For some time, large technology platforms included dashboards and control panels for the smart home in their software. Examples include Apple’s Home Kit, Amazon’s Alexa, Google Home, but also the Philips Hue system and Home Assistant, an open-source project with global reach. There were also many companies offering products for the smart home, such as smart lighting solutions from Signify, smart plugs, doorbells, cameras, home audio and smart domestic appliances. Also, Ikea has a wide range of products for the smart home. The interoperability has been greatly improved because of the new standard, Matter. This new standard was designed to enhance the compatibility and interoperability of devices from different vendors. Matter has been developed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance. Members of the alliance are, for example, Apple, Amazon, Google, as well as Ikea, Schneider, Huawei, Signify, NXP, Infineon, ST Microelectronics, Tuya, Samsung, Resideo and Verizon. Truly an industry-wide group. Devices that are designed according to the Matter standard are interoperable across multiple platforms, removing barriers between multiple ecosystems.

On Thursday February 1st, Hufvudstaden’s first fast charging station for electric vehicles (EV) was inaugurated at its NK Parkaden car park in central Stockholm. The facility currently has six fast chargers which will initially be made exclusively available to Taxi Stockholm vehicles. As the car park’s access to electricity increases, plans are being drawn up for additional fast chargers that will support the electrification of transport in central Stockholm.

NK Parkaden already has more than 320 11 kW EV chargers, among the most of any central Stockholm car park. The next step to promote the electrification of transport in the Swedish capital is underway with the installation of the six fast chargers, each with an output of up to 150 kW. The aim is to install additional fast chargers as more electrical supply is made available to NK Parkaden.

“As a growing proportion of Stockholm traffic is electrified, NK Parkaden has a key role to play – especially as commercial traffic will need access to fast charging in the city. We’re really excited to be launching this pilot project together with the City of Stockholm and Taxi Stockholm,” says Karl Palm, Director Business Development Hufvudstaden.

City of Stockholm’s Vice Mayor for Transport and Urban Environment, Lars Strömgren, attended the opening ceremony.

“A city with lower noise and fresher air makes is more welcoming. There is broad political agreement around the goal of making Stockholm’s inner city entirely emissions-free. It’s great to see how new collaborations on expanding the fast charging network can facilitate the electrification of the city’s transport system,” Strömgren says.

Hufvudstaden and Taxi Stockholm have signed a co-operation agreement that gives the taxi company’s drivers the exclusive right to charge their vehicles in NK Parkaden.

The fast charging station will make many taxi drivers’ lives easier as they will not have to leave the city to quickly charge their cars. The charging station will also benefit NK customers and others in the area, and will enable customers to simply book a taxi to the NK Parkaden charging station using the Taxi Stockholm app.

“Our conversion to an electric car fleet is going at record speed, which means we need more charging stations in the Stockholm region. The fast chargers in NK Parkaden enable us to increase our use of electric vehicles in the city centre – an investment that benefits the environment and our customers,” says Niclas Roll at Taxi Stockholm.

Stockholm, February 1st 2024

HUFVUDSTADEN AB (publ.)

For further details, please contact:

Anna Gustafsson, Acting Press Officer, on anna.gustafsson@hufvudstaden.se,              or +46 (0)70 710 7412.

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Jorge J. Castillo, MD, clinical director, Bing Center for Waldenström Macroglobulinemia, institute physician, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, associate professor, medicine, Harvard Medical School, discusses the efficacy of treatment with iopofosine I 131 (previously CLR 131) in patients with Waldenström macroglobulinemia.

Topline data from the phase 2 CLOVER WaM trial (NCT02952508) were shared on January 8, 2024, showing that the agent elicited an overall response rate (ORR) of 75.6% and a major response rate (MRR) of 61% (95% CI, 44.50%-75.80%; 2-sided P < .0001), meeting the trial’sprimary end point. Furthermore, the disease control rate was 100% and at a median follow-up of 8 months, the median duration of response (DOR) has not yet been reached. Notably, these data continue to support the 2020 fast track designation of iopofosine I 131, which was granted by the FDA to patients with lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma/Waldenström macroglobulinemia.

The data presented on January 8th, 2024, exceeded expectations, Castillo begins. The ORR was also high, and the clinical benefits observed in these patients was substantial, he emphasizes. From a clinical research standpoint, these data support the continued evaluation of therapies to address unmet needs in Waldenström macroglobulinemia, particularly the lack of complete responses (CRs) seen in this disease, he emphasizes. Achieving CRs has been a challenge in Waldenström macroglobulinemia, contrasting with the efficacy of therapies for patients with other hematological conditions, in whom deep responses and minimal residual disease–negative treatment outcomes are more attainable, he states.

In the presented data, an 8% stringent CR rate with iopofosine I 131 was observed, a noteworthy development given that traditional treatments, such as chemotherapy, are the primary inducers of CRs in Waldenström macroglobulinemia clinical trials, Castillo expands.

The efficacy of the regimen is especially interesting considering the targeted patient population, which includes those previously exposed to rituximab (Rituxan)–containing regimens and BTK inhibitors, Castillo continues. This subset of patients has limited treatment options. In the trial, patients underwent a median of 4 prior treatments, according to Castillo. Notably, iopofosine I 131 demonstrated effectiveness in patients regardless of their mutational status, adding an intriguing dimension to this agent’s potential application in clinical practice, he concludes.

The five projects will further Instacart’s research on food as medicine programs. |Image courtesy of Instacart

Instacart is partnering with five higher education institutions to further its food as medicine efforts.

Meharry Medical College, The Ohio State University, the University of Kentucky, the University of Pennsylvania and researchers from the Duke Clinical Research Institute and the Louisiana Public Health Institute will work with Instacart on five different research projects.

Each project will allow the grocery delivery company to conduct new research to analyze the impact food as medicine programs have on health outcomes and costs for various population groups.

As part of the partnership with The Ohio State University, for example, researchers will study the impact of food as medicine interventions on Medicaid-enrolled patients with cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome. The team will use Instacart Health Fresh Funds (digital, category-specific food stipends) and Virtual Storefronts (a program that allows participants to shop from medically-tailored grocery lists created by registered dietitians) for the study.

“At Instacart, we believe in the power of food as medicine, and we are committed to using our unique technology and reach to support groundbreaking research on food as medicine programs,” Sarah Fleisch, senior director of policy research and development at Instacart, said in a statement. “We’re proud to partner with researchers at these leading academic institutions to uncover the evidence needed to scale food as medicine programs and ensure they reach more patients, families, and communities.” 

Instacart has been expanding its food as medicine efforts as of late. In the fall, the company partnered with Wellness West to provide groceries to food insecure and chronically ill residents on the West Side of Chicago and it also teamed up with Alignment Health to offer Instacart’s first Medicare Advantage Plan.

Sensitive to feline allergens? Our GH Institute scientists were amazed by this game-changing formula that’s proven to decrease allergens on cat hair and dander in just a few weeks.

Purina Pro Plan Purina Pro Plan with Probiotics, High Protein Dry Cat Food, LIVECLEAR Chicken & Rice Formula – 16 lb. Bag

Purina Pro Plan Purina Pro Plan with Probiotics, High Protein Dry Cat Food, LIVECLEAR Chicken & Rice Formula – 16 lb. Bag

WHY IT EARNED THE GH SEAL

A perfect pet food choice for homes with animal lovers who are susceptible to cat allergens, Pro Plan LiveClear cat food is backed by 10 years of cutting-edge research and a dedication to ingredient integrity, animal welfare and safety. Plus, cats love the taste!

1. BREAKTHROUGH INNOVATION. LiveClear is coated with a specific protein, derived from eggs, that carries antibodies for a common allergen found in cat saliva (Fel d 1). This allergen is transferred to fur when cats lick themselves while grooming. When cats eat LiveClear, the antibodies bind to the allergen and neutralize it —before it gets on their fur.
2. FAST-ACTING, LONG-TERM RESULTS. In a clinical study of 105 cats, 97% showed a reduction in allergens on hair and dander, with an average decrease of 47% during week three. GH’s consumer study echoed these benefits. “Brody loves to be right in my face, and that was easier to deal with these past few weeks,” raved one tester.
3. IMPRESSIVE NUTRITION. In GH tests, 94% of at-home users were impressed by the added nutrients in the formula, which include omega-6 fattyacids, probiotics, vitamins and minerals. “My cats seem to be thriving on the new food,”said a tester. “I’ll definitely look for it in the store when I need more cat food.”
4. PICKY-EATER FRIENDLY. Many testers noted that the food did not upset their cats’ stomachs, and 89% of them reported that their cats enjoyed eating the food.“Kitty loved it. He’s superpicky, and I was surprised that he didn’t turn up his nose a tit,” said one. “This is my go-to cat food now,” said another.

Birnur (she/her) led the Beauty, Health and Sustainability Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute from 2007 to 2023. In addition to overseeing product testing and GH Seal applications, she conducted our annual Beauty Awards selection process and was an active leader in GH’s green initiatives, including the Sustainable Innovation Awards and Raise the Green Bar Summit. In addition to earning M.Eng. and Ph.D. degrees in chemical engineering, she also has a professional certificate in sustainability management from Columbia University. 

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 31, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Flourishing-Life-Of-Wish Virtual Reality Therapy (FLOW-VRT)-Relaxation, which has a special focus on relaxation, outperforms traditional relaxation for patients in palliative care, according to a study published online Jan. 31 in Frontiers in Virtual Reality.

Olive Kit Ling Woo, from the University of Hong Kong, and colleagues presented a structured, personalized, and innovative psychological intervention, FLOW-VRT, which makes use of VRT for symptom management. FLOW-VRT-Relaxation was designed for patients in need of palliative care to enhance end-of-life coping through personalized VR relaxation. The efficacy of FLOW-VRT-Relaxation was examined by comparing it to traditional relaxation practice in palliative care in a randomized trial involving 128 participants.

The researchers found that the symptoms of distress, physical or emotional in nature, which patients in palliative care have to endure, were significantly reduced following a FLOW-VRT-Relaxation session.

“Here we show that relaxation assisted by virtual reality outperforms traditional relaxation therapy in terms of physical and psychological symptom management in palliative care,” Woo said in a statement.

Abstract/Full Text