Your Local Broker for Medicare Insurance Needs
Jay Looft Owner/Agent
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What’s important to you this Medicare Annual Enrollment Period?
Brought to you by – Jay Looft, Senior Source Medicare
The Medicare Annual Enrollment Period will begin Tuesday, October 15th, 2024, and end on Saturday, December 7th, 2024, as it traditionally has.
What’s different about this year’s Medicare AEP?
This AEP will be different with some of the larger Medicare Advantage plans exiting many of the counties in the Atlanta area. If you are on one of the more popular Medicare Advantage plans, you might get a notification of your plan’s termination in the mail. And likely this week!
You will not be left high and dry. The big Medicare Advantage companies will have a plan comparable to this year’s plan, but the change will not happen automatically. If you receive a notification from your insurance company about your plan
ending, then a new enrollment will need to be completed to continue with a Medicare Advantage plan.
This might be a good year to compare other companies!
“I don’t like change” is a common line I’m used to hearing when I mention changing Medicare Advantage companies to a client. In most cases you will not HAVE TO change carriers, because there will be a comparable plan with each of the carriers, but you may want to after reviewing other plan options.
You should at least know what’s out there. Will the plan you choose have great coverage?
For help making changes to your Medicare insurance for next year, give us a call today at (770) 913-6464 to schedule an appointment during the Annual Enrollment Period between October 15th, 2024 - December 7th, 2024.
Knotted DNA
Brought to you by
– Dr. Brent Taylor, Premier Dermatology and Mohs Surgery of Atlanta
DNA is more knotted than you’d think. DNA can literally develop knots like a rope develops knots. DNA can also form knots like a string forms knots when you over-twist it. But those are not the type of knot we are focusing on in this article. Instead, a newly mapped type of “knot” called an i-motif turns out to be extremely common in the human genome. And i-motifs might prove to be the key to the development of new anti-cancer drugs.
When most of us picture DNA, we envision a beautiful spiraling structure consisting of two endlessly twisting strands. This structure is called a “double helix” and was first famously described as the structure of DNA by Watson and Crick in 1953. However, ten years later, Dr. Karst Hoogsteen described a DNA structure that did not exhibit the classic DNA shape.
Dr. Hoogsteen observed that DNA base pairs could bind together in a manner that would not cause DNA to assume its more linear, double helical shape. Instead, Hoogsteen base pairing causes DNA strands to assume strange shapes including three and four stranded structures called triplexes and quadruplexes that can fold back upon themselves. These structures were predicted in the 1960s but their biological relevance is only now being identified and explored.
One of the structures that exhibits Hoogsteen base pairing is called an “i-motif. I-motifs look like knots, and they can behave like knots too. Like a knot in a shoelace, i-motifs can trip up our cell’s machinery and keep genes from being turned “on.” I-motifs are concentrated in parts of our genes that control growth. As you might predict, genes that control growth are also extremely important in the development of cancer.
I-Motifs’ importance in cancer may be tremendous. They turn out to be concentrated in certain cancercausing genes that have so far been very difficult to treat. One example is the cancer gene c-myc . Melanomas that metastasize are more likely to have extra copies of the c-myc gene. Approximately 70% of uveal melanomas (melanoma of the pigmented inner layer of the eyeball) have extra copies of this gene.
To target a bad gene, we usually target the protein that the gene makes because the protein is like the physical object one makes from an instruction manual whereas the DNA is the manual itself. It’s easier to spot an apple pie than it is a page of text containing the recipe for an apple pie.
Unfortunately, the c-myc protein is so hard to target with drugs that an article in The Lancet Discovery Science even called the gene “undruggable.” In contrast, an “easy” drug target is a cancercausing protein that is relatively ordered, stable and has a predictably consistent shape such that a medication or antibody can be relied upon to nearly always bind to the cancer-causing protein and inactivate it.
An example of an “easy” target is the kinase class of proteins which often have a predictable pocket called the “active site” responsible for the protein’s activity. Medicines that fit this pocket like a key to a lock have helped us treat many cancers in which kinases are culprits. In contrast, c-myc is believed to be “disordered” or “transiently ordered” with regions that only briefly take on the shape needed for the protein to perform its activity. C-myc’s unstable shape and disorder make it difficult to design a drug that can always recognize and bind it.
The c-myc protein may be hard to target, but the i-motifs at the beginning of c-myc’s DNA sequence could be a sitting duck. Small molecules that target i-motifs have already been developed. If these molecules are found to be specific enough to target cancer cells, then i-motifs may be a way of zeroing in on c-myc DNA at a time when we cannot target the c-myc protein itself. In essence, discovering knots in DNA is like discovering that cookbooks have thick stickers before critical passages of text. We can quicky spot a sticker. We can also easily eliminate books that are so thick with stickers that they can’t even be closed. It might be a way to close the book on cancer.
I still like to imagine DNA as a beautiful spiral staircase of two endlessly winding coils of DNA, but biology is always messier than we imagine. And so often, it’s in the mess that we find new opportunities. DNA is knotty, and from those knots we may unravel a cure.
Insist on the BEST
Dr. Brent Taylor is a Board-Certified Dermatologist, a Fellowship-Trained Mohs Surgeon, and is certified by the Board of Venous and Lymphatic Medicine in the field of Vein Care.
He is an expert in skin cancer and melanoma treatment, endovenous laser ablation, minimally invasive vein procedures and cosmetics procedures such as Botox and injectables.
Kathryn is a certified physician assistant with over 22 years experience as a Dermatology PA and cosmetic dermatology.
Her specialties include general dermatology such as acne, eczema, rashes, hair loss, full body skin exams, abnormal growths etc. Kathryn also specializes in cosmetic dermatology including lasers, injectables, micro-needling, PRP, facial peels, sclerotherapy for spider veins and at home skin care.
Kathryn Filipek, PA-C
Miss being outside? Atlanta allergies persist and fall brings Ragweed
Brought to you by – Comprehensive Internal Medicine
What are allergies?
Allergies are your body’s reaction to a foreign particle, usually a protein. These proteins can come from pet dander, molds, pollens, or from trees and grasses. If you develop an allergy to a particular protein, your body’s defense system (immune system) reacts to it and the allergic reaction creates allergy symptoms.
What is an allergic reaction?
An allergic reaction is the way your body responds to an allergen, usually a protein.
You may feel itchy, watery eyes, a runny nose, sinus or ear fullness, a hoarse voice, a scratchy throat, or trouble breathing. You may even develop a skin rash.
These symptoms can be treated with over the counter or prescription allergy medication or immunotherapy (allergy shots) can be tailored specifically for you.
What is allergy testing?
To perform allergy testing, small pinpricks or scratches are made in
the skin and a very small amount of allergen is placed to test your body’s response. If you react to the allergen, we have identified a trigger that is causing your allergy symptoms.
What is immunotherapy?
Immunotherapy is a treatment used to desensitize your body to the allergy trigger.
In this treatment, the results of your allergy testing are used to create a very personalized formula of medicine that is used to slowly treat your immune system in a way that stops reacting to your allergy trigger. Immunotherapy medicine is given by injection (allergy shots) and is administered twice weekly. The first injection is given in the doctor’s office.
Comprehensive Internal Medicine uses an advanced formulation and instruction that allows you to then give the injections at home. This saves the twice-weekly visits to the doctor’s office. You return to Comprehensive Internal Medicine every 6 weeks to progress the therapy and at the end of one year, allergy testing is repeated. Often, a second year of treatment is advised, following which, most allergies are cured.
Alpharetta: (678) 205-9004
3180 North Point Pkwy | Suite 303 | Alpharetta, GA - 30005
Providing Medical Care Including the Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Diseases
Comprehensive Internal Medicine has been serving the Alpharetta community for 20 years, celebrating this milestone anniversary in 2023.
The medical practice offers a very comfortable environment and serves a medical home where patients are seen for their wellness examinations (checkups) and for the management of multiple medical problems. Same-day appointments are always available.
We welcome new patients, take most insurance plans and discounts for self-pay patients.
Dr. Obiora has a special interest in managing medical issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. He also specializes in diabetes prevention and weight loss.
In addition, he brings expertise in allergy treatment and managing allergic rhinitis, sinusitis and asthma, and can schedule allergy testing to determine the best way to treat allergy symptoms.
High Blood Pressure
Diabetes
Women’s Health
Thyroid Disease • Obesity/Weight Loss • Arthritis • High Cholesterol • Seasonal Allergies • Asthma • Heart Disease
• Acute Illnesses such as: sore throat, flu, cough, common cold, etc.
Alexis obtained her nursing degree from Georgia College & State University and worked as a registered nurse at Emory University Hospital for over 4 years, where she specialized in Internal Medicine. She then earned her Master of Science from Kennesaw State University in their Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program. Alexis is a board certified FNP through the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). She prides herself in forming lasting relationships with her patients, while also providing compassionate and individualized care. She has a special interest in the treatment of allergies, sinusitis, chronic bronchitis, and asthma.
Jeffrey Obiora, M.D.
Alexis Buelow, MSN, APRN, FNP-C.
Arezou Fatemi, M.D.
Sumera Pervaiz, M.D.
Sudeshna Nandi M.D.
Anju Bhushan, M.D.
Laurae Carpenetti, M.D.
Ryan Bozof, M.D.
Petula Gunn, APRN
Carol Hector, M.D.
Raphael Lopez, M.D.
Shima Mansouri, P.A.-C
Jacqueline T. Pearson, M.D., M.S.
Importance of skin checks for mature skin
Brought
to you by
- Dr. Kehinde Olumesi of Epiphany Dermatology - Brookhaven
As skin matures, it undergoes various changes that necessitate regular skin checks to ensure overall skin health. Differentiating between age spots, healthy moles and potential skin cancers is crucial. Age spots, often appearing as flat, brown, or black spots on sun-exposed areas, are generally harmless but can be mistaken for more serious conditions. Early detection of skin cancer, including melanoma, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, significantly increases the chances of successful treatment. Therefore, routine skin examinations are essential for mature skin to maintain health and catch any issues early.
Addressing Skin Conditions and Rejuvenation Procedures
Dermatologists can assist with a variety of skin conditions and rejuvenation procedures for mature skin. Common issues such as dryness, age-related pigmentation and conditions like rosacea, psoriasis and eczema, which can persist or develop with age, are also addressed with specialized care plans.
In addition to treating conditions,
dermatologists offer rejuvenating procedures to enhance the appearance and health of mature skin. Treatments such as chemical peels, laser rejuvenation and injectable treatments like BOTOX®
Cosmetic and dermal fillers can reduce the appearance of wrinkles, improve skin texture and promote collagen production. These procedures not only rejuvenate the skin but also boost confidence and over -
all well-being. Establishing a relationship with a dermatologist ensures that your skin receives comprehensive care tailored to its evolving needs, promoting longterm skin health and vitality.
What’s important to you this Medicare Annual Enrollment Period?
Brought to you by – Senior Source
The Medicare Annual Enrollment Period will begin Tuesday, October 15th, 2024 and end on Saturday, December 7th, 2024 as it traditionally has.
What’s different about this year’s Medicare AEP?
This AEP will be different with some of the larger Medicare Advantage plans exiting many of the counties in the Atlanta area. If you are on one of the more popular Medicare Advantage plans, you might get a notification of your plan’s termination in the mail. And likely this week!
You will not be left high and dry. The big Medicare Advantage companies will have a plan comparable to this year’s plan, but the change will not happen automatically. If you receive a notification from your insurance company about your plan ending, then a new enrollment will need to be completed in order to continue with a Medicare Advantage plan.
This might be a good year to compare other companies!
“I don’t like change” is a common line I’m used to hearing when I mention changing Medicare Advantage companies to a client. In most cases you will not HAVE TO change carriers, because there will be a comparable plan with each of the carriers, but you may want to after reviewing other plan options. You should at least know what’s out
Your Local Broker for Medicare Insurance Needs
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INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
While covering Milton election operations, Appen Media analyzed historical voter data and identified possible disenfranchisement.
This reporting caused a statewide watchdog to get involved and, eventually, the city moved to add a polling place to the area. Later in the year, Appen discovered that the feasibility report the City Council used when voting to run their own elections was not the original document. Two residents on a working committee had altered it after city staff had completed it and before its presentation to council. Appen Media reporters identified all of the differences between the two documents and then created an interactive digital document. Readers and officials were able to scroll through the materials and read notes from the newsroom explaining the differences. You can find this document at appenmedia.com/electionsreport.
