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A fintech that aims to cut out bank cards as the middlemen of payments has raised $10 million in a seed round backed by a former MasterCard president.

Lithuanian startup Kevin allows customers to make payments directly from their bank accounts by linking them to a merchant's account. The company, which was founded in 2018, claims its technology will speed up the pace of transactions and also cut out the fees levied by card issuers like Visa and MasterCard.

The payment infrastructure startup relies on bank account information instead of card details. Much of this is due to not relying on a physical card, which could be lost or stolen, and Kevin also claims payments land in accounts in hours instead of days and that it has lower fees.

The Lithuanian fintech will use the fresh cash to launch a point-of-sale system, which will allow consumers to use Kevin for in-person transactions on existing card machines via NFC. This will work just like Google Pay, but the payment comes directly from an account instead of via a bank card.

The round was co-led by OTB Ventures and Speedinvest, which both invest in early-stage European technology companies. Former MasterCard president Javier Perez's Global PayTech Ventures also backed the startup alongside B2B software investor Open Ocean, and Henry McGovern, the founder of European coffee shop chain AmRest.

While Europe's wealth of fintech startups lured a record $28.4 billion in venture capital funding in 2021, the bubble may soon burst, according to Finch Capital. The Dutch venture firm cites the talent war, rising interest rates, fewer companies going public, and increased regulatory scrutiny as hindrances, Insider previously reported.

But Adam Niewinski, cofounder and partner at OTB Ventures argued Europe's open banking directive PSD2 was poised to kick start the financial sector's next wave of digital transformation.

"I think fintech will definitely continue to grow and expand in Europe in the years to come, and there is a lot more to be done," Niewinski said, adding that incumbents must be collaborative to remain competitive. "The vast majority of fintechs we see today are business-facing, which makes them banks' friends not enemies."

Kevin's biggest customer is UniPark, the largest parking operator in the Baltics, which uses it for in-app payments. Sokolovas said the company is currently in talks with supermarket chains, which are its target customers.

It is active in 15 markets, including Sweden, Finland, Norway, Poland, Netherlands and Portugal, with boots on the ground in most. This will scale to 28 by the end of 2022, including the UK, Spain and France.

Kevin is also ramping up its headcount. Currently a team of around 150, Sokolovas hopes to expand to over 350 in 2022. Available roles span departments, including sales, business development and engineering.

Check out the pitch deck the fintech used to raise its seed round.

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Check Out the Pitch Deck Fintech Kevin, Backed by Ex-President of Mastercard in Europe, Used to Raise $10 Million. - Business Insider

White House staff visited Peak Farms in Jefferson and picked a 30-year-old tree to be delivered to D.C. in early November and decorated aroung Thanksgiving.

AGO. THE TOWN HAD SAID THEY DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE TO PULL IT OFF. THE 2019 PARADE WAS CANCELED AS A PRECAUTION BECAUSE OF THE INVOLVEMENT OF CONFEDERATE GROUPS. COVID WAS A REASON FOR THE CANCELLATION LAST YEAR. THE PARADE IS SCHEDULED FOR DECEMBER 18. >>> A 21 FOOT FRAZIER FOR FROM WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA WILL DECK THE HALLS OF THE WHITE HOUSE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON. WHITE HOUSE STAFF VISITED PETE FARMS JUST OUTSIDE BOONE TODAY WHERE THE OWNER WAS SELECTED AS THE NATIONAL CHRISTMAS TREE GROWER FOR THE THIRD TIME IN HIS CAREER. THE 30-YEAR-OLD TREE WILL BE DELIVERED TO THE WHITE HOUSE IN EARLY NOVEMBER AND DECORATED AROUND THANKSGIVING. RUSTY OWNS THE FARM ALONG WITH HIS SON BEAU. BEAUX-ARTS EXCITED AND JOINING US TODAY. MOST PEOPLE WOULD BE HONORED TO BE SELECTED ONCE IN THEIR LIFETIME, THIS IS YOUR THIRD TIME. WHAT IS YOUR SECRET? >> I DON'T KNOW. A LOT OF GOOD LUCK AND GOOD WEATHER. EVERYTHING WENT HER WAY. >> BEAU, I AM SURE THIS IS AN HONOR FOR YOU AS WELL WORKING ALONGSIDE YOUR DAD. TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE WORK THAT GOES INTO HAVING TO PRODUCE THESE FAMILY LISTS CHRISTMAS TREES. >> IT IS LIKE ANY OTHER KIND OF FARM, IT DEPENDS ON THE WEATHER AND A LOT OF HARD WORK THAT GOES INTO A. >> HAVE YOU BEEN TO THE WHITE HOUSE. >> YES. >> WHAT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE? >> IT WAS GREAT. THE BEST PART I GUESS WAS GETTING TO TAKE MY YOUNG KIDS AT THE TIME IN 2008 AND LOOKING BACK AT THOSE PICTURES NOW. I WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO AGAIN NOW THAT THEY'RE ALMOST GROWN. >> RUSTY, WHAT IS THE PROCESS LIKE FOR THEM DECORATING THE TREE IN THE WHITE HOUSE? AFTER YOU DELIVER THE TREE, IS IT HANDS-OFF ARE YOU? DO YOU OFFER ANY SUGGESTIONS? >> NO. THAT IS TOTALLY THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE FIRST LADY. SHE WILL HAVE A SPECIAL THEME THIS YEAR. IT IS KIND OF A SECRET, BUT HOPEFULLY MAYBE WE GET TO SEE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. IT IS ALL IN THEIR HANDS. THEY HAVE A WONDERFUL STAFF TO DO IT. >> BY SECRET, DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS? >> WE DO NOT. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE THEME WILL BE THIS YEAR. >> YOU ALL HAVE BEEN IN PAST ADMINISTRATIONS NOW IN TERMS OF PROVIDING THESE BEAUTIFUL TREES. I WAS STRUCK BY THE FACT, THOUGH, THAT YOUR NAME IS BEAU AND THE LATE SON OF THE PRESIDENT, HIS NAME IS BEAU AS WELL. ANY SIGNIFICANT FOR YOU? >> NOT PARTICULARLY FOR ME. BUT IT IS ALWAYS AN HONOR TO GO SEE THE FAMILY AT THE WHITE HOUSE. >> I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE WATCHING THIS AND SEEING ALL THESE BEAUTIFUL TREES AND EAGER TO COME TO YOUR FARM. WHAT IS A SUPPLY LIKE THIS YEAR AND WENT TO PEOPLE START GETTING THEIR TREES? >> MOST SLOTS OPEN AS EARLY AS THE WEEKEND BEFORE THANKSGIVING. WE WILL ACTUALLY HAVE TREES IN THE RALEIGH FARMERS MARKET THIS YEAR AND LOOK FORWARD TO BEING DOWN THERE IN RALEIGH. >> RUSTY, ARE YOU EXPECTING THE PRODUCTION TO BE ABOUT THE SAME THIS YEAR? >> JUST ABOUT THE SAME. WE MAY HAVE A FEW MORE TREES THIS YEAR THAN LAST YEAR. WE'RE GETTING BACK ON TRACK. HOPEFULLY, IT WILL BE AS MUCH OR SHORTAGES LAST YEAR. >> WE CERTAINLY ARE HAPPY TO

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21-foot tree from NC to deck the halls of the White House for Christmas :: WRAL.com - WRAL.com

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When is the last time the overtime you received was more than your salary? Check to see what public employees earned in overtime now on Data.MyCentralJersey.com.

Alexander Lewis, Home News Tribune and Courier News

NEW BRUNSWICK An application for an eight-level mixed-use building with a rooftop deck on Bayard Street will go before the zoning board next week.

89 Bayard LLC has applied to the Zoning Board of Adjustmentfor preliminary and final site plan and variance approvals to construct the47,767-square-foot buildingat89-91 Bayard St.

According to the application, the ground floor will provide parking for 12 vehicles and 32 bicycles and will include office and retail space. The remaining floors will have 45 residential units comprised of two studio, 30 one-bedroom and 13 two-bedroom units, a rooftop elevator lobby, mezzanine gym space and rooftop amenity deck and green roof.

Two mixed-use buildings on the property, which is in the Downtown Commercial District, will be demolished.

In New Brunswick: New Jersey Innovation and Technology Hub breaks ground

Among the variances sought are a building height of about 67 feet wherea maximum of 40 feet is permitted; a floor area ratio of 4.8 to 1 where a maximum of 4 to 1 is permitted and aparking variance to permit 12 spaces where a minimum of 45 spaces are required.

TheNew Brunswick Parking Authority has committed to make 45 spaces available for the project in the Wellness Plaza Parking Deck, according to the application.

A public hearing on the application is scheduled for the 7 p.m. Oct. 25 remote zoning board meeting.

All applications and supporting documents for meetings of the zoning board are available on the city's website at bit.ly/3AYHJc4orvia email, pickup or for viewing by appointment during regular business hours in the office of the Department of Planning, Community and Economic Development,25 Kirkpatrick St.

For additional information or assistance, contactBoard Secretary Dan Dominguez by email at ddominguez@cityofnewbrunswick.org or call 732-745-5050.

Email: sloyer@gannettnj.com

Susan Loyer covers Middlesex County and more for MyCentralJersey.com.To get unlimited access to her work,please subscribe or activate your digitalaccount today.

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Apartments and retail with rooftop deck proposed in downtown New Brunswick - My Central Jersey

Usually, the reunion is where cast members get their final say on a season, but Chef Mathew Shea still had a whole lot to vent about after the Below Deck Mediterranean Reunion aired on Bravo last night. Mat took to Twitter to share that he was once again disappointed in the decisions made in the editing room, over the way his words were used during the hour-long (and Lexi-less) gathering of the crew. During the reunion, he also sparred with Captain Sandy and called her one of the worst captains Ive ever worked with. Yikes! So how did we get here?

When the crew was asked if they would work with Mathew again, everyone raised their hands saying they would except Captain Sandy. I like reliability and dependability, she said. Mathews a great guy but after watching the show, people who poke the bear its a little hard. I dont see everything. So when I watched the show, I was actually mortified, she told host Andy Cohen.

But Mathew defended himself saying, I did everything I did. I regret the bad moments I have, but I think I am a good employee and I think Captain Sandy is one of the worst captains Ive ever worked with in my 15 years on boats. Ouch!

He also took to Twitter over the weekend to say, in a tweet that he has since deleted, It had a lot to do with @CaptSandyYawn calling me a pussy and telling me to go fk myself. #leadership.

However, he was also sure to shout out the camera operators, crew, and even the galley, as well as viewers who reached out to him about anxiety as being positives throughout the season.

Love him or hate him, the food got almost zero complaints from the guests (minus the bland fish incident!) but safe to say we probably wont see him back on Below Deck Med any time soon. Chef Luka, make sure youve got your bags packed!

Watch the Below Deck Med Reunionon Bravo

Read more:
Chef Mathew Shea Rips Captain Sandy Yawn During 'Below Deck Med' Reunion: "One Of The Worst Captains I've Ever Worked With" - Decider

Malbek

Malbek, which helps companies' legal, sales, and finance teams manage and analyze their contracts, announced in September that it raised $15.3 million for its Series A.

Contract lifecycle management, or CLM, has been red-hot in the legal-tech space. Of the $1.4 billion invested in legal-tech during the first half of 2021, almost a quarter was snapped up by six contract companies, including Ironclad, Contractbook, and Icertis. SoftBank recently led the $115 million Series C for ContractPodAi, another CLM company.

"'Enterprise' and 'lifecycle' are the two key words with which we differentiate ourselves," Malbek's CEO and co-founder, Hemanth Puttaswamy, told Insider. "Our solution is deployed not just to legal teams, but also sales, procurement, finance, HR, marketing pretty much across the entire enterprise."

Founded in 2017, Malbek helps these departments through the entire contracting process, from drafting contracts with optimal terms through tracking contractual obligations after they're signed.

The Series A was led by Atlanta-based Noro-Moseley Partners, which invests in early-growth tech and healthcare companies . TDF Ventures and Osage Venture Partners also participated in the round.

A few slides containing confidential information about Malbek's artificial intelligence technology were removed.

The rest is here:
The 11-Page Series a Pitch Deck That Landed Malbek $15.3 Million - Business Insider

ANN ARBOR, Mich. It might be easy for a surging and rested Michigan football team to look past its next opponent.

The Wolverines, still unbeaten and up to No. 6 in the polls this week, play host to struggling Northwestern this Saturday at Michigan Stadium (noon, FOX). Jim Harbaughs team is 6-0 and riding high after a bye week, and oddsmakers peg Michigan as a three-touchdown betting favorite to win the game.

And with in-state rival Michigan State on deck, potentially pitting a pair of top-10, 7-0 teams against one another in East Lansing, its shaping up to be one of the biggest games in years.

We cant look to next week because weve got a very good opponent coming in this week, defensive tackle Chris Hinton told reporters on Monday. Weve got to take every game, every week, one game at a time. Because if we dont handle our business this week, the next week and the week after is just not as significant.

Michigan State held on to beat Indiana, 20-15, in Bloomington on Saturday, cementing the Spartans 6-0 mark heading into a bye week of their own. While they have a week of rest ahead of them, Mel Tuckers team will also have an opportunity to get a jump start on preparing for Michigan.

More: U-M football a big betting favorite to beat Northwestern

Meanwhile, the Wolverines have to take the field against Northwestern a 3-3 team thats traded wins and losses, yet is coming off an impressive 21-7 victory over Rutgers.

Remember, it was just three years ago, in 2018, when Michigan waltzed into Evanston as a big favorite and fell behind 17-0 in the first half, only to score 20 unanswered points and escape with a win.

Continually, you see the Northwestern team get better every single week, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said. This year, last year, the year before that the year before that. When you play Northwestern in the middle of the season, later in the season theyre really formidable.

Michigan is one two unbeaten Big Ten teams still standing, along with Michigan State, clearing a pathway to the Big Ten championship if it can handle business in the second half of its schedule. In addition to the Oct. 30 game at Michigan State, the Wolverines must also travel to Penn State (Nov. 13) and host rival Ohio State (Nov. 27), a pair of pivotal games required for such a run. But before they get there, or even to the Michigan State game, they must first handle business in front of them.

The team has been very locked in, Harbaugh continued. Daily, weekly. The thing Im continuing to be pleased with is how they attack every single day. They didnt practice Friday, they didnt practice Saturday (but) they came back Sunday and we had as good a practice (as weve had).

Midseason grades: Harbaugh, Michigan get high marks for run game, defensive turnaround

Guys moving around, knowing what they are doing as locked in, focused as Ive ever seen a team come off a two-and-a-half day break.

Harbaugh declined to provide a concrete updated on Michigans injured players, only saying receiver Roman Wilson (undisclosed) and offensive linemen Chuck Filiaga (leg), Zak Zinter (leg) and Trevor Keegan (shoulder) are day to day but progressing.

But if there was ever a cautionary tale, look at Iowa this past week. The Hawkeyes were unbeaten and ranked No. 2 in the country and lost a stunner, 24-7, to Purdue to fall out of the top 10. While they remain the favorites to win the Big Tens West Division, their College Football Playoff hopes have dimmed. For Michigan to keep all of its hopes and dreams alive, total effort will be required on Saturday against Northwestern.

Were not overlooking them at all, receiver A.J. Henning said. We know theyre a great football team. Theyre going to come in here and give us their best shot, so were going to take the necessary preparation to try and have a successful outcome.

While Michigan is off to its best start since 2016, the team has taken a unique approach to preparing each week. Players say they treat each week of practice like theyre preparing for Ohio State, long considered the Big Tens best, while treating each team as a nameless, faceless opponent.

They hope that holds true on Saturday against the upset-minded Wildcats.

Each week, were going in with a 1-0 mindset, linebacker Kalel Mullings said. We want to be 1-0 for that week and as long as we continue to do that, well reach all of our goals.

There was never any looking past our opponent this week or onto other games. We know that we have to take of business this week, take care of business next week and if we continue doing that well be set.

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With rival on deck, surging Michigan says its not overlooking Northwestern - MLive.com

Malia White from Below Deck Mediterranean went into greater detail about the intense pain she suffered following her horrific scooter accident in Spain. While fans knew the accident was extremely serious and she had broken bones and severe road rash, she never described what happened when she arrived at the hospital for treatment.

White estimated that she was going about 70 miles per hour on the Vespa scooter when one of her deckhands accidentally clipped her tire and sent her soaring. She recalled being calm immediately following the accident but warned her team she was going into shock. Then she described what happened when she arrived at the hospital.

Honestly, that was the worst part, she said about the accident on the Hollywood Raw podcast. Like I speak broken Spanish. [The medical professional] was speaking broken English. And basically, she brought the tub in. And she was like, Im was so sorry, this is going to hurt. And Im like, What? Whats going on? And she just takes this sponge and like this brush, and she just starts scrubbing all of my [wounds].

White reminded listeners that her wounds covered most of her arms and legs. I had wounds that were like massive, she recalled. Then she shared how the doctors cleaned her wounds. And it was pure iodine. And I just started screaming. She gave me a popsicle stick to like bite down on. I was like, No, please stop!'

RELATED: Malia From Below Deck Med Reveals She Hooked up With Engineer Jake in Split

The pain was horrific but White said they couldnt numb her or give her anything for the pain at the time. That was the other thing, she said. They didnt give me any pain medication, and I was like, Why? Please give me pain medication. Shes like We cant yet. Because they had to do scans and everything you know, which I understand.

Thankfully White didnt suffer any long-term infections, but she had broken bones and a concussion. No, no infections. I was concussed pretty badly, but nothing long-term. White ended up flying home to Florida to recover and spent a considerable amount of time healing. Only recently was she permitted to return to work.

When White hit the pavement, she hit asphalt and gravel to create the massive road rash. It was like asphalt, but there was a patch of gravel when my friend like trying to swerve, she recalled. So loose gravel in it. But it was asphalt, and I just kind of felt like flew and just my body just did a bunch of barrel rolls on asphalt.

The impact was so intense, White said her helmet cracked. My helmet had a crack all the way down the middle, just split, she said. Luckily, I had a face shield.

White told Showbiz Cheat Sheet the recovery period was hard because shes not one to sit still for a long period of time. She finally went for a run before her broken toes were fully healed and admitted it was painful. It was [painful] but to me, I just cant sit, she said about not being able to be active. Not working out is kind of worse for me.

RELATED: Below Deck Mediterraneans Malia White Returns Home After Serious Scooter Accident

Link:
Below Deck's Malia White Recalls Screaming in the Hospital After Her Horrific Scooter Accident 'My Helmet Had a Crack' - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

McCORDSVILLE A developer wants to bring buildings for logistics and warehousing purposes to McCordsvilles south side in a plan that calls for rezoning properties and annexing others into town.

Indianapolis-based Strategic Capital Partners is considering two to three structures west of Mt. Comfort Road and north of County Road 500N.

John Cumming, senior vice president of development for Strategic Capital Partners, said the sizes of the buildings remain to be determined.

Were still working on a master plan and assembling various properties, which would dictate the size of the buildings, Cumming said.

So far, the developments would be speculative, meaning without occupants yet secured.

I would love to attract a build-to-suit as well, but our plan would be to go speculative if were not able to, Cumming said.

It would be the first project in Hancock County for Strategic Capital Partners, which has been involved in industrial, office, multi-family and student housing developments in several states since launching in 2005.

Certainly the access to I-70, a major distribution route, is attractive, Cumming said. Hancock County and the town of McCordsville have done a nice job in terms of attracting businesses. I think theres a very competitive labor story in the area, and theres a lot of demand out there, and were trying to diversify what we have to offer in the Indianapolis market.

Brian Tuohy, a lawyer with Indianapolis-based Tuohy Bailey & Moore representing Strategic Capital Partners, told McCordsville Town Council members recently that the builder has agreements with the owners of about 150 acres of the nearly 160 making up the site and is pursuing arrangements with the owners of the remaining acreage.

The eastern part of the site, along Mt. Comfort Road, is already part of McCordsville and is made up of mostly farmland with some residences. To construct its buildings, Strategic Capital Partners would need to request that the land it gets be rezoned from its residential and neighborhood commercial designations to an industrial one. Such a request would be vetted by the towns plan commission and considered by the town council.

Tuohy said the builder would seek to annex what it gets of the western portion of the site, also mostly farmland and some residences, into McCordsville.

McCordsville Town Council member Tom Strayer noted with the site being made up of different property owners and zoning classifications, and some of it being in town and some of it out, much would need to align in order to accomplish a uniformity.

When we do an annexation or development, I am not for having small cutouts within the development that arent of the same use, he told the Daily Reporter.

Tuohy also said the company would work with the town on extending a planned future road called Aurora Way west from Mt. Comfort Road. Plans are already underway to stretch it east from the thoroughfare for other industrial developments in the area.

Ten-foot-wide walking paths along Mt. Comfort Road and County Road 500N would be part of Strategic Capital Partners development as well.

If all goes according to plan, work would start in fall 2022 with occupancy for the first building ready in fall to late 2023, Tuohy said.

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More spec on deck in western part of county - Greenfield Daily Reporter

According to the study results, the treatment did not reduce the risk of death (24% in both groups). read to know everything about the therapy.

Written by Satata Karmakar | Updated : October 8, 2021 1:12 PM IST

It's been more than a year now the world is in the grip of deadly coronavirus, which was first reported from China's Wuhan city. The infection was so deadly that the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared it a pandemic. Ever since then many studies have surfaced claiming various treatment options to lower down the death rate among patients suffering from COVID-19 infection. One of the very first was 'convalescent plasma therapy', which scientists thought might be one of the best ways to treat the infection. Since earlier days of the pandemic, experts considered convalescent plasma therapy as one of the possible best ways to treat COVID-19. What exactly happens in this therapy? This process involves techniques in which a patient is being given the plasma of people who had recovered (or convalesced) from COVID-19. Now, coming to the idea behind this was that this antibody-rich infusion would help their immune systems fight infection. It's a strategy tried, with various degrees of success, for other infectious diseases, including Ebola.

In medical terms, convalescent plasma is a blood product that contains antibodies against infectious viruses such as the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Convalescent plasma is being taken/collected from the patients who have recovered from the infectious disease.

To separate the plasma from the blood of a recovered patient, scientists use a process called apheresis. In this process, the red and white cells, and platelets are generally removed from the blood leaving plasma, which is the house of the antibodies.

Convalescent plasma therapy which is also known as serum therapy originated in the 1890s. This was the time when the diphtheria outbreak was first reported. The outbreak was noted among the infected horses with the bacteria causing diphtheria. Once the horses recovered, Behring collected their antibody-rich blood to treat humans with the disease. This led to him being awarded the first Nobel prize in physiology or medicine, in 1901.

According to the study, a growing number of evidence shows that convalescent plasma does not save the lives of people critically ill with COVID-19. The study concluded the therapy as 'futile' in treating the deadly virus infection.

Ever since the first outbreak of deadly coronavirus was first noted in the world, researchers stated the use of this therapy's significance in treating the highly infectious coronavirus disease. Convalescent plasma os, not a new treatment, it has been used to treat infectious diseases for over a century. Some of them include scarlet fever, pneumonia, tetanus, diphtheria, mumps, chickenpox, MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome), and Ebola.

Based on several clinical studies and trials, convalescent plasma was being used widely among the patients suffering from COVID-19 in the United States (USA), a decision supported by the Food and Drug Administration. By May this year, more than 100 clinical trials had been conducted with convalescent plasma in people with COVID-19; about one-third of these studies had finished or were stopped early.

Earlier this year, UK conducted a study to investigate convalescent plasma therapy (compared to usual supportive care) which included more than 10,000 people hospitalised with COVID-19. According to the study results, the treatment did not reduce the risk of death (24% in both groups), with no difference in the number of patients who recovered (66% discharged from hospital in both groups) or who got worse (29% needed mechanical ventilation to support breathing in both groups). Therefore, following the study, the researchers concluded that convalescent plasma offers no benefit for people admitted to hospital with COVID-19.

A Cochrane review, which was updated in May this year and evaluated all available trials, confirmed these results. These trials involved more than 40,000 people with moderate-to-severe COVID-19 who received convalescent plasma. The review found the treatment had no effect on the risk of dying from COVID-19, did not reduce the risk of requiring hospitalisation nor the need for a ventilator to assist breathing when compared to placebo or standard care. However, this is not the case with every country, in Australia, the National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce does not recommend using convalescent plasma in people with COVID-19 unless it is in a clinical trial.

In the latest study which involved about 2,000 hospitalized patients with moderate-to-severe COVID-19, it has been found that

Although the results and detailed analysis were published this week, the trial was halted in January. This is when the trial committee reviewed the interim results and reported: "convalescent plasma was unlikely to be of benefit for patients with COVID-19 who require organ support in an intensive care unit". So continuing the trial was considered futile.

Convalescent plasma treatment did not reduce the risk of death in the hospital over the month after treatment (37.3% convalescent plasma-treated, 38.4% usual care, not treated with convalescent plasma). The median number of days without the need for organ support (such as a mechanical ventilator or cardiac support) was 14 days in both groups. Serious adverse events were reported in 3.0% of people treated with convalescent plasma and only 1.3% in the usual care group. Taken together, the weight of evidence now clearly demonstrates convalescent plasma is not a treatment option for people with mild, moderate, or even severe COVID-19.

Experts say that the only tool to ward off the complexities of deadly coronavirus is by getting vaccinated. Vaccinations against coronavirus remain the major strategy to prevent the severity of the infection, However, the attention is now turning to some emerging and promising treatments to prevent COVID-19 worsening.

These include emerging antiviral treatments that may be used early in the disease, including monoclonal antibodies such as sotrovimab and AZD7442. Then there are potential oral antiviral medicines, such as molnupiravir and PF-07321332.

(With inputs from Agencies)

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Can Plasma Therapy Help In Treating COVID-19? Study Sheds Light On Why COVID Convalescent Plasma Is No Longer - TheHealthSite

Madonna recently wore her heart on her sleeve and addressed two of her biggest regrets in life.

The singer addressed it all during her interview with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show while promoting her Paramount+ concert special, Madame X.

She started off by detailing her first regret which she understood instantly after seeing Michelle Pfeiffer in a latex suit for Tim Burtons 1992 Batman Returns, as Catwoman.

I saw them both, and I regret that I turned down Catwoman, she admitted to Fallon. Quite simply, the part was fierce.

She also went on to add, I also turned down the role in The Matrix. Can you believe that? I wanted to kill myself.

At that point Fallon chimed in and lamented Poor Madonna. You dont regret anything?

The singer responded to that by adding, A teeny-tiny part of me regrets just that one moment in my life.

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Madonna sheds light on biggest regrets in life: I wanted to die - Geo News