Is your gas stove making you sick?

Natural gas stoves have become the latest flashpoint in America’s increasingly volatile political culture, after a top federal regulator publicly mulled over banning the appliances.

“This is a hidden hazard,” the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) commissioner, Richard Trumka Jr., said in an interview. “Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned.”

Trumka quickly walked back that statement, saying that the agency wants to assess the hazards posed by indoor gas stove emissions but has no plans to ban gas stoves.

But the question now is on the front burner — to what extent do gas stoves pose a health hazard to the average American?

Read more here:

About 1 in 3 Americans has an allergy

If it seems as though everyone you know struggles with some sort of allergy, new research suggests you are not mistaken.

As many as 1 in 3 adults and 1 in 4 kids suffers from a seasonal allergy, a food allergy or eczema, the latest government data shows.

Caused by a reaction to plant pollen, seasonal allergies were most common type of allergy in both kids and adults. Symptoms include sniffling, sneezing, coughing and itchy eyes.

The study wasn’t designed to see if allergies are on the rise. Still, these conditions have become more prevalent according to previous reports, said study author Benjamin Zablotsky, a health statistician at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

About 19% of children and nearly 26% of adults were diagnosed with a seasonal allergy in 2021.

Read more here:

Should you eat seafood during pregnancy?

Pregnant women hear a lot of “Do this” and “Don’t do that” advice about what is safe to eat.

But one recommendation that’s particularly important involves seafood: During pregnancy, women need to eat enough seafood to gain the health benefits, but not so much to raise the risk of some significant consequences. They also need to be careful about how the fish they eat is prepared.

“Fish is an important source of nutrients, and its consumption should not be avoided,” said Dr. Vaia Lida Chatzi, an associate professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC), who led a study published in the journal JAMA Network Open.

“But pregnant women should stick to one to three servings of fish a week as recommended, and not eat more, because of the potential contamination of fish by mercury and other persistent organic pollutants,” Chatzi advised.

Read more here:

Why cancer in one breast could develop in the other

Some women with cancer in one breast may have a greater risk of developing cancer in the other breast, new research suggests.

Those who carry a specific genetic change — a germline BRCA1, BRCA2 or CHEK2 mutation — have at least a twofold increased risk of cancer in both breasts, also called contralateral breast cancer, according to researchers at the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center in Rochester, Minn.

The study of 15,000 women also found that those with germline ATM mutations did not have a significantly elevated risk of cancer in both breasts.

For some carriers of the PALB2 gene, the risk was dependent on other factors. They had a significantly elevated risk of cancer in both breasts if they had estrogen receptor-negative disease, the investigators found.

Read more here:

Medicaid extends coverage to prison inmates

Some inmates in California could begin getting certain limited health services, including substance abuse treatment and mental health diagnoses, using Medicaid funds.

Typically, inmates lose Medicaid coverage while in the prison, jail or juvenile justice system.

This change will be the first time ever that Medicaid has provided some coverage for inmates, the Associated Press reported.

The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is allowing this only in California for now, in a program that could become a model for other states.

Care would begin 90 days before someone is scheduled to be released, offering supports that don’t now exist.

Read more here:

Could UV light from nail polish dryers cause cancer?

Getting a gel manicure may be less safe than many think.

Researchers say the nail polish dryers that use ultraviolet (UV) light to cure the gel polish emit possibly dangerous rays. These rays might lead to cell death and cancer-causing mutations in human cells, they noted.

Maria Zhivagui, a researcher at the University of California, San Diego, has sworn off gel manicures after seeing results in the lab.

When she was doing her PhD, she was intrigued by gel manicures, which last longer than normal polish. “I started using gel manicures periodically for several years,” Zhivagui said in a university news release.

Read more here:

How many daily steps do you need to lose weight?

It’s clear that staying active is key to being healthy, and fitness trackers and smartwatches have become popular tools for tracking activity.

But just how many steps does someone need to take to lose weight?

That’s not such a simple a question.

While evidence is limited on exactly how many steps a day it takes to lose weight, experts say to get about 150 to 300 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity exercise weekly, said Amanda Paluch, an assistant professor in the department of kinesiology and Institute for Applied Life Sciences at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

That’s about an average of 22 minutes per day on the low end and 45 minutes on the high end, Paluch said.

Read more here:

 

***

Get more recent news from HealthDay here:

Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress that usually manifests itself as a feeling of fear or worry.

Getting into the world of trading can seem daunting. Here are the key things to consider if you’re just starting out.

Did you know the foods you eat can also help you fight illnesses such as the flu? Veuer’s Maria Mercedes Galuppo has the story.

Save money by swapping your skincare products for these four common household items.

An active shooter is an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area. In an active sho…

Do you often feel tired, short of breath or do your friends say you look unusually pale? If so, you may be suffering from iron deficiency anem…

If you are feeling down, here are a few ways to get out of that bad mood. Buzz60’s Keri Lumm has the story. 

Dementia is now the most feared consequence of aging, but many people are not doing enough to ward it off in later life.

By following these simple enough strategies, you may be able to avoid debt altogether. Veuer’s Chloe Hurst has the story!

Just because they market themselves as healthy, doesn’t mean they are. Yair Ben-Dor has more.

Eating healthy foods is very important for lowering blood pressure and maintaining optimal levels. Here are five of the best foods for people …

Looking for ways to lower your electric bill? Do these four things to instantly make your home more energy-efficient.

Throat cancer refers to the abnormal growth of cells in the larynx, pharynx, or other parts of the throat.

Data from the CDC indicates that nearly a third of Americans suffer from sleep deprivation. A chronic feeling of being tired can make it easy …

Memory is a fundamental function of daily life that continuously declines as people age, impairing quality of life and productivity, and incre…

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Originally Appeared Here

Is your gas stove making you sick?

Natural gas stoves have become the latest flashpoint in America’s increasingly volatile political culture, after a top federal regulator publicly mulled over banning the appliances.

“This is a hidden hazard,” the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) commissioner, Richard Trumka Jr., said in an interview. “Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned.”

Trumka quickly walked back that statement, saying that the agency wants to assess the hazards posed by indoor gas stove emissions but has no plans to ban gas stoves.

But the question now is on the front burner — to what extent do gas stoves pose a health hazard to the average American?

People are also reading…

About 1 in 3 Americans has an allergy

If it seems as though everyone you know struggles with some sort of allergy, new research suggests you are not mistaken.

As many as 1 in 3 adults and 1 in 4 kids suffers from a seasonal allergy, a food allergy or eczema, the latest government data shows.

Caused by a reaction to plant pollen, seasonal allergies were most common type of allergy in both kids and adults. Symptoms include sniffling, sneezing, coughing and itchy eyes.

The study wasn’t designed to see if allergies are on the rise. Still, these conditions have become more prevalent according to previous reports, said study author Benjamin Zablotsky, a health statistician at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

About 19% of children and nearly 26% of adults were diagnosed with a seasonal allergy in 2021.

Should you eat seafood during pregnancy?

Pregnant women hear a lot of “Do this” and “Don’t do that” advice about what is safe to eat.

But one recommendation that’s particularly important involves seafood: During pregnancy, women need to eat enough seafood to gain the health benefits, but not so much to raise the risk of some significant consequences. They also need to be careful about how the fish they eat is prepared.

“Fish is an important source of nutrients, and its consumption should not be avoided,” said Dr. Vaia Lida Chatzi, an associate professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC), who led a study published in the journal JAMA Network Open.

“But pregnant women should stick to one to three servings of fish a week as recommended, and not eat more, because of the potential contamination of fish by mercury and other persistent organic pollutants,” Chatzi advised.

Why cancer in one breast could develop in the other

Some women with cancer in one breast may have a greater risk of developing cancer in the other breast, new research suggests.

Those who carry a specific genetic change — a germline BRCA1, BRCA2 or CHEK2 mutation — have at least a twofold increased risk of cancer in both breasts, also called contralateral breast cancer, according to researchers at the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center in Rochester, Minn.

The study of 15,000 women also found that those with germline ATM mutations did not have a significantly elevated risk of cancer in both breasts.

For some carriers of the PALB2 gene, the risk was dependent on other factors. They had a significantly elevated risk of cancer in both breasts if they had estrogen receptor-negative disease, the investigators found.

Medicaid extends coverage to prison inmates

Some inmates in California could begin getting certain limited health services, including substance abuse treatment and mental health diagnoses, using Medicaid funds.

Typically, inmates lose Medicaid coverage while in the prison, jail or juvenile justice system.

This change will be the first time ever that Medicaid has provided some coverage for inmates, the Associated Press reported.

The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is allowing this only in California for now, in a program that could become a model for other states.

Care would begin 90 days before someone is scheduled to be released, offering supports that don’t now exist.

Could UV light from nail polish dryers cause cancer?

Getting a gel manicure may be less safe than many think.

Researchers say the nail polish dryers that use ultraviolet (UV) light to cure the gel polish emit possibly dangerous rays. These rays might lead to cell death and cancer-causing mutations in human cells, they noted.

Maria Zhivagui, a researcher at the University of California, San Diego, has sworn off gel manicures after seeing results in the lab.

When she was doing her PhD, she was intrigued by gel manicures, which last longer than normal polish. “I started using gel manicures periodically for several years,” Zhivagui said in a university news release.

How many daily steps do you need to lose weight?

It’s clear that staying active is key to being healthy, and fitness trackers and smartwatches have become popular tools for tracking activity.

But just how many steps does someone need to take to lose weight?

That’s not such a simple a question.

While evidence is limited on exactly how many steps a day it takes to lose weight, experts say to get about 150 to 300 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity exercise weekly, said Amanda Paluch, an assistant professor in the department of kinesiology and Institute for Applied Life Sciences at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

That’s about an average of 22 minutes per day on the low end and 45 minutes on the high end, Paluch said.

 

***

Get more recent news from HealthDay here:

Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress that usually manifests itself as a feeling of fear or worry.

Getting into the world of trading can seem daunting. Here are the key things to consider if you’re just starting out.

Did you know the foods you eat can also help you fight illnesses such as the flu? Veuer’s Maria Mercedes Galuppo has the story.

Save money by swapping your skincare products for these four common household items.

An active shooter is an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area. In an active sho…

Do you often feel tired, short of breath or do your friends say you look unusually pale? If so, you may be suffering from iron deficiency anem…

If you are feeling down, here are a few ways to get out of that bad mood. Buzz60’s Keri Lumm has the story. 

Dementia is now the most feared consequence of aging, but many people are not doing enough to ward it off in later life.

By following these simple enough strategies, you may be able to avoid debt altogether. Veuer’s Chloe Hurst has the story!

Just because they market themselves as healthy, doesn’t mean they are. Yair Ben-Dor has more.

Eating healthy foods is very important for lowering blood pressure and maintaining optimal levels. Here are five of the best foods for people …

Looking for ways to lower your electric bill? Do these four things to instantly make your home more energy-efficient.

Throat cancer refers to the abnormal growth of cells in the larynx, pharynx, or other parts of the throat.

Data from the CDC indicates that nearly a third of Americans suffer from sleep deprivation. A chronic feeling of being tired can make it easy …

Memory is a fundamental function of daily life that continuously declines as people age, impairing quality of life and productivity, and incre…

Build your health & fitness knowledge

Sign up here to get the latest health & fitness updates in your inbox every week!

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Originally Appeared Here

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — The state of Ohio is five days away from a possible end to its measles outbreak.

The last case of the virus was reported in Columbus on Christmas Eve. If the city makes it to Saturday without another case, the outbreak would be considered over.

85 cases of measles have been reported in Columbus since October. Health officials say the majority of cases involved young children who were not vaccinated for the disease.

WHO, CDC: A record 40 million kids miss measles vaccine dose

“I think that’s great news, that we didn’t see that surge in cases right after the holiday,” Dr. Mysheika Roberts, Health Commissioner of Columbus Public Health, said.

“We just want to keep it up. If we can go a total of 42 consecutive days without a case, we can declare this outbreak over. We’re not there yet. We might be getting close, but we’re not quite there yet.”

Dr. Roberts said this outbreak has highlighted the importance of childhood vaccines in the community.

If there are no new cases in the next five days, the outbreak could be considered over Saturday.

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Originally Appeared Here

The Biden administration on Monday gave notice to Congress that it plans to let the emergency declarations related to the COVID-19 pandemic expire on May 11.

“The COVID-19 national emergency and public health emergency (PHE) were declared by the Trump Administration in 2020,” the Office of Management and Budget said in a statement. “They are currently set to expire on March 1 and April 11, respectively. At present, the Administration’s plan is to extend the emergency declarations to May 11, and then end both emergencies on that date.”

The declarations gave the federal government broad authority during the pandemic to expand health care services and helped to get COVID-19 treatments and vaccines authorized at record speeds.

The statement, which was in response to a pair of GOP-backed bills in the House that would immediately end the declarations, emphasized that the end of the emergency declarations will not affect individuals’ behavior toward COVID-19.

“To be clear, continuation of these emergency declarations until May 11 does not impose any restriction at all on individual conduct with regard to COVID-19,” the statement said. “They do not impose mask mandates or vaccine mandates. They do not restrict school or business operations. They do not require the use of any medicines or tests in response to cases of COVID-19.”

Cartoons on the Coronavirus

But more recently much of the public’s and the Biden administration’s outlook on the pandemic has shifted. Now, the news is perhaps not a surprising development given that President Joe Biden in September said that the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

The notice comes as COVID-19 cases, hospitalization and deaths in the U.S. are on the decline. Still, more than 3,700 Americans died from COVID-19 last week, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The White House has significantly reduced its messaging on COVID-19 over the past year, now focusing mostly on pushing Americans to get the updated booster shots that they hope will mark a shift to annual coronavirus shots. But rollout of the shots, which are designed to target the omicron variant, has been slow. Approximately 15% of the U.S. population has taken the new shot.

The World Health Organization, on the other hand, announced Monday that COVID-19 remains a public health emergency of international concern, noting that global coronavirus deaths are on the rise.

“As we enter the fourth year of the pandemic, there is no doubt we are in a far better situation now than we were a year ago, when the omicron wave was at its peak,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “But since the beginning of December, weekly reported deaths have been rising. In the past eight weeks, more than 170,000 people have lost their lives to COVID-19. And that’s just the reported deaths; we know the actual number is much higher.”

The organization did say that the pandemic is likely at a “transition point.”

“We remain hopeful that in the coming year, the world will transition to a new phase in which we reduce hospitalizations and deaths to the lowest possible level, and health systems are able to manage COVID-19 in an integrated and sustainable way,” Tedros said on Monday.

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Originally Appeared Here

The Mediterranean diet was named the healthiest diet by U.S. News & World Report for the sixth straight year.

For nutrition experts like Melissa Keeney, RD, Hartford HealthCare, it was hardly a surprise.

“The Mediterranean diet is linked to lower risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, heart failure, cancer and type 2 diabetes. Evidence also suggests it can improve gut health and cognitive function,” she notes.

But what is it about the Mediterranean style of eating that’s so good for us?

> Worried about your weight? Take this health risk assessment

The Mediterranean diet in a nutshell

Named after the region in the world where people blended healthy, more natural eating, the Mediterranean diet promotes meals rich in:

“The diet also encourages moderate to high intakes of fish and seafood, and low consumption of red meat and dairy,” Keeney explains. “Meals are more plant-based and fresh, and the lifestyle includes physical activity, both planned exercise and activities like walking, taking the stairs, housework and gardening.”

No calorie counting required

One of the beauties of the Mediterranean diet, she says, is that it celebrates food, just healthier ones.

“When a diet is very restrictive or cuts out food groups, it is a red flag! This does not cut out major food groups and there is no calorie or macronutrient counting required,” she says, adding, “It is not an ‘all or nothing’ approach. You can incorporate foods from the Mediterranean diet into your current eating pattern.”

To make your eating pattern more Mediterranean, Keeney suggests:

• Add a handful of almonds or walnuts as a snack.
• Make salad dressing with olive oil, lemon and fresh black pepper.
• Eat fish twice a week.
• Try new grains like couscous, barley or farro.

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Many ways to customize it

The Mediterranean diet can be tailored further to your ethnicity or personal choice, Keeney says.

“This diet, for example, encourages eating chickpeas while, in Southeast Asia, lentils are promoted,” she says, noting that much more research has gone into the benefits of the Mediterranean diet. “In Latin America, meals are made with black and pinto beans. All are similar nutritionally.”

Aim to create nutritionally balanced plates regardless of the type of food you enjoy. That includes: a carbohydrate, which is needed for energy; fat; protein; and fiber.

Ready to give it a shot? Try this recipe.

Keeney shared this recipe to help you try Mediterranean-style eating.

Orzo Pasta Salad with Roasted Chickpeas

• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 ½ cups orzo
• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
• ¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
• 1 ½ cups red grape tomatoes, halved
• 2 mini cucumbers, chopped
• 1 cup arugula
• ½ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
• ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
• ¾ cup red wine vinaigrette, recipe below
• Garlic powder
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Feta or parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Set oven to 425 degrees. Put chickpeas on a parchment-covered baking sheet, toss with garlic powder and black pepper. Roast 20-30 minutes, flipping once, until chickpeas are crispy. For a faster salad, you can skip this step.
2. Pour the broth into a large saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in orzo.
3. Cover partially and cook until the orzo is tender, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes. Drain orzo and transfer to a large wide bowl. Toss until it cools slightly.
4. When cooled, toss orzo with chickpeas, tomatoes, onion, cucumber, arugula, basil, mint and enough vinaigrette (see recipe below) to coat. Add cheese.
5. Season with salt and pepper, and serve at room temperature.

Red Wine Vinaigrette

• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp agave or honey
• ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Whisk vinegar, lemon juice, agave/honey and pepper.

Recipe based on an orzo pasta salad by Giada De Laurentiis.

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Originally Appeared Here

Gov. Janet Mills has named a health insurance marketplace director as the executive director for the state’s new Office of Affordable Health Care.

Meg Garratt-Reed will direct the new office, which a statement from Mills described as “an independent, nonpartisan executive agency intended to analyze drivers of health care costs and propose solutions to help Maine people.”

The new office was created by legislation sponsored by Senate President Troy Jackson. 

Garratt-Reed launched the health insurance marketplace CoverME.gov as a fully state-run marketplace in 2021, and has run it ever since. 

The new marketplace in part led to a large decline in the rate of uninsured statewide, according to Mills.

“Maine has seen the largest decline in its uninsured rate of any state in the nation in recent years,” Mills said. “With Meg at the helm of this independent, nonpartisan organization, I believe we can continue to make headway in expanding lifesaving insurance to more people and improving health care affordability.” 

Garratt-Reed worked previously as director of policy and partnerships at the health care advocacy nonprofit United States of Care. She also served as special assistant to the director of delivery system reform in the office of the administrator at the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service.

“I’m honored by this nomination and the opportunity to build on Maine’s nation-leading expansion of coverage to help ensure all Maine people can afford the health care they need,” Garratt-Reed said. “The Office of Affordable Health Care, working with the governor’s office, legislators, and stakeholders, will advance solutions to bring relief from rising health care costs to Maine families and businesses in new and meaningful ways.” 

Garratt-Reed’s five-year position must be reviewed and confirmed by a legislative committee and the state senate. In the meantime, the department of health and human services has begun a search for a new director for its office of the health insurance marketplace.

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Originally Appeared Here

Lawmakers to hear testimony on possible Sanford-Fairview Health merger – CBS Minnesota

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Leaders from Sanford and Fairview say the merger would improve patient care and help with financial concerns. Opponents say it could actually increase costs, limit patient access, and threaten jobs.

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Originally Appeared Here

The coronavirus remains a global health emergency, the World Health Organization chief said Monday, after a key advisory panel found the pandemic may be nearing an “inflection point” where higher levels of immunity can lower virus-related deaths.

Speaking at the opening of WHO’s annual executive board meeting, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said “there is no doubt that we’re in a far better situation now” than a year ago — when the highly transmissible Omicron variant was at its peak.

But Tedros warned that in the last eight weeks, at least 170,000 people have died around the world in connection with the coronavirus. He called for at-risk groups to be fully vaccinated, an increase in testing and early use of antivirals, an expansion of lab networks and a fight against “misinformation” about the pandemic.

“We remain hopeful that in the coming year, the world will transition to a new phase in which we reduce hospitalizations and deaths to the lowest possible level,” he said.

WATCH | Several factors go into declaring end of pandemic, WHO’s technical lead tells CBC:

How WHO will decide if the COVID-19 emergency is over

The World Health Organization will soon decide if COVID-19 should still be categorized as a global public health emergency. WHO COVID-19 technical lead Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove explains to Adrienne Arsenault how that decision is made.

‘Decoupling’ of infection, serious disease

Tedros’s comments came moments after WHO released findings of its emergency committee on the pandemic, which reported that some 13.1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered — with nearly 90 per cent of health workers and more than four in five people over 60 years of age having completed the first series of jabs.

“The committee acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic may be approaching an inflection point,” WHO said in a statement. Higher levels of immunity worldwide through vaccination or infection “may limit the impact” of the virus that causes COVID-19 on “morbidity and mortality,” the committee said.

“[But] there is little doubt that this virus will remain a permanently established pathogen in humans and animals for the foreseeable future,” it said. While Omicron versions are easily spread, “there has been a decoupling between infection and severe disease” compared to that of earlier variants.

Committee members cited “pandemic fatigue” and the increasing public perception that COVID-19 isn’t as much of a risk as it once was, leading people to increasingly ignore or disregard health measures like mask-wearing and physical distancing.

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Originally Appeared Here

This Digital Health News industry roundup covers a new app for young patients waiting for surgery at King’s College Hospital, funding news for Inflow and the extension of the partnership between Net Health and Kno2

Health tech start-up shortlisted for two CIBSE awards

Angel Guard, a medical biotechnology company, has been shortlisted in two categories in the Building Performance Awards, hosted by the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE).

The company’s remote water monitoring system, Clarence, has been named for the Best Digital Innovation category and Product or Innovation of the Year – Wellbeing.

The system uses AI technology and is equipped with the world’s first sensor that is capable of monitoring biofilm, temperature and flow in water systems at the same time. The solution can improve compliance while also saving time and money.

It’s capable of speeding up report compilation with improved data collection standards and 2/7 surveillance of water systems.

Angel Guard’s managing director, Jonathan Waggott, said: “Our mission is to improve people’s health and safety in buildings through our cutting-edge medical biotechnology products, and we couldn’t have asked for a much better way to start off 2023 than this.”

The finalists of the Building Performance Awards were selected through an expert panel of industry judges. Winners are set to be announced on Wednesday 1 March 2023.

King’s College Hospitals rolls out Little Journey app

Young patients preparing to have surgery at King’s College Hospitals’ Denmark Hill site, can now access an app to help them overcome their nerves.

The Little Journey app enables children and their parents or carers to take a virtual tour of the hospital site to help them prepare for forthcoming surgery. Children can meet doctor and nurse characters, see some of the equipment which will be used to care for them and understand more about what to expect on the day of their procedure.

The app can be used in 2D on a smartphone or paired with a virtual reality headset for a 3D experience. There are two versions available: one for younger children and the other for those aged eight and over.

Dr Asme Sheikh, consultant paediatric anaesthetist at King’s College Hospital, said: “We are really excited to be able to roll out this brilliant app. It will take children and their parents on a virtual journey through our ward and theatres, explain what will happen, and talk about how they may feel.

“The app has been piloted in several NHS hospitals so far, with great feedback from children and their carers. Coming into hospital can be overwhelming and we hope this app will help to make it a less frightening and more positive experience.”

ADHD app raises $11m Series A round
Science-based app Inflow has raised a $11m Series A round and will put the funding towards product development and expanding its team.

The app uses cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) based support to help users better manage their ADHD.

The app uses CBT-based coping strategies and supports users to develop self-regulation techniques that can be embedded within their everyday routines.

The app was built by a team of leading clinicians and coaches, with a large portion of the team being neurodiverse themselves. It aims to tackle the issues of long waiting time, difficult bureaucratic procedures and prohibitive costs, offering a cost-effective and accessible approach to managing the condition.

Dr George Sachs, co-founder of Inflow, said: “To ensure the usability and feasibility of the Inflow app, since launching, we have preliminary results through open study testing that members have experienced a decrease in ADHD symptoms and impairment by following Inflow’s approach. It’s encouraging and edifying to see how providing these techniques to those with ADHD, directly and easily through our app, is making a difference to their lives.”

The round was led by Octopus ventures with participation from Hoxton Ventures and Route66 Ventures. It brings the total amount raised to date by Inflow to $14m.

Net Health expands partnership with Kno2

Net Health, provider of specialty electronic health record (EHR) systems and Kno2, a healthcare communication provider, have extended an agreement to help outpatient therapy clinics efficiently exchange patient information and improve communication using an integrated solution.

The partnership will bring the opportunity to further use the Kno2 Communication API with Net Health’s portfolio of EHR offerings in the future. This will help streamline workflow for healthcare organisations and improve communications.

Josh Pickus, Net Health CEO, said: “When we provide effective and efficient communication, we relieve the burden on clinics by not adding to their workload while improving their interaction with their referring providers.

“Embedding Kno2’s cloud faxing and direct secure messaging capabilities into Net Health Therapy for Clinics is a game changer for our clients, and we look forward to furthering our relationship with them.”

Jon Elwell, Kno2’s CEO, added: “Our goal is to bring rapid, cost-effective data sharing and interoperability solutions to as many providers as possible. This partnership with Net Health allows us to reach our goals for improving quality and outcomes while we create more efficiencies.”

Deciphex boosts digital pathology and AI services

Pathology software and services company Deciphex has secured an additional €3.9m funding to advance its digital pathology and AI services.

The latest funding, led by Seroba Life Sciences, brings the total figure of the company’s full Series B round to €14.4m.

The company is experiencing a tenfold increase in demand quarterly and the funding will be used to grow capacity, expand the team, improve services and expand to new markets.

The company uses digital pathology and AI technology to accelerate pathology diagnostics, boost productivity and to improve patient outcomes.

Deciphex offers a range of services for clinical and research pathology, including the Patholytix 3.0 platform for research pathology. The platform means that research pathologists can review and score non-clinical studies on a single platform, giving faster pathology reviews with a lower risk of error.

Donal O’Shea, CEO of Deciphex, said: “This additional investment will allow us to continue to grow and innovate, solidifying our position as a leader in the field of pathology. We are committed to helping pathologists deliver the best possible care to patients through the use of cutting-edge technology.”

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Originally Appeared Here

Roy Jakobs, CEO of Royal Philips:

“Philips operates in attractive health technology market segments with good growth and margins. The company has built leading market positions based on meaningful innovations and high customer intimacy, further supported by a compelling purpose, a strong brand, and clear ESG commitments. However, given our significant operational challenges, we are not fully extracting the full value of our businesses, as also reflected in our 2022 results.

During my first 100 days, I have worked with our team on the urgent interventions needed to improve our execution and performance. This includes bolstering our culture with enhanced accountability and strengthening our health technology talent and capabilities.

Our strategy will focus on organic growth through patient and people-centric innovation at scale, with a strong improvement in execution as key value driver. This will be enabled by strengthening our patient safety and quality management and completing the Respironics recall. We will also urgently enhance the supply chain reliability to improve performance and simplify our way of working to improve our agility and productivity. This includes the difficult, but necessary further reduction of our workforce by around 6,000 roles globally by 2025.

I am confident that these comprehensive actions will put Philips on a progressive path to value creation with sustainable impact to achieve mid-single-digit comparable sales growth and a low-teens Adjusted EBITA margin by 2025, further expanding to a mid-to-high-teens margin beyond 2025*.”

* This guidance excludes the impact of the ongoing discussion on the proposed consent decree beyond current assumptions (Sleep & Respiratory Care/Respironics CSGR 2023-2025 of 10%), as well as ongoing litigation and the investigation by the US Department of Justice related to the Respironics field action.
** The leader of the Precision Diagnosis business segment will also be responsible for the Diagnosis & Treatment reporting segment jointly with the leader of the Image-Guided Therapy business segment.

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