SWINE FLU (H1N1 Virus)

So what is Swine flu ?

Swine flu refers to a respiratory infection caused by Influenza A viruses that ordinarily cause illness in pigs. Like humans, pigs can get infected with an influenza virus. Humans can get infected with flu from pigs and this happens very rarely. And more uncommon feature is transmission of swine flu from human to another human.

Swine flu doesn't often infect people, and the rare human cases that have occurred in the past have mainly affected people who had direct contact with pigs. But the current swine flu outbreak is different. It's caused by a new swine flu virus(H1N1 Type A influenza virus) that has changed in ways genetically that allow it to spread from one person to another and it's happening among people who haven't had any contact with pigs.

This new swine flu strain is being called by a number of names, including: swine-origin influenza A, swine influenza A (H1N1), influenza A/California/H1N1, swine origin influenza virus, North American flu and influenza A (H1N1).

Symptoms of Swine Flu

Important clinical features of swine influenza include fever, and upper respiratory symptoms such as cough and sore throat. Head ache, body ache, fatigue diarrhea and vomiting have also been observed.

There is insufficient information to date about clinical complications of this variant of swine origin influenza A (H1N1) virus infection. Clinicians should expect complications to be similar to seasonal influenza: sinusitis, otitis media, croup, pneumonia, bronchiolitis, status asthamaticus, myocarditis, pericarditis, myositis, rhabdomyolysis, encephalitis, seizures, toxic shock syndrome and secondary bacterial pneumonia with or without sepsis. Individuals at extremes of age and with preexisting medical conditions are at higher risk of complications.

Investigations

Includes haematological, biochemical, radiological and microbiological tests as necessary.

Confirmation of influenza A(H1N1) swine origin infection is through:

¯ Real time (RT) PCR or

¯ Isolation of the virus in culture or

¯ Four-fold rise in virus specific neutralizing antibodies.

Treatment

The guiding principles are:

¯ Early implementation of infection control precautions to minimize nosocomical / household spread of disease

¯ Prompt treatment to prevent severe illness & death.

¯ Early identification and follow up of persons at risk.

Oseltamivir Medication

— Oseltamivir is the recommended drug both for prophylaxis and treatment.

— Dose for treatment is as follows:

— By Weight:

-  <15kg 30 mg BD for 5 days

- 15-23kg 45 mg BD for 5 days

- 24-<40kg 60 mg BD for 5 days

- >40kg 75 mg BD for 5 days

As on 30.04.09, 148 laboratory confirmed human cases of Swine influenza A (H1N1) has been reported from nine countries with 8 deaths. ( Mexico [26 cases, 7 deaths], USA [91 cases, one death], Canada (13), Austria(1), Germany (3), Israel(2), New Zealand (3), Spain(4), and United Kingdom (5). Over 1300 suspected cases have been reported with about 100 deaths. The outbreak started in Mexico on 18^th March, 2009 and spread to USA and Canada and then to other countries.

WHO has heightened the pandemic level to Phase 5 implying widespread human infection.

Technorati Tags: Swine flu,Medical Advice,H1N1 Virus

Maximise your ability to concentrate

The quality and quantity of work you can produce is dependent, not only on the effort you put in, but on your ability to concentrate. No matter how hard to you try, if your brain isn’t performing well, you won’t be as productive as you should be.

Although many of the factors affecting concentration are beyond your control, a large amount is determined by behavior. These 5 tips will help you get your mind functioning at peak performance so you can excel at highly creative activities like writing, brainstorming, and strategic thinking.

1. Get Your Rest.
It might seem obvious, but the biggest factor affecting concentration is rest. It’s also important not to sleep too much. Oversleeping disrupts your natural rhythm and leads to grogginess. Avoid this by having a set wake up time.

2. Make a Plan. When you sit down to work without a plan, it’s easy to get caught up in crutch activities like checking email and browsing the web. Without a purpose, your mind will be pulled in several different directions. Instead of devoting all your attention to one important task, you’ll find yourself distracted by a variety of nagging thoughts.

3. Eat Light and Healthy. Nothing slows down the mind and body like a big greasy meal. Overeating puts a huge load of digestion on the body, sapping strength from the mind. Maximize your ability to concentrate by eating light and healthy meals.

4. Exercise. The body has pent up energy that needs to be used. If you don’t exercise regularly, this energy can manifest itself in the form of a distracted mind. The best way to improve your concentration all day long is by exercising first thing in the morning.

5. Take Breaks and Mix Up Your Environment. Stagnation and fatigue are other factors that can negatively affect concentration. When you’ve been working too long in the same place, you start to get stir crazy and lose focus. The best remedy for this is taking breaks and switching up your work environment. When you find yourself losing focus, get up and take a walk. This will get your heart rate up, increase your alertness, and give your mind a chance to work on the problem internally.

Spelling bee requires medical knowledge

The National Spelling Bee competition is one of the most watched competitions in US.
The preparation. The suspense. The drama.
The intense dorkiness of it all. This contest is a nailbiter.

The contestants can memorise words like no others.
But their knowledge of medical terms dictate their fate in the competition.

Some words used :
"Muscle."
"Physician."
"Defendant."
"Poliomyelitis"
"Hirudiniasis"
"Coryza"
"Serrafine" - "...a small spring forceps used for approximating the edges of a wound, or for temporarily closing an artery during surgery."

Health Risks of soft drinks : CAUTION

Research from a British university suggests a common preservative found in drinks such as Fanta and Pepsi Max has the ability to switch off vital parts of DNA.

The findings could have serious consequences for the hundreds of millions of
people worldwide who consume fizzy drinks. They will also intensify the controversy about food additives, which have been linked to hyperactivity in children.

Concerns centre on the safety of E211, known as sodium benzoate, a preservative used for decades by the £74bn global carbonated drinks industry. Sodium benzoate derives from benzoic acid. It is also added to pickles and sauces.

Sodium benzoate has already been the subject of concern about cancer because when mixed with the additive vitamin C in soft drinks, it causes benzene, a carcinogenic substance.

These chemicals have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactivate it: they knock it out altogether.

"The mitochondria consumes the oxygen to give you energy and if you damage it - as happens in a number if diseased states - then the cell starts to malfunction very seriously. And there is a whole array of diseases that are now being tied to damage to this DNA - Parkinson's and quite a lot of neuro-degenerative diseases, but above all the whole process of ageing."

A review of sodium benzoate by the World Health Organisation in 2000 concluded that it was safe, but it noted that the available science supporting its safety was "limited".

Coca-Cola and Pepsi and Diet Pepsi all contain sodium benzoate.

Childbirth in 3D

3D Animation Of Childbirth - Funny bloopers R us

Belly fat in women: How to keep it off

As you age and your metabolism slows down, the amount of fat in your body slowly increases. Women experience an even greater fat percentage increase than men do. Then after menopause, your body fat distribution tends to shift — less in your arms, legs and hips, and more in your abdomen.

Measure it up : To measure your waist, run a tape measure around your midsection at about the level of your navel. Breathe normally, don't hold your tummy in, and don't pull the tape so tight that it presses your skin down. In a woman of healthy weight, a waist measurement of 35 inches or more indicates an unhealthy concentration of abdominal fat.

Fight back the bulge

Since visceral fat is buried deep in your abdomen, it may seem like a difficult target for spot reduction. As it turns out, visceral fat responds well to a regular exercise routine and a healthy diet. Targeted tummy exercises can help to firm the abdominal muscles and flatten the belly.

Exercise. Daily, moderate-intensity exercise is the best way to lose belly fat — when you lose weight and tone your muscles, your belly fat begins shrinking, too. In fact, you may notice that your tummy bulge is the first area to shrink when you start exercising. The amount and type of exercise you should get varies depending on your current activity level and your health goals.

Strength training. Some research has shown that exercising with weights is effective in trimming tummy fat.

Healthy diet. Changing unhealthy eating habits can help fight belly fat. Replace saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats. Increase portions of complex carbohydrates like fruits and vegetables, and reduce simple carbohydrates like white bread and refined pasta.

Tone your tummy. While you can't "spot-burn" belly fat, you can firm up your abdominal muscles and get a flatter belly. Traditional sit-ups aren't the most effective way to firm your tummy, however. Instead, use these exercises to target both deeper and lower abdominal muscles:

• Deeper abdominal muscles. Target deeper abdominal muscles by doing "abdominal hollowing" or "drawing in the belly button." First, get down on all fours. Let your tummy hang down as you take a deep breath. Let your breath out, and at the end of your exhalation, gently draw your belly button inward and upward toward your spine. You should feel a slight tightening around your waist — think of it as trying to squeeze through a partially closed door. Hold for 10 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds. Work up to 10 repetitions. During each effort, your spine position shouldn't change and you should breathe freely. Eventually, you'll be able to do this exercise standing up. It's so subtle, no one should be able to tell you're doing it.

  

• Lower abdominal muscles. Tone your lower abdomen by doing pelvic tilts and pelvic lifts. To do a pelvic tilt, lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent. Flatten your back against the floor by tightening your abdominal muscles and bending your pelvis up slightly. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds. Repeat five times and work up to 10 to 20 repetitions.

  For pelvic lifts, lie on your back with your knees bent up toward your chest and your arms relaxed by your sides. Tighten your lower abdomen and lift your buttocks up off the floor, with your knees aimed toward the ceiling. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds. Repeat five times and work up to 10 to 20 repetitions.

Hormone therapy. Although there are good reasons for some women to try hormone replacement therapy (HRT) after menopause, fending off belly fat isn't one of them. It's true that some studies have demonstrated that postmenopausal women who take HRT are less likely to accumulate abdominal fat than are postmenopausal women who forgo HRT

This is a mayo clinic article for belly fat reduction.

Monitoring Head injuries with helmets

The HIT System is the first and only system that can measure head accelerations (impacts) in real-time during games and practices. The HIT System's sensor/encoder, contains impact sensors, a processor and transmitter, and transforms any helmet or headgear into a head impact monitor.

A data collector receives impact data continuously from encoders that can be hundreds of meters away, and can monitor dozens of players or soldiers simultaneously. The software analyzes those data and sends a pager warning if any impact has a potentially injurious profile.

The data collector stores all of the key signatures of the impacts: peak linear acceleration, rotational acceleration, duration, location, time stamp, etc, for future analysis.

After more than a decade of research , the HIT System was put to the test in the crucible of elite college and high school football stadiums and practice fields. Using the HIT System we can record over one-quarter of a million impacts and corresponding head injury data.

Researchers are using the analysis of these data to shed new light on the biomechanical causes of mild traumatic brain injuries. This research may lead to advancements in protective equipment or other injury reduction strategies.

Hope i can get my hands on one of that for my own analysis of concussive forces during impact fo any kind>>

Offbeat >> Music

Saturday night music.... Love this trance... This was made in 1970's, way ahead of ages.


"Magic fly" by Space

10 tips for permanent weight loss

1. Exercise 30 to 60 minutes each day. If time is limited, exercise for several brief periods throughout the day — for example, three 10-minute sessions rather than one 30-minute session.

2. Eat three healthy meals during the day, including a good breakfast. Skipping meals causes increased hunger and may lead to excessive snacking

3. Weigh yourself regularly. Monitoring your weight can tell you whether your efforts are working

4.Don't keep comfort foods in the house. If you tend to eat high-fat, high-calorie foods when you're upset or depressed or bored, don't keep them around. Availability of food is one of the strongest factors in determining how much a person eats.

5. Create opportunities to be active. Wash your car at home instead of going to the car wash. Bike or walk to the store. Participate in your kid's activities at the playground or park.

6. Sit down together for family meals. Avoid eating in front of the television. TV viewing strongly affects how much and what people eat.

7. See what you eat. Eating directly from a container gives you no sense of how much you're eating. Seeing food on a plate or in a bowl keeps you aware of how much you're eating.

8. Eat at home. People eat more food in restaurants than at home. Limit how often you eat at restaurants.

9. Walk for 10 minutes over your lunch hour or get up a few minutes earlier in the morning and go for a short walk.

10. Reward yourself. Celebrate your success with nonfood rewards, such as new clothes or an outing with friends.