The clinics, spread over two floors and 180 sqm, will house a resident OB-GYN and pediatrician with access to the latest medical technology. Expectant mothers will also benefit from on-site birthing facilities in a country with high maternal mortality.  The pilot clinics will be built in Albay, a rural region of Luzon, the Philippines’ largest island. The Philippines is home to approx. 140 million people, many of whom still live below the poverty line.

“Statistics tell the relentless story of needless suffering and death,” reflects Clinics IV Life Founder. Robert Turner.  “For decades we’ve thrown billions of dollars in aid each year at the problem. It remains and, in many instances, worsens year to year. Historical charitable models are flawed.”  Turner adds: “Clinics IV Life was launched by seasoned health professionals who seek to address these shortcomings in novel ways. Our hybrid clinic model removes the need for continued donor funding and integrates into local healthcare systems, removing the dependencies created by historical charitable efforts.”

Each clinic aims to treat 1000 indigent patients annually, making inroads on the high maternal and infant mortality levels plaguing developing nations. The first of the three clinics earmarked for Luzon will open in 2024, followed by openings in late 2024 and 2025. Access to care remains one of the critical reasons mothers die in childbirth.  The leading causes of maternal mortality in the Philippines – like in many emerging nations – include challenges that can be prevented with medical oversight, such as bleeding, infection, unsafe abortion, hypertensive disorders and obstructed labor.

A NEW ECONOMIC MODEL FOR SUSTAINABILITY

Their clinic model relies on a unique shared practice agreement that ensures its clinics are self-sustaining, removing the need for the continued use of donor funds beyond construction and equipping a site. The Not-for-Profit plans to extend its reach into India, Africa and other Asian countries during the next three years.

Unlike traditional charitable models, Clinics for Life will not seek funding from the general public. 

“We form close corporate partnerships with companies that serve the maternal and newborn health markets and share our vision. Our clinic model offers the best ROI in terms of corporate giving. We pair each clinic with a corporate partner and for a single donation a company can generate more than 30 years of health impact in a community. It’s a gift that keeps on giving; both for the patients and the donors,” says Kemi Olugemo, chair of Clinics IV Life’s Fundraising Board, on their approach to funding.

ABOUT MATERNAL AND INFANT MORTALITY 

Every minute, around the globe, four newborns die; every two minutes, an expectant woman dies, often in childbirth. It is estimated that 85% of these deaths, primarily occurring in developing countries, are avoidable with access to proper medical care. In India alone last year, 2.7 million babies were stillborn, and nearly 600 thousand died in their first month.

Historically, women suffer more from health inequalities and require more complex medical interventions than their male counterparts on a more frequent basis. Access to procedures taken for granted in developed nations, like ultrasounds and fetal monitoring, are luxuries in developing countries, only affordable to those with money. 

ABOUT CLINICS IV LIFE 

Clinics IV Life was created specifically to address these health inequities that are commonplace in emerging nations. Their hybrid clinic model overcomes continued reliance on donor funding by creating self-sustaining businesses, obviating the need for financial donor support to ensure the ongoing success of each clinic. Donor funds are only utilized for the construction and equipping of a clinic.

Clinics IV Life views every element of the patient-provider ecosystem as being of equal value, and places great emphasis on ensuring its doctors, nurses and staff can serve their patients in a safe, secure and welcoming environment while having access to the latest medical technology and training and a global network of knowledge provided by colleagues who selflessly volunteer their time and skills.

The Clinics IV Life board of directors includes physicians, pharmacists, psychologists, public health professionals and business leaders who have brought their knowledge, connections and resources to this needed cause.  

Find out more by visiting: https://clinics4life.com/

Clinic IV Life Board members and industry advisors include: 

• Robert Turner – Founding Board Member
• Kemi Olugemo MD FAAN – Chair, Fundraising and Board of Directors
• Shazia Ahmad
• Gil Bashe – Board of Directors
• Grace Delerme
• Hesham Hassaballa MD
• Sharon Handelman-Gotlib
• Karie Hudson MS
• Viveca Livezey MD FAAN
• Jeff Livingston MD, Board of Directors
• Kellie Lease Stecher MD
• Dr. Soojin Jun
• Tom Krohn
• Teresita Pulgarin 
• Bianca Rose Phillips LLB. BComm. GradDipLP. LLM 

Media Contacts:

Kemi Olugemo, MD, FAAN
Board Chair, Fundraising
Tel: +1 (781) 226 0429
Email: kemi.olugemo@clinics4life.com

Gil Bashe
Board Chair, Executive
Cell: +1 (732) 371-0922
Email: gil.bashe@finnpartners.com

The post Clinics IV Life Launches a New Clinic Model to Change the Face of Charitable Maternal Care, Delivery to Impoverished Communities appeared first on Medika Life.

Date of Release: December 14, 2021

NEW YORK — Global independent marketing and communications firm FINN Partners today announced that starting January 1, 2022, Medika.Life – a global opinion and news platform recognized for hosting and distributing health-sector thought-leaders’ content to its 100,000 and more monthly readers, joins FINN as a unique operating unit. Medika.Life and its regular content, which includes the popular listicles “Fifty of the Most Influential Voices in Healthcare,” “Fifty of the Most Impactful Tech Innovators in Digital Healthcare” and “The 50 Most Influential Leaders in Pharmacy,” will be championed by Gil Bashe, Global Health Chair, FINN Partners, and Noah Finn, Managing Partner, Integrated Marketing.

Editors-in-Chief Robert Turner and Jeffrey Livingston, MD will assume new roles as Founding Editors-in-Chief Emeritus. Bashe will take on an additional agency role as Medika.Life editor-in-chief. Bashe and  Noah Finn will serve together as co-publishers to support operations of the platform, which now hosts more than 40 authors sharing content in general medicine, health policy, ecohealth, disease awareness and issues of interest for patients, payers and providers. Popular contributors, including physician leader Hesham A. Hassaballa, MD, a  New York Times featured Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine specialist in clinical practice for more than 20 years, and Lisa Bradburn, a psychotherapist writing about the nexus between technology and the human condition, will continue in their roles. Technology theorist John Nosta, contributor to Bloomberg, Forbes, Fortune and Psychology Today will be joining the platform and additional editors and authors will be added in the months ahead.

“Vision and values drive mission, and the Medika.Life platform – through its content and reach – seeks to tackle many of the same societal challenges that FINN, as a major global communications agency, is working to address with our clients,” said Peter Finn, Founding Partner, FINN Partners. “When Medika.Life sought out a committed partner that mirrored its values and vision to support its mission and continued growth, we were honored to be approached,” he added.

“Medika is far more than simply aggregating medical data and information. Since our founding in 2020, our goal has been to advocate for a medical community committed to uniting the fragmented health ecosystem toward a globally accessible, ethical, and equitable industry that places the needs of patients at the forefront,” shares Robert Turner, co-founder and Co-Editor-in-Chief Emeritus, Medika.Life.  “We invited Gil Bashe to write for our platform at its genesis. In him, we found a kindred spirit equally dedicated to our efforts. It made the conversation with FINN a given as we all looked to support the platform’s future,” he added.

“We amplify the voices of medical professionals who seek positive reform within the industry, and we provide a platform to highlight injustice, inequality, and racial bias in medicine,” reflects Jeffrey Livingston, MD, co-founder, and Co-Editor-in-Chief Emeritus, Medika.Life, who is a board-certified ob/gyn and CEO, MacArthur Medical Center, in Dallas, TX. “We created Medika.Life recognizing that even the most inspired and motivated voices require a network of committed fellow professionals for support and collaboration,” he added. Livingston is also editor-in-chief of Being Well on Medium, which will continue its collaboration with Medika.Life by sharing content across platforms.

“Physicians, patients, policy leaders, planetary health advocates, and health innovation leaders saw an urgent need to reach like-minded people to foster conversation and motivate change. Medika.Life quickly became a go-to for sharing bold ideas. With its continued cross-platform connection to Being Well on Medium, Medika – with added support from FINN – will provide authors expansive reach to address public health priorities and share ideas directly with key audiences,” said Gil Bashe, Chair Global Health, FINN.

Together with the Pharmacy Podcast Network (PPN) – a news organization absorbed by FINN in November that is known for hosting and distributing content to an audience of 100,000+in the pharmacy community – Medika.Life will form the core of the FINN new omni-channel communications effort, which offers invited contributors opportunities to share their ideas and opinions with influential and important audiences throughout the health ecosystem.

About FINN Partners, Inc.

Founded in 2011 on the core principles of innovation and collaborative partnership, FINN Partners has more than quadrupled in size over the past 10 years, becoming one of the fastest-growing independent, integrated marketing agencies in the world. The full-service marketing and communications company’s record-setting pace is a result of organic growth and integrating new companies and new people into the FINN world through a common philosophy. With more than 1,000 professionals, FINN provides clients with global access and capabilities in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. In addition, FINN provides its clients with access to top tier agencies around the world through its membership in the global network PROI. Headquartered in New York, FINN’s other offices are in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Dublin, Fort Lauderdale, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Jerusalem, London, Los Angeles, Munich, Nashville, Paris, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, Shanghai, Singapore, Southern California, and Washington D.C.

Find us at finnpartners.com and follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @finnpartners.

Find Medika.life at medika.life and on Twitter at @medikalife

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Gil Bashe

gil.bashe@finnpartners.com | gil.bashe@medika.life | CELL: 732 371 0922

Celia Jones

celia.jones@finnpartners.com | CELL: 773 885 9781

The post FINN Adds Medika Life to its Omni-Channel Communications Platform appeared first on Medika Life.

Championing Frontline Health Professionals Dedicated to Improving Access and Care, PPN Reaches over 100K+ listeners, Pharmacists, and Other Health System Influencers

NEW YORK, November 22, 2021 — Global independent marketing and communications firm FINN Partners today announced that starting December 1st, the Pharmacy Podcast Network (PPN) – a news
organization known for hosting and distribution of content that reaches 100,000+ in the pharmacy community – will join the agency. PPN and its new digital magazine Rx Influencer will operate as a unique unit of FINN, led by Todd Eury, vice president and executive producer. Eury, based in Pittsburgh, PA, will report to Gil Bashe, Global Health Chair, FINN Partners.

“Iconic newsstand media such as Forbes and BusinessWeek are evolving their business models – inviting once-readers to become paid ‘participant columnists’ – while The Atlantic and Wall Street Journal thrive
on edgy digital content and mainstage conferences. Today, ideas and opinions are honed and expressed across medium and channels – and FINN is following that lead, too,” said Peter Finn, Founding Partner,
FINN Partners.

“Pharmacists are central in every health setting – from neighborhoods to hospitals; long-term care residences to payer formulary committees; and in Federal and state policy forums. Payer, provider, and product innovation clients seek to reach this influential community, and PPN has evolved into the go-to content and digital platform for connection to this influential audience,” said Todd Eury, vice president, and Executive Producer, Pharmacy Podcast Network, a FINN division.

Growing Importance of the Pharmacy Community in Public Health

PPN has 100K+ monthly listeners to its programs and is ranked as one of the nation’s leading business audio programs alongside the Wall Street Journal, CNBC, and Bloomberg podcasts, making it the dominant leader in podcasting for the pharmacy industry. PPN also has some 20+ clients across the health ecosystem that sponsor their own podcast series, including the American Pharmacists Association, Omnicell, Surescripts, and Rx Safe. The PPN Twitter handle is followed by more than 25,000
people.

Producer Todd Eury will be part of the FINN community and continue to operate PPN independently and maintain authority over content decisions. FINN will have a direct connection to breaking trends, policies, and the needs of this front-line health professional community – growing in its importance to driving public health measures and operationalizing decentralized clinical trials for patient participation in drug development.

FINN at the forefront of an “omni-channel” communications approach.

“Beyond our leadership strength in earned and content media, thought leadership platforms, publishing, social media, and podcasting, FINN has been expanding its reach to enable client voice and priorities to be heard and reinforced,” said Gil Bashe, Global Health Chair, FINN Partners. “Our goal is to explore how
to be a stronger, direct bridge between clients and their customers. Pharmacists have that direct connection and demonstrated their life-saving importance once again in responding to COVID-19 vaccination urgencies,” he added.

A number of FINN clients – across Practices, geographies, and services – are focusing on the pharmacy sector for many reasons. These include leaders in consumer personal care, over-the-counter products, behind-the-counter devices to monitor and keep-in-check health concerns, and vaccines that prevent
serious, preventable illnesses. Pharmacy is the link from sick care to self-care.

About Pharmacy Podcast Network

Pharmacy Podcast Nation is the flagship show hosting all of the Pharmacy Podcast Network 1400+ episodes. With more than 30 different podcast programs and some 40 different co-hosts helping to develop audio content about the pharmacy sector, its reach includes communities, hospitals senior-care residences, military, and public health settings that meet the information needs of 300,000 pharmacists with more than 100,000 monthly listeners. PPN also delivers a unique publication called Rx Influencer to all healthcare professionals with a specific focus on pharmacy.

For more information visit: pharmacypodcast.com

About FINN Partners, Inc.

Founded in 2011 on the core principles of innovation and collaborative partnership, FINN Partners has more than quadrupled in size over the past 10 years, becoming one of the fastest-growing independent, integrated marketing agencies in the world. The full-service marketing and communications company’s record-setting pace is a result of organic growth and integrating new companies and new people into
the FINN world through a common philosophy. With more than 900 professionals, FINN provides clients with global access and capabilities in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. In addition, FINN provides its clients with access to top-tier agencies around the world through its membership in the global network PROI.

Headquartered in New York, FINN’s other offices are in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Jerusalem, London, Los Angeles, Munich, Nashville, Paris, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, Shanghai, Singapore, Southern California, and Washington D.C.

Find us at finnpartners.com and follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @finnpartners.

FINN CONTACTS:
Gil Bashe
gil.bashe@finnpartners.com
CELL: 732 371 0922

Celia Jones
celia.jones@finnpartners.co

The post FINN Partners Brings Aboard the Pharmacy Podcast Network appeared first on Medika Life.

Date of Release: Nov. 11, 2021

BRISBANE, Australia,  /PRNewswire/ — Results published in Cell, led by Mater Research and The University of Queensland, show that dietary restriction drives microbiome diversity changes in autistic individuals.

In the largest study in the field to date, researchers analyzed stool samples using Microba’s metagenomic analysis, alongside other clinical and biological measures, to identify associations between the gut microbiome and diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

The collaborative study examined the complex relationship between the microbiome, diet, and other traits in autistic individuals, leveraging samples and dietary data of 247 children from the Australian Autism Biobank and Queensland Twin Adolescent Brain Project and involving more than 40 researchers across Australia.

Chloe Yap from Mater Research and The University of Queensland and lead author on the paper explained that the research represents a critical advancement in developing an evidence base on the gut microbiome-autism link, and challenges existing findings within the field.

“With Microba’s expertise, we were able to achieve high-resolution taxonomic information about the microbiome, as well as the functional information, to really examine the microbiome community at a deeper level than has been done before to investigate what link – if any – may exist.”

“While the data did not demonstrate a direct association between the microbiome and a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the quality of that data enabled us to find that behavior and dietary preferences were driving the changes observed in the microbiome, with a less diverse diet resulting in a less diverse microbiome,” Ms. Yap said.

Given the increasing coverage on changes observed in the gut microbiome of people on the autism spectrum, Dr. Jake Gratten, senior study investigator and head of Mater Research’s Cognitive Healthy Genomics Group, said the results were significant.

“Microbiome-based interventions claiming to treat or minimize autistic traits are becoming more common, but there is yet to be convincing evidence that the microbiome drives autism,” Dr. Gratten said.

“Our findings provide much-needed clarity to parents and autistic people about the autism-microbiome link, something that was only possible using the latest technology. What our results highlight is that rather than relying on “fad” diets, we need to better support families at mealtimes,” he added.

Associate Professor Lutz Krause, Chief Scientific Officer at Microba and contributing author on the paper, said these results demonstrate the importance of high-quality research in investigating the microbiome and health connection.

“What we can see from this research is that precise and comprehensive measurement, with rich metadata associated with each sample, is critical in uncovering the complexity of the microbiome and elucidating the various factors that may be influencing the results,” he said.

“This level of precision is at the core of Microba’s approach, and it’s exciting to see our research partners making important new discoveries to advance the knowledge of how the microbiome is involved in our health to improve people’s lives.”

The paper, Autism-related dietary preferences mediate autism-gut microbiome associations, can be accessed online at the Cell website at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2021.10.015

SOURCE Microba Life Sciences

The post Research into gut microbiome-autism link reveals new perspective appeared first on Medika Life.

LONDON, UK, – Digital Salutem is delighted to announce that the digital health influencers, Gil Bashe and Stacy Hurt, have joined Digital Salutem’s team as board members.

Digital Salutem is a digital health company on a mission to make Healthcare uncomplicated. They have been a part of the digital health revolution since its inception and remain determined to contribute to the ways in which Healthcare is accessed and delivered.

The new board members offered a few of their thoughts on the issues of accessible health and patient-focused care

“Innovation is only meaningful when people can apply it and address their health needs.  Digital health is the bridge that ensures people with medical and wellness priorities are part of the decision-making conversation.”

Gil Bashe, Global Health Chair, FINN Partners

Gil currently Chairs Global Health at FINN Partners. As a C-suite leader, he sees communications as the bridge to connect healers with those seeking to be healed. A digital health leader, author, and keynote speaker, Gil’s career includes emergency care delivery, public affairs, public relations, and crisis management.

“As a chronic illness patient and full-time caregiver managing numerous doctors’ appointments and tests, I am seeking any way to make my ‘healthcare life’ easier.  The key to this is technology.  Innovations in digital health can help reduce the burden of coordinating care as well as improve outcomes through meeting patients where we are.”

Stacy Hurt, MHA, MBA, Advocate / Speaker / Consultant

HIMSS Digital Influencer. Stacy is an award-winning healthcare executive turned caregiver for her intellectually and developmentally disabled son and she is a stage IV colorectal cancer survivor.  She now serves as a global patient advocate and works as a consultant and keynote speaker to represent patients as stakeholders in clinical decision making, healthcare technology user experience, and pharma/biotech drug development.

João Bocas, CEO of Digital Salutem and a recognized Keynote Speaker and Influencer in the healthcare and wearables market, expressed his delight at the news in an accompanying statement.

“We’re absolutely delighted to have Gil Bashe and Stacy Hurt join Digital Salutem as board members. Both are highly successful in their chosen sectors of healthcare, with extensive experience in the digital health arena. They will play an important role in helping us achieve our goals and mission, to meaningfully impact society, people, and humanity through the use of technology. Gil and Stacy are extremely committed to contributing to Digital Health worldwide, their contributions, endeavors, and missions aligning closely to our work and company ethos. We are looking forward to our future collaboration and making a meaningful impact on the industry ”

To learn how Digital Salutem can empower your company’s digital healthcare transformation, organizational growth, or brand positioning contact us to arrange for an in-depth discussion on your needs and ambitions. You can reach us via our website, via phone: +44 (0) 203 36204 or via e-mail: info@digitalsalutem.com

Digital Salutem

Queen Mary University Enterprise Zone,
The QMB Innovation Centre,
5 Walden Street,
London,
E1 2EF,
United Kingdom

The post Digital Salutem Welcomes Gil Bashe and Stacy Hurt as Board Members appeared first on Medika Life.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Aug. 16, 2021 — HealthTap, a leading virtual healthcare provider, today announced that HealthTap Enterprise clients can add Care Orchestration into their HealthTap employee telemedicine plans. Care Orchestration encourages timely use of employee health and wellness benefits, based on personalized recommendations from HealthTap doctors.

“There is no authority more influential, trusted, and effective in deciding which healthcare services you need than your own doctor,” said HealthTap CEO Sean K. Mehra. “Doctors know their patients best. By equipping them with new information about what other benefits their patients can access with Care Orchestration, doctors can be even more effective by routing them to the most clinically appropriate and effective services, exactly when they need them.”

With Care Orchestration, doctors have visibility into the benefits that organizations offer employees, which can range from diabetes management and back pain programs to fertility counseling, dental care, and mental health support. During visits, doctors make relevant recommendations about benefits that address specific concerns and diagnoses, helping employees to take full advantage of resources provided by employers.

For example, HealthTap’s Dr. Geoff Rutledge orders diabetes screening tests for a patient, whose employer provides HealthTap to all team members. The tests indicate prediabetes, which can be treated through lifestyle changes. Dr. Rutledge sees that his patient’s workplace offers a diabetes prevention program, but they are unaware of this benefit. Dr. Rutledge encourages his patient to register for the program to reduce the risk of developing diabetes.

The need for benefits education and awareness continues to grow, and HR leaders are seeking ways to drive meaningful engagement in the programs in which they have invested. According to a 2021 Voya Financial survey, 35% of employed individuals report not fully understanding any of the employee benefits they’re enrolled in. The numbers are higher among younger workers, with 54% of millennials reporting that they don’t understand their benefits.

While many organizations offer comprehensive benefits, most employees don’t take full advantage of what’s available. Some are unaware of their benefits, while others may be confused about them. Both the employer and the employee lose in this situation. Employees don’t get the care and services they need, while employers pay for unused benefits.

HealthTap’s Care Orchestration changes this paradigm, injecting the voice of doctors into benefits communications. By helping people better understand their benefits during visits, doctors can play an even greater role in supporting stronger health and wellbeing for their patients.

About HealthTap

HealthTap is a virtual-first, affordable urgent- and primary-care clinic, providing top-quality physician care nationwide to Americans with or without insurance.  Our proprietary, easy-to-use, and innovative apps and electronic medical record apply Silicon Valley standards to effectively engage consumers and doctors online to increase the equity, accessibility, and efficiency of ongoing medical care for consumers, providers, employers, and payers. In addition, with HealthTap, businesses can offer virtual primary care to employees for less than the cost of free coffee. HealthTap’s US-based board-certified physicians are available throughout North America. For more information, visit www.healthtap.com.

Media Contact:
Jordan Dinneen
media@healthtap.com            
(929) 900-5983

SOURCE HealthTap

Related Links

http://www.healthtap.com

The post HealthTap Launches Care Orchestration to Drive Timely Use of Employee Benefits appeared first on Medika Life.

STOCKHOLM/PRNewswire/ — Medtech company Bioservo Technologies is releasing an updated version of the groundbreaking exoskeleton glove – Ironhand^® 2.0, complete with improved activation, better grip, advanced data collection and much more in order to reduce the occurrence of hand-related repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) in industry workplaces.

Ironhand^® is the world’s first active soft exoskeleton for the hand, and the grip-strengthening glove won the NASA Commercial Invention of the Year Award in July 2020. It mimics the grasp movements of the user’s hands, providing extra strength and endurance to the grip, thus helping to conserve the worker’s energy and reduce the risk of RSIs and other musculoskeletal disorders. Ironhand has since been trialled by workers in manufacturing, industry and other industries prone to repetitive strain injuries, showing promising results. To further develop their invention, Bioservo is releasing a new and improved version of the grip-strengthening glove on June 7, 2021. At the same time they will launch the highly useful application IronConnect Pro. The app collects useful information from the glove when it is in use and summarizes the data into ergonomic risk assessment reports in order to track risk of injury and prevent it.

Improving quality of life for workers in danger of RSI and MSD

Bioservo Technologies developed the powerful exoskeleton glove as a preventative measure against industry and manufacturing-related injuries, to aid ergonomists and employees performing repetitive manual tasks. It is already too late when an RSI has occurred – it is often difficult to regain full usage of the impaired hand, requiring extended sick leave and often expensive physiotherapy treatments. Ironhand 2.0 enables you to prevent the injury beforehand by helping the operator perform repetitive and injury-inducing tasks while providing you with ergonomic data to help assess the risk of injury in advance. The best ergonomist is the one practicing preventative measures to eliminate the need for physiotherapy and reducing or completely eradicating RSIs and other workplace injuries.

Ironhand 2.0 – Keeping people strong, healthy and efficient

The Ironhand system is a smart active exoskeleton, meaning that the glove is activated when the operator starts moving their hand to perform a task, using sensors located on the palm and in the fingers’ tips and middle phalanges. To further improve the glove’s functionality through machine learning, the glove learns from the user and after a while it can finish a movement or grip at just the slightest flick of the user’s fingers – having learned how the operator moves their hand before and during a certain task. As the system is connected to the internet through 4G or Wi-Fi, it continuously sends collected data that can be analyzed.

– We have opened up for using Ironhand in many more applications and work tasks by adding and improving sensors, increasing the speed, and creating a more natural force transfer making it easier to activate when performing a diverse set of movements. In addition to this we have improved the user experience and comfort with carry solutions that are much easier to put on and adjust for an optimal fit. These are just a few of the upgrades we’ve added to Ironhand 2.0. You could almost say it’s an entirely new glove, says Petter Bäckgren, CEO, Bioservo.

Optimized installation and usage through IronConnect Pro

The data collected by the glove when in use is sent to the cloud. The data is used by IronConnect Pro, a sophisticated application designed to oversee the usage of the exo-glove and maximize benefit through the optimization of the glove’s settings and data. IronConnect Pro can be used with both iOS and Android and is set to be released on June 7, 2021 together with Ironhand 2.0. With the application you can see what glove is in use and where, what operator is using it, what grips it is performing and much more. Additionally, the app analyzes the data in order to create Ergonomic Risk Assessment reports . This way, you can see if the operator is in danger of an RSI before it happens – enabling you to take action and prevent the injury before it occurs.

For more information please contact:

Petter Bäckgren, CEO, Bioservo Technologies AB
Phone: +46 70 555 69 97
Email: petter.backgren@bioservo.com

Mikael

Wester, Marketing Director, Bioservo Technologies AB
Phone: +46 70 721 12 80
Email: mikael.wester@bioservo.com

About Bioservo Technologies

Bioservo Technologies AB (publ) is a world leading company in wearable muscle strengthening systems for people in need of extra strength and endurance. All our innovative products and systems are designed to keep people strong, healthy and efficient. 

The company has a unique global position within soft exoskeleton technology for the hand, both for industrial applications to improve the health for workers and to improve quality of life for people with impaired hand function. Bioservo Technologies was founded in 2006 in collaboration between researchers at the Royal Institute of Technology and a doctor at Karolinska University Hospital. Bioservo Technologies is a Swedish public limited company with headquarters in Stockholm.

FNCA Sweden AB, +46(0)8-52800399, info@fnca.se is the company’s Certified Adviser on Nasdaq First North Growth Market.

For more information, please visit www.bioservo.com

The post Ironhand 2.0 – The new version of award-winning exoskeleton glove appeared first on Medika Life.

Donations to 10 charities and organizations will provide medical and financial assistance to patients and families to help reduce the devastating impact and slow COVID-19 spread

Date of Release: May 17, 2021

BENGALURU, India and LOS ALTOS, Calif. /PRNewswire/ — The Wadhwani Foundation (WF) announced today that it would donate $1 million in grants to ten charities and NGOs to help alleviate the devastating impact of the COVID-19 outbreak in India. These grants provide medical resources and assistance to COVID-19 patients and their families.

“Combatting the severe rise in COVID-19 cases and the tremendous burden on Indian families requires a comprehensive approach from as many organizations as possible. Wadhwani Foundation can help alleviate some of the suffering Indian families are enduring through aid to charities and organizations providing ‘last mile” immediate relief in areas of most need, said Padma Shri Dr. Romesh Wadhwani, Founder and Chairman of Wadhwani Foundation.

For phase 1 of these grants, Wadhwani Foundation has selected the following charities and partners:

• WISH Foundation: The Wadhwani Initiative for Sustainable Healthcare
• Goonj: Rahat COVID 2021
• American Indian Foundation: #AIFCOVID19Response
• Indiaspora: Chalo Give initiative

Wadhwani Foundation established a set of criteria to select charities/NGOs based on the ability to deliver immediate impact to patients and families and measure the impact of the relief. These include:

• The ability to immediately reduce the devastating impact and slow COVID-19 spread in India over the next month by providing medical resources to clinics or homes
• Deliver direct relief benefits, including medical assistance, food, and loans/grants to affected patients and families
• Organizations with more than five years of experience in the healthcare, basic-needs support space with highly developed existing infrastructure to immediately deploy to target groups
• The ability to provide high transparency, reporting, and governance and quantify the impact of assistance
• Be recognized as a registered charity in the country of operation

Employee Sourced and Supported
The selection of charities and NGOs based on these criteria was aided by employees at both Wadhwani Foundation and SymphonyAI, the U.S.-based enterprise AI company founded by Dr. Wadhwani. The initial five recipients were selected after review and analysis by Wadhwani Foundation leaders. The additional charity/NGO recipients will be determined within days. In addition to these grants, Wadhwani Foundation will match donations to any of the supported charities/NGOs by any SymphonyAI or Wadhwani Foundation employees through September 1, 2021.

This grant program follow the Sahayata initiative by Wadhwani Foundation to deliver skilling and innovation programs to help small and medium enterprises and public health workers through the COVID-19 pandemic. The Sahayata initiative was announced in July 2020 in India and November 2020 in Mexico.

About Wadhwani Foundation
Wadhwani Foundation was founded in 2000 by Dr. Romesh Wadhwani, with the primary mission of accelerating job creation in India and other emerging economies through large-scale initiatives in entrepreneurship, small business growth, innovation, and skilling. The Wadhwani Foundation operates in 20 countries, including India, South East Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines), East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda), Southern Africa (South Africa, Botswana, Namibia), West Africa (Nigeria, Ghana), Egypt, and Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile). The Wadhwani Foundation works in partnership with governments, foundations, corporations, and educational institutes. For more details on Wadhwani Foundation, please visit https://www.wfglobal.org/

Press contact
Chris Gale
chris@galestrategies.com  

SOURCE Wadhwani Foundation

The post Wadhwani Foundation $1 Million In Grants for Covid Families in India appeared first on Medika Life.

How New York’s Single Payer Health Care Bill Affects the Working Poor

Unprecedented tax increases in the New York Health Act would impose job losses, wage reductions, and higher costs on low-income workers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In New York state, efforts to abolish private health insurance and enact a single payer, government-run health care system have steadily advanced. In November 2020, Democrats gained a two-thirds, veto-proof majority in both chambers of the New York state legislature, raising hopes that a single payer bill—the New York Health Act—is close to passage.

But the flawed design of the New York Health Act would be felt most acutely by low-income New Yorkers, a new study finds. 

In “How New York’s Single Payer Health Care Bill Affects the Working Poor,” FREOPP President Avik Roy writes that individuals below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (who already have heavily subsidized health insurance through either Medicaid or the Affordable Care Act) would face NYHA non-payroll surtaxes of between 6.2% and 29.5%, depending on the level of out-migration of high earners.

A group of researchers at the RAND Corporation published an optimistic analysis of the bill, concluding that it would increase employment by 2% over a 10 year period, even though the Act would require, in their estimation, approximately $1.7 trillion in new state taxes between 2022 and 2031, tripling the state’s tax burden.

The RAND analysis is based on numerous flawed assumptions, and its optimistic projections fail to account for several critical economic and legal considerations, including:

• Negative impact of tax increases on economic growth; 
• Out-migration of high earners, imposing a higher tax burden on those who remain;
• Inability to deduct state and local tax increases; and
• Illegality of banning Medicare Advantage and ERISA plans.

The RAND authors estimate that even in the optimistic scenario in which no one leaves the state, nearly half of those earning less than 139% of the Federal Poverty Level—about $17,900 for a childless adult and $36,800 for a family of four—would pay more for health care under the New York Health Act. Under the outmigration scenario, the proportion of those in this income bracket paying more would increase. However, RAND did not model the distributional effects of these scenarios.

FREOPP’s Roy writes, “Even if we take as given the RAND authors’ optimistic projections of slower growth in health care costs under the New York Health Act, the bill would be immensely destructive to the state’s core economic sectors, and significantly reduce take-home pay and employment opportunities for lower-income New Yorkers.”

FREOPP finds that the New York Health Act would lead more than 315,000 jobs to leave New York: 50,000 related to health insurance; 110,000 in financial services; 125,000 in other high-income professions; and 30,000 in the leisure and hospitality industry.

Contact: Kara Jones, Vice President, FREOPP

kjones@freopp.org

The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity (FREOPP) is a non-profit think tank focused on expanding economic opportunity to those who least have it.

The post FREOPP Study: How New York’s Single Payer Health Care Bill Affects the Working Poor appeared first on Medika Life.

Date of Release: 12 May 2021

Graz: Every day, the immune system must work at maximum capacity to protect the body from disease. Dendritic cells (DCs) are highly specialized defense cells that are regarded as the cellular outposts of the immune system. Med Uni Graz scientists have investigated how the immune system can tolerate harmless cells while inducing immunity to pathogens. The findings have been published in the internationally renowned journal “Cell Reports.”

Outposts of the immune system as the focus of research at Med Uni Graz

Dendritic cells are found in many organs and tissues. Certain subtypes of DCs in epithelia (epidermis, mucous membranes in the intestines and lungs) prevent exaggerated immune reponses to useful microbes and environmental substances, for example those we ingest from food. They are equipped with a variety of receptor structures for environmental molecules and microbes and are capable of moving into lymphoid tissue, where they induce antigen-specific T-cell responses and can suppress the immune response or cause immune tolerance. This type of dendritic cell is also referred to as a regulatory or tolerogenic DC; in contrast, an inflammatory or immunogenic DC is capable of inducing a protective immune response. At the Otto Loewi Research Center at Med Uni Graz, a study conducted by Herbert Strobl of the Division of Immunology and Pathophysiology and PhD student Victoria Zyulina in close cooperation with Jose M. Silva of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, attempted to shed light on the mechanism underlying the development of DCs with tolerogenic versus immunogenic properties.

Investigating the helpers of the immune system: Mechanisms still largely unknown

To protect health, immune responses normally provide an effective line of defense against pathogens. If the immune response is directed against harmless antigens or if inappropriate or excessive responses are triggered, the result is an exaggerated immune response that becomes noticeable in allergies, autoimmune disease or chronic inflammatory bowel disease. Little research has been conducted on how DCs interact with environmental signals to develop an appropriate immune response to pathogens while preventing an inappropriate or excessive immune response. “We know that DCs are responsible for effective immune responses to microbes such as dangerous viruses. The body accomplishes this through the generation of specialized DC subsets as well as through biochemical signals,” explains Herbert Strobl. The epithelia of the skin and mucous membranes contain Langerhans cells (LC), a subtype of immune cells that possesses tolerogenic properties as well as the ability to renew itself. The tissues below and inflammatory lesions contain cells with proinflammatory properties called moDCs, or monocyte-derived dendritic cells.

Importance of microRNAs: Regulation of processes in cells and tissues

RNA molecules are highly important in the biosynthesis of protein molecules. Protein-coding RNA molecules were recently employed to develop a vaccine against COVID-19. However, RNA molecules can also exhibit negative regulatory effects. In 2006 a Nobel Prize was awarded for the discovery of the process of RNA interference. Over the past 20 years, it has become apparent that many important biological processes in cells and tissues are regulated by microRNAs—small non-coding RNAs. A flaw in the biosynthesis of these microRNAs leads to abnormal development and function of DCs. The researchers concentrated on the molecular mechanisms regulated by specific microRNAS in the development of DC subsets. They specifically looked for microRNAs formed by the DC subsets mentioned above (LC versus MoDC). It turned out that miR-424(322)/503 is much more highly regulated in proinflammatory moDCs than in LCs. “Using gene transfer techniques, we determined that miR-424(322)/503 is critical to the development of moDC. Conversely, the development of LCs was not limited by a lack of miR-424(322)/503,” explains Herbert Strobl. In addition, moDC subgroups in the skin of mice that lacked miR-424 (322)/503 were significantly reduced under inflammatory conditions as compared to normal mice. “The data confirmed our studies of human cells that indicated that the differentiation of moDCs from LCs is dependent on miR-424 (322)/503,” says Victoria Zyulina.

Gene cluster regulated pro- vs. anti-inflammatory DC subset differentiation

Finally, the scientists determined that genes in the TGF-beta signaling pathway are highly regulated in DC precursor cells. In accordance with this, the loss of miR-424/503 in DC precursor cells favors TGF-beta1-dependent LC differentiation at the expense of moDC differentiation. “That is why we proposed a model in which miR-424(322)/503 functions as a molecular switch that uses modulation of TGF-beta signaling to decide whether tolerogenic/anti-inflammatory LCs or proinflammatory moDCs are formed,” says Zyulina. The clarification of this mechanism has contributed to the understanding of how our immune system can induce tolerance to harmless molecules and microbes while inducing immunity to dangerous pathogens. Follow-up studies will show whether a therapeutic intervention targeting this switch provides an opportunity to regulate abnormal immune responses in allergies, autoimmune diseases and malignancies.

Further information and contact

Herbert Strobl

Victoria Zyulina

Medical University of Graz, Otto Loewi Research Center, Division of Immunology and Pathophysiology

Tel.: +43 676 7576 195

herbert.strobl@medunigraz.at

viktoria.zyulina@medunigraz.at

Profile: Herbert Strobl and Victoria Zyulina

Herbert Strobl works with a variety of experimental methods to investigate the immune system. Together with Victoria Zyulina, who started the FWF sponsored PhD program DK-MOLIN at Med Uni Graz after completing her medical education in Russia, he would like to achieve a better understanding of these processes in order to develop new therapeutic strategies for diseases such as autoimmune diseases, allergies and cancer.

Link to publication: The miR-424(322)/503 gene cluster regulates pro- vs anti-inflammatory skin DC subset differentiation by modulating TGF-beta signaling
https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(21)00365-X

The post Research on Controlling Cellular Outposts of the Immune System appeared first on Medika Life.