Risk factors

• Coronary artery disease. Narrowed arteries may limit your heart’s supply of oxygen-rich blood, resulting in weakened heart muscle.
• Heart attack. A heart attack is a form of coronary artery disease that occurs suddenly. Damage to your heart muscle from a heart attack may mean your heart can no longer pump as well as it should.
• Heart valve disease. Having a heart valve that doesn’t work properly raises the risk of heart failure.
• High blood pressure. Your heart works harder than it has to if your blood pressure is high.
• Irregular heartbeats. These abnormal rhythms, especially if they are very frequent and fast, can weaken the heart muscle and cause heart failure.
• Congenital heart disease. Some people who develop heart failure were born with problems that affect the structure or function of their heart.
• Diabetes. Diabetes increases your risk of high blood pressure and coronary artery disease.
• Alcohol use. Drinking too much alcohol can weaken the heart muscle and lead to heart failure.
• Sleep apnea. The inability to breathe properly while you sleep results in low blood-oxygen levels and an increased risk of irregular heartbeats.
• Smoking or using tobacco. Both increase your risk of heart disease and heart failure.
• Obesity. People who have obesity have a higher risk of developing heart failure.
• Viruses. Certain viral infections can cause damage to the heart muscle.

Know your risk early

As an advanced medical diagnostics facility, Premier Medical Laboratory Services developed a test to detect cardiovascular disease early, MDHeartPro. Compared to a usual lipid panel, MDHeartPro uses more biomarkers to get the full picture of a patient’s risk to heart disease. MDHeartPro measures total Cholesterol, lipoprotein particle size, inflammatory markers (Hs-CRP, Lp-PLA2), genetic markers, metabolic syndrome, and new inflammatory markers (Microalbumin, Creatinine ratio) and runs the standard lipid panel.  A usual lipid panel misses three of the most common disorders attributing to cardiovascular disease and offers no assessment of stroke. So, even if you know your risk, 50% of heart disease patients have no traditional risk markers, while 60% of patients with heart attacks or strokes have normal lipid levels. With MDHeartPro, you get the rest of the story. The test identifies key inflammatory and other advanced risk markers that identify people in the high-risk category for cardiovascular disease. With MDHeartPro, you can save more lives. For more information on MDHeartPro, watch the video below:

Now, researchers at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs found people’s risk for heart problems jumped after catching COVID-19, even if they lacked risk factors like obesity and diabetes. In their analysis of more than 11 million U.S. veterans’ health records, they found COVID increased their risk for a heart attack by 63%, problematic irregular heart rhythm by 69%, a stroke by 50%, heart failure 70%, and a nearly three times higher risk of a potentially fatal blood clot in the lungs. Even people who never went to the hospital had more cardiovascular disease than those who were never infected.

COVID-19 patients in this study were infected before vaccines were available, so it’s unclear how the shots might alter the findings, but the authors say their findings suggest millions of COVID-19 survivors could suffer long-term consequences and health-care providers around the world should be prepared to address an increase in cardiovascular conditions.

It is not entirely clear how covid could cause heart problems over the long term, though it is known that the virus can affect blood vessels all over the body and in multiple organs, including the heart.

“We are completely honored to have Daniel join the team,” said Kevin Murdock, CEO of Premier Medical Laboratory Services. “His experience and knowledge of the field is extremely valuable in propelling us forward to fulfill our capabilities as a laboratory. He is a powerful addition to Premier, aiding in our mission to continually improve patient care with the latest in science and innovation.”

After completing his undergraduate studies at the University of Oxford, Dr. Hughes studied for a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Genomics at the University of Cambridge and Welcome Trust Sanger Institute. Dr. Hughes then spent time in Brazil, where he developed an interest in infectious diseases. He went on to work on the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) VectorBase project and Ensembl genome project at the European Bioinformatics Institute where he worked on numerous emerging genome projects. Subsequently, Dr. Hughes spent several years at the Human Genome Sequencing Center at Baylor College of Medicine as a Lead Scientific Programmer & Analyst working extensively on the application of High-Performance Compute for Genome Assembly, Variant Calling, Annotation, and Cancer Genomics.

He then moved to Columbia University’s Medical School to build their infrastructure for the analysis of the Genetics of Complex Human Diseases where he was promoted to Director of Genome Informatics and Software Engineering. Dr. Hughes proceeded into cancer research at M2Gen where he was the Director of Cancer Knowledge Base and Pharma Services. Now, he joins Premier Medical Laboratory Services as the Director of Bioinformatics.

 “Working with the Premier Medical team has been great,” said Dr. Hughes, “It’s a dynamic environment that’s eager to bring in new challenges and meet the medical needs of the next generation.” Dr. Hughes also addressed Premier Medical’s growth in genome sequencing, “PMLS is adapting so quickly with all the state-of-the-art equipment. To think years ago, the first human genome took 10 years and cost millions. Now, with the machines Premier has, we can run 50 or 60 in a day or two and collect a large amount of data that can help us in our research.”

Learn more about Dr. Hughes’ position and goals for PMLS in the video below.

Premier Medical Laboratory Services (PMLS) is proud to be back to our standard turnaround times of 24-48 hours. We have eliminated our backlog of tests and are now processing 95% of results in under 24 hours. Due to the ongoing Omicron surge, PMLS, like many labs across the country, experienced an unprecedented 733% increase in the number of tests to be processed. Through hard work, investments, and hirings, PMLS was able to “weather the storm” and get back to serving our country the right way.

Here is what Kevin Murdock, CEO of PMLS had to say on the topic: “Each test that we receive is important to us because we know that it affects someone’s quality of life. That’s why our team worked tirelessly to hire and train hundreds of South Carolinians and expand our infrastructure so that we could return to our normal turnaround times of results. We hold ourselves to the highest standards as a laboratory and look forward to serving South Carolina’s diagnostic testing needs.” 

Cause to Testing Delays

Over the last month, laboratories and manufacturers across the country have struggled to keep up with testing demands due to the ongoing Omicron surge. On January 3 alone, the US logged more than 1 million new COVID-19 cases for the first time according to Johns Hopkins University. Scientists found the milestone was driven by the Omicron variant, which is more highly transmissible than other variants. This led to a massive uptick in testing, causing thousands of labs like PMLS to enter an unprecedented situation. From January 3 to the week of January 17, PMLS received an additional tens of thousands of daily tests, far more than their normal daily test volume. This created a backlog. Paired with a record-breaking snowstorm, shipping delays, and supply chain shortages our usual 24-hour turnaround on testing turned into several days. This did not sit well with our leadership at PMLS, so they acted quickly and drafted an immediate plan to get back on track.

Solutions to Testing Delays

PMLS invested millions of dollars in capital equipment to support our infrastructure. As of January 20th, we installed more than 30 machines, increasing our testing capacity by an additional 60,000 tests per day. We have also hired on 300 more employees since the beginning of January and are still working to add on more South Carolinians to the PMLS staff. With the new infrastructure and workflow optimizations, we are now processing tests in under 24 hours and expect to keep it that way. For more information on this from South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) please click on the following link: https://scdhec.gov/news-releases/dhec-announces-premier-medical-cleared-testing-backlogs-returning-wait-times-standard

The United States’ first confirmed case of the Omicron coronavirus variant has been identified in California. In a White House briefing, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the virus is present in an individual who traveled to California from South Africa, where the variant was first reported. Dr. Fauci said the individual is self-quarantining and is experiencing “mild symptoms, which are improving at this point.”

The California Public Health Departments confirmed the case was caused by the Omicron variant through Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). The sequence was confirmed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and reported today. They’re also using NGS to answer questions like, how transmissible is it and how severe is the disease it causes? Next Generation Sequencing has allowed us to search for answers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s why Premier Medical Laboratory Services (PMLS) has implemented one of the largest initiatives for NGS in the US with a capacity to sequence the genomes of 21,000 specimens per week, a capacity that surpasses most laboratories due to PMLS’ implementation of cutting-edge high throughput lab equipment which automates workflow.

Dr. Vidhya Narayanan, the Technical Lab Director of Premier Medical Laboratory Services, who previously served as the Genomics Scientist for the CDC says “not a lot is known about the Omicron variant yet, and even if its transmission rates are found to be higher than the Delta variant, that still doesn’t mean that it’s more deadly. But there is a huge demand right now for COVID labs that are doing PCR testing to also conduct sequencing like we are at PMLS so that we can slow the spread of this variant early on.” She went on to say, “Out of all of the labs that conduct COVID-19 testing, only about 1 out of 100 are also conducting sequencing initiatives. Because of labs like ours, who are conducting NGS, we should know more over the next few days about Omicron.”

The Omicron variant is the quickest to be labeled a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization (WHO) because of its seemingly fast spread in South Africa. Besides Africa, the Omicron variant has been detected in several counties including Canada, and now the US. The positive test from California was first detected on November 29th. The CDC said the Omicron variant was identified in under 30 hours “from the time of collection to strain confirmation.”

President Biden said Monday “It’s a cause for concern, not a cause for panic.” He also urged Americans, again, to get vaccinated and to get their booster shot, saying it’s the best protection against this new variant, as well as any others. However, scientists now worry the Omicron variant may be able to evade the body’s immune responses, both to vaccination and to natural infection, more than prior versions of the virus. As scientists continue to scramble for data, they believe the current vaccines should work on the variant for now. Still, the makers of the two most effective vaccines, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, are preparing to reformulate their shots if necessary.

A slew of travel bans went into effect after the news of the Omicron variant emerging. For the US, restricted travel from several countries in Southern Africa went into effect Monday, giving the US more time to respond. President Biden said he would put forward a “detailed strategy outlining how we’re going to fight COVID this winter. Not with shutdowns or lockdowns, but with more widespread vaccinations, boosters, testing, and more.”

As COVID-19 variants continue to impact the health of our nation, vaccination and testing mandates are becoming a reality we all have to adjust to. At PMLS, our goal is to make this as easy and effective as possible so that our economy and our population remain healthy and safe. We are teaming up with employers across the country to provide testing solutions and prevention strategies, slow the spread of COVID-19, and provide a mandate compliance framework that will best protect our communities. Click here to read about our COVID management program.

The American Diabetes Association reports 34.2 million Americans have diabetes, while 88 million American adults have pre-diabetes. Due to these rising numbers, the US Preventive Services Task Force is now recommending screening patients for pre-diabetes earlier. The new recommendation emphasizes the need to screen for pre-diabetes in all adults between the ages of 35 and 70 who are overweight or have obesity, even if they have no symptoms of type 2 diabetes. The starting age use to be 40 but was lowered to five years earlier. “These changes allow for earlier detection, diagnosis and more treatment options, ultimately improving health outcomes,” said the USPSTF.

What causes diabetes?

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, diabetes develops when the body cannot make enough insulin or use it properly. Insulin is a hormone that helps regulate blood glucose levels, and without a sufficient amount working properly, health complications can occur. There are several types of diabetes that can result from genetics or lifestyle choices.

Type 1 diabetes is believed to be an autoimmune condition. This means your immune system mistakenly attacks and stops your body from making insulin. It isn’t clear why this happens but there may be both genetic and environmental reasons.

Type 2 diabetes starts as insulin resistance. This means your body doesn’t use insulin well and can’t keep blood sugar at normal levels. Contributing factors may include genetics, lack of exercise, or being overweight.

Gestational diabetes is due to insulin-blocking hormones produced during pregnancy. This type of diabetes only occurs during pregnancy and usually goes away after your baby is born. However, it does increase your risk for type 2 diabetes later in life.

What are the symptoms?

Diabetes symptoms will vary depending on the type and cause but may include:

• fatigue
• blurred vision
• increased thirst and urination
• hunger
• numbness in the hands and feet
• persistent sores
• unexpected weight loss

Diabetes can also lead to serious health complications without treatment, such as heart disease or stroke.

Prevention

There’s no known prevention for type 1 diabetes but there are some steps you can take to help limit your chances of getting type 2. You can lower your risk if you:

• control your weight and manage your diet
• exercise regularly
• avoid smoking
• talk to your doctor

As the first in a series of upcoming scientific panel discussions hosted at Premier Medical Laboratory Services (PMLS), Dr. Brian Krueger, Chief Scientific Officer of PMLS, and Dr. Stewart Holt, Molecular Diagnostic Technical Supervisor, talk about a wide range of COVID-19 topics including variants, masks, and vaccines.

Dr. Krueger currently oversees scientific functions at PMLS and developed the first commercially authorized SARS CoV-2 COVID-19 test. Meanwhile, Dr. Holt holds over 25 years of experience as a genetics and diagnostics scientist.

Both tackle the misconceptions many of us may have encountered across social media. The CDC says misconceptions or misinformation play a big part in many Americans not wearing masks and not getting vaccinated. Dr. Krueger says, “there’s a lot of misinformation about masks out there,” and we should remember “there’s no question that masks are effective in reducing the transmission of the disease.” The CDC recently said this is especially true for kids under 12 who are still not able to get the vaccine. Dr. Holt adds that masks are “their only primary defense right now.”

The good news is, Pfizer says it’s COVID vaccine is now safe and effective for children ages 5 to 11. But as they get ready to submit for emergency use authorization, there’s still vaccine hesitancy among American adults and parents unwilling to get their kids vaccinated. “The most important thing to keep in mind is that when you get vaccinated, you’re not just doing it for yourself. You’re doing it for your community, you’re doing this to protect your children, you’re doing it for your loved ones,” says Dr. Krueger.

Amid the Delta variant, The CDC has been pushing vaccinations even more, leading to a new nationwide vaccine mandate by the President. The Delta variant is more contagious, and Dr. Holt says, “it has the ability to evade the immune system, which is designed to locate and identify bacteria to clear them from system to prevent infections… that being said our vaccines are still effective against the covid variant.”

So, how does the vaccine fight COVID-19? Dr. Krueger says, “the purpose of the vaccination is to train your B cells, a type of white blood cells, to generate antibodies that are then able to bind to the virus and neutralize it, which essentially means that it prevents the virus from binding to your cells and infecting them.” After being vaccinated, people may still get symptoms like arm pain, chills, or even a fever. This is a natural response and Dr. Holt stressed that “it doesn’t mean you’ve been infected with the virus, or something has been transmitted to you. That’s just your immune system working and it’s a good thing.”

Another challenge our scientists discussed is the upcoming flu season. This will be the second year we’ll have COVID-19 during flu season, which starts in October, and although flu cases were at an all-time low last year, our scientists still want us to have our guards up. “We need to keep in mind that the flu and coronavirus are not going to go away and… our best strategy moving forward and protecting us from hospitalization and death is getting vaccinated every year,” stated Dr. Krueger.

But can you get the flu vaccine and COVID vaccine at the same time? You can find the answer by clicking to watch the full panel discussion below, along with much more from our scientists.

GREENVILLE, SC September 23, 2020  – At the onset of the pandemic the nation began to practice social distancing, and subsequently, many stopped scheduling visits with their doctors. Laboratories like Premier Medical Laboratory Services suddenly pivoted much of their efforts into providing a high volume of testing for COVID-19. Now, as more businesses and schools have reopened, less of the population has continued to practice extreme social distancing measures. Accordingly, more patients are visiting their physicians’ offices again for routine check-ups and other healthcare needs other than the Coronavirus.

With this, PMLS, recently named one of the Top Genetic Diagnostic Companies of 2020, says that they are beginning to see a rise in demand for tests that they offer to address various medical diagnostic needs aside from COVID-19. Some of these tests included are their pharmacogenomics, advanced cardiovascular testing, and their women’s health & wellness and diabetes panels.

“We are continuing to process up to 50,000 COVID-19 tests per day, but are glad to see an increase in orders for the other tests we provide,” said Kevin Murdock founder of Premier Medical Laboratory Services. “We know that our tests offer vital insight to physicians so that they can best plan the proper care for their patients.”

Including their portfolio of COVID-19 assays, all of PMLS’ tests processed at their 40,000 sqft laboratory are performed with the latest in science and technology to provide the most advanced and comprehensive testing results. For example, PMLS’s MDDiabeticPro panel includes the revolutionary DIABETESpredict test, which is a first of its kind predictive genetic test for type 2 diabetes developed in collaboration with world leading doctors and scientists of Harvard and MIT. The DIABETESpredict test is expected to mark a new era in diabetes prevention and care through evaluating the risk of the disease onset by examining individual genetic profiles and is currently only available to the US through PMLS.

PMLS’s cardiovascular panel, MDHeartPro, offers a more complete look at a patient’s cardiovascular health than the standard lipid profile that is commonly ordered.  In addition to the standard lipid panel, MDHeartPro includes tests that identify plaque buildup, lipid particle size, hereditary factors, and other advanced risk factors.

At PMLS’s fully COLA and CLIA regulated laboratory many of their processes are automated with cutting-edge laboratory equipment. Using a cloud based-laboratory information management system, OnGen, PMLS communicates real-time results to physicians directly from their lab equipment. Because of this, PMLS is able to process hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 tests per month while increasing the testing capacity for their other molecular diagnostic offerings without compromising accuracy or their quick turnaround time of results.

Proper hand washing is one of the critical steps we undertake to avoid falling ill and spreading germs to others. Many conditions and diseases can be spread through poor hand hygiene, and therefore it’s essential to wash your hands using clean running water and soap. If running water is inaccessible, you can use the available clean water and soap. An alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol can substitute soap and water if the two are unavailable. It’s important to note that regular soaps are as effective as antibacterial soaps. In any case, prolonged use of the antibacterial soaps might lead to the development of bacteria that are resistant to its antimicrobial agents.

How to wash hands properly

Hand washing can be referred to as a DIY (do-it-yourself) vaccine that you can take to stay healthy and keep respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases at bay. Regular hand washing before and after particular activities has proven to be effective to remove and prevent the spread of germs to others. Hand washing is simple and quick and most importantly prevents diseases. Proper hand washing involves five simple steps namely; Wet, Lather, Scrub, Rinse, and Dry.

• First, you will use clean water running from the tap to wet your hands then apply soap after turning off the tap
• You will then use soap to lather your hands (front and back, under the nails, in between your fingers) by rubbing them with soap.
• Scrub your hands carefully for about twenty to thirty seconds.
• Open the tap to rinse your hands with clean water running from the tap.
• Use a clean towel to dry your hands or simply air dry them

What to do if Soap and Clean Running Water are Unavailable

Washing your hands with water and soap is the best way to eliminate germs on most occasions. However, if soap and water are not accessible, you can use alcohol-based hand sanitizers as mentioned earlier. Although these sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of germs on your hands, they do not eradicate all types of bacteria and might not eliminate harmful chemicals. Hand sanitizers might not also be as effective when your hands are excessively dirty or greasy.

How to use Hand Sanitizers

Hand sanitizers are usually very simple to use. You should read the label for instructions and the correct amount to use for efficacy. Start by applying the sanitizer to the palm of one hand. You will then rub your hands together and apply it over all surfaces, i.e. in between your fingers and the back of your hands until they’re dry.

When to Wash Your Hands

Physicians recommend that you wash your hands especially after these activities that are mostly associated with dangerous germs that cause diseases;

• Before eating food
• After using the toilet
• After handling pet treats or pet food
• After cleaning up a child who has used the toilet or changing diapers
• Before, during, and after preparing food
• After blowing your nose or sneezing
• Before and after caring for a sick individual
• After touching garbage
• Before and after treating a cut or wound
• After touching an animal, animal waste, or animal feed

Proper hand washing saves lives. Proper hand hygiene can protect you, your family, and many others whether you’re at work, at home, traveling, or even when you’re already sick. It’s crucial to help your children stay healthy by teaching them to wash their hands properly and frequently. You can show your kids how to do it properly by washing your hands with them. Proper hand washing can simply be put as a win for everyone except for the germs.

Diabetes is divided into two main categories, type 1 and type 2. They are both chronic diseases that develop when the body is unable to regulate blood sugar, also known as glucose. Individuals diagnosed with diabetes lack the ability to use or store sugar from their food, which is vital for producing energy to live. Insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, delivers glucose into the bloodstream, resulting in sugar distribution to the muscles, liver, fat, and other cells in the body. Insulin levels control sugar levels by indicating to the organs when the body needs fuel, and when insulin needs to be stored in the liver for future energy use. Almost all cells in the body require the presence of insulin to procure glucose from the blood. Diabetes results in protracted high blood sugar levels, which heighten the risk of complications. Following are recognizable signs of diabetes displayed by the two types of diabetes.

Type 1 Diabetes

Individuals who have type 1 diabetes are unable to produce insulin. The cause for this type of diabetes is still under investigation, however researcher do know that in type 1 diabetic individuals, the body’s immune system is flawed, mistaking healthy body cells for foreign invaders. In responding to the “attack”, the immune system eradicates the beta cells in the pancreas that are responsible for producing insulin. The complete lack of insulin production causes diabetic symptoms to rapidly develop, in just a matter of weeks. Symptoms are typically severe and include:

• Extreme thirst and increased urination
• Intense hunger, even after eating
• Headache
• Unexplained, rapid weight loss
• Sores or cuts that don’t heal appropriately
• Weakness and exhaustion
• Visible emotional or behavior changes
• Distorted vision
• Fruity-smelling breath

Type 1 diabetes is typically diagnosed in childhood, or adolescence, and is often referred to as juvenile diabetes. Insulin must be systematically injected, or pumped, into the body to maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Type 1 diabetes cannot yet be prevented, and there is no cure. Healthy living requires consistent blood sugar testing.

Type 2 Diabetes

The signs of type 2 diabetes often develop very gradually, and may not be apparent to the individual. According to the Mayo Clinic, approximately one-third of all people that have this type of diabetes, do not know they have it. With this type of diabetes, insulin is being produced by the individual, but their body is not able to effectively use the insulin produced. Type 1 and 2 diabetes, share many warning signs, but individuals with type 2 diabetes may experience additional symptoms, because of the delay of onset. For example, pre-diabetes, a condition that occurs when glucose levels are higher than normal, may not produce any systems, and can often, only be determined by a blood test. If the pre-diabetes is not addressed by lifestyle or diet changes, it typically develops into type 2 diabetes within a matter of five years, or less. Along with the symptoms listed above for type 1 diabetes, type 2 sufferers may experience:

• Red, swollen, tender gums
• Numbness or tingling in the hands and feet
• Dry, itchy skin, particularly around the groin or vaginal area
• Recent weight increase
• Numerous yeast infections
• Darkened skin changes of the groin, armpit, and neck regions
• Impotency,
• Decreased vision

A glycated hemoglobin (A1C) test, is the primary method of establishing a diagnosis of diabetes, as it analyzes blood sugar levels for the prior two to three-month period. See your physician if you are experiencing any of the signs of diabetes, or have any concerns.