Microbioz May 2018 Medical Special Edition

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Research News

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The edition brings for you a cover story titled Current approach in Medical Laboratory Technology for effective diagnosis Authored by Ms.Rebecca Scolastica Bello Editorial board member of Microbioz India

Featured Article

Reducing Exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals to take obesity

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According to a study, minimising exposure to common hormone-disrupting chemicals may help reduce obesity rates.

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Added to this is an article titled “Is your hospital website good enough to attract patients� Is authored by Mr. Mohammed Ilias, BCC Healthcare Chennai.

Product Launches

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The edition also covers recent Healthcare news articles collected from worldwide sources to update the readers with the current trends in the industry

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Toothpaste - An offbeat warrior against lung disease

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Turns out, an antibacterial substance in your toothpaste may combat severe lung disease.

The edition also covers recent Healthcare news articles and product launches collected from worldwide sources to update the readers with the current trends in the industry

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ear friends and readers, a heartfelt thanks to you all for continuously showering your love and blessings on Microbioz India. Here, I bring for you another ‘Medical Event Special Edition’ for the upcoming premier event of the hospital sector, i.e. Medi Expo-Indore going to be organized from 25th-27th May 2018 in Indore.

In the early beginning of humankind, diseases were viewed as mysteries as there was little understanding about their origins.

Also, diseases were the common occurrences that claimed many lives back then. This high mortality rates associated with diseases paved the way for evolution in medical technology.

The cover story titled “Current Approach in Medical Laboratory Technology for Effective Diagnosis” authored by “Rebecca Bello” talks about how new technologies is continuously driving the pace of progress in biomedical research and healthcare services. It also discusses how with the invention of newer methods of early diagnosis by the medical device industry, the medical practice has become easier for doctors, more effective for patients, and cheaper for the entire healthcare system. For more information, please turn to the cover story.

Next, we have a featured article titled “Is your hospital website good enough to attract patients” authored by Mr. Mohammed Ilias, a healthcare branding and marketing strategist successfully who is running BCC Healthcare - an integrated healthcare branding and marketing agency with presence in India, UAE and Srilanka. Do check it inside for more information.

We have also brought for you a guest post on “Miniature motors that save, improve and enhance lives” by Anil Alex, Associate Director, Portescap.

As always, the edition continues to bring for you the latest market research news and product launches collected from worldwide sources to keep you updated with what is going on in the industry.

Dear friends and readers, I hope you find some value in the magazine. Once again, I would like to thank you for your invaluable love and support. We are always eager to receive your valuable feedback and suggestions as they help us come with better content each time. For any further value addition, please write to us at editor@microbiozindia.com.

Cover story

Current approach in Medical Laboratory Technology for effective diagnosis echnology continues to drive the pace of progress in biomedical research and healthcare services. Medical machines and the computers that power them become smaller, faster, and smarter; the medical device industry is making medical practice easier for doctors, more effective for patients, and cheaper for the entire healthcare system.

In the early beginning of humankind, diseases were viewed with mysteries and were common occurrences that claimed many lives. Medical technology evolved slowly in response to high mortality rates associated with diseases example (malaria, yellow fever etc.) Advance medical technology has become the antidote for illnesses and diseases that formerly resulted in the destruction of entire societies. Advance medical technology now makes doctors and technologist to use mechanical techniques to diagnose patients. Medical technology slowly changed from the use of subjective evidence provided by patients to objective evidence obtained by mechanical and chemical technological devices.

Patient’s population now became concentrated in urban centres and large numbers of patient create economic incentives for doctors.

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This modern equipment saves time, energy and resources compared to the antediluvian approach.

Therefore, multifarious diagnosis can be conducted with high degree of accuracy within a short period of time.

Medical technology is the application of energy forms to diagnose and treat body systems using knowledge, procedures, and devices within the context of both science and technology in society. Medical technology cross disciplinary nature, medical technology applies energy forms to body systems.

Energy forms are the physical forms of energy that exist in the universe, that is magnetic energy, thermal energy, electrical energy, chemical energy. Medical technology applies energy forms using devices such as x-ray machines, electrocardiographs, to diagnose and treat a patient.

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Cover story

Equipments use for the effective medical laboratory diagnosis

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David M., Cutter McClellan (Sep-Oct 2001).

Is technological change in medicine worth it?

Microscope, Chemistry Analyser, Haematology analyser, Hormonal assay analyser, Stethoscope, Sphygmomanometer, Thermometer, Spectrophotometer, Autoclave, Centrifuge, Incubator, Distiller, Electrophoresis machine, Automatic tissue processor, Microtome machine, Medical X-ray machines, Water bath, Anaesthesia machine, Single Photon Emission Computing Tomography (SPECT) Scanning machine etc.

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References

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FDA Guidance concerning demonstration of comparability of human biologicalproducts. (Review 2013) George B. Moseley, (2005). Changing conditions for medical technology in health care industry Henry J. Kaiser (2007). How changes in medical technology affect health care costs Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria (HERFON) [Last accessed on 2010 Nov 23].

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Martin Lengwiler, University of ZurichRämistrasse 71, CH-8006 Zürich, Switzerland Social Science Research Centre, Berlin, Germany

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Authored By: Ms.Rebecca Scolastica Bello, Microbioz India Editorial Board, Nigeria Email ID: becscola01@gmail.com

Featured article

Is your hospital website good enough to attract patients?

18 essentials on your website that can attract the right patients, doctors and employees to grow further.

Authored by: Mr. Mohammed Ilias

ebsite of a hospital is the heart of a healthcare business’s online presence. A website is a lot more than a page on the net that carries information about you, it is a space that presents your healthcare business’s wholesome picture and gives the best insight into your healthcare institution. There are different components that make a great hospital website; equal amount of attention to each of these will result in a website that equally works hard for your hospital.

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1. About the organization A good hospital website has to convey every detail from what the hospital has been till what it has grown into. A hospital’s growth chart directly influences the level of trust it has had among people.

Each milestone that your healthcare business has marked should carry a special place in your online presence. It should also talk about the management team along with the mission and vision.

2. Cover your hospital infra in-depth A modern and self explanatory method of projecting the best image about your hospital is now possible through 360 degree photography and videos that explain your cutting edge technology and latest equipments that details your infrastructural capabilities. People would make use of your resource fullness only when you let them know about it.

3. Heroes of your hospital Every hospital has that one doctor who is the face of the hospital. When the hero of your hospital is highlighted well, it means that you are playing your strength. Introduce not just your hero but also your sub-heroes, when people look for a provider they also want to know the team that will treat them which increases the reliability.

4. Spell out your specialties People come to you for your niche specialty and experience. Make your specialty specific treatments

more of a topic to make your website more informative, identify problems that you are capable of rectifying and then talk about. The more you talk about it, the more easy it is for a prospect who needs that solution to find you.

5. Develop your contact points Your contact points are the direct channels that bring people who need you to you. So keep your contact points accessible, reliable and appealing across all platforms. Create chat pop-ups, online forms, click and talk facilities in your hospital website. Document every approach that came via these channels, record them and backtrack to avoid patient leakages.

6. Opportunities window Your website should carry enough space that facilitate the growth of your institution from all aspects. Exclusive categories in opportunities window will let you hire the best minds, separate windows for doctors, vendors and investors will make your recruitment process and partnership process more cost and time effective.

7. Keep well designed treatment packages Designing your treatment packages and including them in your hospital website will increase the chances of your potential patients choosing you, as treatment packages increase confidence in patients due to their transparency.

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Featured article

8. Showcase your case studies Including case studies will make your organisation’s website information more reliable. Case studies of how your service has changed people’s lives are effective to give your potential patients an initial confidence to rely on your service and also establishes your niche specialisation.

9. Cover testimonials Your patients tell the best stories about your brand.

The biggest advantage behind testimonials is that they are by patients to potential patients, allowing them to narrate their story helps you win the game.

The more real it is, the more reliable it gets.

10. Get international patients Making your hospital website international patient friendly is important as the rate of patients flying down to India to get specialized care and treatment is high. Talk about the hospitality in your hospital.

Make exclusive content for international patients that easily guides them to opt you.

11. Have FAQs section A comprehensive hospital website has to answer the questions that people have in mind and are asking regularly. Giving perfectly reliable and verifiable information directly from the organisation’s side reduces the confusion for your target audience and increases trust.

12. Develop knowledge centre Share the knowledge about your discipline through blogs and posts to let them know how much you care to share. Give them enough bits of information on daily lifestyle practices and simple health tips that promote wellness specific to your speciality for increased effectiveness.

13. Start CSR activities Giving an insight about how socially responsible you are can prove to be rewarding as majority of patients want their healthcare brands to be socially responsible.

14. Online payment options Facilitating online payments will make your patient’s experience a hassle free one, online payment is one such option where you minimize your patient’s efforts.

15. Online appointment booking Booking appointments online makes your patients get to you with more clarity, gives them an inner satisfaction that they’ll not have to wait for long or walk pillar to post to get the service they need.

16. List insurance service providers Your website needs to cover the comprehensive list of insurance service providers which are partnered with you, it becomes easy for the patients to claim.

17. Refer a patient section When your patient or others want to refer your hospital to those in need this exclusive ‘refer a patient’ section can prove to be quite useful in generating qualified referrals.

18. One page in regional language It is a good practice to add one page in regional language which will help you a lot in the local search process. As the regional language search is increasing it will be easy for your prospects to locate without any language barrier.

A good hospital website is a path paved to lead you to people with needs and requirements that align with your area of specialty, the best portrayal of your institution in the online medium will make you the most preferred healthcare provider. Hospital website is the space where one can get a basic overview of your services and one can also get a deep insight into your hospital. Combining every element that increases your factor of reliability and pushes your target audience forward to perceive your brand as their choice can easily happen with a strong hospital website.

Mohammed Ilias is a healthcare branding and marketing strategist successfully running BCC Healthcare - an integrated healthcare branding and marketing agency with presence in India, UAE and Srilanka. He works closely with Hospitals, Celebrity Doctors, Pharma Companies, Labs, Medical Equipment Manufacturers – helping them expand business in India and abroad. He strongly supports ethical branding and cause based marketing. He can be reached at +91 9940553791/ ilias@healthcarebranding.co.in. For more such articles, visit www.healthcarebranding.co.in

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Guest post

MEDITECH ELECTRONICS continues to prosper as one of the top notch medical equipment & service providers in Indian healthcare landscape with a new Brand name MEDINAIN ore than 3500 successful projects all over India; more than 1500 happy clients; a large network of 2,200 dealers and distributors across the nation; accompanied by a comprehensive range of innovative medical products or devices - these are the key highlights of MEDINAIN’ eye-catching steller portfolio that stands out among rest of the players in the field ‘assuring best services at all time’. MEDINAIN is one of the leading manufacturer, exporter, trader, stockiest service provider of medical equipments including Multipara Monitor, Syringe Pump, Operation Theatre Table, LED Operating Lights, Ventilators (For Adult/Pediatric), ECG Machine, Defibrillator, Fetal Monitor, Ultrasound Machine, X-Ray Machine, Pulse Oximeter, Bipap Ventilator, Neonatal Products and etc. and many more in Indian sub continent. These eco friendly products are assured to have ‘zero defect zero effect’ and are built of high quality material. They are innovatively designed so as to ensure the comfort of surgeons & patient during surgery. All products are certified with CE, ISO 9001, ISO 13485, ISO 14001, OHSAS, GMP, and IEC-60601-1 respectively.

A specialist in advanced ICU and Critical care equipments, the firm also offers 24x7 rental services for all equipments to hospitals as well as home patients.

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These services are backed by installation training, onsite support, after sales repair & maintenance. Besides, sale, maintenance, service and repair solutions in the critical sphere of cardiology, anesthesiology, emergency, OT (Operation Theater) equipment and critical care also find place in the company’s robust portfolio.

Incorporated in the 2000, MEDINAIN is today uniquely positioned as one of the most respected and reliable service providers for entire range of medical equipments that are critically valued for accuracy, high performance and multifunctionality. A home to more than one hundred dedicated and skilled professionals, the company operates from its offices in New Delhi NCR, Punjab, Haryana, Jammu, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, Gujarat and many other cities. Charting new territories zealously, the firm is regarded as one of the fastest growing companies in this space that is driven by the passion for achieving excellence in delivery and quality of service. Providing all facilities & services at a very reasonable cost holds prime significance for the firm. Under the leadership of Mr. S. B. Nain, it follows a growth path that is in line with ‘Make in India’ launched by Honorable Prime minister Mr .Narendra Modi.

As MEDINAIN is our registered trademark, we feel it like MEDINAIN is the second inning of MEDITECH ELECTRONICS.

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Guest post MEDINAIN’ ideation was sparked by the realization of the crucial need for rental services of life support (critical care) equipments at economized costs. This encouraged Mr. Nain to overcome all aversion from his family and step into the entrepreneurial journey. He decided to set up MEDINAIN in the year 2000 and leverage his extensive expertise deep seated in years of rich experience in this industry for the welfare of his homeland. Initially, the service-offerings were limited to repairing and maintenance of medical equipment at the hospitals. Sometime later, the offerings were expanded to occupy rental services for medical equipments to hospitals and individual needs on 24x7 bases at very low costs. The rental services were specially made available at very cost effective prices with the sole aim of enhancing affordability of these equipments for the hospitals and patients. Over the course of years, the firm has diversified into a host of verticals including Manufacturing, Import, Export, Research & Development and Training.

Let’s have a brief look into what these verticals offer: ✓ Repairing & Maintenance – repairing & maintenance services for critical care equipments; a special facility for calibration and repairing of PCB boards on component level with latest and hi-tech equipment ✓ Import - importer of various medical equipments like patient monitoring system, ventilators, syringe pumps, defibrillators from USA, UK, Germany, China & other Countries with reputed brand like Siemens, Drager, Maquet, Contec, HP other makes ✓ Export – export of products like Dialysis machine, Air compressor of ventilators, Ventilators, Surgical Lights & Surgical Tables & other spare parts of ventilators to other countries like Malaysia, New York, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri lanka, Egypt ✓ Research & Development - an in house R & D Setup with latest technology equipment/ tools with dedicated R & D engineers for development of new products & technology ✓ Training – training to freshers and interns for biomedical/ medical products/ electrical. A training certificate is awarded to them after completion of their training To help its services reach every corner of the world, the firm has been following very robust marketing strategies which are executed by an independent team of highly expert professionals in the domain. MEDINAIN has a grand presence on online portals like Indiamart, Trade India, Trade Bird, Alibaba, Exporter India, Google Blogger, Facebook, Sulekha, Justdial, yellow pages, compass and many others. The company also runs more than 67websites. Besides, the company has been participating in various Medical Exhibitions all over INDIA. Some famous exhibition brands of participation are the biggest medical

exhibition - MEDICAL FAIR (German Brand), Medical Expo (Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai), India Med Expo (Bangalore, Jaipur, and Hyderabad). In addition to that, many reputed magazines and Newspaper publish their editions with the company’s products and technology updation. MEDINAIN has been awarded for ‘the best manufacturer of medical equipment in 2017’.

Recently we hold the trophy for most emerging company

in OT Table & OT Light.

A pan India presence, the company aims to stand as the best service provider in the region it covers and to achieve this goal lots of initiatives have been taken. In a chat with The CEO Magazine, Mr. S. B. Nain-Founder & Chief Executive Officer at MEDINAIN shares, “We have a large stock of parts in our warehouse supported by a sophisticated supply chain that spans the globe through our new medical equipment division, we represent various Chinese, USA and European manufacturers providing our clients with new technology, thus advancing healthcare in the markets we serve. In many cases, our clients may not have the fiscal budget necessary to obtain the latest technology. Therefore, we bring this equipment back up to the original equipment manufacturers specification using only parts. In this way for those customers with limited budget we still provide a solution to have today's technology at yesterday's prices.”

Sans Pareil experience with innovative Technology and Design - MEDINAIN LED Technology

Expeditious rise in market demands of LED lighting over the past few years made its way in the company’s effort towards expanding its portfolio and developing an energy efficient, cost effective and environment friendly lighting system that would nicely substitute highly expensive products of International brands in Healthcare industry.

The LED technology innovated by MEDINAIN’ competent team offers a multitude of benefits such as high brightness, high color purity and no radiation, long lifespan, Swift reaction and more. Speaking of the technology, Mr. Nain briefs, “We have incorporated the latest LED technology to give highly power efficient and reliable rich natural light quality in a significantly cost effective way. Our sole objective is to develop an appropriate Import substitute, able to address the requirements of private as well as big institute customers all over India.”

The LED lightning System is ideal for modern operation rooms and is suitable for all requirements of various operation conditions. It is power packed with several features: • increased efficiency as it comes with illumination equality, high shadow less rate, high definition • eco friendly • 50 Times more lifespan due to less energy consumption • free from infrared release • perfect shadow control Furthermore, these LED lighting systems are also equipped with more exclusive features like proximity sensor, Wi-Fi operating system and cap sense technology control boards.

MEDINAIN is the only player in the market that offers su

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Guest post ch exclusive equipments in Indian market. Not only innovative LED lightning systems, the firm’s dedicated team designs as well as develops its own products independently with evolving technologies. Such strong capabilities in design & manufacturing have allowed the company to carve out a special niche for itself in Indian healthcare landscape.

Apprising us of their future plans, Mr. Nain shares, “We have been following a clear roadmap towards establishing our new Brand MEDINAIN as a symbol of healthcare industry on the worldwide basis. We want to provide best and latest technology services and equipments at reasonable cost to each & every patient and hospital. We are working

onexpanding our footprints worldwide to achieve growth and let our services reach and benefit all people who are in dire need. As an attempt to uproot unemployment from India, we are also working towards helping Indian youth to learn skills and upgrade them.”

For more details: Meditech Electronics Email ID: nain.medi@gmail.com

Guest post

Miniature motors that save improve and enhance lives Efficiency and power density redefined

Anil Alex Portescap Associate Director Sales & BD India & ANZ

BLDC, BRUSH DC, STEPPER, GEARHEADS, CONTROLLERS, ENCODERS

ince the advent of civilization, the art of motion has been a critical part of human life in the quest to save, improve, and enhance lives. With advances in technology, motors are playing a very important part in our day to day lives, at times very subtly without our knowledge. Technology has helped improve motor power density and has enabled usage in various applications that once used pneumatic controls. Portescap has been helping customers around the world develop motion applications in both medical and industrial markets to provide the best power density, efficiency and reduced envelope to customers by lowering the overall cost of ownership.

As an example, medical surgical hand-tools need to withstand harsh environments - autoclave, saline, and dish wash with expectations to improve patient outcomes.

Portescap offers best in class sterilizable geared motors along with autoclavable controllers.

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These products fit the hand tool enve-lope, make it lighter to reduce operator fatigue, improve battery life and at the same time provide needed power required by surgeons to complete a joint replacement or trauma surgery in the fastest time possible (save lives). Many factors go into making a surgery successful. Foremost is the surgeon aided with tools that are reliable, powerful and consistent in the OT to complete the procedure. Portescap with its rich application expertise in arthroscopic, ENT, neuro/spine, laparoscopic, ophthalmic, cardiothoracic, orthopedic drills/saws/reamers and skin-grafting solutions provides the right miniature motion solutions that have withstood the test of time.

In emerging countries like India & China, we are seeing a renewed interest in cutting edge applications that require

a solutions approach. Be it medical surgical hand tools, infusions system, injectors, pipettes, medical imaging/xrays, exoskeletons, ventilators/respirators, robotics, aerospace and defense, factory automation, security & access, pruning shears and total stations, Portescap has ready products and solutions that can be further customized to meet specific customer needs.

Why work with Portescap? What value can Portescap deliver? Outstanding quality (lot to lot), customization with the lowest cost of ownership, facility in India that has co-located engineering, quality, product management, purchasing and manufacturing functions.

With Brush DC, Brushless DC, Stepper, Gear-heads, Encoders and drive/controllers under its portfolio of offerings, one need not look further for miniature solutions.

For more information visit: www.portescap.com

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Research news

Does Finasteride increase risk of prostate cancer death?

News Source: ANI Finasteride, a common hormone-blocking drug, does not increase risk of prostate cancer death, finds a study.

Initial study findings suggested there may be a link between use of the drug and a more lethal form of prostate cancer, but long-term follow-up shows that is not true.

"What we can now say is that finasteride not only significantly reduces a man's risk of prostate cancer, it is safe to use based on very long-term follow-up in our study," said Dr. Ian Thompson, Jr., principal investigator of SWOG's Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial, or PCPT. "In PCPT, we found no increased risk of prostate cancer death in men who took finasteride compared with men who did not. These results are transformational."

He and his team set out to determine whether finasteride, a drug used to treat symptoms of prostate enlargement as well as male pattern baldness, would prevent prostate cancer in men over the age of 55.

At the time, scientists and doctors knew that prostate cancers were hormonally sensitive, and finasteride, the first 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor, which targets and blocks the action of androgens like testosterone, became available to test.

The PCPT randomized 18,882 men from 1993 to 1997 to finasteride or a placebo - making it one of the largest cancer prevention trials ever mounted.

The trial intervention was stopped in 2003 when investigators found a significant, positive result: finasteride reduced prostate cancer risk by 25 percent.

But the study also showed that finasteride produced a small increase in the number of high-grade prostate cancers - a negative finding that resulted in a "black box" warning posted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on prescription drug labels to flag potentially disabling or life-threatening side effects.

Subsequent SWOG analyses of PCPT data revealed unexpected benefits of finasteride. It improved detection of prostate cancer in screening tests and biopsies, and also improved detection of high-grade cancers. Additional analysis also revealed that men enrolled in the study lived about the same amount of time - regardless of whether they took finasteride or the placebo. Still, despite evidence of the benefits of finasteride, the label warning had an impact. Few men today take the generic drug to lower their cancer risk.

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Research news As most deaths from prostate cancer are caused by high-grade cancers, years of PCPT findings still left a critical question unanswered: Would the increased number of high-grade cancers detected in the PCPT years ago result in more prostate cancer deaths over time?

Thompson and his team went back to the study and matched participants to the National Death Index, a centralized database of death record information managed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This analysis allowed researchers to determine if a trial participant had died and to determine the cause of death. With almost 300,000 person-years of follow-up and a median follow-up of 18.4 years,

they found 42 deaths due to prostate cancer on the finasteride arm and 56 on placebo. Thus, there was no statistically significant increased risk of prostate cancer death with finasteride.

"Treatment for the disease is costly and can have serious side effects, such as impotence and urinary incontinence. My hope is that the visionary decision of our National Cancer Institute colleagues to conduct this study, and the scientific evidence it produced these last 25 years, will provide a lasting benefit for patients," Thompson said.

The findings were delivered at the Journal of Urology Lecture at the 2018 Annual American Urological Association Meeting in San Francisco.

(ANI)

Research news

Reducing exposure to hormonedisrupting chemicals to tackle obesity News Source : ANI According to a study, minimising exposure to common hormone-disrupting chemicals may help reduce obesity rates.

Dr Ana Catarina Sousa and her research group, from the Universities of Aveiro and Beira Interior, Portugal, reviewed existing and new epidemiological surveys and animal studies, and showed that the most important sources of exposure to obesogens indoors are diet, house dust, and everyday products such as cleaning chemicals, kitchenware or cosmetics.

Diet samples in some of the studies showed, for example, that obesogens such as tributyltin - a chemical in anti-fouling paint banned a decade ago, and cadmium a metal widespread in the environment associated with certain cancers, can still be found in food products, in some cases at high concentrations.

"Obesogens can be found almost everywhere, and our diet is a main source of exposure, as some pesticides and artificial sweeteners are obesogens. Equally, they are present in plastics and home products, so completely reducing exposure is extremely difficult - but to significantly reduce it is not only feasible, but also very simple", Dr Sousa said.

Based on the findings of the review, the researchers suggest specific recommendations to reduce obesogen exposure.

Chemicals that interfere with how our bodies store and process fat are referred to as 'obesogens', and have been suggested as a possible contributor to the increasing number of obesity cases.

Obesogens reprogram how our cells work in two main ways: they can promote fat accumulation through increasing the number and size of fat cells or by increasing appetite, or they can make it more difficult to lose fat by changing our ability to burn calories.

Previous studies have identified these chemicals in many everyday products, such as pesticides, plastics, flame retardants, repellent coatings on kitchen utensils and clothes, and artificial sweeteners. This comprehensive analysis aims to highlight to health professionals, and the public, the main sources of obesogens, and includes specific recommendations on minimising exposure.

The recommendations include: -Choosing fresh food over processed products with long lists of ingredients on the label - the longer the list, the more likely the product is to contain obesogens -Buying fruit and vegetables produced without pesticides, such as certified organic or local pesticide-free products -Reducing the use of plastic, especially when heating or storing food. Instead, use glass or aluminium containers for your food and drinks.

-Removing shoes when entering the house to avoid bringing in contaminants in the sole of shoes -Vacuuming often, using high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters and dust your house frequently using a damp cloth.

-Removing or minimising carpet at home or work, as they tend to accumulate more dust -Avoiding cleaning products when possible, or choose those that do not contain obesogens

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Research news

The research was presented in Barcelona at the European Society of Endocrinology annual meeting, ECE 2018. (ANI)

Toothpaste - An offbeat warrior against lung disease News Source: ANI Turns out, an antibacterial substance in your toothpaste may combat severe lung disease.

According to a study conducted by the Michigan State University, a common antibacterial substance found in toothpaste may combat life-threatening diseases such as cystic fibrosis, or CF, when combined with an already FDA-approved drug.

The researchers have found that when triclosan, a substance that reduces or prevents bacteria from growing, is combined with an antibiotic called tobramycin, it kills the cells that protect the CF bacteria, known as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, by up to 99.9 percent.

CF is a common genetic disease with one in every 2,500 to 3,500 people diagnosed with it at an early age. It results in thick mucus in the lungs, which becomes a magnet for bacteria.

These bacteria are notoriously difficult to kill because they are protected by a slimy barrier known as a biofilm, which allows the disease to thrive even when treated with antibiotics.

"The problem that we're really tackling is finding ways to kill these biofilms," said Chris Waters, lead author of the study.

According to Waters, there are many common biofilm-related infections that people get such as ear infections and swollen, painful gums caused by gingivitis. But more serious, potentially fatal diseases join the ranks of CF including endocarditis, or inflammation of the heart, as well as infections from artificial hip and pacemaker implants.

Waters and his co-authors, Michael Maiden and Alessandra Hunt, grew 6,000 biofilms in petri dishes, added in tobramycin along with many different compounds, to see what worked better at killing the bacteria. Twenty-five potential compounds were effective, but one stood out.

"It's well known that triclosan, when used by itself, isn't effective at killing Pseudomonas aeruginosa," Hunt said. "But when I saw it listed as a possible compound to use with tobramycin, I was intrigued.

We found triclosan was the one that worked every time."

Triclosan has been used for more than 40 years in soaps, makeup, and other commercial products because of its antibacterial properties.

Recently, the FDA ruled to limit its use in soaps and hand sanitizers due to insufficient data on its increased effectiveness and concern that it was being overused.

Clear evidence has shown, though, that its use in toothpaste is safe and highly effective in fighting gingivitis, and it is still approved for use.

"Limiting its use is the right thing to do," Maiden said. "The key is to avoid creating resistance to a substance so when it's found in numerous products, the chances of that happening increase."

Tobramycin is currently the most widely used treatment for CF, but it typically doesn't clear the lungs of infection, Waters said.

Patients typically inhale the drug, yet find themselves chronically infected their whole lives, eventually needing a lung transplant.

"Most transplants aren't a viable option though for these patients and those who do have a transplant see a 50 percent failure rate within five years," he said. "The other issue is that tobramycin can be toxic itself."

Known side effects from the drug include kidney toxicity and hearing loss.

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Research news "Our triclosan finding gives doctors another potential option and allows them to use significantly less of the tobramycin in treatment, potentially reducing its use by 100 times," Hunt said.

Just brushing your teeth with toothpaste that has triclosan won't help to treat lung infections though, Maiden said.

"We're working to get this potential therapy approved so we can provide a new treatment option for CF patients, as well as treat other biofilm infections that are now untreatable. We think this can save lives."

The study appears in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. (ANI)

Med for sleep apnea doesn't solve driving issues News Source : ANI According to a study, a drug used to treat daytime sleepiness does not appear to improve driving in those with sleep apnea.

The researchers found that armodafinil did not improve the driving performance of those with ?obstructive sleep apnea? (OSA) after six months of use, the study's primary outcome.

In the study by Woolcock Institute for Medical Research, University of Sydney, 113 participants (ages 18 to 70) were randomly assigned to either receive 150 mg of armodafinil daily or a placebo.

Participants had moderate to severe OSA, were moderately obese and did not use continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or an oral appliance that advances their lower jaw.

Both therapies treat OSA by preventing the pauses in breathing that occur in OSA when the back of the throat collapses.

All participants were also randomly assigned to one of two popular diets in Australia: the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating diet, which is similar to the American Dietary Guidelines "Choose My Plate," or a low-glycemic index, high-protein diet.

Driving ability was assessed during a simulated 90minute drive.

According to Dr. Marshall, a clinical trials epidemiologist, about half of patients seen in sleep clinics fall into the category of having sleep apnea and abdominal obesity but being unable to tolerate CPAP or an oral appliance.

"My clinical colleagues and I call these patients the 'forgotten patients,'" he said. "We felt we needed to help our patients lose weight to address their metabolic risks over the longer term whilst addressing their sleepiness and neurocognitive dysfunction immediately with armodafinil."

He added that sporadic reports indicate that patients using armodafinil and its cousin modafinil to improve wakefulness experienced weight loss, so he and his coauthors wanted to test whether the drugs might increase the success of a deliberate weight lossprogram.

In the current study, armodafinil did, in fact, have a positive effect on body mass. Participants on the drug lost more body fat on either of the diets, which appeared to reduce weight equally well, than those who received the placebo. At six months, those in the armodafinil arm of the study lost an average of 6.4 pounds more body fat than those receiving the placebo.

The researchers said that some of this additional weight loss may be due to the increased activity levels of those receiving the drug, as measured by an activity tracker. Importantly, the authors noted that armodafinil did not appear to increase blood pressure.

Armodafinil also appeared to improve driving ability after three months. The researchers speculate that those taking armodafinil learned their simulated driving tasks faster than those receiving the placebo because by six months there was no difference between the two groups. Even with the improvements that came with practice, the authors noted that, on average, driving ability among these participants with untreated OSA was two standard deviations worse than healthy people without OSA.

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Research news The study has been published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

(ANI)

Private single-specialty eye hospital 'Centre for Sight' opens at Dwarka,New Delhi News Source : ANI New Delhi [India], May 18 (NewsVoir): LG Anil Baijal unveiled Northern India's first and largest private single specialty eye hospital, Centre for Sight eye institute at Dwarka.

Dignitaries present on the occasion were Hardeep Singh Puri (Minister of State {independent charge} of Housing and Urban affairs) with Anshu Prakash (Chief Secretary, Delhi) as Guest of Honour.

Many luminaries from various fields adorned the occasion.

The institute is Northern India's first ever of its kind super speciality eye care hospital, a one stop solution for eye related diseases and problems, amongst the largest in Northern India.

The Hospital with majestic six floors is spread over an area of 90,000 sq ft with more than 20 consultation chambers, 17 examination chambers and nine state of the art and technologically advanced modular operation theatres is North India's largest and first of its kind eye hospital.

Moreover the eye casualty is available 24X7.

All super specialty eye care, including retina, cataract, refractive surgery cornea, pediatric and neuro-ophthalmology, ophthalmic plastic services, eye cancer care will be treatable under one roof.

"Dearth of ophthalmologist in the country prevents even treatable eye problems to cause blindness.

With only one ophthalmologist available for 90,000 people, more than 15 million blind population and over 200 million needy with some sort of eye care are in a dire need of trained paramedics and ophthalmic assistance. We need to contribute to strengthening of healthcare systems of the country by developing, training and nurturing capable individuals.

We at Centre For Sight Eye Institute Dwarka, are committed to doing so. In the same league, we aim at bringing forth trained ophthalmic assistants, technicians, optometrists and eye care specialists in times to come." said Padma Shri Dr. Mahipal Singh Sachdev, Chairman and Managing Director, Centre for Sight Group of eye hospitals.

The group known for being pioneers in introducing the cutting edge technology available worldwide to the country shall be housing all the advanced equipments of eye care in the Institute along with a dedicated research wing.

"CFS Foundation wing at the CFS Dwarka eye institute is a specially constructed dedicated separate wing for the economically weaker section where in without compromising on the quality of equipments or services, all consultations surgeries and procedures will be done at subsidised Cost. CFS group already does regular outreach activities in form of mobile van camps, adoption of surrounding villages, cataract surgeries at subsidised cost, finally with The CFS Eye Institute, we have now got a dedicated space to hand hold this section of society better.

Well equipped mobile van eye clinics also makes regular visits to nearby villages to provide free eye care services to the masses." said Dr. Alka Sachdev, CEO, Centre For Sight Group of Hospitals.

"Centre For Sight Eye Institute located at Sector 9, Dwarka aims to cater to not only Delhi-NCR but entire North India and beyond. With the aim of giving back to the society, the Centre for Sight group of hospitals has already been doing outreach activities in form of mobile van eye clinics, adoption of villages in and around Delhi, eye camps and outreach eye surgeries and believes in bringing the best of technology within the reach of each bracket of society at subsidised cost," added Dr. Sachdev.

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Research news Baijal advised the doctors to restore the mutual feeling of trust between patients and doctors. He said, "Since you are scaling up, please keep in mind the relationship with patients."

Dr. Puri quoted the famous quotes of Helen Keller, saying the only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision. He suggested introduction of tourism eye care for people from foreign countries that had expensive medical treatment back home.

The premier eye chain has so far introduced technologies invented elsewhere, be it phacoemulsification, blade-free cataract surgery, laser surgery for spectacle removal, or implantable contact lenses to name a few.

With the best brains of ophthalmology working together in a dedicated research wing, the institute hopes to bring Made in India - treatments and technologies that shall further bring down the cost of eye care and make it within the reach of one and all.

Centre for Sight group of eye hospitals with a country wide presence of 47 well equipped eye centres thus adds another feather to its cap with the opening of this Institute and is slated to become the lodestone of eye care, research and development in private sector across Northern India. With a rich experience of treating more than 50 lakh patients so far Centre for sight group with its new found eye institute, Dwarka is sure to spread the light of equitable, sustainable and affordable sight care to all.

(NewsVoir)

Heavy-Duty Cabinets Feature 12-Gauge Steel Heavy-duty cabinets from Vidmar, Allentown, Pa, feature 12-gauge steel and all-welded construction.

Manufactured in the United States with global materials, the cabinets are shipped fully assembled

The line includes cabinets with four size options from 36 inches x 24 inches x 60 inches to 72 inches x 24 inches x 72 inches, and three to four shelves per cabinet. The adjustable shelves provide individual shelf capacities of 1,525, 1,650, 1,775, and 1,900 pounds, depending on model. The heavy-duty door design features all-welded louvered panels and durable hinges for added door rigidity, and optional bins for additional small-item storage functionality and convenience.

For more information, visit Vidmar.

Beckman Coulter Sponsors Sepsis Clinical Guide App Beckman Coulter, Brea, Calif, has exclusively sponsored the Escavo Sepsis Clinical Guide, a mobile point-of-care medical reference application for healthcare professionals who manage septic patients in acute-care settings.

and preconfigured within 1 to 2 weeks from order.

The new product line is specifically engineered for industrial applications requiring increased weight capacity, bin storage, and enhanced durability.

Escavo develops mobile applications and medical education content for medical professionals and the healthcare industry. Applications range from pointof-care medical reference guides to clinical decision support tools that facilitate the delivery of highquality healthcare.

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Product launch

Important diagnostic and prognostic scores.

Drug administration guide for antimicrobials, corticosteroids, diuretics, and vasoactive agents.

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that requires prompt recognition and treatment. Delayed treatment can rapidly cause cardiovascular collapse, tissue damage, organ failure, and death. More than a million people are diagnosed with sepsis each year in the United States alone.

Intended for use by medical professionals, the Sepsis Clinical Guide is a mobile application for iOS and Android platforms that contains information about the diagnosis and treatment of sepsis. Its content is based on the latest clinical practice guidelines from leading organizations in the field, including the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), and the Surviving Sepsis Campaign.

Topics covered in the app include the latest sepsis3 definitions and diagnostic criteria, and treatment recommendations from the 2016 Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines, plus sections on the following: 1. Sepsis epidemiology, mortality, economic impact, risk factors, and pathophysiology.

2. Diagnostic information on common symptoms, imaging tests, and other procedures used in sepsis care. Patient management information, including adjunctive therapy, hemodynamic resuscitation, mechanical ventilation, and sepsis treatment bundles.

3. An empiric antibiotic therapy guide, with specific guidelines for the treatment of hospitaland ventilator-acquired pneumonia and intraabdominal infections.

4. Pediatric and neonatal sepsis diagnosis and management.

Daniel Nichita, MD, Escavo.

“While great strides have been made in standardizing sepsis treatment in recent years, there is still considerable variability in the quality of care among hospitals,” says Daniel Nichita, MD, founder of Escavo and author of the Sepsis Clinical Guide mobile app.

“One reason for this is the difficulty of diagnosing this complex disorder, whose early symptoms are often very subtle and for which there is no definitive test, but also an uneven use of current clinical practice standards in sepsis care.”

Nichita adds, “Escavo developed the sepsis app to put critical information on sepsis management— based on the most current clinical practice guidelines—in the hands of busy clinicians, who may not always have the time to familiarize themselves with current trends. Its content is delivered in a concise, actionable format to allow rapid but effective clinical decisionmaking at the point of care.”

While the sepsis app can benefit all medical professionals, it is especially valuable for those working in the emergency room, where sepsis most commonly first presents.

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Product launch “We are proud to sponsor the Sepsis Clinical Guide as part of our commitment to empowering healthcare professionals with tools and resources that enable them to detect sepsis as early as possible in the patient’s pathway of care,” says Peter Soltani, PhD, senior vice president and general manager of the hematology business at Beckman Coulter.

“Awareness and access to up-to-date medical care information is an important and critical step in combating this devastating health condition.”

Healthcare providers can download the Sepsis Clinical Guide app from Google Play for Android devices, or from the App Store for the iOS platform. To find the app, users can search ‘sepsis.’

The Sepsis Clinical Guide is recognizable by an orange-colored icon and, as the top-ranked sepsisrelated app, it appears first in the search results.

According to Beckman Coulter, the company will ensure that the tool will remain free for all users, and that content will continue to be maintained and updated using the latest clinical practice standards.

For more information, visit Beckman Coulter Diagnostics.

Hybrid Tubes Support Sample Traceability

The transparent part of the tube walls enables visual checking of the sample, while the four coding concepts guarantee sample traceability. First, the blank white surface of the tubes allows users to write or laser their own specific identification codes on the side. Second, the numeric human-readable code on the tube side wall permits visual sample identification.

Third, handheld scanners and automated systems can read the one-dimensional barcode on the side of the tube. And fourth, the two-dimensional data matrix on the bottom of the tube makes it possible to read a full rack of tubes at once. For more information, visit Micronic.

Roche Completes Acquisition of Flatiron Health : business news Roche, Basel, Switzerland, has completed the acquisition of Flatiron Health, New York City, a market leader in oncology-specific electronic health record software as well as in the curation and development of real-world evidence for cancer research.

Micronic, Lelystad, the Netherlands, has released0.75 mL and 1.40 mL ‘hybrid’ tubes, which are provided with white side walls that allow for four sample identification methods.

With its large network of community oncology practices and academic medical centers across the United States, Flatiron Health has created a technology platform designed to learn from the experience of every patient.

The unique combination of four coding concepts on one tube enables automated and visual sample identification.

Under the terms of the agreement, the transaction value for the acquisition of Flatiron Health was $1.9 billion on a fully diluted basis, subject to certain adjustments.

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Product launch

2017 Saw Record Sales for MR Solutions’ Preclinical Scanners MR Solutions’ sales of 3T to 9.4T preclinical, cryogen-free multi-modality, MRI imaging technology are gaining ground across the globe in the world’s leading research institutes.

These high-end systems not only provide researchers with superior imaging quality but do so at a reduced cost due to the cryogen free technology which does away with the need for costly liquid helium and the extensive building works needed to accommodate their considerable size and weight and emergency venting systems.

MR Solutions remains the only company to have an installed base of cryogen-free superconductive, preclinical, MRI multi-modality scanners.

This strategic step ensures a consistent supply of these very complex magnets which need to be manufactured in the most rigorous conditions.

Nicky Doughty, the CEO, of MR Solutions commented: “With the new magnet factory on stream we have been able to boost sales and continue to grow rapidly. We can now look forward to further expansion through 2018.”

MR Solutions is the world’s largest independent developer and manufacturer of preclinical MRI technology and was the first company to develop a commercial cryogen free 3T range of preclinical bench top MRI scanners in 2012, followed by the more powerful 7T range in 2014 and 9.4T range in 2016. MR Solutions has offices in the UK, North America and Asia as well as a network of agencies across the world.

Qiagen Launches Liquid Biopsy Kits for Prostate, Lung Cancers Published on May 11, 2018 Qiagen NV, Hilden, Germany, has launched two novel liquid biopsy panels for the evaluation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs), in the growing field of research into the molecular mechanisms of prostate and lung cancers.

MR Solutions has also been at the forefront of developing in series multi-modality systems shrinking the PET and SPECT scanners to become a clip on which can also be used separately. They have also launched PET and SPECT scanners within the barrel of the MRI scanner so that imaging can be carried out in parallel.

To keep up with demand MR Solutions took the radical step of setting up a magnet production company in Abingdon close to Oxford University in the UK.

The AdnaTest Prostate Cancer Panel AR-V7 kit and AdnaTest Lung Cancer kit build on Qiagen’s proprietary AdnaTest combination of combinations principle technology, a highly specific immunomagnetic cell-selection system for enriching circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from peripheral blood that allows sensitive analysis of cancerassociated gene expression.

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Product launch “Our AdnaTest liquid biopsy-based portfolio now offers molecular characterization in leading cancers, with insights into tumor biology, pathways, relevant biomarkers, cancer progression, and even resistance to therapy,” says Thomas Schweins, senior vice president and head of Qiagen’s life sciences business unit.

The Adna Test Prostate Cancer Panel AR-V7 kit provides new insights into tumor biology by detecting the androgen receptor splice variant 7 in CTCs of prostate tumor origin isolated from blood samples to investigate potential resistance to drugs for advanced prostate cancer.

With an exclusive worldwide license from Johns Hopkins University for nucleic acid detection of the AR-V7 biomarker for diagnostic use, Qiagen is now launching the test for research use.

The AdnaTest Lung Cancer kit delivers unique insights into the molecular mechanisms of lung

cancer through highly specific selection of CTCs, including stem cell-like cells implicated in cancer growth and epithelial-mesenchymal transition, an important marker of resistance to cancer therapy.

A proprietary set of antibodies provides sensitive detection of lung cancer-associated targets through reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. The open system ensures flexibility for users to add the targets of interest.

“The ability to analyze circulating tumor cells offers potential to expand our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of lung and prostate cancer and advance new approaches to treatment,” says Michael Kazinski, senior director and head of sample technologies at Qiagen. “With the high specificity and sensitivity of the AdnaTest kits, researchers can use liquid biopsies to achieve reliable, accurate characterization of lung and prostate cancer CTCs for interpretation of disease development and metastasis.”

RNI NUMBER: UPENG/2017/73675