Flu Immunizes Against Two Anti-Viral Drugs
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WASHINGTON, January 15 – In a worrying development it has been discovered that the current main flu strain H3N2, common influenza, is resistant to two of the most-used anti-viral drugs.
With the flu season off to a fresh start the main strain spreading fast is H3N2. Normally the drugs amantadine and rimantadin are widely used to combat flu in the flu season but tests show that 91% of the common flu strains are immune to these drugs. This is a staggering rise from only an 11% resistance in the last flu season!
Amantadine was sold under the brand name Symmetrel and rimantadin was known as Flumadine. Both widely used, Symmeterel as early as since the 60’s and Flumadine since the 90’s. Both drugs appeared in generic form and only presented a tenth of the cost of popular anti-viral drugs such as Tamiflu and Relenza.
The recent outbreak of avian influenza worries researchers, the current common flu could evolve with a strain of the deadly H5N1 virus and thus create a lethal strain that is transferable from human to human. Such a development would be catastrophic.
Administrator @ January 15, 2006
Investigator Certain That CIA Broke International Law
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BURGDORF, Switzerland, January 14 – The head of the European investigative commission researching the handlings of the CIA on European soil has come to the conclusion that without a doubt the CIA handled illegally on European territory.
The Council of Europe requested these investigations after the allegations that the Central Intelligence Agency was abducting terrorist suspects to torture them in third-world countries. Talks of secret detention centers in Eastern Europe arose, especially in Poland and Romania but all connections were denied by local governments and even the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
The tension between Europe and the U.S. peaked just before Christmas when an Italian judge issued arrest warrants for CIA operatives linked to an abduction of a muslim cleric in 2003. No arrests were made yet in this case because there was no request for extraction.
Administrator @ January 14, 2006
Americans Grow to Accept Obesity
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WASHINGTON, January 12 – Perhaps expectable in a society which tends to grow more and more obese, this way of life is actually more acceptable these days than it was 20 years ago, much more accepted.
About 20 years ago 55 percent of the population found overweight people to be less attractive than their thinner counterpart. Nowadays only 24 percent agrees with this opinion, a considerable change. The market research firm NPD Group found these astonishing results among the U.S. population.
The 80’s and early 90’s were the peak of the “thin” hype. Salad bars and low-fat products were all the craze. Nowadays people seem to be more relaxed although there is still a lot of obsession over staying slim. Only 75 percent confirmed they had a low-fat or non-fat product over the last 2 weeks while 20 years ago 86 percent confirmed this. People seem to be more realistic too, in 1985 almost 45 percent said they avoided snacks completely, nowadays that’s only 26 percent.
Many believe society is simply more leaning towards accepting different lifestyles and body types but critics urge that the results of this research are influenced by political correctness. They believe people are afraid to be rude and thus say they have no objection against obese women and men.
For more health information visit TheAthlete.org
Administrator @ January 12, 2006
Deadly Weekend for U.S. Troops in Iraq
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BAGHDAD, January 8 – It has been a sad weekend indeed for the U.S. military troops in Iraq. In total 17 U.S. citizens were killed this weekend while already a dozen died during the week in one of the bloodiest periods since the National Assembly elections.
Twelve U.S. soldiers are believed to have been on board of a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed around Saturday midnight. The crash site is just a few miles shy of Tal Afar, which used to be an insurgent stronghold near the Syrian border. The helicopter was part of a team providing communication between bases when other means failed.
In separate incidents three U.S. Marines died while engaged in enemy combat, likely small-arms fire. This all happened in Fallujah, just 40 miles from Baghdad. Two other U.S. Marines died in two separate roadside bombings on Saturday.
Administrator @ January 8, 2006
Bird Flu in Turkey Kills Three Teens
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DOGUBAYAZIT, Turkey, January 7 – The three teens who died this week due to the effects of the avian flu probably caught the virus by playing with dead chickens. British labs are now trying to establish which strain of the bird flu was responsible for their deaths but so far it has been established that it’s a strain from the H5 family. Experts have no doubt that the lethal H5N1 virus caused the fatal casualties.
The Turkish minister of health and the World Health Organization urge that there is no reason to believe the disease has spread from human to human, most likely the kids played together with the chickens and thus contracted the disease.
Earlier this week a 15-year old girl and her 14-year old brother died of the effects of the bird flu and now their 11-year old sibling also died due to the same cause. Measures were taken to set up a safe perimeter and dispose of all the poultry that could contribute to the spread of this disease.
These are the first deaths outside of Asia due to the avian flu. Experts still fear a global pandemic when the virus evolves into a strain that transfers from human to human.
For more health information please visit bhia.org
Administrator @ January 7, 2006
Conception and Development
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The development of an unborn child is something that puzzles many women who are pregnant. And doctors don’t have much time to sit them down and explain to them what happens between fertilization and birth.
To explain the whole process would just make everyone confused, so here are a few interesting facts for those who would like to know just a little bit more.
The early scientists believed that inside the “head” of the male sperm, a human was already present. Fully developed and all, ready to grow to a normal size inside the uterus of the mother. Nowadays we know better.
After fertilization, it takes about a week for the egg to nest itself into the uterus wall. Then, a very complex strain of development occurs which forms the tiny beginning of a human.
Something that most people do not know, is that only four weeks after the fertilization, there is already a heartbeat present. It isn’t detectable yet, but it’s there.
During the development of the intestines, there comes a period, around the ninth week, where the intestines grow faster than the child and there isn’t any room left for the intestines to go. But nature has come up with a solution. For a short period of time, the intestines take up some room inside the umbilical cord. But around the eleventh week, there is room again and the intestines grow back inside the embryo.
After only ten weeks, there is already a human visible. The face has a human profile, limbs are visible and there is even already genitalia with male or female characteristics.
These are some little facts of the development of an embryo in the first trimester. If you want to know more, visit www.kir.org or ask your doctor.
Administrator @ January 6, 2006
