World Heart Federation: Tobacco is Responsible For More Than One in Ten Deaths Caused by Cardiovascular Disease

·         The theme of WHO World No Tobacco Day 2018 on 31 May is: "Tobacco breaks hearts, choose health and not tobacco"

·         Smoking is associated with around 7 million global deaths per year and is an independent, major risk factor for myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure and low quality of life

·         The World Heart Federation is working with the WHO on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day to raise awareness of the link between tobacco and CVD, and to promote the immediate and long-term benefits of stopping smoking

World No Tobacco Day is a World Health Organization initiative that will be held on 31 May and this year will focus on raising awareness of the link between tobacco and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Tobacco is associated with around 7 million deaths worldwide every year, directly related to the consumption of an indirect exposure to smoke.

Smoking damages blood vessels and thickens blood. It increases blood rate and blood pressure and replaces oxygen, making it an important risk factor in the development of coronary disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease. Furthermore, it is the second most prevalent cause of CVD after hypertension. Given that CVDs constitute the number one cause of death in the world, the World Heart Federation (WHF) applauds this initiative by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Despite the general public is familiar with the impact that tobacco causes on health, the WHO highlights the fact that it is rarely thought of as being one of the main causes for CVD. According to WHF President Professor David Wood: "Tobacco consumption constitutes the main avoidable risk for cardiovascular health. Because of this, it is our duty to help our patients with heart disease to quit smoking, and for those patients at high risk of having a heart attack or stroke to help them quit as well. By doing so we can help all our patients to reduce their risk but even more importantly we need to raise awareness and educate the general public about the impact tobacco on our hearts and crucially the importance of children and young people never start."

Almost 80% of the one billion smokers around the world live in average and lower income countries where the burden of illness and death associated with tobacco is much greater. With this in mind, WHF through its "Because every heartbeat matters" policy is promoting an agenda of greater access to care and the prevention, control, and management of cardiovascular illnesses for everyone, regardless of status or circumstance, with the objective of extending and improving quality of life.

"We firmly believe in the need to continually highlight the risks of tobacco to the health of our hearts and circulation. By bringing together healthcare professionals, governments, institutions, industry and the general public around a common cause we can continue to educate people about the dangers of tobacco and unhealthy lifestyles, and promote the need for universal access to care," adds Prof. Wood. To aid this education, WHF will soon be releasing two fact sheets on smoking cessation: one for the general public and one for professionals.

On 29 September, WHF will be celebrating World Heart Day with the objective of raising awareness about the importance of good cardiovascular health. One of their key messages is around the immediate and long-term health benefits brought about by quitting smoking:

• Within just 20 minutes, heart rate and blood pressure drop
• 12 hours after stopping smoking, the carbon monoxide levels in blood drops and returns to normal levels
• Between 2 and 12 weeks, circulation will have improved and pulmonary function increased
• Over the first 9 months, coughing and breathlessness diminishes
• One year after quitting smoking, the risk of contracting a coronary disease is approximately half that of a smoker
• Between 5 and 15 years after quitting smoking, the risk of suffering from a cerebrovascular accident drops to that of a non-smoker
• 15 years after having quit smoking, the risk of suffering from a coronary disease equates to that of a non-smoker

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Nestlé Launches Global Initiative to Help Children Lead Healthier Lives

Nestlé for Healthier Kids" to help 50 million children lead healthier lives by 2030  

On the United Nations International Day of Families, Nestlé announced its global "Nestlé for Healthier Kids" initiative. The program includes the further development of healthier products and advice for families on nutrition and exercise. It aims at helping 50 million children lead healthier lives by 2030.   

Since its foundation, Nestlé has been committed to helping parents and caregivers provide the right nutrition to their children. With this new initiative Nestlé is accelerating the transformation of its food and beverage portfolio worldwide. In 2017 alone, the company launched more than 1000 new products to meet the nutritional needs of children. In the same year, it provided 174 billion servings of fortified foods and beverages in 66 countries where people lack essential micronutrients such as iron, iodine and vitamin A.    

Mark Schneider, Nestlé CEO, said: "Childhood is a time where life-long habits are formed. We want to help parents make healthier choices for their children. This is why we are accelerating our efforts to support families in raising healthier kids and we call on others to join us in this endeavor."     

Nestlé already reformulates around one third of its product portfolio every year. It will use its industry-leading innovation capability to further enhance foods and beverages for children with even more fruits, vegetables, fiber-rich grains and micronutrients. Nestlé will also continue to reduce sugars, salt and saturated fats. Some recent product launches include Gerber Grabbers Strong Veggies vegetable and fruit purees, Nido organic milk powder and Nesquik Alphabet whole grain breakfast cereals with reduced sugar.   

For over a decade, Nestlé has improved the nutritional value of its products. With "Nestlé for Healthier Kids", the company pledges to continue this work for the long term. Its immediate goals by 2020 are to:   

• ·         Add at least 750 million portions (80g) of vegetables to its products;   
• ·         Add at least 300 million portions (16g) of fiber-rich grains, pulses, nuts & seeds to its products;    
• ·         Further reduce sugars by 5%. Since 2000, the company has reduced sugars by over 34%;  
• ·         Further reduce salt by 10%. Since 2005, the company has reduced salt by over 20%;  

Complete the commitment taken in 2014, to reduce saturated fats by 10% in all relevant products that do not meet WHO recommendations;

Nestlé will also enhance programs and online services designed to provide parents and caregivers with more nutritional knowledge, healthy recipes and practical tips. In 2017, over 300 partnerships worldwide have helped the company reach more than 14 million children.

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Australian Patient Weighing 201 kgs Underwent Successful Surgery for Diabetes at Aastha Health Care

 

Denver Smith, a 42yrs old male and an Australian national, suffering from severe obesity, chose Aastha Health Care for his treatment. He underwent successful bariatric surgery under Dr Manish Motwani, Obesity Surgeon at Aastha Health Care.

Obesity is in the phase of a global endemic and is the root cause of diabetes in such patients. Almost 70% of diabetics are obese and this cannot be a mere coincidence. Most importantly, as obesity decreases, there is tremendous response to diabetes.

Denver was weighing 201kgs and was troubled because of his morbid obesity. He was an uncontrolled diabetic on insulin with a strong family history of diabetes and heart diseases. Denver was also down with severe knee pain and had difficulty to walk. He had started getting severe breathlessness on walking.

"Bariatric Surgery, turns out to be the best bet for treatment of Diabetes in more than 95% of patients. India in general and Mumbai in particular is considered to be one of the best destinations for Medial tourism where Bariatric Surgery is performed with best equipment, economical charges without compromise on quality," says Dr Manish Motwani from 'Aastha Health Care'.

India's medical tourism sector is expected to experience an annual growth rate of 30% by 2020. An estimated 150,000 patients travel to India for low-priced healthcare procedures every year. Dr Motwani futher said, "On an average we consult approx. 15-20 international patients every month in the specialty of Bariatric surgery and operate at least 7-8 patients for the same."

"Denver has undergone Mini Gastric Bypass, which is considered as surgery for diabetes in obese patients. He would come down to approx 90-100 kgs in a year's time. We are pretty confident that he would get rid of his diabetes and also the excess weight. Life would be worth living, then," said Dr Manish Motwani.

"With the expanding expertise and the personalised service available in medium sized hospitals like 'Aastha Health Care', patients can get Bariatric surgeries done at 60% the cost of corporate hospitals with no compromise in level of care," says Dr Manish Motwani.

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Dr Batra's Geno Homeopathy Redefines the Future of Healing - Introducing for the First Time in India a Revolutionary, Scientific, Safe and Precise Gene-targeted Homeopathic Therapy

Having carved a distinct niche for itself in the last four decades globally in the field of Homeopathy, Dr Batra's Multi-Specialty Homeopathy Clinics today revolutionized the future of healing by launching Dr Batra's Geno Homeopathy, a revolutionary and path-breaking gene-targeted homeopathic therapy that is scientific, precise, safe and uniquely planned for individuals for the first time in India.

Dr Batra's Geno Homeopathy is a new age customized treatment. It is genetically personalized homeopathic care that involves designing a treatment based on individual genome sequencing. It combines personality and genetics for scientific and targeted treatment. It is a personalized treatment, as no two people on this planet have the same genes. Genes of every person are as unique as his finger print or iris. Therefore, unlike the conventional treatments currently in practice, which are one size-fits-all, with Dr Batra's Geno Homeopathy, no two patients with even the same medical condition will be given same medicines. Medicines will be given based on their genetic make-up, and will be as unique as every individual, so that the medicines work more effectively for every patient.

Research studies have indicated that homeopathic medicines have the ability to correct any underlying illnesses without side-effects. Dr Batra's Geno Homeopathy goes to the root of the problem; right to the patient's genes and treats it with precise and unique homeopathic medicines. As the root cause of the medical problem is treated, the patients not only get relief from unpleasant symptoms but a long-lasting cure for their medical condition.

Geno Homeopathy tests are designed by Dr Batra's team of medical experts in conjunction with specialists in genomics and specialist consultants in the field of medicine. These tests are designed based on the vast experience of treating 15 lakh patients at Dr Batra's Multi-Specialty Homeopathy Clinics for the varied disorders including Allergies, Child Health, Hair loss, Preventive Health (Male/Female/Child), Skin Disorders, Stress Management, Weight Management, Women's Health and Sexual Health.

Patients can therefore target a whole gamut of ailments with this simple, genetic test that is painless and cost-effective, and is available at all Dr Batra's Multi-Specialty Homeopathy Clinics Pan India.

Dr Batra's Geno Homeopathy test will also help patients know if they are at risk of getting a medical disorder in future, which means it can assess the hidden risk of a medical problem even before the symptoms appear or the blood tests reveal an underlying illness. It therefore gives patients an opportunity to prevent and treat lifestyle diseases.

Dr Batra's Multi-Specialty Homeopathy Clinics will also create a bank of patients' genomic data called Geno Homeopathy Bank. This genomic data will be used to predict which treatment option is likely to be most effective for patients or how they are likely to respond to any treatment in the future. It will also help derive better treatment results for other patients, as the test will help the doctors treat the associated complaints of a particular disorder. It will help them analyze which homeopathic medicines best suit a particular genetic make-up or how patients with a particular disorder are prone to any other health complication (for example, a patient with a skin problem called psoriasis, is prone to have diabetes). With this every patient will have a chance for better and faster healing.   

  

For Dr Batra's Geno Homeopathy, Dr. Mukesh Batra, Founder & Chairman Emeritus, Dr Batra's Healthcare, said, "With Geno Homeopathy, we are revolutionizing the future of healing. At Dr Batra's, we have always believed that technology and research should be at the core of evolving therapies. By launching Geno Homeopathy, we have tried to bring to our patients the benefits of a technologically superior treatment, which is not only personalized and focused but also cost-effective."

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Honor 9 Lite Brings the Second Edition of Honorgraphy Workshop

24 themed Photography Workshops across India with Honor 9 Lite

22 Cities; 3 Months; 20 Mentors

Strengthening its commitment of providing the best in class experience for its customers, Huawei's e-brand for digital natives Honor has announced the second edition of the Honorgraphy workshop in collaboration with Inspired Traveler. Starting from July 1st 2018, the Honorgraphy Workshop will be a three month long series of themed photography workshops by ace photographers with Honor's hottest selling smartphone- Honor 9 Lite. Conducted by over 20 photography mentors from across the sector, this workshop will focus on the power of smartphone photography while covering various themes including , outdoor & action, street, portrait, heritage, architecture, food, silhouette -golden hour and landscape.

With a view of providing deeper knowledge and encouraging smartphone photography to cultivate a distinctive nature, this workshop will be held in 22 cities including Delhi, Chennai, Agra, Lucknow, Pondicherry, Srinagar, Coimbatore, Kochi, Madurai, McLeod Ganj, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Jaipur, Udaipur, Pune, Kolkata, Ajmer, Mumbai, Manipur, Indore, Surat and Bhopal. During this session, the attendees will get a hands-on-experience of the Honor 9 Lite while learning photography from the best photographers out there. Furthermore, the participants can also stand a chance to win the Honor 9 Lite by uploading a series of pictures of their five best shots clicked during the workshop.

Most preferred Honor smartphone amongst the millennials, Honor 9 is hailed as a number one selling smartphone during the Flipkart shopping days. As a pioneer of dual-camera technology, Honor has pushed creative boundaries even further with dual front and rear cameras of the Honor 9 Lite, equipped with a FullView FHD+ display. The front camera features an industry leading 13MP + 2MP dual-lens system, delivering crystal images with hardware-level bokeh effects paired with a rear 13MP+2MP dual-lens camera and PDAF fast focus. Designed with both aesthetics and function in mind, the Honor 9 Lite is ultra-thin, sleek, and stylish smartphone with a mirror back. It is armed with ultra-fast 16nm octa-core Kirin 659 chipset and a fully enhanced graphics processing unit (GPU), together with the capability of Android 8.0 and EMUI 8.0, ensuring a smoother and faster user experience.

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The New ClinicAll App Aims to Make Hospital Visits Hassle-Free for Patients

Benefit from the latest developments in health technology with the ClinicAll App

Developed for iOS and Android, the new ClinicAll app lets previously unfulfilled wishes come true, giving users full access to a wide range of services.

ClinicAll has already been successful in providing digitalized solutions for clinics. This expertise has led to the idea of making all the possibilities of this new technology available to all users - conveniently on any Smartphone or tablet.

The ClinicAll app makes sure users are the center of attention

During a hospital stay, the ClinicAll app enables the use of TV, Internet, and to call up all hospital information such as treatment appointments, meals, room lighting or bed control. Doctors and staff can inform the patient about upcoming visits via push messages. The app can also be used to call a nurse at any time - making it easy and uncomplicated to communicate with hospital staff.

After the stay, the ClinicAll app provides interesting news and information on the topics of health technology, ClinicAll, affiliated clinics and partners.

Available now in the App store - discover all the benefits live at conhIT 2018:

The ClinicAll app has now been released in the Android and iOS App stores. To date, no other supplier on the market has been able to realize an app for patients and clinics with a comparable range of features.

In order to install, search through the App store for "ClinicAll App".

The new ClinicAll app will be shown to industry representatives for the first time in our own virtual hospital set-up at conhIT 2018 - with some first applications.

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Make-A-Wish® Embarks on Month-Long World Wish Day® Campaign

Make-A-Wish^® – the global organization that creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses – will celebrate World Wish Day on April 29, the 38^th anniversary of the wish that inspired the founding of the organization. In preparation for the milestone day, Make-A-Wish is launching a month-long campaign with the theme: "it takes more than magic, it takes muscle." Throughout April, Make-A-Wish will aim to grant as many wishes as possible and focus on the fact that a wish can give kids the mental strength to fight their illness. The campaign also honors the donors, doctors, volunteers and other supporters who, together, lend their muscle – whether it be their time, energy or resources – to make wishes possible. 

The campaign will include a brand-new series of PSAs that were developed in partnership with TBWA\Chiat\Day LA and aimed to grant as many wishes as possible both in front of the camera, and during the production process. The PSAs star Make-A-Wish kids, including a superhero, mermaid, pop star, marine and astronaut showing off the emotional, psychological and physical muscle they gained from their wish experience. The wish kids appear alongside WWE^®Superstar John Cena, who has granted 580 wishes, more than any other person. Celebrity wish granters Johnny Depp – whose support through wish granting and fundraising at studio premieres and movie screenings spans 30 years – and Steve Harvey, a longtime wish granter, lent their voices to the PSAs as well. The PSA effort, the largest production in Make-A-Wish history, would not have been possible without significant in-kind resources donated by more than 100 supporters organized by TBWA\Chiat\Day LA and the support of WWE. The PSA was filmed in Hollywood, Calif. at Universal Studios Hollywood, a long-time supporter of Make-A-Wish.

Later in April, Make-A-Wish will challenge people around the world to participate in the #ArmWrestleChallenge, a fun, family-friendly social media competition that encourages people to show their muscle to raise awareness and funds for the organization.

The grand finale takes place at the end of April, when Make-A-Wish attempts to set a new GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for the Largest wish granting non-profit organization. This will occur as part of a large-scale, live wish granting event where numerous wishes will be granted simultaneously with help from all-star wish granters.

"It takes support of all kinds to help sick kids find the mental muscle they need to fight their critical illnesses. Our World Wish Day campaign allows us to showcase the incredible impact a wish can have on a child's health and helps us rally Make-A-Wish supporters near and far to show how they put their collective muscle to use for the benefit of wish kids and their families," said David Williams, Make-A-Wish America president and CEO. Jon Stettner, Make-A-Wish International president and CEO added, "Millions of people around the world have played a part in granting wishes since the first wish in 1980. It is only through their support that Make-A-Wish is able to continue making progress toward someday achieving our vision to grant the wish of every eligible child."

World Wish Day illustrates the imperative role a wish plays in a child's medical treatment. Research shows that a wish can help kids build the physical and emotional strength they need to fight a critical illness – an eye-opening finding in light of the fact that Make-A-Wish is currently only able to grant the wish of one of out of every two eligible children in the U.S. Join the World Wish Day celebration and change lives for the better.

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April is National Oral Cancer Awareness Month

As the epidemic spreads, Academy of General Dentistry stresses dialogue, vaccination, and screenings

April marks oral cancer awareness month, and this year the Academy of General Dentistry is calling on dentists and patients to increase dialogue and screenings to address the growing number of oral cancer cases.

Nearly 50,000 Americans are diagnosed with oral cancer each year and of those diagnosed, roughly a fifth will result in death*. Oral cancer cases have increased in the past two decades, linked to the spread of oral HPV**.

"Oral cancer is often called the silent killer because it silently invades the body during early stages, and patients don't notice symptoms until it is quite advanced," said Manuel Cordero DDS, CPH, MAGD, president, Academy of General Dentistry. "Vaccination against HPV is the first line of defense for young people, but screenings are critical for the broader population. Most people don't realize screenings are part of their six-month dental checkups, and that needs to change."

In a 2017 survey, the Academy of General Dentistry found that only 25 percent of Americans view their dentist as an expert on oral cancer screenings – even though screenings are part of regular checkups.

"It's time for patients and dentists to talk more openly about oral cancer, starting with screenings, as well as preventative measures like HPV vaccination and not using tobacco," added Dr. Cordero.

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SYMBICARE- Affordable & Accessible Healthcare services to all staff members

Amongst the 3 As of providing healthcare services viz. accessibility, availability and affordability;   AFFORDABILITY emerges as the key factor! Rising costs of healthcare services entailing out of pocket (OOP) expenditure of the consumer which in turn pushes a sizable proportion of the Indian population below poverty line are a testimony to the same.  

In light of the above, the World Health Organization (WHO) on its 70^th anniversary has rightly issued guidelines of “Universal Health coverage for everyone everywhere”. Furthermore, the Government of India has recently announced Modicare-National Protection Health scheme-AYUSHMAN BHARAT under which a cover of upto Rs. 5 Lakh per family is provided for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization. 

Following these national & international initiatives, Symbiosis International (Deemed University), has now introduced a model called SYMBICARE to offer affordable & accessible healthcare services to all staff members by way of providing Mediclaim & Road/ Rail Traffic Accident (RTA) policy for all its staff members right from the date of joining the Symbiosis family.   The entire insurance premium of Rs. 1 crore will be borne by Symbiosis management for staff members across all grades. Further, the Symbiosis management has also decided to increase the insurance coverage across all grades. A key feature is the insurance coverage provided under the keyman insurance policy. The insurance benefit coverage will be extended through National Insurance Company, a GOI subsidy. 

This landmark initiative by the Symbiosis management is a welcome pioneering initiative being undertaken in the educational sector in India. It is in sync with the SIUs mission of

establishing itself as the first Health Promoting University in the country.

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Egg Protein Market to Witness Significant Growth due to Rising Concern About Nutrition Among Consumers by 2022 | Million Insights

Global egg protein industry is expected to rise at a higher CAGR in the global market since eggs cater to the muscle needs of the body and is also a rich source of amino acids. Egg provides dense nutrition such as Vitamin B, riboflavin, folate, B12 and B6 needed essentially for the body growth. Hence, high-quality proteins ensure valuable contribution in synthesizing and maintaining muscle power coupled with regulation of blood glucose level.

Commercially, the availability of dietary protein is extensively considered to be essential to enhance optimal lean muscle growth while sessions of strength training. Researchers and trainers commonly agree upon proteins are building blocks of muscle and necessary for muscle to grow and repair. Intake of adequate amounts of dietary protein while training can help in facilitating and support movements of strength. Eggs offer all 9 essential and 9 non-essential amino acids termed as 'EAA'. Thus, the presence of all 18 essential and non-essential amino acids constitutes a high-quality egg protein. Overall, with the growing concern for healthy nourishment and muscle fitness, the global egg protein industry is expected to rise at a higher CAGR in the forecast period.

Global egg protein industry is driven by factors such as rising concern for nutrition among consumers. Additionally, egg protein is being invigorated for food & beverage products such as bakery, meats, ice-creams and sport foods. Moreover, growing emphasis on fitness by consumers and growth in protein consumption as an essential nutrition is expected to drive the global market in the forecast period.

Sources such as egg, soy, whey, beef and pork comprise a higher protein proportion and rising demand for such products is anticipated to drive the global market in the assessment period. However, the growing consumption of red meats such as pork and beef along resulting into intake of high protein content is expected to impede the market growth.

Global egg protein industry is segmented into egg white powder, whole egg powder and egg yolk powder, based on product. Based on end-user, the global egg protein is segmented into bakery, meat product and ice cream.

Based on geography the global egg protein industry spans North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East. Asia-Pacific regions are anticipated to grow at a higher CAGR in the forecast period owing to rise in consumer awareness towards nutritional foods. Also, the trajectory rise in poultry production in Indian market boosts the availability of eggs in the market. Europe and North American regions are also expected to grow in the forecast period. Middle East and African regions are also expected to grow in the forecast period owing to growth in consumer awareness towards nutritional foods.

The key players in the global egg protein industry include Sanovo, IGRECA, Bouwhuis Enthoven, BNL Food, Interovo, Eurovo Group, Rose Acre Farms, Avangardco, VH Group, Wulro, A.G. Foods, Farm Pride, GF Ovodry, Post Holdings, SOVIMO HELLAS, Rembrandt, Dalian Hanovo Foods, DEB EL FOOD, Lodewijckx Group, Kewpie, Dalian Lvxue, Kangde Biological, Jinlin Houde, and Etam Biological Polytron Technologies.

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FDA authorizes first fully interoperable continuous glucose monitoring system, streamlines review pathway for similar devices

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today permitted marketing of the Dexcom G6 integrated continuous glucose monitoring (iCGM) system for determining blood glucose (sugar) levels in children aged two and older and adults with diabetes. This is the first type of continuous glucose monitoring system permitted by the agency to be used as part of an integrated system with other compatible medical devices and electronic interfaces, which may include automated insulin dosing systems, insulin pumps, blood glucose meters or other electronic devices used for diabetes management. Today's authorization also classifies this new type of device in class II and subjects it to certain criteria called special controls. This enables developers of future iCGM systems to bring their products to market in the least burdensome manner possible.

"The ability of this device to work with different types of compatible devices gives patients the flexibility to tailor their diabetes management tools to best meet personal preferences," said Donald St. Pierre, acting director of the Office of In Vitro Diagnostics and Radiological Health in the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health. "In addition, the FDA has taken steps to expedite the review process for similar, integrated CGMs and make these types of systems available to patients as quickly as possible while also helping to ensure their safety and reliability."

Nearly 10 percent of Americans have diabetes, which impairs the body's ability to make or properly use the blood glucose-regulating hormone insulin. They must regularly monitor their blood sugar levels since continuously high blood sugar levels can lead to heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure and nerve damage leading to amputation of the toes, feet or legs. Blood sugar levels can also fall too low, which can cause dizziness, confusion, unconsciousness and, in extreme cases, death.

Continuous glucose monitoring systems that were first marketed had a different intended use and were evaluated through the FDA's premarket approval pathway, the most rigorous review designed for the "highest risk" class III medical devices. However, the Dexcom G6 system is intended for a more seamless integration with other diabetes devices, and the FDA recognized this as an opportunity to reduce the regulatory burden for this type of device by establishing criteria that would classify these as "moderate risk" class II medical devices with special controls. With the authorization of the Dexcom G6, future iCGMs that meet the special controls criteria can go through a more streamlined premarket review known as 510(k) clearance.

The Dexcom G6 is a patch device, about the size of a quarter, that is applied to the skin of the abdomen and contains a small sensor that continuously measures the amount of glucose in body fluid. The device transmits real-time glucose readings every five minutes to a compatible display device such as a mobile medical app on a cell phone and will trigger an alarm when a patient's blood sugar enters a danger zone soaring too high or dropping too low. If it's integrated with an automated insulin dosing system, a rise in blood sugar would trigger the release of insulin from the pump. The patch device should be replaced every 10 days.

An earlier generation of the technology, the Dexcom G5 system, received FDA approval in 2016 but was not designed as an integrated system to be used with compatible devices. Unlike the earlier model, the Dexcom G6 version is factory calibrated and does not require users to calibrate the sensor with fingerstick blood glucose measurements. In addition, it has an updated sensor probe that minimizes interference with the pain reliever acetaminophen.

The FDA evaluated data from two clinical studies of the Dexcom G6, which included 324 adults and children aged 2 years and older with diabetes. Both studies included multiple clinical visits within a 10-day period where system readings were compared to a laboratory test method that measures blood glucose values. No serious adverse events were reported during the studies.

Risks associated with use of the system may include hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) or hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) in cases where information provided by the device is inaccurate and used to make treatment decisions or where hardware or set-up issues disable alarms and alerts. Patients may also experience skin irritation or redness around the device's adhesive patch.

The FDA reviewed data for the device through the de novo premarket review pathway, a regulatory pathway for novel, low-to-moderate-risk devices that are not substantially equivalent to an already legally marketed device. Along with this authorization, the FDA is establishing criteria, called special controls, which outline requirements for assuring iCGM devices' accuracy, reliability and clinical relevance as well as describe the type of studies and data required to demonstrate acceptable iCGM performance. These special controls, when met along with general controls, provide reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness for this device. 

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Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures Educational Program and The Sloane Stephens Foundation Serve Up Smiles to America's Youth

The Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures educational program has partnered with The Sloane Stephens Foundation to instill healthy habits among America's underserved youth through a new initiative called "Serving Up Smiles." At select Foundation "play days," where children can practice tennis basics on a professional court with Stephens, the Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures mobile dental van will be on-site to provide free oral care screenings for children ages three to 12, along with games and educational activities for all ages.

The National Institute of Health reports that tooth decay is the most common chronic disease in children, yet is also completely preventable with proper oral care habits. For many families without education about oral care or access to biannual professional dental visits, these healthy habits are often never formed.

Similarly, The Sloane Stephens Foundation — launched in 2013 by the tennis champion and her family — is dedicated to inspiring a love of physical fitness in children who often lack structured physical education in school. Together, these two organizations are dedicated to supporting children who need it most.

"Since I was young, I was given a love of tennis and physical activity – something that's always brought a smile to my face. I'm excited to partner with Colgate to educate the next generation about healthy habits, from exercise to tooth-brushing," Stephens said.

Individuals can help serve up, even more, smiles by sharing the campaign's their social media channels with the hashtag #ServingUpSmiles on or before August 15, 2018. For every share, Colgate will donate $1 to The Sloane Stephens Foundation to further support healthy habits among children¹.

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Rehan Poncha and VJ Anusha create some excitement with Speedo

Speedo, the world's leading swimwear and Swim Accessories brand launched a range of innovative work out gear designed for women to wear both in and out of the water, the collection is called Speedo H2O Active. Made with the modern fitness enthusiast in mind, H2O Active is designed for both water and land based workouts.

Speedo is helping you kick up your fitness a gear with H2O Active and recently hosted a water based fitness class called FloatFit in collaboration with AquaPhysical.

Celebrities who are fitness freaks like Anusha Dandekar and Rehan Poncha who took part in this activity visited the Speedo Store at Phoenix MarketCity Pune at Viman Nagar to curate their fitness gear and prep-up for the intense water workout.

"I got a chance to train in the pool and be part of the exciting Floatfit® class in the newly launched Speedo H2O Active collection meant for both water and land workouts. It was fun and amazing. Exercise in water is such a fantastic equaliser – the harder you push, the harder the water pushes back! ... and, of course the other huge benefit is the low impact and therefore lower risk of injury,” said, actress and fitness enthusiast Anusha Dandekar.

Rehan Poncha who is Speedo’s Fitness Mentor said “Fitness is a way of life for me and it’s always fun to find innovative ways of working out. Aqua-fitness is becoming a rage in India.  I enjoyed being part of Speedo’s excellent floatfit activity and feel it is really quite impressive and the best part is that just half an hour of working out in the water can be just as effective as an hour’s exercise on dry land.”

Anusha and Rehan, along with the bloggers were seen sharing their love for water to educate more people on the benefits of adding water to their workout regimen thereby inspiring them to jump in.

  

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Ping An Technology again wins world-class award in medical field after setting new world record in LUNA rankings

The results of the Indian Diabetic Retinopathy Image Dataset (IDRiD) fundus analysis competition organized by the IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging (ISBI) were recently announced. Ping An Technology's PAMIA (Ping An Medical Imaging Assistant) performed head and shoulders above its peers, including a world first in EX (hard exudates) image segmentation, world second in HE (bleeding) segmentation and world third in MA (microaneurysm) segmentation task.

Ping An Technology again wins world-class award in medical field after setting new world record in LUNA rankings

This is the second time this year that Ping An Technology has garnered awards in a world-class competition in the medical imaging research sector, heralding another milestone for the company in artificial intelligence. Earlier in the year, PAMIA had set a new record for nodule detection with an accuracy rate of 95.1 percent, and beat its own previous record for false positive reduction with an accuracy rate of 96.8 per cent in the international authoritative Lung Nodule Analysis (LUNA) rankings for medical imaging.

ISBI is an international conference dedicated to biomedical imaging sponsored by the IEEE Signal Processing Society (SPS) and the IEEE Engineering in Medicine & Biology Society (EMBS). The competition attracted the participation of 22 well-known research and medical institutions, among them, iFlytek, Nanyang Technological University, National Tsing Hua University, Peking University and Samsung. The diabetic retinopathy (DRP) segmentation and classification challenge using the IDRiD dataset included three subsections: lesion segmentation, case classification and monitoring of the optic disc and central fovea. The subsection that the PAMIA platform participated in is the most difficult competition in terms of lesion segmentation and best reflects the strength of intelligent film reading.

DRP is one of the most common microvascular complications in diabetes, with a very high incidence of vision impairment including, in some cases, total blindness. Timely detection and treatment can greatly reduce the risk of vision loss, while early detection with an indication for treatment has important clinical significance. The three lesions, EX, MA and HE, are key to the diagnosis of DRP, in which EX is the main characteristic of the middle stage of the disease, while also signaling the critical time period for engaging in a treatment regimen. The detection and segmentation model for EX, HE and MA can be used to display the edge of the relevant lesions on the basis of classification prediction of DRP, assisting doctors in diagnosing and deciding on the best treatment options quickly. PAMIA ranks first worldwide when it comes to EX, the most difficult yet most important lesions segmentation challenge, while ranking among the top three globally for the segmentation of other lesions.

The fundus image is different from other image scenarios, as these lesions only occupy a few dozen pixels. PAMIA, in order to ensure the detection sensitivity, combined its comprehensive advantages in the field of medical diagnosis and deep learning with its experience of setting new world records in the LUNA competition at the beginning of the year to design a new segmentation network that used deep and transfer learning theories to identify suspected lesions quickly and achieve boundary segmentation. At present, the marking and segmentation of lesions can be completed in a few seconds, greatly improving the reading speed and accuracy rate.

Ping An Technology has achieved several milestones in the intelligent film reading field since 2016 when it entered the medical imaging sector. These achievements reflect the company's leadership and dominant position in the technologies related to medical imaging. With this award as a new milestone, PAMIA plans to devote itself to furthering its research on medical artificial intelligence, helping to achieve a strategic development goal for China's artificial intelligence sector.

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Tyber Medical Announces the Limited Release of the Sterile Comprehensive Forefoot Procedure Kit

Tyber Medical, LLC, a privately held company focusing on developing innovative medical devices for private label opportunities and advancing the science of bioengineered surfaces, announces the limited release of the Forefoot Procedure Kit. 

Tyber Medical is excited to announce the limited release of the Forefoot Procedure Kit. This innovative system is the first efficiency kit on the market to incorporate room setup disposables, instruments for soft tissue, bone and implant preparation, and the corresponding implants. The system configuration allows for flexibility in the treatment of a wide range of fixation procedures including bunion corrections, hammertoes, Aikens as well as Weil's osteotomies. This unique one of kind system is provided sterile to increase efficiency in the Operating Room. 

The complete kit eliminates the necessity for cleaning, decontamination, sterilization, and reprocessing thereby reducing direct and indirect costs while accelerating room turnover to create a more efficient center.  All implants are sterile, ready-to-use, and include headed or headless screws, TyFix™ hammertoe screws, snap-off screws, as well as NiTiNOL staples in various sizes to suit any type of Forefoot procedure.    

Catye Mullens, a Certified Surgical Technician in Materials Management at Wilshire Surgery Center and a member of the design team stated, "The Forefoot Procedure Kit is a time saver for OR setups and comes with all the fundamental items we need and nothing we don't. We also appreciate the efficient space management design which minimizes shelf requirements for our surgery center."  Donna Faillace, a Certified Surgical Technician at Providence Health Center commented "The Forefoot Procedure Kit makes it so easy to set up for surgeries knowing everything our surgical team and center needs is included.  It decreases turnover time because you're not waiting for instruments to process and the surgeon is pleased because he has consistent equipment available for every case."

"The Forefoot Procedure Kit was designed to be an inclusive system delivering a procedure in a box while allowing the surgeon flexibility to create any type of Forefoot reconstructive procedure. The kit aligns efficiency and effectiveness together to offer a solution for cost reduction, time efficiencies, and better organization of pre-operative planning," commented Jeff Tyber, CEO of Tyber Medical.

Tyber Medical continues to focus on systems designed to drive pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative efficiency, while embracing system improvements that could lead to a lower rate of surgical field contamination and subsequent patient infections.  Please visit Tyber Medical's Booth #333, at ACFAS in Nashville, TN where the company will showcase the Forefoot Procedure Kit and recently released TyFix™ System as well as other innovative products available for private labeling.

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