International Medical Corps

The Business of Football Infographic

cabraham — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:24:46 +0000

Win a ticket to anywhere from during the Nymgo relaunch

cabraham — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:52:26 +0000

Abraham Harrison’s new client, Nymgo, has now completely re-developed its networking infrastructure and is accordingly re-launching its product, website and brand with a completely new look and set of functions that pushes the envelope of mass consumer VoIP technology in 2012 — and, to celebrate that launch, they’re also offering 5 tickets to anywhere to a lucky 5 folks.

This contest is called the “Nymgo, fly me to visit someone” contest and it takes place on its regional Facebook pages for Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan — one round-trip ticket to anywhere in the world will be available to each Facebook Page by simply choosing a friend they would like to visit. The contestant simply uploads a picture along with a required caption (maximum 500 words) explaining why they should win the trip to see that person.

Here’s some more information from the Social Media News Release that we produced for Nymgo

Marvin White joins Fuad El-Hibri at Emergent BioSolutions, Inc.

cabraham — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 01:09:58 +0000

“Mr. White’s expertise in financial management, gained in a patient-focused health care system and service-oriented environment, will prove an invaluable asset in guiding Emergent’s management team towards further growth and in increasing value for shareholders,” Fuad El-Hibri, Emergent BioSolutions, Inc.’s chairman and CEO, said. “We are delighted to welcome him to Emergent’s Board of Directors, composed of seasoned experts with diverse skill sets.”

Thank You Not on My Watch Bloggers

cabraham — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 03:22:01 +0000

Both Kimberly-Clark Healthcare and Abraham Harrison would like to thank you, all the bloggers and tweeters who supported our public affairs outreach in support of the fighting hospital-aquired and healthcare associated infections via the HAI Watch “Not on My Watch” campaign. We really appreciate your coverage and support.

Via Abraham Harrison

Goethe-Institut Summer 2010 Schedule of Events

cabraham — Sun, 09 May 2010 10:38:25 +0000

Goethe-Institut Washington is an organization dedicated to providing access to the German language, culture and society, and fostering intercultural exchange in the Washington, DC area. It is part of the international network of Goethe-Institutes, and is a non-profit organization supported in part by the German government. There are 149 Goethe-Institutes and 11 liaison offices in 92 countries.
The Goethe-Institut Washington offers a wide selection of classes this summer for every skill level, with both regular and intensive classes, including Elementary German A1, Elementary German A2, Intermediate German B1, An Introduction to Reading Scholarly German, and more — view the full schedule. Registration for summer classes is currently open.
Goethe-Institut Washington is now on Twitter and Facebook. Our weekly email newsletter keeps subscribers informed of our German cultural events and courses; more local events, class information, quizzes, questions, answers, and other resources are available by following and/or liking us.
The Goethe-Institut Washington presents films (classics and new; features and documentaries) every Monday night in its screening room. German films are screened with English subtitles. The May-July film series presents a selection of award-winning films from the Berlinale, the Berlin International Film Festival, including 12 Angry Men, Signs of Life (Lebenszeichen), Solo Sunny, Trace of the Bears (Spur der Bären), Veronika Voss (Die Sehnsucht der Veronika Voss), Life is All You Get (Das Leben ist eine Baustelle) and Head-On (Gegen die Wand). View the Goethe-Institut Washington’s full schedule of cultural events.
FotoGalerie, the Goethe-Institut Washington’s exhibition space, is an ongoing showcase for the work of young German photographers. In Our Time – Photographs by Anne Lass is on display through the end of May. Next up: an annual favorite, winning works from Germany’s annual graduate photography competition, gute aussichten: new german photography 2009/2010, will be on display June-August. View the Goethe-Institut Washington’s full schedule of cultural events.

Protect Yourself From Hospital-Acquired Infections

cabraham — Mon, 03 May 2010 17:33:43 +0000

I have collected a list of preventative measures you can take for yourself, your children, your parents, and your loved ones before, during, and after their stay in the hospital to minimize exposure to Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs) and associated superbugs like MRSA.

Washing:

Your own hands. Scrub for at least 15 seconds with warm water and soap. Use an alcohol-based sanitizer if you can’t get to a sink to use soap and water.
Beginning three to five days before surgery, shower daily with 4 percent chlorhexidine soap, available over the counter at your local pharmacy.
Once you’re at the hospital: Ask anyone who is going to touch you to wash their hands first, in your presence. Due this whether the person is a doctor or nurse who is examining you, or visitors who want to hug you, pat your arm, help you dress, etc. Don’t be shy! Your life is worth a tiny moment of embarrassment.
Make sure hospital staff scrub the planned incision site before surgery, because scalpels and other surgical instruments can drag bacteria on the surrounding skin’s surface into the incision.

Equipment:

A common source of cross contamination bacteria are stethoscopes, which caregivers often do not clean between patients, so ask for it — and any other medical equipment — to be cleaned in your presence.
Make sure hospital staff cleans and disinfects any surfaces you may come in contact with, such as bed rails, privacy curtains, and sinks. Avoid setting food or utensils on the furniture or bed.
Make sure IV equipment is cleaned properly when inserted and removed, and that it a new, clean one is inserted at least every 3 to 4 days. If any redness appears at the IV site, alert hospital staff immediately.
Keep an eye on wound dressings and drainage tubes, and tell a caregiver right away if they become loose or wet.
Avoid getting a urinary catheter if at all possible. If you have a catheter, ask if it can be removed within a day or two – the sooner, the better.

Testing:

Get tested for for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) at least a week before you enter the hospital. You could have MRSA already and not know it! It’s important to find this out ahead of time.
Have your blood sugar under control if you have diabetes.

Medication:

Ask your doctor about taking an antibiotic before surgery. For many surgeries, you can receive an antibiotic an hour or so before your surgery to help prevent a surgical site infection.

Grooming and Comfort:

If hair has to be removed, use electric clippers on the day of surgery instead of razors, because razors are more likely to leave nicks in your skin through which you can be exposed to the bacteria that cause infection.
Ask your doctor about keeping you warm during surgery. Obviously, you won’t notice the cold while under anesthesia, but studies have shown that the simple step of keeping surgical patients warm reduces the likelihood of infection.
Ask anyone who is coughing to wear a mask or stay at least six feet away from you so you won’t get an infection that is transmitted through the air.
Even though their visits may cheer you up, if family and friends are feeling unwell, ask them to wait to visit you until they are better. Talk to them on the phone instead.

Stem Cell Therapy to Cure Type 1 Diabetes in Adults

cabraham — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 19:22:32 +0000

Diabetes exacts its toll on many Americans, young and old. For years, researchers have painstakingly dissected this complicated disease caused by the destruction of insulin producing islet cells of the pancreas. Despite progress in understanding the underlying disease mechanisms for diabetes, there is still a paucity of effective therapies. For years investigators have been making slow, but steady, progress on experimental strategies for pancreatic transplantation and islet cell replacement. Now, researchers have turned their attention to adult stem cells that appear to be precursors to islet cells and embryonic stem cells that produce insulin. From Curing Diabetes with Stem Cell Therapy Resources:

Stem cells, directed to differentiate into specific cell types, offer the possibility of a renewable source of replacement cells and tissues to treat diseases including Alzheimer’s diseases, spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Professor Alan Trounson has highlighted research that has transformed human embryonic stem cells into insulin-producing cells to treat diabetes in mice. He says the technique could work equally with humans. “I do think we’ll get a cure to diabetes,” he said.

Stem cells are the essential cellular building blocks that allow the body to regenerate new cells and repair tissue. Scientists are investigating the therapeutic potential of both embryonic and adult stem cells as a research tool to better understand-and develop treatments for-diseases that affect over 100 million Americans in their lifetime, including diabetes, cancer, heart disease, spinal cord injuries, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other debilitating conditions.

Stem cell therapy aimed at restoring blood flow to damaged limbs in people with diabetes has shown promise, according to UK company ReNeuron. Diabetics using stem-cell therapy have been able to stop taking insulin injections for the first time, after their bodies started to produce the hormone naturally again.

A handful of people with type 1 diabetes have been able to survive without insulin shots for more than two-and-a-half years, on average, after having their own blood stem cells removed and reimplanted through intravenous injection, U.S. and Brazilian researchers reported Tuesday.

The study involved the use of a technique called “autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation” or AHST for short. This type of treatment has been used to treat other autoimmune diseases successfully. Previous trials have shown that moderate suppression of the immune system in newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetes patients can stop the further loss of beta cells and reduce the need for supplemental insulin.

Pancreatic islet cell transplantation and particularly stem cell-based therapies have a huge potential to restore glucose control in patients with diabetes, without risk of serious hypoglycemic adverse effects associated with insulin therapy, and safety issues of other anti-diabetes treatments.

In Australia, and many other countries around the world, stem cell therapy is only approved to treat blood disorders such as leukemia. Whilst research is moving rapidly and showing great promise, the use of any type of stem cell as a therapy for diseases like type 1 diabetes is still firmly classed as experimental. This doesn’t mean these therapies won’t work, just that scientists and clinicians have deemed there isn’t enough data available to demonstrate patient safety as well as a long term benefit.

Hopes have been raised of a new treatment to free thousands of diabetes sufferers from the burden of daily insulin injections. Scientists revealed findings of a study which shows that 15 young patients with type one diabetes overcame their dependence on insulin after being treated with their own stem cells.

Via Chris Abraham Blog

Thank You To All Of The Olympic Bloggers

cabraham — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 10:02:36 +0000

Recently, we at Abraham Harrison helped the USOC (United States Olympic Committee) reach out to bloggers and others online in order to bring more attention to the Winter Olympic Games. Nearly 300 movers, shakers and influencers responded to our call to action with the placement of banners, tweets, and with blog posts. Thank you to all of the authors of the following posts:

Register with Team USA for tomorrow’s Winter Games

cabraham — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 18:43:44 +0000

Tomorrow marks the first day of the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Vancouver, BC. Years of training, hard work, discipline and relentless dedication have given the great athletes of Team USA the right edge to grab that gold. To make sure you keep track of who is skiing the fastest and skating the hardest, register with TeamUSA.org where fans get chance to take part in all of the action. GO USA!

Receive exclusive updates during the Winter Games
Get the inside scoop, event by event
Hear directly from our Olympic athletes as they chase their dream
Be able to download photo and video highlights, right to your desktop

There is more than one way to get involved with this year’s Olympics. Show your support by making a donation or becoming a member the Sixth Ring. Check out TeamUSAnews.org and get ready to rally behind the great USA!

Register at TeamUSA.org for exclusive Winter Games info

cabraham — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:43:43 +0000

Start rockin’ your red white and blue because this Friday marks the beginning of the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Vancouver, BC. The city will welcome all of the worthy competitors and their diehard fans who are lucky enough to see these world-class athletes live. For those of us who cannot make it to Vancouver and witness the excitement first-hand, TeamUSA.org is giving fans a chance to take part in all the action.

Receive exclusive updates during the Winter Games
Get the inside scoop, event by event
Hear directly from our Olympic athletes as they chase their dream
Be able to download photo and video highlights, right to your desktop

Team USA has been training hard. We must recognize their admirable accomplishments and cheer our hearts out to help the great USA take home some sweet gold. Register now to be ready for Olympic fever!

http://chrisabraham.blog.friendster.com/2010/02/register-at-teamusaorg-for-exclusive-winter-games-info/