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Transdermal Specialties Global Incorporated is a global medical device company located in the Philadelphia region that is developing a new treatment for diabetes
By Dr. Lawrence Jones II
Transdermal Specialties Global (TSG) Incorporated developed a novel ultrasonic noninvasive (U-Strip) insulin patch for type 1 and 2 diabetics. Their technology is unique because it harnesses ultrasound to open skin pores and rapidly deliver insulin directly to the bloodstream. Their research has shown that their technology neither damages the skin nor reduces the effect or functionality of the drug administered. Their patented ultrasonic technology enables large compounds to go through the skin.
Mr. Bruce K Redding, Jr., CEO of TSG, is the architect of this device and has patented dozens of technology patents. He has License or R&D agreements with DuPont, Sandoz Pharmaceuticals, McNeil Labs, Church & Dwight, Ottens Flavors, GNC, Nabisco, and General Mills. He educates audiences on the awareness of diabetics in this country. Over 37 million Americans have been diagnosed as diabetics, and another 60 million are pre-diabetic.
The transdermal U-Strip could eliminate needles and the current standard of care in treating diabetes. Some type 1 diabetics use an insulin pump to control their glucose basal. However, they often still need a separate injector from glucose pens. A person with diabetes using a pump every three days must move their catheter to a different position, leaving scar tissue discoloration and skin irritation. In clinical trials, the transdermal U-patch was shown to leave no scar tissue.
The U-Strip patch for type 2 holds 150 units of insulin, and for type 1, it holds 300 units. They can use ultrasound to dilate and expand the skin pores to push the insulin straight into the bloodstream. Each patch lasts five days and can be worn in hot and cold environments. The system avoids glucose spikes, and when you have a meal, you just press the bolus button, no carb counting and no suffering need for needles. Transdermal Specialties Global (TSG) has completed phase one and two human trials in the United States and South Korea, with over 300 subjects tested.
This revolutionary system can reduce high glucose to the range of a healthy, average diabetic. Using the patch can help avoid glucose spikes for meals and both night and morning spikes, which can help reduce eye damage; the expected result is A1C levels under a range of 5.9 to 6.3, the range of a non-diabetic. The Transdermal U-patch is easy to apply when you want a meal. Just press the bolus button during the meal. No carb counting is needed. The system is designed for ease of use by any age group. The script does not require you to wear a CGM. As a cost comparison, the patches are just $4.50 a day versus a typical insulin pump, which is approximately $23 a day.
There are over 175 potential drugs that are too large to go through the skin. Normally, TSG institutes a new drug screening program to enable us to test other medicines for this delivery method and work to develop additional patch applications, believing the potential applications. Transdermal Specialties Global (TSG) seeks to conduct phase three clinical trials in Baltimore, Maryland; Raleigh, North Carolina; and San Antonio, Texas. The company has raised $13 million on this project, with six and a half million coming from Mr. Redding and the rest from other private investors and some Korean-based corporations. Please see the links below to reach Mr. Bruce Redding Jr. TSG, who has research laboratories in Frederick, MD.
The Narrative Matters!
References:
1) Transdermal Specialties Global. (2024). TSG U-Strip (youtube.com)
Featuring CEO Bruce Redding, Jr.
2) Transdermal Specialties Global. (2024). Home - Transdermal (u-strip.com)
3) Transdermal Specialties Global. (2024). Contact - Transdermal (u-strip.com)
4) Transdermal Specialties Global. (2024). Invest in Transdermal Specialties Global: TSG has created a Patented transdermal Insulin delivery patch for diabetics (both Type 1 & Type 2). | Wefunder, Home of the Community Round
A Hospital Surgery Fear That Happens More Often Than We May Think
Reviewed By Dr. Lawrence Jones II
Recent articles have been published in the Philadelphia Inquirer (April 2024), touching on complications from medical surgeries over the last few years in the news. However, these are cases in which medical equipment is mistakenly left inside a person, and the person develops devastating effects afterward. Although rare, extreme cases happen within hospitals. Ruderman and Gantz (April 3, 2024) reported that there were “203 cases in which patients at 39 Philadelphia-area hospitals received treatment related to a surgical item accidentally left inside their bodies during a procedure, according to an analysis of Pennsylvania hospital billing records from 2017 through 2022.”
When I read this, I paused and thought, “How could this happen?” A few possible reasons, as Kumar and associates report:
1) Failure to count the swabs and surgical items in open surgeries is one of the risk factors.
2) Emergency surgeries can have sudden deviations in the surgery plan or improper swab count.
3) Higher body mass index (heavier weight individuals) is also believed to be a contributing factor due to increased technical difficulty, increased stress to the surgeon, and increased surgically exposed area.
Ruderman and Gantz stress that “while most patients are under anesthesia during surgery, they can still play a crucial role in their own safety. They can familiarize themselves with hospital safety measures to prevent objects from being left behind and discuss the protocols with their surgeon before the procedure. “When medical items get left inside patients, the suffering does not discriminate by age, race or zip code. The Inquirer’s analysis identified 203 affected patients at 39 hospitals in Philadelphia and its four surrounding Pennsylvania counties.”
Ruderman and Gantz cite that “65 of 203 cases occurred at Philadelphia institutions such as the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) and smaller suburban facilities, such as independent Doylestown Hospital in Bucks County and Main Line Health’s Paoli Hospital in Chester County.” Dr. Marcus Schabacker, president and CEO of ECRI a national nonprofit focusing on patient safety, notes that 75,000 to 100,000 people in the U.S. die each year from preventable medical errors, including surgical objects mistakenly left in a patient’s body. Dr. Schabacker is an anesthesiologist and intensive care specialist.
The purpose for the review is really for patients and family members to stay engaged with their hospital medical providers. Family members, loved ones and friends need a health advocate during their medical stays and procedures. There are some excellent hospitals and health care facilities around the country and world. People do have to remain alert, the doctor and the patient, because accidents happen. Hopefully more accidents can be caught before they develop into something life threatening. The Narrative Matters!
References:
Kumar GVS, Ramani S, Mahajan A, Jain N, Sequeira R, Thakur M. Imaging of retained surgical items: A pictorial review including new innovations. Indian J Radiol Imaging. 2017 Jul-Sep;27(3):354-361. doi: 10.4103/ijri.IJRI_31_17. PMID: 29089689; PMCID: PMC5644334
Ruderman,W. and Gantz,S. (April 3, 2024). Having surgery? Here’s what patients can ask surgeons to help prevent a particularly harmful error. What hospitals can do to prevent life-threatening surgical errors (inquirer.com)
Ruderman,W., Gantz,S., Purcell,D. (April 3, 2024). LEFT BEHIND
At Philadelphia-area hospitals, surgical teams mistakenly left objects inside patients’ bodies more than 200 times over six years. While rare, the error can cause catastrophic harm.
How Often Do Surgical Instruments Get Left Inside Patients? How Often Do Surgical Instruments Get Left Inside Patients? - Golden Law Office
Photo credit. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/...
Better Working Conditions and Patient Safety Required by Striking Nurses in New York and Minnesota
By Lawrence Jones,Ph.D.
On January 9, 2023, the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), a labor union of more than 42,000 members, decided to strike in New York. About 7000 nurses have been on strike since yesterday. ABC News ( January 9, 2022) reported that more than 7,000 nurses at two hospitals in New York City went on strike early Monday morning, demanding better working conditions and more staffing. The strike began at 6 a.m. after nurses at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx and Mount Sinai Hospital in Harlem disagreed with hospital administration during a bargaining session Sunday night, according to the NYSNA.
Jones (September 18, 2022) reported that 15,000 nurses decided to strike in Minnesota, representing the largest nursing strike in the history of the United States. Unfortunately, nurses are increasingly required to take on more patients for bedside care to compensate for labor shortages. In addition, the high turnover has created gaps in patient care. For years, hospitals in the United States have faced understaffing problems, and the pandemic did not help.
Unfortunately, as Jones (September 18, 2022) reported, patients are more likely to die because of preventable reasons when healthcare providers are overworked. When the 15,000 hospital nurses in Minnesota walked off the job after marking two years without a contract, it signaled a tide of more strikes around the country and the western world. The pandemic exacerbated the already strained healthcare system. Short staffing has reached critical levels to provide the best quality care for many patients.
Another concern that should highlight is that more nurses and healthcare workers have experienced increased violence by violence by demanding patients dealing with understaffed facilities. Jones (September 18, 2022) reported that the number of healthcare workers in the United States still needs to recover to its pre-pandemic levels, down over 37,000 workers compared with February 2020.
The upcoming days, weeks, and months will reveal a lot about the priorities of the healthcare systems and administrations. Prolonged strikes will create a vulnerability in the New York system as time goes by. We hope an agreement comes soon and the facilities will have better staffing and protection against violent patients and visitors on worker safety. Rates of workplace violence in healthcare and social assistance settings have almost doubled since 2010.
References:
ABCNews (January 9, 2022). More than 7,000 nurses go on strike in this city demanding better pay, more staffing. More than 7,000 nurses go on strike in this city demanding better pay, more staffing (msn.com)
Isidore, C. Yurkevich, V, and Luhby, T (January 9, 2023).7,000 ‘exhausted and burnt out’ NYC nurses walk out. Nurses strike: 7,000 nurses at two New York City hospitals walk out after contract negotiations fail | CNN Business
Jones. L (September 18, 2022). Are Registered Nurses Across America Under Appreciated and Pushed to Their Limits? Are Registered Nurses Across America Under Appreciated and Pushed to Their Limits? - The Narrative Matters
Kaufman, M. (January 9, 2023).Thousands of nurses strike across New York City in push for higher staffing levels. Thousands of nurses strike across New York City in push for higher staffing levels - POLITICO
NYSA (2022). New York State Nurses Association. New York State Nurses Association - InfluenceWatch
The Demand for the Flu Antiviral Drug Tamiflu Has Increase Early in Flu Season
By Dr. Lawrence Jones II
Since October, early increases in seasonal influenza activity have accelerated nationwide. CDC (November 12, 2022) reports that "the southeastern and south-central areas of the country are reporting the highest levels of activity followed by the Mid-Atlantic and the south-central West Coast regions." Twenter (November 4, 2022) prescriptions for Tamiflu (oseltamivir), a popular influenza antiviral, are higher this year than for the last nine flu seasons. The flu season typically peaks in the winter months.
But Americans are at risk of contracting the flu virus during most of the year. Flu season tends to increase since collectively, people will congregate indoors and in more proximity. Of course, Covid-19 will still be on the radar. When Covid-19 hit our society, Tamiflu was a drug of choice before a reliable antiviral could be identified and used for people with Covid-19.CDC (2022) adds that antiviral treatment works best when started soon after the flu illness begins. When treatment starts within two days of becoming sick with flu symptoms, antiviral drugs can lessen fever and flu symptoms and shorten the time you are disgusted by about one day.
They also may reduce the risk of complications such as ear infections in children, respiratory complications requiring antibiotics, and hospitalization in adults. For people at higher risk of severe flu complications, early treatment with an antiviral drug can mean having a milder illness instead of a more severe infection that might require a hospital stay. Twenter (November 4, 2022) reports that strikingly, from a nationwide perspective, "filled prescriptions for Tamiflu are 11.5 times higher compared to last year when they accounted for 0.02 percent of fills. As of November 1, the fill rate is at 0.33 percent, a 65 percent increase compared to last year's flu season's peak."
The CDC reports that the week ending October 29 saw a flu positivity rate up 0.5 percentage points across the U.S., with the Southeast and South reporting the highest activity levels. Landman (November 12, 2022) more than five times as many folks have been hospitalized for the flu this season compared to all of the flu seasons at this calendar time in the last decade. The severity of the flu disease affects people of all ages. So the Narrative Matters!
References:
CDC. (November 12, 2022). Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report. Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report | CDC
CDC. (2022). What You Should Know About Flu Antiviral Drugs. What You Should Know About Flu Antiviral Drugs | CDC
Cisneros, T. and van Mejgaard, J. (November 7, 2022). Live Updates: Tracking Tamiflu Fills During the 2022-2023 Flu Season. Live Updates: Tracking This Year’s Flu Season - GoodRx
FDA. (November 14, 2017). Tamiflu: Consumer Questions and Answers. Tamiflu: Consumer Questions and Answers |FDA
Landman, K. (Novemebr 12, 2022). This flu season is looking really scary, in one chart. The 2022-2023 flu season is on tract to be very, very bad-Vox
Swetlitz, I. and Milton, I (November 9, 2022).Tamiflu Supplies Are Seen Limited in Fast Start to Flu Season. Tamiflu Influenza Treatment Supplies Are Limited in Fast Start to Flu Season - Bloomberg
Twenter, P. (November 4, 2022). Common flu drug in high demand. Common flu drug in high demand (beckershospitalreview.com)
Photo credit: https://www.wellrx.com/news/ta...
Intercultural Communication is Necessary for Effective Health Care Outcomes
by Lawrence Jones, PhD
An aspect of adequate health care will rely on effective communication. Although communication is often interpreted in a contextual form by healthcare providers, verbal and non-verbal communication can directly affect patient health outcomes. Communication can be the source of any problems, and intercultural communication is a topic that does not get talked much about. Health care providers must understand that there is a need for intercultural communication. Black maternity health, low representation of black people in clinical trials, medication over medication among African Americans, and poor nutrition (particularly for the young), to name a few. Childhood obesity has been one of the significant epidemic pandemics for the last four decades, long before the COVID pandemic. Although we live in a very affluent society, there are still discrepancies in our health care system.
Even within the African American communities defined as middle class or upper-middle-class, there are still inadequacies, particularly in the black indigenous and people of color communities in the United States. Verbal and nonverbal health communication in the media and print is essential to reduce barriers that interfere with doctor-patient health care communications and relationships. For instance, patients have to be transparent about their ailments and the side effects of any prescribed medication. Often there are social biases that stem from systemic racial discrimination. Ledford (2019) reveals a study that shows racial disparities exist in health care by statistical algorithms which look at racial inequality objectively.
Neuliep (2000) talks about different types of communication that influence effective communication between people. He mentions a cultural environment, the physical environment, the relational environment, and the perceptual domain. Perhaps communication for direct health care effectiveness, whether face to face or through virtual social platforms, has to consider this. England (1992) mentions that communication is how people influence and persuade others across geographies. England explains that our differences with others are made up of individuals working collectively for the benefit of everyone, not just their own group; through open and honest intercultural communication, people can learn to work.
Neuliep (2000) also mentions that as you communicate with people from different cultures, you retain more. You will know that although your cultures are different, you have much in common as human beings. We just have different ways of achieving them.
References:
England, J.T. (1992) Building Community for the 21rst Century.
ERICDigest.ED347489(online)Available: https://eric.ed.gov/?q=on&pg=68524&id=ED347489
Hall, E. T., & Hall, T. (1959). The silent language (Vol. 948). Anchor books.
Ledford, H. (2019). Millions of black people are affected by racial bias in healthcare algorithms.
Nature, 574(7780), 608-610.
Neuliep, J. W. (2020). Intercultural communication: A contextual approach. Sage Publications