Flagship’s TissueInsight is a service that aids pathologists, oncologists, and immunologists in optimizing care for cancer patients.

WESTMINSTER, Colo. (PRWEB)
June 30, 2020

Flagship Biosciences, providers of expert tissue data insights, today announced that the launch of a new clinical diagnostics immuno-oncology service, TissueInsight. TissueInsight provides CLIA-reportable PD-L1 results along with data about the tumor microenvironment (TME).

“Flagship’s TissueInsight is a service that aids pathologists, oncologists, and immunologists in optimizing care for cancer patients,” said Trevor Johnson, Flagship CEO. “It provides immediate image analysis results without the need for an upfront monetary investment, internal development time or validation. TissueInsight reports can also be customized using additional biomarkers and image analysis.”

Flagship’s exclusive, targeted testing in its College of American Pathologists (CAP)-accredited and Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-certified lab delivers the highly accurate tissue scoring needed for precision medicine. Combined with its award-winning technology and sign-off from its experienced pathologists for every client, TissueInsight gives rapid, data-rich tissue interpretations and removes the inherent variability of subjective manual tissue scoring. Along with its CLIA-reportable results, TissueInsight TME data includes information on tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and macrophages.

“I’m extremely pleased to bring this new clinical diagnostics service to the market,” said Johnson. “Flagship’s scientific process, machine learning, and laboratory capabilities are enabling us to work with clinicians to expand immuno-oncology diagnostic tissue tests that will make their work more efficient and better help them to deliver on the promise of precision medicine for their patients.”

About Flagship Biosciences

Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Westminster, Colorado, Flagship Biosciences, Inc. is a technology-driven tissue analysis services company delivering the most accurate and informative data available. It is revolutionizing tissue analysis to improve drug development and diagnostics using the power of AI with a consultative approach. Flagship’s services and technology dramatically improve on the data and interpretation from traditional pathology methods, eliminating variability and bringing new insights to tissue analysis results. With expert scientific consultation for every client, Flagship’s team interprets results, contextualizes tissue biology, and identifies the best course for success. flagshipbio.com

For more information please contact Pamela Curran of Stratos Global Marketing, at pam@stratosglobalmarketing.com or +1 (303) 818 9316.

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BRUNSWICK, Maine (PRWEB)
June 30, 2020

STATE VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATIONS ENDORSE FELINE FIX BY FIVE MONTHS AS BEST PRACTICE

Following the lead of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Animal Hospital Association, and the American Association of Feline Practitioners, state veterinary medical associations in Maine, Arkansas, Kentucky and Mississippi have formally endorsed the best practice of spaying or neutering cats before five months of age.

“When state veterinary associations embrace and endorse the recommended best practice of spaying and neutering cats by five months of age, it amplifies our message that the benefits of ‘fixing by five months’ are numerous and impactful to the health and welfare of cats, and to the problem of overpopulation in communities across the country and around the world,” said Feline Fix by Five’s Program Director, Esther Mechler.

Historically, the recommended age for spaying and neutering cats was six months. However, the benefits of performing surgery earlier not only result in faster recovery and fewer unwanted litters, but also health and behavioral benefits that can help reduce the number of cats relinquished to shelters by their owners.

• The risk for mammary cancer (which is fatal in over 85% of diagnosed cases) in female cats who are spayed before their first estrous cycle is reduced by 91%.*
• Neutering male cats reduces many undesirable behaviors such as urine marking, aggressive behavior and roaming behaviors which can result in serious injuries, diseases and death.
• Cats sterilized before puberty are less likely to exhibit undesirable behaviors secondary to sex hormones. This also makes it more likely for cats to remain with their owners long term since many cats are surrendered to shelters due to these undesirable behaviors.

“Cat owners who may be unsure of when to spay or neuter their pet, or who wait until they are six months of age, are often faced with the dilemma of what to do with an unexpected litter of kittens. Ironically, the problem is not always the result of owners refusing to spay or neuter their cat – they simply did not know that performing the surgery before a cat reaches sexual maturity has benefits beyond just preventing ‘surprise’ litters,” said Dr. Philip Bushby, DVM, MS, DACVS, veterinary medical advisor to the Fix by Five Months campaign.

Since the Feline Fix by Five Months campaign was launched in 2016, the boards of all major national veterinary organizations and many national cat-welfare organizations have formally endorsed the practice of Fixing by Five Months.

About Feline Fix by Five Months

Feline Fix by Five Months is an initiative of Marian’s Dream, a non-profit organization that provides support to animal welfare groups and organizations dedicated to bringing awareness to animal welfare issues. The campaign’s mission is to educate veterinarians, the general public and cat owners on the medical, behavioral and community benefits of spaying and neutering cats before the age of five months. For more information, visit http://www.FixByFive.org

*”Mammary Tumors” Cornell Feline Health Center. Accessed June 2020.

FOR INFORMATION

Becky Price

860-706-2667

ctyankeeinmidwest@gmail.com

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PHOENIX (PRWEB)
June 30, 2020

With Arizona seeing one of the highest COVID-19 surges in the country at 74,000 confirmed cases, continued testing remains critical. In an effort to help slow the spread of the disease, the HeroZona Foundation has partnered with SRP, the Travis L. Williams American Legion Post 65, Maricopa County’s District 5 and the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry to offer free drive-thru COVID-19 testing at South Mountain Community College (7050 S. 24th St.) in Phoenix on Thursday, July 2; Friday, July 3; Thursday, July 9 and Friday, July 10 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“This effort is critically important to help provide testing for Arizonans in the South Phoenix communities,” said President & CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Glenn Hamer. “There has been a spike in cases and this additional testing is needed now. I have a deep appreciation for Alan “AP” Powell, Founder of the HeroZona Foundation, for brining the additional testing sites to our state where it’s needed the most. The Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry strongly support this effort.”

The testing will be conducted by Lab24, a family owned business located in South Florida that operates nationally with a focus in molecular testing. There is no pre-registration or appointment necessary to get tested at the community event and tests will be available until supplies run out. Those who wish to get tested must have a valid ID.

“Additional testing is needed immediately in South Phoenix to keep our communities safe,” said HeroZona Foundation Founder and U.S. Army Desert Storm Veteran, Alan “AP” Powell. “We created this event to help bring additional testing sites to areas that need it the most.”

Those attending do not need to have symptoms present to be tested and the test will only check for viral symptoms, not antibodies.

“We are happy to have the opportunity to help support all of our communities in an effort to contain the Coronavirus through much needed testing,” said Territory Manager for Lab24, Marsha Wood. “Our goal with Covid-19 testing is to partner with community organizations, religious organizations, and clinics that support the undeserved population.”

The event is supported by SRP, Roosevelt Elementary School District 66, Phoenix Union High School District, Arizona State Conference NAACP, Greater Phoenix Urban League, 100 Black Men Phoenix, African American Christian Clergy Coalition, Mega 104.3 and 101.1 The Beat.

“SRP appreciates the opportunity to support this important effort,” said SRP Chief Public Affairs Executive Rob Taylor. “We are at a juncture where testing for COVID-19 across all populations is critical and we are hopeful this event will help slow the spread of the virus and further protect the communities we serve.”

“I’m proud to be part of this partnership between government, public, private and non-profit groups to serve our community in getting more testing for our residents,” said Maricopa County Supervisor for District 5, Steve Gallardo. “Along with testing, we must continue to be vigilant in wearing masks in public, practicing social distancing and frequent hand washing.”

For more information about the HeroZona Foundation and all of its programs, visit herozona.org.

About HeroZona Foundation

The mission of HeroZona Foundation is to create and empower Heroes in Phoenix communities. The HeroZona Foundation’s annual HeroZona National Veteran Summit created a multi-day networking experience to improve America’s support of veteran companies through workshops, networking, entrepreneurial connections, and seminars. The summit will return to Arizona for a fourth year in November 2020. Other programs include the Bridge Forum, Phoenix Tools 4 School, Play it Forward, Honor Walk, Veterans Reach to Teach, Voting for Veterans and Play It Forward. For more information, visit herozona.org

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OAK BROOK, Ill. (PRWEB)
June 30, 2020

Researchers using MRI have found that iron accumulation in the outer layer of the brain is associated with cognitive deterioration in people with Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study published in the journal Radiology.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive type of dementia that impairs and eventually destroys memory and other brain functions. There is no cure, although some treatments are thought to slow the progression.

Previous research has linked abnormally high levels of iron in the brain with Alzheimer’s disease. Iron deposition correlates with amyloid beta, a protein that clumps together in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease to form plaques that collect between neurons and disrupt cell function. Associations have also been found between iron and neurofibrillary tangles, abnormal accumulations of a protein called tau that collect inside neurons. These tangles block the neuron’s transport system, which harms the communication between neurons.

It is known that deep gray matter structures of patients with Alzheimer’s disease contain higher brain iron concentrations. Less is known about the neocortex, the deeply grooved outer layer of the brain that is involved with language, conscious thought and other important functions. The neocortex is challenging to assess by MRI, as the anatomy of the area makes MRI prone to distortions, signal decays and artifacts.

“The best solution to minimize these artifacts would be using ultra-high-resolution scans,” said study coauthor Reinhold Schmidt, M.D., professor of neurology and chairman of the Department of Neurology at the Medical University of Graz in Graz, Austria. “However, in the clinical setting, scan time is a limiting factor, and a compromise has to be found.”

For the new study, Dr. Schmidt and colleagues developed an approach using a 3T MRI scanner that allowed the best tradeoff between resolution and scan time, along with postprocessing to correct the influence of the distortions.

They used the MRI system to investigate baseline levels of brain iron in 100 individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and 100 healthy controls. Of the 100 participants with Alzheimer’s disease, 56 had subsequent neuropsychological testing and brain MRI at a mean follow-up of 17 months.

The technique enabled the researchers to create a map of brain iron, determining iron levels in parts of the brain like the temporal lobes, or the areas of the brain lying underneath the temples, and the occipital lobes in the back of the head.

“We found indications of higher iron deposition in the deep gray matter and total neocortex, and regionally in temporal and occipital lobes, in Alzheimer’s disease patients compared with age-matched healthy individuals,” Dr. Schmidt said.

The brain iron accumulation was associated with cognitive deterioration independently of brain volume loss. Changes in iron levels over time in the temporal lobes correlated with cognitive decline in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease.

“These results are all in keeping with the view that high concentrations of iron significantly promote amyloid beta deposition and neurotoxicity in Alzheimer’s disease,” Dr. Schmidt said.

The results point to a potential role in Alzheimer’s disease treatment for drugs that reduce the iron burden in the brain. These drugs, known as chelators, can remove excess iron from the body.

“Our study provides support for the hypothesis of impaired iron homeostasis in Alzheimer’s disease and indicates that the use of iron chelators in clinical trials might be a promising treatment target,” Dr. Schmidt said. “MRI-based iron mapping could be used as a biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease prediction and as a tool to monitor treatment response in therapeutic studies.”

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“Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Assessment of Brain Iron Level in Alzheimer Disease using 3-T MRI.” Collaborating with Dr. Schmidt were Anna Damulina, M.D., Lukas Pirpamer, M.Sc., Martin Soellradl, M.Sc., Maximilian Sackl, M.Sc., Christian Tinauer, M.Sc., Edith Hofer, Ph.D., Christian Enzinger, M.D., Benno Gesierich, Ph.D., Marco Duering, M.D., Stefan Ropele, Ph.D., and Christian Langkammer, Ph.D.

Radiology is edited by David A. Bluemke, M.D., Ph.D., University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, and owned and published by the Radiological Society of North America, Inc. (https://pubs.rsna.org/journal/radiology)

RSNA is an association of radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists promoting excellence in patient care and health care delivery through education, research and technologic innovation. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Illinois. (RSNA.org)

For patient-friendly information on brain MRI, visit RadiologyInfo.org.

LONG ISLAND, N.Y. (PRWEB)
June 30, 2020

In the two short years since fitness enthusiast and entrepreneur Rich Decker founded his mobile fitness concept, AWATfit (Any Where Any Time Fitness), the business has seen explosive success in its home market of Long Island, and that was before the coronavirus pandemic forced consumers to rethink how and where they exercise. Now, fitness-oriented entrepreneurs across the country have the opportunity to replicate Decker’s success for themselves with AWATfit’s new franchise model.

AWATfit may be a young company, but Decker leveraged more than 30 years of experience in the industry to build the concept, and the business’s early success reflects a deliberate strategy to disrupt a stagnant fitness marketplace and grow fast.

“I’ve done the brick-and-mortar thing, and I got sick of it,” Decker said. “The whole industry hasn’t changed in decades even though more people are working out than ever before. I saw a big opportunity there.”

AWATfit’s primary innovation is providing outdoor workouts for clients, the demand for which Decker says unites just about everyone who has ever lifted a barbell.

“Whether you’re a professional athlete or just trying to get some exercise in after work, the one thing that everyone hates about going to the gym is the environment — running in place, staring at walls, and now germs. When you exercise outdoors, your energy and mood increase automatically, but most people don’t have access to a full set of gym equipment outside.”

AWATfit offers just that, bringing a fully loaded mobile gym built out of the back of a 20-foot pickup truck directly to clients, whether that’s at their homes, the beach, a playing field or anywhere else.

And AWATfit is not a seasonal business. Decker says he’s worked with clients in as low as 12-degree weather. In fact, AWAT originally stood for All Weather, All Terrain, but Decker changed that to Any Where, Any Time to make the concept less intimidating to more novice clients. “It’s invigorating to exercise outdoors in the winter, and our clients are excited to have the opportunity,” Decker said.

On top of providing an innovative, outdoor workout experience for clients, AWATfit’s trucks also provide profound benefits for Decker and any future AWATfit owners. By eliminating the brick-and-mortar element of gym ownership, AWATfit dramatically slashes overhead and organically expands the brand’s marketing footprint. Plus, franchise owners can be up and running within a month’s time.

“I’ll be parked in a parking lot and people will take pictures of the truck,” Decker said. “It’s a billboard you can’t pay for. I’ve never had to spend millions on rent and advertising to promote this business. All I’ve got is a really cool website, a social media presence and a 20-foot truck.”

AWATfit’s trucks are poised to “blow away the brick-and-mortar gym industry,” Decker says. “My youngest client is 10 years old, and my oldest is 86. That’s a range you are not going to see at traditional gyms. We can reach a larger client base because we come to them, and because our services are fully customizable.”

Decker expects to have little trouble finding franchisees to take his business to new markets across the country. “I’m already fielding calls every day,” he said. “People want to know how they can get their own truck and start doing business.” And that’s not just in Long Island. Decker has already gotten inquiries from prospective owners as far away as Bogota, Columbia and Australia.

“This is an incredibly attractive prospect for someone in the fitness industry who wants to own their own business,” Decker said. “There are a lot of fantastic trainers out there who don’t have a lot of management experience, and we’ve essentially packaged up a business for them so they can hit the ground running without taking a million classes or going through a giant learning curve.”

Decker plans to make the most of that eager interest from prospective franchisees, aiming to onboard up to 1,000 new franchisees in markets like California, Colorado, Florida and Michigan. And because operational costs to run the business are so low, new franchisees can get started with a modest investment. After that, they’re taking ninety cents on the dollar.

As for just who Decker is looking to bring on board, he says the qualifications are simple:

“The ideal AWATfit franchisee is anybody who loves fitness and being around people,” he said. “There’s not much else to it. If you know your way around exercise equipment and you like to work with people, this is your shot at getting rich doing what you love to do.”

To learn more about franchising with AWATfit, visit https://www.awatfit.com/franchise/.

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