Thursday 15 December 2011

Alexander Graham Bell recordings discovered after 130 years

Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of telephone system had also created a voice recording device, it was recently undiscover by latest technology.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Scientist Carl Haber shows a glass Graham Bell, Volta
Laboratory recording, from 1884, during a news conference at Library of Congress in Washington, Tuesday. Early sound recordings by
telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell and others that had been packed way at the Smithsonian Institution for more than a century
were played publicly for the first time Tuesday using new technology.

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Five million children penicillin dose get wrong dose of penicillin dose

Almost five million children who are prescribed penicillin each year for infections are
getting too little of the antibiotic to be effective, putting them at risk of serious
complications.
The most common penicillin prescription is for otitis media, an infection of the middle ear
which can lead to deafness if not properly treated. Infections of the urinary tract are also
common in children.
Scientists say dosing guidelines for penicillin have remained unchanged for 50 years
while the average weight of children has increased. As a result the amount of drug given
per kilogram of body weight has fallen which "could potentially lead to failed treatment."

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Singapore Invention ITwin Bags Best Of What's New Award

SINGAPORE, Dec 13 (Bernama) -- A Singapore-invented plug-and-play file
sharing device, iTwin, has been winning awards for its innovative properties
and unique design since its launch less than two years ago.

The latest win was the "2011's Best of What's New Award" from Popular
Science Magazine in the computing category in November 2011.

The remote file access solution, iTwin was among the top 100 new tech
products to be selected from thousands of products and technologies
globally reviewed by the editors of the magazine.

iTwin was developed in the laboratories of the Institute for Infocomm
Research (I2R), a Research Institute of Singapore's Agency for Science,
Technology and Research (A*STAR).

Officially launched in the market in October 2010, this easy-to-use plugand-
play device consists of two parts and can transfer data safely between
any two online computers.

Commenting on the award, iTwin Co-founder and chief executive officer
Lux Anantharaman said there was huge potential in iTwin as it could
ultimately replace the portable storage market which currently comprises
flash drives, portable hard disks and memory cards.

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Malaria 'a significant pregnancy risk'

Malaria is a significant risk to miscarriage during the first trimester of pregnancy, but treatment with antimalarial drugs is relatively safe, new women's health research has revealed.

A study conducted at the Shoklo Malaria Research Unit in Thailand revealed 16,668 of the women who attended antenatal clinics at the facility in the last 25 years did not contract malaria during pregnancy, with 945 experiencing it during their first trimester but no later.

Approximately 20 per cent suffered a miscarriage without malaria being a factor, while the risk was increased to one in three pregnancies by the presence of asymptomatic malaria and one in two among those with symptomatic malaria.

The investigation - the results of which were published in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases - was the largest of its kind and Dr Rose McGready of the Shoklo Malaria Research Unit explained understanding the risk of malaria "is essential for weighing up the treatment options".

"[While] the dangers of miscarriage are considerable, our study offers some good news, that the most common drugs reduce this risk significantly," she added.

Malaria caused around 781,000 deaths in 2009, according to figures from the World Health Organization, with the majority being African children.

source

Women Look Up to 5 years older in Winter

The bags under the eyes are the price women pay for the dismal days of winter, experts say. They add that these bags make women look up to five years older.

The eyes of 5,000 women aged between 27 and 60 were studied throughout the seasons by scientists, who found winter aged women's looks by an average four years and eight months.

A lack of sunlight means paler skin, emphasising bags under the eyes and the problem is made worse by a higher level of fatigue in the winter due to a lower amount of Vitamin D, generated by the body in sunlight, and subsequently less serotonin, the body's "feel good chemical".

The results are almost as bad for men, said the study, carried out at AMA Laboratories in New York for Adonia Organics. It found 82 percent of women suffered from dark circles and puffy eyes in the winter as opposed to just 38 percent in the summer.

"More science is coming out linking the lack of Vitamin D and K as one of the causes that plagues us with dark circles and puffy eyes, especially as it relates to fatigue and immune related issues. Once you have them, it is usually difficult to reverse," the Daily Express quoted Mark Binette, anti-ageing expert as saying.

"Lacking in Vitamins D and K has a considerable negative effect on the appearance of dark circles and puffy eyes," he said.

Dark circles are one of the most common skin problems, and are often caused by tiny capillaries that leak blood beneath the surface of the skin. As this blood starts to oxidise, it turns an ugly dark blue colour similar to a bruise.

The thin skin under the eyes allows fluid to build up. This becomes more obvious in winter as skin becomes more transparent.

In the summer, dark circles are easier to hide as people suffer less from fatigue and most people's skin becomes lightly tanned.

Additionally, during the summer, we experience higher serotonin levels when the skin is exposed to sunlight.

Source-ANI

Vitamin D is a Must in Pregnancy

All pregnant and breastfeeding women must take vitamin D, a coroner in London has urged.

Coroner Andrew Walker wrote a letter to Health Secretary Andrew Lansley after he held an inquest last week into the death of a three-month-old boy.

In his letter, Walker said that the boy, Milind Agarwal, was taken to the doctor in July with symptoms of a probable viral infection.

He was sent home with saline nasal drops. A later telephone consultation with another doctor led to his parents being advised to give him paracetamol.

But his mother and father still had concerns and called an ambulance. Their son was taken to Northwick Park Hospital in north London ''where it was recognised he was seriously unwell'.

Later, the baby died from septic inflammation of the heart against a background of an abnormal aortic heart valve.

A consultant paediatric pathologist told the coroner's court that vitamin D deficiency played a role in progression of the infection and suggested all pregnant and breastfeeding women be prescribed vitamin D daily.

In his letter, Walker told Lansley that consideration should be given 'to increasing public awareness of vitamin D deficiency', the Telegraph reported.

In particular all pregnant and breastfeeding mothers should receive 10mcg of Vitamin D every day, he said.

Research has previously found that pregnant women and those trying to conceive are lacking vitamin D.

Vitamin D is found in small quantities in a few foods such as oily fish, eggs and liver, and in fortified foods such as margarine, breakfast cereals and powdered milk.

But pregnant women are advised to avoid liver and liver products, raw or under-cooked eggs and to limit their intake of certain fish such as tuna.


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Keep these cans away from kids

rom school playing fields to major league clubhouses, caffeinated energy drinks such as Red Bull and its scores of imposters have become a familiar presence in sports, and it may be endangering the lives of our children.
Every year many parents across America suffer the tragic death of their student athletes. Just last spring at a UIL basketball tournament in Austin, a 15-year old basketball player collapsed on the court and later died at Brackenridge Hospital. Many of these deaths are the result of heat stroke or an undiagnosed medical condition, like an abnormal heart rhythm. But parents: did you know that over-consumption of caffeine-supplemented energy drinks may increase your child's risk of a serious medical event, even death, whether or not they’re student athletes?
Kids believe it’s cool to drink them; they see famous athletes endorsing the rainbow-colored treats, and a major league soccer team is even named after one, so they must be good for you — right? Energy drink manufacturers have milked this for all it’s worth, advertising its products directly to children.
Many children, including young athletes, are reaching for Red Bull instead of sport drinks, which — unlike the energy fuel — are mostly water with a nominal amount of sugar and electrolytes. A 16-ounce can of an energy drink, on the other hand, may contain 13 teaspoons of sugar and the amount of caffeine found in four or more colas. Plus, these drinks are not regulated because they’re considered dietary supplements. Even a 12-year old can buy them at the grocery store — no questions asked. Heck, I’ve even seen parents giving their children these drinks at athletic events.
Well, guess what, the over-consumption of these super-caffeinated energy drinks results in thousands of emergency room visits every year, and they just may play a role in the sudden deaths of young athletes, especially those who are not well-hydrated or who have an unrecognized pre-existing condition.

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