Most Common Symptoms & Signs
Source: http://www.medicinenet.com/guide.asp?s=rss&a=162922&k=Cancer_General
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Sunday, September 16, 2012
Anti-Japan protests erupt in China
From Steven Jiang, CNN
updated 3:25 AM EDT, Sat September 15, 2012
A protester (top) attempts to climb over a security barrier during an anti-Japanese protest outside the Japanese embassy in Beijing on September 15, 2012.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Chinese ships briefly enter waters around the group of islands
- Tensions between Japan and China are high over the disputed islands
- Japan controls the islands, but China claims they are part of its territory
Beijing (CNN) -- Chinese protesters hurled bottles and eggs outside the Japanese embassy in Beijing on Saturday amid growing tensions between the two nations over disputed islands.
The protesters chanted "down with Japanese imperialism" and called for war as they made their way down the streets.
Demonstrators, who included children, carried miniature Chinese flags. Beijing police at the scene held back the crowds.
Tensions escalated Friday when Chinese maritime surveillance ships ignored warnings from Japan and briefly entered waters around the group of islands at the center of the heated territorial dispute.
The ships arrived near the uninhabited islands -- which Japan calls Senkaku and China calls Diaoyu -- and began patrols and "law enforcement," China's state-run news agency Xinhua reported.
The islands, situated in the East China Sea between Okinawa and Taiwan, are under Japanese control, but China claims they have been a part of its territory for ages.
The long-running argument over who has sovereignty has triggered protests in both nations.
The United States,a key ally of Japan, has repeatedly urged Tokyo and Beijing to resolve the dispute through dialogue. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will meet with his counterparts in Japan and China this weekend, the Department of Defense said Thursday.
Chinese vessels had all left the waters by Friday afternoon and headed north, the Japanese Coast Guard said.
Japan said it will intensify patrols of the area.
See a map of Asia's disputed islands
The controversial Chinese move to begin patrols around the islands follows Japan's purchase of several of the islands from a private owner this week. China described the deal as "illegal and invalid."
Read about China's warning of economic fallout
Animosity between the two countries over the islands runs deep.
They have come to represent what many Chinese see as unfinished business: redressing the impact of the Japanese occupation of large swathes of eastern China during the 1930s and 1940s.
China says its claim goes back hundreds of years. Japan says it saw no trace of Chinese control of the islands in an 1885 survey, so formally recognized them as Japanese sovereign territory in 1895.
Japan then sold the islands in 1932 to descendants of the original settlers. The Japanese surrender at the end of World War II in 1945 only served to cloud the issue further.
The islands were administered by the U.S. occupation force after the war. But in 1972, Washington returned them to Japan as part of its withdrawal from Okinawa.
Part of complete coverage on
Asia's disputed islands
CNN looks at the main flashpoints as tension simmers between rival countries over a series of scattered and relatively barren islands.
Although claims of occupation and administration stretch back centuries, all of the disputes exist, to some extent, as legacies of imperial Japan's expansion through East Asia.
updated 3:00 AM EDT, Fri September 14, 2012
Six Chinese maritime surveillance ships enter waters around islands at the center of a territorial dispute between Tokyo and Beijing.
updated 9:07 PM EDT, Sun September 2, 2012
Tokyo inflames tension with China by sending a team to a set of islands in the East China Sea to which both Japan and China lay claim.
updated 1:50 AM EDT, Tue August 28, 2012
Japan describes as "very regrettable" an attack on a car carrying the country's ambassador Uichiro Niwa in Beijing.
updated 9:39 AM EDT, Thu August 23, 2012
The policeman tapping on our car window makes it clear we are in a no-go area before placing his hand over the lens of our camera.
updated 2:26 AM EDT, Mon August 20, 2012
Furious anti-Japan protests erupt in Chinese cities after a Japanese group landed on an island that both countries say is theirs.
updated 9:38 AM EDT, Sat August 18, 2012
Beijing urges Japan not to "undermine China's territorial sovereignty," ahead of a planned trip by Japanese lawmakers to a disputed island chain in the East China Sea.
updated 9:22 AM EDT, Fri August 17, 2012
Japan is deporting 14 Chinese nationals arrested after five protesters landed on disputed islands carrying the flags of China and Taiwan.
updated 10:47 PM EDT, Wed August 15, 2012
A famous South Korean rock singer swims into the diplomatic row over a small group of rocky islets in the East Sea, or the Sea of Japan.
updated 4:22 AM EDT, Mon August 13, 2012
South Korea's football body defends a soccer player who was barred from receiving his Olympic medal after he displayed a politically-charged banner.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rss/cnn_topstories/~3/aEy88s2aU1I/index.html
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Thursday, September 13, 2012
Testosterone marketing frenzy draws skepticism
This photo provided by Eli Lilly & Co. shows the drug Axiron. Axiron, an underarm gel that rolls on like deodorant, is one drug used by men struggling with symptoms of growing older associated with low testosterone such as poor sex drive, weight gain and fatigue. It's one of a growing number of prescription gels, patches and injections aimed at boosting levels of the male hormone that begins to decline in men after about age 40. Drugmakers and some doctors claim testosterone therapy can reverse signs of aging _ even though the safety and effectiveness of such treatments is unclear. (AP Photo/Eli Lilly & Co.)
This photo provided by Eli Lilly & Co. shows the drug Axiron. Axiron, an underarm gel that rolls on like deodorant, is one drug used by men struggling with symptoms of growing older associated with low testosterone such as poor sex drive, weight gain and fatigue. It's one of a growing number of prescription gels, patches and injections aimed at boosting levels of the male hormone that begins to decline in men after about age 40. Drugmakers and some doctors claim testosterone therapy can reverse signs of aging _ even though the safety and effectiveness of such treatments is unclear. (AP Photo/Eli Lilly & Co.)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? "Are you falling asleep after dinner?"
"Do you have a decrease in libido?"
"Have you noticed a recent deterioration in your ability to play sports?"
"It could be Low-T."
Welcome to the latest big marketing push by U.S. drug companies. In this case, it's a web page for Abbott Laboratories' Androgel, a billion-dollar selling testosterone gel used by millions of American men struggling with the symptoms of growing older that are associated with low testosterone, such as poor sex drive, weight gain and fatigue.
Androgel is one of a growing number of prescription gels, patches and injections aimed at boosting the male hormone that begins to decline after about age 40. Drugmakers and some doctors claim testosterone therapy can reverse some of the signs of aging ? even though the safety and effectiveness of such treatments is unclear.
"The problem is that we don't have any evidence that prescribing testosterone to older men with relatively low testosterone levels does any good," says Dr. Sergei Romashkan, who oversees clinical trials for the National Institute on Aging, a part of the National Institutes of Health conglomerate of research centers.
Low testosterone is the latest example of a once-natural part of getting old that has become a target for medical treatment. Bladder problems, brittle bones and hot flashes have followed a similar path: from inconvenient facts of life, to ailments that can be treated with drugs. The rise of such therapies is being fueled by both demographics and industry marketing.
Baby boomers are living longer and looking for ways to deal with the infirmities of old age: Life expectancy in the U.S. today is 78 years, up from 69 years a half-century ago. And companies have stepped up their marketing to the older crowd: Spending on print and television ads promoting testosterone by firms like Abbott and Eli Lilly has risen more than 170 percent in the last three years to more than $14 million in 2011, according to advertising tracker Kantar Media.
Doctors say that's led to an increase in men seeking treatment for low testosterone. Prescriptions for the hormone have increased nearly 90 percent over the last five years, according to IMS Health. Last year, global sales reached $1.9 billion.
"People are living longer and want to be more active," says Dr. Spyros Mezitis, a hormone specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. "They no longer consider that because they're older they shouldn't have sexual intercourse."
Former marathon runner Damon Lease, 50, had been complaining of low energy and depression, for which his doctor prescribed a combination of four psychiatric drugs. But since he started taking twice-a-week testosterone injections in May, he says he's been able to stop taking two of the medications and hopes to eliminate them completely. He says he has more energy, improved mood and concentration.
"I spent 27 years running long distances, I like biking, I like hiking, and I guess every guy wants to have an active sex life ... I want to keep doing those things as long as I can," says Lease, who works as a software company executive. "I feel 20 years younger."
MASS-MARKET HORMONE
Despite its rising popularity, testosterone therapy is not completely new. Testosterone injections were long used for men with hypogonadism, a disorder defined by low testosterone caused by injury or infection to the reproductive or hormonal organs.
But the latest marketing push by drugmakers is for easy-to-use gels and patches that are aimed at a much broader population of otherwise healthy older men with low testosterone, or androgen deficiency. The condition is associated with a broad range of unpleasant symptoms ranging from insomnia to depression to erectile dysfunction. Drug companies peg this group at about 15 million American men, though federal scientists do not use such estimates.
Watson Pharmaceuticals now markets its Androderm patch, which slowly releases testosterone into the bloodstream. Abbott has its gel that can be applied to the shoulders and arms. And Eli Lilly's Axiron is an underarm gel that rolls on like deodorant. Androderm, launched last year, had $87 million in sales, and Axiron, which was launched in 2010, had sales of $48 million last year.
"All of a sudden you've got these big players with a lot of money using consumer directed marketing to change the landscape," said Dr. Natan Bar-Chama, a male reproductive specialist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. "They see the potential, they see the market growth annually and it's very impressive."
But government researchers worry that medical treatments have gotten ahead of the science.
Male testosterone is mainly produced in the testes and affects muscle mass, sperm production and various sexual characteristics. The hormone can easily be checked with a blood test, but doctors can't agree on what constitutes a low reading in older men. Typical testosterone levels for younger men range between 300 and 1,000 nanograms per deciliter, but once levels begin dropping there is little consensus on what makes a "normal number."
Some doctors believe testosterone levels below 300 lead to sexual dysfunction in older men, but the rule does not cover all cases. A 2010 study by researchers at the University of Manchester and other European institutions found that 25 percent of men with testosterone levels above that threshold had the same sexual problems used to diagnose low testosterone. Adding to the ambiguity is that testosterone levels change by the hour, so a man who takes a blood test for testosterone in the morning may get a completely different reading when tested in the afternoon.
SAFETY CONCERNS
Adding to the confusion over what defines "low testosterone," there's not much understanding of whether testosterone replacement therapy actually improves men's symptoms. Evidence of the benefits of testosterone is mixed, and the potential health risks are serious. The largest study conducted to date, a 2008 trial involving 230 patients in the Netherlands, found no improvement in muscle strength, cognitive thinking, bone density or overall quality of life among men taking testosterone. Muscle mass increased 1.2 percent, but not enough to improve physical mobility.
The National Institute on Aging is currently conducting an 800-man trial to definitively answer whether testosterone therapy improves walking ability, sexual function, energy, memory and blood cell count in men 65 years and older. But those results aren't expected until 2014.
In addition to concerns about testosterone's effectiveness, the long-term side effects of the hormone are not entirely understood because most trials to date have only followed patients for a few months. But the most serious risks include heart problems and prostate cancer. In fact, all testosterone drugs carry a warning that the hormone should not be given to men who have a personal or family history of prostate cancer.
In 2010, researchers at Boston University's school of medicine halted a large study of testosterone in senior men because patients taking the hormone were five times more likely to suffer a serious heart event, including congestive heart failure, than those taking placebos. A review of 19 testosterone trials in 2006 found that prostate cancer was significantly higher among men taking testosterone.
Also in 2006, the Endocrine Society published the first physician guidelines for prescribing testosterone for men with androgen deficiency. All six of the co-authors had received consulting fees or research funding from drug makers that market testosterone. Despite those ties, the authors took a cautious tone, stressing the difficulty of accurately diagnosing low testosterone and acknowledging that they were unable to reach an agreement about when doctors should begin therapy. They also recommend doctors have an "explicit discussion of the uncertainty about the risks and benefits of testosterone therapy."
History has shown that hormone replacement therapy can be dangerous. That hit home for women in 2002 when a landmark study shook up the conventional wisdom about the benefits of estrogen replacement therapy for menopause, the period when women stop producing eggs and the hormone estrogen. The federal study found that women taking hormone pills were more likely to suffer heart attacks, breast cancer and strokes. Doctors now generally recommend hormones only to relieve severe menopause symptoms ? in the lowest possible dose and for the shortest possible time.
In the case of testosterone, Abbott Laboratories says Androgel and other drugs like it are an important treatment option for men with low levels of the hormone. But the company acknowledges that more study is needed.
"Abbott believes that the long-term effects of testosterone replacement therapy should be studied, which is why we continually fund and support additional clinical trials, such as the National Institute of Aging's testosterone trial," the company says.
Doctors who prescribe testosterone say more men should be talking to their doctors about the hormone. "If an older man feels excessively tired or his erectile dysfunction has worsened he should be asking 'Is there something wrong with my testosterone?'" says Mezitis of Lenox Hill Hospital. "The awareness should be much broader than it is at this point."
Even critics of the testosterone craze acknowledge that the interest in anti-aging products may be inevitable as life expectancy increases. But they say doctors can do more to help seniors by focusing on lifestyle adjustments that keep them connected to their friends and family, rather than prescribing drugs.
"We really 'medicalize' seniors so much that they think the secret always has to be scientific," says Dr. Nortin Hadler of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who has written four books on excessive medical care. "We need another perspective to understand the secrets to healthy aging, which by and large are not pills."
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Little Ice Age led to migration of island hopping arctic foxes
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
The Little Ice Age allowed a new wave of arctic foxes to colonise Iceland, according to new research.
A "bridge" of sea ice appeared during a dip in temperatures between 200 to 500 years ago allowing arctic foxes to migrate to Iceland from different Arctic regions including Russia, North America and Greenland.
The research, led by scientists at Durham University, UK, said their findings showed the importance of sea ice in creating and maintaining the genetic population of the arctic fox across the polar regions where the animal is found.
The multi-disciplinary approach used for this project could also be used to track the migration of other animals found on remote islands, the researchers said.
While Iceland's approximately 10,000 strong arctic fox population is not at risk, the researchers added that increasing isolation from the rest of the Arctic, caused by warmer temperatures and a lack of sea ice, could further differentiate the island's population from their mainland relatives.
Ancient arctic foxes also crossed sea ice during previous ice ages to reach Iceland well before human settlement in the 9th Century. Warmer temperatures then melted the sea ice and isolated the ancient foxes on the island before the Little Ice Age reconnected Iceland to the mainland.
The Little Ice Age saw temperatures plummet in the 16th to 19th Centuries across large parts of Europe and North America in particular, and rivers such as the Thames were frequently frozen enough to support ice skating and winter festivals.
The researchers analysed DNA samples from ancient remains of Icelandic arctic foxes dating from two late 9th to 12th Century archaeological sites and compared the findings to DNA data from their modern successors.
They found that the ancient foxes shared a single genetic signature, while the modern population possesses five unique signatures.
The researchers were able to rule out different explanations for the increase in the amount of variation of the ancient foxes, including geographic reasons and breeding between farmed and wild arctic foxes.
The team concluded that the most likely explanation for the boom in genetic diversity among arctic foxes was migration across sea ice that formed during the Little Ice Age.
The research, partly funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), is published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B - Biological Sciences.
Senior author Dr Greger Larson, in Durham University's Department of Archaeology, said: "During the Little Ice Age there was a great deal more sea ice in the North Atlantic than there is today and during the late 18th and 19th centuries sea ice routinely grounded on Iceland.
"Even today arctic foxes routinely travel hundreds of miles across sea ice and once the ice bridge was in place, they easily crossed the North Atlantic and were able to arrive on Iceland, increasing the genetic diversity of the population.
"To paraphrase Dr Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park, 'Life will always find a way', and in this case, once the Little Ice Age began, arctic foxes didn't need much of an opportunity to colonise Iceland."
Dr Larson added that potential for animal migration had decreased significantly during the 20th Century, a trend which global warming had accelerated.
He said: "Without the sea ice, there will be no new fox migrants and thus the Icelandic population will continue to diverge from their mainland relatives."
Dr Larson added that the model the research used to determine the genetic diversity of the arctic fox could also be used to track the historical migration of other animals such as reindeer that are also found on Iceland.
###
Durham University: http://www.dur.ac.uk
Thanks to Durham University for this article.
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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/123410/Little_Ice_Age_led_to_migration_of_island_hopping_arctic_foxes
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Tuesday, September 11, 2012
An Energy Savings Pop Quiz | Santee Cooper blog
These days, it?s wise for us to put more emphasis on saving money, whether at the grocery story, the gas pump or reducing our energy use at home.
And what?s the best way to realize cost-effective energy savings at home? Here?s a little multiple-choice quiz. Would it be:
- (a) Installing more energy efficient windows?
- (b) Putting more insulation in your attic?
- (c) Replacing dark-colored roof shingles with lighter ones?
- (d) Fixing leaky ducts and sealing up air leaks?
According to the deputy assistant secretary for energy efficiency at the U.S. Department of Energy, the answer is: (drum roll please?) (d), fixing leaky ducts and sealing up air leaks.
Surprised? If so, you?re not alone. In a recent survey by a leading consumer magazine, 34 percent of respondents incorrectly chose (a), installing more energy efficient windows. Perhaps that shows the power of heavy advertising, which often touts the savings that can be gained by double-glazed windows with low-E (low-emissivity) coatings. But research shows that it could take up to two decades for a homeowner to realize the monetary benefit from this investment. If your home has lots of windows, this can get pricey in a hurry.
According to DOE, plugging those air leaks in windows, walls and ductwork could reduce a homeowner?s power costs by $400 a year. So what material or materials are we precisely talking about here? These items include: foam board, caulk, sealant that expands and that old standby, weather-stripping for windows, doors, and last but not least, electrical outlets. You may be the home handyman for such a project but if not, consult a pro. The materials aren?t that costly, but as you probably already know, labor is.
So what?s the second best approach? DOE says its (b) putting more insulation in your attic. If you lay down 11 inches of fiberglass insulation or 8 inches of cellulose insulation, a homeowner could save up to $200 a year. Even if you?re not the domestic engineer you?d like to be, laying insulation is easy enough for just about everyone. If you do it, be careful up in the attic and it?s always good to have a helper make those home improvement projects go quicker and smoother.
Visit our Reduce The Use website for more energy-savings ideas or to contact an Energy Advisor for more information.
Willard Strong joined Corporate Communications in 1989 after a four-year stint as a features reporter at The Post and Courier. A 1981 graduate of USC?s School of Journalism and Mass Communications, the Kingstree native has served as news director at three radio stations, was editor of the weekly newspaper in Moncks Corner and is chairman of the Berkeley County Museum and Heritage Center Board of Directors. A boating enthusiast, he enjoys Gamecock football, lake life on Lake Marion?s Wyboo Creek and keeping his five guitars in tune.Source: http://www.santeecooperblog.com/2012/09/10/an-energy-savings-pop-quiz/
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Video: DIY your fall with style, food and home projects
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Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/48969481#48969481
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