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Dr. L. Ray Matthews is a retired trauma/critical care surgeon and director of Surgical Critical Care at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. Our Time Press interview with Dr. Matthew on Vitamin D will appear later this month. Below is an interview with EUR writer Steffanie Rivers, which appeared in January.

EUR associate Steffanie Rivers interviewed Dr. Matthews about his work in preventative health maintenance and why he thinks taking the coronavirus vaccine is not the best defense against contracting COVID-19. He advocates using something else that will protect against COVID-19 and other viruses most people dont realize are just as deadly.*Pharmaceutical companies created coronavirus vaccines in record time less than ten months. Now all the states are tasked with getting vaccine shots into the arms of millions of people with the same urgency because the numbers of COVID-19 infected and deaths continue to rise daily.

Steffanie Rivers/EUR: Youre known as the premier expert in the benefits of vitamin D3. Why is vitamin D3 important to our bodies for preventative health maintenance?DR. MATTHEWS: First of all, vitamin D3 is actually a hormone that controls 3,000 out of 30,000 human genes (10% of our DNA). Hormone/vitamin D3 regulates our immune response system and inflammatory response systems. Vitamin D3 increases the white blood cell count (B-cells, T-cells, monocytes) to help the body fight off bacterial, fungicidal, and viral infections plus cancer cells. The inflammatory response system reduces inflammation by decreasing IL-6, Tumor Necrotic Factor (TNF), and C-Reactive Protein (CRP) which reduces the cytokine storm associated with corona-virus infections.

In laymans terms, vitamin D3 regulates the human immune system and controls a significant portion of our human DNA. The trouble is most people dont eat nutritious food and dont take supplements, therefore their vitamin D3 intake is low.

SR/EUR: Most Black and Brown people believe their melanin prevents them from having to worry about the need to maintain optimal vitamin D3 levels. Is that true?DR. MATTHEWS: The opposite is true. Melanin is a natural sunscreen that protects you from the sun. Melanin blocks 95% of vitamin D3 production. As a result, people of colors vitamin D3 levels tend to run 30% lower than lighter-skinned people. This alone makes people of color more susceptible to corona-virus and most chronic diseases of aging such as heart disease, strokes, higher maternal/fetal mortality rates, cancer and many more chronic diseases.

SR/EUR: What are the signs that a person is vitamin D3 deficient?DR. MATTHEWS: Signs and symptoms of vitamin D3 deficiency are fatigue, insomnia, joint pain, muscle pain, frequent fractures/broken bones, recurrent infections, brittle nails, hair loss, memory loss, lack of focus, and poor wound healing.

SR/EUR: List the ailments that can be prevented by taking vitamin D3.DR. MATTHEWS: That is a very long list. Almost all diseases of chronic aging can be slowed down with vitamin D3 such as heart disease, strokes, cancer, and many other diseases.

SR/EUR: Some people drink milk to get their vitamin D3, is that the best way? Others are lactose intolerant and need to absorb in other ways, and whats the optimal daily amount of vitamin D3 needed?DR. MATTHEWS: Ninety percent (90%) of vitamin D3 production comes from the sun striking the skin producing a chemical that goes to the liver and kidneys to make vitamin D3. Only ten percent (10%) of vitamin D3 comes from the diet. As a result, most people need sunlight (apply sunscreen after 15 minutes of exposure to avoid skin cancers) and supplements. Supplements come in liquid, chewables, soft gels, capsule, or tablet form. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) requirements for vitamin D3 is 600 international units for younger adults and 800 IU for older adults; however, in my first manuscript published on vitamin D3, we challenged that as being too low based on our present technological society. In an agricultural society fifty years ago, people spent most of their time outdoors (more sunlight) and did not have sunscreen. Today we spend most of our time indoors (less sunlight) and use sunscreen.Depending on an individuals lifestyle and what part of the country/world they live in vitamin D3 supplementation will be different. Outdoors people might need less supplementation than people who spend more time indoors or who live in colder, less sunny climates.

SR/EUR: Can a person take too much Vitamin D3?DR. MATTHEWS: Vitamin D3 toxicity is very rare. A person will have to take more than one million IU in a short period of time. Vitamin D3 deficiency is more dangerous than vitamin D3 toxicity. Vitamin D3 levels less than 18 ng/ml increases the risk of death by thirty percent (30%) from all causes including corona-virus.Since the levels of vitamin D3 decreases in the human body with age, coupled with less physical activity, low supplementation and under-nourishing diets, its no wonder the health of African-Americans have been more negatively affected by the coronavirus. Yet many African-Americans are suspicious of government-sponsored medical mandates and shy away from taking vaccines.

SR/EUR: Do you and your family and friends plan to take the vaccine, why or why not?DR. MATTHEWS: I took all the required vaccines during my 31-year medical career. I knew all the long term side effects because it took 5-20 years to make a vaccine prior to the mRNA corona-virus vaccines. The long-term side effects of the mRNA vaccines are unknown. I will stick with the vitamin D3 for now.

SR/EUR: In relation to the COVID-19 virus and the vaccine: Why do health officials (like those on the presidents health panel) rarely talk about preventative maintenance?DR. MATTHEWS: In the world of medicine, the big money is in intervention rather than prevention; however, a study found that 70% of doctors take supplements but do not tell their patients.

SR/EUR: What does your ounce of prevention look like when it comes to building ones immune system? What are some old faithful products you suggest people keep in their homes at all times?DR. MATTHEWS: A worldwide expert virologist once said that there are 1,400 viruses that have the potential to become a pandemic. Do you take 1,400 shots every year, or do you make the immune system stronger to fight off all infections? I would recommend vitamin D3, zinc, and vitamin C. These are natural supplements with minimal side effects. I worked around some of the most contagious infectious diseases on earth and did not catch any infections during my 31-year medical career.

SR/EUR: Most Black men do little in preventative healthcare maintenance. They shy away from going to doctors appointments, and they rarely take supplements. They spend more time on outward physical appearance working out at fitness centers than on caring for their bodys internal systems. Whats the best way to change that?DR. MATTHEWS: Women are usually more health-conscious than men. You have to encourage their mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters to be more proactive in their mens health. Men tend to listen to them.

SR/EUR: Please add any information you want to include that wasnt asked.DR. MATTHEWS: If given the opportunity, I can help to bring the corona-virus pandemic under control worldwide in three months. I understand the biology, pathophysiology, biochemistry, and pharmacology of corona-virus and vitamin D3. I call vitamin D3 Gods miracle vitamin.(To be continued)To find out more about Dr. Matthews and his work in preventative health maintenance contact him at prteam@epimediagroup.com

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Can Vitamin D3 Be Used as a Bridge to Contain the Coronavirus ? - Our Time Press

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, pictured here in December 2020 during a government ceremony, is backing unproven COVID-19 remedies but not the vaccine. Photo by Andre Borges, NurPhoto via Getty Images).

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil- When Brazils President Jair Bolsonaro was diagnosed with COVID-19 in July last year, he appeared in a video on social media ingesting hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria pill thatis not proven to work against the coronavirus. Like former U.S. President Donald Trump, who also praised the drug, Bolsonaro said that despite the lack of scientific evidence its working for me, adding I believe in hydroxychloroquine, what about you?

Now, Bolsonaro says he is tired of being called Captain Chloroquine and in a live transmission last week announced that if the pill turns out to be a placebo then at least I didnt kill anyone. The episode is the latest in the presidents cavalier attitude towards COVID-19, which has killed more than 200,000 people in one of the worlds worst-hit nations.

The drug is part of what Bolsonaro calls the early treatment kit. It includes other medications like ivermectin and azithromycin and is marketed by the government as a treatment for patients with preliminary coronavirus symptoms. The government already spent over $16 million on medicine for the kit, even though neither the World Health Organization nor Brazils health regulatory agency, Anvisa, recognizes any of the treatments as effective against the disease.

Meanwhile, slow moving vaccination efforts have reached less than two percent of the countrys 200 million people so far. Brazil has surpassed nine million confirmed coronavirus cases. Despite this, Bolsonaro is still betting on his kit, and last month he compared using the so-called treatment to tending to a wounded soldier in a battlefield. If they waited for scientific approval, think of how many lives they would have lost, said Bolsonaro in a live transmission.

Other Brazilian politicians have been following his lead. Sebastio Melo, the newly elected mayor of the southern city of Porto Alegre, kicked off his term in January announcing that he would be securing a new shipment of 100,000 pills from Bolsonaros kit. The supplies are set to hit public pharmacies and clinics all over the city by the end of this month. Outrage from Brazils medical community prompted a group of leftist congressmen to start a civil lawsuit against the distribution of the medication.

Located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre wasnt the only city in the region to embrace the controversial kit. Another 27 municipalities in the state are being audited for using it, and in the south western state of Mato Grosso, the local government prided itself in a public statement on having distributed over 12,000 kits at the public clinic Centro de Triagem.

The government even launched a nation-wide app that has since been taken down, with a step-by-step procedure on how to use the kit. Legal threats and ample criticism from the scientific community led the health ministry to stop recommending the use of hydroxychloroquine on their website. But without a proper campaign to warn people that the drugs in the kit arent effective, the damage has already been done, says prominent pulmonologist and health care researcher in Rio de Janeiro, Margareth Dalcolmo.

I see heaps of [patients] at the ICU whose bellies are filled with the nonsensical drugs because they buy into the illusion that if they take them, they are protected [from Covid-19], Dalcolmo said. She calls Bolsonaros kit a little bag of illusions, adding that a preventative medical treatment against COVID-19 does not currently exist.

The mixture of drugs pushed by Bolsonaro arent likely to produce severe side-effects but are causing people to pump unnecessary chemicals into their bodies, said Dalcolmo. Ivermectin, for instance, is used to treat parasite infections like lice and is also typically administered on animals by veterinarians.

I would love to say these drugs work against COVID-19, but they dont. I have to tell the truth, said Dalcolmo. This misinformation is very detrimental to the population. People fall for it because the example comes from up top, from a figure of authority.

And at the same time that Bolsonaro endorses the use of unproven treatments, he has publicly positioned himself against the vaccination campaign. Not long before Brazilians began getting vaccinated in mid-January, a maskless Bolsonaro discouraged a room full of supporters from having it. He said that pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer will not come to your aid if you turn into a crocodile or develop other side effects like a woman growing a beard or a man suddenly talking in a high-pitched voice.

In the south western Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, the local government prided itself in having distributed over 12,000 early treatment kits at the public clinic Centro de Triagem, Brazil. Photo by Christiano Antonucci, provided byCentro de Triagem, Mato Grosso.

Bolsonaro has also specifically targeted a vaccine produced by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac, in partnership with the state of So Paulo. The president and others in government have backed fake theories shared on the internet about vaccines coming from China not being effective. This stance muddied relations with China and delayed new shipments of raw materials needed to make new doses. To top it off, the government received three offers from So Paulo to secure millions of doses of the Chinese vaccine for national distribution, but never responded.

Hes created a cult-like following that has ended up dividing the country between those who fight for the early treatment and those in favor of the vaccine, said researcher Gustavo Cabral, who leads the group at the University of So Paulo that is developing Brazils own coronavirus vaccine. This pushed him to join #TeamHalo a project spearheaded by the United Nations to spread awareness about how the vaccine hopes to end the pandemic.

Doctors and scientists all over Brazil have signed on to similar campaigns to debunk mistrust around the vaccine. The country needs to react, or things could get much worse, according to Cabral.

Bolsonaro has sparked an early treatment movement online around his unproven kit that gives the anti-vaxxer movement a voice, Gustavo warns. The researcher believes Brazil's strong history of running successful vaccination efforts is at risk and that is why doctors and scientists all over the country are also joining campaigns to debunk mistrust around the vaccine. "We face the possibility that we won't vaccinate the two thirds of the population that we need to be able to control the pandemic. That is our greatest fear."

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Bolsonaro is Pushing Quack COVID Cures Instead of the Vaccine - VICE

SOMETIMES one of the best solutions for a problem can be the low-tech, simple one. I'm thinking about migraine.

This is a neurological disorder caused by a fault in nerve and brain function. People who have more than six to eight migraine episodes a month are usually prescribed preventative medicine.

The migraineur also needs a calm life, regular sleep, meals, exercise and minimal stresses. All this is hard, if not impossible, to achieve.

But a recent study has presented us with a new strategy one that doesn't involve medication yet has been shown to be effective: mindfulness meditation.

This is a way of focusing your attention on the present moment, while being aware of your thoughts but not engaging with them.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, showed that mindfulness worked just as well as giving people detailed headache information' tutorials when it came to reducing the frequency of their headaches.

But only the mindfulness group experienced less pain.

The lesson here is that we must not put all our efforts into drug therapies for migraine: mindfulness, relaxation training and yoga all have their place in the management of this painful condition.

This underlines the fact that lifestyle and behaviour plays as great a part in dealing with migraine as drug therapy does.

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The GP's View: Mindfulness can help ease the pain of your migraine - The Irish News

TUESDAY, Feb. 9, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- An experimental antiviral drug known as peginterferon lambda can speed up COVID-19 patients' ability to shed the virus and recover, scientists report.

"One of the important things about this treatment that's different from the other things that have been studied for COVID-19 is that this is working on the person, not on the virus. So it doesn't depend at all on the strain or the sequence of the virus ... we've heard all about these concerning variants that are escaping from the vaccine and escaping from monoclonal antibodies," said lead researcher Dr. Jordan Feld, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, in Canada.

"The way peginterferon lambda works is it turns on the immune system to fight the virus. It's something that the body normally does, but one of the things this virus does is it blocks your body from producing interferon, so we're sort of giving back what the body normally uses to fight off this infection," he explained.

According to the study, patients given a single injection of peginterferon lambda were over four times more likely to have cleared the infection within seven days, compared with patients given an inactive placebo.

Among patients with the highest levels of the virus, 79% were more likely to shed the infection than those given a placebo (38%). The viral levels rapidly decreased in all who received peginterferon lambda, the researchers found.

That could prevent patients with high levels of COVID-19 from becoming severely sick or giving it to others.

For the study, 30 patients were given the drug and 30 received the placebo. Among the 60 patients, five went to emergency rooms with severe respiratory symptoms. Among those, four had received placebo and only one received peginterferon lambda.

Dr. Mangala Narasimhan is director of critical care services at Northwell Health in New Hyde Park, N.Y. She said, "This study is promising, but the question remains if this will mean a decrease in the severity of the symptoms of COVID. Further studies will have to be done to follow these patients to see if the course of disease is changed with this therapy."

The drug mimics an interferon produced by the body that responds to viral infections by turning on pathways to kill the virus. COVID-19 prevents the body from producing interferons, which is one way it gets past the body's immune system. Unlike other interferons, peginterferon lambda doesn't affect every cell in the body, but only cells in the lungs, liver and intestine, the places where COVID-19 replicates.

But because the drug's action is limited, it doesn't have the serious side effects associated with other forms of interferon. In this phase 2 trial, patients given peginterferon lambda had similar side effects to those given placebo.

Feld also said that it's possible that giving peginterferon lambda before someone is infected might prevent the infection and stop the spread of the virus. It's also being tested in patients with severe COVID-19 to see if it will speed recovery, he said.

The next step before the drug can be made generally available is a phase 3 trial where the drug will be tested on a larger group of people. Feld said the trial should begin soon, and if successful, approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would come in a few months.

Dr. Marc Siegel, a professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, described the findings as "very promising" and "very exciting."

"I think the interferons as a group have a lot of potential. It's too early to say -- it's not yet ready for primetime -- we need phase 3, we need a large control group. We need to figure out where in the process this best works," he said.

Siegel added that everybody makes different amounts of interferon and giving interferon might boost the response needed to fight the virus.

"I agree with using this as a preventative, and using it early in the game makes sense," Siegel said. "You're getting around the virus' ability to trigger the inflammatory response -- that's the hope."

The report was published online Feb. 5 in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.

More information

For more on COVID-19, head to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

SOURCES: Jordan Feld, MD, MPH, associate professor, medicine, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Marc Siegel, MD, professor, medicine, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York City; Mangala Narasimhan, DO, director, critical care services, Northwell Health, New Hyde Park, N.Y.; The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, Feb. 5, 2021, online

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Interferon Shot Might Keep COVID-19 Patients Out of the Hospital - HealthDay News

Newswise Children treated for cancer with approaches such as chemotherapy can develop therapy-related myeloid neoplasms (a second type of cancer) with a dismal prognosis. Scientists at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital have characterized the genomic abnormalities of 84 such myeloid neoplasms, with potential implications for early interventions to stop the disease. A paper detailing the work was published today in Nature Communications.

The somatic (cancer) and germline (inherited) genomic alterations that drive therapy-related myeloid neoplasms in children have not been comprehensively described, until now. The researchers used a variety of sequencing techniques (whole exome, whole genome and RNA) to characterize the genomic profile of 84 pediatric therapy-related myeloid neoplasms. The data came from patients with leukemia, solid tumors or brain tumors who were treated with different types of chemotherapy and who all later developed myeloid neoplasms.

One thing that we've known for a long time is once kids develop this secondary tumor, the outcome is really poor, said co-corresponding author Jeffery Klco, M.D., Ph.D., St. Jude Pathology. The alterations that drive these tumors are different in children than they are in adults, underscoring the need to study these tumors specifically in pediatrics.

Collaboration yields new understanding

Results of the study revealed several notable mutations in the somatic setting, including changes in the Ras/MAPK pathway, alterations in RUNX1 or TP53, and rearrangements of KMT2A. Additionally, the results showed increased expression of a transcription factor called MECOM, which was associated with MECOMs abnormal proximity to an enhancer as a result of genetic rearrangements.

The research benefited from computational tools developed at St. Jude that are aimed at reducing error rates, including CleanDeepSeq and SequencErr. These approaches help to discriminate between true mutations and sequencing errors.

With these tools, the researchers could trace the mutations back as far as two years before a therapy-related myeloid neoplasm developed, when early interventions could potentially benefit patients.

This work indicates that we can detect this type of malignancy early, to study if preventative therapies could benefit patients, said co-senior author Xiaotu Ma, Ph.D., St. Jude Computational Biology.

The studys other co-corresponding author is Tanja Gruber, Stanford University School of Medicine. Co-first authors are Jason Schwartz, Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Jing Ma, St. Jude; and Jennifer Kamens, Stanford University School of Medicine. Other St. Jude authors of the study are Tamara Westover, Michael Walsh, Samuel Brady, J. Robert Michael, Xiaolong Chen, Lindsey Montefiori, Guangchun Song, Gang Wu, Huiyn Wu, Ryan Hiltenbrand, Kim Nichols, Jamie Maciaszek, Yanling Liu, Priyadarshini Kumar, John Easton, Scott Newman, Jeffrey Rubnitz, Charles Mullighan, Stanley Pounds and Jinghui Zhang. Additional paper authors include Cristyn Branstetter, Arkansas Childrens Northwest Hospital; and Michael Walsh, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

The research was funded in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health (1K08HL150282-01, P30CA021765, R01HL144653), Alexs Lemonade Stand Foundation, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, EvansMDS Foundation and ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization of St. Jude.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and cures childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments developed at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to 80% since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude freely shares the breakthroughs it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing and food because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. To learn more, visit stjude.org or follow St. Jude on social media at @stjuderesearch.

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Study reveals mutations that drive therapy-related myeloid neoplasms in children - Newswise

In the early months of the pandemic, doctors offices suspended appointments and hospitals cancelled routine procedures as they pivoted focus to managing the coronavirus. Even as those operations have slowly opened back up, the fear of contracting COVID-19 has kept thousands of Americans from getting their standard health screenings.

The numbers have been especially stark for cancer-screening rates, which according to Dr. Carmen E. Guerra dropped by 90% for colon and breast cancer at the height of the pandemic.

Guerra is an associate professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and a health equity researcher who studies cancer-screening disparities in Black and immigrant communities. She said that while colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in both Black men and women, colonoscopies are the only cancer test that are preventative meaning screening for colon cancer could also mitigate the risk of cancer down the line.

Its an invasive procedure and our most complicated test, said Guerra. Most people dont realize that most cancer screenings just detect cancer once its there. But [colonoscopies] remove polyps that look like they want to become dysplastic, which is a term we use for transforming itself into a high-risk lesion.

According to the American Cancer Society, Black Americans have the highest rates of colorectal cancer when compared to other racial/ethnic groups in the United States. They are 40% more likely to die from this cancer as well. Thats largely due to lack of access to health insurance and high-quality medical care, and to being diagnosed at later stages in the disease.

Even before the pandemic, there were a whole host of structural and social barriers that prevented communities of color across the spectrum from getting screened. A cancer-screening test can be as simple as having a blood test. But for colonoscopies, your colon and rectum must be empty and clean so your doctor can see the entire lining during the test. You might hear this referred to as a bowel prep. That requires time off from work, and access to transportation to and from the procedure. In addition, colon cancer tests require sedation during the procedure, which means youll need someone to pick you up when youre finished.

Pre-pandemic, underserved communities were having a really difficult time accessing colonoscopy because they [are not] in an economic position to be able to take off work, said Guerra. Many communities dont have the luxury of having a caregiver. They are stretched, everyone in the household is working.

But then the pandemic swept in, and added another layer of barriers to an already vulnerable segment of the population. Jody Hoyos is the executive vice president of the Prevent Cancer Foundation, which in December, in collaboration with Omnibus, conducted a survey in which 1,200 Black, Hispanic, Asian, and Native Americans were asked questions about their reasons for missed cancer screenings and medical appointments during the pandemic.

Hoyos said the survey found that communities of color, across age and ethnicity, were more likely to have missed appointments during the pandemic than white Americans, with Black and Hispanic Americans about 40% more likely to have missed, postponed, or canceled a health appointment.

The volume of missed appointments is concerning, said Hoyos. We know that the five-year survival rate for cancer is over 80% [when] detected early, but that drops down to 21% if its detected in later stages.

Hoyos also noted that across all groups surveyed, fear of exposure to COVID-19 was the number one reason for missed appointments. For Black and Hispanic Americans in particular, loss of health insurance since the start of the pandemic was the most significant financial barrier this surveyed population brought up.

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Black and Hispanic Americans are most likely to miss health screenings due to COVID-19. A Penn physician is meeting the need. - WHYY

Ancient Egyptians identified three seasons based on cycles of the Nile River: inundation, emergence and harvest. In tropical countries, its the rain that tends to divide the year in two: a wet and a dry season. Elsewhere the calendar demarcates four seasons: autumn, winter, spring and summer.

But now, researchers at Stanford University have found that human biology, rather than rivers, rainfall or calendars, could be used to determine the seasons. In their study, published in the journal Nature Communications in October 2020, the Stanford researchers discovered our bodies seem to set their own rhythm, splitting the year into two seasonal time periods.

Or at least thats the case if you live in California, where the study was carried out. Since every geographical location has unique environmental conditions, their approach may be used the count the seasons in other parts of the world too.

People say there are four seasons of three months each. But why four? There could be 15 or could be 2. Why dont we let biology tell us? asks Prof Michael Snyder, principal investigator of the study.

To determine the human seasons, Snyders team profiled the biology of 105 volunteers in the San Francisco Bay area over a period of four years. They regularly sampled and measured tens of thousands of molecules and microbes from the participants blood, noses and guts. This type of study is called deep longitudinal multiomics profiling.

On sample days, the researchers also collected meteorological data (such as air temperature and solar radiation) and airborne pollen counts.

This massive effort was undertaken to create a better picture of how the changing seasons might be affecting our physiology and health.

Read more about the biometrics:

When added to a molecular or microbial term, the suffix -omics refers to the comprehensive analysis of a collection of those molecules or microbes. For example, genomics is the comprehensive study of all of an organisms genes. Genomics is different from genetics, which considers single genes or their variants.

Scientists often talk informally of omics or omics groups, which may include genomics, metabolomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, microbiomics and others.

Multiomics, which formed the basis of the study led by Snyder, is a branch of molecular biology in which researchers combine and analyse large data sets representing different omics groups. The goal of multiomics is to highlight relationships among the collections of molecules and their functions.

After four years of testing poo, taking blood samples and logging the weather, the team used powerful computational tools to try and find patterns between the volunteers biology and their environment. What they found surprised them.

There were two signals. One was a group of molecules that seemed to peak in December a season the researchers dubbed late fall/early winter. This included markers related to immune responses such as the complement system, a collection of proteins that work together to eliminate infectious microorganisms, which peaked during this time. Unsurprisingly, this correlated with the period we know viral infections are also high.

The second signal, however, did come as a surprise.

I thought the other [season] would be in June or July when its pretty hot, but that wasnt true, Snyder says. Instead, the second season peaked in late April a season they called late spring.

This seasons peak made sense in hindsight, as late April also corresponded with a time of high pollen counts at the end of Californias rainy season. The pollen caused a reaction in a large enough subset of people to contribute to the seasonal peak in the immune response.

Pollen (seen here under a scanning electron microscope) peaks in late April in California, just as some of the participants immune systems reached a second high point Getty Images

The findings added nuance to earlier understandings regarding how human biology interacts with seasonal patterns in the presence or absence of disease. For example, scientists had known that the disease risk marker HbA1c (an indicator of recent average blood glucose levels) was often higher in winter than in summer for diabetic patients.

What they didnt know was how levels varied throughout the year for non-diabetic patients. This study revealed that participants in general diabetic or not experienced peak HbA1c levels in late April. Snyder made sense of this by noting that late April is a time when people emerge from a somewhat more dormant period of not exercising as much.

The team also observed that PER1, a gene responsible for circadian rhythms, had a seasonal pattern, with its highest expression in spring. Furthermore, other studies have found that PER1 may play a role in the development of cancer and that incidences of localised tumours appear to be highest in the spring.

Snyders team suggests that their observation of a spring peak for PER1 provides additional evidence that the gene may contribute in some way to cancer growth.

So how could this research be useful? For a start, it will help us understand the fluctuations in the human body from patient to patient variations that cant be measured in the tests we typically get when we visit the GP.

But also, a standalone measure, such as a temperature reading, is often interpreted against a population average, without the context of the individuals normal, healthy baseline. For example, the average human temperature is 36.5C, though even that varies by gender, age and throughout the day, according to a Journal Of Internal Medicine study.

The study was carried out in the San Francisco Bay area, but the methods could be used for people in other regions Getty Images

But an individuals normal temperature may range from 36.1 to 37.2C. A patient with a low baseline who registers a temperature thats towards the high end of the normal range may indeed have a fever, even though the doctor taking that patients temperature may not realise it.

People usually go to the doctor when theyre ill. They dont often go when theyre healthy. We never take advantage of the longitudinal nature of data collecting data over time. Thats the essence of what were trying to do, Snyder says.

Besides, an individuals temperature or other health metrics may vary over a given year, even when theyre healthy. And disease markers for conditions such as arthritis, sleep disorders, and many neurological and psychiatric illnesses may also vary throughout the year. All of which raises questions about seasonal influences on health.

If your cholesterol is higher in the winter than in the summer, is that normal biological variation or is that signifying a potential health problem? asks Dr Laura Cox, professor of molecular medicine at Wake Forest School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study.

Read more about the future of medicine:

Until nearly the end of the 20th Century, researchers did not understand the existence or usefulness of a multiomics approach to human biology. Instead, they conducted targeted studies that looked at the influence of a single gene or a single protein on health or disease.

In recent decades, however, multiomics such as genomics and proteomics (collections of genes or proteins, respectively) have allowed researchers to gain a more integrated understanding of biological impacts on health and disease.

The genes and the proteins and the metabolites and the lipids are all talking to each other all the time, Cox explains. By quantifying tens of thousands of these measurements in a deep longitudinal multiomics profile, researchers may then determine what is, and is not, likely to be biologically important.

Snyders study offers personalised health models one for each study participant that follow and predict health trajectories. The models paint a picture of the normal biological variation in the different omics groups for the patient throughout the year, which is key in catching disease in its early stages.

Evidence supporting this approach is compelling. Snyder reports that the deep longitudinal multiomics profiles uncovered major health discoveries among nearly half of the participants, including early diagnoses of lymphoma, heart problems anda BRCA gene mutation indicating a high risk for breast cancer.

Snyder himself is a devout health logger. He even published results from his personalised omics profile in a 2012 paper in the journal Nature Reviews Genetics (he was both an author and the studys only participant).

Study leader Prof Michael Snyder is a fan of tracking his health he wears eight devices every day. Hes keen for personalised health data to be more widespread Steve Fisch/Stanford University

Today he wears eight portable devices to track his daily health, including four smartwatches, a continuous glucose monitor, a meter that measures environmental exposures, a health tracker ring, and a pulse oximeter. Recently, his smartwatch and pulse oximeter indicated that his blood oxygen level had dropped at the same time that his heart rate had increased, which turned out to be the first indication of a forthcoming diagnosis of Lyme disease.

The seasonal study that Snyder and his team have carried out is a research version of personalised health medicine that represents deep profiling, but he accepts that it will be difficult to do for the entire population.

Youre not going to do that for everybody. But we can try and figure out whats most useful and then try to put out a cheaper, higher utility, most bang-for-the-buck version, Snyder says. He also mentions that his ultimate goal is to use big data to build personalised health models depicting trajectories for every single person on the planet.

Cox, who has no connection to Snyder, calls the study a tour de force, as few others have studied as much multiomics data over such a long a period of time. Often, we see a very brief snapshot in time and infer a whole, continuous timeline based on that one brief snapshot, she says. It brings up: how much are we missing?

Its clear to see how tracking someones every bodily fluid, microbe and molecule for four years would create a higher resolution picture of their health, and allow doctors to take preventative measures protect them from disease. Sadly, however, this wont be manageable in the real world.

For a start, the culture of medicine would need to shift its focus from the current model of diagnosing and treating someone according to their symptoms, to focusing on early diagnostics and prevention. This is assuming that the high cost of comprehensively tracking everyones health metrics not to mention any privacy concerns could be addressed.

Nonetheless, in revealing that, according to their biology, northern Californians experience two seasons rather than the traditional four we associate with the calendar, this research suggests that seasonal influences should be considered when addressing human health and disease management.

Plus, the study offers a template for identifying seasonal counts and influences in other parts of the world, which may have an impact on our understanding of human health and disease management in those regions.

So how many seasons are there? Well, its difficult to say for certain, but your health likely depends on the answer. Even so, Snyder notes, I predict that there arent going to be four seasons with three months each.

Read more:
The seasons of your body: How health-tracking tech will change how we approach medicine - BBC Focus Magazine

Thousands of Firsts campaign celebrates students, faculties early memories of program

COURTESY OF ELSON S. FLOYD COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

Weve been conceiving this idea for nearly four years now, to capture all of these firsts, all of these amazing moments that have occurred since the start of the medical school, said Christina VerHeul, director of communications, marketing and strategic operations at WSUs College of Medicine.

WSUs Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine will graduate its first class of medical students at the end of the spring 2021 semester.

In 2017, the colleges dean welcomed the first class of students, said Christina VerHeul, director of communications, marketing and strategic operations at WSUs College of Medicine. The dean shared a quote during the event: The beauty of the first time is that it leads to 1,000 firsts.

VerHeul said this inspired a campaign to capture all the thousands of firsts that will happen for the students and the school. The college has been collecting students and faculties first memories since then.

It is the largest and most expensive ad campaign the college has done. This milestone is a significant moment for the college and it needs to be celebrated, she said.

Weve been conceiving this idea for nearly four years now, to capture all of these firsts, all of these amazing moments that have occurred since the start of the medical school, VerHeul said.

This is not just about the medical school, she said. They want to share the success of the students with every Washingtonian. Everyone from the taxpayers and patients to health care professionals were involved in making this medical school a reality.

We really wanted to bring the state together, especially in this really difficult time, particularly in the health care community, VerHeul said. Theres a little bit of light out there this year that we feel is such an exciting thing.

Senior medical student Christie Kirkpatricks story is incorporated into the campaign. Her story is just one of the many firsts from the students, VerHeul said.

Christie had this incredible first where she delivered her first baby alongside the doctor who delivered her, she said.

Kirkpatrick said she realized in college that medical school was a good fit for her. It felt like a natural starting point because she had grown up in a family of medical doctors.

Working as my fathers medical scribe made me realize I wanted to pursue medicine, she said.

Kirkpatricks favorite memories include seeing her father care for patients and clue into what they really need. She said she would like to practice primary care and specialize in internal medicine.

Part of the reason I am choosing my specialty is because we get to do everything, she said. If I had to pick my favorite, I like preventative medicine and lifestyle changes, so thinking about metabolic disease.

Kirkpatrick said the COVID-19 pandemic is emotionally challenging for her, but she thinks it will make her a better doctor in the long run.

She acquired a greater appreciation for life and became more resilient. Kirkpatrick said this pandemic really showed her where the problems are within the medical system.

She said she hopes to be a pillar for her patients and to be compassionate and comforting. She is encouraging everyone to not lose hope, to keep their heads up and to know they are loved.

The campaign for the medical school can be viewed on the WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine website and YouTube channel.

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WSU's first class of medical students will graduate this spring - The Daily Evergreen

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Medicine thought leaders,entrepreneurs and board-certified osteopathicpractitioners, Dr. Vincent Apicella and Dr. Mariaclara Bago, known asDr. A & B,areredefining the currenthealthcare system by combining the best of traditional and alternative medical strategies.

Utilizingtheir comprehensive knowledge and passion for health and wellness, the husband-and-wife duo arestarring in the documentary,The Blob Blob Fish: A Journey Through Obesity,set to be released this summer.Produced and directed by Andrew Mossop (DreamsWorks, MTV, VH1), the filmis an upliftingand thought-provokingdocumentary which highlights the flaws in our current healthcare model.

The Blob Blob Fish: A Journey Through Obesitybeautifully demonstrates Dr. A & B's methodsbyexamining the benefits of drastic lifestyle changes on weight loss. In it, three patients, including a teenage boy who is deemed the "blob blob fish" by his peers, embark on a transformative, inspiring, and heartwarming journey to improve their health, self-esteem and overallquality of life.

"I wish everyone understood that they don't need to depend upon insurance, drugs, or the government for better health," says Dr. A. "We want to show the differences people can make in their own healthcare by starting with a moreholistic approach, andthentraditional medicine second. "Or on an as-needed basis," adds Dr. B.

The mission of the film is to redefine how health is perceived in this country. With a culture stuck on the path of least resistance, thismentality has led to trillions of dollars of healthcare spending and very minimal impact on chronic diseases.

Dr. A & B practice functional medicine,a root-cause, holistic, and natural approach that addresses the body as a whole when treating specific medical problems. Their preventative method can often target and cure healthailmentsbeforetraditional medicine techniques like drugs andsurgery arerequired.

Tointerview Dr. A & B, contact EKC PR at 310-441-1000 or email -[emailprotected].

About Dr. A & B

Dr. A & B have been applying their "life changing through lifestyle altering" treatments by way of theirintegrative medicalpractice for the last 15 years, including running their own renowned health and wellness center in Wellington, FL.

SOURCE Dr. A & B

https://draandb.com

Read the rest here:
Husband-and-Wife Medical Duo Confront the Deficiencies of America's Healthcare System in New Documentary - PRNewswire

Its not uncommon for viruses to transform during their life cycle and while understanding the process and rate at which they evolve is incredibly complex, its extremely important for developing preventative medicines and treatments that will mitigate against transmission and any serious health impacts experienced by infected individuals.

In recent months, confirmation of several more prominent variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (the cause of the ongoing global pandemic), have been made in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil with two of those variants recently detected in Nova Scotia. As these new variants are believed to spread more quickly, its critical that scientists continue to study and document these mutations so that public health officials can control their spread and ensure that current COVID-19 tests are able to detect all variants of the virus and vaccines able to defend against them.

One of the ways in which scientists are able to detect and track variants of the COVID-19 virus and also other viruses, is through technology known as genome sequencing. We asked Finlay Maguire, who specializes in the fields of public health, epidemiology and bioinformatics and is the Faculty of Computer Science's Donald Hill Family Fellow, to explain how genomic data can be used to help fight against COVID-19.

What exactly is genome sequencing?

Genome sequencing is any of several methods that we use to work out the make-up of all the genetic material in an organism or virus. These methods and the analysis of the data that they produce are foundational to modern life sciences/medicine. Genome sequencing is being actively used to help understand the evolution and epidemiology of the SARS-CoV-2 virus i.e., how the virus is changing and spreading over time. Led by Jalees Nasir in Prof. Andrew McArthurs lab at McMaster University, we, along with many other groups, have done research comparing the strengths and weaknesses of different methods to sequence the genome of SARS-CoV-2. The raw data generated by genome sequencing requires a fair amount of computational processing to remove errors and identify any variants.

In an interesting bit of cross-discipline collaboration, I worked with a cosmologist from the Perimeter Institute (Prof. Kendrick Smith) to scale up the methods being used to do this in the McArthur lab. This has enabled hundreds to thousands of genomes to be processed at the same time and is now used by McMaster and the Public Health Agency of Canada for this particular type of sequencing.

How can genomic data be used to predict the evolution of SARS-CoV-2? How does this information help scientists develop vaccines that fight against current and future genetic variants of the virus?

Genomic data gives us the precise genetic fingerprint of the virus that infected the person or animal from which it was sampled. By comparing this fingerprint to the genomes of other SARS-CoV-2 viruses, we can investigate how the virus is spreading. For example, whether an outbreak is all from one source and what that source is likely to be, such as travel from a specific country or region. The pattern of variations, or differences in genetic material, across these genomes can also be used to predict things like how much SARS-CoV-2 is circulating in a population and how quickly it is being transmitted. Using genomic data to answer epidemiological questions like these is known as Genomic Epidemiology.

In terms of vaccine development, genomic data allows researchers to better understand how the virus infects human cells, how quickly specific components change over time, and thus which parts of the virus to target with a vaccine. Every single SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and vaccine candidate was developed using genomic data in some way. This link is particularly clear in the mRNA vaccines being deployed against SARS-CoV-2, as these vaccines are based on a copied portion of the viral genome. We also use genomic sequencing to monitor whether a virus has evolved to overcome the vaccine. By sequencing any person that might become infected after being vaccinated, we can determine how the virus has changed and whether the vaccine needs updating.

Given recent news that mutations of the COVID-19 virus have been found in areas like Great Britain and Canada, are researchers around the world collaborating in the study of these mutations? If so, how are they tracking sharing this information?The analysis of SARS-CoV-2 is a truly international and cross-discipline effort, with open and rapid sharing of data, tools, and preliminary findings outside of traditional (and slow) academic publishing channels. There are currently over 425,000 genomes deposited in databases such as the European Nucleotide Archive and GISAIDs EpiCoV through the work of individual research groups and national sequencing initiatives such as the Canadian COVID-19 Genomics Network (CanCOGeN).

However, genomes are only so useful without accompanying high-quality metadata (e.g., details about the genomes such as when/where the genome was collected). To this end, as part of the Public Health Alliance for Genomic Epidemiology, we (led by Dr. Emma Griffths at the BCCDC/Simon Fraser University) have developed international consensus standards to try and ensure that everyone is generating consistent, specific, usable metadata with their sequencing. This allows us to more easily collaborate on a global scale to study this virus.

To enable all this data to be used effectively, open-source projects such as Nextstrain develop tools and facilitate the sharing of results. These projects allow researchers and public health officials to analyse data from their area of interest and automatically sample the global data to provide context for their results. Through a collaboration with Ontarios ONCoV Genomics Rapid Response Coalition and Prof. Andrew McArthur, I currently maintain and host a continually updated evolutionary analysis of SARS-CoV-2 in Canada using these tools.

How have insights gained from genome sequencing been used by governments and health officials to develop policy and protocols to manage the global pandemic and spread of the virus?

Historically, the process of sequencing and analyzing genomic data took too long to actively drive public health policy/interventions during an active outbreak. Thanks to work on improving open international standards and infrastructure through initiatives like the Public Health Alliance for Genomic Epidemiology, Nextstrain, and Canadas Integrated Rapid Infectious Disease Analysis project, it is now possible to perform genomic epidemiological analyses in essentially real-time.

This has allowed the genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 to inform public health interventions throughout the pandemic at every level from the imposition of international travel restrictions to try to control the spread of new rapidly transmitting variants down to changes in cleaning and staff-screening policies within single hospitals or long-term care facilities to control outbreaks. Beyond this pandemic, genomic epidemiology is likely going to continue to become an increasingly important tool in the management of infectious diseases.

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Ask an expert: Finlay Maguire on using genomic data to better understand how COVID19 and its variants behave - Dal News

BATTLE AGAINST THE DEADLY VIRUS. REPORTER: EVEN WITH THE VACCINATION ROLLOUT, THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19 IS FAR FROM OVER. IT IS WHY EVERY PATIENT WHO LEAVES THE HOSPITAL OR NEVER EVEN HAS TO BE ADMITTED IS CELEBRATED AS A VICTORY. [APPLAUSE] >> W ARE PREVENTING PEOPLE FROM GETTING PROFOUNDLY ILL. IF YOU CAN D THAT AND THEY CAN GET BACK TO THEIR LIVES THAT IS WHAT MEDICINE IS ABOUT AT THE END OF THE DAY. REPORTER: DR. JOE FLYNN WITH NORTON HEALTHCARE IS PART OF A TEAM OF RESEARCHERS THATS BEEN WORKING WITH MONO-COLONAL ANTIBODIES FOR MONTHS. ALREADY THIS WEEK, 30 COVID PATIENTS WERE GIVEN THE DRUG 500 IN RECENT WEEKS, AND OF THOSE, ONLY 3 HAD TO BE HOSPITALIZED. IN ORDER TO KEEP HOSPITALS AND STAFF FROM BECOMING OVERWHELMED DOCTORS SAY IT IS IMPORTANT TO KEEP NUMBERS LOW. NORTON HEALTHCARE REPOR 182 COVID RELATED HOSPITALIZATIONS. AT BAPTIST, 74, AND TO HEALTH SAYS THEY HAVE JUST UNDER 100. U OF L HEALTH, IN PART BECAUSE OF THEIR RENOWNED CARDIAC TEAM, IS FINDING THEMSELVES WELL EQUIPPED TO DEAL WITH THOSE IN THE ICU. ECMO, OXYGENATING A PATIENTS BLOOD TO ALLOW THEIR LUNGS AND HEART TO HEAL, HAS ALREADY SAVED 5 LIVES THIS YEAR, ACCORDING T SURGEON MATTHEW FOX. >> AS SURGEONS WE DO NOT GET TO TREA COVID PATIENTS AS MUCH AS OUR CRITICAL-CARE CARE COLLEAGUES THAT SEE IT EVERY DAY THERE IT BEING ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE IN YOUR OWN WAY. REPORTER: BUT EVEN WITH ADVANCEMENTS BEING MADE DAILY, DOCTORS CAUTION THERES A LONG WAY TO GO. PREVENTATIVE MEASURES LIKE MASKS AND SOCIAL DISTANCING MUST CONTINUE TO BE FOLLO >> WHEN WE STARTED IN MARCH AND APRIL WE WERE STILL TRYING TO INVENT THE WHEEL. WE MIGHT BE DRIVING A MODEL T BUT WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO. OUR TICKET OUT OF THIS IS THROUGH THE VACCINE. REPORTER: ANOTHER INCREDIBLE STEP, JUST AS INCREDIBLE AS MEDICINE, DR. FLYNN SAYS, IS THE MANPOWER. >> I LOVE SCIENCE. THAT IS WHAT I DO. THE THING THAT HAS BEEN TRANSFORMATIVE IS THE HUMAN REACTION AND WHAT PEOPLE HAVE STEPPED UP TO DO FOR OTHERS IS JUST SO UPLIFTING TO ME.

Which COVID-19 treatments are working at Louisville-area hospitals?

Updated: 6:58 PM EST Jan 28, 2021

Even with the vaccination rollout, the fight against COVID-19 is far from over. It's why every patient who leaves the hospital, or never even has to be admitted, is celebrated as a victory."We're preventing people from getting profoundly ill and they're quickly going back to their lives. That's what medicine's really all about at the end of the day," Dr. Joe Flynn, with Norton Healthcare, told WLKY.Flynn has been part of a team of researchers that has been working with monoclonal antibodies for months. Already this week, 30 COVID-19 patients were given the drugs. In recent weeks, that number was 500, and of those, only three had to be hospitalized. Flynn said it's critical to keep those numbers lower, so that hospitals and staff don't get overwhelmed.Currently, Norton reports 182 COVID-19-related hospitalizations, there are 98 at UofL Health, while Baptist Health has 74 COVID-19 hospitalizations.UofL Health, in part because of their renowned cardiac team, is finding themselves well equipped to deal with those in the ICU. ECMO, oxygenating a patient's blood to allow their lungs and heart to heal, has already saved five lives this year, according to surgeon Dr. Matthew Fox."As surgeons, we don't get to treat COVID patients as much as our critical care colleagues that see it every day, and being able to contribute in your own way is nice," Fox said.But even with advancements being made daily, doctors caution there's a long way to go. Preventative measures, like masks and social distancing, must continue."When we started in March or April, we were in the Stone Age, trying to invent the wheel now we might be driving a model T, but we've got a long way to go. Our ticket out of this is through the vaccine," Dr. Benjamin Klausing, an infectious disease specialist with Baptist Health, said.The development of multiple vaccinations signals an incredible step in the fight against COVID-19. But just as incredible as the medicine, Dr. Flynn said, is the manpower."I love science, that's what I do, but to me the thing that has been transformative is human reaction and what people have stepped up to do for others it's so uplifting to me, that's what I take from all of this," he said.Kentucky is currently in Phase 1B of the vaccination rollout. Area doctors suspect the greater population will not be vaccinated until late summer or early fall.

Even with the vaccination rollout, the fight against COVID-19 is far from over. It's why every patient who leaves the hospital, or never even has to be admitted, is celebrated as a victory.

"We're preventing people from getting profoundly ill and they're quickly going back to their lives. That's what medicine's really all about at the end of the day," Dr. Joe Flynn, with Norton Healthcare, told WLKY.

Flynn has been part of a team of researchers that has been working with monoclonal antibodies for months. Already this week, 30 COVID-19 patients were given the drugs. In recent weeks, that number was 500, and of those, only three had to be hospitalized. Flynn said it's critical to keep those numbers lower, so that hospitals and staff don't get overwhelmed.

Currently, Norton reports 182 COVID-19-related hospitalizations, there are 98 at UofL Health, while Baptist Health has 74 COVID-19 hospitalizations.

UofL Health, in part because of their renowned cardiac team, is finding themselves well equipped to deal with those in the ICU. ECMO, oxygenating a patient's blood to allow their lungs and heart to heal, has already saved five lives this year, according to surgeon Dr. Matthew Fox.

"As surgeons, we don't get to treat COVID patients as much as our critical care colleagues that see it every day, and being able to contribute in your own way is nice," Fox said.

But even with advancements being made daily, doctors caution there's a long way to go. Preventative measures, like masks and social distancing, must continue.

"When we started in March or April, we were in the Stone Age, trying to invent the wheel now we might be driving a model T, but we've got a long way to go. Our ticket out of this is through the vaccine," Dr. Benjamin Klausing, an infectious disease specialist with Baptist Health, said.

The development of multiple vaccinations signals an incredible step in the fight against COVID-19. But just as incredible as the medicine, Dr. Flynn said, is the manpower.

"I love science, that's what I do, but to me the thing that has been transformative is human reaction and what people have stepped up to do for others it's so uplifting to me, that's what I take from all of this," he said.

Kentucky is currently in Phase 1B of the vaccination rollout. Area doctors suspect the greater population will not be vaccinated until late summer or early fall.

Here is the original post:
Which COVID-19 treatments are working at Louisville-area hospitals? - WLKY Louisville

A new informative report on theGlobal Preventative Healthcare Technologies and ServicesMarket has recently been published by DBMR and added to its widespread database which will help to make better strategic decisions in the businesses. such as Company Overview, Financial Overview, Product Portfolio, Business Strategies, and Recent Developments. Moreover, it offers summarized data on various business perspectives such as global market shares, drivers, restraints, recent innovative trends, and challenges in front of the global Preventative Healthcare Technologies and Services market. Preventative Healthcare Technologies and Services industry report firstly introduced the Preventative Healthcare Technologies and Services basics: Definitions, Classifications, Applications and Market Overview; product specifications; manufacturing processes; cost structures, raw materials and so on. Then it analyzed the worlds main region Preventative Healthcare Technologies and Services market conditions, including the product Price, Profit, Capacity, Production, Supply, forecast (2021 -2027), demand, market growth rate etc.

Preventative healthcare technologies and services market is expected to gain market growth in the forecast period of 2020 to 2027. Data Bridge Market Research analyses the market to account to growing at a CAGR of 11.10% in the above-mentioned forecast period. The growing awareness amongst the physicians and patients regarding the benefits of advance technology as well as services will help in boosting the growth of the market.

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The major players who are leading the market throughout the globe are:

COVID 19 scenario analysis:

Preventative Healthcare Technologies and Services MarketSegmentation:

By Type (Early Detection and Screening Technologies, Chronic Disease Management Technologies, Vaccines, Advanced Technologies to Reduce Errors)

By Application (Hospitals, Clinics, Others)

MAJOR TOC OF THE REPORT:-

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Preventative healthcare technologies and services market competitive landscape provides details by competitor. Details included are company overview, company financials, revenue generated, market potential, investment in research and development, new market initiatives, global presence, production sites and facilities, production capacities, company strengths and weaknesses, product launch, product width and breadth, application dominance. The above data points provided are only related to the companies focus related to preventative healthcare technologies and services market.

The major players covered in the preventative healthcare technologies and services market report are Myriad Genetics, Inc., Quest Diagnostics Incorporated., Medtronic, Abbott., Merck & Co., Inc., GlaxoSmithKline plc., Omnicell, Inc., McKesson Corporation, Pfizer Inc., Dilon Technologies, Inc., OMRON Healthcare Europe B.V., among other domestic and global players. Market share data is available for Global, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA) and South America separately. DBMR analysts understand competitive strengths and provide competitive analysis for each competitor separately.

Significant Highlights of the Report:

Global Preventative Healthcare Technologies and Services Market Scope and Market Size

Based on type, preventative healthcare technologies and services market is segmented into early detection and screening technologies, chronic disease management technologies, vaccines, and advanced technologies to reduce errors. Early detection and screening technologies have been further segmented into automated screening, personalized medicine, and other advanced screening technologies. Chronic disease management technologies have been further segmented into blood pressure monitors, asthma monitors, cardiovascular monitors, and glucose monitors.

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Data Bridge Market ResearchPvt Ltdis a multinational management consulting firm with offices in India and Canada. As an innovative and neoteric market analysis and advisory company with unmatched durability level and advanced approaches. We are committed to uncover the best consumer prospects and to foster useful knowledge for your company to succeed in the market.

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Global Preventative Healthcare Technologies and Services Industry (2021 to 2027) Market Trends and Drivers Quest Diagnostics Incorporated,...

Ivermectin is showing up in web searches and social media posts about COVID treatments. It's not an approved treatment.

ALABAMA, USA The drug ivermectin has been popping up on Google searches and social media as a treatment for COVID.

What's the story behind ivermectin and COVID? We checked it out.

Sources: National Institutes of Health, FDA,

What is ivermectin?

Ivermectin is an antiparasitic drug that is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for certain conditions, particularly parasitic worm infections. It's also commonly used to as a heartworm preventative and to treat some parasitic conditions in animals.

Is ivermectin a treatment for COVID-19?

According to all three of our sources, the answer is that there is research being done, but its usefulness and effectiveness have not been proven, and it's not approved for the treatment or prevention of COVID.

Clinical studies have given conflicting results, and there are major limitations on these studies. The NIH says,

The most frequent limitations cited were the small sizes of the studies and the administration of other medications along with ivermectin, making it hard to assess of the true efficacy or safety of ivermectin.

Conclusion:

While there have been a number of small-scale studies on the effectiveness of ivermectin to treat COVID-19 with varying results, it is not approved as a treatment. Research is still underway.

View original post here:
VERIFY: No, ivermectin is not an approved treatment for COVID - WZDX

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) A new variant of the coronavirus has been found in Nevada, and health officials say it is more contagious than the original strain.

The new strain first emerged in the United Kingdom last fall, and it has been popping up in the United States in recent weeks. The U.K. variant, also known as B.1.1.7, has been found in at least 24 states in the U.S., according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

It has also been found in Nevada, so some local experts say we should step up our prevention efforts.

Public health measures are increasingly more important, said. Dr. Marc J. Kahn, Dean of the UNLV School of Medicine.

This week, officials announced the U.K. strain of the virus was detected in a specimen from a Las Vegas woman.

Its able to potentially infect more people, according to Dr. Kahn.

Dr. Kahn tells 8 News NOW that it is still unclear whether the U.K. strain is more deadly because more research needs to be done on that front. But experts agree, it is around 50 percent more contagious.

Dr. Kahn says it is not a bad idea for mitigation measures for high-risk groups to be increased. He says that includes double masking.

The greater the barrier you have between yourself and others, the less likely this virus is able to be transmitted, Dr. Kahn said.

Dr. Kahn adds it is also important to keep your time inside places like grocery stores limited, and you should avoid areas with inadequate airflow.

With a more contagious variant, we need to be even more careful, Dr. Kahn said.

While research shows the COVID-19 vaccine is effective against new virus strains, Dr. Jonathan Baktari, CEO and Medical Director for e7 Health, says Pfizer and Moderna are both working on booster shots to fight mutated versions of the virus better.

In other words, modulating the mRNA vaccine to take that variant into account, and then potentially being prepared to give people a booster shot if that becomes necessary, Dr. Baktari said.

Dr. Baktari says these additional doses will only be necessary if the variants continue to cause issues that the current vaccines cannot handle.

Potentially, were going to need to come up with vaccines for mutations if we dont get it under control soon, Dr. Baktari said.

The two-dose system for the vaccine is still the current official recommendation. Dr. Kahn says regardless of what research is left to do, the vaccine is the best form of protection against COVID-19.

As soon as your time comes up to get vaccinated, you have got to get vaccinated, Dr. Kahn said.

8 News NOW asked the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) if it is officially recommending any extra steps in light of the new strain. SNHD officials sent the following statement:

The Southern Nevada Health District recommends that everyone continue to take steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The same measures we have been advising everyone to take social distancing, wearing face coverings, avoiding large gatherings, staying home if youre sick, washing your hands, and disinfecting surfaces are effective against the variant strain found in one Clark County resident.

Go here to read the rest:
Health experts say Nevada should step up preventative methods after UK variant strain of COVID-19 is found in the state - KLAS - 8 News Now

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Jan. 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vaxart, Inc., (NASDAQ: VXRT), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing oral vaccines that are administered by tablet rather than by injection, including a Phase 2 ready norovirus program, announcedtoday health care economic findings published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine. Computational modeling simulating norovirus infection and transmission in a community setting showed that a potential norovirus vaccine can avert symptomatic cases and result in cost savings. The study found, among other things, that vaccination against the norovirus can reduce the economic burden of the virus and is cost effective even if priced at $500 per course when vaccinating children under 5 and older adults, a much higher value than previously estimated. The manuscript titled, Potential Clinical and Economic Value of Norovirus Vaccination in the Community Setting can be accessed here.

This study highlights the fact that norovirus is highly contagious and can lead to missed school and work, with productivity losses that can add up, said Bruce Y. Lee, MD, MBA, senior author of the study, Professor of Health Policy and Management at the City University of New York (CUNY), and executive director of the Public Health Informatics, Computational, and Operations Research (PHICOR). The preschool-age population can be particularly vulnerable due to heavy social mixing leading to greater spread of the virus, and the older adult population can be susceptible to more severe disease and subsequently experience high rates of outpatient visits and hospitalizations.

The PHICOR team developed a computational simulation model of different segments of the US population and the spread of norovirus to better understand the value of vaccinating children <5 and adults 65 years old against norovirus. The model simulated the spread of norovirus, subsequent clinical outcomes (e.g., symptoms, hospitalization, death) and associated costs (e.g., direct medical, productivity loss), as well as vaccination.

Key Findings:

These important findings confirm our view of the significant potential clinical and economic benefit of a norovirus vaccine, saidAndrei Floroiu, chief executive officer ofVaxart. The significantly higher cost levels from this analysis increase meaningfully our view of the value creation potential of our oral tablet norovirus vaccine. We are very excited to advance our norovirus program with the three clinical trials we expect to start in 2021 and look forward to confirming the efficacy and tolerability profile suggested by the very encouraging data from our previous Phase 1 studies.

Norovirus is the leading cause of acute viral gastroenteritis in all age groups in the United States. However, there are no approved vaccines for noroviruses. Each year, on average, norovirus causes 19 to 21 million cases of acute gastroenteritis and leads to 56,000 to 71,000 hospitalizations and 570 to 800 deaths, mostly among young children and older adults.

Vaxart, Inc. supported the PHICORs research team.

About PHICOR

Since 2007, PHICORs team of scientists and medical, public health, and communication experts have been researching and developing systems and computational approaches, methods (e.g., artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, data science), models, and tools to help a wide range of decision makers address various health and public health issues. PHICOR helps local, state, and federal governments respond toinfectiousdiseasethreats, ranging from the flu to Ebola to Zika to the current COVID-19 pandemic. For example, during the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic, the PHICOR team was embedded in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to help with the national response. This included working with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Centers forDiseaseControl and Prevention (CDC).

AboutVaxart

Vaxartis a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a range of oral recombinant vaccines based on its proprietary delivery platform.Vaxartinvestigational vaccines are designed to be administered using tablets that can be stored and shipped without refrigeration and eliminate the risk of needle-stick injury.Vaxart believes that its proprietary tablet vaccine delivery platform is suitable to deliver recombinant vaccines, positioning the company to develop oral versions of currently marketed vaccines and to design recombinant vaccines for new indications. Its development programs currently include tablet vaccines designed to protect against coronavirus, norovirus, seasonal influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), as well as a therapeutic vaccine for human papillomavirus (HPV), Vaxarts first immuno-oncology indication.Vaxarthas filed broad domestic and international patents covering its proprietary technology and creations for oral vaccination using adenovirus and TLR3 agonists.

Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this press release regarding Vaxarts strategy, prospects, plans and objectives, results from preclinical and clinical trials, commercialization agreements and licenses, beliefs and expectations of management are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements may be accompanied by such words as should, believe, could, potential, will, expected, plan and other words and terms of similar meaning. Examples of such statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to the potential clinical and economic value of a norovirus vaccine in a community setting; Vaxarts ability to develop and commercialize its vaccine candidates and preclinical or clinical results and trial data; Vaxarts expectations with respect to the advantages it believes its oral vaccine platform can offer over injectable alternatives; and Vaxarts expectations with respect to the effectiveness of its products or product candidates.Vaxartmay not actually achieve the plans, carry out the intentions or meet the expectations or projections disclosed in the forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions, expectations and projections disclosed in the forward-looking statements. Various important factors could cause actual results or events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements thatVaxartmakes, including uncertainties inherent in research and development, including the ability to meet anticipated clinical endpoints, commencement and/or completion dates for clinical trials or preclinical studies, regulatory submission dates, regulatory approval dates and/or launch dates, as well as the possibility of unfavorable new clinical data and further analyses of existing clinical data; the risk that clinical trial and preclinical study data are subject to differing interpretations and assessments by regulatory authorities; whether regulatory authorities will be satisfied with the design of and results from the clinical studies; decisions by regulatory authorities impacting labeling, manufacturing processes, and safety that could affect the availability or commercial potential of any product candidate, including the possibility that Vaxarts product candidates may not be approved by the FDA or non-U.S.regulatory authorities; that, even if approved by the FDA or non-U.S.regulatory authorities, Vaxarts product candidates may not achieve broad market acceptance; that aVaxartcollaborator may not attain development and commercial milestones; thatVaxartor its partners may experience manufacturing issues and delays due to events within, or outside of, Vaxarts or its partners control, including the recent outbreak of COVID-19; difficulties in production, particularly in scaling up initial production, including difficulties with production costs and yields, quality control, including stability of the product candidate and quality assurance testing, shortages of qualified personnel or key raw materials, and compliance with strictly enforced federal, state, and foreign regulations; thatVaxartmay not be able to obtain, maintain and enforce necessary patent and other intellectual property protection; that Vaxarts capital resources may be inadequate; Vaxarts ability to obtain sufficient capital to fund its operations on terms acceptable toVaxart, if at all; the impact of government healthcare proposals and policies; competitive factors; and other risks described in the Risk Factors sections of Vaxarts Quarterly and Annual Reports filed with theSEC.Vaxartdoes not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

References and links to websites have been provided for convenience, and the information contained on any such website is not a part of, or incorporated by reference into, this press release. Vaxart is not responsible for the contents of third-party websites.

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Vaxart Announces Publication of a Peer-reviewed Journal Article Showing the Potential Clinical and Economic Value of a Norovirus Vaccine -...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] Dr. MartinA.Weinstock, a professor of dermatology and epidemiology at Brown University, will lead a six-year clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a topical medication as a way to prevent the most common type of cancer in the United States.

Backed by a $34 million award from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Cooperative Studies Program, the study will investigate the potential of imiquimod, a topical medication with minimal side effects, as a preventive measure against basal cell carcinoma. Weinstock who is the chief of dermatology research for the V.A. Providence Healthcare System will lead the trial with co-chair Dr. Robert Dellavalle, chief of dermatology for the V.A. Eastern Colorado Health Care System and a University of Colorado School of Medicine professor.

Basal cell carcinoma usually occurs on the face and requires surgery to avoid serious complications. An effective preventive medication could help many patients avoid or at least postpone the risks of surgery, and decrease the need for medical visits and their resulting costs, Weinstock said.

These lesions are typically treated with what I call a cut and wait approach, he said, noting that skin damage and scarring are undesirable side effects. Unfortunately, we dont have anything better right now.

More than 1,600 participants, including U.S. military veterans at high risk for basal cell carcinoma, will be recruited from 17 V.A. medical centers for the trial. They will apply the cream to their faces daily for up to 12 weeks and be followed actively for three years to see if their skin cancer risk is reduced, with an additional year of passive follow-up. In addition to evaluating effectiveness of the treatment, researchers will collect genetic material from some participants to determine factors that may indicate greater risk reduction and better tolerance of imiquimod therapy. This will help target therapy to those who will benefit from it the most.

Weinstock said that developing ways to actively prevent basal and squamous cell carcinoma has been a goal since he joined the Brown faculty in 1988. He has been involved with two other national studies directed at skin cancer therapies one of these clinical trials found that topical application of a cream containing 5-fluorouracil 5% reduced the risk of squamous cell carcinoma by 75% for a year.

Theres good reason to believe that well see in this upcoming trial that imiquimod has similar preventative effects on BCC, Weinstock said. And if that turns out to be the case, he said, it would fundamentally transform our approach to the disease we need to proactively prevent this cancer that afflicts millions each year."

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Clinical trial to evaluate whether topical medication can prevent common skin cancer - Brown University

We can all agree that a trip to the doctors office is no fun but doctors said putting off primary care is not an option.

HOUSTON The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed health priorities for many people to the forefront of their lives while other things have been placed on the back burner.

However, healthcare experts warn preventative checkups shouldnt be one of them.

We can all agree that a trip to the doctors office is no fun but doctors said putting off primary care is not an option.

We clearly saw during the peak of the pandemic in the summertime, we had people delaying care and having worse outcomes than they should have had because they put off the emergent evaluation of symptoms, Dr. James McDeavitt, dean of clinical affairs at Baylor College of Medicine said.

McDeavitt said ignoring health screenings can put you at risk.

When we look at the death rate for this past year unfortunately I think were going to see a death rate that exceeds COVID-19. Were going to see a higher rate of heart disease deaths and cancer deaths, and deaths from pulmonary disease, deaths from stroke because of care thats already been delayed, McDeavitt said.

In addition, UTHealth associate professor and pediatrician, Dr. Sandy McKay, said its not just adults. McKay said when it comes to children theres been a significant drop in vaccinations across the country.

Seeing as much as a 40% decline since COVID which is huge because these are vaccine-preventable illnesses that now children could be potentially be exposed to, McKay said.

She said regular checkups and care will help kids stay healthy during the pandemic.

We do not need to add something like measles or pertussis outbreak in a school which is going to add that much more layer of complexity to dealing with the pandemic, McKay said.

While most physicians have appointment availability both health experts encourage folks to take advantage of telemedicine if theyre concerned about visiting a doctors office. Their main goal is for you to stay on top of your health.

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Health experts strongly suggest keeping up with preventative screenings during COVID-19 pandemic - KHOU.com

The state Department of Health announcement Tuesday that all Pennsylvania residents 65 years and older are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine is good news in this ongoing battle against a pandemic that has claimed more than 400,000 lives in the U.S. in the past 10 months.

But expanding the eligibility doesnt get the preventative medicine in peoples arms. As long as a majority remain unvaccinated, the virus will continue spreading -- at an even faster rate with mutations that are taking hold.

The lags in getting vaccinated are for the most part due to supply and demand. In a state like Pennsylvania where 2.27 million people are over 65, there are just not enough doses. So far Pennsylvania has received only about 900,000 doses, according to the state Department of Health.

While that news is frustrating, there is encouragement that supplies will be replenished as manufacturing ramps up as additions from drugmakers AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson are expected to get FDA review and enter the pipeline in coming weeks.

And it is inevitable that states and counties will get better at the distribution and availability of vaccine, as well as boosting the signup capability. Right now, systems are crashing and people are waiting hours just to get access to websites to register for appointments.

However, what is even more troubling as thousands wait for the chance to be vaccinated is the reluctance among those who can get the vaccine and the skepticism being spun by naysayers.

In Berks County, Phil Salamone, public information officer of the Berks County EMS COVID-19 Joint Task Force and director of operations for Lower Alsace Ambulance, estimated there are 300 to 400 total workers in the ambulance crews in Berks and about a third of them "simply aren't interested in obtaining the vaccine."

Some of the reasons for refusing the vaccine might be that younger people don't believe getting COVID will do them much harm, while other people have heard of side effects that are simply rumors and have no basis in science; those who had COVID believe they are immune anyway, and some people simply bristle at what they consider to be a herd mentality.

"The message needs to be that if we're going to get through this pandemic we need to vaccinate as many people as possible. We wouldn't recommend something if the benefit didn't outweigh the risk," Dr. Robert J. Tomsho told The Reading Eagle. Tomsho is medical director of the emergency medicine institute, Lehigh Valley Health Network, and oversees training for ambulance crews.

The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are essentially 100 percent effective against serious disease, Dr. Paul Offit, the director of the Vaccine Education Center at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, told David Leonhardt for The New York Times "The Morning" newsletter. Its ridiculously encouraging.

These vaccines are among the best vaccines ever created, with effectiveness rates of about 95 percent after two doses, Leonhardt wrote. If there is an example of a vaccine in widespread clinical use that has this selective effect prevents disease but not infection I cant think of one! Dr. Paul Sax of Harvard has written in The New England Journal of Medicine, dismissing speculation that getting a vaccine won't stop the spread.

"The risks for vaccinated people are still not zero, because almost nothing in the real world is zero risk. A tiny percentage of people may have allergic reactions. But the evidence so far suggests that the vaccines are akin to a cure," Leonhardt wrote.

Concerns are reported to be even more widespread among low-income and people of color, even though those populations have suffered the most cases and deaths. Officials in Montgomery County addressed those concerns head-on Thursday night in a town hall with Black church leaders encouraging their communitiues to participate and air their concerns.

The lack of supply, lack of an orderly and well-communicated system of distribution, and misinformation about vaccine safety have all contributed to diminishing the initial excitement that followed the approval of vaccines. The value, however, is as important as ever.

A few decades ago, the nation underwent a rollout of another vaccine that successfully eradicated polio, and then more vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella all of them having dramatic effect on public health and saving thousands of lives. This rollout needs to proceed with the hopeful enthusiasm that accompanied those vaccines. Efficiency and communication should be easier, not harder, in this age of technology and internet sophistication.

This vaccine remains our best chance to tame the pandemic and restore normalcy. This is our best shot; we need to take it.

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Editorial: Vaccines can be the game-winning shot - The Reporter

Dr. Kathy Rollinger recently was named the 2020 Family Physician of the Year by the Michigan Association of Osteopathic Physicians.

Photo provided by Kathy Rollinger

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ROSEVILLE Dr. Kathy Rollinger has been practicing medicine in southeast Michigan for her entire career and has saved and changed untold lives during that time.

Recently, her service was honored by the Michigan Association of Osteopathic Physicians, which named her the 2020 Family Physician of the Year.

Its very humbling to be recognized by the peers within your organization and for promoting family medicine in the area where you grew up and were raised, she remarked.

A Roseville native, Rollinger has spent her career helping residents on the east side.

I was raised in Roseville and went through Roseville schools and lived there for more than 30 years. My practice is in St. Clair Shores, and I live in Clinton Township. Basically, after medical school, you have to do a residency in what area youre interested in, and I became affiliated with both St. Johns (Hospital) and Beaumont (of Grosse Pointe) and went into family medicine. This is everything from delivering babies to individuals who are in their later years.

Rollinger said she loves working in family medicine and wishes more doctors would go into it since it offers more complete help to patients and requires a fuller knowledge of medicine on the part of the physician.

Family medicine is a specialty with a whole person approach to medicine, she explained. As an osteopathic family physician, our philosophy is to regard your body as an integrated whole. During medical school, we receive additional training in the musculoskeletal system. After completing medical school, and receiving your DO or MD degree, an additional three years of supervised training is required in family medicine. This training covers general medicine and specialty areas including preventative health care. I have been fortunate to incorporate low risk obstetrics, delivering babies and pediatrics into my family medicine practice.

She had to be nominated by her colleagues for the award.

You are nominated by fellow colleagues within the profession, and then a committee would vote on it, said Rollinger. I won a different award last year from them, the Distinguished Service Award. A few of my colleagues within the Michigan Association of Osteopathic Physicians were familiar with my work, and I think one of them nominated me.

Unbeknownst to Rollinger at the time, it was a former Michigan State University classmate of hers who nominated her for the award: Dr. Steve Swetech.

I have watched my classmate evolve into an exemplary osteopathic family physician, Swetech wrote in his nomination letter. She is the prime example of a hard-working successful female physician who even delivers babies! She is a pillar of her community and a champion for women in the medical profession.

Rollinger said being a doctor can be a double-edged sword, providing untold challenges but also being the most fulfilling thing she could imagine.

I think one of the most challenging aspects of family medicine is trying to provide comprehensive care in a real efficient manner, she said. I also work with family medicine residents, so I am helping teach them, and that is challenging, but the hardest parts are the time constraints because you want to give people the best care but only have so much time. I enjoy taking care of individuals and families the best. Getting to take care of babies I deliver and then continuing to take care of that family as they grow up is incredibly rewarding.

Rollinger also received the Michigan Osteopathic Associations Women of Excellence Award for 2020, which she said was nearly as much of an honor.

I think female physicians have continued to excel in the profession, and I am appreciative to work for a major hospital, Beaumont, and feel very supported by them, she said.

Rollinger added that being a family doctor allows her to be often both the first and last line of defense as people fight for their health.

There could be more awareness in the full spectrum in what family practitioners can provide to families, she said. I feel well trained in pediatrics, geriatrics and general medicine and so forth, and I certainly value my consultants in the specialty areas, but I think there is a special value of having a family doctor who knows everything about you and sees the whole picture.

Swetech said he could think of no other colleague more deserving for recognition than Rollinger.

She is a credit to her family, her schools and to society as a whole, wrote Swetech in his nomination letter. I entreat you to give serious consideration to the warrior and champion of womens recognition in the medical profession. Susan B. Anthony would be proud of this trailblazing osteopathic family physician.

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Roseville native named Family Physician of the Year - C&G Newspapers

Technology is constantly changing the way we interact with the world. The healthcare industry, in particular, is continuously evolving in tandem with technology. Many of the things we now view as easily treatable were once death sentences. Consider the fact that simple antibiotics are less than 100 years old.

In most cases, technology changes the health industry for the better. Here are seven ways technology is changing and improving healthcare now.

One of the most notable developments in recent decades is the streamlining of service delivery through the implementation of technology. Twenty years ago, most medical practices were using paper files, charts, and fax machines. There was no centralized access for patient information, making service delivery between specialists and GPs a nightmare.

According to RevenueXL, the implementation of Electronic Health Record (EHR) technology has streamlined everything from scheduling to insurance claims to billing. The use of this technology reduces the risks of patients falling between the cracks while mitigating human error. According to John Hopkins Medicine, medical errors were deemed to be the third leading cause of death in the U.S. at the dawn of the millennium.

While it may seem secondary to some of the more notable healthcare innovations of the last few decades, these clerical tools help improve patient care, from experience to quality.

Another significant development in recent years is the surge in telemedicine. Accessibility to reliable internet and cloud-based technology has made it easier for patients to seek medical attention especially in rural areas.

The use of this particular technological development skyrocketed during 2020 when many government agencies advised switching to this type of practice. Like EHR systems, telemedicine also streamlines and improves service delivery.

Rather than commuting and waiting to see a doctor, often missing work and losing income in the process, patients can seek assistance from anywhere. This access has tremendous benefits, especially for certain socioeconomic groups or people living in rural areas.

The discussion surrounding vaccine development is at the forefront of everyones minds. Much of the controversy surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine stems from the fact that mRNA vaccines have never been utilized to such a scale before.

While the use of mRNA vaccines was first put forth by Hungarian scientist Katalin Karik during the 1990s, the idea was well ahead of its time. Ironically, the innovation thats now at the global pandemics frontlines ended up being a career killer for Karik.

After the SARS outbreak in the early 2000s, mRNA vaccines were revisited as a possible combatant against epidemic outbreaks. While the process is yet to be refined, and COVID-19 is still a top priority, many scientists believe that the last decades developments will help them develop singular vaccines for various infectious diseases. Furthermore, these developments make production significantly faster.

Were still in the primordial ooze when it comes to AR and VRs potential in our world. However, many healthcare institutions are already capitalizing on this exciting technology to train medical professionals. Surgeons, in particular, are benefiting from VR training opportunities to hone their skills. The introduction of this technology has already marked a 230% improvement in performance over traditional training methods.

Augmented reality is being used similarly, mitigating the need for live patients or medical cadavers on which to train. The result? Better healthcare providers with fewer resources.

3D printed organs arent quite ready yet. However, bioengineered bladders have been effectively 3D printed and used successfully for several years. The challenge is that organ transplant demand for bladders is low, and the other organs are considerably more complex.

As of 2019, the team at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have successfully printed skin with blood vessels. This development, though not yet in clinical trials, could revolutionize wound treatment.

Technology has also improved diagnostics and preventative medicine by providing tools for self-led health tracking.

Wearable technology, such as the FitBit and Apple Watch, capture useful biometrics that could someday be used to assist with healthcare. Imagine walking into the doctors office and scanning your fitness tracker to share your resting heart rate, sleep patterns, etc.

Another area of self-led health tracking and diagnostics comes in the form of genetic sequencing. Services like 23andMe are giving customers insights into their genetic health backgrounds, highlighting potential issues well before they develop.

Finally, the internet and AI have made medical forecasting more accurate and attainable. Data from internet searches can help predict where outbreaks will occur. Applications are now available that allow patients experiencing certain illnesses to self-report and improve tracking, as weve seen with COVID-19.

With technology developing at an exponential rate, its exhilarating to watch how the world of healthcare unfolds in response.

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7 Ways Technology is Changing and Improving Healthcare - TFOT - The Future of Things