Anast's World

Vitamin D...

2012-01-21T08:54:00.000-08:00

Could the sun save your children from depression? Exposure to vitamin D can lower risk of mental health problems

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 1:11 AM on 20th January 2012

Children with low levels of vitamin D are more likely to suffer from depression, claim scientists.
Those with the highest levels of the ‘sunshine vitamin’ have a 10 per cent lower risk of developing the mental health problem.
The findings come from the Children of the 90s research project run by the University of Bristol.

Children can boost their vitamin D levels by eating oily fish like tuna and having exposure to sunlight

The study looked at vitamin D levels in more than 2,700 children when they were aged nine and 13. Those with the lowest levels of vitamin D were more likely to show signs of depression.

Children with higher levels were also more likely to show a decline in depressive symptoms in their teenage years.

Vitamin D is mainly made by the action of sunlight on the skin, although it can also be found in oily fish, such as tuna.

The study investigated levels of two forms of the vitamin – D2 and D3 – and found the strongest anti-depression link with D3.

Tuna steak: Oily fish is a good source of vitamin D

Lead researcher Dr Anna-Maija Tolppanen, of Bristol University’s school of social and community medicine, said further research is needed before a change in medical practice could be recommended.

Although vitamin D is found in oily fish, and is routinely added to milk, diet accounts for very little of the nutrient that actually makes it into the bloodstream.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2088876/Exposure-vitamin-D-lower-risk-mental-health-problems.html#ixzz1k71EKTjv

Messy desks in the office.....

2012-01-20T09:26:00.000-08:00

Messy desks in the office can actually lead employees to think more clearly, say researchers

Being surrounded by mess forces people to 'simplify' thoughts
People make clear, simple choices at messy desks
Effect works less on liberals, who are less worried about mess

By Rob Waugh

Last updated at 8:53 AM on 19th January 2012

Albert Einstein at his desk: The German researchers found, in a series of linked studies, that people tended to think more clearly when surrounded by mess, as they are forced to 'simplify' their thoughts to cope

Managers and office busybodies might be keen on a clean desk - but it seems that in terms of productivity, they could have it all wrong.

A messy desk can actually lead people towards clearer thinking, say researchers from Germany.

The researchers found in a series of linked studies - using a messy desk and a messy shop front - that people actually thought more clearly when all around was chaos, as they sought to simplify the tasks at hand.

Visual and mental clutter forces human beings to focus and think more clearly.
Famous thinkers and writers such as Albert Einstein (pictured) and Roald Dahl have been notorious for their untidy desks.

'Messy desks may not be as detrimental as they appear to be, as the problem-solving approaches they seem to cause can boost work efficiency or enhance employees' creativity in problem solving,' say the authors.

Oddly, the effect seems to work most on conservatives - political liberals are less liable to be worried about mess in the first place, say the researchers.

'Business and government managers often promote 'clean desk' policies to avoid disorganized offices and messy desks, for the purpose of boosting work efficiency and productivity,' write lead Jia Liu of the University of Groningen in a paper published in the Journal of Consumer Research.

'This practice is based on the conventional wisdom that a disorganized and messy environment can clutter one's mind and complicate one's judgments.'
'However, not all evidence supports this conventional link between a messy environment and a messy mind.'

Roald Dahl at work in his cluttered shed: Researchers found that cluttered desks actually help people to focus on the task at hand

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The scientists tested people's response in various 'messy' environments - including a messy shop front, a disorganized desk, and even a work environment where a language task 'reminded' people of messiness.

The authors found in the series of six studies tended towards simplicity in their thinking.

The researchers found in a series of linked studies - using a messy desk and a messy shop front - that people actually thought more clearly when all around was chaos, as they sought to simplify the tasks at hand

'They categorized products in a simpler manner, were willing to pay more for a t-shirt that depicts a simple-looking picture, and sought less variety in their choices,' said the researchers.

Oddly, the effect seems to be more profound dependent on your politics - because liberals, say the researchers, are generally less concerned about being disorganised.

'Specifically, conservatives, when confronted with a messy environment (compared to a clean environment), were willing to pay more for a t-shirt with a simple-looking picture. Liberals' willingness to pay for this shirt was not affected by messiness,' the authors explain.

Widow dies on operating table......

2012-01-15T08:34:00.000-08:00

Widow dies on operating table when surgeon tries to remove liver instead of her kidney

Amy Francis underwent surgery for kidney cancer
Trainee loses confidence during operation
Liver ruptures causing death
Hospital admits to error

By Sadie Whitelocks

Last updated at 8:06 PM on 12th January 2012

Amy Francis underwent surgery to remove a cancerous kidney but died after surgeons removed the wrong organ

A widow died on an operating table after a surgeon tried to remove the wrong organ, an inquest heard today.

Amy Francis, 77, underwent keyhole surgery to remove a cancerous right kidney last July.

But during the operation at the Royal Gwent Hospital, Newport, her liver ruptured as it was mistakenly pulled out and, despite desperate efforts to save her, she died of internal bleeding.

Consultant urologist Dr Adam Carter, admitted to the error and highlighted that as a result of the death, a modified operating procedure had been communicated 'worldwide'.
Her son Alan, 52, praised Dr Carter for his honesty and the hospital for 'owning up' early.

Following the hearing he said: 'We appreciated Mr Carter’s honesty and him coming along here today and hope that we can put it all behind us now.

'I think that it was the honesty that saved the hospital. If we thought that they had not answered our questions it would have been different.

'This was an honest mistake.'

Retired accountant, Mrs Francis, was diagnosed with kidney cancer and was due to be treated after she had recovered from the routine surgery.

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But during the operation Dr Carter allowed a trainee, who had never performed the procedure before, to locate and remove the organ.

As the trainee wasn't confident enough to remove the organ Dr Carter was forced to take over, and during the changeover confusion occurred.

When he attempted to remove the kidney he was immediately told by the anesthetist that the patient’s blood pressure was dropping and he realised his mistake.

Consultant urologist Dr Adam Carter, admitted to the fatal error during an operation performed at the Royal Gwent Hospital

Two senior surgeons were called to the scene and every effort was made to save Mrs Francis, but they were unsuccessful.

David Bowen, the coroner for Gwent, said: 'Whilst undergoing keyhole surgery for the necessary removal of the cancerous kidney, Mrs Francis’s liver was ruptured when it was mistakenly and unintentionally identified as the kidney and was catastrophically torn and damaged, resulting in death.'

Dr Carter said he had carried out the procedure 20 times since the death without a problem.

Son Alan said before the inquest finished: 'We accept the decision and we also accept that Mr Carter and his team acted in good faith to prolong my mother’s life.

'We also appreciated his honesty and wish him well for the future and hope he goes on to do other successful operations.'

Over the last 40 years, the number of cases of kidney cancer has doubled in men and risen by 130 per cent in women, a trend which is believed to be linked to rising obesity figures.

There were 3638 new cases diagnosed in men and 2118 new cases diagnosed in woman in England during 2007.

A sausage a day could lead to cancer...

2012-01-14T08:47:00.000-08:00

A sausage a day could lead to cancer: Pancreatic cancer warning over processed meat

By Sophie Borland

Last updated at 10:18 AM on 13th January 2012

Eating one sausage a day or two rashers of bacon raises the risk of pancreatic cancer by a fifth, according to research.

Scientists have found that even relatively small amounts of processed meat increase the chance of developing this deadly illness.

Pancreatic cancer is called ‘the silent killer’ because it often does not produce symptoms in early stages.

Health fears: Scientists say even one sausage a day can raise the risk of developing pancreatic cancer by nearly 20 per cent

Even when it does, the symptoms are often vague – such as back pain, loss of appetite and weight loss.

By the time the disease is diagnosed it is often too late and, because of this, it has one of the worst survival rates of all cancers and only 3 per cent of patients live beyond five years.

Little is known about its causes other than that smoking, excess alcohol and being overweight all seem to contribute.

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Now scientists in Sweden have found that eating just 50g of processed meat a day raises the likelihood by 19 per cent.

This is equivalent to a few slices of ham or salami, a hot dog or sausage or two slices of bacon.

Eating 100g a day – a small burger – increases the risk by 38 per cent while 150g a day raises it by 57 per cent.

Ordinary red meat such as joints or steaks increases a man’s chance of getting the cancer, but not a woman’s.

But the risk posed by eating meat was substantially lower than for smoking, which was found to increase the likelihood of pancreatic cancer by 74 per cent.

Still hungry? Eating 100g a day - the amount found in a small burger - increases the risk of developing pancreatic cancer by 38 per cent

The research, published in the British Journal of Cancer, analysed the results of 11 other studies involving 6,000 patients with pancreatic cancer.

There is already widespread evidence that red and processed meat may trigger bowel cancer.

For this reason the Government last year published guidelines advising the public to limit their consumption to 500g of red and processed meat a week.

Professor Susanna Larsson, of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm said: ‘Pancreatic cancer has poor survival rates.

‘So it’s important to understand what can increase the risk of this disease.’
Just over 8,000 Britons are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer every year.

The harmful bacteria......

2012-01-14T08:33:00.000-08:00

The harmful bacteria responsible for food poisoning and breathing problems hiding in our homes

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 8:46 PM on 28th July 2010

Bathroom seals, fridges, kitchen towels and kettle handles are prime spots in the home for harbouring harmful bacteria, according to a report.

Tests found a range of bacteria and mould – including E.coli, Enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococcus aureus and penicillin – linked to food poisoning, diarrhoea and breathing problems.

Experts from the Hygiene Council took swabs from 20 homes in nine countries worldwide.

Worrying: Harmful bacteria such as this sample of E.coli which can cause food poisoning and other health problems are found in the home

The UK samples revealed 80 per cent of bathroom seals were heavily contaminated.

The second dirtiest site was inside fridges, with 35 per cent of samples unsatisfactory and 15 per cent heavily contaminated.

Cloth kitchen towels were also a source of contamination, with 20 per cent being unsatisfactory.

And kettle handles appeared to be dirtier than computer keyboards - 22 per cent failed bacterial tests compared with 19 per cent of keyboards.

The study also found penicillin mould in 80 per cent of fridge interiors and on 70 per cent of bathroom seals.

Hygiene Council chairman John Oxford, a professor of virology at Barts and the London School of Medicine, said: ‘In some samples, we are not talking about ten microbes, we are talking about 10million.’

A heartbreaking story...

2012-01-09T07:55:00.000-08:00

Desperate mother has baby induced early so she can meet her dying 10-year-old sister

Loss of little Katy's smile alerted her mother to spectre of illness
Baby Scarlet brings the cancer-stricken schoolgirl happiness
Family seek radical help from Australia to save their daughter

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 2:15 AM on 7th January 2012

Me and my little sister: Katy Holmes cuddles baby Scarlet, the baby her mother delivered early so that she could meet her before she succumbs to an inoperable terminal brain tumour

A heavily pregnant mother took the heartbreaking decision to induce her child early so that her unborn daughter could meet her dying older sister.

Paula Holmes, from Penwortham, near Preston, Lancashire, asked doctors to deliver baby Scarlet three weeks early to allow cancer-stricken Katy the chance to meet her little sister.

Katy, 10, was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour in October and as her condition deteriorated Paula and husband David were afraid she would not meet the new addition to their family.

Paula said: 'The realisation that I was pregnant and that Katy might not get to see the baby was terrifying. My consultant agreed to do it without hesitation.'

And she added: 'Katy loves Scarlet, and seems to have a special way with her. All we have to do is put Scarlet in her arms and she starts smiling.'

Until a few weeks before her diagnosis Katy had been a happy and healthy child, but it was a mother's instinct that led Paula to take Katy to the family doctor.

As Paula and David watched a normally beaming Katy receive a school certificate they immediately noticed that something was amiss with their usually smiling little girl.

Paula added: 'Katy is the type of child who always has a smile on her face, and has a happy nature.

'But when the headteacher gave her the certificate, she did not smile or even flinch. She just looked sad, which was really out of character.

'My mother’s instinct sent alarm bells ringing, and I knew there was something seriously wrong.

'I took Katy straight to the GP and said, ‘You’re going to think I’m mad, but I am really worried as Katy isn’t smiling anymore’.'

Katy first began to mention that she had been suffering from blurred vision and headaches shortly after starting Year Six at St Mary Magdalene's Primary School as head girl.

More...

Cream that can clear skin cancer without surgery could save 3,000 lives a year

Paula explained: 'We have a history of headaches in the family, so did not suspect anything abnormal. But we took Katy to the GP straight away just in case.

“The doctor thought it could be migraines, and asked us to keep a week-long diary of Katy’s headaches.

Support: Katy, centre, with baby Scarlet and sister Charley, 8, from left, mother Paula, brother Craig, 19, brother Lee, 24, dad David and sister Kelly, 27.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT

PUPILS from Katy’s school and family and friends have been fund-raising so that she could draw up a wishlist of things she would like to do.
Her requests have been modest and although it has been possible to grant them she has not been well enough to take part.

Paula explains: 'St Mary Magdalene School have been absolutely fantastic, and pupils have had non-uniform days, bingo nights, cake stalls and all sorts of fund-raising events for Katy.
'Family and friends have done so much, too, and the community has really pulled together. Katy has never been extravagant, and appreciates the small things in life.

'When we asked her what she wanted more than anything, she asked to go to the Trafford Centre in Manchester to see the lights. But she wasn’t even well enough to do this.

'Other things she wanted was to go on a husky dog sleigh ride, go to the Sandcastle Water Park in Blackpool and to go to Beamish.
'She also really wanted to go to see The Lion King in London, and The Wish Foundation arranged for her to do this, but again, she was too ill and couldn’t go.

“But just days later, we had the school assembly, and the lack of a smile made me head straight back to the doctors.”
Katy was sent to the Royal Preston Hospital for a CT scan ordered by her GP and it came back clear.

The little girl then left for a few days on a school trip but when she returned a teacher expressed concern that while taking a photograph of Katy she had noticed that something didn't seem right with one of her eyes.

Paula rushed her daughter to A&E where doctors performed an MRI scan revealing a brain tumour.

Further investigation revealed that the tumour was embedded in the brain stem which was why it had not appeared on the first scan.

It was after the schoolgirl had been sent to the Royal Manchester Childrens' Hospital that the family were told the devastating news that because of the type of cancer and its location the tumour was inoperable and that the only course of treatment was radiotherapy.

Katy was given between six and nine months to live.

David said: 'It is the worst and most aggressive type of brain tumour there is.'

The self-employed upholsterer added: 'To be told our daughter had it, and that it couldn’t be operated on, was the worst news we could have heard.'

The family have not told Katy that the condition is terminal.

Her parents have been told three times times that they should say their goodbyes but Katy has pulled through on each occasion.

She is now being cared for at Derian House Children's Hospice in Chorley, Lancashire.

The family are now pursuing their last hope by trying to contact Dr Charles Teo in Australia who is known for making bold medical decisions.

Paula says: 'We are utterly desperate now, and need whatever help we can get. We feel totally helpless as Katy’s life ebbs away.

'Our beautiful daughter is fighting and astounding medics, so we owe it to her to do everything humanly possible to help her fight.

'If this was a war, and Katy was sent to fight, as a mother I would be right in front of her, protecting her from oncoming troops.

'It is no different now, except I don’t actually know what I can do, or how to do it.'

Nurse with poor staffing levels...

2012-01-04T09:02:00.000-08:00

Nurse who laughed as woman gave birth to stillborn child banned from working at troubled health trust

Terrai Mutasa treated Allyson Childs with 'contempt' during her ordeal
Nursing and Midwifery Council will now assess her competency to practise

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 8:40 PM on 3rd January 2012

A midwife who treated a woman with 'contempt' as she gave birth to a stillborn baby has been sacked from the troubled health trust where she worked.

Terrai Mutasa laughed at Allyson Childs for requesting painkillers amid the trauma of her labour and while doctors fought in vain to resuscitate 9lb 10oz Layla-Grace, who had been born with the umbilical cord around her neck.

In response to her request for a Caesarean at Queen's Hospital in Romford, the midwife allegedly said: 'Do you think that won't hurt? Believe me it will.'

Digusted: Allyson Childs, pictured with partner Steve and daughters Danielle and Lucie-Louise, was treated with 'contempt' by a midwife while giving birth to a stillborn baby

Ms Childs said: 'I am angry and disgusted. I've been let down massively by the hospital. I want a full inquiry. No woman should have to go through what I did.'

Queen's Hospital has apologised to Ms Childs over this and a further complaint about the 'insensitive conduct' of an unnamed nurse who sent Ms Childs 'rude' texts hounding her to return medical files.

The trust running Queen's is under fire over its maternity care after five women died in 18 months.

Complaints against Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust rose by a third from 2009 to 2010.

'Massively let down': The maternity unit at Queen's Hospital in Romford, Essex, where Ms Childs suffered her traumatic birth on September 24

Ms Childs claimed that during the traumatic birth Ms Mutasa treated her contemptuously.

Ms Childs further claims Ms Mutasa told her mother to 'find the scissors' to cut the umbilical cord during the birth on September 24.

An internal report also reveals the hospital added to the family's distress by losing Layla-Grace's pink bib. Queen's apologised for this and for leaving the body in a bloodstained cot.

The hospital's chief executive Averil Dongworth met Ms Childs and her partner Steve, 25 - who await the results of a post-mortem examination - and told them she was 'moved and saddened' by their experience.

She said in a statement: 'I offered Ms Childs and her family our sincere apologies. We will not tolerate poor standards of care.

'The midwife involved in Miss Child’s care is no longer working at the trust.'

Ms Mutasa was referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council, which will probe her competency to practise.

Fish boots blood flow to the brain...

2012-01-03T07:33:00.000-08:00

Fish could cut risk of dementia as it boosts blood flow to the brain

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 3:54 AM on 25th October 2011

Eating fish may boost blood flow to the brain which could stave off dementia in later life, researchers have discovered.

The health benefits of a diet rich in omega-3, a fatty acid found in oily fish, have long been suspected, and the findings of two studies into its effects on young people suggest that it can improve reaction times in 18-35 year olds as well as reducing levels of mental fatigue after they perform tough tasks.

Although the results suggest that, contrary to popular belief, taking omega-3 or fish oil supplements may not have an impact on the mental performance of young adults, the researchers at Northumbria University say the increased blood flow to the brain it caused could be important for older people.

Delicious: Not only is fish tasty it could also help fight dementia because it is rich in Omega-3

Lead researcher Dr Philippa Jackson said: ‘These findings could have implications for mental function later on in life. The evidence suggests that regularly eating oily fish may prevent cognitive decline and dementia, and increased blood flow to the brain may be a mechanism by which this occurs.

More...

'If we can pinpoint both the behavioural and brain blood flow effects of this fatty acid in older healthy people, then the benefits for those with mental degenerative conditions associated with normal ageing could be that much greater.'
Researchers now plan to conduct a study on omega-3 use in people aged 50-70.

Instead of 80mg, the baby was given 500mg...a FATAL dose of antibiotics

2012-01-01T07:28:00.000-08:00

'Their mistake took my boy away': Family search for answers after baby, 6 months, given a fatal dose of antibiotics

Last updated at 5:41 AM on 27th October 2011

A six-month-old baby has died in hospital after medical staff mistakenly gave him an adult dose of antibiotics.

The baby boy, who death was yesterday ruled an accident, fell into a coma shortly after arriving at the emergency room of a hospital in Brooklyn, New York.

Amaan Ahmmad was brought in with a high temperature on Friday, and doctors diagnosed him with pneumonia. relatives said.

Tragic: Six-month-old baby Amaan Ahmmad who was diagnosed with pneumonia on Friday fell into a coma and died on Tuesday. Family say he was given an overdose of antibiotics

Mother Ummay Sultana said her son was still well enough to play when he arrived at the hospital. She told NY1: 'He was a pretty, good boy.
'He never since he born, he never had vomiting, fever, nothing. This is the first time he got sick.
'When he went to the hospital, he was playing with me.'

Cousin Jhora Akther told the New York Daily News. 'We love this baby.
'Oh, my God. It's just so messed up. His life was over in a second. I just can't believe it.'

The baby's parents brought him to Brookdale University Hospital on Friday when they realised he was ill, Akther said.

As there were no hospital beds available the baby was put on an IV antibiotic drip, while still in his stroller.

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But immediately after starting the drip, containing the antibiotic Zithromax, the tiny baby reacted badly.

'He turned blue,' Akther said. 'Not even a second. The medicine went in, and he is finished.'

The baby went into a coma and was on a life support machine until Tuesday.

The cousin said the baby was given 500 mg of the antibiotic, but she was later told that the appropriate dose was 80 mg.

Devastated: Mother Ummay Sultana said her son Amaan Ahmmad was still well enough to play when he arrived at the hospital.

Child: The baby boy fell into a coma shortly after arriving at the emergency room of a hospital in Brooklyn, New York.

The nurse who administered the lethal dose has been sacked, relatives told the Daily News. Hospital officials did not confirm this version of events.

'We are investigating the circumstances of this tragic incident and express our condolences to the Ahmmad family,' spokeswoman Ruth Richman said in a statement.

Loving: Father Amain Ahmmad is originally from Bangladesh

Mistake : Relatives said the baby was given 500 mg of the antibiotic, but were later told that the appropriate dose was 80 mg.

'Someone's mistake took him away,' Akther said. 'I can't accept that. In America, that's unacceptable.'

Amaan's parents, Ummay Sultana and Amain, are originally from Bangladesh.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2054004/Family-accuse-hospital-giving-baby-pneumonia-fatal-antibiotics-overdose.html#ixzz1iDfwFY00

Putting 3 year old son in washing machine as punishment....

2011-12-31T07:14:00.000-08:00

French boy, three, dies after father 'puts him in washing machine and turns it on as punishment for throwing nursery classmate's drawing down toilet'

'I felt his heart beat for the last time and then he died'

By Tim Finan

Last updated at 7:52 AM on 29th November 2011

A 33-year-old man has been charged with murder after allegedly killing his three-year-old son by locking him in a washing machine and turning it on.

Christophe Champenois, from Meaux, near Paris, allegedly stripped Bastien naked and shut him in the machine to punish him for a prank at nursery school - throwing a classmate's drawing down a toilet.

He is then said to have run the cold cycle wash for a few minutes at their house, in the village of Germigny-l'Eveque.

Christophe Champenois, 33, allegedly killed his three-year-old son Bastien (above) by locking him in a washing machine and turning it on

The child, whom neighbours described as blond and angelic, died of head injuries on Friday night, French police said.
His mother Charlene, 25, recovered him from the machine, according to Le Parisien newspaper.

More...

Nationwide hunt for killer father who 'tossed daughter, 2, into creek still strapped into car seat'

She then ran to her neighbour, known only as Alice, and told her that Bastien had 'fallen down the stairs'.
Alice told Le Parisien: 'I picked him up and his limbs were as loose as those of a rag doll.

The family house in Germigny-l'Eveque, Meaux, near Paris where Bastien Champenois died

'I felt his heart beat for the last time and then he died.'

Bastien's five-year-old sister, Maud, told Alice's husband that it was not the first time the boy's father had put him in the washing machine as punishment.

Neighbours told the newspaper that the boy had been repeatedly abused - by being locked up for hours in a cupboard and also by being left on a window sill for hours wrapped in a blanket.

Flowers left outside the property where Bastien lived his short life

'Bastien was an unwanted child', claimed Evelyne, his grandmother.

'On the day he was born, his father was out drinking and when I told him he had a son, he said that he didn't want him.'

A judge in Meaux placed unemployed Champenois under investigation for murdering his child and charged his wife, a mother of seven, with failing to prevent a crime and failing to assist a person in danger.

Both were placed in custody and their surviving children taken into care.

Paracetamol is a safe and effective painkiller when used correctly.....

2011-12-16T00:42:00.000-08:00

Young mother, 20, dies after taking 'a few extra paracetamol' to help cope with breast surgery pain

One in four with paracetamol-induced liver damage have taken a 'staggered overdose'
Desiree had emergency liver transplant to try and save her but her body rejected the organ

By Tammy Hughes

Last updated at 1:22 PM on 15th December 2011

A young mother died from liver failure following routine surgery after she took 'a few extra tablets' of paracetamol each day to cope with the pain.

Desiree Phillips, 20, had a number of benign lumps on her breast removed earlier this year.

Doctors prescribed antibiotics and over-the-counter paracetamol to help her cope with the discomfort.

Accidental overdose: Desiree Phillips died after taking extra paracetamol tablets to help her cope with pain following surgery to remove a benign breast lump

Her family suspected she was taking just ‘a few extra tablets’ a day before she was admitted to hospital with a failing liver nine days after the operation.

The single mother, from Llanelli, South Wales, endured a week of excruciating pain and a liver transplant. But she died at Birmingham Queen Elizabeth hospital on August 26.

Her grandfather Des Phillips and mother Ayshea spoke of their shock and sorrow.
Mr Phillips, 58, a chef, said: ‘She must have been taking a few extra tablets than the recommended eight a day. She seemed fine to us, then out of the blue her boyfriend found her stretched out on the sofa.

‘When we heard she was at hospital we never expected she might die. People don’t realise that an extra two over a period of time can harm your liver if you keep taking that over two to three weeks.’

He added:'We have lost part of our heart, losing her like this.'

Warning: Doctors have told people to beware of a staggered overdose of paracetamol, which is where they take an extra couple of tablets each day over a longer period

By the time Desiree arrived at hospital, her liver failure was irreversible.

Liver failure can result in a potentially fatal build-up of fluid in the brain.

Mr Phillips said: ‘They said she should have a liver transplant straight away but her body rejected the new organ.’

Although an inquest is yet to be held, Desiree’s family is keen for action to be taken to try to prevent similar tragedies.

Mr Phillips said: ‘If a painkiller is that dangerous, it should be prescribed. Cigarettes have a label saying “smoking kills” but paracetamol packets don’t look dangerous.’

Desiree’s family said her one-year-old son Jayden is now being cared for by his father Simon Dewi-Jones.

Desiree’s mother Ayshea, 38, added: ‘Jayden doesn’t deserve to be growing up without a mum because of this.’

The 20-year-old's funeral was held at Llanelli Crematorium yesterday.
Dr Kenneth Simpson, of the Scottish Liver Transplantation Unit, who led a study on paracetamol-induced liver injury in 663 patients, says 161 of them had taken a ‘staggered overdose’ – taking one or two too many over several days.

‘Those who’ve taken a staggered overdose do worse, paradoxically, than the people who’ve tried to kill themselves,’ said Dr Simpson.

A Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency spokesman said: ‘Paracetamol is a safe and effective painkiller when used correctly and when dosage recommendations are followed.

‘Every pack has a warning about overdose and instructions not to take more than eight tablets in any 24-hour period.’

Pay attention to scratches...

2011-12-16T00:17:00.000-08:00

It was just a small scratch from a cat - but six days later my heart stopped

By David Hurst

Last updated at 10:41 PM on 12th December 2011

A week after Jon Taylor was scratched by his mother-in-law’s cat he was undergoing emergency surgery — and given just 48 hours to live.

Bacteria from the claw had entered his bloodstream, triggering septicaemia.
Jon recalls: ‘I was in the kitchen when the cat jumped from our oven on to my foot and left two 6cm scratches. After putting TCP and a bandage on, I thought nothing more of it.’

In fact, the break in his skin had allowed a strain of streptococcus bacterium from the cat’s claw into Jon’s bloodstream.

It multiplied, settling on the aortic valve in his heart — which controls the flow of blood around the rest of the body.

Two days later Jon, 44, thought he was coming down with flu. The day after that, he felt so ill he took to his bed.

‘I’m usually resilient — but I was surprised at how much this “flu” had knocked me for six,’ says Jon, who lives with his wife Stephanie and their three children near Okehampton, Devon.

The next night he was woken by a pulsating pain in his left ring finger — by the next morning it was swollen and had turned purple.

Even then, market wholesaler Jon wasn’t unduly concerned, thinking he might have damaged it at work. But swellings like this, away from the original site of injury, is a typical symptom of septicaemia (or blood poisoning).

Septicaemia occurs when bacteria multiply in the blood, causing widespread inflammation that damages vital organs. If not treated promptly, septic shock can develop, where bacterial toxins cause blood pressure to plummet.

Eventually, the organs start to fail, and it results in death in more than half of patients.

Bacteria can enter the bloodstream via open surgery and tooth abscesses, as well as burns — and scratches.

The doctor told Jon he had just 48 hours to live

‘I still didn’t think my symptoms were anything to do with the scratches, as they looked like they were healing,’ says Jon.
‘But six days after being scratched, I was jaundiced and very unwell. I had a raging fever and was very weak.’
His family became so concerned they called an ambulance and Jon was rushed to hospital.
‘By this point I was drifting in and out of consciousness, and my memory of being admitted is hazy,’ he says.

Jon was taken to intensive care, where tests showed his heart, lungs, liver and kidney were about to fail — at one stage his heart stopped beating for a few seconds and had to be restarted.

He was told his aortic valve needed replacing.

Jon says: ‘The doctor didn’t mess about, he told me if I didn’t have the surgery, I’d be dead in 48 hours. My wife was terrified and even in my state I was pretty frightened.’

It is important to pay attention to scratches, no matter how small, advises Dr Suranjith Seneviratne, an immunologist at the Royal Free Hospital, London.

An infected scratch will usually start to look red and infected, and the lymph node will start to swell near the wound after ten days. This will be followed by fever, fatigue, headaches and, in some cases, a loss of appetite, enlarged spleen and sore throat.

Worryingly, Dr Seneviratne adds: ‘A scratch can look like it’s healing, but the bacteria could have travelled to another site. Symptoms can often be seen away from the scratch, because of the incubation period — usually a few days — as the bacteria multiply and divide.’

The bacteria can settle on the heart, liver, brain, kidney and lungs, with those with a low immune system — such as the elderly, babies or someone with an existing illness such as cancer or diabetes — being most at risk.

Certain medications can suppress the immune system, including chemotherapy and steroids (used for conditions including rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis).
‘With otherwise healthy people, normally their immune system would kill off the bacteria,’ says Dr Seneviratne.

Jon had been diagnosed with a heart murmur in his mid-30s, caused by a weak valve, and doctors believe that bacteria from the cat’s claw had settled on this weak spot.

It is important to pay attention to scratches, no matter how small

After his operation, Jon was given six weeks of intravenous antibiotics — but it took a further 11 months until he was fit enough to return to work.

It’s not just animal scratches that can cause problems — so, too, can splinters or thorns.

Debbie Penwill, who runs a livery stable, developed a bacterial infection after scratching herself at a wedding reception.

‘Someone messing about lobbed a chair cushion that was backed by a thin piece of wood,’ says Debbie, 29, from Tavistock, Devon.

‘It hit me between my ankle and knee, causing a painful bump and scratch just a couple of millimetres long. It didn’t look deep, so I didn’t wash it and thought nothing more of it.’

But six days after the wedding in September, she woke up with a rash all over her body.
‘I’d had a flu-like virus a few weeks before and put it down to that.
‘But the next day the rash was really red and I was sick. I went to the local hospital where one doctor said it could be scarlet fever, but his colleague said it wasn’t.’

She was given moisturising cream, as her skin felt dry. But that night she couldn’t sleep because of the pain. ‘It was like I’d been dragged through stinging nettles — itchy and burning. I was scared as I didn’t have a clue what it was.’

At 4am she went to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth.
‘I had a blood test and nine different doctors had a look at me. They decided it wasn’t an allergy, but they still didn’t know what it was.’

Debbie was sent home with steroid tablets and some other skin creams.
In a couple of days the rash had calmed down, but then it merged into purple and black patches — which she later discovered was due to bacterial toxins circulating in her body.

Debbie’s skin became sore and tender for a few days.
‘I felt like a 90-year-old, as I was in pain when I walked and could barely get out of bed,’ she says.

Debbie saw another doctor after about three weeks, and by then her symptoms were a faded rash. A blood test showed she’d had the streptococcus bacteria.

It must have entered her bloodstream through the small scratch — the rash was scarlatina, a bacterial illness linked to scarlet fever. It develops only if someone is susceptible to the toxins produced by the streptococcus bacteria.

‘I had to take three weeks off work, and as I’m self-employed I lost a lot of money,’ she says.

‘My skin is still peeling nine weeks later. But I’m just glad to know what it was. I’ll definitely clean any scratches from now on.’

THE DANGER SIGNS OF SEPTICAEMIA

If a scratch becomes swollen, hot or inflamed and you start getting chills or a fever, seek immediate medical attention as this could mean it is infected.

‘The dirtier and deeper the scratch the more likely there will be an infection,’ explains Hilary Longhurst, consultant immunologist at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London.

‘The classic case we might see is the old lady doing her roses who gets a thorn scratch after putting manure down.’

She adds: ‘With septicaemia, look out for hot swelling, pain, feeling unwell, or swollen lymph glands near the scratch. If it’s not improving go to your doctor or A&E immediately.

‘Depending on its severity, oral or intravenous antibiotics will usually clear up an infection, but the sooner it’s caught the better.’

2011-12-11T23:13:00.000-08:00

Eating white bread and pasta could increase risk of breast cancer returning in patients

Starch-rich diet linked to new tumours developing
Refined carbohydrates, such as white breads and white pasta, contain more starch than whole grains

By Sadie Whitelocks

Last updated at 5:02 PM on 9th December 2011

Eating cereal, bread and potatoes may boost the risk of breast cancer recurrence say scientists

Eating plenty of cereal, bread and potatoes may boost the risk of breast cancer recurring in survivors, say scientists.

A study found that former sufferers who followed a starch-rich diet were more likely to develop tumours compared to those who reduced their intake.

Researchers are unable to explain the trend but it is believed that increased insulin levels, sparked by refined carbohydrates, could stimulate the growth of cancerous cells.

A team from University of California, San Diego, studied the diets of 2,651 breast cancer survivors over 12 months.

They found that carbohydrates in general - especially starches - were linked to the risk of new tumours developing.

The rate of recurrence was 14.2 per cent among women who increased their starch intake while it was 9.7 per cent for those who decreased their consumption.

Lead researcher Jennifer Emond said: 'The results show that it's not just overall carbohydrates, but particularly starch.

'Women who increased their starch intake over one year were at a much likelier risk for recurring.'

More...

At the start, the women's carbohydrate intake was 233g per day.

Women whose cancer recurred increased their carbohydrate by 2.3g per day during the first year, while those who did not see a recurrence reduced their intake by 2.7g.

Carbohydrates are the most important fuel for muscles, and an essential energy source for the brain and central nervous system, but some can be healthier than others.

Refined carbohydrates, such as white breads and white pasta, contain more starch than whole grains.

Professor Emond added: 'We didn't pinpoint the exact foods.'

Marji McCullough from the American Cancer Society said the findings, presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in Texas, are important for breast cancer survivors who want to know know how to lower their risk of recurrence.

However she added that it is too early to advise making dietary changes and further research is need.

Baroness Delyth Morgan, Chief Executive, Breast Cancer Campaign said, 'This study suggests that reducing starch consumption could possibly reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence.

'However, it is too early to make dietary recommendations based on these results and we therefore welcome further investigations into this interesting area.

'While the overall risk of developing the disease can be reduced with some adjustments to diet, a reduction in alcohol consumption and not smoking, the causes of breast cancer are complex with the biggest risk factors being gender, age and genetics.'

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK affecting about 46,000 women every year.

Most people in the UK are killed by five diseases -

2011-12-02T07:04:00.000-08:00

Most people in the UK are killed by five diseases - here are some tips to avoid them

By Doctor Sarah Brewer

Last updated at 9:59 PM on 24th September 2011

We all have to go somehow. And last year 493,242 Britons died of various causes. The majority were due to heart disease and more than a quarter were as a result of various forms of cancer.
But behind these sad statistics is another story: yes, we all die of something, but how soon it happens and what gets us in the end is, to some extent, down to our lifestyle.
So what are Britain’s most common killers, and how can we avoid them? Here is my practical guide.

Heart Disease

Most common: Heart attack, 70,196

Why does it kill? When cells in the heart die, the muscle cannot pump blood around the body. Without a constant supply of oxygen-rich blood, the body dies.

Will it happen to me? The risk of suffering a heart attack can be as high as one in three. A family history of heart disease also raises the risk of developing it. Heart attacks are most common in men over the age of 45 and women over the age of 55.

How to avoid it: Give up smoking – you are five times more likely to have a heart attack in your 30s and 40s if you smoke. Lose excess weight and eat plenty of fruit, vegetables and less salt. Eat oily fish or take a fish-oil supplement rich in omega 3 oils – studies have shown that taking just 1g of long-chain fish oils (EPA and DHA) daily reduces the risk of suffering a heart attack by 45 per cent. Control stress levels – excess stress can increase blood pressure by the equivalent of carrying an extra 44 lb in weight or gaining an additional 20 years in age. Exercise for at least 30 minutes each day.

What to look for: A heart attack can be difficult to distinguish from angina (the body’s warning sign that it is close to suffering a heart attack). Both are due to lack of oxygen reaching the heart muscle. A heart attack usually occurs after physical activity and symptoms can be vague. Fatigue, an urgent need to empty the bowels and chest discomfort as opposed to intense pain can all be the beginnings of a heart attack. Angina usually fades after rest but heart-attack symptoms will steadily worsen.

Stop: You are five more times likely to have a heart attack in your 30s and 40s if you smoke

Cancer

Most common: Throat and lung, 29,977

Why does it kill? Cancers develop when a single cell starts to divide repeatedly, producing abnormal copies of itself, rather than dividing occasionally just to replace worn-out cells. If the immune system does not destroy these cells, they continue to reproduce and invade surrounding tissues. Cancers usually kill because they can impair the function of the organ or tissue they are growing on.

Will it happen to me? Cancer can occur at any age and results from poorly understood interactions between genes, environment and lifestyle. But if you smoke, the chance of developing cancer – particularly throat and lung – is almost 100 per cent; otherwise you stand a one in three chance. The risk is higher if there is a family history of the disease.

How to avoid it: At least 40 per cent of cancers can be prevented by lifestyle changes. Not smoking (again!), controlling alcohol use, sun exposure and weight, eating nutrient-rich fruit and vegetables, regular exercise, reducing intake of air pollution (such as using a mask if you cycle in a city regularly) as well as making sure you are not exposed to toxic chemicals in the workplace will help. Get checked for sexually transmitted diseases as some, such as hepatitis and the HPV virus (genital warts), have been linked to certain cancers.

What to look for: Cancer symptoms are usually specific to the area affected, but never ignore a lump, changes in bowel habits, urinary difficulties, recurrent heartburn, a nagging cough or shortness of breath, recurrent discomfort in a specific place, sudden and inexplicable weight or blood loss.

Dementia

Most common: Alzheimer’s disease, 6,757

Why does it kill? A form of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease causes brain cells to deteriorate, but more specifically because there is an accumulation of protein both inside and outside of the brain cells that attacks the nerves, cells and neurotransmitters (chemicals in the brain).

Will it happen to me? As with all forms of dementia, Alzheimer’s does have a hereditary component. Smokers are also much more prone.

How to avoid it: Folic acid (Vitamin B9) has been shown to protect against the disease but the most important thing is to keep challenging yourself mentally – with brain cells, it really is a case of using them or losing them. Omega 3 supplements have also been shown to prevent dementia.

What to look for: The same symptoms as other forms of dementia – mood swings, and difficulty thinking, speaking, remembering and making judgments.

Dose up: Folic Acid will help prevent Dementia but the most important thing is to keep challenging yourself mentally

Digestive Disease

Most common: Liver failure, 7,503

Why does it kill? The liver is responsible for filtering toxins, regulating blood production and producing bile to digest food. As liver disease sets in, liver cells are replaced by scar tissue (cirrhosis). When this happens, the liver cannot function and toxins build up in the body. This can slow blood-clotting by 50 per cent.

Will it happen to me? The liver is a very resilient organ, and even if 75 per cent of it is removed it will usually grow back. Women are more prone to liver disease than men. The chances of developing the disease is one in 109 in the UK.

How to avoid it: Avoid ingesting too much of substances that damage the liver, such as alcohol and painkillers. Get tested for hepatitis if you think you may be at risk of having contracted it (if you have engaged in unprotected sex or have been contaminated with hepatitis-positive blood).

What to look for: Tenderness in the upper right abdomen, jaundice (yellow whites of the eyes or skin), intense itchiness, easy bruising and bleeding. Red spider veins on the torso, red palms of hands and gynecomastia (enlarged male breasts) can also be symptomatic of an underlying liver problem.

Diabetes

Why does it kill? If the pancreas does not produce enough of a hormone called insulin (type 1 diabetes) or the body does not make effective use of the insulin (type 2 diabetes), high glucose levels build up in the body. Poorly managed glucose levels trigger heart disease, poor circulation, blindness and leg ulcers that are prone to infection.

Will it happen to me? Having a father with type 2 diabetes makes the chances of developing the disease one in 40. If both parents suffer, the chances increase to one in 20. Adults of Asian origin are more at risk of developing type 2 diabetes and should be vigilant in maintaining a healthy weight.

How to avoid it: Eat a balanced diet, maintain a healthy weight and exercise regularly. People who are prone to developing type 2 diabetes tend to store fat around their middle. A man is at highest risk of developing the condition once his waist size has reached 40in. For a woman, it’s 35in. Studies have shown that losing 22 lb can reduce the overall risk of a premature diabetes-related death by up to 30 per cent. Bringing blood pressure down to normal levels can reduce your risk of diabetic death by 32 per cent, stroke by 44 per cent and heart failure by 56 per cent.

What to look for: A raised blood sugar level – get checked regularly by your doctor if you are at risk.

Death: A Survival Guide – 100 Ways To Die And How To Avoid Them, by Dr Sarah Brewer, is published by Quercus Publishing Plc at £9.99.

Shoppers ignore health warnings on food ......

2011-11-25T17:28:00.000-08:00

We're not dumping the junk! Shoppers ignore health warnings on food and buy whatever they want, study finds

By Claire Bates

Last updated at 4:36 PM on 25th November 2011

Unhealthy choices: Shoppers will regularly ignore health labels on food

Most shoppers ignore nutritional labels labels on food packets and simply buy what they like, a new study claims.

The findings are a blow to the UK government, which has pressurised food manufacturers to display calorie, fat and salt content prominently on packaging so that consumers can make healthier choices.

Schemes include the voluntary 'traffic light system,' which rates how healthy food is by using red, orange or green labels.

Researchers from the Food Labelling to Advance Better Education for Life (FLABEL) investigated 37,000 products in five potentially unhealthy types of food, including biscuits, chilled ready meals and fizzy drinks.

They found Britain had the highest proportion of nutritional information on packaging, with more than 95 per cent including it on the back of packs, and 82 per cent on the front.

However, the research also found that most shoppers understand perfectly well how healthy various foods are with only the bare minimum of nutritional information.

In a further blow to the costly schemes, the authors discovered that people who said they understood or liked the various labelling schemes were happy to ignore them and buy the food they liked best, regardless of how unhealthy it was.

More...

British women are the fattest in Europe as a QUARTER are classed as obese

FLABEL advisor Professor Klaus Grunert, from Aarhus University in Denmark called on food companies to put clear information on the front of packs for maximum impact.

However, he conceded that even this wouldn't make shoppers to dump the junk, saying: 'Motivation was a major factor affecting the impact of nutrition labels on the choices made by consumers.
'When prompted, consumers were able to identify which products were healthier, but they did not use this information to choose which product they prefer.

'A lack of consumer motivation, therefore, is one factor standing in the way of healthy food choices resulting from nutrition labelling.'

He added: 'The FLABEL research shows the most promising option for increasing consumers' attention to, and use of, nutrition information on food labels, is to provide information on key nutrients and energy on the front of the pack, in a consistent way.

'Complementing this information with a health logo can also increase attention to, and use of, the information, especially when the consumer is under time pressure.

'Similarly, use of colour coding can increase attention and use in certain situations, although the effects of both are not strong.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2066226/Were-dumping-junk-Shoppers-ignore-health-warnings-food-buy-want-study-finds.html#ixzz1eloBLUCL

What can cause cancer

2011-11-16T07:56:00.000-08:00

From hot drinks to using a mobile phones, everyone has a theory about what can cause cancer. But what do the experts think?

By Anna Hodgekiss

Last updated at 9:29 AM on 15th November 2011

Cancer is on the rise and nearly 40 per cent of Britons will develop the disease at some point in their lives, according to Macmillan Cancer Support.
Just ten years ago this figure was one in three. So what is triggering this increase?
Experts point to an ageing population (older people are more at risk as their cells age) and lifestyle factors, such as poor diet, smoking and a lack of exercise.

Many people have their own ideas about what's behind the rise in cancer - from hormones in chicken to microwave ovens and barbecued meat

Alcohol is another factor: earlier this month a study found that women who drink as little as two-and-a-half units of wine a day — equivalent to a 175 ml glass of wine — increase their risk of breast cancer by 15 per cent.

The Harvard University researchers believe alcohol might increase levels of the female hormone oestrogen, which can fuel breast cancer growth.

More...

But while the evidence linking these factors to various cancers is strong, scientists are exploring other links, too.

Many people have their own ideas about what’s also behind the rise — from hormones in chicken to microwave ovens and barbecued meat. Is there any truth in these theories? We asked the experts...

HOT DRINKS

Hot tea was linked with an increased risk of oesophageal cancer in an Iranian study published in the British Medical Journal

THE THEORY: Drinking steaming hot drinks is thought to damage the gullet. Hot tea was linked with an increased risk of oesophageal cancer in an Iranian study published in the British Medical Journal.

Compared with warm or lukewarm tea (65c or cooler), hot tea (65-69c) was associated with twice the risk of oesophageal cancer, and very hot tea (70c or hotter) with an eight-fold increased risk.

Drinking a cup of tea in less than two minutes straight after it was poured was associated with a five-fold higher risk of oesophageal cancer compared with drinking tea four or more minutes after being poured.

EXPERT COMMENT: ‘In countries such as Iran and Brazil, the culture is to consume absolutely boiling hot drinks,’ explains Professor Martin Wiseman, medical and scientific adviser at the World Cancer Research Fund.

‘They also often drink it using a metal straw which takes the liquid right to the back of the throat. This seems to cause inflammation of the oesophagus, and inflammation is associated with cancer as it can increase the risk of abnormal cells developing.

‘However, in the UK we tend to drink our tea several degrees colder and also add milk, which has a cooling effect and essentially eliminates this risk.’

BARBECUED MEAT

A Norwegian study has suggested that high doses of a chemical substance called HCA, found in burnt meat, were associated with a higher risk of colon cancer

THE THEORY: Some people believe the way meat is cooked — particularly charring it, as with a barbecue — is a risk factor for cancer.

A Norwegian study published earlier this month suggested that high doses of a chemical substance called HCA, found in burnt meat, were associated with a higher risk of colon cancer.

While the study involved genetically-modified mice which are not normally exposed to cooked meat, previous experiments have also suggested that burnt meat might have carcinogenic properties.

EXPERT COMMENT: ‘When it comes to how you cook your meat, the evidence is inconsistent,’ says Yinka Ebo, senior health information officer at Cancer Research UK.
‘But some studies have shown that cooking meat at high temperatures until it chars can produce cancer-causing chemicals. So it’s a good idea to use low-temperature methods such as braising.’

PHYSICAL TRAUMA

THE THEORY: It’s the sort of thing your mother says to you: ‘Be careful not to knock your breast as it could give you cancer.’
But can it?

A study by scientists at the University of Lancaster found that physical trauma (a blow to the breast area) could trigger the disease.
However, other experts argue that such a trauma will result in the breast itself being examined more closely than usual, which is why breast cancer is detected, rather than being due to the actual injury.

‘Some people believe physical injuries can lead to cancer, but there’s no good evidence for this,’ says Yinka Ebo.

‘Cancers are fundamentally caused by faulty or damaged genes and take a very long time to develop, and it’s much more likely injuries draw attention to tumours that are already there.’

MOBILE PHONES

Mobiles are ranked the same as car fumes but lower than asbestos

THE THEORY: Earlier this year, the World Health Organisation admitted that mobile phones may cause cancer.

A review of evidence suggested an increased risk of a malignant type of brain cancer could not be ruled out and it advised ‘pragmatic’ measures to reduce exposure, such as using hands-free kits and texting instead of calling.

After assessing the research available, the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded that mobile phone use is ‘possibly carcinogenic’, a term which places the phones in the middle of five tiers of possible carcinogens.

Mobiles are ranked the same as car fumes but lower than asbestos (the highest possible tier).
Yet a study published last month on the British Medical Journal website, disputes these findings. Led by the Institute of Cancer Epidemiology in Denmark, it looked at more than 350,000 people with mobile phones over an 18-year period.

Researchers concluded users were at no greater risk than anyone else of developing cancer of the brain or nervous system.

EXPERT COMMENT: ‘There have been endless publications on the possible link between mobile phones and cancer,’ says Professor Karol Sikora, medical director of Cancer Partners UK.

‘Due to the lack of long-term studies no one really knows if there is a risk, but if there is one it’s likely to be very small. That’s because otherwise we would have seen a very clear relationship beginning to emerge by now.

‘Mobile phone use surged in the Nineties and we would have seen more brain, head and neck tumours by now.

‘A problem with long-term research with phones is that the technology — and therefore the type of radiation — is constantly changing.

'However, it is worth remembering that, anecdotally, women chat on the phone a lot more than men, and they do not have a higher incidence of brain tumours.’

GENES

Hereditary: around 10 per cent of cancers may be due to your genetic background

THE THEORY: It’s often thought that cancer is ‘genetic’ so you can’t really do much about it. In fact, experts think around 5 to 10 per cent of cancers may be linked to inherited genes.

They have identified genes that increase risk for some of the more common cancers, such as cancers of the breast, bowel, ovary, womb and prostate.

For instance, women who have inherited the faulty BRCA-1 or BRCA-2 genes have an increased lifetime risk of breast cancer.

EXPERT COMMENT: ‘It is true that around 10 per cent of cancers may be due to your genetic background,’ says Professor Sikora. ‘This is the one risk factor you can’t do anything about, but a healthy lifestyle and not smoking, in particular, also play an important role.’

CONSTIPATION

THE THEORY: Some people believe that constipation — where stools sit in the bowel for a long time — raises the risk of bowel cancer as the waste products in them may cause a change in the lining of the bowel.

EXPERT COMMENT: ‘We know that the incidence of colon cancer is lower in areas such as the Far East, where the transit time of food through the body is much quicker because they eat more fibre and vegetables,’ says Professor Sikora.

‘A high-fibre diet helps cancer-causing compounds pass through quicker, reducing your risk of developing colon cancer.’

PLASTICS

THE THEORY: A chemical widely used in food packaging may be a contributing factor to women developing breast cancer, scientists at Tufts University School of Medicine in the U.S. suggested a few years ago.

A study of mice found that a compound called bisphenol-A (or BPA), used in plastic food containers, affected how they responded to oestrogen, which fuels most breast cancer in humans.

EXPERT COMMENT: ‘A lot of people have very strong ideas about this theory, but the evidence is very poor,’ says Professor Sikora. ‘This was a mouse study and as a result, it is pretty meaningless.
‘Mice only live for two years, so their lifespan is in no way comparable to ours. They would also have been given large doses (for them) over a short period.

‘I would not worry about using plastic bottles or storage containers for food. There are also often concerns about heating food in plastic containers in the microwave; while there are carcinogens in plastic there is no evidence that heating the plastic will release them into the food.

‘Again, it doesn’t mean there couldn’t be a relationship, but if there is, it’s very small. It’s also important to bear in mind that eating a lot of processed, microwaveable food may be indicative of an unhealthy lifestyle and may accompany other risk factors, such as a lack of exercise.’

MICROWAVES

THE THEORY: Microwaves work by using electromagnetic radiation to raise the temperature of food. There have been concerns that this radiation exposure could cause cancer in humans.

EXPERT COMMENT: ‘The main thing to say here is that microwaves don’t use the same type of radiation that is known to cause cancer — ionising radiation, which is the type produced by nuclear reactions,’ says Yinka Ebo.

False alarm? Microwaves don¿t use the same type of radiation that is known to cause cancer ¿ ionising radiation

‘We know this can change a cell’s DNA, which may cause cancer to develop.
‘Non-ionising radiation, which microwaves use, has enough energy to move things around inside a cell (in this case to heat them), but not enough to change cells chemically.

‘Microwaves heat food, but do not make any changes to it that aren’t made in any other cooking method. So they do not make food any more likely to cause cancer.’

CHICKEN

THE THEORY: It has been suggested that the hormones widely used to rear poultry in battery farms might raise levels of oestrogen in humans. Raised levels of the hormone are associated with breast cancer.

EXPERT COMMENT: ‘It’s a frequent scare story, but you’d have to eat an awful lot of chicken — about two birds a day — to increase your risk,’ says Professor Sikora.
‘The oestrogen pellets used in battery farming to increase weight would only slightly increase levels in the meat, and not enough to increase human levels.’

ILLNESS/VIRUSES

THE THEORY: The thinking is that having an illness or developing a condition in a certain part of the body makes it more likely cancer will develop there later in life.
Another theory is that viruses can trigger genetic changes in cells that make them more likely to become cancerous.

EXPERT COMMENT: When it comes to bowel cancer, the charity Beating Bowel Cancer warns that people with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis might have a higher risk.

‘Women with endometriosis have a slightly higher risk of ovarian cancer, as do women who are treated for ovarian cysts under the age of 29,’ adds Dr Sarah Blacklidge, of Ovarian Cancer Action.

And when it comes to viruses there may be a link with some cancers. Cervical and oral cancers, for example, have been linked with the human papilloma virus (HPV).
‘HPV is the most prominent virus at the moment when it comes to cancer,’ says Professor Sikora.

‘There are almost certainly other viruses that may trigger cancers such as lymphomas, but we do not yet understand the relationship.
‘It’s thought they might be triggered by an abnormal immune reaction to a virus.’

HRT

THE THEORY: There has been focus in recent years on the link between hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and an increased risk of breast, ovarian and womb cancers. The theory is that the hormones encourage the growth of breast cancers
.
EXPERT COMMENT: ‘HRT is still an effective short-term treatment for menopausal symptoms,’ says Yinka Ebo.

‘Using HRT for a few years doesn’t greatly increase your risk, but the longer you stay on it, the higher your risk becomes.
‘Five years after stopping, your risk will return to that of a woman who has never used HRT.’

Research indicates that women who use oestrogen-only HRT have a slightly increased risk of developing ovarian cancer, adds Dr Blacklidge.
Women who take the contraceptive pill are thought to have a lower risk of developing womb cancer.

For further information visit cancerresearchuk.org

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2061515/Cancer-From-hot-drinks-using-mobile-phones-theory-cause-disease-But-think.html#ixzz1dspUy1iv

2011-11-14T08:26:00.000-08:00

Diabetes breakthrough could save sufferers from drawing blood by testing tears instead

By Claire Bates

Last updated at 12:21 PM on 11th November 2011

Diabetics may be saved from having to draw blood several times a day to test their sugar levels after scientists found a way to use tears instead.
Diabetics have to test their blood sugar levels from two to 10 times a day by drawing a droplet of blood with a finger-prick test.
However, some people don't measure their levels often enough because of the discomfort it causes.

Tear testing: Diabetics nay be able to measure their blood sugar levels from tears instead of having to use a finger-prick blood test

Now researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a sensor that can detect blood glucose levels in tears.
The study, which used rabbits as human substitutes, found glucose levels in tears correlated to glucose levels in the blood.

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The researchers said in the journal Analytical Chemistry: 'Thus it may be possible to measure tear glucose levels multiple times per day to monitor blood glucose changes without the potential pain from the repeated invasive blood drawing method.'

Some type 1 diabetics must check their blood sugar levels 10 times a day

Doctors say there is a great demand for an alternative to using lancets, or pricking needles, to draw blood.

Fingers can become sensitive over time and there is always a small risk of infection.
Frequent tests are essential for people with type 1 diabetes, who can't produce the hormone insulin, needed to control blood sugar levels.

Skin prick tests are the only way to safely monitor glucose levels and will let patients know if they need an insulin injection.
If blood sugar levels fall too low, type one diabetics can develop hypoglycaemia, which can lead to coma and death if left untreated.

People with type 2 diabetes don't produce enough insulin to control blood sugar levels. Although it can be treated with a healthier diet and exercise it is a progressive condition and medication may be needed when the condition is more advanced.

Those with type 2 diabetes may only need to test themselves twice a week if they manage to get their sugar levels under control.

Diabetes affects 2.8 million people in the UK and 26 million people in the U.S. The majority of sufferers have type 2 of the condition.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2060258/New-diabetes-device-tests-tears-instead-blood.html#ixzz1dhHl9Qn3

2011-10-26T06:55:00.000-07:00

Fish could cut risk of dementia as it boosts blood flow to the brain

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 3:54 AM on 25th October 2011

Delicious: Not only is fish tasty it could also help fight dementia because it is rich in Omega-3

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'If we can pinpoint both the behavioural and brain blood flow effects of this fatty acid in older healthy people, then the benefits for those with mental degenerative conditions associated with normal ageing could be that much greater.'

Researchers now plan to conduct a study on omega-3 use in people aged 50-70.

Cancer-stricken mother dies 23 days after giving birth.....

2011-10-19T08:42:00.000-07:00

Cancer-stricken mother dies 23 days after giving birth to daughter she saved by refusing chemotherapy treatment

Stacie Crimm gave birth by Caesarian on August 18 as heart rate plummeted
Mother met baby girl Dottie Mae just once as she battled in intensive care
Three days later, on September 11, Stacie died in Oklahoma hospital
Her brother and his wife will now care for the girl, who weighed 2lbs at birth

By Laurie Whitwell

Last updated at 10:30 AM on 19th October 2011

Faced with the knowledge that only chemotherapy would save her from terminal neck cancer, newly-pregnant Stacie Crimm made the ultimate sacrifice.

The 41-year-old, who had been told by doctors she would never be able to conceive a child, decided to refuse the treatment so her unborn daughter could live instead.

Stacie was able to survive for five months before being forced to deliver Dottie Mae, weighing just 2lbs 1oz, by Caesarean section - and even managed to hold her on one occasion before succumbing to the disease three days later.

Trade: Stacie Crimm, right, refused chemotherapy for cancer so that her unborn baby Dottie Mae, left, could survive

Sacrifice: Dottie Mae will now be cared for by Stacie's brother Ray Phillips and his wife Jennifer

'This baby was everything she had in this world,' Stacie's brother Ray Phillips told the Oklahoman.

It was he Stacie called in March when she received the unfathomable news that she was pregnant after years of thinking she was infertile.
'You're not going to believe this,' the mother-to-be had told him in a mixture of laughter and tears, according to The Oklahoman.

But over the next days and weeks, as she shopped for all the things her baby would need, a serious worry began to gnaw at Stacie. She was having severe headaches and double vision, while tremors struck every inch of her body.

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She began to tell Ray of her growing concerns. 'I'm worried about this baby,' she said in one text, according to the Oklahoman. 'I hope I live long enough to have this baby,' said another message. 'Bubba, if anything happens to me, you take this child.'

Stacie was no longer with the father of the baby and would have raised her daughter as a single mother if she survived.

At her family's encouragement, Stacie visited a number of doctors and in July, a CT scan revealed that she had head and neck cancer.

Emotional: The moment Stacie was able to meet her baby daughter before she passed away. Also pictured are her siblings Ray and Elizabeth

Tiny: Dottie Mae was delivered four months early by Caesarean section, weighing just 2lbs 1oz

She had to do what no would-be mother should have to - choose between her life and that of her baby's. It was an easy decision.

Ray told the Oklahoman that his sister waived the potentially lifesaving chemotherapy in the hope that she would eventually hold a healthy baby in her arms.

Then on August 16, Stacie collapsed at her home in Ryan, Oklahoma and was rushed to OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City.
Doctors said the invasive tumour had begun wrapping around the brain stem, the Oklahoman reported.

Two days later the baby's heart rate plummeted, then Stacie's heart stopped. Code Blue was issued. Doctors and nurses rushed to her aid and decided a C-section was the baby's only chance.

Dottie Mae arrived into the world weighing less than a third of an average newborn. She was swiftly taken to neonatal intensive care, while her mother was placed in intensive care in another building.

'Sister was dying right there. She was gasping,' Ray told the Oklahoman. 'The human body fights death.'

Stacie fought back and managed to wrestle herself off the ventilator and sedation after a few days. 'There was still a lot of hope at that point,' said Ray's wife Jennifer.

Loving mother: Dottie Mae was able to meet her mother before Stacie died three days later on September 11

Part of the family: Stacie's brother Ray Phillips has taken Dottie Mae into his home with his four children after the baby's father left his sister

But the cancer had affected one of her eyes and destroyed the muscle behind it,
It had paralysed her throat so that when she did talk, she was hard to understand. She had tumours on her brain. She often became unconscious and had not been able to sign Dottie Mae's birth certificate.

Stacie was too weak to be taken to her baby, and her baby was too weak to be brought to her.

'We'd show her pictures and she would cry and she would want to hold her baby,' Ray told NewsOk. 'It was quite the ordeal. I felt helpless. I wanted to help her, I wanted to do what I could for her - we all did - but they had told us it was impossible for her to see the child.'

On September 8, Stacie stopped breathing and once again was resuscitated. Hospital staff warned the family that she was very close to death.
But she had not yet held, kissed or looked into the blue eyes of the baby whose life she had chosen above her own.

Nurse Agi Beo, herself a mother, could not bear to think of Stacie's emotional pain and decided to do something about it.
She worked with nurse Jetsy Jacob and talked to Neoflight, the medical centre's neonatal transport team, about using a capsule-like ICU to safely move Dottie Mae to her mother.

Special unit: Dottie Mae had to be transferred into an ICU module so she could be taken from intensive care to her mother

'I knew all of this was going on in the background and I didn't say nothing to her until I knew it was going to happen because I didn't want to get her hopes up,' Ray said.
He asked his sister what she would would think about seeing her daughter that day.
Stacie's eyes popped open and she began looking around to find her.
Soon the nurses arrived with Dottie Mae and laid her right on her mother's chest. The two stared into each other's eyes for several minutes.
'Nobody said anything, it got real quiet,' Ray told NewsOk. 'I told my sister, "You have done a beautiful thing". It was the perfect moment, that's what I called it.'

Stacie died three days later. Her funeral was on September 14.

Her obituary on the Dudley Funeral Homes website reads: 'Dottie Mae was the light of her life and her greatest accomplishment. She chose to give this baby life instead of taking treatment for herself.'

Dottie Mae now lives with Ray, his wife Jennifer and their four children in their Oklahoma City home

'I think she's a miracle. I just want to do right by her and do what Stacie asked,' Jennifer said.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2050224/Stacie-Crimm-refuses-chemotherapy-unborn-daughter-Dottie-Mae-live.html#ixzz1bEyPP8tm

Research on the benefits of supplements......

2011-10-18T08:02:00.000-07:00

Research on the benefits of supplements is contradictory, so what vitamin pills do the doctors take?

By Anna Hodgekiss

Last updated at 8:42 PM on 17th October 2011

Nearly a third of us take a vitamin, mineral or dietary supplement. But while there’s no doubt some are vital — such as folic acid in pregnancy to prevent birth defects — many experts believe that, for most of us, supplements are unnecessary.

They put the popularity of these pills (we spend £670 million on them a year) down to successful marketing aimed at the worried well rather than any genuine need.

And there are safety issues, too. Last week, a study of 39,000 women in the Archives Of Internal Medicine found multivitamins, vitamin B, iron, magnesium and copper increased the statistical risk of premature death.

Health benefits or a con? With so many vitamin pills on the market, which do doctors think are actually worth taking?

The researchers say the only supplement that might be beneficial is vitamin D3, if you don’t get enough through diet or sun exposure. However, others say the research was flawed.
So what do medics think about supplements — and which do they think are worth taking?

THE UROLOGIST

Raj Persad, 52, consultant urological surgeon at Bristol Royal Infirmary, says:

When I remember, I take the supplement LycoRed, which contains lycopene, the substance created when you cook tomatoes. It is thought to help reduce the risk of prostate cancer, but may have more general anti-cancer benefits, too.

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However, when it comes to other supplements designed for men’s health, I’m not so sure. For example, saw palmetto is often mentioned as an alternative treatment for an enlarged prostate as it may improve urination problems and shrink the prostate.
But there are also lots of unidentified compounds in it and it’s expensive. Alpha-blockers are proven to work for an enlarged prostate.

THE DENTIST

Dr Nigel Carter, chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, says:

I’m a great believer in vitamins and supplements where clinically necessary — such as iron for anaemia.
I take high-dosage vitamin C — 3,000mg, higher than the recommended dose — at the onset of a cold or flu. Research suggests a full-blown attack can be averted by doing this for three days.

THE CANCER EXPERT

Professor Karol Sikora, 63, founder of CancerPartnersUK, says:

I take nothing — giving healthy people supplements is a scam. I see the adverts on the Tube — they just get round the law by not actually making any claims, though the implication is you will look like the models in the touched-up photos!
We have incredibly sensitive systems in our bodies to keep our nutritional needs in balance, so if you’re eating a normal diet then your body will excrete the ingredients in most vitamins.

THE DIETITIAN

Helen Bond, 37, registered dietitian, says:

I’m not a huge fan of oily fish and certainly don’t make the recommended one portion a week. Instead I take a fish oil supplement, around 450mg a day, to get my quota of the omega-3 fats.

There is a high incidence of heart disease in my family and a wealth of research has shown these can help protect against this condition.

I’m a keen runner and my joints (especially my knees) take a battering. The research on omega-3s on swollen and tender joints is promising. They’re a good investment, perhaps even an insurance policy.

Diet solution: Many experts agree you are better swapping supplements for fruit and vegetables

THE LIVER EXPERT

Aftab Ala, consultant hepatologist from Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, says:

The liver is a fantastic organ with a remarkable ability to regenerate naturally. For that reason I feel there is little need for nutrition supplements or vitamins. Having a few consecutive days off alcohol a week will ensure good liver health.

THE GUT EXPERT

Nick Read, 66, consultant gastroenterologist and medical adviser to the IBS Network, says:

I’m often asked about probiotics, ‘good’ bacteria that are said to be beneficial to gut health, but I don’t take them. I think it’s better to eat foods with prebiotics, which promote the growth of good bacteria.
Every morning I have a big bowl of muesli with dried fruit and a banana. Oats, as well as the sugars in apricots, bananas, dates and prunes, provide prebiotics.

Recommended: Fish oil is good for the brain and joints

THE BIOCHEMIST

William Marshall, 67, consultant clinical biochemist at The London Clinic, says:

I take 25mcg (or 1,000 international units) of vitamin D from January to March when my levels are likely to be at their lowest. A lack of vitamin D has been linked to weak bones and muscles, and a poor immune system.

THE NEUROLOGIST

Paul Thompson, 40, professor of neurology at the University of Los Angeles, says:

My work on brain imaging shows that eating oily fish protects the brain against normal wear and tear, so the people who take fish oil may be on to something!
I don’t take fish oils because my wife and I eat a lot of fish. However, I do take calcium and vitamin D, as I have been diagnosed with osteoporosis.

THE DERMATOLOGIST

Dr Nick Lowe, consultant dermatologist at the Cranley Clinic, London, says:

I take 400mg of the antioxidant Co-enzyme Q10 at night to combat any muscle pain I get from taking statins.
I take 1,500mg of fish oils to help boost my levels of ‘good’ cholesterol and 1,000IU of vitamin D3 in summer and 2,000 in winter to protect against bone thinning.
I also take 200mg of selenium, as it’s said to have anti-cancer properties, and a lycopene tablet for sun protection.

THE OPTOMETRIST

Dr Kamlesh Chauhan, 46, vice-president of the College of Optometrists, says:

I don't take any eye care supplements. Research shows that only one is useful and that’s for patients at risk of wet macular degeneration. It contains vitamins C, E, beta carotene and zinc (Ocuvite Preser- Vision AREDS formula).
I think it’s best to eat green, leafy veg, such as spinach, that contain carotenoids, and also oily fish rich in Omega 3, which help to protect eye health.

THE HEART EXPERT

Dr Matthew Fay, 43, a GP in Shipley, W.Yorks, with a special interest in cardiology, says:

My advice to patients is to spend the money they would use on supplements to increase the quantity and quality of the fruit and vegetables in their diet — coupled with exercise.
I give similar advice about popular cholesterol-lowering products; they do lower the cholesterol, but there is no evidence they reduce heart attacks and stroke.
Oats have cholesterol-lowering properties — it’s much cheaper to invest in a bowl of porridge each morning.

Invisible cancer that killed Steve Jobs

2011-10-18T07:47:00.000-07:00

Now we can spot invisible cancer that killed Steve Jobs

Pancreatic cancer has no symptoms — but there are new tests to catch it early

By Pat Hagan

Last updated at 8:13 AM on 18th October 2011

When Jolie Dingle went for a routine scan 20 weeks into her pregnancy, she expected nothing more than images of her unborn baby. But the ultrasound also revealed something else — a large swelling on her spleen.

Within days, Jolie, 33, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, had been diagnosed with cancer. Tests showed it had started in her pancreas and spread beyond the spleen to her stomach and kidneys.

Yet despite the shock of a cancer diagnosis, Jolie can count herself lucky. Cancer of the pancreas — a pear-shaped organ about 6 in long that lies deep inside the body between the stomach and the spine — is notoriously difficult to spot.

Medical developments came too late: Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died earlier this month aged 56 after a five-year battle with a pancreatic tumour

That’s because, in the majority of cases, it produces no symptoms until the malignant cells have migrated throughout the body and already caused irreversible damage to other organs, such as the liver or kidneys.

Despite being more than halfway through her pregnancy, Jolie had little choice but to undergo emergency surgery to remove a tumour which, it turned out, had grown almost as large as a football.

‘When they told me I had cancer, I thought my baby and I were both going to die,’ says Jolie, who has her own hairdressing business and is married to Jason, 43, who runs a decorating company.

‘I’d not heard of pancreatic cancer and, to be honest, I didn’t even know what the pancreas was or where it was in the body.’

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Jolie and her now eight-month old son, Theo, both survived the surgery.
But had she not had a pregnancy scan, doctors said, the cancer would almost certainly have killed her and her baby too.

As a survivor of the disease, Jolie is a member of a very small club. It is widely regarded as one of the most lethal of all tumours, killing around 97 per cent of its victims within five years.

The profile of this deadly disease has been raised with the death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who died earlier this month aged 56 after a five-year battle with a pancreatic tumour.

Every year, around 8,000 Britons are diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas. According to the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund, while rapid progress has been made in boosting survival from cancers affecting the breast, a pancreatic cancer sufferer today is just as likely to die from it as someone 40 or 50 years ago.

Many sufferers discover a problem only when they experience considerable and unexpected weight loss (caused by the cancer eating away at their digestive system), back pain or severe abdominal cramps from the growing tumour.

But studies suggest that, if the disease is caught in the early stages, surgery to remove the tumour can transform survival rates from 3 per cent after five years to as much as 40 per cent.

Now research teams around the world are in a race to discover a simple way of checking otherwise healthy people for hidden signs of a pancreatic tumour.

Currently, most of those that get picked up early are spotted only because the patient happens to be undergoing an abdominal scan for some other, unrelated health matter — such as Jolie’s pregnancy scan.

Survivors: Jolie Dingle and her baby Theo had a lucky escape when her tumour was spotted and treated when she was pregnant

But in the U.S., efforts are under way to spot cancer victims as early as possible by scanning them for signs of pancreatic cysts, tiny growths that can become malignant.
These fluid-filled sacs on the pancreas usually have no known cause and, according to some estimates, affect up to one in eight people. In the vast majority of cases, they are harmless growths that never become malignant.

Those that do turn malignant account for about one in five cases of pancreatic cancer. At the moment, doctors usually only discover cysts by accident when a patient is having an ultrasound or MRI scan for something else.

But at the Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore, about ten patients a week are being screened as part of a trial to see if actively looking for cysts can cut the death toll.

Their efforts are being targeted at ‘high risk’ groups, such as those with a family history of pancreatic cancer, or those who have suffered a bout of pancreatitis — a persistent infection often brought on by gallstones, or frequent binge-drinking.

By targeting potential at-risk groups, it’s hoped doctors may pick up enough problematic cysts to make a significant difference to survival rates.

Another approach is being investigated by British researchers. Here, experts are pinning their hopes on research into the development of urine or blood tests that could detect pancreatic tumours before they get out of hand.

1 in 5
The number of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer who are alive one year later

At the Institute of Cancer in London, scientists are hunting for ‘biomarkers’ that are released in high quantities into the urine when a tumour is developing. These biomarkers are proteins that a tumour produces, or chemicals that help with the breakdown of these proteins.

Within the next three to five years, it’s hoped that five to ten different ‘biomarkers’ will have been identified that will not only pinpoint pancreatic cancer but perhaps even identify a person’s risk of the disease, simply from their urine.

Dr Steve Pereira, consultant gastroenterologist and hepatologist at University College London, says: ‘Hopefully, in the next few years this will allow us to introduce a screening programme that is cheap and acceptable.

‘But it would have to be extremely accurate for us to test everybody. Instead, we will probably target those most at risk and concentrate on them.’

Jolie Dingle had no history of the disease in her family and had no other obvious risk factors when she complained to her midwife of feeling sick halfway through her pregnancy last year.

‘I felt terrible,’ she says. ‘It was only when I heard the doctor use the word tumour that I realised I had cancer. I had to break the news to Jason and my parents, who were all stunned.’

The surgery took place a few days later and doctors removed most of her pancreas, all of her spleen, a part of her stomach and about 15 per cent of one of her kidneys.

While mother and baby survived the operation, Theo was not out of the woods.
‘Doctors warned that in the first few days after surgery there was a high risk that I could go into premature labour or miscarry. At 22 weeks, Theo’s chances of survival would have been tiny. Every time the nurse put the monitor on me to try to pick up the baby’s heartbeat I was a bag of nerves.’

Now Jolie has regular three-monthly checks and so far the cancer has shown no sign of returning.

‘I can’t believe how lucky I am. When he was born, it was one of the best moments in my life. That’s why we called him Theo, which in Greek means God’s gift.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2050295/Steve-Jobs-health-Now-spot-invisible-cancer-killed-Apples-CEO.html#ixzz1b8ysvYm1

Eating chocolate may reduce risk of strokes in women

2011-10-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

Good news! Eating chocolate may reduce risk of strokes in women

By Claire Bloomfield

Last updated at 3:35 PM on 11th October 2011

Observational study: Chocolate consumption was linked with improved heart health and fewer strokes

A sweet tooth isn't necessarily bad for your health - at least not when it comes to chocolate, researchers say.

A study of more than 33,000 Swedish women found that the more chocolate women said they ate, the lower their later risk of stroke.

The results add to a growing body of evidence linking cocoa consumption to heart health.

Research leader Susanna Larsson from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, said previous studies had linked flavonoids in chocolate with a drop in high blood pressure - a risk factor for strokes.

However, she said the latest study did not give people a free pass to gorge on chocolate as it had not yet been proven whether this theoretical benefit translates into real-life benefits.

'Given the observational design of the study, findings from this study cannot prove that it's chocolate that lowers the risk of stroke,' Dr Larsson said.

While she believes chocolate may boost health, she also warned that eating too much of it could be counterproductive.

'Chocolate should be consumed in moderation as it is high in calories, fat, and sugar,' she said.

'As dark chocolate contains more cocoa and less sugar than milk chocolate, consumption of dark chocolate would be more beneficial.'

More...

The asthma drug that boosts a failing heart by helping it to pump faster

Dr Larsson and her colleagues, whose findings appear in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, tapped into data from a mammography study that included self-reports of how much chocolate women ate in 1997. The women ranged in age from 49 to 83 years.

Over the next decade, there were 1,549 strokes, and the more chocolate women ate, the lower their risk.

Among those with the highest weekly chocolate intake - more than 45 grams - there were 2.5 strokes per 1,000 women per year.

That figure was 7.8 per 1,000 among women who ate the least (less than 8.9 grams per week).

A stroke is a serious medical condition that occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. People aged over 65 are most at risk.

Nearly 800,000 Americans and 150,000 English suffer a stroke every year, with about a sixth of them dying of it and many more left disabled.

For those at high risk, doctors recommend medication to lower blood pressure, quitting smoking, exercising more and eating a healthier diet - but so far chocolate isn't on the list.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2047818/Eating-chocolate-reduce-risk-strokes-women.html#ixzz1aa4Drse7

2011-10-11T09:32:00.000-07:00

Vitamin pills and supplements taken by millions of women 'do more harm than good'

By Sophie Borland

Last updated at 10:39 PM on 10th October 2011

More harm than good? Scientists say that taking vitamin pills can cause premature death

Vitamins and other food supplements taken by millions of women may actually put them at more risk, according to a major study.

Scientists say there is little evidence the pills do any good – and in fact some could be causing serious harm.

A study involving nearly 39,000 women has found multivitamins, vitamin B, folic acid, iron, magnesium and copper all increased the statistical risk of premature death.
Nearly a third of adults in Britain take some form of dietary supplement most days and the industry is worth £675million a year.

Some of the most popular pills include multivitamins, vitamin A, C and E, iron, folic acid and calcium – which are all thought to improve long-term health and ward off illnesses.

Scientists from Finland, Norway, the U.S. and South Korea looked at the long-term health effects of common vitamin pills and minerals on 38,772 women aged 55 to 69.
Over an 18-year period the women recorded any supplements they regularly took.

The results, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found copper increased the risk of dying prematurely by 18 per cent. Folic acid – which pregnant women are told to take to protect their child against spina bifida – increased risk of death by almost 6 per cent, while iron raised the risk by nearly 4 per cent.

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Multivitamins raised the risk by 2.4 per cent, vitamin B6 by 4 per cent, magnesium by 3.6 per cent and zinc by 3 per cent.

The scientists do not fully understand how supplements may trigger early death, but they may interfere with the body’s natural defences. They say the supplements should only be taken by patients who are malnourished and only under the supervision of a doctor.

Everyone else should ensure they eat a balanced diet to get adequate vitamins and minerals.

Concern: Doctors are worried that the tablets can interfere with the body's natural defence system

Jaakko Mursu, from the University of Eastern Finland, said: ‘Based on existing evidence, we see little justification for the general and widespread use of dietary supplements.

‘We recommend that they be used with strong medically-based cause, such as symptomatic nutrient deficiency disease.’

The results back up a major Danish study carried out at the University of Copenhagen in 2008 which found some vitamin supplements increase the risk of dying early by 16 per cent.

Last night experts dismissed the latest findings. They claimed many patients took supplements to treat underlying health problems – for example iron for anaemia – so were more likely to die early anyway.

Dr Glenys Jones, from the Medical Research Council’s Human Nutrition Research unit in Cambridge, said: ‘This observational study is interesting, but it does not show supplement use causes women to die earlier.’

Dr Carrie Ruxton, from the Health Supplements Information Service, which provides the public with information on vitamins and minerals, said: ‘Multivitamin supplements contain a variety of essential vitamins and minerals which help those with less healthy, or irregular diets, to meet recommended intakes of nutrients, thus ensuring the maintenance of normal health and well-being.

‘The findings should be treated with extreme caution given the poor methodology and lack of reliable information about the health of participants, or the type of diets consumed.

‘As there is no credible biological reason why normal supplement use should impact on mortality, it is likely these findings represent an effect of age and ill-health rather than supplement use.’

Steve Jobs

2011-10-10T06:44:00.000-07:00

Steve Jobs: A genius who made computers desirable for people who hated computers

I never really ‘got’ Apple. Like many I always found the almost religious devotion to Apple’s stylish but often infuriating machines off-putting and slightly creepy. I was forced to work on an Apple Mac for a while in the late 1990s and when we switched to PCs it felt like a liberation.

But I am in a small minority and I fully admit that with the death of Steve Jobs we have lost a talented genius whose trick was to make computers desirable for people who hated computers.

To me the computer has always been just a tool. But for millions the Apple Macintosh and its dozens of spin-offs and descendants are far more than that. They are part of their lives, they are part of who they think they are. Hardly anyone else has pulled off this trick with technology and for this Jobs deserves the tributes streaming in today.

Steve Jobs did not invent the personal computer nor did he invent clever user-friendly software. He did not invent the mouse, Windows-type interfaces nor all the paraphernalia of the modern IT world.

What he did instead was bring together the best of cutting-edge technology and packaged them brilliantly in ready-to-go boxes that any idiot could turn on and start working.

We forget now just how desperately awful computers were in the late 1970s. A popular model at the time, made by Tandy, had to be soldered together, had no casing, no monitor, no mouse and a keyboard with about six buttons. To make the thing do anything useful you had to have a degree in high-level geekery and be willing to spend hours programming the thing in machine code often as not to be rewarded with just a flashing green cursor.

Then in 1976 Steve Jobs founded a new company called Apple. The young company struggled in the early years coming up with computers like the Lisa and the first Macintoshes. The Apple and Apple II were self-contained stand-alone machines with a keyboard, a nice box and a monitor screen on top. Against today’s machines they were basic beyond belief but compared to the opposition at the time it was like the 21st century had arrived early.

Throughout the Eighties and Nineties Apple’s computers became more and more sophisticated and were machines of choice for creative types such as artists, writers and designers.

Steve Jobs was actually fired from Apple for a period in the late 1980s and during this time he bought another company which became Pixar, now the maker of hugely successful computer-generated movies such as Toy Story. Jobs returned to Apple in 1996 and rapidly brought it back to profitability.

For the last 20 years the 'narrative' has been that Apple is a cuddly, friendly company that sells nice computers to nice people and is run by a hippy-dippy guy who really isn’t that interested in money.

Microsoft, on the other hand headed by the arch geek Bill Gates is seen as a cut-throat, rapacious firm which makes cheap but unreliable machines for unimaginative business people and programmers.

There are grains of truth in these cliches but only grains. Jobs, like Gates was first and foremost a fantastically successful businessman. There is no reason to doubt Gates’s heartfelt tributes to his old rival today are anything but genuine. Far more united these men, and their companies than divided them.

What turned Apple from being a middling also-ran competitor to the biggest software company in the world was the undeniably brilliant 'i' range of products, starting with the iMac back in 1998.

Suddenly a new world of computing and entertainment was opened up to a whole new customer base. Younger, savvier more sociable and above all more female than the computer’s traditional market.

The iPod begat the iPhone. Again, it was neither the only nor necessarily the best of its type on sale but, certainly somehow the most desirable.

Finally we have the iPad, a machine, which in my view had no right to succeed, yet which has probably surpassed its makers' wildest dreams.

Like all the greatest innovators Jobs did not respond to what people wanted; he made things that they didn’t even know they wanted and then made them want them.

He took computing and the whole business of the electronic transfer and storage of information out of the world of the geek and the adolescent’s bedroom and brought it into the mainstream.

For this he will be remembered as one of the key architects of the 21st century, as people like me who never quite 'bought' the Apple brand have to accept that we simply never caught the right wave. We shall not see his like again.

source: http://hanlonblog.dailymail.co.uk/

Coffee is good for you....

2011-09-27T09:23:00.000-07:00

Coffee is good for you: Women who drink four or more cups a day are less likely to be depressed

By Sophie Borland

Last updated at 9:20 AM on 27th September 2011

Scientists think that caffeine works like antidepressant pills

Many of us depend on a mug of freshly brewed coffee to perk us up in the mornings.
But its mood-boosting effect could well be lasting far longer than we realise, claim scientists.

They have discovered that women who drink four or more cups a day are a fifth less likely to become depressed.

And those who drink between two or three reduce their risk by 15 per cent.

Researchers at Harvard University compared the coffee intake and risk of depression amongst nearly 51,000 women over ten years.

They did not look at men – but other studies have found it has a similar effect.

The scientists, whose findings are published in the Journal of American Medicine Association, think that caffeine works like antidepressant pills by stopping the production of certain hormones such as serotonin.

They also say it improves our feelings of well-being and gives us more energy over long periods.

The researchers also asked the women how much tea they drank, chocolate bars they ate each day, their alcohol consumption and whether they did exercise.

They found that coffee had the strongest influence reducing depression – but the decaf variety didn’t work at all.

More...

Dr Michel Lucas, from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, said: 'Our results support a possible protective effect of caffeine, mainly from coffee consumption, on risk of depression.

'Further investigations are needed to confirm this finding and to determine whether usual caffeinated coffee consumption may contribute to prevention or treatment of depression.'

Scientists think that in future coffee could be used as an antidepressant or as a means of preventing depression

The scientists pointed out that caffeine had 'well-known psychostimulant effects' including 'increased sensations of well-being and energy'.

They think that in future coffee could be used as an antidepressant or as a means of preventing depression.

Only last year a study in Finland discovered that men who drank more than four cups a day were also far less likely to become depressed.

Women are far more likely to develop depression than men and figures show that one in seven will be affected at some point in their lives.

And last month German researchers claimed that women are now twice as likely to suffer from depression compared with 40 years ago because they are trying to juggle families and careers.

It is already known that coffee can help stave off a range of illnesses including prostate cancer, gout and Alzheimer’s and may even boost brain power.

But it isn’t entirely beneficial – and you can have too much.

Scientists have also shown that can raise the blood pressure and increase the heart rate.

And pregnant women are advised to drink no more than two cups a day to reduce the likelihood of a miscarriage or their babies being underweight.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2042115/Women-drink-4-cups-coffee-day-likely-depressed.html#ixzz1ZAd0DG7N

The cancer risk in your 'healthy' glass of fruit juice....

2011-09-27T07:05:00.000-07:00

The cancer risk in your 'healthy' glass of fruit juice which has so much sugar it could bring on tumours

By Sophie Borland

Last updated at 10:32 AM on 26th September 2011

More harm than good? Research has found that some fruit juices contain so much sugar that they actually raise the risk of certain types of cancer

It's supposed to be the healthy way to start the day.
But a glass of juice might not be as beneficial as you think – and could even be harmful.

Scientists claim fruit juice contains so much sugar it actually increases the risk of certain cancers, rather than preventing them.

In fact, by the time the drink has been processed and packaged, many of the ingredients in fruit that protect against tumours have been lost, they say.

Australian researchers had sought to establish how effective different fruits, vegetables and juices were at preventing the development of bowel cancer.

They examined the diets of 2,200 adults, who filled in a questionnaire detailing their daily eating habits. The team then tracked the participants for two years to see how many of them developed the disease.

Unsurprisingly they found that eating apples, sprouts, cauliflower or broccoli on a daily basis all reduced the likelihood.

However, those who consumed lots of fruit juice had a higher risk.

The research, published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, found that those drinking more than three glasses a day were more likely to develop rectal cancer, a form of bowel cancer.

Scientists believe the high sugar content in juice may trigger certain tumours.
The Perth team also said that many things found in fruit which help protect against bowel cancer – including fibre, vitamin C and chemicals known as antioxidants – are lost during the juice’s processing.

For years, Department of Health guidelines have advised the public to eat five portions of fruit and veg a day, which can include a glass of juice.

But British researchers claimed earlier this year that fruit juice contains too much sugar to be counted as one of the five. The scientists, of Bangor University, Wales, said people would be better off eating prunes or other dried fruit, as even freshly-squeezed juice contains as much as five teaspoons of sugar per glass.

However, other experts suggest that people shouldn’t shun fruit juice completely, as it is still healthier than other drinks.

Nell Barrie, of Cancer Research UK, said of the latest research: ‘This isn’t a large study, and it doesn’t give us clear answers about whether different fruits and vegetables affect the risk of cancer in parts of the bowel.

‘It’s very tricky to tease apart the effects of a person’s diet on their risk of bowel cancer, but reliable evidence shows that eating lots of red and processed meats increases the risk, while eating plenty of high-fibre foods can reduce the risk.

‘Many fruits and vegetables are a good source of fibre, and eating a diet that’s high in fruits and vegetables could reduce the risk of other types of cancer as well – so it’s a good idea to get plenty of them in your diet.’

Places:: Wales
Organisations:: Department of Health

An antibiotic found in liver of sharks.......

2011-09-21T10:10:00.000-07:00

An antibiotic found in liver of sharks 'could revolutionise human medicine'

By Ted Thornhill

Last updated at 1:55 AM on 20th September 2011

An antibiotic found in sharks could be used as drug to treat human viruses and revolutionise medicine, new research has found.

The compound, found in the liver of the predator, could be used as a new type of drug to treat a broad spectrum of diseases from dengue and yellow fever to hepatitis B, C and D.

The antibiotic, squalamine, is already known to be safe for use in humans as an antiviral agent.

Breakthrough: A compound found in sharks could protect humans from a range of diseases

Dr Michael Zasloff, from Georgetown University who led the study, said: ‘To realise that squalamine potentially has broad antiviral properties is immensely exciting, especially since we already know so much from ongoing studies about its behaviour in people.’

More...

They found that in both lab and animal experiments squalamine produced antiviral activity against the human pathogens found in the diseases such as some forms of hepatitis which cannot currently be treated.

Along with offering medical advances this discovery may solve the mystery of how sharks with primitive immune systems can so effectively fight viruses that plague all living creatures.

Dr Zasloff said: ‘I believe squalamine is one of a family of related compounds that protects sharks and some other “primitive” ocean vertebrates, such as the sea lamprey, from viruses.

‘Squalamine appears to protect against viruses that attack the liver and blood tissues, and other similar compounds that we know exist in the shark likely protect against respiratory viral infections, and so on.

‘We may be able to harness the shark's novel immune system to turn all of these antiviral compounds into agents that protect humans against a wide variety of viruses.

‘That would be revolutionary. While many antibacterial agents exist, doctors have few antiviral drugs to help their patients, and few of those are broadly active.’

Dr Zasloff discovered squalamine in 1993 and it has already been used in clinical trials to treat cancer and several eye disorders.

‘I was interested in sharks because of their seemingly primitive but effective immune system. No one could explain why the shark was so hardy,’ he said.

Water interesting discovery: The study may solve the mystery of how sharks with primitive immune systems can so effectively fight viruses that plague all living creatures

When he started to ‘play’ with the compound he found that it inhibited the growth of rapidly growing blood vessels, such as those found in tumour growth and certain retinal diseases.

Since 1995 it has been synthesised in the laboratory rather than taking any natural shark tissue.

Dr Zasloff remained interested in how the natural cholesterol type molecule, which has a net positive electrical charge, acted as an immune agent in sharks.

When it enters cells, and it can only access certain cells including those in blood vessels, capillaries and the liver, squalamine ‘kicks off’ positively-charged proteins that are bound to the negatively charged surface of the cells inner membrane.

Some of these displaced proteins are used by viruses to replicate and without the protein a virus's life cycle is disrupted, the microbe is rendered inert and the cell containing it is destroyed.

This means that squalamine seems to be designed to fight certain viral infections, Dr Zasloff claimed.

He said: ‘To me, the key to squalamine is that once in the body it times its action to match the life cycle of most viruses.

‘Most viruses take hours to complete their life cycle, the same time period that squalamine renders tissues and organs viral resistant after administration.

‘In addition, it acts fast to stop viral replication, clearing the body of these predators within hours.
‘Furthermore, because squalamine acts by making the host's tissues less receptive for infection, rather than by targeting a specific viral protein, the emergence of viral resistance would not be anticipated.’

In tissue culture studies squalamine was shown to inhibit the infection of human blood vessel cells by the dengue virus and human liver cells infected with hepatitis B and D, which can cause liver failure and cancer.

In animal studies, scientists from across the USA discovered that squalamine controlled infections of yellow fever, Eastern equine encephalitis virus, and murine cytomegalovirus, and in some cases cured the animals.

The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition online yesterday.

Touching Message from A Dying Father....

2011-07-23T09:31:00.000-07:00

A father's message from beyond the grave: My darling children, here's how to live your lives when Daddy's gone

By Rachel Porter

Last updated at 1:04 AM on 23rd July 2011

Memories of Mandy Flanagan’s late husband Paul fill the house they used to share.

Pictures of him as a floppy-haired schoolboy, a handsome teenage rugby star, a
newlywed, and a devoted dad, adorn the walls and window ledges of their country cottage.

But Paul, a teacher, who died of cancer at the age of 45 in November 2009, passionately believed his children, Thomas and Lucy — just five and one-and-half years old at the time — should have more than fading photographs to remember him by.

Paul Flanagan with his children Thomas and Lucy. He died of cancer at the age of 45 in November 2009

‘There was nothing more important to Paul than being the best father he could be,’ says Mandy, 44.

‘When he knew he was dying, there was no time for self-pity. He became absolutely focused on doing whatever he could to continue being a good dad to them throughout the years, even though he wouldn’t be here in person.’

He wrote them letters, filmed DVD messages, bought future birthday presents, and even filled a large chest with his favourite books.

‘Each book is accompanied by a note to Thomas and Lucy explaining why Paul loved it, and how much he hopes they will too when they’re old enough to read it,’ explains Mandy.

But perhaps Paul’s greatest gift to his wife and children was a document titled ‘On finding fulfilment’, which Mandy discovered on his laptop, by chance last month.

‘I opened it and, with tears rolling down my cheeks, I discovered his bullet-pointed code to living a good and happy life,’ says Mandy.

‘The list of 28 instructions for living a good life contained no empty platitudes; each one completely reflects the way that Paul lived his own life.

‘He was wise and brave and decent to the core, but I could never have found the words to sum him up so perfectly as he has himself.

'I can’t tell you what a comfort it is to know that our children will grow up with a real understanding of what made Paul, Paul.’

Mandy Flanagan with husband Paul's document 'On finding fulfilment' which she found on his laptop by chance last month

She adds: ‘It would have been our tenth wedding anniversary this year, and while we didn’t have a perfect marriage — lots of love and laughs, but lots of arguments too — I realised when I read his words that, when it came to the stuff that really matters in life, we were absolutely united.’

Addressing his children, who were too young to comprehend the tragedy that was unfolding, Paul writes: ‘In these last few weeks, following my terminal diagnosis, I have searched my soul and heart to find ways in which I can reach out to you as you grow up.

‘I’ve been thinking about the matters in life that are important, and the values and aspirations that make people happy and successful. In my view, and you may well have your own ideas by now, the formula is pretty simple.

‘The three most important virtues are: Loyalty, integrity and moral courage. If you aspire, friends will respect you, employers will retain you, and your father will be immensely proud of you.

‘I am therefore giving you several pieces of advice. These are the principles on which I have tried to build my life and they are exactly those that I would have encouraged you to embrace, had I been able to.

‘I love you very much. Never forget that.’

What follows is an extraordinary list of rules, which could enable us all to live better lives. It encompasses everything from the importance of table manners to the perils of gossiping and everything in between.

‘And it’s just so Paul!’ laughs Mandy today.

‘It makes me cry but it really makes me smile too.

‘He was an old-fashioned school-master and utterly meticulous when it came to manners. I’m obsessive over the kids’ “pleases and thank yous” because I know that Paul never let them get away with it.’

Mandy reads aloud from the list: ‘Be punctual … Show moral courage … Never, ever let a friend down … Well, that was Paul. He was maddeningly early for everything.

He spoke up for what he felt was right, no matter how unpopular it might have made him. And I have never met anyone so loyal to their friends.

‘He also wrote that they should never give up, and he certainly never did. He fought so bravely, so courageously, right to the end.’

Paul was first diagnosed with skin cancer in 2004. A birthmark on his chest had become malignant, and was swiftly removed in November that year, when their son Thomas was just a few months old.

In January 2008, after years of regular check-ups, he was given the all-clear, when Mandy was expecting Lucy.

‘He was such a positive person, but he never allowed himself to believe that the cancer had been dealt with,’ says Mandy.

'Paul was wise and brave and decent to the core, but I could never have found the words to sum him up so perfectly as he has himself,' said Mandy

That May, a swelling appeared under Paul’s arm and specialists quickly confirmed his worst fears. The cancer had spread to the lymph glands in his arms, and was detected in his neck soon after. Surgery and radiotherapy did little to halt its progress. And, in March 2009, scans showed that the cancer had spread to his brain and his condition was terminal.

‘He never pitied himself,’ says Mandy. ‘The diagnosis, and perhaps the drugs he was on, triggered a sort of mania. He suddenly had so much energy. While I lay awake upstairs worrying, Paul would work through the nights, determined to get his affairs in order.’

He meticulously organised the family finances, arranged his own funeral, and even bought his own memorial bench for the grounds of Reigate Grammar School, where he had taught economics since 2003.

He also set up a cricket team for all of his friends, who now play annual memorial matches to raise money for the Melanoma Foundation.

Over the weeks, piles of shoeboxes full of paperwork, hand-written letters and DVD messages for his family and friends took over the dining room.

And as his health deteriorated, Paul insisted that he and Mandy went shopping for Thomas and Lucy’s 18th and 21st birthday presents.

‘I wonder how we got through those days, but there’s a strange kind of adrenaline that just keeps you going,’ says Mandy.

‘You just want to do whatever feels right. We went to a jewellers in Spitalfields market in London to buy Lucy an eternity ring for her 21st.
‘When the woman at the counter asked: “Is it the right size?”, Paul and I just looked blankly at each other. “We don’t know,” I said.
‘She looked at Paul and saw how desperately ill he was. Then all three of us looked at Lucy sitting in her pushchair, completely oblivious to it all.’
Lucy was christened last summer. As a result, she has one godmother and nine godfathers — each a close friend of her father’s.

‘He wanted his friends to have a permanent tie to his family, I think,’ says Mandy. ‘And if Lucy couldn’t have her father, a fantastic team of godfathers was the very least she deserved.’

By the time Paul died — at home, eight months after his terminal diagnosis — Mandy felt certain that he would rest peacefully in the knowledge that he had left the best legacy that any father could.

‘When some people are told they have just a few months to live, they decide their life won’t be complete until they’ve bungee-jumped off Sydney Harbour Bridge or seen the Grand Canyon. But that wasn’t Paul. All that was important to him was right here.

‘He lived and died by his own rules, and I know he had found his own fulfilment.’

For information on melanoma visit melanoma.sgul.ac.uk

A FATHER'S RULES FOR FINDING FULFILMENT

Be courteous, be punctual, always say please and thank you, and be sure to hold your knife and fork properly. Others take their cue on how to treat you from your manners.

Be kind, considerate and compassionate when others are in trouble, even if you have problems of your own. Others will admire your selflessness and will help you in due course.

Show moral courage. Do what is right, even if that makes you unpopular. I always thought it important to be able to look at myself in the shaving mirror every morning and not feel guilt or remorse. I depart this world with a pretty clear conscience.

Show humility. Stand your ground but pause to reflect on what the other side are saying, and back off when you know you are wrong. Never worry about losing face. That only happens when you are pig-headed.

Learn from your mistakes. You will make plenty so use them as a learning tool. If you keep making the same mistake or run into a problem, you’re doing something wrong.

Avoid disparaging someone to a third party; it is only you who will look bad. If you have a problem with someone, tell them face to face.

Hold fire! If someone crosses you, don’t react immediately. Once you say something it can never be taken back, and most people deserve a second chance.

Have fun. If this involves taking risks, so be it. If you get caught, hold your hands up.

Give to charity and help those who are less fortunate than yourselves: it’s easy and so rewarding.

Always look on the upside! The glass is half full, never half empty. Every adversity has a silver lining if you seek it out.

Make it your instinct always to say ‘yes’. Look for reasons to do something, not reasons to say no. Your friends will cherish you for that.

Be canny: you will get more of what you want if you can give someone more of what they desire. Compromise can be king.

Always accept a party invitation. You may not want to go, but they want you there. Show them courtesy and respect.

Never ever let a friend down. I would bury bodies for my friends, if they asked me to . . . which is why I have chosen them carefully.

Always tip for good service. It shows respect. But never reward poor service. Poor service is insulting.

Always treat those you meet as your social equal, whether they are above or below your station in life. For those above you, show due deference, but don’t be a sycophant.

Always respect age, as age equals wisdom.

Be prepared to put the interests of your sibling first.

Be proud of who you are and where you come from, but open your mind to other cultures and languages. When you begin to travel (as I hope you will), you’ll learn that your place in the world is both vital and insignificant. Don’t get too big for your breeches.

Be ambitious, but not nakedly so. Be prepared to back your assertions with craftsmanship and hard work.

Live every day to its full: do something that makes you smile or laugh, and avoid procrastination.

Give of your best at school. Some teachers forget that pupils need incentives. So if your teacher doesn’t give you one, devise your own.

Always pay the most you can afford. Never skimp on hotels, clothing, shoes, make-up or jewellery. But always look for a deal. You get what you pay for.

Never give up! My two little soldiers have no dad, but you are brave, big-hearted, fit and strong. You are also loved by an immensely kind and supportive team of family and friends. You make your own good fortune, my children, so battle on.

Never feel sorry for yourself, or at least don’t do it for long. Crying doesn’t make things better.

Look after your body and it will look after you.

Learn a language, or at least try. Never engage a person abroad in conversation without first greeting them in their own language; by all means ask if they speak English!

And finally, cherish your mother, and take very good care of her.

I love you both with all my heart.

Daddy x

Places:: London

Seaweed to protect the heart

2011-07-23T09:14:00.000-07:00

Seaweed 'is natural way to protect the heart' as algae helps bring down blood pressure

By Sophie Borland

Last updated at 8:51 PM on 21st July 2011

It's hardly the most appetising vegetable side dish.

But tucking into a clump of seaweed at dinner time could help stave off heart attacks, say researchers.

They have discovered key ingredients in the plant that help lower blood pressure, similar to commonly prescribed drugs.

Tuck in: Seaweed has been a neglected nutrient source in the West

According to a major study, seaweed is a rich source of proteins known as bioactive peptides – which are also found in milk.

These chemicals have a similar effect to ACE inhibitor drugs, which are widely
prescribed to help lower blood pressure and prevent heart attacks and strokes.

Seaweed is rarely eaten in Britain but has been a staple of the Japanese diet for centuries.

More...

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Popular varieties include Wakame, used in miso soup, Kombu, and Nori, which is dried and used to wrap sushi.

One of the few types eaten by Britons is the red seaweed called laver, which is used to make laver bread. But experts insist many of the clumps found on our beaches are, in fact, edible.

Dr Maria Hayes, of the Teagasc Food Research Centre in Dublin, said seaweed - known as macroalgae - was an 'untapped source' of these healthy ingredients.

Beneficial: Seaweed is very low in calories and some scientists claim it helps weight loss by preventing the absorption of fat

The research, published in the American Chemical Society's Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, looked at evidence from 100 other studies.

It called for more effort to exploit the bioactive compounds and 'their potential for use and delivery to consumers in food products'.

The report stated: 'The variety of macroalga species and the environments in which they are found and their ease of cultivation make macroalgae a relatively untapped source of new bioactive compounds, and more efforts are needed to fully exploit their potential for use and delivery to consumers in food products.'

Seaweed is very low in calories and some scientists claim it helps weight loss by preventing the absorption of fat.

Japanese researchers recently found that rats fed a certain type of seaweed lost 10 per cent of their weight.

Another message from a dying mother....

2011-07-22T07:37:00.000-07:00

Doctors laughed at me when I said I feared cancer... now I'm dying

Ex-nurse labelled 'hysterical' by surgeons after she asked for lump in her breast to be removed

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 7:54 AM on 21st July 2011

Ridiculed: Catherine Calland's fears she had a cancerous lump in her breast were dismissed by doctors, but the misdiagnosis has meant she now has terminal cancer

A retired nurse with terminal cancer told yesterday how she was originally dismissed by doctors as being ‘hysterical’ for wanting a breast lump to be removed.

Catherine Calland, 65, was wrongly given the all-clear after a series of tests six years ago.

Although she told medics she had a ‘bad feeling’ about the lump on her left breast, she claims she was laughed at. Just one year later, Miss Calland was diagnosed with fatal malignant lymphoma.

However, she only found out about the original misdiagnosis last year when she received a letter stating her case was being reviewed.

It was one of 26 cases at the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust to be investigated following a string of alleged misdiagnosis incidents.

Miss Calland said yesterday: ‘I am furious about this. If I had the radiotherapy a year before, I might not have cancer now. But it was missed in the early stages. I might not be living with cancer today if this avoidable error had not occurred.’

Miss Calland, of Hotwells, Bristol, had an initial mammogram at the University Hospitals central health clinic in December 2005 and was called back for a biopsy.

The results were reported as benign in 2006 after doctors told her they had found a harmless enlarged lymph node in her breast. But when she questioned the diagnosis, she claims the female surgeon called her ‘hysterical’.

More...

The mother of two said: ‘She said it was probably an infection through my nipple. I disputed this and said, “I have a bad feeling about this, can you please remove it”.
‘She laughed at me and said I was “being hysterical about it”.

A mammogram in 2007 showed that the lymph node was still enlarged and this time she insisted on having it removed.

Miss Calland opted to be treated at nearby Frenchay Hospital, run by the North Bristol NHS Trust.

It was there that she was diagnosed with malignant lymphoma.
Her doctor also carried out a series of tests on the sample taken from her breast in 2005 – finding it also had the malignant lymphoma.

But she was not told about the misdiagnosis until last year.

'When I found out I spoke to the North Bristol Trust and asked them why they had not told me. They said they thought it was not in my best interests to do so. I find that really patronising and insulting'

The former ward sister, who has many medics in her family, said: ‘When I found out I spoke to the North Bristol Trust and asked them why they had not told me.

‘They said they thought it was not in my best interests to do so. I find that patronising and insulting.’

After a bout of radiotherapy treatment, Miss Calland was told the lymphoma had spread around her body and was terminal.

She has been told patients with the disease rarely live longer than ten years. But early treatment could have increased chances of survival.

The review of histopathology – the analysis of tissue samples – at the University Hospitals Bristol was launched by the Royal College of Pathologists in 2009 following concerns by doctors at NBT.

It found the diagnosis was correct in just seven of the 26 cases. Now, as health bosses discuss setting up a single histopathology department in Bristol, Miss Calland is calling for doctors to be more open.

Dr Jane Luker, deputy medical director for University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘We apologise unreservedly for the cases where patients have come to harm.’

Dr Chris Burton, NBT medical director, said: ‘As soon as the RCP confirmed a diagnostic error, we contacted Ms Calland. We failed to raise with her the initial concerns ... and have apologised.’

Places:: Bristol

Diesel fumes 'increase the risk of heart attacks'

2011-07-15T06:29:00.000-07:00

Diesel fumes 'increase the risk of heart attacks'

Last updated at 8:06 AM on 15th July 2011

Diesel fumes are as bad for your heart as they are for the lungs, new research revealed today.

Scientists in Scotland have found that tiny particles produced when diesel burns are harmful to blood vessels and can increase the chances of blood clots forming in arteries, leading to a heart attack or stroke.

The research by the University of Edinburgh measured the impact of diesel exhaust fumes on healthy volunteers at levels that would be found in heavily polluted cities.

Congested traffic on Princes Street in Edinburgh: New findings suggest lives could be saved by cutting harmful nanoparticles out of exhaust

Scientists compared how people reacted to the gases found in diesel fumes - such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide - with those caused by the ultrafine chemical particles from exhausts.

The research, funded by the British Heart Foundation, showed that the tiny particles, and not the gases, impaired the function of blood vessels that control how blood is channelled to the body's organs.

The 'invisible' particles - less than a millionth of a metre wide - can be filtered out of exhaust emissions by fitting special particle traps to vehicles.
Particle traps are already being fitted retrospectively to public transport vehicles in the US to minimise the potential effects of pollution.

More...

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Dr Mark Miller, of the university's Centre for Cardiovascular Science, said: 'While many people tend to think of the effects of air pollution in terms of damage to the lungs, there is strong evidence that it has an impact on the heart and blood vessels as well.

'Our research shows that while both gases and particles can affect our blood pressure, it is actually the miniscule chemical particles that are emitted by car exhausts that are really harmful.

'These particles produce highly reactive molecules called free radicals that can injure our blood vessels and lead to vascular disease.

'We are now investigating which of the chemicals carried by these particles cause these harmful actions, so that in the future we can try and remove these chemicals, and prevent the health effects of vehicle emissions.'

Researchers want environmental health measures that are designed to reduce emissions to be tested to determine whether they reduce the incidence of heart attacks.

Professor Jeremy Pearson, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: 'We've known for a long time that air pollution is a major heart health issue and that's why we're funding this team in Edinburgh to continue their vital research.

'Their findings suggest that lives could be saved by cutting these harmful nanoparticles out of exhaust - perhaps by taking them out of the fuel, or making manufacturers add gadgets to their vehicles that can trap particles before they escape. The best approach isn't clear yet.

'For now our advice remains the same - people with heart disease should avoid spending long periods outside in areas where traffic pollution is likely to be high, such as on or near busy roads.'

The results are published in the European Heart Journal.

Places:: Edinburgh,; Scotland
Organisations:: British Heart Foundation

Women drivers ARE more dangerous behind the wheel.....

2011-07-10T07:58:00.000-07:00

It's official! Women drivers ARE more dangerous behind the wheel, scientists discover

Researchers looked at 6.5million car crashes that took place in the U.S. between 1998 and 2007
The results are even more surprising as men spend more time driving than women

By Graham Smith

Last updated at 1:45 PM on 7th July 2011

Women drivers are more likely to be involved in an accident, according to scientists.

Researchers looked at 6.5million car crashes and found a higher than expected number of accidents between two female drivers.
They also discovered that women have a tough time negotiating crossroads, T-junctions and slip roads.

Truth to a stereotype? Women drivers are more likely to be involved in an accident, scientists found after analysing data from 6.5million car crashes

The results are even more surprising given that men spend more time behind the wheel than women. On average, men drive 60 per cent of the time, and women 40 per cent.

Michael Sivak, of the University of Michigan, said: 'The results indicate that in certain crash scenarios, male-to-male crashes tend to be under-represented and female-to-female crashes tend to be over-represented.'

More...

Dr Sivak and his colleague Brandon Schoettle studied data from a nationally representative sample of police-reported crashes in the U.S. from 1988 to 2007.

They had expected to find that accidents involving two male drivers would make up 36.2 per cent of all crashes, while female/female accidents would account for 15.8 per cent and male/female 48 per cent.

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Instead, they discovered that accidents involving two women drivers were 20.5 per cent, while male/male crashes were much lower at 31.9 per cent.

Accidents involving male and female drivers stood at 47.6 per cent, as expected.
The scientists also found that women were more likely than men to crash at a junction - their cars are often hit on the left-hand side when trying to make a right-hand turn, and vice versa.

Dr Sivak said this might be due to height difference between the sexes.

He said: 'There are three dominant driver-related factors, including the probability of being at the wrong place at the wrong time, one's own driving skills and the driving skills of the other driver involved.'

Boy dies for 40 minutes......

2011-07-08T10:33:00.000-07:00

Boy dies for 40 minutes before doctor brings him back to life by massaging his heart with his BARE HANDS

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 1:06 PM on 6th July 2011

A little boy whose heart stopped beating for 40minutes made a miracle recovery after a doctor opened up his chest and pumped the organ by hand.

Joshua Baker, 5, suffered a huge cardiac arrest just a few days after undergoing a risky operation to correct a rare heart condition.

Luckily one of his surgeons, Mr Giles Peek, was passing the room at the time and rushed in.

Joshua was admitted to hospital in November after a check-up revealed that the one functioning side of his heart was working so hard it was likely to explode

His mother Rebecca, said: 'Straight away, he just opened up Josh's chest and started massaging his heart.

'Josh was down for 40 minutes altogether - we were so relieved when he came back.'

However, doctors warned his parents that even if he survived the night, Joshua would probably suffer brain damage because his brain had been without oxygen for so long.

But just a few months after coming back from the dead, Joshua is now a happy and healthy little boy.

He is enjoying being back home in Birmingham, with his parents, Rebecca, 31, and Lee, 29, a gardener, and sisters, Chloe, 6, and Mia, 3.

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Mrs Baker said: 'We are absolutely blown away by Josh's recovery.

'He has been very ill since he was little, and we have thought so many times that we were going to lose him.

'Sitting in a hospital and seeing my little boy's heart stop beating is the most terrifying thing that has ever happened to me.

'We cannot explain how grateful we are to the surgeon who saved his life - he is a wonderful man.

'The whole family is so grateful to have Joshua back home. It's amazing to see him running around and playing with his sisters. I feel so lucky.'

Joshua was diagnosed with a complex congenital heart disease just two weeks after he was born.

Criticall: Joshua, pictured in hospital last November, had four major operations and seven minor procedures by the time he was two

His parents were devastated when they were told their son had a hole in his heart - as well the right side of his heart failing to function, and pumping blood around his body the wrong way.

He had four major heart operations and seven minor procedures before he turned two - but in November 2010, a check up revealed that the one functioning side of Josh's heart was working so hard it was likely to explode unless he had a major operation.

However, the surgery to strengthen his ventricles was so risky that medics warned his parents there was only a 20 per cent chance he would survive.

Mrs Baker said: 'We were left to make an impossible decision. The operation was so dangerous, and there was so little chance that he would pull through, that I almost couldn't bring myself to consent to it.

'But I knew that without help, his heart would give up. I couldn't let him slip away from us.
'Joshua's a fighter and I know we had to give him a chance to fight. The operation lasted an agonising 15 hours, and Josh was critically ill afterwards. It was one of the worst times of my life.

'His heart was swollen and bruised from the surgery, and as a mum, all I wanted to do was pick him up and cuddle him, but I couldn't.'

Joshua survived the operation, but was kept on the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester for two weeks.

His condition suddenly deteriorated after his heart developed a bleed - and he suffered a massive cardiac arrest.

The full-time mother added: 'We had been by Joshua's bedside constantly since the operation. He was hooked up to dozens of machines, when suddenly nurses and doctors started rushing in.

'We were terrified. Everything happened so quickly we had no idea what was going on, but obviously, we knew it wasn't good news.

Magic medicine: Joshua (centre) with his parents Rebecca and Lee and sisters, Chloe and Mia. His sisters managed to rouse him in hospital by singing a Christmas song

'Luckily, Joshua's surgeon had been passing his room when his heart failed and came rushing in.
'Straight away, he just opened up Josh's chest and started massaging his heart.

'Josh was down for 40 minutes altogether - we were so relieved when he came back.'

His family then faced an anxious wait to see if he would recover.

'We brought Josh all his favourite toys and hoped he would recognise them, but there was nothing,' Mrs Baker said.

'He was too ill for his sisters to visit him, but I let them speak down the phone to Josh.
'It was just before Christmas, and the girls sang Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer over the phone to him. Suddenly, his eyes flickered and a huge grin spread over his face.

'It was the best moment of my life. My husband and I burst out crying, and so did all the nurses on the ward.

'His sisters were his magic medicine, and he's been getting stronger and stronger ever since.'

Joshua had problems walking when he came out of hospital and still gets tired easily but is gaining strengths and enjoys playing football with his father.

'We are just so grateful to Dr Peek and everyone who looked after Josh at Glenfield Hospital,' Mrs Baker said.

Carmel Hunt, matron for the East Midlands Congenital Heart Centre, said: 'Joshua spent three weeks with us at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester and spent his fifth birthday with us.

'We are delighted that he is now back home with his family and is making a fully recovery.'

Places:: Birmingham

Threatening brain tumour and cyst.....

2011-07-07T07:16:00.000-07:00

Doctors miss life-threatening brain tumour and cyst - even though they were the size of an ORANGE

Brain tumour diagnosed as an infection, cluster headaches and even a deviated septum

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 11:54 AM on 6th July 2011

Doctors failed to spot Terry Purkiss's life-threatening brain tumour and cyst - even though they were the size of an orange.
They repeatedly missed the symptoms over six months and when his condition was finally spotted he was told he was weeks from death unless he had urgent surgery.

Recovering: Terry Purkiss, pictured on holiday in New York, had a large tumour removed last month after it was found pushing down on his brain

He first complained to his GP about crippling headaches in January. He went on to visit three different hospitals, on one occasion in an ambulance.
He was in agony, unable to walk straight and lost vision in one eye. But again and again he was given antibiotics or painkillers and sent home.

More...

Finally he had an appointment with a neurologist booked by his GP, who found the brain tumour and cyst the size of an orange.

Crippling headaches: Terry was first diagnosed with a deviated septum at Queen's Hospital, Romford

The tumour has now been removed and Mr Purkiss is recovering at home in Thurrock, Essex.

TERRY'S DIAGNOSIS HELL

January: Terry visits Brambles surgery in Brentwood complaining of painful headaches, infection in aftermath of bad cold. Prescribes a course of antibiotics.

A week after he goes back to get another course of antibiotics, the GP then puts him on the list for a non-urgent CT scan and an appointment with a neurologist.

February: Pain worsens so Terry goes to see GP Dr Abela in Chafford Hundred where he now lives. Dr Abela prescribes him another course of anti-biotics for a suspected infection.

February 13: Terry is crippled by a severe headache and partner Julia calls an ambulance.

After a few hours in A&E at Basildon Hospital, Terry is seen by a doctor who diagnoses him with cluster headaches brought on by stress. He sends him home with painkillers.

February/ March: Terry tries to get an appointment at the GP's in Chafford about the ongoing pain. Told he must wait for an appointment because it isn't an emergency. A doctor prescribes him with painkillers after phone conversation.

In desperation the couple visit Queens Hospital, Terry is sent home with more painkillers, he visits Queens A&E again within weeks, and an A&E doctor diagnoses chronic sinitus.

April: Terry has the CT scan booked in January at Queens Hospital, Romford.

Days later he has to visit Queen's A&E again as the pain intensifies, a doctor perscribes more painkillers and nasal sprays.

He sees a doctor at King George Hospital, Redbridge.

The doctor books Terry in for non-urgent surgery for a deviated septum and for his sinuses to be flushed and made bigger, he is told this will be in two to three months time. At this stage Terry cannot walk properly anymore.

June: Terry tries to get an appointment at the GPs but is told its a four week wait. They go to Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford, where they are told Terry is out of the catchment area.

June 13: Terry has the appointment with neurologist at Orsett Hospital that was booked in January. The specialist shines a light in Terry's eyes and spots a large brain tumour.

He requests an urgent MRI scan.

Days later they see a doctor at Nuffield private hospital, who says Terry's symptoms don't match up with the diagnosis of sinitus.

June 24: Terry goes to Basildon Hospital for an MRI scan which confirms the tumour.

June 27: Terry is taken to Queens Hospital where he has an operation to remove the tumour and a large cyst

His partner Julia Bathie, 43, said the couple have been 'on a roller coaster to hell and back' in the last few months.

She said: 'I'm so angry at the way Terry was treated. He was just fobbed off by doctors and endured months of pain when he didn't need to.'

Before the brain tumour was picked up, Mr Purkiss saw two GPs, visited Basildon A&E once and Queen's A&E in Romford three times, during which he had a CT scan. He was also taken to Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford.

Over the six months he was incorrectly diagnosed with an infection, cluster headaches and even the common nose disorder of a deviated septum.

The life-threatening condition wasn't picked up until he went to an appointment with a neurologist at Orsett Hospital in June, that had been booked in as a precaution by his GP back in January.

The neurologist shined a light in Terry's eyes and immediately picked up on the tumour.

An urgent MRI was then requested, and the benign tumour and cyst were removed at Queen's Hospital.

Julia said: 'The doctors told him the cyst was the size of a Jaffa orange, and was one of the biggest he had ever seen.

'They said the tumour and cyst were three millimetres away from his optic nerve, he could have lost his sight, or been left paralysed.

'He would have been dead within four weeks if they hadn't got it out, because of the pressure it was putting on his brain.

'Despite what he went through before, we would like to thank Mr Low the surgeon who saved his life.'
Mr Purkiss is now recovering at home after the operation, he has since complained to the Patient Advice and Liaison Service, and Thurrock MP, Jackie Doyle Price, about the care he received.

Pat Trinnaman, spokesman for Basildon Hospital said: 'We are unable to go into details about an individual's treatment, but it would appear that once this patient saw one of the trust's specialists, his condition was swiftly diagnosed and treated.

'Talking generally, patients coming to A&E with a headache or any other long-term pain or problem, would be assessed and have appropriate tests carried out.

'A doctor would refer a patient for an x-ray or a scan only if there was a clinical indication for one.

'It would be clinically wrong - all imaging carries a degree of risk - and financially and logistically impossible to do so as a matter of course.'

Nicola Eves, spokesman for Queen's Hospital, added: 'We have not received a complaint from Mr Purkiss regarding his care, but apologise if he feels that mistakes were made.

'We are pleased that we successfully managed to remove his brain tumour and wish him a speedy recovery.
'If a complaint is received by the trust then we always carry out a full investigation.'

Europe E.coli outbreak......

2011-07-03T09:01:00.000-07:00

Europe E.coli outbreak may have been caused by Egyptian seeds

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 5:20 PM on 30th June 2011

The deadliest outbreak of E.coli ever recorded, which infected more than 4,000 people in Europe and the U.S, may have stemmed from seeds grown in Egypt, experts say.

The strain, which has killed at least 48 people, has been linked to sprouted fenugreek seeds in initial investigations by European scientists.

The bacteria caused a major outbreak in Germany and a smaller one around Bordeaux in France in May.

Almost all of those who sickened lived in Germany or had recently travelled there.

Victim: A patient in intensive care at the Hanover Medical School after becoming infected with E.coli

Experts from the Sweden-based European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the Italy-based European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have carried out initial investigations.

In a joint statement they said: 'The tracing back is progressing and has thus far shown that fenugreek seeds imported from Egypt either in 2009 and/or 2010 are implicated in both outbreaks.'

Fenugreek is used as a herb or spice.

At one point British seed trader Thomson & Morgan had been cited as a possible source for the outbreak in France, but they were cleared by health authorities.

A speciman dish with E.coli bacteria: There is still uncertainty as to whether Egypt is the source of the outbreak

The strain of E.coli infections in the current outbreaks - known as STEC O104:H4 - can cause serious diarrhea and, in severe cases, kidney failure and death.

The ECDC and EFSA inquiry teams warned, however, that since contamination of the seeds could have occurred at any stage in the long and complex supply chain between seed production, transport, packaging and distribution, 'this would also mean that other batches of potentially contaminated seeds are still available within the EU (European Union), and perhaps outside.'

The ECDC and EFSA said a batch of fenugreek seeds imported from Egypt in 2009 appeared to be implicated in the outbreak in France, and a 2010 batch was 'considered to be implicated in the German outbreak.'

But they said there was still "much uncertainty" about whether these seeds from Egypt were 'truly the common cause of all the infections' as there are currently no positive bacteriological results.

'Until the investigation has been finalized, ECDC and EFSA strongly recommend advising consumers not to grow sprouts for their own consumption and not to eat sprouts or sprouted seeds unless they have been cooked thoroughly,' they said.

Places:: Egypt,; France,; Germany,; Italy,; Europe

How your pillow is the perfect breeding ground .....

2011-06-23T03:51:00.000-07:00

How your pillow is the perfect breeding ground for gruesome array of pests and diseases

By Fiona Macrae

Last updated at 8:00 AM on 23rd June 2011

Sleeping comfortably? A study has found that as much as a third of a pillow could be made up of bugs, dead skin, dust mites and their faeces

It is not a thought conducive to a good night’s sleep: Up to a third of the weight of your pillow could be made up of bugs, dead skin, dust mites and their faeces.

Pillows – and the stuffy bedroom air that surrounds them – are ideal breeding grounds for undesirables ranging from the superbugs MRSA and C.diff to flu, chicken pox and even leprosy, scientists said yesterday.

While some of the bugs will only be found lurking in hospitals or in tropical climes, others will be making themselves at home in the comfort of your bed, Dr Arthur Tucker warned.

He spoke out after studying the ‘health’ of hundreds of pillows used by patients in hospitals run by Barts and the London NHS Trust.

The tests revealed high levels of ‘living’ contamination on the outside of the pillows. In some cases, rips and tears meant that the germs had found their way into the filling.

Some pillows were contaminated with the E.coli stomach bug. Others contained germs that can cause respiratory and urinary tract infections.

More...

My dishwasher is trying to kill me! Deadly bacteria found in household appliances

Many hospital-issue pillows had more than one million Staphylococcus hominus per millilitre – the bug can cause severe infections in people with weakened immune systems. Dr Tucker described the level as a ‘bio-hazard’. He said: ‘The presence of these bugs means that they can and will be passed to patients.’

Disease-ridden: Pillows absorb bodily fluids and are an ideal home for colonies of bacteria

Dr Tucker, principal clinical scientist at Barts’ vascular unit, compared the bugs growing on and in standard hospital pillows with those found in anti-bacterial versions.

PILLOW TALK

Allergy sufferers should opt for synthetic pillows over feather ones and fit them with anti-allergen covers.

Kill mites by washing pillows regularly at 60C or putting them in the freezer for 24 hours.

Good Housekeeping recommends washing your pillows once every three months on a delicate cycle.

Wash two pillows together to balance the machine and use only a small amount of detergent. Rinse them twice.

On a hot sunny day, try hanging your pillows outside to dry. Bacteria and fungi like moist environments.

GH's Kathleen Hudley also has a good tip to work out if your pillow needs replacing.

Fold it in half, place a book on top and let go. If the pillow throws off the item and fluffs back to shape, it's still sleepworthy.

He found SleepAngel pillows, made by the Irish firm Gabriel Scientific, were less likely to be contaminated on the surface than the standard NHS ones – and none tested positive for germs inside.

But the problem of bugs in pillows is not confined to hospitals. Dr Tucker warned that up to a third of the weight of your pillow could be made up of bugs, dead skin and house dust mites and their faeces.

Bacteria feast on these and multiply on and inside the pillows – some of which will never be washed.

Duncan Bain, technical director of Gabriel Scientific, said: ‘If you had to come up with a medium to cultivate bacteria, besides a Petri dish with agar [a gelatinous food], a pillow is pretty much as good as you can get.

‘It is a wet sponge that absorbs bodily fluids of various kinds providing nutrients. It is kept at the ideal temperature by the warm body lying on top.’

David Woolfson, the firm’s co-founder, said: ‘It is not just a problem for hospitals. It is an issue for anyone who wants to get a good night’s sleep.’

Bed bug: Up to 100,000 dust mites may be living in your pillow

Dr Tucker warned that simply popping on a clean pillow case is not enough. ‘People put a clean pillow case on and it looks and smells nice and fresh but you are wrapping up something really nasty underneath,’ he said.

But leading bacteriologist Professor Hugh Pennington urged people not to worry about their pillows – pointing out that they will simply contain the bugs they have already.
He added: ‘There is plenty of opportunity to spread bugs partner to partner without pillows.’

For those who can’t afford new pillows, experts recommend putting synthetic and down pillows in the washing machine once every one to three months.

People:: Hugh Pennington

Deadly bacteria found in household appliances

2011-06-22T07:54:00.000-07:00

My dishwasher is trying to kill me! Deadly bacteria found in household appliances

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 1:02 PM on 22nd June 2011

Dishwashers are a breeding ground for potentially killer bugs, say scientists.
The moist and hot environment serves as a perfect habitat for two types of dangerous fungi which can also be found in other kitchen appliances such as washing machines and coffee machines.

Researchers found 62 per cent of dishwashers contained the fungi Exophiala dermatitidis and E. phaeomuriformis on the rubber band in the door. Both of the black yeasts are known to be dangerous to human health.

Beware the dishwasher: The moist and hot environment in a dishwasher serves as a perfect habitat for two types of dangerous fungi

Both Exophiala species displayed remarkable tolerance to heat, high salt concentrations, aggressive detergents and to both acid and alkaline water.

More...

Teenager with sweaty palms cured by Botox... but left unable to text after it freezes her thumbs

This explains why the fungi survived even in high temperatures between 60 to 80C and despite the use of detergents and salt in the dishwasher.
Researchers say that this is a combination of extreme properties not previously observed in fungi.

Exophiala dermatitidis is frequently encountered as an agent of human disease and is also known to colonise in the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis.
On rare occasions it has caused fatal infections in healthy humans.

The researchers, whose findings are published in Fungal Biology, say the invasion of black yeasts into our homes is a potential health risk.

Biologist Dr Polona Zalar, of the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, and colleagues said: 'The discovery of this widespread presence of extremophilic fungi in some of our common household appliances suggests these organisms have embarked on an extraordinary evolutionary process that could pose a significant risk to human health in the future.'

In the case of dishwashers, high temperatures are intermittently produced and aggressive detergents and high concentrations of salt are used in each washing cycle.

Deadly: Exophiala dermatitidis is an agent of human disease and has been found in dishwashers and washing machines

The researchers studied the presence of fungus in dishwashers taken from a sample of private homes from 101 cities across the world.
They added: 'Enrichment of fungi that may require specific environmental conditions was observed in dishwashers, 189 of which were sampled in private homes of 101 towns or communities.

'One-hundred-and-two were sampled from various localities in Slovenia; 42 from other European countries; 13 and 3 from North and South America, respectively; 5 from Israel; 10 from South Africa; 7 from Far East Asia; and 7 from Australia.

'Sixty-two per cent of the dishwashers were positive for fungi, and 56 per cent of these accommodated Exophiala. Both Exophiala species are known to be able to cause systemic disease in humans and frequently colonise the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis.

'We conclude that high temperature, high moisture and alkaline values typically occurring in dishwashers can provide an alternative habitat for species also known to be pathogenic to humans.'

Places:: Israel,; Australia,; South Africa,; Slovenia

Major food alert.....

2011-05-28T08:11:00.000-07:00

Major food alert as two Britons are diagnosed with fatal food poisoning bug traced to organic cucumbers

By Sean Poulter

Last updated at 3:55 AM on 28th May 2011

Hundreds more have fallen ill in outbreak
Bug could affect tomatoes and lettuce

A food poisoning bug found in organic cucumbers has killed five of its victims.
Hundreds more have fallen ill in the outbreak, which could affect tomatoes and lettuce too.
Although centred on Germany, where the deaths occurred, the outbreak has spread to Britain and three other countries.

Deadly strain: A scientist at the Consumer Protection and Food Safety office in northern Germany, prepares a sample of tomatoes in order to test if they are infected with the E.coli

Three people in the UK who had been to Germany recently, have fallen ill after becoming infected with a rare form of E.coli.
Around seven in ten of the victims are adult women – a group which tends to eat a lot of fresh produce – but youngsters have also been hit.

More...

The outbreak has been traced to fresh produce grown in Spain, then exported to Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark.
Some victims have gone on to develop a complication of food poisoning, known as hemolytic-uremic syndrome. Potentially fatal, it affects the blood, kidneys and, in severe cases, the central nervous system.

The E. coli (EHEC) bacteria: Travellers to Germany have been warned to be especially careful when eating tomatoes, lettuce, and cucumbers

E.coli contamination is normally associated with animal and human faeces, which may have affected water used to irrigate the crops in Spain.

Britain imports more than 5 per cent of its food from Spain. It is a particularly valuable source of tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers. So far there is no evidence of contaminated food reaching British shops. However, the alert will serve as a warning for families heading to Spain for half-term.

More than 270 people have been confirmed as victims in Germany and some 500 more have reported feeling ill.

Alert: German experts yesterday identified Spanish cucumbers as the source of a virulent super-bacterium that has killed five people

Three German nationals in the UK have been affected – two are thought to live in Britain and the third is a tourist.

Others in the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark have also fallen ill. Dr Dilys Morgan, of the UK’s Health Protection Agency, said it was monitoring the situation. ‘We are keeping a close watch for potential cases reported in England.

‘In addition we are in the process of alerting health professionals to the situation and advising them to urgently investigate potential cases with a travel history to Germany.’

The World Health Organisation office in Europe said: ‘The outbreak is unusual in that it has developed very rapidly, and an unusually high number of cases affect adults, particularly women, instead of the normal high-risk groups, which are young children and the elderly.

Source of outbreak: A worker harvests cucumber in a greenhouse in El Almeria - one of the Spanish regions suspected by German officials

‘Nevertheless, cases have also been reported in school-aged children.
‘The unusual E.coli serogroup O104 is suspected of being the pathogen likely to be associated with this outbreak.’

Organic cucumbers from two provinces of Spain, Almeria and Malaga, have been identified as sources, but tomatoes and lettuce may also be implicated. Cucumbers from affected producers have been pulled from shelves and officials are advising shoppers in Germany to avoid eating raw tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce.

In Britain, the Food Standards Agency said: ‘We are monitoring the situation closely.

‘It’s a good idea to wash fruit and vegetables before you eat them to ensure that they are clean, and to help remove germs that might be on the outside.

‘Peeling or cooking fruit and vegetables can also remove these germs.’
The Spanish food safety agency said: ‘The Andalusian authorities are investigating to find out where the contamination comes from and when it took place.’

Britain’s Fresh Produce Consortium said: ‘To date we are not aware of evidence of any link to fresh produce imported to the UK.
‘At this time of the year the majority of cucumbers on the UK market are grown in the UK.

‘Food poisoning outbreaks linked with the contamination of fresh produce remain extremely rare in the UK.’

In a separate development, 15 cases of E.coli poisoning have been linked to a Bristol school.

Redfield Edge Primary School was closed on May 20 when three pupils became ill.
Since then 12 children aged five and six have fallen ill, along with three family members. The source is not known.

Places:: Spain,; The Netherlands,; Germany,; Denmark,; United Kingdom,; Europe

When doctors said I was brain dead......

2011-05-18T08:52:00.000-07:00

When doctors said I was brain dead, I wanted to scream, yet all I could do was blink

By Kate Allatt

Last updated at 3:00 PM on 17th May 2011

A stroke trapped Kate in her body for months but she was saved by love and courage

When I opened my eyes, I was lying in intensive care. Tubes were everywhere — up my nose, in my arms and, worst of all, there was a monster tube in my mouth, which was linked to the machine that was breathing for me. I wanted to spit it out, but I couldn’t move.

I was ‘locked in’ — my mind intact, my body paralysed. The only thing I could move was my eyelids, which I could open and close at will. I couldn’t even move my eyeballs around.

Family support: Kate with Harvey (left), Woody and India who helped her recover from locked in syndrome

Terrifyingly, I was aware of everything going on around me. I could see and hear the doctors and nurses busying themselves and filling in charts. I heard them say I was showing no signs of consciousness and that I was brain dead.

This is what it must feel like to be buried alive — only worse, because I could see life carrying on around me and had no way of being part of it. I wanted to scream.

Three days earlier, one Sunday evening in early February 2010, I’d suffered a blood clot in the stem of my brain — a massive stroke.

A constant headache had developed in the space of a weekend from being mildly annoying to ‘something not right’, and my husband Mark had rounded up our three children, India, 11, Harvey, nine, and Woody, six, and driven us from our home in the village of Dore, Yorkshire, to A&E at the general hospital. By then, when I tried to talk, my words came out slurred and my vision was starting to blur.

More...

The junior doctor decided I was suffering from a migraine and sent me home with Co-codamol. I don’t remember the ambulance journey back to A&E after I collapsed at home. Three hours later, Mark and both sets of parents were told the clot was in such a delicate area they could not operate.

Doctors gave me a 50/50 chance of survival and said if I was to stand any chance of making it through the night, they had to put me in a coma to give my brain a chance.

When I came out of the coma three days later, Mark was sitting by the bed. He gave me a hug and I tried to clasp his fingers. Nothing. I tried to move my foot. Nothing. He smiled at me, hiding his fear.

Mark had never known me to be ill. Even when I had a Caesarean to give birth to Woody, I was back in the gym within days. Every Saturday, I would go fell-running in the South Yorkshire countryside near our home.

Trapped in a nightmare: After a stroke, Kate could not move or speak to communicate that she wasn't brain dead

There was so much I wanted to say. I wanted to know if India, Harvey and Woody had seen me being wheeled away in the ambulance, and if they were as frightened as I was. The thought of not being with my children was terrifying.

I wanted someone to put me out of my misery. But I couldn’t even do that — only watch as Mark sat holding my limp hand. I could, however, feel pain. My shoulder hurt from being in the same position for days on end. The only solace was the nurses’ four-hourly ritual in which they rolled me over from my back on to my left side to stop me getting bedsores.

Each day, two nurses would also come to my bed with a bowl of water and a flannel, strip me and rub soap and water into every intimate nook and cranny. I closed my eyes and tried to shut out the indignity.

Next, my physiotherapist would hoist me out of bed and manoeuvre my limbs to keep my muscles active. After an exhausting morning, I would often fall asleep while watching the clock and waiting for visitors.

'I prayed doctors would carry out a test that would show I was awake'

My mum, who came every day, was buoyed by my consultant who had explained the brain sometimes has the ability to open up new connections. This gave her hope, and she would stare at me for hours looking for the faintest twitch or flicker of movement. I stared back, trying desperately to blink in a way that might make her realise I was there. Each time she left, I felt bereft.

I later learned that insomnia can be one of the many side-effects of locked-in syndrome. It didn’t help that the nursing night staff would often use the empty bay next to my bed to meet. They had no idea I could hear them laughing and chatting.

I remember listening as two other patients near me died. Before one man died, I overheard doctors discussing the withdrawal of his care and feeding with his family.
I panicked. What if the doctors were having a similar conversation with my family?

Tears rolled down my cheeks. I prayed doctors would carry out a test that would show I was awake. But they were sure I was brain dead and as far as they were concerned, their job was to keep my body alive.

Then, after three weeks, came the breakthrough. For days, I’d noticed Mark paying attention to my reactions. Sometimes, the TV at the end of my bed would be on. I would watch the news, then whenever there was a programme I hated, I would close my eyes.

Road to recovery: Having her children visit and talk to her helped Kate get better

On this occasion, he asked: ‘Kate, can you understand what I’m saying? Blink if you can.’ Relief flooded over me as I closed my eyes. When I opened them, Mark was grinning like the Cheshire cat. ‘Do it again,’ he said. I blinked again. ‘Nurse,’ he called out. ‘She can understand me.’ The joy of that moment was indescribable: I had a way out.

Tests confirmed I was ‘locked in’. The stroke had caused a lesion in my brain stem — the lower part of the brain where it connects to the spinal cord. The top half of the brain, where conscious thought happens, was intact, but the bridge from my brain to my body was damaged. I was locked in a body that wouldn’t do as I wanted.

At last we were all blinking from the same hymn sheet. We worked out a system of two blinks for ‘yes’ and one blink for ‘no’, so I could tell the nurses if I needed pain relief, had an itch, or was too hot. It was a turning point, but I was in a shocking state — my legs strapped into braces, fed through a tube, unable to sit up.

Until then, the children had been kept away: now Mark decided they should come. My little Indi was as strong as an ox; inside she was hurting, but she proceeded to tell me what she’d done at school that day, just as if I was ‘regular Mum’ standing in the kitchen cooking tea.

When Harvey visited, he stroked my hand. Woody, the youngest, was the most difficult to deal with. When his little face appeared, the tears started rolling down my face. I wanted so much to give him a hug.

'"Nurse," he called out. "She can understand me." The joy of that moment was indescribable'

Nine weeks after the stroke, I was off the critical list and moved to the rehabilitation ward. The next stage was to learn to accept and live with my severe disabilities.

Although none of the doctors told me themselves, they didn’t believe I would ever walk or talk again.
But within weeks, my thumb moved. There had been a flicker of movement once before and I was sure it was not my imagination. I did it again. This time, it moved in time with my thoughts. I was controlling it.

Mark and my friends and family played down their excitement in front of me, but in private they were jumping up and down for joy. Until this point, the therapy team had no experience of anyone who’d had such a severe stroke regaining movement. But those small flickers of movement inspired us to set goals.

Within months, I managed to sit up. I still couldn’t speak, but communicated by blinking when the nurses held up different letters on a board.
‘Why did it happen to me?’ I spelled out to my mum and best friend Alison. Mum explained that super-fit people can push their blood vessels too far and clots occur.

Then a few weeks later, in July, I spoke my first words. Before then, I had been making animal-like grunting noises. I dedicated an entire weekend to practising the mouth exercises my speech therapist showed me, stringing syllables together.

Walk in the park: Doctors thought such a family day out would be a thing of the past for Kate but she proved them wrong

When my favourite nurse arrived, I concentrated and said: ‘Morning, Oliver.’ ‘I became a nurse for moments like this,’ he said, weeping.

By early September, I was allowed home visits for two hours at a time, which then became overnight stays.
Initially, these trips were tearful. The smells and sounds of being home — Harvey opening the fridge; Woody and India playing on the computer — reminded me of what I was missing.

I was discharged eight months after the stroke. That morning, my mum was on video camera duty to record my marathon effort. The nurses gathered round as I lifted myself out of the wheelchair and onto crutches.

At home, I started practising walking. I also began a gym routine. At the end of November, I said goodbye to my crutches and promised myself I would run again.

In February, a year to the day after the stroke, I did. As I stepped on to the muddy track, I was overwhelmed with anxiety. But I inhaled deeply and I was off. Running free. It was just 20 metres. But the old Kate was well and truly back.

Extracted from Running Free by Kate Allatt, to be published tomorrow by Accent Press, £9.99. © 2011 Kate Allatt. To order a copy for £9.49 (including p&p), call 0843 382 0000.

Places:: India

Paracetamol....

2011-05-11T07:29:00.000-07:00

Paracetamol found to have link to blood cancers

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 12:06 PM on 11th May 2011

Ground-breaking study tracked 65,000 older users

Danger: A chemical in paracetamol has been linked to blood cancers

Regular users of paracetamol have an increased risk of developing blood cancers, researchers have found.
The tablets contain a chemical called acetaminophen which has been linked to cases of cancer in a number of individuals who were taking the drug.

The findings will terrify the millions in America and worldwide who pop the pills to cure minor ailments without so much as a second thought.

Earlier work has shown that aspirin use might lower the odds of dying from colon cancer but increase the risk of bleeding ulcers. The picture has been less clear for blood, or haematologic, cancers, however.

The finding adds another twist to the complicated evidence linking cancer and painkillers, and hints acetaminophen might be different from the rest.

'Prior to this study there was very little evidence that aspirin reduces your risk of haematological cancers,' said Emily White of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, who worked on the new research.

There were some suggestions that acetaminophen might increase the risk of the cancers, on the other hand, but those were based on individual cases of blood cancer.

Studies of individual patients aren't considered as strong as the new one, which tracked a large population of healthy people over time.

'We have the first prospective study,' White said.
Still, she warned, there is no proof that acetaminophen causes cancer, and the new results need to be confirmed before they are used in any treatment decision.

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Earlier work has linked acetaminophen to asthma and eczema as well, but scientists still don't agree on whether the drug is the actual culprit or just an innocent bystander.
The new study suffers from the same limitations, in that people who use lots of painkillers could be dealing with medical problems that set them up for cancer down the road.

Illness: The researchers found that 577 people - or less than one percent - developed a cancer involving the blood cells

The scientists followed nearly 65,000 older men and women in Washington State. At the outset, they asked the participants about their use of painkillers over the past ten years and made sure that no one had cancer (except skin cancer).

SO JUST HOW WIDELY USED IS PARACETAMOL?

Paracetamol is one of the most common painkillers available worldwide. The drug is available over the counter to relieve headaches, aches, pains and other minor ailments. It can also be used to alleviate a fever and the symptoms of colds and the flu.

The tablets were first sold in the U.S. in 1953 by Sterling-Winthrop Co. Today it is more commonly known there as Tyelnol.

Concerns about paracetamol's safety delayed its widespread use until the 1970s, but by the 1980s paracetamol sales surpassed those of aspirin in many countries, including the UK.
Generic versions of the tablet that were made by a range of manufacturers later became available towards the 1980s when a U.S. patent expired.

Today, paracetamol is available from chemists and supermarkets in a tablet, capsule, liquid suspension, suppository, intravenous, and intramuscular form.

More than 960 million paracetamol tablets are prescribed by GPs each year in the UK alone. The figure does not include tablets that are bought over the counter, which pushes the total higher.

As an example of the drug's prevalence, in the Philippines, where the the largest-selling brand of paracetamol is called Biogesic, a billion units are sold each year. Across the world, total sales of paracetamol are estimated to exceed hundreds of billions, in an industry that is worth trillions of pounds.

Over some six years on average, 577 people -- or less than one percent -- developed a cancer involving the blood cells. Examples of such cancers include lymphoma and myelodysplastic syndrome, or MDS.
More than nine per cent of people who developed one of these cancers used high amounts of acetaminophen, compared to only five percent of those who didn't get sick.

After accounting for things like age, arthritis and a family history of certain blood cancers, chronic acetaminophen users had nearly twice the risk of developing the disease.

'A person who is age 50 or older has about a one-percent risk in ten years of getting one of these cancers," White said. "Our study suggests that if you use acetaminophen at least four times a week for at least four years, that would increase the risk to about two percent.'

No other painkillers -- including aspirin and ibuprofen -- were tied to the risk of blood cancers.
Dr. Raymond DuBois, a cancer prevention expert at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, said acetaminophen works very differently than other painkillers and so might be expected to have different effects on cancer.

'It was quite surprising to see that acetaminophen use increased the risk of blood cancers,' said DuBois, who was not involved in the study.

McNeil Consumer Healthcare, the Johnson & Johnson subsidiary that sells Tylenol, did not respond to requests for comment.

White said it is too soon to make any recommendations based on the new study, and that none of the painkillers is free of side effects.

'Long-term use of any over-the-counter drug might have adverse effects," she said. 'You have to weigh the benefits against the risk of all the drugs.'

Places:: United Kingdom,; The Philippines,; America

Two little friends...

2011-05-07T06:44:00.000-07:00

Two little friends... united by courage: Amputee victims forge firm friendship after contracting meningitis

By Paul Sims

Last updated at 6:19 PM on 5th May 2011

Smiling together, the two pretty blonde girls could easily be mistaken as sisters, not new friends with a unique bond.

The lives of Ellie Challis and Charlotte Nott have taken almost identical paths. Both started life as healthy babies — until they contracted meningitis and had to have all of their limbs amputated.

The incredible survival story of Ellie, now seven, gripped the nation after she fell ill in 2005 at just 16 months old. And in December, three-year-old Charlotte narrowly survived the illness, but at the cost of her arms and legs.

Here's how to do it: Ellie (right) shows off her new prosthetic leg to Charlotte, who hopes to get her first pair in a few months

‘Charlotte put her stumps up against Ellie’s to say hello,’ said her mother Jenny Daniels, 29, yesterday. ‘She was so happy to see someone else with stumps just like hers.

‘Ellie was great — she showed Charlotte that she could get around easily with or without prosthetic legs and Charlotte hobbled after her. It was very special.’

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The girls spent the day giggling with one another as they cuddled rabbits and fed lambs at Mead Open Farm in Bedfordshire.

‘I love Ellie’s legs and I can’t wait until I get some, too, so we can run around together,’ said Charlotte, from Oxford.

Hello, pet: Seven-year-old Ellie, who contracted meningitis in 2005, makes friends with the lambs during a day at a farm

Ellie’s parents Lisa, 37, and Paul, 47, have helped her learn to walk on prosthetics, start school and ride a bike. ‘I know exactly what Jenny is going through,’ said Mrs Challis.

‘I remember thinking that Ellie would never have a normal life. But it’s great that we’ve been able to show Charlotte and her family that there’s very little Ellie can’t do.’

Charlotte’s parents - Jenny, an administrator for a book publisher, and air conditioning repairman Alex Nott, also 29 - are just starting to come to terms with what has happened to their daughter.

You have a go: Little Ellie is all smiles as she shows a curious Charlotte how to operate the wheelchair

‘When Charlotte caught meningitis, my world fell apart. I was terrified about what the future held for her,’ said Miss Daniels.

‘So to see Ellie running around was so special to me - it has given me hope for Charlotte’s future.’
Ellie became the youngest person ever fitted with £10,000 carbon ‘flex-foot’ legs two years ago.

Ellie also let Charlotte have a go on her wheelchair - it is too tiring for her to use her prosthetic legs all the time. She controls it with the stumps of her arms.

I'll race you: Charlotte (left) and Ellie giggle together as they get behind the wheels of toy cars

Charlotte will have to wait until she is five before the NHS can provide her with a wheelchair.
She hopes to get her first pair of prosthetic limbs in the next few months once her wounds heal.

‘I still say thank you every day that Charlotte is still here with us,’ said Miss Daniels.

‘Watching her playing with Ellie was a miracle.’

Places:: Oxford

Heart Attack

2011-05-04T17:29:00.000-07:00

Heart Attack: Warning Signs and Tips on Prevention

What is a heart attack?

A heart attack (also called myocardial infarction) is when part of the heart muscle is damaged or dies because it isn't receiving enough oxygen. Normally, oxygen is carried to the heart by blood flowing through the arteries that feed the heart muscle (called coronary arteries).

Most heart attacks are caused by a blockage in these arteries. Usually the blockage is caused by atherosclerosis, which is the buildup of fatty deposits (called plaque) inside the artery, and hardening of the artery walls. The buildup is like the gunk that builds up in a drainpipe and slows the flow of water.

Heart attacks are also often caused by a blood clot that forms in a coronary artery, blocking blood flow. Clots are especially likely to form where plaques become cracked or damaged in any way.

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How do I know if I'm having a heart attack?

The pain of a heart attack can feel like bad heartburn. You may also be having a heart attack if you:

Feel a pressure or crushing pain in your chest, sometimes with sweating, dizziness, nausea or vomiting
Feel pain that extends from your chest into the jaw, left arm or left shoulder
Feel tightness in your chest
Have shortness of breath for more than a couple of seconds
Feel weak, lightheaded or faint
Have sudden overwhelming fatigue

Don't ignore the pain or discomfort. If you think you are having heart problems or a heart attack, get help immediately. The sooner you get treatment, the greater the chance that the doctors can prevent further damage to the heart muscle.

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What should I do if I think I am having a heart attack?

Right away, call for an ambulance to take you to the hospital. Don’t try to drive yourself. While you wait for the ambulance to come, chew one regular tablet of aspirin. Don't take the aspirin if you're allergic to aspirin.

If you can, go to a hospital with advanced care facilities for people with heart attacks. In these medical centers, the latest heart attack technology is available 24 hours a day. How well you survive a heart attack depends on how quickly you get treatment, how much damage there is to the heart, and where that damage is.

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Risk factors for a heart attack

Smoking
Diabetes
Age--Risk increases for men older than 45 years and for women older than 55 years (or after menopause). About 83% of people who die from heart disease are 65 years of age or older.
High cholesterol level
High blood pressure
Family history of heart attack
Race--African Americans, Mexican Americans, Native Americans and native Hawaiians are at greater risk.
Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)
Lack of exercise
Stress
Obesity
Sex (Gender)--More men have heart attacks, although heart disease is the leading cause of death for American women.

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How can I avoid having a heart attack?

Talk to your family doctor about your specific risk factors (see box above) for a heart attack and how to reduce your risk. Your doctor may tell you to do the following:

Quit smoking. Your doctor can help you. (If you don't smoke, don't start!)
Eat a healthy diet. Cut back on foods high in saturated fat and sodium (salt) to lower cholesterol and blood pressure. A Mediterranean diet is also a very healthy choice. Ask your doctor about how to improve your diet.
Control your blood sugar if you have diabetes.
Exercise. It may sound hard if you haven't exercised for a while, but try to work up to 30 to 60 minutes of aerobic exercise (that raises your heart rate) 4 to 6 times a week.
Lose weight if you're overweight. Your doctor can advise you about the best ways to lose weight.
Control your blood pressure if you have hypertension.

Talk to your doctor about whether aspirin would help reduce your risk of a heart attack. Aspirin can help keep your blood from forming clots that can eventually block the arteries.

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Other Organizations

Source

Written by familydoctor.org editorial staff.
American Academy of Family Physicians

Reviewed/Updated: 11/10
Created: 09/00

Left-handed people are more easily frightened

2011-05-04T09:01:00.000-07:00

Why left-handed people are more easily frightened than those who are right-handed

By Daniel Bates
Created 1:52 PM on 2nd May 2011

Left-handed people get more scared than those who are right-handed, psychologists have concluded.

Lefties who watched an eight-minute clip of horror film The Silence of the Lambs showed more symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder than right-handers.

When asked to recall details of the film, the left-handed test subjects gave more disjointed accounts, a symptom of PTSD.

Study: Left-handed people who watched an eight-minute clip of The Silence Of The Lambs (pictured)

showed more symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder than right-handers

The findings add to the weight of research and myths about lefties, which mark them apart from their right-handed counterparts.
Left-handed people have endured centuries of stigma and folklore that says they are evil or bad luck.

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And previous studies have also shown they are more likely to be angry and prone to negative emotions.

The new research was led by Dr Carolyn Choudhary of Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh.
‘The prevalence of post traumatic stress disorder is almost double in left-handers compared to right-handers,’ she said.

‘We used a portion of film from The Silence of the Lambs that we know elicits fear, so we could check the recalled account against the film.

Left-handed people have endured centuries of stigma and folklore that says they are evil or bad luck

'People who were left-handed showed significantly more fragmentation in their memories and more repetition.
'It seems that after experiencing a fearful event, even on film, people who are left-handed had subtle behaviours that were like people suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.’

Dr Choudhary, who will present her findings at the annual conference of the British Psychology Society, added: ‘The mistakes they made were subtle errors in verbal recall.

‘It appears these are tied to the way the brain makes memories during fearful experiences.

‘It is apparent the two sides of the brain have different roles in PTSD and the right-hand side of the brain seems to be involved in fear.

‘In people who are left-handed, the right-hand side of their brain is dominant, so it may have something to do with that.

‘We need to do more experiments to understand what exactly is going on here.’

Famous left-handed people from the past include Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Lewis Carroll, Marilyn Monroe and Michelangelo.

Even prominent and successful lefties today such as David Cameron, Barack Obama and Tom Cruise have been unable to shake off the mild stigma attached to their condition.

The myths include the idea that getting out of bed with the left foot first means that you will have a bad day and be bad-tempered.

It is thought we can only see ghosts if we look over our left shoulder, the same side the Devil watches over us.

People:: Barack Obama,; Marilyn Monroe,; Lewis Carroll,; David Cameron,; Tom Cruise
Places:: Edinburgh