Cerebrovascular Disorders

CENTER VALLEY, Pa., March 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Olympus, a leading global medtech company providing innovative solutions for medical and surgical procedures, announced today it applauds the new Obesity Bill of Rights . Continue Reading Olympus applauds the newly launched Obesity Bill of Rights and will support the initiative by working to build awareness and talking to its healthcare customers about this important campaign to counter bias and ageism in obesity care. Olympus will support the initiative by working to build awareness and talking to its healthcare customers about this important campaign to counter bias and ageism in obesity care. The program, spearheaded in January 2024 in the U.S. by the National Consumers League (NCL), a nonprofit consumer advocacy group, in conjunction with the National Council on Aging (NCOA), establishes a set of rights to "assure screening, diagnosis, counseling and effective treatment based on medical treatment guidelines." This ongoing effort to gather support is expected to culminate in a fully implemented Bill of Rights by Dec. 31, 2029. The NCL and NCOA are working at the grassroots, employer, state and federal levels on this effort to ensure equal access to care for all obesity patients. NCL and NCOA worked with health leaders and obesity specialists to draft these Bill of Rights tenets that are intended to change the narrative, such that the healthcare industry more effectively sees obesity as a treatable chronic disease that can be treated with the same "respect, attention and medical care" as other chronic conditions. Statistics regarding obesity are staggering: 108M people in the U.S. are considered obese, only 10% of whom get help from medical professionals and only 2% of whom are treated with new medications. More than 230 conditions are worsened by obesity. Obesity is connected to $1.73 trillion in annual medical costs in the U.S. 400K premature deaths annually are linked to obesity.1 "Olympus provides equipment to the surgical community that helps in the treatment of obesity, and statistics show that not enough people have access to this type of treatment," said Paul Skodny, Executive Director for Health Economics and Market Access at Olympus Corporation. "It is our hope that awareness of treatment options and equitable access and insurance coverage will help address the detrimental health impacts of obesity." Bariatric Surgery as a Solution for Weight Loss Because of recent pharmaceuticals' entry into the market, such as semaglutide-based medications, obesity treatment has been receiving more attention. Surgical treatment which can complement medical management, has a lengthy track record, having been available to patients for decades with favorable long-term outcomes.2 Studies show patients typically lose the most weight one to two years after bariatric surgery and see substantial improvements in obesity-related conditions. Despite the growing number of obesity-related health problems, fewer than 2% of those eligible for bariatric surgery elect to have it.3 Given these statistics, Olympus, maker of technologies for performing minimally invasive bariatric procedures, sought to understand the awareness level and concerns of eligible patients in a survey conducted in 20194: Marginal Awareness around Benefits: A little more than 50% of respondents demonstrated only marginal awareness that bariatric surgery causes hormonal changes that improve weight loss by maintaining or enhancing energy expenditure.5 Worry about Gaining Weight Back: 20% of respondents were avoiding bariatric surgery because of concerns about surgery complications and gaining the weight back. Awareness around Insurance Opportunities: 56% of respondents were aware that insurance covers bariatric surgery in most qualified cases.6 Surgical benefits are real and should be known to more patients. Studies show that: Patients may lose as much as 60% of excess weight six months after surgery, and 77% of excess weight as early as 12 months after surgery. On average, five years after surgery, patients maintain 50% of their excess weight loss.1 The majority of bariatric surgery patients with diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and obstructive sleep apnea experience remission of these obesity-related diseases.1 Statistically, the risk of death during weight-loss surgery procedures is less than 1 percent. All abdominal operations carry the risks of bleeding, infection in the incision, thrombophlebitis of legs (blood clots), lung problems (pneumonia, pulmonary embolisms), strokes or heart attacks, anesthetic complications and blockage or obstruction of the intestine. These risks are greater in patients with severe obesity.7 To learn more about Olympus' state-of-the-art technologies for performing minimally invasive bariatric surgeries, visit the Bariatrics product page. About Olympus At Olympus, we are committed to our purpose of making people's lives healthier, safer and more fulfilling. As a global medical technology company, we partner with healthcare professionals striving to provide best-in-class solutions and services for early detection, diagnosis and minimally invasive treatment, aiming to improve patient outcomes by elevating the standard of care in targeted disease states. For more than 100 years, Olympus has pursued a goal of contributing to society by producing products designed with the purpose of delivering optimal outcomes for its customers around the world. For more information, visit medical.olympusamerica.com. _______________________________ 1 Americans now have an Obesity Bill of Rights. NCLnet.org. . Published January 31, 2024. Accessed February 29, 2024. 2 Story of Obesity Surgery. asmbs.org. . Published 2023. Accessed February 29, 2024. 3 . February 27, 2020. Accessed February 29, 2024. 4 The Olympus-commissioned online survey was conducted mid-December 2019. 5 Public Education Committee. Benefits of Bariatric Surgery: ASMBS. American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. . Accessed February 29, 2024. 6 Manning S. How to get your health insurer to pay for your weight-loss surgery. Insure.com. . Published September 24, 2020. Accessed February 29, 2024. 7 Available Procedures. Yale New Haven Health. . Accessed March 15, 2024. SOURCE Olympus Corporation of the Americas

Pilot study reveals early evidence of efficacy of a pharmacologic treatment for concussion, as patients experienced faster symptom reduction and return to physical activity PHILADELPHIA, March 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In the first clinical trial of a targeted pharmacologic therapeutic for mild traumatic brain injury in pediatric patients, scientists from the Minds Matter Concussion Frontier Program at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have found preliminary evidence that adolescents and young adults with concussion who take a specific formulation of branched chain amino acid (BCAA) supplements after injury experience faster symptom reduction and return to physical activity. The findings were published online by the Journal of Neurotrauma. More than 2 million concussions occur in the youth and adolescent population in the United States each year. The mainstay of treatment remains symptom management with temporary modification of cognitive and physical activity and over the counter medication. Although active rehabilitation strategies have shown promise for improving recovery time, including aerobic, vestibular, and vision interventions, these can be time and labor intensive. To date, no targeted pharmacologic intervention to improve clinical outcomes in concussion has been evaluated in humans. Animal model studies of mild to moderate traumatic brain injury, which have been led by the study's senior author, Akiva S. Cohen, PhD, Professor of Neuroscience in the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at CHOP and a research professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, have shown that supplementation with a specific formulation of three BCAAs – leucine, isoleucine and valine – improve neurocognitive function. However, prior to this study, no human studies involving adolescents and young adults have assessed the potential benefits of this formulation of BCAAs as a specific treatment to aid in concussion recovery. "The goal of this pilot study was to determine, among several different doses, whether our specific formulation of BCAAs could accelerate recovery – faster reduction in symptoms and return to baseline physical activity," Cohen said. "Based on our work in animal models, we expected that our specific formulation of BCAA supplementation would result in a more rapid resolution in symptom burden and improved physical activity levels which are key measures of recovery from a concussion." The scientists conducted a pilot, double-blind, randomized controlled trial of participants between the ages of 12-30 years who presented with concussion to outpatient clinics, urgent care and emergency departments across the CHOP Network between June of 2014 and December of 2020. Individual participants were divided into five groups consisting of a placebo arm and different treatment arms of 15 g, 30 g, 45 g and 54 g doses of a specific formulation of BCAAs. The participants were followed for a period of 21 days after enrollment. Participants were assessed with daily computerized neurocognitive tests, reported symptom score, physical and cognitive activity, treatment compliance and adverse events. A total of 38 participants had analyzable data after study completion. The study found that there was a significant reduction in and faster resolution of the total symptom score in a dose-dependent fashion with the specific formulation of BCAA supplementation, with a significant decrease in total symptoms across the study; for every 500 g of the treatment consumed, the total symptom score, on a scale of 0-54 (with 0 representing no symptoms), dropped 4 points. Similar significant improvements were seen in a faster return to physical activity, with an increase of 0.5 on a 0-5 scale of physical activity for each 500 g of the defined BCAA supplement consumed. The treatment was very well tolerated; no serious adverse events were reported in the study, and there were no differences in mild adverse events between the placebo and treatment groups. "Our results demonstrate that our specific formulation of BCAA supplementation is a highly promising treatment that addresses the underlying mechanism driving concussion symptoms in order to accelerate recovery and improve outcomes," said the study's first author Daniel Corwin, MD, MSCE, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Department Lead of the Minds Matter Concussion Frontier Program at CHOP. "While a larger study is needed to confirm the formulation's efficacy before routine use of BCAA supplementation should be recommended, we are extremely encouraged by these preliminary findings, the first trial to demonstrate that a targeted pharmacologic using a specific formulation of BCAAs may be useful as a treatment for youth and young adult concussion." This study was supported by The Dana Foundation, with additional support provided by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Frontier Program, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health award number K23NS128275-01, Veterans Affairs Clinical Science and Research Department Merit Award #I01 CX002022, Oregon Aging and Disability Resource Connection, National Institutes of Health grant P30 AG066518, and VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Career Development Award #1K2 RX002947. Corwin et al, "Head Injury Treatment with HEalthy and Advanced Dietary Supplements (HIT HEADS): A pilot randomized controlled trial of the tolerability, safety, and efficacy of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) in the treatment of concussion in adolescents and young adults." J Neurotrama. Online March 12, 2024. DOI: 10.1089/neu.2023.0433. About Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: A non-profit, charitable organization, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals, and pioneering major research initiatives, the hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country. The institution has a well-established history of providing advanced pediatric care close to home through its CHOP Care Network, which includes more than 50 primary care practices, specialty care and surgical centers, urgent care centers, and community hospital alliances throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well as the Middleman Family Pavilion and its dedicated pediatric emergency department in King of Prussia. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought Children's Hospital of Philadelphia recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit . Contact: Ben Leach Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (609) 634-7906 [email protected] SOURCE Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Group Pushes for Passage of "Ellie's Law" to Increase NIH Funding for Brain Aneurysm Research; Aims to Build Awareness of the Broad Impact of the Disease on Patients and Caregivers HANOVER, Mass., March 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Brain Aneurysm Foundation (BAF), the leading advocacy organization supporting education, research, and policy to transform the treatment of brain aneurysms, today joined with caregivers, survivors, researchers, and physicians from across the U.S. to advocate for greater funding and to increase awareness of brain aneurysms and the long-term impact they can have on individuals and their families. Continue Reading Advocates on Capitol Hill for the 11th Annual Brain Aneurysm Foundation Advocacy Day - March 2023. The group will meet with lawmakers to discuss the prevalence of the disease, the significant economic impact – including medical expenses, lost productivity, and long-term disability – as well as the critical need for new interventions that can help better detect and treat aneurysms. It is estimated that one in fifty people in the US has a brain aneurysm, with more than 30,000 people suffering from ruptures annually, of which half are fatal. Worldwide, there are close to 500,000 deaths each year from brain aneurysms, half of which occur in people under the age of 50. "The tragic loss of our daughter last year showed us the suddenness of brain aneurysms, how they strike without warning and can take the lives of those who are young, vibrant, and otherwise healthy," said Lynne Caruso, whose 31-year-old daughter Katelyn died from a ruptured aneurysm that occurred following a morning workout. The family's extensive work to honor Katelyn, who died just months before her planned wedding, has led to their involvement in supporting increased funding for critical research. "This is an underappreciated and potentially devastating condition, and our focus is to ensure that dollars reach those working to develop new interventions that can save lives and prevent the unimaginable suffering our family and others have had to experience." Brain Aneurysm research receives a disproportionately low level of funding from the National Institutes of Health compared to other neurological disorders, with only two dollars provided annually for each person affected. The BAF is working on the passage of Ellie's Law (H.R. 902 and S. 895), which would provide dedicated research for aneurysm prevention and improve the long-term outcomes for aneurysm survivors. Ellie's Law would authorize $10 million each fiscal year for five years from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to conduct or support further comprehensive research on unruptured intracranial aneurysms. "Research shows that up to five percent of the US population may have an unruptured aneurysm, yet despite the prevalence, awareness of the condition and its risk factors remains low. Our focus is to provide education regarding the potential severity of the disease and to press for critical research funding for promising life-saving research and innovation," said Christine Buckley, executive director of the BAF. "It is an honor to be joined by so many of the families, survivors, caregivers, and physicians who are taking the time to share their stories regarding the impact of the disease and the economic impact on individuals, our health system, and society." Brain aneurysms often do not cause symptoms until they rupture, at which point they become a medical emergency. Research focused on identifying biomarkers or advanced imaging techniques may help in the detection of aneurysms prior to rupture, significantly improving patient outcomes by allowing for early interventions. There is also a significant need for new surgical techniques, endovascular procedures, and minimally invasive interventions that can lead to safer and more effective treatments for both ruptured and unruptured aneurysms. "Researchers today often rely on vital seed funding from organizations like the BAF to advance research for subarachnoid hemorrhage and other brain diseases. The BAF's support for new innovation has been essential, but there is clearly a need for additional funding sources to support research as we get closer to potential breakthroughs in the field," said Vince Tutino, an assistant professor at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo and CEO of Neurovascular Diagnostics, Inc., which is working to develop a blood test for detecting whether brain aneurysms may rupture. "Brain scans can be cost prohibitive and are often not recommended by a physician unless there is a family history of the disease. Developing simple blood tests and other forms of detection will lead to millions of lives being saved and billions of dollars from being spent on patient care." ABOUT BRAIN ANEURYSMS A brain aneurysm is a weak, bulging area in an artery in the brain that, in some instances, can rupture. Blood then spills into the space between the skull and the brain, which is a serious type of stroke known as a subarachnoid hemorrhage. While brain aneurysms are most prevalent in people ages 35 to 60, they can also occur in children. Women over the age of 55 have a higher risk of brain aneurysm rupture than men and are generally at greater risk. Brain aneurysms are also seen at higher rates in African American and Hispanic populations. ABOUT THE BRAIN ANEURYSM FOUNDATION Founded in Boston and now based in Hanover, Massachusetts, the Brain Aneurysm Foundation is the globally recognized leader in brain aneurysm awareness, education, support, advocacy, and research funding. The foundation's mission is to provide information about and raise awareness of the symptoms and risk factors of brain aneurysms to prevent ruptures and subsequent death and disability; work with medical communities to provide support networks for patients and families; and advance research to improve patients' outcomes and save lives. Established in 1994, the foundation has a Medical Advisory Board that comprises more than 40 of the world's foremost aneurysm experts — neurologists, neurosurgeons, interventional neuroradiologists, and other brain aneurysm specialists — from leading hospitals and universities. For more information about the Brain Aneurysm Foundation, please visit bafound.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram, and YouTube. Media Contact: Lynn Nutall Director of Marketing and Communications Brain Aneurysm Foundation 617-543-3921 [email protected] SOURCE Brain Aneurysm Foundation