A pesar de los grandes avances en genética e imágenes modernas, el diagnóstico de cáncer de mama toma por sorpresa a la mayoría de los pacientes. Para algunos, llega demasiado tarde. El diagnóstico tardío significa tratamientos agresivos, resultados inciertos y más gastos médicos, por lo que la detección de pacientes ha sido un pilar central de la investigación de la enfermedad que, se estima, tendrá 300 mil 590 nuevos casos este 2023, y cobrará la vida de 43 mil 700 personas.
Con eso en mente, un equipo del Laboratorio de Ciencias de la Computación e Inteligencia Artificial ‒CSAIL‒ del Instituto Tecnológico de Massachussets ‒MIT‒ y el Hospital General de Massachusetts ‒MGH‒, ha creado un nuevo modelo de aprendizaje profundo donde la Inteligencia Artificial ayuda a predecir cáncer, a partir de una mamografía, si es probable que un paciente desarrolle cáncer de mama hasta cinco años en el futuro.
Entrenado en mamografías y resultados conocidos de más de 60 mil pacientes con MGH, el modelo aprendió los patrones sutiles en el tejido mamario que son precursores de tumores malignos.
La profesora del MIT, Regina Barzilay, sobreviviente de cáncer de mama, dice que la esperanza es que sistemas como estos permitan a los médicos personalizar los programas de detección y prevención a nivel individual, haciendo que el diagnóstico tardío sea una reliquia del pasado.
Aunque se ha demostrado que la mamografía reduce la mortalidad por cáncer de mama , existe un debate continuo sobre la frecuencia con la que se deben realizar las pruebas de detección y cuándo comenzar.
Mientras que la Sociedad Estadounidense del Cáncer recomienda la detección anual a partir de los 45 años, el Grupo de trabajo preventivo de EE. UU. recomienda la detección cada dos años a partir de los 50 años.
«En lugar de adoptar un enfoque único para todos, podemos personalizar las pruebas de detección en función del riesgo de una mujer de desarrollar cáncer», señaló Barzilay. «Por ejemplo, un médico podría recomendar que un grupo de mujeres se realice una mamografía cada dos años, mientras que otro grupo de mayor riesgo podría realizarse una resonancia magnética complementaria».
Barzilay es profesora de Electrónica Delta en CSAIL y del Departamento de Ingeniería Eléctrica y Ciencias de la Computación en el MIT y miembro del Instituto Koch para la Investigación Integral del Cáncer en el MIT.
El modelo del equipo fue significativamente mejor para predecir el riesgo que los enfoques existentes: colocó con precisión al 31 por ciento de todos los pacientes con cáncer en su categoría de mayor riesgo, en comparación con solo el 18 por ciento de los modelos tradicionales.
Cómo funciona
Desde el primer modelo de riesgo de cáncer de mama de 1989, el desarrollo ha sido impulsado en gran medida por el conocimiento humano y la intuición de cuáles podrían ser los principales factores de riesgo, como la edad, los antecedentes familiares de cáncer de mama y de ovario, los factores hormonales y reproductivos y la densidad mamaria.
Sin embargo, la mayoría de estos marcadores solo se correlacionan débilmente con el cáncer de mama. Como resultado, dichos modelos aún no son muy precisos a nivel individual, y muchas organizaciones continúan sintiendo que los programas de detección basados en el riesgo no son posibles, dadas esas limitaciones.
En lugar de identificar manualmente los patrones en una mamografía que provocan futuros cánceres, el equipo del MIT/MGH entrenó un modelo de aprendizaje profundo para deducir los patrones directamente de los datos. Usando información de más de 90 mil mamografías, el modelo detectó patrones demasiado sutiles para que los detecte el ojo humano.
Detección más equitativa del cáncer
El proyecto también tiene como objetivo hacer que la evaluación de riesgos sea más precisa para las minorías raciales, en particular. Muchos de los primeros modelos se desarrollaron en poblaciones blancas y eran mucho menos precisos para otras razas.
Mientras tanto, el modelo MIT/MGH es igualmente preciso para mujeres blancas y afrodescendientes, lo cual es muy importante dado que se ha demostrado que estas últimas tienen un 42 por ciento más de probabilidades de morir de cáncer de mama debido a una amplia gama de factores que pueden incluir diferencias en la detección y el acceso a la atención médica.
Barzilay dice que su sistema también podría algún día permitir a los médicos usar mamografías para ver si los pacientes tienen un mayor riesgo de tener otros problemas de salud, como enfermedades cardiovasculares u otros tipos de cáncer.
Los investigadores están ansiosos por aplicar los modelos a otras enfermedades y dolencias, y especialmente a aquellas con modelos de riesgo menos efectivos, como el cáncer de páncreas.
In late January of this year, the small community of Half Moon Bay experienced one of its most terrifying moments, when a man went on a shooting rampage at a pair of farms in the area, leaving 7 people dead. Just a few days ago, terror rocked the country again, when a gunman opened fire at a private school in Nashville, Tennessee, resulting in the deaths of 6 people, three of them children.
It is impossible to hide the sun with one finger. When you turn on the television, the news reaches the youngest members of the household and it is necessary to have a conversation with them to find out their fears and concerns, and, above all, to support them and help them understand what is happening.
In light of this, Dr. Victor Carrion, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Stanford Medicine Children's Health and director of the Stanford Early Life Stress Research Program, and Hilit Kletter, a child and adolescent psychologist at Stanford Medicine and director of the Stress and Resilience Clinic, offered suggestions on how to help children process these tragedies.
How do you recommend that parents have a conversation with their children?
Hilit Kletter asked that you take into account the child's level of development and find a time that you can really dedicate to talking to your child about this.
"For younger children, it's important to focus on reassurance and security. For older children, you can ask what they've heard, what they think, correct any misinformation, and let them ask questions," she said.
In this regard, she stressed that it is important to create an environment that allows children to express their emotions and help them filter information.
What are some of the possible psychological effects on children who hear or see information in the news?
For psychiatrist Victor Carrion, children may worry about their own safety. “If they are preschoolers, first and second graders, they may even worry about whether their family is safe.”
Additionally, she said, because images and videos are now so prevalent across multiple platforms, the psychological effect on the child may be the same as if they were at the scene of the incident, including an increased risk of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms.
Limiting exposure to these images, she explained, whether by turning off the news or reducing social media use, can help protect children.
What are some signs that a child may need extra help?
"Parents should be alert to behavioral changes, such as increased clinginess in a preschooler, complaints of headaches or stomachaches in a toddler, or withdrawal in a teenager," Carrion said.
The specialist stressed that irritability, increased susceptibility to crying and difficulty sleeping are some of the symptoms that should raise alarm if they persist for more than a month.
"All of these behaviors are often a clue that a child needs help. If you notice these signs, I recommend taking them to their pediatrician or a mental health specialist," she added.
How can parents manage their own stress?
Psychologist Kletter explained that when events like these happen, there are things you can do, such as focusing on what is within your control and using coping skills such as: finding social support among family and friends; getting enough sleep and exercise; eating properly; and making a list of things that help you relax.
The specialists provided a list of additional resources:
Remember that there is a disaster help line from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration ‒SAMHSA‒, and you can call or text 1-800-985-5990 to connect with a trained counselor 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month and the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office will be looking for drivers who violate California's hands-free cell phone law.
According to the 2022 California Statewide Public Opinion Survey, nearly 72 percent of drivers surveyed said distracted driving due to texting was their biggest safety concern.
Under current law, drivers cannot hold a phone or electronic communications device while operating a vehicle. This includes talking, texting or using an app.
Using a handheld cell phone while driving is punishable by a fine. Violating the hands-free law for a second time within 36 months of a prior conviction for the same offense will result in a point being added to a driver's record.
"Holding your phone and using it while driving is not only dangerous, but also illegal," said the San Mateo County Sheriff, Christina Corpus.
In recent years, reproductive rights have been one of the most talked about topics that have influenced the political decisions of countries, and the United States is no exception.
The right to abortion was the pillar of the Democratic wing in the US midterm elections and gained strength since the country's Supreme Court of Justice repealed the Roe vs Wade ruling at the end of June last year, eliminating the right to abortion throughout the country and leaving each state to establish its own laws.
"Everyone, no matter who they are or where they live, should be able to make all decisions about their lives and their future," said Angela Vasquez-Giroux, vice president of Communications and Research at NARAL Pro-Choice America, at a press conference organized by Ethnic Media Services where experts met to discuss the influence that reproductive rights could have on the upcoming 2024 elections.
At least 17 of the country's 50 states have established abortion bans, putting thousands of women at risk, as doctors and hospitals are sometimes forced to delay medical procedures.
"We know that too many people have a number of barriers to overcome," she said, noting that health care providers are forced to deny care to people with high-risk pregnancies, including a variety of obstacles such as traveling or spending their resources to obtain care.
She also noted that communities of color have been among the most affected, but also among those that have fought hardest for reproductive rights, and indicated that "45 percent of voters said abortion played a bigger role than in previous elections."
At the time, Lupe Rodríguez, executive director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, noted that millions of Latina women are being affected by state abortion bans and that at least 3 million of them do not have the financial resources to travel to other states to receive the medical care they need.
In addition, migrant and colored communities often run the risk of being deported and separated from their families if they have to travel to another state.
"People are very confused about the laws in their state and where they can get information about medical care, and that has shown that there is a lot of misinformation, especially in the Latino community," she said, noting that anti-abortion activists are spreading false information on social media with the goal of preventing abortions.
She also stated that since the Supreme Court decided to repeal the Roe vs. Wade ruling, a larger part of the population has voted in favor of abortion.
For her part, Ebony Baylor, Vice President of Government Affairs at In Our Own Voice: Black Women's Reproductive Justice Agenda, noted that women of color need laws that respect their civil rights and indicated that they are one of the communities that are most abandoned in the medical field, security, lack of resources and inclusion in issues such as elections.
"The United States has the highest mortality rate of any developed country and women of color are three times more likely to suffer complications during pregnancy than white women," she said, adding that racism is one of the reasons why this happens, as sometimes, due to their origin, they are denied medical care.
Yvonne Hsu, Head of Policy and Government Affairs at the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum —NAPAWF— lamented that women in the country are facing “a crisis of access to abortion.”
She also denounced the repeal of Roe vs. Wade as an “assault on communities of color and APPI — Asian American and Pacific Islander communities — and pointed to the need for women to have the right to decide about their reproductive lives.
Finally, Suba Srinivasaraghavan, a field organizer at They See Blue, pointed out that there are more women in the United States than men who vote and that they are the ones who vote - in greater numbers - for the Democratic wing, which represents an influence in defending reproductive rights in the country and a more hopeful path for women.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration The FDA approved the over-the-counter sale of the drug Narcan, which includes 4 milligrams of naloxone hydrochloride in nasal spray, meaning that a prescription will no longer be required for its purchase.
Naloxone is a medication that rapidly reverses the effects of opioid overdose and is the standard treatment for such incidents.
The agency said in a statement that the move paves the way for the life-saving opioid overdose-reversing drug to be sold directly to consumers in places like pharmacies, convenience stores, grocery stores and gas stations, as well as online.
The timeframe for availability and pricing of this over-the-counter product is determined by Emergent BioSolutions, who is the manufacturer of Narcan.
The FDA will work with all stakeholders to help facilitate the continued availability of naloxone nasal spray products during the time needed to implement the shift of Narcan from prescription to over-the-counter, which may take months.
It should be noted that other formulations and dosages of naloxone will remain available by prescription only.
Drug overdose remains a major public health problem in the United States, with more than 101,750 reported fatal overdoses occurring in the 12-month period ending October 2022, driven primarily by synthetic opioids such as illicit fentanyl.
“Today’s approval of over-the-counter naloxone nasal spray will help improve access to naloxone, increase the number of places where it is available, and help reduce opioid overdose deaths across the country. We encourage the manufacturer to make accessibility of the product a priority by making it available as soon as possible and at an affordable price,” said FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf.
Narcan nasal spray was first approved by the FDA in 2015 as a prescription medication.
Approval of over-the-counter Narcan nasal spray will require a change in the labeling of currently approved generic 4 mg naloxone nasal spray products that rely on Narcan as their reference drug product.
Use of Narcan nasal spray in people who are opioid dependent may cause severe opioid withdrawal characterized by body aches, diarrhea, increased heart rate (tachycardia), fever, runny nose, sneezing, goosebumps, sweating, yawning, nausea or vomiting, nervousness, restlessness or irritability, chills or shaking, abdominal cramps, weakness, and increased blood pressure.
“Naloxone is a critical tool in addressing opioid overdoses, and today’s approval highlights the agency’s extensive efforts to combat the overdose crisis,” said Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
The FDA will work with any sponsor seeking to market a non-prescription naloxone product, including through a switch from prescription to over-the-counter, and will encourage manufacturers to contact the agency as soon as possible to begin discussions, he said.
The noose, a symbol of racism and hatred, with deep roots in segregation, sends a deliberate message of exclusion.
Symbols of racism in the schoolyard
On November 15, 2022, the Saratoga-Campbell community was shocked to learn that colored dolls were discovered hanging on nooses around the neck in the schoolyards of three public schools: Redwood Middle, Prospect High, and Saratoga High.
“When we returned to school on Monday, we didn’t see anything. We learned about the incident through a memo sent by the administration,” Arshi Chawla, a member of Saratoga High’s Anti-Racism Task Force, told India Currents. The incident occurred on a Friday night — November 11 — and schools informed students after the weekend.
“We know where it happened. I saw a group of people gathered around a ladder leaning outside Ms. Kramer’s classroom,” said Raghav, a student at Redwood High School, describing the scene in which a dark-skinned doll was hanging, its head on a noose.
racism is not a joke
At his school, Raghav said, students had cowered in their classrooms with awkward smiles and an air of indifference. They tried to play it off as a rude joke.
"Just like when a student is rude to a teacher and you know it's not funny, but you still laugh at it like it's a joke," he said.
“We don’t talk about it.” Raghav seemed embarrassed when asked about the reaction of the only black student in his grade. “We’re not going to ask him about it. It’s too personal.” He shrugged off the incident. “I’ve never experienced hate. This is SARATOGA! We have a mixed culture here.”
At Redwood Middle, another student, Allison, said her parents were worried, wondering, "How far will they go?"
The school administration was quick to react.
“A noose is a reprehensible symbol of hate and violence,” Saratoga Union School District Superintendent Ken Geisick said in a statement released immediately on Nov. 16. Authorities have launched a hate crime investigation. The sheriff’s office described the incidents as “heinous acts” and that they are taking these cases seriously.
A diverse school district
In the diverse South Bay community of Saratoga, where the median income is $200,000 and the median home price is $2 million, 43 percent of the population is foreign-born.
Residences located in Saratoga feed into two high schools: Saratoga High and Los Gatos High. Saratoga High is over 60 percent Asian and Los Gatos High is over 60 percent white. Redwood Middle feeds into Saratoga High. Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District is ranked among the top three school districts in California by Niche.
Student enrollment in the Saratoga Unified School District (Image courtesy of Ritu Marwah)
Why parents remained silent
While staff, students and school authorities openly condemned the incident, Saratoga parents were unexpectedly silent.
“At Redwood Middle School, a pre-planned parents’ meeting – before the noose doll incident – suddenly saw parents not attending after the incident. The issue was not discussed,” Chani Modi, president of PTA Redwood Middle School, told India Currents.
SRedwood Middle School PTA President Chani Modi at her home in Saratoga, California on December 21, 2022. Photo: Sree Sripathy for India Currents/CatchLight Local.
“Maybe they think there is little they can do about the incident,” Modi surmised. Though several Asian parents had called Modi to discuss another issue — the resignation of music teachers — when it came to racism on campus, parents at the school were strangely reticent.
“My mother saw the school email about the incident. She asked me about it and then raised her eyebrows with a disappointed look,” said Raunak, a seventh-grader at Redwood Middle.
Kaasha Minocha, a former news/entertainment editor for Saratoga’s school news magazine Falcon, explained that parental apathy may stem from a lack of understanding of the symbolism of a noose. Perhaps many immigrant parents cannot fully comprehend the pain associated with the “n” word, a homophobic slur or threat of lynching. In their newly adopted nation, they may be dissociated from the history of pain that generations of Americans have internalized.
“In most cases, students understand the symbolism of a noose better than our parents do because we have read about it and our curriculum exposes us to Black history, including slavery, Jim Crow laws and segregation in the 1950s and 1960s,” said Minocha, who graduates in 2022.
lack of understanding
“My mom doesn’t understand the issue. I mean she knows it’s bad, but she doesn’t understand the problem,” said a high school student who speaks Mandarin at home. “She’s not from here. She didn’t grow up in the United States.”
“My parents? Oh, my parents didn’t understand the gravity of the whole incident. My parents grew up in India. They’re not exposed to everything that we’re exposed to in school in regards to black history,” said Shreya Rallabandi, a member of Saratoga High’s Anti-Racism Task Force.
Immigrant families on their way to achieving the American dream may perceive and interpret racist acts differently than their own children, who learn about racism and segregation in school. Among Indian families, racism is often a taboo topic. So for them, acknowledging a racist incident may mean admitting the shame that their first-generation children remain outsiders in their new homeland, despite their parents’ economic success.
Who are the culprits?
The perpetrators were caught on the school’s closed-circuit television, NBC reported. “Surveillance photos show what the district is calling two persons of interest.” Photographs of the suspects were shared by the school and in an article on Nextdoor, a community news app.
“Hanging a dark-skinned doll from a noose does not equate to ‘nasty.’ That equates to a hate crime,” Rebecca Andreasen told her neighbors on Nextdoor.
“This is shocking and terrible,” responded Carmen Tan Miller, another resident.
“No one has come forward to identify the suspects. I don’t know why these schools were targeted or if it was an inappropriate prank, but it really shocked our community as any form of racism and hate has no place in our schools or in our community,” said Tanya De la Cruz, the district’s first public information officer (PIO), a position created this year by the school district to improve communication with the community.
Photos of possible suspects were taken around 9:15 p.m. Friday. Photos purportedly showing suspects in a hate crime incident on the Saratoga High School campus, Nov. 11, 2022. (Image courtesy: Ritu Marwah)
Racism spits on social media
Students at Bay Area schools took action in response to the racist venom that exploded online in the wake of George Floyd's death and the BLM movement that followed.
Saratoga High School Anti-Racist Task Force (Image courtesy/ Ritu Marwah).
Four Saratoga High students formed the school's first anti-racism task force to raise awareness and address hate speech flooding social media.
At Los Gatos High, El Gato News reported on the appearance of the KKK “Los Gatos chapter” on Instagram promoting “Stop White Genocide!”
“An account with the username @lghskoolkidsklub ‒Los Gatos High School KKK‒ appeared on Instagram,” El Gato News warned. The report identified actively circulating links to other schools, such as @whskoolkidsklub ‒Wilcox High School KKK‒, @harkerkoolkidsklub ‒Harker KKK‒, and @shskoolkidsklub ‒Saratoga High School KKK‒.
Image of hate messages on Instagram directed at schools in El Gato Noticias (Image courtesy/ Ritu Marwah).
The Instagram post invited students “to attend a “KKK Rally,” El Gato News reported. It included a threat that read: “This is not a joke. If those animals want a race war, the side with guns will obviously win[,] and you can guess which side they’re on haha. It’s starting soon… be prepared.”
The private account, which has since been deleted, was one of several other “KKK” pages targeting Bay Area students.
Image of a KKK rally invitation addressed to schools in El Gato News (Image courtesy/ Ritu Marwah)
encounters with racism
Hate crimes continue to occur in the Saratoga School District.
On November 1, 2021, EL Gato News reported that surveillance cameras caught three different groups painting hateful, racist, anti-Semitic, and homophobic slurs on the walls of Los Gatos High, smashing pumpkins, and then filming their work with their cell phones.
Los Gatos High chemistry teacher Ken Porush was one of the victims of the hate crime. He told the Saratoga Falcon that he believes these incidents reflect a larger problem that transcends the campus grounds into the community at large.
According to Mercury News, Los Gatos Mayor Marico Sayoc, a woman of color, faced aggressive verbal attacks from an anti-vaccine and anti-LGBTQ group that identified themselves as supporters of former President Donald Trump.
In a cellphone video, the mayor was told: “We don’t want you here. You need to get out of this town.”
Racism has no place in the community
Source: Tweet from Assemblyman Evan Low
In a statement to the California Legislature, Assemblyman Evan Low condemned the attacks and said hate has no place in the community.
“Harassment, bullying, and intimidation at public meetings are absolutely unacceptable on their own, but we were horrified to learn that the Mayor, the only person of color on the City Council, and her family have also been targeted outside of Town property. This is especially alarming in light of the rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders during the pandemic.”
A symbol of exclusion
Dana Henderson, who was born and raised in Saratoga, said on Nextdoor that she saw it coming.
"I saw the demographic changes over the last few decades and thought it was going to happen sooner or later as the right unleashes the worst part of society."
But that malevolence, Rallabandi said, reveals itself in more complex and quiet ways at his school.
"You won't find explicit hate crimes or physical violence. The reality is that the way racism manifests itself in the community is very quiet."
The noose, a symbol of racial hatred with deep roots in segregation, sends a deliberate message of exclusion, Wendell Stemley, director emeritus of the National Minority Contractors Association, told the Post after nooses were found at construction sites.
"The rope's mission is not to say 'I'm going to hang you at mealtime.'"
Spring break has begun, and thousands of children and young people will enjoy a few days off for Easter. It's time to plan and go out to visit some of the most emblematic places in the state of California or, why not, in the country or other nations. While you pack your bags and plan your routes, here is the local news from March 23 to 31 that you should know to stay up to date.
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Workers in unincorporated San Mateo County will earn a minimum of $16.50 per hour starting April 1, 2023, which must be implemented for jobs ranging from commercial corridors to coastal agricultural lands.
The minimum wage must be paid to employees who work at least two hours a week, with few exceptions, the city council said in a statement.
The agency also said businesses of any size must pay workers at least $16.50 per hour for all time worked within the unincorporated geographic boundaries of San Mateo County.
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San Mateo County is working on a study evaluating the potential for pedestrian rail crossings at North Fair Oaks, over or under the Caltrain tracks, which would make walking and biking in the adjacent part of Redwood City easier.
According to the San Mateo County Office of Sustainability, the study will also explore potential bicycle and pedestrian improvements on local streets in North Fair Oaks that provide connections to the new rail crossing and local destinations on both sides of the tracks.
To conduct the study, the county wants to hear from residents through a survey, which is available in English and Spanish. In addition, there will be a series of sessions to interact with community members and better understand their needs on the topic, which will take place from this Friday, March 24 through April 6, with more dates to be announced.
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Redwood City Police Department officers arrested a 21-year-old man named Cristian Josué CanelSian on various charges of robbery and sexual assault after having been investigated since January of this year, when the perpetrator began a series of crimes in the same city, of which he is also a resident.
Since January 2023, the Redwood City Police Department's Investigations Unit has investigated three robberies involving female residents who encountered an unknown, uninvited man either entering or inside their home.
On two occasions, authorities said, the man broke into homes while the female victims were sleeping in bed, including one instance in which the victim woke up when the man touched her inappropriately.
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Palo Alto police have cited a 15-year-old Palo Alto High School student suspected of bringing a pellet gun to campus in December, police said Monday.
Officers responded Friday to a call at 11:28 a.m. from school administrators who said students had alerted them that the girl had posted images on social media of herself holding a firearm.
Students also claimed the girl had brought the gun to campus months ago and let another student hold it while she was in the school bathroom.
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As San Francisco's hotel industry makes plans to revive its Union Square shopping district, hotels in the city are looking to hire 1,200 employees for the holiday season.
During a joint news conference Tuesday at a downtown hotel, national, state and local hotel leaders said they have high hopes for a bustling summer tourism season as the industry slowly recovers from COVID-19 shutdowns.
The city's hotel occupancy rate remains down 24 percent compared to pre-pandemic levels, but the tourism sector is optimistic that as international travel restrictions ease, group tourism picks up and conferences return to the city, downtown will be vibrant again.
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In response to community concerns, the Redwood City Council is considering new regulations to further control retail sales of guns and ammunition within City limits and has asked residents to take a survey and attend public meetings to discuss the issue.
This proposal will affect all retail stores that sell these products, including all sporting goods stores and gun stores. On October 24, 2022, the City Council enacted a temporary moratorium on the establishment of new retail sales of guns and ammunition. The temporary moratorium is in effect until regulations are established, or until October 23 of this year.
Residents are welcome to provide feedback via a survey, which is available in English and Spanish.
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The Redwood City Police Department has issued a missing person file in the name of Erick Morales, 41, who was last seen on Saturday, March 25.
Authorities have stated that Erick is a Hispanic male adult, approximately 6 feet tall and 240 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.
Police said Morales suffers from schizophrenia and has not taken his medication.
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The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) announced this week that the San Mateo County Library system is among 30 finalists for the 2023 National Medal for Museum and Library Service.
The 13-library system said in a statement that “the medal is the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries that demonstrate significant impact in their communities. For more than 25 years, the award has honored institutions that demonstrate excellence in service to their communities.”
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On March 28 and 29, Sheriff's Office agents met at the Half Moon Bay IDES Society facilities, located at 735 Main St., in Half Moon Bay, a small coastal town that just last January 23 suffered a strong blow to its community, when a man shot at a couple of agricultural farms, leaving 7 dead, to prepare more and better for acts like this.
Stories like that, and those that happen constantly around the country, led San Mateo County to better prepare.
“The training, which will now be an annual one for us, is due to the events that have occurred across the country and in our county. This is our new normal, unfortunately. And in order for us to protect our communities, we know that this training is paramount,” said San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus.
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Every year, Sustainable San Mateo County ‒SSMC‒ honors sustainability leaders who have made significant progress in protecting our people and planet through their work with local organizations, businesses, and governments, and Thursday night, several awards were presented to men, women, and young people who have made a difference in this locality.
SSMC has presented 166 local sustainability champion awards since 1999, seeking to inspire and honour those working to make the region truly sustainable.
With the theme “A Hopeful Future for Our Youth,” this Thursday, March 30, at 5:30 p.m., Colegio de San Mateo, located at 1700 W. Hillsdale Blvd., dressed up to celebrate these individuals, have dinner, and be part of a silent auction.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Friday led a coalition of 22 states in support of the Biden administration's proposed new policy that would make it easier for LGBTQ people to donate blood and plasma.
Current blood donation policy recommends prohibiting gay and bisexual men from donating blood within three months of their most recent sexual contact, regardless of whether they engaged in high-risk behavior.
In January of this year, the US Department of Health and Human Services ‒HHS‒ and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ‒FDA‒ presented proposed new guidance that would abandon the current discriminatory approach and instead use a risk-based analysis for all donors, regardless of gender and sexual orientation.
In a comment letter issued yesterday afternoon, Attorney General Bonta supports the new policy.
"Everyone deserves respect and no one should have to endure discrimination, especially when trying to save the lives of others," Bonta said.
“Our nation’s antiquated approach to blood donation is a vestige of a shameful and intolerant past. It’s time to discard it and move to a risk-based, science-based screening approach for all blood donors. Not only will it protect LGBTQ people from the stigma of being unfairly singled out, but it will also help countless more patients by giving the nation’s blood supply a huge boost,” she added.
According to the American Red Cross, every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood.
Blood transfusions and blood products are needed for major surgeries, to treat diseases such as sickle cell anemia and some types of cancer, and to treat victims injured by accidents, violence, or natural disasters.
In recent years, as the COVID-19 crisis reduced the number of community events and blood drives, blood donations dropped significantly. In January 2022, the Red Cross declared its first national blood crisis, its worst blood shortage in more than a decade.
The danger to patients' lives during this crisis could have been significantly reduced if donation restrictions in the LGBTQ community were lifted.
Data from the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law indicate that removing restrictions entirely, compared with a 12-month waiting period, would result in nearly 300,000 additional pints of donated blood annually, and could help save the lives of more than a million people.
If the Biden administration’s proposed new recommendations become final, the country’s blood banks will be urged to scrap the previous policy and instead ask all donors, regardless of their actual or perceived gender or sexual orientation, whether they have had sex with a new partner, or more than one sexual partner in the past three months. Based on their answers, they would either be allowed to donate blood or asked to wait three months.
In his letter, Attorney General Bonta called for increasing blood availability nationwide, addressing critical shortage issues and saving more lives; and eliminating discriminatory aspects of current guidance that violate constitutional principles of Equal Protection.
In filing today's comment letter, Attorney General Bonta joined those from Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The CDC reported an outbreak of Salmonella bacteria linked to flour in 11 states across the country that has so far caused 12 illnesses and 3 hospitalizations.
The agency said investigators are already working to identify a specific brand of flour linked to the outbreak. However, any raw flour — unbaked — can carry germs, such as Salmonella.
In that sense, they called for not eating or playing with raw flour, dough or batter, including raw cookie dough, buns, bread or cake.
It is noteworthy that most people reported eating raw dough or batter made with flour before becoming ill.
Therefore, flour was the only common ingredient in the raw dough or batter that people reported eating.
While flour may not look like raw food, most of it is. This means it has not been treated to kill the germs that cause food poisoning.
Any raw flour used to make dough or batter can be contaminated with germs such as Salmonella, which are killed when the flour is cooked or baked.
What you should do
Do not eat raw dough or batter; even a small amount can make you or your children sick; bake or cook foods made with raw flour, such as cookie dough or cake batter, before eating them; follow the recipe or package directions for cooking or baking; use the temperature and cooking time indicated in the recipe or directions.
Also, purchase heat-treated flour to use in homemade playdough recipes; wash bowls, utensils, and surfaces that touched raw flour with warm, soapy water; wash your hands with warm, soapy water before and after using raw flour; keep raw flour, dough, and batter separate from foods that will not be cooked.
Remember to seek immediate medical attention if you or your child develop diarrhea and a fever over 102°F, diarrhea for more than 3 days that does not improve, bloody diarrhea, vomiting so much that you cannot keep liquids down, and signs of dehydration such as not urinating much, dry mouth and throat, and feeling dizzy when standing up.
Salmonella Symptoms
Most people infected with Salmonella experience diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps. Symptoms usually begin 6 hours to 6 days after swallowing the bacteria.
Most people recover without treatment in 4 to 7 days. Some people, especially children younger than 5 years, adults older than 65 years, and people with weakened immune systems, may experience more severe illness that requires medical treatment or hospitalization.
Redwood City Police are investigating a hit and run that occurred Friday night and are asking for the public's help.
Police responded to the scene near Veterans Boulevard and Maple Street around 9:25 p.m., where a bicyclist and a vehicle were involved in a collision.
Police said in a 6:22 a.m. Saturday notice that a vehicle involved in the collision is still being sought. Anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to contact Redwood City police.
