgeons to open the new ambulatory surgery center. The negotiations took years and began with significant disagreement between hospital administrators, the community and the surgeons. Ultimately, the voices of the surgeons and community were elevated, and the process became much more amiable.

Of course, all of this expansion costs money, and that takes careful planning, Fidler said.

There is a certain profit margin we need to achieve, she explained. We have to ask: What do we need to reinvest back into the community, and what do we need to reinvest back into our facilitys growth and strategic planning?

At this time, cancer patients still have to travel for radiation and oncology treatments. Fidler said they are closely monitoring demand and need for that service and are planning for how to fund an addition when the numbers dictate enough business to make the investment sustainable.

The UCHealth merger gave a big infusion of cash with about $105 million in profit for the local hospital. From that, former CEO Frank May said in 2018 about $50 million went into strategic capital, $20 into the Yampa Valley Health Care Foundation and $35 million in IT integration and routine capital.

Fidler said philanthropy also plays a significant role. In 2012, for example, the simulation lab opened, thanks to the generosity of a donor. In the lab, physicians and staff are able to practice high acuity, low frequency care protocols, ensuring theyre ready for whatever patient need may arise, Reznicek described.

In terms of the concept of access to care, Fidler noted that it has a broad definition. It can be something basic like transportation, or a much bigger barrier, especially in the high country, ofcost. In Colorado, the mountain areas have the highest rates for insurance premiums in the state.

Fidler said the hospital is constantly working to reach more underserved populations, and it is very aware of the need for more local resources in the area of mental and behavioral health care.

Fidler noted the importance of the community health needs assessment, which takes place every three years, on informing decision-making on where to make investments. The assessment takes a deep dive into the data and involves a survey of the community and health professions.

It sets the base on how we decide what the community needs, Fidler said.

That also translates to investment priorities outside the hospital.

In June, Yampa Valley Medical Center Foundation awarded 14 nonprofits a total of $275,000 in grants from the Community Health Benefit Fund. The grant aligned with the funding priorities of access to health care, mental health and substance use disorder.

Keeping Colorados rural hospitals open is one of the best ways to ensure residents maintain a high level of access to care, Welch said.

Welch said community support and strong hospital leadership also played major roles in keeping Colorados hospitals open.

Collaboration of our hospitals as a system is another factor, Welch explained. At times, they may compete for some business, but they collaborate in a number of ways that benefits all the hospitals throughout the state.

Reznicek noted Yampa Valley Medical Center has been able to share best practices with bigger hospitals, while also benefitting from the experience and expertise of others.

A lot of the higher acuity specialty care does still tend to come to the Denver metro area, Welch said. But, all our hospitals have really focused on what services they need to provide their communities, so people dont have to travel as far.

Glenwood Post Independent reporter Ike Fredregill contributed to this article.

To reach Kari Dequine Harden, call 970-871-4205, email kharden@SteamboatPilot.com or follow her on Twitter @kariharden.

Link:
The Longevity Project Part 3: Investing toward access: High country hospitals spend millions to increase residents' access to care - Steamboat Pilot...

My thoughts on awareness of mesothelioma a cancer Ive lived with since 2012 can be summed up in one word: Advocacy.

But being an advocate can mean many different things.

As an eight-year pleural mesothelioma survivor, Ive always stressed the importance of self-advocacy. Educating yourself, pushing back when you dont get the answers youre looking for and having the guts to seek a second or third opinion can make a huge difference in your mesothelioma prognosis.

Mesothelioma is an extremely rare cancer. These answers are sometimes hard to come by and experts are few and far between.

I often worry about patients who may have surgery at a top mesothelioma center in Boston or Houston and then go back home to receive follow-up care from local medical professionals who dont fully understand how to treat this rare disease.

Longevity of care is equally as important as initial treatment following a diagnosis.

Mesothelioma isnt breast cancer. You cant just go to any hospital or cancer center and likely work with experienced oncologists who know the intricacies of the disease.

This is why we need a national mesothelioma registry. Mesothelioma cases may be a fraction of what we see each year for breast cancer or lung cancer, but having a national database can help share information and trends throughout the medical community, in turn increasing awareness and driving more research.

Another thing the medical community is missing is a new champion or face in the fight against mesothelioma. We lost that in 2018 with the death of mesothelioma treatment pioneer Dr. David Sugarbaker.

Theres a distinct difference between an expert and an advocate. Dr. Sugarbaker was a rare example of both.

Finding a cure for a disease starts with research. I believe a national mesothelioma registry would streamline research, giving our nations top scientists up-to-date and relevant data to determine prevalence, incidence rate, risk factors and demographics.

Simply put, the medical community needs a national registry to get a better understanding of this rare cancer.

It will increase awareness, which can drive more research, which hopefully can lead to easier access to novel therapies and clinical trials.

Research takes time, of course. Even if a national registry was approved tomorrow, I may not live to reap the benefits.

But if my diagnosis and experience with mesothelioma can be documented and used as a case study that ultimately helps other patients, Ill count that as a victory.

Doctors should have access to data such as how people are treated and patient outcomes. There should be a centralized place where researchers can go to analyze everyone diagnosed, and patients should have a place to answer very direct questions about their case on a periodic basis.

Knowing more about these individuals would give somebody the opportunity to look at generalities and trends to help improve research.

Mesothelioma has no cure. Finding one is probably more challenging than with more prominent cancers such as breast cancer or lung cancer, but developing a national registry can only increase interest and improve research in the quest to find a cure.

After my diagnosis in 2012, my research on how to best treat my cancer quickly led me to Boston and Brigham and Womens Hospital.

Specifically, it led me to one name: Dr. David Sugarbaker.

Dr. Sugarbaker performed my pleurectomy and decortication procedure shortly before his transition to the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

I was fortunate to have the worlds foremost authority on mesothelioma as my surgeon, and I certainly credit him as one of the main reasons Im still alive eight years later.

But Dr. Sugarbaker wasnt just another thoracic surgeon who specialized in asbestos-related diseases.

He was affectionately called Mr. Mesothelioma by his patients and peers. If your life has been affected by mesothelioma in some way, youve likely heard his name.

Sugarbaker was not only a pioneer of mesothelioma treatment, he was an advocate for awareness. He dedicated his life to raising awareness about this cancer, the dangers of asbestos exposure, the importance of early detection and the fight for a cure.

With his death on Aug. 29, 2018, we lost our champion in that fight. We lost our greatest advocate.

There are dozens of brilliant and talented mesothelioma specialists around the country, but I feel like were still missing the face of mesothelioma that Sugarbaker represented.

While Dr. Sugarbaker can never be replaced, my hope is that another doctor will soon assume the heavy burden of being an advocate for change and the driving force of mesothelioma awareness.

I believe, like Sugarbaker did, that we should never stop searching for a cure. We need to keep pushing for breakthrough treatments to turn this disease from a terminal cancer into a treatable, chronic condition.

We need to strive beyond the status quo of the same treatment regimen doctors have relied on for decades and adopt new ideas and novel therapies. We need someone who can rally the medical community and inspire young oncologists to specialize in mesothelioma.

With a national registry and a new expert advocate championing our cause, I believe we can increase awareness and change the course of how mesothelioma is viewed replacing fear with hope.

Free Mesothelioma ResourcesGet Access to Free Resources for Patients & Loved Ones

Visit link:
We Need a National Registry and New Face of Mesothelioma - Asbestos.com

Dr. Alex Meininger didnt just know he wanted to be an orthopaedic surgeon someday. He specifically knew he wanted to practice in a ski resort town.

As a skier, competitive cyclist and outdoorsman, he understands the opportunity for work-life balance that living in a community such as Steamboat provides. It also offers him the chance to relate and socially interact with his patients, almost all of whom are fellow athletes and outdoor enthusiasts.

Maintaining an active lifestyle can also be an outlet and decompression for a stressful occupation, Dr. Meininger said.

Dr. Meininger specializes in sports medicine and minimally invasive arthroscopic techniques, with a focus on joint preservation and knee injuries, at the Steamboat Orthopaedic and Spine Institute (SOSI). He has gravitated toward knee injuries such as ACL tears and meniscus injuries because theyre prevalent among so many of his athletic patients.

My practice is about saving lifestyles, not lives. Were giving people the function theyre seeking to pursue the lifestyle they want. Dr. Alex Meininger

I enjoy taking care of athletic people and the problems common to them, he said. Ive developed my practice as a knee specialist to care for complex and advanced injuries, and also as an educator of arthroscopic surgery.

Saving lifestyles

Performing more than 500 knee surgeries a year about 150 of which are ACL reconstructions in addition to numerous hip and shoulder procedures, Dr. Meininger focuses on helping patients return to their passions.

One of the best things about being an orthopaedic surgeon is that its a tangible specialty. We identify a problem that we can see, feel and touch; and offer a repair or other ways to physically solve that problem, he said. My practice is about saving lifestyles, not lives. Were giving people the function theyre seeking to pursue the lifestyle they want.

Instructor and author

Dr. Meininger is a leader in the field of arthroscopy, serving as an Associate Masters Instructor of Arthroscopy and volunteering regularly with the Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA).

As an instructor, I take away a lot of pearls myself just by interacting with fellow leaders in the field, he said. Meetings and conventions provide opportunities and time to brainstorm and develop new techniques.

Dr. Meininger is also a respected author of multiple scientific publications; including two books dedicated to the treatment of sports injuries, author of numerous scientific articles and an invited author of textbook chapters on orthopaedic surgical techniques. Steamboat Springs truly has access to world-class orthopaedic sports medicine care right here in our resort community.

Orthopaedics is a lifelong passion, and its truly one of the greatest things of my life, Dr. Meininger said.

Orthopaedic innovation

Dr. Meininger is an expert in joint preservation, taking measures to restore the joint and prolong longevity in order to avoid joint-replacement surgery. He uses advanced tools for regenerative medicine such as platelet-rich plasma or stem-cell injections, as well as MACI surgery, which repairs cartilage defects of the knee.

Given Steamboats active population, many patients suffer multiple injuries, Dr. Meininger said. He wants these patients to know that when injuries get complicated, SOSI can provide the latest and best treatments right here in town.

We can accomplish anything the big cities can offer, he said.

Read more here:
A passion for taking care of Steamboat's active patients - Sky Hi News

By Maria M. Lameiras, Joe Montgomery for CAES News

Poultry researchers at the University of Georgia are partnering with a team from Kansas State University to study how to effectively control the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in the nations meat and poultry processing facilities.

The study seeks to protect meat plant workers and their surrounding communities from the spread of COVID-19 through practical solutions. The research is funded through a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Harsha Thippareddi, John Bekkers Professor in Poultry Science at UGA, and Manpreet Singh, poultry science professor and interim head of the UGA Department of Food Science and Technology, are co-directors of the project along with A. Sally Davis, an assistant professor of experimental pathology in the Kansas State College of Veterinary Medicine. Thippareddi and Singh provide extensive poultry experience and industry connections from the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and, with backgrounds as food safety specialists, will lead the grants industry outreach efforts.

A key objective of the project will be verifying the effectiveness of many of the approved cleaners and sanitizers for inactivating SARS-CoV-2 during plant processing and sanitation operations.

Because there have been a number of outbreaks among employees in meat processing plants, there is always a perception that food or meat can be contaminated as well, said Thippareddi. Frozen chicken wings imported to China from Brazil in August tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, he said. This is a potential issue and we need to know the answers to what the risks to humans are if the coronavirus is present in food, and will it survive in the food or will it be destroyed during cooking and other food processing operations?

Using Kansas StatesBiosecurity Research Institute, a high-containment research facility, researchers will study various potential contamination methods for meat and poultry, how long the virus survives on meat products, how various storage and preparation methods influence the infectivity of the virus and what product-treatment methods can be used to mitigate the virus on food products.

Nationally and internationally, many facilities that produce meat and poultry products have been temporarily closed because of COVID-19 outbreaks, said Davis, Kansas States project director of the grant. This has put a major strain on food production, limiting the amount of meat and poultry on grocery store shelves and disrupting food and feed supply chains across the globe. Research is necessary to understand why SARS-CoV-2 is such a problem in meat and poultry processing environments and how we can mitigate the problem.

While animals, such as cattle, swine and chickens, do not carry the virus, infections with SARS-CoV-2 are primarily thought to occur by exposure to microdroplets in the air generated by infected workers.

The ultimate goal would be for us to better understand how the SARS-CoV-2 virus if at all can be transmitted through meat and poultry and through contact surfaces in poultry plants, Singh said. Thippareddi added that, people working in meat processing plants may have the illness and, if it is aerosolizing, the virus can get onto the meat. If it is on the meat, it can get to people. All the poultry processing plants are taking preventive measures to stop the spread of the virus, because if you can prevent people from getting the virus and keep the virus from being aerosolized, you can prevent it getting onto the food.

The team will evaluate potential sources of exposure and determine the amount and the longevity of infectious virus that is present during and after meat processing and packaging activities. Researchers seek to identify, develop, validate and deliver practical cleaning and disinfection strategies, in addition to developing mathematical models to predict and reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 exposure in meat and poultry processing facilities.

The project will also rely on input from an industry advisory board composed of senior level directors of food safety and plant operations at Hormel Foods, Smithfield Foods, National Beef Packing Company, Cargill Protein North America, JBS USA, Wayne Farms, Jennie-O Turkey Store, Tyson Fresh Meats and Costco Wholesale.

Thippareddi and Singh will conduct site visits at various meat and poultry processing plants to evaluate current processing methods and to lead discussions with processors on COVID-19 mitigation strategies, develop new food safety training materials based on the needs of meat processors of varying sizes, conduct web-based trainings based on the research outcomes of the project, and assist in publishing the research findings.

The goal is to provide guidance to the meat-processing industry in the form of science-based best practices, Singh said.

For information on the UGA Department of Poultry Science, visit poultry.caes.uga.edu.

Related

Continued here:
UGA Faculty Will Collaborate on Evaluating COVID-19 Control Methods in Meat Processing - Southeast AgNet

The rise of China to the status of economic superpower has been the dominant narrative of the last three decades. Chinas rise as the main feature of globalisation, in conjunction with a beneficial sweet spot in demography, drove output up and inflation down in the advanced economies. But these trends are now reversing. Chinas economic success depended on many factors, a strong historical social and cultural background, political single-mindedness, a flexible and competent labour force, fed by internal migration, capital controls, developing satisfactory infrastructure and absorption of Western technological know-how. But Chinas greatest contribution to global growth is now past. Its working age population is now shrinking, while the ranks of the old expands.

This great demographic reversal will lead to a return of inflation, higher nominal interest rates, lessening inequality and higher productivity, but worsening fiscal problems, as medical, care and pension expenditures all increase in our ageing societies. Below are key pointsin ournew book.They arethe executive summaries of some of its chapters.

Output growth will decline

The surge in the labour force working in the worlds trading system in previous decades is now reversing. The ratio of the retired-old to workers will worsen, as longevity out-distances retirement age, particularly in those countries which earlier grew fastest. Overall output growth depends on a combination of the growth rate of the working population and their productivity. With the former declining, unless offset by a major rise in the participation rates of the elderly, growth has to be based on higher productivity per worker. While there are some reasons for hoping that we may improve on recent disappointments on this latter front, we are reasonably confident that overall output growth will now generally decline.

Dependency, dementia and the coming crisis of caring

Extra longevity is not such a boon if it is accompanied by enhanced morbidity. Ageing leads to a greater incidence of neuro-degenerative diseases, e.g. Alzheimers and Parkinsons. Unlike their success with cancer and cardio-vascular ills, medicine has been largely unsuccessful in dealing with dementia; research, diagnosis and treatment are all under-funded and unsatisfactory. The costs of such diseases are bound to grow rapidly, partly by diverting a growing proportion of the available workforce into care for the dependent old. Even then, the availability of properly trained carers will probably be insufficient, leading to a greater burden for the affected old and their families. Combine this with the rising age of having children and the result is a markedly changing life-cycle pattern, one that we argue will reduce the household savings ratio.

The resurgence of inflation

The great demographic reversal and the retreat from globalisation will bring back stronger inflationary pressures this is our highest conviction view. Worsening dependency ratios naturally raise inflation. The lesser availability of labour at home and abroad will serve to restore the (previously diminished) bargaining power of labour. It will also end up raising the equilibrium natural rate of unemployment. Households will save less, and invest more in housing, than some mainstream models suggest. The non-financial corporate sector may have to invest more to hold down unit labour costs, though we are agnostic about the various causes for recent low investment rates. But we doubt that politicians, facing rising health and pension costs, will be prepared or able to raise taxes enough to equilibrate the economy via fiscal policy.

The determination of (real) interest rates during the great reversal

The rising inflation that we foresee in the future will raise nominal interest rates, but not necessarily real interest rates. There are multiple factors influencing the equilibrium real interest rate, r*. We doubt whether the prospective slowdown in world growth will depress r*. While slower growth will tend to reduce both ex ante saving and ex ante investment in the private sector, we tend to believe that savings will fall by more. If so, the public sector should ideally move back towards primary surplus to balance the economy. But rising health and pension costs, and the political unpopularity of tax increases, will hinder that. Political pressures may force central banks to hold short-term rates below the level consistent with inflation targets, thus keeping short real rates low, while market pressures lead to stronger increases in long rates, both nominal and real. The yield curve will become much more upwards sloping.

Inequality and the rise of populism

After two centuries of growing global inequality, faster growth in Asia compared to the West has seen this trend start to recede. Inequality within countries, however, has generally risen, though perhaps more in perception than in fact. The allocation of responsibility for this, between technology, growing monopoly power, and the surge in labour supply due to globalisation and demography, is complex and uncertain. One might have expected such rising within-country inequality to benefit left-leaning political parties, (and it did in Latin America). But in North America and Europe it has led to rising support for right-wing, populist parties. We attribute this largely to the publics distaste for large-scale immigration. Immigration is an issue that sharply divides the views of mainstream economists, who mainly welcome it, and the public at large, who want it to be restricted.

A switch from debt to equity finance?

The best way to reduce excessive debt leverage, and perhaps to rescue capitalism, is to remove the fiscal advantages of debt over equity finance. There should be a greater equity element in both housing and student financing, and the public sector should start issuing nominal income bonds. But the main change should occur in corporate finance. Here there are two proposals on the table, an allowance for corporate equity and destination-based cash flow taxation. A general problem, however, is that the remuneration and incentive structure for corporate managers encourages them to maximise the return on equity (RoE), which is most easily achieved by increasing leverage. We suggest a reformulation of limited liability for those equity holders with the power to influence corporate strategy, in order to mitigate this concern.

Future policy problems: old age and taxes, and the monetary-fiscal clash

Demographic trends will place increasing pressures on public policies, fiscal and monetary. An ageing society will require greater medical and pension expenditure, just as a declining workforce is slowing output growth, and hence taxable capacity. We consider four ways for enhancing taxable capacity: 1) reforming the basis of corporation tax; 2) land value taxation; 3. acarbon tax; 4) destination-based cash flow tax.

But we doubt whether politicians will be able to raise taxes enough to equilibrate the economy. Hence inflation will rise. That will lead central banks to raise nominal interest rates in pursuit of their inflation targets. In turn, that will put them at loggerheads with ministers of finance and prime ministers/presidents, especially those of a populist inclination. In any such conflict between politicians and central bankers, we would back the former to win that conflict has already begun.

Swimming against the (main)stream

From 1750 until 1950 inflationary expectations, and nominal and real interest rates, remained roughly constant, in the UK at least, while inflation was a function of occasional wars and the vagaries of harvest. After the 1950s there was a strong upwards trend in inflation, inflationary expectations and nominal interest rates (1950 1980), followed by an extraordinary downwards trend in inflation, inflationary expectations and both nominal and real interest rates (1980 2020). The earlier trend can be ascribed to a doomed, but well intentioned, attempt to keep unemployment below its rising natural rate, with the monetary regime allowing that to happen. We ascribe the subsequent downwards trend to underlying demography and globalisation factors. Given the expansionary intent of monetary policies, it is hard to claim that such disinflation was a monetary phenomenon. But in that case the forthcoming reversal of the previous demographic and globalisation trends should lead to a revival of inflation and nominal (but not necessarily real) interest rates. But this view is at odds with most current mainstream analysis, even of those who do focus on demography, who generally continue to foresee secular stagnation, lower for longer. We outline why they differ from the mainstream. Our view of the future is not encouraging, but it is coherent and plausible.

Notes:

Charles Goodhart, CBE, FBA is emeritus professor of banking and finance with the Financial Markets Group at LSE, having previously, 1987-2005, been its deputy director. Until his retirement in 2002, he had been the Norman Sosnow professor of banking and finance at LSE since 1985. Before then, he had worked at the Bank of England for seventeen years as a monetary adviser, becoming a chief adviser in 1980.

Manoj Pradhan is the founder of the independent macroeconomic research firm Talking Heads Macroeconomics. based in London, with a specialisation in the analysis of global and emerging markets macroeconomic trends, and their implications for financial markets. He has a Ph.D. in economics from the George Washington University and a Masters in Finance from the London Business School.

Continued here:
The great demographic reversal and what it means for the economy - USAPP American Politics and Policy (blog)

A man said to the universe:

Sir, I exist!However, replied the universe, The fact has not created in me A sense of obligation.

-A Man Said to the Universe by Stephen Crane

The universe, as climate change shows us, does not care how long we live or we dont. Our lifespan and healthspan are entirely up to us, both collectively as well as individually. I had mentioned in last weeks article that I would explain the concepts of healthspan and lifespan this week and so here we are.

Audio version: A longer healthspan is better than just a longer lifespan

Lifespan

We live longer than ever before. Despite Covid-19, this decade is the healthiest we have ever been, in virtually every country in this world.

In 1809, the population of the world was around 1 billion, with a fertility rate of between 4.5 and 6.2 [1], and a child mortality rate of around 50%, which ensured that the population remained static/stable at that number with births and deaths pretty much cancelling each other out. Today, in 2021, we are 7.85 billion people, with a global infant mortality rate down to 2.9 % with just 4.6 % of these children dying before the age of 15 [2]. Despite our perceptions, and notwithstanding the Covid-19 pandemic, life expectancy and virtually all other health parameters have markedly improved globally as compared to just up to 200 years ago.

This is amazing progress. For over 30,000 years, human health pretty much mirrored the situation in 1809 with high fertility, high child mortality and an average lifespan between 20 to 40 years. And then within a short span of just 200 years, everything has changed. Despite the significant global discrepancies and inequalities due to geographical, environmental and income-related differences, even the poorest of poor countries are better off than just 100 years ago.

How did this happen? What dramatic changes altered the health landscape?

Most people tend to attribute increased lifespan to the advent of modern medicine and improvements in technology like robotic surgery, CT scans and expensive medicines. However, the real reason for increased longevity is socio-economic and political; reduction in poverty, better education, clean water, better sanitation, adequate nutrition, immunization and the use of antibiotics. If we look at a pyramid of effectiveness, improved socio-economic factors at the base have the largest impact, followed by laws (smoking bans, seatbelts, etc), followed by protective interventions such as vaccines and preventive methods such as the use of statins or mammography for the early diagnosis of breast cancer or testing for diabetes and hypertension, treatment by doctors and hospitals [3] forming the apex of the pyramid, having the least impact on the longevity of the population at large.

This is not to say that doctors and hospitals are of no use. They arebut they are important when you fall sick, whereas measures taken to prevent you from becoming ill in the first place are more important. And the longer we live without disease, the longer therefore is our healthspan.

Healthspan

There is a current upper limit to our lives despite our increased lifespans. Very few people in India make it to above 80 and a minuscule number makes it to above 90. There is an exponential death rate after the age of 65, which is why, as we age, we keep seeing people around us dropping off faster and faster.

Moreover, the longer we live, the more is the morbidity associated with chronic diseases that afflicts those of us above the age of 50. We live longer but many of us suffer through this longer life.

What is therefore more important than just the lifespan is the healthspan, which is the time period lived until a major disease, such as stroke, heart attack or cancer affects us, and leads to a life lived with disability and suffering until the end of our lifespan.

Effectively, the longer we live, the more is the chance that we will live with disease and disability. This is the Faustian bargain we have made significantly reducing childhood mortality and adding years to our lives. We live longer, but with disease.

In India, as the diagram shows, our average lifespan is almost 70 years. However, the current healthspan is just 60 years, by which time half of us who have managed to reach the age of 60 will have at least one or more chronic diseases with some disability/morbidity.

If however, our healthspan were to go up to 65 years (scenario B), without a change in the lifespan, we would live a shorter diseased life of just 5 years. If the lifespan were also to increase, which is likely to happen with an increase in the healthspan (scenario C) then we would live longer, but the period lived with disease would also increase.

The trick therefore, is to increase our healthspan and lifespan both, but healthspan relatively more, so that we reduce the number of years with disease to as less as possible, as I have shown in scenario D, where if we could increase our lifespan to 100 years and healthspan to 90 or 95 years, we could compress our years of disease before death to a very short period of time of just 5-10 years.

The previous articles on physical activity, not falling, sleeping well are part of our atmasvasth quest to not just increase our lifespan, but more importantly our healthspan. And that is the goal of atmasvasth and this blogto figure out how to live not just long, but also healthy, so that we have long healthspans as well as lifespans and as short a period with disease as possible.

Footnotes:

1. https://ourworldindata.org/fertility-rate2. https://ourworldindata.org/world-population-growth3. Frieden TR. A Framework for Public Health Action: The Health Impact Pyramid. Am J Public Health. 2010 Apr;100(4):5905.

Views expressed above are the author's own.

END OF ARTICLE

Read the original here:
Despite Covid-19, this decade is the healthiest - The Times of India Blog

If you want your cat to live a long, healthy, and happy life, give your cat healthy treats and snacks.

As you know, cats love treats. They will run around the house when they hear you open the closet. When they see the treat in your hand, the winds between your feet will begin to meow until you give them the treat.

If you give them treats every time they start meowing, thats not a great thing. It will affect their health like humans, because the treats can result inunhealthy weight gainand serious health problems, including heart problems, diabetes, and osteoarthritis.

However, healthy treats and snacks can help with training and other behavior problems. In this article, we will discuss what healthy treats and snacks for your cat are and how they are beneficial for your cat.

What Makes a Cat Treat Healthy?

Marla J. McGeorge, DVM, an Oregon veterinarian, says, Its okay to feed your cat treats, but they should be a tiny part of the diet.

Many feline nutritionists recommend that healthy snacks and treat not exceed more than 10% of the total calories a cat can eat.

John K.L Ph.D., says that, Most cat treats add nothing but calories to your cats diet.Try to meet your cats caloric needs by feeding them high-quality cat food.

Benefits of healthy Treats and Snacks

Feeding your cat healthy treat and snacks will help your cat live a high-quality life. There are many benefits your kitty will receive from eating high-quality cat treats. Some of them are:

Healthy and increased life span

As you know, the fact that the quality of food can seriously affect your lifes vitality and longevity is the case with cats. Feeding your kitty low nutritional quality treats and snacks overly processed and full of chemicals will put her at greater health risk and a shorter lifespan.

Healthy appearance

The pets appearance says a lot about its health, the appearance of the cat is basically a direct reflection of its overall health. A better-looking pet will feel better because healthier treats and snacks will have a good effect on your cats health.

The type of treat you give your cat, whether commercial or homemade, will directly affect its skin, coat, nails, etc. Healthy, organic treats, and snacks contain sources of grains that have super nutritional value. In contrast, most commercial inorganic treats contain chemical additives, artificial flavors, artificial colors, and toxic agents.

These unhealthy snacks and treats can develop rashes, lesions, and open sores on your cats fur and the coat will lose its shine, color, and eventually fall off entirely.

Less allergic reactions

While giving your kitty treats and snacks, you will find many ingredients that can cause an allergic reaction to your kitty. Sometimes these reactions are to a single element or to the real treat. Unfortunately, a single component can ruin the whole treat by producing a mild irritant reaction to a life-threatening reaction. If you use organic and healthy treats, there is less chance that your cat will have an allergic reaction.

Fewer hairballs

As you know, cats are excessive groomers and spend most of their time grooming themselves. Excessive grooming often results in hairballs. If you give your cat a high-quality treat containing good quality protein, your kitty will have a silky coat, healthy skin, and will swallow less hair while grooming.

Consistent healthy weight

You are always trying to feed your cat a healthy diet to maintain a healthy weight throughout her life. Dont interrupt her efforts by giving her unhealthy treats that have no nutritional value.

Healthy snacks and treats are high in nutritional value and will not increase your kittys weight. If your cat maintains a healthy weight, she will have excess energy for exercise and other physical activities.

Tips for giving treat and snacks

There are some tips to keep in mind when giving your cats a treat or snack. These tips will help you keep your cat healthy and full of energy.

Always feed in moderation

Cats sometimes behave like children, as if they develop a taste for some treats and then begin to avoid their usual food. That is why always feed your cat treats in moderation, such as no more than two to three times a week.

Dont give human food

Special cat foods are best for cats because they contain minerals, vitamins, and amino acids necessary to maintain the cats excellent health. On the other hand, human foods do not have all the essential vitamins and probiotics, so they must be consumed in minimal quantities. You must give thebest vitamins for catsto avoid any deficiencies.

According to veterinarian advice Dr. Chyrle Bonk, Probiotics contain microorganisms that live in your cats digestive tract and improve digestive and immune health. They work by balancing the good bacteria within your felines intestines to ensure that your cat stays healthy and happy.

You can give your cat small bites of chicken, tuna, liver, or fish as an occasional snack, but dont feed him regularly. You can also provide them with a tablespoon of milk every now and then, but dont give it to lactose-intolerant cats.

Avoid toxic foods

While looking for healthy treats and snacks, always be careful of toxins in food. You may like to feed your kitty grapes, raisins, onions, salt, and alcohol, but they can be very toxic. So before adding anything to your cat treats, talk to your vet.

Dont award begging

Dont give your cat treats at the dinner table or reward her when she begs for treats. Since rewarding begging behavior will induce many behavior problems.

Dont feed treats to obese cats

As you know, overweight cats are more prone to health problems. So feed your obese cats very carefully. Cat treats and snacks are packed with calories, and these extra calories are bad for your kitty. So, provide them very carefully. Simply cutting out the treats is not an ideal solution. You can consult your vet and develop a healthy and safe diet plan for your kitten to help her lose weight.

Feed green

Catnipcan be used in cat treats and is low in calories. Actually, cats love cat grass and catnip. Cat grass is cereal grass like oats or wheat. It is effortless to grow both at home and can be easily found at a pet store. While feeding your kitten any type of plant, first make sure they are safe for her. Cats generally regurgitate after eating grass, so dont be alarmed if your cat does this. For such cats, just stick to the catnip.

Use treats for fun activities

Use cat treats in keeping your cat fit and doing fun activities. You can use treats to exercise your cats body and brain. Cats can learn a few tricks in the love of treats. These activities are ideal for indoor cats.

Use treats after training and grooming sessions

Cats typically dont like brushing their teeth, trimming their nails, and taking a medicine dose. You can use treats for doing these activities. Giving treats and petting and praise can play an important role in calming cats that are forced to do something unpleasant.

Dont replace your love with treats

Cats are adorable animals and have no additional needs to stay happy. They just need a safe home, a healthy diet, and your attention.Anthony Herrig says, When youre late for work, and you think about giving your kitty a handful of treats to build the same bond as a hug or a pet. Im not sure it really works that way.Basically, its the physical contact that your cat likes the most. She likes when you pet her, play with her, and hold her to help a cat bond with you.

Make your own cat treats

Try feeding your cats natural homemade treats because commercial treats are packed with calories. You can provide your kitten with some cooked fish, liver, and eggs. But dont use them as part of your cats daily diet.

Dont feed them table scraps

A common mistake people make is feeding their cats table scraps. Avoid doing this because every day, human food contains caffeinated beverages, raisins, onions, chocolates, and other toxic things to cats.

Similarly, say this to your whole family because if you are avoiding and not giving these treats to your kitty, it does not mean that your family will start feeding them. This is especially true in the case of children. So, make them understand that they should give treats only when you are there to supervise, as something terrible can happen to them.

Can some treat help with health conditions?

Some healthy cat treats claim to be great for your cats teeth by preventing gingivitis and reducing tartar. Certain treats claim to overcome the problem of nutritional deficiencies in cats. Dr. Murray suggests that, It is always good to contact your veterinarian to recommend a treatment for your cats health.

Conclusion

If you want your cat to live a long, healthy, and happy life, give your cat healthy treats and snacks. Always decide why, what, and when to give your kitten a treat. Also, keep in mind that these treats cannot replace your love, so a scratch behind the ear or a friendly hug can also work as a great treat for them.

Read more:
Healthy Cat Treats and Snacks - Legal Reader

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS An increase of recreation proved to be a double-sided sword in Steamboat Springs.

Stores have reaped the benefit and recorded a historic summer of sales. However, the nearby Routt National Forest has suffered a bit of abuse from the rising number of recreators.

As restaurants and boutiques in downtown Steamboat Springs limited capacity and saw a thinner stream of people coming through the door, sporting good stores, outfitters and bike shops saw more traffic than ever.

In May, the city reported that sales tax collection was down 4% from the previous May, but that sporting good sales tax was up nearly 67%. The next month, city sales tax collection was down 11.3% compared to June of 2019, but sporting goods was up 41.7%. Meanwhile, lodging and amenities were down 49% in June.

I have never seen anything like this from one category being way up and a different category being way down, said Kim Weber, city finance director. This was definitely a surprise for us to see our restaurants and lodging down, yet sporting goods up in large percentages.

Weber said the 2009 recession brought on similar drops in sales tax collection, but those drops were more widespread across all categories, except for groceries, utilities and liquor stores, which were stable.

The increase is only determined by stores that are deemed sporting goods stores, of which there are 97 in Steamboat Springs. The figure doesnt include any sporting goods sold at stores designated under a different category. Anything sold at department stores such as Walmart or Walgreens isnt considered.

John Duty, owner of Bucking Rainbow Outfitters, expected a slower summer with the pandemic, so he didnt have as much staff on hand. Still, with less staff and, therefore, fewer fly-fishing trips for patrons, the business had a successful summer. Even from a retail standpoint, they had a busy few months, watching apparel and fly-fishing equipment fly off the shelf.

If we had more staff, we probably would have had a record-type year, said Duty.

Duty said people typically choose to book with Bucking Rainbow on weekdays, spending the weekend participating in one of the many events that fill the Steamboat summer calendar. However, with fewer events, Bucking Rainbow ended up being busy on the weekdays and weekends.

From mid-June on, Bucking Rainbow was booked solid, and only recently started to see a lull in business.

Ski and Bike Kare had a far different experience. As people realized being outdoors was one of the only things they could do amid mass closures, they cleared the market of low-end bikes, then the mid-range bikes. The spike in demand led to bike shortages across the globe, but it also led to a massive surge in sales.

Foster Martin, general manager at Ski and Bike Kare, said the store saw $150,000 more in June of this year than the previous best June.

June was our biggest month ever in 25 years of business, said Martin. August and September have slowed down just because we ran out of stuff to sell. If we had as many bikes as we would have liked to, August and September would have been huge as well.

More recreation is a double-edged sword.

Its hard to measure how much people use places on national forest land, such as Buffalo Pass.

Unlike national parks, there arent staffed gates that tally how many people are coming in national forests. Places, such as Fish Creek Falls that require a self-pay pass, have a rough tally of usage but cant always be trusted since many may not pay for one. Additionally, those numbers are skewed this year since locations opened later than usual due to the pandemic.

That being said, there is no denying that over the past few years, Buffalo Pass has seen increased use.

This year followed that same pattern, but the summer of 2020 seemed to be particularly busy, according to Aaron Voos, national forest public affairs specialist for the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests and Thunder Basin National Grassland.

We dont go out and ask visitors why they are in the forest, he said. But it does seem like there is an additional desire for people to get out and experience the outdoors this year.

Voos said Buffalo Pass is one of the most high-profile recreation locations not only in Routt National Forest, but in the entire administrative unit.

Due to the obvious increase in usage in recent years, the U.S. Forest Service enlisted the help of Routt County Riders and the city of Steamboat Springs to track just how many people take advantage of the trails on Buffalo Pass. Both the city and Routt County Riders have collected data during the past two years and are in the process of tallying their counts.

Voos said Forest Service staff members and law enforcement officers havent kept official tallies, but have observed increased usage this summer.

Some of that is positive. Its just more people on a trail or in a parking lot or along a stretch of creek, said Voos. Thats fine. The national forest can handle some of that increased usage. Some of the observations though have been negative, regarding how people are handling themselves while on forest land.

Voos said negative aspects of that include additional trash in heavy-use areas like parking lots and campgrounds, as well as violations. People drive too far off the road with their vehicles to get to a dispersed campsite and off-road violations with ATVs. There has also been a notable amount of unattended campfires.

Fire hasnt been a huge issue this year, though. The Middle Fork Fire is burning in North Routt County, but has been ruled a lightning-caused wildfire. Voos said this summer showed an improvement over prior years, with the number of human-caused fires down in 2020.

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Increase in recreation good for business, but could be bad for the forest - Steamboat Pilot and Today

Did you know that avoiding certain dental hygiene habits can affect your longevity? Or that the overconsumption of sodium, specifically, can have lethal consequences in the long run? Or that energy bars are name-checked by major studies as playing a role in your lifespan, as well? For thoseand other unhealthy everyday habits linked to a shorter liferead on. And for more ways to be healthier starting right now, make sure you're aware of the Popular Drinks Proven to Cause Lasting Damage to Your Body, According to Science.

According to a massive study of 45,000 adults over the age of 50, which was published last year in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, people who consumed a third of their total calories from processed foodswhich include foodstuffs such as chicken nuggets, breakfast cereals, instant noodles and soups, energy bars and drinks, packaged snacks, and "any foods made using industrial processing"had a 14% higher chance of early death.

RELATED: Sign up for our newsletter for the top healthy eating tipsdelivered straight to your inbox.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found roughly 45% of all mortalities caused by heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and stroke were attributed to people either over-consuming or under-consuming ten specific foods and nutrients: "fruits, vegetables, nuts/seeds, whole grains, unprocessed red meats, processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages, polyunsaturated fats, seafood omega-3 fats, and sodium." In the case of the latter, the scientists noted that over-eating salty foods was the single worst offender overall, and was associated with nearly 10 percent of all of the diet-related deaths from the aforementioned conditions. For some surefire ways to cut down on salty foods, make sure to avoid the 100 Worst Foods on the Planet.

According to research published in the journalActa Psychiatra Scandinavica, if you're drinking so much that you've been hospitalized for alcohol use disorder, you could be cutting your life shortby as much as 28 years. The leading health experts at the Mayo Clinic say symptoms of alcohol use disorder include strong cravings, high anxiety, sweating, trembling, nausea, giving up things you love to drink, and developing a high tolerance.

Another study, published in the journal The Lancet, regularly consuming alcohol was linked to a greater risk of heart failure, stroke, aneurysms, and deathregardless of the gender of the person drinking. According to their calculations: Adults who drink seven to 14 drinks per week may be shortening their lives by six months, adults who drink 14 to 15 drinks per week may be shortening their lives by one to two years, and heavier drinkers who consume in excess of 25 drinks every week may be shortening their lifespans by four to five years.

According to the health experts at the Mayo Clinic, poor oral health is linked to endocarditis (an infection of"the inner lining of your heart chambers or valves, which typically occurs when bacteria or other germs from another part of your body, such as your mouth spread through your bloodstream"), cardiovascular disease, and pneumoniaand one of the best ways to protect your oral health, and by default your body health, is to floss daily.

Elsewhere, studies have linked your dental hygiene with your longevity. A study of 57,000 older women published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, for instance, found that those who suffer from gum disease and tooth loss are at greater risk of early death. As Satjit Bhusri, MD, a cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, explained to CNN, the study "suggests [that] gum disease and tooth loss is a marker for overall lack of health and, as a result, death."

A study published in JAMA Network Open revealed something truly alarming for people who are leading overly sedentary lifestyles: Your risk of early death from not exercising at all is even more profound than if you suffer from heart disease and diabetesor if you smoke. If you're feeling inspired to exerciseand you don't have a lot of time on your handsknow that This Super-Quick Workout Is Scientifically Proven to Work, Says Mayo Clinic.

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Ugly Everyday Habits Proven to Take Years Off Your Life, Says Science - Eat This, Not That

Thomas LaVeist, dean of Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, penned a recent New York Times op/ed signed by 59 other Black health experts calling for Black Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Photo by Paula Burch-Celentano.

Black Americans are 1.5 times more likely to die from COVID-19, yet communities of color are falling behind in the nations vaccine rollout asmany Black Americans are hesitant to take new vaccines against the disease.

Thomas LaVeist, dean of Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, authoredaNew York Timesop/edsigned by 59 other Black health experts from the National Academy of Medicine urging Black Americans to get vaccinated.

Disinformation about the coronavirus and vaccines has pervaded social media, feeding on long-held and absolutely warranted distrust of health institutions in Black communities. The lies are an assault on our people, and it threatens to destroy us, LaVeist wrote in the op/ed. We believe this moment requires leaders to stand up and lead: to help save our people and nation, to protect Black Americans and all Americans, and to break the stranglehold Covid-19 has had on our country.

LaVeist, who holds the Weatherhead Presidential Chair in Health Equity at Tulane, is a leading expert on the topic of health disparities and the social determinants of health, including areas such as U.S. health and social policy, the role of race in health research, social factors contributing to mortality, longevity and life expectancy, and the utilization of health services in the United States.

LaVeists considerable experience in health disparities has been instrumental in the advent of COVID-19, which has been shown to impact minority communities much more severely. He has been a fervent voice in national media calling attention to this issue and was named as a co-chair of the Louisiana COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force by Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards.

Through the task force and through his own social marketing campaign calledThe Skin Youre In: Coronavirus and Black America, LaVeist is working to dispel myths and raise awareness in the Black community about protecting against COVID-19. He is also seeking a new normal that will create lasting change to significantly reduce health disparities in the state and the region.

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Dean LaVeist, Black health experts call for Black Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19 - News from Tulane

How terrorist groups and other violent non-state actors treat civilians can significantly affect how long such groups will last. As the militant group Ansar al-Sunna (ASWJ) actively expands its area of operations outside the occupied port town of Mocmboa da Praia in northern Mozambique, the insurgencys treatment of civilians warrants attention.

To date, ASWJs strategy has been notably inconsistent, fluctuating between hearts and minds and shock and awe. Understanding ASWJs approach towards civilians is critical to providing them with adequate protection, as well as to crafting effective counterinsurgency measures against the group.

Civilians continue to shoulder the brunt of the insurgencys success. More than 309,000 Mozambicans are internally displaced, largely due to the conflict in the north. As insurgent control over roads increases, many fleeing civilians consider maritime routes to be the safest option, resulting in capsized ships and deaths at sea.

Hundreds of thousands are also food insecure. The UNs Famine Early Warning Systems Network has declared crisis-level food insecurity in the north, exacerbating pre-existing chronic hunger. Cabo Delgado province, the insurgencys epicenter, has the countrys second-highest rate of chronic malnutrition.

On top of this, ASWJ has blocked access to basic services, including electricity, education, and medical care.

At times, ASWJ appears to employ a hearts and minds strategy in an attempt to gain the populations support for tactical purposes (such as human intelligence), recruitment, and overall sustainability of the insurgency.

This strategy involves de-legitimizing the national government and its monopolization of the use of force to justify ASWJs actions and create a common enemy in the state.

Two important components of this strategy are the provision of services and the targeting of the state, such as infrastructure and personnel. For example, on April 7, ASWJ raided a World Food Programme-affiliated food warehouse and distributed its contents to the local population.

In another incident, insurgents distributed stolen medicine and fuel to residents perceived to be loyal. ASWJ has frequently targeted state assets, including administrative buildings, military posts, police stations, and state workers.

Additionally, on several occasions, the group has warned civilians of impending attacks and instructed them to leave the area. This was the case in March 2020 when ASWJ attackers warned residents of Quissanga about an upcoming attack on Mocmboa da Praia. Seven months later, the group gave poorer older civilians in the coastal areas of Macomia District $125 to flee impending attacks.

At other times, ASWJ appears to employ a shock and awe strategy. The group exercises control and seeks to build legitimacy and notoriety by creating fear, utilizing violence, and projecting power. This primarily manifests as violent attacks against civilians, mass casualty attacks, and the deprivation of basic services.

ASWJ has prevented basic services and necessary medications from reaching some areas in northern Mozambique. In Cabo Delgado province, one of the countrys pandemic hotspots, this has complicated the governments response to COVID-19.

Additionally, the group has carried out mass attacks and executed a campaign of violence against civilians, irrespective of age. Most notably, it executed over 50 individuals in Xitaxi in Muidumbe District after some locals refused to join the group.

Other recent attacks, although smaller in scale, include the beheadings of seven civilians on September 24 and a six-person family, including two children, on September 26. In each of these incidents, along with numerous other attacks, property was destroyed or stolen.

ASWJs strategy towards civilians has been strikingly inconsistent, making it difficult to assess its broader strategic aims.

Are they intentionally combining these strategies in the hopes of gaining recruits through popular support while simultaneously inducing concessions from the state through violence? Are they trying to command civilian respect through fear or coerce it through the distribution of minor services? If the group becomes more intimately tied to the Islamic States Central Africa Province, will they take a staunch hearts and minds or shock and awe stance?

These questions are yet to be answered, but with regard to the Islamic State, its treatment of civilians is not uniform across its factions. Thus, a stronger affiliation with Islamic State Central Africa Province will not inherently necessitate a shock and awe strategy. The Islamic State West Africa Province provides a good example: the group largely pursues a hearts and mind strategy on Lake Chad, which has contributed to its longevity.

Overall, tracking and better understanding of ASWJs approach to civilians will allow for more effective counterinsurgency and the protection of local populations.

Kelly Moss is an African Maritime Security Researcher at Stable Seas, a program of One Earth Future. Her research and publication background focuses on terrorism and substate violence in sub-Saharan Africa. Kelly graduated from Georgetown Universitys School of Foreign Service, where she received her masters degree in Security Studies, and has worked at three U.S. federal government agencies, including the Bureau of African Affairs at the Department of State.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of The Defense Post.

The Defense Post aims to publish a wide range of high-quality opinion and analysis from a diverse array of people do you want to send us yours?Click hereto submit an op-ed.

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Hearts and Minds or Shock and Awe? Ansar al-Sunnas Conflicting Strategy Towards Civilians - The Defense Post

Published 10-22-20

Submitted by Johnson & Johnson

In addition to its own cadre of scientists hard at work fighting the pandemic, Johnson & Johnson also supports external researchers and entrepreneurs equally dedicated to finding solutions for the current health crisis. We take a look at some of this groundbreaking work happening across the globefrom San Francisco to Seoul.

Originally published on jnj.com

"I love curiosity-driven research," saysWilliam N. Hait, M.D., Ph.D., Global Head, Johnson & Johnson External Innovation. To generate the kind of knowledge we need about diseases, people have to be curious. They have to follow their ideas using rigorous scientific methods to generate the breakthroughs we so fervently desire.

It's a philosophy that guides how Dr. Hait approaches his work overseeing the company's sourcing of early-stage external innovationacross the globe.

And as Dr. Hait notes,COVID-19has only made this search for new knowledge all the more urgent. The current pandemic has thrown into stark relief how important it is to address such situations effectively and rapidlyand ultimately prevent new outbreaks from occurring, he says.

We sat down with Dr. Hait to learn just how he and his teams atJohnson & Johnson Innovationhave been hard at work tackling the current global health crisis by investing in and helping advance innovative solutions from "curiosity-driven" scientists and entrepreneurs alike to some of the biggest challenges presented by the pandemic.

1.Tapping Into the Global Innovation Grid

Cities around the world have become ecosystems for innovationplaces where a community of academic institutions, start-ups, incubators and investors come together to take on some of the worlds toughest problems in healthcare.

At Johnson & Johnson Innovation, our job is to plug ourselves into this innovation grid by building the infrastructure to support and invest in healthcare innovation, says Dr. Hait.

The company does this through its fourInnovation Centers(ICs), located in some of the worlds top hubs for innovation in life sciencesBoston, London, San Francisco and Shanghaias well asJohnson & Johnson InnovationJLABS, its global network of incubators. The ICs are designed to promote collaborations between Johnson & Johnson and entrepreneurs developing next-generation pharmaceuticals, medical devices and consumer healthcare products.

A few years ago, the San Francisco IC teamtogether with Johnson & Johnson Innovations corporate venture arm,JJDC, and the company's Global Public Health teaminvested in a startup diagnostic company calledCue Health. The team worked with Cue Health to develop programs for tracking HIV viral loads andrespiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a common illness that can be life-threatening for infants, adults withchronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)and the elderly.

Cue Health was in the final stage of clinical validation for their molecular test for influenza detection at home when the pandemic hitand the company quickly created a rapid diagnostic test for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. In June, the companyreceived Emergency Use Authorization from the Food & Drug Administrationfor its point-of-care test (meaning it can be used under the supervision of healthcare workers), which can deliver results in about 20 minutes.

Thanks to the insights of our team, we were one of the earliest investors in Cue Health, which has now developed a leading rapid test for COVID-19, says Dr. Hait.

2.Addressing Worldwide Health Threats Todayand Tomorrow

The COVID-19 pandemic has offered critical lessons for healthcare providers, scientists and policymakers around the world, including the importance of preparing for the next big health threatwhether its another infectious disease pandemic, a biological hazard like antibiotic-resistant bacteria or an environmental threat like climate change.

Through a partnership with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a component of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Johnson & Johnson InnovationJLABS is working to help improve health security and our nations response to medical threats and emerging infectious diseases.

The program, calledBLUE KNIGHT, supports startup companies that are working on potentially groundbreaking innovations aimed at preventing and addressing 21st century health threats by providing, among other benefits, lab space, funding and mentorship from BARDA and the Johnson & Johnson family of companies.

In August, the first seven companies were selected for their promising work on urgently needed diagnostics, therapeutics, vaccines and other technologies for COVID-19. One of these companies,Gabi SmartCare, is developing a remote monitoring device for at-home use that combines advanced medical wearable technologies and predictive digital analytics to help physicians better monitor patients with respiratory illnesses like COVID-19.

Our preparedness and response to emerging public health threats, as well as existing debilitating diseases, requires new, transformational approaches, Dr. Hait says. Through Blue Knight, we aim to identify and nurture the best ideas of early-stage companies from across our global innovation network to accelerate the development of potentially life-changing new solutions aimed at preventing, intercepting, treating and curing serious diseases.

3.Tackling Chronic Health Conditions That Can Make People More Vulnerable to Severe Illness

As a physician, Dr. Haits ultimate vision is to create a world without disease in which people don't just have increased lifespans, but longer healthspans, or the number of years spent free of disease.

As part of that mission, Johnson & Johnson Innovation became the principal corporate sponsor of the Healthy Longevity Catalyst Awards in the United States, which is one component of a multi-year, multimillion-dollar international initiative launched by the U.S. National Academy of Medicine (NAM) last year. In January, the initiative debuted theHealthy Longevity Global Competition, which set out to find scientists working on promising ideas that closely align with Dr. Haits vision of immorbidity, or a life free of disease.

Most chronic health conditions, likeheart disease,type 2 diabetesorcancerbegin in middle age," Dr. Hait says. "When humans lived to just 55, that was not as big of a deal. But if you live well into your 90s, like many people do today, that can mean 50 years spent dealing with diseases that can significantly impact your enjoyment of life.

The pandemic has also exposed how these chronic conditions can make some older adults more vulnerable to COVID-19. Experts have learned that havingcertain medical conditionssuch as COPD, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney diseasecan potentially increase your risk of severe illness.

As people age, the risk for many of these diseases increases, and as a result, this viral illness can be devastating to older people, Dr. Hait says. Because as we get older, our once finely tuned immune system can often be detrimentally affected.

When a person becomes infected with a pathogen like COVID-19, the body mounts an immune response against the virus. This is accompanied by an inflammatory reaction that can manifest through such symptoms as a fever, chills, muscle aches and headaches.

In most healthy, young people, as the infection is brought under control and ultimately eliminated, the inflammatory response subsides, Dr. Hait explains. But in some older people, or those whose immune system is already out of balance, the inflammatory component can continue or even accelerate, potentially creating serious or even permanent damage to important tissues.

Dr. Hait hopes to find solutions to such age-related challenges with NAM's Healthy Longevity Global Competition, in which up to 450 Catalyst Awards of $50,000 each will be awarded to scientists around the world with promising ideas over three years, and one or more award winners will receive up to $5 million.

The goal is to create a global movement that gets the worlds great minds thinking about how we can live free of disease, Dr. Hait says. We are looking for ideas that will make people sit up and take notice.

One country that is eager to see what great innovations come from the challenge is Japan, which has the worldslargest populationof adults over age 65.

In arecent webinar hosted by the U.S.-Japan Councilto talk about the competition, Dr. Hait said, I'm on the lookout for people who are generating new scientific knowledge. Because its the massive amount of knowledge that allows us to translate science into meaningful benefits for people.

4.Finding Innovative Ways to Embrace Our New Normal

COVID-19 has upended healthcare around the world, leading to a stark decline in in-person doctor visits, and hastening the rise of telemedicine.

The pandemic hit and catapulted us into the future, Dr. Hait says. Pre-pandemic, data shows that about 0.1% of Medicare primary care visits were by telemedicine; today thatscloser to 50%. Were not going back, so the question is: How does a company like Johnson & Johnson position itself to be effective in this new world of healthcare?

One way is through Johnson & Johnson Innovation'sQuickFire Challenge program, which is designed to harness the worlds collective problem-solving power by issuing calls for innovation that anyone can answer.

This summer, theSeoul Innovation QuickFire Challengelaunched to seek ideas related to healthcare in the new normal, including e-health platforms that can lead to better patient experiences and outcomes; technologies that can improve the implementation and security of telemedicine and remote patient monitoring; and smart systems for vaccine distribution and adherence. Up to two innovators with the best ideas will receive up to $125,000 in grant funding, a one-year residency at the Seoul Bio Hub and mentorship from Johnson & Johnson experts.

Johnson & Johnson Innovation is also backing leading digital healthcare companies likeThirty Madison, which aims to allow patients to access affordable, virtual care for chronic conditions like migraines and acid reflux. Its one of many such investments that Johnson & Johnson InnovationJJDC has made in startups focused on tele-medicine, home diagnosis or direct-to-consumer healthcare.

This pandemic is having an enormous impact on people around the worldand the innovators who will lead us to solutions. We are determined to be a support system for them, he says. We were built for times like these.

Caring for the world, one person at a time... inspires and unites the people of Johnson & Johnson. This year, we celebrate 126 years of embracing research and science bringing innovative ideas, products and services to advance the health and well-being of people. Employees of the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies work in more than 250 operating companies in 60 countries throughout the world. The passion and commitment of our people yield innovations that further minimize our impact on the planet, drive new alliances to address major health challenges in developing and developed countries, and help to create economic opportunity for people. Improving human health and well-being is our crucial mission and the ultimate measure of upholding our responsibility now and for generations to come.

At Johnson & Johnson, our top priority is health-health of people and the planet. That's why we set aggressive corporate wide goals to reduce our environmental impact, outlined in our Healthy Future 2015 goals. To this end, we established the proprietary Earthwards process for developing and marketing greener products through lifecycle analysis. Every Earthwards recognized product must achieve a greater than 10 percent improvement in at least three of the seven goal areas:

More from Johnson & Johnson

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4 Ways Johnson & Johnson Is Cultivating Outside-the-Box Innovations for COVID-19 - CSRwire.com

When looking to find the right kinds of foods and drinks to help you live a longer and healthier life, one should look at an ingredient with the most health benefits. According to numerous studies, beetroot juice is just that. From preventing cancers, lowering blood pressure and even reducing the risk of dementia, beetroot juice packs a great punch and could be the answer to helping you boost longevity. How?

New research into the health benefits of beetroot juice suggests it's not only athletes who can benefit from its performance enhancing properties.

Beetroot juices physiological effects could help the elderly or people with heart or lung conditions enjoy more active lives.

When consumed, beetroot juice has two marked physiological effects.

Firstly, it widens blood vessels, reducing blood pressure and allowing more blood flow.

Secondly, it affects muscle tissue, reducing the amount of oxygen needed by muscles during activity.

The combined effects have a significant impact on performing physical tasks, whether it involves low-intensity or high-intensity effort which could help to boost longevity.

READ MORE:Hair loss treatment - 70p natural oil to protect against alopecia and boost hair growth

Beetroots get their rich colour from betalains, which are water-soluble antioxidants.

According to studies, betalains have chemo-preventive abilities against some cancer cell lines.

Betalains are thought to be free radical scavengers that help find and destroy unstable cells in the body.

Its believed these help to reduce the risk of certain cancers.

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In a study published in Hypertension, dietary nitrate and how it lowers blood pressure in hypertensive patients was investigated.

The study noted: We randomly assigned 68 patients with hypertension in a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to receive daily dietary supplementation for four weeks with either dietary nitrate (250 mL daily, as beetroot juice) or a placebo (250 mL daily, as nitrate-free beetroot juice) after a two-week run-in period and followed by a two-week washout.

Daily supplementation with dietary nitrate was associated with reduction in blood pressure measured by three different methods.

The study concluded that dietary nitrate is an affordable, readily available, adjunctive treatment in the management of patients with hypertension.

In another study published in the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, the effect of a high nitrate diet on brain perfusion in older adults was analysed.

Dietary nitrate may be important when increased blood flow in hypoxic or ischemic areas is indicated, noted the study.

It continued: These conditions could include age-associated dementia and cognitive decline.

The study found that nitrates may help increase blood flow to the brain in older people and help slow cognitive decline.

It was noted that after participants consumed a high-nitrate diet that included beetroot juice, their brain MRIs showed increased blood flow in the frontal lobes which are associated with cognitive thinking and behaviour.

Katie Lansley, a PhD student from the university's Sport and Health Sciences department said: "As you get older, or if you have conditions which affect your cardiovascular system, the amount of oxygen you can take in to use during exercise drops considerably.

This means that, for some people, even simple tasks like walking may not be manageable.

"What we've seen in studies is that beetroot juice can actually reduce the amount of oxygen you need to perform even low-intensity exercise.

In principle, this effect could help people do things they wouldn't otherwise be able to do.

While we haven't yet measured the effects on the elderly or those with heart or lung conditions, there is the potential for a positive impact in these populations which we intend to go on and investigate further.

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How to live longer: Beetroot juice reduces risk of cancers and dementia to boost longevity - Express

Cancer driver genes are those with mutations that are essential for tumour development and spread. Led by ICREA researcher Patrick Aloy, scientists from the Structural Bioinformatics and Network Biology (SBNB) Laboratory at IRB Barcelona have developed a computational pipeline that predicts tumour response to different cancer treatments. This system is based on the identification of complex response markers derived from the patterns of co-occurrence between cancer driver genes carrying mutations. It has been tested experimentally and with data from breast cancer patients and has achieved 66% accuracy in the prediction of these responses.

Given their key role in tumour development, cancer driver genes have been widely studied in recent decades. Knowledge of which of these genes are affected in a specific tumour can help to identify the most appropriate therapeutic strategy for that patient, in an approach known as precision medicine. For the first time, researchers from the SBNB Lab propose the co-occurrence (or lack thereof) of alterations in two or more cancer driver genes as a key factor in predicting the response to a certain treatment.

"The sum of two or more cancer driver genes affected by mutations leads to the formation of a complex network of biomarkers, alters the molecular profile of the tumour and affects its response to treatments," says Aloy. "Through this work, we see that studying cancer driver genes as a whole, analysing the different combinations, can bring about a great advance towards precision medicine," he adds.

From bioinformatics to experimental and clinical analysis.

Although there are a lot of data on cancer genomes, less information is available on the outcome of therapeutic interventions in patients. The researchers started from a public database that collects information on the effect of multiple treatments on the growth of human tumours that have been implanted in a mouse model. Based on these data, they selected 53 treatments (or combinations of treatments) and compared the molecular profiles of tumours that responded to each treatment and those that did not.

"After developing our computational model, we validated it experimentally in human tumours implanted in mice," says Ldia Mateo, postdoctoral researcher at the SBNB Lab and first author of the study. "We were able to predict the outcome of the therapy in 12 of the 14 case studies, well above the power of approved biomarkers to predict drug response," she adds. The researchers also validated the algorithm with treatment response data from patients with breast cancer.

The work, which has been published inGenome Medicine, was carried out in collaboration with the Vall d'Hebron Oncology Institute (VHIO) and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), thereby allowing the predictive system to be applied to the analysis of clinical trial results.

Reference: Mateo L, Duran-Frigola M, Gris-Oliver A, et al.Personalized cancer therapy prioritization based on driver alteration co-occurrence patterns. Genome Med, 2020;12(78). doi: 10.1186/s13073-020-00774-x

This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.

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System Developed To Predict Tumor Response to Different Treatments - Technology Networks

UT Dallas researchers used diffusion tensor imaging, which indicates the directionality of water diffusion in the brain, to examine how white matter connections lose integrity. These frontostriatal tracts are shown moving anterior to posterior (green), left to right (red) and superior to inferior (blue).

As the human brain ages, the neural circuits that allow its different parts to communicate with each other gradually wear down, even in healthy adults.

Scientists at The University of Texas at Dallas are using imaging techniques to investigate this process to understand better how it relates to cognitive decline in healthy individuals across the lifespan.

Were trying to figure out whats breaking down in the brain that yields this cognitive decline as we get older, even if were healthy, said Dr. Kristen Kennedy, associate professor of psychology in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences and in UTDallas Center for Vital Longevity. Everything we do in our lab is adding pieces to that puzzle.

In a study published online June 7 and in the October issue of Neurobiology of Aging, principal investigator Kennedy and her colleagues describe how they used a pair of imaging techniques to tie the degradation of circuitry in one region of the brain to reduced efficiency in executive functions. The study included 169 healthy human subjects between the ages of 20 and 94.

On a basic level, the brain consists of regions of gray matter that are interconnected by white matter. Composed primarily of neuronal cell bodies, gray matter is the center of activity, from higher learning and memory to sensory reception and muscular responses. White matter consists mainly of myelinated axons, the part of neurons that relay signals to and from gray matter regions.

This research shows that you dont ramp up the output of your gray matter regions as well when youre older. One reason is that the white matter connections have degraded. The electrical transmission between neurons is not as intact.

Dr. Kristen Kennedy, associate professor of psychology in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences and in UTDallas Center for Vital Longevity

Dr. Christina Webb, lead author of the study and a research associate in Kennedys lab, said that the evolving research on white matter shows that its ability to propagate signals strongly affects cognition and higher-order processing.

More and more, research shows us that the structure of the brain affects its function, especially in terms of aging and white matter, she said. In earlier work, weve shown this effect more broadly across white matter networks. Here, were tying it more specifically to the frontostriatal white matter networks, which we know are linked to higher-order executive function.

Kennedy said that when the brain is confronted with a challenging task, it has to ramp up its activity, and that the amount needed changes across the lifespan.

This research shows that you dont ramp up the output of your gray matter regions as well when youre older, she said. One reason is that the white matter connections have degraded. The electrical transmission between neurons is not as intact.

The research team used two different imaging techniques to examine how white matter connections lose integrity, as well as how this affects cognition in people of different ages.

One of the techniques, diffusion tensor imaging, measures the directionality of water diffusion in the brain. Webb compared the ideal performance to water moving through a straw.

If the water is constrained on this path, this represents faster information processing, she said. If water is very diffuse, flowing freely, that can slow down communication efficiency between neurons. So were measuring the effectiveness of structural connectivity.

The scientists combined this insight with functional MRI (fMRI), which Kennedy described as a dynamic, moment-to-moment look at what the brain is doing in real time.

While the other scans are structural, the fMRI scans taken while subjects are performing a task allow us to see what resources the brain is using by tracking blood-oxygen levels, she said.

More and more, research shows us that the structure of the brain affects its function, especially in terms of aging and white matter. In earlier work, weve shown this effect more broadly across white matter networks. Here, were tying it more specifically to the frontostriatal white matter networks, which we know are linked to higher-order executive function.

Dr. Christina Webb, lead author of the study and a research associate in the Kennedy Neuroimaging of Aging and Cognition Lab

With these two sets of metrics, the researchers could predict cognitive performance and then compare expectations to how the subjects actually performed.

While this doesnt examine causality, this technique can be used to test hypotheses, which are based on our knowledge of how we think the brain works, Kennedy said. Our theory is that age directly degrades the white matter, and this in turn results in a failure of the gray matter to fully ramp up. The result is a detrimental effect on cognition.

Kennedys work is part of a trend toward studying healthy neurological aging as much as pathological conditions, which were much more thoroughly studied through the end of the 20th century.

Theres been an increasing feeling that it can only help us so much to understand these handful of diseases versus understanding how people ideally age, she said. That baseline is needed to better understand, by comparison, any disease.

The researchers have continued to collect new data from the studys cohort since the original measurements were obtained four years ago. They plan to address some of the larger questions of aging via a forthcoming longitudinal study, which will compare data from the same people at two different points in time.

Maybe we can capitalize on seeing whats happening very early, when everyones healthy and normal, and determine when that changes, or to help define a path toward pathology, Webb said. We see differences early in the lifespan with this group. Seeing whats happening early in the lifespan, and with the longitudinal data coming in, will hopefully help us determine if these people are already on different paths.

Additional contributors to the study included Dr. Karen Rodrigue, associate professor of psychology, and cognition and neuroscience doctoral student David Hoagey. This work was supported in part by National Institute on Aging grants 5R00AG036848-05, 5R00AG036818 and 5R01AG056535-04.

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Study Explores How Changes in Healthy Brain Structure Affect Cognition - University of Texas at Dallas