INT International News & Trends » Medical

Japanese elders simple exercises

internet — Wed, 08 May 2024 12:11:18 +0000

Japanese elders focus on simple, consistent movements like daily walks (sampo), gentle stretching (like cobra pose), and functional strength exercises such as modified sumo squats (shiko) and isometric holds (wall squats) to maintain balance, mobility, and independence, often incorporating traditions like Radio Taiso for full-body engagement. Key principles include integrating movement into daily life, focusing on proper form over intensity, and using exercises that build core and leg strength crucial for preventing falls.

CIMT-Carotid Intimal Thickness

internet — Thu, 18 May 2023 22:53:34 +0000

CIMT, or Carotid Intimal Thickness, refers to the measurement of the thickness of the innermost layers of the carotid artery walls. The carotid arteries are located in the neck and supply blood to the brain. CIMT is assessed using ultrasound imaging and is commonly used as a marker of atherosclerosis, a condition characterized by the buildup of plaque in the arteries.

The innermost layer of the artery wall is called the intima, and when it thickens, it can indicate the presence of atherosclerosis. CIMT is measured by imaging the carotid arteries using high-frequency ultrasound and then analyzing the images to determine the thickness of the intima.

CIMT is a non-invasive and relatively simple procedure that provides valuable information about a person’s cardiovascular health. It can help in assessing the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes. Increased CIMT is associated with a higher risk of developing these conditions.

By measuring CIMT, healthcare professionals can identify early signs of atherosclerosis and monitor disease progression over time. CIMT measurements can be used to track the effectiveness of treatments aimed at reducing the progression of atherosclerosis, such as lifestyle changes, medication, or interventions like angioplasty or stenting.

CIMT is often used as part of a comprehensive cardiovascular risk assessment alongside other risk factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and smoking history. It provides additional information that can help in making informed decisions about preventive measures and treatment strategies.

It’s important to note that CIMT is a diagnostic tool and not a standalone indicator of cardiovascular disease. Interpretation of CIMT results should be done in conjunction with other clinical factors and risk assessment tools. It’s typically performed by trained professionals in specialized clinics or hospitals.

World Cancer Congress in Oman

Editor — Fri, 12 May 2017 02:32:36 +0000

The Oman Cancer Association announces that Muscat has been selected to host the World Cancer Congress (WCC) in 2020. The World Cancer Congress is a major international cancer control forum which convenes up to 4,000 renowned cancer and health professionals to network and share the latest successful interventions in cancer implementation science including prevention, diagnosis and care, as well as supportive and palliative care. Held every two years, the Congress is hosted by a local member of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), and for the first time since the event’s inception in 1933, it will take place in the Arabian Gulf.

The Oman Cancer Association, the National Oncology Centre at the Royal Hospital Muscat, both members of UICC, as well as the Oman Convention Bureau and the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre (OCEC) joined forces to submit a complete and high quality application which resulted in them winning over strong international competition.

Professor Sanchia Aranda, President of UICC, said: “After an extensive evaluation and review of the submitted bids, we are pleased to announce that the city of Muscat, Oman, has been selected to host the 2020 World Cancer Congress and the World Cancer Leaders’ Summit. We appreciate that such bids involve considerable work, and we thank our members and the other applicants for their enthusiasm and commitment to organising such important global cancer control events in the region, in collaboration with UICC.”

The bid was submitted by Dr. Wahid Al Kharusi, FRCS, President of Oman Cancer Association, Dr. Basem Al Bahrani, Director and Dr. Zahid Al Mandhari, FRCPC, Deputy Director, National Oncology Centre, with the support of HE Dr Ahmed Mohammed Obaid Al Saidi, Minister of Health of the Sultanate of Oman.

“The World Cancer Congress aims to strengthen the action and impact of the cancer and the wider health community on national, regional and international levels through a multidisciplinary educational programme and high-calibre attendees,” said Dr. Wahid Al Kharusi.

“Hence the theme of our bid: ‘Shed Some Light and Make a Difference’. Moreover, the World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that incidence of cancer in the Middle East will double by 2030, so felt it was crucial to keep raising awareness of the disease, especially across the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC) and Africa. Welcoming the WCC in Oman will certainly foster our work to educate the local population, and help the global cancer community to further make a difference,” added Dr. Zahid Al Mandhari.

Khalid Al Zadjali, Director of Oman Convention Bureau, commented, “This is a great success story for Oman and the new Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre as it demonstrates that our country is a strong contender when it comes to securing international events. The WCC is a key global forum for knowledge exchange around cancer and hosting it in Muscat will benefit not only Oman but the entire region. Oman has so much to offer, ranging from a brand new world class convention & exhibition centre to attractive hotels, easy access to places of interest and a brand new airport. In addition, the government is very supportive of the initiative, and traditionally Omanis are very hospitable.”

Trevor McCartney, General Manager of OCEC, stated, “We are very excited to host such a renowned international event at the Oman Conference Convention & Exhibition Centre, winning against other international cities and venues. We now join the ranks of well-established Business Events destinations such as Kuala Lumpur and Paris in the list of host cities for the WCC.”

The Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre (OCEC), the pillar project of Oman officially opened for business in October last year when the exhibition centre, hospitality suites and concourse opened and this will be followed the convention centre and associated facilities in December 2017.

OCEC is located in its own fully integrated precinct only four kilometres from Muscat International Airport. Owned and developed by Omran, the centre forms part of phase 1 of Madinat Al Irfan, an exciting new urban centre.

The precinct includes a JW Marriot (five star hotel) linked to the Convention Centre and a Crowne Plaza (four star hotel) both opening in 2017. The area is surrounded by a nature reserve, which is a haven for Oman’s exotic birdlife, together with parklands and a wadi (valley) park, are also part of this picturesque precinct.

Features of the Centre include a tiered theatre seating 3,200 people, plus an additional 450-seat auditorium and 20 dedicated meeting rooms, two luxurious ballrooms, hospitality suites and 22,000 square metres of exhibition space – that is more than 55 different meeting space options.

Australian Telehealth Conference

Editor — Mon, 04 May 2015 12:08:04 +0000

Australian Telehealth Conference 2015 is a premier event in the health and medical information area. The main theme for the conference has been bringing health services and people together through telehealth and overcoming fragmentation of care. The conference covered many technological innovations and business models as well as emerging approaches to telehealth and mobile health that present new opportunities and challenges at the same time. The conference is brought to you by the Health Informatics Society of Australia (HISA).

RB 2 Dementia Conference 2014

internet — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 02:35:05 +0000

The Risky Business 2 International Dementia Conference, organized by the HammondCare took place from 26th June to the 27th June 2014 in Sydney, Australia. The conference covered subjects on how do we support people with dementia to live their lives well, are we really delivering personal care to anyone with dementia. The changes which have been made after Risky Business 2012 are the main questions and issues that have been discussed in this conference. Some prominent speakers include Alistair Burns, Colm Cunningham, John Swinton, Mary Marshall, Roderick MacLeod, Stephen Judd, Sue Kurrle, Una McCluskey.

Sydney Endoscopy Symposium 2014

Editor — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 23:59:41 +0000

Gastrointestinal endoscopy was the main theme of the 7th Sydney International Endoscopy Symposium on Thursday 6th and Friday 7th March 2014. The conference which has been held in Hilton Sydney has attracted many medical professionals to participate in lectures as well as live demonstrations from specialized endoscopy unit.

The topics of the symposium included: colonoscopy, Barrett’s oesophagus, endoscopic stenting for benign and malignant disease, adenoma detection, histological diagnosis, endoscopic ultrasound and new endoscopic haemostatic therapies. The main focus for this year’s meeting was the clinical practice of colonoscopy. The most popular part of the conference was interactive transmission from the Westmead Endoscopy Unit. During the live telecasts anyone from gathered scientific community could see live operation and watch the procedure with questions and answers at that end of presentation.
The highlight of the second day was The Peter Gillespie Lecture on Screening and Prevention of the Colorectal Cancer with with Dr. Douglas K. Rex from Indiana University School of Medicine. Doug Rex has been an international leader in the movement to improve the quality of colonoscopy performance.

For more information visit Sydney International Endocscopy Symposium website.

ADX14 Sydney Dental Exhibition

internet — Sat, 25 Jan 2014 07:18:32 +0000

Marking the two-month milestone until Australia’s premier dental event, ADX14 Sydney, expectations are running high that attendance records will be broken. The ADX14 Sydney dental exhibition is Australia’s largest dental event and will be held over 21-23 March 2014 in the Sydney Exhibition Centre @ Glebe Island.
“We are two months out from ADX14 Sydney and attendance is set to exceed the 7,500 participants from the dental community who visited the last instalment of Australia’s premier dental event,” said Troy Williams, ADIA Chief Executive Officer.
The discounted airfares, accommodation and airfares available to visitors attending the ADX14 Sydney dental exhibition are contributing to the increasing number of pre-event registrations.
“Dentists and allied oral healthcare professionals from across Australia and New Zealand are clearly making their plans to attend ADX14 Sydney and also visit a city that offers them so much to see. There is a lot to attract visitors, from landmarks including the harbour bridge and the opera house, to some of the best fine dining Australia has to offer,” said Mr Williams.
The finalisation of the continuing professional development program is a highly anticipated point in the planning for ADX14 Sydney. Nine separate seminar streams that cover all facets of dentistry ensure that the extensive program will be a huge draw card.
“The level of interest in the free continuing professional development program has been extraordinary and we expect this to accelerate over the next two months. Combining Australia’s largest dental exhibition with an extensive free continuing professional development program is what allows dentists and allied oral healthcare professionals to see more, buy more and learn more,” said Mr Williams.
Visitors planning to attend ADX14 Sydney, Australia’s premier dental event, should visit the website at: www.adx.org.au

Media Contact
Fiona Lee, ADIA Communications Officer
t: 1300 943 094 m: 0450 013 446

Chiesi and Selvita cooperation

internet — Sat, 11 Jan 2014 04:33:22 +0000

The collaboration between Chiesi and Selvita started with fee-for-service chemical synthesis in 2011. After the successful completion of several projects, it evolved into FTE-based collaboration in 2012-2013. The joint projects support Chiesi proprietary drug discovery and development pipeline, which is focused on respiratory, cardiovascular and special care disorders.
“We are very proud to be working for such renowned and innovative company as Chiesi. Chiesi projects always involve novel, challenging chemistry and they let us demonstrate the full potential of Selvita’s chemistry team, our broad knowledge, experience and skills.” said Dr Miroslawa Zydron, Director of Contract Chemistry Department at Selvita.

About Selvita
Selvita is the largest independent integrated drug discovery services provider in Central and Eastern Europe, based in Krakow, Poland. The company was established in 2007, and ever since its mission has been to serve our clients with a comprehensive panel of products and solutions targeted at lowering the cost of, and accelerating, the introduction of new drugs to the market. The company employs 170 people including 55 PhDs.
Drug discovery clients of Selvita include more than fifty large and medium-sized pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies from USA and Europe. Selvita is listed on the NewConnect market of the Warsaw Stock Exchange in Poland (SLV). Additional information about Selvita can be found on http://www.selvita.com/
For more information about the project or the company, please contact: selvita@selvita.com

About Chiesi Farmaceutici
Founded in 1935 in Parma, Italy, Chiesi Farmaceutici currently has 25 affiliates worldwide and markets its therapeutics in over 60 countries. Chiesi’s manufacturing plants in Parma, Blois (France) and Santana de Parnaiba (Brazil), and R&D centers in Parma, Paris, Rockville (USA) and Chippenham (UK) integrate their efforts to advance the Group’s pre-clinical, clinical and registration programs. At the end of 2012, the Chiesi Group’s total staff stood at over 3,800 people, more than 350 of whom are dedicated to R&D. The main areas of activity are in respiratory therapeutics and specialist medicine areas.

AIOH Conference & Exhibition 2013

internet — Wed, 04 Dec 2013 11:40:09 +0000

Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists hosted 31st international conference about the science and practice of protecting workers health. The Conference program has covered all four fundamental principles of occupational hygiene. The notable group of local and international speakers have delivered keynotes, plenaries and CES presentations on traditional and emerging issues, as well as the latest research and advancements, aiming to achieve better health and safety outcomes in the workplace.
Occupational hygienist main activity is the assessment and control of physical, chemical, biological or environmental hazards in the workplace or community that could cause injury or disease. Physical hazards may include noise, temperature extremes, illumination extremes, ionizing or non-ionizing radiation, and ergonomics. Chemical hazards related to dangerous goods or hazardous substances are frequently investigated by occupational hygienists. Other related areas including indoor air quality (IAQ) and safety may also receive the attention of the occupational hygienist. Biological hazards may stem from the potential for legionella exposure at work or the investigation of biological injury or effects at work, such as dermatitis may be investigated.

The Conference theme reflected the four pillars: Anticipation Recognition Evaluation and Control. AIOH2013 has been held in Sydney from 30th November to 4th December 2013. This provided the NSW members with the opportunity to experience a world-class, scientific conference.

The Australian Institute of Occupational Hygiene (AIOH) has accredited professional occupational hygienist through a certification scheme. Occupational Hygienists in Australian certified through this scheme are entitled to use the phrase Certified Occupational Hygienist (COH) as part of their qualifications.

Written and photographed by Darius Peczek

For more information visit Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists Inc

Catalent Pharma Softgel offerings

internet — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 00:41:47 +0000

Catalent Pharma Solutions, the global leader in development solutions and advanced delivery technologies for drug, biologic and consumer health products, today announced that it is introducing several new drug delivery technologies at CPhI Worldwide/ICSE (Messe Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany 21-24 October 2013, Hall 4.2), all of which may offer delivery solutions and important IP advantages to drug manufacturers.

Catalent announced two new RP Scherer Softgel offerings to help develop more molecules into better treatments for patients. The first, OptiGel LockTM, is designed to prevent the abuse of prescription pain medications, and the deliberate misuse of consumer pseudoephedrine products. Developed in response to regulatory demands for alternative technologies that might deter abuse, this new softgel delivery technology incorporates several levels of deterrent into a single formulation designed to prevent extraction of the active substance.

Also new is OptiGel BioTM, which may enable certain macromolecules to be delivered orally and overcome permeability and stability challenges in a more easily administered form than injection. OptiGel Bio may improve the permeability of large molecule APIs, while also enabling targeted delivery to be achieved via an enteric coating. This protective coating eliminates degradation of the encapsulated formulation in the stomach. Patient advantages may include reduced dosing complexity, improved safety and better adherence.

Finally, OptiGel MiniTM technology enables the creation of capsules that are approximately 30% smaller and yet accommodate the same amount of active ingredients as conventional softgel capsules, providing a substantial benefit over many prescription and consumer health products and making them easier for the patient or consumer to swallow. Following the recent introduction of OptiShell™ technology, to provide solutions for complex semi-solid lipid-based formulations, Catalent continues to innovate by delivering advanced drug delivery technologies, bioavailability solutions and versatile and proven softgel technologies.

In addition, Catalent announced two new technologies under its proprietary Zydis® Oral Fast Dissolve Technology platform. Zydis BioTM may help deliver large molecules such as proteins, peptides, viral vaccines and allergens in a patient preferred oral fast dissolve format in as little as three seconds. Zydis NanoTM technology is designed to improve bioavailability of compounds in a fast dissolve format.

Catalent will also be discussing new OSDrC® OptiDose™ advanced tableting technology for multiple release profiled (pulsatile, immediate release and extended release ) and combination products at CPhI, as well as its next generation antibody drug conjugation (ADC) technology for Biologics – SMARTag™.

“These innovations underline Catalent’s commitment to constantly bringing new products to market faster, with the ultimate goal of providing better treatments to patients, in the most effective manner,” commented Kurt Nielsen, Senior Vice President, Catalent R&D. “Whether deterring substance abuse, providing an alternative to injection, or improving compliance and adherence, our new technologies deliver significant benefits to developers, marketers and end users.”

About Catalent

Catalent Pharma Solutions is the global leader in development solutions and advanced drug delivery technologies, providing world-wide clinical and commercial supply capabilities for drugs, biologics and consumer health products. With over 75 years serving the industry, Catalent has proven expertise in bringing more customer products to market faster, enhancing product performance and ensuring reliable product supply. Catalent employs approximately 8,500 people, including over 1,000 scientists, at nearly 30 facilities across 5 continents and generates more than $1.7 billion in annual revenue. Catalent is headquartered in Somerset, N.J. For more information, visit www.catalent.com