“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.

Santiago.- Experts consulted by Listin Diario have issued warnings about the greater harm caused by electronic cigarettes, or vapes, specifically on the bodies and behavior of young people compared to traditional cigarettes. In Santiago, where these devices have become increasingly prevalent among students, concerns have been raised regarding the potential risks associated with their widespread use. Pulmonologist Benjamín Hernández has even gone so far as to state that vapes are causing more damage than conventional cigarettes. Similarly, Dr. Samuel Ramos has highlighted that vaping can lead to brain immaturity, an increased risk of addiction, and changes in neurons among adolescents.

Dr. Ramos, the President of the Dominican Foundation for Obesity and Cardiovascular Prevention, has expressed concerns about the composition of vapes, which not only contain tobacco but also perfumes, glycerin, flavorings, and other substances that could have long-term cancer risks. He explains that nicotine, like any other drug, has a higher chance of causing addiction and long-term damage to brain cells in adolescents. Furthermore, young people are particularly susceptible to respiratory system damage due to their underdeveloped lungs, making them more prone to developing asthma at an early age or experiencing complications from pre-existing respiratory conditions.

Dr. Ramos emphasizes that autopsies have revealed short- and medium-term damage resulting from the accumulation of substances associated with vaping. Hernández adds that the continuous use of e-cigarettes can trigger bronchospasms, pulmonary infections, and significant damage to the pulmonary system. The constant exposure to these devices can also cause a crisis in bronchospasm and lead to inflammatory processes in the lungs, as well as the potential for extensive destruction of the pulmonary system.

Dr. Ramos further explains that not only individuals who vape themselves but also those who are exposed to secondhand vapor are at risk. He describes the aerosol produced by vaping as harmful, and even children can be affected by it to a lesser degree. He emphasizes that the consequences of widespread vaping among young people will extend beyond the immediate health impacts, potentially leading to a rise in hospitalizations, complications, intensive care admissions, intubations, and even deaths in cases of influenza, pneumonia, and other lung diseases.

The specialist warns that it is essential to address the issue promptly rather than waiting for the next pandemic to realize the increased risks faced by young individuals. Recognizing the higher likelihood of complications from lung diseases among this demographic, Dr. Ramos calls for preventative measures and proactive management to safeguard the health and well-being of young people.

Santo Domingo.- The Vice Minister of Collective Health, Eladio Pérez, recently emphasized that gyms should not be authorized places to distribute medications, exceptionally anabolic steroids used to enhance muscle mass among young individuals. Pérez expressed concern about the improper dispensation of medications, comparing it to administering a penicillin injection in a non-medical setting. He clarified that gyms are not subject to the qualifications and oversight of the Vice Ministry of Quality Assurance, suggesting that other ministries may have jurisdiction over these matters. Pérez assured that appropriate measures would be taken to address the situation if necessary, emphasizing the need to regulate the sales of such substances.

Minister of Sports, Francisco Camacho, acknowledged the challenge of intervening in the matter, noting that gyms are private businesses. He stated that the approval of the General Sports Law is required to address the issue effectively. Camacho explained that while the Ministry, the Olympic Committee, and the International Olympic Committee hold responsibilities regarding athletes and can conduct doping tests, they lack jurisdiction over private citizens. He stressed the need for complaints to be filed to initiate regulatory actions.

Pérez called for the regulation of the sales of these substances and emphasized that the Ministry of Public Health’s role is to verify the importation of approved drugs with proper sanitary registration and quality guarantees. He highlighted the passive monitoring conducted to detect specific issues and ensure safe administration in healthcare centers. The vice minister also called for stronger enforcement of the law and increased doping tests in sports.

In response to the situation, the Ministry of Sports has been collaborating with the Ministry of Health to raise awareness among parents about the dangers of steroid use and encourage them to report coaches who promote the use of such substances to their children. Rafael Mena, the Vice President of the Pediatric Society, emphasized the risks associated with indiscriminate use of anabolic steroids, such as liver cancer, hypertension, and muscle and ligament rupture. Mena stressed the importance of increased supervision and penalties for coaches who engage in such practices. He also noted that these substances are essential in medical treatments for asthma and lupus.

Efforts are being made to address the issue through the Doping Law, which aims to regulate and combat the misuse of substances. The focus is on achieving comprehensive regulations and raising awareness to protect the well-being of young athletes and individuals engaging in fitness activities.

Aiming to change that, Nuance — a Microsoft-owned artificial intelligence company in Massachusetts — has created an AI tool for physicians called DAX Express, which streamlines the note-taking process.

At Cooper University Health Care in New Jersey, doctors who are already using the tool have reported improved patient outcomes, greater efficiency and reduced costs.

AI TOOL GIVES DOCTORS PERSONALIZED ALZHEIMER’S TREATMENT PLANS FOR DEMENTIA PATIENTS

"For our physicians who use DAX more than half the time, they have seen a 43% reduction of the time they spend writing notes and an overall 21% reduction in the amount of time they spend in the electronic medical record," said Dr. Anthony Mazzarelli, the CEO of Cooper, which employs 150 physicians. 

He is also an emergency physician.

Peter Durlach, chief strategy officer of Nuance, compares the tool to a "co-pilot" for physicians.

"DAX lets clinicians fully focus on caring for patients instead of manually filling in data entry screens," he told Fox News Digital. 

"This technology helps improve the patient experience and the quality of care, while also making it so that clinicians no longer need to spend hours of their own time completing documentation."

DAX Express is powered by GPT-4, the latest version of AI chatbot technology from OpenAI. 

The tool automatically and securely creates clinical notes, with the patient’s consent, that are immediately available for the doctor to review after each patient visit.

"The phone sits between the doctor and the patient," Mazzarelli explained during an on-camera interview with Fox News Digital. "It incorporates not just what the doctor says, but also what the patient says. And then it uses AI to write the note."

He added, "It's a huge step up from just dictating notes."

Next, the note is sent to the doctor, who can make any necessary changes before approving it. The doctor can then share the file with the patient for transparency.

"It’s like a physician’s assistant that thinks really fast," Mazzarelli said. "The physician is still responsible for making sure the note correctly reflects the conversation."

AI-POWERED MENTAL HEALTH DIAGNOSTIC TOOL COULD BE THE FIRST OF ITS KIND TO PREDICT, TREAT DEPRESSION

The tool gives doctors evidence-based support for the decisions they make, right in the palm of their hand, he added.

"This is, to me, the next evolution," Mazzarelli said. "It’s not that we just want a faster horse and buggy — we want the car."

The more obvious benefits of DAX are removing the administrative burden from physicians and reducing burnout, but the benefits extend to the patient as well, Mazzarelli said. 

The doctor is able to directly interact with the patient and look the person in the eye without the distraction of note-taking, he said. 

This aligns with Cooper University Health Care’s philosophy of practicing "compassion science," which emphasizes a clear understanding of what patients are experiencing.

"If you can really connect with patients, whether you're a nurse or a doctor or anybody in health care, it improves patient outcomes and lowers overall costs," Mazzarelli said. 

"That's good for not just patients, but for the whole health care system."

Because the physician has to sign off on each AI-created medical note, Mazzarelli believes Nuance’s AI tool presents a low risk.

"It's the same risk as if you had an intern or an administrative assistant write something for you and you put it out in the world and didn't look at it," he said. 

"If you’re depending on AI and not thinking of it as an assistant and you just let it make all the decisions — then you certainly could have a problem there."

Nuance’s Durlach believes that administrative functions — note-taking, coding and billing — should be the first place to implement AI because they require a lot of manual work and the cost of making a mistake does not impact patient health.

"As a Microsoft company, our goal is to develop and deploy AI that will have a beneficial impact and earn trust from society," Durlach told Fox News Digital. 

"We are committed to creating responsible AI by design."

In developing its tech, Nuance focuses on a core set of principles: fairness, reliability and safety, privacy and security, inclusiveness, transparency and accountability.

"In an industry where certain types of mistakes can have serious consequences, health care organizations must be particularly mindful of choosing safe and proven AI solutions," Durlach said.

In the past, medical technology has actually increased the number of administrative tasks, Mazzarelli said — but he believes AI has the potential to dramatically streamline the doctor-patient experience.

CHATGPT FOUND TO GIVE BETTER MEDICAL ADVICE THAN REAL DOCTORS IN BLIND STUDY: ‘THIS WILL BE A GAME CHANGER’

"I am very optimistic about the application of generative AI to improve medical care," the doctor said.

"I think it's going to help doctors and patients have better relationships. And I think if used correctly, it's going to be among the best advances we've had."

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER

As medicine continues to become more complex, Mazzarelli said, there is a greater need for decision support. 

"As personalized medicine becomes more and more the way of the future, we need assistance to make sure we can use it correctly," he added. 

"AI is clearly already here, and I'm even more optimistic about the ways it can assist in the future."

The doctors leading the associations believe that many specialists feel impotent when they realize that the drugs required to manage and avoid the complications of diabetes are not affordable for the Dominican population.

To address the issue, SODENN and SODODIAN have deposited the scientific evidence, adjusted to the latest knowledge on diabetes mellitus treatment, to the General Directorate of Medicines, Food and Sanitary Products. They hope that the country will update the medicines used for treating diabetes based on the latest recommendations from international organizations. The associations believe that the changes can improve diabetes management in the country and change the history of pain caused by the chronic and acute complications of the condition.

In another initiative, the country is set to host the First International Diabetic Foot Congress, “With Feet on Earth” – ALAPID 2023, in Punta Cana from May 18 to 21. The congress will bring together researchers from Latin America, the Caribbean, and other parts of the world to discuss innovations in the field of diabetic foot complications. The congress aims to unify international clinical, medical-scientific, and surgical concepts and efforts on diabetes, and address topics related to clinical endocrinology and nutrition in patients suffering from diabetes mellitus.

On May 6, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, carefully placed the iconic St. Edward’s Crown atop King Charles III's head as the new king solemnly sat in the 700-year-old Coronation Chair at Westminster Abbey while grasping a golden scepter in each hand.

It was the first time in 70 years for a monarch to be crowned in the U.K. since the coronation of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who shared an almost identical pose, wearing the same crown in 1953.

When his mother died on Sept. 8, 2022, he became the oldest monarch to take the British throne.

KING CHARLES HONORED WITH UNIQUE DISPLAY OF GNOMES ALL OVER UK WOMAN'S YARD

The king is now 74 (he'll turn 75 on Nov. 14, 2023) — and many wonder if the monarch will enjoy the same longevity as his parents did.

"I expect King Charles’ reign to be a long one," Dr. June McKoy, professor of medicine, preventive medicine and medical education at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois, told Fox News Digital. 

"That he is starting his reign in his 70s will not prevent him from doing as well as a monarch in his 40s," added McKoy, who is an academic geriatrician. 

She recommended that older adults be individually assessed and not by chronology as they age.

"To be sure, King Charles has been a great steward of his health and he will benefit from that stewardship."

King Charles III comes from a family of "long livers" on both his mother’s and father’s side, so it’s likely he inherited their genes, McKoy said. 

"The latest science on the genetics of longevity suggests that, for most of us, less than 20% of it is passed down through the generations, meaning the other 80% is lifestyle and luck," Andrew Steele, PhD, author of "Ageless: The New Science of Getting Older Without Getting Old," told Fox News Digital.

"However, there does seem to be a more significant genetic component when it comes to exceptional longevity — the child or sibling of someone who lives to 100 is 10 times as likely to do so themselves as someone from the general population," added Steele, a biologist based in Berlin, Germany.

Charles’ father lived to 99, his mother lived to 96 and his grandmother, the queen’s mother, lived to 101 — so he may be lucky enough to have some longevity genes in his DNA, he added.

"Wealth is known to correlate with long life, too, so even though he ascended to the throne at age 73 — the oldest in British history — he's still got a shot at a decently long reign," Steele said in an email.

Charlies turned 74 in November 2022. (None of the medical experts interviewed for this article directly examined King Charles III.)

Prince Harry, Charles’ youngest son, wrote in his bombshell memoir, "Spare," that his father used to perform handstands in Balmoral Castle to relieve chronic back and neck pain from old polo injuries.

"Prescribed by his physio, these exercises were the only effective remedy for the constant pain in Pa’s neck and back," Harry wrote. 

FOR KING CHARLES' CORONATION, WORLD'S LONGEST SERVING BRASS BAND PLAYER, 95, CAN TOOT HIS OWN HORN

"He performed them daily, in a pair of boxers, propped against a door or hanging from a bar like a skilled acrobat."

After missing the Royal Ascot, one of Britain’s most famous horse races, because of a herniated disc in his spine in 1991, Charles aggravated the condition when he fell off a horse at Windsor two years later, according to a Daily Mail report. 

Experts speculate that his trademark walk with his fingers interlocked together behind his back is a clever way to relieve his back pain. 

"On another note, there has been some focus on his posture and its implications for osteoporosis," McKoy told Fox News Digital.

BE WELL: KEEP YOUR BONES STRONG TO PREVENT OSTEOPOROSIS

"Given that osteoporosis causes a decrease in bone density and weakening of the bones, it can cause height loss," she added. 

A stooped posture might represent height loss, she said — but this can be normal or abnormal depending on the individual circumstances.

As part of the normal process of aging, people typically lose approximately 1 centimeter, or 0.5 inch, of height every 10 years — which tends to accelerate in our 70s, McKoy said. 

She also said, "Height loss of [two] inches or more is not considered normal and should prompt a visit to the physician."

King Charles suffered many injuries while playing polo and hunting, including a pivotal fall during a polo match in 1990 that resulted in fracturing his right arm.

After it didn’t heal once he had surgery, he had a second operation to fix it three months later, partly due to concern the injury would not allow him to properly salute, per a Daily Mail report.

In 2001, Charles was knocked unconscious temporarily when he fell head-first from his horse during a charity match at Cirencester Park in Gloucestershire, England, according to a BBC report.

He retired from polo in 2005 when he was 57, after playing the game for over 40 years, as his biography on his official website said.

"He has an interesting pair of hands for a baby," Queen Elizabeth wrote to her former music teacher shortly after her son Charles was born. 

"They are rather large, but with fine long fingers quite unlike mine and certainly unlike his father's." 

Charles himself referred to them as "sausage fingers" after Prince William’s birth, according to Howard Hodgson’s biography "Charles, The Man Who Will Be King."

"Dactylitis is a condition where the digits get swollen like sausages, typically seen in the toes and associated with ankylosing spondylitis," Dr. Nilanjana Bose, a board-certified rheumatologist at Lonestar Rheumatology in Houston, Texas, told Fox News Digital. 

It’s important to examine the hand to distinguish if the swelling is arising from the joint, the tendon sheath or the soft tissue, added Dr. Amy Kehl, rheumatologist with Providence Saint John’s Physician Partners and staff physician at Cedars Sinai in Southern California.

Bose said the look of Charles' hands could be his "baseline" and not suggestive of any underlying disease. 

"True dactylitis is most classically observed in patients with a type of inflammatory arthritis known as spondyloarthritis," Kehl told Fox News Digital.

One example of this type of arthritis, she said, is psoriatic arthritis, which is often diagnosed by examining the patient.

There are a variety of medical conditions that can cause swollen fingers, including other types of arthritis — such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout, autoimmune causes — like lupus, sarcoidosis or sickle cell disease, or infections, such as Lyme disease, syphilis and tuberculosis. 

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER

"Typically a rheumatologist can order more diagnostic testing including lab testing or imaging studies of the joints if the diagnosis is unclear," Kehl said. 

"The typical treatment is geared toward the underlying type of inflammatory arthritis and the degree of symptomatology of the individual patient."

"Understanding the biology of people who make it to exceptional ages could be an important way to discover medicines that can help us all live longer and healthier," Steele noted.

"For example, while women live longer than men, we know that long-lived men tend to do so in better health," he added.

Steele also said he hoped that "Charles will be a 'working royal' for some time yet."