The Inspan device from INSPAN, LLC

BOSTON (PRWEB)
February 11, 2020

INSPAN LLC (a privately-owned company) is pleased to announce the successful results from a long-term follow-up clinical study of outpatient L4-L5 lumbar interspinous fixation for degenerative spinal stenosis using the Inspan interspinous fixation device (INSPAN LLC). Unlike extension block design, the Inspan device fixates the spine to allow for immediate stability, distraction, decompression, and fusion. Based on biomechanical studies, the Inspan device may be the strongest interspinous fixation device on the market and thus is being used for spinal fusion replacing the traditional method that uses pedicle screws and interbodies with laminectomies

The study was performed at the LESS Institute by Professor Dr. Kingsley R Chin, MD, a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon and coauthors Dr. Fabio Pencle and Dr. Jason Seale.

The study was a retrospective review of prospectively collected data under an IRB approved study cohort. The study evaluated 122 surgical cases of lumbar decompression with interspinous fixation from September 2011 to October 2016. A total of 56 patients had instrumentation at L4-L5. Total female population was 46%. The median age of the patients included in the population was 50.9+/-10.7 years with a median BMI of 24.8+/-11.4 kg/m2. Two-year VAS and ODI showed significant improvement form 8.1+/-1.2 to 1.5+/-1.1 and 42.9+/-14.3 to 14.8+/-5.1. All surgeries were completed in less than one hour. There was a total of one revision case with removal of Inspan and converted to an open hemilaminectomy decompression.

In conclusion, the long-term outcome of the study demonstrated improved outcomes in patients who underwent interspinous distraction decompression in an ambulatory surgery center using the Inspan device at L4-L5 for degenerative spinal stenosis. There were no complications or implant failures.

About INSPAN, LLC

INSPAN, LLC is privately owned by KICVentures and is focused on advancing the platform of patented interspinous fixation technology. The Inspan device has a proven ten-year track record with thousands implanted since FDA-clearance in 2010.

Inspan FDA Indications

The Inspan Slim Spinous Process Plate System is a posterior non-pedicle supplemental fixation system intended for use in the non-cervical spine (T1-S1). It is intended for plate fixation/attachment to the spinous process for the purpose of achieving supplemental fusion for the following indications: spondylolisthesis, trauma (fracture ordislocation), tumor, or degenerative disc disease (defined as discogenic pain with degeneration of the disc confirmed by history and radiographic studies). The device is intended for use with bone graft material and is not intended for stand-alone use.

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In my time mediating clients and working as a nurse, I have seen so many people leave behind many unresolved issues which led to undue stress and pain for the client and family members. With my book, I wanted to help provide a path to a better ending.

FRANKLIN, Tenn. (PRWEB)
February 10, 2020

Our lives are a long and wonderful story, full of highs, lows and milestones, and we have the power to end our life story on our terms and leave behind a dignified legacy. Professional conflict mediator and author Kimberly Best teaches readers how to finish their own stories well in her encouraging new book “How to Live Forever: A Guide to Writing the Final Chapter of Your Life Story.”

Best empowers readers to take control of their destinies by recognizing the life they live creates their story which turns into their legacy so they can be purposeful in writing that story to the very end. Through true stories and with questions and prompts, the book guides readers to not only leave behind the actual story of their lives but to make personal choices around legal and health care decisions as well as their end of life ceremony and relationships.

“How to Live Forever” asserts that learning how to finish life well will ultimately help readers share the gift of their final wishes with their loved ones. Best’s book empowers readers to put the fear of death behind them and come to terms with the reality of death so they can celebrate life and walk through the end of life with clarity, courage and compassion. Through her book, Best seeks to bring people together during a time that typically can tear families apart as she discusses the benefits of mediation as a vital resource in navigating the difficult conversations around the last chapter of life.

“It is past time to take away the taboo and to have these difficult, yet freeing discussions around the second most important event in our life – our death,” says Best. “In my time mediating clients and working as a nurse, I have seen so many people leave behind many unresolved issues which led to undue stress and pain for the client and family members. With my book, I wanted to help provide a path to a better ending.”

Endorsers such as Kenneth Cloke, mediator and arbitrator for the Center of Dispute Resolution and author of “The Crossroads of Conflict,” and Dr. John Trent, president of Christian organization Strong Families and author of “The Blessing” and “Life Mapping,” hail “How to Live Forever” as “a wonderful guide to gather memories and have those needed conversations” and a “seamless combination of stirring human stories, how-to lists, and sensible advice.” A reviewer with the American Bar Association called the book “a fast read and compact for all of the tips, tools, and resources it offers…Best offers sage advice and tips based on her work first as a registered nurse, and later as a mediator focusing on family conflict and elder care.”

“How to Live Forever: A Guide to Writing the Final Chapter of Your Life Story”

By Kimberly Best

ISBN: 9781973675334 (softcover); 9781973675341 (hardcover); 9781973675327 (electronic)

Available at WestBow Press, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the author

Kimberly Best, RN, MA is a professional mediator focusing on conflict coaching, family and elder mediation. She holds a master’s degree in conflict management from Lipscomb University. She spent her early career as a registered nurse in intensive care, trauma and emergency medicine where she gained valuable experience in the medical system. A mother and grandmother, Best currently lives in Franklin, Tennessee where she runs her mediation practice, Best Conflict Solutions. To learn more please visit http://www.bestconflictsolutions.com and follow her on Twitter, @kabest05.

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WPI bioinformatics researcher Dmitry Korkin examines a 3D model of a key protein of the novel coronavirus.

“This is one of the first examples of how data-driven science can quickly respond to this challenge.”- Dmitry Korkin, associate professor of computer science

WORCESTER, Mass. (PRWEB)
February 10, 2020

A Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) bioinformatics researcher has created and unveiled a structural 3D roadmap of the new coronavirus (2019-nCoV), a major development that potentially holds the key to understanding the spread and treatment of the deadly virus.

Using a recently published viral genome of the Wuhan coronavirus made available on the National Center for Biotechnology Information website, Dmitry Korkin and a team of graduate students used molecular modeling to reconstruct the 3D structure of major viral proteins and their interactions with human proteins.

“We’re confident that our data and visual models could provide the guidance for experimental scientists worldwide who are working feverishly to solve this pandemic,” said Korkin, associate professor of computer science at WPI and director of the university’s bioinformatics and computational biology program.

In effect, Korkin said, he and his team have created a structural genomics map of the coronavirus that will be made available to researchers and anyone worldwide.

“Anyone can download our models, get any kind of information and use it for research,” he said. “This is one of the first examples of how data-driven science can quickly respond to this challenge.”

The complete 3D structural roadmap dataset and a manuscript preprint can be found at Korkin’s lab website, and will be available at bioRxiv, a free online archive and distribution service for unpublished preprints in the life sciences operated by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, a not-for-profit research and educational institution. Given the global concern over the new coronavirus, Korkin and researchers worldwide are using the website for rapid communication about the virus.

Korkin and his team used existing public databases to identify three different isolates, or pure cultures of bacteria, in Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), a virus identified in 2003 that also caused worldwide infection and significant deaths. These could be the source of the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, there have been more than 40,000 cases worldwide, with more than 900 deaths, mostly in China—numbers that have been increasing daily as international agencies work to stem the spread of the virus, which began in Wuhan, China, in late December.

“We found that those three SARS isolates are not just similar to each other, but remarkably similar to the new coronavirus,” he said. “In fact, one of the isolates shares between 95 to 100 percent of its protein sequences.”

In explaining the 3D model findings, Korkin theorizes that multiple inserts on the genome sequence—which he likened to teeth on a key—may show how this virus is different from other coronaviruses such as SARS and MERS. For instance, while some of the inserts may block human antibodies from interacting with the viral surface protein, structural analysis suggests that some antibodies are capable of interacting with it.

Extending the analogy, the wrong key is being used to try to open a door—the door that would allow human antibodies in to combat the virus.

Korkin and his team made two other significant findings. First, WPI identified where on its protein structures this coronavirus differs from SARS. Through this identification, they were able to understand the functional implications of these differences.

Second, Korkin was able to examine the drug candidates for SARS that exist in the public database, and able to pinpoint the potential drugs that could lead to the new coronavirus treatment.

Korkin says he believes this kind of data-driven approach will become the standard for helping to solve some of the world’s biggest health challenges, as in the case of the coronavirus treatment.

“I firmly believe that using a strong bioinformatics and data-driven approach to life sciences will increasingly become the way for the science community to react to immediate health threats,” said Korkin.

As a next step, Korkin will provide the research community with further insights into the evolutionary implications of this new virus.

Joining Korkin on the research are WPI PhD students Hongzhu Cui, Ziyang Gao, Ming Liu, Senbao Lu, all from China; Oleksandr Narykov from Ukraine; Suhas Srinivasan from India; master’s student Sun Mo of China and master’s Fulbright scholar Winnie Mkandawire of Malawi.

Contact:

Andy Baron, Associate Director of Public Relations

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, Massachusetts

508-831-5916, ajbaron@wpi.edu

Colleen Wamback, Associate Director of Public Relations

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, Massachusetts

508-831-6775, cbwamback@wpi.edu

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Aspire Regenerative

SAN DIEGO (PRWEB)
February 10, 2020

Aspire Regenerative, a premiere regenerative medical practice in San Diego, CA, is now offering EMSculpt treatments to patients.

EMSculpt is an FDA-approved treatment designed to burn fat and build muscle tissue. It is currently approved to treat the abdomen, buttocks, thighs, calves, biceps, and triceps. The EMSculpt machine utilizes HIFEM® (High-Intensity Focused Electromagnetic) technology to stimulate intense supramaximal muscle contractions at a rate of approximately 20,000 contractions in one 30 minute treatment session.

Intense contractions of the skeletal muscles catalyze a fat-burning process known as lipolysis, where stored fat cells are released, metabolized, and eventually excreted naturally. Clinical studies found that on average, patients who receive EMSculpt experience a 19% reduction of fat and a five times increase in fat metabolism (their apoptotic index increased from 19% to 92% post treatment).

EMSculpt is the only body-contouring therapy currently available that not only targets fat burning but also strengthens muscle tissue. Because of this, EMSculpt can be used to improve joint posture and stability. It has also shown to be an effective treatment for diastasis recti, reducing muscle separation caused by this condition by 11%. Studies have found that patients who undergo EMSculpt treatments typically experience a 16% increase in muscle mass.

EMSculpt treatments are non-invasive and do not affect the skin above the muscle tissue. During treatment sessions, patients lie down on a table and EMSculpt machine paddles are placed above the targeted muscle group. The paddles are secured in place with an elastic band that wraps around the body and velcros in place. Treatments consist of 3 phases of muscle contractions that increase in intensity based on the individual patient’s comfort level.

A complete EMSculpt treatment regimen typically consists of 4 – 30 min treatments spread out over a period of 2 to 3 weeks. Patients can resume their usual activities immediately after treatment sessions, and there are no post-care procedures they need to follow. This makes EMSculpt far more convenient and less imposing than invasive procedures such as liposuction, implants, or butt lifts, which seek to deliver comparable body-contouring results. For more information on EMSculpt treatments, visit https://aspireregenerativehealth.com/services/emsculpt/.

Aspire Regenerative is a San Diego medical practice offering personalized regenerative treatments and integrative therapies focused on helping patients reach their goals and achieve their best possible results. Aspire Regenerative’s state-of-the-art facility is located at 4510 Executive Drive, Ste 111, San Diego, CA 92121. For more information, visit https://aspireregenerativehealth.com/.

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Pacific Coast Safety Fest Region 9 Logo

Our goal is to offer participants from the larger community an opportunity to learn more about workplace safety by providing low-cost OSHA standards-based safety training.

DUBLIN, Calif. (PRWEB)
February 11, 2020

The OSHA Training Institute Education Center at Chabot-Las Positas Community College District, the only OSHA authorized OTI Education Center headquartered in Northern California, is hosting the Pacific Coast Safety Fest, an annual low-cost OSHA safety training event, on March 24-26, 2020. This year’s event, which is designed to raise worker safety and health awareness and communicate best work practices, takes place in two locations – Dublin, California, and Reno, Nevada.

“Our annual Pacific Coast Safety Fest is open to contractors, small business owners and anyone interested in creating a safer workplace,” says Cari Elofson-Callahan, Assistant Director of the OSHA Training Institute Education Center at Chabot-Las Positas Community College District. “Our goal is to offer participants from the larger community an opportunity to learn more about workplace safety by providing low-cost OSHA standards-based safety training.”

Attendees at the Pacific Coast Safety Fest pay a nominal fee of $20 per class. Topics include recordkeeping rules, safety and health management, outreach training for construction and general industries, and transitioning to safer chemicals. Attendees will receive credit for all sanctioned Education Center classes and a certificate of attendance for all classes. Space is limited and early registration is advised. Walk-ins will not be permitted. Attendees will also have the opportunity to attend the Safety Fest Expo on Tuesday, March 24, from 7:00 am-1:00 pm.

The Pacific Coast Safety Fest locations include:

OSHA Training Institute Education Center

7600 Dublin Boulevard

Dublin, California 94568

Dublin Schedule and Registration

Regional Public Safety Training Center

5190 Spectrum Boulevard

Reno, Nevada 89512

Reno Schedule and Registration

All those who are interested in enhancing workplace safety are encouraged to attend the 2020 Pacific Coast Safety Fest.

About the OSHA Training Institute Education Center

The OSHA Training Institute Education Center at Chabot-Las Positas Community College District offers high quality Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) standards-based training for construction, maritime and general industries in Dublin, California, conveniently located in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as locations throughout California, Nevada and Hawaii. Programs offered include OSHA safety standards, Outreach Trainer courses, Cal/OSHA standards and customized on-site safety training. For more information, including a complete course schedule, visit the OSHA Training Institute Education Center website, email otc@clpccd.org or call (866) 936-OSHA (6742).

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Todd Dean – Chief Operating Officer

We’ve assembled a very strong leadership team that will help guide the company as it continues its commitment to provide excellence to our customers.

COSTA MESA, Calif. (PRWEB)
February 11, 2020

As part of the structural reorganization announced by Astro Pak’s president Ken Carroll in December, Todd Dean has been appointed to the role of Chief Operating Officer for the company. Mr. Dean had been previously serving as the company’s Chief Financial Officer, a role he had held since joining the company in September of 2015. Prior to that, he had been a member of Astro Pak’s board of directors for more than a decade. “As a board member I was captivated by Astro Pak’s culture centered on meeting then exceeding their employee’s and customer’s expectations,” Mr. Dean continued, “ Coupling this culture with the very unique industry they work in was very intriguing so when given the option to join professionally, I jumped in.”

Mr. Dean’s professional career before joining Astro Pak can be described as both broad and diverse. He has been a CPA with KPMG, the Director of Finance for LG&E Energy and the COO of HomeWord, as well as the Executive Pastor of Coast Hills Community Church. Throughout that time, he has overseen large staffs and multiple departments, including accounting, finance, human resources and operations. As Astro Pak’s CFO, Mr. Dean initially oversaw the finance and accounting departments. Soon afterwards, his portfolio expanded to cover corporate services, which included information technology, compliance, legal and human resources. In 2017, his responsibilities increased as he also took on oversight of Field Operations on a national level. With his new position, Cleanroom Services will join Field Operations under Mr. Dean’s purview, uniting the company’s two primary business units under a single leadership. To allow Mr. Dean to focus on his new role, Mr. Carroll has assumed control of the Accounting & Finance, IT, Legal and People & Culture departments.

“I’m extremely optimistic about Astro Pak and its future,” Mr. Dean said. “I believe we’re well positioned with the aerospace sector as they continue to grow as well as the ongoing opportunities with the food and beverage and pharmaceutical industries.” He concludes, “We’ve assembled a very strong leadership team that will help guide the company as it continues its commitment to provide excellence to our customers.”

About Astro Pak

Astro Pak has been the leading provider of passivation, high purity and precision cleaning services in North America since 1959. Astro Pak meets the critical cleaning and surface conditioning requirements for a myriad of industries such as biopharmaceutical and aerospace via our on-site services, as well as our state-of-the-art cleanroom and shop facilities.

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Mia Flewitt wins her second consecutive Pure McLaren GT Series Championship title.

“I’m quite excited to do my part to raise awareness for RP,” she says, “because I know how strong the bond of the racing community is.”

NEW YORK (PRWEB)
February 10, 2020

The Relapsing Polychondritis Foundation is pleased to announce Mia Flewitt, reigning two-time Pure McLaren GT Series champion and British GT driver, will be a Race for RP driver in 2020. Mia is a sensation in the motorsport world and a passionate ally in the fight against relapsing polychondritis (RP) and other autoimmune diseases.

Flewitt has spent the past three decades in the automotive world, starting as a car builder for Volvo and later becoming an engineer for Tom Walkinshaw Racing, where she was instrumental in the manufacture of the Renault Clio V6. In 2014, she began racing historic cars with her husband, Mike Flewitt, and inspired by that experience — and a test drive in a McLaren 650S — enrolled in McLaren’s Performance Academy later that year.

Flewitt has won the Pure McLaren GT Series Championship twice, which is a testament to both her intellect and grit. Indy 500 Winner Kenny Bräck says, “Mia’s background as an automotive engineer provides her with a good understanding of vehicle dynamics. Along with her smooth driving style, that’s a combination you don’t see very often in amateur drivers.” According to Mika Häkkinen, a double Formula 1 world champion, Mia is “a great example for the motorsport community on how far determination and true passion can take you even though you start your racing career later.”

In 2020, Flewitt and McLaren factory driver Euan Hankey will race Balfe Motorsport’s second full season British GT4 entry in the Pro/Am class. Mia rejoins Balfe Motorsport after racing in three rounds of the 2019 British GT Championship season. In December, Flewitt and Hankey, her driver coach of the past two years, finished P2 with the team in the Gulf 12 Hours in Abu Dhabi.

Recently, Flewitt focused her passion on raising awareness for relapsing polychondritis, a currently incurable autoimmune disease that causes the body to attack its own cartilage. RP landed on Flewitt’s radar through her friendship with fellow race car driver Neil Langberg, and his wife and the founder of Race for RP, Nancy Linn.

“I had never heard of this disease before,” says Flewitt, “but then I met Nancy. My husband and I would be out to dinner with her and Neil, and sometimes she’d have to cut the meal short and go to the hospital because of a flare-up. Seeing how incredibly strong Nancy is, I wanted to help in my own little way.”

As the 2020 season approaches, Flewitt is excited to see the Race for RP brand on her race suit and car, which will zip around race courses throughout Europe, North America, and the Middle East. Fresh off her back-to-back victories during the past two years, Flewitt’s goal now is to win the British GT Championship.

Flewitt will also appear at events to help raise awareness and support for RP, including at a Pure McLaren event in October, where certain RP researchers and advocates will be able to climb into her McLaren for “hot laps” around the track. “I’m quite excited to do my part to raise awareness for RP,” she says, “because I know how strong the bond of the racing community is.”

The Pure McLaren GT Series starts its third season on April 2nd with a 5.4-kilometer course in the Sakhir desert of Bahrain. From there, the drivers will race Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium), Silverstone (England), Laguna Seca (United States), and Circuit of the Americas (United States).

About Relapsing Polychondritis

Relapsing polychondritis (RP) is a debilitating and sometimes fatal autoimmune disease that is characterized by inflammation of cartilage and other tissues throughout the body. The disease affects multiple organs, particularly cartilaginous structures such as the ears, nose, airways and joints as well as eyes, skin, heart valves and brain. The cause of RP is unknown. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/RP_Poster.

About Race for RP

Race for RP supports research and awareness programs for relapsing polychondritis (RP) and related diseases. For more information, visit RaceforRP.org. Follow Race for RP on Instagram, @RaceforRP.

About the Relapsing Polychondritis Foundation

The RP Foundation’s purpose is to facilitate education, awareness and research initiatives that improve the quality of life for patients with RP. For more information, visit http://www.polychondritis.org.

About the Pure McLaren GT Series

The Pure McLaren GT Series is an FIA sanctioned international one-make racing championship, based around the astounding McLaren 570S GT4. The series provides an opportunity for McLaren owners with track driving experience to take their first steps into racing. Competitors are supported each step of the way by a team of motorsport experts with over five decades of racing know-how.

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