Month: June 2025

2025-06-24T08:01:01

(BPT) – How much protein do you eat? Protein is key to keeping your muscles in tip-top shape and your body functioning at its best.

If you’re on a GLP-1 medication, ensuring you have enough protein in your diet is especially critical. A study found that up to 40% of the weight loss with GLP-1 medications is from lean mass, which includes muscle*. In just 12-18 months, the lost muscle can be equivalent to a decade of age-related natural muscle loss**.

To help maintain your lean muscle mass while on a health journey or while taking a GLP-1 medication, celebrity chef, Royal Navy veteran, entrepreneur and host of Food Network’s “Restaurant: Impossible,” Robert Irvine has teamed up with OPTAVIA^® to create a special protein-rich recipe and offer professional insights on the impact of eating more protein. OPTAVIA is a holistic, coach-guided approach to weight loss that is designed for real life with clinically proven plans, guidance from a personalized coach and a blueprint for creating lifelong healthy habits.

“High-protein meals are essential for muscle growth and repair, as well as keeping hunger at bay,” said Irvine. “The ingredients you choose have an impact beyond the individual meal and can help manage cravings and stay on track in your day-to-day lifestyle. OPTAVIA’s recipes are simple, designed to fuel your body, keep you satisfied, and make sticking to a plan easy and delicious.”

Check out Chef Irvine’s five simple ways to incorporate more protein into your diet so you can keep your muscles fit and fuel your health journey.

1. Choose lean proteins

Not all protein is created equal. The next time you head to the store, opt for lean proteins such as chicken, fish and plant-based options like beans and lentils. These foods provide high-quality protein without excessive fat to keep you powered throughout your busiest days.

2. Include protein in every meal

Protein shouldn’t be reserved for a larger meal like dinner. Make sure to include a source of protein in every meal.

Whether it’s eggs for breakfast, a protein shake as a snack or lunch or grilled chicken for dinner, adding protein in every meal will help you feel satiated and support your health.

3. Eat small, protein-rich meals throughout the day

By having protein-rich snacks and meals on hand and eating small meals every two to three hours, you can help maintain your energy levels throughout the day, whether at home or on the go. Stock your cabinet and fridge with convenient, protein-rich snack choices like nuts, Greek yogurt or protein bars and shakes.

4. Get the right support

Every OPTAVIA client also receives a personalized coach to lead them through making healthy choices and encourage them throughout their health journey.

“I love that OPTAVIA offers every client a supportive coach to motivate and encourage people throughout their health journey,” said Irvine. “As someone who has worked with celebrities and military personnel, I understand the importance of support and quality ingredients in achieving health goals.”

5. Balance your diet & experiment with recipes

Protein is important, but be sure to pair it with healthy fats, the right carbohydrates and a variety of vegetables to create a healthy, balanced diet which can help you maintain your muscle mass and overall health.

Changing how or what you eat is a great opportunity to try new things in the kitchen. Look for new recipes that incorporate protein in creative ways.

For example, Chef Irvine’s Lean & Green+ Seared Sea Scallops with White Bean Sofrito recipe — created in collaboration with OPTAVIA — is a great example of how to craft delicious, nutritionally balanced, protein-rich meals. Scallops are rich in flavor, tender and high in protein. See below for the full recipe!

OPTAVIA’s Lean & Green and Lean & Green+ recipes are healthy, balanced meals made with nourishing whole foods — designed to fuel your body, keep you satisfied, and fit easily into your on-the-go lifestyle.

Using Irvine’s five expert tips along with OPTAVIA’s comprehensive approach to nutrition, you can more easily incorporate protein into your daily meals to help you preserve muscle and start your journey toward a healthier, more balanced life. To learn more, visit OPTAVIA.com.

OPTAVIA Lean & Green+ Seared Sea Scallops with White Bean Sofrito

Total Time: 30 minutes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Serves: 4

Pea Puree (1/2 cup per serving)

• 2 cups English sweet peas, blanched
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth, cold
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Scallops (4 ounces per serving)

• 5 tsp olive or grapeseed oil
• 16 ounces scallops
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Sofrito (1 cup per serving)

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 shallot minced
• 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced small
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1, (151/2-oz.) can white beans
• 2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions

1.To make the pea puree, place the peas in a high-performance blender and blend slowly adding the chicken broth and honey.

2. Add salt and pepper, then blend faster until smooth. Set aside.

3. To make the Sofrito, place a large sauté pan over medium heat and sweat the shallots in olive oil, then add the red and yellow bell peppers and celery.

4. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, then deglaze with white wine.

5. Add the white beans, lemon juice, and chicken broth to the pan. Stir, cooking for 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

6. To make the scallops, place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil (substitute grapeseed oil if desired).

7. Season the scallops with salt and pepper.

8. Once oil is hot in the pan, add scallops and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until golden brown.

9. Plating: Place 1/2 cup of pea puree on a plate, then add 1 cup sofrito in the center of pea puree. Top sofrito with 4 ounces scallops.

Share a photo of your plate by tagging and following @OPTAVIA on Instagram.

*Wilding JPH, Batterham RL, Calanna S, Davies M, Van Gaal LF, Lingvay I, McGowan BM, Rosenstock J, Tran MTD, Wadden TA, Wharton S, Yokote K, Zeuthen N, Kushner RF; STEP 1 Study Group. Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity. N Engl J Med. 2021 Mar 18;384(11):989-1002. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2032183.

**Grosicki GJ, Dhurandhar NV, Unick JL, Arent SM, Thomas JG, Lofton H, Shepherd MC, Kiel J, Coleman C, Jonnalagadda SS. Sculpting Success: The Importance of Diet and Physical Activity to Support Skeletal Muscle Health during Weight Loss with New Generation Anti-Obesity Medications. Curr Dev Nutr. 2024 Oct 18;8(11):104486. doi: 10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.104486.

2025-06-23T08:01:00

(BPT) – “New blood” can revitalize a struggling business, whether it’s a sports team on the wrong side of the wins and losses column or a retailer wondering where the customers went.

For some cancer patients, new blood is a literal lifesaver. Blood and bone marrow transplants, sometimes called stem cell transplants, offer a precious second chance to people with different types of blood cancers as well as sickle cell anemia and aplastic anemia, known as bone marrow failure.

Michelle Hudspeth, M.D., director of both the adult and pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) and Cellular Therapy program at the Medical University of South Carolina, said these transplants are occurring at a quickening pace at MUSC Health, demonstrating the expansion of treatment options that may benefit many.

“Our accelerated growth occurred despite the COVID pandemic, which created not only an extraordinary challenge to care for the most immune-compromised patients but also the most difficult time to access the international network for stem cell donors,” Hudspeth said. “Our growth and outcomes are a true testament to the committed expertise and collaboration of our team.”

A new start for patients

For patient Kennedy Golden, 23, the transplant is a new start.

Golden was working as a nurse at a hospital in Columbia, South Carolina, when she started having what she called “a year of tummy trouble.” Doctors couldn’t figure out the cause of her symptoms, until one day in October of 2023, she could barely walk.

She was admitted to the hospital, where she learned her bowel had ruptured. Doctors performed a biopsy, and she learned that she had intestinal T-cell lymphoma, a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which prompted her oncologist in Columbia to refer her to Hollings Cancer Center at MUSC.

Hope at Hollings Cancer Center

At Hollings, Golden met with an experienced health care team who put her worries at ease. She had six rounds of chemotherapy in Columbia, from that November through March of 2024, as her treatment plan progressed toward the stem cell transplant. Through most of it, she continued to work.

Golden’s transplant was autologous, meaning that it used her own stem cells instead of a donor’s. To prepare for the transplant, healthy stem cells are removed from the patient. This can be done in the operating room by removing the cells directly from the bone marrow. However, today, the majority of transplants use peripheral blood stem cell retrieval instead.

In this procedure, the patient gets injections of a protein that prompts the stem cells to start moving out of the bone marrow into the bloodstream. From there, they can be retrieved in a process called apheresis. Blood is removed from a vein and run through a machine that separates the stem cells from everything else. The remaining blood is returned to the body.

The patient then undergoes high-dose chemotherapy that kills off any remaining cancer cells as well as the bone marrow. The peripheral blood stem cells are then infused into the patient, where they will take root, or engraft, and start producing new blood cells.

Outcomes to be proud of

Golden’s treatment was successful, and she’s grateful to the many teams that provided her expert care. She is just one of many who receive life-preserving cancer care at Hollings every year. In fact, the 2023 annual quality report published by the MUSC BMT and Cellular Therapy team shows that the program has grown in the past few years while maintaining survival rates above the national average. In 2023, 144 adults received stem cell transplants, compared with 95 in 2018.

And in keeping with MUSC’s mission to bring high-quality care to all South Carolinians, the BMT team transplanted almost twice the percentage of underserved patients as the national composite, which Hudspeth said speaks to their mission of providing access and breaking down barriers.

Forging ahead with new cellular therapies

Every cancer patient is unique, so it follows that every treatment plan must be unique. Hollings has been a leader in BMT for decades – even making history in 1996 by performing the first outpatient matched unrelated transplant. Now at Hollings, half of autologous transplants are performed on an outpatient basis. Today, a large outpatient bone marrow transplant clinic is dedicated to these life-changing treatments.

Of course, not all patients can use their own stem cells, and Hollings is future-focused by offering options for those patients as well. MUSC was part of the original multi-center trial that changed the trajectory of transplants, making it possible for almost every patient to have a donor for transplant because an exact match was no longer necessary.

Hollings now routinely performs successful haploidentical stem cell transplants, also known as half-matched transplants. This transplant uses a donor’s tissue, but rather than a full match to the patient’s tissue type, it only requires a match at half of the HLA, or human leukocyte antigen, protein markers. This means more opportunities for matches, transplants and lives saved.

This is particularly meaningful for pediatric patients.

“In pediatrics, patients typically need more intensive chemotherapy and radiation for the best chance of cure. I helped to write the Pediatric Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Consortium multi-center pediatric trial using full-dose chemotherapy and radiation for pediatric patients with leukemia with half-matched family donors. This was nicknamed the ‘maxi-haplo’ trial,” Hudspeth said. “This has also revolutionized the field and made it possible for almost all patients to have a donor for transplant and still be able to receive the highest levels of chemotherapy and radiation safely.”

Positive performance and results

Results continue to be positive. A new report from the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research examining transplant centers that perform allogeneic transplants lists MUSC as one of 12 out of 172 that had outcomes better than expected during the evaluation years of 2020 through 2022. Even more impressive: The results were during the height of COVID, a time of logistical challenges as well as health challenges for this immunocompromised patient group.

Hollings is one of 73 National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers in the nation and the only one in South Carolina. To learn more, visit HollingsCancerCenter.MUSC.edu.

2025-06-22T23:01:00

(BPT) – For many patients diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the first step in treatment is a standard regimen of chemotherapy. This approach cures most patients, but research shows that one in three will see their cancer return — typically within a year following completion of their initial treatment.[1] Today, the current standard of care following initial chemotherapy is to “watch and wait,” an approach that monitors the patient for signs of relapse.

But what if there were a way to identify patients at risk of relapse earlier and treat them before the cancer has a chance to come back? That’s the goal of the ALPHA3 clinical trial, a groundbreaking study investigating whether early intervention with an investigational CAR T cell product (cemacabtagene ansegedleucel or cema-cel, pronounced “SEM-a-sell”) can help prevent relapse in DLBCL patients. CAR T therapy is a revolutionary approach to treating cancer that has shown promising results and high remission rates, particularly when used in blood cancers[2].

A New Approach May Predict and Prevent Relapse

The ALPHA3 trial uses an investigational blood test designed to find signs of cancer earlier, often well before it shows up on scans. The test looks for minimal residual disease, known as MRD, or traces of cancer left in the blood after chemotherapy that are too small to be seen on scans. Being MRD positive can indicate whether or not a patient is at high risk of their cancer coming back, also known as relapse.[3]

If MRD is detected, patients may be eligible to join the ALPHA3 trial, where they will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group would undergo more thorough observation, and the other group would undergo treatment with cema-cel. Unlike traditional treatments given after relapse occurs, cema-cel is administered as a one-time infusion shortly after MRD is detected and is designed to target and eliminate the remaining cancer cells in the body, potentially preventing relapse before it happens.

Why Early Intervention Matters

Research suggests that treating cancer when it is still microscopic — before it grows large enough to appear on scans — may improve outcomes.[4] Think of it like putting out a fire as soon as you see the first puff of smoke rather than waiting until the flames spread. By intervening early, the ALPHA3 trial aims to improve cure rates for DLBCL patients who are at high risk of relapse.

What Makes the ALPHA3 Trial Different?

Most clinical trials test new treatments only after cancer has relapsed and grown large enough to be detected on scans. The ALPHA3 trial takes a different approach by focusing on prevention. It combines cutting-edge MRD testing technology with a novel CAR T cell therapy to address cancer at its earliest stages.

This innovative approach could transform the treatment landscape for DLBCL patients, offering hope to those who might otherwise face relapse and more intensive treatments down the road.

For more information to share with your patients about the ALPHA3 trial, visit DLBCL.ClinicalEnrollment.com.

2025-06-19T13:05:01

(BPT) – Nurses are experts at their craft, delivering patient care with a unique blend of expertise, empathy and dedication — 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Recognizing the profound role nurses play in caring for people enables healthcare organizations, patients and family members to express gratitude for the difference they make.

DaVita, a comprehensive kidney care provider, employs thousands of nephrology nurses who specialize in caring for people living with chronic kidney disease across the nation.

Nephrology nurses skillfully care for patients throughout every stage of their kidney care journey — from early interventions to slow the disease’s progression to supporting transplantation, from acute hospital care to dialysis at home. Because dialysis patients typically need multiple treatments each week, they often develop deep relationships with their care teams.

DaVita recently honored 56 of its nephrology nurses with the DAISY Award^® for Extraordinary Nurses. The DAISY Award is a special honor given through the DAISY Foundation to recognize extraordinary nurses for the compassionate contributions they make every day.

“The empathy and compassion that nurses bring to their interactions with patients and their loved ones is a foundational part of healthcare,” said Tina Livaudais, chief nursing officer for DaVita. “Nurses are at the heart of the care we provide at DaVita, and our DAISY recipients lead with these qualities, helping to deliver on DaVita’s mission as a provider of choice through their unwavering dedication to clinical excellence.”

DaVita’s 2025 DAISY Award recipients were nominated by fellow employees (teammates) and patients for helping to deliver outstanding clinical outcomes and consistently demonstrating caring behaviors. Their stories are a powerful reminder that nursing is more than a profession; it’s a calling. Here are just a few.

Nicole Morales

Nicole Morales embodies what it means to be a nurse. For DaVita patients across greater Milwaukee, Nicole provides steadfast dedication, compassion and selflessness. As a home dialysis nurse, she is committed to teaching patients how to safely and effectively perform the treatment. She also goes the extra mile to support her patients’ needs inside and out of the dialysis center. Earlier this year, a patient in her care was experiencing deteriorating vision but could not afford glasses. Upon learning this, Nicole scoured the community to find low-cost eye care options. She shared her findings with the patient, who was then fitted with a new pair of glasses and given back the gift of sight.

Cindy Johnson

In Eastern Kentucky, Cindy Johnson is known for managing difficult situations tactfully and gracefully. She devotes her days to caring for DaVita patients who, without her support, may otherwise not have the opportunity to receive dialysis at home. By leading with compassion, Cindy meets patients where they are. No barrier is too great. In caring for a patient who struggled to read, she took time to teach him to perform dialysis at home on his own. Cindy never makes her patients feel inadequate. Instead, her solutions-oriented mindset uplifts and empowers them.

Irene Banks

Irene Banks is a nurse in Little Rock, Arkansas, at a high acuity center, where the patients she cares for receive specialized attention due to the medical complexity of their care needs. Irene is creative and compassionate in the way she cares for her patients. For one patient who experiences cognitive delays, she has offered activities, such as math worksheets and crossword puzzles, during treatment to help support an improved care experience. Irene continually goes above and beyond to help patients in her care feel comfortable and welcome.

No matter the treatment environment, DaVita nurses create special connections with their patients. DaVita is honored to present the DAISY Award to nurses across the nation. Visit davitaforward.com/difference for more inspiring DaVita care stories, and see below for more of this year’s honorees:

• Cindy J. – Jenkins, KY
• Crystal R. – Victoria, TX
• Nicole M. – Wauwatosa, WI
• Kelly H. – Elmira, NY
• Debra L. – Champaign, IL
• Raquel Murua-S – Fort Wayne, IN
• Jeremy B. – Atwater, CA
• Irene B. – Little Rock, AR
• Caressa H. – Weaverville, NC
• Irene V. – Renton, WA
• Kaye A. – Eatontown, NJ
• Shoua L. – Marysville, CA
• Victoria C. – Jacksonville, NC
• Paul F. – Hainesport, NJ
• Angely O. – Ruskin, FL
• Gurloveleen S. – Fresno, CA
• Briana B. – Lewiston, PA
• Raheem J. – Clinton, SC
• Clyde W. – Metairie, LA
• Ryan D. – Nashua, NH
• Kristi B. – Chicago Ridge, IL
• Conswelo S. – Boaz, AL
• Connie C. – Tempe, AZ
• Lindsay G. – Palm Beach Gardens, FL
• Keri W. – Omaha, NE
• Angie U. – Riverside, CA
• Katie B. – Manassas, VA
• Diane B. – Brighton, MI
• Jeffrey S. – Troy, OH
• Linda S. – Farmington, NM
• Abigail H. – Salem, OR
• Stephanie A. – Milford, CT
• Kyung Mo K. – Los Angeles, CA
• Michael S. – Coppell, TX
• Vanessa C. – Harrisonburg, VA
• Rachiratou T. – O’Fallon, IL
• Edgardo Y. – Orlando, FL
• Elizabeth H. – Athens, OH
• Marianne M. – Alpena, MI
• Sarah H. – St. Louis, MO
• Tina C. – Milton, FL
• Susan H. – Fairfield, OH
• Laressa B. – Dilworth, MN
• Bryan J. – Orlando, FL
• Maria R. – Midland, TX
• Tami V. – Hastings, NE
• Demijohn B. – Houston, TX
• Samantha R. – Dumas, TX
• Lucy L. – Jamaica, NY
• Fancynelle J. – Shreveport, LA
• Shelby B. – Greensboro, GA
• Angel N. – Santa Maria, CA
• Amy M. – Ripley, TN
• Nicole W. – San Diego, CA
• Khristine D. – Las Vegas, NV
• Hiyasmin H. – Easton, MD