Beth Newlands Campbell, former president of Ontario and Atlantic at Sobeys Inc., has recently been given a new role as Rexall Drugstore’s new president. In this position, Newlands Campbell will be leading Rexall’s continuing business strategies to further develop the company.

With 27 years of experience as a president at Delhaize America, Newlands Campbell is equipped with extensive leadership knowledge in the retail industry that has fueled the success of brand developments.

“The retail pharmacy industry faces many challenges. Competitive dynamics, regulatory pressure and meeting the expectations of consumers and patients are amongst the biggest. Rexall is poised to take advantage of these challenges and lead the transformation of the sector to significantly improve health outcomes and help lower the cost of providing care in Canada,” explains CEO of McKesson Canada—Rexall’s affiliate company—Domenic Pilla.

“Beth is a dynamic leader with a long and proven track record of delivering business results in Canada and the United States. She brings with her a passion for creating a diverse and inclusive work environment that will engage our employees to grow our business and to serve even more customers and patients,” added Pilla.

According to a new study out of the Washington University School of Medicine, eating a diet rich in tryptophan—found in protein-rich foods like nuts, eggs, seeds, beans, poultry, yogurt, and cheese—could promote cell tolerance in individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBS).

IBS occurs when cells that are capable of triggering an inflammatory response in the bowels are not balanced by cells that promote tolerance. Now, a study conducted on mice has shown that a kind of tolerance-promoting immune cell appears with the presence of a specific gut bacterium. And, the bacterium needs tryptophan to trigger the cells’ appearance.

“We established a link between one bacterial species — Lactobacillus reuteri — that is a normal part of the gut microbiome, and the development of a population of cells that promote tolerance,” says Marco Colonna, MD, the Robert Rock Belliveau MD Professor of Pathology and the study’s senior author. “The more tryptophan the mice had in their diet, the more of these immune cells they had.”

Gut microbes are good for more than just digesting food. According to a new study, a particular gut microbe can prevent severe flu infections by breaking down flavonoids.

The study, conducted in mice at Washington University School of Medicine, also showed this strategy to be effective in staving off severe damage from flu—before patients are even infected. This could also explain the wide variation in human responses to influenza infection.

“For years, flavonoids have been thought to have protective properties that help regulate the immune system to fight infections,” says first author Ashley L. Steed, MD, PhD. “Flavonoids are common in our diets, so an important implication of our study is that it’s possible flavonoids work with gut microbes to protect us from flu and other viral infections. Obviously, we need to learn more, but our results are intriguing.”

As part of the study, the researchers screened human gut microbes looking for one that metabolized flavonoids. They identified Clostridium orbiscindens as degrading flavonoids to produce a metabolite known as desaminotyrosine (DAT), which enhances interferon signaling—a critical part of the immune response.

In the future, researchers hope to identify other gut microbes that also may use flavonoids to influence the immune system. What’s more, they will explore ways to boost the levels of those bacteria in people whose intestines aren’t adequately colonized with those microbes.

Until then, recommending a flavonoid supplement—or black teas, red wine, and berries—to your patients may be a great way to help them stave off the flu this year.

A new NIH-funded study suggests that individuals with vascular health risk factors have a higher chance of developing dementia. Diabetes, high blood pressure, and smoking are all key players in this issue.

“With an aging population, dementia is becoming a greater health concern. This study supports the importance of controlling vascular risk factors like high blood pressure early in life in an effort to prevent dementia as we age,” ssays Walter J. Koroshetz, M.D., director of NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). “What’s good for the heart is good for the brain.”

The study analyzed the data of 15,744 middle aged individuals who participated in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, funded by the NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). From 1987-1989, the participants underwent a battery of medical tests. Over the next 25 years, they were examined four more times. Cognitive tests of were administered during all but the first and third exams.

At the end of the study, researchers found that 1,516 participants were diagnosed with dementia. Ultimately, researchers discovered that diabetes, hypertension and prehypertension increased the chances of dementia for all patients. What’s more, they found that smoking cigarettes exclusively increased the chances of dementia for white individuals, but not for their black counterparts.

“Our results contribute to a growing body of evidence linking midlife vascular health to dementia,” says Dr. Gottesman. “These are modifiable risk factors. Our hope is that by addressing these types of factors early, people can reduce the chances that they will suffer from dementia later in life.”

The Sickle Cell Awareness Group of Ontario (SCAGO) is hereby seeking new, vibrant, committed and skilled individuals to join its growing Board of Directors.

If you have the time, passion and skill to move SCAGO forward, we will like to hear from you.

To ensure that we understand your level of commitment, area of interest and experience as accurately as possible, we are requesting that you fill out the attached Standard Information Form and send it back on/before August 15th 2017 to: secretary@sicklecellanemia.ca 

SIF (1)

Grocer Metro Inc. has announced its purchase of majority interest in Montreal-based MissFresh Inc., which specializes in the delivery of ready-to-cook meals. This adds Metro to an already growing online sales segment in simple-prep foods.

Following the acquisition, MissFresh’s three cofounders will keep 30 per cent of the capital and maintain active roles in the company’s management.

“We are pleased to partner with the three founders of MissFresh, dynamic entrepreneurs who have developed a promising concept that is already popular with consumers,” says François Thibault, executive vice-president, chief financial officer and treasurer of Metro. “As an alternative solution to healthy eating that is easy to prepare and delivered to your door, MissFresh offers products that will be complementary to what we have in store, which will help us to better meet the needs of consumers.”

This move follows Amazon’s entrance into the ready-to-cook meals department with self-branded kits. With this area of online shopping growing steadily, independent grocers and retailers should consider tapping into this new market.

Founded in 2015 by Marie-Eve Prevost, Bernard Prevost, and Ritter Huang, MissFresh meets a growing demand from families and professionals who have little time for shopping and preparing meals, but still wish to eat healthy foods.

Wellnext LLC, a vertically-integrated developer, manufacturer, and marketer of dietary and nutritional supplements, announces the acquisition of NeoCell, a leading collagen supplement company, based in Irvine, California.

For nearly two decades, NeoCell has specialized in collagen-based supplements for joint, bone, and muscle health using advanced formulas based on high quality ingredients such as collagen, biotin and hyaluronic acid. NeoCell is a leading collagen-brand across natural as well as traditional retailers nationwide.

“We are very excited to partner with Wellnext and gain the support of its operational and commercial capabilities to further expand NeoCell,” said Sarah Quadri, NeoCell’s Chief Operating Officer. “We are confident that Wellnext will provide unique manufacturing, product development, and market expansion capabilities to support NeoCell’s next phase of growth.”

NeoCell represents the fourth acquisition made by Wellnext in the last two years. “NeoCell complements Wellnext’s portfolio of brands, expanding it into the fast-growing collagen category while diversifying the company’s product category focus,” Jose Minski, CEO of Wellnext, states. “We are excited to work with NeoCell’s industry-leading products for beauty, bone and joint health.”

Wellnext is a portfolio company owned by an affiliate of WM Partners, LP. WM Partners is a Ft. Lauderdale-based private equity firm focused on investing in middle-market companies in the health and wellness sector.

PNC Business Credit, a division of PNC Bank, N.A., and McLarty Capital Partners were the lead funding agents. Pepper Hamilton LLP served as Wellnext’s legal advisor on the transaction.

About NeoCell
Based in Irvine, California, NeoCell is a leading collagen supplement brand in the US. Since its founding by Al Quadri in 1998, NeoCell has focused on supporting the body’s collagen systems, such as those that maintain vibrant youth, radiant beauty, and total body wellness. Over the years, the brand has become a leading consumer source for NeoCell® Super Collagen™ Type 1 & 3, NeoCell® Super Collagen+C, NeoCell Beauty Bursts® Gourmet Collagen Chews, NeoCell® Collagen+C™ Pomegranate Liquid, and NeoCell Hyaluronic Acid Blueberry Liquid. For additional information, visit https://www.neocell.com.

About Wellnext
Headquartered in Sunrise, Florida, the Wellnext family of brands delivers research-backed nutritional supplements for every consumer life stage. Anchor brands within the Wellnext portfolio include a GMP-certified manufacturer with 30 years of leadership in supplement manufacturing, Rainbow Light®, Champion Performance®, and Natural Vitality®, among many other leading brands. Guided by three generations of family heritage, Wellnext is committed to the highest standards of corporate social responsibility, including product quality and purity testing, sustainability practices, and corporate giving programs, to help foster a vibrant state of health in families everywhere. For more information, visit http://www.wellnexthealth.com. Wellnext is not affiliated or related to Wellnx Life Sciences, Inc.

About WM Partners, LP
WM Partners is a middle-market private equity firm specialized in buyout investments in the health and wellness sectors. WM Partners seeks to acquire small and medium size businesses with attractive growth prospects and generate sustainable, long-term value through its operational expertise in the health and wellness sectors, and strategic business approach working in collaboration with experienced management teams. WM Partners is based in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.More information about WM Partners is available at www.wmplp.com.