Although the stress of parenting during a pandemic has been hard, it has helped some couples move past long-standing issues and cut costs for those going through a divorce, said Russell Alexander, founder of the Ontario-based firm.
“Covid-19 was a problem for many families, but it was a shared problem,” he said. “That gave some divorced parents a second chance to work through some issues they’ve had in the past.”
Alexander said the pandemic shuffled responsibilities, as divorced parents found themselves working from home, handling remote learning and maintaining social distancing, upending child-care arrangements. With courts operating virtually, that made collaborative approaches a more appealing option for many couples.
He said current divorces handled mostly online and through Zoom court hearings were also cheaper, giving increased access to the justice system. In many cases, divorces handled during the pandemic also led to more out-of-court settlements.
“The pandemic was certainly a difficult time for many families, divorced or not,” added Alexander. “But it helped motivate many divorcing couples to use a collaborative approach and resolve their disputes out of court, which we have found always leads to happier outcomes.”
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RussellAlexander Collaborative Family Lawyers Russell Alexander Collaborative Family Lawyers is committed to practicing exclusively in the area of family law in Ontario dealing with all aspects, including separation and divorce, child custody and access, spousal support, child support, and division of family property. A team of lawyers provide guidance from start to finish, helping clients identify and understand the legal issues as well as the options and opportunities available through the transition. The firm has offices in Lindsay, Whitby, Oshawa, Markham, Peterborough and Toronto, Ontario.
Spokane, WA, April 22, 2021 — The voice on the other end of the phone was familiar but shaky. It was Sarah’s friend Carolyn, and she was grappling with suicidal ideation.
“Something had her in its grip and would not let go,” Sarah Zabel explains. “I kept wondering, what’s doing this? How does a normal, happy person come to feel life is so bad that she must kill herself?”
A decade after that first phone call, solutions for Carolyn’s major depressive disorder remained elusive, and Sarah felt compelled to understand why.
Fighting Chance: How Unexpected Observations and Unintended Outcomes Shape the Science and Treatment of Depression delivers a 360-degree look inside the world of this debilitating illness, featuring interviews with more than 20 experts in the fields of neuroscience and psychiatry, current research and the unforgettable stories of 16 people personally impacted by depression.
Described by Sarah as a “science book for non-scientists,” Fighting Chancetackles key questions that have guided scientific research for decades and delves into the discoveries that have formed the medical world’s understanding of the disorder. Peppered throughout are more than 20 illustrations that help explain the science involved — making it widely accessible.
Sarah adeptly explores topics ranging from the neurobiology of depression to antidepressant medications; stress and inflammation; genetics; suicide; traditional and alternative therapies and treatments; and even gives a nod to Big Data’s efforts to clarify depression’s causes and cures.
Ultimately, Fighting Chance is a tale of human endeavor and ingenuity, of downright weird experiments and serendipitous discoveries, and of people who valiantly battle for answers for themselves and for people they will never know.
Author Sarah Zabel graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy with a degree in computer science in 1987 and was commissioned a second lieutenant. She retired from the Air Force in 2018 as a major general and decided to turn her focus to her life-long love of learning and become a science writer. She set herself the task of first coming to understand, and then to explain for other lay-persons, the science behind some of life’s most complex but important human experiences. Inspired, intrigued and frustrated by an enduring friend’s battle with depression, she set that topic as her first task. Sarah does occasional consulting and other activities associated with her time as one of the military’s leaders in cyberspace operations and security, in the provision of communications and other services to a community, and leadership of a diverse workforce.
Sputnik V to face stiff competition in India despite better efficacy but will help ramp up vaccination drive, says GlobalData
With the Sputnik V vaccine’s recent approval, India now has three vaccines authorized for COVID-19 treatment. However, despite better efficacy over Serum Institute of India/ AstraZeneca’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, Sputnik V will face stiff competition in India, says GlobalData, a leading data analytics and research company.
Dr Reddy's Laboratories (DRL) will receive Sputnik V from the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) by mid-May 2021 and local production is expected to commence from July–September 2021 timeframe.
Sputnik V pricing will be key for gaining a solid foothold in India. Its price is expected to be slightly higher compared to Covishield and Covaxin due to its higher efficacy. Currently, both Covishield and Covaxin prices have been capped at INR150 (US$2.02) per dose for vaccination through private hospitals.
Prashant Khadayate, Pharma Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “India is witnessing the second wave of COVID-19 with over 270,000 confirmed cases reported on 19 April, the highest so far in a single-day. Against this backdrop, supply issues for Covishield and Covaxin are negatively impacting the vaccination drive. Considering this, the approval of Sputnik V will further ramp up the overall vaccination efforts in India.”
Sputnik V is now approved for use in 60 countries globally. It is one of the three global vaccines with more than 90% efficacy besides Pfizer and Moderna. However, data from the Phase II/Phase III bridging study in India is not yet publicly available.
According to GlobalData’s Pharma Intelligence Center, India is ranked third globally after the US and China in terms of the total number of vaccine doses administered.
According to the government of India Co-Win dashboard, as of 20 April 2021, Covishield accounts for 91.1% of the overall vaccine doses administered in India, whereas 8.9% belong to Covaxin. India has so far administered over 124 million COVID-19 vaccine doses.
India has fast-tracked the approval process for vaccines developed outside the country. As a result, vaccines developed by companies such as Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are expected to get fast-track approval.
Mr Khadayate concludes: “Even though Sputnik V has better efficacy, its overall market penetration will depend on competitive pricing, government orders and the ability to meet soaring demand through timely supply. However, currently the vaccination drive dynamics are not expected to change in India as Covishield will continue to lead the overall vaccination drive, followed by Covaxin in terms of the daily doses administered. The overall COVID-19 competition will further intensify with the launch of foreign vaccines and Cadila Healthcare’s ZyCov-D soon in India.”
New biomaterial regrows blood vessels and bone, RCSI research
DUBLIN, April 20, 2021 -- Scientists have developed a new biomaterial that regrows blood vessels and bone, potentially providing a single-stage approach when repairing large bone defects.
The study, led by researchers from RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences and SFI AMBER Centre, is published in the Journal of Controlled Release.
Previous RCSI-led research had found that activating a mechanosensitive gene, called placental growth factor (PGF), at different doses promoted bone regeneration and grew new blood vessels. Using this knowledge, the researchers developed a biomaterial that delivers PGF at different concentrations.
Inspired by the natural way in which bone defects regenerate, the biomaterial first releases a high dose of PGF, promoting blood vessel growth, and follows it with a more sustained lower dose, which promotes bone regeneration. When tested in a pre-clinical model, the biomaterial successfully repaired large bone defects while also regrowing blood vessels.
Current biomaterials that promote both blood vessel and bone growth typically require using more than one therapeutic drug, which means designing a more complex system that faces more challenges. Furthermore, drugs that have been approved for use in the clinic have been controversially associated with dangerous side-effects, highlighting the need for new strategies.
“More testing is needed before we can begin clinical trials, but if proven successful, this biomaterial could benefit patients when repairing bone defects by providing an alternative to current systems,” said Professor Fergal O’Brien, the study’s principal investigator and RCSI’s Director of Research and Innovation.
“In addition to repairing bone defects, our approach to regenerative medicine executed in the study provides a new framework for evaluating regenerative biomaterials for other tissue engineering applications. We are now applying this concept of ‘mechanobiology informed regenerative medicine’ to identify new therapeutics in other areas, including cartilage and spinal cord repair.”
The biomaterial was developed by researchers from the Tissue Engineering Research Group (TERG) based at RCSI and the SFI AMBER Centre. Their work was supported by the Irish Research Council, the EU BlueHuman Interreg Atlantic Area Project, the European Community's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under European Research Council Advanced Grant agreement n° 788753 (ReCaP) and the Health Research Board of Ireland under the Health Research Awards – Patient-Oriented Research Scheme.
“By using a mechanobiology-informed approach, we were able to identify a promising new therapeutic candidate for bone repair and also determine the optimal concentrations required to promote both angiogenesis and osteogenesis within a single biomaterial,” said Dr Eamon Sheehy, the study’s first author and researcher in TERG.
“The regeneration of large bone defects remains a significant clinical challenge, but hopefully our new biomaterial will continue to prove beneficial in further trials.”
About RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences
Ranked number one globally for Good Health and Well-being in the Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings 2020, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences is an international not-for-profit university, with its headquarters in Dublin.
RCSI is exclusively focused on education and research to drive improvements in human health worldwide. It is among the top 250 universities worldwide in the THE World University Rankings (2020) and its research is ranked first in Ireland for citations. RCSI has been awarded Athena Swan Bronze accreditation for positive gender practice in higher education.
Visit the RCSI MyHealth Expert Directory to find the details of our experts across a range of healthcare issues and concerns. Recognising their responsibility to share their knowledge and discoveries to empower people with information that leads them to better health, these clinicians and researchers are willing to engage with the media in their area of expertise.
Famous Feline Shares Heartwarming Journey from Shelter Kitty to Social Media Sensation
Chicago, IL, April 20, 2021 — From spa days and birthday parties, to playing dress-up and Target “shopping,” the humanlike antics of an affable ginger tabby named Carrot have been shared with the famous feline’s nearly 300K Instagram followers, capturing the attention of human celebs like Ellen DeGeneres and Katie Couric.
The social media sensation is now giving readers a glimpse into a year in her furry, fun-filled life in her new book, Diary of the Cat Named Carrot, an uplifting,instantly stress-reducing story told from Carrot’s perspective.
From her humble beginnings as a tiny orange stray to being welcomed into a loving family—including Erin Merryn and her young girls Abby, Hannah and baby Claire—through her rise to internet stardom, Diary of the Cat Named Carrot chronicles her remarkable journey.
Carrot lived in the same shelter that had once housed the family’s previous internet star, Bailey, whose adventures were featured in Bailey,No Ordinary Cat. Much like Bailey had, Carrot loves spending time with her human family partaking in typically human pastimes: making mischief with her girl gang; joyriding in a pint-sized pink Barbie Jeep; doing arts and crafts; modeling a pink tutu and flowery headband; enjoying a spa day complete with fluffy robe and cucumber eye treatments; and celebrating Christmas, Easter and every holiday in between. It’s no wonder Carrot’s videos have gone viral—garnering attention from Ellen, the Dodo, Good Morning America, Access Hollywood, People and many other media outlets.
Diary of the Cat Named Carrot is packed with color photos that will leave readers purring with delight. The journal of this sweet, adorable kitty with personality to spare shows us that the human-animal bond runs more than fur deep. It is a love that will last a lifetime.
Erin Merryn is an author, activist, speaker, wife and mom to three girls—Abby, Hannah and Claire—and a fur baby named Carrot. She was named Glamour Magazine Woman of the Year in 2012 and a People magazine Hero Among Us for her tireless work promoting Erin's Law nationwide with a mission to keep our children safe by educating them about personal body safety. She is the author of Bailey, No Ordinary Cat,Stolen Innocence,Living for Today and An Unimaginable Act.
Don’t Let Your Vet Pay the Ultimate Price: Happy Vet Happy Pet Delivers Life-Saving Insights
Atlanta, GA, April 20, 2021 — If you have a pet, then you have a vet. And if you know a vet, you know someone statistically at a higher risk of anxiety, depression and even suicide. But you have the power to positively impact — and even save — that veterinarian’s life, asserts Sandy Weaver, author and Program Director of the Center for Workplace Happiness.
Her groundbreaking new book, Happy Vet Happy Pet: Caring for Your Pet’s Caregiver, outlines three simple rules that all pet owners should follow when interacting with their pet’s veterinarian.
“I’ve known for years, as have those in the veterinary field, that there was an issue with suicide and veterinarians,” Sandy says. “Then in early 2019, the CDC report on veterinary suicide was published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, and what had been anecdotal became data: male veterinarians are 2.1 times more likely, and female veterinarians are 3.5 times more likely, to complete suicide than their non-veterinarian peers.”
Happy Vet Happy Pet is a distillation of Sandy’s research into neuroscience, neuroplasticity and positive psychology mixed with data from the CDC report. The result is an impactful approach that weaves easy-to-understand science with stories that touch the minds and the hearts of pet owners — empowering them to be part of the solution.
Chapters dive deep into topics all pet owners should understand, including:
1. The heart, mind and life of a person who decides to become a veterinarian; 2. The very human, very vulnerable person behind the scrubs; 3. The ways clients unknowingly mistreat their pets’ caregivers; 4. Three simple rules to follow to help your veterinary team; and 5. What to do if you feel that someone near you is facing suicidal desperation.
Happy Vet Happy Pet will change your relationship with your veterinarian and their team forever. And what you learn in this book could save your veterinarian's life.
Author Sandy Weaver is an expert speaker, trainer, mastermind facilitator and lover of all things dog.
As the Program Director of the Center for Workplace Happiness, Sandy creates the training programs, workshops, mastermind groups and keynotes that help people lead happier, more successful lives. She is also a citizen-scientist in the fields of neuroscience, neuroplasticity and positive psychology. In 2019, she took the resilience tools and strategies she’d been teaching to general audiences and crafted programs specifically for veterinary teams. Her goal is to touch the life of every veterinarian and technician in a way that helps them avoid the pain and despair that comes with an inability to manage stress.
Now in her 40th year of Siberian Husky ownership, Sandy is a passionate advocate for veterinarians and their teams and an ongoing donor to Not One More Vet.
Author Featured in Netflix series Surviving Death Shares Story of Hope and Evidence of Afterlife
New York, NY, April 20, 2021 — Imagine being a bartender at a busy Broadway show when just before intermission, you get the call – your too young dad has suddenly died. As your family’s screams of despair pierce your ear and instantly shatter your world, hundreds of patrons abuzz with energy from the comedic first act descend on you. They hastily begin ordering drinks, and somehow a shell that looks like you makes them, while your inside crumbles away. How do we move forward when such a devastating loss befalls us?
Love, Dad intimately shares one family’s darkest hours and their road to healing, a road that has been long ignored or scoffed at by the scientific community. Mike Anthony, a healthy skeptic, goes to great lengths to uncover the paradigm-shifting research into the nature of consciousness that exists, and shows us why it must be put back in the forefront with no shame attached.
Love, Dad details Anthony’s true story as he pulls himself out of despair, and alongside his family, finds true connection and communication with his dad once again. Given the transformative nature of the experience, he couldn’t help but share what happened, hoping to bring others the peace he’d discovered. So compelling is his story that Netflix chose to feature it in three episodes of their series Surviving Death.
This eye-opening book pushes the boundaries of what we think we know, unlocking the door to new and exhilarating possibilities. What might it be like to know that death is truly not the end? In Love, Dad we get one family’s answer.
When a stranger’s unpredictable phone call delivers a message that Anthony’s dad had contacted her from “the other side,” it kicks off a chain of events that would entirely change his family’s perspective on life, death and the transcendent nature of love. Join him on his remarkable quest, as his skeptical mindset gets challenged and eventually overruled through an extraordinary journey, leading to an event that would forever change his understanding of reality.
“Though I’ve always wondered, since I was a child,” Anthony remarks, “about what we are and how and why we’re here, and what happens to us when we die, I did not imagine I’d ever have such direct evidence to suggest that something, something ‘other worldly’ does, indeed, happen to us.”
Everyone needs this book. Our largest looming fear is death, and our greatest pain is the grief we feel when someone we love dies. But what if we knew that death is just a doorway, and loss is really just an alteration of relationship? Could we all live with a greater sense of peace if we knew our “lost” loved ones are actually very close by, and our own “passing” is simply that — a passage through? Anthony now knows the answer and you can, too!
Most importantly, Love, Dad gives us the hope that is so desperately needed during these times and does so with honesty, grace and evidence.
“The Netflix series Surviving Death, in which a part of my story is told, explores evidence that impacts every human being on the planet. Evidence of things that science says are impossible. And yet, they happen. I know they do. Because I have seen them. In Love, Dad: How My Father Died ...Then Told Me He Didn’t, I tell the story of how I came to know, without doubt, that our science has much yet to uncover.”
About Mike Anthony Mike Anthony has been a professional actor and (not-professional) bartender since he graduated from Wayne State University with a Master of Arts degree in Theater. His first book, Life At Hamilton, chronicles the extraordinary time he spent as a theater bartender with an up-close perspective of Hamilton: An American Musical as it rocketed into Broadway history.
Beyond his life in theater, Anthony’s journey took an unexpected turn when his dad passed, leading him down a remarkable path of discovery. He now spends a good portion of his time exploring evidence suggestive of the survival of consciousness beyond the demise of the physical body.
He uses his acting abilities, often during the Christmas season, at the Theatre at Monmouth in Maine. He is still the bar manager at Hamilton, though on hiatus due to Covid. He currently lives in Milford, CT.
Love, Dad: How My Father Died... Then Told Me He Didn't Publisher: Waterside Productions ISBN-10: 1951805666 ISBN-13: 978-1951805661 Available from Amazon.com
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Broken and Beautiful: Let God Turn Your Mess into a Masterpiece
Seattle, WA, April 20, 2021 — If you have a past of brokenness—abuse, dysfunction, addiction or other trauma—it doesn’t have to define your future. There is hope for a brighter path forward if we let God lead the way.
“We’re going to fail. The truth is, that’s exactly where God wants us to be so that He can grow us,” writes Christine Soule in her inspirational story, Broken and Beautiful. “The key is discovering who you are in Christ — your true identify. And that’s especially significant if you, like me, have a past of brokenness.”
Soule’s life was a jumbled pile of broken pieces. Her father was married seven times; her mother four times. Between her parents’ divorce when she was 5 years old and the day she allowed the power and presence of God into her heart, she watched her sister have an affair with her adoptive father; met 15 siblings she never knew at her biological father’s funeral; turned to drugs and alcohol; got pregnant at 17; had twins less than two years later; and became a victim of human trafficking. She had to break the cycle for the sake of her children. With nowhere else to turn, she dropped to her knees and prayed. And that’s when everything changed.
Broken and Beautiful is Soule’s remarkable story of how God took the pieces of her broken, astonishingly dysfunctional life and transformed it all into a breathtaking mosaic of joy and purpose.
“The places where you feel hopeless are exactly what He wants to redeem and fill with beauty, dignity and strength. He has a plan for your pain. A wonderful intention for your failures. A purpose for your hardest, darkest stories,” Soule writes.
Told with honesty and surprising touches of humor, Soule shares her journey from drug-addicted stripper to exuberant Jesus lover with a passion for helping others embrace God’s love. Broken and Beautiful is a raw, authentic story of hope, from a place of experience.
Author Christine Soule lives with the love of her life, Mitch Soule, in Seattle. They have five kids and three wonderful grandchildren. She is the founder and CEO of Providence Heights (www.providenceheights.org), a nonprofit created to house women and children in need and to provide counseling, education and jobs.
CGPA Welcomes Life Sciences Investments in Federal Budget 2021, But A More Comprehensive Approach Is Needed
TORONTO, April 20, 2021 /CNW/ - The following is a statement by Jim Keon, President of the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association (CGPA), in response to Federal Budget 2021.
"The Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association (CGPA) welcomes the federal government's recognition that a stronger life sciences sector and vaccine production can contribute to a more resilient Canada and healthier Canadians. CGPA member companies and the 11,000 Canadians that work in our industry play a vital role in Canada's economy and the sustainability of our health-care system by providing safe and effective cost-saving medicines.
While CGPA is supportive of the proposed financial investments intended to strengthen Canada's life sciences sector, this is only one element of what is needed to attract and sustain long-term investments. A comprehensive life sciences strategy that reflects the regulatory, market and other needs of the sector is needed to make Canada a more attractive and globally competitive place for investment to ensure a more robust and resilient domestic industry.
More attention and support must also be given to the challenges facing the generic medicines sector, which provides the vast majority of the medicines used every day to treat Canadians suffering from COVID-19 and so many other critical ailments.
In June 2020 CGPA released its Blueprint for a Sustainable Supply of Prescription Medicines for Canadians, which identifies measures to enhance Canada's existing pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity and domestic capabilities, create a more resilient pharmaceutical supply chain, ensure Canada's role within a well-functioning global supply chain, and encourage the establishment of a more coordinated approach to equipping Canada for future health emergencies.
The COVID-19 pandemic has served as a wake-up call for governments, health-care professionals and the broader public on the importance of having a robust and resilient domestic pharmaceutical industry. Ensuring a sustainable supply of prescription medicines for Canadians must be a priority for federal and provincial governments as they consider the economic and health policies that will guide Canada into the future.
CGPA and its member companies are committed to working with governments and other stakeholders to apply the lessons that we have learned from the pandemic to make the domestic industry and prescription drug supply chain even stronger and more secure for Canadians.
Generic prescription medicines are dispensed to fill more than 73 percent of all prescriptions in Canada but account for less than 20 percent of the $32-billion Canadians spend annually on prescription medicines. Compared with many countries that rely solely on importing their prescription medicines, Canada is fortunate to have extensive domestic generic pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity and capabilities. This is particularly important in times of health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic."
About the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association The Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association (CGPA) represents Canada's generic pharmaceutical industry. The industry plays an important role in controlling health-care costs in Canada. Generic drugs are dispensed to fill more than 73 percent of all prescriptions but account for account for less than 20 percent of the $32-billion Canadians spend annually on prescription medicines.
SOURCE Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association
TORONTO, April 20, 2021 /CNW/ - Ontario's doctors strongly endorse the six recommendations made by the COVID-19 Science Advisory Table today to reduce transmission of the virus, protect our health-care system and reopen the province safely as soon as possible.
The Ontario Medical Association supports the advisory table's focus on targeted solutions to stop the worst spread of COVID-19 since the pandemic began a year ago — and spelling out what will not work.
"People are dying and being hospitalized at staggering rates, but those rates are not equal among all Ontarians," said OMA President Dr. Samantha Hill. "We call on the government to implement immediately all of the solutions proposed by the Science Advisory Table to stop the virus from transmitting in our workplaces and hotspot neighbourhoods. Failure to do so allows the virus to continue to spread. Failure to do so allows more Ontarians to fall ill, need hospitalization and die. Failure to do so risks doctors' ability to care for any of us."
Here's "what will work," according to the advisory table:
Permitting only truly essential workplaces to stay open with stronger safety enforcement. The OMA also supports giving workers effective personal protective equipment and access to on-site COVID testing.
Paying essential workers to stay home when they are sick, have been exposed to the virus or need time to get vaccinated. The OMA has advocated throughout the pandemic for paid sick days so that no one has to decide whether to stay home or go to work to keep their job or earn income.
Vaccinating residents of hotspots and essential workers quickly, which means allocating as many doses as possible to those neighbourhoods and speeding up the overall vaccination process. The OMA also calls on the federal government to give more vaccines to hotspot provinces such as Ontario rather than distribute them through the current per capita allocation.
Restricting movement into the province and between regions in the province.
Focusing on public health measures that work such as physical distancing, wearing masks and no indoor gatherings with people from outside your household.
Keeping people safely connected by maintaining social connections and outdoor activity. This means allowing small groups of people from different households to meet outside with masking and two-metre distancing, keeping playgrounds open, allowing outdoor team sports with masks, and clearly encouraging safe outdoor activities.
The OMA agrees with the advisory table that the following "won't work:"
Policies that harm or neglect racialized, marginalized and other vulnerable populations.
Inconsistent policies with no clear link to scientific evidence.
Policies that discourage safe outdoor activity.
About the OMA
The Ontario Medical Association represents Ontario's 43,000 plus physicians, medical students and retired physicians, advocating for and supporting doctors while strengthening the leadership role of doctors in caring for patients. Our vision is to be the trusted voice in transforming Ontario's health-care system.
SOURCE Ontario Medical Association
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