Community health volunteers in Yemen – Yemen

EMPOWERING PREGNANT AND NURSING MOTHERS TO MAKE BEST HEALTH CHOICES.

Across Yemen today, around 1.3 million pregnant or nursing mothers and 2.2 million children under age five require treatment for acute malnutrition. Health literacy is a critical tool for sustaining and saving their lives, especially when they are conflict-displaced and unable to access basic necessities like food, clean water, and primary healthcare.

The World Health Organization (WHO) in partnership with the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) is supporting a refresher training for a network of 1,277 community health and nutrition volunteers to equip pregnant and breastfeeding women in 24 priority districts across 8 governorates with the right information to make the best health and nutrition choices they can for themselves and their infants, during and after their pregnancies.

Dhiya Saif, 28, is expecting her first child next month. She and her family were displaced by conflict five years ago, and now live in Aden, Yemen. The unaffordability of food, more than its availability, presents a major challenge for this family.

“There is a community health volunteer who has given me the information I have needed to improve my health awareness, and ensure my baby is well-nourished and in good health,” Dhiya says. “I am so much looking forward to giving birth – I cannot wait to hold my baby for the first time!”

For years, Yemen has ranked among the world’s most acutely food-insecure countries. As the country’s nutrition situation continues to deteriorate in 2023, some 378,000 people – over half of them children and nearly one-quarter women – are projected to become newly displaced, according to the 2023 Yemen Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO). The same report states that some 86 percent of all children from 6 months to five years of age currently suffer from

Can eating more protein help preserve health?

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Moderate protein intake from a range of plant- or animal-based sources could help you live longer, a new study suggests. Jordan Lye/Getty Images
  • A new study in mice suggests that consuming a moderate amount of protein may be most conducive to improved metabolic health.
  • In the study, the sweet spot for moderate protein consumption was between 25% and 35% of a mouse’s daily diet.
  • Older people need more protein due to the body no longer being able to process the macronutrient efficiently.

It only makes sense that a person’s nutritional needs change as they go through life from childhood through adulthood. As we grow, reach maturity, and age, our bodies are occupied with different tasks.

As researchers seek to extend our healthy lifespans — periods free of serious disease — they have been hoping to identify the optimal balance of macronutrients that promote good health at each life stage.

A new study of mice investigates the role of protein at different stages of life.

The study finds that consuming moderate amounts of protein in youth and middle age may be the key to good metabolic health.

The study is published in Geroscience.

Using a mouse model, the researchers studied the effects of protein intake on biological aging.

They fed young (6-month-old) and middle-aged (16-month-old) mice diets with varying levels of protein for two months.

Their diets consisted of 5%, 15%, 25%, 35%, or 45% protein. The moderate amounts identified in the study were 25% and 35%.

All mice were fasted for three hours before being euthanized for tissue harvesting and analysis.

In mice, a diet low in protein resulted in the development of fatty liver, and middle-aged mice exhibited higher levels of lipids, or fats, in their systems than younger mice. The moderate-protein diets also lowered

Fashion Designer Maria Cornejo Approached Her Clothing Line as an Artistic Project—and Accidentally Solidified a Brand

The designer Maria Cornejo will proudly admit that one of her most iconic pieces, the chic navy wrap dress that was famously photographed on Chloe Sevigny for the Paris-based indie fashion magazine Purple in 1999, is mass-produced garbage—well, it was an art project as well. “That was a blanket from K-Mart,” Cornejo said of the repurposed swath of fabric. “It never went into production. It’s falling apart now, disintegrating.”

What began as a creative lark was inadvertently savvy. “We ended up getting a lot of clients because of it,” Cornejo said. “This store in L.A. called out of the blue and wanted to have the entire collection. There was no strategic plan. Everything happened very organically, and in a weird way, because I didn’t want to be a fashion designer.” Cornejo then summed up her very ’90s ethos: “The more you said no, the more people wanted you.”

The designer in her atelier. Courtesy of Zero + Maria Cornejo.

The designer in her atelier. Courtesy of Zero + Maria Cornejo.

It is a much different fashion landscape now. Despite all odds, Zero + Maria Cornejo has outlasted the big-box behemoth K-Mart’s New York City outposts and is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. To honor the occasion, Cornejo’s fall collection consists of limited editions of some of her greatest under-the-radar hits.

The blanket dress (now christened the One Chloe and made in silk charmeuse) will be available for the first time. Many Sunday gallery crawl mainstays have been updated, such as the 1998 Triangle top and the 2011 Koya coat, which was displayed at the Met’s “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.” The anniversary collection goes on sale next month.

Cornejo’s ex-husband and frequent collaborator, the art photographer Mark Borthwick, shot Sevigny for that original Purple shoot. He reprised the role this year, photographing Sevigny again in the updated

Audit finds Morrison-era health department deliberately breached guidelines administering $2bn program | Australian politics

The federal health department “fell short of ethical requirements” and deliberately breached commonwealth grant guidelines in administering a $2bn Morrison government community health program, the audit office has ruled in a blistering report.

The Australian National Audit Office found just two of 63 major projects were assessed as “highly suitable” for the Community Health and Hospitals Program (CHHP), which was meant to be a key benchmark to even be shortlisted.

“The Department of Health and Aged Care’s administration of the Community Health and Hospitals Program was ineffective and fell short of ethical requirements,” the ANAO said.

The health minister, Mark Butler, has savaged his predecessors for announcing projects “without assessment or guidance” and ordered his department to “run the ruler” over remaining projects funded in the program.

The audit office said the CHHP included $1.25bn in the 2018–19 mid-year economic and fiscal outlook and $747m in the 2019–20 budget, both ahead of the May 2019 election.

The ANAO said the CHHP and associated programs comprised 171 projects, including 108 grants and 63 national partnership agreement projects with state or territory governments. The health department did not develop grant guidelines for seven of the 108 grants; the ANAO claimed at least three of those were a “deliberate decision by senior management to not comply with finance law”.

“Health’s administration of CHHP grants was not appropriate, involving deliberate breaches of the relevant legal requirements and the principles underpinning them,” the ANAO said.

“Health recommended funding multiple grants prior to confirming that there was lawful authority for grants, or despite knowing that there was no legislative authority.”

The department established an expression of interest process for potential projects and assessed applicants, but the ANAO said “most approved projects were selected by government outside this process”.

The ANAO alleged: the department did not advise

Top Healthcare Stocks for June 2023

Healthcare Stocks With the Most Momentum
  Price ($) Market Cap ($B) 12-Month Trailing Total Return (%)
Viking Therapeutics Inc. (VKTX) 23.07 2.3 885.9
Cabaletta Bio Inc. (CABA) 11.94 0.5 840.2
Prometheus Biosciences Inc. (RXDX) 198.80 9.5 614.9
Russell 1000 Index N/A N/A 2.3
Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) N/A N/A -1.7

Source: YCharts

  • Viking Therapeutics Inc.: Viking is a biopharmaceuticals company that develops products for patients with metabolic and endocrine disorders. The stock jumped 69% in a day in late March after the company reported promising early trial data for an obesity drug.
  • Cabaletta Bio Inc.: Cabaletta is a biotech company that discovers and develops therapies for autoimmune diseases. Shares have risen steadily since October the company said it was pursuing clinical trials of CABA-201 for use in treating autoimmune disorders.
  • Prometheus Biosciences Inc.: Prometheus is a biosciences company that develops diagnostics and therapeutics for inflammatory bowel disease. The stock has surged since Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) announced in late April plans to acquire Prometheus for about $11 billion.

Advantages of Healthcare Stocks

An aging baby boomer population is creating additional demand for medical products and services, underpinning growth expectations for the healthcare sector. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S. national healthcare expenditure is expected to reach $6.8 trillion by 2030.

A key advantage of the healthcare sector is consistent demand. The overall demand for healthcare products and services is likely to remain steady and to even increase as populations age. This makes healthcare stocks a potential defensive play.

At the same time, rapidly developing technologies also provide opportunities for both short- and long-term growth potential in the industry. It is also not uncommon for individual healthcare companies to see massive surges in stock price upon the announcement of promising clinical trials or

Before She Passed Away, Tina Turner Said Something Heartbreaking About Her Health

Before her tragic death, iconic singer Tina Turner shared a health warning that could inspire others to avoid some of the issues she faced — and also serves as a timely rebuke of the country’s public health eduaction and medical system.

“If I had known how high blood pressure and kidney disease are connected,” the late performer wrote in an Instagram post roughly three months before her passing last month, “I would have been spared a lot of suffering.”

As Lisa Fitzpatrick, a physician and medical epidemiologist, points out in a piece for Forbes about the heartbreaking warning, it’s jarring to know that even a star of Turner’s stature, “with access to state-of-the-art healthcare,” was unaware of those risks.

In short, as Fitzpatrick argues, it’s a damning indictment of the healthcare system’s failure to prioritize health communication and medical literacy.

“My kidneys are victims of my not realizing that my high blood pressure should have been treated with conventional medicine,” Turner wrote in her post. “I have put myself in great danger by refusing to face the reality that I need daily, lifelong therapy with medication.”

“For far too long I believed that my body was an untouchable and indestructible bastion,” she continued.

Turner had, as reports highlighted following her death at the age of 83 last month, suffered from high blood pressure and kidney disease, the latter of which led to her having a kidney transplant in 2017.

As Fitzpatrick notes, healthcare literacy — which is majorly lacking in the United States — could have “enabled [Turner] to understand how her blood pressure was damaging and why inaction would inevitably lead to the loss of kidney function.”

Fitzpatrick pointed out the way health messaging is often buried in a “morass of corporate jargon” and that there often isn’t a

33 Best Amazon Clothes and Fashion Finds

Pros: Lightweight & Stretchy

Cons: Be careful when washing due to falling apart

Customer Review: “I have owned two of these shirts for a long time and they have travelled with me on many overseas adventures. They are so lightweight and pack easily. They are soft and comfortable and drape a fuller figure in just the right way. I recently experienced weight loss and found myself needing a smaller size so I came back and bought 2 more.”

The Essential T-Shirt 

Sizes: S -XXL

While last-minute birthday gifts might be considered Amazon essentials, so are T-shirts. Available in seven colors, this oversized graphic tee offers a loose-fit. 

Pros: Graphic tees for women made from soft, lightweight and stretchy fabric, provides a familiar feel. It’s so comfortable to wear all day long.

Cons: Sizes run much smaller then advertised 

Customer Review: “Actually a really nice tshirt! I am 5’6 and 165lbs and a large fits perfect. Fabric is very soft. Haven’t washed it yet but if it shrinks I think I’ll still be comfortable. Pleasantly surprised”

Sleeveless Sweater Vest

Sizes: S – L

Okay, how cute is this sweater vest!? It comes in a slew of colors and prints, feels super soft against the skin (thanks to the acrylic fabric), and can practically go with anything. Layer it over a long-sleeve button-up for a trendy look. 

Pros: 20+ Different patterns to choose from

Cons: Some colors tend to bleed over time

Customer Review: “it is just like the pictures but not for colder weather unless you were layering! it isn’t that usual sports bra texture, but it is still quite thin almost like a T-shirt rather than a sweater vest. the crop is a decent length nice tho and colors are just right”

Trusted Denim Jeans

Sizes: 24 – 34  (

Health minister announces expansion of services at beleaguered Surrey Memorial Hospital

B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix has announced a number of improvements at Surrey Memorial Hospital (SMH) with an immediate focus on a new contract for hospitalists, along with hiring more staff for the emergency department, maternity ward and mental health services. 

Dix also promised enhanced cardiac diagnostic services and renal care and dialysis at SMH within 18 months. Urgent Primary Care Centres in Surrey will also be expanding their hours, he said.

The announcement comes amid a crisis at SMH, highlighted in the last month by dozens of doctors speaking out about chronic understaffing, underfunding and congestion that has pushed the hospital to the breaking point. 

News of the improvements were welcomed by the B.C. Nurses’ Union, with a caveat. 

“It is the responsibility of Fraser Health to ensure today’s phased action plan is implemented as soon as possible,” said the BCNU in a statement. 

“We will be following up with our members to monitor the extent to which these new measures are actually improving working conditions and providing the relief the emergency department needs in order to provide the level of care patients deserve.”

The BCNU said the government needs to also address the crisis in patient care at other acute-care emergency centres in the province.

For Dr. Claudine Storness-Bliss, co-lead at SMH’s obstetrics and gynecology department, the announcement is a big win for the Surrey community and Fraser Health region.

Storness-Bliss and over 30 OBGYN doctors at SMH signed a letter in May saying a critical lack of resources is compromising patient safety, resulting in an untold number of close calls and the death of a newborn in 2020. 

 “We as a group, as OBGYNs, are very thankful for the opportunity to have our voices heard … and we are grateful for a quick response, which is really

15 Healthcare Stocks Billionaires Are Loading Up On

In this article, we discuss 15 best healthcare stocks billionaires are loading up on. You can skip our detailed discussion on the healthcare sector and its performance, and go directly to read 5 Healthcare Stocks Billionaires Are Loading Up On

The healthcare sector in the US is a multifaceted industry that plays a crucial role in providing medical services to the population. The sector overall includes healthcare providers, health insurers, MedTech companies, pharmaceuticals, and research and development companies. The healthcare sector demonstrated resilience over the years mainly because of its defensive nature. The stable demand for medical products and services also contributes to the sector’s performance during recessionary periods. BlackRock reported that the healthcare industry outperformed the broader market over the last seven recessionary periods by an average of 10.3%.

Last year’s financial turmoil altered the investment landscape as investors struggled to balance their portfolios due to persistent interest rate hikes and growing inflation. The healthcare sector emerged as one of the winners in 2022, with the S&P 500 Healthcare Index falling by just 2.44%, compared with an 18.5% decline in the S&P 500.

Also read: 15 Best Healthcare Stocks To Buy Now

Apart from their defensive nature, another reason for the outperformance of the healthcare sector is its adaptability to address the challenges and changes brought about by the pandemic of 2020. The rapid expansion of telehealth gave way to improved healthcare services, particularly for individuals in rural or underserved areas. In 2022, 68% of physicians offered virtual health options, up from 14% in the prior year, according to Deloitte’s data we reported in 14 Best Healthcare Dividend Stocks to Buy. We further highlighted that 57% to 80% of patients prefer telehealth services.

These advancements in medical technology and the long-term growth potential of healthcare stocks have billionaire

Study examines the potential of AI chatbots in facilitating access to dependable sexual health information

New research sheds light on the attitudes of healthcare professionals towards AI-led interventions and identifies potential barriers to the implementation of AI in the field of sexual and reproductive health services. While there was recognition of the potential benefits of automation and AI, particularly in administrative tasks, concerns were raised about the limitations of AI in handling complex cases and understanding patients’ emotional states. The study has been published in the International Journal of STD & AIDS.

“The surge in sexually transmitted infections to unprecedented levels and the underfunding faced by the UK National Health Service underscores the pressing need for reliable, effective, and safe sexual health education,” said study author Tom Nadarzynski, an associate professor of digital health at the University of Westminster.

“I perceive the advent of AI as a game-changing opportunity to delegate parts of health promotion to chatbots, especially for marginalized communities. These groups often experience apprehension when discussing sexual health with healthcare professionals due to fears of stigma, embarrassment, and discrimination.”

To conduct the study, the researchers distributed an online survey to 150 sexual and reproductive healthcare professionals working in England, mainly through online advertisements and professional networks. The sample included a diversity of roles, including consultants, specialist doctors, nurses, health advisors, psychologists, support workers, healthcare assistants, commissioners, service managers, and health promotion practitioners.

The survey included demographic questions, assessment of attitudes towards digital sexual health services during the COVID-19 pandemic, exploration of the perceived usefulness of automation in sexual and reproductive health services, and assessment of attitudes towards AI and chatbots. Additionally, 24 participants from the survey completed qualitative interviews to gain more in-depth insights.

The findings of the study revealed mixed attitudes towards the automation of sexual and reproductive health services. While some automation services were seen as useful, such as appointment

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