#medical diagnostic solutions

[rachvictor05]

Advancements in Diagnostic Software: A New Era for Healthcare

The advent of sophisticated diagnostic software is transforming the healthcare industry by enhancing the precision and efficiency of medical evaluations. Leveraging advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, these systems are capable of analyzing complex medical data with high accuracy. This technological leap reduces diagnostic errors and improves the reliability of medical assessments.

A notable feature of modern diagnosis software is its ability to integrate seamlessly with existing healthcare systems. This integration facilitates efficient data exchange and streamlines administrative processes, allowing healthcare professionals to focus more on patient care rather than on managing information.

Additionally, the software supports personalized medicine by processing vast amounts of patient data to create tailored treatment plans. This approach not only improves treatment outcomes but also optimizes resource utilization within healthcare facilities.

Despite its many benefits, the implementation of diagnostic software does come with challenges, such as ensuring compatibility with legacy systems and maintaining robust data security. However, ongoing advancements in technology continue to address these issues, enhancing both the functionality and safety of these systems.

In summary, modern medical diagnostics software is a critical advancement in healthcare, driving improvements in diagnostic accuracy, operational efficiency, and patient care.

[thermadaynamics]

[anthonyhoffmansworld]

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[gauricmi]

Diagnostic Imaging Services Market Driven by Rising Geriatric Population

Diagnostic imaging services refer to imaging tests such as X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, ultrasounds and nuclear medicine tests which help doctors diagnose and treat medical conditions. These services deliver anatomical and functional details of the human body that assists in identifying both acute and chronic conditions including cancer, cardiovascular diseases and orthopaedic disorders among others. The rising global burden of chronic diseases due to growing geriatric population and sedentary lifestyles has increased the demand for diagnostic imaging procedures worldwide.

Diagnostic imaging services refer to imaging tests such as X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, ultrasounds and nuclear medicine tests which help doctors diagnose and treat medical conditions. These services deliver anatomical and functional details of the human body that assists in identifying both acute and chronic conditions including cancer, cardiovascular diseases and orthopaedic disorders among others. The rising global burden of chronic diseases due to growing geriatric population and sedentary lifestyles has increased the demand for diagnostic imaging procedures worldwide.

The Global Diagnostic Imaging Services Market is estimated to be valued at US$ 787.55 Bn  in 2024 and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 5.7% over the forecast period 2024 to 2031. Key Takeaways Key players operating in the Diagnostic Imaging Services Market Growth are RadNet, Inc., Akumin Inc., Novant Health, RAYUS Radiology, MedQuest Associates, Concordmedical, Lucid Medical Diagnostics, Radiology Partners, Envision Radiology, Capitol Imaging Services, Statim Healthcare, InHealth Group, Global Diagnostic Imaging, an dADM Diagnostics, Inc. These companies are expanding their service offerings and global footprint through acquisitions and partnerships to leverage growth opportunities. The increasing demand for early disease detection and diagnosis is a major factor driving market growth. Diagnostic imaging allows medical practitioners to accurately diagnose conditions in their early stages, enabling timely intervention and effective treatment. This is expected to boost the uptake of diagnostic imaging procedures over the forecast period. The diagnostic imaging services market is also witnessing strong growth in emerging economies due to increasing investments by major market players. Leading companies are establishing diagnostic imaging centers in Asia Pacific and Latin America to tap the high-potential markets in these regions. Advanced healthcare infrastructure and rising medical tourism are facilitating the expansion of global players in developing markets. Market Drivers One of the key drivers fueling the diagnostic imaging services market is the growing geriatric population globally. Older individuals are more prone to developing chronic health conditions like cancer, cardiovascular diseases and neurological disorders. Since diagnostic images play a crucial role in disease diagnosis as people age, rapid population aging is expected to significantly drive the demand for diagnostic imaging procedures in the coming years. It is estimated that around 2 billion people will be aged 60 years and older by 2050. This demographic shift will continue creating high demand for diagnostic imaging technologies.

Get More Insights On This Topic: Diagnostic Imaging Services Market

[cadvision]

Cadvision Engineers leads the Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry with digital services, engineering expertise, and compliance solutions. Elevate your medical-device design with cutting-edge technologies and unmatched after-sale support.

[reasonsforhope]

Determined to use her skills to fight inequality, South African computer scientist Raesetje Sefala set to work to build algorithms flagging poverty hotspots - developing datasets she hopes will help target aid, new housing, or clinics.

From crop analysis to medical diagnostics, artificial intelligence (AI) is already used in essential tasks worldwide, but Sefala and a growing number of fellow African developers are pioneering it to tackle their continent's particular challenges.

Local knowledge is vital for designing AI-driven solutions that work, Sefala said.

"If you don't have people with diverse experiences doing the research, it's easy to interpret the data in ways that will marginalise others," the 26-year old said from her home in Johannesburg.

Africa is the world's youngest and fastest-growing continent, and tech experts say young, home-grown AI developers have a vital role to play in designing applications to address local problems.

"For Africa to get out of poverty, it will take innovation and this can be revolutionary, because it's Africans doing things for Africa on their own," said Cina Lawson, Togo's minister of digital economy and transformation.

"We need to use cutting-edge solutions to our problems, because you don't solve problems in 2022 using methods of 20 years ago," Lawson told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a video interview from the West African country.

Digital rights groups warn about AI's use in surveillance and the risk of discrimination, but Sefala said it can also be used to "serve the people behind the data points". ...

'Delivering Health'

As COVID-19 spread around the world in early 2020, government officials in Togo realized urgent action was needed to support informal workers who account for about 80% of the country's workforce, Lawson said.

"If you decide that everybody stays home, it means that this particular person isn't going to eat that day, it's as simple as that," she said.

In 10 days, the government built a mobile payment platform - called Novissi - to distribute cash to the vulnerable.

The government paired up with Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) think tank and the University of California, Berkeley, to build a poverty map of Togo using satellite imagery.

Using algorithms with the support of GiveDirectly, a nonprofit that uses AI to distribute cash transfers, the recipients earning less than $1.25 per day and living in the poorest districts were identified for a direct cash transfer.

"We texted them saying if you need financial help, please register," Lawson said, adding that beneficiaries' consent and data privacy had been prioritized.

The entire program reached 920,000 beneficiaries in need.

"Machine learning has the advantage of reaching so many people in a very short time and delivering help when people need it most," said Caroline Teti, a Kenya-based GiveDirectly director.

'Zero Representation'

Aiming to boost discussion about AI in Africa, computer scientists Benjamin Rosman and Ulrich Paquet co-founded the Deep Learning Indaba - a week-long gathering that started in South Africa - together with other colleagues in 2017.

"You used to get to the top AI conferences and there was zero representation from Africa, both in terms of papers and people, so we're all about finding cost effective ways to build a community," Paquet said in a video call.

In 2019, 27 smaller Indabas - called IndabaX - were rolled out across the continent, with some events hosting as many as 300 participants.

One of these offshoots was IndabaX Uganda, where founder Bruno Ssekiwere said participants shared information on using AI for social issues such as improving agriculture and treating malaria.

Another outcome from the South African Indaba was Masakhane - an organization that uses open-source, machine learning to translate African languages not typically found in online programs such as Google Translate.

On their site, the founders speak about the South African philosophy of "Ubuntu" - a term generally meaning "humanity" - as part of their organization's values.

"This philosophy calls for collaboration and participation and community," reads their site, a philosophy that Ssekiwere, Paquet, and Rosman said has now become the driving value for AI research in Africa.

Inclusion

Now that Sefala has built a dataset of South Africa's suburbs and townships, she plans to collaborate with domain experts and communities to refine it, deepen inequality research and improve the algorithms.

"Making datasets easily available opens the door for new mechanisms and techniques for policy-making around desegregation, housing, and access to economic opportunity," she said.

African AI leaders say building more complete datasets will also help tackle biases baked into algorithms.

"Imagine rolling out Novissi in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ivory Coast ... then the algorithm will be trained with understanding poverty in West Africa," Lawson said.

"If there are ever ways to fight bias in tech, it's by increasing diverse datasets ... we need to contribute more," she said.

But contributing more will require increased funding for African projects and wider access to computer science education and technology in general, Sefala said.

Despite such obstacles, Lawson said "technology will be Africa's savior".

"Let's use what is cutting edge and apply it straight away or as a continent we will never get out of poverty," she said. "It's really as simple as that."

-via Good Good Good, February 16, 2022

[dykeiism]

whenever i see people talking about the purpose of mental health diagnoses, three reasons usually come up:

to encourage self-understanding

to concisely describe treatment options to professionals

to gain access to resources and accomodations

but it's hard for me to agree with any of these. given the harm associated with diagnosis, especially diagnosis of a personality disorder, i'm finding it increasingly difficult to justify diagnosing any mental disorder at all. below the cut is a breakdown of each of these three reasons, and why i believe that none of them hold up to criticism.

(1) to encourage self-understanding.

diagnostic criteria are so rigid that they discourage self-understanding. they fragment the human experience, categorizing it into easily digestible groups of "symptoms" rather than understanding a person's struggles holistically. this is why we have a phenomenon of people thinking, "well, my anxiety tells me this, but my depression tells me that" and "i'm having an intrusive thought but can't tell if it's coming from my ocd, ptsd, or bpd." diagnosis misleads patients into believing that, much like one might cough due to either pollen in the lungs or a respiratory illness, one might feel anxious due to either their generalized anxiety disorder diagnosis or their post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis. a more accurate understanding of the human mind would necessarily involve doing away with the pathology of gad versus ptsd, and instead being able to understand that the anxiety might simply result from a combination of previous negative experiences, a naturally sensitive personality, and underdeveloped emotion regulation skills. a diagnosis is a description of a pattern of thoughts and behaviours; nothing more. my mental health conditions don't cause me to think or behave a certain way. rather, my thoughts and behaviours are similar to the thoughts and behaviours of other people who have also been deemed mentally sick. this makes it possible for doctors to use a certain diagnosis as a shorthand to describe my personality and skills (i refuse to call such things "symptoms") to other doctors. it does not mean that i have a sickness that causes me to think and act in certain way.

why would i want to understand myself through the lens of a psychiatrist, anyways? psychiatry is a deeply individual solution to systemic problems. we're living in a world that evolution could not prepare us for, yet we are told that there's something wrong with our brains if we're unable to adapt to these unprecedented living conditions. i refuse to believe that my brain is sick unless somebody has looked at my brain and can tell me where the sickness is. we must not forget that we're dealing with the discipline that understood homosexuality and hysteria as mental illnesses, and that initially understood autism to be a form of schizophrenia.

(2) to concisely describe treatment options to professionals

imagine, if you will, someone with post-traumatic stress disorder. all you know about them is that they have ptsd. now, recommend a treatment method for them!

nobody can give a good treatment recommendation based on that diagnosis alone. more information is needed: is the patient dealing with persistent general anxiety, sudden panic attacks, or a phobia? does the patient have compulsions? is the patient aggressive, anxious, or depressive? depending on the answers, the ideal treatment plan will be quite different.

now let's consider borderline personality disorder. there are 4 types of bpd and there are 256 possible ways to combine the 5 symptoms required for diagnosis (there are 9 symptoms in total). the personalities, cognitive abilities, and struggles of people diagnosed with bpd are quite diverse, and they will all require varying types and degrees of professional intervention. that being said, bpd is almost always treated with dbt and a few medication options including antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, and anticonvulsants. there are so many other disorders that are treated with dbt and the same drugs. so why make bpd, bipolar, ptsd, cptsd, and depression their own diagnoses? what reason is there, other than to fragment our struggles and generate stigma?

my wish for the future of psychiatry is that, instead of being diagnosed with a disorder that is simultaneously very specific yet inexplicably vague, patients will be told "your struggles are related to trauma and emotional dysregulation. i recommend that you take an antidepressant and attend dialectical behavioural therapy sessions," or "your struggles are related to catastrophization and unhelpful behaviours, i recommend that you engage in cognitive behavioural therapy."

(3) to gain access to resources and accommodations

there are better ways to do this. i don't think anyone should be turned away from the accommodations that they need. however, if resources are scarce and must be gatekept, then a simple interview or quotient test will be sufficient in determining the level of need.

[gallifreyinstituteforlearning]

Hi, I'm the human who got trapped inside a TARDIS.

Thank you for the help, I managed to open the interior doors a few days ago and went looking for the owner. No luck, but I found a swimming pool, a huge library, kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, science labs, entertainment rooms and what seems to be a huge park?

I don't know how on Earth something like this can even exist, but I guess there's all the time in the world to learn while waiting for rescue. I'm worried about the pilot though; isn't there a way to locate them, given how advanced this craft is?

Hi there, trapped human! Let's address your concerns about the pilot.

How to locate a TARDIS pilot

Do not attempt to operate the TARDIS flight controls without being absolutely sure it is safe. On earlier models, use of the console without a Symbiotic Nucleus may result in injury or a very slow and painful death.

Note: Most of the systems are in Gallifreyan. TARDISes do not tend to translate Gallifreyan, so you may not be able to read them.

Here are some methods you can try:

📡 Stattenheim Remote Teleport Control: Look for a small black disc stored in a transparent dome on the console. If properly calibrated, pressing this button may immediately transport you to the pilot. If it's not there, the pilot has taken it, or the TARDIS doesn't have the Mark X refit.

⏪ Fast Return Switch: This will return the TARDIS to an approximate time and location near where it last landed. It's clearly labelled on the console. Turn it clockwise to operate. [Use with caution]

📍 Locate the Doctor: Some models may have this feature. It is activated by pressing a button on the console labelled 'LTD' (your TARDIS may have another personalised variation). The Visual Display Unit will show the pilot's relative position on a map.

🧬 Passenger Adoption Scanning Terminal (PAST): This system registers and protects passengers. Due to how it works, if you’re registered, the pilot is likely still on board.

👥 Internal Monitor: A Mark II TARDIS can detect the number of sapient life forms onboard and display it on the Internal Monitor.

💻 The Scanner: The Scanner can locate the pilot's biodata within a two-mile radius outside the TARDIS. Some pilots have a preprogrammed switch by the scanner that will instantly display their pilot's location, but this is a modified feature.

🎤 Voice Interaction: Try speaking to the TARDIS. Some models respond to vocal commands for minor systems. If the TARDIS doesn’t respond, your voice print registration is required.

🔍 Artron Telepathic Radiation: If you find another Time Lord, they can scan for the pilot's ‘thumbprints’ left by their symbiotic nuclei to identify them.

🛠️ Cloister Room: This room contains telepathic circuits to communicate with the pilot, possibly providing an audiovisual link. It's accessible via a shortcut in the Secondary Control Room. Be cautious, as this room may have minor effects on your nervous system.

🚨 Extreme Emergency Lever: Crew members can use this lever to lock onto a pilot drifting in space and materialise around them.

🗝️ TARDIS Key: Use a key to locate anyone processed by the PAST (such as other crew members). Mix their blood with saline solution, coat the key, and suspend it in clear oil. The oxidised blood particles will 'point' in their direction.

🧠 Memory Store: Stores memories of TARDIS occupants, including audio-visual recordings of the Control Room. Useful to identify the pilot and the last time they were there.

💉 Medical Bay: The Automatic Diagnostic Terminal usually uses the pilot's avatar to communicate. You may be able to ask the avatar their identity, although responses may be limited.

If you need to take emergency action:

There is an 🚪Emergency Door located in the Power Stacks Room, leading outside. The 🚨 Fail-Safe Switch locks the TARDIS onto the nearest habitable environment, creating emergency doors. The 🆘 Emergency Emergency System (so emergent they named it twice) creates a wormhole to the nearest habitable planet. This is one way only, so there is no return to the TARDIS afterwards.

💀 Pilot Death & TARDIS Adoption

Usually, emergency systems will try to lock onto the pilot. If this is not happening, the pilot may have died without regeneration. TARDISes will normally go into a period of mourning following the death of their pilot, possibly involving a loss of power or shut down of many systems.

If you're finding systems are not shut down but have increasing suspicions the pilot may have died, this could be because:

The TARDIS has already gone through its period of mourning;

It has reactivated at your presence, hoping to establish a link with you;

It didn't really like its pilot very much.

It's not unheard of for humans to forge a bond with the TARDIS, especially if it's been left alone for some time. The TARDIS might be adopting you as its new caretaker, which would explain the access you've been granted. Some clues:

🎁 TARDISes sometimes leave gifts to welcome new arrivals. Look around for anything unusual or out of place.

💭 If you feel any strong intuitive pushes or thoughts, it might be the TARDIS trying to communicate with you.

🔑 If you're finding you have access to a lot of the TARDIS (including intricate systems), the TARDIS definitely likes you.

🏫 So ...

To locate the pilot or other crew members, try any of the procedures outlined above. Be sure to familiarise yourself with the main areas and secure access to food, water, and other necessities. The TARDIS can help—look for glowing arrows or symbols on the walls. These can lead you to important areas. Remember, the TARDIS is a complex and sentient machine. If it has adopted you, it will do its best to keep you safe, and it has a plethora of effective automated defences to achieve this.

Related:

Do we have any info on TARDIS biology?: Overview of TARDIS biological aspects.

Factoid: What's the link between a Time Lord and their TARDIS?

Can a non-Gallifreyan benefit from a symbiotic bond with a TARDIS?: Non-Gallifreyan symbiosis with a TARDIS.

Hope that helped! 😃

Any purple text is educated guesswork or theoretical. More content ... →📫Got a question? | 📚Complete list of Q+A and factoids →😆Jokes |🩻Biology |🗨️Language |🕰️Throwbacks |🤓Facts →🫀Gallifreyan Anatomy and Physiology Guide (pending) →⚕️Gallifreyan Emergency Medicine Guides →📝Source list (WIP) →📜Masterpost If you're finding your happy place in this part of the internet, feel free to buy a coffee to help keep our exhausted human conscious. She works full-time in medicine and is so very tired😴

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Can we discuss medicine in twst? I sometimes forget that they can’t just cast spells to treat every illness and even scratches are treated by Crewel himself in book 6. But does magic help a lot here?

I’ll refer you to this post for my past speculations on the limitations of (magical) medicine in TWST. To expand on those ideas, the topic is mentioned in book 6 a few times.

Crewel notes that he has to patch up the boys. Riddle also states that he is not authorized to cast healing magic on Azul, should his fellow dorm leader get injured. This would imply you need a special medical license to cast any kind of healing spell yourself.

Another thing (that I want to emphasize from my original post) is that is sounds like magical healing is limited to mending physical wounds. The OB boys, for example, are being sent to therapy. If magic that could “fix” them existed, the effects of their trauma would not exist or would be significantly diminished. It could be magically “poofed” away.

Oftentimes in media, “magic” is used as a quick and easy excuse for solutions. However, I don’t think that’s what the magic medicine of TWST is like. There would be natural limitations set in place due to variables like the condition or disease (how serious is it, and how much of your body is it impacting?) and the stamina of the medical mage in charge. Like… I’d probably imagine it’s difficult to patch up a single patient suffering from a severe wound or repair deep internal damage without expending a LOT of energy to do so (and thus building up blot), just because of the complicated nature of the human body. That’s why I theorized that the healing would be limited to diagnostics, expediting current procedures (ie more sterile surgery by using magic to hold a surgical tool instead of a gloved hand), and more superficial wounds, NOT deep. Maybe just less specialized tissues (skin, bones, and blood, maybe. But neurons, which are extremely complicated and have many pathways to consider???).

[mariacallous]

In 2013, the US Food and Drug Administration made an unprecedented recommendation, advising that women should receive a lower dosage of the insomnia drug zolpidem than men. The rationale behind it was that medication seemed to affect women for longer periods, which could become a safety issue.

However, in 2019, research conducted at Tufts University concluded that the differential effect of the medication had nothing to do with sex. Rather, researchers found that what determined the rate at which the person cleared the drug from their system was their body size. The report concluded that the reduced prescribed dosage for women could in fact lead to underdosing and a failure to effectively treat insomnia. “They were using sex as a proxy for body size because we tend to collect data about sex; we don’t collect data about body size,” says Angela Saini, author of The Patriarchs: How Men Came to Rule. “This is the perverse way that sometimes medicine works: You base your diagnostics on the data you have rather than the data you need.”

Indeed, Saini argues that many of the prevailing gaps in health outcomes between men and women have nothing to do with biological sex. “It can be so tempting for scientists to look at a gap and want to find a simple biological explanation for it, but when it comes to gender and health those simple explanations often don’t exist,” she said.

Of course, sex differences do exist in aspects of health, such as reproductive health and physiology. However, what research suggests is that, in most cases, the health-related difference between men and women—from disease symptoms to drug efficacy—is really quite marginal. “The differences that do exist are down to gender,” Saini says. “Differences in the way people are treated and thought about and the assumptions we make about them.” That, according to Saini, is what explains many of the failures when it comes to women’s health.

Consider, for instance, the common misconception that women present atypical heart-attack symptoms, different from men’s. This prevailing myth was quashed by a 2019 study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, at the University of Edinburgh. The research, which involved nearly 2,000 patients, showed that, in fact, 93 percent of both sexes reported chest pain—the most common symptom—while a similar percentage of men and women (nearly 50 percent) also felt pain radiating from their left arm. “The problem of underdiagnosis of women is because health professionals and even the women themselves who are having a heart attack believe heart attacks are something that mostly happens to men,” Saini says. Estimates indicate that differences in care for women have led to approximately 8,200 avoidable deaths due to heart attacks in England and Wales since 2014.

“It’s not about men discriminating against women; this is often about women not being listened to—sometimes by other women,” she says. Another example that starkly illustrates how gender can affect health outcomes came from a 2016 Canadian study about patients who had been hospitalized with acute coronary syndrome. The research showed that the patients who experienced higher rates of recurrence were the ones who performed gender roles stereotypically associated with women—like doing more housework and not being the primary earner at home—independently of whether they were a man or a woman. “This was because people who carried out a female social role were more likely to be anxious.” Saini says.

If these disparities are caused by the way patients are perceived and treated, the solution, to Saini, is clear: “We need to be careful to diagnose the problem where it is, not where we imagine it to be.” She highlights the successful work of Jennie Joseph, a British midwife who, in 2009, founded the Commonsense Childbirth School of Midwifery in Orlando, Florida, to support women without access to maternal health care. Research has shown that Black mothers, both in the US and in the UK, are three times more likely to die than white women.

“Joseph lowered maternal mortality rates among minority women simply by improving the quality of their care, listening to their concerns, and responding when they say they’re in pain,” Saini says. “We don’t need technology to solve this issue. We just very simply can’t allow our biases and prejudices to get in the way.”

[rachvictor05]

Revolutionizing Healthcare: The Future of Medical Diagnostics Software

The landscape of healthcare is undergoing a profound transformation with the rise of advanced medical diagnostics software, which is setting new benchmarks for accuracy and efficiency in patient care. This state-of-the-art technology is redefining diagnostic processes, offering unprecedented precision and speed in identifying and managing medical conditions.

Modern diagnosis software harnesses the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and sophisticated algorithms to analyze extensive medical data. This includes integrating information from medical imaging, laboratory results, and electronic health records. By processing this data with remarkable speed, the software aids clinicians in making more accurate diagnoses. For example, AI algorithms can detect minute irregularities in imaging scans that might be missed by the human eye, leading to earlier and more reliable identification of diseases such as cancers and neurological disorders.

One of the key innovations in this field is the ability of diagnostics software to integrate data from various sources into a cohesive view of the patient’s health. This holistic approach ensures that all relevant information is considered, improving the accuracy of diagnoses and enabling tailored treatment plans that address individual patient needs.

Additionally, the real-time data analysis capabilities of these tools allow for continuous monitoring of patient health. This proactive approach helps in identifying potential issues before they develop into serious conditions, facilitating timely interventions and personalized care strategies.

In summary, advanced medical diagnostics software is revolutionizing patient care by providing a higher level of diagnostic accuracy and efficiency. Through the use of AI, comprehensive data integration, and real-time monitoring, these tools are empowering healthcare professionals to deliver more precise and individualized care, ultimately enhancing patient outcomes and overall healthcare quality.

[eretzyisrael]

Good News From Israel

Israel's Good News Newsletter to 26th May 24

In the 26th May 24 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:

Israeli technology helps Irish doctors early-diagnose potentially fatal diseases.

Another female designer of Israeli missile defense systems.

200 Israeli hi-tech engineers donate their time to develop life-saving solutions.

An Israeli startup removes a greenhouse gas far more potent than CO2.

The first Israeli auto-industry company to set up a factory in India.

A world record is broken during an Israeli soccer match.

2000-year-old Jewish emblems discovered in a Palestinian-Arab village.

Read More: Good News From Israel

One of the traditional International ways to show respect to someone is to remove your hat on greeting them. So the expression "Hats off to Israel" is very appropriate for those who appreciate what Israel has contributed to the world. 

In this week's Positive newsletter are reminders to the President of Ireland that Israeli technology is saving many lives in a Dublin hospital. The President of Brazil should note that an Israeli blood testing machine is early diagnosing fatal diseases in his country.  And the President of Syria need only ask his Israeli neighbor to treat his wife with one of Israel's many remedies for Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Meanwhile the UN, ICJ and ICC should bare their heads in shame, knowing that Israeli companies last week announced new treatments for liver cancer, electronic patches to kill bacteria infections, electromagnetic brain rehabilitation after strokes, implants to repair the spine, and remote medical diagnostics in thousands of schools.

Then there are the Israeli innovations for ultra-fast charging of electric vehicles, real-time CCTV security systems, lab alternatives to overfishing, and the removal of a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide.

The photo (TY Sharon) shows the respect to Israel given by the many International military officers who attended the Diplomatic reception at the Jerusalem residence of the President of Israel on Israel's Independence Day.  Their message was certainly "Hats Off" to Israel!

[madlori]

Hey! Get a camera up your butt! IT’S GOOD FOR YOU

One of my personal quests is to get everybody to get colonoscopies.

A colonoscopy has an insanely high benefit-to-inconvenience ratio. It’s not just diagnostic, it’s preventative. If they find polyps (which are basically little fleshy growths in your colon), they remove them with a quick little snip snip right there during the exam. Polyps can become cancerous if left in there, so this is actually preventing you from getting colon cancer, which is the FOURTH most common type of cancer after breast, lung and prostate. 

It can also find actual cancer present, but if you’re getting regular exams, they’ll find it early, and treatment is very effective and often pretty easy. My dad had a lil bit of colon cancer but they literally just snipped it out, no radiation or chemo needed, and he’s good to go. If he hadn’t gotten a colonoscopy, he’d probably be dead right now, or he’d have had to go through much more radical treatments.

A regular colonoscopy is one of the most powerful tools in our medical arsenal to prevent a serious illness.

BUT LORI, ISN’T THIS UNCOMFORTABLE, IT’S LITERALLY A CAMERA UP YOUR BUTT.

Yes. Yes, it is. But you won’t care because you’ll be OUT COLD. They knock you out for a colonscopy with a quick-acting and quick-recovery sedative. I am talking about this right now because I had this procedure TODAY. My appointment was at 1030. I think they actually wheeled me into the scoping room at around 1100, and I walked out of the clinic just before noon. I woke up from the sedation and was totally alert within ten minutes. Had a nice lil nap.

Most gastroenterologists recommend now beginning colonoscopies starting at age 45, and getting one every 5 years, or more often depending on the results. But if you have family history, your PCP could refer you for one much earlier. I know a guy who started getting them at 25 because his uncle died of colon cancer, and based on the degree of polyp growth the doctors estimated they started forming in his late teens.

BUT LORI I HEAR THE PREPARATION IS NO FUN.

You’re...not wrong. But it’s really just annoying.

Naturally, to scope your colon, it has to be free of...the substance that usually fills it. So you have to do bowel prep for this. Bowel prep is something you have to do for a variety of procedures but they’re pretty severe about it for this because if your colon isn’t clear they literally can’t see anything, so.

It involves at least 24 hours of no solid food (broth and jello (except red jello) is allowed) and having to drink a prep solution. There are various kinds of these the time frame required is different. My prep was a 4 liter (yes, four LITERS) of a polyethylene glycol salt solution. It’s basically (puts chemistry hat on) a deliquescent solution that pulls water from your body into your intestines which is like turning on a firehose in there. Osmosis FTW. Liquidation sale, everything must go. Don’t go more than twenty feet from a toilet. Lay in some baby wipes. You also have to hydrate like a maniac because you’re shedding water much more than usual and you’ll shrivel up like a mummy if you don’t aggressively hydrate. The solution tastes...not great. I mix Crystal Light into it and it’s better. Mixing in a can of LaCroix was also helpful.

Not all preps are like this. Every clinic has their preferred method. I don’t ask questions. I do what I’m told. Then it’s nothing by mouth at all for 2 hours pre-procedure.

Honestly? The weirdest part is afterwards when you can eat again, and your whole guts have to kind of...fill back up. SO MUCH rumbling and noisemaking and squeaking.

The fun part? My clinic gave me a prinout of various photos of the inside of my colon, all squeaky clean like it hardly ever is. I might frame them.

The take home lesson here is that a colonscopy is super important, can save your life, isn’t uncomfortable at all, and you get to look at the inside of your guts. Win all around.

[transgeoffrickly]

something that i think needs addressing but i also am unsure how you actually, in a practical sense, address is that being transgender is pathologized through the diagnosis of gender dysphoria as a mental disorder in the DSM 5/(and transgender identity as "gender incongruence" in the ICD 11, which is even more overtly stigmatizing) paired with the fact that this diagnostic label is how gender-affirming treatments get covered by health insurance in the u.s.

like i do think that, while shifting the diagnosis to gender dysphoria from gender identity disorder (noting that this may be excluding people who would have been included in the prior diagnosis - which is complicated in and of itself) is good, it is self-evident that treating non-cisgender identities as a psychological issue, even in a roundabout way, is transphobic. but i also think this change is reflective of the fact that the psychological community by and large supports transition as the "solution," if you will, to gender dysphoria, rather than e.x. conversion therapy.

and in the practical sense, every single appointment and medication and procedure you go go/get in the u.s. that's going to be covered by insurance has to be billed to your insurance under a diagnosis of some kind, or it isn't going to be covered. and i do think this access to hrt and gender-affirming surgeries takes immediate priority over the stigmatization that comes with gender dysphoria as a diagnosis. that said, while it is not the immediate priority, it is still wrong.

(of course the best solution to this is a healthcare system where you are not paying for medications and procedures as an independent person at all because healthcare is universal, but this is something that i imagine will need to be addressed before we get to that even larger hurdle.)

[robbybirdy]

Antonio's Journal Page 17: Equipment Needed

Hey all, 

I went on a wild goose chase today. All for equipment at the hospital. 

I have heard nothing but complaints from the hospital’s diagnostic staff about a delay in a vital medical equipment delivery. It’s starting to cause productivity problems. I should look into this situation to solve the problem. One of the staff members suggested that I pay a visit to the business that should deliver the equipment. So the first step in this process was to check on the order at the Business building downtown. 

Thankfully the warehouse manager was very helpful. They said that City Hall hasn’t approved the equipment for use in Twinbrook yet. The paper work is completely jammed into the bureaucratic machine. This person then told me that I should convince Corey Manning to move the paperwork through the approval process a bit more quickly. 

Corey said that he wanted to help, but wasn’t able to push the approval through. However, he was able to point me to the City Hall records department room containing some crucial files. The solution to the problem was somewhere in those records. 

Once I got to the brief, yet educational tour of the records department. I started digging. Two rival council members chose the medical equipment approval as their latest battleground and the issue was indefinitely stalled. I reported this information to the hospital to see what the administrator thought about this new piece of information. 

The administrator was quite dissatisfied with the status of this equipment issue. But they feel like this isn’t the right moment to enter the political forum to fight a battle. They told me that they would think about the possible solution and how I could help.

That was a lot of running around, but It wasn’t for all for nothing, I increased my relationship with Nick, I got a thousand simelons and my career performance improved. 

And after that I fell into bed, just dead tired.