Community service for wombat rape claim

A Motueka man who claimed to have been left speaking Australian after being raped by a wombat has been sentenced to 75 hours' community work for his trouble.

Arthur Ross Cradock, a 48-year-old orchard worker, admitted in the Nelson District Court yesterday to the charge of using a phone for a fictitious purpose, after calling police with the message, 'I've been raped by a wombat'.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Chris Stringer told the court that on the afternoon of February 11 Cradock called the police communications centre, threatening to "smash the filth" if they arrived at his home that night.

When asked if he had an emergency, he replied "yes", Mr Stringer said.

On a second subsequent call to the communications centre, Cradock told police he was being raped by a wombat at his Motueka address, and sought their immediate help.

He called police again soon after, and gave his full name, saying he wanted to withdraw the complaint.

"I'll retract the rape complaint from the wombat, because he's pulled out,'' Cradock told the operator at the communications centre, who had no idea what he was talking about, Mr Stringer said.

"Apart from speaking Australian now, I'm pretty all right you know, I didn't hurt my bum at all,'' Cradock then told the operator.

Mr Stringer said alcohol had played a big part in Cradock's life. However, defence lawyer Michael Vesty said alcohol was not a problem that day.

Judge Richard Russell said he was not quite sure what motivated Cradock to make those statements to the police.

Nut a day keep doctor away

Two Brazil nuts a day keep low selenium at bay - and may stave off cancer and heart disease, say Otago University scientists.

Professor Christine Thomson, who has led a world-first study into how much of the essential micronutrient people can obtain from Brazil nuts, health club said New Zealanders generally had "marginal" selenium levels because the soil was deficient in selenium.

"There is mounting evidence that a marginal selenium status can lead to an increased risk for a range of conditions, including cancer and cardiovascular disease."

Selenium is a trace mineral essential for producing antioxidant enzymes and other proteins, which protect cells from damage.

The Otago study, which has just been published in the American Clinical Journal of Nutrition, involved 60 volunteers who were divided into three groups: one ate two Brazil nuts a day, one received a 100 microgram selenium supplement and one was given a placebo.

Professor Thomson and her colleagues from the Department of Human Nutrition found that after 12 weeks health club, the blood selenium concentrations of the Brazil nut group had increased by 64.2 per cent, compared with 61 per cent in the selenium supplement group.

When they measured the activity levels of a key antioxidant, the Brazil nut eaters' levels went up by 13.2 per cent, versus 5.3 per cent in the supplement group.

Research is under way to investigate the association between low selenium levels and higher rates of cancer and heart disease health club.

Wellington Nut Store co-owner David Upchurch said: "Kiwi farmers have been feeding selenium supplements to their cattle for years ... but it's only in the past few years that people have cottoned on to the fact it might be good for them too health club."

Teens turn deaf ear to risks of mp3 players

Teenagers seem to know that loud music can damage their hearing, yet most see no reason to lower the volume on their iPods, a small study suggests.

In focus-group discussions with students at two high schools in the Netherlands, researchers found that the teens were generally aware that blasting an MP3 player could harm their hearing. Yet most said they usually played their own device at maximum volume and had no plans to change that.

Like many teenagers, the students often denied their own personal risk. Most knew the general hazards of loud music,health club but believed they had a "low personal vulnerability" to hearing loss, the researchers report in the Journal of Pediatrics.

Given this, lead researcher Ineke Vogel told Reuters Health in an email interview, "we strongly recommend parents to inform their children and to discuss with their children the use of MP3 players and the potential long- term,health club irreversible consequences for hearing capacity."

Parents can also look for signs of a problem, like when a child complains of ringing in the ears or sounds being "muffled," according to Vogel and co-researcher Dr Hein Raat, who are both based at the University Medical Centre Rotterdam.

Based on the focus-group discussions, though health club, many parents may be unaware of the hearing risks posed by MP3 players, the researchers note. Of the 73 students in the study, few said their parents had warned them that playing the devices too loud could harm their hearing.

It may also be necessary for MP3 manufacturers to make changes, the researchers note in their report.

Many students in the study said they did not know how to tell when their MP3 players were too loud. Volumes at or above 90 decibels (dB) are believed to be hazardous, Vogel's team notes, but noise levels need to reach 120 dB to 140 dB to become uncomfortable or painful.

Manufacturers, according to the researchers, could equip MP3 players with an indicator that displays the volume level in terms of decibels, along with a signal -- such as a flashing light -- that goes off when decibel levels reach the danger zone.

For now, Vogel and her colleagues recommend that, as a general "rule of thumb," MP3 users set the volume no higher than 60 percent of its full capacity when using "ear bud" style headphones, like those that come with iPods.

With over-the-ear headphones health club, they recommend 70 percent as the maximum.

Just as there are safety standards for occupational noise exposure, Vogel and her colleagues suggest that more long-range studies are needed to develop safety guidelines for "leisure-time" noise exposure.

Workplace changes can lead to breakdowns

Major changes in the workplace can push employees into mental breakdowns, an Australian researcher has found.

The effect can be particularly severe in those who have been with a company or organisation for a number of years, health club said Queensland University of Technology (QUT) psychology researcher Lynda Nguyen.

Faced with a major shake-up at work, some employees leave, while others have to take time off to deal with the psychological fall-out, she said.

"I have definitely found quite a few groups of participants who have shared with me their views in terms of having or experiencing emotional breakdowns," Ms Nguyen told AAP yesterday.

"They have had to take time away from the workplace to sort themselves out.

"The restructuring of the group has brought in a sense of health club: `Well, who's the boss now?"'

Ms Nguyen said her ongoing study at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) at Lucas Heights south of Sydney could apply to any organisation or company.

The upheaval could take many forms, including dramatic changes in systems, technology, restructuring of the whole organisation or work groups within it, relocations and integration of new staff, she said.

Role changes could be particularly hard on long-time employees who believed they were also losing prestige and power when new employees were hired above them.

Many left their jobs health club – taking their years of valuable experience with them.

Money was often the least of their worries.

They were more concerned with the changed dynamic in their workplace and their perceptions of how they fitted into it.

"With senior people, there may be some 22-year-old greenhorn coming in and managing them after they have been with the company for so many years," Ms Nguyen said.

The key to helping employees cope with change was communication, she said.

They needed reassurance their jobs were safe, the process of appointing new employees was being handled fairly and the company was sharing with them its vision for the future.

Schoolgirl's dying words revealed her murderer

As Tania Burgess lay dying in a car park after being stabbed 48 times, the Australian schoolgirl managed to utter her attacker's first name health club, his school and his class.

In the NSW Supreme Court yesterday, the "gentle" 18-year-old youth who matched those details was found guilty of her brutal murder on the state's central coast.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, briefly looked over at his parents, who had sat in the front row of the public gallery every day of his three week trial.

On the other side of the public gallery sat the victim's parents, Mandy and Chris Burgess, who later told reporters they were "really happy" with the result.

The jury of seven women and five men only took 90 minutes to find the teenager guilty of murdering the 15-year-old schoolgirl in July 2005.

Tania was repeatedly stabbed on her way home from school, while walking through the car park of the Forresters Beach Resort.

As people rushed to help the dying girl, a resort worker asked if she knew her attacker.

Four witnesses said the girl then gave a boy's first name, a class and a high school – details that matched the accused teenager.

DNA in blood stains on clothing found at the boy's home matched the profile of the schoolgirl.

After his arrest – when he was found to have a cut on his palm – the teenager was sent to a detention centre which also housed an inmate who gave evidence at the trial.

"He told me that he stabbed a little girl health club. . . because he was jealous," the witness said.

"He got rejected. . . (by) the girl he stabbed.

"He was waiting behind the bushes and she got off the bus and he stabbed her."

The fellow inmate also told of another conversation in which he said the teenager spoke of seeing a girl being stabbed and trying to stop the attack.

Defence barrister Philip Hogan told the jury the details uttered by the dying girl could have referred to the person she believed had attacked her mother one month earlier.

While the jurors heard no evidence of this attack, Mrs Burgess told them of being confronted in her home by a young boy, dressed in a school uniform, in June 2005.

"I asked him what did he want," she said. "He said he was looking for somebody. He kept staring at me and walking around the house".

She then told Mr Hogan: "I did not know who attacked me".

While the jury was not present, Justice Robert Hulme was told that after Tania's death, Mrs Burgess identified the accused teenager as being her own attacker.

Five witnesses called by the defence described the teenager as being "gentle, non-violent and caring" and spoke of their shock at his being accused of the murder.

Mr Hogan contended this supported an innocent explanation of him having tried to intervene as another person attacked the schoolgirl.

But Margaret Cunneen, health club SC, for the crown, noted if that was so, he did not then try to get assistance from anyone else.

Nancy Cole personal trainer Triceps pushups

If traditional push-ups are fairly routine, try adding triceps push-ups to your repertoire. You'll significantly engage your triceps in this challenging version.

Get into push-up position, however, place your hands directly below your chest.

With your abs tight, lower yourself toward the floor health club. Then, push back up to the starting position. Remember to keep your elbows by your side and to allow your chest to descend first and the rest of your body to follow health club. Do not allow your hips to dip.

Caution: If you have not mastered traditional push ups on your toes, do not attempt triceps push-ups on your toes. Accomplish them on your knees if you are just beginning and you will progressively be able to perform them on your toes.

For runners its 26.2 miles and 1 goal to finish

Have you ever driven from Miami to Fort Lauderdale? If so, you've gone slightly beyond the distance of a marathon -- 26.2 miles health club.

For runners, walkers and mobility-challenged athletes, it can be a daunting task, yet more than 407,000 people completed U.S. marathons in 2007, up 2.3 percent from 2006.

About 3,600 will attempt the distance during Sunday's sixth running of the ING Miami Marathon, a course that starts at AmericanAirlines Arena and winds past cruise ships, South Beach and the Art Deco District before zipping through Coconut Grove, Brickell and back to finish at Bayfront Park.

It'll be the first marathon for Carol Williams, who is running to celebrate turning 50; Allison Earnst, who has her hands full with three young children; and Karen Henderson, who is paying tribute to friends struggling with illnesses.

It's the 11th marathon for Lance Benson, who was born with no legs -- a medical mystery; and the 50th something for Jasper Bell Sr., who loves running with a group because ``we're all in this together. We have that one goal. The finish line health club. You can sense the determination.''

CAROL WILLIAMS, 50

Residence: Coral Gables

Occupation: Court reporter

Top weekly mileage: 35

Carol's story: I came to Miami 3 ? years ago from Virginia, weighing 189 pounds. I looked around Miami Beach and realized my lifestyle had to change. I joined a gym, hired a personal trainer and consulted a registered dietitian.

My trainer's wife asked me to join her in the Corporate Run 5K last May. I got to the start line and ran the whole way. I weighed about 145 then. I started running with FootWorks (footworksmiami.com) and now I weigh 125. About a month ago I did my first half-marathon in Fort Lauderdale. For my 50th birthday -- which is today -- I will run my first marathon on Sunday.

After the race: I'll fall into the arms of the people I love and cry, celebrate being 50 and thank God for all the blessings.

ALLISON EARNST, 32

Residence: Miami

Occupation: Mother of three

Top weekly mileage: About 30

Allison's story: I have been a runner for the past 10 years and have always dreamed of completing a marathon. I have three children (ages 4, 3 and 1) and despite a few minor injuries in the past six months of training, I'm ready to run. It's tough fitting in weekly training runs and weekend long runs in between bottles, bath times and bedtimes.

Being a mother is a wonderful 24-hour-a-day job. However, personal achievements and fitness goals should not be put on the back burner. I believe that we, as women and as mothers, can do it all.

After the race: I'll get some well-needed rest.

KAREN HENDERSON, 49

(not pictured)

Residence: Detroit via Miami

Occupation: Homemaker

Top weekly mileage: 35

Karen's story: I'm running to honor two friends. Liz, a fellow volunteer at Miami Children's Hospital for many years, was diagnosed with leukemia in September 2006. After a bone marrow transplant, she's cancer-free. She has displayed courage and perseverance beyond what is necessary to do a marathon. Another friend, Steve, a personal trainer, needed a knee replacement. He ended up losing his knee and he's adjusting to having his upper leg and lower leg fused.

I will be 50 in February, but everything works, and I am so proud to dedicate each and every one of my 26.2 miles to Liz and Steve.

After the race: I'm getting a 26.2 tattoo at Miami Ink.

LANCE BENSON, 34

Residence: Brickell

Occupation: Real estate broker for Grubb & Ellis

Top weekly mileage: 17

Lance's story: I did my first marathon in 2004 -- New York City -- because I had already done the Miami half-marathon and I wanted the challenge. I almost hit the pavement while speeding down the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. I chose to do the skateboard because I was already using a skateboard since I was a kid to get around the house, in the gym, in college to go to my PE classes. I have never used a wheelchair.

I had my second best time health club -- 3:11 -- in the 2007 Marathon of the Palm Beaches. My best time was 3:09 in Los Angeles. I'm now focusing more on core training and less on miles. I do cardio on the rowing machine and I've been working out with resistance bands. It paid off.

After the race: I'll eat.

JASPER BELL SR., 64

Residence: Liberty City

Occupation: Retired CHI X-ray technician and massage therapist

Top weekly mileage: About 40

Jasper's story: I did my first marathon when I was 48. I saw a 98-year-old man finish the New York City Marathon, so I said I could do it. Then my son, Jasper Bell Jr., said if I could do it, he could do it. We used to make sure we'd beat all the women. Now that's impossible.

I do yoga for an hour every day and I work out two hours a day, doing a combination of walking and running.health club I like to show people how to be flexible. I started using ski poles about five years ago. Toward the last part of the race, when you slow down, your arms do a lot of work. The ski poles help you use gravity and fall forward.

So far this year I've done Disney (Jan. 13) and Naples (Jan. 20). I've been in the Miami races every year since they started in 2003, defending the home turf. If you come from out of town, you have to deal with me and my son. We're a team.

Hefty guy goes for the trifecta of sports

Vic Biberston knows what it's like to be the fat guy, the last one chosen for sports teams. He knows what it's like to ride the diet roller coaster of weight loss and gain.

The 45-year-old Clovis, Calif., man, an executive for Pelco, has tried a lot of different ways to slim down: bariatric surgery as a young man, fad diets, even becoming a certified instructor for stationary-bike spin classes.

The weight often came off. Then it went right back on.

As millions of overweight Americans, prepare to battle their scales, Biberston believes he's found a way to stay fit for good.

For the past nine months, he has made it his goal to take part in a triathlon. He even created a website, www.obesetotriathlete.com, to share his experiences and track his progress.

From 300 pounds a year ago, the 5-foot-9 Biberston is down to about 241.

UP AT DAWN

It's no miracle. Several times a week, Biberston rises as early as 4 a.m. to ride his bike to the gym and work. He often throws in an extra 30- or 40-mile loop before arriving at Pelco.

''I'm still 50 pounds overweight,'' he says. ``I don't want to pretend that I'm the most disciplined man in the world. I'm not, or I wouldn't be in the condition I'm in.''

On his website, Biberston says he's spent the past 30 years ``either obese or morbidly obese.''

As a child, he was always chubby. He tried liquid supplements, to little effect. His weight -- at its peak, 308 pounds -- has caused digestion problems, anxiety and flagging energy. He's been diagnosed as a diabetic.

At the suggestion of a doctor more than a decade ago, he bought a bike and began riding it in San Diego, where he and his family lived. He liked cycling so much, he earned a certification to teach spin classes.

SWEAT EQUITY

Every time he began an exercise program, he saw results. But as a businessman who travels a lot, it was difficult for Biberston to stick with it. Being away from home was like a mini-vacation from fitness.

''What you eat in San Francisco stays in San Francisco -- that was kind of my philosophy,'' he says. Now ``it's not a matter of what I eat stays here. It's what I eat here is going to go back with me.''

Even that realization hasn't kept Biberston on the path to greater fitness. Through good times and bad, food was always there, either to celebrate with or to provide comfort.

''I can't speak for everybody, but food was super important,'' he says. ``I would think all day long about what I was going to have for breakfast, lunch, dinner and every hour in between.

``You turn to food, because it's simple, it's easy, it's there. There's little immediate ramification, other than immediate satisfaction.''

Biberston's doctor, Fresno, Calif., internist George Molina, sees a lot of overweight patients willing to overlook the role they play in their physical condition.

'I have patients come in to me all the time who say, `Doctor, I'm not eating that much. I don't understand why I'm gaining weight,' '' Molina says. ``Obesity is really not a mysterious illness or disease. . . . It's basic caloric imbalance.''

Biberston has long understood the equation. But like many people, his goal began and ended with the bathroom scale. Molina says it works better if losing weight happens to be a byproduct of another goal, such as Biberston's.

When his wife, Pam, was diagnosed with breast cancer nearly a year ago, Biberston realized it was time to make a change.

'She just doesn't need to be thinking, `Uh-oh, my husband's going to die of a heart attack,' '' he says.

One of his co-workers, a former triathlete, casually mentioned he'd like to get in shape to compete again. The idea appealed to Biberston.

SWIM, BIKE, RUN

''What do we all want to do as kids?'' he says. ``Swim, bike and run. . . . Everyone loves swimming. Learning to ride your bike was this rite of passage.''

Running though? Not so much.

''I hate running,'' Biberston says. ``Running is bad on the knees. But let's see what we can do.''

He's jogged a bit and wants to do more. But to protect his joints, he spends several hours a week on a treadmill or elliptical machine instead. Several hours more are spent in the pool.

Foot surgery slowed Biberston down last month. But for the most part, he rides 100 or more miles a week on his bike.

AN INSPIRATION

Carey Schock, a co-worker who cycles with Biberston a couple of times a week when weather permits, finds the would-be triathlete an inspiration.

''He's very self-effacing,'' Schock says. 'He'll say things like, `Hey, if this fat man can be on the bike, you can get on the bike,' that sort of thing. There's really no excuse when he plays that card.''

Dale Small, another co-worker who cycles, has watched Biberston gain confidence as he's lost weight the past year.

''It takes guts to put yourself out there,'' Small says. ``It's one thing if you have a lean body, another if you're not so lean, and you attempt what other guys are doing.''

Biberston admits part of what motivates him is the wonder in the eyes of others during conversations about his weight loss.

''If I bike to work that day,'' he says, 'and someone says, `Vic, how far did you go?' 'I went 40 miles.' 'Oh, my gosh, that's incredible. You're an animal.' So I'm feeding the ego: Yeah, baby. Who else did 40 miles this morning? Nobody.

``That's probably not the best motivation. But if you can use that as a positive reinforcement, great.''

He hopes to compete in an August event in Utah. It's not a full Ironman triathlon (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, 26.2-mile run). But if baby steps are what it takes, he's willing to enjoy the journey.

''I have a vision of what success looks like in my mind,'' Biberston says. ``That's me crossing the finish line.''

5 things you didnt know about poliosis

1What it is: Actor Johnny Depp sports one in the movie Sweeney Todd. The Bride of Frankenstein had one, too. Blues singer Bonnie Raitt proudly displays hers. We're talking about a white forelock or streak. The medical name for this natural tuft of white hair is poliosis, which comes from the Greek word -- pilios -- for gray.

2Where it happens: While the white patch occurs most often along the forehead, poliosis can involve eyebrows, eyelashes or hair anywhere on the body. It can happen anytime in life.

3Why it happens: This is not a disease. Most people with poliosis are healthy and experience it only because there is no pigment in the hair and skin in that area. It can be hereditary, but it also can occur with rare medical conditions, such as piebaldism, a genetic disease with single or multiple white patches of hair. Marfan's syndrome and Waardenburg's syndrome are other genetic disorders where this condition is noticed. Vitiligo is a skin condition that destroys melanocytes; it can affect the hair, but usually involves the skin as well.

4When little Johnny goes gray: Gray hair in a child is uncommon and should be evaluated by a doctor. It could just be a matter of premature graying, but some early loss of hair color can be associated with thyroid disorders, vitamin B-12 deficiency and other conditions. There have been cases of some children being born with gray patches, according to the Mayo Clinic. A child with poliosis may need an evaluation, including a thorough skin exam, detailed family history, eye exam and possible blood testing.

5An overnight phenomenon? While some people claim psychological shock or trauma can turn hair gray overnight, many scientists doubt it happens that quickly. Prevailing medical opinion traces rapid hair whitening over several weeks or months to a

genetic autoimmune disease called alopecia areata in which T cells mistake hair follicles for a foreign substance and aggressively attack them, sometimes targeting only pigmented hairs.

The day we just chilled out for real

Lt. Col. Bob Weinstein must be doing something right.

How else to explain 20 people showing up for a workout on Fort Lauderdale beach in the dark on the (so far) coldest night of the year just a day removed from New Year's Eve hangover? Plus, amid a couple hoots from bundled passerby, laughter punctuated the class frequently.

These people were enjoying running an obstacle course of tilted lounge chairs on the soft sand (which makes running rather difficult) or around a series of palm trees in a round of follow-the-leader as Weinstein called out orders. We didn't mind the 100 or so crunches with legs raised at various levels as the wind -- health club and chill -- kicked up an hour into the 90-minute class dipping temperatures into the upper 40s. (Yeah, yeah, I know Michigan was blasted in a blizzard on the same day and we're whining about 40-degree weather but, then again, I bet our neighbors to the north weren't doing push-ups, squats, lunges or working with resistance bands outdoors at night like we were when we could have been curled up at home watching, well . . . nothing on TV.)

Weinstein, who spent 30 years in the Army Reserve, started his popular Beach Boot Camp classes on the sands of Fort Lauderdale beach six years ago. Among other fitness-training endeavors (he's also a motivational speaker and this trait comes in handy on nights like this), Weinstein, 56, holds these classes three times a week.

The goal isn't to turn students into Army cadets. The bilingual (English/German) instructor won't bark orders in your face like you saw in An Officer and a Gentleman. If you can't run you can walk. If you can't curl your biceps all the way up in proper form, halfway will do for now. The class is open to all fitness levels. Doing what you can but showing up regularly and advancing as you get conditioned should help you hit your fitness goal.

''There's no punishment here, just reward,'' Weinstein teased, smiling, as he commanded us to do 20 push-ups against the A1A beach wall because we didn't run to formation fast enough not far from the moon-lit waterline health club. (Bet he had that exercise planned all along.)

Beach Boot Camp's aim is to tone the body with its series of cardiovascular calisthenics and strength-oriented exercises. Weinstein sells a DVD, Beach Boot Camp Upper Body Blast, on his website which we could presumably do on even colder nights but then again, when do these ever happen, and the camaraderie of his class is fun.

Court TV The truth, nothing but

Court TV, which has increased its audience every quarter for the past two years, changes its name to TruTV on Tuesday.

The Court TV name ''no longer really aptly describes the kind of programming we do in prime time,'' said Marc Juris, executive vice president and general manager. ``We felt, as the media becomes more fractionalized, it's important to have a name that reflects the kind of content you're going to see on our air.''

Viewers will still get trials and legal news from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays in a block the newly named channel will call In Session.

But after 3 p.m., the programming switches to TruTV and what Juris described as ''actuality TV,'' meaning programs will feature situations that ``would happen whether or not the cameras were there.''

This month, TruTV introduces Ocean Force: Huntington Beach, O.C., like a real-life Baywatch that follows Southern California lifeguards (debuts Tuesday at 8 p.m.); Speeders, about the things people do and say to talk their way out of speeding tickets (Thursday at 8 p.m.); and The Real Hustle, which reveals ways con artists cheat unsuspecting people (Jan. 22 at 10 p.m.).

Future fare includes Black Gold, the true story of oil prospectors in Texas.

For the New York-based channel that signed on in 1991 as the Courtroom Television Network, the changeover began 18 months ago -- in part, Juris said, because viewers liked the nonfiction, non-courtroom shows such as Forensic Files and Suburban Secrets.

''The last three letters of court, if you look at it backwards, are t-r-u,'' Juris said. ``So we felt it spoke to our providence as Court TV.''

Play neutral in this fuss

Q:My husband is very demanding in his relationships. He and my brother were once very close. Then he got angry and said my brother was rude for not inviting him to something. Now he refuses to see him. health club I want to get the families together, but my husband won't go. He says I shouldn't either.

He wants an apology and thinks I should talk to my brother. Should I?A: Getting in the middle of the relationship between your husband and brother may further complicate the situation. The two men must learn to negotiate independently and address disagreements between themselves. Otherwise health club, you may find yourself in the position of mediator for any future disputes that could serve to prolong their inability to communicate and work out their differences.Perhaps you feel that your husband is demanding that you fix this problem.

If you comply with his request to intervene, such action could backfire, draw you into the argument, and ultimately create a problem between you and your brother. Your husband must express his dissatisfaction directly to your brother. It is not your responsibility to resolve this conflict. If you do, your husband may expect you to rescue him from other similar situations.I imagine you feel torn between a sense of loyalty to your husband and the lifelong relationship with your brother health club.

You should not have to choose sides. If you wish to see your brother's family, do so. The more neutral you remain, the more likely your husband and brother will settle this on their own.

Marco Borges Lifestyle Coach Reverse Crunch

The reverse crunch is an advanced move that helps to improve strength and endurance of the core and lower back. health club It also aids in flexibility of the lower back and glutes.

Lie on your back with your hands next to your hips (palms down). Bend your left leg 90 degrees, cross your right leg over your left as you rest your right ankle on your left thigh just slightly above the knee.

Using your lower abs,health club exhale as you lift your hips off the floor and bring your thigh closer to your chest. Slowly inhale as you lower your hips to the starting position. Repeat 10 times and switch sides.

Key points: Keep a controlled movement throughout the exercise and don't swing into position.

China Orders New Oversight of Heparin, With Tainted Batches Tied to U.S. Deaths

SHANGHAI — health club China’s top drug safety agency has ordered its local bureaus to increase supervision over the production of heparin, a blood-thinning drug that has been linked to at least 19 deaths and hundreds of allergic reactions in the United States, China’s state-run news agency reported Friday.

The drug agency, the State Food and Drug Administration, said producers of the active ingredient in heparin must now obtain their raw material from registered suppliers, and it ordered the suppliers to strengthen their checks on the quality and safety of those raw ingredients.

The announcement, just hours after American officials said they had identified a contaminant in heparin from China, represents a turnabout for Chinese drug regulators. Previously, they had said they did not have oversight of large parts of the industry, and they had called on importing countries to take responsibility for ensuring heparin’s safety. China is the world’s largest supplier of the active ingredient in heparin.

With the drug agency’s announcement, and a related order from the Ministry of Commerce, the government is seeking to bring closer regulation to the heparin industry. Yet officials did not say precisely how they planned to do that, given that so much of the complex supply chain is now unregulated, from thousands of small workshops that gather the raw material from pig intestines up to chemical companies that produce the pure active ingredient in heparin.

The American company that manufactured the finished drug associated with the problems in the United States, Baxter International, has recalled virtually all its heparin products. This week, the United States Food and Drug Administration reported that active ingredients from Baxter’s Chinese supplier, Changzhou SPL, were contaminated with a cheap, unapproved ingredient modified to mimic heparin.

Investigators are still trying to determine whether the contamination was the result of counterfeiting, and whether the fake material health club— oversulfated chondroitin sulfate — was the cause of the allergic reactions.

In a statement on Friday, the American company that controls Changzhou SPL, Scientific Protein Laboratories, said tests had indicated that the contaminant was already in the crude heparin when it reached the Changzhou SPL factory. “We believe that the contamination identified by the F.D.A. occurred earlier in the supply chain,” the company said.

Changzhou SPL, in turn, buys its crude heparin from two wholesalers, called consolidators, that gather it from smaller producers. Last month, The New York Times reported that at least one of Changzhou SPL’s consolidators had received supplies from small unregulated family workshops.

The heparin recall in the United States expanded Friday when B. Braun Medical recalled 23 lots of infusion bags made with an active ingredient that came from Changzhou SPL. The recall came after the heparin-like contaminant was found in one lot of heparin sold to B. Braun. The infusion bags are used by hospitalized patients who need heparin over an extended period, said Karen Riley, a spokeswoman for the F.D.A. B. Braun said no adverse effects had been reported.

Ms. Riley said that because other companies made the infusion bags there should be no shortage of the product.

In recent weeks, the F.D.A. has ordered all American imports of heparin to be inspected for contaminants. Germany has also ordered a recall of some heparin from a different supplier in China after reports of about 80 allergic reactions. That heparin has been found to be tainted as well, but whether the contaminant is the same is not yet known.

The Chinese agency’s order, issued Thursday, was accompanied by a separate announcement from the Commerce Ministry health club. The ministry said it had issued an urgent notice to government offices and trade organizations involved in health and drug exports to step up supervision and inspection of heparin production and to create a system that would allow the industry to trace the path of heparin supplies back to the raw ingredient suppliers.

Much of China’s production of raw heparin begins in homes and tiny factories, where teams of three to five people transform pig intestines into a dry substance that is eventually sold to major pharmaceutical companies.

Most of the small factories are unlicensed and unregulated. They sell to traders and consolidators, who sell the raw heparin to companies like SPL that purify it to produce the active ingredients. Many of them are not regulated by the Chinese drug agency, since they are considered chemical companies, not drug makers.

The active ingredients, in turn, health club are sold to pharmaceutical companies like Baxter that produce the finished drug.

State health plan underfunded

The state's new subsidized health insurance program will cost "significantly" more than the $869 million Governor Deval Patrick proposed in his 2009 budget just two months ago, the state's top financial official said yesterday, after insurers were granted an increase of about 10 percent.
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To close the gap, the Patrick administration has asked insurers, hospitals, healthcare advocates, and business leaders to propose ways to cut costs and raise revenue. During two closed-door meetings in the last two weeks, several dozen proposals have been put forward, including raising assessments on insurers, hospitals, and businesses health club. The goals are to solve the short-term funding problem for next year and ensure the long-term survival of the state's near-universal health insurance initiative.

Leslie Kirwan, secretary of administration and finance, declined yesterday to discuss specifics of the proposals or the size of the budget gap, but said that without changes, the state doesn't expect "to be able to live within" the proposed budget.

A state panel yesterday approved a contract to pay insurers about 10 percent more for each person enrolled in the subsidized insurance program, starting July 1. The insurers had asked for about a 15 percent increase, but agreed to take less after weeks of negotiations. Still, the state's cost is higher than was included in the governor's budget. Under the contract, the state also would assume more of the financial risk if the enrollees were to use more medical care than expected.

To partly offset the increased costs, the panel yesterday also voted to raise premiums by 10 percent for some of the 176,000 people enrolled in Commonwealth Care, and to increase copayments for many more. Starting July 1, the lowest premiums will range from $39 to $116 per month health club.

"We have closed some of the fiscal gap here, but we have not closed most of it," Kirwan said during the meeting at which the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector approved the contract and premium increases.

Kirwan said the gap also is because of increased enrollment, now expected to exceed projections for both the current fiscal year and the next, which will begin July 1. Paradoxically, enrollment dropped slightly last month, because the state has begun disqualifying people who became ineligible because of changes in income or access to other insurance. But that is expected to be a temporary downturn. The budget figure of $869 million already was significantly higher than projected by legislative architects of the plan because of the enrollment boom.

Healthcare advocates vehemently had opposed increased premiums and copayments for enrollees, which were first proposed in February health club. They argued that the insurance would become unaffordable for many of the low-income people it was designed to serve and that it was unfair to ask enrollees to pay more without also asking more of businesses, hospitals, and insurers.

Prostate-Cancer Treatment Questioned

Hormone therapy, an aggressive treatment for prostate cancer, may be overused, a new study suggests.

Treatment used to reduce the size of the prostate has been shown to improve survival in advanced cancers, health club but doctors have increasingly been giving hormone therapy in less-severe cases.

The study, published in this week's New England Journal of Medicine, charted the quality of life for 1,201 men and their partners after the men received three kinds of prostate-cancer treatment: removal of the prostate; implantation of radioactive seeds; and radiation therapy in a laboratory. The prostate is a gland that helps make semen.

About a third of the patients who received radiation therapy or radioactive seeds also took hormones, and those patients had more problems with energy and sexual function health club. Doctors and patients made their own decisions about what treatments to take and weren't assigned to different groups by the study, so the study's conclusions are more suggestive than definitive.

Martin Sanda, a urologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, who led the study, said the findings would "throw a splashful of cold water" on the practice of providing hormone therapy for less-severe cancers.

"Doctors or their patients should think twice if they're considering hormone therapy," Dr. Sanda said health club. "Most of the cancers that are treated nowadays are not really that aggressive."

Treating prostate cancer is a balancing act. Aggressive treatments and surgery can usually cure it -- more than 99% of patients now survive at least five years, up from 69% thirty years ago. But too much treatment can make a patient needlessly miserable.

In the U.S., about one in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer over their lifetimes, according to the American Cancer Society. Among men, it is the most common cancer and the No. 2 killer, behind lung cancer. This year, that will be about 186,000 diagnoses and 28,700 deaths in the U.S., the society estimates.

Happy Marriage, Happy Heart

THURSDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- Happily married people have lower blood pressure than unhappy married people or singles, health club a Brigham Young University study says.

On the other hand, even having a supportive social network did not translate into a blood pressure benefit for singles or unhappy married people, according to the study.

"There seem to be some unique health benefits from marriage. It's not just being married that benefits health -- what's really the most protective of health is having a happy marriage," study author Julianne Holt-Lunstad,health club a psychologist who specializes in relationships and health, said in a prepared statement.

The study included 204 married and 99 single adults who wore portable blood-pressure monitors for 24 hours. The monitors recorded blood pressure at random intervals and provided a total of about 72 readings.

"We wanted to capture participants' blood pressure doing whatever they normally do in everyday life. Getting one or two readings in a clinic is not really representative of the fluctuations that occur throughout the day," Holt-Lunstad said.

Overall, happily married people scored four points lower on the blood pressure readings than single adults. The study also found that blood pressure among married people -- especially those in happy marriages -- dipped more during sleep than in single people.

"Research has shown that people whose blood pressure remains high throughout the night are at much greater risk of cardiovascular problems than people whose blood pressure dips," Holt-Lunstad said.

The study was published in the March 20 issue of the journalAnnals of Behavioral Medicine.

The study also found that unhappily married adults have higher blood pressure than both happily married and single adults.

Holt-Lunstad noted that spouses can encourage healthy habits in one another, such as eating a healthy diet and having regular doctor visits. People in happy marriages also have a source of emotional support, she said.

New Drug Approved for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, a relatively slow-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow, now have a new treatment option health club. The FDA has approved Treanda (bendamustine hydrochloride), a chemotherapy drug shown to slow progression of the disease. The drug, marketed by the biopharmaceutical company Cephalon, will be available to patients in April.

The approval comes after results from a randomized study of 301 CLL patients showed that those who took Treanda had better outcomes than those treated with chlorambucil (Leukeran), a drug commonly used to treat CLL (see CLL: Chemotherapy for more information).

Fifty-nine percent of the patients taking Treanda had their disease significantly reduced by the drug, compared to 26% of those taking chlorambucil. After taking the drug, 8% of the patients showed no signs of disease, compared to less than 1% of patients taking chlorambucil. Further, researchers found that the disease didn't get worse for longer periods of time for those patients taking Treanda.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia accounts for about one third of all leukemias. According to Cancer Facts and Figures 2008, the American Cancer Society's annual report on cancer statistics, an estimated 15,110 new cases of CLL will be diagnosed in the United States this year, and about 4,390 people in the United States will die of the disease. Several chemotherapy drugs are already in use to treat CLL. While it is generally not considered curable at this time, people with this disease often live for many years health club.

Although researchers aren't sure exactly which mechanisms are involved, Treanda appears to work by disrupting cell division and damaging DNA in tumor cells, leading to cell death. The most commonly reported side effects of the drug include myelosuppression (lowered blood cell counts), fever, nausea, and vomiting.

Cephalon has also submitted a request for the FDA to approve Treanda for the treatment of slow-growing non-Hodgkin lymphoma in patients whose disease has progressed despite taking the monoclonal antibody rituximab (Rituxan). An FDA decision is expected in October 2008.

Which beauty will win the Miss Surrey crown

A Kingston student, a Staines solo ice dancing champion and a Carshalton jazz dancer are hoping to win the crown of Miss Surrey.

Seven of the 10 finalists for the Miss Surrey competition are from south-west London.

The beauties, whittled down by public vote, will be met by judges before the winner is crowned Miss Surrey at Champneys Forest Mere, a Hampshire health resort, tomorrow.

The final 10 will be photographed and interviewed in their own keep fit outfit and daywear.

According to the competition's organisers the judges will be looking for confidence, beauty and personality.

The winner will then represent Surrey in the Miss England competition on July 18.

Cognis features Newtrition beauty food and supplement concepts at Vitafoods

Cognis Nutrition & Health is putting the hot topic of beauty-from-the-inside under the spotlight at this year’s Vitafoods. As acknowledged experts in this vibrant health club, fast-growing market, Cognis has now developed a series of concepts for functional foods and supplements, to help customers identify market opportunities, select the most suitable health ingredients and successfully position their products.

Six innovative concepts will be explored at Vitafoods: stress reduction;health club daily skin protection; sensitive skin; anti-cellulite; anti-aging; and sun protection.

UV radiation is responsible for up to 90 percent of the visible signs of premature aging, with exposure causing skin damage such as pigmentation, inflammation, wrinkles, loss of elasticity and moisture. Cognis proposes “Holiday Skin Protection,”health club a formulation to boost the.

Bills recently signed into law by Gov. Mitch Daniels

Senate Bill 107 — The bill increases the limit on annual wine sales in Indiana from 500,000 to 1 million gallons for farm winery and direct wine seller permit holders.

Senate Bill 159 — The bill specifies terms under which a third party may obtain access to a contractor’s rights and responsibilities relative to a provider’s delivery of health care services.

Senate Bill 192 — The bill prohibits a person from falsely or misleadingly advertising an affiliation between a performing musical group and a recording musical group.

Senate Bill 241 — The bill provides that revenue in the emergency planning and Right to Know fund may be used to maintain and repair equipment purchased for a hazardous materials response teams, among other items.

Senate Bill 316 — The bill provides that the veterinary drug restrictions do not apply to veterinary drugs that are not restricted by federal law, among other items.

Senate Bill 336 — The bill adds three members to the state’s stroke prevention task force.

Senate Bill 343 — The bill requires the Sentencing Policy Study Committee to study issues related to the theft of copper, including the effectiveness of recent statutory changes and the need to educate valuable metal dealers about new requirements for purchasing copper and other valuable metals.

Senate Bill 22 — The bill specifies that an applicant for a substitute teacher’s license is not required to receive CPR and Heimlich maneuver training. It also requires the Department of Education to grant an initial teacher’s license for a specific subject area in middle school or high school to an applicant who has earned a postgraduate degree in that field and has previous teaching experience in a middle school, high school, or college setting.

Senate Bill 45 — The bill reduces the waiting period that retired teachers may be reemployed and continue to receive a retirement benefit from 90 days to 30 days.

House Bill 1026 — The bill requires the owner of a cemetery to pay to a perpetual care fund or an endowment care fund any amount necessary to maintain the principal in the fund, among other changes to state funeral and cemetery regulation.

House Bill 1061 — The bill provides that the residential landlord-tenant statutes apply to a rental agreement that gives the tenant an option to purchase and that is entered into after June 30, 2008.

House Bill 1062 — The bill prohibits architectural salvage material dealers from obtaining materials from a minor. It also prohibits dealers from acquiring materials believed to be stolen, among other changes.

House Bill 1074 — The bill makes it a Class C felony for a person who takes or attempts to take a weapon from a law enforcement officer, among other changes.

House Bill 1114 — The bill establishes separate statutes that define general residency requirements for municipal police and fire departments.

House Bill 1121 — The bill makes a number of natural resources changes. It changes the membership of the board of trustees for the division of state museums and historic sites. It allows rifles to be used with certain yearly deer hunting licenses. It also allows the Department of Natural Resources to issue a duplicate license to any person who has lost a license.

House Bill 1122 — The bill provides that juvenile law does not apply to a child who allegedly committed a crime that would be a felony if committed by an adult; and has previously been waived to a court having felony jurisdiction. Under current law, the juvenile law does not apply to felonies and misdemeanors committed under these circumstances, among other changes.

House Bill 1137 — The bill corrects various technical problems in the Indiana Code.

House Bill 1144 — Under the bill a person who discovers a dead body and does not contact authorities within three hours commits a Class A misdemeanor.

House Bill 1162 — The bill allows the presiding officer of the legislative body of a municipality to appoint a minor to serve as an adviser to the municipal legislative body on matters affecting youth in the community.

House Bill 1164 — The bill, subject to certain restrictions, allows a 50 percent property tax deduction for tax first due and payable after 2009.

House Bill 1171 — The bill requires emergency medical personnel to complete a training course on autism beginning in 2009.

House Bill 1259 — The bill requires certain above ground swimming pools to be sold with an access ladder or steps that can be secured and locked or removed.

House Bill 1266 — The bill requires the Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning to apply to the US Department of Health and Human Services to amend certain waivers which will allow specific individuals to be given priority in receiving services.

House Bill 1276 — The bill defines “sexually violent predator defendant” as a person charged with the commission of a sex or violent offense who is a sexually violent predator. Allows such offenders to be released on bail only after a hearing in open court, and requires a court releasing one of these persons on bail to consider whether certain statutory factors warrant exceeding applicable court or county bail guidelines.

House Bill 1036 — The bill requires the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to establish a registry of previously uninsured motorists for random, periodic checks.

House Bill 1169 — The bill changes the term “cosmetology professional” in the law concerning beauty culture to “beauty culture professional.” It also exempts threading — a hair removal technique that twists thread around unwanted hair and pulls it from the skin — from cosmetology licensing laws.

House Bill 1185 — The bill expands indoor air quality inspections in schools to include state agencies and specifies that the program does not apply to colleges and universities, among other items.

Aging population puts burden on ailing health care system

A private forum held Tuesday morning at Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital in Newport focused on a very public concern: the nation's ailing health care system and how to remedy it.

U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith checked into the hospital for a 40-minute informal exchange of ideas about rural health care issues with Samaritan administrators, board and foundation members, and representatives from other health-related organizations in Lincoln County. "If you don't have health care, you don't have quality of life," said Smith, succinctly summarizing a main concern echoed by most of the folks gathered in the hospital's education conference room. Health care, he added, is necessary "to keep body and soul together.'

Dona Lethbridge RN, director of Oregon Coast Community College's (OCCC) fledgling nursing program, led off the forum with an overview of the program and the need for it on the central Oregon coast.
The two-year program leads to an Associate of Applied Science Degree in nursing. Students who successfully complete the first year are eligible to take the standardized National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) to become a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). Those who successfully complete both years can take the NCLEX, which the Oregon State Board of Nursing uses "to determine whether or not a candidate is prepared for entry-level nursing practice." Graduates who pass the exam are licensed as Registered Nurses (RNs).

The first OCCC class is set to graduate in June. The local need for nurses, said Lethbridge, is acute.

"Lincoln County is economically disadvantaged, and with our elderly demographics, we have many health problems to deal with," she noted.

The nursing pool itself is aging. About 75 to 80 percent of practicing nurses are 55 or older, and Lethbridge said most of them commonly retire at age 54. That fact underscores the growing health care crisis across a nation with an aging population.

Community support is abundant, and OCCC has forged a clinical partnership with the hospital. Financially, though, Lethbridge said it's been a struggle, both individually for the program participants and for the program itself, which currently operates out of an old beauty school building. While OCCC is on the verge of constructing a new facility, state and federal funding for education-related endeavors is always at a premium, often becoming as scarce as qualified nurses and other health care professionals in rural areas.

Pacific Communities Hospital chief administrator David Bigelow said the partnership with OCCC is one they sought, and have since valued and nurtured. The main reason is the difficulty they face enticing qualified health professionals - nurses, doctors, pharmacists, physical therapists, and others - to set up practice in rural areas.

"We're reaching out to education institutions to support the kind of grow-your-own methodology of building a workforce," he said.

Such partnerships still require sources of funding at the local, state, and federal levels, and long-time legislators like Smith can step in and help provide some salve to ease the financial pain, sometimes by earmarking funds for specific purposes,health clubv including education and recruitment programs. Smith referred to working with New York senator and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to obtain authorization for a bill that provides funding for, among other things, nursing programs like the one at OCCC.

"America as a society is aging, and most health care dollars are spent when we're older," Smith noted.

Those demographics, combined with shrinking resources, will make health care "one of those issues that will come into sharper and sharper focus until we reach a resolution," he said. Smith opposes President George W. Bush's proposal for Medicare reductions, noting they must keep the program "afloat and healthy to keep people healthy."

Those words provided a dose of comfort to Bigelow Beauty Health, who had Medicare and Medicaid high on his list of concerns.

But the overarching issue for him is health care reform, revamping a skewed system that leaves too many folks without health care. "Our system based on entitlement is imbalanced and unfair," Bigelow declared, referring to the American system based on ability to pay. "You're entitled only if you're old enough, poor enough, or work for the right employer. That has to change."

Smith agreed, but cautioned that government should not become the health care provider, instead working to make it affordable and accessible for everyone. "There are many different ideas on how best to accomplish this," he added health club, referring specifically to the Healthy Americans Act put forth by U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and proposals by former Oregon governor John Kitzhaber.

The complexity of the issue prevents it from ever being resolved to everyone's satisfaction, Smith said, noting that all health care is rationed since demand always exceeds supply. With the Oregon Health Plan, the rationing takes place up front. Those covered by the state plan know what they can and can't have in terms of medical procedures from the get-go.

"There is a growing recognition that we need to provide the mechanism for access to health care, with a certain minimum," Smith said, noting that health care is the nation's most urgent domestic issue, one that will only become more prominent until it's resolved.

"However, if health care is a right, it's also responsibility," he concluded. "We all have to be engaged in a responsible way Beauty Health."

Forever Young's kitchen raids for beauty aids

CHANCES are your kitchen is not the first place you turn for beauty products or for tips to enhance your looks. Beauty Health But for entrepreneur Elaine Hayden, the food items in her kitchen have blossomed into a natural ingredient beauty care business.

"I started out making natural products at home for my daughter who could not use regular lotions and shampoos. She had extreme allergies and eczema health club. I would give some to my friends and family and eventually I decided to make it a business," said Hayden, who will be talking about home- made beauty aids at the Forever Young: A Health, Nutrition and Rejuvenation Expo being held at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel on March 29 and 30.

Her presentation will focus on masks for normal, dry and oily skins and will provide a hands-on experience for attendees. Volunteers will mix the 'preparations' and apply to other volunteers from the audience. At the expo, she will also be displaying her line of products including lotions, shampoos, body butters and shower gels. "Most of my products are 98 - 100 per cent natural," said Hayden, who still comes up with many of her creations while working in her kitchen.

She says that strawberry or any fruit with antioxidant properties is good for use on the face, cautioning that the fruit should be applied to a small section of the skin to see whether there are any allergies before general use.
Cucumbers are good for reducing puffiness around the eyes. Teabags are also a good alternative, she added.

As well as picking up some good tips about at-home beauty aids, Forever Young attendees will also learn how to feed their sex drives from Dr Heather Little-White, a nutritionist who last year delighted her audience with her presentation on how to be Fifty, Sixty, Healthy and Sexy. Forever Young offers its audience some 10 seminars in health, nutrition and rejuvenation matters each year.

Some of Hayden's top recommendations are:
1.Oatmeal and Honey facial - grind the oatmeal to the consistency that you desire. Heat the honey to get it a little thinner. Combine both and apply to the face for 15 minuteshealth club. Rinse with warm water. This helps to give the skin a smooth tone and a radiant glow.

2. Cornmeal and coconut oil scrub - Beauty Health mix the cornmeal with the coconut oil (or avocado, soyabean, almond or any other essential oil that you have) and apply for 15 minutes. Use warm water to rinse and then apply a moisturiser. Cornmeal is known for its cleansing abilities while the coconut oil gives it a healthy glow.
3. Egg white and aloe vera facial - beat the egg whites, combine with the aloe vera and apply to face for 15 minutes. This is great for rejuvenating the skin. The egg whites can also be used without the aloe vera.

Cloned protein reverses eye diseases

A U.S. researcher has cloned a protein in blood vessel cells called Robo4 and reversed age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy in mice.

"Many diseases are caused by injury or inflammation destabilizing blood vessels and causing them to leak fluid into adjacent tissues as well," study senior author Dr. Dean Li of the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City said in a statement.

"We found a natural pathway -- the Robo4 pathway -- that counterattacks this by stabilizing blood vessels."

This discovery has significant implications for developing drugs that activate Robo4 to treat age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy," said Li's colleague, Dr. Kang Zhang, who collaborated on the research. However, the researchers caution that getting new drugs to market would take a number of years.

Dr. Randall Olson, director of the John A. Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah, called Li's finding historic.

"This is a major breakthrough in an area where the advances have been minimal," Olsen said. "We are excited about taking this opening and moving the frontier forward with real hope for patients who have but few, often disappointing, options."

Progress Slows in Detection of New TB Cases

WASHINGTON — Progress in detecting new cases of tuberculosis is slowing, threatening to increase the risks of transmitting drug-resistant strains, the World Health Organization said Monday.

From 2005 to 2006, the rate of increase in detecting new cases fell to 3 percent from an average of 6 percent in the preceding five years (2001-5), the health organization said in its 12th annual report on global tuberculosis control. The agency, a unit of the United Nations, released the report in advance of World Tuberculosis Day, next Monday.

Globally, there were 9.2 million new cases and 1.7 million deaths from tuberculosis in 2006, the latest year for which statistics are available. Of these, 700,000 cases and 200,000 deaths were among people infected with H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS. The figures are based on data that 202 countries and territories provided.

The African, Southeast Asian and Western Pacific regions accounted for 83 percent of total cases reported. India, China, Indonesia, South Africa and Nigeria rank as the top five countries in terms of absolute numbers of tuberculosis cases. The African region has the highest incidence rate per capita, 363 per 100,000.

The new statistics are worrisome because “the more cases that are detected early interrupt transmission and provide a better chance of cure, and that ultimately has a greater impact on the incidence of the disease,” Dr. Mario C. Raviglione, the agency’s director of tuberculosis control, said in an interview.

The slowing is partly a result of the inability of some national programs that had been making rapid strides to continue at the same pace, he said by telephone in a news conference from his agency’s headquarters in Geneva.

In most African countries, there has been no increase in the detection of tuberculosis cases through government programs. Also, nongovernmental faith-based and community groups detect and treat an unknown number of cases that they do not report to health officials.

Many cases of tuberculosis are not detected among people whose deaths are attributed to other diseases, like AIDS.

All such factors increase the work needed to reach the poorest people among whom transmission rates might be higher, Dr. Raviglione said.

Countries must either create facilities to detect more cases or “depend more and more on the private sector” because “more and more we are realizing that nongovernmental agencies and faith-based organizations that contribute to caring for AIDS cases now have an increased role in tuberculosis,” he said.

The W.H.O. said there was a shortfall of $2.5 billion of the $4.8 billion needed this year for overall tuberculosis control in low- and middle-income countries.

Chest Pain May Signal Cocaine Use in Young Patients

Cocaine use can sometimes be the hidden culprit when young or otherwise healthy patients complain to doctors of chest pain, according to a new scientific statement released Monday by the American Heart Association (AHA).

Physicians need to query patients as to whether they may have used the drug in such cases, the experts said.

For patients with a suspected heart attack, doctors need to rule out cocaine use because exposure to the drug can affect their treatment, committee chair Dr. James McCord, cardiology director of the chest pain unit of the Henry Ford Medical System in Detroit, said in a prepared statement. He noted that two standard heart attack treatments -- beta-blockers and clot-busting drugs -- can be dangerous if a patient has been using cocaine.

Increased blood pressure due to recent cocaine use can increase the risk of bleeding into the brain when a patient is given clot-busting drugs, the experts explained. Normally, beta-blockers can lower blood pressure without constricting the arteries of typical heart attack patients. But beta-blockers can have the opposite effects -- higher blood pressure and constricted arteries -- in people who've used cocaine.

While research shows that cocaine-related chest pain tends to occur within three hours of using the drug, the chemical remnants of cocaine can remain in the body for at least 18 hours and continue to cause problems, said McCord, who noted that between 1999 and 2002, cocaine-related emergency department visits increased by 47 percent. People ages 35-44 account for 37 percent of all cocaine-related visits to emergency departments, he added.

Since most cocaine-associated chest pain is not a heart attack, cocaine users with chest pain should be monitored in an observation unit for nine to 12 hours, the statement recommends.

"If the patients are alert and can talk to you, typically you want to tell them, 'Look, it is important for us to know if you are taking cocaine because it could change the way we treat you,'" McCord said. "If a patient is unconscious, a drug test could be done at the physician's discretion."

While patients are in an observation unit, there's also an opportunity for healthcare providers to offer drug-cessation counseling.

"Currently, the level of drug counseling available in most observation units, particularly at night, amounts to a pamphlet on drug abuse and referral phone numbers. This is an area where we can do a better job," McCord said. "We should use that hospital visit as a teachable moment to educate these patients on how they can improve their health and offer them counseling and referral programs for drug cessation."

The new AHA statement also addresses the issue of stents, which are used to prop open arteries in order to help restore blood flow to the heart. Long-term cocaine users with a coronary artery blockage should receive bare-metal stents instead of drug-eluting [emitting] stents. That's because people with a long history of cocaine use may not adhere to schedules for taking medications aimed at preventing drug-eluting stents from becoming blocked, the statement says.

What The Poling Autism Case Means

March 13, 2008 | For the past decade, advocacy groups have claimed that vaccines cause autism, a behavior and language disorder, in children. At the center of the debate is a compound called thimerosal,health club a mercury-based preservative that was used in most vaccines until around 2001. Many of the advocates, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in Salon, have accused doctors, drug companies and the federal government of hiding the truth about thimerosal and its connection to autism.

Despite the charges, multiple studies have demonstrated no connection between thimerosal (or anything else about vaccines) and autism. health club In the past nine months alone, at least three studies have shown that thimerosal has no relationship to autism or any other neurological disorders. One study, published in the January issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, looked at autism rates in California after the removal of thimerosal. Not only did the rates not go down, they continued to rise. For these reasons, the government and most doctors stand by the belief that vaccines are effective and safe.

However, last week, the U.S. government awarded compensation to a Georgia family, the Polings, who had sued the government (along with 5,000 other families whose children have autism), claiming vaccines had caused autism in their now 9-year-old daughter, Hannah. As the decision made headlines, health club antivaccine groups claimed victory and vindication, and parents fretted over whether to vaccinate their children.

This is the real danger of this case. As a pediatrician, I hate to see parents pass up the chance to give their kids vaccines, which have saved countless lives, prevented some of the deadliest diseases in human history and remain safe. health club So what should we make of the Poling decision? Let me take it one point at a time.

What did the government decide?

For many years now, the federal government has set aside funds for children who have been injured by vaccines. Doctors and other health professionals can report adverse outcomes to the government, and parents can file claims in federal "vaccine court." The court's judges, known as special masters, review claims. If they find a child was injured by a vaccine, they award compensation to that child.

In this case, "CHILD [Hannah Poling] v. Secretary of Health and Human Services," the court "concluded that the facts of this case meet the statutory criteria for demonstrating that the vaccinations CHILD received on July 19, 2000, significantly aggravated an underlying mitochondrial disorder, which predisposed her to deficits in cellular energy metabolism, and manifested as a regressive encephalopathy with features of autism spectrum disorder. Therefore, respondent recommends that compensation be awarded to petitioners."

Does that mean vaccines caused Hannah to become autistic?

No. Look again at the court statement: Hannah has "an underlying mitochondrial disorder, which predisposed her to deficits in cellular energy metabolism, and manifested as a regressive encephalopathy with features of autistic spectrum disorder." Throughout the document health club, both Hannah's doctors and lab results support the diagnosis of mitochondrial disorder.

Not a diagnosis of autism?

Right. Mitochondrial disorder does not equal autism. Generally speaking, mitochondria are the parts of our cells that help generate energy. When they fail, the body's cells go awry, which can lead to failures in any number of normal body functions. There are at least 40 known mitochondrial disorders, and probably many more we haven't yet found. But it's clear from the transcript of the court's decision that this was not a case of vaccines causing autism. Rather, this is a case where the court deemed it plausible that vaccines aggravated an underlying disease caused by bad mitochondria, health club and that some of the symptoms Hannah showed were similar to autism. As you'll see below, there are even questions about that conclusion.

Report Criticizes FDA Over Spinach Packers

nearly half of all federal inspections of facilities that package fresh spinach revealed serious sanitary problems, but the Food and Drug Administration did not take "meaningful" enforcement action, a House committee report released yesterday found.

The most common problems uncovered by FDA inspections of 67 facilities included inadequate restroom sanitation, health club litter piles and indoor condensation posing a risk of food contamination by microorganisms. Inspectors also found buildings vulnerable to rodent infestation and workers with uncovered hair and poor hygiene.

Twenty serious outbreaks of E. coli have been traced to fresh lettuce or spinach since 1995. One of the most troublesome was a 2006 outbreak in bagged spinach processed by California-based Natural Selection Foods that sickened more than 200 people and was linked to three deaths.

The FDA acknowledged gaps in its food safety efforts after that episode. But the report by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee says the problems were worse: It showed that spinach facilities were inspected about once every 2.4 years despite federal guidelines that say most should have been visited at least annually.

The FDA did not refer any of the problem facilities to its internal enforcement authorities, nor did the agency send warning letters or seek injunctions. It did refer one inspection to state authorities, health club the report said.

"The inspection reports . . . raise serious questions about the ability of FDA to protect the safety of fresh spinach and other fresh produce," committee investigators wrote. "It appears that FDA is inspecting high-risk facilities infrequently, failing to take vigorous enforcement action when it does inspect and identify violations, and not even inspecting the most probable sources of many outbreaks."

FDA spokeswoman Kimberly Rawlings said the agency is seeking legislative authority to implement a food protection plan that would target some produce and other high-risk foods that have been tied to serious illnesses health club. "Despite recent concerns, the food supply in the U.S. continues to be one of the safest in the world and this includes fresh produce," Rawlings wrote in an e-mail.

Authorities tied the 2006 outbreak to cattle or feral pig feces found in the fields of spinach grower Mission Organics. But the House report revealed that FDA inspections found repeated problems at several facilities operated by Natural Selection Foods years before the outbreak.

"FDA at no time required the firm to correct these conditions at any of its facilities, health club even after laboratory tests indicated the presence of microbial contamination at the exact site later implicated in the 2006 outbreak," the report's authors wrote.

Samantha Cabaluna, a spokeswoman for Natural Selection Foods, said the company has cooperated with federal and state authorities. She said parts of the committee's report are inaccurate, including a passage that alleged a July 2001 inspection found listeria bacteria in a Natural Selection Foods facility that was later tied to the 2006 E. coli outbreak. The company was not operating at that facility in 2001, she said.

"We continually search for new ways to improve food safety and note all observations provided by FDA inspectors during their audits," Cabaluna said in a statement. "Any corrective actions are immediately addressed."

Std Data Come As No Surprise, Area Teenagers Say

Elizabeth Alderman, adolescent specialist at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center in New York, was astounded by a federal report this week showing that two out of five teenage girls who have had sex have experienced at least one sexually transmitted infection health club.

Lorena Granados, a junior at W.T. Woodson High School in Fairfax County, was not the least bit surprised.

"A lot of girls fall in love, and it doesn't seem they care about protection," she said yesterday. "It's 'What am I going to enjoy right now?' Or they'll say, 'I know he hasn't been with anybody. He's clean.' Or, 'He'll stop before we go too far.' "

That same attitude shows up in doctors' offices, Alderman said yesterday.

"Kids are not comfortable disclosing what they do," she said. "Or when they do come in, every single one will tell you they or their partner are using a condom. Obviously, many are not."

The study, released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, analyzed data on 838 girls ages 14 t0 19 who took part in a 2003-04 government health survey. Overall, one in four girls in the sample, which officials said was nationally representative, had a sexually transmitted disease. The teens were tested for four infections: chlamydia, trichomoniasis, herpes simplex and the human papillomavirus.

There was a big difference by race: Nearly half of the black teens had at least one STD, compared with 20 percent among whites and Mexican Americans health club.

About half of the teens acknowledged having sex, though studies indicate that by the time they finish the first year of college, more than two-thirds of young women have engaged in intercourse.

The report follows other studies indicating that girls today are as active sexually as boys -- and it suggests that many girls are paying a price for that health club.

In 2005, the CDC reported that slightly more than half of teenage girls and boys had engaged in oral sex, which carries the risk of herpes and HPV, among other infections. Still another survey disclosed this year that after 16 years of decline, the birthrate among 15- to 19-year-olds has started rising.

"When you look at the grand sweep of data, it's a rather sobering picture," said Bill Albert, deputy director of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy in the District.

Sobering, as in the fact that Khadijah Marrow, an eighth-grader at Thomas Johnson Middle School in Lanham, knows a friend who has had a sexually transmitted disease.

Jennifer Corbett Dooren And Jared A. Favole

A federal panel backed a proposed Amgen Inc. drug to treat a rare blood-platelet illness, and sales restrictions would be included out of concern that the drug might contribute to other serious blood disorders.

The drug would be sold under the proposed brand name Nplate to treat immune thrombocytopenic purpura, or ITP,health club an autoimmune bleeding disorder marked by below-normal levels of platelets. Platelets help form clots to stop bleeding, and Nplate is designed to increase platelet levels in a different manner than other treatments. If approved, the product would likely be injected weekly in a doctor's office.

The Food and Drug Administration panel unanimously said Nplate had a favorable risk-benefit profile; its vote amounts to a recommendation that the FDA approve the drug. The agency usually follows its panels' advice health club.

Richard Pazdur, director of the FDA's oncology product office, said the agency believes Nplate works at raising platelet levels but has safety concerns that not yet addressed from current clinical data.

The studies have involved about 300 patients treated an average of about 37 weeks health club.

Amgen has proposed a risk-management program that would restrict distribution to doctors treating patients with ITP in hopes it would discourage off-label use.

"We conclude the benefits outweigh the risks," said Dietmar Berger, Amgen's senior vice president of global regulatory affairs and safety.

Study Disputes Need For Widespread Hospital Mrsa Testing

The medical community is united in its concern over the rapid spread of drug resistant staph bacteria in hospitals. But it's divided over what to do.

Some experts believe hospitals need to test large numbers of patients and isolate and treat people who prove positive, to prevent the bacteria's spread. Other experts argue this is inefficient.

Now, a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association lends weight to the second point of view. It finds that widespread screening of patients for MRSA -- methicillin-resistant stapholoccocus aureus -- in a Swiss hospital did not reduce the number of hospital-acquired infections and wasn't cost effective.

"It wasn't what we expected. We were very surprised," said lead author Dr. Stephan Harbarth in a telephone interview Tuesday afternoon.

The results are sure to fuel an ongoing debate in the U.S. over how best to control the growing epidemic of MRSA infections, which kill nearly 19,000 people a year -- a higher death toll than AIDs, according to a much-publicized article published last October.

The debate has been roiling in Illinois, which last year became the first state to enact a law requiring hospitals to test all at-risk patients for MRSA.

The new report out of Switzerland appears to give ammunition to experts who question the value of this strategy.

The Swiss researchers screened 10,193 surgery patients admitted to the University of Geneva Hospitals between October 2004 and May 2006; a control group of more than 10,000 surgery patients was admitted without the tests.

To reduce the risk of MRSA transmission, the Geneva Hospital put patients who tested positive for the bacteria in isolation, scrubbed them with disinfectants, and gave them antibiotics.

Yet, even with all these interventions, the rates of hospital-acquired MRSA infections didn't differ significantly for the two groups, the study found.

"This is what we've been saying all long," said Kathy Warye, chief executive officer of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, a group that opposes efforts to mandate MRSA testing.

While screening patients can be a valuable, it's not a "magic wand" and it's not always the best way to deploy a medical institution's resources, said Dr. Stephen Weber, director of infection control at the University of Chicago Hospitals.

Given the results of the new study, "legislative mandates for MRSA screening are probably not appropriate," and Illinois should reconsider its new law, said Dr. Robert Weinstein, chief of infection control at Stroger Hospital.

Other experts said the Swiss study had several limitations and cautioned against interpreting its findings too broadly.

Dr. Barry Farr, a MRSA expert, noted the Swiss hospital didn't screen patients on medical wards, who probably served as a reservoir of MRSA infections within the institution and skewed the study's results.

About one-third of surgery patients at the Swiss hospital had surgery before measures could be taken to control potential MRSA infections; that may have contributed to the findings, said Dr. Karen Kaul, chair of molecular pathology at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare.

The three hospitals associated with that system -- Evanston, Glenbrook and Highland Park Hospitals -- have cut MRSA infection rates by more than half since August 2005, when they began universal screening of all newly admitted patients, she said. At Loyola University Medical Center, which began universal screening in late November, preliminary data indicates that infection rates have dropped 62 percent, said Dr. Jorge Parada, the hospitals' medical director for infection control.

Water Tests Ordered After AP Series

The governor of Illinois ordered screening of the state's waterways for pharmaceuticals Wednesday in reaction to an Associated Press investigation into the presence of trace amounts of medicines in U.S. drinking water.

The announcement by Gov. Rod Blagojevich came as the New York City Council scheduled an emergency committee hearing and as water providers across the nation assured residents that their water is safe to drink — even if it hasn't been tested.

Blagojevich said he had ordered the state's environmental agency to begin screening waterways for pharmaceuticals and to promote safer disposal of medicines. The governor also announced that the state will partner with Chicago officials to test that city's drinking water.

The AP series reported that Chicago was one of the largest U.S. cities that does not test its drinking water.

Blagojevich also directed state health officials to further assess the effects of any pharmaceutical contamination on human health.

In New York City, where the AP reported that trace concentrations of heart medicine, infection fighters, estrogen, anti-convulsants, a mood stabilizer and a tranquilizer have been detected in the upstate source of the city's water, the City Council has scheduled an emergency public hearing for April 3. The AP reported that despite the test results in the watershed, the city does not test its downstate drinking water.

"I'm very concerned about the possible effects of even traces of pharmaceuticals in our drinking water," said Councilman James G. Gennaro, a Democrat from Queens who heads the council's environmental protection committee.

Senate hearings have been scheduled by Sens. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., and Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and other members of Congress have called for the appointment of a task force and additional research.

"The Associated Press investigation was illuminating and a great service, but it was not an official governmental study, and I doubt your agency will act on an outside group's findings," wrote Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., in a letter sent Wednesday to EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "If there are pharmaceuticals in our water, our government should be fully aware of the problem and working to correct it."

The EPA released a statement in response to the AP series. "EPA appreciates any opportunity to raise the public's awareness about the safe disposal of prescription drugs and environmental responsibility," said spokesman Timothy Lyons. "The agency's work to protect the nation's water supply and enhance human health is ongoing, and we are pleased to see the interest Americans have taken in this effort."

The five-month-long project by the AP National Investigative Team, published this week, found that drugs — mostly the residue of medications taken by people, excreted and flushed down the toilet — have gotten into the drinking water supplies of at least 24 major metropolitan areas, from Southern California to northern New Jersey.

The risks from decades of persistent exposure to random combinations of low levels of pharmaceuticals are unknown. While no proof has been found of human health effects, recent studies have detected alarming adverse effects on human cells and wildlife.

Officials in other cities and water agencies also pressed for testing — and others demanded that any test results be disclosed.

The most pervasive response, repeated by officials in communities around the country, was that although their water hasn't been tested for pharmaceuticals, there is no reason to be concerned.

From Cheyenne, Wyo., to Jacksonville, Fla., and in dozens of communities elsewhere, water department officials reminded consumers that the traces of pharmaceuticals being found nationwide are minute and that the quality of their water exceeds all EPA water standards. However, the EPA does not have any standards for pharmaceuticals in water.

Calls for action appeared on newspaper editorial pages.

"Why isn't there a national standard that would ensure more rigorous testing? The Environmental Protection Agency should be taking leadership on this," said a Philadelphia Daily News editorial.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer said that water studies are underway in its region, but that "more can and must be done, from widespread sampling of area waters and federal standards for pharmaceutical sampling to far more intensive research on ways to remove such residues from drinking water. The public's health demands nothing less."

In some cases, providers who had not disclosed to the AP what they found in their water opted to tell their local news media after the investigative story came out.

For example, the Santa Clara Valley Water Agency — which previously would not specify which pharmaceuticals were detected in its watershed — has since told local reporters those compounds included ibuprofen, anti-convulsants and anti-inflammatories.

Water officials in Des Moines, Iowa, Cape Cod in Massachusetts and in Southern California's Inland Empire region, not part of the AP survey, told reporters about pharmaceuticals that had been detected in their water supplies, as well.

"Just as water utilities need data to make informed decisions, we believe that consumers should have the information they need to make personal health decisions," said Diane VanDe Hei, executive director of the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, a group representing the largest publicly owned drinking water suppliers in the United States.

In some locales, officials said they were already gathering data or would like information to be compiled.

"It will equip us with the scientifically sound information that is necessary to shape future courses of action to ensure public health and protect the environment," said Kathleen McGinty, the state environmental secretary for Pennsylvania, where 56 different pharmaceuticals or byproducts were detected in Philadelphia's drinking water.

Water managers in Fresno, Calif., held a meeting this week to allay public concerns about the area's drinking water but said the city doesn't plan to change its water treatment process in the wake of the AP investigation.

The city has not tested for pharmaceuticals in and around its wastewater treatment plant because it doesn't have the appropriate testing technology, said city spokeswoman Rhonda Jorn.

"We are very confident that we do have safe drinking water," Jorn said. "Of course, we'd be more than happy to test for pharmaceuticals in the water should the EPA make that technology available to us."

The AP's findings also have made their way to the late-night TV talk show circuit.

"Right here in Los Angeles they found high levels of anti-anxiety medication in the water, but health officials say, 'Oh, don't worry about it,' " said Jay Leno during a monologue Monday night on his NBC-TV program. "Well, we can't worry about it. It's in the water!"

Flu Outbreak Shuts Hong Kong Schools For Two Weeks

More than half a million Hong Kong schoolchildren stayed at home on Thursday after the government shut all kindergartens and primary schools for two weeks to contain an outbreak of flu.

A government-appointed panel of experts is probing the deaths of three children, aged 2, 3 and 7, over the last two weeks. The two older children were infected with seasonal flu, while the cause of illness in the youngest child is unknown.

The health scare has not been linked to H5N1 bird flu but the government's decision on Wednesday night to close the schools brought back memories of 2003, when an outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome hit Hong Kong.

Health Secretary York Chow said the government closed the schools because the numbers of young children getting infected seemed higher this year.

"Our main concern is the infection of young children. The percentage of young children getting influenza this season seems to be higher," he said at a press briefing. "The second is the mortality ... if there're two deaths related to flu even before the peak, then we need to do something to minimise the numbers in the weeks to come," he said, referring to two of the three children -- a girl aged 3 and a boy aged 7.

The government disclosed two new cases on Thursday, a 3-year-old boy WHO was in stable condition in hospital and a 21-month-old boy who died in late February after being admitted to hospital with flu-like symptoms. His cause of illness is unknown.

Mrs Kwan, a mother of a 10-year-old student, was worried.

"You can see that many people in Hong Kong are a bit scared of such viruses. It's not like before when kids would just have regular cough and fever. Now, you just don't know how serious any outbreak might be. I am very worried," she said.

Experts say there was no reason to panic.

"This year, there seem to be slightly more flu cases. But from what I can see, we get a bad flu year every few years. I don't think it is very unusual or different from previous years," said Leo Poon, a virologist from the University of Hong Kong. (Reporting by Tan Ee Lyn and James Pomfret; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Calcium may increase heart attack risk

Calcium supplements may increase the risk of heart attack in healthy post-menopausal women, a University of Auckland study found.First author Mark J. Bolland said while calcium supplementation is commonly prescribed to post-menopausal women to maintain bone health, there is little research on calcium and vascular disease.

The study involved 1,471 healthy post-menopausal women age 55 years or older who had previously taken part in a study to assess the effects of calcium on bone density and fracture rates.The women were randomly allocated either a daily calcium supplement or placebo. Dietary calcium intake was assessed and women were seen every six months during a five-year period.

The study, published in the British Medical Journal, found heart attacks were more commonly reported in the calcium group. Stroke or sudden death was also more common in this group.The findings are not conclusive, but suggest that high calcium intake might have an adverse effect on vascular health. If confirmed by other studies, the effect could outweigh beneficial effects of calcium on bone, the researchers said.In the meantime, the potentially detrimental effect should be balanced against the likely benefits of calcium on bone, particularly in elderly women, the researchers said