One more name has now been added to the brand ambassador list of children's charity UNICEF, New Zealand and the name is none other than Rugby legend Jonah Lomu.
Lomu is called the first true global superstar of rugby union and now, he has been appointed as brand ambassador of UNICEF, NZ. Some other popular names which are gems of the organization include Hayley Westenra, Mike McRoberts, Novak Djokovic and Fernando Alonso.
The 36-year-old is quite happy to have the position and he affirmed: "My kids mean the world to me and I'm doing everything I can to give them the best start in life, but there are so many children around the world who are disadvantaged from the time they are born".
He wanted to help children and holds the opinion that there could have been any other best way to support children. Lomu is on dialysis as his kidney transplantation operation failed. This position has given him needed strength to overcome illness as now; it is not only about him but it's about numerous needy children as well.
Quite ecstatic about being brand ambassador, Lomu is in hospital and is recovering from his illness as two weeks ago, his body refused to accept donated kidneys. But, this is not something which would act as hurdle to stop him from working for the charity.
He knows this battle would continue but there is something more important which requires his concentration and time. Earlier, he was not even able to go washroom but now when he knows he has added responsibilities on his shoulders, he has been making continuous efforts. This has led him to walk of his own and he could now also go to washroom of his own.
From giving free polio vaccines to Christmas gifts, Lomu is leaving no stone unturned to make his involvement larger than life in UNICEF.
2011年11月22日星期二
2011年11月21日星期一
Kidney Stone Prevention: 'Fact versus Fiction'
According to current estimates, kidney stones will develop in one in 10 people during their lifetime. This translates into nearly 30 million people in the United States. The prevalence is highest among those aged 30-45 years. High urinary calcium can be the cause of kidney stones in upwards of 80% of cases. The most prevalent stone composition is calcium oxalate. Once kidney stones develop, patients have a 50%-75% likelihood of developing another stone. The yearly cost of kidney stones in the United States was $2 billion (treatments, hospitalizations, lost work, etc.) in 1994 and is now estimated at $5 billion.1
Clearly, prevention is paramount when dealing with kidney stones. General guidelines for prevention include moderate protein intake, minimal salt ingestion, and drinking enough clear liquids to generate two liters of urine per day. A low oxalate diet has proved beneficial for preventing calcium oxalate stones. Reducing elevated urinary calcium levels helps to improve urinary saturation kinetics. Uric acid stones require dietary manipulation, adequate fluid intake to optimize volumes, and manipulation of urinary pH. Cystine stones, while relatively rare, require their own preventive measures.
Which fluid to drink is controversial. While water is the mainstay, a number of articles tout the benefit of different juices. For example, lemon juice increases urinary citrate and may prevent calcium stones. Whether one uses the recommended half cup of lemon juice per day straight up or diluted, is a personal choice. Lemonade is another frequently recommended choice. There are various opinions when it comes to the benefits of orange juice. It, too, increases urinary citrate levels, but there is concern that it could raise oxalate levels. Apple and cranberry juice contain oxalates and have been associated with a higher risk of calcium oxalate stones. Likewise, grapefruit juice has been associated with increased risk of stone formation. Soft drinks, via their phosphorus content, may lead to increased risk for kidney stones.2,3 The choice of fluid depends on other variables in the patient's urinary chemical composition.
What about sugar? Analysis from the Nurses Health Study II has shown that sugar increased kidney stone risk in young women by more than 30%. Whether this was an independent variable was unclear but the message is that high sugar, whether fructose or other sugar, is probably detrimental in the prevention of further kidney stones.
And the calcium controversy? Calcium supplements, in excess, will increase your risk for forming kidney stones. Given all of the studies and commentaries, the simple take home message is that a diet containing normal amounts of calcium along with salt and animal protein reduction will likely protect against stones better than a low calcium regimen. It is accepted that a diet too low in calcium intake will allow preferential absorption of oxalate in the gut and increase the risk of calcium oxalate stones.
If diet alone is not helpful in correcting an abnormal urinary chemical environment, then medications are sometimes offered. These include thiazide diuretics for high urinary calcium levels, citrate supplementation for low urinary citrate levels, cystine binding drugs (i.e., penicillamine) for cystine stone prevention, as well as new options on the horizon, including oxalate degrading enzymes. But, like most drugs, these options have side effects. Thiazides, for instance, can worsen glucose tolerance, cause electrolyte imbalance, and aggravate triglyceride levels.
Clearly, prevention is paramount when dealing with kidney stones. General guidelines for prevention include moderate protein intake, minimal salt ingestion, and drinking enough clear liquids to generate two liters of urine per day. A low oxalate diet has proved beneficial for preventing calcium oxalate stones. Reducing elevated urinary calcium levels helps to improve urinary saturation kinetics. Uric acid stones require dietary manipulation, adequate fluid intake to optimize volumes, and manipulation of urinary pH. Cystine stones, while relatively rare, require their own preventive measures.
Which fluid to drink is controversial. While water is the mainstay, a number of articles tout the benefit of different juices. For example, lemon juice increases urinary citrate and may prevent calcium stones. Whether one uses the recommended half cup of lemon juice per day straight up or diluted, is a personal choice. Lemonade is another frequently recommended choice. There are various opinions when it comes to the benefits of orange juice. It, too, increases urinary citrate levels, but there is concern that it could raise oxalate levels. Apple and cranberry juice contain oxalates and have been associated with a higher risk of calcium oxalate stones. Likewise, grapefruit juice has been associated with increased risk of stone formation. Soft drinks, via their phosphorus content, may lead to increased risk for kidney stones.2,3 The choice of fluid depends on other variables in the patient's urinary chemical composition.
What about sugar? Analysis from the Nurses Health Study II has shown that sugar increased kidney stone risk in young women by more than 30%. Whether this was an independent variable was unclear but the message is that high sugar, whether fructose or other sugar, is probably detrimental in the prevention of further kidney stones.
And the calcium controversy? Calcium supplements, in excess, will increase your risk for forming kidney stones. Given all of the studies and commentaries, the simple take home message is that a diet containing normal amounts of calcium along with salt and animal protein reduction will likely protect against stones better than a low calcium regimen. It is accepted that a diet too low in calcium intake will allow preferential absorption of oxalate in the gut and increase the risk of calcium oxalate stones.
If diet alone is not helpful in correcting an abnormal urinary chemical environment, then medications are sometimes offered. These include thiazide diuretics for high urinary calcium levels, citrate supplementation for low urinary citrate levels, cystine binding drugs (i.e., penicillamine) for cystine stone prevention, as well as new options on the horizon, including oxalate degrading enzymes. But, like most drugs, these options have side effects. Thiazides, for instance, can worsen glucose tolerance, cause electrolyte imbalance, and aggravate triglyceride levels.
2011年11月20日星期日
The autumn-winter fall!
The year was 2006. Desi designer Anand Jon Alexander had wooed and impressed the Wall Street hardto-please stuffed shirts for them to have evaluated his brand name and agreed to pump in millions for his new ready-towear line. The high priestess of high jinks, hotel heiress Paris Hilton was to be intimately associated with this project.
Life was not merely looking good, Anand was just a signature away from breaking into a league that only few could aspire to. The deal was to be inked on March 7, 2007. But, tragically, a day before, the dream ended. Reality caught up. Instead of inking the multimillion-dollar deal, Anand was negotiating the intricacies of the arrest warrant issued against him on charges of alleged rape, molestation and sexual indiscretions and indecencies. In no time, the charges were flying thick, fast, and all over the place as girls and women kept coming out of the woodwork complaining about Anand's alleged sexual misdemeanours.
Five years hence, Anand lies on a heap of crushed dreams at the cold and formidable Rikers Island prison in New York as he awaits trial, having already been convicted in California and earning a sentence of over 50 years of imprisonment.
A few days ago, Anand was writhing in unbearable pain, and the jail authorities remained indifferent to his plight, insisting he was faking illness. They joked that he probably needed psychiatric help. When the doctor was finally summoned, it was discovered that Anand had kidney stones, which needed immediate intervention.
But Anand is hardly the hopeless defeated man you'd expect of someone who's spent over four years in lock-up. He doesn't rave, rant and rail against the cruel turn of fate. Instead, he sounds calm, composed, and you can detect his silent resolve to fight it out. So, how did things go so horribly wrong after getting off to something so goddamn right?
"Just before my grandmother, Ammana Abraham, passed away, I had won my art scholarship to go to America. She'd warned me about how fame and fortune can change anyone and a land of dreams into one of nightmares. It is heartbreaking to find out the hard way that some of the people I trusted as friends and partners had ulterior motives," says Anand on the phone from Rikers Island jail.
His family and lawyers have suggested often enough that Anand's super successful career in the US ultimately became the reason for his downfall as there were many who were insanely jealous of how an 'alien' boy was beating them in the sweepstakes on their own turf. Ask him if he feels let down and revengeful, and he stoically replies, "One of the worst feelings in the world is to be falsely accused. One of the worst experiences is this kind of humiliation and loneliness someone innocent is forced to endure. If someone like myself, who has no criminal past, no history of violence or drugs can be targeted like this, then no one is safe. Whether someone is a rich and famous celebrity or just a regular person, all human beings deserve justice. That was denied once to me and I am truly grateful that a higher power is opening new opportunities and a second chance for me. I do not wish such suffering upon anyone, not even those who did me wrong, whether accidently or intentionally."
The life Anand's leading behind the bars is a far cry from the life that Anand led before his incarceration. But he's not complaining. His mother says that Anand won't talk about the kind of food served to him or the conditions in his cell simply because he knows that nothing can be done about it. "This painful path is a powerful learning experience. It is humbling to follow the footsteps of our forefathers who were also wrongfully imprisoned as they fought against the Empire for truth, justice and freedom, and eventually won as the crisis united people to do the right thing," he says philosophically.
Anand now spends most of his time brushing up his knowledge of law and legal matters and sketching, practising yoga and meditation. "Being born and brought up in India, the spiritual foundations of yoga and meditation have been a source of inspiration to walk through such adversity."
And does he sense freedom, even if it might take some time coming? "There's no question about it. Justice will ultimately triumph. Swaraj is my birthright and part of my life plan is to keep a covenant and help others fight against injustice. I do have many plans upon regaining my freedom, which will be seen in my actions rather than my advertising them."
His family complain their finances have all but dried up; they feel that Anand's celebrity friends from the US, barring a few like Ivanka Trump and the Chatwals, and Indians like Suhasini Maniratnam, and Anand's uncle singer KJ Yesudas and a few others, not many have thrown their weight behind Anand and his family at this very trying time. But, what has upset them most is that the government has done precious little to exert pressure on the US to ensure fair and quick justice delivery. Says Anand, "Just like other communities stand by their own, if and when South Asians and Indians are targeted anywhere in the world, we must literally have a billion voices demanding justice for me. Today it is me, tomorrow it can be anyone."
Down he may be, but not out. Anand says he'll live and fight for another day. "It's inhuman what I'm going through, but I don't see any point in getting angry. It's a travesty of justice and human rights all the way...the system wants to break you down, demonise you. In California, I was set up by my own lawyers. What can I do? File civil suits against those who falsely testified against me? I have kept the faith because if I break down and succumb, I willingly fall into the trap they've laid for me. This may work for criminals. For someone who's worked and lived honestly, there's no way I'm going to give in or give up. It's been many years of total isolation for me, and I can't sleep at night. I worry about my mother and sister, who're fighting for justice for me. Once I get out, I'll restructure my life. I'll visit my grandparents' graves first thing after release. I need intelligent media to take up my cause, the cause of someone very wronged by a system of justice that hitherto he's had the highest respect for."
Life was not merely looking good, Anand was just a signature away from breaking into a league that only few could aspire to. The deal was to be inked on March 7, 2007. But, tragically, a day before, the dream ended. Reality caught up. Instead of inking the multimillion-dollar deal, Anand was negotiating the intricacies of the arrest warrant issued against him on charges of alleged rape, molestation and sexual indiscretions and indecencies. In no time, the charges were flying thick, fast, and all over the place as girls and women kept coming out of the woodwork complaining about Anand's alleged sexual misdemeanours.
Five years hence, Anand lies on a heap of crushed dreams at the cold and formidable Rikers Island prison in New York as he awaits trial, having already been convicted in California and earning a sentence of over 50 years of imprisonment.
A few days ago, Anand was writhing in unbearable pain, and the jail authorities remained indifferent to his plight, insisting he was faking illness. They joked that he probably needed psychiatric help. When the doctor was finally summoned, it was discovered that Anand had kidney stones, which needed immediate intervention.
But Anand is hardly the hopeless defeated man you'd expect of someone who's spent over four years in lock-up. He doesn't rave, rant and rail against the cruel turn of fate. Instead, he sounds calm, composed, and you can detect his silent resolve to fight it out. So, how did things go so horribly wrong after getting off to something so goddamn right?
"Just before my grandmother, Ammana Abraham, passed away, I had won my art scholarship to go to America. She'd warned me about how fame and fortune can change anyone and a land of dreams into one of nightmares. It is heartbreaking to find out the hard way that some of the people I trusted as friends and partners had ulterior motives," says Anand on the phone from Rikers Island jail.
His family and lawyers have suggested often enough that Anand's super successful career in the US ultimately became the reason for his downfall as there were many who were insanely jealous of how an 'alien' boy was beating them in the sweepstakes on their own turf. Ask him if he feels let down and revengeful, and he stoically replies, "One of the worst feelings in the world is to be falsely accused. One of the worst experiences is this kind of humiliation and loneliness someone innocent is forced to endure. If someone like myself, who has no criminal past, no history of violence or drugs can be targeted like this, then no one is safe. Whether someone is a rich and famous celebrity or just a regular person, all human beings deserve justice. That was denied once to me and I am truly grateful that a higher power is opening new opportunities and a second chance for me. I do not wish such suffering upon anyone, not even those who did me wrong, whether accidently or intentionally."
The life Anand's leading behind the bars is a far cry from the life that Anand led before his incarceration. But he's not complaining. His mother says that Anand won't talk about the kind of food served to him or the conditions in his cell simply because he knows that nothing can be done about it. "This painful path is a powerful learning experience. It is humbling to follow the footsteps of our forefathers who were also wrongfully imprisoned as they fought against the Empire for truth, justice and freedom, and eventually won as the crisis united people to do the right thing," he says philosophically.
Anand now spends most of his time brushing up his knowledge of law and legal matters and sketching, practising yoga and meditation. "Being born and brought up in India, the spiritual foundations of yoga and meditation have been a source of inspiration to walk through such adversity."
And does he sense freedom, even if it might take some time coming? "There's no question about it. Justice will ultimately triumph. Swaraj is my birthright and part of my life plan is to keep a covenant and help others fight against injustice. I do have many plans upon regaining my freedom, which will be seen in my actions rather than my advertising them."
His family complain their finances have all but dried up; they feel that Anand's celebrity friends from the US, barring a few like Ivanka Trump and the Chatwals, and Indians like Suhasini Maniratnam, and Anand's uncle singer KJ Yesudas and a few others, not many have thrown their weight behind Anand and his family at this very trying time. But, what has upset them most is that the government has done precious little to exert pressure on the US to ensure fair and quick justice delivery. Says Anand, "Just like other communities stand by their own, if and when South Asians and Indians are targeted anywhere in the world, we must literally have a billion voices demanding justice for me. Today it is me, tomorrow it can be anyone."
Down he may be, but not out. Anand says he'll live and fight for another day. "It's inhuman what I'm going through, but I don't see any point in getting angry. It's a travesty of justice and human rights all the way...the system wants to break you down, demonise you. In California, I was set up by my own lawyers. What can I do? File civil suits against those who falsely testified against me? I have kept the faith because if I break down and succumb, I willingly fall into the trap they've laid for me. This may work for criminals. For someone who's worked and lived honestly, there's no way I'm going to give in or give up. It's been many years of total isolation for me, and I can't sleep at night. I worry about my mother and sister, who're fighting for justice for me. Once I get out, I'll restructure my life. I'll visit my grandparents' graves first thing after release. I need intelligent media to take up my cause, the cause of someone very wronged by a system of justice that hitherto he's had the highest respect for."
2011年11月17日星期四
Kidney missing after surgery to remove stone
In a shocking news which could make every patient hesitant to undergo any surgery, kidney of a woman was found missing after she underwent a surgery for removing stone (calculus) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS), Porompat, Imphal.
The matter came to light when a JAC against the wrongful operation of Achoubi told a group of media persons in a press meet held at Manipur Press Club, Majorkhul Imphal today.
Secretary of the JAC, Haji Arafat Ali told reporters that the victim Achoubi (52) wife of late Atarali of Minuthong Hatta went to the hospitals on October 3 after she developed pain in her back and checked herself in the OPD where she was attended by Dr Prafullo.
The doctor told her to conduct an ultrasound test to confirm the reason of her pain and she accordingly took the test on the next day at the Aadarsh Laboratoty clinic.
After seeing the USG result on October 5, the doctor told her that she had developed some stones (calculus) in her kidney and a surgery is needed to remove the stone.
Thereafter the doctor referred her to the Surgery Ward of the hospitals.
After she went to the ward, Professor K Mani and Dr Robindro told her to get admitted the same day itself which she did.
After spending some days in the ward, her surgery was conducted on October 11 by Prof K Mani and Dr Robindro which took about four hours.
After the surgery, the doctors told the patient party that they could not find both the stone and kidney in Achoubi's body.
When the patient party enquired about the matter, the doctors told them several possibilities and asked them to keep quiet and offered them to return the amount spend for the surgery.
However after a week, hospital authorities refused to give back the said amount and told them that the doctors were not found guilty in the process of the surgery.
Later on November 5, they were discharged and forced to leave the hospital.
Arafat Ali further told reporters that the surgery was the first ever surgery being conducted on Achoubi in her entire life.
It is a clear matter of negligence and cheating the innocent people by the doctors, he alleged.
He appealed to the concern authority to find the truth and punish the culprits.
A memorandum regarding the incident and their demand was also submitted today to the Chief Minister, Governor of Manipur, DGP by the JAC.
The matter came to light when a JAC against the wrongful operation of Achoubi told a group of media persons in a press meet held at Manipur Press Club, Majorkhul Imphal today.
Secretary of the JAC, Haji Arafat Ali told reporters that the victim Achoubi (52) wife of late Atarali of Minuthong Hatta went to the hospitals on October 3 after she developed pain in her back and checked herself in the OPD where she was attended by Dr Prafullo.
The doctor told her to conduct an ultrasound test to confirm the reason of her pain and she accordingly took the test on the next day at the Aadarsh Laboratoty clinic.
After seeing the USG result on October 5, the doctor told her that she had developed some stones (calculus) in her kidney and a surgery is needed to remove the stone.
Thereafter the doctor referred her to the Surgery Ward of the hospitals.
After she went to the ward, Professor K Mani and Dr Robindro told her to get admitted the same day itself which she did.
After spending some days in the ward, her surgery was conducted on October 11 by Prof K Mani and Dr Robindro which took about four hours.
After the surgery, the doctors told the patient party that they could not find both the stone and kidney in Achoubi's body.
When the patient party enquired about the matter, the doctors told them several possibilities and asked them to keep quiet and offered them to return the amount spend for the surgery.
However after a week, hospital authorities refused to give back the said amount and told them that the doctors were not found guilty in the process of the surgery.
Later on November 5, they were discharged and forced to leave the hospital.
Arafat Ali further told reporters that the surgery was the first ever surgery being conducted on Achoubi in her entire life.
It is a clear matter of negligence and cheating the innocent people by the doctors, he alleged.
He appealed to the concern authority to find the truth and punish the culprits.
A memorandum regarding the incident and their demand was also submitted today to the Chief Minister, Governor of Manipur, DGP by the JAC.
2011年11月16日星期三
Wired for gold
Unlicensed e-waste recyclers in Beijing and migrant workers in Guangdong province's Guiyu town extract gold, silver and other valuable metals from discarded electronic appliances, a business that operates illegally and has significant health risks - but also generates huge profits. Cheng Anqi and Erik Nilsson go undercover to find out more.
Huang Yan coughs as she deposits a large circuit board in a coal stove. Wisps of toxic smoke curl off the board as it softens, blisters then dribbles. Huang describes her health problems as she melts e-waste - discarded electronics like computers and mobile phones - with 12 other migrant workers in an illegal 20-square-meter family-run workshop in Guangdong province's Guiyu town. "Sometimes," the 32-year-old says, "I cough up blood." Huang tries to elaborate but instead wheezes and smiles mournfully.
She earns 30 yuan ($4.73) a day for nine hours spent extracting small but valuable amounts of gold, silver, copper and other substances from used circuit boards.
The woman believes her chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and kidney stones are caused by the soot and poisons, including sulfur dioxide, that billow out while she fires circuit boards to melt the metals into extractable goop.
Black market e-waste processing is the economic pillar of Guiyu town in Shantou city. The industry employed more than 80 percent of residents three years ago.
But the global economic downturn has exerted gravity on copper prices since 2008, reducing e-waste recycling's profitability and, in turn, the pollution it expels.
However, people like Huang, who moved from Hunan province to Guiyu's Beilin village to find work 19 years ago, remain sick.
"I was told this was a place where jobs were available, and people without higher education could make money," says Huang, who is raising a family of four.
But her health deteriorated as her finances improved.
She started feeling intense back pains and stomachaches that turned out to be kidney stones.
The Yaohui Hospital in Shantou city warned her family against drinking the water when every member developed kidney stones.
The toxic byproducts of e-waste recycling are dumped into the town's waterways, poisoning the groundwater and wells, Shantou University Medical College cytological analysis professor Huo Xia says. Kidney stones are among the ailments they cause. Greenpeace East Asia reports about 30 percent of migrant workers in Guiyu had them in 2009.
Most residents are migrants lured by the e-waste processing opportunities, while many families with local hukou (residency permits) have made fortunes from e-waste and relocated outside because of the pollution. They employ the migrants to run their businesses in their absences.
Huang says her family buys drinking water from the neighboring areas for 2 or 3 yuan (31-47 US cents) per 3 liters.
"But we must use polluted water for washing vegetables and dishes," she says.
People like Huang say they don't want their children to go through what they have.
The 31-year-old Zheng Shouren, from Jiangxi province, has suffered from chronic bronchitis for two of the five years he has worked as a plastic cutter in an e-waste storehouse.
"I cough a lot every day, and there is a lot of phlegm," he yells, above the screech of a saw that throws up rooster tails of acrid smoke.
"Our boss only drives into town on weekends to check on the business and won't stay long."
Chen Demin quit working as a plastic cutter to escape the toxic haze two years ago to wash the cut fragments.
The 28-year-old extends cracked hands for examination. One peeling fingertip bleeds.
He washes the shards in a solution of lime powder or saltwater to separate different toxic yet valuable substances.
"It's too sad to even look at my hands and too painful to straighten them," Chen says.
"I often wear gloves packed with lotion to keep them from hurting. It's like a toothache in my fingers and palms."
Chen and other Guiyu workers are still laboring despite the drop in market prices for the precious metals they extract.
"The recession will pass," Chen says.
"And business will get better when the price picks up. It's just a matter of time."
Huang Yan coughs as she deposits a large circuit board in a coal stove. Wisps of toxic smoke curl off the board as it softens, blisters then dribbles. Huang describes her health problems as she melts e-waste - discarded electronics like computers and mobile phones - with 12 other migrant workers in an illegal 20-square-meter family-run workshop in Guangdong province's Guiyu town. "Sometimes," the 32-year-old says, "I cough up blood." Huang tries to elaborate but instead wheezes and smiles mournfully.
She earns 30 yuan ($4.73) a day for nine hours spent extracting small but valuable amounts of gold, silver, copper and other substances from used circuit boards.
The woman believes her chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and kidney stones are caused by the soot and poisons, including sulfur dioxide, that billow out while she fires circuit boards to melt the metals into extractable goop.
Black market e-waste processing is the economic pillar of Guiyu town in Shantou city. The industry employed more than 80 percent of residents three years ago.
But the global economic downturn has exerted gravity on copper prices since 2008, reducing e-waste recycling's profitability and, in turn, the pollution it expels.
However, people like Huang, who moved from Hunan province to Guiyu's Beilin village to find work 19 years ago, remain sick.
"I was told this was a place where jobs were available, and people without higher education could make money," says Huang, who is raising a family of four.
But her health deteriorated as her finances improved.
She started feeling intense back pains and stomachaches that turned out to be kidney stones.
The Yaohui Hospital in Shantou city warned her family against drinking the water when every member developed kidney stones.
The toxic byproducts of e-waste recycling are dumped into the town's waterways, poisoning the groundwater and wells, Shantou University Medical College cytological analysis professor Huo Xia says. Kidney stones are among the ailments they cause. Greenpeace East Asia reports about 30 percent of migrant workers in Guiyu had them in 2009.
Most residents are migrants lured by the e-waste processing opportunities, while many families with local hukou (residency permits) have made fortunes from e-waste and relocated outside because of the pollution. They employ the migrants to run their businesses in their absences.
Huang says her family buys drinking water from the neighboring areas for 2 or 3 yuan (31-47 US cents) per 3 liters.
"But we must use polluted water for washing vegetables and dishes," she says.
People like Huang say they don't want their children to go through what they have.
The 31-year-old Zheng Shouren, from Jiangxi province, has suffered from chronic bronchitis for two of the five years he has worked as a plastic cutter in an e-waste storehouse.
"I cough a lot every day, and there is a lot of phlegm," he yells, above the screech of a saw that throws up rooster tails of acrid smoke.
"Our boss only drives into town on weekends to check on the business and won't stay long."
Chen Demin quit working as a plastic cutter to escape the toxic haze two years ago to wash the cut fragments.
The 28-year-old extends cracked hands for examination. One peeling fingertip bleeds.
He washes the shards in a solution of lime powder or saltwater to separate different toxic yet valuable substances.
"It's too sad to even look at my hands and too painful to straighten them," Chen says.
"I often wear gloves packed with lotion to keep them from hurting. It's like a toothache in my fingers and palms."
Chen and other Guiyu workers are still laboring despite the drop in market prices for the precious metals they extract.
"The recession will pass," Chen says.
"And business will get better when the price picks up. It's just a matter of time."
2011年11月15日星期二
Vic nurses' dispute halts urgent surgery
Patients have had urgent operations cancelled and almost 1000 Victorian public hospital beds are closed as nurses continue industrial action.
The action has led to blockages in already stretched emergency departments, with one patient who had experienced a suspected heart attack being left unchecked for 90 minutes and nurses initially refusing to admit a 96-year-old woman to a ward.
Victorian Health Minister David Davis warned that people could die.
"There is no doubt that there is a threat to life, there is a threat and a risk to patients," he told reporters on Tuesday.
The action is part of the Australian Nursing Federation's campaign for better pay and conditions, with the union asking for an 18.5 per cent pay rise over three years and eight months and the preservation of nurse-patient ratios.
The public hospitals, backed by the state government, have taken the ANF to Fair Work Australia and applied to have the action terminated.
Some 969 beds are closed across the state, including 425 in Melbourne and 544 in country areas.
More than 311 surgeries have been cancelled since Saturday, including about 160 on Tuesday.
People have had waits of longer than 24 hours in emergency departments, including 10 with ailments such as broken bones and pneumonia at hospitals across Melbourne's southeast.
Seven patients at Dandenong Hospital and two at Monash Medical Centre waited longer than 24 hours in emergency departments. It was first time that had happened at Monash in three years.
Northern Health chief nursing officer Robynne Cooke said one patient had waited close to 40 hours on an ambulance trolley.
Category one patients, who should be operated on within 30 days, were among those whose surgeries were cancelled at Austin Hospital.
Austin Health executive director of ambulatory and nursing services, Ann Maree Keenan, said two category one and 14 category two patients had procedures cancelled on Tuesday.
One category one patient was booked in for a bladder operation to check for possible cancer and the other needed laser treatment on kidney stones, which can be extremely painful.
A spokeswoman for Mr Davis said the government had confirmed there was a further category one patient whose surgery was cancelled at Austin Hospital.
The bed closures have led to clashes between nursing staff and emergency department physicians about which patients are sick enough to be admitted to beds.
In one instance at the Austin Hospital on Monday, a patient who had suffered a suspected heart attack was left sitting in a chair unchecked for 90 minutes when they should have been hooked up to a cardiac monitor, Ms Keenan said.
At Northern Health, Ms Cooke said she had to convince the union to accept patients needing admission to wards, including an elderly woman.
"I mean, she was 96," she told the FWA hearing.
"I shouldn't to be in a position where I have to sell a patient to an ANF organiser.
"The ANF has become the bed managers for the state."
Eastern Health chief executive Alan Lilley said ambulances were experiencing long waits at hospitals, which in turn diminished their capacity to respond to emergency calls.
The action has led to blockages in already stretched emergency departments, with one patient who had experienced a suspected heart attack being left unchecked for 90 minutes and nurses initially refusing to admit a 96-year-old woman to a ward.
Victorian Health Minister David Davis warned that people could die.
"There is no doubt that there is a threat to life, there is a threat and a risk to patients," he told reporters on Tuesday.
The action is part of the Australian Nursing Federation's campaign for better pay and conditions, with the union asking for an 18.5 per cent pay rise over three years and eight months and the preservation of nurse-patient ratios.
The public hospitals, backed by the state government, have taken the ANF to Fair Work Australia and applied to have the action terminated.
Some 969 beds are closed across the state, including 425 in Melbourne and 544 in country areas.
More than 311 surgeries have been cancelled since Saturday, including about 160 on Tuesday.
People have had waits of longer than 24 hours in emergency departments, including 10 with ailments such as broken bones and pneumonia at hospitals across Melbourne's southeast.
Seven patients at Dandenong Hospital and two at Monash Medical Centre waited longer than 24 hours in emergency departments. It was first time that had happened at Monash in three years.
Northern Health chief nursing officer Robynne Cooke said one patient had waited close to 40 hours on an ambulance trolley.
Category one patients, who should be operated on within 30 days, were among those whose surgeries were cancelled at Austin Hospital.
Austin Health executive director of ambulatory and nursing services, Ann Maree Keenan, said two category one and 14 category two patients had procedures cancelled on Tuesday.
One category one patient was booked in for a bladder operation to check for possible cancer and the other needed laser treatment on kidney stones, which can be extremely painful.
A spokeswoman for Mr Davis said the government had confirmed there was a further category one patient whose surgery was cancelled at Austin Hospital.
The bed closures have led to clashes between nursing staff and emergency department physicians about which patients are sick enough to be admitted to beds.
In one instance at the Austin Hospital on Monday, a patient who had suffered a suspected heart attack was left sitting in a chair unchecked for 90 minutes when they should have been hooked up to a cardiac monitor, Ms Keenan said.
At Northern Health, Ms Cooke said she had to convince the union to accept patients needing admission to wards, including an elderly woman.
"I mean, she was 96," she told the FWA hearing.
"I shouldn't to be in a position where I have to sell a patient to an ANF organiser.
"The ANF has become the bed managers for the state."
Eastern Health chief executive Alan Lilley said ambulances were experiencing long waits at hospitals, which in turn diminished their capacity to respond to emergency calls.
2011年11月14日星期一
Excessive Intake of Salt Could Be Harmful
There is no doubt that excess of anything is bad and that’s why salt intake has become so debatable now. It was told that intake of salt beyond a particular limit could trigger the concerns of high blood pressure, osteoporosis, stomach cancer, obesity, kidney disease and kidney stones.
Keeping in mind all the range of health challenges, a campaign was started on Friday with the joint collaboration of the Yashoda Group of Hospitals and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). The main aim of this drive is to ensure that targeted information could be given to those who are under the risk of high salt intake.
Among others, Mayor Banda Karthika Reddy, GHMC commissioner, M T Krishna Babu and Managing Director of Yashoda group of Hospitals, G S Rao were seen backing the noble cause. In order to make a huge impact, the organizers created a 10-12 feet high salt laden scary monster in the name of ‘the Salt Monster’. Placed at nearly 60 places, the attempt depicts that salt has become a silent killer for people.
There has been significant shift in number of people who are gorging on packaged, processed and ready-to-eat foods, which not only contains significant amount of sodium but has large amount of salt also. The complex mixture of salt and sodium in regular diet could significantly affect the quality of life.
If recommendation by the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) is to be concerned, it has been found that an average Indian consumes about 30 grams of salt, which is beyond the permissible limit. There is significant risk of heart stroke and other attached health concerns in India as it was found that majority of Indians are fond of using it.
With the report making reverberations in the contours of the society, it’s being believed that significant efforts are required to address the percolating concern.
Keeping in mind all the range of health challenges, a campaign was started on Friday with the joint collaboration of the Yashoda Group of Hospitals and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). The main aim of this drive is to ensure that targeted information could be given to those who are under the risk of high salt intake.
Among others, Mayor Banda Karthika Reddy, GHMC commissioner, M T Krishna Babu and Managing Director of Yashoda group of Hospitals, G S Rao were seen backing the noble cause. In order to make a huge impact, the organizers created a 10-12 feet high salt laden scary monster in the name of ‘the Salt Monster’. Placed at nearly 60 places, the attempt depicts that salt has become a silent killer for people.
There has been significant shift in number of people who are gorging on packaged, processed and ready-to-eat foods, which not only contains significant amount of sodium but has large amount of salt also. The complex mixture of salt and sodium in regular diet could significantly affect the quality of life.
If recommendation by the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) is to be concerned, it has been found that an average Indian consumes about 30 grams of salt, which is beyond the permissible limit. There is significant risk of heart stroke and other attached health concerns in India as it was found that majority of Indians are fond of using it.
With the report making reverberations in the contours of the society, it’s being believed that significant efforts are required to address the percolating concern.
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