Santo Domingo.- The rising rates of skin cancer in the country can be attributed to several factors, including inadequate skin care, delayed intervention, and the failure to use sunscreen. This year alone, the Dominican Dermatological Institute (IDCP) has received 605 consultations resulting in diagnoses of cancerous skin lesions. This number is alarmingly close to the previous year’s report, which documented 1,168 cases of cancer detection.

Luisa Gonzalez, the head of the center’s Surgical Units, highlighted the increase in the incidence of skin cancer and attributed it to various factors such as environmental pollution, dietary habits, and lifestyle changes. These factors have collectively contributed to a higher prevalence of skin cancer among the population.

Out of the 600-plus consultations received, 111 patients required surgical procedures for skin cancer treatment. This number is significantly higher compared to the previous year when 400 patients underwent surgery, indicating an increasing trend.

The IDCP plans to conduct a national awareness campaign called “Choose to Take Care of Yourself” from the 25th of this month to June 25th. The campaign aims to raise awareness about skin cancer prevention. The medical professionals at the dermatological institute emphasized that the incidence of malignant melanoma in the Dominican Republic differs from the global trend.

Contrary to global statistics, it was observed that women in the Dominican Republic are more proactive in seeking early medical attention for any changing or emerging skin lesions. This may be due to better education and awareness among women compared to men.

Previously, the institute received visits from 30 patients with advanced malignant melanoma in a year, but last year alone, the number increased to 170 patients.

Specialists emphasize the importance of early detection of malignant melanoma, as each case of skin cancer is unique. The institutional focus has always been on raising awareness, as timely prevention measures can significantly reduce the impact of the disease.

Early diagnosis and biopsy are crucial in determining the appropriate course of treatment, as different types of skin cancer exhibit varying behaviors. The Dominican Dermatological Institute follows a protocol for skin cancer patients, including triage, evaluation, surgery, and post-operative follow-ups at regular intervals over several years. This comprehensive approach aims to ensure optimal care and monitoring for patients.

The objective of this year’s theme is to raise awareness, promote hypertension detection and encourage citizens of all countries to prevent and control this silent killer

View the full post World Hypertension Day: 17 May 2023 on NOW Grenada.

Artificial intelligence has its own idea of what the perfect human body should look like.

A new study by The Bulimia Project, a Brooklyn, New York-based website that publishes content and research related to eating disorders, investigated how AI perceived the "ideal" body based on social media data.

The results, produced by AI-generated imaging tools such as Dall-E 2, Stable Diffusion and Midjourney, showed widely "unrealistic" body structures, as reported in a discussion of the findings on The Bulimia Project's website.

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Forty percent of the overall images depicted "unrealistic" body types of muscular men and women — 37% for women and 43% for men — according to the study.

For women, the AI-generated images seemed to have a bias toward blonde hair, brown eyes and olive-toned skin.

More than half (53%) of all images of women generated to depict the "ideal body type" included olive skin.

For men, the AI-generated images showed a bias toward brown hair, brown eyes and olive skin.

Sixty-seven percent of all images for men with the "ideal body type" included brown hair and 63% had olive skin.

Additionally, 47% of the images for men included facial hair.

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The Bulimia Project extracted its results by approaching the various AI systems with two prompts.

The first prompt — "the ‘perfect’ female body according to social medial in 2023" — generated a variety of female body types but showed an obvious preference for slimmer women with toned muscles.

The second prompt — "the ‘perfect’ male body, according to social medial in 2023" — did the same, coming up with images of men with perfectly toned abs.

"Smaller women appeared in nearly all the images created by Dall-E 2, Stable Diffusion and Midjourney, but the latter came up with the most unrealistic representations of the female body," the study revealed.

"The same can be said for the male physiques it generated, all of which look like photoshopped versions of bodybuilders."

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The study broadened the scope beyond social media, prompting the AI tools to generate images of "the ‘perfect’ woman in 2023" and "the ‘perfect’ man in 2023."

The results showed more diversity in skin, hair and eye color as well as ethnicity, although the images still depicted conventionally "fit" individuals.

The study compared how the social media-inspired images were much more sexualized and "unsettling," in terms of disproportionate body parts, than the AI-inspired renderings.

"Considering that social media uses algorithms based on which content gets the most lingering eyes, it’s easy to guess why AI’s renderings would come out more sexualized," the study concluded. 

"But we can only assume that the reason AI came up with so many oddly shaped versions of the physiques it found on social media is that these platforms promote unrealistic body types to begin with."

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In the age of filters on photo apps such as Snapchat and Instagram, "no one can reasonably achieve the physical standards set by social media," the study noted.

The Bulimia Project study was launched in response to the jarring impact of social media on children’s mental health, which could be a source of body image issues, according to the study.

The idealization of body types on social media has an undeniable effect on adults as well, experts say.

James Campigotto, a Deerfield, Florida-based data journalist who worked on The Bulimia Project's study, told Fox News Digital in an interview that this study was designed to explore the biases and potential dangers of AI.

Campigotto noted that some of the results were considered "unrealistic" in terms of body type by straying "far away" from what is "obtainable" by the average person.

"This could [negatively impact] individuals' body images," he said. 

"You could be someone who's doing all the right things, eating properly and exercising constantly … and still not achieving these very outlandish images, which can be very disheartening and impactful on someone's self-image," he added.

Campigotto said he was most surprised by the lack of diversity in the social media-inspired renderings.

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Most of the male images showed chiseled abs and "Superman-like" physiques, he said — which he believes could be linked to a lack of conversation surrounding male body positivity.

"I think men are struggling with this idea just as much, if not the same, as women — this idea of body image [and] what it is to have a body you’re proud of," he said.

AI expert Joe Toscano, founder of the data technology company Mach 9 in Omaha, Nebraska, told Fox News Digital the study findings are "not surprising," since the internet is "all about what gets clicked on the most."

"These systems are not making decisions based on ‘thinking,'" he said in a statement. "They're making these decisions based on what's already out there and indicators that are coded into the system to determine what is ‘best.’" 

As AI poses a potential threat to self-esteem and body image, Campigotto said the study also revealed biases present within artificial intelligence, warning users to "take everything with a grain of salt."

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"Keep in mind that everything that's being generated is being influenced by a certain perspective and a certain bias," he said. 

Taking social media influencers as an example, Campigotto explained they are a "minority group" who should not be representative of an overall image.

Instead, he said, "try to compare yourself to the version of yourself from yesterday and less toward everything going on around you," he said. 

"Adjust your perspective to just focus on yourself."

Toscano of Mach 9 added that a certain kind of AI usage will only "accelerate levels of mental illness and body shame."

"I used to compare myself to my peers locally, but now kids are comparing themselves to the things that trend the most on the internet, meaning instead of comparing yourself to one in 1,000 people or even 10,000 people, you're comparing yourself with the ‘best’ in the world — making those standards even more unattainable," he said. 

"In addition to that, there's no way to tell what's been rendered or not nowadays," Toscano said. 

"There's no way to tell who's had plastic surgery or not nowadays."

“The fogging operation is in response to complaints of mosquito infestation in those areas”

View the full post Vector Control Division: Fogging Schedule on NOW Grenada.

“The situation is very, very serious, and we need to take heed and do all that’s necessary to prevent a major outbreak”

View the full post Dengue outbreak in Grenada – 8 hospitalised on NOW Grenada.

“Grenada’s acting Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Shawn Charles said data for Epidemiology Week #18 indicated that there were 20 reported cases”

View the full post Grenada records significant increase in dengue fever on NOW Grenada.

There was a steady stream of men into the Cancer Support Services Dayrells Road office on Saturday as they took part in its Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) screen.

Reporting that over 150 men had been screened since the doors opened at 9 a.m., Executive Director Janette Lynton said the organisation is seeing an increase in the number of men coming forward to be tested for prostate cancer, the number one killing cancer in the island.

“We are pleased because we are seeing first timers and younger men coming forward, which means the message is getting out there. However, we would love to see more ,” she said.

Pointing out that the PSA test is a blood test, which checks the level of PSA, she reminded people that if a high level is detected, this does not always mean that a male has prostate cancer, as infections and other conditions could be the cause.

“It is always best to take the results to your physician and your physician will determine what further assessment you will need,” she said.

Speaking to Barbados TODAY on the importance of men getting tested, Lynton said that early detection means that treatment will be more successful.

“Early detection is the key,” she said, adding that the next screening will be held in six weeks. (JB)

The post Dozens of men screen for prostate cancer appeared first on Barbados Today.

In his homily during the Mass at the Primada Cathedral, offered by the Pastoral de la Salud, he urged health service workers to be more humane with the sick, because tenderness is the key to understanding the helpless and is also a precious medicine for their healing.

Monsignor Durán reiterated the message of Pope Francis: “The Nurse has a direct and continuous relationship with patients, cares for them every day, listens to their needs and comes into contact with their very body that she takes care of” and must show “tenderness” and “sensitivity”.

She expresses that tenderness passes from the heart to the hands, through a ‘touching’ of the wounds of full respect and love”.

Trinidad Ayala Adames, the general coordinator of the Pastoral de la Salud, highlighted the work of the nursing personnel since they are the backbone of the country’s health services.

She raised her voice to “make visible the professionals who live difficult situations at any level, to whom we exhort to listen to the Word to meet Christ and discover a new meaning for their existence”.

For this reason, he called for “awareness of the great suffering involved in the loss of healthy balance in people”.

He raised his voice to “make visible the professionals who live difficult situations at any level, to whom we exhort to listen to the Word to meet Christ and discover a new meaning for their existence,” Ayala said. He demands that the authorities come to their aid to overcome the structural problems of the community.

“Several nurses attached to the Princess Royal Hospital and clinics were presented with certificates for their service”

View the full post Nurses recognised on International Nurses Day on NOW Grenada.

Santo Domingo.- Benny Metz, the Vice Minister of Relations with Civil Society, has stated that the government is actively promoting the amendment of the Sports Law and the development of a legislative compendium aimed at safeguarding the health of children and young athletes.

Metz emphasized the need to update the Sports Law, which currently dates back to 2005 and is considered outdated. He asserted that the law should serve as the fundamental legal framework, providing general regulations that would subsequently lead to specific regulations for different sports and criminal offenses. The proposed amendments aim to address the evolving needs and challenges faced by athletes, particularly in relation to health and well-being.

These statements come in response to concerns raised by specialists regarding cases of acute renal failure in adolescents associated with the misuse of steroids. Metz characterized such behavior as voluntary homicide, stressing that the use of steroids without proper medical guidance or prescription is a serious offense.

To tackle this issue, the government is seeking to amend the existing Sports Law and establish a collaborative platform involving the Ministry of Public Health and the National Drug Council (CND). This platform aims to provide the necessary support to the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic, enabling them to effectively fulfill their role as legal prosecutors.

Metz further disclosed that several specific cases related to steroid misuse have already been reported to the Attorney General (Miriam Germán), and investigations are set to commence. The government is committed to addressing these cases and taking appropriate legal action to ensure accountability and protect the health and well-being of young athletes.

The proposed amendments to the Sports Law, along with the collaborative efforts of relevant institutions, reflect the government’s commitment to safeguarding the physical and mental well-being of children and young athletes in the Dominican Republic.