At Visikol we have assisted many pharma and biotech companies with making sense of large multi-dimensional data sets and extracting key quantitative metrics

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. (PRWEB)
October 07, 2019

Imaging data sets are generated through drug discovery research projects using a wide-range of imaging modalities such as optical projection tomography, optical coherence tomography, echocardiogram, light sheet microscopy, MRI and X-ray CT. While many research groups have the capability to generate these data sets inhouse, a lot of research groups struggle with transforming these large and sometimes noisy data sets into actionable insights that allow them to make more informed decisions during the drug discovery process.

“At Visikol, we have assisted many pharma and biotech companies with making sense of large multi-dimensional data sets and extracting key quantitative metrics. We find that most off-the-shelf image analysis platforms are limited in their flexibility and a lot of research groups reach out to us when they need help with building customized image analysis solutions,” described Visikol Chief Science Officer Dr. Tom Villani.

To start an image analysis project with Visikol, Clients discuss with the Visikol project team the types of end-points they are interested in and the details of their specific research question. Clients will then send along a hard drive of data or upload files to Visikol’s secure cloud-based file sharing platform. From this data, Visikol can apply its 3Screen™ image analysis tools which are a suite of digital pathology algorithms designed for use with both two-dimensional and three-dimensional image data sets. These tools are ultimately used to transform the data sets provided by Clients into actionable insights that allow Clients to make more informed decisions during the drug discovery processes.

“Over the last few years, we have worked with Clients on projects ranging from analyzing 40-plex multiplex slide data sets and processing thousands of in vivo optical coherence retina imaging data sets to identifying novel image-based biomarkers such as in our recent work with Enzyvant Therapeutics,” described Visikol Director of Imaging Services Dr. Graeme Gardner. While there are many digital pathology companies in the marketplace today offering services as well as off-the-shelf digital pathology solutions, Visikol has become a leader in this space through its expertise with multi-dimensional datasets, on-demand custom software development and image analysis software validation and clinical deployment.

About Visikol

Visikol is a CRO focused on advanced drug discovery that is leading the fields of bio-imaging, bioinformatics and image analysis. We conduct end-to-end drug discovery services that include both 2D and 3D in vitro models and assays, 3D whole mount tissue imaging, digital pathology and custom drug discovery projects. Visikol offers a portfolio of drug discovery services ranging from 2D and 3D cell culture model and assay development to in vitro screening, animal tissue histology and automated image processing. The focus of these services is to transform tissues into images and ultimately into quantitative data sets that can be mined for actionable insights that help our Clients make more informed decisions during the drug discovery process. Additionally, Visikol manufactures and sells a suite of tissue clearing reagents and 3D immuno-labeling kits. These products allow researchers to easily and rapidly image whole tissues and 3D cell culture models in 3D instead of traditional 2D sectioning. For more information about Visikol or its services, please visit our website at visikol.com.

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“We are humbled and honored to have been awarded Innovative Technology contracts for these three products. This award from Vizient validates the level of clinical excellence LINET brings to the market,” said Colin Bain, President and CEO of LINET Americas.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (PRWEB)
October 07, 2019

LINET announced its Multicare ICU bed, AVE 2 Labor & Delivery bed and Eleganza 5 Med Surg bed have received Innovative Technology contracts from Vizient, Inc., the largest member-driven health care performance improvement company in the country. The contract was based on a recommendation of these healthcare beds, intended for critical care, acute care, and labor and delivery environments, by hospital experts in these categories who serve on one of Vizient’s member-led councils.

Multicare, LINET’s intensive care bed, uses innovative technologies to create an ideal combination of clinical benefits for patients and staff – medical, nursing and therapy. Unique features support vital patient functions and provide excellent working conditions for staff to help minimize the risks associated with caring for high acuity patients. Innovative features include:

• 
  Programmable Automatic Lateral Therapy to treat pulmonary complications
• Frame-based lateral tilt up to 30 degrees for easy patient repositioning
• Passive leg raise capability to 38 degrees for sepsis protocol
• Motorized patient transport with automatic fifth wheel and variable speeds to assist with movement of patients throughout the hospital
• Automatic i-Brake system engages after 60 seconds to lock castors to help prevent patient falls
• Ergoframe’s auto-contour position helps reduce patient migration to foot of bed and reduces pressure and shear on patient’s skin
• Hands-free foot controls and one touch hand controls for easy product operation

AVE 2, LINET’s labor and delivery bed, has many features that make the birthing process easier for both the mother and the medical staff. Thanks to its broad range of accessories and positions, the patient has the ability to choose a delivery method that best suits her birthing plan. Innovative features include:

• Integrated retractable foot section for quick bed reconfiguration during labor
• Easy adjustments for siderail/headrail and leg sections
• Tilting U-shape seat for better patient access
• Independent motorized seat tilt for more position options
• Multiple articulation positions available to best suit the mother

Eleganza 5, LINET’s acuity-adaptable bed, helps make routine nursing activities safer, easier and faster for enhanced nursing efficiency and better patient outcomes. Advanced features reduce the amount of stress and strain on caregivers while providing additional safety and comfort for patients. Innovative features include:

• Frame-based lateral tilt up to 15 degrees for easier patient positioning and transfers
• Ergoframe’s auto-contour position to reduce patient migration to foot of bed and reduce pressure and shear on patient’s skin
• Built-in patient sit-to-stand assist for easier ingress/egress to assist with early patient ambulation

“We are humbled and honored to have been awarded Innovative Technology contracts for these three products. This award from Vizient validates the level of clinical excellence LINET brings to the market,” said Colin Bain, President and CEO of LINET Americas.

“Hospitals and providers are looking for innovations that offer unique and cumulative benefit over other products available on the market today. Our member council determined these technologies met the criteria to be awarded with the Innovative Technology contract. Congratulations to LINET on receiving this status,” said Debbie Archer, director of procurement and Vizient Innovative Technology Program leader.

Vizient represents a diverse membership base that includes academic medical centers, pediatric facilities, community hospitals, integrated health delivery networks and non-acute health care providers and represents approximately $100 billion in annual purchasing volume. Through its Innovative Technology Program, Vizient works with member-led councils and task forces to review potentially innovative products. If it is determined that a product is innovative, Vizient may award a contract outside of the competitive bid cycle.

LINET Founded in 1990, LINET is an international leader in healthcare technology with patient beds installed in over 100 countries. Considered one of the most dynamic companies in the healthcare field, LINET offers a new and unique approach to the hospital bed market. LINET manufacturers innovative beds for the ICU and Medical-Surgical, Labor & Delivery, One-Day Care, and Long-Term Care environments that promote patient and nurse safety, facilitate early mobilization, assist in better adherence to turning schedules, improve pain management and help reduce infection rates. The company’s U.S. headquarters is based in Charlotte, NC. Please visit http://www.linetamericas.com for more information.

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“Everyone on the Forcura team is responsible for helping us grow as a company and I’m proud of each of their contributions to our shared mission of empowering better patient care,” said Founder and CEO Craig Mandeville.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (PRWEB)
October 03, 2019

Forcura has been ranked as No. 23 among healthcare suppliers/vendors in Modern Healthcare’s 2019 Best Places to Work in Healthcare list. The complete list of this year’s winner rankings is available here. Modern Healthcare will publish a special supplement featuring ranked lists of all the winners along with the September 30 issue.

“This recognition by Modern Healthcare is a great accomplishment towards our goals to become the best healthcare technology company,” said Founder and CEO Craig Mandeville. “Everyone on the Forcura team is responsible for helping us grow as a company and I’m proud of each of their contributions to our shared mission of empowering better patient care.”

Modern Healthcare and its Best Places to Work in Healthcare award winners have accomplished much over the years, empowering healthcare organizations, and the people who work for them, to realize their full potential. Modern Healthcare partners with the Best Companies Group on the assessment process, which includes an extensive employee survey.

Forcura has recently been named to the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies List, received awards for Best Place to Work, and Best UI/UX Design in SaaS.

“With record unemployment levels, organizations face stiff competition to attract and retain top talent. The providers and companies making this year’s Best Places to Work in Healthcare list understand the importance of creating an environment where employees can not only excel in their own development but contribute to the mission of improving care delivery,” said Aurora Aguilar, editor of Modern Healthcare. “An appreciation—and dedication—to their organization’s mission was one of the most common refrains from employees filling out surveys this year.”

Forcura was honored at the 2019 Best Places to Work Awards Dinner on Thursday, September 26, at the Renaissance Dallas Hotel. This is the 2nd year Forcura has made the list.

About Modern Healthcare

Modern Healthcare is the most trusted business news and information brand in the healthcare industry. Combining the power of a print publication, 24-7 digital news products, robust research and event platforms, Modern Healthcare empowers healthcare leaders and influencers to make timely and informed business decisions. To learn more or subscribe, go to https://www.modernhealthcare.com/subscribe.

About Forcura

Forcura, a leading healthcare technology company headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, facilitates continuity of care via technology, analytics and a deep commitment to enabling better patient care. The Forcura suite of tools is powered by Forcura Connect, a proprietary framework for standardizing interoperability and integration among post-acute health care organizations, physicians, electronic health records (EHRs) and other supporting technology vendors. Through our technology and analytics solutions, we are a step closer every day to elevating the opportunities of post-acute care. The company has received awards for Fastest Growing Company for the fourth consecutive year, Best UI/UX Design in SaaS, and Best Places to Work by Inc. Magazine. For more information visit http://www.forcura.com, call 800-378-0596 or follow Forcura on LinkedIn.

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The Plantrician Project

Dietary recommendations are more than a single meta-analysis or study. It would be foolish to disregard decades of research, both randomized control trials and observational data, that have found that red and processed meat increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.

ST. LOUIS (PRWEB)
October 03, 2019

The Annals of Internal Medicine systematic review and meta-analysis of red and processed meat titled “Unprocessed red meat and processed meat consumption: dietary guideline recommendations” draws inaccurate conclusions from a flawed design to advocate for the continued consumption of red and processed meat. The conclusions stand in stark opposition to numerous trials and observational studies linking red and processed meat consumption with the increased risk for heart disease, stroke, some cancers, type 2 diabetes, and all cause mortality. Research from The World Health Organization conducted by 22 experts from 10 countries, reviewing more than 800 studies concluded that consuming 50 grams (1 hot dog or 3-4 strips of bacon) of processed meat daily increased the risk of colorectal cancer. The 2019 American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association guidelines based on a thorough review of the research recommend a diet that emphasizes the intake of vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, and minimizes the intake of red and processed meats among other processed foods. The NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study evaluated the diets of 536,969 people and concluded, “The results show increased risks of all cause mortality and death due to nine different causes associated with both processed and unprocessed red meat, accounted for, in part, by heme iron and nitrate/nitrite from processed meat.”

These are a few examples, of many, from large studies that refute the findings of the Annals study.

The study title and resultant sensational news headlines misrepresent the findings and fail to tell the story of the inherent limitations of this study and its meta-analyses methods. Originally meta-analyses were utilized beginning in the mid-1970’s to summarize the data from studies of similar populations and identify trends, biases, or knowledge gaps and were inclusive. However, error can enter into the final conclusions when the included studies are different in nature and or exclude other studies. The Annals study discounted findings from multiple large American cohorts that are prospectively collected over a long period of time indicating harm from both red meat and processed red meat, predominately on the basis of the use of food frequency questionnaires, which they state, are inaccurate. Other trusted guidelines like the ACC/AHA are based on multiple prospective observational cohorts including Adventist Health Studies (AHS-1 and -2), Nurses’ Health Study (NHS), Health Professional Follow-Up Study (HPFS), Atherosclerotic Risk in Communities (ARIC), National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), and the National Institute of Health-American Association of Retired People (NIH-AARP) study. These studies have a consistent signal of harm from processed and/or unprocessed red meat. In addition, if there were significant errors or inaccuracies adding noise to the data sets, it would be more difficult to achieve statistical significance in these studies, not less difficult.

Finally, we must avoid the reductionism that has marked our westernized approach to scientific questions and research. Dietary recommendations should be simultaneously evaluated based on their impact to the global food web, or the seed to table journey, that includes soil and resource management and food/water access and availability. Research from the largest study ever completed evaluated 38,700 farms from 119 countries and found that 80% of the farmland is utilized for farm animals to produce meat but produces only 18% of the calories and 37% of the protein. Similarly, the EAT Lancet study brought together 37 experts in the intersection of health and global food sustainability for a population that will soon reach 10 billion. Lead author Dr. Walter Willet said, “Transformation to healthy diets by 2050 will require substantial dietary shifts. Global consumption of fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes will have to double, and consumption of foods such as red meat and sugar will have to be reduced by more than 50%. A diet rich in plant-based foods and with fewer animal source foods confers both improved health and environmental benefits.” These and other similar research studies concluded that a shift away from the consumption of animal products is necessary to preserve critical resources and feed a growing global population.

Dietary recommendations are more than a single meta-analysis or study and it would be foolish to disregard decades of research, both randomized control trials and observational data, linking red and processed meat to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. We cannot allow an outlier study to undermine the tested recommendations that provide the greatest protection and prevention for populations around the world. Finally, the food we eat and the way it is produced will have a lasting impact on the global resources that we will be leaving as an inheritance to our children and grandchildren. Therefore it is imperative that we move beyond the gyrations imposed by a myopic view of a sensational headline study and regain focus through a careful review of the research and ongoing scientific dialogue about the impact of our diet on human health and global resources.

Scott Stoll, MD FABPMR

Co-Founder The Plantrician Project

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