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VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Canadian patients waited longer than ever this year for medical treatment, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

The study, an annual survey of physicians from across Canada, reports a median wait time of 22.6 weeks—the longest ever recorded—and 143 per cent higher than the 9.3 weeks Canadians waited in 1993, when national estimates of the wait for medically necessary elective treatments were first calculated.

Before this year, the longest recorded median wait time was 21.2 weeks in 2017.

“Excessively long wait times remain a defining characteristic of Canada’s health-care system,” said Bacchus Barua, associate director of the Fraser Institute’s Centre for Health Policy Studies and co-author of Waiting Your Turn: Wait Times for Health Care in Canada, 2020. “While this year’s reported wait times have been undoubtedly influenced by the ongoing pandemic, historical data suggests they are also the result of decades of policy inertia.”

The study examines the total wait time faced by patients across 12 medical specialties from referral by a general practitioner (i.e. family doctor) to consultation with a specialist, to when the patient ultimately receives treatment.

Among the provinces, Ontario recorded the shortest wait time at 17.4 weeks—up from 16 weeks in 2019. Prince Edward Island recorded the longest wait time in Canada at 46.5 weeks.

Among the various specialties, national wait times were longest between a referral by a GP and ophthalmology surgery (34.1 weeks) and shortest for medical oncology (4.2 weeks).

Crucially, physicians report that their patients are waiting more than four weeks longer for treatment (after seeing a specialist) than what they consider to be clinically reasonable.

This year, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the survey’s response rate, but more than one-in-ten physicians surveyed across the country still participated, with more than 1,200 responses. Further, almost three decades of pre-COVID data confirm that wait times in Canada are not just long but have gotten progressively worse.

“Long wait times aren’t simply minor inconveniences, they can result in increased suffering for patients, lost productivity at work, a decreased quality of life, and in the worst cases, disability or death,” Barua said.

“While combatting COVID-19 certainly requires our immediate attention, we should also work towards returning to a better-normal – with shorter wait times – once the pandemic is over.”

Median wait times by province (in weeks)

PROVINCE	201 9	20 20	PROVINCE	201 9	20 20
British Columbia	24.0	26.6	Quebec	16.3	18.8
Alberta	28.0	29.4	New Brunswick	39.7	41.3
Saskatchewan	26.0	21.7	Nova Scotia	33.3	43.8
Manitoba	32.4	23.7	P.E.I.	49.3	46.5
Ontario	16.0	17.4	Newfoundland and Labrador	23.4	29.2

MEDIA CONTACT:
Bacchus Barua, Associate Director, Centre for Health Policy Studies
Fraser Institute

For interviews with
Bacchus
Barua
or for more information
,
please contact:

Drue MacPherson, Junior Media Relations Coordinator Fraser Institute
Tel: (604) 688-0221 Ext. 721
E-mail: [email protected]

Follow the Fraser Institute on Twitter and Facebook

The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal and ties to a global network of think-tanks in 87 countries. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for Canadians, their families and future generations by studying, measuring and broadly communicating the effects of government policies, entrepreneurship and choice on their well-being. To protect the Institute’s independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Visit www.fraserinstitute.org

 

SHANGHAI, China, Dec. 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Qutoutiao Inc. (“Qutoutiao” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: QTT), a leading operator of mobile content platforms in China, today announced that it will report its unaudited financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2020 after the close of U.S. markets on Wednesday, December 16, 2020.

Qutoutiao’s management will host an earnings conference call at 8:00 PM U.S. Eastern Time on December 16, 2020 (9:00 AM Beijing/Hong Kong time on December 17).

Please register in advance of the conference call using the link provided below. Upon registering, you will be provided with participant dial-in numbers, Direct Event passcode and unique registrant ID by email.

Preregistration Information

Participants can register for the conference call by navigating to http://apac.directeventreg.com/registration/event/2241767 at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled call start time.

Please dial-in at least 10 minutes before the scheduled start time of the earnings call and enter the Direct Event Passcode and Registrant ID as instructed to connect to the call.

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company’s investor relations website at https://ir.qutoutiao.net.

A replay of the conference call will be accessible approximately two hours after the conclusion of the call until 7:59 a.m. U.S Eastern Time on December 24, 2020, by dialing the following telephone numbers:

United States:	+1-646-254-3697
International:	+61-2-8199-0299
Hong Kong, China:	+852-3051-2780
Mainland China:	400-632-2162
Replay Access Code:	2241767

About Qutoutiao Inc.

Qutoutiao Inc. operates innovative and fast-growing mobile content platforms in China with a mission to bring fun and value to its users. The eponymous flagship mobile application, Qutoutiao, meaning “fun headlines” in Chinese, applies artificial intelligence-based algorithms to deliver customized feeds of articles and short videos to users based on their unique profiles, interests and behaviors. Qutoutiao has attracted a large group of loyal users, many of whom are from lower-tier cities in China. They enjoy Qutoutiao’s fun and entertainment-oriented content as well as its social-based user loyalty program. Midu, first launched in May 2018 as Midu Novels and with an alternative version Midu Lite launched one year later, pioneered provision of free online literature supported by advertising. It has grown tremendously and has led the free online literature industry since inception. The Company will continue to bring more exciting products to users through innovation, and strive towards creating a leading global online content ecosystem.

For more information, please visit: https://ir.qutoutiao.net.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

Qutoutiao Inc.
Investor Relations
Tel: +86-21-6858-3790
E-mail: [email protected] 

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif., Dec. 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — An in vitro study published in the Journal of Dietary Supplements, demonstrated Blue California’s ErgoActive® ergothioneine helped to preserve telomere length and reduced the rate of telomere shortening under oxidative stress.

The in vitro study is the first time ergothioneine has been studied for its effect on telomere length. Blue California provided its ErgoActive ergothioneine, which is produced by a proprietary fermentation process.

“Our results suggest that ergothioneine as part of a healthy diet could potentially mitigate the negative effects of oxidative stress and support healthy aging by helping to preserve telomere length and reduce the rate of shortening,” said Chief Science Officer, Dr. Priscilla Samuel.

Telomeres are complex protein structures located at the end of each DNA strand, protecting chromosomes from becoming damaged. When DNA strands are frayed or worn down, cells are challenged with performing specialized functions, thus making the protection offered by telomeres critical for the life of cells.

Shortened telomeres are associated with many chronic conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. “Many areas of health are impacted by oxidative stress during aging, including longevity, bone health, cardiovascular health, cognition and skin vitality,” said Samuel. “As oxidative stress accelerates the shortening of telomeres, antioxidants such as ergothioneine may help to decelerate it.”

Ergothioneine is a naturally occurring amino acid with potent antioxidant properties that the body does not make but obtains from dietary sources such as specific species of mushrooms, beans and oat bran. However, for most people, the dietary consumption of foods rich in ergothioneine tends to be low.

Moreover, humans produce a highly specific ergothioneine transporter (ETT), leading many to reason its importance, and suggest its essentiality to human health. Renowned scientist Dr. Bruce Ames has proposed classifying ergothioneine as a “longevity vitamin.”

In the in vitro study, human neonatal dermal fibroblast cells were used to observe the effect of ergothioneine on telomerase activity and telomeres under standard and oxidative stress conditions over an 8-week period.

Under oxidative conditions, at week 8 across all four tested concentrations (0.04 to 1.0 mg/ml) of ergothioneine, median telomere length was significantly longer than control and a significantly reduced percent of short telomeres was also observed, demonstrating a protective effect of ergothioneine.

“Blue California actively invests in clinical studies to advance the science and impact of our ErgoActive ergothioneine on overall health and wellness and look forward to investigating these effects in human clinical studies as well,” said Samuel. “We are committed to furthering research for substantiating functional benefits and claims associated with ingredients for use in dietary supplements, functional foods and beverages, personal care products, cosmetics and pet nutrition.”

Early in February 2020, Blue California filed a patent application reporting the discovery of ErgoActive ergothioneine’s impact on telomere shortening associated with oxidative stress.

ErgoActive® is a registered trademark of Blue California, Inc.

About Blue California


Blue California is an entrepreneurial, science-based solutions provider and manufacturer of clean, natural, and sustainable ingredients used in food, beverage, flavor, fragrance, dietary supplements, personal care and cosmetic products. For more than 25 years, Blue California has built a strong reputation for creating value in these diverse natural product and nature-inspired industries.

Contact: Ana Arakelian
Head of Public Relations and Communications
[email protected]
Office: 949-635-1991
Mobile: 949-750-6812 

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8eebc57e-f23a-4cbe-bfc9-ce205bf4b63f

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fb4007d9-8808-44d1-a4fc-db9d6b887d4b

CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom, Dec. 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Biofidelity Ltd, the cancer diagnostics company, today announces the further expansion of its leadership team with the appointment of Dr. Robert Osborne as Chief Operating Officer. In addition to responsibility for the overall operation of the business at a time of rapid growth, Dr. Osborne will lead product development and validation, overseeing manufacturing and quality systems as Biofidelity prepares for the launch of its first product.

Dr. Osborne joins Biofidelity from the liquid biopsy company, Inivata, where he was Senior Vice President of Technology and Assay Development, with operational responsibility for a team of 21 scientists involved in assay development, clinical laboratory work, bioinformatics and intellectual property. He led the development of Inivata’s RaDaR product for the detection of recurrent and residual disease from concept to commercial launch in less than 12 months.

Dr. Osborne was previously Principal Staff Scientist at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Director of Technology Development at its spin out company, 14M Genomics, and Director of Research at Population Genetics Technologies. He has a PhD in Genetics from the University of Nottingham and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Rochester, NY, and a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Oxford. He is the inventor or co-inventor of 16 patents and author of an extensive range of scientific publications.

Dr.
Barnaby
Balmforth
, Chief Executive Officer of
Biofidelity
, commented: “Robert joins Biofidelity at a crucial time as we prepare for the launch of our first unique genetic panel, which we believe will revolutionize patient access to fast and accurate cancer diagnosis. Robert is an innovative scientist and strategic thinker with proven technical and operational management experience in genomics, biotechnology, diagnostics and oncology. With the recent completion of our $12 million Series A round and the appointments of Dr. Heiner Dreismann as Chairman and Stephen Miller as Chief Commercial Officer, Robert’s appointment is a further significant strengthening of the first-class management team that will lead us to commercialization in the US and internationally.”

Dr.
Robert Osborne, Chief Operating Officer, said: “Biofidelity represents a major step forward in cancer diagnostics, with a breakthrough technology that overcomes many of the limitations of existing sequencing-based approaches. It combines precise, actionable information with simple workflows and affordability, enabling many more cancer patients to receive the right treatment at the right time. I’m delighted to be joining Biofidelity’s highly experienced international leadership team as we work to deliver a pipeline of products based on this revolutionary approach.”

Recent key development at Biofidelity include:

• Completion of a Series A financing raising $12 million, enabling acceleration of plans to launch Biofidelity’s unique platform, which has the potential to change the dynamics of cancer diagnosis and treatment
• Sustained progress towards launch of the first genetic panels targeting guideline-recommended markers in non-small cell lung cancer in the US
• Collaboration with Agilent Technologies, a global leader in life sciences and diagnostics, confirming Biofidelity molecular assays’ ability to detect key lung cancer mutations, dramatically increasing effectiveness and speed of diagnosis
• Opening of a new headquarters and laboratories on Cambridge Science Park, UK

About
Biofidelity

Biofidelity, a private company founded in 2019 in Cambridge, UK, is revolutionising access to best-in-class cancer diagnostics, breaking down the barriers to better screening, monitoring and treatment for all cancer patients. 

Its disruptive diagnostic technology platform will provide oncologists with clinically actionable data based on ultra-sensitive detection of markers recommended in cancer treatment guidelines, enabling them to prescribe the right cancer drug at the right time.  It is designed to combine fast and easy-to-interpret results with affordability and straightforward adoption on existing laboratory infrastructure, enabling many more laboratories to offer best-in-class cancer diagnostics.

Biofidelity is developing a pipeline of products, with an initial focus on non-small cell lung and colorectal cancer.  Future products will span a broad range of cancers, as well as providing an enabling solution to the detection of resistance to therapy and disease recurrence.

For more information, please go to www.biofidelity.com

For enquiries, please contact:

Biofidelity Dr Barnaby Balmforth, CEO Stephen Miller, CCO T: +44 1223 358652 E: [email protected]

Mo PR Advisory Mo Noonan/ Jonathan Birt Tel: +44 (0) 7876 444977 / 07860 361746

This information is provided by Reach, the non-regulatory press release distribution service of RNS, part of the London Stock Exchange. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact [email protected] or visit www.rns.com.