New York.- The Dominican Republic is actively working toward achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030 through initiatives such as the “Policy of Universal Access to Health and Social Security,” part of the government’s central strategy for 2025-2028. During the “Ministerial Meeting of the Group of Friends of UHC and Global Health” at the UN, Minister of Health Victor Atallah emphasized that the country is focusing on ensuring the right to health for all, supported by adequate financial resources and efficient hospital management.

Atallah highlighted two key initiatives: the HEARTS strategy, aimed at preventing and controlling cardiovascular diseases by strengthening primary care, and a national strategy based on the One Health approach, addressing the interconnection between human, animal, and environmental health. He also mentioned efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance, zoonotic diseases, and plans to launch a “School Health” program in 2025, benefiting 2.2 million children and adolescents.

Despite progress, Atallah acknowledged challenges ahead but reaffirmed the Dominican Republic’s commitment to building inclusive and resilient health systems. The event, part of the 79th UN General Assembly, brought together health ministers and global leaders to discuss strengthening future health systems, and Atallah’s participation contributed to highlighting the country’s public health advances.

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This regional-youth led activity emerged from the  “Caribbean Youth Voices in Health Advocacy Spaces – Healthy Food Policy Action”, the first of its kind youth meeting on Healthy Food Policies held in February 2024, aims to highlight youth support for school nutrition policies that regulate the sale and marketing of ultra processed products in and around schools. This policy should be supported by the implementation of Octagonal front of package warning labelling. 

Dr. Tiffannie Skerritt, CARICOM Youth Ambassador for Montserrat, led the charge locally, gathering together key stakeholders such as health practitioners, youth leaders and civil society organization representatives to discuss the concerning rise in childhood obesity and NCDs in Montserrat as well as strategies to build a healthier environment, including a healthier school food environment.

The event was covered by various local media houses:

• ZJB Radio – Spirit of Montserrat
• Bahamas At Sunrise
• The ZNS Network
• Alliouagana Express

She noted, “The forum was well supported by key stakeholders to include youth, civil society and policy makers. The forum provided an opportunity to revive the conversation around school nutrition policies and bring greater awareness to the need for front of package labelling. Key interventions summarized epidemiology data about childhood obesity in Montserrat, and obstacles delaying policy implementation in the past. Visionaries endorsed the draft policy and pledged their support in seeing it go ahead. Details from a student focus group expressing challenges to seeking healthier food options in their school environments were also presented.  Overall; attendees benefited from this youth led activity with local media coverage ensuring the message from this  was circulated via news broadcasts and articles.”

Click/tap to listen to listen to Dr. Tiffannie Skerritt on ZJB Radio Montserrat

Healthy Caribbean Youth members and members of the Healthy Bahamas Coalition led an engaging panel discussion in Rawson square in close proximity, symbolically, to the National Parliament Building. A panel of predominantly youth leaders shared the current challenges they face in navigating their school food environment and their vision for an environment where the healthy choice is the easy choice. The event was covered by Eyewitness News and ZNS News. 

Kaj Archer

Kaj Archer, who guided the team, noted that, “The Hope for the Future event provided a platform for the youth of The Bahamas to stand up and speak out about their fundamental right to healthy foods in school environments.

The youth panelists articulated their vision for the future, emphasizing accessible and affordable healthy food options, regulation of ultra-processed foods, and educational initiatives to foster healthy relationships with food among school-aged children. This event underscored the importance of involving youth in policy discussions that directly impact their development.”

On September 25 2024, youth from across the Caribbean will host similar events calling our regional leaders to lead, putting youth first. Ahead of this, youth took over social media on August 12 – International Youth Day to urge governments to prioritize healthy school food environments. On August 14th, key youth advocates and stakeholders from across the Caribbean hosted an Instagram Live discussing the topic further.

All children in the Caribbean deserve to learn and grow in healthy school environments that are not inundated with ultraprocessed products. It has been 17 years since the region’s leaders unified their vision for a healthier Caribbean through the Port of Spain Declaration. Now, it is time for them to revisit previous commitments, including healthier school food environments, #actonfacts and walk the talk for better nutrition in schools. They have the support of the region’s youth.
Danielle Walwyn
Advocacy Officer, HCC and Lead, Healthy Caribbean Youth (youth arm of the HCC)

The post Hope for the Future appeared first on Healthy Caribbean Coalition.

In this retrospective study carried out at the Otto von Guericke University Women's Hospital, predictive parameters for successful Misoprostol therapy were investigated. This study was aimed at assessing if various clinical factors, including endometrial stripe thickness, could indicate the need for further intervention in the form of curettage. The conclusion reached was that evaluation of endometrial stripe thickness after a patient has completed the second cycle of Misoprostol may turn out to be a good marker for treatment success.

Miscarriage in the first trimester is a common problem in clinical practice, which is mainly managed medicinally. Misoprostol is one of the most commonly used prostaglandin E1 analogues for this condition due to its effectiveness and safety profile. However, the dosage regimen has not been standardized yet, and it is unknown whether previous pregnancies, deliveries, or their modes have an effect on the outcome. A better understanding of parameters that might predict the success or failure of such treatment would potentially improve treatment protocols for these women.

This was a retrospective study done at the Otto von Guericke University Women's Hospital from 2018 to 2021, whereby the records of women who had an early miscarriage and had been treated using Misoprostol were reviewed.For the purpose of this study, the need for curettage following treatment was taken to be an indicator of failure of the treatment. Double endometrial stripe thickness measured by TVUS after the second cycle of Misoprostol was evaluated for its predictive value in this study.

All statistical analyses were done using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, Version 28.0. All tests were two-sided, with the level of significance set at p < 0.050.

Key Findings

1. In this study, 86% (n = 114) of women treated for medication abortion with Misoprostol succeeded in therapy and did not need curettage. Only 14% (n = 20) of the patients needed additional surgical intervention.

2. Mild side effects were observed in 16% of participants; nausea was the most common, affecting 9.2% of the study population. This confirms the safety and tolerability of misoprostol for the management of early miscarriage.

3. This study demonstrated that there was a significant association between endometrial stripe thickness after the second Misoprostol cycle and the need for curettage: p = 0.035. Using Receiver Operating Characteristic analysis, a cutoff value of 8.8 mm with thicker measurements was determined for a higher likelihood of treatment failure.

4. This would allow clinicians to use the thickness of the endometrial stripe as a predictor of outcome following treatment, so intervention in a timely fashion would obviate the need for unnecessary procedures.

The findings of the study provide supporting evidence for the usage of misoprostol in treating early miscarriage, with a success rate of 86%. Data also indicate the usefulness of endometrial stripe thickness measurement as a possible marker for prognosis in regard to the outcome of the treatment. Patients with thicker endometrial stripes after two cycles of misoprostol may benefit from closer monitoring and early consideration for other treatments like curettage.

This study shows that the measurement of endometrial stripe thickness by transvaginal ultrasound after the second cycle of misoprostol can be used as a predictive marker of successful treatment of miscarriage. Data will also show that such an approach may guide clinical decision-making and potentially decrease additional surgical procedures. Although the effectiveness of Misoprostol in the treatment of early miscarriage was 86%, with a low rate of complications, this drug still remains effective and safe; however, individualized treatment according to endometrial thickness might bring even better outcomes.

Reference:

Meister, L., Künnemann, I., Fettke, F., Lux, A., & Ignatov, A. (2024). Medical treatment of miscarriage using misoprostol—a retrospective study. Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-024-07628-6

The integration of AI into mental healthcare is more advanced than many realize because it’s not always obvious; frequently, it’s providing support to free up clinicians to spend more time with their patients or to get more patients into treatment. 

The post How AI Humanizes Mental Healthcare appeared first on MedCity News.