As health care professionals, AAHPO leadership is focused on the health care needs created by this humanitarian crisis. Since 2011, AAHPO has had a special relationship with physicians from Artsakh, who have been trained within the AAHPO, Dr. Raffy Hovanessian Medical Educaion Program. As these same physicians have been forcibly displaced themselves, AAHPO pledges its support to these physicians. We believe that enabling these physicians to better care for our Artsakh brethren is the most effective way to serve the AAHPO mission. AAHPO is also supporting the Armenian International Medical Committee (AMIC) effort to provide medical equipment and supplies to Armenia.

Below, we are sharing our letter of solidarity which has been delivered to physicians from Artsakh:

October 2, 2023

Dear Artsakh Colleagues:

These are challenging times. The members of the Armenian American Health Professionals Organization (AAHPO) have been closely following the events transpiring in Artsakh over the last three years, and more particularly, over the past month. We stand in solidarity with your valiant, tireless efforts to provide medical care to our Artsakh brethren, often under difficult circumstances. It is with deep sadness that we view the magnitude of the humanitarian crises as the Artsakh population moves to Armenia.

We are grateful that you have arrived safely to Armenia and we will continue to work on your behalf, seeking solutions to the myriad of challenges posed by war, the blockade, and now the forced exodus from Artsakh. There are short- and long-term needs that need to be addressed. We at AAHPO, along with our colleagues at AMIC (Armenian Medical International Committee), are working hard to help to you and your families.

Shortly, you will be receiving a survey from us, that will help define what your personal and professional needs are. Please take the time to fill it out and return it. Depending upon your response, we will do all we can to help. In the meantime, please feel free to e-mail your concerns to either Hambardzum Simonyan, MD, MPH (Hambardzum.Simonyan@far.am) or to me (info@aahpo.org).

We are working with various agencies in Armenia to ensure you will be able to practice

medicine in Armenia once you are settled. Licensing guidelines related to CME credits and other requirements will be defined by local authorities like the Ministry of Health by December 2024.

AAHPO has been involved with providing hands-on and virtual training to Artsakh physicians since 2011. We are committed to continue to do so as you transition to work in Armenia. Because of our special kinship with you, we will do all we can to maximize your opportunities to be successful in Armenia.

We stand as one in our gratitude for all you do to help our people.

Larry Najarian, M.D.

President
Armenian American Health Professionals Organization
Board of Directors

By Louis Najarian, MD, child and adolescent psychiatrist and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine

There is no social or educational merit to the social media application Tik Tok. Developed in China, where it is available as an educational tool, it has been introduced to our children and adolescents (and young adults) in the United States as a contaminating toxic form of entertainment.

Serious medical complications occur when subjects post themselves participating in stunts such as overeating, daredevil stunts such as climbing on a pyramid of boxed crates, ingesting over-the-counter drugs such as Benadryl, or excessive show of ingesting alcohol using pipes/funnels.

Why does an individual need to video themself with such dangerous behaviors for others to see? Recently a 14-year-old girl showed me some Tik Tok videos and indicated they are entertaining. Watching peers demonstrate foolish, dangerous, sexually explicit behaviors has become a form of entertainment for our children.

The lonely, isolated individual may develop quite a following depending on how bizarre they act, how many tattoos they display, how many body piercings they demonstrate, and how many shades of purple they may dye their hair. What a sad way to get attention. Then they compete for the most sensational. They do not compete with chess or backgammon, or participate in the school drama class with supervised productions of dance and singing. Tik Tok is their stage.

Unfortunately, Tik Tok has become the therapeutic forum for the lonely, isolated individual — with a poor outcome.

If the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) does not ban Tik Tok, then the Parental Communications Commission (PCC) should ban it from their homes and their children’s devices because Tik Tok is toxic to our children and teenagers.

Travelers’ diarrhea (TD) is the most predictable travel-related illness. Attack rates range from 30%–70% of travelers during a 2-week period, depending on the destination and season of travel. Traditionally, TD was thought to be prevented by following simple dietary recommendations (e.g., “boil it, cook it, peel it, or forget it”), but studies have found that people who follow these rules can still become ill. Poor hygiene practices in local restaurants and underlying hygiene and sanitation infrastructure deficiencies are likely the largest contributors to the risk for TD.

TD is a clinical syndrome that can result from a variety of intestinal pathogens. Bacteria are the predominant enteropathogens and are thought to account for ≥80%–90% of cases. Intestinal viruses account for at least 5%–15% of illnesses, although the use of multiplex molecular diagnostic assays demonstrates that their contribution to the overall burden of TD disease is probably greater than previously estimated. Infections with protozoal pathogens are slower to manifest symptoms and collectively account for ≈10% of diagnoses in longer-term travelers (see Sec. 11, Ch. 7, Persistent Diarrhea in Returned Travelers).

What is commonly known as “food poisoning” involves the ingestion of infectious agents that release toxins (e.g., Clostridium perfringens) or consumption of preformed toxins (e.g., Staphylococcal food poisoning). In toxin-mediated illness, both vomiting and diarrhea can be present; symptoms usually resolve spontaneously within 12–24 hours.

LEARN MORE FROM THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION

Azerbaijani and French aid convoys arrived near Artsakh last week as the authorities in Stepanakert introduced new rules limiting bread purchases in the region.

Two trucks belonging to the Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society carrying 40 tons of flour reached the Azerbaijani town of Aghdam last Tuesday after state-run news agencies said Baku intended to deliver the supplies to Stepanakert.

The convoy plans to use the long-shuttered route connecting the Nagorno-Karabakh town of Askeran and Aghdam, which Armenia ceded to Azerbaijan after the 2020 war, but as of Wednesday evening local time, the trucks reportedly remained stuck in Aghdam, with Russian peacekeepers deployed to the area blocking them from moving forward.

The Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society is Azerbaijan’s national affiliate of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and is separate from the International Committee of the Red Cross, which has been conducting medical evacuations from Nagorno-Karabakh throughout the blockade.

Meanwhile, more than a thousand Nagorno-Karabakh residents gathered in Askeran Tuesday night to set up preemptive barricades on the road in case the peacekeepers allow the trucks to move forward.

“They are slaughtering us, and then bringing us flour,” Askeran resident Alla Arzumanyan told CivilNet’s Nagorno-Karabakh correspondent.

A spokesperson for Nagorno-Karabakh President Arayik Harutyunyan insisted Tuesday his administration had not agreed to the delivery and would not accept the aid.

The reopening of the Aghdam road is seen as a step forward in Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s “reintegration” plan, which many in Nagorno-Karabakh fear will lead to ethnic cleansing.

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Congratulations to AAHPO Board Member John Bilezikian, MD, PhD (Hon.), for receiving the Outstanding Achievement Award from 6IMCA for his work in Armenia.

Click the arrow below to watch the video of Dr. Bilezikian’s acceptance remarks.

 
No less than 15 AAHPO members, including several Board Members, attended the 6th International Medical Congress of Armenia (6IMCA) meeting in Yerevan and provided lectures in their respective specialties. In the photo above, AAHPO Board Member Kim Hekimian, PhD (far left) and AAHPO Member Sharon Chekijian, MD (far right) share the stage with Ara Babloyan, MD, former President of the General Assembly of Armenia, in a session on Emergency Medicine and Disaster Preparedness.

See More Photos on AAHPO’s LinkedIn Page

AAHPO Board Member Kim Hekimian, PhD was a moderator in a Plenary Session, served on an Expert Panel on Diaspora-Artsakh-Armenia Cooperation, and lectured in her field of public health.

AAHPO Member V. Armineh Babikian, MS, OTR/L presented “Rehabilitation and Disability Beyond Conflict: A critical document analysis for person-centered and sustainable rehabilitation development in Armenia,” which is part of her doctoral research.

Within two hours of having learned about the explosive wildfires in Maui, Dr. Reza Danesh (photo at left) had stocked his mobile medical clinic with antibiotics, food and water. He set out for Lahaina, a community now almost entirely devastated by the flames.

Dr. Danesh said he spent 14 hours Wednesday driving people to evacuation shelters, treating them in his mobile clinic and helping triage evacuees. One woman he treated was covered in small burns. She told him she jumped into the ocean to avoid the flames, along with her neighbors — one of whom died, she said.

“I heard that story and I was just so sad,” Dr. Danesh said. “There she was, keeping her spirits, and her pets had all died, and she had nothing, and I’m taking care of her wounds.”

For the most part, Dr. Danesh said, he was tending to the “wounded well” — people with asthma or other chronic health issues that made it difficult to tolerate the smoke or the stress of watching their homes burn. Dr. Danesh said he gave out antibiotic drops for eye infections and inhalers for people who had trouble breathing because of smoke inhalation.

Dr. Danesh, a board-certified emergency physician, runs an urgent care center and mobile clinic, MODO Mobile Doctors, which he said he started in hope of expanding access to outpatient care in Maui. But even as someone accustomed to working in the emergency room, Dr. Danesh said, he wasn’t prepared for what he saw on his drive to Lahaina on Wednesday morning.

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“RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) is a severe viral illness that occurs in our communities each fall and winter. RSV is NOT a new virus, despite what some may think. RSV remains the number one cause of hospitalization in infants under 1 year of age and some of these infants suffer from the consequences of this virus for years. What is NEW is the development and FDA approval of a new ‘vaccine’ that can give our youngest clientele some passive immunity to get through their first RSV season. Beyfortus is a NEW one time “vaccine” for infants birth to 8 months of age that will give them the protection they need! This can be a total game-changer for our littlest of patients. It is heartbreaking to see our infants wheezing and struggling to breathe and then telling the parents they need to go to the hospital. To be able to prevent serious illness by giving a few months of immunity in one shot is incredible! Science and the progress we continue to make in disease prevention justifies all the hard work we do as medical professionals,” noted AAHPO Board Member and pediatrician Lynn Cetin, MD.

“Parents are already asking me about this important protection for infants,” noted AAHPO Vice President and pediatrician Garbis Baydar, MD.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is recommending all infants under 8 months receive the new monoclonal antibody nirsevimab to protect them from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), while also providing guidance for continued use of palivizumab (an injection used to prevent RSV) in the 2023-’24 season.

“Pediatricians are sadly familiar with the dangers of RSV and its devastating consequences for some families,” AAP President Sandy L. Chung, M.D., FAAP, said in a press release. “We are eager to offer all infants this protection and urge federal officials to see that it is made available and affordable in all communities.”

RSV causes about 58,000 to 80,000 hospitalizations and 100 to 300 deaths per year in children under 5 years, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Nirsevimab (Beyfortus) is a long-acting monoclonal antibody given as an intramuscular injection that is intended to protect children against lower respiratory tract disease caused by RSV. It was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in mid-July and the CDC in early August. It is expected to be available this fall, although some children may not have immediate access.

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Editor’s Note: Congratulations to AAHPO Member and weight loss expert Dr. Tro Kalayjian for being quoted in the following recent article about the weight-loss benefits of eating cottage cheese.

With 200 million hits, TikTok is going wild for a creamy super-protein that our grandmothers swore by: cottage cheese. Carb-conscious and keto dieters in particular are raving, saying cottage cheese allows them to enjoy everything from extra-fluffy eggs and pancakes to cheesy dips, creamy pasta and no-churn ice cream as they crush their nutrition goals. But does cottage cheese really help with weight loss? Is cottage cheese keto? And is cottage cheese ice cream anywhere near as good as TikTokers say it is? We’re here to answer all your questions — and share success stories and simple but delicious cottage cheese recipes. So keep reading and prepare to be inspired:

Does cottage cheese help with weight loss?
According to the latest research from Florida State University, simply consuming cottage cheese as a daily snack leads to stronger muscles, a quicker metabolism and better overall health. What makes such a mild cheese so powerful? For starters, it’s loaded with nutrients that heal and transform, like energizing riboflavin, waist-shrinking folate, thyroid-boosting selenium and fat-blocking calcium.

Perhaps most crucial of all, each 162-calorie cup of cottage cheese contains a whopping 28 grams of casein and whey, two “super-proteins” found only in dairy products. Both casein and whey are proven to have surprising health benefits. (More on those benefits, below.) And many folks simply feel this special protein provides advantages other proteins don’t. “Cottage cheese is awesome,” raves New York weight loss expert Tro Kalayjian, DO, who personally shed 150 pounds while enjoying lots of the stuff. If you want to get lean, “it’s one of the best foods you can eat.”

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Click Video Image below to watch Dr. Tro’s personal weight loss story.

Editor’s Note: AAHPO Board Member and nutritionist Knarig Khatchadurian, PhD has reviewed the article below, and has made this comment: “I agree with the American Society for Nutrition and the study described below. Nutrient contents are not the same. Consult with your nutritionist or health care provider to determine which products are best for your nutritional needs.”

The plant-based milk market is exploding, offering beverages made from seeds, nuts, legumes, grains and blends of those ingredients, often marketed as ready replacements for the traditional choice of cow’s milk.

However, not all of those plant milk options are fortified to meet the levels of various nutritional ingredients contained in dairy, according to a new unpublished study presented Monday in Boston at Nutrition 2023, the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition.

The study analyzed nutrition labels and ingredients for 233 plant-based milk products from 23 different manufacturers and found only 28 of the beverages had as much or more protein, vitamin D and calcium as cow’s milk.

“About half were fortified with vitamin D, two-thirds were fortified with calcium, and nearly 20% had protein levels similar to cow’s milk,” said lead study author and registered dietitian Abigail Johnson.

“I’m not seriously concerned about this as it’s easy to get these nutrients from other sources, and cow’s milk certainly isn’t perfect and infallible,” said Johnson, who is assistant professor and associate director of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health Nutrition Coordinating Center in Minneapolis. “But if a consumer thinks plant-based milks are a one-to-one substitution for dairy, many of them are not.”

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