Latest news with #NP
Cision Canada
6 days ago
- Business
- Cision Canada
SIMPLY SOLVENTLESS ANNOUNCES AGREEMENT WITH NATURA LIFE + SCIENCE TO LAUNCH SLUGGERS IN CANADA, AND PROVIDES Q1 TIMING, EXECUTIVE AND MCTO UPDATES
CALGARY, AB, June 16, 2025 /CNW/ - Simply Solventless Concentrates Ltd. (TSXV: HASH) (" SSC" or the " Company") is pleased to announce that it has reached an agreement with Natura Life + Science (" Natura"), a California cannabis company, to launch Sluggers, the legendary northern California cannabis brand, in Canada. Sluggers' U.S. based website is as follows: SSC is also pleased to provide an update regarding changes made to its executive team, the timing of filing its first quarter results (" Financials") for the three months ended March 31, 2025, and an update on its previously announced management cease trade order (" MCTO") under National Policy 12-203 – Management Cease Trade Orders (" NP 12-203") initially issued by the Alberta Securities Commission, the Company's principal regulator, on May 5, 2025, and subsequently updated by SSC through press releases issued on April 30, 2025, May 14, 2025, May 20, 2025, and June 2, 2025. Sluggers The Sluggers brand was built by cannabis culture and community leaders, and is known for premium pre-rolls, vapes, and flower. With a passionate fan base, Sluggers has been setting the standard in the U.S. cannabis market, bringing consistent, innovative and high-quality products to a wide base of consumers. Sluggers has rapidly expanded across multiple states, and they are now leveraging ANC Inc.'s leading manufacturing capability to bring Sluggers' exceptional products to Canada. ANC Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of SSC. According to Headset data: Sluggers is #1 in units sold in California for 3.5g pre-roll packs, including being the #2 infused pre-roll brand on 4/20. Currently, Sluggers sells over a million pre-rolls per month. Sluggers has achieved 600% year over year growth in vape sales. The initial Sluggers product launches coming in July are as follows: Bubble Bath Juiced Hash & Diamond Infused Kief Coated 5-pack pre-roll in Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Fire OG Hash & Diamond Infused Glass Tip 1.5g pre-roll in Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Under the terms of the agreement, SSC has exclusivity on distribution of the the Sluggers brand in Canada. SSC will retain 75% of the net income generated from the sale of the Sluggers products. SSC will provide all raw materials and Natura will pay for all sales and marketing activities. Jeff Swainson, SSC's President & CEO, stated: "We are thrilled to bring the iconic Sluggers brand to Canada, as we anticipate that it will generate the same level of enthusiasm and customer connection in Canada as it does in the U.S." Executive Change Jeff Holmgren, SSC's Chief Financial Officer (" CFO"), is no longer with SSC. SSC thanks Mr. Holmgren for his contributions and wishes him the best in his future endeavours. The timing of filing SSC's Financials, including the related management's discussion and analysis and officer certificates (collectively, the " Required Filings"), will not be impacted and it is anticipated they will be released on June 20, 2025, as previously disclosed. SSC has engaged Lachlan McLeod, a seasoned cannabis executive, through his firm Stornoway CPA, to assist with the Q1 2025 Financials and certain other accounting and finance duties until such time as a permanent CFO is appointed. Upcoming CFO Appointment SSC is in the final stages of executing an employment contract with a highly experienced individual who upon execution of the employment agreement will be appointed as SSC's CFO subsequent to expiration of his notice period with his current employer. Q1 2025 Filing Timeline & MCTO Update The Company expects to file the Required Filings on or before June 20, 2025. Should this timing change, an update will be provided. The MCTO will remain in effect until the Company files the Required Filings. As previously announced, pursuant to the MCTO, Management of the Company may not trade in securities of the Company until such time as the Company files the Required Filings and the MCTO is revoked. The MCTO does not affect the ability of other shareholders of the Company to trade in securities of the Company. The Company confirms that it will satisfy the provisions of the alternative information guidelines under NP 12-203 by issuing biweekly default status reports in the form of news releases for so long as it remains in default of the above-noted filing requirements. The Company confirms that, except as publicly disclosed by the Company in its press releases: (a) there have been no material changes to the information contained in the default announcement issued on April 30, 2025 (the " Default Announcement") that would reasonably be expected to be material to an investor; (b) there have been no failures by the Company to fulfill its stated intentions with respect to satisfying the provisions of the alternative reporting guidelines under NP 12-203; (c) there has not been, nor is there anticipated to be, any specified default subsequent to the default which is the subject of the Default Announcement; and (d) there is no other material information concerning the affairs of the Company that has not been generally disclosed. About Simply Solventless Concentrates Ltd. SSC is a public company incorporated under the Business Corporations Act (Alberta). SSC's mission is to provide pure, potent, terpene-rich ready to consume cannabis products to discerning cannabis consumers. For more information regarding SSC, please see Notice on Forward Looking Information This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "may", "should", "anticipate", "will", "estimates", "believes", "intends", "expects", "projected", "approximately" and similar expressions which are intended to identify forward-looking statements. More particularly and without limitation, this press release contains forward looking statements concerning initial Sluggers product launches, Sluggers product quality, the innovative nature of Sluggers products, the consistency of Sluggers products, consumer enthusiasm regarding Sluggers, the potential following, popularity, and customer connection related to Sluggers, future CFO appointments, and the timing of filing the Required Filings and MCTO. SSC cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, assumptions and expectations, many of which are beyond the control of SSC, including expectations and assumptions concerning SSC, the timing and market acceptance of products, competition in SSC's markets, SSC's reliance on customers, fluctuations in interest rates, SSC's ability to maintain good relations with its customers, employees and other stakeholders, changes in law or regulations, SSC's ability to protect its intellectual property, as well as other risks and uncertainties, including those described in SSC's filings available on SEDAR+ at including its most recent annual information form. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of SSC. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and SSC does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by securities law. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in any jurisdiction. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE Simply Solventless Concentrates Ltd.
Montreal Gazette
6 days ago
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Letters: What not to say at U.S. border
Letters To The Editor Pete Hoekstra, the American ambassador to Canada, has said Canadians facing device searches and detainment is 'not a pattern.' I've been told of two situations that might make Canadians uneasy about going to the U.S. A couple I know driving from Toronto to Buffalo were asked by the U.S. border officer 'what they thought of our new president.' When they replied they 'did not think very positively about him,' they were pulled aside and their entry was eventually denied. And the same person who related the above story told me he was asked the same question at the airport when he was preparing to fly to the U.S. on business. When he gave the same honest reply, he was pulled aside and his device was searched. If you are crossing into the U.S. and are asked what you think about the U.S. president, maybe just say you think he is wonderful. Graham Wright, Westmount By this measure, Trump is a success Re: ' Anand weighs in on Israeli strike ' (NP Montreal, June 14) Charlie Kirk, described as the founder of Turning Point USA and an ally of the Trump White House, is quoted as saying: 'No issue currently divides the (U.S.) right as much as foreign policy.' This could be partly because it is difficult for some to ascertain what Trump's foreign policy is. Kirk also refers to 'our insanely successful presidency' — which is, in a way, a rather unfortunate description of the situation. John Hall, Montreal Warm reception among 'Mainers' Re: ' Support, love and gratitude from Plattsburgh ' (Opinion, June 13) I recently spent two weeks in my happy place, Old Orchard Beach, Me. On Flag Day — June 14 — I drove by a crowd of people near the ocean who were holding up placards protesting against many of Donald Trump's latest policies. As I passed them, I heard a big cheer go up. I can only surmise that my Quebec licence plate elicited such a response. Mainers are among my favourite people in the world. It pained me to see the empty stores and restaurants, and the dearth of people on the beach. Seems like such a sad consequence of hastily enacted, mean-spirited policies against Canadians. Debbie Astroff, Dorval Voters must not sit out midterms Re: ' Sorry, but I am tired of apologies ' (Letters, May 21) I absolutely agree with the letter writer that U.S. voters need to return control of Congress to the Democrats next year, which is more plausible in the House of Representatives than it is in the Senate. But there is an important distinction to be made: Trump won a plurality of the vote, but not quite a majority, over Kamala Harris. More significantly, voter turnout was around 64 or 65 per cent (depending on the source), with Trump winning just 32 per cent or so of all potential votes and Harris around 31 per cent. As is often the case, those who stayed home helped determine the election. The couch potatoes had better show up in the November 2026 midterms to save whatever semblance of democracy remains south of the border. Stan Shatenstein, Montreal Submitting a letter to the editor Letters should be sent by email to letters@ We prioritize letters that respond to, or are inspired by, articles published by The Gazette. If you are responding to a specific article, let us know which one. Letters should be sent uniquely to us. The shorter they are — ideally, fewer than 200 words — the greater the chance of publication. Timing, clarity, factual accuracy and tone are all important, as is whether the writer has something new to add to the conversation. We reserve the right to edit and condense all letters. Care is taken to preserve the core of the writer's argument. Our policy is not to publish anonymous letters, those with pseudonyms or 'open letters' addressed to third parties. Letters are published with the author's full name and city or neighbourhood/borough of residence. Include a phone number and address to help verify identity; these will not be published. We will not indicate to you whether your letter will be published. If it has not been published within 10 days or so, it is not likely to be.
Medscape
13-06-2025
- Health
- Medscape
More Hospitals Turning to Nurse Practitioners. Here's Why
Every evening, nurse practitioner (NP) Arnold Facklam arrives at South Georgia Medical Center in Valdosta, Georgia, an hour before his two physician counterparts. As an NP nocturnist, a hospitalist who works overnight, Facklam's role is to supplement the care provided by the physicians on his team. He believes he offers a valuable service to his Apogee Physicians hospitalist group, able to spend more time with patients than his doctor colleagues, who carry bigger patient loads, while freeing them up to handle more acute cases. 'Both physicians and NPs do the same tasks, but they divide them up differently,' said Facklam, a hospitalist for 18 years. 'Programs of a certain size need to bring in experienced NPs and PAs [physician assistants] that can step into the role and do the tasks to take care of the patients from admissions to discharge, and consultations.' The classic definition of a hospitalist as a primary care physician is rapidly evolving and the vast majority of hospital medicine groups today use advanced practice providers such as NPs like Facklam, for adult care, according to the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM)'s latest industry reports. In most hospitals, NP hospitalists supplement the care their physician counterparts provide, though some small rural hospitals may staff their hospitalist programs entirely with NPs with oversight from a collaborating physician who may not be on duty at the time. Whether to reduce staffing costs or fill gaps in physician shortage areas, hospitalists are navigating a new landscape to determine the most effective use of NPs in the hospital setting. Physicians and NPs sharing hospitalist responsibilities are learning how to divide their duties, improve their professional relations, and maintain job satisfaction. Medscape Medical News consulted a handful of hospitalists about the pros and cons of the new staffing models. Value of NP Hospitalists Saving money tends to be the biggest advantage of using NPs as hospitalists. The average total compensation for NPs was $135,000 in 2023 or about 60% less than for physician hospitalists, $321,000, according to Medscape's 2024 compensation reports for physicians and NPs. Third party private insurers and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reimburse NPs at 85% of the physician rate, which can help reduce costs. Among the other benefits of using NPs, they help reduce hospital wait times and because they tend to manage fewer patients than doctors, can spend more time with them, according to research cited by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. NPs also fill a void in patient care when hospitals have difficulty attracting physicians or are short-staffed in small or rural hospitals, which tend to be workforce shortage areas. The Health Resources & Services Administration projects a 22% staff shortage of hospital physicians by 2035. Meanwhile the US Bureau of Labor Statistics consistently reports NPs among the nation's fastest-growing occupations with a projected 46% growth rate between 2023 and 2033. Nikhil Sood, MD In the past few years, Nikhil Sood, MD, has witnessed 'a monumental' increase in the number of NPs working alongside him as a hospitalist at Banner Gateway Medical Center in Gilbert, Arizona. 'Utilizing NPs' expertise can significantly improve care delivery,' said Sood, who treats patients with cancer. NPs also can alleviate physician burnout and enhance patients' access to care, he said. 'I have partnered with NPs who are outstanding clinicians, meticulous in their work, empathetic in nature, and collaborative. They bring a nursing perspective…often identifying psychosocial or care coordination issues that might otherwise go unnoticed.' Monique Nugent, MD, MPH, appreciates the specialty care the advanced practice providers on her hospitalist team offer patients. She finds them fully capable of supplementing physician care. 'They work really well with our group. They are a huge support, and they are no less hospitalists than physician hospitalists,' Nugent said about her Advanced Practice Professional (APP) colleagues specializing in cardiac and oncology care at South Shore Hospital in Weymouth, Massachusetts. 'Patients benefit from people with a specialty and who know how to navigate medicine.' Challenges of NP Hospitalists Nugent doesn't believe hospitals should focus solely on the savings just because APPs traditionally earn less than doctors. 'You still need highly qualified people…You have to invest in the person if you want them to do good work,' she said. Hospitals should provide support such as case management, a safe patient load, and an appropriate level of malpractice insurance, Nugent said. Monique Nugent, MD, MPH 'If a hospital has 200 patients and there are 20 doctors who take care of 10 patients each, you can't replace the doctors with APPs and expect them to be comfortable caring for the same number of patients. It's not simply a math question,' she said. Staffing calculations also need to include additional administrative requirements for APPs mandated by law and whether states require physician oversight of APPs, Nugent stressed. More than half of the states give NPs full practice authority to manage patients independently of physicians, but only a handful of states offer full or optimal practice authority for PAs. 'If the system employs PAs and NPs simply because it costs less, they are missing the value they bring to the system,' she said. 'How can we support everyone in their practice so we can support the patient? I work with NPs that are really great at their job. Working that way allows us to be great,' Nugent said. John Nelson, MD, who co-founded the SHM, said hospitals may add NPs or PAs because they can't recruit doctors in rural areas, or they want to pay less for staffing. But those hospitals may not have carefully considered exactly what the APPs will do, their job description, how they will help doctors see patients, said Nelson, a hospitalist and partner in Nelson Flores Hospital Medicine Consultants. In some cases, physician hospitalists are partly to blame for the lack of direction APPs receive. The doctors are happy to gain assistance even with menial tasks and without the responsibility of paying salaries, they don't worry about wasteful spending, Nelson said. 'Hospitals are not paying enough attention to realize what is going on.' Facklam said his hospitalist program clearly defines the job responsibilities of the team. When he starts his duties at 6 PM, he works on admissions and when physicians come in at 7 PM, he provides cross coverage for the hospital and three outlying facilities. He realizes there has been a rapid increase in APPs as hospitalists created a challenging dynamic for physician hospitalists. Some understand and trust the credentials and capabilities of APPs and allow them the freedom to work effectively. But those who never worked with NPs may not know what to expect and may fear NPs will take their jobs. 'It's a work in progress,' Facklam said of physician-APP relationships. 'I think it takes time for people to realize [APPs] are qualified and capable of serving in the role they are asked to do.' But Facklam admits he may have been accepted by physicians faster than other NP hospitalists with a quicker adjustment period as a former critical and emergency care nurse and paramedic. 'I had experience that led up to it. If it was someone else, they may take a little longer to feel comfortable,' he said. Hospitals also have to navigate state and federal regulations regarding NPs, including how they can bill state and federal insurance companies and whether they need physician oversight, hospitalists said. Nearly half of NP and PA work is billed as a combination of both independent and shared services billing with the collaborating or supervising physician, according to SHM's latest State of Hospital Medicine Report. Working Effectively as a Hospitalist Team For NPs to make a smooth transition into hospitalist teams, ensuring quality and safety, requires a strategic and organized environment, Sood said. He added that such integration is particularly important when providing specialty care, such as in cancer hospitals, where there's a high rate of clinical complexity. 'Patients frequently require intricate decisions regarding chemotherapy side effects, palliative care strategies, or complications from immunotherapy. Practical experience and oncology-specific training are essential,' he said. John Nelson, MD He doesn't think NPs should be expected to operate autonomously in high-acuity or complex settings without sufficient support. 'This not only affects patient outcomes but can also create unnecessary pressure on the NPs.' A team-based approach allows NPs and physicians to regularly consult each other and manage patient care, Sood said. While NPs deserve to be respected and empowered, they also should be 'guided by clear practice scopes, mentorship, and structured clinical pathways,' he said. Nelson believes APPs can contribute professionally to the hospitalist team and find greater job satisfaction if they collaborate with physician hospitalists and receive appropriate training. In 2024, about 11% of NPs held certifications in acute care, according to AANP. Acute care generally focuses on the type of treatment patients receive in a hospital such as for accidents or emergencies. APPs also should have a 'significant say' about their roles on the team and how they could have the most impact, Nelson said. 'They should be part of the conversation if not leading it.'
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Business Standard
11-06-2025
- Health
- Business Standard
SARS-CoV-2 protein triggers immune attack on healthy cells, shows study
A new study published in peer-reviewed scientific journal Cell Reports has uncovered an unexpected way in which the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, might harm healthy tissues. Researchers found that the virus can indirectly trigger immune attacks on cells it never actually infects. Scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem discovered that the virus's nucleocapsid protein (NP) — usually known for packaging viral RNA inside infected cells — can transfer to neighbouring uninfected epithelial cells and stick to their surfaces. Once on these healthy cells, the NP protein is mistakenly recognised by the immune system. 'This process activates the classical complement pathway, leading to inflammation and cellular damage that might contribute to severe Covid-19 outcomes and complications such as long Covid,' the study explains. Viral protein marks healthy cells for attack The immune system, seeing the NP protein on these healthy cells, mistakenly treats them as infected. Anti-NP antibodies label these cells for destruction, setting off a harmful chain reaction. This immune attack, researchers believe, may worsen disease severity and contribute to long-lasting symptoms seen in some Covid-19 patients. 'This research uncovers a surprising way in which the SARS-CoV-2 virus can misdirect the immune system, causing the attack of healthy cells, simply because they have been marked by a viral protein,' the authors wrote. Lab findings confirm the mechanism The team used lab-grown cells, advanced imaging techniques, and samples from Covid-19 patients to understand how the NP protein attaches to healthy cells. They found that NP binds to heparan sulfate proteoglycans — a sugar-like molecule found on many cell surfaces. As a result, clusters of NP proteins form on these cells, prompting the immune system to attack them using antibodies. This mistakenly triggers the complement pathway, harming both infected and healthy cells. The researchers also found that the commonly used blood thinner enoxaparin can block NP from binding to healthy cells. As a heparin analog, enoxaparin competes for the same binding sites. In laboratory tests using both cell cultures and samples from patients, enoxaparin prevented NP from attaching to cells and helped stop the immune system from attacking them.
The Star
10-06-2025
- Health
- The Star
COVID-19 virus protein triggers immune attack on healthy cells: study
JERUSALEM, June 10 (Xinhua) -- Israeli researchers have discovered that a protein from the SARS-CoV-2 virus, responsible for COVID-19, can cause the immune system to attack healthy cells mistakenly, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem said in a statement on Tuesday. The study, published in Cell Reports, sheds light on how severe COVID-19 complications may occur and suggests new ways to prevent immune-driven damage from the virus. The researchers found that the virus's nucleocapsid protein (NP), which normally helps package the virus's genetic material inside infected cells, can spread to nearby uninfected epithelial cells. Once on the surface of these healthy cells, NP would be mistakenly identified by the immune system as a threat. The immune system then deploys anti-NP antibodies, which mark these uninfected cells for destruction. The process triggers the classical complement pathway, a part of the immune response that leads to inflammation and tissue damage, contributing to severe COVID-19 symptoms and possibly long COVID. Using lab-grown cells, advanced imaging, and samples from COVID-19 patients, the researchers found that NP binds to a type of molecule on cell surfaces. The binding causes the protein to cluster on healthy cells, further confusing the immune system. The study also found that the drug enoxaparin, a common blood thinner and heparin analog, blocks NP from sticking to healthy cells. In both lab tests and patient samples, enoxaparin helped prevent immune attacks by occupying the binding sites that NP uses. According to the researchers, the discovery may offer new hope for reducing immune-related complications in COVID-19 and potentially other viral infections.
