The Indian Panorama

Tag: M.D.

  • INDRA NOOYI TO BE HONORED WITH HONORARY DOCTORATE

    By Mabel Pais

    Graduation is one of life’s most important and memorable milestones in the life of a student….. and teacher!  Congratulations, Class of 2023!

    Seton Hall University (shu.org), while congratulating its 2023 graduates for a job well done, celebrates its 167th baccalaureate commencement ceremony on Monday, May 22, 2023, at 9 a.m. at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

    Rev. Borys Gudziak. (Photo credit : shu.edu)

    Delivering the commencement keynote address will be His Excellency Borys Gudziak, the Metropolitan-Archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia. At the ceremony, Archbishop Gudziak receives an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters alongside Indra Nooyi, former CEO and chairman of PepsiCo from 2006 to 2019.

    HIS EXCELLENCY BORYS GUDZIAK

    Learn more  about the Archbishop at ukrarcheparchy.us/most-rev-borys-gudziak/archbishop-borys-gudziak-biography

    INDRA NOOYI

    Indra Nooyi.(Photo credit : shu.edu)

    A role model for women and immigrants, Nooyi is celebrated for her empowering messages on inclusivity. She is the author of the New York Times best-selling book ‘My Life in Full: Work, Family and Our Future,’ a memoir that offers insight and a call-to-action on how our society can blend work and family — and advance women — in the 21st century. At PepsiCo, she was the chief architect of ‘Performance with Purpose,’ the company’s mission to deliver sustained growth by making more nutritious products, limiting the company’s environmental footprint, and empowering its associates and people in the communities it serves. Nooyi served as a member of the PepsiCo Board of Directors from 2001 to February 2019, and is now a member of the board of Amazon, where she chairs the audit committee.

    MORE INFORMATION

    For links to livestream and more information about the speakers and Seton Hall’s 167th baccalaureate ceremony, visit shu.edu/commencement/index.cfm.

    SETON HALL UNIVERSITY

    Learn more at shu.edu.

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    LIFT YOUR SPIRITS WITH SPA DAY:  A DAY OF PAMPERING & RENEWAL

    By Mabel Pais

    Would you like to lift your spirits with a free Spa Day…. those living with breast or ovarian cancer? A Free Day of Pampering and Renewal?

    Breast Cancer Awareness, symbol. (Photo credit / mmjccm.org)

    This Annual Spa Day is available in-person for part of the day or all day virtually on Sunday, May 21, 10 am to 4 pm, and is hosted by the JCC Manhattan. The offer is presented by the

    Shirley Kohn Spa Day for Individuals Living with Breast or Ovarian Cancer (mmjccm.org/programs/virtual-jcc-shirley-kohn-spa-day-women-living-breast-or-ovarian-cancer-free-day-pampering).

    The free virtual spa day is designed to lift the spirits of those with cancer, and the lineup includes a sampling of spa experiences, including mindful movement, as well as nutrition and self-care.

    PROGRAM

    JCC Shirley Kohn Spa Day for Women Living with Breast or Ovarian Cancer: A Free Day of Pampering and Renewal

    Sunday, May 21 from 10AM–4PM

    Keynote: Author Maria Sirois

    Drop in for part of the free, virtual event, or tune in for the whole day

    Schedule highlights include Meditation, Zentangle, Positive Psychology, Self Care Massage, Health Harp Music + Yoga.

    RSVP

    If you’d like to attend, RSVP Lauren Magy: lmagy@mmjccm.org.

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    BROADWAY’S BEST FOR PD INVOLVES IN THE CHALLENGE

    Exercise Class for PD. (Photo credit / mmjccm.org)

    By Mabel Pais 

    Broadway’s Best for Parkinson’s: When PD Enters the Relationship, is a free in-person event, with virtual streaming option, hosted by the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan (MMJCCM) on Wednesday, May 24 at 6:00 PM. The final Broadway’s Best event of the season will feature a panel of experts on how Parkinson’s impacts a relationship, from intimacy to balancing needs of care partners, to communication strategies, and even the importance of dance in a relationship.

    The experts joining the panel for May’s Broadway’s Best for Parkinson’s include David Loud, Broadway actor, musical director, arranger (vocal arrangements: New York, New York), and author, who is living with Parkinson’s; Rebecca Gilbert, M.D., chief scientific officer, American Parkinson’s Disease Association (APDA); and Gloria Lebeaux, LCSW, director of social work services at the Barry + Florence Friedberg JCC.

    PROGRAM

    Moderator: Caroline Kohles, MMJJC senior program director of Health + Wellness

    David Leventhal, program director of Dance for PD, featuring a movement segment, demonstrates how to improve communication and connection through dance.

    Matt Castle, Broadway actor – conversation & musical performances and his husband

    Frank Galgano, director, musical arranger, and actor

    Both are two years into their PD journey.

    Musical Performances

    Ziyang Zhou and Xavier Cornell of David Loud’s Manhattan School of Music give musical performances

    Discussion

    The lively discussion will also feature personal stories from Rhoda Cahan and Sam Rudick, a couple living with PD for nearly a decade.

    REGISTRATION

    Register for attendance in-person at (mmjccm.org/programs/person-broadways-best-parkinsons-when-pd-enters-relationship) and for virtual attendance at (mmjccm.org/programs/virtual-broadways-best-parkinsons-when-pd-enters-relationship).

    Broadway’s Best for Parkinson’s

    This free hybrid event is part of a groundbreaking MMJCCM Parkinson’s program

    (mmjccm.org/parkinsons) founded 15 years ago to improve the lives of those impacted by Parkinson’s.

    Broadway’s Best for Parkinson’s: When PD Enters A Relationship begins at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, May 24 at the MMJCCM, in person, as well as online.

    The initiative helps improve the lives of those impacted by Parkinson’s. Through education, exercise, and other programs, and in collaboration with the medical and local communities, people impacted by Parkinson’s remain active, connected, and empowered.

    Bios of Co-Hosts and Participants

    Learn about each co-host and participants Rhoda Cahan and Sam Rudick, Matt Castle, Frank Galgano, Rebecca Gilbert, M.D., Gloria Lebeaux, David Leventhal, David Loud at mmjccm.org/parkinsons.

    Caroline Kohles is the senior program director, Health + Wellness, at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. In her 19 years at the JCC, she has spearheaded a progressive slate of fitness programming, creating 100-plus group fitness class schedules and health and wellness programs for populations ranging from tweens/teens to prenatal/postnatal moms and seniors. Her signature work includes developing a range of cancer care programs and she  designed the nationally and internationally recognized Edmond J. Safra Parkinson’s program at the JCC, now in its 16th year. She is also co-founder of NIA New York, a holistic lifestyle and fitness practice.

    The Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan

    Learn more at mmjccm.org. Follow the JCC on

    Instagram –    instagram.com/mm_jccmanhattan,

    Facebook –     facebook.com/jccinmanhattan, and

    Twitter –       twitter.com/MM_JCCManhattan

    (Mabel Pais writes on Health & Wellness, Education, The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Cuisine, Spirituality, and Business)

     

  • 6 Medical Problems That Can Mimic Dementia – but Aren’t

    6 Medical Problems That Can Mimic Dementia – but Aren’t

    Medications, infections and sleep issues can cause you to feel foggy or confused

    If you’re an older adult experiencing memory lapses, lack of focus or confusion — or you have a loved one with those symptoms — it’s natural to worry about dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. A recent AARP survey found that nearly half of adults 40 and older think they will develop dementia — a share far greater than the condition’s actual prevalence. Other treatable conditions can cause similar symptoms, and they can be easy for doctors to miss, says Ardeshir Hashmi, M.D., a geriatrician and section chief of Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Geriatric Medicine.

    “Sometimes there’s just a very superficial workup, and then [the doctor says], ‘Here’s a pill for Alzheimer’s,’ ” Hashmi says. (Although there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, there are several federally approved medications that can help manage its symptoms. Two medications have made it to the market that could slow the progression of Alzheimer’s, though studies measuring their effectiveness are ongoing.) “Before you make that conclusion, you should rule out all the other things that can be confused with dementia — things that are easily reversible.” Here are some common medical problems that can be mistaken for dementia.

    1. Medication interactions or side effects
    If someone complains of memory problems, Hashmi says his first question is always, “Did you recently start a new medication?”

    Older adults are more likely than younger people to develop cognitive impairment as a side effect of a medication, and drug toxicity is the culprit in as many as 12 percent of patients who present with suspected dementia, research shows. two people inside a house with a heart above their heads. the woman has white hair and is older and her adult son has his arm around her in a protective gesture

    Many types of prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs can affect your cognition, but the most common include those for sleep, urinary incontinence, pain, anxiety and allergies. Taking too many medications (called polypharmacy) can affect your ability to think clearly and remember things, Hashmi says.

    An April 2023 report from the National Poll on Healthy Aging found that 82 percent of adults ages 50 to 80 take at least one prescription medication; 28 percent take five or more medications. The same report found that 80 percent of older adults taking prescription medication said they would be willing to stop taking one or more if their doctor said it was possible.

    Even a prescription you’ve been on for many years can trigger confusion. The reason, Hashmi explains, is that your kidneys and liver become less effective at clearing drugs from your body as you get older, so a medication can build up in your system and cause problems.

    2. A respiratory infection (including COVID-19)
    Any untreated infection, Hashmi says, can cause delirium — a sudden change in alertness, attention, memory and orientation that can mimic dementia. When you have an infection, the white blood cells in your body rush to the infection site, causing a chemical change in the brain that makes some older adults feel drowsy, unfocused or confused. Respiratory infections are harder to diagnose in people 65 and older because they are more likely to lack classic symptoms, such as a fever or a cough, Hashmi notes. In one study published in 2020 in JAMA Network Open, 37 percent of older COVID-19 patients who went to the emergency room with delirium had no typical COVID symptoms, such as fever or shortness of breath.

    Delirium tends to come on suddenly, whereas dementia usually progresses slowly, with subtle memory changes that gradually worsen over many years, Hashmi says. “Dementia is almost never sudden onset unless caused by a stroke. If you see a sudden change [in mental status], always think about delirium as a first cause. It is eminently treatable if you get to the trigger or underlying source of it, which is usually an infection.”

    Patients have reported difficulty concentrating, memory slips and attention deficits after they recover from a COVID-19 infection. In most patients, those symptoms subside after a few months.
    (Source: AARP Newsletter)

  • Calorie restriction is more effective for weight loss than intermittent fasting

    A study has found that eating smaller meals was more beneficial than intermittent fasting for losing weight. The study was published in a journal, ‘American Heart Association’.
    According to the senior study author Wendy L. Bennett, M.D., M.P.H., an associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, although ‘time-restricted eating patterns’ — known as intermittent fasting — are popular, rigorously designed studies have not yet determined whether limiting the total eating window during the day helps to control weight.
    This study evaluated the association between time from the first meal to last meal with weight change. Nearly 550 adults (18 years old or older) from three health systems in Maryland and Pennsylvania with electronic health records were enrolled in the study. Participants had at least one weight and height measurement registered in the two years prior to the study’s enrollment period (Feb.-July 2019).
    Overall, most participants (80 per cent) reported they were white adults; 12 per cent self-reported as Black adults; and about 3 per cent self-identified as Asian adults. Most participants reported having a college education or higher; the average age was 51 years; and the average body mass index was 30.8, which is considered obese. The average follow-up time for weight recorded in the electronic health record was 6.3 years.
    Participants with a higher body mass index at enrollment were more likely to be Black adults, older, have Type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure, have a lower education level, exercise less, eat fewer fruits and vegetables, have a longer duration from last mealtime to sleep and a shorter duration from first to last meal, compared to the adults who had a lower body mass index. The research team created a mobile application, Daily24, for participants to catalog sleeping, eating and wake up time for each 24-hour window in real-time. Emails, text messages and in-app notifications encouraged participants to use the app as much as possible during the first month and again during “power weeks” — one week per month for the six-month intervention portion of the study.
    Based on the timing of sleeping and eating each day recorded in the mobile app, researchers were able to measure:- the time from the first meal to the last meal each day;- the time lapse from waking to first meal; and- the interval from the last meal to sleep. Source: ANI

  • Five Indian Americans amongst 40 finalists in Regeneron Science Talent Search

    Five Indian Americans amongst 40 finalists in Regeneron Science Talent Search

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Five Indian American students are among 40 finalists in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, America’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors, vying for over $1.8 million in prizes.

    Finalists were selected by a national jury of professional scientists from a pool of 300 scholars from 34 schools across 14 states, based on their projects’ scientific rigor and their potential to become world-changing scientific leaders, according to a press release from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Society for Science.

    The 2023 finalists’ research projects showcase their breadth of knowledge, their commitment to addressing issues important to modern society, and their passion for STEM, the release said.

    Five Indian American students —Ambika Grover from Connecticut, Neel Moudgal from Michigan, Ishika Nag and Lavanya Natarajan from Florida and Siddhu Pachipala from Texas — will now compete with other finalists for a top prize of $250,000.

    Grover of Greenwich High School, Greenwich, Connecticut, had a project titled: Design of a Novel, Dual-Functioning, Tissue Plasminogen Activator and Factor XI-Inhibiting Anticoagulant Therapeutic for Rapid Ischemic Stroke Treatment.

    Moudgal of Saline High School, Saline, Michigan, had a project titled: Using Unassigned NMR Chemical Shifts to Model RNA Secondary Structure.

    Nag of Oviedo High School, Oviedo, Florida, had a project titled: Development of an Engineered Face Mask with Optimized Nanoparticle Layering for Filtration of Air Pollutants and Viral Pathogens.

    Lavanya Natarajan of Viera High School, Viera, Florida had a project titled: A Prescriptive IoT Solution to Detect and Mitigate Fugitive Methane Gas in Landfills via a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System.

    Siddhu Pachipala of The Woodlands College Park High School, The Woodlands, Texas had a project titled: SuiSensor: A Novel, Low-Cost Machine Learning System for Real-Time Suicide Risk Identification and Treatment Optimization via Computational Linguistics.

    “We are thrilled to welcome this inspiring and highly talented class of Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists,” said Maya Ajmera, President and CEO, Society for Science and Executive Publisher, Science News.

    “I am certain these extraordinary students will be following in the footsteps of our many accomplished alumni who are the forefront of breakthrough discoveries. The 2023 finalists will be using their leadership, intellect, creativity and STEM skills to solve our world’s most intractable challenges.”

    Finalists will participate in a week-long competition in March 2023, during which they will undergo a rigorous judging process that goes beyond their own research to encompass other scientific disciplines and compete for more than $1.8 million in awards.

    They will also have an opportunity to interact with leading scientists and share their research during a virtual “Public Day” event on March 12. The top 10 Regeneron Science Talent Search 2023 winners will be announced during an awards ceremony on March 14, streamed live from Washington, DC.

    In total, more than $3 million in awards will be distributed throughout the Regeneron Science Talent Search. The finalists are each awarded at least $25,000, and the top 10 awards range from $40,000 to $250,000.

    Finalists may use their award prize money solely for educational purposes and can choose for those funds to be released directly to their college or university.

    The top 300 scholars, each of whom receive $2,000, may use their awards as they see fit; each of their schools are also awarded $2,000 to support math and science programs, a critical investment toward their future in STEM, and our country’s future as a hub of innovation and progress.

    Multiple students chose to explore research topics on climate change; for instance, one studied the environmental potential of human-made materials such as cement to help reduce emissions, and another evaluated the correlation between air pollution and Covid-19 cases, according to the release.

    Some students invented health monitoring devices, like a color-changing sensor to help detect the presence of illicit drugs in drinks; others explored topics related to space, including a new method to test for the existence of large populations of black holes.

    Other finalists dove into social and political issues, including an examination of media coverage about violent crimes to understand its impact on societal perceptions, and an evaluation of linguistic features in writing to predict suicide risk.

    “Congratulations to an exceptional group of Regeneron Science Talent Search 2023 finalists,” said George D. Yancopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., Co-founder, President and Chief Scientific Officer of Regeneron, and a 1976 Science Talent Search finalist and top winner.

    “Inspiring and equipping the brightest minds to take on the world’s most pressing issues is one of the most important ways we can ensure the scientific advancements necessary to better our society. We know the future is bright for these young scientists and are excited to see the positive impact they will make.”