Degenerative disorders, which often strike our increasingly elderly populations, like the roughly 10k baby boomers here in the U.S. hitting their 60’s and retiring each day, are on the rise all over the planet, affecting more than 45 million people worldwide. Characterized by nerve cells progressively deteriorating to the point of cell death, a process which leads to a host of maladies ranging from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, to ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) and Huntington’s disease, to name but a few of the big ones, degenerative disorders currently have few if any real medical solutions available for patients.

In China, Europe and Japan, the same population and disease phenomena is occurring. Populations where people are living longer and where increased environmental exposure to various bio-accumulating toxins is causing a continued rise in the volume of a variety of neurological diseases and disorders, for which modern medicine remains largely incapable of providing substantial cures, and in some cases, even palliative treatments. This is why the regenerative medicine technology, based on an entirely new class of ethically manufactured stem cells, which is being aggressively developed towards full commercialization by International Stem Cell Corporation (OTC: ISCO), is so exciting.

Parthenogenesis is not a term most people today are familiar with, but the times they are a-changin’ – and they are changing fast. Degenerative disorders once thought incurable are now within striking distance of being effectively combated through the injection of human parthenogenetic neural stem cells (hpNSCs), which not only have all the best characteristics of other types of stem cell technologies, but lack their drawbacks as well. Thanks to the revolutionary work being done by ISCO with pluripotent stem cells (which that have the ability to mature into several different types of cells), chemically stimulating oocytes through a process where no embryo is ever created or destroyed, the dawn of ethical, high-volume, commercial stem cell technology that could be used to treat a wide variety of diseases, is at hand.

Derived from unfertilized human oocytes, the company’s stem cell lines can be made, via their proprietary process, into HLA (human leukocyte antigen) heterozygous “matched” and therefore histocompatible cells that won’t be rejected by the donor, giving this technology a serious advantage in a field still plagued by donor cell rejection. HLA homozygous hpSCs can also be produced which have been shown to exhibit histocompatibility across massive segments of the global human population, meaning that ISCO’s stem cell bank approach to the space could put the company at the forefront of supplying much-needed, large supplies of compatible donor cells to global markets, just as commercialization of this revolutionary technology dawns worldwide.

The upper limit on therapies involving stem cells is quite extraordinary, as these cells function like an atomized organ or other tissue transplant, repairing existing tissue systems by developing into healthy new cells that replace the damaged ones. In degenerative neurological disorders, this is truly a quantum leap, as no effective means exists to otherwise replace brain and other CNS tissue. The idea of injecting Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients with cultured neural stem cells (hpNSCs) that actually grow into new brain cells is extraordinary, and this same approach can be used to treat other neurological diseases as well, for many of which modern medical science can offer essentially only palliative care.

The current standard of care in PD is with dopamine agonists and drugs like oral levodopa (L-dopa), which has significant dosing issues that often lead to episodes where the symptoms of PD reemerge with a vengeance, particularly in patients who have been on an L-dopa regimen for over five years or more. In fact, 90 percent of young-onset sufferers treated for more than five years with L-dopa experience such episodes. L-dopa, while exhibiting fewer than other antiparkinsonian agents, has numerous adverse effects, including psychiatric ones, as well as the potential for the patient to develop dopamine dysregulation syndrome, and even eventual drug resistance. Needless to say, existing approaches are by no means effective solutions and the advent of an actual therapy for restoring the underlying tissue systems would be a paradigm shift of unprecedented magnitude. A shift whose shockwaves would likely propagate into multiple other degenerative disorders, especially considering the removal of ethical considerations about where the stem cells come from, given ISCO’s parthenogenesis production techniques.

The company’s hpNSCs help to repair the brain in several key ways, like responding to damaged cell signals and releasing anti-inflammatory molecules that help speed the recovery process. Directly addressing inflammation, which is one of the major concomitant symptomatological factors in PD, as well as forming new tissue by developing into new cells, are powerful properties that could rocket hpNSCs to the front of the line in PD therapy. Being able to give someone their life back through the application of this technology could change the way we think about degenerative disorders forever. The idea that we could take cases where a loved one has become effectively disabled – representing not just a serious loss for the individual and economy, but typically creating a significant burden for their families and the healthcare system – and actually restore them to nearly 100 percent functionality, represents one of the most exciting frontiers in biomedicine today.

ISCO’s sizeable preclinical GLP and non-GLP study data on hpNSCs, including brain transplant safety studies conducted in healthy and induced Parkinson’s disease animals, showed that not only were the hpNSC injections well-tolerated, with no sign of tumor or other abnormal growth formation at even high dosages, but that a distinct improvement to motor function resulted. These same studies further showed the neuroprotectant and recovery assistance functionality of hpNSCs, as well as a significant increase in dopamine levels, the primary agent which allows brain cells involved in movement to communicate with one another. National Parkinson Foundation data indicates that even in the roughly 15 percent of patients who develop young-onset Parkinson’s disease before the age of 50, the same loss of some 80 percent of dopamine-producing cells is observed before motor function impairment arises, something which clearly indicates the potential of ISCO’s technology.

ISCO is barreling towards their 1/2a clinical study in Parkinson’s disease over in Australia, which should kick off within the coming handful of months, as the company has already submitted the requisite CTX (Clinical Trial Exemption) application needed to commence this landmark study. The high safety levels of this technology and emerging knowledge of the causes and symptomatology of degenerative disorders, could even lead to developing hpSCs into frontline preventative treatments in patients who are identified as at risk or in the early stages of a given disease.

At any rate, ISCO has their eye on the prize and has already completed manufacturing a large supply of over 2.6 million clinical-grade hpNSCs for the Australia Parkinson’s study, enough to easily handle any foreseeable trial requirements, and further validating their UniStemCell bank approach to the market. Paired up with their proprietary parthenogenesis process for manufacturing cells, a regionalized stem cell bank franchising architecture could be a significant source of future revenues for the company, serving scientists and populations across the country and around the world with an essential stem cell line banking framework. Such a framework, while helping to further validate a growing library of hpSC lines with many people working on and developing them, could also develop into a serious royalty-generating engine fueled by diverse, emergent cellular therapeutics.

ISCO has a strong IP position with numerous patents and filings under their belt too, spanning everything from specific pluripotent hpSC lines and production methods, to cell differentiation and research methods, as well as therapeutic and commercial uses. Like the 16 issued and 91 pending patent applications across 15 different patent families, as well as 8 patents pending across 4 different families, covering their stem cell-based Lifeline Skin Care (http://www.lifelineskincare.com/) products.

For more information, please visit www.internationalstemcell.com

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“A happy, inspired childhood creates happy, inspired and powerful women.”

Those are the words of Stacey McBride-Irby, creator of The Prettie Girls! Dolls. Before serving as the Chief Product Development Officer of One World Holdings, Inc. (OTC: OWOO), McBride-Irby built a reputation of excellence throughout the toy industry during her 15 years as a Project Designer for Mattel™. Since then, she has helped put The One World Doll Project on the map through her diverse collection of doll designs.

In recent months, The Prettie Girls! Doll brand has been making significant strides in the prosperous toy industry. In February, the company announced an initial order from Amazon, adding to an increasingly formidable retail network that already includes industry giants such as Toys ‘R’ Us and Sears. According to a recent conference call, the agreement is just the first step of One World’s upcoming expansion plans, providing the company with an opportunity to maximize its retail presence in preparation for the 2015 holiday shopping season.

“As we continue to see a significant increase in product sales, this new business relationship with Amazon.com represents another component of our 2015 growth plan,” stated Trey Waldhauser, Vice President of Business Development at One World. “It’s extremely motivating to see the world’s largest online retailer take an interest in our products.”

This continued push into the retail space is providing One World with a strong platform to rapidly expand revenue. In April, the company announced a 532 percent increase in year-over-year revenue for 2014, and additional national expansion puts One World in a strong strategic position to build on this growth in the coming months.

“It has already been a big year for us and we continue to expand the Prettie Girls! Brand across the nation,” stated Joanne Melton, Chief Executive Officer of One World. “[W]e expect to see even more sales performance as the 2015 Christmas season draws closer.”

According to the Toy Association, the domestic toy market has continued to expand in recent years, recording a four percent increase in market value in 2014. In particular, the doll sector has thrived. In 2014, dolls accounted for $2.32 billion in the United States, and all signs point towards additional increases this year. As One World pushes to expand on its retail network and build brand recognition throughout the toy industry, the company is in a great position to increase revenues in the coming months.

For more information, visit www.oneworlddolls.com

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Net Element is a technology-driven group focused on delivering a new dimension of mobile payments and value-added transactional services. Leveraging its core technology innovations and operational business partners, Net Element enables consumers to conduct commerce transactions from their mobile device, while online and offline payment capabilities allow merchants to reliably transact business regardless of geographical or time restraints.

Headquartered in Miami, Net Element, through its suite of subsidiaries, maintains an international presence in selected emerging markets. The company’s TOT Group, Inc. subsidiary, a global mobile payments and transaction processing provider, is an umbrella for several companies: Unified Payments, which was recognized by Inc. Magazine as the No. 1 fastest growing private company in America in 2012; Aptito, a next-gen cloud-based point of sale (“POS”) payments platform; and TOT Money, a mobile billing solutions provider and Russia’s top-ranked SMS content provider, according to Beeline, the country’s second largest telecommunications operator.

Most recently, Net Element completed definitive documentation to acquire PayOnline, which processes online payments for more than 10 million active consumers and thousands of merchants in the Russian Federation, Europe and Asia.

This move is of incredible relevance to Net Element’s growth strategy to expand in international markets. According to the 2014 McKinsey Global Payments Map released October 2014, Russia is the world’s sixth largest payments market, accounting for $50 billion in payments with a rapidly growing online population. Card issuance is growing at 30% per year.

Upon closing of the acquisition, Net Element plans to integrate PayOnline’s leading payments platform into its existing global payments-as-a-service network to expand its transaction processing offerings. In other words, Net Element will be able to sell its mobile payment services to PayOnline’s vast network of merchants in Russia, Asia and Europe.

Also, because of direct agreements with European and Russian Federation banks, PayOnline’s merchants will be able to transact in the U.S. while Net Element’s U.S. merchants will have an ability to transact in Asia, Europe and Russia.

“PayOnline and Net Element’s assets are highly complementary and we can now leverage them to grow revenues by attracting more merchants and consumers to our omni-channel payments platform,” Net Element CEO Oleg Firer stated in a recent news release. “Well deserved congratulations to all involved in bringing this transaction to a successful signing.”

The company’s technologies are increasingly relevant to today’s business and consumer payment demands, and through its aggressive and consistent progress, Net Element is advancing on its mission to become a competitive leader in mobile payments and transactional services in emerging countries and the United States.

For more information, visit www.netelement.com

Cleartronic, a technology holding company that creates and acquires operating subsidiaries to develop, manufacture and sell products, services and integrated systems to government agencies and business enterprises, today reported that its subsidiary, ReadyOp Communications, Inc., has begun work on a multi-year project with a major Arkansas-based retail corporation.

The project, in partnership with two private companies, is expected to continue for the next three years, during which the ReadyOp™ platform will be used to plan, monitor and report the work being done for each individual store location.

Utilizing the ReadyOp™ platform at multiple locations of this major retailer represents the flexible application of the technology for a variety of industries beyond first responders and governmental agencies uses.

“We are pleased to be an integral part of this project as it shows the versatility and flexibility of the ReadyOp™ platform. While our main focus has been with first responders and government agencies, this project illustrates how ReadyOp™ can be used in many different industries. This will be our first entry into the retail sector and our plans are to use this project as a model for other opportunities in the retail sector,” Marc Moore, president of ReadyOp, stated in the news release.

For more information, visit www.cleartronicinc.com

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Dominovas Energy, an energy solutions company championing Solid Oxide Fuel Cell technology via the RUBICON™, has launched its redeveloped website (http://dominovasenergy.com) to better communicate with customers and potential and existing shareholders.

In addition to a clean, fresh look and user-friendly navigation, the new site provides details and real-time news and financial reporting. The site has been designed to meet all relevant accessibility standards, making it accessible through a wider range of web browsers and mobile devices, including smart phones and tablets.

“We’re excited about the new look and feel. The website, real time reporting, and social media plug-ins will allow us to communicate more effectively and articulate the company’s investment opportunity to current and potential shareholders,” Neal Allen, chairman and CEO of Dominovas Energy, stated in the news release.

The launch of the updated website and marketing activities coincide with the company’s ongoing business development and recent investor news. The site’s Investor section features immediate posting of the company’s press releases as they are issued, as well as the automated posting of SEC filings, XBRL data, Insider Section 16 filings and detailed financial statements.

Stock information data such as quotes, charts, and historical prices are updated on demand with a 20-minute delay and the company’s financial tear sheet is updated daily after the market close. Dominovas Energy expects to launch its Investor Relations Kit in the coming weeks, which will show market opportunities and current activity.

For more information, visit www.dominovasenergy.com

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Fresh Healthy Vending International, Inc. (OTCQB: VEND) is taking the fight to obesity by making healthy foods available in convenient locations throughout North America. The company pioneered the concept of vending machines stocked with fresh, healthy snack options that capitalize on the growing market of health conscious consumers. In addition to leading a crusade against the health concerns associated with junk food, Fresh is capitalizing on two of the hottest nutritional trends in the world through its growing network of franchisees.

As of January 2015, Fresh had 220 active franchisees throughout the United States operating a total of 2,750 healthy vending machines, and the company has continued to post impressive growth figures in recent months. In April, Fresh welcomed an additional seven franchisees, as well as 96 new units that will provide an estimated $980,000 in future revenue for the company. The company also debuted its sleek, consumer-focused Fresh Micro Market concept to the industry, opening the door for continued increases in market share moving forward.

Fresh’s promising results have caught the attention of the industry. On Entrepreneur Magazine’s recently released list of the Top New Franchises of 2015, Fresh was ranked seventh, and the company was named as the number one vending franchise by the magazine earlier in the year.

“It’s always nice to receive accolades that are a result of our hard work at Fresh Healthy Vending,” stated Nick Yates, Chairman and Founder of Fresh. “What’s great is that our concept is still considered to be so new, innovative and timely which allows us to continue growing our footprint of Franchisees across the nation.”

Convenient and affordable options for eating healthy could prove to be a game changer in the food and drink industry. According to a report by Nielsen, the two largest barriers facing healthy eating are financial concerns and perceived time restraints. Fresh is addressing these concerns by providing consumers with a healthier alternative to junk food while successfully avoiding many of the industry’s most substantial limitations.

In 2012, the vending machine industry recorded $43.3 billion in machine sales, and the overall convenience and low operating costs associated with these machines ensures that the market conditions will remain favorable moving forward. As Fresh continues securing new franchisees into the future, the company is in a great strategic position to capitalize on these conditions, providing a strong platform for considerable returns in the years to come.

For more information, visit www.freshvending.com

In Colorado, the recently legalized cannabis industry is booming, and it’s shown no signs of slowing down. Between 2009 and 2014, the industry generated over $2 billion in revenue, and forecasts predict sustained annual growth of approximately 23.3 percent between 2015 and 2019. This industry growth, along with the expanding medical market for cannabis-related treatments, is increasing the focus on marijuana cultivation processes throughout the state.

According to a report by the Colorado Department of Revenue, an average of more than 300,000 medical plants are cultivated each month, and the demands of the recreational market are driving continued increases in cultivation totals moving forward. Surna, Inc. (OTCQB: SRNA) is assisting cultivators through the manufacture of innovative technology and products that address the energy and resource intensive nature of indoor cultivation.

In particular, climate control plays a major part in the quality of product produced. With satisfactory climate control systems, cultivators can maximize productivity, quality and volume while minimizing monthly operating expenses. Surna’s proven line of climate control products addresses this market need. Offering a product line including commercial chillers, air handlers, dehumidifiers and other essential equipment, the company has carved out a substantial niche in the country’s most rapidly expanding industry.

Surna’s most innovative product is the Surna Reflector, which is hailed as the most efficient reflector on the market. Using point-source heat removal, the revolutionary tool removes heat created by the light bulb before it is disseminated throughout the room, providing cultivators with a reduction in overall cooling costs. In a recent press release, the company announced that it was closing in on commercialization of this game-changing system, highlighting the positive feedback received from initial testing.

In addition to continued product development, Surna’s financial growth has provided prospective investors with a glimpse of the company’s potential moving forward. In the first quarter of 2015, Surna recorded gross revenue of $870,895, which was equivalent to 47 percent of total revenues from 2014, as well as a 93 percent increase in deferred revenue, as compared to year-end results.

“We view these results as just the tip of the iceberg for Surna,” stated Tae Darnell, Principal Executive Officer of Surna. “We see this market growing exponentially and we intend to continue to execute on being the preeminent source for technology in cannabis and the CEA (controlled environment agriculture) space.”

As the cannabis market continues to mature throughout Colorado and around the country, Surna is in a strong strategic position to realize near limitless growth. Look for the company to continue increasing market share in the months to come, providing the opportunity for sustained investor returns for the foreseeable future.

For more information, visit www.surna.com

Since its founding in 1993, Loans4Less.com has made significant strides in growing its market share as a CA mortgage loan originator. With the company’s AAA rating with the Business Consumer Alliance, Loans4Less has built a strong reputation within the industry by consistently providing competitive rates, guaranteed closing costs, honest service and fast closing. By avoiding a warehouse line of credit and direct lending, the company isolates itself from many of the risks associated within lending industry, making Loans4Less a worthwhile investment opportunity as the housing market continues to recover.

In March, Loans4Less made a major step towards developing significant future returns through the pending acquisition of consumer lending and peer-to-peer technology platform 321LEND, Inc. Following this acquisition, the company will have the capability to originate both mortgages and consumer loans and build volume while rapidly gaining market share. Moving forward, Loans4Less will continue to search for a community bank or direct lending strategic partner to assist the company in launching a nationwide mortgage broker retail channel.

Under the leadership of CEO Steven M. Hershman, LFLS has turned its attention to national expansion. In August 2013, the executive outlined his intentions to grow the company’s potentially formidable brand through a single strategic partnership or joint venture relationships. By pushing LFLS onto the national stage, the potential for increased shareholder values can be amplified considerably. The Company is expected within day’s to release its Audited Financial Statements for 2013 & 2014 as it positions itself to be a fully reporting company and raise capital in order to execute its growth plans.

The company’s expansion efforts could be coming at the perfect time. According to a report by the Mortgage Bankers Association, the first quarter of 2015 recorded the most mortgage originations of any first quarter since 2010, and a related report forecasted a 13 percent increase in new home sales to close out the calendar year. As Loans4Less continues to expand its portfolio of services through strategic acquisitions and partnerships, it’s an intriguing time for potential investors in this proven loan origination company. Look for the company to make significant progress towards increasing its national brand awareness in the months to come.

For more information, visit www.Loans4Less.com

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Today is the third and final day of LD Micro’s 2015 Invitational Conference in Los Angeles where nearly 200 publicly traded companies and investors have convened for a series of corporate presentations, networking opportunities and social events.

Companies in attendance were carefully selected from their peers to present their innovations, operations and key management to retail and institutional investors. Spanning numerous industries, these companies were deemed by LD Micro as “great potential” plays working to secure a solid position in their respective market.

LD Micro’s overall mission is to provide investors with information on select public companies, and to this accord is providing attending investors the chance to interact with presenting companies and get a better idea of who is who in the micro-cap market.

To see the full list of presenting companies visit http://ldmicro.missionir.com/2015invitational/

MIT Holding saw its business grow above expectations in the first quarter, reporting triple-digit increases in revenues, service income and gross profit, and a drastically reduced net loss. The source for such incredible year-over-year growth? The company’s acceptance and adaptation to the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

While many companies have pushed back against the ACA, MIT Holding embraces the new healthcare law. Anything new means a change to the old ways of doing business. Fight the changes and you have a host of new problems to deal with on a daily basis. Change what you were doing, however, and those problems just seem to disappear.

Meaningful Use Rules under the ACA requires doctor and hospitals to document a patient’s recovery after discharge. This mandate creates significant obstacles for hospitals, such as how to track a patient’s recovery while they are at home and how to ensure they are taking the proper medications, therapies, and keeping multiple appointments. These challenges are sending hospitals nationwide scrambling to find a solution for these MUR requirements.

How serious is this to doctors and hospitals? Very. For example, let’s say a hospital bills Medicare/Medicaid for procedure “XYZ” and the allocated payment for that service is $10,000. The hospital must now follow up on the patient AFTER discharge.

Should the patient not recover or the hospital not properly document according to the rules, the hospital is penalized for the next year in that Medicaid/Medicare will pay all of those same procedures billed for the next year at a lower payout. So if the penalty is 10%, the hospital would only receive $9,000 for procedure “XYZ” for the NEXT 12 MONTHS.

Recognizing the steep implications hospitals may face under the new requirements under the ACA, MIT has developed a solution. MIT offers doctors and hospitals the ability to refer their patients to the company’s one-source recovery service. This first-of-its-kind concierge service starts as soon as the patient is discharged from the hospital, at which time they are met with an MIT representative. With the patient’s permission, MIT then assumes the responsibility of the recovery period.

MIT’s services are comprehensive to the at-home recovery phase, handling everything from in-home medical equipment, infusion services, medications, follow up appointments, therapy sessions, wound dressings, transportation, insurance inquires and professional insurance claim billing. The company’s goal is for the patient to feel as if the hospital went home with them. There will be no lapse in care. All the patient needs to do is follow the MIT professional health caregiver’s instructions and recover. On a daily basis, MIT will document the recovery of the patient, interacting with them one-on-one to help them heal properly, efficiently and quickly.

The digital paperwork the company maintains in order to monitor the patients recovery contains the information the hospital and doctors need to comply with the new rules. For a small and reasonable fee that information is now an email away.

With this solution, MIT has answered the question many hospitals are asking: “How do you track a patient once they have left the medical facility?”

When a pneumonia patient is discharged from the hospital and signed onto MIT’s system, the company expects that on average there will be from $12,000 to $15,000 in billable events. The company is prepared to capture those events and collect a fee for the digital paperwork documenting the recovery. A simple integration of the hospital software with MIT’s software should deliver that information in a format ready for filing with Medicare/ Medicaid.

The efficiency and growing popularity of MIT’s one-source solution is in the numbers.

In a recent 10Q filing, MIT reported first-quarter revenues of $489,854, more than double prior-year first-quarter revenues of $279,872. The company attributes this growth of 133.3% to an increase in customer referrals and subcontractor services. The first-quarter net loss of $9,654 represents a drastic cut from a loss of $105,726 a year ago. This resulted in a gross profit for the first quarter of $277,922, or 56.7%, as compared to gross profit for the same quarter in 2014 of $127,790, or 60.9%. Furthermore, new billing procedures improved the company’s accounts receivable by nearly 200%.

Moving forward, MIT will continue to embrace the ACA and the opportunities it provides for the company’s at-home recovery solutions and services.

“We deal in solutions not problems at MIT Holding and see no reason to fight the system,” says William Nalley, head of MIT’s investor relations. “When the problem occurs for the doctors and hospitals MIT Holding deliver the solutions. The benefit for MIT Holding is the captured billing events for that patient’s medical recovery.”

For more information, visit www.mitholdinginc.com

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