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Archive for February, 2012|Monthly archive page

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O2 Media’s the Balancing Act on Lifetime with Lisa Radosta

In Media, Professionals on February 24, 2012 at 5:16 pm
O2 Media

O2 Media

The following segment aired on O2 Media’s The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television. Joining the show was veterinarian Lisa Radosta to talk about Novifit, a nutritional supplement for dogs and cats.

O2 Media: We love our pets, and as they grow older with us, just like humans, they start to exhibit signs of old age.  What we don’t always realize is that the undesirable behaviors characteristic of old age in dogs and cats can now be managed and even improved, just like in humans.  Here today to talk about this is Lisa Radosta, Veterinarian and Board-Certified Veterinary Behaviorist from Florida Veterinary Behavior Service.

I have a dog and a cat.  My cat just turned 10 this month and I’ve read that they can start to show some signs of age, some behavioral changes around that age, so I’ve been really kind of keeping an eye on him.  Is that true?

Lisa: That’s right.  Around that age, 11 in cats, we’re gonna start to see signs of cognitive dysfunction, or CDS.  This is a medical disorder that we see in geriatric dogs and cats that manifests itself by a decrease in cognition, memory, and learning.  Now, about a quarter of the dogs age 11 are going to show at least one sign.  Once they get to be 15 or 16, that number rises to 68%. In cats about age 11, we’re seeing about 35% of those cats showing signs.  As they get older, it is the same thing.  We’re seeing more and more signs in those older cats and dogs.

O2 Media: What kind of behavioral changes should I be looking for?

Lisa: You’re going to want to look for disorientation, changes in your cat’s interactions with you, changes in the sleep/wake cycle, lose of house-training, and changes in activity.  So, for example, some of my patients will get stuck in a corner, will not be able to figure out how to get out, and so they’ll bark and cry.  A lot of my patients keep their owners up.  From 2:00 in the morning till 6:00 in the morning, the animal’s pacing, howling, barking.  Then some lose their house-training.  Animals that were perfectly well house-trained now are eliminating in the home.  It’s very, very stressful for the family.  I mean, look, these are our babies. I want to commit to taking care of her.  But when you’re trying to manage your life, this elderly dog, you’re not sleeping at night, it’s very stressful.

O2 Media: So, if we start to notice these changes with our pets, what do we do?

Lisa: You need to go to your veterinarian because although CDS is not curable, it’s treatable and there are lots of great treatments.  We can use behavior modification, environmental changes, food, medication, and we can use nutraceuticals.  One of our newer nutraceuticals is called Novifit.  Novifit is SAMe.

O2 Media:  What is that?

Lisa: It is a substance that’s in your body and mine and our dogs and cats.  It’s mainly in your brain and your liver.  It’s a very powerful antioxidant and also boosts those happy neurotransmitters. Now, we have to think about this is a nutraceuticals, and not all nutraceuticals are created equal.  These are supplements that are not FDA regulated.  So you want to make sure when you go look at nutraceuticals, you look for quality and make sure that product has a good study behind it.

O2 Media: What have these studies shown when it comes to Novifit?

Lisa: What’s so cool about Novifit – and the reason I can get so excited about it – is because there’s an excellent, really rigorous study behind it.  About 50% of the owners saw their dogs mental impairment decrease by 50%.  That’s a big drop. More energetic dogs, more interactive dogs.  So we’re seeing those signs disappear using this type of supplement.

O2 Media: Now, you mentioned that nutraceuticals are kind of nutritional supplements.  How does Novifit work?  How do you give it to your pet?

Lisa: It’s very simple.  It’s just a once-a-day tablet.  You just give it in a little meatball of food just like you’d give anything else. It’s very, very easy.

About O2 Media

Based in Pompano Beach, Fla., O2 Media is a national television production company and pioneer of the branded entertainment industry. Since its inception O2 Media has engaged, entertained and educated viewers with such reputable shows as Designing Spaces and The Balancing Act, both airing on Lifetime Television. O2 Media has earned hundreds of industry awards for revolutionizing the way brands engage with consumers on television. O2 Media provides unmatched marketing value to its clients while producing quality content for its growing national viewership through Brandutainment®. Household brands and blue chip companies alike, continue to depend on O2 Media for effectively communicating their message to consumers.  For more information, visit O2 Media at http://www.o2mediainc.com.

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A Presentation Solutions Interview with Alan Shortall

In Health and Beauty on February 24, 2012 at 2:48 pm
Alan Shortall

Alan Shortall

Alan Shortall is the Founder, CEO and Executive Director of Unilife. The company is a developer and maker of advanced drug delivery systems based in the United States. Unilife was founded by Alan Shortall in 2002. The following is an excerpt from a recent interview with Presentation Solutions.

Presentation Solutions: Welcome, Alan Shortall.

Alan Shortall: Thank you for having me.

Presentation Solutions: Can you please give a brief history of Unilife?

Alan Shortall: Certainly. Unilife was founded in 2002 in Australia. We listed under ASX in Australia in November 2002. At that time I think we employed three or four people. Since then we have actually transitioned the company where we’ve developed a string of technologies.

Presentation Solutions: However, the company is currently located in the United States, correct?

Alan Shortall: Yes. We acquired a company in central Pennsylvania in 2007. We relocated our corporate headquarters to central Pennsylvania in 2008. In 2010 we actually listed on the NASDAQ exchange. So we’re now a fully-U.S. corporation. We do still trade on ASX but it’s actually not shares that trade on the ASX; it’s what they call CDIs—CHESS depositary Interests.

Presentation Solutions: Unilife’s new manufacturing facility in York, Pennsylvania is certainly state of the art.

Alan Shortall: Yes, but this state of the art facility does more than just provide us a place to do our business. We were just in the perfect position at the perfect time to capitalize on the changes in the pharmaceutical industry and the changes in the medical device industry. It’s put us in the perfect position because as I said we’ve got the innovation, we’ve got the skills, we have the expertise, and we have the flexibility in our infrastructure—but we actually have a building in place where pharmaceutical companies can come to visit.

So when the pharmaceutical companies come and audit our facility and look at it, they can see that we are actually operating at the same standard to which they are. That gives them a trust and confidence in our ability to deliver. But more importantly, as I say, we actually have the credibility—not because of the innovation of having done the impossible with Unifill—but having built that substantial 165,000 sq. ft. state of the art facility within 12 months and 1 week.

We’re showing the pharmaceutical companies that we are nimble and determined enough to be able to deliver to their needs and their unmet needs, for them to be able to deliver their biologics into the market on time.

Presentation Solutions: Where does your manufacturing take place?

Alan Shortall: All of our manufacturing operations are now in the USA. We’re a fully US company, listed on NASDAQ. In fact, we only have three or four staff in Australia. We completed a 165,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in December 2010. I might add a state of the art manufacturing facility! We’ve got over eleven clean rooms with full, particular control, climate controlled, moisture controlled, and particular extraction.. They were designed for us by an architectural firm that specializes in manufacturing facilities for pharmaceutical industries—which is an important element. When pharmaceutical companies come and visit our facility, they can see that we’re actually producing product at the same level and standard that they do in their own facilities.

Presentation Solutions: You are relatively a new company. Have you hired a lot of new people?

Alan Shortall: Over the last nine years we’ve gone from employing three people to where we now employ over 150 people.

Presentation Solutions: Can you please tell our readers about your world-class board members and executive team?

Alan Shortall: The significance of having completed the world-class facility that gives us credibility in the marketplace—not only credibility in the marketplace but amongst our peers in the industry. Quite a number of those peers have actually come knocking on our door recently, asking if they can come and play the game with us.

Here’s an example of a number of them. We’ve had a lady by the name of Mary Kate Wold join our board of directors. Mary Kate previously, as a lawyer, was a partner with Shearman and Sterling—one of the leading law firms in the USA. Mary Kate was chairwoman of their tax advisory committee. Mary Kate was headhunted by a major pharmaceutical company called Wyatt. Mary Kate was with Wyatt for approximately eight or nine years. She was executive Vice President of Finance for Wyatt before Wyatt was bought out by Pfizer for approximately $68B. So Mary Kate has a detailed knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry and is a great addition to our board. [She’s] a wonderful person and very smart and [has] a great intellect.

Another member that joined our board in 2010 is a gentleman by the name of Marc Firestone. Marc Firestone is the current General Counsel with Kraft Foods. Prior to that, Marc was General Counsel for Phillip Morris. Highly experienced. Again, he’s chairman of our corporate governance committee. A great contributor to our board. He brings a lot of experience to the table.

Alan Shortall: In January 2010 we brought on a new COO, Dr. Ramin Mojdeh. Ramin was previously with Becton Dickinson—one of those incumbent, dominant medical device companies. For five years, Ramin was head of product development for BD. So he knows medical devices. He was also president of their pharma systems business for North America. So he understands the pharma systems and pharmaceutical business as well. He brings a depth of knowledge of the industry to the table.

Also we brought on VP of Strategic Marketing, Dr. Jack Kelley. Jack was previously in a similar position with Becton Dickinson also. We brought on a VP of commercial development, Mike Ratigan. Mike, again, was in a similar position with BD.

These people are just a sample of the high performance industry leadrs that are coming to Unilife. We haven’t solicited them. They are coming to Unilife because they recognize that the game is changing, that Unilife is very much part of making that happen, and that Unilife is writing a new rulebook. They see that as a successful strategy. They want to be on a winning team.

Presentation Solutions: Tell us about the people that are developing new pipeline products.

Alan Shortall: We have a team of people that are actually developing products for us. We’ve already demonstrated our ability to be creative and innovative by doing the impossible with the Unifill. That same expertise is now developing a team of new products that are coming through the pipeline.

Presentation Solutions: What do you believe Unilife’s legacy will be?

Alan Shortall: For centuries people have rallied around causes. What Unilife is doing in many ways is an actual cause. It’s attracting high quality people. The quality and caliber of people is attracted in many ways because of our ability to not only be innovative and creative and have fun and the excitement of doing something worthwhile but the idea of being able to actually leave a worthwhile legacy behind. What we are doing is going to save a lot of lives.

Founded in Australia, Unilife still has offices in Sydney although they moved their main production facility to the United States in 2008. The company’s roots in Australia began when two inventors approached the firm’s future CEO Alan Shortall with a revolutionary idea. Shortall helped to found the medical device company that designs and distributes syringes and other injectable devices to pharmaceutical companies across the globe.

Unilife Australia Street Address
Suite 3, Level 11, 1 Chifley Square,
Sydney 2000 NSW Australia

Unilife Australia Postal Address
GPO Box 3400
Sydney 2001 NSW Australia

Tel: +612 8346 6500
Fax: +612 8346 6511

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Paul Perito MD Says Laser Therapy Is Useful to Treat Superficial Bladder Cancer

In Health and Beauty on February 20, 2012 at 8:42 pm
Paul Perito MD

Paul Perito MD

Bladder cancer is a devastating diagnosis that requires immediate action.  Paul Perito MD explains how medical advancements can help doctors catch it sooner and treat it more effectively.

According to Paul Perito MD, bladder cancer is the formation of malignant cells inside of the bladder, the hollow organ in the abdomen that stores urine. According to Paul Perito MD, there are three different types of cancer that affect the bladder. Transitional cell carcinoma begins in the innermost layer of the organ’s tissue and is where most cancer begins. Squamous cell carcinoma usually begins as the result of a long-term infection or chronic irritation. Adenocarcinoma begins in the secretory cells, and may also be the result of bladder irritation or infection, adds Paul Perito MD.

Superficial bladder cancer affects only the lining of the bladder. It is the most easily treatable form of the disease, says Paul Perito MD. One of the most interesting and efficacious procedures available today for the treatment of superficial bladder cancer is laser therapy. According to Paul Perito MD, laser therapy utilizes a narrow beam of light at an ultrahigh intensity. This is beneficial to surgeons because lasers are extremely accurate and can be used in place of a scalpel for precision work.

Lasers are known to destroy cancerous cells and are thus highly effective in the treatment of superficial cancers. Paul Perito MD notes that the use of lasers is not uncommon and that they are regularly used to treat many different variations of early-stage carcinoma, including penile and skin cell. Laser therapy can be used independently but has proven most beneficial when combined with radiation or chemotherapy and/or surgery, says Paul Perito MD. Additionally, lasers have the ability to seal nerve endings and lymph vessels, which may reduce pain and swelling.

Laser therapy is administered through an endoscope fitted with narrow optical fibers. According to Paul Perito MD, as lasers cause less damage to non-infected tissue, patients are more likely to have an easy recovery. The use of a laser minimizes trauma to the organ, reports Paul Perito MD, therefore the risk of infection is lower than with traditional methods that rely on physical contact of a cutting implement (scalpel). Laser therapy is not without its flaws, as it is expensive and may require repeat treatments.

Bladder cancer symptoms include bloody urine, frequent or painful urination and lower back pain, says Paul Perito MD. There are a number of test procedures that are beneficial in diagnosing the disease, as the symptoms are not unique to bladder cancer. According to Paul Perito MD, a CT scan, urinalysis, cystoscopy (a procedure that utilizes a thin, lighted tube to view the area), and even x-rays and internal examinations may all be utilized to confirm the existence of malignant cells in the bladder. If cancer is suspected, a biopsy or urine cytology may be performed to check for abnormal cells.

The combination of early intervention and a proactive treatment plan offers the patient the best chance for a positive prognosis, concludes Paul Perito MD.

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Paul Perito MD is a Coral Gables, Florida-based urologist whose practice, Perito Urology, specializes in men’s health issues. Most notably, Dr. Perito has developed and actualized a minimally invasive penile implant procedure that is safe, efficacious, and proven to diminish the risk of infection to the patient. He is Chairman of the Urology Department at Coral Gables Hospital as well as an active member of the American Urological Society. Paul Perito MD has traveled abroad extensively to promote his minimally invasive penile implant technique. Dr. Perito is a 1988 graduate of the University Of Maryland Medical School and also holds a BA in chemistry from Emory University.

The information contained in this article is provided by Paul Perito MD for educational purposes only. It is not intended to treat or diagnose any condition.

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Dr. Paul Edward Perito MD Gives an Overview of the Male Urological System

In Health and Beauty on February 9, 2012 at 12:18 pm
Dr. Paul Edward Perito MD

Dr. Paul Edward Perito MD

Dr. Paul Edward Perito MD has devoted his medical career to helping men (and women) with urologic problems. With a penile implant technique that has revolutionized the field, Dr. Paul Edward Perito MD is often asked to train other physicians on implanting devices via a proven method that minimizes pain and recovery time. In order to understand the many disorders that can affect the male urological system, Dr. Paul Edward Perito MD often explains to patients the various components that make up this complex system.

The male urinary and reproductive systems are closely correlated, with both removal of waste and sexual activity utilizing the same tracts. The urethra, Dr. Paul Edward Perito MD explains, connects the bladder to the penis and is responsible for removing waste from the body. According to Dr. Paul Edward Perito MD, on its way from the bladder to the penis, the urethra runs through the prostate, which produces seminal fluid during sexual activity. Attached to the prostate is the seminal vesicle, Dr. Paul Edward Perito MD states, which also works with the prostate to produce seminal fluid, both of which empty out through the urethra during ejaculation.

Sperm comes from the testes, traveling through a tube called the vas deferens. At the appointed time, Dr. Paul Edward Perito MD explains, the vas deferens moves sperm through the male body to the seminal vesicle, where it then combines with the milky fluid manufactured by the prostate and seminal vesicle to form sperm-filled semen. Because this system is shared by both waste removal and reproduction, the Bulbourethral or “Cowper’s” Gland works during sexual activity to remove any urine from the urethra by secreting an alkaline fluid.

With so many factors at play, Dr. Paul Edward Perito MD points out a variety of things that could malfunction. A urinary tract infection, common among members of both sexes, is caused by bacteria growing in the kidney, the bladder, or the tube that carries urine through the body, Dr. Paul Edward Perito MD says. UTIs can be caused by sexual activity, Dr. Paul Edward Perito MD explains, but this is more common in women than men. UTIs are usually treated with antibiotics, but mild cases can be counteracted by drinking unsweetened cranberry juice and vast amounts of fluids, especially water.

Kidney stones aren’t uncommon, especially among men, Dr. Paul Edward Perito MD notes. Most frequently caused by a lack of enough water in the body, kidney stones can be excruciating for patients and in some men is a recurring problem. According to Dr. Paul Edward Perito MD, incontinence is another urologic problem, generally seen more in men who have had prostate surgery and women with a history of vaginal births. Prostate enlargement can also cause difficulty in urinating for men, Dr. Paul Edward Perito MD states.

For men suffering infertility, Dr. Paul Edward Perito MD points to veins that drain the testicles as the most common cause. These veins, called varicocele, can either dilate or swell, causing the temperature of the testicles to escalate. Low testosterone and ingestion of alcohol and certain medications can also be blamed, Dr. Paul Edward Perito MD says.

For men suffering erectile dysfunction, sometimes the causes can be psychological. But as Dr. Paul Edward Perito MD points out, smoking and heart disease can create problems with the vascular and arterial systems, resulting in a loss of sexual function.

For more information or to contact Dr. Paul Edward Perito MD, visit Perito Urology online at http://www.peritourology.com

The information contained in this article is provided by Dr. Paul Edward Perito MD for educational purposes only. It is not intended to treat or diagnose any condition.

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Kummetz Corporation Expands to European Capital Markets

In Finance, Marketing on February 1, 2012 at 11:58 am
Kummetz Corporation

Kummetz Corporation

With projects in Brazil, Columbia, and South America, Kummetz Corporation has already proven itself as a leader in global business development. Now Kummetz Corporation is taking on the European markets by expanding into Europe.

Licensed in Nevada, U.S.A. in 2005, Kummetz Corporation is a financial services company that invests in projects worldwide. With a goal of expanding even further, Kummetz Corporation now brings its boutique services to London and Madrid. Kummetz Corporation will be working through offices in both areas, in search of investment and business development opportunities.

By opening these local offices, Kummetz Corporation hopes to be able to get a better feel for the area, as well as become a vital part of the local community. Having a presence in country also makes Kummetz Corporation more convenient to its clients. In Brazil, Kummetz Corporation has invested itself deeply in the culture of the area, which allows the company to determine areas that need economic stimulation, including education and housing.

Kummetz Corporation is targeting more than fifty core financial capitals in an effort to expand throughout the world. With every project it undertakes, the management team at Kummetz Corporation bring a deep personal integrity, and this expansion to Europe’s capital markets will be no different. Kummetz Corporation, says a Company spokesperson, always strives to offer the highest possible quality of service while using its global relationships to provide a broad base of products and financial services.

The European Capital market is thriving, according to the team at Kummetz Corporation. The European Union (EU) is considered the wealthiest in the world and is expected to grow even further in the future. The EU is a union of European states, with 27 currently participating, Kummetz Corporation explains. Romania and Bulgaria were recently added to the EU, further strengthening its power. By establishing a single market representing all of Europe, the EU hopes to continue to improve export opportunities as well as finding new business opportunities within Europe.

Kummetz Corporation hopes to be able to participate in the growth of the EU capital markets using valuable resources the Company has developed around the globe over the years. As an example, Kummetz Corporation participates in mergers and acquisitions, as well as business restructuring and new business development.