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星期二, 4月 26, 2016

紐英崙藝術學會慶祝趙羨藻辦展會員出書 (圖片)

右起,譚嘉陵,梅國治,16歲的雙胞胎,林蘭詩,趙羨藻,朱紹昌,梅芬芳。(謝開明攝)












謝開明攝

謝開明攝






世界醫藥創新論壇千人大會在波士頓一連舉行三日

By Partner Healthcare
Highlights of the Day
Day One of the World Medical Innovation Forum began with a wave of young investigators highlighting promising developments in cancer research in a series of rapid-fire presentations. Recurring themes of the First Look session included the use of RNA in-situ hybridization (RNA-ISH) as a diagnostic tool, liquid biopsies for exosome analysis, and precision medicine approaches to patient care. Multiple presentations also highlighted the capabilities of the AMIGO suite at Brigham and Women's Hospital, which uses intraoperative imaging to guide precise localization and analysis of patient tumors during surgery.

Attendees then had the chance to liaise with established Harvard Medical School faculty over lunch during the Discovery Café session, which paired interested Forum-goers with renowned leaders in their respective fields. Nearly 30 faculty members covered topics such as immunotherapy, diagnostics, therapy resistance, and the potential of CRISPR for research and therapeutics.

The Forum plenary opened with David Torchiana, MD, CEO and Anne Klibanski MD, Chief Academic Officer of Partners HealthCare, who welcomed an audience representing more than two dozen countries and introduced a program filled with high-caliber speakers and hot topics including immunotherapy, epigenetics, and bioinformatics. They emphasized the importance of collaboration to accomplish the goal of providing better care and support to cancer patients and their families and noted that the "engine of innovation is running better than ever" as we seek to push the boundaries of the many diseases collectively known as cancer.

After a series of thought-provoking sessions, Astellas Pharma announced the launch of the inaugural C3Prize™. The day culminated with inspiring remarks from Greg Simon, Executive Director, The White House Moonshot Initiative and a fireside chat with Richard Gonzalez, CEO of AbbVie (stay tuned for more about the Forum's fireside chats in tomorrow's Day Two recap). For more in-depth highlights from some of the most interesting panels from Day One, see below.

 

 
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A War or Moonshot: Where Do We Stand?
In the first panel of the day, Nancy Snyderman, MD, Medical Advisor at GE Healthymagination, sat down with Monica Bertagnolli, MD, Chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Daniel Haber, MD, PhD, Director of the MGH Cancer Center to discuss what's to come in a new era of cancer research and care. The panelists were tasked with advising on whether cancer research and care over the next decade will be a war or a moonshot. Panelists agreed on both perspectives - a war because, from a patient perspective, it is a personal battle against disease and we must come together as an army to combat the disease and work effectively towards a cure, and a moonshot because progress in cancer happens with huge steps forward and reflects the combined efforts of a large group of people working toward a common goal, much like landing on the moon.

When asked about the funding landscape and future of academic research and development in oncology, Dr. Bertagnolli noted that, when money is tight, teamwork must be utilized, and support from patient organizations such as Stand Up To Cancer is profound. Dr. Haber also noted that we are at a magic time during which so much science is being translated, but that funds are also needed for basic research, with the rationale that, if all money goes to translational research and we do not value basic discovery, then there will be nothing to translate in the coming years.
 

Creating a Disruptive Cancer Pipeline and Winning Portfolio Strategy
A focus of Day One included cancer pipeline and portfolio development, which began with a panel discussion of how to build and maintain a successful pipeline in a challenging environment. Panelists including Keith Flaherty, MD, Director of Clinical Research at the MGH Cancer Center, and Sean Harper, MD, Executive Vice President of Research and Development at Amgen, commenting on company culture and regulatory oversight of clinical trials.

Jay Bradner, MD, President of the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, noted that we may not be able to visualize what a cure for cancer will look like at this time, as technologies are still emerging, but that we should beware of paradigms, as they can sometimes make you blind to the next breaking wave.

In a discussion of clinical trial participation, panelists stressed the need for improved navigation of study information for patients, which would in turn facilitate the interactions between these patients and their physicians and potentially improve recruitment. It was also noted that these patients should have access to expert opinion on the best trials for their disease; as George Demetri, MD, Director of the Center for Sarcoma and Bone Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute noted, it should not be so much easier to find the best Chinese restaurants on "Dr. Google" than it is to find the best clinical trial.

Panelists discussed the need for improved infrastructure that would hasten the timeline from ideas to clinical trials and noted that the FDA is responsive to novel approaches and is looking to industry and academia for advice. Dr. Demetri also noted that such an idea is on the table, with the proposed creation of an Oncology Center of Excellence at the FDA.

Overall, panelists indicated that the pharmaceutical industry is receptive to insight from academia, and that the field appears to be aligned in the early drug discovery mission. In a discussion of the interactions between small companies and big pharma, panelists noted that the small companies tend to be very innovative, but investments are risky. Sean Harper, MD, noted that pharma tends to be very open to bringing assets in to their pipeline, but would rather engage early on to ensure that it's a good product, and that takes engineering.
 

 
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Curative Therapies: The Economics of Game-Changing Science
As novel, potentially curative cancer therapies come to market, drug pricing has emerged as one of the hottest topics of discussion. Speakers shared their insights on the balance between affordability and continued innovation in the healthcare industry, which was emphasized by Betsy Nabel, MD, with the notion that we need to provide the "right treatment for the right patients at the right time" while making it affordable.

Speakers included Troy Brennan, MD, Executive Vice President and CMO of CVS Health, Paul Hudson, President of AstraZeneca US, Betsy Nabel, MD, President of Brigham and Women's Hospital, Gary Reedy, CEO of the American Cancer Society, and Peter Slavin, MD, President of Massachusetts General Hospital. The panel was moderated by Sue Siegel, CEO of GE Healthymagination.

In the session, panelists discussed how to measure the effectiveness of a treatment. Dr. Slavin noted that we are facing much more economic pressure in healthcare and that it is critical to eliminate care that doesn't help our patients. Panelists suggested that the private sector, including commercial payers, academic medical centers, pharmaceutical industry, biotech, venture, and pharmacy should come together to determine the value framework, rather than leaving it to CMS.

Mr. Hudson noted an inherent risk associated with developing medicines, and that the demand for breakthroughs and targeting of smaller patient populations has never been higher, while Dr. Nabel reminded us that companies must also consider the costs associated with innovation, as well as the hidden cost for future development if innovation is left behind. Panelists suggested that pharmaceutical companies, insurance providers, and pharmacy benefit management companies should come together to share risk, as all parties would be incentivized if the risk is broadly distributed.

When asked about when cancer will become a chronic disease, a majority of the panel agreed that it would be within 10 years, while one panelist noted that, in some patient populations, the time is now.

A War or Moonshot: Where Do We Stand主題論壇。周菊子攝

周菊子攝



周菊子攝

周菊子攝


SurgiBox 獲哈佛校長挑戰獎7萬元 (圖片)





PRNDI-NEFE ANNOUNCE FINANCIAL REPORTING AWARD WINNER

PRNDI-NEFE ANNOUNCE FINANCIAL REPORTING AWARD WINNER
KERA Receives Back-to-Back Reporting Excellence Distinction
DENVER—The Public Radio News Directors Incorporated (PRNDI), in partnership with the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE), announce that Courtney Collins and the news staff at KERA in North Texas are the recipient of this year’s Excellence in Consumer Financial Reporting Award. This marks the second year in a row for the KERA team being recognized for their reporting in the series “One Crisis Away.” PRNDI and NEFE will present the award to KERA at the PRNDI annual conference in St. Louis on June 25.
The winning entry, “One Crisis Away at the Holidays: A Tale of Two Shoppers Making Tough Decisions at the Register,” follows two individuals who have developed different strategies to stay within budget despite the stress of holiday gift-giving.
“Financial reporting is about storytelling real-life issues that everyday people endure,” says Paul Golden, director with NEFE. “This story chronicles what just a couple of people are doing to manage their personal finances, particularly during a time of year when financial decision making is easily compromised. KERA did a great job following two shoppers and sharing their tactics.”
Collins, the lead reporter of the series, graduated from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in 2004. Before joining KERA in 2011, she was a reporter for NPR member station WAMU in Washington D.C. During her time at KERA, Collins has won awards from the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors, the Texas Medical Association and the Houston Press Club. She also produces the daily KERA local-news segment during NPR’s “All Things Considered.”
NEFE and PRNDI have teamed up for the second year in a row to present the financial reporting award, which aims to promote coverage of consumer personal finance. George Bodarky, president of PRNDI, says public media stations nationwide submitted a wide range of coverage.
“We’ve been pleased with our partnership with NEFE to recognize the tremendous financial reporting that is being done by public radio stations throughout the country,” Bodarky says.
About the Public Radio News Directors Incorporated (PRNDI)
PRNDI is a nonprofit organization that represents news directors and their staffs at public radio stations nationwide. It aims at improving local news and information providing by public radio journalists. For more information, visit www.prndi.org.
 
About the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE)
NEFE is a nonprofit foundation that inspires empowered financial decision making for individuals and families through every stage of life. For more information, visit www.nefe.org.

星期一, 4月 25, 2016

臺左維新仿波士頓談台灣建國理念(圖片)

















摩頓市長探望ACDC首次購屋講座

First-time Homebuyer Workshop in Malden



Malden, MA, May 21, 2015 – Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC), a 29-year old community-based organization serving the Asian American community of Greater Boston, held a Malden-based first-time homebuyer workshop in partnership with Century Bank. The workshops are designed to help first-time homebuyers navigate the complex home buying process with presentations from real estate agents, lawyers, contractors and mortgage lenders.

This workshop, designed for Chinese-speaking residents, was presented in Mandarin Chinese and provided Chinese-translated materials to students. Malden is ranked as the city having the third largest Asian population in Massachusetts, behind Boston and Quincy.

Over 20 students attended this two-day workshop over the weekend.  Mayor Gary Christenson and City Councillor Ryan O’Malley showed their support by visiting the workshop and welcoming students.

400 students graduated from ACDC’s workshops last year. Upon completing the workshop, each graduate receives a certificate that qualifies them for certain benefits such as down payment assistance and low fixed rate loans.  Graduates also receive free one-on-one counseling if further assistance is needed in their homebuying process. ACDC is the only organization in Massachusetts offering first-time homebuyer workshops presented in Chinese as well as English.

哈佛公衛學院成立李錦裳健康與快樂研究中心


李錦裳健康與快樂研究中心在哈佛大學公共衛生學院成立


哈佛大學公衛學院新聞稿

李錦記家族捐贈逾1.62億港幣(合2100萬美元)資助研究心理健康和身體健康之間的關聯

(2016年4月22日,香港)在今天的簽約儀式上,李錦記家族宣佈捐贈逾1.62億港幣(合2100萬美元)在哈佛大學陳曾熙公共衛生學院成立李錦裳健康與快樂研究中心。該新中心將致力於探索可能抵禦某些疾病的心理、社會和情感因素及正能量,使人們能夠活得更長久、更快樂、更健康。
作為捐贈人,李錦記家族以李錦裳為該中心命名。李錦裳於1888年在中國廣東省珠海南水镇發明了蠔油,創立了李錦記。在過去128年中,李錦記醬料集團和李錦記健康產品集團已經發展為總部設在香港的兩家跨國集團。

李錦裳健康與快樂研究中心:致力建立研究健康與快樂的嚴格的跨學科科學

社會環境中的正面因素——例如與家庭和朋友的密切關係、一份有意義的工作、堅持運動健身、有助於放鬆的休閒活動和正面思維——如何增進心理健康和身體健康,從而使人們活得更長久、更健康?在這方面,科學所能作出的解釋依然有限。另外,科學家還希望理解社會環境中的負面因素——例如貧困、食物和能源缺乏保障、沒有一份有意義的工作或友好的社會關係——如何對人們的壽命和健康產生重大影響。
以往的研究主要側重於研究疾病及治療或延緩病情方面的薄弱環節或風險因素。而在領導新中心的教授們看來,這筆捐贈為擴大公共衛生和醫學研究範圍、超越傳統研究提供了一個機會。新中心將重點研究保持健康的正面因素——理解人們如何達到和保持高度心理健康,從而避免許多疾病,例如心血管疾病。
該中心的目標是利用其研究成果改進生活方式和行為方式、醫療服務、公共衛生項目以及各類公共政策,此類要素不屬於傳統性衛生保健服務和醫療服務的範圍,卻能夠幫助人們活得更長久、更快樂、更健康。
它將收集關於快樂及其他心理健康要素對身體健康的影響的資料,並展開新的研究。迄今為止,關於這個課題的研究分散於許多不同的學科。
該中心將協調哈佛大學許多系科的教員、研究人員和學生從事的研究工作,涵蓋的範圍包括從健康傳播學到心理學、從營養學和運動生理學到基礎生物學、從醫學到流行病學和人口科學等眾多領域。
初期研究將側重於下列內容:
  • 識別和開發一種估測工具——一個正能量心理健康指數(或稱為“快樂指數”)——以便系統地、科學地評估心理健康。該指數將超越當前普遍使用的較為有限的估測方法,以便發現面臨高度精神壓力的個人和群體,另外亦可用於發現對生活滿意度很高的個人和群體。對於面臨高度精神壓力的群體,這種工具能夠估測為增進幸福感和身體健康所採取的針對性干預措施是否有效。至於對生活滿意度很高的群體,這種工具可用於探索哪些心理、情感和社會因素最顯著地促進了更快樂、更長久、更健康的生活。
  • 理解心理健康和心血管健康及保持健康長壽之間的關係。
  • 確定促進心理健康的干預措施(如靜心和有意識行為練習)對健康和快樂的影響,包括此類措施對糖尿病和癌症等普通疾病以及對焦慮症、抑鬱症、躁鬱症等精神健康疾病可能發揮的作用。
  • 探索資訊傳播——包括從電視節目到社交媒體等多種渠道——對人際交往、健康和快樂的作用。
李錦記健康產品集團主席兼行政總裁李惠森先生說:「『思利及人』是李錦記的核心價值觀,因此我們為能夠通過支持科學發展為全世界人民造福感到非常自豪。這個新中心致力於健康和快樂科學的研究,以我的曾祖父李錦裳先生命名表達我們對他的敬意。通過該中心在健康和快樂領域中的研究,我們希望有更多人提高健康意識,採取預防性措施,從而生活得更健康、更快樂。」
哈佛大學陳曾熙公共衛生學院社會與行為科學李錦記教席教授和李錦裳健康與快樂研究中心聯席主任勞拉·庫伯贊斯基博士(Laura Kubzansky)說:「您願意生活得長久、快樂和健康還是僅僅滿足於不生病?以往的醫學和心理學實踐與研究側重於損害身體健康的疾病和負面因素,但是,針對正面因素進行研究同樣具有價值,正能量能夠幫助我們保持健康或在生病或受傷之後更快地康復。目前急需更加強有力的研究,以便理解這些正面因素以及如何推動世界上千千萬萬的人去發揮其效能。」
哈佛大學陳曾熙公共衛生學院健康傳播學李錦記教席教授和李錦裳健康與快樂研究中心聯席主任維希·維斯瓦納斯博士(Kasisomayajula “Vish” Viswanath)說:「人們在談到幸福感時常常把它作為一個很時髦的流行語。但是,幸福感實際上是一個人與外界交往的方式。如果一個人在社會中受到不公平待遇或生活貧困,就會有一些實實在在的因素影響他的健康,例如得不到足夠的營業食品或醫療服務。另外,他與社會和其他人接觸的機會也可能受到限制。本中心將使我們能夠系統地、嚴格地研究促進與他人和社區交往、溝通和聯繫的要素,以及交往和缺乏交往會如何影響幸福感並最終影響身體健康。」
哈佛大學陳曾熙公共衛生學院代理院長大衛·亨特(David Hunter)說:「通過利用現有研究成果和開展新的研究,我們認為該中心將能夠基於實證提出建議和干預措施,顯著地增進個人和整個群體的心理健康和身體健康。我們的目標是催生更富啟迪性的公共政策和公共衛生項目,改善千千萬萬人的健康狀況,並且在醫學實踐和個人行為方面建立新的重要標準,以便幫助人們生活得更長久、更健康。」

哈佛大學陳曾熙公共衛生學院簡介

哈佛大學陳曾熙公共衛生學院匯集了眾多學科的專家,旨在為全球公共衛生領域培養新一代領導人,並提出強有力的理念,以改善世界各地人民的生活與健康。作為一個由優秀的科學家、教育工作者和學生組成的社區,我們共同努力,把創新想法從實驗室中引入人們的日常生活——不僅在科學上取得突破,還努力改變個人的行為方式、公共政策和醫療服務規範。陳曾熙公共衛生學院擁有400多名教學人員,每年為來自世界各地的一千多名全日制學生授課,並通過網上課程和高管培訓課程給另外數千人提供培訓。本學院成立於1913年,最初稱為「哈佛暨麻省理工學院衛生官員培訓部」。本學院是美國歷史最悠久的公共衛生專業人員教育機構。

李錦記家族簡介

1888年,李錦裳在中國廣東省珠海南水镇發明了蠔油,創立了李錦記。在過去128年中,李錦記家族的五代人遵循「思利及人」的核心價值觀,不斷回饋社會。
目前,該家族擁有總部設在香港的兩家跨國集團——李錦記醬料集團和李錦記健康產品集團及知名註冊商標,包括「李錦記」、「無限極」和「HeHa」。李錦記醬料集團專注于生產醬料和調味品。李錦記健康產品集團業務範圍包括中草藥健康產品與服務、中草藥種植、移動互聯網平台和物業投資。
New Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness Established at Harvard’s Public Health School

More Than HK$162 Million (US$21 Million) Gift from Lee Kum Kee Family to Fund Research on Links between Psychological Well-Being and Physical Health
(22 April 2016, Hong Kong) At a signing ceremony today, a gift of more than HK$162 million (US$21 million) from the Lee Kum Kee Family was announced to establish the new Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The new Center will support the identification of psychological, social, and emotional strengths and assets that may protect against some diseases and enable people to enjoy longer, happier, and healthier lives.
The donors, the Lee Kum Kee Family, have chosen to name the Center after Lee Kum Sheung, who in 1888 invented oyster sauce in the southern Chinese city of Nanshui and established the Lee Kum Kee business. Over the 128 years since then, Lee Kum Kee Sauce Group and LKK Health Products Group have grown into two multinational companies headquartered in Hong Kong.
To learn more about the new Center, and the effects of happiness on health, visit the Center’s website at www.hsph.harvard.edu/health-happiness.
The Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness:
Contributing to Rigorous and Interdisciplinary Science of Health and Happiness
Science is still limited in its ability to understand whether and how positive aspects of the social environment—such as close relationships with family and friends, a meaningful job, regular healthy exercise, relaxing leisure activities, and a positive mind-set—may enhance psychological and physical well-being, thereby increasing years of healthy aging. Additionally, scientists hope to understand those negative social circumstances, such as poverty, food and energy insecurity, or a lack of a meaningful job or social relationships, that also have a significant impact on how long someone lives and how healthy they are as they age.
The faculty who will lead the new Center see the gift as an opportunity to broaden the focus of public health and medical research beyond work focused primarily on deficits or risk factors that lead to disease and the treatments needed to cure or slow disease progression. The new Center will focus on the positive aspects of health—and also illuminate factors that promote attaining and maintaining high levels of well-being and protect against conditions such as cardiovascular diseases.
The goal of the Center is to make discoveries that can inform personal behaviors, medical care, public health programs, and wide-ranging public policies not traditionally associated with health care and medicine but that can help people live longer, happier, and healthier lives.
The Center will focus on both new research and assembling what is already known about the role of happiness and other components of well-being in relation to physical health. Much of that research knowledge is scattered across studies conducted in a broad range of disciplines.
And the Center will coordinate research among faculty, researchers, and students from across Harvard University, spanning multiple disciplines—from health communications to psychology, from nutrition and exercise physiology to basic biology, and from medicine to epidemiology and population sciences.
Initial efforts will focus on several areas:
·       Identifying and developing a measurement instrument—a positive psychological well-being index, or “happiness index”—that can assess psychological well-being in a systematic and scientifically sound manner. This tool will go beyond more limited measures of happiness most commonly used today, making it possible to identify individuals and groups that may be highly distressed or, conversely, highly satisfied with their lives. For the highly distressed groups, such a tool could measure the effectiveness of targeted interventions in promoting greater happiness and improved health. Among those who are highly satisfied, the tool could be used to explore what psychological, emotional, and social factors contribute most to happier, longer, and healthier lives.
·       Understanding the relationship between psychological well-being and cardiovascular health, healthy aging, and longevity.
·       Determining the effects of interventions promoting psychological well-being, such as mindfulness-based practices on health and happiness. This research will look at the potential of these practices to influence diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and bipolar disease.
·       Examining the role of communications—ranging from television programming to social media—on engagement, health, and happiness.
“‘Si Li Ji Ren’ (considering others’ interests) is Lee Kum Kee’s core value, so we are very proud to support scientific advancement for the good of people around the globe,” says Sammy Lee, Chairman & Managing Director of LKK Health Products Group. “This new Center is dedicated to the science of health and happiness, which is a fitting tribute to my great-grandfather Lee Kum Sheung. Through the Center’s efforts in the field of health and happiness, we hope more people can increase their awareness, take more preventive measures, and eventually, become healthier and happier.”
“Would you rather live a long, happy, and healthy life, or a life that is merely without disease?” asks Professor Laura Kubzansky, the Lee Kum Kee Professor of Social and Behavioral Health at the Harvard Chan School and co-director of the new Center. “Medical and psychological practice and research have traditionally focused on the diseases and deficits that cause poor health. But there is real value in focusing on the positive side as well—the assets that keep us healthy or help us recover more quickly from disease and injury. More rigorous research is urgently needed to understand these positive assets and how to promote them for millions of people around the world.”
“Happiness is often talked about as if it were a cute catchphrase,” said Professor K. “Vish” Viswanath, Lee Kum Kee Professor of Health Communication at the Harvard Chan School and co-director of the new Center. “But in fact, happiness is a product of how one is engaged with the world. If one is being treated inequitably in society or lives in poverty, there may be physical factors that influence your health such as limited access to nutritious food or health care. In addition, one’s opportunities for engagement with the world and with other people may be limited. This Center will enable us to investigate in a systematic and rigorous way the factors that promote engagement, communication, community, and connection with others, and how engagement or lack of engagement can influence happiness and ultimately health.”
“By leveraging what is known together with new research discoveries, we believe the new Center will develop evidence-based recommendations and interventions that can demonstrably improve the health and well-being of individuals and entire populations,” said David Hunter, acting dean of the Harvard Chan School. “Our goal is to bring about enlightened public policies and public health programs that can affect the health of large numbers of people, as well as set new priorities in medical practice and personal behaviors that can help individuals live longer, healthier lives.”
About Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health brings together dedicated experts from many disciplines to educate new generations of global health leaders and produce powerful ideas that improve the lives and health of people everywhere. As a community of leading scientists, educators, and students, we work together to take innovative ideas from the laboratory to people’s lives—not only making scientific breakthroughs, but also working to change individual behaviors, public policies, and health care practices. Each year, more than 400 faculty members at Harvard Chan School teach 1,000-plus full-time students from around the world and train thousands more through online and executive education courses. Founded in 1913 as the Harvard-MIT School of Health Officers, the School is recognized as America’s oldest professional training program in public health.
About the Lee Kum Kee Family
In 1888, Mr. Lee Kum Sheung invented oyster sauce in the southern Chinese city of Nanshui, Guangdong Province, and established the Lee Kum Kee business. Over the 128 years since then, five generations of the Lee Kum Kee Family have adhered to the core values of “Si Li Ji Ren” (considering others’ interests) with constant practices of giving back to the community.
At present, the Family owns Lee Kum Kee Sauce Group and LKK Health Products Group, two multinational companies headquartered in Hong Kong, that respectively specialize in sauces and condiments, and Chinese herbal health products and services, Chinese herbal plantations, mobile internet platforms, and property investment.  The companies’ well-known registered trademarks include “Lee Kum Kee,” “Infinitus,” and “HeHa.”