Monday, April 29, 2013

Pennsylvania residents concerned about health effects of hydrofracking

Apr. 28, 2013 ? s living in areas near natural gas operations, also known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, are concerned their illnesses may be a result of nearby drilling operations. Twenty-two percent of the participants in a small pilot study surmise that hydrofracking may be the cause of such health concerns as sinus problems, sleeping difficulties, and gastrointestinal problems.

The findings will be presented at the American Occupational Health Conference on April 28 in Orlando, Florida.

Scientists collected responses from 72 adults visiting a primary care physician's office in the hydrofracking-heavy area of Bradford County, Pa., who volunteered to complete an investigator-faciliated survey.

"Almost a quarter of participants consider natural gas operations to be a contributor to their health issues, indicating that there is clearly a concern among residents that should be addressed," says Poun? Saberi, MD, MPH, the study's principal investigator with the department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. She is also an investigator with the Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology (CEET) at Penn.

Within these 22 percent of responders, 13 percent viewed drilling to be the cause of their current health complaints and 9 percent were concerned that future health problems can be caused by natural gas operations. The previous health complaints by participants were thought to be anecdotal in nature as they were individual cases reported publicly only by popular media.

"What is significant about this study is that the prevalence of impressions about medical symptoms attributed to natural gas operations had not been previously solicited in Pennsylvania. This survey indicates that there is a larger group of people with health concerns than originally assumed," explains Saberi.

The survey included questions about 29 health symptoms, including those previously anecdotally reported by other residents and workers in other areas where drilling occurs. Some patient medical records were also reviewed to compare reported symptoms with those that had been previously documented. "Sinus problems, sleeping difficulties, and gastrointestinal problems were the most common symptoms reported on the Bradford survey," notes Saberi. "Of the few studied charts, there were no one-to-one correlations between the participants' reported symptoms on the survey and the presenting symptom to the medical provider in the records. This raises the possibility of communication gaps between residents with concerns and the medical community and needs further exploration. An opportunity exists to educate shale region communities and workers to report, as well as health care providers to document, the attributed symptoms as precisely as possible."

The CEET team also mapped the addresses of patients who agreed to provide them in relation to drilling to determine if proximity to drilling operations may relate to health problems.

"We hope this pilot study will guide the development of future epidemiological studies to determine whether health effects in communities in which natural gas operations are occurring is associated with air, water, and food-shed exposures and will provide a basis for health care provider education," says CEET director Trevor Penning, PhD. "The goal of science should be to protect the public and the environment before harm occurs; not simply to treat it after the damage has been done."

The Bradford County health concerns pilot study is one of three hydrofracking studies currently underway at CEET, one of 20 Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers (EHSCC) in the US, funded by the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).

CEET is also partnering with Columbia University's EHSCC to measure water quality and billable health outcomes in areas with and without hydrofracking on the Pennsylvania-New York border. Using a new mapping tool developed by Harvard University, CEET and Harvard researchers are creating maps of drilling sites, air quality, water quality, and health effects to locate possible associations. Initial studies will focus on Pennsylvania. Results of both studies are expected in early 2014. These collaborative studies are funded by pilot project funds from the respective EHSCCs, which in turn obtain their financial support from NIEHS.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/IVvBTUbZKJQ/130428230423.htm

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NBA vet Jason Collins is first openly gay player in U.S. sports

(Adds quotes from President Clinton)

April 29 (Reuters) - Jason Collins, a veteran center in the National Basketball Association (NBA), announced on Monday that he was gay, becoming the first active player from any of the U.S. professional sports leagues to publicly reveal his homosexuality.

Collins, who played with the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards this season and is now a free agent, made the announcement in an interview with Sports Illustrated, published on Monday,

"I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I'm happy to start the conversation," he said.

"I wish I wasn't the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, "I'm different." If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I'm raising my hand," he added.

The 34-year-old has played for six teams in the NBA and reached the NBA finals twice and says he intends to continue in the sport.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton , whose daughter Chelsea was a classmate of Collins at Stanford university, issued a statement applauding Collins for coming out.

"Jason's announcement today is an important moment for professional sports and in the history of the LGBT community," Clinton said.

"It is also the straightforward statement of a good man who wants no more than what so many of us seek: to be able to be who we are; to do our work; to build families and to contribute to our communities. For so many members of the LGBT community, these simple goals remain elusive.

"I hope that everyone, particularly Jason's colleagues in the NBA, the media and his many fans extend to him their support and the respect he has earned."

(Reporting by Simon Evans; editing by Julian Linden)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nba-collins-comes-first-openly-gay-player-u-154748772.html

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Google Now for iPhone and iPad: It's Here, and It's Great (UPDATED)

Rumors have been swirling that Google Now (the Big G's super-useful personal assistant application) would be coming to the search page on Google.com, but surprise! Our friends on iOS are getting the love first. Starting today, Google Now will be rolled into the Google Search app for iPhone and iPad.

Google Now, for those not familiar, is a very slick app that debuted in Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) last June. Its main selling point is that it gives you the information you want before you even ask for it. It's not perfect, but it's come a long way since launch, and it's pretty excellent. It can tell you when you need to leave for your next appointment, and give you directions for getting there. It can automatically track everything from your FedEx packages to your favorite sports teams in real time. The information shows up on little cards (and in notifications, if you so desire), which are easy to read and simple to dismiss. You decide how much or how little of your personal information you give it access to, but of course the more access you give it, the more it can do.

Google Now is now a part of the Google Search app for iOS. You just download the app (or app update if you already have it), and log in to your Google account. Then you can start tweaking it to your heart's content. While it will have almost all of the same functionality as the Android version, there will be a few things missing at launch: it can't yet manage your boarding passes, events, Fandango, concerts, research topics, nearby events, and a couple of other things, but those will likely be added soon. In the meantime, everything else is just as you'd find it in Jelly Bean. At the same time, it won't be quite as integrated an experience as it is on Android. On Android, Now runs constantly in the background, and is never more than a tap away. For iOS, it'll likely be sandboxed into Google Search, and won't be quite as easy to access. Still, though! Better to have it slightly hamstrung than not to have it at all.

You might think that Google would want to save some special sauce for its Android users, but ultimately Google sells Google, not Android. And while Google Now gives you lots of useful information, it also gives Google access to all kinds of geolocation and personal preference data that will make it easier to serve you highly relevant ads across every platform. The move also fits right in with the rumors that Now may be coming to Google's homepage for users who are signed in (which would be awesome). Google just wants you to use its products, and it's down to give away a lot of good stuff to keep you using them, regardless of what phone, computer, or browser you use.

iOS users can get Now through a Google Search update in the app store starting today. Give it a shot, and see what you think. It may take a few days for it to learn your preferences and what info is important to you, but once it does, you'll start to wonder how you ever lived without it. [Google]

UPDATE #1: Hands On
We just downloaded the app and have been playing with it. After a short explanation of what Now is, you'll be asked if you want to opt in. If you do (and you do), you log in, and it starts populating some cards right away. Because I've used Now on Android previously, it knew that I wanted A's and Giants scores, for example. It's very nicely laid out. The landing screen basically just looks like search, and then you scroll down to get into your Google Now cards. As with Android, if there's a card you're not interest in, you just swipe it away. Not surprisingly, searching by voice works really well.

Naturally, we haven't yet been able to test how well it works in the background or see what notifications will be like (which are a large part of the equation), but so far so good.

UPDATE #2: Houston, we have a problem.
As some of our astute readers have pointed out, using Google Now on iOS seems to lock your GPS into the ON position, which causes it to slurp down battery like a teenager with a Mountain Dew. Obviously, this isn't good. We've confirmed the problem on our device as well. Reaching out to Google for a comment now.

Source: http://gizmodo.com/google-now-for-iphone-and-ipad-its-here-and-its-gre-484296181

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Saturday, February 23, 2013

Volkswagen earnings up 41 percent in 2012

BERLIN (AP) ? German automaker Volkswagen AG said Friday its net profit increased 41 percent for 2012, but earnings fell a little short of analysts' expectations and the company issued a cautious forecast for this year.

Full-year earnings rose to ?21.7 billion ($28.7 billion) from ?15.4 billion the previous year; analysts surveyed by FactSet had expected them to come in just above ?22 billion. Earnings were boosted last year in part by an accounting boost from the complex deal that made Porsche one of Volkswagen's 12 brands.

Revenues were up 21 percent, rising to ?192.7 billion from ?159.3 billion. The number of vehicles delivered worldwide last year by the group topped 9 million for the first time, rising 12.2 percent to nearly 9.3 million as growing demand in North America and Asia offset more sluggish sales in Europe, where many countries are in recession.

The company said it expects revenue and deliveries to customers to exceed last year's level in 2013 but that, "given the ongoing uncertainty in the economic environment," its aim is to match the 2012 level of operating profit.

Last year's operating profit came in at ?11.5 billion, a 2.1 percent increase over 2011. Volkswagen proposed raising the dividend on ordinary shares to ?3.50 from the previous year's ?3.00 and on preferred shares to ?3.56 from ?3.06.

The company noted that "we are not completely immune to the intense competition and the impact this has on business."

Volkswagen shares dropped sharply after the earnings statement, falling 6.3 percent to ?165 in Frankfurt trading.

The company did not detail fourth-quarter earnings. Friday's statement of key 2012 figures came ahead of a full annual report planned for March 14.

Volkswagen said its supervisory board has adjusted the rules for executive compensation, with the result that managers' pay will decrease compared with 2011 despite the higher operating earnings.

The company said that CEO Martin Winterkorn's earnings for 2012 total about ?14.5 million, compared with the previous year's ?17.5 million ? a change that had been expected. The management board's total pay will sink to about ?56 million from ?70 million.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-02-22-Germany-Earns-Volkswagen/id-7014b01d3ee34d7489c58cadc8c586e9

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Miranda Kerr Bikini Photo: Good Morning, Indeed

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/02/miranda-kerr-bikini-photo-good-morning-indeed/

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Friday, February 22, 2013

Influenza study: Meet virus' new enemy

Feb. 21, 2013 ? Simon Fraser University virologist Masahiro Niikura and his doctoral student Nicole Bance are among an international group of scientists that has discovered a new class of molecular compounds capable of killing the influenza virus.

Working on the premise that too much of a good thing can be a killer, the scientists have advanced previous researchers' methods of manipulating an enzyme that is key to how influenza replicates and spreads.

Their new compounds will lead to a new generation of anti-influenza drugs that the virus' strains can't adapt to, and resist, as easily as they do Tamiflu. It's an anti-influenza drug that is becoming less effective against the constantly mutating flu virus.

These increasingly less adequate anti-influenza drugs are currently doctors' best weapons against influenza. They helped the world beat H1N1, swine flu, into submission four years ago.

The journal Science Express has just published online the scientists' study, revealing how to use their newly discovered compounds to interrupt the enzyme neuraminidase's facilitation of influenza's spread.

Tamiflu and another anti-influenza drug, Relenza, focus on interrupting neuraminidase's ability to help influenza detach from an infected cell's surface by digesting sialic acid, a sugar on the surface of the cell. The flu virus uses the same sugar to stick to the cell while invading it. Once attached, influenza can invade the cell and replicate.

This is where the newly discovered compounds come to the still-healthy cells' rescue. They clog up neuraminidase, stopping the enzyme from dissolving the sialic acid, which prevents the virus from escaping the infected cell and spreading.

The new compounds are also more effective because they're water-soluble. "They reach the patient's throat where the flu virus is replicating after being taken orally," says Niikura, a Faculty of Health Sciences associate professor.

"Influenza develops resistance to Relenza less frequently, but it's not the drug of choice like Tamiflu because it's not water-soluble and has to be taken as a nasal spray.

"Our new compounds are structurally more similar to sialic acid than Tamiflu. We expect this closer match will make it much more difficult for influenza to adapt to new drugs."

Ultimately, the new compounds will buy scientists more time to develop new vaccines for emerging strains of influenza that are resistant to existing vaccines.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Simon Fraser University.

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Journal Reference:

  1. Jin-Hyo Kim, Ricardo Resende, Tom Wennekes, Hong-Ming Chen, Nicole Bance, Sabrina Buchini, Andrew G. Watts, Pat Pilling, Victor A. Streltsov, Martin Petric, Richard Liggins, Susan Barrett, Jennifer L. McKimm-Breschkin, Masahiro Niikura, and Stephen G. Withers. Mechanism-Based Covalent Neuraminidase Inhibitors with Broad Spectrum Influenza Antiviral Activity. Science, 21 February 2013 DOI: 10.1126/science.1232552

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/bQcwTXMIazs/130221194241.htm

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Sports Briefing | Pro Football: Jets? Tim Tebow Backs Out of Appearance at Dallas Church

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Source: www.nytimes.com --- Thursday, February 21, 2013
Jets quarterback Tim Tebow backed out of an appearance at a Baptist megachurch in Dallas run by a pastor who has created controversy with his remarks about gays and other faiths. ...

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/22/sports/football/jets-tim-tebow-backs-out-of-appearance-at-dallas-church.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

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