At any given time during daylight hours, elderly Chinese gather in large groups to exercise and socialise.

It was one of my thought-provoking discoveries during my visit last month to the East Asian nation where life expectancy is 77.47 years.

At almost every place of interest, delegates of the Seminar for National Press Officers and Journalists from Belt and Road Countries, who were in Beijing from July 12 to July 25, witnessed scores of senior citizens working up a sweat. 

No matter their physical structure or gender, many of them engaged in a variety of exercise routines – some simple, others testing their mental and physical strength. Others engaged in dance sessions, sang or played musical instruments. 

The game Ti Zian Ji, during which players use their feet instead of racquets to hit a shuttlecock, appeared to be a favourite. According to unofficial reports, some Chinese would spend hours playing the game.

But whatever they were doing, these seniors all looked stress-free and relaxed.

It was explained to the 14 delegates that China’s elderly care policy plans request local governments to set up facilities for senior education and leisure, including parks, green spaces, and sporting facilities.

Some of us remarked that we would love to see similar spaces being created for elderly citizens in our own countries.

It made me think that even though the elderly in Barbados flock to the beaches for water therapy and exercise, local authorities could perhaps follow China’s lead and develop additional safe recreational spaces across the island for older folk.

While on a visit to the Temple of Heaven, some of us joined in a dancing session in the recreational area there.

The Temple of Heaven is the place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties “worshipped the heaven” and “prayed for the good harvest”.

Tour guide Lili Yang said that almost every day, retirees visit the location, which is also used as a public park, to exercise.

“We have a lot of public parks in Beijing provided by the local government and they are open to retired people to go for morning and evening exercise. We have a lot of retired people, so going to the parks is a kind of social life for Chinese local elderly people,” Yang said. 

“They dance and they play musical instruments and they do all kinds of activities that help them to entertain themselves. Whether they are dancing, singing or exercising, you can see on their faces that they are very happy with what they are doing. The retired people are very happy that they have these parks where they can go.”

Another highlight of the two-week seminar was the visit to the Yunnan Ethnic Village, located on the south side of Kunming. 

The village is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Yunnan province’s capital and largest. 

Ethnic minority villages, including those of the Dai, Bai and Yi people, have their own folk customs and craft performances. 

During minority festivals such as the Songkran Festival in April and the Torch Festival in July and August, the ethnic village also hosts lively celebrations which thousands travel from far and near to see. 

Tomorrow, we bring the final installment of Anesta Meets China, a five-part series about the experience of Barbados TODAY journalist Anesta Henry in China.

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GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC)— Guyana health minister Dr Frank Anthony has confirmed that two children— ages nine and 11— have died after being infected with dengue.

The children had been receiving treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Georgetown Public Hospital. Dr Anthony said no other child is receiving critical care after being infected with dengue.

Media reports in Guyana said that one of the two children who died was a primary school pupil from Essequibo Islands-West Demerara, who spent five days in the ICU before passing away.

Based on official figures, an estimated 3,453 people in Guyana have been infected with the mosquito-borne disease so far this year, with 2,169 cases considered to be still active patients.

Dr Anthony said that local authorities have been fogging all areas to prevent people from being bitten by mosquitoes and that a substance used to kill mosquito larvae is also being distributed.

The symptoms of dengue include high fevers, head and body aches and nausea.

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Los Angeles.- This past August 4 was International Beer Day, a celebration that originated in a small bar in Santa Cruz, a town in California, United States.

The celebration, which began as a call exclusively for customers, was so well received that it spread worldwide and is held on the first Friday of this month.

Given the recent heat waves, people are increasing their consumption of soft drinks and beer as an alternative to cool down and lower their body temperature.

It is worth mentioning that beer is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of some cereals; even though users consider it a good idea to drink some cold beers, it may be contradictory, as it eventually worsens the heat.

An article published by Healthline pointed out that excessive consumption of sugary drinks, such as soda, coffee, and some drinks made with tea, can lead to intense dehydration.

Therefore, the answer of which of the two beverages is better to consume, in this case, would be beer, as Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health pointed out that sugary drinks should be avoided, while alcohol can be consumed moderately.

Finally, the intake of natural water continues to be the best option to hydrate the body since about 70% of the body is made up of this element.

Likewise, Mayo Clinic recommends consuming at least eight glasses of water a day with the primary objective of avoiding the appearance of dehydration symptoms.

Before the frequent heat waves and high summer temperatures, the professor of the Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics of the online university of La Rioja UNIR, Carmen González Vázquez, talks about the food we should carry out to cope with the summer season.

Before offering more specific recommendations, the expert recalls the importance of hydration.

Although we should always drink water, it is even more necessary in summer and during high temperatures.

Goodbye, “miracle diets.”

The professional recalls that vacations are when most people want to be slim and put on their swimsuits “comfortably.” It is for this reason that “miracle diets” proliferate.

This type of diet, known for restricting the daily energy intake (in kilocalories), is always harmful to our health, especially with high temperatures.

The nutritionist warns that when it is very hot, our body needs to be well-nourished and hydrated.

High temperatures affect our body, causing blood vessels to dilate, increase sweating, stress, and fatigue… If we go on a “miracle diet,” we can have even more negative consequences on our body, such as fluid retention, hypoglycemia, lipothymia, or low blood pressure, among others.

Lack of appetite

Another of the consequences of heat waves on food is the lack of appetite.

Some people do not feel like eating so often during high temperatures, so the nutrition professional gives us some tips to cope with this.

Carmen González indicates that the best thing to do in these cases is to eat small, nutritious, moisturizing meals throughout the day.

We can have six lighter ones if we usually eat three meals and lose appetite in summer.

The expert recalls that sometimes the lack of appetite also generates a lack of thirst sensation, which causes more tiredness. To avoid falling into this loop, we should eat small meals and stay hydrated by drinking enough water.

Eating hot or cold?

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Santo Domingo.- Carlos Bonilla, the Minister of Housing and Buildings, has unveiled details about the upcoming Mario Tolentino Dipp Hospital, assuring that its infrastructure will rival that of medical centers in the United States and Europe.

During an interview on a special program called “El Gobierno de la Mañana” in Santo Domingo Norte, the Minister elucidated that the hospital will feature over 200 beds and encompass a sprawling area of nearly 20,000 square meters.

Bonilla emphasized, “At the Ministry of Housing, we believe that not only do Dominicans deserve the finest national hospitals, but also internationally. It should be on par with hospitals in the United States or Europe because Dominicans deserve the best.”

The Mario Tolentino Hospital, funded with an investment of nearly 3 billion pesos, is poised to become a modern healthcare hub that caters to a spectrum of medical needs.

The facility will house five state-of-the-art operating rooms, each equipped with a laparoscopy tower. This cutting-edge technology will be present in every operating room, setting the hospital apart.

Complying with both national and international health standards, the hospital aims to raise the bar for healthcare offerings in the country. Minister Bonilla underscored that the Mario Tolentino Hospital encompasses multiple medical disciplines, including internal medicine, gynecology, obstetrics, cardiology, pediatrics, and even specialized rooms for psychology.

The hospital will boast a comprehensive range of amenities and services, such as a pharmacy, an emergency department, advanced imaging equipment, and more. The expansive list of services includes a CT scanner, laboratories, sterilization facilities, dentistry, dermatology, surgical units, an ICU, hemodialysis areas, and pathology departments.

Minister Bonilla assured that the medical personnel working in the hospital will receive thorough training to ensure top-notch care. The hospital will gradually open to the public in various phases, catering to a wide range of medical needs.

With its comprehensive range of services and world-class facilities, the Mario Tolentino Dipp Hospital aims to provide the highest level of medical care to the Dominican population, reflecting international standards of excellence.

When it comes to cancer treatments, most people are familiar with chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. 

Yet there is another emerging, lesser-known therapy that is showing promising results in treating blood cancers.

With CAR T-cell therapy, the patient’s T-cells are taken from the blood, engineered to attack cancer cells and then infused back into the patient’s body through an IV, Dr. Noopur Raje told Fox News Digital.

Raje is the director of Multiple Myeloma at Mass General Cancer Center, which is a member of the Mass General Brigham system. Mass General Brigham has a Gene and Cell Therapy Institute that helps advance gene and cell therapies like CAR-T.

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"I think it's made a big change in people's lives and how we take care of people," she told Fox News Digital in an interview. 

"It's one of the most personalized ways of taking care of some of the blood-related cancers."

At Mass General, Raje and her team treat patients with multiple myeloma, a rare form of blood cancer that attacks the plasma cells. 

Most of their patients are between 60 and 70 years old, she said.

CAR stands for chimeric antigen receptors, which are proteins that enable T-cells to target the tumor antigens produced by cancer cells.

T-cells are a type of white blood cell that helps to fight germs and prevent disease, per the Cleveland Clinic.

There are currently six CAR T-cell therapies that are FDA-approved to treat leukemia, lymphomas, multiple myeloma and other blood cancers.

"We are taking our patients’ T-cells, which are the immune cells, and then activating them and putting a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), which can recognize a protein on a cancer tumor," Raje said.

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Because Raje treats multiple myeloma, her team started off by doing studies against a protein called BCMA, which is found in cancerous plasma cells.

The re-engineered T-cells continue multiplying in the body, so they can seek out and kill more tumor cells, the doctor said.

"We are seeing extremely high response rates, between 82% and 100%," she told Fox News Digital. "Now we need to do a better job of maintaining that response."

Before CAR T-cell therapy, Raje said, patients were started on a treatment and then stayed on it for an indefinite length of time.

"This is the first time that patients are getting a ‘one-off’ treatment, and then we're just watching them with no more treatment at all," she said.

While the treatment can be a little "involved" at the beginning, Raje said, once it’s complete the patient receives no new therapies for up to three years.

"And I have some patients who are on no treatment for way longer than that, which is a big advancement," she added.

"Obviously, we need to do better — we need to cure people," Raje said. 

"We're not quite there, but the next step is to start the treatment earlier, so we can start seeing more control of the disease over a longer period of time."

As of now, the FDA has approved CAR T-cell therapy as a "last resort" when the disease has persisted through all other available treatments; but Raje hopes that soon, it will be available to patients earlier in the course of their cancers.

CAR T-cell therapy is expensive — costing anywhere from $500,000 to $1,000,000, per WebMD. Raje pointed out, however, that many insurance plans cover at least some of the cost. It is also covered by Medicare.

"I think one has to start looking at the time saved in terms of quality of life in not coming back to the hospital and not being on any other meds," she said.

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There is some risk of side effects for those receiving CAR T-cell therapy, primarily a condition called cytokine release syndrome (CRS). It can occur when the immune system responds too aggressively to infection.

"When the CAR T-cell kills the tumor, it produces a bunch of proteins, and when it does that, it can make you quite sick," Raje said.

"But as we've used more and more of these therapies, we've gotten pretty good at managing this, and we have the antidotes for these kinds of toxicities," she added.

Another potential side effect is a condition called ICANS, or immune effector-mediated neurotoxicity. 

"With this, people can get confused, sometimes to the extent that they can actually go into a deep coma," Raje said. "It's important to recognize and treat these conditions earlier."

Sandy Caterine, a retired accountant who lives in Rye, New Hampshire, was part of a clinical trial for CAR T-cell therapy. 

She was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in August 2019. 

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"It kind of came out of nowhere," Caterine told Fox News Digital. "In retrospect, maybe I had a couple of little symptoms."

Caterine had experienced some back pain, fatigue and nausea, but initially chalked it up to dehydration. 

When the symptoms didn’t go away on their own, she saw her primary care physician and got some blood tests, which led to her diagnosis.

"I had never even heard of multiple myeloma," Caterine said. "All I heard was that it was incurable and no one could predict what the life expectancy might be."

For several months, Caterine was on a regimen of numerous drugs, infusions and radiation, none of which fully resolved her cancer. Then she learned about the clinical trial for CAR T-cell therapy.

"Sandy has what is known as high-risk disease, based on the genetics of the cancer," said Raje. "This usually doesn’t have good outcomes, but Sandy had a great response to the trial."

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Caterine, who is 62, did experience the CRS illness as a side effect, which caused her to endure nausea, fatigue, fever and disorientation. 

She remained in the hospital for 15 days.

"It took me a while to get my strength back," she said. "I do remember them taking very good care of me."

Caterine has gotten periodic bone marrow scans every three months since her infusion.

"So far, there has been no sign of the disease," she said. 

"Dr. Raje told me the hope was that it would work for two to three years, and I am already over two years."

Caterine’s experience has helped her appreciate each day more than she did before, she told Fox News Digital.

"These are two years that I never thought I would get when I was first diagnosed," she said. 

"It's just great that I can continue to live my life and be with my family."

CAR T-cell therapy started out for use in leukemia, later branching out to other blood cancers like lymphoma and multiple myeloma. 

Raje is hopeful that the treatment eventually will become available for other types of cancers, including cancers of the breast, colon and brain.

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"We have an ongoing study where we are looking at CAR T-cell therapy in glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer, which we would have never thought of doing early on," she said. 

"And we have a whole host of new CARs coming down the pike against different antigens."

The doctor emphasized the significance of teaching the body’s own immune cells to fight against cancer cells.

"In my mind, it's probably the most personalized way of being able to take care of your own disease, which is amazing," she said.

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