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UPDATING and REPLACING: American Kidney Fund Brings Renal Community Together with Virtual Kidney Action Week, Sept. 13-17

American Kidney Fund

An updated version of this release is being issued with revised sponsor information: The American Kidney Fund (AKF) will host its second annual virtual Kidney Action Week from Monday, Sept. 13 to Friday, Sept. 17. The free, five-day event will bring together patients, medical experts and advocates for 14 sessions throughout the week that will focus on healthy living in the face of kidney disease, with an emphasis on confronting health disparities. Kidney Action Week is made possible by the generosity of sponsors Boehringer Ingelheim/Lilly, Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. and US Renal Care. Kidney Action Week is open to the public, and more than 2,000 people have already registered to participate. For the full schedule of events, details and to register, visit KidneyActionWeek.org. “People with kidney disease are looking for accurate, up-to-date health information and they’re looking for support as they fight to live their healthiest lives in the face of this serious, complex disease,” said LaVarne A. Burton, AKF President and CEO. “We’re incredibly grateful to the sponsors, health experts and advocates from around the country who are joining us throughout the week to engage the kidney community in a virtual conversation about so many of the aspects of kidney disease—from prevention, to management, to dialysis and transplant.” More than 37 million Americans have kidney disease, which presents no symptoms until the late stages and is among the top 10 causes of death in the country. More than 785,000 Americans are living with kidney failure, which is treatable only by dialysis or transplant. Health disparities will be an overarching theme throughout Kidney Action Week and will be the focus of AKF’s virtual Congressional briefing on Sept. 15. People of color are disproportionately affected by kidney failure and often face barriers to early diagnosis and effective treatments that enable them to slow or stop the progression of the disease, as well as barriers to kidney transplant. Kidney Action Week will feature live sessions during which participants can ask questions of experts in nephrology, renal nutrition and more. AKF is grateful to session sponsors AstraZeneca, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, GSK, Horizon Therapeutics plc, Natera, Sanofi Genzyme, Travere and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Kidney Action Week session highlights include: Monday, Sept. 13 10 a.m. ET – Finding Answers for the Unknown Causes of Kidney Disease: A Roadmap for Change panel discussion 3 p.m. ET – The Importance of Clinical Trials: Why Participant Diversity Makes a Difference panel discussion Tuesday, Sept. 14 10 a.m. ET – Home Dialysis and the Patient Experience: Could Home Dialysis be for You? panel discussion 12:30 p.m. ET – Know Your Kidney Health Care Team: Effective Communication for the Best Health Outcome panel discussion 3 p.m. ET – Living with Stage 3 Kidney Disease panel discussion Wednesday, Sept. 15 10 a.m. ET – Ask a Nephrologist Q&A with Dr. Akhtar Ashfaq, member of AKF’s Medical Advisory Committee 1 p.m. ET – AKF’s Congressional briefing, Increasing Kidney Transplants in Communities of Color, will focus on the challenges of health disparities and what can be done to increase the number of transplants among people of color. 2:30 p.m. ET – Ask the Expert Q&A with Dr. Blake Shusterman, AKF Kidney Kitchen ® partner also known as The Cooking Doc ® Thursday, Sept. 16 10 a.m. ET – Gout & Kidney Disease panel discussion 3 p.m. ET – The Kidney Transplant Process: What You Need to Know panel discussion Friday Sept. 17 10 a.m. ET – Life After a Kidney Transplant panel discussion 12:30 p.m. ET – Kidney Disease & Mental Health panel discussion Kidney Action Week is part of AKF’s Know Your Kidneys™ kidney disease education and prevention program. In 2020, AKF transformed its signature community kidney disease prevention event, Kidney Action Day, into Kidney Action Week. Kidney Action Week 2020 was a first-of-its-kind event in the COVID-19 era, providing a virtual space to focus on kidney health and kidney disease awareness and prevention for people nationwide. About the American Kidney Fund The American Kidney Fund (AKF) fights kidney disease on all fronts as the nation’s leading kidney nonprofit. AKF works on behalf of the 37 million Americans living with kidney disease, and the millions more at risk, with an unmatched scope of programs that support people wherever they are in their fight against kidney disease—from prevention through transplant. With programs that address early detection, disease management, financial assistance, clinical research, innovation and advocacy, no kidney organization impacts more lives than AKF. AKF is one of the nation’s top-rated nonprofits, investing 97 cents of every donated dollar in programs, and holds the highest 4-Star rating from Charity Navigator and the Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar. For more information, please visit KidneyFund.org, or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Contact Details Stefanie Tuck Work: +1 202-470-1797 Mobile: +1 978-390-1394 11921 Rockville Pike Suite 300 Rockville, MD 20852 AKF@jpa.com Company Website http://www.kidneyfund.org/

September 13, 2021 05:24 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Cloud Conventions Announces New Virtual Event Management Platform Capabilities

Convey Services

Cloud Conventions today released a suite of new features and additional capabilities to improve the user experience for virtual or hybrid events, trade shows and association conferences. New features include integration with the BlueJeans by Verizon video conferencing platform, a new unique 2D Virtual Showroom and Virtual Booth display, additional exhibitor engagement capabilities and new session registration and notification options. These new capabilities further enhance Cloud Conventions’ position as one of the premier enterprise virtual/hybrid event management platforms that is redefining the exhibitor and attendee experience. “As we learn more about what drives attendee and exhibitor engagement, those insights direct us to add features and capabilities to address and improve the attendee and exhibitor experience,” said Carolyn Bradfield, CEO of Cloud Conventions. “The 2D Virtual Showroom and Exhibit Booth customizes the look and feel of the exhibit hall and offers a more engaging experience. It serves as a central navigation point using a unique image with embedded links, graphics and videos overlaid. We integrated with BlueJeans by Verizon to offer a conferencing platform that delivers high resolution video and Dolby-quality sound while allowing the participant to enter any session or keynote without leaving the platform. We also can cap registration on any session, creating a wait list and automatic notifications when the attendee has been cleared to attend.” The 2D Virtual Showroom and Exhibit Booth provides a self-managed, totally customized experience by adding a library of unique exhibit hall or virtual booth images and then overlaying them with interactive zones that link to embedded videos, navigational buttons, images, badge scan and message icons that link to other locations on the platform. Virtual showrooms can appear on the event site homepage or attendee dashboard to direct the user through the event experience or can become the main virtual exhibit hall. 2D virtual booths can be added to templates providing silver, gold and platinum exhibitors each with a distinctive booth experience based on sponsorship levels. BlueJeans by Verizon has a unique iFrame capability that allows attendees to connect automatically to live or keynote sessions from any location on the Cloud Conventions’ platform. Their attendee information is automatically transferred to BlueJeans, and their activity is recorded and delivered back to Cloud Conventions’ event reports. BlueJeans offers the industry's highest fidelity audio and video performance, as well as suite of comprehensive security features. It can host live events with up to 50,000 attendees and 150 presenters worldwide. BlueJeans streams to Facebook Live for larger audiences to view the session as it happens. About Cloud Conventions Cloud Conventions from Convey Services is Cloud Conventions is an enterprise virtual/hybrid event management platform that redefines the exhibitor and attendee experience to allow companies to provide easy access to in-depth product information, showcase their brands with graphics and videos, create calls to action and generate immediate sales leads. Used around the world for large managed events and smaller self-directed meetings, conferences and corporate kickoffs, Cloud Conventions automates exhibitors and virtual booths, continuing education, speaker sessions and reminders, invitations and email communication, while at the same time producing detailed analytics on attendee, session and exhibitor activity. Cloud Conventions supports multiple languages and currencies, internal, external and single-sign on registration, and supports all conferencing carriers and platforms. Trade Associations and event managers can explore all of the Cloud Conventions solutions by visiting https://cloudconventions.com or contacting info@cloudconventions.com or call 888-975-1382. Cloud Conventions™, Cloud Conventions Enterprise Event Network™, Community™, SafetyNet™, Cloud Kickoffs™, Conduct™, One-Touch Email Share™, Hub & Spoke™, 360° Virtual Exhibit Hall & Lobby Experience™ and ListLock™ are trademarks of Convey Services LLC Contact Details Bruce Ahern +1 770-580-0810 bahern@conveyservices.com Company Website https://cloudconventions.com

September 13, 2021 04:29 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Cloud Conventions Launches Virtual Event Network Solution for Enterprise Business

Convey Services

Cloud Conventions today announced an enterprise virtual event management solution for Fortune 1000 businesses that need to manage both internal and customer facing events on a year-round basis. Cloud Conventions Enterprise Event Network™ is a SaaS platform that manages and delivers multiple virtual or hybrid events with capabilities and engagement features beyond a simple webinar or streaming event. Cloud Conventions Enterprise onboards and manages attendees, controls sessions and content, provides engagement tools and analyzes all attendee interactions. The platform can be administered at a corporate level to support standardized event programming and maintain content libraries and business resources. It can be connected to other internal or external systems for onboarding attendees and data exchange. “Cloud Conventions Enterprise grew out of requirements from large global businesses to needed to control and manage their sales, marketing and technical events on a single virtual event platform or on a series of platforms connected into an event network,” said Carolyn Bradfield, CEO of Cloud Conventions. “Cloud Conventions Enterprise is unique in that it integrates easily with other enterprise platforms that hold contact, digital content assets or learning management resources, managing a two-way dataflow of content and videos while monitoring and reporting on attendee engagement.” Cloud Conventions Enterprise is designed for organizations that need a solution for multiple events versus a single tradeshow or conference. The Cloud Conventions member API connects to internal systems to seamlessly add data records of staff or customer attendees and offers single sign-on from an enterprise application. The platform can be connected to marketing cloud solutions, digital content libraries, learning management systems or data analysis engines to deliver assets and receive transactional data from attendance at a virtual or hybrid event or conference. Groups using Zoom or BlueJeans by Verizon can connect their video accounts for use on the platform or can use other video solutions such as Teams, WebEx, GlobalMeet or GoToMeeting. “As a result of the virtualization of the workforce accelerated during the Pandemic, Cloud Conventions Enterprise is built to satisfy a growing need for virtual event options within an enterprise corporate environment,” added Bradfield. “Company meetings, internal or external trade events, user conferences, sales kickoffs, and even investor relations events or live virtual press conferences are all more streamlined with this platform. Using our proprietary Hub & Spoke™ capability, corporations can create a network of event platforms segmented by business unit or geography while still controlling access and brand identity from a centralized and monitored platform.” About Cloud Conventions Cloud Conventions from Convey Services is Cloud Conventions is an enterprise virtual/hybrid event management platform that redefines the exhibitor and attendee experience to allow companies to provide easy access to in-depth product information, showcase their brands with graphics and videos, create calls to action and generate immediate sales leads. Used around the world for large managed events and smaller self-directed meetings, conferences and corporate kickoffs, Cloud Conventions automates exhibitors and virtual booths, continuing education, speaker sessions and reminders, invitations and email communication, while at the same time producing detailed analytics on attendee, session and exhibitor activity. Cloud Conventions supports multiple languages and currencies, internal, external and single-sign on registration, and supports all conferencing carriers and platforms. Trade Associations and event managers can explore all of the Cloud Conventions solutions by visiting https://cloudconventions.com or contacting info@cloudconventions.com or call 888-975-1382. Cloud Conventions™, Cloud Conventions Enterprise Event Network™, Community™, SafetyNet™, Cloud Kickoffs™, Conduct™, One-Touch Email Share™, Hub & Spoke™, 360° Virtual Exhibit Hall & Lobby Experience™ and ListLock™ are trademarks of Convey Services LLC Contact Details Bruce Ahern +1 770-580-0810 bahern@conveyservices.com Company Website https://cloudconventions.com

September 13, 2021 03:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Stop Worrying about the Cost of Ransomware with Cyvatar

Cyvatar

Cyvatar today announced that it has partnered with Cysurance, a next-generation platform delivering cyber insurance as a service to growing businesses, to offer an enhanced service guarantee as a benefit to all customers with a silver membership or higher. Starting today, Cyvatar members can worry less about the high costs associated with ransomware or business email compromise (BEC) attacks, regulatory fines, cyber legal liability, and more. With a Cyvatar Silver, Gold, or Enterprise subscription, members benefit from an exclusive service guarantee that pays for up to $500,000 of breach-related costs. “The partnership with Cysurance gives Cyvatar members a financial safety net in the event of a successful attack,” said Kirsten Bay, Cysurance co-founder and chief executive officer. “The added protection will enable them to manage all types of cyber risk.” Cyvatar already guarantees members of all levels a fully remediated, continuously clean security environment within the first 90 days. Now, that guarantee extends to service disruption costs related to: Ransomware threats Business email compromise Compliance penalties, audit failures, and regulatory fines Cyber legal liability expenses Business Interruption costs “We’re proud to partner with Cysurance and offer our members a one-of-a-kind security experience, one where they can get CyValue fast,” said Cyvatar Co-Founder and CEO Corey White. “As we continue to grow and evolve our revolutionary cybersecurity-as-service (CSaaS) offering, we have the opportunity to add more exciting benefits for our members all for the same fixed subscription price they pay today.” Cyvatar’s enhanced service guarantee comes bundled with all memberships starting at the Silver subscription level. In addition to breach cost assurance, the membership also includes: Click here to learn more about Cyvatar and Cysurance’s new partnership and sign up for Cyvatar’s robust membership offering today. About Cysurance Cysurance is the next-generation cyber solution, protecting small businesses and their partners through affordable cyber risk management. Built on a proprietary platform, our program comes with a complete set of features to safeguard business continuity and insure against loss, protecting both revenue and recovery. For more information, visit www.cysurance.com, follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, or email us at info@cysurance.com. Insurance and 360Protect offered by Cysurance, LLC. NY License #1578397. All products may not be available in all states. This communication contains product summaries only. Coverage or protection is subject to the language of the policies and terms as actually issued. Nothing in this communication should be construed as involving the sale, solicitation or negotiation of insurance, the provision or offer of insurance services, or the provision or offer of legal advice or services. About Cyvatar Cyvatar is committed to effortless cybersecurity for everyone. As the industry’s first subscription-based, cybersecurity-as-a-service (CSaaS) company, it’s our mission to transform the way the security industry builds, sells, and supports cyber solutions. We empower our members to achieve successful outcomes by providing expert practitioners, market-leading technologies, and proven best practices to guarantee business results. Our approach is rooted in a proprietary ICARM (installation, configuration, assessment, remediation, maintenance) methodology that delivers measurable security solutions for superior compliance and cyber-attack prevention, all bundled into a fixed monthly subscription that members can cancel anytime. Cyvatar is headquartered in Irvine, California, with locations around the world. Begin your journey to security confidence at cyvatar.ai and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Contact Details Cyvatar KC Higgins +1 303-434-8163 kc@cyvatar.ai Cysurance Gray Newhouse +1 917-503-8031 Company Website https://cyvatar.ai/

September 13, 2021 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

American Kidney Fund Brings Renal Community Together with Virtual Kidney Action Week, Sept. 13-17

American Kidney Fund

The American Kidney Fund (AKF) will host its second annual virtual Kidney Action Week from Monday, Sept. 13 to Friday, Sept. 17. The free, five-day event will bring together patients, medical experts and advocates for 14 sessions throughout the week that will focus on healthy living in the face of kidney disease, with an emphasis on confronting health disparities. Kidney Action Week is made possible by the generosity of sponsors Boehringer Ingelheim, Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. and US Renal Care. Kidney Action Week is open to the public, and more than 2,000 people have already registered to participate. For the full schedule of events, details and to register, visit KidneyActionWeek.org. “People with kidney disease are looking for accurate, up-to-date health information and they’re looking for support as they fight to live their healthiest lives in the face of this serious, complex disease,” said LaVarne A. Burton, AKF President and CEO. “We’re incredibly grateful to the sponsors, health experts and advocates from around the country who are joining us throughout the week to engage the kidney community in a virtual conversation about so many of the aspects of kidney disease—from prevention, to management, to dialysis and transplant.” More than 37 million Americans have kidney disease, which presents no symptoms until the late stages and is among the top 10 causes of death in the country. More than 785,000 Americans are living with kidney failure, which is treatable only by dialysis or transplant. Health disparities will be an overarching theme throughout Kidney Action Week and will be the focus of AKF’s virtual Congressional briefing on Sept. 15. People of color are disproportionately affected by kidney failure and often face barriers to early diagnosis and effective treatments that enable them to slow or stop the progression of the disease, as well as barriers to kidney transplant. Kidney Action Week will feature live sessions during which participants can ask questions of experts in nephrology, renal nutrition and more. AKF is grateful to session sponsors AstraZeneca, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, GSK, Horizon Therapeutics plc, Natera, Sanofi Genzyme, Travere and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Kidney Action Week session highlights include: Monday, Sept. 13 10 a.m. ET – Finding Answers for the Unknown Causes of Kidney Disease: A Roadmap for Change panel discussion 3 p.m. ET – The Importance of Clinical Trials: Why Participant Diversity Makes a Difference panel discussion Tuesday, Sept. 14 10 a.m. ET – Home Dialysis and the Patient Experience: Could Home Dialysis be for You? panel discussion 12:30 p.m. ET – Know Your Kidney Health Care Team: Effective Communication for the Best Health Outcome panel discussion 3 p.m. ET – Living with Stage 3 Kidney Disease panel discussion Wednesday, Sept. 15 10 a.m. ET – Ask a Nephrologist Q&A with Dr. Akhtar Ashfaq, member of AKF’s Medical Advisory Committee 1 p.m. ET – AKF’s Congressional briefing, Increasing Kidney Transplants in Communities of Color, will focus on the challenges of health disparities and what can be done to increase the number of transplants among people of color. 2:30 p.m. ET – Ask the Expert Q&A with Dr. Blake Shusterman, AKF Kidney Kitchen ® partner also known as The Cooking Doc ® Thursday, Sept. 16 10 a.m. ET – Gout & Kidney Disease panel discussion 3 p.m. ET – The Kidney Transplant Process: What You Need to Know panel discussion Friday Sept. 17 10 a.m. ET – Life After a Kidney Transplant panel discussion 12:30 p.m. ET – Kidney Disease & Mental Health panel discussion Kidney Action Week is part of AKF’s Know Your Kidneys™ kidney disease education and prevention program. In 2020, AKF transformed its signature community kidney disease prevention event, Kidney Action Day, into Kidney Action Week. Kidney Action Week 2020 was a first-of-its-kind event in the COVID-19 era, providing a virtual space to focus on kidney health and kidney disease awareness and prevention for people nationwide. About the American Kidney Fund The American Kidney Fund (AKF) fights kidney disease on all fronts as the nation’s leading kidney nonprofit. AKF works on behalf of the 37 million Americans living with kidney disease, and the millions more at risk, with an unmatched scope of programs that support people wherever they are in their fight against kidney disease—from prevention through transplant. With programs that address early detection, disease management, financial assistance, clinical research, innovation and advocacy, no kidney organization impacts more lives than AKF. AKF is one of the nation’s top-rated nonprofits, investing 97 cents of every donated dollar in programs, and holds the highest 4-Star rating from Charity Navigator and the Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar. For more information, please visit KidneyFund.org, or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Contact Details Stefanie Tuck Work: +1 202-470-1797 Mobile: +1 978-390-1394 11921 Rockville Pike, Suite 300, Rockville, MD 20852 AKF@jpa.com Company Website http://www.kidneyfund.org/

September 13, 2021 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Shirley Ballas marks her birthday by celebrating £2m fundraising milestone at Alder Hey

Alder Hey

BBC One’s Strictly Head Judge Shirley Ballas celebrated her 61 st birthday at Alder Hey in Liverpool after helping to achieve a £2m fundraising milestone for the world-famous children’s hospital. Shirley, a long-time supporter of Alder Hey, launched the Alder Hey Children’s Charity ‘7in10’ Appeal in April 2020. The appeal, which is raising funds to help enhance mental health services offered by Alder Hey, has now successfully achieved two-thirds of its £3m target total. Shirley, alongside actor Daniel Taylor and her mum Audrey Rich, visited Alder Hey ahead of the launch of this year’s new series of Strictly Come Dancing on BBC One. Shirley, Daniel and Audrey met Alder Hey’s Chief Executive Louise Shepherd CBE and Chair of Alder Hey Children’s Charity, Graham Morris OBE. They were shown progress against the development of two new facilities to house Alder Hey’s mental health services for children and young people, which the appeal is helping to fund. Sunflower House will provide inpatient mental health care for under 13s, whilst other mental health services provided by Alder Hey will be located in the adjacent Catkin Centre. Shirley said: “I’m always delighted to come into Alder Hey, and to celebrate my birthday here is truly lovely. It’s such an amazing place and holds a special place in my heart. It’s brilliant to see the work that’s been done. The impact of the new facilities will be amazing. “It’s never too early for a thank you from Shirley! So thank you to all those lovely people who have already donated to the appeal, you are making a massive difference to children’s mental health services in this country.” Louise Shepherd, CBE, Chief Executive of Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust said; “It was really wonderful to welcome back Shirley and Daniel and to show them the progress we have made with our new mental health units. “We would like to pass on our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Shirley for all her help and support in reaching the £2m milestone.” The new buildings will provide vital services to children and young people who have complex needs and have been designed around the needs of the children and young people being cared for. The 7in10 Appeal will help the Catkin Centre to be very sensory focussed and to create a feeling of safety, security and be very welcoming to the children and young people who visit. Sunflower House will be the new 12 bed, tier 4 mental health inpatient unit for children under the age of 13 and will replace the current Dewi Jones unit. You can still support the appeal by donate here www.alderheycharity.org/don For more information about Alder Hey please contact: media@alderhey.nhs.uk Photo caption; (l-r) Audrey (Shirley’s mum), Shirley Ballas and Daniel Taylor with birthday cake at Alder Hey ------------------------------------------------------ More information about 7in10 Appeal: https://www.alderheycharity.org/7in10-appeal-spring/ About Alder Hey Children’s Charity Alder Hey Children’s Hospital treats over 330,000 children every year – that’s more than 900 children each and every day, more than any other children’s hospital in the UK. Alder Hey Children’s Charity supports the work of Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust by raising much needed funds that are spent directly on initiatives in the hospital to benefit patients. Without the support of charitable donations, many of the outstanding facilities and innovations at Alder Hey could not be achieved. Alder Hey Children’s Charity has raised over £56m since April 2013 for a range of life-saving medical equipment and facilities that are making a real difference to families every day. For more information visit www.alderhey.nhs.uk and www.alderheycharity.org Contact Details Alder Hey Phil McNamara +44 151 252 5742 media@alderhey.nhs.uk Company Website https://www.alderhey.nhs.uk/

September 06, 2021 10:50 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Hong Kong Baptist University study finds strong association between PM2.5 and neurological disorders

Hong Kong Baptist University

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach - 6 September 2021 - A comprehensive, systematic meta-analysis conducted by HKBU scientists found a significant association between exposure to PM 2.5, i.e., fine particulates with equivalent diameters of less than 2.5 microns suspended in the air, and neurological disorders. These include stroke, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Neurological disorders are the leading cause of disability and the second leading cause of death worldwide, posing serious challenges to global health. The paper with the study’s finding was published in the academic journal Science of the Total Environment, and has become the top 1% highly-cited paper worldwide by citation in the field of Environment and Ecology, according to Essential Science Indicators (ESI). Comprehensive study covers 26 countries or regions As systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the association between PM 2.5 exposure and neurological disorders have been limited so far, the HKBU research team, led by Professor Ken Yung Kin-lam, Professor of the Department of Biology of the University, analysed a total of 1,645 articles published by June 2018, and identiﬁed 80 eligible studies that covered a population of more than 6.33 million from 26 countries or regions in all continents except Antarctica. Previous meta-analyses of a similar nature covered at most seven countries, and nearly all of them were lightly polluted. In contrast, HKBU’s study covered countries and regions known to have more serious air pollution problems, such as Chile, China and India. PM 2.5 exposure increases stroke risks After a series of statistical analyses of the data published in the selected studies, the research team used odds ratio (OR) to represent the association between PM 2.5 exposure and the risk of different neurological disorders. Odds ratio, commonly used in public health analysis, is a measure of association between an exposure and an outcome. An odds ratio value of 1 indicates that an exposure does not affect odds of an outcome; a value of over 1 means an exposure is associated with higher odds of an outcome. Analysis results of the association between PM 2.5 exposure and stroke risks are tabulated as below: The results revealed that exposure to PM 2.5 in general increases the risks of stroke and stroke mortality, with the risk associated with long-term exposure more significant than with short-term exposure. It also showed that the risk of stroke in heavily polluted areas is higher than that in lightly polluted areas. Neurological disorders strongly associated with PM 2.5 exposure Analysis results of the association between PM 2.5 exposure and the risks of developing other neurological disorders are presented as below: The results revealed that PM 2.5 exposure is strongly associated with increased risks of Alzheimer’s disease, ASD, Parkinson’s disease and dementia. PM 2.5 is typically made up of heavy metals, organic carbon and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons suspended in the air. According to studies, some of the tiny particles and soluble components can enter the bloodstream by many pathways, such as crossing the blood-brain barrier and gaining access to the central nervous system. These particles can induce inﬂammation, death of cells and DNA damage. Call to improve air quality for public health’s sake “While various hypotheses were suggested on the underlying mechanisms of how PM 2.5 causes different types of neurological disorders, it remains an area with many unknowns for biomedical scientists to explore. More vigorous research endeavours are required before we can fully understand the mechanisms, based on which we can formulate effective environmental and public health strategies in response,” said Professor Yung. Tomorrow (7 September) will be the 2nd International Day of Clean Air for blue skies designated by the United Nations General Assembly, with the theme “Healthy Air, Healthy Planet”, which emphasises the health effects of air pollution. “The International Day of Clean Air for blue skies reminds us of the urgency for national governments and the international community to collaborate and take swift, effective actions to improve air quality, given its extensive health implications. Our study made it clear that PM 2.5 exposure, a typical indicator of air pollution, is closely associated with many neurological disorders, and thus improving air quality will be a direct response to this public health challenge,” said Professor Yung. Contact Details Communication and Public Relations Office, Hong Kong Baptist University Wong Suk-ling hkbunews@hkbu.edu.hk Company Website https://www.hkbu.edu.hk/

September 06, 2021 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Corporate and Individual Donors Step Up to Support American Kidney Fund Hurricane Ida Disaster Relief Program

American Kidney Fund

When Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana on August 29, the American Kidney Fund (AKF) mobilized its longstanding Disaster Relief Program to help kidney patients in crisis, providing $22,000 to more than 110 dialysis and post-transplant patients facing critical needs. This support has been made possible by generous donations from the public, Chinook Therapeutics, Inc. and other corporate supporters. Power outages, evacuations and temporary dialysis clinic closures put kidney patients in extremely challenging circumstances, on top of the immediate threat of the storm. Contributions to AKF’s Disaster Relief Program are making it possible for AKF to support patients with emergency grants of $200 each to help them replace lost medications and special renal diet foods, pay for temporary housing and transportation to treatments, and replace clothing and personal essentials lost due to the disaster or the need to evacuate with short notice. Louisiana dialysis and recent kidney transplant patients who need emergency financial help should contact a social worker at their dialysis clinic for information on applying for aid or apply directly at gms.KidneyFund.org. “We are very grateful to Chinook Therapeutics and our many other supporters for their generosity that has made emergency relief possible for so many Louisianans struggling to remain safe, while continuing their life-sustaining treatments,” said LaVarne A. Burton, AKF President and CEO. “Disasters like Hurricane Ida are particularly challenging for people with kidney failure, especially when they hit in the middle of a pandemic that has put these patients at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 for the past year and a half. We thank the supporters who are enabling us to provide this much-needed assistance.” AKF is covering 100% of the cost of emergency grant processing and check distribution to ensure that the maximum number of patients can receive desperately needed support. AKF expects the number of grant requests to increase in the coming weeks as Louisianans regain power, cell service and access to basic everyday needs, and can begin to return home and to their regular dialysis clinics. Charity Navigator has listed AKF as one of the highly rated nonprofits providing Hurricane Ida relief. AKF is one of only three nonprofits in the nation to have received the top 4-Star rating from Charity Navigator for 19 consecutive years—every year the organization has been rating nonprofits—giving donors the confidence that their contributions will be used to maximum efficiency. To make a contribution to AKF’s Disaster Relief Program to assist kidney patients affected by Hurricane Ida, visit AKF’s online donation page. ### About the American Kidney Fund The American Kidney Fund (AKF) fights kidney disease on all fronts as the nation’s leading kidney nonprofit. AKF works on behalf of the 37 million Americans living with kidney disease, and the millions more at risk, with an unmatched scope of programs that support people wherever they are in their fight against kidney disease—from prevention through transplant. With programs that address early detection, disease management, financial assistance, clinical research, innovation and advocacy, no kidney organization impacts more lives than AKF. AKF is one of the nation’s top-rated nonprofits, investing 97 cents of every donated dollar in programs, and holds the highest 4-Star rating from Charity Navigator and the Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar. For more information, please visit KidneyFund.org, or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Contact Details Stefanie Tuck Work: +1 202-470-1797 Mobile: +1 978-390-1394 11921 Rockville Pike, Suite 300, Rockville, MD 20852 AKF@jpa.com Company Website http://www.kidneyfund.org/

September 03, 2021 01:34 PM Eastern Daylight Time

UNOS Fills Key Positions

United Network for Organ Sharing

United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is pleased to announce the promotion of Roger Brown to director of Policy and Community Relations and Melissa Lane to director of the Organ Center. Brown and Lane bring almost 45 years of combined experience at UNOS to these key leadership roles. In his new position Brown leads the team that facilitates transplant policy development by engaging the community, with a focus on including the expertise and voices of all stakeholders – the public, patients, donor families, and donation and transplant professionals. “Roger has been a leader at UNOS for many years providing unique insight into operationalizing policy changes,” said UNOS CEO Brian Shepard. “His unparalleled depth of knowledge and practical experience around organ allocation make him the perfect person to lead the policy team and the community as we apply a transformational policy framework to organ allocation in the United States.” Brown joined UNOS in 1995 as an organ placement specialist and served in a series of increasingly senior managerial roles, most recently Organ Center director. A member of NATCO – The Organization for Donation and Transplant Professionals, Brown has served as faculty for their course for new transplant coordinators. Additionally, he has co-authored of a number of journal articles on various issues in transplantation. As Director of the Organ Center, Melissa Lane is responsible for the leadership and direction of all areas of the Organ Center, from overseeing daily operations to maintaining the Organ Center’s performance metrics and quality improvement initiatives. The Organ Center is open around the clock, 365 days a year, to assist member organizations with organ allocation, transportation, and maintenance of the national transplant waiting list. "Over the past year Melissa and her team have helped members successfully navigate changes in allocating kidneys while collaborating with other departments to bring innovative solutions to the organ donation and transplantation community, said UNOS CEO Brian Shepard. "They were instrumental in the development of a screening tool to accelerate organ offers, UNOS' organ tracking system and an organ travel app that is now being piloted with organ procurement organizations. Lane worked in the Organ Center in positions of increasing responsibility since join UNOS in 2003 as an organ placement specialist. Most recently she served as the acting director of the Organ Center and before that had been an Organ Center manager for six years. Both Brown and Lane hold bachelor’s degrees in biology from Virginia Commonwealth University. Lane is currently in an MBA program at Longwood University. About United Network for Organ Sharing United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is a non-profit, charitable organization that serves as the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) under contract with the federal government. The OPTN helps create and define organ allocation and distribution policies that make the best use of donated organs. This process involves continuously evaluating new advances and discoveries so policies can be adapted to best serve patients waiting for transplants. All transplant programs and organ procurement organizations throughout the country are OPTN members and are obligated to follow the policies the OPTN creates for allocating organs. ### Contact Details Anne Paschke +1 804-782-4730 anne.paschke@unos.org Company Website https://unos.org

September 03, 2021 10:23 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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