Nexelis to Acquire Specialty Immunogenicity and Immune-Oncology Testing Laboratory ImmunXperts
LAVAL, QC and GOSSELIES, Belgium, March 4, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ - Nexelis, a portfolio company of Ampersand Capital Partners, and a leading provider of assay development and advanced laboratory testing is pleased to announce the signing of a definitive agreement, subject to conditions precedent, to acquire ImmunXperts. The closing of the transaction is expected by the end of March.
Based in the Brussels South Charleroi Biopark within the town of Gosselies, ImmunXperts has developed and performs a full offering of immunogenicity and immuno-oncology in vitro functional and potency assays. These assays help pharmaceutical and biotech sponsors screen, select and optimize lead compounds before the initiation of in vivo trials. The company, whose CEO is Thibault Jonckheere, was co-created in 2014 by immunology expert Sofie Pattijn, who serves as ImmunXperts CTO, and investors including Sambrinvest. Both Dr Pattijn and Mr. Jonckheere will continue in senior leadership roles at Nexelis.
"ImmunXperts' immunology testing expertise will help Nexelis more broadly serve the needs of our customers" said Benoit Bouche, Nexelis President and Chief Executive Officer. "Nexelis will now have an unrivaled ability to efficiently develop immunogenicity assays, qualify and validate them in a regulated environment, and then ultimately perform them utilizing our high-throughput platforms in support of clinical trials."
Sofie Pattijn and Thibault Jonckheere added "We are proud of ImmunXperts' achievements over the past five years and are grateful for the support obtained from our investors and partners, our employees, and the Wallonia region. We are excited to continue our growth trajectory as part of Nexelis and serve as a European hub for the company."
About Nexelis
With unrivaled expertise in immunology on both sides of the client/CRO relationship, Nexelis is a leading provider of assay development and advanced laboratory testing. Our versatile team of scientists, working with our advanced technology platforms, were instrumental in the development, qualification, validation, and large-scale sample testing of assays that supported the FDA filing of almost 100 new molecular entities, including blockbuster vaccines and soluble large molecules. For more information, please visit www.nexelis.com
About ImmunXperts
ImmunXperts offers a wide range of in vitro immunology services with a strong focus on immunogenicity and immuno-oncology. The company helps biopharma companies select their best lead candidates by assessing all aspects of immune responses in donors and patients. Acting as a mobile development team, ImmunXperts complements its clients' expertise to deliver meaningful and potent screening tools. For more information, please visit www.immunxperts.com
About Ampersand Capital Partners
Founded in 1988, Ampersand is a middle-market private equity firm dedicated to growth-oriented investments in the healthcare sector. With offices in Boston and Amsterdam, Ampersand leverages its unique blend of private equity and operating experience to build value and drive superior long-term performance alongside its portfolio company management teams. Ampersand has helped build numerous market-leading companies across each of our core healthcare sectors, including Brammer Bio, Confluent Medical, Genewiz, Genoptix, Talecris Biotherapeutics, and Viracor-IBT Laboratories. For more information, please visit www.ampersandcapital.com
About Sambrinvest
Sambrinvest is a risk capital actor in the region of Charleroi in Belgium, with the objective to support the development of SMEs. Thanks to its expertise, it advises entrepreneurs at every development stage of their projects whilst respecting their management autonomy. Sambrinvest has been active for more than 30 years, with a specific focus on Biotechnology and Digital. For more information, please visit www.sambrinvest.be
SOURCE Nexelis
Redefining Cancer Treatment Shines Light on Cancer Immunotherapies
Campaign features the stories of Canadians impacted by different types of cancer
KIRKLAND, QC, March 4, 2020 /CNW/ - Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada launches a new public awareness campaign about cancer immunotherapy, a type of cancer treatment that uses the body's own immune system to fight cancer.1 The campaign, Redefining Cancer Treatment, aims to raise awareness and inform Canadians about cancer immunotherapy by sharing the stories of four Canadians from different parts of the country and their personal journeys.
"When most Canadians think of cancer treatment, typically cancer immunotherapy is not on their radar," said AnnA Van Acker, President and Managing Director, Merck Canada. "The goal of this campaign is to help educate Canadians about the different types of cancer treatments to help empower us all to have more informed conversations with our caregivers."
Shannon, a B.C. local, is one of the patients featured in the campaign. In 2005, not long after she was married, Shannon was diagnosed with melanoma. Despite precautionary methods, she got pregnant. By 2011, her cancer had significantly progressed, and she and her husband were told there was a strong chance neither she nor her unborn child would survive.
"Having cancer was hard enough but learning that there was a strong chance that neither myself nor our child would survive was devastating," said Shannon. "Despite the odds, I gave birth to our daughter, and then started on cancer immunotherapy. Being a mother has changed my life and motivated me to help others with advanced cancer learn about the treatment options available."
The campaign will run on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, and the patient stories will be also featured on the website, www.redefining-cancer-treatment.ca. Here, Canadians can learn more about different cancer treatment options and find useful resources for care and support.
"Cancer immunotherapy is a pillar in cancer care, alongside surgery, radiation and chemotherapy," said Dr. Krista Noonan, medical oncologist, B.C. Cancer Agency. "Continued research and development of cancer treatments are important and can contribute to improved outcomes for patients."
About Cancer Immunotherapy Cancer patients are treated with surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation, and cancer immunotherapy. Immuno-oncology, a field of medical research which uses the body's own immune system to fight cancer, is an additional pillar in cancer-care treatment.2Cancer immunotherapy is used to stop or slow the growth of cancer, stop cancer from spreading to other parts of the body, help the immune system work better to destroy cancer cells, and deliver toxins, such as radiation or chemotherapy, directly to cancer cells.3
There are several different types of cancer immunotherapy used to treat cancer.
About Merck Canada For more than 125 years, Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, has been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world's most challenging diseases in pursuit of our mission to save and improve lives. We demonstrate our commitment to patients and population health by increasing access to health care through far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. Today, Merck continues to be at the forefront of research to prevent and treat diseases that threaten people and animals – including cancer, infectious diseases such as HIV and Ebola, and emerging animal diseases – as we aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world.
In Canada, Merck markets a broad range of vaccines, pharmaceutical and animal health products and is one of the top R&D investors in Canada, with investments totaling $69 million in 2018 and more than $1 billion since 2000. Based in Kirkland, Québec, Merck employs approximately 680 people across the country. For more information about our operations in Canada, visit www.merck.ca and connect with us on YouTube and Twitter @MerckCanada.
Stretch Your Legs: Stretches All Athletes Should Do Before and After Every Run
Properly stretching your legs will increase your speed, improve your form, and lower your risk of becoming injured. Here is a quick look at four important stretches that you should carry out at least a few minutes before each training session.
Quadriceps Stretches
Along the front of the thigh is a large group of muscles known as the quadriceps. These muscles helps you extend your legs while you are running. The quadriceps are particularly important when you are running up hills and your stride is slightly shorter. To stretch your quadriceps, you can simply lift one foot up to your buttocks and grab onto it with your hand for 30 seconds or longer.
Hamstring Stretches
The hamstring muscles are on the back of the thigh, and that muscle group is just as important as the quadriceps. Unfortunately, many runners never even consider stretching or strengthening their hamstrings, and that can lead to a wide variety of health complications ranging from chronic ankle pain to tendonitis in the knees. Before and after each run, you will need to sit on the ground with one leg extended and reach out to touch your toes. When you are performing that stretch, you should try to keep your back as flat as possible so that only your hamstrings are getting worked.
Calf Stretches
Runners who fail to stretch their calves often end up with chronic injuries, and orthopedic physicians, like those at the Arizona Institute of Motion, often deal with runners who have these kinds of injuries. To avoid injuries to your knees and ankles, you might want to stretch your calves multiple times throughout the day. Luckily, any movement that brings your toes up toward your knees should stretch your calves. That includes options such as standing on a curb with just your toes or leaning against a wall with your legs perfectly straight.
Piriformis Stretches
This unique muscle runs through the gluteal region, and it stabilizes your entire body when you are on your feet. Unfortunately, many runners hurt themselves simply because they fail to stretch and strengthen this muscle on a regular basis. For an excellent piriformis stretch, you can lie on your back with your feet on the floor and both knees bent. You will then need to pull one knee up to your chest and stretch it over your other knee. After 20 or 30 seconds, that foot should be placed back on the ground and you can switch legs.
In addition to stretching before your runs, you should also give yourself time to cool down after you train. A good cool down and a little bit of stretching after a workout will improve the blood flow to your muscles and help you avoid muscle soreness later.
Israeli Scientists to have COVID-19 Coronavirus Vaccine in Weeks
By David Rubin, former mayor of Shiloh, Israel
Israeli scientists just announced that they should have a vaccine for the COVID-19 coronavirus in just a matter of weeks. This is great news considering some health forecasters predict 60% of the world population will contract that virus that is at least 1% lethal, meaning about 50 million deaths, rivaling the 1918 outbreak of Spanish Flu.
Yet, despite this amazing breakthrough, the silence is deafening from Ilhad Omar and the rest of the political liberal camp calling for the boycott of Israel exports—presumably including the cure for COVID-19 Coronavirus.
It makes you ask yourself the question, what feat or good deed could Israel or Israel Jews ever do that would be ‘worthy’ enough in the eyes of its oppressors to in order to be granted the right to survive? The sad answer is: Nothing. There is absolutely nothing Israeli Jews can ever do, be the $50 billion aid for so-called Palestinians in a ‘Deal of the Century,’ or offer a cure cancer to the world, or eliminate the scourge of AIDS from the earth or even this recent likely imminent cure vaccine for the coronavirus.
Sadly, even if we Israelis even delivered all of the above good deeds by sundown Friday, what would the response be from the virtually everyone in the Liberal camp including their lock-step friends in most of the major news media? Israel has no right to exist. Thin them at the waste and make their land indefensible!
Apart from those who opposed ancient Israel building a wall in Nehemiah’s day, or those opposing modern Israeli keeping our walls or defenses up today, let’s address the specific progress Israeli scientists as I paraphrase from a February 27, 2020 article by Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman published in the Jerusalem Post to whom I credit much of this information.
The Galilee Research Institute, otherwise known as MIGAL. For the past four years their scientists have been working on a vaccine against infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) that causes a bronchial disease affecting poultry. Its effectiveness has been proven in preclinical trials at the Veterinary Institute.
Dr. Chen Katz, the biotechnology group leader for MIGAL, said, “The scientific framework for the vaccine is based on a new protein expression vector, which forms and secretes a chimeric soluble protein that delivers the viral antigen into mucosal tissues by self-activated endocytosis, causing the body to form antibodies against the virus.” Endocytosis is essentially a cellular process in which substances are brought into a cell by surrounding the material with cell membrane, forming a vesicle containing the ingested material.
According to Dr. Katz, his team demonstrated that oral vaccination induced high levels of specific anti-ABV antibodies. Dr. Katz, in all modesty, called it pure luck that their team just happened to choose the coronavirus as a model for proof of concept for their technology. But as any student of the bible has seen many times, God has provided an extra measure of so-called ‘luck’ to Israel over the millennia.
Preclinical trials can be a lengthy process so Israeli Science and Technology Minister Ofir Akunis is seeking to fast-track the approval process. His goal is to bring the human vaccine to market as quickly as possible. MIGAL CEO David Zigdon echoes that goal, saying the vaccine could “achieve safety approval in 90 days.”
No, isn’t that amazing. I can picture it now, terrorists holding out their left arms for a vaccine, while grasping an AK-47 in their right arm, aimed at the doctor’s head.
All kidding aside, since it’s more likely to be an oral vaccine, the more accurate picture would be a terrorist biting the doctor’s hand that stretches forth oral antidote.
I know this painfully well since I founded Shiloh, Israel Children’s Fund to help victims of terrorism. Countless times Israel hospitals have admitted terrorists in need of healing. They heal, they kill again, yet we help heal them again. It makes you wonder if our great ‘sin’ is healing those whose mission in life is to see us dead.
The pathetic thing about the process is that the likes of Ilhad Omar will continue to call for the boycott of all products and services coming from Israel—including a possible cure for the COVID-19 Coronavirus.
How can this be? Simple. Hatred of Israel Trumps the desire to help their fellow man—even if it means the death 50 million people. Sadly, it’s that clear cut.
Bio: David Rubin, former Mayor of Shiloh Israel, is the author of the book, “Trump and the Jews”. Rubin is the founder and president of Shiloh Israel Children’s Fund, established after he and his then three-year-old son were wounded in a terror attack. He can be found at www.DavidRubinIsrael.com or at http://www.ShilohIsraelChildren.org
Ontario Nurses' Association Says Contract Talks for Hospital Registered Nurses Have Broken Down
Bill 124 interferes with free collective bargaining, says ONA
TORONTO, March 4, 2020 /CNW/ - The Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) says that contract talks between ONA hospital registered nurses and the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) have broken down.
"While ONA always prefers to negotiate a new contract for our dedicated and highly educated members, the unfortunate reality is that the provincial government's passage of Bill 124 interferes with free collective bargaining," says ONA President Vicki McKenna, RN. "Bill 124 is the statute that the Ontario government passed that caps compensation increases below the cost of living to a maximum of one per cent annually for some – but not all – Ontario public-sector workers. It is clear that this government is targeting public-sector workers who are female for wage suppression. It has exempted those in male-dominated professions, such as firefighters and police, from the effect of the bill."
ONA has held two weeks of talks for its approximately 60,000 RNs and health-care professionals who provide care in Ontario hospitals. Talks ended late last week with a number of significant outstanding issues remaining unsettled because of the restraints in bargaining mandated by Bill 124, ONA says.
"The role and value of RNs in providing quality health care for Ontarians has not been recognized. The urgent need to recruit and retain RNs to ensure the appropriate and safe RN staffing levels are in place are unresolved," says McKenna. "This province is suffering from a serious nursing shortage and many Ontario hospitals are crippled by vacancies in nursing positions that they find impossible to fill, and by hallway nursing."
ONA is one of several unions that have launched a Charter challenge of Bill 124 but the only one to raise the gender discrimination caused by the bill. "It is very clear that this government has no problem with attempting to suppress the wages of female professionals in Ontario," says McKenna. "This is 2020 – and our constitution and pay equity laws require fair and just compensation for women; it is time this government recognized that."
ONA and the OHA will now proceed to arbitration on March 25 and 26 to achieve a collective agreement.
ONA is the union representing more than 68,000 registered nurses and health-care professionals, as well as more than 18,000 nursing student affiliates, providing care in hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, the community, clinics and industry.
Accelerated Resolution Therapy Brings Relief to Caregivers Struggling with Complicated Grief
Tampa, Florida (March 4, 2020) –For many people who are dealing with the loss of a spouse or close relative, time does not heal their pain. About 10-15 percent of people experience what is known as complicated grief – severe sadness over the death of a loved one that has not abated a year after the loss.
Complicated grief is more likely to affect older adults and it can affect all aspects of their physical and mental health.
A new study in the American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine offers hope for those dealing with complicated grief. The study found that the symptoms of complicated grief were significantly reduced for participants who underwent Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), an innovative mind-body therapy. ART empowers clients to resolve traumatic memories through a combination of relaxation techniques and memory visualization.
Study participants who underwent ART found a 57 percent reduction of symptoms of complicated grief, a 70 percent reduction in symptoms of PTSD and a 50 percent reduction in symptoms of depression.
“The results indicate that ART presents an effective, brief intervention for prolonged, complicated grief among older adult caregivers who have lost a loved one after hospice care,” said Dr. Kevin E. Kip (PhD, FAHA, AAAS), Distinguished Health Professor at the USF College of Public Health and a co-principal investigator of the trial. The study was led by Harleah G. Buck (PhD, RN, FPCN, FAHA, FAAN), Associate Professor at the University of South Florida (USF), College of Nursing.
The study focused on people age 60 and older who were experiencing complicated grief, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), following the death of a loved one in hospice care. The participants had all served as caregivers for their deceased loved ones.
Participants were randomly divided into two groups: an experimental group who received ART immediately and a control group who were put on a wait list to receive ART. All participants were screened for complicated grief, PTSD and depression at the beginning and end of the study period.
Those who underwent ART experienced significant decreases in symptoms of grief, PTSD and depression after an average of just four ART sessions. Unlike traditional talk therapies, ART does not require participants to discuss painful memories or feelings. Many therapists use ART in conjunction with other treatment modalities.
ART is an innovative treatment that empowers clients to resolve traumatic memories through a combination of relaxation techniques and memory visualization. The treatment employs a series of horizontal eye movements to enable clients to effectively rewrite troubling memories. ART provides effective relief from the strong physical and emotional reactions associated with PTSD, trauma, anxiety, and depression.
Since ART was developed in 2008 by Laney Rosenzweig, MS, LMFT, there have been six research studies completed and several more are in progress. These studies have produced more than 10 published papers about the therapy in scientific peer-reviewed journals including those written by researchers at the University of South Florida. The ART research conducted to date has been federally funded by the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health. In 2015, ART was recognized as an evidence-based therapy by the SAMHSA National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices.
Restauranteur and entrepreneur Chris T. Sullivan formed and is funding ART International Training and Research, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to making ART more widely available to individuals in need of professional help in order to ameliorate the devastating effects of PTSD and other psychological traumas. The nonprofit is headed by Executive Director Kelly Breeding and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.
This year, the nonprofit is hosting more than 100 training sessions throughout the United States offering local clinicians an opportunity to be trained and certified in ART. More information on ART International’s training sessions can be found on their website at artherapyinternational.org.
To schedule an interview with Dr. Kevin Kip or Dr. Harleah Buck; ART International executive director Kelly Breeding; therapists who employ ART; or clients who have benefitted from the treatment, contact jscharper@hillmanpr.com.
L’Oréal Paris launches international training program: Stand Up Against Street Harassment
In partnership with Hollaback!, L’Oréal Paris develops initiative to train one million people in bystander intervention to tackle street harassment* TORONTO, March 4, 2020 - L'Oréal Paris Canada today announced a global commitment to address street sexual harassment through the development of a bystander training program – Stand Up Against Street Harassment. In partnership with Hollaback!, a non-governmental organization (NGO) co-founded by Emily May in 2005, both organizations reaffirm their commitment to ending street sexual harassment and transforming the culture that perpetuates the behaviour and discrimination.
“L’Oréal Paris stands for empowerment in every walk of a woman’s life. By removing obstacles preventing women from fulfilling their ambitions, we are committed to elevating their sense of self-worth,” said Delphine Viguier-Hovasse, Global Brand President of L’Oréal Paris. “With Hollaback! and other local NGO partners, we are committed to creating a world for girls and women to march confidently forward into a future free from street harassment.”
An international survey was recently conducted in partnership with Ipsos, researchers from Cornell University and L’Oréal Paris, on experiences of sexual harassment in public spaces - as both victims and witnesses. The study investigated harassment on a large scale through online interviews with 15,000 individuals, across eight different countries representing a diversity of societies and cultures. The findings of the study indicate a staggering 48 per cent of Canadian respondents identified sexual harassment as the number one issue facing women and girls in our country. Equally alarming, 78 per cent of women globally,have experienced sexual harassment in public spaces; only 25 per cent of victims say someone helped and a shocking 86 per cent of participants worldwide did not know what to do when witnessing an incident occur. The results from this study affirmed L’Oréal Paris’ determination to stand up for the self-worth of all women and counter street sexual harassment in their everyday lives.
On Sunday March 8, 2020 - International Women’s Day, L’Oréal Paris will launch the Stand Up program in five countries**, with a roll-out in six additional countries planned for later this year, to drive awareness of street harassment with a call-to-action on a global scale. Through a dedicated training website: standup.lorealparis.com, Stand Up will grow a global community of 1 million upstanders, trained in the 5D’s: Direct, Distract, Delegate, Document, Delay, the expert-approved bystander intervention training program pioneered by Hollaback!. Bystander intervention is the term for witness action to defuse situations and make public spaces safer. To build this global movement, Stand Up will take its training into the heart of local communities in partnerships with key NGOS, working for gender equality in each country.
“How many of us look the other way because we simply don’t know how to help?” said Emily May, co-founder and executive director of Hollaback. “We’re partnering with L’Oréal Paris to train people around the world – individuals of all orientations, origins and generations, with simple tools they need in their everyday lives to first recognize and then to intervene. We have the power to really transform this issue and together end harassment and make the public space safe for girls and women.”
Embodying its revolutionary and famed signature phrase “I’m Worth It,” L’Oréal Paris has developed multiple brand initiatives dedicated to breaking down the barriers that prevent women from fully believing in and realizing their self-worth. Leveraging its’ global reach, the Stand Up movement takes the brand’s support for women into the public space by tackling the intimidating behaviours that impact girls’ and women’s very sense of freedom to move through the world.
About L’Oréal Paris L’Oréal Paris, the world’s no.1 beauty brand, is dedicated to empowering women and men by offering the most luxurious and innovative products and services available in the mass market. For most, the name “L’Oréal” is immediately evocative of the brand’s signature phrase, “Because I’m Worth It.”— the tagline behind the legendary advertising campaign for the Superior Preference® hair colour launch in 1973. Today, it represents the essence of the L’Oréal Paris brand as a whole, a spirit which is about helping every woman – and man - embrace their unique beauty while reinforcing their inner sense of self-worth. For more than 100 years, L’Oréal Paris has held an unparalleled commitment to advancement in technology, innovation and research, providing ground-breaking, high-quality products for women, men, and children of all ages and ethnicities in five major beauty categories: cosmetics, skincare, hair color, haircare, and men’s grooming.
Novartis receives Health Canada approval for Mayzent™ (siponimod) to treat secondary progressive multiple sclerosis with active disease
MayzentTM (siponimod) is the first oral treatment approved for people living with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) with active disease, and the first treatment approved for SPMS with active disease in almost 15 years1
Most people living with relapsing remitting MS (RRMS) will develop SPMS2
Approval is based on the Phase III EXPAND trial, the largest controlled clinical study of people living with SPMS, showing MayzentTM significantly reduced the risk of disease progression, including impact on physical disability3
DORVAL, QC, March 3, 2020 /CNW/ - Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. (Novartis) is pleased to announce that Health Canada has approved MayzentTM (siponimod) for the treatment of adults with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) with active disease evidenced by relapses or imaging features characteristic of multiple sclerosis inflammatory activity, to delay the progression of physical disability. SPMS follows a relapsing-remitting (RRMS) course of multiple sclerosis (MS) and is characterized by progressive worsening with fewer, or no relapses, and nerve damage or loss4. SPMS is defined as active when individuals experience relapses or there is evidence of new MRI activity5.
"One of the top treatment goals for individuals with MS is delaying disability progression and we're delighted to deliver the first and only oral treatment proven to slow disease progression in those with active SPMS," said Dawn Bell, Chief Scientific Officer and VP Medical Affairs, Novartis Canada. "The approval of MayzentTM is a testament to our relentless commitment to reimagine MS treatment."
People living with SPMS experience changes in their MS symptoms with fewer or no relapses, and there can be minor remissions and plateaus6. Progression most frequently includes mobility issues, which may lead to the need for walking aids, bladder dysfunction, and cognitive decline7.
"We are pleased to see that Health Canada has approved an additional therapeutic advancement targeting progressive forms of the disease. MS is unpredictable. The more treatment options for people with MS, the more opportunities they have in managing their individual symptoms throughout their MS journey," said Dr. Pamela Valentine, President and CEO, MS Society of Canada.
"As the first oral therapy specifically approved for SPMS, MayzentTM may help those living with active SPMS by slowing disease progression," said Dr. Mark S. Freedman, Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa.
About the EXPAND Study and Multiple Sclerosis EXPAND is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase III study comparing the efficacy and safety of MayzentTMversus placebo in people with SPMS. The study included 1,651 people with a diagnosis of SPMS from 31 countries, including 47 participants in Canada3. Those enrolled in EXPAND were representative of a typical SPMS population: at study initiation, participants had a mean age of 48 years, had been living with MS for approximately 16 years and more than 50% had a median Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score of 6.0 and relied on a walking aid3. EXPAND included a subset of patient with active disease (n=779), defined as patients with relapses in the two years prior to the study and/or presence of gadolinium-enhancing T1 lesions at baseline. The baseline characteristics were similar except for signs of activity compared to the overall population.
About Multiple Sclerosis and MayzentTM(siponimod) MS is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system (CNS), made up of the brain, spinal cord and optic nerve8. It affects over 77,000 Canadians – one of the highest prevalence rates in the world9,10. MS is currently classified as an autoimmune disease of the CNS8. The disease attacks and destroys myelin – the protective fatty insulation around the nerve fibres of the brain and spinal cord – interrupting signals between the brain and the body8.
There are three main forms of MS: RRMS (the most common form of the condition at diagnosis), SPMS and primary progressive MS (PPMS)11. The disease progression rate, severity, and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable and vary from one person to another8.
MayzentTM is a sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor modulator indicated for the treatment of SPMS in adults with active disease. MayzentTM targets two separate receptors involved in the immune response of the CNS3. Siponimod binding to S1P1 receptors on lymphocytes prevents lymphocyte from egressing the lymph nodes and as a consequence, from entering the CNS of patients with MS.
About Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc., a leader in the healthcare field, is committed to the discovery, development and marketing of innovative products to improve the well-being of all Canadians. In 2018, the company invested $52 million in research and development in Canada. Located in Dorval, Quebec, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. employs approximately 1000 people in Canada and is an affiliate of Novartis AG, which provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. For further information, please consult www.novartis.ca.
About Novartis Novartis is reimagining medicine to improve and extend people's lives. As a leading global medicines company, we use innovative science and digital technologies to create transformative treatments in areas of great medical need. In our quest to find new medicines, we consistently rank among the world's top companies investing in research and development. Novartis products reach more than 750 million people globally and we are finding innovative ways to expand access to our latest treatments. About 109,000 people of more than 145 nationalities work at Novartis around the world. Find out more at www.novartis.com
MAYZENTTM is a trademark of Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc.
References
1.
MayzentTM Canadian Product Monograph February 20, 2020.
2.
Skoog B, Runmarker B, Winblad S, Ekholm S, Andersen O. A representative cohort of patients with non-progressive multiple sclerosis at the age of normal life expectancy. Brain. 2012;135(3); 900–911.
3.
Kappos L, Cree B, Fox R, et al. Siponimod versus placebo in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (EXPAND): a double-blind, randomized, phase 3 study. Lancet. Published online March 22, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30475-6.
Gross H, Watson C. Characteristics, burden of illness, and physical functioning of patients with relapsing- remitting and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis: a cross-sectional US survey. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment. 2017;13:1349-1357.
A meta-analysis combines and analyzes data from many different studies, using advanced mathematical and statistical methods. It is a quantitative analysis that is considered more scientifically rigorous than commentary or review articles on a group of studies.
This meta-analysis was conducted by researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas and included 215 studies, making it the largest analysis of cognitive training ever conducted. It included studies among healthy older adults and among people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (a pre-dementia condition), who received either computerized or manual cognitive training. The researchers also looked at transfer of benefits to measures closely related to the training (sometimes called “near transfer”) and at transfer to measures of real-world function (sometimes called “far transfer”).
The authors wrote: “Our results show that cognitive training had a moderately large net-gain effect on near transfer and a smaller, but significant, net-gain effect on far transfer… In addition to these far transfer effects, we specifically investigated transfer to everyday functioning. Everyday functioning, an index of functional independence, is considered to be the far transfer task in most targeted cognitive interventions. We found that cognitive interventions indeed had a significant effect on everyday functioning…”
This finding provides further support for recent recommendations from clinical organizations, such as the American Academy of Neurology and the World Health Organization, which have included cognitive training in recent guidelines for cognitive health.
“These researchers truly advanced the science by casting a wide net in looking at studies, and then using sound statistical methods to identify what is most effective,” observed Dr. Henry Mahncke, CEO of Posit Science. “This represents a substantial advance over some previous reviews that looked at only a small number of studies. However, every rigorous meta-analysis published in the past five years has shown efficacy. Policymakers and healthcare professionals should take note – cognitive training works, and its time to put it to use.”
The meta-analysis included studies of many different types of cognitive training, including those developed for studies, as well as commercialized programs.
“Studies involving BrainHQ contributed more to this meta-analysis than any other specific type of brain training and helped tip the overall conclusion for the field in a favorable direction,” Mahncke continued. “A number of brain training companies had zero studies, and others had studies with negative results. Our global team of collaborators has made enormous investments in science, and people picking a brain training program should pick one that’s been shown to work.”
More than 100 published studies of the exercises in BrainHQ have shown benefits, including gains in standard measures of cognition (e.g, attention, speed, memory, executive function, social cognition), in standard measure of quality of life (e.g., mood, confidence and control, managing stress, health-related quality of life) and in real world activities (e.g., gait, balance, driving, everyday cognition, the ability to live independently). Recent workplace studies have shown BrainHQ training improved worker efficiency and safety.
BrainHQ is now offered without charge as a benefit by leading national and 5-star Medicare Advantage plans; by the Department of Defense to every soldier, sailor, airman, and marine; and by hundreds of clinics, libraries, and communities. Consumers can try different BrainHQ exercises for free, and all of BrainHQ is available for as little as $8 per month to subscribers.
Fluff, cutting the cheese, breaking wind, booty belch, whoopee, and anal salute are all different ways to refer to the standard and embarrassing fart. Did you know the average person farts approximately 14 to 23 times per day? As awkward as it may be, everyone needs to release gas from their body. It is part of the digestive process and is a necessary bodily function. What do your farts (passing gas) reveal about your general health?
What is a fart? Flatulence, also known as a fart, is something everyone experiences. It's the release of intestinal gas, which forms as a result of digesting food. Gas can be found throughout the digestive tract, including the stomach, small intestine, colon, and rectum.
New York-Based Internist and Gastroenterologist, Dr. Niket Sonpal, explains what your flatulence is trying to tell you.
1. Do you have a balanced diet?
A balanced diet should provide the body with the proper number of vitamins and nutrients. Consuming the appropriate amount of fiber and healthy foods helps keep the digestive system working correctly. If you tend to pass gas more often than you would like, this could mean that the body is not receiving the correct nutrients. Avoiding foods that are processed and harder to digest and sticking to more natural ingredients, could decrease how often you toot.
2. You may have a food intolerance.
Not all food allergies can be life-threatening; however, they can still cause conflict day-to-day for some individuals. Food intolerances mainly affect the digestive system making it harder for the stomach to digest food properly. This can lead to smelly and awkward bloating, reflux, and diarrhea after a meal. For example, people with a dairy intolerance struggle to digest lactose, which results in the stomach becoming extraordinarily bloated and sends out foul smells out of the anus.
3. Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Constantly farting throughout the day could be a sign of a health issue such as irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, or, in extreme cases, colon cancer. Typically, these health issues cause extreme flatulence, odors or odd pressure on the rectum when they are about to be released.
4. You are stressed.
Symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome go hand in hand with stress. Stress and anxiety can lead to excessive swallowing of air, oxygen release, and digestion issues. These are three causes of having more gas than usual. When people are panicking or stressed, they often swallow more air than necessary, leading to bloating and pressure that needs to be released. On the other spectrum, hyperventilating allows an excess of oxygen to enter the bloodstream, which can also lead to gas problems.
5.Pre-Menstrual Women
That time of the month is already painful enough. There are changes in your bowel habits during this time caused by fluctuations in hormones. The shift in your hormones and bowel movements cause farting to become more frequent and smellier during this time of the month. Be mindful of accidentally passing wind while you are pre-menstrual.
6. You might have harmful gut bacteria.
Regular farting is an indicator of healthy gut bacteria and a properly working digestive system. Your body needs good bacteria in your intestine for it to remain healthy. Microbes in your gut are a positive thing because they eat up excess fiber and carbohydrates we do not use. Also, they produce beneficial bacteria. If you do not have any good bacteria, it can lead to constipation and bloating, which is unhealthy for your digestive system.
About Dr. Sonpal
Dr. Niket Sonpal is a native of Long Island NY and a graduate of the Medical University of Silesia – Hope Medical Institute in Poland. After completing his residency in Internal Medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital, he was selected to be the 2013‐2014 Chief Resident at Lenox Hill Hospital–Northshore LIJ Health System. He is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine and Clinical instructor at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Brooklyn. Dr. Sonpal has completed his Fellowship in gastroenterology at Lenox Hill Hospital and will continue his work in the field of medical student and resident test preparation.
Dr. Sonpal has spoken and presented at over 25 national and regional conferences on his research and is a regular participant in national courses, as well as offering presentations to medical students, graduates, and residents on the match process. Recently Dr. Sonpal was chosen as one of the top ten national residents for the Medelita–‐Dupont Honoring Excellent Resident Observations also known as the H.E.R.O. Campaign. He is the co‐author for the best-selling Master the Boards: USMLE Step 2 CK, Master the Boards Step 3, And Master the Boards: Internal Medicine. He is also the Chief Operating Officer for Medquest Test Prep, Director of Medical Education for Picmonic Test Prep, and a recognized expert on medical test prep.
Dr. Sonpal is also on the board of the NY‐ American College Of Physicians (NYACP), and AAPI–‐NYC–‐METRO as the MSRF liaison. He has recently become a board member for NYCMS (New York County Medical Society).
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