Santo Domingo.- The Technological Institute of Santo Domingo (INTEC) and Macrotech, a specialized company in comprehensive health services, have signed a collaboration agreement to promote educational and scientific initiatives that improve the quality of life and contribute to the sustained development of the Dominican Republic.

Dr. Julio Sánchez Mariñez, the rector of INTEC, and Joaquín Toribio, the founder and general director of Macrotech, signed the agreement. The collaboration aims to support educational and scientific activities for students in the Biomedical Engineering program, including internships for students from various fields of study at the university.

Dr. Sánchez Mariñez expressed his appreciation for Macrotech’s support and highlighted the importance of developing technical capacities to design solutions for complex health issues. He emphasized the positive impact of the collaboration on society and sustainability.

Joaquín Toribio, the general director of Macrotech, expressed satisfaction in contributing to the development of technical skills and offering the company’s laboratory practical training in the Biomedical Engineering program. This commitment reinforces their dedication to societal contributions.

The signing ceremony, held at the university, was attended by Macrotech representatives Melissa Bisonó, the commercial director; Esteban Rodríguez, the regional senior marketing manager; and Norelyn Ramírez, the regional communications manager. INTEC was represented by Alliet Ortega, the Vice Chancellor of Administration and Finance; Arturo del Villar, the academic vice-rector; and several deans and faculty members from various areas of study.

The collaboration between INTEC and Macrotech will foster innovation, research, and the development of skills in the healthcare sector, contributing to the advancement of the country’s healthcare system and the well-being of its population.

Director of the Barbados Drug Service (BDS), Maryam Karga-Hinds, has provided an update regarding some of the drugs which have been affected by recent supply challenges.

Karga-Hinds stated that with respect to the steroid Prednisolone, which is used to treat several conditions, including asthma and Long-COVID, there have been a number of delays in shipment from the contracted supplier, causing the need for a second supplier to be contracted. The shipment of this drug is now scheduled to arrive in two to three weeks. The Drug Service is also currently searching for stock that is readily available.

Additionally, she said there has been an issue with the drug Androcur (Cyproterone), which is used to treat prostate cancer, where the manufacturers have been experiencing shortages with obtaining the raw materials. This has resulted in rationing, leading to buyers not receiving the amounts ordered from the suppliers.

Karga-Hinds noted that the Barbados Drug Service contracted a generic supplier to fill the need, but the product has to be manufactured and the generic is not expected to be ready before the end of June. There is a limited supply on island.

She further stated that in the past few months, there have been significant challenges with Epilim which is used to treat epilepsy. She pointed out that this is not a product which can be easily interchanged.

The local agent has indicated that small quantities of the 300 mg and 500 mg have been shipped, however, the 300 mg strength is scheduled for discontinuation by year-end. The Drug Service is actively looking for a replacement product.

The Director indicated that the supplier of Ibuprofen, an anti-inflammatory drug, has advised that a limited supply is available on island and should be ready for sale shortly.

She also shared that a shipment of Ventolin liquid, which is used to treat asthma, is on its way to the island adding that, recently, a quantity of this drug expired and had to be destroyed because of the lack of demand. Ventolin tablet is no longer on the Barbados national drug formulary.

Karga-Hinds expressed regret over any challenges experienced by the public as it relates to availability of medication. She stated that the management and staff of the Barbados Drug Service will continue to do all in their capacity to re-establish supply of the items that are out of stock.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness is committed to updating the public with relevant information as it becomes available.

The post Drug Service Director explains supply challenges appeared first on Barbados Today.

With thousands of Haitians entering the country on Mondays and Fridays to participate in the Dajabón border market, Mayor Santiago Riveron alerted the population and, in the next few hours, will meet with Public Health authorities to prevent possible infected people from entering the trade fair.

So far, the Haitian authorities have not officially announced a cholera outbreak, and according to the information received, they have not taken the necessary sanitary measures.

Public Health authorities will meet to discuss the issue EXTERNAL SOURCE

WHAT IS CHOLERA?
Cholera is an acute diarrheal infection caused by ingesting contaminated food or water. People with reduced immunity, such as malnourished children, are at a higher risk of dying if infected.

The three-year study found that a daily drop in each eye of a low dose of atropine, a drug used to dilate pupils, was better than a placebo at limiting eyeglass prescription changes and inhibiting elongation of the eye in nearsighted children aged 6 to 10.

That elongation leads to myopia, or nearsightedness, which starts in young kids and continues to get worse into the teen years before leveling off in most people. In addition to requiring life-long vision correction, nearsightedness increases the risk for retinal detachment, macular degeneration, cataracts and glaucoma later in life – and most corrective lenses don’t do anything to stop myopia progression.

“The idea of keeping eyeballs smaller isn’t just so people’s glasses are thinner-it would also be so that in their 70s they don’t suffer visual impairment,” said lead study author Karla Zadnik, professor and dean of the College of Optometry at The Ohio State University.

“This is exciting work for the myopia research community, which I’ve been part of for 35 years. We’ve talked about treatment and control for decades,” she said. “And it’s exciting to think that there could be options in the future for millions of children we know are going to be myopic.”

The results of the CHAMP (Childhood Atropine for Myopia Progression) trial are published today (June 1, 2023) in JAMA Ophthalmology.

About one in three adults worldwide is nearsighted, and the global prevalence of myopia is predicted to increase to 50% by 2050. Though one federally approved contact lens can slow progression of nearsightedness, no pharmaceutical products are approved in the United States or Europe to treat myopia.

Animal studies years ago hinted at atropine’s ability to slow the growth of the eye, but the full-strength drug’s interference with near vision and concerns about pupil dilation hindered early considerations of its potential as a human therapy for myopia. More recent research has suggested a low dose of atropine might be the ticket.

This new double-masked, randomized phase 3 trial assessed the safety and effectiveness of two low-dose solutions, with atropine concentrations of either .01% or .02%, versus placebo. Treatment for each of the 489 children aged 6 to 10 assessed for the drug’s effectiveness consisted of one daily drop per eye at bedtime, which minimized the disruption of any blurring effects atropine might have on vision.

Researchers were a bit surprised to find that the most significant improvements at all time points compared to placebo resulted from the solution containing .01% of atropine. Though the .02% atropine formulation was also better at slowing progression of myopia than placebo, the results were less consistent.

“The .01% story is clearer and more obvious in terms of significantly slowing both the growth of the eye as well as then resulting in a lower glasses prescription,” Zadnik said.

Including a measure of the eye’s growth was a key component of the study because “the field is actually moving toward axial elongation being as important as, or more important than, the glasses prescription in terms of the most meaningful outcome,” she said. “If we’re trying to slow eye growth to prevent bad outcomes for people in their 80s, measuring the eye growth directly is really important.”

The drugs’ safety was assessed in a larger sample of 573 participants that also included children as young as 3 and up to age 16. Both low-dose formulations were safe and well tolerated. The most common side effects were sensitivity to light, allergic conjunctivitis, eye irritation, dilated pupils and blurred vision, although reports of these side effects were few.

The CHAMP trial was the first study of low-dose atropine to include placebo controls for three years and to involve a large, diverse population recruited from 26 clinical sites in North America and five countries in Europe. In a second section of the trial, researchers are evaluating how the eyes respond when the treatment is over.

The experimental drug is made without preservatives and, if federally approved as a therapy, would be distributed in single-use packaging for convenience and to prevent contamination. Off-label low-dose atropine that can currently be obtained at compounding pharmacies may contain preservatives that can lead to dry eye and corneal irritation, researchers noted.

Reference:

Zadnik K, Schulman E, Flitcroft I, et al. Efficacy and Safety of 0.01% and 0.02% Atropine for the Treatment of Pediatric Myopia Progression Over 3 Years: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Ophthalmol. Published online June 01, 2023. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2023.2097.

PEOPLE with mental health ailments are oftentimes stigmatised, classed poorly, and made to feel as if they don't hold a place in society.

Dr Rochelle Allison Bailey says it is not a situation where one can tell an individual who suffers from depression or anxiety, to name a few, to just 'snap out of it.'

"The mind is a powerful tool. The World Health Organization [WHO] estimates that 20 per cent of the Jamaican population suffers from some form of mental health issue. We all feel anxious or downtrodden from time-to-time, but only a selective few develop a mental illness," Bailey told the Jamaica Observer.

Bailey said a mental illness is a mental health condition that gets in the way of thinking, relating to others, and day-to-day function.

"It is a physical illness of the brain that causes disturbances in thinking, behaviour, energy or emotion that makes it difficult to cope with the ordinary demands of life. The 2017 Global Burden of Disease database shows that depression and anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health concerns facing the population of Jamaica. Around three per cent of Jamaicans have a depressive disorder and 4.1 per cent have an anxiety disorder," she said.

Bailey said women are at a 'disproportionate" risk for both disorders, as 3.7 per cent have depression, and 4.3 per cent have anxiety, compared to just 2.3 per cent of men for each disorder.

"The mind has the ability to break you or mend you, to bring you peace or to allow your thoughts to roam a million miles per hour. Sometimes we simply have no control over the thoughts that flood our minds. Oftentimes it can become so overwhelming, distressing, depressing, you reach to a point where you begin to ask 'why me?'

"You are called psychotic, insane, mad man or mad woman; you are made to feel as if you too don't matter all because your mind simply has a mind of its own."

Bailey zoomed in on psychosis, explaining that it is a mental health condition that manifests as hallucinations, erratic social behaviour, and delusions – all of which may occur during psychotic episodes when an individual's perception of reality is disrupted.

She said disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and severe depression or anxiety can cause psychosis.

"Substance abuse or general medical conditions such as Alzheimer's disease can also trigger psychotic episodes. The incidence of psychosis in Jamaica has been estimated at 2.09 per 10,000 people, and psychosis and schizophrenia together account for 80 per cent of mental illness related public clinic visits nationwide," Bailey told Your Health Your Wealth, noting that most new cases of anxiety disorders appear in Jamaicans in the 20-34 and 35-59 age groups.

"More than 18 per cent of adults each year struggle with some type of anxiety disorder, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder (panic attacks), generalised anxiety disorder and specific phobias."

Bailey added that in Jamaica, psychosis was responsible for 106,674 visits to public health clinics for mental illness in 2016, accounting for more than 80 per cent of mental illness related public clinic visits nationwide.

"Only half of those affected receive treatment, often because of the stigma attached to mental health. Untreated, mental illness can contribute to higher medical expenses, poorer performance at school and work, fewer employment opportunities and increased risk of suicide," she told Your Health Your Wealth.

"Studies show that stigma against mental illness is still powerful, largely due to media stereotypes and lack of education and that people tend to attach negative stigmas to mental health conditions at a far higher rate than to other diseases and disabilities, such as cancer, diabetes or heart disease."

Bailey highlighted common symptoms associated with mental illness:

• feeling down for a while

• extreme swings in mood

• withdrawing from family, friends, or activities

• low energy or problems sleeping

• often feeling angry, hostile, or violent

• feeling paranoid, hearing voices, or having hallucinations

• often thinking about death or suicide.

Dental cavities are caused from a combination of factors, including bacteria in the mouth, lots of sugary and starchy foods, and poor oral (or mouth) hygiene. When foods containing carbohydrates such as candy, cookies, soda, milk, cake, fruit juices, and bread are left behind on the teeth, the bacteria that normally live in your mouth interacts with these foods to make an acid. The bacteria plus the food, the acid and saliva combine to form plaque which gets stuck on the teeth. Over time, the acids can eventually cause the enamel (the outer layer of your tooth) to weaken and erode, causing cavities. Other factors that can contribute to cavity formation are inadequate fluoride exposure and conditions affecting saliva production.

If left untreated, dental cavities can lead to serious health conditions. When cavities worsen, they can reach deep into the tooth causing pain, teeth sensitivity and tooth loss. Not only do cavities look unpleasant, but they can also cause bad breath. Cavities can also lead to abscess formation in the mouth, and damage to the bones of your jaw.

The bacteria in the mouth may travel from the mouth, enter the blood stream and cause an infection in other parts of the body.

Dental cavities can hinder medical procedures, especially surgeries. If cavities are present, there is an increased risk of complications like infections in the heart and blood stream.

In fact, if your child has a heart condition which requires a cardiac procedure or surgery, we cannot perform the procedure unless all dental cavities are sorted. I have seen many children waiting on cardiac procedures because they have dental cavities. There have been cases of young children with underlying heart conditions ending up in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit), needing to be attached to a machine to help them breathe because of complications from dental cavities.

Dental cavities increase the risk of developing infective endocarditis, which is a serious infection affecting the lining of the heart, sometimes causing small growths inside the heart. If your child develops this condition, they will have to be admitted and treated in the hospital with antibiotics given in their vein for six weeks! They may even need surgery to remove the growths inside the heart. Children with underlying heart conditions may need to take antibiotics before dental procedures to help prevent this heart infection.

So, parents and guardians, take care of your children's teeth with these tips:

- For young babies, clean baby's gums with a clean wet rag. This introduces them to teeth brushing in their near future.

- Start brushing teeth once baby's first tooth erupts using a soft, small toothbrush

- Use non-fluoride toothpaste to brush baby's teeth (they can't spit out the toothpaste; fluoride toothpaste shouldn't be swallowed)

- For children younger than three, use a tiny amount of fluoride toothpaste.

- Once they understand how to spit out the toothpaste and won't swallow, use a pea sized amount

- Brush teeth for 2 minutes, making sure to clean all teeth and surfaces including gums

(I know they may be challenging, but they'll get used to it eventually. You can make it fun by singing a tooth brushing song, and allowing them to "help" brush their teeth. There are also electrical toothbrushes that have a 2 minute timer)

- Brush teeth twice a day

- Floss teeth regularly after age two

- Brush the tongue as well, or get a tongue scraper

- After brushing teeth before bed, nothing to eat or drink except water- including babies who have a bottle at bedtime

- Supervise children brushing teeth until about age eight

- Limit sugary snacks and drinks!! Ensure children eat a well-balanced diet

-First visit to the dentist should be once a tooth erupts.

What can you look for to check if your child is developing or has tooth decay?

The teeth may start to develop white spots or brownish areas. As the cavity worsens, the brown colour becomes darker. Your child may complain of teeth sensitivity to certain foods like sweets, or can't tolerate hot or cold foods, pain in the mouth or the jaw, or no symptoms at all.

If the dentist suspects dental cavities, they will do X-rays of the affected tooth to determine how to treat the cavity. Cavities can be treated with fillings, or they need to be extracted (or pulled out).

Dr Tal's Tidbit

Dental cavities are a common and preventable health condition and may result in serious complications if left untreated. Prevention starts with good dental hygiene, and early detection and treatment to prevent further damage. A well-balanced diet including limiting sugary and starchy food can help to prevent tooth decay.

Dr Taleya Girvan has over a decade's experience treating children at the Bustamante Hospital for Children, working in the Accident and Emergency Department and Paediatric Cardiology Department. Her goal is to use the knowledge she has gained to improve the lives of patients by increasing knowledge about the health-care system in Jamaica. Dr Tal's Tidbits is a series in which she speaks to patients and caregivers, providing practical advice that will improve health care for the general population. Email: dr.talstidbits@gmail.com IG @dr.tals_tidbits

According to official data, so far this year, there have been 1,837 cases of dengue fever, a disease transmitted by the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito that breeds in clean water, especially in the water that accumulates in or around homes.

The highest number of cases reported up to epidemiological week 20, when 1,341 cases had been registered, was in Greater Santo Domingo, with 523 cases, followed by Santiago with 290 and Monte Cristi with 112 reports in the surveillance system. In the province of Puerto Plata, 83 cases of dengue had been reported up to that date; in Barahona, 65; in La Altagracia and Maria Trinidad Sanchez, 61, respectively; in San Cristobal, 60 cases; in La Romana, 58 and Sanchez Ramirez, 58 cases of dengue. Luis Rosario, director of the Regional and Provincial Health Directorates, assured that dengue, malaria, and other epidemiological surveillance diseases had registered a decrease so far this year.

Between 2020 and 2021, there was a nearly 19% increase in weight loss surgeries among U.S. youths aged 10 to 19 years, as discovered by researchers from the University of Texas, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

The researchers were particularly interested in looking at these trends after the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a statement in late 2019 endorsing increased access to bariatric surgery for teens, said lead study author Sarah Messiah, PhD, professor and pediatric obesity researcher at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health.

KIDS AND OBESITY: NEW GUIDELINES RELEASED TO EVALUATE AND TREAT CHILDHOOD, ADOLESCENT WEIGHT ISSUES

The study drew on data from across six years from the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program, which accredits bariatric surgery centers in the U.S. and Canada.

"Historically, research shows pediatricians have been hesitant to refer their patients with severe obesity to bariatric surgery," Messiah told Fox News Digital in an email. 

"Our findings show a steady increase in usage in the two years after the release of this AAP statement."

The increase was particularly high for racial and ethnic minority groups. That includes Hispanic/Latino, non-Hispanic Black/African American and others, possibly because they are "disproportionately impacted by cardiometabolic disease risk factors versus non-Hispanic Whites," Messiah said.

These risk factors include elevated blood pressure, lipids, insulin, glucose and waist circumference — all of which are risk factors for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease as well as some types of cancer, she added.

MEDICAL EXPERTS FACE BACKLASH OVER 'BARBARIC' CALLS TO TREAT OBESE KIDS WITH DRUGS, SURGERIES

The new study did have some limitations, Messiah said.

"We are always limited to the data we are analyzing in that it does not include the entire universe of all adolescents who have ever completed bariatric surgery in the U.S. during the analytical time period," she said. 

BARIATRIC SURGERY PATIENTS LIVE LONGER BUT FACE A HIGHER SUICIDE RISK, SAYS STUDY

"However, this dataset does include all adolescent patients who completed their surgery at a U.S. accredited center, which is the gold standard," the doctor also said.

In January 2023, the AAP released its new pediatric obesity treatment guidelines, officially endorsing bariatric surgery and weight loss prescriptions for the first time.

"Teens age 13 and older with severe obesity (BMI ≥120% of the 95th percentile for age and sex) should be evaluated for metabolic and bariatric surgery," the guidelines stated.

There are four main types of bariatric surgery, according to the Cleveland Clinic: gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, gastric band and duodenal switch.

There was a lot of resistance to the AAP’s recommendation, Messiah pointed out.

TENNESSEE MAN EATS ONLY MCDONALD'S FOOD FOR 100 DAYS STRAIGHT: HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED

"However, our analysis would suggest that families are following their own path in terms of deciding to move forward with surgery for their adolescent," she said. 

"It will be important that we support these families moving forward to ensure the best health outcomes for their adolescents as they age into adulthood."

Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, offers a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. 

Billed as a minimally invasive procedure, it involves removing a large portion of the stomach to suppress hunger, according to its website.

The hospital recommends exploring weight loss surgery for children who are at least 5 years old, have a BMI of at least 40 (or above 35 with other medical conditions) and have had at least six months of "supervised medical weight loss therapy."

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Ohio also has a bariatric surgery program, but its website states that it’s for "severely obese adolescents who haven’t had success with behavioral and nutritional approaches to weight loss."

Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, offers two types of bariatric surgery: gastric bypass and gastric sleeve. 

The website doesn’t specify a minimum age requirement, but patients must be at least 100 pounds over their "ideal body weight."

Patients and physicians have gone online to share experiences and opinions on pediatric weight loss surgery. 

These run the gamut from success stories to cautionary tales.

One bariatric surgeon on Reddit voiced concern about misconceptions of the procedure.

OZEMPIC, WEGOVY AND PREGNANCY RISK: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE ISSUE

"People see it as ‘the easy way out,’ but it's honestly the only way out for 95% of people who are morbidly obese," the doctor wrote. 

"Your metabolic rate will slow down significantly if you try to diet and lose weight, and your progress will slow down — and weight regain is almost inevitable. Bariatric surgery doesn't do that, and something like the gastric bypass hardwires in a malabsorptive component that can't be overridden."

"Do I think we should do bariatric surgery in teenagers? I won't be doing it any time soon, but I think that in a controlled setting with IRB approval, it is appropriate," the surgeon continued, referring to Institutional Review Boards. 

"We have an entire demographic of teenagers with type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea and serious joint pains because of their weight," the surgeon also wrote. "It would be ignorant to overlook an obvious treatment for those conditions."

Another poster, however, shared that her friend opted for the bypass procedure at 16 years old and did not have a good experience.

"She’s now 26 and has gained all the weight back and more," she wrote. 

"Her brain wasn’t done developing and she wasn’t mature enough to understand the consequences of such major surgery and to stick to the guidelines and deal with her disordered eating."

Meanwhile, a surgery intern in a private hospital posted that the facility had performed an "astonishingly high number of bariatric cases" and recalled seeing many complications — even when very skilled surgeons did the procedures.

Dr. Sue Decotiis, a triple board-certified weight loss physician in New York City, warned of the potential dangers of these surgeries in children and teens, given their "irreversible nature."

She told Fox News Digital, "With bariatric surgery, you're altering the anatomy of the GI tract, and that anatomy — if it's a bypass — can never be returned [to its original state]."

She added, "That means the individual is never going to be able to eat regular meals because the anatomy of the stomach has changed."

Another potential problem is that after the anatomy of the stomach is altered, Decotiis said, the person won’t be able to eat as much high-nutrition and high-fiber food because they will feel full immediately.

"This can make them gravitate toward processed foods because those are a lot easier to get down," she said. 

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Before going the surgery route for a child or teen, Decotiis recommends first making dietary changes, such as cutting out sodas and sugary foods and slowly introducing more nutritious fare.

And in the case of teens with severe obesity, the doctor pointed out that if they start with some of the newer weight loss medications that are available, surgery might not be necessary.

"All the medical options need to be exhausted before they consider surgery, because surgery is irreversible," Decotiis said.

The only exception, she said, is if the child or teen is "morbidly obese" (now known as Class III obesity, which is when a person has a BMI of 40 or higher, or 35 or higher along with obesity-related health conditions, per the Cleveland Clinic). 

"Otherwise, it's not worth it because they will likely gain the weight back — and since their anatomy has been disturbed, getting proper nutrients will be difficult in the future."

Santo Domingo.- The Dominican Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery has issued a warning to the Dominican population and healthcare professionals regarding the rising number of positive Covid-19 cases and other respiratory illnesses. Pulmonologists belonging to the society have reported a significant increase in patients testing positive for Covid-19, influenza, pneumonia, and other viral respiratory conditions in recent weeks.

While the World Health Organization has declared the end of the health emergency for Covid-19, society emphasized that this does not mean that the virus is no longer a global health threat. They urged the public to understand that the risk from Covid-19 persists and advised against letting their guard down.

Society emphasized the possibility of new variants emerging despite the current low indicators. They recommended the resumption of mask usage, particularly in enclosed spaces and areas with large gatherings. They highlighted the importance of protecting vulnerable populations, such as seniors, pregnant women, and individuals with underlying health conditions.

Society encouraged individuals experiencing symptoms resembling a common cold or flu to seek medical attention for proper diagnosis and appropriate treatment. They strongly advised against self-medication or following treatments intended for others.

Furthermore, society called upon healthcare professionals to take necessary precautions in their practices, including not admitting patients without masks. Vigilance towards new variants, their effects, and the potential for resurgence was emphasized as a crucial aspect of maintaining public health.

The statement serves as a reminder to remain cautious and proactive in the face of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, prioritizing the well-being and safety of individuals and the community at large.