These Three Facts about Sudden Cardiac Arrest Could Help Save a Life

(NewsUSA) – This February, American Heart Month, you can learn critical information about sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) that could help you save a life. Three key things to remember:1. SCA is not a heart attack: SCA is an "electrical" problem affecting the heart rhythm, and a heart attack is a "plumbing" problem affecting blood flow.It’s a very common misperception that a heart attack and SCA are the same thing. However, they are very different.A heart attack occurs when part of the heart’s blood supply is reduced due to a partial or complete blockage, and the heart muscle becomes injured or dies.SCA, on the other hand, is related to the heart’s internal electrical system. When this system fails, it may trigger a dangerously fast heartbeat causing the heart to quiver and stop pumping blood to the body and brain. This can cause a victim to pass out suddenly — this is SCA."A heart attack victim is usually awake and can seek help, but a sudden cardiac arrest victim typically passes out immediately and must rely on others to provide immediate treatment," says Mary Newman, president and CEO of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation."The two conditions require vastly different treatment. The chance of survival following a sudden cardiac arrest decreases 10 percent with every passing minute."Though a heart attack and SCA are different, they are sometimes linked.Brent Miller, 50, survived both. Brent knew something wasn’t right when he started to experience frequent severe crushing chest pain in early 2021. He was an avid runner, so a heart problem may not have seemed likely. However, Brent knew to not ignore his symptoms. He went to the hospital and learned he was having a heart attack.Brent’s doctors implanted a stent in his heart to restore blood flow. The quick medical attention saved his life, but the heart attack weakened his heart’s pumping ability. This condition put him at risk for sudden cardiac arrest. As part of his recovery, his doctor recommended he wear a lifesaving wearable defibrillator known as LifeVest for protection. Watch Brent’s story on the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation website.2. SCA is sudden by its very nature; often the first sign a person has this condition is that they collapse and experience cardiac arrest.SCA has no warning signs. However, there are factors that may indicate someone is at risk for SCA. For example, certain heart patients may be at increased risk, including those who have suffered a heart attack or have been newly diagnosed with heart failure.Anyone who feels they might be at risk should see a cardiologist for evaluation. If you are at risk for SCA, a doctor may recommend a wearable defibrillator, implantable cardioverter defibrillator, medications, or other measures to prevent sudden death.In Brent’s case, following his heart attack, his doctors determined he was at high risk for SCA and prescribed LifeVest, a wearable defibrillator designed to detect certain life-threatening rapid heart rhythms and automatically deliver a lifesaving treatment shock."My SCA was very immediate; I did not feel it was coming on at all," says Brent. "I was talking to my wife, and I collapsed." Learn how Brent survived sudden cardiac arrest on the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation website.3. An SCA victim requires immediate emergency care, including CPR and a defibrillation shock — and you can help.If you witness what you think is sudden cardiac arrest, the first thing to do is to call 911 immediately before administering urgent and immediate care. After calling 911, start CPR compressions: Push hard and fast on the center of the chest. An SCA victim requires defibrillation and bystanders should seek an AED (automated external defibrillator) to provide treatment.If a patient is wearing LifeVest, which does not require third-party intervention, the device is designed to prompt bystanders to step aside while treatment is delivered. When Brent experienced SCA, he was at home in his bedroom. He suddenly lost consciousness. LifeVest detected the abnormal heart rhythm and delivered a treatment shock that saved his life."If I wasn’t wearing LifeVest that day, I have no doubt that I would have died," Brent says. "I’m just extremely grateful."With appropriate therapy, cardiac patients can often return to doing many of the things they enjoy. After experiencing both a heart attack and SCA, Brent has recovered and undergone cardiac rehab. He continues to run and is now training for a half-marathon in April.Learn more:

Welcome to The Future of Diagnostic Tests

(NewsUSA) – If you have a chronic or recurring infection, getting accurate results of diagnostic tests can make a big difference in your quality of care and quality of life. Patients with infections value the resolution that comes from accurate testing, diagnosis, and good treatment that MicroGenDX’s Next-Generation DNA Sequencing (NGS) enables.When a patient is infected, they will usually be prescribed an antibiotic or antifungal by their healthcare provider. These antimicrobials are often chosen based on culturing, growing the specimen in a petri dish. There are limitations to this 150-year-old technology that MicroGenDX is helping to solve.MicroGenDX uses DNA sequencing technology to identify all bacteria and fungi in a sample from an infected patient, no growth required. NGS detects many microbes that cultures often miss. This provides a patient’s physician with a more comprehensive result enabling appropriate and optimized therapy."Our mission at MicroGenDX is to improve clinical outcomes by offering clinicians and their patients the most informative and impactful microbial diagnostic tests that science can provide," says CEO Rick Martin. MicroGenDX makes a difference for patients like Kelsey, who struggled with a urinary tract infection so painful that it left her bedridden. When Kelsey finally received the correct antibiotic to treat her infection based on MicroGenDX test results, she was able to recover and return to a pain-free life."What makes MicroGenDX unique is our curated database of over 50,000 microbes, our improved turnaround time, our patient-friendly price point, and our clinical research data that strongly supports the clinical utility of Next-Generation Sequencing," Martin emphasizes.Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) is a technology that allows for more specific identification of disease-causing organisms than the traditional cultures and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) genetic tests used by many labs. Although the technology itself is not new, MicroGenDX, which has been in business for 12 years, has made NGS possible for use in an everyday clinical setting. In the past, NGS technology was expensive and time-consuming. Today, NGS is used by a variety of major companies and research institutions, including NASA, through MicroGenDX, and MicroGenDX is helping to open the door for the use of NGS in clinical medicine.MicroGenDX provides results for diagnoses related to urinary tract infections (UTI), prostate infections, hip and knee infections, wound infections, sinus infections, lung infections and more. The company continues to conduct research to expand the evidence base for the technology, with more than 35 published clinical studies and more than 40 ongoing clinical trials.MicroGenDX’s NGS has a number of benefits over traditional culture and PCR labs:- Accuracy. The MicroGenDX test matches patient samples against its microbial database of 50,000 species for maximum accuracy in the NGS results.- Affordability. The MicroGenDX offers low rates for both qPCR and NGS to help clinicians and patients control costs without sacrificing quality.- Speed. MicroGenDX has the quickest turn around time of any NGS provider on the market at 3-5 business days for most NGS samples.- Variety. The MicroGenDX lab accepts a broad range of samples and can provide information on hard to culture and uncommon bacterial and fungal species, including Mycobacterium and Molds.- Antibiotic Resistance: MicroGenDX recognizes the threat that antimicrobial resistant organisms present to current medicine and the over 35,000 deaths a year it causes. The use of NGS allows for targeted antibiotic treatment that helps combat the growing issue of antibiotic resistance. MicroGenDX also detects the presence of 17 antibiotic resistance genes allowing clinicians to avoid ineffective treatments.Visit microgendx.com for more information about the company’s services, and check them out on social media via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

Seek Sound Investment Advice for Financial Success

(NewsUSA) – After years in the shadows of trendy tech stocks, solid value stocks are having their moment. Opportunistic value investors who are willing to go against the trends can acquire stocks cheaply, and benefit from generous dividends over time.If you are a value investor or looking to get into more value stocks or seeking other financial guidance, having the right investment advice is essential, as the options can be confusing and overwhelming.Regular investment newsletters from competent authorities can help investors sort through the mountain of stock information and make smart decisions that work for them.When choosing an investment newsletter, keep these factors in mind to separate the experts from the fly-by-nighters.- Broad base. A quality investment newsletter offers information about a diversified portfolio and a broad base of investment themes. The best investment newsletters provide details of what individual stock and other assets the experts are into; look for newsletters with information about capital gains over the medium- to long-term, and generating dividends.- Access to material. At the end of the day, your investment decisions are your own, but it is important to be informed, and the right investment newsletter offers current and complete access to research material.- Expert knowledge. Learn what the experts recommend, and what sectors they are investing in and why. The best investment newsletters offer new ideas and updates via trade alerts.- Share with others. Investment newsletters that offer members’ forums as well as expert Q&A sections are especially helpful for making sound decisions. Member forums are a rare and valuable feature, so look for them when choosing an investment newsletter. You can take advantage of the knowledge and experience of fellow newsletter subscribers and learn tips from them, as well as from the expert newsletter authors, on long-term wealth building across a range of sectors or investment classes.- Resources. The best investment newsletters provide the background that their experts use in making their own investment decisions; you get a window into their thought process that will add to your understanding and appreciation of their recommendations.- Reputation. For more proof that you are choosing a quality investment newsletter, you can check out what others are saying on a reputable review site such as trustpilot.com.Find an example of an investment newsletter with the power to improve your financial picture at invest4deepvalue.com. 

 

Rally for Wounded Warrior Project’s Carry Forward Virtual 5K

(NewsUSA) – The 2021 Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) Carry Forward® Virtual 5K, presented by USAA®, is off and running! And, it’s easier than ever to participate in this powerful, unique event that allows supporters to help put WWP’s mission in motion in their communities or neighborhoods.Celebrating its fourth year, the Carry Forward Virtual 5K supports the life-changing programs and services – including mental health, career counseling, and long-term rehabilitation care – dedicated to improving the lives of warriors and their families. Please honor the courageous men and women who have served in the U.S. military and consider participating in the Carry Forward Virtual 5K.Supporters can participate in a walk or run as an individual or part of a team. Virtual Carry Forward events allow participants to support wounded veterans with a 5K they can host in their communities at their convenience."Fujitsu supports causes that are near and dear to our hearts, and helping those who have served our country is the right thing to do," says Matt Peterson, President and COO, Fujitsu General America, Inc. "We are proud to be the sponsor of Wounded Warrior Project’s Carry Forward Virtual 5K, and hope you will join us in taking strides to make the world a better place." To get involved, visit fujitsugeneral.com/cares/warriors.Whatever your preferred method, the WWP Carry Forward Virtual 5K offers a one-of-a-kind chance to:

Fujitsu and Make A Wish Partner to Help Make Wishes Come True

 

Hope is essential for children with critical illnesses, and you can help unlock its life-changing power today.Parker’s wish is to have a rainbow playset, and Jade wishes for a white fluffy puppy. These children and countless others hope to capture your heart and ignite your desire to support the Make-A-Wish mission to grant the wish of every eligible child.Make-A-Wish is the world’s largest wish-granting organization, serving children in nearly 50 countries. With generous donors, supporters, staff and more than 40,000 volunteers around the globe, Make-A-Wish delivers hope and joy to children and their families when they need it most. An integral part of a child’s treatment journey, Make-A-Wish has fulfilled the wishes of more than 340,000 children nationwide since its founding in 1980.There remains a tremendous gap between the number of wishes granted today and the estimated 27,000 children in the United States that are diagnosed with a qualifying condition annually. Together, we can raise the funds necessary to help close that gap."Fujitsu is known as a global leader in ductless mini-splits, but we’re actually much more," said Matt Peterson, president and COO of Fujitsu General America, Inc. "We also supply VRF, unitary ducted, and commercial rooftops as a full line equipment supplier. But we’re also much, much more than that. We support causes that are near and dear to our hearts. One of them is Make-A-Wish. If you know our culture, supporting children with critical illnesses is a no-brainer to us. It’s the right thing to do. We hope you will find a way to join us in this incredible cause as we strive to make the world a better place. Visit fujitsugeneral.com/cares/wishes to learn more about how you can get involved."There are many ways to support this extraordinary organization that grants wishes that help children replace fear with confidence, anxiety with hope and sadness with joy.Here are just a few more ways to make a difference:* Donate monthly to help reach every eligible child and ensure more children re-discover hope when they need it most.* Fundraising, whether it’s through athletic events, lemonade stands or birthday fundraisers, empowers passionate supporters to rally networks in their communities.* Volunteers are the backbone of making wishes come true. Share your time and talents as a volunteer and transform a child’s life.Research shows children who have wishes granted build the physical and emotional strength needed to fight a critical illness. This can improve their quality of life and produce better health outcomes.Together we can transform lives, one wish at a time. Visit Wish.org to learn more and see how you can get involved today! 

Toys For Tots Literacy Program Gears Up for Back to School

 

Toys for Tots is the nation’s flagship children’s Christmastime charity, but the Program extends to helping children and families in need year-round. As children gear up for the new school year, the Toys for Tots Literacy Program continues its successful Back to School Books campaign in the hopes of doubling their literacy efforts. Last year, the Program distributed 1.8 million books and this year the Program hopes to distribute over 4 million books.A key objective of the Marine Toys for Tots Program is to play an active role in the development of children by providing them direct access to books and educational resources that enhance their ability to read and communicate effectively. The Toys for Tots Literacy Program, launched in 2008 in partnership with The UPS Store, is one way to meet this goal. The Toys for Tots Literacy Program provides economically disadvantaged children with the books and educational resources that can help them build the confidence and self-esteem that will help them compete academically and succeed in life.Data show that children who are not reading at grade level by the end of third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school, and that the ratio of books per child in some low-income neighborhoods is 1 age-appropriate book for every 300 children."This program not only brings the joy of reading to these children, but also serves as an important tool in breaking the cycle of poverty," says Lieutenant General Jim Laster, USMC (Retired), President & CEO of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation.Since 2008, the Toys for Tots Literacy Program has provided an average of 2 million books to children, schools, and libraries each year. This year, Toys for Tots is teaming up with organizations such as Rise Augusta and Kids in Need Foundation for opportunities to distribute books to children in need year-round.Please visit our donation page to support our Back to School Books campaign.