Before the opening bell, OurPet’s Company (OTCQX: OPCO) announced its financial results for the fourth quarter of 2015, which included record net revenue and net income. In particular, the company achieved a 10 percent year-over-year increase in net income, recording $450,592 for the three-month period. The company’s net income increased roughly 74 percent over the full 12 months of 2015, as compared to the previous year, bolstered by specific management initiatives that resulted in lower fixed costs, product costs and selling, general and administrative expenses. OPCO’s net revenue also rose slightly, as compared to the fourth quarter of 2014, to a record $6,648,394. For the 2015 full-year, the company’s net revenue was up approximately five percent, despite a challenging retail environment and the negative impact of an increasingly strong dollar on international sales throughout the year.

“Our record results for the 2015 fourth quarter and full-year reflect successful execution of our business strategy,” Dr. Steven Tsengas, president and chief executive officer of OPCO, stated in this morning’s news release. “We remain focused on growth initiatives in all three of our key product categories; feeding and storage, toys and accessories, and waste management and odor control.”

OPCO’s financial performance was powered by strong growth in the e-commerce sales channel. Tsengas highlighted a 27 percent year-over-year increase in e-commerce sales for the quarter, solidifying a six percent rise in the vital channel over the entirety of 2015. This growth went hand-in-hand with the company’s implementation of an innovative dual branding strategy, which includes the OurPet’s brand for the pet specialty channel and the Pet Zone brand for the food, drug and mass retail channel. As OPCO continues to introduce exciting new products to its pipeline that leverage cutting-edge technology to better meet the needs of pets and their owners, Tsengas expects the company’s dual brand strategy to continue to flourish.

“There are additional growth opportunities, particularly with the Pet Zone brand where sales were relatively flat compared to the prior year and we have accordingly increased our initiatives in that sales channel,” Tsengas added. “The company’s improved performance in 2015, especially during the second half of the year, combined with our planned product launches and expanded sales force position us well for 2016.”

Moving forward, OPCO will look to build on this momentum as it continues to increase its share of the growing global pet products industry. As part of these efforts, the company is set to unveil a new, first-of-its-kind line of products at the Global Pet Expo in Orlando, Florida, next month. The Global Pet Expo is the industry’s largest trade show, with last year’s event featuring more than 1,050 exhibitors and 3,000 new product launches.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ourpets.com

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Speeding to the front of the global energy storage industry is Oakridge Global Energy Solutions, Inc. (OTCQB: OGES). The company specializes in creating cells, energy storage systems, and batteries, all while proudly boasting a ‘Made in the USA’ label. Oakridge builds small and large prismatic stackable lithium cells, which promise 25-30% more energy density than those with a cylindrical format at a lower-cost. With more and more companies and consumers going ‘green’, Oakridge is poised to become a major contender in the energy solutions market.

Lithium-ion batteries are becoming popular among businesses because of their eco-friendliness and efficiency. Lithium is the lightest of all metals and has the greatest electrochemical potential, making it quite powerful. Since these batteries have a high energy density, they are packed with enough energy to power any electronic devices for a long time. Lithium-ion batteries do not have to be primed when first used and also lose a minimal charge over time, unlike traditional batteries. Overall, these batteries offer lighter weight, faster charging times, and little maintenance, which only adds to their appeal.

Part of Oakridge’s growth model is to target particular industries and market their product. Specifically, the company targets the motor industry with its Liberty Series, which includes lightweight motor batteries for motorcycles, jet skis, boats, trucks, snowmobiles, and cars, giving Oakridge a foothold in the rising electric vehicle trend.

According to Frost and Sullivan, the global market for lithium batteries is expected to double from $11.7 billion in 2012 to $22.5 billion this year. The counseling firm attributes this increase in demand to consumer goods and automobiles. To further back this claim, a report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance sees a jump in electric car sales from 1% today to 35% by 2040. Along with this growth, the report predicts that 70% of electricity added by 2030 will be ‘green.’ This means that future electric cars will be powered by clean energy rather than fossil fuels.

These recent reports and analysis only contribute to Oakridge’s vision of becoming a key player in the global energy storage industry. The growing demand for cleaner, cost-effective, and more efficient energy solutions should be a driving force in the company’s growth.

For more information, visit www.oakridgeglobalenergy.com

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Immunotherapy is treatment that uses certain parts of a person’s immune system to fight diseases such as cancer. This can be done in a couple of ways, including stimulating your own immune system to work harder or smarter to attack cancer cells or giving your immune system components, such as man-made immune system proteins. Some types of immunotherapy are also sometimes called biologic therapy or biotherapy. Immune Therapeutics, Inc. (OTCQB: IMUN) is a specialty pharmaceutical company involved in the manufacture, distribution and marketing of its novel patented therapies to combat chronic, life-threatening diseases through the activation and modulation of the body’s immune system. The company’s technology platform is built on two different immunotherapies, Low Dose Naltrexone and Methionine-Enkephalin.

Stimulating the body’s immune system remains one of the most promising approaches to addressing the unmet needs of cancers, HIV, inflammatory disease, autoimmune disease and other chronic infectious diseases. “If you take care of your body, then your body will take care of you.” It’s one of the simple clichés we hear all the time from people who are usually healthy. Your immune system is the front, middle and final line of defense against everything your body encounters throughout your lifespan. Nurturing and assisting the immune system with therapies like the ones mentioned above from Immune Therapeutics make much more sense than subjecting your body to harmful artificial treatment methodologies.

According to the Cancer.org website, nearly 14.5 million Americans with a history of cancer were alive on January 1, 2014. About 1,685,210 new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed in 2016, and about 595,690 Americans are expected to die from cancer in 2016, which translates to about 1,630 people per day. Cancer is the second most common cause of death in the U.S., exceeded only by heart disease, and it accounts for nearly one of every four deaths. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality estimates that the direct medical costs (total of all health care expenditures) for cancer in the U.S. in 2013 were $74.8 billion.

These are startling statistics. Most families have experienced the devastating effects of cancer firsthand. There is hope, though. The 5-year relative survival rate for all cancers diagnosed from 2005-2011 was 69 percent, up from 49 percent from 1975-1977. Improvement in survival reflects both the earlier diagnosis of certain cancers and improvements in treatment. Immune Therapeutics’ treatment methodologies are a part of the next generation in the battle against cancer and other chronic, life-threatening diseases.

Learn more by visiting www.immunetherapeutics.com

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Dominovas Energy Corp. (OTCQB: DNRG) is an energy solutions company that seeks to develop cost-efficient, clean, and dependable electricity for the world. Using the power of fuel cells that emit electricity from a chemical reaction, the company has developed the RUBICON™ system. This solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology creates ‘green’ and sustainable energy quickly and efficiently. Fuel cells are seen as the energy of the future since they can properly meet the demands of our energy-driven society. Therefore, Dominovas Energy stands to profit from these necessary and revolutionary power cells.

According to a recent article at Energybiz, our current energy solutions aren’t meeting the demands of our growing technology-based population. The article states that fuel cells can change daily life and meet our energy needs in a variety of ways. First, fuel cells used in vehicles have zero emissions and are not influenced by fluctuating oil prices. Fuel cells can also provide reliable, accessible, and cheaper power to homes and buildings. Furthermore, these cells are easily combined with fossil fuels, which quickly increase efficiency. Overall, fuel cells allow the population to produce its own energy without being “slaves to the grid.”

More and more companies, such as Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO), Nissan (OTC: NSANY), Pepperidge Farm (NYSE: CPB), UPS (NYSE: UPS), and IKEA, are seeing the positive outcomes of using fuel cells, which are in the lead of “Green Technology”. Dominovas Energy is preparing to meet these rising demands through the development of its RUBICON™ system, which could become the “Platinum” standard for fuel technology. This solution is expected to generate electricity with almost no emissions, create production improvements, and reduce operating and maintenance costs, all while producing reliable, silent, and uninterrupted quality power.

With rising global concerns over environment, energy, and pollution, Dominovas Energy is developing a solution that promises clean, dependable, efficient, and cost-effective electricity. The company aims to be known as the number one fuel cell energy solutions company in the world by continuously developing and delivering its product to energy-driven markets.

For more information, visit www.dominovasenergy.com

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International Stem Cell Corp. (OTCQB: ISCO) is considered among industry experts as a leader and pioneer in the field of regenerative medicine as a result of its development of a new class of stem cells. These cells, known as human parthenogenetic stem cells (hpSCs), possess the best characteristics of each of the other classes of stem cells. These stem cells are created by way of chemically stimulating the oocytes (eggs) to begin division. The oocytes are not fertilized and no viable embryo is created or destroyed. The ethical advantage of derivation from unfertilized oocytes makes these stem cells a promising source for the cell-based therapeutics industry.

ISCO is a biotech company that funnels its endeavors toward the development of therapeutic and biomedical products on a global scale. The company’s products are based on human parthenogenetic stem cells, a proprietary type of pluripotent stem cells. Additionally, the company develops neural stem cells, which are commonly used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and a variety of other neurological disorders.

Studies on the amount of money spent annually on the treatment of PD are nothing short of stunning. It is estimated that the combined direct and indirect costs of PD in the U.S. – which include treatment, social security payments and lost income due to the patient’s inability to work – is in the range of $25 billion. Medication costs for an individual afflicted with this disease average $2,500 a year. Furthermore, The Parkinson’s Disease Foundation has estimated that therapeutic surgery can cost up to $100,000 per individual.

Caused by the death of dopamine-producing cells in a brain region called the substantia nigra, PD typically results in severely restricted movement. Today’s treatments focus primarily on replacing the lost dopamine, but these treatments eventually fail, as the dopamine-making cells continue to die. It is through this process that stem cell therapy is of particular interest. Stem cell research has the potential to positively impact the development of disease-modifying treatments for PD. Enormous progress has been made in the area of creating dopamine-producing cells from stem cells, while the development of new cell models of PD has created a promising area of stem cell research as a whole.

For more information, visit www.internationalstemcell.com

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Earlier today, Oakridge Global Energy Solutions, Inc. (OTCQB: OGES) announced a new partnership with IST Co. Ltd, a Tokyo, Japan-based firm with broad relationships in the power and stored energy industries. Through this collaboration, the IST team will join the current Oakridge advising team through its previously established subsidiary in Hong Kong. IST is expected to leverage its broad relationships with university and research organizations throughout Japan and around the world in order to provide Oakridge with ongoing access to joint technology development opportunities for next generation rechargeable lithium batteries, such as lithium air, lithium-sulfur, nano-silicone and graphene negative electrodes, in addition to aiding in efforts to commercialize Oakridge’s previously developed thin film solid state lithium battery technology.

“We are all about latest technology and products at Oakridge,” Steve Barber, the company’s executive chairman and chief executive officer, stated in the news release. “With IST complementing the existing Oakridge advising team in Japan we have now greatly expanded our presence and relationship with Japan, while at the same time providing a much higher quality of equipment and raw materials for building our battery systems.”

With this partnership in place, Oakridge is better positioned to work with the highest quality Japanese equipment manufacturers in order to support future growth of its recently launched manufacturing facilities in the United States. The company expects the addition of top notch advisors and consultants to allow Oakridge to maintain its already high standards of technological advancement while continuing to drive innovation in its product line and address the evolving needs of its customers with the latest technology in high power battery and portable energy systems.

“We at Oakridge regard our relationship with Japan as highly important because of its technical prowess and also because it is a very strong ally to the United States and Australia which will be vitally important in the increasingly tumultuous international geopolitical situation,” continued Barber. “We are excited to be working with the high caliber of people and companies that we have had the pleasure to meet in the Japanese lithium ion battery market.”

The announcement of a partnership with IST caps off what has been an eventful week for Oakridge. On Monday, the company heralded the successful results of recently completed field trials of the Man-Portable Tactical Autonomous System (MANTAS), which was designed and produced by Maritime Tactical Systems, Inc. (MARTAC). Oakridge’s specialized, high performance batteries “greatly expanded the effective range of the MANTAS while at the same time providing us a much safer vessel,” according to MARTAC president and CEO Bruce Hanson. On Wednesday, Oakridge announced an agreement to supply batteries to Freedom Trucking for use in a fully electric interstate truck propulsion system.

For more information, visit www.oakridgeglobalenergy.com

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Moxian, Inc. (OTCQB: MOXC) has made a well-timed entry into the online-to-offline marketplace in Asia. A pioneer of novel social marketing and promotion platforms, Moxian moved into this market at a time when countries in the region are enjoying significant growth. In China alone, an estimated annual sales growth of 25% has been reported.

From its headquarters in Shenzhen, China, Moxian helps a variety of merchants – including retailers, manufacturers, shopping mall operators, transportation companies, telecommunications providers, software developers, online e-commerce operators, payment providers and news media – promote their businesses through online social media and with products such as:

• Moxian+ App – an online-to-offline business solution tailored to small and medium businesses
• MO-Promo – an online sale promotion website for the company’s merchant clients
• MO-Reward – a reward platform

Moxian’s products are designed to increase user stickiness. They are built to attract users and entice them to return regularly, as well as to encourage new users to subscribe to the company’s website. Moxian’s offerings also aim to enhance the merchant-customer interaction. The company designs products and services that allow its merchant clients to run targeted ad campaigns that utilize data compiled from a database of user activity.

Moxian has spent a fair amount of time testing, refining and perfecting its O2O platform in Asia. During this testing and development stage, the company brought in modest revenue. Now, in 2016, it is directing its attention toward the largest cosmopolitan areas in China and appears primed to see a major increase in revenue from new merchant subscriptions to its platform, as well as the opening of new sales offices in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai.

Steered by a skillful management team and far-reaching business strategies, Moxian appears ready to take advantage of the substantial market opportunity available in the O2O sector in China and to advance even further. With a growing number of merchants utilizing its platform, merchant fees will likely offer a major source of recurrent revenue for the company, which is also poised to earn additional revenue from the sale of advertising on its platform.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Moxian.com

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Nutra Pharma Corporation (OTCQB: NPHC), the company behind innovative products such as Nyloxin® and Pet Pain-Away, is set to build on its rich history of pursuing over-the-counter sales as it continues to advance its therapeutic pipeline based on cobra toxin. In an interview with The Life Sciences Report released last October, Rik Deitsch, the company’s chief executive officer, discussed Nutra Pharma’s plan to promote sustainable growth through the development and distribution of its proven pain medications in a collection of global markets – including India, China, Canada and the United States.

“We started speaking with the FDA in 2009 about an ethical pain therapy that uses microgram doses of cobra venom extract as a neurotoxin, or neuro blocker, for pain and inflammation,” Deitsch recounted in the article. “The FDA told us our drug qualified as an OTC homeopathic medication because it is derived from a natural product and because the dosage is so small. That allowed us to create our first OTC drugs in 2009–2010.”

To date, Nutra Pharma has released seven unique stock keeping units (SKUs) of Nyloxin, which is an OTC pain treatment for humans, as well as one SKU of Pet Pain-Away for dogs and cats. Products under both of these brands leverage a non-addictive, non-narcotic formula and lack all of the negative side effects commonly associated with other OTC pain medications. Despite this stellar safety profile, Nyloxin has shown to be approximately 600 times more potent than morphine in clinical studies, offering pain relief for roughly four hours longer than the popular opioid medication.

In the Life Sciences Report article, Deitsch noted that Nutra Pharma is “at an inflection point.” Because it is able to generate significant revenues from OTC drug sales – with sales from these products expected to increase dramatically over the next 16 months, according to Deitsch – the company has effectively mitigated the risk to investors while continuing to push forward with clinical trials for a pipeline of potential blockbuster drugs addressing underserved indications such as multiple sclerosis (MS), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and select autoimmune and antiviral conditions. Deitsch predicts that Nutra Pharma will be cash-flow positive within the first half of 2016.

Nutra Pharma released a letter to shareholders in December providing an update on the information offered in the previously referenced article and reviewing the company’s progress toward achieving growth in 2015. Particularly worthy of note, the company was granted orphan status for drug candidate RPI-78M for the treatment of pediatric MS. With this designation in hand, Nutra Pharma will enjoy a collection of benefits over conventional drug applications – including tax credits for research costs, the option to apply for grant funding, clinical trial design assistance and the waiver of Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) filing fees, which can be in excess of $2.5 million. In a news release earlier this month, the company announced that it will unveil additional steps related to the development of RPI-78M and other growth initiatives in the coming weeks.

For more information on the company, visit www.NutraPharma.com

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Ovarian cancer is the fourth-leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the U.S. When someone is diagnosed with ovarian cancer, they are usually in the advanced stages of the disease and treatment is not nearly as effective as it would be if it had been discovered earlier. Avant Diagnostics, Inc. (OTCQB: AVDX) is a medical diagnostic technology company that specializes in large panel biomarker screening. The company’s first test, OvaDx®, is a sophisticated microarray-based test designed to detect pre-symptomatic ovarian cancer by measuring the activation of the immune system in blood samples in response to early stage ovarian tumor cell development.

In clinical development, OvaDx has indicated high sensitivity and specificity for all types and stages of ovarian cancer, including stage IA-IV borderline serous, clear cell, endometrioid, mixed epithelial, mucinous, serous and ovarian adenocarcinoma. Upon FDA approval, Avant plans to offer its diagnostic product as an elective test for women seeking greater wellness, as well as those in the elevated risk category for ovarian cancer.

In a recent Time magazine article (http://dtn.fm/sv0Pa), there is a great comparison study done on a largely ineffective technique currently used for early detection of ovarian cancer. A blood test, called CA-125, can pick up signs of tumors in the ovaries, but it’s not very specific or sensitive for these growths. CA-125 levels can rise not just because of ovarian tumors, but during menstruation and pregnancy as well. That may explain why the test only picks up 60% to 65% of cancers.

OvaDx is expected to be used by doctors to advance the forefront of ovarian cancer treatment, promoting the utilization of improved surgical options and more effective chemotherapies by serving as a supplement to existing tests, such as CA-125, OVA1® and transvaginal ultrasound. In this way, Avant’s innovative product will promote earlier diagnoses and, as a result, improved survival rates for patients with ovarian cancer.

According to another Time magazine article (http://dtn.fm/J1Vwa), the traditional treatment for ovarian cancer is surgery followed by rounds of monthly chemotherapy. The treatment is effective, but there is growing evidence that exposing tumors to such high dose toxic agents at one time is effective in killing cancer cells in the short term, but may encourage chemo-resistant cells to flourish over time.

The common theme here is that early identification of problems (ovarian cancer in this case) is essential in order to take full advantage of currently available treatment options. Cancer is just like the ‘The Blob’ from the classic 1950’s movie and the 1980’s remake. If people would have properly identified the Blob/cancer earlier, it could have been frozen/treated and stored away so that people could have gone on with their daily lives without worry and pain.

For more information, visit the company website at www.avantdiagnostics.com

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California’s four-year drought should desiccate customer traffic, the way it has the streams and rivers, for restaurants like Giggles N’ Hugs (OTCQB: GIGL). As CEO Joey Parsi explained in a recent interview with QualityStocks, good weather is bad news for restaurants, since, when the weather is good, people do ‘outdoorsy things’. Despite the call of the outdoors, Giggles N’ Hugs saw its revenues increase. Sales were up about three percent in spite of the weather. Giggles N’ Hugs is a chain of fast casual restaurants with healthy menu options, a fun family atmosphere and, of course, plenty of giggles and hugs.

A story (http://dtn.fm/NDaL2) in Nation’s Restaurant News explained ‘Why Fast Casual is Eating the Industry’s Lunch’ by looking at Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG), Panera Bread Co. (NASDAQ: PNRA), Five Guys LLC, and Shake Shack (NYSE: SHAK). Another story (http://dtn.fm/1bL8v) in Forbes quotes industry analyst Technomic’s ‘2014 Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report’, noting that ‘sales for fast casual chains grew by 11% and store count by 8% in 2013’. The fastest of the fast casuals has been Chipotle which has had revenue growth of around 20 percent for the past five years. Yet another story (http://dtn.fm/M1T6x) in the Washington Post, titled ‘The Chipotle Effect: Why America is obsessed with fast casual food’, with data from market research firm Euromonitor, reports that Americans spent over $21 billion at fast casual restaurants in 2014. The Washington Post also asks what the fast casual category is. A major characteristic seems to be the price point. The average tab for a regular fast food outlet is $5; for a fast casual it is much higher, ranging from $9 – $13.

Technomic has identified ten other factors that may play a part in customer perception: overall food quality, better ingredients, wholesome food, a perception of freshness, sophisticated décor, fast service, fair prices, friendly staff, flexible offerings, and a view of the food preparation area. These are exactly the sort of things you will find at any one of Giggles N’ Hugs’ three restaurants.

Giggles N’ Hugs offers an organic, gluten-free, menu with vegetarian options. All produce is grown locally with organic ingredients when available. The beef comes from grass-fed cows to which no hormones have been administered. Breads are made fresh daily by local artisan bakeries. At Giggles N’ Hugs, there are no leftovers; meals are prepared from scratch daily to ensure freshness. The cooks use only trans-fat free canola oil and extra virgin oil, when necessary.

The Giggles N’ Hugs menu offers appealing appetizing adventures. To start the day, you can have Caprese, a delightful concoction of ripe tomatoes, basil and fresh buffalo mozzarella drizzled with olive oil, balsamic glaze, salt and pepper, or, perhaps, the Citrus Tuna Salad, made with citrus mayo, almonds and raisins served over a bed of organic mixed greens and shredded organic heirloom carrots tossed in lime vinaigrette. For lunch, there is the Chicken Breast Parmesan, which includes grilled or breaded chicken breast topped with house-made marinara sauce, melted mozzarella and parmesan cheese that’s served with spaghetti marinara. Giggles N’ Hugs only uses all-natural chicken.

According to a research report published by Duff & Phelps entitled Restaurant Industry Insights 2015, chicken is the new ‘burger’. The reports details that, in 2013, ‘Chick-fil-A surpassed Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) as the top chicken fast food chain with sales of $5.0 billion compared to KFC’s $4.2 billion. This is despite KFC having more than double the number of U.S. stores (4,491) than its Atlanta-based rival (1,775). The driving factor behind Chick-fil-A’s success is actually quite simple: the chicken sandwich. Chick-fil-A doesn’t serve processed chicken patties like its fast food competitors do.

The financial menu at Giggles N’ Hugs is equally attractive. An investment report by the Small Cap Network says the projected payback period on a new store’s initial investment is only about 2.14 years. EBITDA margin after four years of a new store’s operation is expected to be close to 18 percent of sales. From an investment point of view, Giggles N’ Hugs looks very palatable.

Learn more by visiting www.gigglesnhugs.com

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