AFT Features, Fitness at Work, Men's Health, Women's Health

An Engaged Core gives Better Strength

I’m sure you’ve heard fitness trainers saying this – engage your core, engage your core! Your “core” refers to the muscles that surround your midsection, the part that runs from the top of our pelvic bone to the top of your stomach, wrapping around to your lower back. Basically it’s your trunk area.

Why does your “core” need to be strong? It needs to be not only strong, but also flexible and coordinated to help you in every action and movement. The core area helps us flex, extend, side-bend and rotate your trunk in all directions, as well as keep the trunk stable. Along with your hips and lower back, the abdominal muscles is crucial in keeping our centre strong so that we can use our arms and legs powerfully without hurting your spine.

Why is core engagement important?

A strong core is important in maintaining good physical health. Remember, your core is the building block for your entire body’s posture and overall movement. Once you have strong core muscles, you can improve your balance, coordination and stability, as well as reduce any risk of lower back pain and injury.

Besides athletes and sportsmen, elderly persons can also greatly benefit from having a strong core.

Building the exercise routine

Incorporate practicing core engagement exercises so you can also build endurance around your other muscles. A very simple tip, is to ensure holding a good posture at all times. This simple practice naturally engages your core! So when you’re standing, your spine is more or less in its natural curve. Once you’re used to it, it will become second nature and standing with a relaxed core will actually feel weird.

Six packs equal a strong core?

Let’s start with aspiring towards a lean physique…without a six pack. Most people with six packs are truly inspiring and disciplined; keeping an extremely strict exercise regime and maintaining a planned nutritional schedule and intake. Often pictures of athletes or models parading their six packs are taken during their peak conditions where they have activated both their transverse and rectus abdominus. They don’t usually look like that all year round. In truth, this kind of lifestyle is not realistic for ordinary people like us who do not have 6-8 hours to exercise every day. Abdominal definition is, in many cases, a side effect of being strong and healthy. In other words, strengthen your Transverse Abdominus.

What’s the Tranverse Abdominus?

Transverse Abdominus, or TVA, is the deepest layer of abdominal muscles. It covers our whole torso from ribs to pelvis and from front to back. The TVA muscles are set horizontally like a weight belt or corset and it does not move your pelvis or spine. It helps with your breathing and also helps stabilise your spine, in addition to forceful exhaling of air from the lungs and compress the internal organs.

Why is the TVA so important as a core muscle?

The TVA helps stabilise your spine and is one of the main muscles that helps stabilise the lumbar spine, which is the bottom part of the spine. You can tell you have a weak TVA when you have lower back pain.

When you strengthen your TVA, you not only strengthen your back, which is important for many other activities such as lifting stuff, sitting, walking and many more activities that involve limb movements.

When your TVA is weak your abdominal wall will bulge outwards and your pelvis may rotate and your may increase the risk of a curvature of the spine. In other words, strengthen your core to decrease the risk to your spine. It also helps you to trim your stomach area.

How do you build on the TVA as a core muscle then?

There’s no one magical exercise routine, but a combination of movements that engage the core in a way that works so much better than crunches and sit-ups.

Planks are well known for “working” the core, but some other exercises include pull-ups, jumping, spinning, and rolling.

These movements have one thing in common – and that is, none of them are “isolation” exercises. Basically, in order to do those movements, you need to use your abdominals to maintain your posture and stability throughout the motion.

Core engagement exercise tips

Engage your core while seated

A lot of us sit for long periods of time either at the office or while driving. For this very reason, practising and engaging your core is especially important as you sit down or get up from your chair or car seat.

Step 1: Sit up straight in your chair, with your shoulders over your hips, then let your back relax back against the backrest.

Step 2: Sit up into your original position again and feel that light sense of tension in your abs needed to hold yourself up. It should not be much. Just a light, but deep, engagement. This is the level of engagement you want to have while you walk, run or do any movement throughout your day.

Abdominal Vacuum

Step 1: Sit up tall on a chair. Straighten your spine and place your feet flat on the floor.

Step 2: Draw your bellybutton in toward your spine, engaging your core muscles. Do not hold your breath; instead breathe deeply and evenly.

Step 3: Contract your abdominals or pulse the muscles in and out until your muscles fatigue.

You can practice the abdominal vacuum exercise throughout the day while you are sitting on a chair.

Engage your core – AsiaFitnessToday.com

Abdominal Hold

Step 1: Sit on the edge of a chair with a straight spine and your feet flat on the floor.

Step 2: Place your palms flat on the seat of the chair, curling your fingers around the edge of the seat.

Step 3: Engage your core muscles by drawing your bellybutton in toward your spine. Press down with your hands and draw your knees toward your chest, lifting your feet two to four inches off the floor.

Repeat this exercise as many times as you can during a one-minute interval.

How about other times when we are not sitting or exercising?

Keep your core engaged lightly and gently during any and all movement: when you first get out of bed (with a gentle stretch), while walking, getting into and out of your car, at the office at your desk, and most definitely while you run or walk or do any kind of fitness activity, standing in line, cooking dinner, even while brushing your teeth.

When you focus your mind on your core several times a day, you are in touch with a deeper part of yourself, in the present moment.

Reminding ourselves to keep our core engaged

Make it a game…how many muscles can you engage in any movement if your core is engaged. Feel the difference in how you move when your core is or is not consciously employed. How about setting an alarm on your phone, with a ring tone that is unique to remind yourself to engage your core?

Revisiting the benefits of breathing right

You might not think about something that happens so automatically as breathing, but it can make all the difference in your workout – especially when doing stomach exercises. Breathing out at the right time tightens your ab muscles and engages your core, so you get more out of your workout. Proper breathing technique can also give you more stamina while on the exercise mat. When exerting yourself, it can seem like a natural reaction to hold your breath. Don’t do this! Keep breathing otherwise you could get dizzy and faint.

Proper Technique

Improper breathing techniques could interfere or delay your ability to get the most out of your ab workout. To get the most oxygen from your lungs to your muscles, it’s important that you draw air deep into your lungs. This is accomplished using a technique known as abdominal breathing.

Abdominal breathing helps you fill your belly with air to get the optimal amount of oxygen into your body. If you’re only pulling air into your chest, you may not get the oxygen you need during a workout.

Ok, some people will say that they breathe with their lungs. This is okay as long as you can feel your abdominal muscles move.

The problem arises when you use your upper chest to breath as this more often than not causes or makes chest pain worse.

Chest breathing are shallow and rapid or fast breaths. This is a stress response and can lead to hyperventilation, which is bad for those with stress and anxiety. You can use abdominal breathing to control your nervous system and encourage your body to relax. When your body is relaxed, it brings a range of health benefits.

Take a quick at the last issue of Running Malaysia where we touched on Breathing. Proper breathing helps you to lose weight as well. So when you’re strengthening your core, don’t forget to breathe.

Credit: Article compiled by Nikki Yeo – Co-founder AsiaFitnessToday.com and ACE-certified Fitness Trainer.

References:
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/abdominalcorestrength1/ss/AbAnatomy_5.htm
http://www.chirunning.com/blog/entry/all-day-core
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Breathing_to_reduce_stress?open
http://healthyliving.azcentral.com/tighten-stomach-sitting-6831.html
http://www.breathing.com/articles/chest-breathing.htm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/8757467/How-to-breathe.html
http://www.livestrong.com/article/405255-breathing-techniques-for-stomach-exercises/
PRNews

Traditional Chinese Medicine Brand GuangYuYuan to make Global Debut at Paris Fashion Week

-China’s oldest TCM brand to sponsor rising fashion star in unprecedented collaboration with tech giant Tencent

— Oldest TCM brand in China, with a history of nearly 500 years

— Guo Jiaxue, Chairman of the Board of GuangYuYuan: “Very few companies in the world boast a heritage as long as ours. For GuangYuYuan, the preservation of traditional culture and encouraging innovation are two of the pillars our company is built on.”

BEIJING, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — The oldest of the “Big 4” Traditional Chinese Medicine brands, GuangYuYuan, will be making its global debut at Paris Fashion Week on 1 October 2017.


Chinese designer Big-King sketches a GuangYuYuan inspired design for his Paris Fashion Week Debut

At an event organized by tech giant Tencent, during the finale of the biannual international “Big 4” fashion weeks, GuangYuYuan will sponsor an innovative runway show by up-and-coming Chinese designer Liu Qing, also known as Big-King, in what will be his first Paris runway show.

Guo Jiaxue, Chairman of the Board of GuangYuYuan Chinese Herbal Medicine Co., Ltd. explained the motivation behind this unique collaboration: “Very few companies in the world boast a heritage as long as ours. For GuangYuYuan, the preservation of traditional culture and encouraging innovation are two of the pillars our company is built on. We are excited to see how Big-King is able to incorporate distinctly Chinese elements into his designs, as well as some elements that reflect our own history of nearly 500 years.”  

The GuangYuYuan-sponsored show received special permission to be held in the magnificent Musee Jacquemart-Andre, the first runway Paris Fashion Week show ever held in the museum. GuangYuYuan will also have highlights from its brand culture and design aesthetics on display during its Paris debut.

About GuangYuYuan

GuangYuYuan was founded in 1541. In 2003 it was acquired by a leading Chinese pharmaceutical conglomerate, Xi’an Dongsheng Group, and is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange under the name GuangYuYuan Chinese Herbal Medicine Co. Ltd., stock number 600771. In 2006, GuangYuYuan was honored by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, receiving its “Time-Honored Brand” appellation. Two of GuangYuYuan’s oldest products, GuilingJi and Dingkun Dan, have been declared to be part of China’s intangible cultural heritage and their formulas have been named national secrets.

Website: www.guangyuyuan.cn

View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/traditional-chinese-medicine-brand-guangyuyuan-to-make-global-debut-at-paris-fashion-week-300524818.html

PRNews

The World’s Wisest Minds Gather in Guiyang to Brainstorm Ideas to Promote Public Health

-The Opening Ceremony of the Fourth World Nobel Prize Laureate Summit

GUIYANG, China, Sept. 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — On September 14th, the three-day Fourth World Nobel Prize Laureate Summit 2017 was kicked off at the Guiyang International Eco-conference Center. Five Nobel Prize laureates, more than ten academicians from China and the United States, over 2,000 prestigious experts, as well as domestic and overseas pioneering enterprises and senior investors in the biomedical industry all gathered in Guiyang to discuss issues concerning the innovations in China’s medical science and technology with a focus on the theme – “Science: Fact and Fiction”.


The Opening Ceremony of the 4th WNPLS (PRNewsfoto/Nobel Prize Laureate Summit)


5 Nobel Prize laureates in Summit Dialogue: “Science: Fact and Fiction” (PRNewsfoto/Nobel Prize Laureate Summit)

With the strong support from Guizhou provincial government and Guiyang municipal government, the Summit was jointly held by China Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine (CATCM), China High-tech Industrialization Association (CHIA), China Centre for International Science and Technology Exchange (CCISTE), China Pharmaceutical Industry Association (CPIA), and International Society of Scientific Communications for Nobel Prize Laureates (ISSCNL), in a bid to build a platform for in-depth dialogues among top medical experts from home and abroad in the era of “mass entrepreneurship and innovation”, foster innovative ways of thinking, and provide more solutions for cooperation and challenges in the medical science field.

The Summit is, without doubt, the highest-level meeting in the bio-science sector, which has brought together the world’s most eminent scientists, including five Nobel Prize recipients (Richard J. Roberts, Steven Chu, Barry J. Marshall, Robert C. Merton, and Aaron Ciechanover), more than ten academicians, and a hundred medical experts, to examine the facts about the globally neglected big issues concerning the climate change and genetically modified organisms. They would also harvest collective wisdom and support to brainstorm the wisest ideas, and conduct in-depth discussions and exchanges on such topics as integration of Chinese traditional medicine (TCM) and western medicine, precision medicine, and industrial upgrading driven by innovations. The epoch-making dialogues among these experts and scientists during the meeting have attracted dozens of leading media from home and abroad to cover the whole event, including CCTV, People’s Daily, Reuters, Phoenix TV and Xinhua news agency.


Congratulation from Guizhou province government (PRNewsfoto/Nobel Prize Laureate Summit)

The secretary of provincial party committee of Guizhou province Sun Zhigang and the acting governor of Guizhou province Chen Yiqin sent a congratulations, the vice director of National health and family planning commission issued a written address, raising the Summit’s stimulation of communication between traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine, urging the Summit to continue to contribute to creative transformation and innovative development.

The Summit set up four key forums and multiple project investment sessions: Chinese Medicine Industry Innovation Development Forum to encourage academic discussions and industrial development; International Precision Medicine Summit Forum; World Youth Innovation Forum to inspire new thinking; and International Bio-medicine Industry Forum to promote capital investment and practical operations. Besides, it introduced many more activities, such as innovation and entrepreneurship competitions, and exhibitions for innovative products and technologies.


Keynote speaker: 1997 Nobel prize laureate in physics Steven Chu (PRNewsfoto/Nobel Prize Laureate Summit)

As the highlight of this year’s summit, the world youth innovation forum brought today’s top Scientific leaders and tomorrow’s stars together. The “dream team”, consisting of 1997 Nobel prize laureate in physics Steven Chu, 1993 Nobel prize laureate in physiology or medicine Richard J. Roberts, 2005 Nobel prize laureate in physiology or medicine Barry J. Marshall, 1997 Nobel Prize laureate in economics Robert C. Merton, with young Chinese scientists and students, they had a deep and interesting exchange and discussion of the issues on global climate change, the truth of GMOs, etc. Young people cherished such a rare and valuable opportunity of contact with the Nobel laureates. The role model effects, technology celebrity guide effects and inspirational effects greatly aroused the enthusiasm for innovative and creative thinking, promoting positive values guide. On the forum, the excellent keynote speech of Chinese young scientists has also delivered the voice of Chinese youth to the world. We see the enthusiasm of China’s young people who are actively concerned about the issue of global development, and the goal of global sustainable development has attracted the attention of Chinese youth and even the world’s young people.


Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, director of Peking University Medicine Center Zhan Qimin in Precision Medicine Forum (PRNewsfoto/Nobel Prize Laureate Summit)

Recently, the necessity and significance of precision medicine has been attached with great importance to it by the healthcare industry and governments of different countries; and it has become one of the world’s hottest topics and has triggered the burgeoning growth of the healthcare market. Focusing on the development direction and strategy of precision medicine in China, the cross-field and interdisciplinary cooperation modes in precision medicine projects, and the future project implementation in different cities and provinces, the Precision Medicine Forum has summoned a number of renowned medical experts, scientists, policy-makers, and industrial leaders to study the field thoroughly from various dimensions, and has achieved remarkable results. Mr. Zhan Qimin, director of the PKU Health Science Center, said that precision is not only the ultimate goal of medical scientists, but the inexorable process of medicine development, during which the fundamental rule is innovations in scientific research. To this end, we should not just put emphasis on individual demands or simply regard it as part of genomics and big data. In fact, precision medicine is a diagnosis and treatment concept that focuses more on integration of different disciplines and takes proper consideration into the patients’ physical and mental conditions.

The future precision medicine should involve multiple disciplines – big data, genomics, molecular images, and molecular pathology, and make personalized and customized treatment plans based on patients’ conditions, living environment and lifestyle. In face of the historic opportunity of precision medicine – an area in which Chinese medicine may take the lead, this Forum explored the way of thinking across different disciplines and dimensions, and exhibited a new and comprehensive picture of precision medicine to the industry and the public.


Written address from Chinese medicine master Zhang Daning (PRNewsfoto/Nobel Prize Laureate Summit)

In recent years, the “Preventive Treatment of Disease” concept of traditional Chinese medicine and its strengths in preventing and curing modern diseases have been recognized by more and more countries and medical scientists, particularly after the State Council issued the Outline of the Strategic Plan on Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine (2016-2030) in 2016, which regards the development of Chinese medicines as a “national strategy” and opens a landmark chapter for the revival of traditional Chinese medicine in a great effort to rejuvenate the Chinese nation as a whole. In this sense, accelerating the development of traditional Chinese medicine has become a strategic issue concerning national confidence, national security and international competition. To meet the trend, Chinese Medicine Industry Innovation Development Forum, which is based in Guiyang – a city well-known for its leadership in the “Chinese medicine industry”, has solicited opinions and strategies from the participants on various issues including the development of Chinese medicine culture and healthcare services, inheritance and innovation of traditional Chinese medicine and folk medicines of ethnic minorities, new services of traditional Chinese medicine, and overseas development of traditional Chinese medicines (folk medicines and medical treatment of Miao minority in particular) from the global point of view and on the national strategic level. During the meeting, TCM master Mr. Zhang Daning, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering Mr. Wu Yiling, along with other representatives from political and business circles, have reviewed and analyzed from various angles the advantages of traditional Chinese medicine and the challenges it is now facing.

They have strived to encourage the combination of traditional Chinese medicine’s philosophical thinking and modern technologies so as to yield original and innovative results. In addition, they have made significant achievements in reviving traditional medicines worldwide, promoting the standard establishment, property intellectual rights, and future market of traditional Chinese medicine, and guiding the advances of life sciences – achievements that not only enhance the industrial development of traditional Chinese medicine itself, but make it a vehicle to carry forward China’s splendid culture across the world and effectively improve the cultural exchange and mutual learning among different countries.

Scientific and technologic development needs to be applied to practice – with this aim, in the International Bio-pharmaceutical forum, scientists, business leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs, led by three Nobel Prize laureates, have conducted effective discussions from various dimensions on the internationalization of traditional Chinese medicine, particularly trending issues regarding the development of Chinese medicine industry after China joined the International Council for Harmonisation (ICH), the vigorous investment and mergers & acquisitions in the medicine sector worldwide, and the “last mile” of technological innovation and industrialization, triggering the “brainstorming” of the participants. Relying on the platform of Nobel Prize International Innovation Center, communication meetings between governments and enterprises, and closed-door business discussions were successfully held to promote the cooperation on numerous international cutting-edge technologies and products in China.

The platform is also designed to create many business incubators in China and other countries (e.g. the United States, Israel, European countries, and Japan) by borrowing the experiences from the United States’ Silicon Valley and China’s Beijing Zhongguancun Life Science Park, in an effort to capitalize the energies from the “brainstorming” and the intellectual accomplishments through profound academic exchanges. The Forum made accurate forecasts of the development trends in the medicine industry and gave an impetus to the resources integration of different regions and around the world as well as the cultivation, exchange and reserve of talented experts – a move that will make active contributions to China’s healthcare causes and provoke tremendous responses from the industry and all walks of life.

The “Nobel Prize Star Award” will also be granted during this Summit. The previous Star Award winners who have completed their studies in a workshop established by some renowned Nobel Prize laureates will come back to the opening ceremony to share with us their learning experiences.

Meanwhile, a rich series of activities will also be conducted on the sideline of the Summit in the next three days, including the “Nobel Laureates’ China Tour” to various science parks, research institutes, hospitals, medical universities, enterprises, middle and primary schools in Guiyang.

The World Nobel Prize Laureate Summit (WNPLS) is a high-profile annual event hosted by the International Society of Scientific Communications for Nobel Prize Laureates (ISSCNL). The Summit was first initiated in 2014 and it was held in Beijing, Tianjin and Chengdu for the past three years. From the capital of China to the deep inland, from Nobel Prize winners, academic elites to prominent scientists from home and abroad, to a new generation of young students and scholars, the Summit has brought together the world’s most advanced medical and technological achievements and has received globally broad support and cooperation from the medical industry.

The vision of the meeting is to carry forward the heritage of the medical world and spread the knowledge among all countries. We expect that this year’s Summit will bring more excitement to the entire medical industry and the Chinese people.

View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-worlds-wisest-minds-gather-in-guiyang-to-brainstorm-ideas-to-promote-public-health-300522129.html

PRNews

Institut Marquès presents their studies on music and the beginning of life at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

– Dr. Marisa López-Teijón, director of this internationally renowned center in Assisted Reproduction, has received the Ig Nobel Prize for Medicine

– The awards, held at Harvard University, recognize the most surprising and innovative scientific researches of the year

– Institut Marquès follows a line of state-of-the-art research on the effects of music on embryonic and fetal development

BOSTON, Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Institut Marquès presented at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) its scientific studies on the influence of music on embryonic and fetal development.


Dr. Marisa López-Teijón, director of Institut Marquès, Dr. Àlex García-Faura, scientific director of the center, and Lluís Pallarés, creator of the Babypod, accept their IG Nobel award.

Their work, published in the prestigious scientific magazine Ultrasound, has discovered how fetal hearing works, showing that fetuses hear from week 16 (when they measure 11 cm / 4 inches), as long as the sound comes to them from the mother’s vagina.

Dr. Marisa López-Teijón, director of Institut Marquès, Dr. Àlex García-Faura, scientific director of the center, and Lluís Pallarés, creator of the Babypod vaginal device, explained the conclusions of the study at MIT. Dr. Alberto Prats, Professor of Anatomy and Human Embryology of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Barcelona, is also part of the research team.

This session at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is part of the Ig Nobel Awards Ceremony, which recognize the most surprising and innovative scientific researches of the year.

Ig Nobel Prize for Medicine

Dr. Marisa López-Teijón has been awarded the Ig Nobel Prize for Medicine, the first one in Obstetrics in the 27-year history of the award.

The Ig Nobel ceremony is held at Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, hosting prestigious scientists from around the world to present their studies to the public in a fun and enjoyable way.

At the ceremony, Dr. Marisa López-Teijón explained: “Institut Marquès is carrying out state-of-the-art research on how music impacts embryonic and fetal development.  

We have improved in vitro fertilization by applying musical vibrations inside the incubators in all our fertility clinics.

By inserting a speaker in the vagina of thousands of patients for the first time we have been able to communicate with the fetus. To achieve this we have created the Babypod. This is an FDA approved vaginal speaker that connects to the mobile phone.

Thanks to the Babypod, we have discovered how fetal hearing works: fetuses can barely hear noise outside the womb. The fetal ability to hear starts when the fetus only measures 4 inches or 11cm.  Until now medical literature could only confirm that fetuses heard from week 26 onwards. Fetuses responds just like babies, with speech and movements because they are learning to communicate. The myth of talking to your belly is over.”

According to Institut Marquès’ studies, we can now communicate with the fetus and neurologically stimulate it. Any kind of sensory stimulation is good,-and the earlier the better.

Music stimulates language learning. And as we see, learning can begin in the womb.

The Ig Nobel Prize represents a recognition by these prestigious universities for the research of Institut Marquès to improve assisted reproduction treatments.

Interesting links:

Music and fetal stimulation:

http://www.fertility-experiences.com/what-is-the-meaning-of-music/

http://www.fertility-experiences.com/the-story-of-a-discovery/

http://www.fertility-experiences.com/the-story-of-a-discovery-2-the-first-tests-continue/

http://www.fertility-experiences.com/the-story-of-a-discovery-3-the-scientific-research-starts/

http://institutomarques.com/en/scientific-area/response-fetus-vaginal-music-2/

http://www.institutomarques.com/pdf/ultrasound.pdf

Music and fertility:

http://www.fertility-experiences.com/music-enhances-in-vitro-fertilisation/

http://www.fertility-experiences.com/ivf-to-the-beat-of-the-music-we-have-made-our-embryos-dance/

Scientific studies:

http://institutomarques.com/en/scientific-area/

http://institutomarques.com/en/scientific-area/response-fetus-vaginal-music-2/

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1742271X15609367?journalCode=ultb

Babypod:

https://babypod.net/en/

Concerts for fetus and embryos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQNTqFRp09Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQF5no3iLSg

Embriomobile:

http://institutomarques.com/en/observe-your-embryos-from-home/

More information: www.institutomarques.com and www.institutmarques.ie

Press contact United States:

kcontreras@webershandwick.com

Office: 617-520-7088
Mobile: 862-432-8436

Press contact Spain :

Institut Marquès Barcelona +34 93 285 82 16 

Mireia Folguera: mireia.folguera@institutomarques.com   +34 649 90 14 94

Estefanía Redondo: estefania.redondo@institutomarques.com   +34 661 20 83 85

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/557034/Institut_Marques_Dr_Maris_Lopez_Teijon_director.jpg 
Video –  http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/557500/Institut_Marques.mp4 

PRNews

Tetracore® Inc. Announces European Approval of the T-COR 8™ Portable Real-time PCR Thermocycler

The next generation molecular diagnostics platform introduces novel connectivity solution designed to bring testing closer to the patient

ROCKVILLE, Maryland, Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Tetracore today announced that the T-COR 8 portable real-time PCR thermocycler has achieved CE-IVD status under the European Directive on In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices.

The T-COR 8, and proprietary software delivers healthcare providers with a simple, flexible, and accessible molecular diagnostics platform. This unique, and easy to use point-of-care (POC) diagnostic system enables real-time molecular testing in hospitals, clinics, physician offices, and field applications. 

Healthcare providers rely on molecular testing to produce accurate identification of infectious agents to aid in selecting targeted therapies quickly. Advances in access to molecular testing support global clinical efforts to improve antibiotic stewardship. Most importantly, near patient diagnostics permits appropriate treatment to begin immediately. Designed for the point of care, the T-COR 8 brings molecular infectious disease testing closer to the patient.

“We are focused on delivering testing to where it is most needed, regardless of the setting,” explains Dr. Bill Nelson MD, CEO of Tetracore. “The T-COR 8 empowers more healthcare providers to perform critical tests where it is needed most.” Tetracore is developing several diagnostic tests for the system targeting respiratory viruses, hospital acquired infections, and gastrointestinal infectious disease panels. Along with the proprietary content under development, the T-COR 8 is capable of performing molecular tests in an “open” mode, allowing researchers and developers to create new tests on the next generation instrument using the built-in custom protocol creator.

The T-COR 8 Features Include:

  • “Cloud” ready and networkable (WiFi/ethernet) for remote access and data download
  • 8 independently programmable wells
  • Random access instrument, allowing multiple protocols simultaneously
  • 10.4″ (26.4cm) touch screen w/virtual keyboard
  • Can be plugged in or run on the built-in battery (up to 4 hours of continuous testing)
  • Integrated barcode scanner
  • Download report via network or USB thumb drive

About Tetracore, Inc.
Tetracore is a biotechnology company specializing in the development and manufacture of diagnostic devices and assays for the detection of infectious diseases. Located in the Biotechnology Corridor in Rockville, Maryland. Tetracore was founded in 1998 by former United Nations Special Commission biological weapons inspectors and scientists of the Naval Medical Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland.  For more information visit www.tetracore.com or contact us at jkelly@tetracore.com.

Source: Tetracore, Inc.

PRNews

Generation Change 4.0 at Ottobock

-German medtech company sets course for future

DUDERSTADT, Germany, Sept. 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Prof. Hans Georg Nader’s youngest daughter, Georgia, will in future be representing the family on Ottobock’s supervisory board, which is currently being formed. Otto Bock HealthCare GmbH, based in the German state of Lower Saxony, is undergoing the conversion to an SE & Co. KGaA. Georgia Nader will therefore also be enlisted to the executive board of Otto Bock Holding GmbH & Co. KG.

Following nearly three decades in his role as CEO at Otto Bock HealthCare GmbH, Prof. Hans Georg Nader (56) will be assuming the leadership of the supervisory board of the future Ottobock SE & Co. KGaA as chairman of the board. Dr Oliver Scheel (49) will take over the role of CEO on 15 January 2018.

The appointment of Dr Scheel, a long-time partner and managing director at consulting company A.T. Kearney and head of their pharma, medical technology and healthcare department who possesses extensive expertise in the subject of transformation management, represents the first time in Ottobock’s history that a manager from outside the family has taken the helm of the German-based “hidden champion” and global market leader in the field of technical orthopaedics.

Longstanding CFO Harry Wertz (60) will exclusively continue his role as CEO with the Otto Bock Holding GmbH & CoKG.

The head of the Nader Family Office, Stefan Hirsch (45), was also enlisted to the executive board of Otto Bock Holding GmbH & Co. KG as part of the developments within the company.

Further information: http://www.ottobock.com/en/press/press-releases/news-overview-page-2.0.html

Head of Investor Relations / Corporate Communications
Mark C. Schneider
Phone: +49(0)30-398-206-222 / mobile: +49(0)151-146-591-35
Email: MarkC.Schneider@ottobock.de

PRNews

Asate AG: Great Honor for Swiss Therapist in America as Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Researcher Alex Suarez Receives Ig-Nobel Prize

BOSTON and ZURICH, Sept. 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — For millions of suffering people, a dream has finally come true: to be able to sleep without snoring. The unconventional innovation of successful Swiss Therapist, Alex Suarez (50), has solved the problem once and for all, and out of 9,000 nominations it has been selected to be awarded the “Ig Nobel Prize” at Harvard University. The Ig Nobel Prize, sometimes referred to as the Anti-Nobel Prize, is a satirical award, which honors scientific achievements “that first make people laugh, and then make them think” (Wikipedia). The Prize is announced in the Cambridge publication “Annals of Improbable Research”. In recent years, this award has enjoyed a high level of recognization amongst scientists.

Using the breathing techniques and training method developed by Alex Suarez called “Silent Sleep”, the troublesome problem of snoring can be solved naturally, easily, and in a playful way. The method used to strengthen and tighten the throat musculature and the connective tissue was developed by the Swiss relaxation coach over the course of 15 years. The idea for the Asate Method came to him during his own struggle with heavy snoring and sleep apnoea. Since conventional treatments were not providing him with any relief, the former dojo owner and instructor of Asian martial arts techniques, wanted to apply his knowledge of the yin and yang principle, biorhythms, tension and relaxation, as well as the careful consumption of resources, to create his very own therapy. Inspired by the Australian aboriginal didgeridoo, Suarez developed his own medicinal didgeridoo that is designed to strengthen, massage, and stimulate the connective tissue and musculature in the neck and mouth using targeted exercises.

This gentle alternative to medical devices or surgical intervention has achieved astonishing results that have been confirmed in international studies carried out by pulmonologists, sleep-researchers, and universities. The result of these studies show that in over 80% of cases, a marked improvement in sleeping without snoring can be achieved after only a few weeks using Silent Sleep training. The rapid success amongst the study participants has led to various stages of innovation involving the medical didgeridoo and has resulted in a device that is optimized for use in a therapeutic setting: the “Snadoo”. The significantly smaller instrument, which is made of plastic, can and should provide the user with additional amusement as they recover from their condition because how it is used and the corresponding mobile app are designed to be playful and fun.

More information is available at: http://www.asate.com

Contact:
Alex Suarez (until 09/20/17 in the USA)
alex@asate.com – 079-795-99-65

Aron Suarez
aron@asate.com – 079-839-03-85

PRNews

Frost & Sullivan Recognizes Acelity as a Leader in the Field with its new V.A.C.ULTA™ 4 Therapy System and V.A.C. VERAFLO CLEANSE CHOICE™ Dressing

Acelity’s innovative negative-pressure wound therapy system changes the game by enhancing delivery of four therapies on a single device

SANTA CLARA, California, Sept. 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Based on its recent analysis of the negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes Acelity with the 2017 North American Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy Product Leadership Award for its two new therapies: V.A.C.ULTA™ 4 Therapy System, which incorporates a fifth-generation software upgrade that provides delivery of four therapies on a single device, allowing physicians to treat various wounds with a single system, and V.A.C. VERAFLO CLEANSE CHOICE™ Dressing, which provides clinicians with a novel, adjunctive non-surgical option that may help clean large complex wounds when complete surgical debridement is not possible or appropriate.

Healthcare economies, such as the United States (US), are faced with shifting challenges, including rising operational costs at hospitals, staffing constraints, and cost burdens carried by care facilities for hospital-acquired infections. While US healthcare policies, along with value-based reimbursement models, are a clinical and economic driver in the wound care market, the need exists for wound care companies to integrate their treatment modalities into new care models that better track and manage chronic wounds across various care settings due to the shift from pay-for-service models to pay-for-performance and quality-of-care based payment models. The current chronic wound care market is also significantly fragmented because of the many ways a typical wound can be treated, including active healing dressings, advanced passive dressings, other unique energy- or mechanical-based solutions, and negative-pressure wound treatment systems (NPWT), including vacuum assisted-closure (V.A.C.®) therapy.

“Acelity is a leading provider of advanced wound care solutions,” said Patrick Riley, Principal Analyst at Frost & Sullivan. “The company pioneered NPWT, and its advanced V.A.C. VERAFLO™ Therapy combines the benefits of V.A.C.® Therapy and automated topical wound solution distribution and removal to help heal and prepare the wound for closure quickly and effectively. The new V.A.C.ULTA™ 4 Therapy System sets the benchmark with its capability to delivery four therapies through a single device.”

The four therapies include:

  • V.A.C. VERAFLO™ Therapy with Instillation, which automates alternating cycles of wound cleansing with a topical solution and V.A.C.® Therapy, allowing for wound cleansing and therapy to maintain a closed environment to enhance healing. V.A.C. VERAFLO™ Therapy is poised to become the new gold standard of NPWT, as studies have reported patient outcomes better than the current gold standard V.A.C.® Therapy.
  • Traditional V.A.C.® Therapy
  • ABTHERA™ Open Abdomen Negative Pressure Therapy, which provides negative-pressure therapy for temporary abdominal closure to help reduce edema and fluid, empowering primary fascial closure.
  • PREVENA™ Negative Pressure Incision Management Therapy, which provides NPWT therapy for closed incisions after a surgical procedure.

Furthermore, all four therapies utilize Acelity’s advanced SENSAT.R.A.C.™ Technology with EASYCLEAR PURGE™ which employs advanced software and algorithms in addition to multi-lumen technology that work together to monitor and regulate the set pressure continuously at the wound site, as well as helping reduce blockages. Acelity’s recently launched V.A.C. VERAFLO CLEANSE CHOICE™ dressing for use with V.A.C. VERAFLO™ Therapy helps loosen, solubilize, detach, and remove viscous wound exudate without surgical intervention, effectively preparing the wound for closure.

“Acelity’s software upgrade has also improved the ease-of-use factor for the V.A.C.ULTA™ 4 Therapy System,” said Riley. “Acelity has designed the interface to be similar to a mobile phone, with applications (apps) corresponding to each therapy for easy selection; thus, reducing the number of steps needed for therapy delivery.”

Acelity conducts hands-on training for clinicians, as well as transitioning training for customers moving to the new V.A.C.ULTA™ 4 Therapy System. The company also maintains customer, technical and clinical support teams that are committed to providing detailed support to customers for administrative questions, technological troubleshooting, and can give guidance on use of Acelity’s products.  

Acelity also recently launched V.A.C. VERAFLO CLEANSE CHOICE™ Dressing. When used with V.A.C. VERAFLO™ Therapy, Acelity’s negative pressure wound therapy and instillation (NPWTi-d) system, the dressing may provide rapid cleansing of wounds with the goal of augmenting the healing environment. The novel therapeutic dressing facilitates removal of thick wound exudate when surgical debridement is not possible or delayed, and offers prompt adjunctive wound cleansing for complex wounds.

In addition, Acelity has led the way in the next frontier of NPWT with its digital health offerings.   iOn RESULTS™ Remote Therapy Monitoring works in conjunction with the V.A.C.ULTA™ Therapy System to monitor the therapy units’ performance in the hospital setting. iOn PROGRESS™ Remote Therapy Monitoring delivers the first continuous monitoring and ready intervention for patients receiving negative pressure wound therapy in the home.

Due to Acelity’s commitment to improve patient outcomes through continuous technological innovation and outstanding customer support, Acelity has earned Frost & Sullivan’s 2017 North American Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy Product Leadership Award.

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has developed a product with innovative features and functionality that is gaining rapid market acceptance. The award recognizes the quality of the solution and the customer value enhancements it enables.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.

About Acelity

Acelity L.P. Inc. and its subsidiaries are a global advanced wound care company that leverages the strengths of Kinetic Concepts, Inc. and Systagenix Wound Management, Limited. Available in more than 90 countries, the innovative and complementary ACELITY™ product portfolio delivers value through solutions that speed healing and lead the industry in quality, safety and customer experience. Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, Acelity employs nearly 5,000 people around the world.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today’s market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion.

Contact:

Estefany Ariza
P: 210.477.8469
F: 210.348.1003
E: Estefany.Ariza@frost.com

PRNews

Efficacy of Philips’ Stellarex .035″ low-dose drug-coated balloon demonstrated in clinical trial at two years

– Two-year data from the ILLUMENATE European randomized clinical trial (EU RCT) validates durable clinical performance of Stellarex low-dose drug-coated balloon

– Trial includes 328 peripheral arterial disease patients from 18 centers across Germany and Austria

AMSTERDAM and LAS VEGAS, Sept. 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG; AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, announced the two-year results from the ILLUMENATE European randomized clinical trial (EU RCT) demonstrating the efficacy of Philips Spectranetics’ Stellarex .035″ drug-coated balloon (DCB) for peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in comparison to uncoated balloon angioplasty. Marianne Brodmann, M.D., of the Medical University of Graz in Austria, presented the data today as a late-breaking trial at the Vascular Interventional Advances (VIVA 17) Annual Conference.

The ILLUMENATE EU RCT, which is part of a series of five trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of Stellarex for superficial femoral artery and popliteal disease, includes 328 PAD patients from 18 centers across Germany and Austria and compares the Stellarex DCB to an uncoated angioplasty balloon. The results show that at 24 months, 75.9% of patients treated with Stellarex maintained blood flow through the treated segment of the diseased artery, assessed through blinded core-lab adjudicated patency. Only 61.0% of patients treated with an uncoated balloon still maintained blood flow at 24 months. The data shows that Stellarex demonstrates higher efficacy and patency results, and longer treatment durability compared to an uncoated balloon, which is the current standard of care in the United States.

“The Stellarex DCB produced durable results in this rigorous trial, validating earlier findings among the ILLUMENATE trial series,” stated Marianne Brodmann, M.D. “These consistent, top-tier outcomes are achieved with a low-dose balloon.* Stellarex is the first low-dose DCB to demonstrate a significant treatment effect at two years.”

The ILLUMENATE EU RCT has independent evaluation including supervision by a clinical events committee, a data safety and monitoring board, and assessment by angiographic and duplex ultrasound core laboratories. Philips Spectranetics fully funded the ILLUMENATE EU RCT as part of the ILLUMENATE series of five trials to evaluate the benefits of Stellarex .035″ for various patient groups in comparison to an uncoated percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) balloon, which is the current endovascular standard of care.

“We are committed to providing proven clinical solutions that positively impact patient outcomes,” stated Christopher Barys, Image Guided Therapy Devices Business Leader for Philips. “We are proud to have the only low-dose drug-coated balloon with a proven treatment effect at two years compared to the current endovascular standard of care in the U.S. The addition of Stellarex in the Philips portfolio through the Spectranetics acquisition reinforces our commitment to helping physicians decide, guide, treat and confirm the right therapy for their patients.”

The Stellarex drug-coated balloon is designed to restore and maintain blood flow to arteries in patients with peripheral arterial disease. Spectranetics launched the device in Europe in January 2015 and received FDA approval in the U.S. in July 2017. Philips acquired Spectranetics in August 2017 to continue the advancement of its unique portfolio of image-guided therapy solutions to deliver enhanced care for patients.

Visit the Philips and Spectranetics booths (406 and 405) at VIVA 17 to experience Stellarex and Philips’ other innovative offerings that deliver seamless care in the vascular space. Follow the #VIVA17 conversation at @PhilipsLiveFrom throughout the event.

* Low-dose DCBs are those that deliver a dose of only 2 micrograms of the drug paclitaxel per square millimeter, which is lower than some other DCBs on the market.

For further information, please contact:

Alicia Cafardi 
Philips Group Press Office 
Tel: +1 412-523-9616
E-mail: Alicia.Cafardi@philips.com

Kathleen Lozen
Philips Image Guided Therapy Devices
Tel: +1 617-529-2958
E-mail: Kathleen.Lozen@philips.com

About Royal Philips
Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people’s health and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips’ health technology portfolio generated 2016 sales of EUR 17.4 billion and employs approximately 71,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.

PRNews

Flight Training to Provide Continuing Education for Medical Professionals

International Medical Group Hosts Study Day at UK Office

INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — International Medical Group® (IMG®), an award-winning international medical and travel insurance company, is providing specialty training for its UK-based in-house flight team to support continuing professional development (CPD) and revalidation.  

Led by IMG’s in-house doctors and nurses, the study day — taking place Sept. 16 and 17 — will include discussions, debates and lectures surrounding travel and aviation medicine. During the event, IMG’s medical flight team also will discuss the company’s flight equipment, policies and procedures. Upon completion, participants will receive a certificate of attendance to support CPD and revalidation.

“Our flight team has already proven their extensive knowledge and experience in the medical field,” said Chief Medical Officer Dr. Geoff Tothill, “but this study day further supports their ability to care for our members.”

Guest speakers at the event will include British Airways Consultant Occupational Physician Dr. Mark Popplestone, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children Clinical Nurse Specialist Mark Clements, and Drum Cussac Chief Operating Officer Chris Job, MBE.

Since December 2012, all doctors and nurses practicing medicine in the United Kingdom have been required to maintain a license to practice, which is evaluated every five years through the process of revalidation.

As part of revalidation, medical professionals must engage in an annual appraisal based on guidance from the General Medical Council. Included in this guidance is the ability to demonstrate CPD through a variety of learning methods. 

“Our unique program was developed as a way for IMG to not only provide specialty patient transfer training, but also to serve as a qualified course for revalidation,” Tothill said. “We understand the importance of offering standardized training that enhances our team’s knowledge, skills and performance.”

IMG’s flight team is part of the company’s European medical unit, which launched in December 2016. Led by Tothill and under the clinical leadership of Dr. Georgina Standen and Rachel Benbow, RN, the unit provides a range of medical services to the international insurance industry from IMG’s office in Redhill, UK.

About International Medical Group
 International Medical Group® (IMG®), a Sirius Group company, is an award-winning international medical and travel insurance company that has served millions of members worldwide since its founding in 1990. A leader in the global benefits and assistance services industry, IMG offers a full line of international medical insurance products, as well as travel insurance plans, medical management services and 24/7 emergency medical and travel assistance. For more information, please visit www.imglobal.com.

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