Authorities seized 26 tons of melamine-tainted milk powder from an ice cream maker in southern China three years after widespread use of the chemical in infant formula killed six babies, state media said Wednesday.
The discovery underscores China's stubborn problem with illegal food additives used to turn a quick profit regardless of the health risks.
Caches of toxic milk powder repeatedly have been discovered since a crackdown in 2008 that saw dozens arrested and a dairy farmer and a milk salesman executed.
The Global Times newspaper quoted police in the southern city of Chongqing as saying Tuesday that the Jixida Food Co. bought the milk powder a year ago to make pastries and ice cream.
The report said the tainted powder was stored in a warehouse and had not yet been used. Five suspects were detained and three could face criminal charges, the paper said, but did not identify their suspected roles in the contamination.
The report said the milk was traced to a company in Inner Mongolia but didn't say when it had been made. Other seized batches have been described as old stocks that were hidden when they should have been destroyed.
Adding melamine and water to milk and milk products makes the tainted, weaker products appear to have the correct protein content. Health problems from the industrial chemical include kidney stones and kidney damage.
At least six children died and nearly 300,000 children fell ill after consuming tainted infant formula in 2008.
That scandal prompted China to pass tougher food safety regulations and step up inspections.
A recent spate of new problems prompted the State Council, China's Cabinet, to last week order a renewed crackdown on the illegal food additives. So far this year, authorities have uncovered sales of drug-tainted pork, bean sprouts treated with a carcinogenic chemical compound, and old bread treated with sweeteners and dye to make it seem fresh.
2011年4月28日星期四
Sixteen budding businesses to watch, from the UW Business Plan Competition
Yesterday was my first exposure to the annual UW Business Plan Competition, held by the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Foster School of Business — and it was great to be in the midst of all that entrepreneurial energy.
I was one of nearly 280 judges who were given $1,000 in fictional money to “invest” in at least five of the 37 teams pitching their businesses during the trade-show style investment round at the Bell Harbor Convention Center in Seattle.
That process led to a “Sweet 16″ of businesses that will compete in the next round, on May 26. Here’s the list, along with alternates. Lots of interesting businesses here, with many intersections with technology.
AgComm, UW Bothell, UW: Offers an affordable solution of hardware, software and services that help farmers monitor and combat environmental threats to their crops through a single web-based application.
Aqueduct Neurosciences, UW: Developing innovative medical device technology to improve the treatment of hydrocephalus through improved control, feedback, and failure prevention.
C6 Systems, UW: Developed a novel slow-pyrolysis system that turns woody biomass into charcoal, or biochar, at the site of forestry operations.
Fluentizer, UW: Windows PC and Android mobile software that helps people learn English at the level of a native speaker. It works like an audio book reader and provides translation for words that you don’t understand.
LodeSpin Labs, UW: Manufactures tracers for Magnetic Particle Imaging, a new medical imaging technology capable of replacing CT and MRI for imaging patients with heart disease and cancer.
Point of Care Technologies, UW: Developed prototype medical devices which interface with Android-based smart phones via Bluetooth.
PotaVida, UW: Provides a low-cost, reusable tool that takes the guesswork out of solar disinfection of water, for use in disaster relief and areas lacking potable water.
Pterofin, UW: Designs and manufactures innovative wind energy devices for residential and commercial use.
Punchkeeper, Seattle University: A customer loyalty smart phone application that digitally replaces paper punch cards making businesses more competitive while saving consumers money, hassle, and wallet space.
Rolling Stone Medical Ultrasound, UW: Provides radiation-free kidney stone detection and the application of “ultrasound-induced acoustic force” to reposition the stones.
SkyFu, UW: Provide small to medium-sized firms a comfortable and easy to use software platform to manage their Social Media presence and reputation. We are different from the competition in cost, scope and expertise.
Solanux, WSU, University of Idaho: Produces patented potato food ingredients with high amounts of resistant starch (RS) which help lower a person’s glycemic index response, improve insulin levels, and lower fat and cholesterol levels.
SoothieSuckers, UW: Creates all-natural ice pops infused with herbal remedies for children’s cough and cold.
Stockbox Grocers, Bainbridge Graduate Institute: A mini grocer tucked inside a reclaimed shipping container, to provide fresh produce and basic staples in urban food deserts.
Tripbox, UW: Makes leisure trip planning simple, smart and enjoyable by providing an easy to use online service that automatically generates an itinerary that optimizes cost, timing, and routes and allows users to further customize their trip.
Urban Canopy, UW: Provides SaaS software that guides customers through design, execution, and maintenance of green building initiatives, including LEED certification.
First Alternate: Feral Motion, Seattle University, UW: Provides the best automated filming experience in the action sports world.
I was one of nearly 280 judges who were given $1,000 in fictional money to “invest” in at least five of the 37 teams pitching their businesses during the trade-show style investment round at the Bell Harbor Convention Center in Seattle.
That process led to a “Sweet 16″ of businesses that will compete in the next round, on May 26. Here’s the list, along with alternates. Lots of interesting businesses here, with many intersections with technology.
AgComm, UW Bothell, UW: Offers an affordable solution of hardware, software and services that help farmers monitor and combat environmental threats to their crops through a single web-based application.
Aqueduct Neurosciences, UW: Developing innovative medical device technology to improve the treatment of hydrocephalus through improved control, feedback, and failure prevention.
C6 Systems, UW: Developed a novel slow-pyrolysis system that turns woody biomass into charcoal, or biochar, at the site of forestry operations.
Fluentizer, UW: Windows PC and Android mobile software that helps people learn English at the level of a native speaker. It works like an audio book reader and provides translation for words that you don’t understand.
LodeSpin Labs, UW: Manufactures tracers for Magnetic Particle Imaging, a new medical imaging technology capable of replacing CT and MRI for imaging patients with heart disease and cancer.
Point of Care Technologies, UW: Developed prototype medical devices which interface with Android-based smart phones via Bluetooth.
PotaVida, UW: Provides a low-cost, reusable tool that takes the guesswork out of solar disinfection of water, for use in disaster relief and areas lacking potable water.
Pterofin, UW: Designs and manufactures innovative wind energy devices for residential and commercial use.
Punchkeeper, Seattle University: A customer loyalty smart phone application that digitally replaces paper punch cards making businesses more competitive while saving consumers money, hassle, and wallet space.
Rolling Stone Medical Ultrasound, UW: Provides radiation-free kidney stone detection and the application of “ultrasound-induced acoustic force” to reposition the stones.
SkyFu, UW: Provide small to medium-sized firms a comfortable and easy to use software platform to manage their Social Media presence and reputation. We are different from the competition in cost, scope and expertise.
Solanux, WSU, University of Idaho: Produces patented potato food ingredients with high amounts of resistant starch (RS) which help lower a person’s glycemic index response, improve insulin levels, and lower fat and cholesterol levels.
SoothieSuckers, UW: Creates all-natural ice pops infused with herbal remedies for children’s cough and cold.
Stockbox Grocers, Bainbridge Graduate Institute: A mini grocer tucked inside a reclaimed shipping container, to provide fresh produce and basic staples in urban food deserts.
Tripbox, UW: Makes leisure trip planning simple, smart and enjoyable by providing an easy to use online service that automatically generates an itinerary that optimizes cost, timing, and routes and allows users to further customize their trip.
Urban Canopy, UW: Provides SaaS software that guides customers through design, execution, and maintenance of green building initiatives, including LEED certification.
First Alternate: Feral Motion, Seattle University, UW: Provides the best automated filming experience in the action sports world.
2011年4月26日星期二
9magnets teams with podiatrist on exceptional free learning tool
Portage, Indiana – In partnership with Dr. Alec Hochstein, Diplomate, American Board of Podiatric Surgery, 9magnets LLC have developed a valuable application for patients, students, and physicians. The iPhone application, called iPodiatrist(TM), is available now for free in the iTunes App Store.
The application is the result of Dr. Alec Hochstein’s desire to bring a pocket podiatry guide into the hands of all iPhone users with feet. iPodiatrist(TM) is a complete resource, with an unprecedented amount of medical information, foot facts, educational videos, anatomy photos, podiatry reference websites, a fun foot themed game, and much more.
“We’re excited to help provide a valuable medical resource to all iOS users.” stated 9magnets LLC co-founder Cameron Banga, “With great foot condition information, fun foot facts, an action-packed game, educational videos, and more, this is the must-have medical app for all iPhone users.”
iPodiatrist(TM) is an exceptional resource on all topics foot related and the third medical application for 9magnets LLC, after completing Kidney Stone App and Prostate Pal in summer 2010 and winter 2011 respectively.
Located in Hobart IN, 9magnets, LLC was founded in 2010 by Cameron Banga and Michael Phelps. The team specializes in helping businesses and individuals bring their application ideas to life on the iPhone and iPad. They also work to help other mobile developers realize their mobile application marketing potential. To date, the team has developed 20 iOS applications and has received praise from the New York Times, Macworld, Fox Business News, MSNBC Health, and more. All Material and Software (C) 2011 9magnets, LLC / All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The application is the result of Dr. Alec Hochstein’s desire to bring a pocket podiatry guide into the hands of all iPhone users with feet. iPodiatrist(TM) is a complete resource, with an unprecedented amount of medical information, foot facts, educational videos, anatomy photos, podiatry reference websites, a fun foot themed game, and much more.
“We’re excited to help provide a valuable medical resource to all iOS users.” stated 9magnets LLC co-founder Cameron Banga, “With great foot condition information, fun foot facts, an action-packed game, educational videos, and more, this is the must-have medical app for all iPhone users.”
iPodiatrist(TM) is an exceptional resource on all topics foot related and the third medical application for 9magnets LLC, after completing Kidney Stone App and Prostate Pal in summer 2010 and winter 2011 respectively.
Located in Hobart IN, 9magnets, LLC was founded in 2010 by Cameron Banga and Michael Phelps. The team specializes in helping businesses and individuals bring their application ideas to life on the iPhone and iPad. They also work to help other mobile developers realize their mobile application marketing potential. To date, the team has developed 20 iOS applications and has received praise from the New York Times, Macworld, Fox Business News, MSNBC Health, and more. All Material and Software (C) 2011 9magnets, LLC / All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.
Exclusive Q&A: E-Teacher of the Year
National Online Teacher of the Year Kristin Kipp toured the nation's capital today, shadowing federal director of education technology Karen Cator on her daily duties and getting a taste of federal education policy.
Kipp is an English teacher for the 21st-Century Virtual Academy in the 84,000 student Jefferson County (Colo.) school system, an online school that has full-time offerings for grades 9-12 and part-time offerings for grades 7-12. The school, which opened in the fall of 2009, serves a population of students who have turned to online school as an option, often because they might otherwise be at risk of dropping out.
Kipp, who also previously taught for seven years in a regular classroom, won the online teaching award in March. She was selected from five finalists who were chosen for their outstanding online teaching and their advocacy work for the trade, said Southern Regional Education Board Director of Educational Technology Myk Garn, whose organization co-sponsors the award along with the International Association for K-12 Online Learning.
Kipp sat down with the Digital Education blog to reflect on her career, which includes seven years as a face-to-face instructor and three as an online teacher, the award, and the benefits and challenges of entering online education. We bring you her insights below in this exclusive Q&A.
Digital Education blog: You spent seven years in a face-to-face classroom. So how did you end up teaching online?
Kristin Kipp: I initially started out teaching part-time online. I was actually an instructional coach, meaning I taught teachers, and I was really missing the connection with kids. So I started teaching online to sort of fill that void. At the time, I was afraid that it wouldn't be the same, that I wouldn't have that kid connection teaching online.
DE: There weren't other places you could find that connection? What was so unique about this opportunity?
KK: I was missing the kid connection, but I also love the technology. I love the bells and whistles of it all. And I got into this program where I got to work with a huge population of at-risk kids.
Our full-time online kids tend to be high-risk kids. They tend to be pregnant, or they need to work full-time because their families need money, or anything along those lines. I think that's where I got the passion for it. I started out because it was fun, and then I started working with those kids and went, "Wow, this is amazing work I get to do," because these kids wouldn't graduate high school if this program didn't exist.
DE: So there was an "Ah-ha!" moment?
KK: I have a student that I work with that, during her freshman year of high school, she considered dropping out because she missed so much school because she had kidney stones. She was gone all the time. And then her dad passed away from esophageal cancer. During her sophomore year of high school, she couldn't connect with anybody. Nobody understood what she was going through. She was missing so much school. She just considered saying, "Just forget it, I'm done." We opened the 21st-Century Virtual Academy during her junior year, and she came to us as sort of a last ditch, thinking, "Maybe I can do this." Maybe this will work. This is a kid that's Ivy league material, that would've dropped out if we weren't there to be able to sort of step into that gap and fill the void for her. Connecting with her during her junior year and realizing what she was going through, that's the moment when I really went, "Wow, this is good stuff that we're doing—this is amazing."
DE: How did your face-to-face experience help you become the online teacher you are today?
KK: I think because I started teaching face-to-face, I got to know my subject and how to teach it really well face-to-face. Then you add that extra element. "How do I do it online? How do I transfer the same skills, the things that I know really work into teaching English, teaching reading and writing?"
DD: Was it a difficult transition?
KK: Online teaching is not easier. It does not take less time than face-to-face teaching. And I think a lot of teachers are surprised that the learning curve is vertical when you do start to teach online. Because you're learning so many systems, all at one time, and you're trying to figure out, "How do I make this system communicate with kids, and how do I develop a community of learners in an online setting?" And it can be overwhelming. You feel like you sort of hit a brick wall and go, "What did I get myself into?" But then as you develop familiarity with the systems, it's not about the systems anymore. They just become the way you do business. And once you get past that learning curve, then you can get into the real meat of what's fun about it, and how you are connecting with kids. I can tell you, I know my students better than I ever knew them when I taught face-to-face. Hands down.
DE: How about teachers? Do you feel isolated away from other faculty, or do you have colleagues you can lean on?
KK: What's been fun about our program is that we, of course, started off small with five or six teachers. You mention it being isolating. I haven't had that experience at all, because we, from the beginning, said, "We're all going to be available by instant messenger all day, and if at any point, anybody needs anything, we're down the hall," figuratively speaking. I think we relied on each other a lot to go, "This isn't working, do you have some other ideas?" With one colleague, we call it the water cooler phone call. When things are just going nuts, we IM and say, "Do you have time for a water cooler chat?" We give each other a call and say, "OK, this isn't working, can you help me figure this out?" I think just that community of other teachers has been helpful.
DE: What does winning this award mean to you?
KK: I work for a very small program that I think does amazing things. I got involved with the award because we need the publicity and we need the marketing to be able to say we are doing something really amazing. And I think having the award, it's really pushing me. It's still such a new field. I'm constantly learning and trying to figure out what really is the best practice for how we do this. I'm definitely still pushing myself to think, there are better ways to do that. It's exciting to continue to explore that.
DE: What to you hope people learn from visiting with you during your trip to Washington? What do you hope to learn from them?
KK: I hope that they grasp that there are students all over the country who need an alternative educational approach, or need online learning for whatever reason. What I hope I will gain from them is just an understanding of what's happening at the national level and how's that going to impact our schools, and how can we help it impact our schools.
Kipp is an English teacher for the 21st-Century Virtual Academy in the 84,000 student Jefferson County (Colo.) school system, an online school that has full-time offerings for grades 9-12 and part-time offerings for grades 7-12. The school, which opened in the fall of 2009, serves a population of students who have turned to online school as an option, often because they might otherwise be at risk of dropping out.
Kipp, who also previously taught for seven years in a regular classroom, won the online teaching award in March. She was selected from five finalists who were chosen for their outstanding online teaching and their advocacy work for the trade, said Southern Regional Education Board Director of Educational Technology Myk Garn, whose organization co-sponsors the award along with the International Association for K-12 Online Learning.
Kipp sat down with the Digital Education blog to reflect on her career, which includes seven years as a face-to-face instructor and three as an online teacher, the award, and the benefits and challenges of entering online education. We bring you her insights below in this exclusive Q&A.
Digital Education blog: You spent seven years in a face-to-face classroom. So how did you end up teaching online?
Kristin Kipp: I initially started out teaching part-time online. I was actually an instructional coach, meaning I taught teachers, and I was really missing the connection with kids. So I started teaching online to sort of fill that void. At the time, I was afraid that it wouldn't be the same, that I wouldn't have that kid connection teaching online.
DE: There weren't other places you could find that connection? What was so unique about this opportunity?
KK: I was missing the kid connection, but I also love the technology. I love the bells and whistles of it all. And I got into this program where I got to work with a huge population of at-risk kids.
Our full-time online kids tend to be high-risk kids. They tend to be pregnant, or they need to work full-time because their families need money, or anything along those lines. I think that's where I got the passion for it. I started out because it was fun, and then I started working with those kids and went, "Wow, this is amazing work I get to do," because these kids wouldn't graduate high school if this program didn't exist.
DE: So there was an "Ah-ha!" moment?
KK: I have a student that I work with that, during her freshman year of high school, she considered dropping out because she missed so much school because she had kidney stones. She was gone all the time. And then her dad passed away from esophageal cancer. During her sophomore year of high school, she couldn't connect with anybody. Nobody understood what she was going through. She was missing so much school. She just considered saying, "Just forget it, I'm done." We opened the 21st-Century Virtual Academy during her junior year, and she came to us as sort of a last ditch, thinking, "Maybe I can do this." Maybe this will work. This is a kid that's Ivy league material, that would've dropped out if we weren't there to be able to sort of step into that gap and fill the void for her. Connecting with her during her junior year and realizing what she was going through, that's the moment when I really went, "Wow, this is good stuff that we're doing—this is amazing."
DE: How did your face-to-face experience help you become the online teacher you are today?
KK: I think because I started teaching face-to-face, I got to know my subject and how to teach it really well face-to-face. Then you add that extra element. "How do I do it online? How do I transfer the same skills, the things that I know really work into teaching English, teaching reading and writing?"
DD: Was it a difficult transition?
KK: Online teaching is not easier. It does not take less time than face-to-face teaching. And I think a lot of teachers are surprised that the learning curve is vertical when you do start to teach online. Because you're learning so many systems, all at one time, and you're trying to figure out, "How do I make this system communicate with kids, and how do I develop a community of learners in an online setting?" And it can be overwhelming. You feel like you sort of hit a brick wall and go, "What did I get myself into?" But then as you develop familiarity with the systems, it's not about the systems anymore. They just become the way you do business. And once you get past that learning curve, then you can get into the real meat of what's fun about it, and how you are connecting with kids. I can tell you, I know my students better than I ever knew them when I taught face-to-face. Hands down.
DE: How about teachers? Do you feel isolated away from other faculty, or do you have colleagues you can lean on?
KK: What's been fun about our program is that we, of course, started off small with five or six teachers. You mention it being isolating. I haven't had that experience at all, because we, from the beginning, said, "We're all going to be available by instant messenger all day, and if at any point, anybody needs anything, we're down the hall," figuratively speaking. I think we relied on each other a lot to go, "This isn't working, do you have some other ideas?" With one colleague, we call it the water cooler phone call. When things are just going nuts, we IM and say, "Do you have time for a water cooler chat?" We give each other a call and say, "OK, this isn't working, can you help me figure this out?" I think just that community of other teachers has been helpful.
DE: What does winning this award mean to you?
KK: I work for a very small program that I think does amazing things. I got involved with the award because we need the publicity and we need the marketing to be able to say we are doing something really amazing. And I think having the award, it's really pushing me. It's still such a new field. I'm constantly learning and trying to figure out what really is the best practice for how we do this. I'm definitely still pushing myself to think, there are better ways to do that. It's exciting to continue to explore that.
DE: What to you hope people learn from visiting with you during your trip to Washington? What do you hope to learn from them?
KK: I hope that they grasp that there are students all over the country who need an alternative educational approach, or need online learning for whatever reason. What I hope I will gain from them is just an understanding of what's happening at the national level and how's that going to impact our schools, and how can we help it impact our schools.
Chongqing cops seize 25 tons of tainted milk
Twenty-six tons of melamine-tainted milk powder was found in Chongqing three years after the Sanlu milk scandal that shocked both the nation and the world, people.com.cn reported on Tuesday.
Five suspects were arrested and three of them placed in criminal detention, municipal police said on Tuesday. Police had got a tip on March 25 that Chongqing Jixida Food Company was planning to use melamine-tainted milk powder to produce pastry and ice cream.
They found 16 tons in the company warehouse. Initial investigation showed Jixida had bought it from a trading company in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region for 22,000 yuan ($3,370) a ton, much lower than normal market prices.
The product could be traced to the Weilisi Dairy Company of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
The 2008 scandal exposed the widespread practice of adding melamine – a chemical normally used in plastics and fertilizer – to watered-down milk to boost the product's protein read.
Melamine can cause kidney stones and kidney failure. It left at least six infants dead and sickened an estimated 300,000 people.
The government ordered a massive recall following the scandal but toxic milk products have continued to be uncovered.
Chongqing police announced on Tuesday that they would launch a 100-day campaign against food and pharmaceutical crimes.
Five suspects were arrested and three of them placed in criminal detention, municipal police said on Tuesday. Police had got a tip on March 25 that Chongqing Jixida Food Company was planning to use melamine-tainted milk powder to produce pastry and ice cream.
They found 16 tons in the company warehouse. Initial investigation showed Jixida had bought it from a trading company in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region for 22,000 yuan ($3,370) a ton, much lower than normal market prices.
The product could be traced to the Weilisi Dairy Company of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
The 2008 scandal exposed the widespread practice of adding melamine – a chemical normally used in plastics and fertilizer – to watered-down milk to boost the product's protein read.
Melamine can cause kidney stones and kidney failure. It left at least six infants dead and sickened an estimated 300,000 people.
The government ordered a massive recall following the scandal but toxic milk products have continued to be uncovered.
Chongqing police announced on Tuesday that they would launch a 100-day campaign against food and pharmaceutical crimes.
2011年4月24日星期日
Alexis Bellino packs a punch in floral bikini with a game of beach volley ball
Alexis Bellino looked to be waving the flag for her home town of Orange County yesterday when she hit an LA beach looking discernibly ‘orange’ herself.
Fortunately, the O.C housewife’s impeccably toned figure overshadowed her generously tanned skin, which may otherwise have left fellow sunbathers averting their gaze.
Alexis left her beloved Orange County to take a 45 minute drive up the coast to Santa Monica with her husband, Jim, and it wasn’t long before she was shedding her designer clothes to reveal an enviably sculpted physique.
Good sport: Alexis Bellino shows off her tanned, toned body as she plays volley ball oGood sport: Real Housewives star Alexis Bellino shows off her tanned, toned body as she plays volley ball on the beach in Santa Monica, California
Good sport: Real Housewives star Alexis Bellino shows off her tanned and impeccably toned body as she plays volley ball on the beach in Santa Monica, LA
On form: Alexis looks sensational in her floral bikini as she goes after the ball
On form: Alexis looks sensational in her floral bikini as she goes after the ball
Dressed in a tiny two-piece floral bikini, the Real Housewives of Orange County star had made every effort to see that her body was thoroughly beach worthy before she left her home that morning.
Alexis has made no secret of her surgically enhanced assets, which include her ample DD breasts, and was not shy to show them off in her bikini as she ran for the ball yesterday.
The 33-year-old has often spoken of her love of botox and self-tanning, which she gets her husband, Jim, to apply for her. But it would seem she may have gone one shade too far this time.
Arm candy: Alexis holds husband Jim's hand as they take a stroll down the beach in Santa Monica
Arm candy: Alexis holds husband Jim's hand as they take a stroll down the beach
The reality TV star’s tangerine-toned complexion has left some critics believing she looked more like Tropical Barbie than a bronzed beach Goddess.
Fortunately, her husband Jim did not seem to mind, and neither did the male admirers who watched on as she ran about the beach chasing her beach ball.
Alexis should also probably be credited for her brave face and big grin as she had complained of abdominal pain just a few days earlier and had been informed by hospital doctors that she was passing a kidney stone.
On Wednesday she tweeted: ‘Woke up this a.m. sweating with pain, drove to ER, and had a kidney stone! What?! Can you believe that? Now it's a waiting game to pass it!’
Fortunately, the O.C housewife’s impeccably toned figure overshadowed her generously tanned skin, which may otherwise have left fellow sunbathers averting their gaze.
Alexis left her beloved Orange County to take a 45 minute drive up the coast to Santa Monica with her husband, Jim, and it wasn’t long before she was shedding her designer clothes to reveal an enviably sculpted physique.
Good sport: Alexis Bellino shows off her tanned, toned body as she plays volley ball oGood sport: Real Housewives star Alexis Bellino shows off her tanned, toned body as she plays volley ball on the beach in Santa Monica, California
Good sport: Real Housewives star Alexis Bellino shows off her tanned and impeccably toned body as she plays volley ball on the beach in Santa Monica, LA
On form: Alexis looks sensational in her floral bikini as she goes after the ball
On form: Alexis looks sensational in her floral bikini as she goes after the ball
Dressed in a tiny two-piece floral bikini, the Real Housewives of Orange County star had made every effort to see that her body was thoroughly beach worthy before she left her home that morning.
Alexis has made no secret of her surgically enhanced assets, which include her ample DD breasts, and was not shy to show them off in her bikini as she ran for the ball yesterday.
The 33-year-old has often spoken of her love of botox and self-tanning, which she gets her husband, Jim, to apply for her. But it would seem she may have gone one shade too far this time.
Arm candy: Alexis holds husband Jim's hand as they take a stroll down the beach in Santa Monica
Arm candy: Alexis holds husband Jim's hand as they take a stroll down the beach
The reality TV star’s tangerine-toned complexion has left some critics believing she looked more like Tropical Barbie than a bronzed beach Goddess.
Fortunately, her husband Jim did not seem to mind, and neither did the male admirers who watched on as she ran about the beach chasing her beach ball.
Alexis should also probably be credited for her brave face and big grin as she had complained of abdominal pain just a few days earlier and had been informed by hospital doctors that she was passing a kidney stone.
On Wednesday she tweeted: ‘Woke up this a.m. sweating with pain, drove to ER, and had a kidney stone! What?! Can you believe that? Now it's a waiting game to pass it!’
2011年4月23日星期六
The mix between Pique and Shakira's relationship
First we saw that Shakira reacts to watching Gerard Pique play for Barcelona in a losing effort like someone passing a large kidney stone. Now we see that reacts to watching Barcelona win by his side by attacking him with public displays of affection.
The mix between Pique and Shakira's relationship and football clearly produces manic swings in the singer's emotions and this was once again on show during Barcelona's 2-0 win over Osasuna on Saturday. While an unselected Pique sat between his ladyfriend and Carles Puyol in the stands, the two celebrated Barca's rediscovered dominance by sucking face like they weren't surrounded by old men in suits. Pique and Shakira, I mean. Not Pique and Puyol. At least, not on this day.
Here's some video for you seedy voyeurs to ogle...
This is all getting to be a bit too much and obviously something that young Bojan should not be witnessing. If Barcelona defeat Real Madrid in the Champions, there's a very good chance this will get X-rated. In fact, Dimitar Berbatov is already writing erotic fiction to that effect.
The mix between Pique and Shakira's relationship and football clearly produces manic swings in the singer's emotions and this was once again on show during Barcelona's 2-0 win over Osasuna on Saturday. While an unselected Pique sat between his ladyfriend and Carles Puyol in the stands, the two celebrated Barca's rediscovered dominance by sucking face like they weren't surrounded by old men in suits. Pique and Shakira, I mean. Not Pique and Puyol. At least, not on this day.
Here's some video for you seedy voyeurs to ogle...
This is all getting to be a bit too much and obviously something that young Bojan should not be witnessing. If Barcelona defeat Real Madrid in the Champions, there's a very good chance this will get X-rated. In fact, Dimitar Berbatov is already writing erotic fiction to that effect.
China blacklists 151 materials in food, feed
China has blacklisted 151 materials forbidden or abusable in food and feed over the past nine years, according to figures released by the food safety committee under the State Council, or China's Cabinet. The materials include 47 inedible materials likely to be added illegally to food, 22 food additives easily to be abused and 82 substances forbidden in feed and drinking water for animals.
The government has posted these materials on the website of China's Health Ministry and the website of the Agriculture Ministry Tonyred, an industrial coloring agent, and ractopamine, which are used to promote leanness in pigs, are among the materials listed.
According to Chinese law, criminals producing and selling toxic or hazardous food could face a penalty as severe as capital punishment.
The Health Ministry began to publicize the list of forbidden food additives in 2008, and the Agriculture Ministry began listing substances forbidden in feed and drinking water in 2002.
China is waging a prolonged and stringent fight against the illegal use of additives in food, with Vice Premier Li Keqiang earlier this week promising "a firm attitude, iron hand measures and more efforts" in dealing with the problem.
The State Council, the Ministry of Health, and the State Food and Drug Administration also publicized detailed measures in the past week to combat the problem, saying they will intensify supervision, upgrade safety limits, and greatly increase penalties for violators.
These moves came after a series of food safety scandals, including steamed buns dyed with unidentified chemicals, the use of "lean meat powder" and the use of illegal cooking oil known as "gutter oil," emerged despite Chinese authorities' efforts to revamp the country's food industry.
Some other cases of contaminated food in China have been exposed recently. Consumer confidence has once again been shaken. Many people are calling on the government to strengthen their supervision and administrative sanctions on food products.
To use pork to make beef? This miracle has been widely found in China this April. By adding this kind of additive called "beef extract," pork can be processed to become as tasty, and expensive as beef.
It seems this additive is not a secret in the market, only the consumers don't know.
Medical Expert, said, "People keeps absorbing excessive additives over a long time, their kidneys and livers will be damaged. And it will damage the neural system of chidren and old people."
While the consumers are still shocked by this so-called beef, buns on their dining table have also dealt them another blow.
An initial investigation by the municipal government has revealed that the Shanghai Shenglu Food Company produced more than 3-thousand steamed buns daily using additives to make them appear fresher. These were then sold across the city, including in some large supermarkets.
Fewer steamed buns were for sale at this Lianhua supermarket. More than 32-thousand buns were taken off store shelves when the scandal emerged.
Mr. Wang, Sales Manager of Lianhua Supermarket, said, "We removed the steamed buns produced by Shenglu as soon as we learned of the incident. We gave customers who had bought the steamed buns from our outlets refunds with their receipts. Despite the scandal, our sales volume has been fine so far." However, most customers remain concerned about food safety. Steamed buns are a regular breakfast staple for Ms.
Gao. She used to buy them mostly from supermarkets because she felt it was a clean and safe environment. But now, she has second thoughts about buying the popular snack.– Xinhua
Ms. Gao, Shanghai Shopper, said, "I can't believe that even steamed buns from the supermarket are no longer safe. The only places I trusted to shop at were major supermarkets and specialist shops. But now even there, product quality cannot be guaranteed. I really don't know where to buy my goods from in the future."
Two years ago, China enacted a Food Safety Law. Although difficulties were unresolved and controversies remained, many were hopeful it would deal with the country's bad record on food safety. But now it seems the law needs to be perfected and better enforced.Infant food products, in which levels of melamine, a toxic chemical normally used in manufacturing plastics, is higher than 1 milligram per kilogram of food, will be prohibited from sale in China, according to an official regulation issued Wednesday.
In other food products, the maximum tolerable level of melamine is 2.5 mg for per kg of food, said the regulation, issued by Chinese Health Ministry along with other government agencies.
"Melamine, neither a kind of food material or food additive, is prohibited from being intentionally added into food," said the regulation, which took effect on Wednesday.
Anyone who purposely adds melamine to food would be dealt with according to the law, it added.
However, the regulation also noted very low levels of melamine may enter the food chain naturally from the environment or through products package materials.
Ingestion of melamine over a period of time can cause damage to people's urinary and reproductive systems, lead to kidney stones, and bladder cancer.
In 2008, China's food industry suffered a heavy blow when milk products were found to contain dangerous levels of melamine, which were intentionally added to make milk appear to be protein-rich. The toxic milk killed at least six babies and sickened 300,000 others across the country.
The government has posted these materials on the website of China's Health Ministry and the website of the Agriculture Ministry Tonyred, an industrial coloring agent, and ractopamine, which are used to promote leanness in pigs, are among the materials listed.
According to Chinese law, criminals producing and selling toxic or hazardous food could face a penalty as severe as capital punishment.
The Health Ministry began to publicize the list of forbidden food additives in 2008, and the Agriculture Ministry began listing substances forbidden in feed and drinking water in 2002.
China is waging a prolonged and stringent fight against the illegal use of additives in food, with Vice Premier Li Keqiang earlier this week promising "a firm attitude, iron hand measures and more efforts" in dealing with the problem.
The State Council, the Ministry of Health, and the State Food and Drug Administration also publicized detailed measures in the past week to combat the problem, saying they will intensify supervision, upgrade safety limits, and greatly increase penalties for violators.
These moves came after a series of food safety scandals, including steamed buns dyed with unidentified chemicals, the use of "lean meat powder" and the use of illegal cooking oil known as "gutter oil," emerged despite Chinese authorities' efforts to revamp the country's food industry.
Some other cases of contaminated food in China have been exposed recently. Consumer confidence has once again been shaken. Many people are calling on the government to strengthen their supervision and administrative sanctions on food products.
To use pork to make beef? This miracle has been widely found in China this April. By adding this kind of additive called "beef extract," pork can be processed to become as tasty, and expensive as beef.
It seems this additive is not a secret in the market, only the consumers don't know.
Medical Expert, said, "People keeps absorbing excessive additives over a long time, their kidneys and livers will be damaged. And it will damage the neural system of chidren and old people."
While the consumers are still shocked by this so-called beef, buns on their dining table have also dealt them another blow.
An initial investigation by the municipal government has revealed that the Shanghai Shenglu Food Company produced more than 3-thousand steamed buns daily using additives to make them appear fresher. These were then sold across the city, including in some large supermarkets.
Fewer steamed buns were for sale at this Lianhua supermarket. More than 32-thousand buns were taken off store shelves when the scandal emerged.
Mr. Wang, Sales Manager of Lianhua Supermarket, said, "We removed the steamed buns produced by Shenglu as soon as we learned of the incident. We gave customers who had bought the steamed buns from our outlets refunds with their receipts. Despite the scandal, our sales volume has been fine so far." However, most customers remain concerned about food safety. Steamed buns are a regular breakfast staple for Ms.
Gao. She used to buy them mostly from supermarkets because she felt it was a clean and safe environment. But now, she has second thoughts about buying the popular snack.– Xinhua
Ms. Gao, Shanghai Shopper, said, "I can't believe that even steamed buns from the supermarket are no longer safe. The only places I trusted to shop at were major supermarkets and specialist shops. But now even there, product quality cannot be guaranteed. I really don't know where to buy my goods from in the future."
Two years ago, China enacted a Food Safety Law. Although difficulties were unresolved and controversies remained, many were hopeful it would deal with the country's bad record on food safety. But now it seems the law needs to be perfected and better enforced.Infant food products, in which levels of melamine, a toxic chemical normally used in manufacturing plastics, is higher than 1 milligram per kilogram of food, will be prohibited from sale in China, according to an official regulation issued Wednesday.
In other food products, the maximum tolerable level of melamine is 2.5 mg for per kg of food, said the regulation, issued by Chinese Health Ministry along with other government agencies.
"Melamine, neither a kind of food material or food additive, is prohibited from being intentionally added into food," said the regulation, which took effect on Wednesday.
Anyone who purposely adds melamine to food would be dealt with according to the law, it added.
However, the regulation also noted very low levels of melamine may enter the food chain naturally from the environment or through products package materials.
Ingestion of melamine over a period of time can cause damage to people's urinary and reproductive systems, lead to kidney stones, and bladder cancer.
In 2008, China's food industry suffered a heavy blow when milk products were found to contain dangerous levels of melamine, which were intentionally added to make milk appear to be protein-rich. The toxic milk killed at least six babies and sickened 300,000 others across the country.
Bastogne–Liège team presentation
The 199 riders set to ride Liege-Bastogne-Liege attended the official team presentation on Saturday afternoon in a packed marquee in the courtyard of the Palais des Princes-Eveques in central Liege.
The 25 teams are required to attend and climb on stage to be presented one by one to the crowd packed into the marquee. On the way in and the way out, the riders are mobbed by cycling fans, looking for an autograph, a photograph or even just he chance to see local hero Philippe Gilbert.
It is the last chance for the media to speak to riders and discover the final starting roster for the teams.
Cyclingnews caught up with Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Cervelo) and Simon Gerrans (Team Sky). Like many riders, Hesjedal has been affected by the high pollen count in the air caused by the unusual warm weather and dry conditions. He has a slightly blocked nose but said he his legs are good for the 255.5km race and the 10 classified cotes.
Gerrans will form a interesting combination at Team Sky with the classy Thomas Löfkvist and new signing Rigoberto Uran. Of course everyone will be trying to get rid of Gilbert, who is trying to complete an Ardennes Classic hat trick.
It should be a fascinating battle between him, the Schlecks, and all the other contenders.
Several riders have flown into Belgium since Wednesday's Fleche-Wallonne. Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) and Roman Kreuziger (Astana) rode the Giro del Trentino and flew from Italy on Saturday morning. However Giro del Trentino winner Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) opted not to ride.
Late changes to teams include the confirmation that Xavier Tondo will not ride for Movistar. He had stayed in Belgium this week but is still fighting the pain of kidney stones. Jesus Herrada will take his place.
2010 winner Alexander Vinokourov (Astana) will wear number one in his final Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
The 25 teams are required to attend and climb on stage to be presented one by one to the crowd packed into the marquee. On the way in and the way out, the riders are mobbed by cycling fans, looking for an autograph, a photograph or even just he chance to see local hero Philippe Gilbert.
It is the last chance for the media to speak to riders and discover the final starting roster for the teams.
Cyclingnews caught up with Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Cervelo) and Simon Gerrans (Team Sky). Like many riders, Hesjedal has been affected by the high pollen count in the air caused by the unusual warm weather and dry conditions. He has a slightly blocked nose but said he his legs are good for the 255.5km race and the 10 classified cotes.
Gerrans will form a interesting combination at Team Sky with the classy Thomas Löfkvist and new signing Rigoberto Uran. Of course everyone will be trying to get rid of Gilbert, who is trying to complete an Ardennes Classic hat trick.
It should be a fascinating battle between him, the Schlecks, and all the other contenders.
Several riders have flown into Belgium since Wednesday's Fleche-Wallonne. Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) and Roman Kreuziger (Astana) rode the Giro del Trentino and flew from Italy on Saturday morning. However Giro del Trentino winner Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) opted not to ride.
Late changes to teams include the confirmation that Xavier Tondo will not ride for Movistar. He had stayed in Belgium this week but is still fighting the pain of kidney stones. Jesus Herrada will take his place.
2010 winner Alexander Vinokourov (Astana) will wear number one in his final Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
2011年4月21日星期四
family -- or sccience -- or health --Prosthetic hands, legs don't faze newlyweds
Like any other bride-to-be, Merlyna Adams worried about the usual things leading up to her wedding to longtime love, Tory Valentine. She had to decide on a date and a hall. She had to choose bridesmaids, find the perfect shade of purple for their dresses, decide on flowers and music.
But unlike most other brides, Adams had another important decision to make: which set of prosthetic hands would she wear? Upon which silicone finger did she want Valentine to place her wedding ring?
There are the "passives," the immovable set she wears most days. They're prettier, she says, and she sends them to a local salon, which has promised her free manicures for life.
Then there are the newer, heavier myoelectric hands, which use tiny electrodes and her arm muscles to open and close, enabling her to grasp a bouquet or a Champagne glass for a toast. But she's still getting used to those — and just might crush that glass if she's not careful.
However, Adams is adept at adapting.
Nearly three years ago, her hands and feet had to be amputated because of complications after treatment for a kidney stone.
But with grace, hope, dignity and the unwavering love and devotion of a steadfast fiance, the veteran educator last year achieved her first goal: returning to her job as principal at St. Rose Elementary School in St. Charles Parish.
On Saturday, the 45-year-old Adams achieved her second: She walked down the aisle to marry the man of her dreams.
The most difficult part, Adams said, was keeping Valentine in the dark about the strapless ivory gown she planned to wear with long opera gloves.
Valentine was brought to tears when, at long last, he saw his bride make her way to him.
"The gown was incredible," he said. "She fooled me on that one, it brought tears to my eyes, she was so beautiful."
Few eyes were dry as they followed Adams, the woman miraculously walking, her glide giving little hint to the hurdles she overcame to make the journey to the altar.
"I remember hearing somebody say once, 'You want to make God laugh? Plan something,'" Adams said recently.
Adams, who has spent more than 20 years in education, was planning on another great school year in August of 2007 when she first felt the painful stitch in her side. When the discomfort got worse, she went to her doctor, who diagnosed a kidney stone.
But there was nothing routine about it. The 10-millimeter stone caused a blockage, which allowed infection to back into her bladder then spread to the rest of her body. She went into septic shock, which caused her body to systematically shut down.
Transferred from one hospital to another — four in all — myriad complications followed: heart failure, renal failure, respiratory failure and, finally, necrosis, which caused the tissue in her hands and feet to die.
Despite heroic efforts over several months in 2008 to save them, all four limbs had to be amputated, one by one.
"I didn't know anybody who had a prosthetic," Adams said. "A hand, a leg or anything. So, having to deal with four amputations at one time, it was like, 'What is this going to be like? What is my life going to be like? But the comfort came in knowing that my family was there to support me. And him (Valentine), saying 'I'm with you. We're going to be just fine.'"
Valentine, the man she had met at a Valentine's Day party in 2006, was by her side every day.
Yes, they did spot each other across a crowded room, Valentine said.
"I saw her," Valentine said. "She was very attractive. Very beautiful. But what I liked about her was, she was very approachable. We just had a lot of things in common."
"He was different," said Adams, who was divorced with a nearly grown daughter. "I just said to myself, something is real different about him. We could talk about things from the very beginning. And a big part of that was how faithful he was."
Valentine said it was that spiritual faith that got him through the tough times that were to come.
He was on the job as a warehouse manager in Baton Rouge when he got the emergency call that August day and dropped everything to get to Adams' side. During the next several days, Adams was transferred to several hospitals, eventually ending up at Ochsner in Jefferson, where she spent nearly three weeks in intensive care, fighting for her life.
"By the time we got to Ochsner, she had just deteriorated," Valentine said. "The worst moment was when we got to that last hospital. When (the doctor) came out and talked to us and told us she had been about 30 minutes from dying and we didn't know which way this was going to go. And he could give us no guarantees. I was just devastated. To think that you can go from an illness, going in the hospital that morning to almost dying that very same day. That was just unbelievable."
But never, Valentine said, did he consider leaving Adams' side.
"I've been raised the right way," he said. "I was raised in the church. Faith is the main structure of our family, and we knew our prayers would be answered. Once we got through those first 48 (hours), I just knew it was going to be all right."
Adams' condition still was far from all right.
As the blood drained away from her exterior limbs, the tissue slowly began to die. Doctors did what they could. But her hands had to be amputated at the forearm; her legs below the knee.
Despite the odds, Adams, the youngest of three children, set in her mind that she would return to her career and a life as close to the one she had before the illness.
"She kept working for it," said Rose Mathieu, Adams' mother. "There was no doubt in my mind" that she would accomplish that goal.
That Adams survived the infection is a medical marvel. That she resumed her demanding career is nearly unheard of, said Carol Sorrels, the national director of marketing and communications for Advanced Arm Dynamics, which provides Adams with her prosthetic limbs.
"To be missing all four limbs is so catastrophic that most people just do well to stay at home and get by," Sorrels said. "It's such a huge thing, just the amount of energy it takes to use hands and legs that aren't yours. It's so unique that she is a principal and a leader and in charge of a school with 650 students. It's just mind-boggling. It's very, very rare. And it's because of her amazing attitude."
Besides Valentine, Adams credits the support of her family and friends with keeping her positive.
"She has never said, 'Why me?'" Valentine said. "When you get a second chance at life, you just want to live life. We don't take anything for granted."
Valentine quit his warehouse job to be Adams' full-time caretaker and the primary homemaker. They give themselves an extra two hours in the morning to get ready for their day. That's so Valentine can dress Adams, carefully apply her makeup and style her hair.
"We had some mishaps," Adams said. "The first two or three weeks I talked him through each part. This is the eye liner. This is the eye shadow. He hadn't even seen some of these things he had to use, much less put them on me. The first day I'm like, 'Oh, way too much blush. I look like a clown. Take some off.'
"The thing is, we both never get frustrated. And, the person I was before — the perfectionist that wanted it just this way and my hair that way and this jewelry — now I'm just, put whatever you want."
Valentine drives Adams to her school in St. Rose, where she is, simply, "Mrs. Adams," who oversees the more than 600 students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade and 100 staff members.
"It's amazing that many of the kids don't have a clue that I have no hands," Adams said. "They'll call me over and say, 'Can you tie my shoe?' or 'Can you open my milk?' And I'm like, 'I can't, but I'll get someone over to help you.' And, every now and then they'll say, 'But why?' And I'll say, 'Well. I have special hands.'
And, if they're ready for it and they're asking questions, I'll tell them. That's why I love children. They are inquisitive and will ask. Adults will stare. And that makes you more uncomfortable than the child who asks, 'Can I see that?' or 'Why don't they move?'"
During working hours, Adams is often left to fend for herself as she goes through the day, learning new ways to do everything she did before.
But unlike most other brides, Adams had another important decision to make: which set of prosthetic hands would she wear? Upon which silicone finger did she want Valentine to place her wedding ring?
There are the "passives," the immovable set she wears most days. They're prettier, she says, and she sends them to a local salon, which has promised her free manicures for life.
Then there are the newer, heavier myoelectric hands, which use tiny electrodes and her arm muscles to open and close, enabling her to grasp a bouquet or a Champagne glass for a toast. But she's still getting used to those — and just might crush that glass if she's not careful.
However, Adams is adept at adapting.
Nearly three years ago, her hands and feet had to be amputated because of complications after treatment for a kidney stone.
But with grace, hope, dignity and the unwavering love and devotion of a steadfast fiance, the veteran educator last year achieved her first goal: returning to her job as principal at St. Rose Elementary School in St. Charles Parish.
On Saturday, the 45-year-old Adams achieved her second: She walked down the aisle to marry the man of her dreams.
The most difficult part, Adams said, was keeping Valentine in the dark about the strapless ivory gown she planned to wear with long opera gloves.
Valentine was brought to tears when, at long last, he saw his bride make her way to him.
"The gown was incredible," he said. "She fooled me on that one, it brought tears to my eyes, she was so beautiful."
Few eyes were dry as they followed Adams, the woman miraculously walking, her glide giving little hint to the hurdles she overcame to make the journey to the altar.
"I remember hearing somebody say once, 'You want to make God laugh? Plan something,'" Adams said recently.
Adams, who has spent more than 20 years in education, was planning on another great school year in August of 2007 when she first felt the painful stitch in her side. When the discomfort got worse, she went to her doctor, who diagnosed a kidney stone.
But there was nothing routine about it. The 10-millimeter stone caused a blockage, which allowed infection to back into her bladder then spread to the rest of her body. She went into septic shock, which caused her body to systematically shut down.
Transferred from one hospital to another — four in all — myriad complications followed: heart failure, renal failure, respiratory failure and, finally, necrosis, which caused the tissue in her hands and feet to die.
Despite heroic efforts over several months in 2008 to save them, all four limbs had to be amputated, one by one.
"I didn't know anybody who had a prosthetic," Adams said. "A hand, a leg or anything. So, having to deal with four amputations at one time, it was like, 'What is this going to be like? What is my life going to be like? But the comfort came in knowing that my family was there to support me. And him (Valentine), saying 'I'm with you. We're going to be just fine.'"
Valentine, the man she had met at a Valentine's Day party in 2006, was by her side every day.
Yes, they did spot each other across a crowded room, Valentine said.
"I saw her," Valentine said. "She was very attractive. Very beautiful. But what I liked about her was, she was very approachable. We just had a lot of things in common."
"He was different," said Adams, who was divorced with a nearly grown daughter. "I just said to myself, something is real different about him. We could talk about things from the very beginning. And a big part of that was how faithful he was."
Valentine said it was that spiritual faith that got him through the tough times that were to come.
He was on the job as a warehouse manager in Baton Rouge when he got the emergency call that August day and dropped everything to get to Adams' side. During the next several days, Adams was transferred to several hospitals, eventually ending up at Ochsner in Jefferson, where she spent nearly three weeks in intensive care, fighting for her life.
"By the time we got to Ochsner, she had just deteriorated," Valentine said. "The worst moment was when we got to that last hospital. When (the doctor) came out and talked to us and told us she had been about 30 minutes from dying and we didn't know which way this was going to go. And he could give us no guarantees. I was just devastated. To think that you can go from an illness, going in the hospital that morning to almost dying that very same day. That was just unbelievable."
But never, Valentine said, did he consider leaving Adams' side.
"I've been raised the right way," he said. "I was raised in the church. Faith is the main structure of our family, and we knew our prayers would be answered. Once we got through those first 48 (hours), I just knew it was going to be all right."
Adams' condition still was far from all right.
As the blood drained away from her exterior limbs, the tissue slowly began to die. Doctors did what they could. But her hands had to be amputated at the forearm; her legs below the knee.
Despite the odds, Adams, the youngest of three children, set in her mind that she would return to her career and a life as close to the one she had before the illness.
"She kept working for it," said Rose Mathieu, Adams' mother. "There was no doubt in my mind" that she would accomplish that goal.
That Adams survived the infection is a medical marvel. That she resumed her demanding career is nearly unheard of, said Carol Sorrels, the national director of marketing and communications for Advanced Arm Dynamics, which provides Adams with her prosthetic limbs.
"To be missing all four limbs is so catastrophic that most people just do well to stay at home and get by," Sorrels said. "It's such a huge thing, just the amount of energy it takes to use hands and legs that aren't yours. It's so unique that she is a principal and a leader and in charge of a school with 650 students. It's just mind-boggling. It's very, very rare. And it's because of her amazing attitude."
Besides Valentine, Adams credits the support of her family and friends with keeping her positive.
"She has never said, 'Why me?'" Valentine said. "When you get a second chance at life, you just want to live life. We don't take anything for granted."
Valentine quit his warehouse job to be Adams' full-time caretaker and the primary homemaker. They give themselves an extra two hours in the morning to get ready for their day. That's so Valentine can dress Adams, carefully apply her makeup and style her hair.
"We had some mishaps," Adams said. "The first two or three weeks I talked him through each part. This is the eye liner. This is the eye shadow. He hadn't even seen some of these things he had to use, much less put them on me. The first day I'm like, 'Oh, way too much blush. I look like a clown. Take some off.'
"The thing is, we both never get frustrated. And, the person I was before — the perfectionist that wanted it just this way and my hair that way and this jewelry — now I'm just, put whatever you want."
Valentine drives Adams to her school in St. Rose, where she is, simply, "Mrs. Adams," who oversees the more than 600 students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade and 100 staff members.
"It's amazing that many of the kids don't have a clue that I have no hands," Adams said. "They'll call me over and say, 'Can you tie my shoe?' or 'Can you open my milk?' And I'm like, 'I can't, but I'll get someone over to help you.' And, every now and then they'll say, 'But why?' And I'll say, 'Well. I have special hands.'
And, if they're ready for it and they're asking questions, I'll tell them. That's why I love children. They are inquisitive and will ask. Adults will stare. And that makes you more uncomfortable than the child who asks, 'Can I see that?' or 'Why don't they move?'"
During working hours, Adams is often left to fend for herself as she goes through the day, learning new ways to do everything she did before.
2011年4月20日星期三
A new wave in equine medicine
Shock-wave therapy shows early potential for treating some orthopedic problems
Lithotripsy was a great discovery. Anyone who has suffered with kidney stones or bladder stones knows the intense pain associated with these conditions. The development of lithotripsy allowed doctors to focus pressure or shock waves on the stones to break them apart. The patient then passes much smaller stone particles, reducing or eliminating pain and avoiding surgery.
In the course of investigating the broader effects of shock-wave therapy, researchers have made a few other discoveries. In the early 1980s, researchers were concerned about the possible effects of lithotripsy on the surrounding tissue.
They knew the shock waves would gently break apart the stones in the kidney or bladder, but what would those pressure waves do to surrounding tissue such as blood vessels, kidney cells, and the bone of the pelvis?
The first experiments on shock-wave side effects, as they were then considered, were carried out on the pelvic bones of rabbits. Shock waves were applied as they would be for lithotripsy, and the pelvic bones were then examined under a microscope.
Researchers discovered small ruptures in the bone tissue. Bleeding and microdamage to the bone cells resembled, on a cellular level, what would occur in a fresh fracture. At first, this was of great concern. This new, wonderful procedure that could remove kidney stones without pain and surgery was also likely to cause blood-vessel damage and local microfractures. Was this going to be another situation where the problems associated with a cure were as bad or worse than the original condition?
Stimulate repair
Researchers followed the progress of the damage to the bone tissue, however, and found that, after the shock-wave trauma occurred, the osteocytes and osteoblasts of the affected bone showed increased activity. These cells are responsible for repairing damage to bone and for producing new bone to heal the damage. It is exactly these cells that the body needs to heal fractures and to heal any type of stress to the bone.
Shock waves seem to stimulate these cells, and the result is increased growth. Researchers then began to think of ways to apply this new information to conditions where bone growth was desirable.
Studies began in Bulgaria in the mid-1980s on the effects of shock waves on pseudoarthrosis, a disorder in the fracture-healing process where the body forms only a cartilage-like link between the fractured bone ends, but real stable bone callus does not form. Nonunion fractures fall into this category as well.
The first medical paper reporting on the use of shock-wave therapy for the healing of pseudoarthrosis was published in 1991, and other researchers soon confirmed the results.
They found that shock waves provided an effect similar to a fresh fracture on a tissue level. The body then seemed to recognize that healing in this area was still required and in many cases a bony link was formed. These studies showed that 60%-to-80% of all pseudoarthrosis cases could be healed completely with shock-wave therapy.
This information in turn caused other human orthopedic researchers to investigate shock-wave therapy use for a number of other conditions. Researchers in Hamburg, Germany, discovered that shock waves caused a decrease in pain in areas associated with bone-tendon connections. Shock waves seemed to relieve pain associated with shoulder injuries, tennis elbow, and heel spurs.
Further research indicated that shock waves might actually reduce the bony growths that develop at the areas where tendons and ligaments are inserted onto bone. In conditions such as tennis elbow and heel spurs, repeated trauma causes the bone to produce small, irregular growths known as osteophytes.
The body produces this bone material in an attempt to deal with the stress at that particular location. The buildup of this bone tissue causes more pain in the tendon or ligament, which must now move over these irregularly shaped, often irritating bone spurs. Shock waves reduce the pain in these areas and seem to resolve some of the excessive bone growth.
Lithotripsy was a great discovery. Anyone who has suffered with kidney stones or bladder stones knows the intense pain associated with these conditions. The development of lithotripsy allowed doctors to focus pressure or shock waves on the stones to break them apart. The patient then passes much smaller stone particles, reducing or eliminating pain and avoiding surgery.
In the course of investigating the broader effects of shock-wave therapy, researchers have made a few other discoveries. In the early 1980s, researchers were concerned about the possible effects of lithotripsy on the surrounding tissue.
They knew the shock waves would gently break apart the stones in the kidney or bladder, but what would those pressure waves do to surrounding tissue such as blood vessels, kidney cells, and the bone of the pelvis?
The first experiments on shock-wave side effects, as they were then considered, were carried out on the pelvic bones of rabbits. Shock waves were applied as they would be for lithotripsy, and the pelvic bones were then examined under a microscope.
Researchers discovered small ruptures in the bone tissue. Bleeding and microdamage to the bone cells resembled, on a cellular level, what would occur in a fresh fracture. At first, this was of great concern. This new, wonderful procedure that could remove kidney stones without pain and surgery was also likely to cause blood-vessel damage and local microfractures. Was this going to be another situation where the problems associated with a cure were as bad or worse than the original condition?
Stimulate repair
Researchers followed the progress of the damage to the bone tissue, however, and found that, after the shock-wave trauma occurred, the osteocytes and osteoblasts of the affected bone showed increased activity. These cells are responsible for repairing damage to bone and for producing new bone to heal the damage. It is exactly these cells that the body needs to heal fractures and to heal any type of stress to the bone.
Shock waves seem to stimulate these cells, and the result is increased growth. Researchers then began to think of ways to apply this new information to conditions where bone growth was desirable.
Studies began in Bulgaria in the mid-1980s on the effects of shock waves on pseudoarthrosis, a disorder in the fracture-healing process where the body forms only a cartilage-like link between the fractured bone ends, but real stable bone callus does not form. Nonunion fractures fall into this category as well.
The first medical paper reporting on the use of shock-wave therapy for the healing of pseudoarthrosis was published in 1991, and other researchers soon confirmed the results.
They found that shock waves provided an effect similar to a fresh fracture on a tissue level. The body then seemed to recognize that healing in this area was still required and in many cases a bony link was formed. These studies showed that 60%-to-80% of all pseudoarthrosis cases could be healed completely with shock-wave therapy.
This information in turn caused other human orthopedic researchers to investigate shock-wave therapy use for a number of other conditions. Researchers in Hamburg, Germany, discovered that shock waves caused a decrease in pain in areas associated with bone-tendon connections. Shock waves seemed to relieve pain associated with shoulder injuries, tennis elbow, and heel spurs.
Further research indicated that shock waves might actually reduce the bony growths that develop at the areas where tendons and ligaments are inserted onto bone. In conditions such as tennis elbow and heel spurs, repeated trauma causes the bone to produce small, irregular growths known as osteophytes.
The body produces this bone material in an attempt to deal with the stress at that particular location. The buildup of this bone tissue causes more pain in the tendon or ligament, which must now move over these irregularly shaped, often irritating bone spurs. Shock waves reduce the pain in these areas and seem to resolve some of the excessive bone growth.
2011年4月19日星期二
Health Restoration
Nutrition is the key to a healthy life. It is time to get the right information about what health is, and what constitutes a healthy choice. I bring to clients the newest and best information on how to stop the progression of illness, and where possible to reverse illness. We have been able to bring considerable, measurable results in nearly 100 percent of clients. We can help you, too! Call me, let’s talk about your health!
As you may well know, the kidneys are part of the body’s filtering system, where toxins are picked up by the circulatory system, carried to the kidneys to be removed from the body. This is important for maintaining our overall health.
High blood pressure, and high blood sugar are two of the main causes of kidney disease which makes kidney failure a lifestyle disease, totally preventable by diet.
Eating lots of acid producing foods such as micro-waved foods, tap water, boxed or instant foods, chips, processed foods, soft drinks, artificial sweeteners, meats, and also many prescription and over-the-counter drugs tax the liver and, in turn, the kidneys.
In the presence of a poor diet, eventually the kidneys become over burdened by the heavy toxic load. To help with the filtering process, the heart increases the flow of blood plasma to the kidneys, which in turn elevates blood pressure.
As the kidney cells die, the risk of kidney disease increases dramatically. End stage kidney disease occurs when about 90 percent of kidney function has been lost. People with kidney failure may experience nausea, vomiting, weakness, fatigue, confusion, difficulty concentrating and loss of appetite.
The right foods prevent heart disease and diabetes, and therefore prevent kidney failure. Also today there is clear evidence that a vegetarian diet free of chemicals and artificial ingredients can actually reverse kidney disease and thereby circumvent kidney failure.
In order to restore healthy kidney function, we eliminate as much toxic acid waste from the body as possible. This is a real detox, which allows the kidneys to rest, and with proper feeding, to regenerate.
The alkalinizing diet will re-balance the body’s pH level, which is the beginning of restoring health. The vegetarian diet, vegetable juices and the right combination of supplements will neutralize the acids and dissolve any kidney stones, and any clumps before becoming stones.
What to eat: Eat only organic, naturally grown foods, mostly raw. Cooked veggies should only be lightly sautéed in coconut oil and seasoned with herbs and spices, Sea Salt and pepper. (no salt substitutes, nothing with chemicals). Try adding more beans, and unsalted nuts, seeds, and organic almond butter to your diet.. Fresh fruit and vegetable smoothies, nothing artificial, no meat, milk, chicken, deli meats, no pork.
For the smoothies, use almond milk or rice milk, organic carrot juice or organic apple juice with frozen fruits and fresh cut and washed veggies. Make up your own recipes using only fresh organic ingredients.
Eat wild caught fish, fruit salads, green leafy salads and no pickles.
Drink bottled purified and filtered water, tea made at home, no sugar and no artificial sweeteners. Have a glass of organic cranberry juice daily to disinfect the bladder to discourage infections. ( and empty the bladder as needed, no holding). Eat at home, no eating out until your body is healed!!!. It seems extreme, but it works. Is your health worth the work? Remember, Health is a Choice!,
As you may well know, the kidneys are part of the body’s filtering system, where toxins are picked up by the circulatory system, carried to the kidneys to be removed from the body. This is important for maintaining our overall health.
High blood pressure, and high blood sugar are two of the main causes of kidney disease which makes kidney failure a lifestyle disease, totally preventable by diet.
Eating lots of acid producing foods such as micro-waved foods, tap water, boxed or instant foods, chips, processed foods, soft drinks, artificial sweeteners, meats, and also many prescription and over-the-counter drugs tax the liver and, in turn, the kidneys.
In the presence of a poor diet, eventually the kidneys become over burdened by the heavy toxic load. To help with the filtering process, the heart increases the flow of blood plasma to the kidneys, which in turn elevates blood pressure.
As the kidney cells die, the risk of kidney disease increases dramatically. End stage kidney disease occurs when about 90 percent of kidney function has been lost. People with kidney failure may experience nausea, vomiting, weakness, fatigue, confusion, difficulty concentrating and loss of appetite.
The right foods prevent heart disease and diabetes, and therefore prevent kidney failure. Also today there is clear evidence that a vegetarian diet free of chemicals and artificial ingredients can actually reverse kidney disease and thereby circumvent kidney failure.
In order to restore healthy kidney function, we eliminate as much toxic acid waste from the body as possible. This is a real detox, which allows the kidneys to rest, and with proper feeding, to regenerate.
The alkalinizing diet will re-balance the body’s pH level, which is the beginning of restoring health. The vegetarian diet, vegetable juices and the right combination of supplements will neutralize the acids and dissolve any kidney stones, and any clumps before becoming stones.
What to eat: Eat only organic, naturally grown foods, mostly raw. Cooked veggies should only be lightly sautéed in coconut oil and seasoned with herbs and spices, Sea Salt and pepper. (no salt substitutes, nothing with chemicals). Try adding more beans, and unsalted nuts, seeds, and organic almond butter to your diet.. Fresh fruit and vegetable smoothies, nothing artificial, no meat, milk, chicken, deli meats, no pork.
For the smoothies, use almond milk or rice milk, organic carrot juice or organic apple juice with frozen fruits and fresh cut and washed veggies. Make up your own recipes using only fresh organic ingredients.
Eat wild caught fish, fruit salads, green leafy salads and no pickles.
Drink bottled purified and filtered water, tea made at home, no sugar and no artificial sweeteners. Have a glass of organic cranberry juice daily to disinfect the bladder to discourage infections. ( and empty the bladder as needed, no holding). Eat at home, no eating out until your body is healed!!!. It seems extreme, but it works. Is your health worth the work? Remember, Health is a Choice!,
2011年4月18日星期一
Crohn's Disease Fatigue is Linked to Restless Legs Syndrome
Anyone who suffers from Crohn’s disease (CD), an inflammation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, knows that side effects can include kidney stones, liver problems and arthritis. In addition, CD patients commonly feel great fatigue.
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New research shows that the fatigue might be related to restless legs syndrome (RLS), a condition in which a strong urge to move your legs at night can disrupt your sleep.
In fact, a study at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO, found that the incidence of RLS in patients with Crohn’s disease was as common as many of the better-documented side effects. The researchers studied 272 patients with CD and found that 43 percent had an incidence of RLS. The condition often cropped up during or after the onset of CD, suggesting the link, the researchers said. The study was described in the Winter 2011 issue of Digestive Diseases News.
The link between Crohn’s disease and RLS merited study because both conditions are associated with iron deficiency, GI tract inflammation and bacterial overgrowth, the researchers said. CD patients are often lacking iron because of dietary restrictions, malabsorption and intestinal bleeding. Interestingly, people at risk for iron deficiency are also at risk for RLS, according to the newsletter.
One outcome of the study might be a better understanding of ongoing fatigue in regard to CD patients. A chronic condition, Crohn’s disease usually occurs in the small intestine, firing up symptoms that include abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, weight loss and low energy. If sleep problems show up as well, doctors can now look at the possibility of RLS.
“Further studies are warranted to evaluate the potential impact that RLS has on the quality of life in patients with CD using the international RLS rating scale,” said the article in Digestive Diseases News.
Patients with RLS often report a tingling, prickly sensation in their legs; moving their legs provides short-term relief. The rating scale for RLS asks patients to rate their discomfort as mild, moderate, severe and very severe and to judge how their discomfort affects their sleep, mood and daily activities.
This Article
* Vote Improved My Health
* Vote Changed My Life
* Vote Saved My Life
New research shows that the fatigue might be related to restless legs syndrome (RLS), a condition in which a strong urge to move your legs at night can disrupt your sleep.
In fact, a study at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO, found that the incidence of RLS in patients with Crohn’s disease was as common as many of the better-documented side effects. The researchers studied 272 patients with CD and found that 43 percent had an incidence of RLS. The condition often cropped up during or after the onset of CD, suggesting the link, the researchers said. The study was described in the Winter 2011 issue of Digestive Diseases News.
The link between Crohn’s disease and RLS merited study because both conditions are associated with iron deficiency, GI tract inflammation and bacterial overgrowth, the researchers said. CD patients are often lacking iron because of dietary restrictions, malabsorption and intestinal bleeding. Interestingly, people at risk for iron deficiency are also at risk for RLS, according to the newsletter.
One outcome of the study might be a better understanding of ongoing fatigue in regard to CD patients. A chronic condition, Crohn’s disease usually occurs in the small intestine, firing up symptoms that include abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, weight loss and low energy. If sleep problems show up as well, doctors can now look at the possibility of RLS.
“Further studies are warranted to evaluate the potential impact that RLS has on the quality of life in patients with CD using the international RLS rating scale,” said the article in Digestive Diseases News.
Patients with RLS often report a tingling, prickly sensation in their legs; moving their legs provides short-term relief. The rating scale for RLS asks patients to rate their discomfort as mild, moderate, severe and very severe and to judge how their discomfort affects their sleep, mood and daily activities.
2011年4月17日星期日
Extra Pounds Increase Chances of Kidney Stones
ISLAMABAD : The more overweight a person is, the more likely he or she will have kidney stones, says a University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center study in the April issue of Kidney International.
This is the first study to identify a direct link between excess body weight and uric acid kidney stones, which occur in about 5 percent of kidney-stone patients and in about 30 percent of diabetics with kidney stones.
"This is yet another price to pay for being overweight or obese," Dr. Khashayar Sakhaee, a professor of internal medicine and program director of the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) at UT Southwestern, says in a prepared statement.
Kidney stones form when waste materials in urine do not dissolve completely. Starting as microscopic particles, they eventually grow into kidney stones, which remain in the kidney or break loose and travel down the urinary tract.
Sakhaee and his colleagues tracked about 5,000 kidney-stone patients in Dallas and Chicago. They found that overweight and obese people were more likely to develop kidney stones, even if they restricted the types of food they ate. The results were the same for men and women.
"Larger people have very acidic urine even when they control their diets. Other studies we have done in the GCRC support this concept. For the first time, we are advising weight loss as part of our therapy. That connection had not been made in the past," Sakhaee says.
This is the first study to identify a direct link between excess body weight and uric acid kidney stones, which occur in about 5 percent of kidney-stone patients and in about 30 percent of diabetics with kidney stones.
"This is yet another price to pay for being overweight or obese," Dr. Khashayar Sakhaee, a professor of internal medicine and program director of the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) at UT Southwestern, says in a prepared statement.
Kidney stones form when waste materials in urine do not dissolve completely. Starting as microscopic particles, they eventually grow into kidney stones, which remain in the kidney or break loose and travel down the urinary tract.
Sakhaee and his colleagues tracked about 5,000 kidney-stone patients in Dallas and Chicago. They found that overweight and obese people were more likely to develop kidney stones, even if they restricted the types of food they ate. The results were the same for men and women.
"Larger people have very acidic urine even when they control their diets. Other studies we have done in the GCRC support this concept. For the first time, we are advising weight loss as part of our therapy. That connection had not been made in the past," Sakhaee says.
2011年4月14日星期四
Weight Loss Drugs: Public Citizen Calls for Ban on Alli, Xenical
In a new attempt to eliminate the only FDA-approved class of weight-loss drugs, Public Citizen issued a petition to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Thursday -- its second in five years -- calling for the agency to ban the class of drugs called orlistat, better known by the prescription brand names Xenical and Alli.
"These drugs have the potential to cause significant damage to multiple critical organs, yet they provide meager benefits in reducing weight loss in obese and overweight patients," said Dr. Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group.
An estimated 40 million people worldwide have taken either Xenical or Alli in the last decade. But sales have decreased substantially over the last decade. Alli sales dropped from $145 million in 2007 to $84 million by mid-2010, according to a report released by Public Citizen.
The drugs' maker, GlaxoSmithKline, announced Thursday it is trying to sell the brands.
Breakthrough Drug that Fizzled
In 1999, Xenical, sold by prescription, was touted as a breakthrough weight-loss drug. Alli was approved in 2007 as an over-the-counter drug. The FDA banned the two market-leading pills, Fen-phen and ephedra, because of potentially fatal side effects.
Studies suggest that taking Xenical or Alli would only help people lose 4 to 6 pounds more than they would with only diet and exercise.
"The benefit was never that great, but many people thought they'd take their chances," said Wolfe.
Drugs Block Fat Enzymes
The drugs work by blocking absorption of about a third of fat enzymes that enter the body. Instead, the fat passes through the body to the gastrointestinal tract until it is excreted. These medications also block fat-soluble vitamins including vitamins A, B, and K.
Some of the more common side effects of Alli or Xenical include diarrhea and stool leakage.
However, according to Dr. Donald Hensrud, associate professor of nutrition and preventive medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., the longer a patient stays on the medication, the more likely these symptoms will go away.
"The chances of having those side effects are a bit overrated," said Hensrud. "Only about 20 percent of people get those side effects, and in most people it lasts for less than a week."
More severe side effects reported to the FDA include liver disease, pancreatitis, and kidney stones. The FDA received 47 reports of acute pancreatitis and 73 cases of kidney stones attributed to orlistats.
While many experts say these side effects are rare, it's not clear what segment of people who use the drug may experience these severe conditions.
Monique Paulwell of Bowie, Md. said she only took Alli four times before she began feeling fatigue, loss of appetite, a nagging headache and jaundice.
"After a battery of tests, [doctors] said there had been an attack on my liver," said Paulwell. "By the time I was admitted to the hospital, I had 48 hours to live. It was that serious."
Paulwell said she thought taking Alli would help her lose a few pounds and maybe boost her acting career. Instead, she had a near-fatal experience her doctors told her was caused by the drug. She said she needed a liver transplant to save her life.
"What I knew is that it was FDA approved, it was safe for me to use," she said. "But what happened was I started to feel ill almost immediately after starting to use it."
"These drugs have the potential to cause significant damage to multiple critical organs, yet they provide meager benefits in reducing weight loss in obese and overweight patients," said Dr. Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group.
An estimated 40 million people worldwide have taken either Xenical or Alli in the last decade. But sales have decreased substantially over the last decade. Alli sales dropped from $145 million in 2007 to $84 million by mid-2010, according to a report released by Public Citizen.
The drugs' maker, GlaxoSmithKline, announced Thursday it is trying to sell the brands.
Breakthrough Drug that Fizzled
In 1999, Xenical, sold by prescription, was touted as a breakthrough weight-loss drug. Alli was approved in 2007 as an over-the-counter drug. The FDA banned the two market-leading pills, Fen-phen and ephedra, because of potentially fatal side effects.
Studies suggest that taking Xenical or Alli would only help people lose 4 to 6 pounds more than they would with only diet and exercise.
"The benefit was never that great, but many people thought they'd take their chances," said Wolfe.
Drugs Block Fat Enzymes
The drugs work by blocking absorption of about a third of fat enzymes that enter the body. Instead, the fat passes through the body to the gastrointestinal tract until it is excreted. These medications also block fat-soluble vitamins including vitamins A, B, and K.
Some of the more common side effects of Alli or Xenical include diarrhea and stool leakage.
However, according to Dr. Donald Hensrud, associate professor of nutrition and preventive medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., the longer a patient stays on the medication, the more likely these symptoms will go away.
"The chances of having those side effects are a bit overrated," said Hensrud. "Only about 20 percent of people get those side effects, and in most people it lasts for less than a week."
More severe side effects reported to the FDA include liver disease, pancreatitis, and kidney stones. The FDA received 47 reports of acute pancreatitis and 73 cases of kidney stones attributed to orlistats.
While many experts say these side effects are rare, it's not clear what segment of people who use the drug may experience these severe conditions.
Monique Paulwell of Bowie, Md. said she only took Alli four times before she began feeling fatigue, loss of appetite, a nagging headache and jaundice.
"After a battery of tests, [doctors] said there had been an attack on my liver," said Paulwell. "By the time I was admitted to the hospital, I had 48 hours to live. It was that serious."
Paulwell said she thought taking Alli would help her lose a few pounds and maybe boost her acting career. Instead, she had a near-fatal experience her doctors told her was caused by the drug. She said she needed a liver transplant to save her life.
"What I knew is that it was FDA approved, it was safe for me to use," she said. "But what happened was I started to feel ill almost immediately after starting to use it."
2011年4月12日星期二
WHAT'S UP DOC? Learning about bladder cancer
Q: My father was diagnosed with bladder cancer. What is his prognosis?
A: Bladder cancer is the most common cancer of the urinary system, affecting over 70,000 Americans a year. In countries where the urinary form of schistosomiasis (a parasitic disease) is prevalent, the most common type of bladder cancer is squamous cell carcinoma, accounting for 75 percent of cases. However, more than 90 percent of bladder cancers in the U.S. are transitional cell cancers, and over 80 percent of these are associated with environmental exposures, most commonly tobacco use but also exposure to certain chemicals.
The classic symptom of bladder cancer is painless hematuria (blood in the urine), typically throughout the entire urine stream and often intermittent (clearing and recurring).
Hematuria can cause irritation, so some patients have urgency, frequency and/or discomfort as well. However, less than 20 percent of people with gross hematuria have bladder cancer; most have no abnormality identified (60 percent), and many others are diagnosed with urine infections, interstitial cystitis, prostatitis, kidney stones or other kidney diseases.
The prognosis and recommended treatment for bladder cancer depend on whether it invades the muscles of the bladder and/or extends beyond the bladder or has distant metastases, and this is evaluated during staging of the extent of the disease.
The first step in staging is a cystourethroscopy, where a long tube-like instrument is inserted through the urethra to directly visualize the bladder (and ureters) and to remove any tumors (called transurethral resection of bladder tumors or TURBT). Microscopic evaluation of the tumor specimens, as well as the urine, is also done.
Examination of the regional lymph nodes (N0 is no nodes, N1 is only one diseased node within the pelvis, multiple diseased nodes within the pelvis is N2 and nodes outside the pelvis N3) and evaluation for more distant metastases (such as lung, liver and bone) are also part of disease staging. However, the main factor is whether the tumor is confined to just the bladder so TURBT may be curative, or if it has progressed outside the bladder.
Although 70 percent of new transitional cell bladder cancer cases are initially classified as Ta, Tis or T1, up to 40 percent of these are later reclassified. Over half of these will recur if managed only with TURBT, and up to a quarter of these will progress through to the muscular layer or beyond to adjacent tissue or even more distant metastases, hence adjuvant therapy with treatments directly into the bladder (intravesicular) is often recommended (depending on the details of the cell type and other specifics).
The intravesicular treatments may be chemotherapy or more commonly BCG (the same bacteria as in the tuberculosis vaccine) which is used to stimulate an immune reaction to help fight the cancer.
More invasive stages may be treated with complete removal of the bladder and any adjacent affected organs, as well as chemotherapy. Radiation therapy may also be considered, sometimes to shrink the tumor before resection or sometimes in addition to chemotherapy after resection. When the bladder is removed another method to evacuate the urine is needed, sometimes a tube to a bag outside the body, or sometimes construction of a "new" bladder using a piece of intestine.
Up to 80 percent of bladder cancer patients have at least one recurrence, even though the 5-year survival rate of Ta, TIS and T1 disease is over 80 percent. The 5-year survival drops as the extent of disease increases, with a 60 percent to 80 percent 5-year survival for T2 disease, a 20 percent to 70 percent (wide variability with other factors key to a specific patient's prognosis) for T3 disease, and a less than 20 percent survival for those with T4 disease.
Even though most hematuria patients do not have bladder cancer, since early diagnosis of bladder cancer can improve outcomes, all patients with hematuria should see their health care provider to be evaluated.
A: Bladder cancer is the most common cancer of the urinary system, affecting over 70,000 Americans a year. In countries where the urinary form of schistosomiasis (a parasitic disease) is prevalent, the most common type of bladder cancer is squamous cell carcinoma, accounting for 75 percent of cases. However, more than 90 percent of bladder cancers in the U.S. are transitional cell cancers, and over 80 percent of these are associated with environmental exposures, most commonly tobacco use but also exposure to certain chemicals.
The classic symptom of bladder cancer is painless hematuria (blood in the urine), typically throughout the entire urine stream and often intermittent (clearing and recurring).
Hematuria can cause irritation, so some patients have urgency, frequency and/or discomfort as well. However, less than 20 percent of people with gross hematuria have bladder cancer; most have no abnormality identified (60 percent), and many others are diagnosed with urine infections, interstitial cystitis, prostatitis, kidney stones or other kidney diseases.
The prognosis and recommended treatment for bladder cancer depend on whether it invades the muscles of the bladder and/or extends beyond the bladder or has distant metastases, and this is evaluated during staging of the extent of the disease.
The first step in staging is a cystourethroscopy, where a long tube-like instrument is inserted through the urethra to directly visualize the bladder (and ureters) and to remove any tumors (called transurethral resection of bladder tumors or TURBT). Microscopic evaluation of the tumor specimens, as well as the urine, is also done.
Examination of the regional lymph nodes (N0 is no nodes, N1 is only one diseased node within the pelvis, multiple diseased nodes within the pelvis is N2 and nodes outside the pelvis N3) and evaluation for more distant metastases (such as lung, liver and bone) are also part of disease staging. However, the main factor is whether the tumor is confined to just the bladder so TURBT may be curative, or if it has progressed outside the bladder.
Although 70 percent of new transitional cell bladder cancer cases are initially classified as Ta, Tis or T1, up to 40 percent of these are later reclassified. Over half of these will recur if managed only with TURBT, and up to a quarter of these will progress through to the muscular layer or beyond to adjacent tissue or even more distant metastases, hence adjuvant therapy with treatments directly into the bladder (intravesicular) is often recommended (depending on the details of the cell type and other specifics).
The intravesicular treatments may be chemotherapy or more commonly BCG (the same bacteria as in the tuberculosis vaccine) which is used to stimulate an immune reaction to help fight the cancer.
More invasive stages may be treated with complete removal of the bladder and any adjacent affected organs, as well as chemotherapy. Radiation therapy may also be considered, sometimes to shrink the tumor before resection or sometimes in addition to chemotherapy after resection. When the bladder is removed another method to evacuate the urine is needed, sometimes a tube to a bag outside the body, or sometimes construction of a "new" bladder using a piece of intestine.
Up to 80 percent of bladder cancer patients have at least one recurrence, even though the 5-year survival rate of Ta, TIS and T1 disease is over 80 percent. The 5-year survival drops as the extent of disease increases, with a 60 percent to 80 percent 5-year survival for T2 disease, a 20 percent to 70 percent (wide variability with other factors key to a specific patient's prognosis) for T3 disease, and a less than 20 percent survival for those with T4 disease.
Even though most hematuria patients do not have bladder cancer, since early diagnosis of bladder cancer can improve outcomes, all patients with hematuria should see their health care provider to be evaluated.
The majority of these cases occur secondary to renal stones
Seventeen cases of peritonitis due to rupture of a pyonephrosis have been reported. The majority of these cases occur secondary to renal stones.
Only two cases of ruptured pyonephrosis with concurrent kidney neoplasm have been described and only one of these presented as an acute peritonitis. In this presentation we discuss an unusual case of a 68 year old man with a chronic history of bilateral nephrolithiasis and recent pyonephrosis.
He presented acutely with peritonitis and was later found to have a carcinosarcoma of the kidney. The case highlights the importance of recognizing the possibility of underling renal carcinoma in patients presenting with a ruptured pyonephrosis and discuss steps to avoid this serious complication.
Author: Silvia QuaresimaAntonio ManzelliEdoardo RicciardiAthanasios PetrouNicholas BrennanAlessandro MaurielloPiero Rossi.
Only two cases of ruptured pyonephrosis with concurrent kidney neoplasm have been described and only one of these presented as an acute peritonitis. In this presentation we discuss an unusual case of a 68 year old man with a chronic history of bilateral nephrolithiasis and recent pyonephrosis.
He presented acutely with peritonitis and was later found to have a carcinosarcoma of the kidney. The case highlights the importance of recognizing the possibility of underling renal carcinoma in patients presenting with a ruptured pyonephrosis and discuss steps to avoid this serious complication.
Author: Silvia QuaresimaAntonio ManzelliEdoardo RicciardiAthanasios PetrouNicholas BrennanAlessandro MaurielloPiero Rossi.
2011年4月10日星期日
Nitrate-tainted milk case in China deemed intentional poisoning
Intentional poisoning was behind the tainted milk that killed three children and caused 36 others to become ill in China's northwestern Gansu province last week, state media reported Sunday night, adding to the woes of the country's maligned dairy industry.
Local investigators in Pingliang city said they had arrested suspects in connection with the nitrate-laden milk that caused 39 people to seek hospital care last Thursday, Xinhua news agency said. It did not give details on the suspects' identities or motives.
Nitrate, which is used to cure meat, has no use as a milk additive, the official China Daily newspaper cited a health bureau official as saying.
The three children who died after consuming the tainted milk were all under two years old. As of Sunday, 17 of the victims remained hospitalised but were in stable condition.
China's food sector has suffered from frequent poisonings and toxin scandals, and the fast-growing but fragmented dairy sector has been at the heart of those worries.
Earlier this year, Chinese quality authorities sought to calm renewed public alarm after reports that some manufacturers had illegally added a leather protein powder to dairy products to cheat protein-content checks.
In 2008, at least six children died and nearly 300,000 became ill from powdered milk laced with melamine, an industrial chemical added to low quality or diluted milk to fool inspectors by giving misleadingly high readings for protein levels.
Local investigators in Pingliang city said they had arrested suspects in connection with the nitrate-laden milk that caused 39 people to seek hospital care last Thursday, Xinhua news agency said. It did not give details on the suspects' identities or motives.
Nitrate, which is used to cure meat, has no use as a milk additive, the official China Daily newspaper cited a health bureau official as saying.
The three children who died after consuming the tainted milk were all under two years old. As of Sunday, 17 of the victims remained hospitalised but were in stable condition.
China's food sector has suffered from frequent poisonings and toxin scandals, and the fast-growing but fragmented dairy sector has been at the heart of those worries.
Earlier this year, Chinese quality authorities sought to calm renewed public alarm after reports that some manufacturers had illegally added a leather protein powder to dairy products to cheat protein-content checks.
In 2008, at least six children died and nearly 300,000 became ill from powdered milk laced with melamine, an industrial chemical added to low quality or diluted milk to fool inspectors by giving misleadingly high readings for protein levels.
2011年4月7日星期四
Under this surreal 'rule by law', Ai Weiwei is guilty
When the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei insisted to reporters in Beijing this week that "China is a country ruled by law", and "other countries have no right to interfere" in the case of the detained avant-garde artist Ai Weiwei, there was a certain truth to his remarks. China is a country ruled by law. But this is quite different, as many victims of official corruption in China have discovered, from being a country in which the rule of law prevails.
The rule of law contains important principles: the law is supreme, and all have equal rights before it. The concept of rule by law was pioneered by one of China's harshest imperial regimes, the shortlived but influential Qin dynasty, 2,000 years ago. The Qin emperor saw the law as an instrument of authoritarian rule, to be defined and used as he chose, and it is this tradition that appeals to the current Chinese leadership.
Without understanding the distinction it is hard to see how China's growing body of law, with its court apparatus, judges and lawyers, really functions. Under a conventional system the supreme judicial authorities might be expected to have some legal background, but in China the head of the political and legal committee of the central committee of the Communist party, Luo Gan, is an engineer turned security supremo who is there to ensure the system serves the party. As he has put it, his role is to guard against "negative western legal concepts" like judicial independence.
The party controls the courts, appoints the judges and routinely dictates the verdicts. Even if a citizen wins a case, the court has little power to enforce the verdict without the backing of those same state officials. A Chinese litigant is often in the Kafkaesque situation of being dependent on those who committed the abuse for redress.
Nevertheless, with few other possibilities, growing numbers of Chinese citizens try to use the law to fight back against corruption. But if the citizen is expected to obey the law, the party state itself can shape and deploy it to suppress dissent and to preserve the careers of corrupt party officials. The party's discipline department will act against deviant officials when it wishes, but such matters are too important to be the concern of the legal system.
The law is, however, a handy means of detaining, harassing and disbarring defence lawyers who get in the way of the state, and for the prosecution of complaining citizens for ill-defined offences against public order, social stability, national security or, as in Ai Weiwei's case, economic crimes.
Ai's alleged economic crimes are bound to pale in comparison with those of state officials, who are reckoned to steal more than $80bn a year. A report by Beijing's Renmin University in 2005 estimated that 90% of Chinese officials spend more than they nominally earn, so if Ai's economic crimes do exist, they are unlikely to be the real problem.
Far more important are his stubborn efforts to document the names of those killed by official corruption. In this he has enjoyed more latitude than many: as the son of the celebrated revolutionary poet Ai Qing, he counts as one of China's new aristocracy. But when he set out to collect the names of the children who perished in the deathtraps of their badly-built schools in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, he was treading on sensitive toes.
No official has been prosecuted for the corruption that produced those schools. Instead, the parents of the dead children have been harassed; a teacher who tried to help them has been jailed; and Ai Weiwei himself has suffered a brain haemorrhage from a beating last year in Sichuan. When 58 migrant workers died in a fire in a corruptly-built Shanghai tower block, Ai again set out to document the dead. This is not listed as a crime under Chinese law, but it certainly annoys those responsible.
Ai was not the first to test the limits of official tolerance. When corruption in the dairy industry led to the poisoning of a quarter of a million babies in 2008, the news was suppressed for several months so as not to spoil the Olympic mood. The firm responsible was prosecuted, but many complicit officials were not. Among the parents who remained vocally unhappy was Zhao Lianhai, who continued to campaign for compensation for his infant son, who developed kidney stones. He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail. Another father, Guo Li, got a five-year sentence.
But punishing the victims for taking legal action against corrupt officials no longer seems to be enough. In recent months a series of detentions and disappearances of active lawyers has signalled a more robust attack on the exercise of legal rights. The most notorious case is that of Gao Zhisheng, a leading human rights lawyer who was given a three-year suspended sentence in 2006 for "inciting subversion" – and who disappeared last April.
The rule of law contains important principles: the law is supreme, and all have equal rights before it. The concept of rule by law was pioneered by one of China's harshest imperial regimes, the shortlived but influential Qin dynasty, 2,000 years ago. The Qin emperor saw the law as an instrument of authoritarian rule, to be defined and used as he chose, and it is this tradition that appeals to the current Chinese leadership.
Without understanding the distinction it is hard to see how China's growing body of law, with its court apparatus, judges and lawyers, really functions. Under a conventional system the supreme judicial authorities might be expected to have some legal background, but in China the head of the political and legal committee of the central committee of the Communist party, Luo Gan, is an engineer turned security supremo who is there to ensure the system serves the party. As he has put it, his role is to guard against "negative western legal concepts" like judicial independence.
The party controls the courts, appoints the judges and routinely dictates the verdicts. Even if a citizen wins a case, the court has little power to enforce the verdict without the backing of those same state officials. A Chinese litigant is often in the Kafkaesque situation of being dependent on those who committed the abuse for redress.
Nevertheless, with few other possibilities, growing numbers of Chinese citizens try to use the law to fight back against corruption. But if the citizen is expected to obey the law, the party state itself can shape and deploy it to suppress dissent and to preserve the careers of corrupt party officials. The party's discipline department will act against deviant officials when it wishes, but such matters are too important to be the concern of the legal system.
The law is, however, a handy means of detaining, harassing and disbarring defence lawyers who get in the way of the state, and for the prosecution of complaining citizens for ill-defined offences against public order, social stability, national security or, as in Ai Weiwei's case, economic crimes.
Ai's alleged economic crimes are bound to pale in comparison with those of state officials, who are reckoned to steal more than $80bn a year. A report by Beijing's Renmin University in 2005 estimated that 90% of Chinese officials spend more than they nominally earn, so if Ai's economic crimes do exist, they are unlikely to be the real problem.
Far more important are his stubborn efforts to document the names of those killed by official corruption. In this he has enjoyed more latitude than many: as the son of the celebrated revolutionary poet Ai Qing, he counts as one of China's new aristocracy. But when he set out to collect the names of the children who perished in the deathtraps of their badly-built schools in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, he was treading on sensitive toes.
No official has been prosecuted for the corruption that produced those schools. Instead, the parents of the dead children have been harassed; a teacher who tried to help them has been jailed; and Ai Weiwei himself has suffered a brain haemorrhage from a beating last year in Sichuan. When 58 migrant workers died in a fire in a corruptly-built Shanghai tower block, Ai again set out to document the dead. This is not listed as a crime under Chinese law, but it certainly annoys those responsible.
Ai was not the first to test the limits of official tolerance. When corruption in the dairy industry led to the poisoning of a quarter of a million babies in 2008, the news was suppressed for several months so as not to spoil the Olympic mood. The firm responsible was prosecuted, but many complicit officials were not. Among the parents who remained vocally unhappy was Zhao Lianhai, who continued to campaign for compensation for his infant son, who developed kidney stones. He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail. Another father, Guo Li, got a five-year sentence.
But punishing the victims for taking legal action against corrupt officials no longer seems to be enough. In recent months a series of detentions and disappearances of active lawyers has signalled a more robust attack on the exercise of legal rights. The most notorious case is that of Gao Zhisheng, a leading human rights lawyer who was given a three-year suspended sentence in 2006 for "inciting subversion" – and who disappeared last April.
2011年4月6日星期三
Sharks Gameday: Milestones, Stepping Stones & Kidney Stones
With the season coming to a close, the Sharks have three games to achieve the few things they haven't yet this season. These objectives vary in importance, but reaching any of the potential plateaus only helps to further set the table for the imminent postseason.
First, Sharks' Captain Joe Thornton is just a goal or an assist away from reaching the career milestone of 1,000 NHL points. Thornton has stated that breaking that barrier means little in the long-run; the Captain's eyes appear firmly affixed on the ultimate goal of playoff success. However, it would be nice if Thornton could grab his 1,000th point before the season ends, if only to avoid the unnecessary and equally predictable questions that would accompany a failure to do so. If Thornton has to wait until next season to get his 1,000th, you can be sure that it will be mentioned ad nauseum until the puck drops for the 2011-2012 season.
Thornton has always been one to receive undue blame for the teams' struggles, but it would be hard to criticize him after he just reached such an impressive career achievement. Well, at least until the Sharks drop a game in the playoffs. Then it's his fault again. The soothsayer in me predicts Thornton notches his 1,000th point tonight, coming off what else but his 695th career assist.
The other point(s) all should be paying attention to tonight are in the standings. With just three games left, the Sharks sit one point over Detroit in the West for second in the Conference. The Sharks control their own destiny here; three wins guarantees them the second seed. It likely won't take a 3-0-0 record to obtain that seeding; even so, maybe it's better... just to be safe. Home ice advantage against any team besides Vancouver is on the line, and that's an important an asset to have as any come playoff time.
Lastly, the Sharks can make a small statement if a different Joe lights the lamp. If Joe Pavelski scores a goal before the season's end, it would give the Sharks seven twenty-goal scorers for the first time in the franchises' twenty-year history. No, that accomplishment doesn't mean much in the long run; the regular season slate is wiped clean as soon as the first round begins. Still, the scoring depth displayed by San Jose this year is astounding, further evidence of the idea that this bunch of players may be different than those which have failed in years past.
Star-divide
If they truly are different, though, the Sharks will continue to keep their collective foot on the necks of their Pacific Division foes. The division title may be locked up, but the playoff picture remains far from certain. Anaheim, who looked like a veritable lock for the tournament just a week ago, is hanging on by a thread. Just two points separate the Ducks from Dallas and Calgary, the ninth and tenth seeds in the conference. They've now lost two in a row coming into tonight's match, and a prolonged losing stretch could send them to the golf course sooner than ever expected.
As such, Anaheim will likely come out swinging against San Jose. Not only do they need the two points desperately, but its likely that the Ducks will glean some extra motivation from their most recent loss in San Jose. Anaheim didn't just blow a two-goal lead in the contest, but they also were the victims of an unfortunate injury to Norris candidate Lubomir Visnovsky. Visnovsky is playing again, but that will likely do little to quell the anger displayed by his teammates, and more specifically, his coach Randy Carlyle. Carlyle, who made some lewd gestures involving a certain finger on the middle of ones hand to go with some sailor's vocabulary, should have no trouble penning some inspirational words on the team board before the game. His squad will be ready to fight, and make no mistake, the Ducks are still a scary bunch.
The Sharks have had little trouble dealing with fight lately, though. Over the course of the last month, and more specifically the last four games, San Jose has made quick work of teams battling for a playoff spot. Doing so again tonight would be even more proof that this team is ready foe whatever comes their way.
First, Sharks' Captain Joe Thornton is just a goal or an assist away from reaching the career milestone of 1,000 NHL points. Thornton has stated that breaking that barrier means little in the long-run; the Captain's eyes appear firmly affixed on the ultimate goal of playoff success. However, it would be nice if Thornton could grab his 1,000th point before the season ends, if only to avoid the unnecessary and equally predictable questions that would accompany a failure to do so. If Thornton has to wait until next season to get his 1,000th, you can be sure that it will be mentioned ad nauseum until the puck drops for the 2011-2012 season.
Thornton has always been one to receive undue blame for the teams' struggles, but it would be hard to criticize him after he just reached such an impressive career achievement. Well, at least until the Sharks drop a game in the playoffs. Then it's his fault again. The soothsayer in me predicts Thornton notches his 1,000th point tonight, coming off what else but his 695th career assist.
The other point(s) all should be paying attention to tonight are in the standings. With just three games left, the Sharks sit one point over Detroit in the West for second in the Conference. The Sharks control their own destiny here; three wins guarantees them the second seed. It likely won't take a 3-0-0 record to obtain that seeding; even so, maybe it's better... just to be safe. Home ice advantage against any team besides Vancouver is on the line, and that's an important an asset to have as any come playoff time.
Lastly, the Sharks can make a small statement if a different Joe lights the lamp. If Joe Pavelski scores a goal before the season's end, it would give the Sharks seven twenty-goal scorers for the first time in the franchises' twenty-year history. No, that accomplishment doesn't mean much in the long run; the regular season slate is wiped clean as soon as the first round begins. Still, the scoring depth displayed by San Jose this year is astounding, further evidence of the idea that this bunch of players may be different than those which have failed in years past.
Star-divide
If they truly are different, though, the Sharks will continue to keep their collective foot on the necks of their Pacific Division foes. The division title may be locked up, but the playoff picture remains far from certain. Anaheim, who looked like a veritable lock for the tournament just a week ago, is hanging on by a thread. Just two points separate the Ducks from Dallas and Calgary, the ninth and tenth seeds in the conference. They've now lost two in a row coming into tonight's match, and a prolonged losing stretch could send them to the golf course sooner than ever expected.
As such, Anaheim will likely come out swinging against San Jose. Not only do they need the two points desperately, but its likely that the Ducks will glean some extra motivation from their most recent loss in San Jose. Anaheim didn't just blow a two-goal lead in the contest, but they also were the victims of an unfortunate injury to Norris candidate Lubomir Visnovsky. Visnovsky is playing again, but that will likely do little to quell the anger displayed by his teammates, and more specifically, his coach Randy Carlyle. Carlyle, who made some lewd gestures involving a certain finger on the middle of ones hand to go with some sailor's vocabulary, should have no trouble penning some inspirational words on the team board before the game. His squad will be ready to fight, and make no mistake, the Ducks are still a scary bunch.
The Sharks have had little trouble dealing with fight lately, though. Over the course of the last month, and more specifically the last four games, San Jose has made quick work of teams battling for a playoff spot. Doing so again tonight would be even more proof that this team is ready foe whatever comes their way.
2011年4月5日星期二
Indian docs remove kidney stones from Iraqi man
New Delhi, April 5 (IANS) Iraqi shopkeeper Naeem Musa had braced for a long, painful treatment for stones in both kidneys, as two earlier operations were not of much help. He had not imagined that a minimally invasive surgery at a private hospital in Delhi will cure his decade-old ailment.
Musa, 46, was told to go for a third major surgery by doctors back home. After a shooting pain, his family decided to bring him to Delhi, where doctors removed the multiple stones by a surgical technique called Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PCNL).
'When the patient came to us, we observed it was a serious stag-horn case where there are multiple stones in the entire kidney. One of his kidneys was damaged, while there were cuts on both the kidneys as they had already gone through two open surgeries in Iraq,' Anshuman Agarwal, senior consultant urologist at Fortis Hospital in Vasant Kunj, told IANS.
'It required a bilateral stone surgery. The kidneys had been operated upon before also, and any major surgery could have been fatal,' he added.
PCNL, a minimally invasive endoscopic treatment, makes a small incision in the back, opposite the kidney, to make way for a nephroscope that locates the exact position of the stones.
Agarwal explains: 'Three small incisions were made in this case. A nephroscope was then used to locate the existing stones that were 1-12 cm in radius. There were some residual stones that could not be taken out in the previous surgery.'
PCNL, believe experts, minimises the hospital stay of the patient with quick recovery, and is preferable to open surgery.
Musa, who was admitted to the hospital March 23, was discharged in just five days and went back to his hometown of Kirkuk.
The surgery costs around Rs.1 lakh ($2,250) in India, 10 times less than the cost in the US and European nations, said Agarwal.
According to health experts, the technique, common in metros, will help an increasing number of patients in Tier-II and III cities in the coming time.
'People will be more aware of the PCNL technique in the coming period. Till now, only a few ways of treating kidney stones were available, but this method is beneficial for serious cases of multiple stones,' Sandeep Mahajan, additional professor, department of nephrology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), told IANS.
Mahajan sounds a note of caution on the dietary habits and changing lifestyle pattern that puts people at greater risk of kidney stones.
'These stones are calcium deposits, so they are largely dependent on what kind of food is there in a person's diet. Less fluids, red meat, high salt intake, nuts, chocolates are just some of the factors for forming kidney stones,' he said.
People with a hereditary history of stones too are at a greater risk of the disease, he said.
'Pain in the lower abdomen, fever or signs of blood in the urine, deep-orange tinge in the urine, or pain while urination should be reported to a doctor,' Mahajan added.
Musa, 46, was told to go for a third major surgery by doctors back home. After a shooting pain, his family decided to bring him to Delhi, where doctors removed the multiple stones by a surgical technique called Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PCNL).
'When the patient came to us, we observed it was a serious stag-horn case where there are multiple stones in the entire kidney. One of his kidneys was damaged, while there were cuts on both the kidneys as they had already gone through two open surgeries in Iraq,' Anshuman Agarwal, senior consultant urologist at Fortis Hospital in Vasant Kunj, told IANS.
'It required a bilateral stone surgery. The kidneys had been operated upon before also, and any major surgery could have been fatal,' he added.
PCNL, a minimally invasive endoscopic treatment, makes a small incision in the back, opposite the kidney, to make way for a nephroscope that locates the exact position of the stones.
Agarwal explains: 'Three small incisions were made in this case. A nephroscope was then used to locate the existing stones that were 1-12 cm in radius. There were some residual stones that could not be taken out in the previous surgery.'
PCNL, believe experts, minimises the hospital stay of the patient with quick recovery, and is preferable to open surgery.
Musa, who was admitted to the hospital March 23, was discharged in just five days and went back to his hometown of Kirkuk.
The surgery costs around Rs.1 lakh ($2,250) in India, 10 times less than the cost in the US and European nations, said Agarwal.
According to health experts, the technique, common in metros, will help an increasing number of patients in Tier-II and III cities in the coming time.
'People will be more aware of the PCNL technique in the coming period. Till now, only a few ways of treating kidney stones were available, but this method is beneficial for serious cases of multiple stones,' Sandeep Mahajan, additional professor, department of nephrology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), told IANS.
Mahajan sounds a note of caution on the dietary habits and changing lifestyle pattern that puts people at greater risk of kidney stones.
'These stones are calcium deposits, so they are largely dependent on what kind of food is there in a person's diet. Less fluids, red meat, high salt intake, nuts, chocolates are just some of the factors for forming kidney stones,' he said.
People with a hereditary history of stones too are at a greater risk of the disease, he said.
'Pain in the lower abdomen, fever or signs of blood in the urine, deep-orange tinge in the urine, or pain while urination should be reported to a doctor,' Mahajan added.
2011年4月1日星期五
TCI Journal editors take strong issue with comments made by NHIB CEO Brian Hogan in SUN interview
In an exclusive interview given to SUN publisher Hayden Boyce, CEO of the National Health Insurance Plan, NHIP, Brian Hogan issues forth a merciless stream of untruths. In particular we would like to draw the attention of all TCI citizens and residents to his attempt to paint as an example of exemplary care, the care given to a woman who as a result of NHIP actions and inactions, lost one of her kidneys and who but for the grace of others, almost lost her life!
There are so many untruths, half truths and patent lies in Brian Hogan's statements to Hayden Boyce, that one hardly knows where to begin.
But let us try and set the record straight. We quote from the article (in italics) and then the facts. Considering that Dayna Wallace, Brian Hogan's protege was fired (by the NHIB against his objections) from her position as NHIP Operations Manager especially because of her mis-handling of this case among many others, it is astonishing (and frankly goes to his state of mind) that Brian Hogan would EVEN DARE attempt to mislead the public on this case!
And Governor Wetherell, if you do not have time to read the whole piece, please at least read the conclusion at the end. From the March 25th Sun article titled : NHIB not responsible for any patient deaths or inadequate health care, says CEO Brian Hogan.
He said: "Last summer, a website reported that a beneficiary required emergency medical treatment at an offshore facility. It stated that an air ambulance vendor was not able to evacuate the patient until the following day when it transferred the patient to a regional medical facility rather than a facility in the USA. The patient was then provided travel by a third party to a facility in South Florida which was forced to perform emergency service due to the delays of the original transfer and the poor care at the regional medical facility."
[The Truth: We said much more than this. In particular the 30 days of negligence and multiple incidents in reference to this patient preceding this one event that Brian Hogan mentions above.]
He continued: "The reality is that a beneficiary, a national of a country in the region was referred to an overseas facility after an on-island specialist diagnosed her condition and recommended a second opinion and surgery if the diagnosis was confirmed.
[The Truth: A Turks and Caicos Islander was diagnosed and recommended to go to the United States within 24 hours for a serious kidney stone issue. A doctor at Interhealth Canada communicated with a doctor in the US and exchanged details about the patient……..then when care was still not provided after ONE MONTH had elapsed, other TCI medical personnel intervened out of concern to draw attention to the patient. Only then was she sent to the Bahamas on Brian Hogan's favoured air ambulance company.………….Redbridge Networks, the company hired by Hogan to handle overseas treatment had NO qualified medical director and was not monitoring this case for some unknown reason, and the previous firm who used to handle these matters for the TCI had been black-listed by Hogan for having blown the whistle on NHIP mis-management…………. In the Bahamas the PATIENT & THE BAHAMIAN MEDICAL STAFF called the previous firm since the patient had been abandoned in the Bahamas with no follow-up from NHIP operations personnel for over a week after being sent there!]
There are so many untruths, half truths and patent lies in Brian Hogan's statements to Hayden Boyce, that one hardly knows where to begin.
But let us try and set the record straight. We quote from the article (in italics) and then the facts. Considering that Dayna Wallace, Brian Hogan's protege was fired (by the NHIB against his objections) from her position as NHIP Operations Manager especially because of her mis-handling of this case among many others, it is astonishing (and frankly goes to his state of mind) that Brian Hogan would EVEN DARE attempt to mislead the public on this case!
And Governor Wetherell, if you do not have time to read the whole piece, please at least read the conclusion at the end. From the March 25th Sun article titled : NHIB not responsible for any patient deaths or inadequate health care, says CEO Brian Hogan.
He said: "Last summer, a website reported that a beneficiary required emergency medical treatment at an offshore facility. It stated that an air ambulance vendor was not able to evacuate the patient until the following day when it transferred the patient to a regional medical facility rather than a facility in the USA. The patient was then provided travel by a third party to a facility in South Florida which was forced to perform emergency service due to the delays of the original transfer and the poor care at the regional medical facility."
[The Truth: We said much more than this. In particular the 30 days of negligence and multiple incidents in reference to this patient preceding this one event that Brian Hogan mentions above.]
He continued: "The reality is that a beneficiary, a national of a country in the region was referred to an overseas facility after an on-island specialist diagnosed her condition and recommended a second opinion and surgery if the diagnosis was confirmed.
[The Truth: A Turks and Caicos Islander was diagnosed and recommended to go to the United States within 24 hours for a serious kidney stone issue. A doctor at Interhealth Canada communicated with a doctor in the US and exchanged details about the patient……..then when care was still not provided after ONE MONTH had elapsed, other TCI medical personnel intervened out of concern to draw attention to the patient. Only then was she sent to the Bahamas on Brian Hogan's favoured air ambulance company.………….Redbridge Networks, the company hired by Hogan to handle overseas treatment had NO qualified medical director and was not monitoring this case for some unknown reason, and the previous firm who used to handle these matters for the TCI had been black-listed by Hogan for having blown the whistle on NHIP mis-management…………. In the Bahamas the PATIENT & THE BAHAMIAN MEDICAL STAFF called the previous firm since the patient had been abandoned in the Bahamas with no follow-up from NHIP operations personnel for over a week after being sent there!]
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