The Public Relations Dept of Papworth Hospital declined to povide the names of the Cardiologists, who successfully inserted an unnamed coronary stent into the 90y.Prince Philip, based on Patient confidentiality.
Hopefully the New Year Honours will reveal the facts of this important advance in Geriatric Cardiology.
30 December 2011
29 December 2011
PAPWORTH HOSPITAL CME
Cardiology Training Day - Arrhythmias, Electrophysiology and Devices - 22nd November 2011
Endobronchial & Endoscopic Ultrasound EBUS Course - Thursday 24th & Friday 25th November 2011
Transplant and Lung Failure Symposium - 23rd March 2012
Papworth ECMO Course - 26th, 27th & 28th March 2012
(COMMENT: Still no Press release about the Papworth doctors who saved Prince Philip's life)
Endobronchial & Endoscopic Ultrasound EBUS Course - Thursday 24th & Friday 25th November 2011
Transplant and Lung Failure Symposium - 23rd March 2012
Papworth ECMO Course - 26th, 27th & 28th March 2012
(COMMENT: Still no Press release about the Papworth doctors who saved Prince Philip's life)
28 December 2011
ROYAL ROLE in UK MEDICAL TRAVEL TOURISM
The UK Royal Family are consumer models for the UK Middle and Upper Middle classes. There are approx 850 ROYAL WARRENT HOLDERS including BOOTS the CHEMIST. Medical practitioners are rewarded for services to the Royal Family by membership in the ROYAL VICTORIAN ORDER
Hospitals can be elevated by the addition of ROYAL such as ROYAL BROMPTON (Lungs & Heart), ROYAL FREE (first to admit female students), ROYAL London Hosp for INTEGRATED MEDICINE,(originally Royal Homoeopathic), ROYAL LONDON (East End), ROYAL MARSDEN (Cancer) and some community hospitals such as Guildford's Royal Surrey County Hosp.
UK Medicine is an important invisible EXPORT. PRIVATE medicine has been alive & well since the beginning of the NHS in 1947. Teaching hospitals have PRIVATE wards. There are many PRIVATE HOSPITALS including the Royal favourite , the London KING EDWARD VII Hosp for Officers (public accepted - military families pay reduced fees), the famous (1932,) Harley Street, LONDON CLINIC.and the (1975) WELLINGTON HOSP ,(overlooking Lord's Cricket Ground), now owned by Nashville,USA, HCA Holdings Inc which also owns the ALL PRIVATE Harley Street Clinic, Lister Hosp., London Bridge Hosp.,Portland Hosp. (women/children), and the Princess Grace Hosp.
Hopefully the PAPWORTH HOSPITAL doctors who saved the life of Prince Philip will be named by the Palace Press office. This would encourage Medical Travel tourism to the clean air of the village of Papworth Everard., 10 miles West of Cambridge (45 min by train from London). It would also be interesting to the World's medical profession to know what brand of STENT was used.
Hospitals can be elevated by the addition of ROYAL such as ROYAL BROMPTON (Lungs & Heart), ROYAL FREE (first to admit female students), ROYAL London Hosp for INTEGRATED MEDICINE,(originally Royal Homoeopathic), ROYAL LONDON (East End), ROYAL MARSDEN (Cancer) and some community hospitals such as Guildford's Royal Surrey County Hosp.
UK Medicine is an important invisible EXPORT. PRIVATE medicine has been alive & well since the beginning of the NHS in 1947. Teaching hospitals have PRIVATE wards. There are many PRIVATE HOSPITALS including the Royal favourite , the London KING EDWARD VII Hosp for Officers (public accepted - military families pay reduced fees), the famous (1932,) Harley Street, LONDON CLINIC.and the (1975) WELLINGTON HOSP ,(overlooking Lord's Cricket Ground), now owned by Nashville,USA, HCA Holdings Inc which also owns the ALL PRIVATE Harley Street Clinic, Lister Hosp., London Bridge Hosp.,Portland Hosp. (women/children), and the Princess Grace Hosp.
Hopefully the PAPWORTH HOSPITAL doctors who saved the life of Prince Philip will be named by the Palace Press office. This would encourage Medical Travel tourism to the clean air of the village of Papworth Everard., 10 miles West of Cambridge (45 min by train from London). It would also be interesting to the World's medical profession to know what brand of STENT was used.
23 December 2011
Sir (Dr.) Pendrill VARRIER-JONES (1883-1941) & PAPWORTH HOSPITAL
In 1918, the Cambridgeshire Tuberculosis Colony, consisting of 17 patients, moved from the nearby village of Bourn into Papworth Hall, which was vacant following (financier) Ernest Hooley's departure. This event was to have a profound effect on the future of the village. With the Hall went the village and most of the land in the parish. Under the energetic and capable management of Dr (later, Sir) Pendrill Varrier-Jones the Papworth Colony rapidly expanded. (In the early twentieth century, before effective drug treatments became available, TB was not only a potential killer for the victim but also had devastating consequences for the whole family who were often evicted from their home, sacked from their employment and generally ostracised from friends, family and community).
Although there were still many deaths among tuberculosis patients, even at Papworth, the aim was to rehabilitate sufferers by arresting their disease, by giving them appropriate work, and by allowing their families to come and live in the village with them. Papworth ultimately offered free medical care, excellent housing, schools, recreation and a chance for the TB patient to rebuild their life.
The Hall soon became too small and a new hospital was built in the grounds. In all, about 300 new houses were built for TB patients and their families, first along Ermine Street and then on the Pendragon Hill/Ridgeway Estate. Baron's Way, to the East of the playing fields, was built in the early 1950's. Factory buildings were constructed in the 1930's - replacing earlier workshops - and a shop was provided.
During the 1940s antibiotics became available that would cure TB. In the late 1940's, the hospital passed to the newly formed National Health Service and became the East Anglian centre for chest and heart medicine and much pioneering work has been done. Papworth was one of the very first hospitals in the country to undertake open-heart surgery and in 1978 Sir Terrance English undertook the first of the current series of successful heart transplants in Britain. Later, the first combined heart and lung transplant in Europe was carried out at Papworth.
COMMENT:
Papworth Hospital is to be rebuilt in Cambridge by the combined firms of BOUYGUES SA in Paris and SKANSKA AB in Solna.
Papworth also takes PAYING PATIENTS.
Although there were still many deaths among tuberculosis patients, even at Papworth, the aim was to rehabilitate sufferers by arresting their disease, by giving them appropriate work, and by allowing their families to come and live in the village with them. Papworth ultimately offered free medical care, excellent housing, schools, recreation and a chance for the TB patient to rebuild their life.
The Hall soon became too small and a new hospital was built in the grounds. In all, about 300 new houses were built for TB patients and their families, first along Ermine Street and then on the Pendragon Hill/Ridgeway Estate. Baron's Way, to the East of the playing fields, was built in the early 1950's. Factory buildings were constructed in the 1930's - replacing earlier workshops - and a shop was provided.
During the 1940s antibiotics became available that would cure TB. In the late 1940's, the hospital passed to the newly formed National Health Service and became the East Anglian centre for chest and heart medicine and much pioneering work has been done. Papworth was one of the very first hospitals in the country to undertake open-heart surgery and in 1978 Sir Terrance English undertook the first of the current series of successful heart transplants in Britain. Later, the first combined heart and lung transplant in Europe was carried out at Papworth.
COMMENT:
Papworth Hospital is to be rebuilt in Cambridge by the combined firms of BOUYGUES SA in Paris and SKANSKA AB in Solna.
Papworth also takes PAYING PATIENTS.
22 December 2011
GP Behnaz YAZDANFAR found GUILTY. Will CPSO REGISTRAR GERACE RESIGN?
from TORONTO STAR
(Real estate agent) Krista Tabacoff Stryland, (1974-2007) was pronounced dead in North York Hosp shortly after paramedics took her there from GP Behnaz Yazdanfar’s cosmetic clinic (in a North Toronto office building).
The GP who was found incompetent in her care of cosmetic surgery patients – including Ms STRYLAND who died following a SIX LITER liposuction in 2007 .
Dr. Behnaz Yazdanfar was found to have displayed “disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional” conduct in her care of five patients following a TWO YEAR disciplinary hearing before the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons that ended in May 2011. PENALTY delayed for SEVEN MONTHS..
Yesterday the college suspended Yazdanfar’s licence for two years. After that, Dr. Yazdanfar will be restricted from SOLO surgery but will be permitted to ASSIST in surgery, including cosmetic procedures.
She was ordered Wednesday to appear before the college for a public reprimand within the next three months.
Yazdanfar was ordered to pay $219,000 in costs to the college within a year.
She must also co-operate with unannounced inspections of her practice and patient charts, conducted at her expense, and publish the terms of her restrictions at her clinic and on her website.
Like many doctors performing cosmetic procedures (in Ontario), Dr. Yazdanfar was never accredited as a plastic surgeon and holds no surgical designation.
Ms. Krista Stryland was pronounced dead in hospital shortly after paramedics took her from Dr.Yazdanfar’s cosmetic clinic. Court records obtained by the Star alleged Ms. Stryland lay in the clinic’s recovery room in serious condition for 30 minutes before anyone called 911.
Dr. Bruce Liberman, the anesthesiologist in the Stryland case, was also found to be incompetent. He is awaiting the result of a separate disciplinary hearing.
COMMENTS:
The CPSO was aware that GPs were perfoming surgery under GENERAL ANAESTHESIA in office buildings. The CPSO Registrar, past ER physician & CPSO Past President, , R.V. GERACE MD (UWO 72) FRCSC (ER 83) was aware of the danger for years and took no preventive action. As a direct result of this negligence a patient died; will Dr.Gerace resign?
Dr.Yazdanfar was represented by Lawyers Clayton Ruby CM BA(York 63) LLB (Tor.69) LLM(U.Cal.Berkeley) 11 Prince Arthur Av.,Yorkville,Tor. & Gardiner Roberts LLP partner Tracey Tremayne-Lloyd LLB( 83) Certificate in Health Law, They did a superb job: Dr. Yazdanfar did NOT lose her licence. Only a nominal "Suspension" for 2 years: no problem as the clinic can function withoout her medical services employing other doctors. Also Dr.Yazdanfar can do admin. duties. As for the CPSO legal costs of $219,000 (NOT A FINE) , this a moderate amount considering the gravity of the case. Also is TAX DEDUCTABLE.
(Real estate agent) Krista Tabacoff Stryland, (1974-2007) was pronounced dead in North York Hosp shortly after paramedics took her there from GP Behnaz Yazdanfar’s cosmetic clinic (in a North Toronto office building).
The GP who was found incompetent in her care of cosmetic surgery patients – including Ms STRYLAND who died following a SIX LITER liposuction in 2007 .
Dr. Behnaz Yazdanfar was found to have displayed “disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional” conduct in her care of five patients following a TWO YEAR disciplinary hearing before the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons that ended in May 2011. PENALTY delayed for SEVEN MONTHS..
Yesterday the college suspended Yazdanfar’s licence for two years. After that, Dr. Yazdanfar will be restricted from SOLO surgery but will be permitted to ASSIST in surgery, including cosmetic procedures.
She was ordered Wednesday to appear before the college for a public reprimand within the next three months.
Yazdanfar was ordered to pay $219,000 in costs to the college within a year.
She must also co-operate with unannounced inspections of her practice and patient charts, conducted at her expense, and publish the terms of her restrictions at her clinic and on her website.
Like many doctors performing cosmetic procedures (in Ontario), Dr. Yazdanfar was never accredited as a plastic surgeon and holds no surgical designation.
Ms. Krista Stryland was pronounced dead in hospital shortly after paramedics took her from Dr.Yazdanfar’s cosmetic clinic. Court records obtained by the Star alleged Ms. Stryland lay in the clinic’s recovery room in serious condition for 30 minutes before anyone called 911.
Dr. Bruce Liberman, the anesthesiologist in the Stryland case, was also found to be incompetent. He is awaiting the result of a separate disciplinary hearing.
COMMENTS:
The CPSO was aware that GPs were perfoming surgery under GENERAL ANAESTHESIA in office buildings. The CPSO Registrar, past ER physician & CPSO Past President, , R.V. GERACE MD (UWO 72) FRCSC (ER 83) was aware of the danger for years and took no preventive action. As a direct result of this negligence a patient died; will Dr.Gerace resign?
Dr.Yazdanfar was represented by Lawyers Clayton Ruby CM BA(York 63) LLB (Tor.69) LLM(U.Cal.Berkeley) 11 Prince Arthur Av.,Yorkville,Tor. & Gardiner Roberts LLP partner Tracey Tremayne-Lloyd LLB( 83) Certificate in Health Law, They did a superb job: Dr. Yazdanfar did NOT lose her licence. Only a nominal "Suspension" for 2 years: no problem as the clinic can function withoout her medical services employing other doctors. Also Dr.Yazdanfar can do admin. duties. As for the CPSO legal costs of $219,000 (NOT A FINE) , this a moderate amount considering the gravity of the case. Also is TAX DEDUCTABLE.
KOREAN-CANADIAN VENTURE for AIDS VACCINE
Sumagen Canada Inc. is a solely owned subsidiary of Sumagen Co., Ltd.
Sumagen Co., Ltd is a Korean pharmaceutical venture company focusing on developing an HIV/AIDS vaccine and is a solely owned subsidiary of Curocom Co., Ltd. Sumagen is also supporting the ongoing research work at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario (UWO) for and HCV (Hepatitis C Viru) vaccine.
Dr. Chil Yong Kang, Sumagen's Chief Scientific Officer and also a professor at UWO, developed a vaccine for HIV/AIDS for both therapeutic and prophylactic use with his team. In 2006, the company opened an office in London at the Stiller Centre, in order to closely support the vaccine development. The office in London with a staff of six, are managing the project to manufacture the materials for clinical trials, conduct non-clinical studies, and coordinate through a consultant to meet the requirements of the FDA in the United States to obtain approval to conduct human clinical trials.
Sumagen Co., Ltd is a Korean pharmaceutical venture company focusing on developing an HIV/AIDS vaccine and is a solely owned subsidiary of Curocom Co., Ltd. Sumagen is also supporting the ongoing research work at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario (UWO) for and HCV (Hepatitis C Viru) vaccine.
Dr. Chil Yong Kang, Sumagen's Chief Scientific Officer and also a professor at UWO, developed a vaccine for HIV/AIDS for both therapeutic and prophylactic use with his team. In 2006, the company opened an office in London at the Stiller Centre, in order to closely support the vaccine development. The office in London with a staff of six, are managing the project to manufacture the materials for clinical trials, conduct non-clinical studies, and coordinate through a consultant to meet the requirements of the FDA in the United States to obtain approval to conduct human clinical trials.
19 December 2011
USA C.A.P. MALIGNANT MELANOMA & ZELBORAF
Anne Paxton
Take a fatal and nearly untreatable cancer. Invest hundreds of millions of dollars to develop and test a drug that shrinks tumors or improves survival in half of patients with a common mutation. Link diagnosis to a PCR test that you also manufacture. And win an accelerated FDA approval for the test-drug combination.
Altogether, no mean feat. And it’s essentially what Roche accomplished to bring its metastatic melanoma drug Zelboraf (vemurafenib) on the market this year.
By all accounts, Zelboraf should bring new hope to thousands of melanoma patients and perhaps a billion dollars a year in revenue to Roche. “It’s the first ever joint FDA approval of a drug and a DNA-based companion diagnostic, and the beginning of the molecular companion diagnostics era,” says John W. Longshore, PhD, director of molecular pathology for Carolinas Pathology Group, Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC.
The FDA, in its approach to companion diagnostics, seems to favor single-assay platforms while the field moves toward multiplexed platforms, says Dr. Marc Ladanyi, here at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center with colleagues involved in BRAF mutation testing, Maria Arcila, MD (center), and Laetitia Borsu, PhD.
Zelboraf, a kinase inhibitor, has been proven effective only for melanoma patients with the BRAF V600E mutation. But the linkage of Zelboraf to the Roche Cobas 4800 BRAF V600 Mutation Test is creating something of a furor. In its Aug. 17 approval of Zelboraf, the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research specified that the drug is indicated “for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma with BRAF V600E mutation as detected by an FDA-approved test” (emphasis added). So when the FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health granted pre-market approval for the Cobas test the same day, the Roche assay became the de facto companion diagnostic for Zelboraf.
Take a fatal and nearly untreatable cancer. Invest hundreds of millions of dollars to develop and test a drug that shrinks tumors or improves survival in half of patients with a common mutation. Link diagnosis to a PCR test that you also manufacture. And win an accelerated FDA approval for the test-drug combination.
Altogether, no mean feat. And it’s essentially what Roche accomplished to bring its metastatic melanoma drug Zelboraf (vemurafenib) on the market this year.
By all accounts, Zelboraf should bring new hope to thousands of melanoma patients and perhaps a billion dollars a year in revenue to Roche. “It’s the first ever joint FDA approval of a drug and a DNA-based companion diagnostic, and the beginning of the molecular companion diagnostics era,” says John W. Longshore, PhD, director of molecular pathology for Carolinas Pathology Group, Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC.
The FDA, in its approach to companion diagnostics, seems to favor single-assay platforms while the field moves toward multiplexed platforms, says Dr. Marc Ladanyi, here at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center with colleagues involved in BRAF mutation testing, Maria Arcila, MD (center), and Laetitia Borsu, PhD.
Zelboraf, a kinase inhibitor, has been proven effective only for melanoma patients with the BRAF V600E mutation. But the linkage of Zelboraf to the Roche Cobas 4800 BRAF V600 Mutation Test is creating something of a furor. In its Aug. 17 approval of Zelboraf, the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research specified that the drug is indicated “for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma with BRAF V600E mutation as detected by an FDA-approved test” (emphasis added). So when the FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health granted pre-market approval for the Cobas test the same day, the Roche assay became the de facto companion diagnostic for Zelboraf.
Late Maj Dr. R.G.GAYER-ANDERSON DSO RAMC PASHA
Detail of the headThe sculpture is now known as the Gayer-Anderson cat after Major Robert Grenville Gayer-Anderson who donated it, together with Mary Stout Shaw, to the British Museum.[1] The statue is a representation of the cat-goddess Bastet. The cat wears jewellery and a protective wedjat amulet. The earrings and nose ring on the statue may not have always belonged to the cat.[2] While they certainly are ancient, an early photograph of the cat shows the statue wearing a different pair. A winged scarab appears on the chest and head, it is 42cm high and 13cm wide. A copy of the statue is kept in the Gayer-Anderson Museum, located in Cairo.
ConstructionThe statue is not as well preserved as it appears. X-Rays taken of the sculptire reveal that there are cracks that extend almost completely around the centre of the cats body and only an internal system of strengthening prevents the cat's head from falling off. The repairs to the cat are thought to have been carried out by Major Gayer-Anderson who was a keen restorer of antiquities in the 1930s. He is thought to have rediscovered the surface of the cat after the presumed corrosion had been removed.[3]
The cat was manufactured by the lost wax method where a wax model is covered with clay or clay and water until there is sufficient thickness. The clay can then be fired in a kiln and the wax flows out. The now hollow mould can be refilled with bronze. In this case the metal was 85% copper, 13% tin, 2% arsenic with a 0.2% trace of lead. The remains of the pins that held the wax core can still be seen using x-rays. The original metalworkers would have been able to create a range of colours on a bronze casting and the stripes on the tail are due to metal of a differeing composition. It is also considered likely that the eyes contained stone or glass decorations.[3]
[edit] References^ Description of the Gayer-Anderson Cat, British Museum
^ Oakes, Lorna, and Lucia Gahlin. Ancient Egypt: An Illustrated Reference to the Myths, Religions, Pyramids and Temples of the Land of the Pharaohs. (p. 229) Barnes & Noble, September 2003. ISBN 9780760749432.
^ a b Examination of the Gayer-Anderson cat, British Museum, accessed December 2010
[edit] Further readingClutton-Brock, J. The British Museum book of Cat. London: The British Museum Press, 2000.
Warner, Nicholas. Guide to the Gayer-Anderson Museum, Cairo. Cairo: Press of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, 2003.
Dr.Gayer-Anderson donated his Cairo home to the Egyptian Government. King Farouk awarded him the Title of PASHA.
Returned to WATERBEACH near Cambridge. Son John; a Ceramic artist.
ConstructionThe statue is not as well preserved as it appears. X-Rays taken of the sculptire reveal that there are cracks that extend almost completely around the centre of the cats body and only an internal system of strengthening prevents the cat's head from falling off. The repairs to the cat are thought to have been carried out by Major Gayer-Anderson who was a keen restorer of antiquities in the 1930s. He is thought to have rediscovered the surface of the cat after the presumed corrosion had been removed.[3]
The cat was manufactured by the lost wax method where a wax model is covered with clay or clay and water until there is sufficient thickness. The clay can then be fired in a kiln and the wax flows out. The now hollow mould can be refilled with bronze. In this case the metal was 85% copper, 13% tin, 2% arsenic with a 0.2% trace of lead. The remains of the pins that held the wax core can still be seen using x-rays. The original metalworkers would have been able to create a range of colours on a bronze casting and the stripes on the tail are due to metal of a differeing composition. It is also considered likely that the eyes contained stone or glass decorations.[3]
[edit] References^ Description of the Gayer-Anderson Cat, British Museum
^ Oakes, Lorna, and Lucia Gahlin. Ancient Egypt: An Illustrated Reference to the Myths, Religions, Pyramids and Temples of the Land of the Pharaohs. (p. 229) Barnes & Noble, September 2003. ISBN 9780760749432.
^ a b Examination of the Gayer-Anderson cat, British Museum, accessed December 2010
[edit] Further readingClutton-Brock, J. The British Museum book of Cat. London: The British Museum Press, 2000.
Warner, Nicholas. Guide to the Gayer-Anderson Museum, Cairo. Cairo: Press of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, 2003.
Dr.Gayer-Anderson donated his Cairo home to the Egyptian Government. King Farouk awarded him the Title of PASHA.
Returned to WATERBEACH near Cambridge. Son John; a Ceramic artist.
17 December 2011
ANTIGUA: COCOS HOTEL Killers of UK MD & Physio.Husband get "Life"
DAILY MAIL & DAILY TELEGRAPH
British couple shot dead on their knees on the last day of a 2-wk honeymoon at COCOS (chalet) HOTEL, St.JOHN'S, Antigua
Dr Catherine Mullany and (physiotherapist) husband Ben were forced to kneel by their bed before being shot in the head, the hearing in Swansea was told.
Holidaymakers staying at the same (COCOS- all included) Antigua hotel reported hearing screams and gunfire at 5am, the coroner heard.
Dr Mullany, 31, died at the scene while her physiotherapist husband, also 31, died after being flown home to Pontardawe in South Wales.
Cash, a camera and phones were stolen from the newlyweds’ room before they were killed on the last day of their two-week trip.
‘Three spent cartridges were found on the floor of their chalet and there was damage to the bathroom door where it had been kicked in.’
Avie Howell, 20, and Kaniel Martin, 23, both got LIFE
They were caught after SIM cards registered to them were activated in Mr Mullany’s stolen phone within hours of the shootings.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2056468/Honeymoon-couple-murdered-Antigua-executed-knees.html#ixzz1cY1eKG1i
(COMMENT: In poor countries avoid CHALET hotels. SECURITY difficult unless armed guard is outside 24/7. In Dominican Republic armed guards escort golfers)
(COMMENT: Pity to lose one's life for free booze and skin-ageing & cancer-causing UV. Swimming in
often faecally contaminated sea water in places with poor sewage treatment, with the added danger of injury from jelly-fish & poisonous fish)
British couple shot dead on their knees on the last day of a 2-wk honeymoon at COCOS (chalet) HOTEL, St.JOHN'S, Antigua
Dr Catherine Mullany and (physiotherapist) husband Ben were forced to kneel by their bed before being shot in the head, the hearing in Swansea was told.
Holidaymakers staying at the same (COCOS- all included) Antigua hotel reported hearing screams and gunfire at 5am, the coroner heard.
Dr Mullany, 31, died at the scene while her physiotherapist husband, also 31, died after being flown home to Pontardawe in South Wales.
Cash, a camera and phones were stolen from the newlyweds’ room before they were killed on the last day of their two-week trip.
‘Three spent cartridges were found on the floor of their chalet and there was damage to the bathroom door where it had been kicked in.’
Avie Howell, 20, and Kaniel Martin, 23, both got LIFE
They were caught after SIM cards registered to them were activated in Mr Mullany’s stolen phone within hours of the shootings.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2056468/Honeymoon-couple-murdered-Antigua-executed-knees.html#ixzz1cY1eKG1i
(COMMENT: In poor countries avoid CHALET hotels. SECURITY difficult unless armed guard is outside 24/7. In Dominican Republic armed guards escort golfers)
(COMMENT: Pity to lose one's life for free booze and skin-ageing & cancer-causing UV. Swimming in
often faecally contaminated sea water in places with poor sewage treatment, with the added danger of injury from jelly-fish & poisonous fish)
16 December 2011
UK DAILY MAIL: "HEALTH SURVEY for ENGLAND": Sex sociology:
By Sophie Borland
The Health Survey for England 2010 found that men reported having 9.3 different partners on average while women said they only had 4.7 partners.
On average men have claimed to have had twice as many sexual partners than women (posed by models)
Twice as many men (27 per cent) boasted of having made more than 10 conquests compared to 13 per cent of women. This contrast was apparent in the groups aged 25-34 and older.
In contrast a quarter of women revealed they had only been with one partner during their lifetimes compared to 17 per cent of men.
However, a third of men said their number was an 'estimate' compared to 17 per cent of women.
The report from the NHS Information centre also revealed more than a quarter of young women today lost their virginity when they were below the legal age of consent.
Some 27 per cent of 16 to 24 year-olds admit they were 15 or under when they had sex for the first time.
One in eight of this age group have already had sex with at least ten different partners.
The areas in white show how men soon take the lead in the proportion who have had more than 10 partners
MPs and campaigners yesterday blamed the ‘pornification of society’ for encouraging young girls to dress themselves up as sex objects before they have even reached puberty.
The figures detail for the first time how young girls are increasingly losing their virginity before they reach 16.
They reveal how by comparison, just 4 per cent of women now aged 55 to 64 first had sex when they were under-age. This rises to 10 per cent of 45 to 54 year-olds, and 14 per cent of 35 to 44 year-olds.
Critics say the rise in promiscuity over the generations is linked to increased sex education in schools that has ‘broken down the natural inhibitions of children with regard to sexual conduct’.
The figures also show that more than a fifth of sexually active women aged 16 to 24 have taken the morning-after pill at least once in the past year. Almost 60 per cent admitted they did not always use contraception.
By comparison 22 per cent of men aged 16 to 24 lost their virginity when they were 15 or under. Some 41 per cent said they used a condom every time, although only 5.4 per cent said they had caught a sexually transmitted infection.
Diane Abbott, shadow health minister, said: ‘Too many young girls are absorbing from the popular culture around them that they only have value as sex objects. Inevitably they act this notion out.
‘The rising numbers of girls having under-age sex is alarming. It is not a cost-free phenomenon. It poses public health policy challenges and social challenges. The underlying cause must be the pornification of British culture and the increasing sexualisation of pre-adolescent girls.’
Norman Wells, director of the Family Education Trust said: ‘Over recent years we have witnessed the systematic removal of every restraint which in previous generations served as a disincentive to underage sexual activity.
‘Sex education in many schools has had the effect of breaking down the natural inhibitions of children with regard to sexual conduct, and the age of consent is rarely enforced, so young people no longer have any fear of legal proceedings.
‘On top of that, the ready availability of contraception means that a girl’s fear of pregnancy is no longer considered a good enough reason for rejecting her boyfriend’s advances, and confidentiality policies mean that a girl need not worry about what her parents would think about her being sexually active, obtaining contraception, being treated for a sexually transmitted infection or even having an abortion, because they don’t have to be told.’
The figures have come from a survey of the sexual behaviours of 8,420 men and women aged 16 to 69, carried out by the NHS this year for the first time.
They also reveal that one in seven women aged 16 to 24 who had lost their virginity had caught a sexually transmitted infection at least once. Only four in ten said they always used contraception when having sex.
Across all age groups, the statistics show that 14 per cent of women lost their virginity before the age of 16 compared with 20 per cent of men.
The average age for losing virginity was 17, although for those aged 16 to 24 it was 16.
Although Britain’s teenage pregnancy rates have recently started to fall, they still remain among the highest in Europe. In 2009, there were 38,259 pregnancies in girls under 18 compared with 41,361 in 2008, a decline of 7.5 per cent. Every year around 3,700 girls under 16 have an abortion.
There is concern that society is becoming increasingly ‘sexualised’. Last year the final of ITV’s the X Factor final attracted more than 4,000 complaints following raunchy performances by singers Christina Aguilera and Rihanna.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2074919/Promiscuous-Britain-One-4-young-women-admit-sex-age-16--twice-mothers.html#ixzz1ghlTBxCt
The Health Survey for England 2010 found that men reported having 9.3 different partners on average while women said they only had 4.7 partners.
On average men have claimed to have had twice as many sexual partners than women (posed by models)
Twice as many men (27 per cent) boasted of having made more than 10 conquests compared to 13 per cent of women. This contrast was apparent in the groups aged 25-34 and older.
In contrast a quarter of women revealed they had only been with one partner during their lifetimes compared to 17 per cent of men.
However, a third of men said their number was an 'estimate' compared to 17 per cent of women.
The report from the NHS Information centre also revealed more than a quarter of young women today lost their virginity when they were below the legal age of consent.
Some 27 per cent of 16 to 24 year-olds admit they were 15 or under when they had sex for the first time.
One in eight of this age group have already had sex with at least ten different partners.
The areas in white show how men soon take the lead in the proportion who have had more than 10 partners
MPs and campaigners yesterday blamed the ‘pornification of society’ for encouraging young girls to dress themselves up as sex objects before they have even reached puberty.
The figures detail for the first time how young girls are increasingly losing their virginity before they reach 16.
They reveal how by comparison, just 4 per cent of women now aged 55 to 64 first had sex when they were under-age. This rises to 10 per cent of 45 to 54 year-olds, and 14 per cent of 35 to 44 year-olds.
Critics say the rise in promiscuity over the generations is linked to increased sex education in schools that has ‘broken down the natural inhibitions of children with regard to sexual conduct’.
The figures also show that more than a fifth of sexually active women aged 16 to 24 have taken the morning-after pill at least once in the past year. Almost 60 per cent admitted they did not always use contraception.
By comparison 22 per cent of men aged 16 to 24 lost their virginity when they were 15 or under. Some 41 per cent said they used a condom every time, although only 5.4 per cent said they had caught a sexually transmitted infection.
Diane Abbott, shadow health minister, said: ‘Too many young girls are absorbing from the popular culture around them that they only have value as sex objects. Inevitably they act this notion out.
‘The rising numbers of girls having under-age sex is alarming. It is not a cost-free phenomenon. It poses public health policy challenges and social challenges. The underlying cause must be the pornification of British culture and the increasing sexualisation of pre-adolescent girls.’
Norman Wells, director of the Family Education Trust said: ‘Over recent years we have witnessed the systematic removal of every restraint which in previous generations served as a disincentive to underage sexual activity.
‘Sex education in many schools has had the effect of breaking down the natural inhibitions of children with regard to sexual conduct, and the age of consent is rarely enforced, so young people no longer have any fear of legal proceedings.
‘On top of that, the ready availability of contraception means that a girl’s fear of pregnancy is no longer considered a good enough reason for rejecting her boyfriend’s advances, and confidentiality policies mean that a girl need not worry about what her parents would think about her being sexually active, obtaining contraception, being treated for a sexually transmitted infection or even having an abortion, because they don’t have to be told.’
The figures have come from a survey of the sexual behaviours of 8,420 men and women aged 16 to 69, carried out by the NHS this year for the first time.
They also reveal that one in seven women aged 16 to 24 who had lost their virginity had caught a sexually transmitted infection at least once. Only four in ten said they always used contraception when having sex.
Across all age groups, the statistics show that 14 per cent of women lost their virginity before the age of 16 compared with 20 per cent of men.
The average age for losing virginity was 17, although for those aged 16 to 24 it was 16.
Although Britain’s teenage pregnancy rates have recently started to fall, they still remain among the highest in Europe. In 2009, there were 38,259 pregnancies in girls under 18 compared with 41,361 in 2008, a decline of 7.5 per cent. Every year around 3,700 girls under 16 have an abortion.
There is concern that society is becoming increasingly ‘sexualised’. Last year the final of ITV’s the X Factor final attracted more than 4,000 complaints following raunchy performances by singers Christina Aguilera and Rihanna.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2074919/Promiscuous-Britain-One-4-young-women-admit-sex-age-16--twice-mothers.html#ixzz1ghlTBxCt
11 December 2011
UK STAR : CHILD ALCOHOLICS
ALCO-TOTS
ABOVE: There are 33 boozed-up children are admitted to hospital in England every day of the year These figures are disturbing evidence that, despite total consumption of alcohol not increasing recently, we have serious problems with both binge drinking and long-term excessive alcohol abuse in a minority of people Health Secretary Andrew Lansley
11th December 2011 By John Ward
A STAGGERING 33 boozed-up children are admitted to hospital in England every day of the year.
Damning NHS figures reveal 7,034 under-18s were treated for alcohol-related problems in the first half of 2011 alone.
The sobering statistics expose the extent that children – many as young as ten – are drinking to dangerous levels.
They also show that the worst part of the country for binge-drinking kids is the North-West.
A total of 137 youngsters were admitted to hospitals in Bury, Oldham, Rochdale and North Manchester. Hospitals in East Lancashire recorded 110 cases with 95 in central Manchester.
Leeds is also a blackspot with 111 admissions to the city’s hospitals.
Treating underage drinkers in hospitals is costing the NHS in England alone £19million a year.
And the UK also has the highest rate of teenage alcohol-related injuries in Europe
Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, from campaign group Alcohol Health Alliance UK, said parents should do more to stop their kids drinking.
He said: “We know that heavy drinking from an early age can diminish the life chances of the young person involved. It is important parents realise they are role models. “Their behaviour in relation to alcohol has more impact than what they tell their children.”
A Schools Health Education Unit study this year found 4% of the 12 and 13-year-olds quizzed drank 28 or more units of alcohol a week. Three units is a pint of strong lager or cider. The Department of Health is cracking down on underage booze sales and doubling the maximum fine to £20,000.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: “These figures are disturbing evidence that, despite total consumption of alcohol not increasing recently, we have serious problems with both binge drinking and long-term excessive alcohol abuse in a minority of people.
ABOVE: There are 33 boozed-up children are admitted to hospital in England every day of the year These figures are disturbing evidence that, despite total consumption of alcohol not increasing recently, we have serious problems with both binge drinking and long-term excessive alcohol abuse in a minority of people Health Secretary Andrew Lansley
11th December 2011 By John Ward
A STAGGERING 33 boozed-up children are admitted to hospital in England every day of the year.
Damning NHS figures reveal 7,034 under-18s were treated for alcohol-related problems in the first half of 2011 alone.
The sobering statistics expose the extent that children – many as young as ten – are drinking to dangerous levels.
They also show that the worst part of the country for binge-drinking kids is the North-West.
A total of 137 youngsters were admitted to hospitals in Bury, Oldham, Rochdale and North Manchester. Hospitals in East Lancashire recorded 110 cases with 95 in central Manchester.
Leeds is also a blackspot with 111 admissions to the city’s hospitals.
Treating underage drinkers in hospitals is costing the NHS in England alone £19million a year.
And the UK also has the highest rate of teenage alcohol-related injuries in Europe
Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, from campaign group Alcohol Health Alliance UK, said parents should do more to stop their kids drinking.
He said: “We know that heavy drinking from an early age can diminish the life chances of the young person involved. It is important parents realise they are role models. “Their behaviour in relation to alcohol has more impact than what they tell their children.”
A Schools Health Education Unit study this year found 4% of the 12 and 13-year-olds quizzed drank 28 or more units of alcohol a week. Three units is a pint of strong lager or cider. The Department of Health is cracking down on underage booze sales and doubling the maximum fine to £20,000.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: “These figures are disturbing evidence that, despite total consumption of alcohol not increasing recently, we have serious problems with both binge drinking and long-term excessive alcohol abuse in a minority of people.
10 December 2011
DAILY MAIL: RICKETS in UK
Keeping out of the sun 'is bringing rickets back' as cases increase fivefold in 14 years
By James Martin
Last updated at 12:40 AM on 10th December 2011
The number of British children suffering from rickets has increased fivefold since 1997, figures have revealed.
More than 760 were admitted to hospital last year with the condition, caused by a shortage of Vitamin D – the vital chemical which is boosted by sunlight.
Better nutrition had all but wiped out rickets, which was common in 19th century Britain, but rates have started to rise in the last decade. It is still a major problem in the third world.
Some experts blame its return on parents’ increasing fear of skin cancer, which encourages them to smother their children in sun cream and keep them out of the sun.
Sunlight: Spending too much time inside boosts the chances of rickets
Today’s children also spend much less time playing outside than previous generations, instead staying indoors to watch television or play on their computers.
And fewer youngsters now take cod liver oil capsules, which are rich in vitamin D and, until recently, were given to children to protect against rickets.
Indications that the disease – which causes brittle bones and deformities – is making a return will be greeted with concern among doctors.
More...Stress during second and third month of pregnancy raises risk of premature birth and losing baby boys
Gillian Killiner, of the British Dietetic Association, said: ‘We have taken it for granted that skin cancer is the big one and overlooked the Vitamin D side.
‘Children are covered up with sunblock, t-shirts and hats, and that can be important – but perhaps we’ve pushed it too far.
‘We don’t have a lot of sun in this country, and in winter you are likely to be lacking in Vitamin D.
‘If you haven’t built enough up over summer, that’s going to be a certainty.’
Examination: A schoolboy gets tested for rickets in this photo from the 1920s
She added that children are eating smaller amounts of fish and eggs than in the past, so they get less Vitamin D in their food.
‘It’s to do with the way we eat, obesity, and the lack of spending time out and about. In addition, more children are now overweight and that can reduce their ability to absorb Vitamin D,’ she said.
She added that black and Asian children were more at risk of rickets because it takes darker skins longer to absorb Vitamin D. ‘This effect can be exacerbated if they have covered up for cultural reasons,’ she said.
Figures on the number of patients admitted to hospital with rickets were revealed following a parliamentary question.
They showed that in 1997/98, 147 people ended up in hospital with a primary or secondary diagnosis of rickets.
By 2003/04, the total had more than doubled to 329. Within five years, the number had more than doubled again to 723.
Overall, between 1997/98 and 2010/11, the number of rickets sufferers increased more than fivefold from 147 to 762.
While the figures did not specify ages, experts say the vast majority are children, as Vitamin D deficiency manifests itself as rickets in the young and osteoporosis in adults.
Rickets is a major problem in third-world countries, where it is caused by a shortage of calcium.
It became endemic in the growing cities of 19th century Britain, because of a lack of access to sunlight and poor diets, but rates fell during the 20th century.
Last year, a group of doctors warned that people were not getting enough Vitamin D due to skin cancer fears
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2072377/Keeping-sun-bringing-rickets-cases-increase-fivefold-14-years.html#ixzz1g8v5WOUs
By James Martin
Last updated at 12:40 AM on 10th December 2011
The number of British children suffering from rickets has increased fivefold since 1997, figures have revealed.
More than 760 were admitted to hospital last year with the condition, caused by a shortage of Vitamin D – the vital chemical which is boosted by sunlight.
Better nutrition had all but wiped out rickets, which was common in 19th century Britain, but rates have started to rise in the last decade. It is still a major problem in the third world.
Some experts blame its return on parents’ increasing fear of skin cancer, which encourages them to smother their children in sun cream and keep them out of the sun.
Sunlight: Spending too much time inside boosts the chances of rickets
Today’s children also spend much less time playing outside than previous generations, instead staying indoors to watch television or play on their computers.
And fewer youngsters now take cod liver oil capsules, which are rich in vitamin D and, until recently, were given to children to protect against rickets.
Indications that the disease – which causes brittle bones and deformities – is making a return will be greeted with concern among doctors.
More...Stress during second and third month of pregnancy raises risk of premature birth and losing baby boys
Gillian Killiner, of the British Dietetic Association, said: ‘We have taken it for granted that skin cancer is the big one and overlooked the Vitamin D side.
‘Children are covered up with sunblock, t-shirts and hats, and that can be important – but perhaps we’ve pushed it too far.
‘We don’t have a lot of sun in this country, and in winter you are likely to be lacking in Vitamin D.
‘If you haven’t built enough up over summer, that’s going to be a certainty.’
Examination: A schoolboy gets tested for rickets in this photo from the 1920s
She added that children are eating smaller amounts of fish and eggs than in the past, so they get less Vitamin D in their food.
‘It’s to do with the way we eat, obesity, and the lack of spending time out and about. In addition, more children are now overweight and that can reduce their ability to absorb Vitamin D,’ she said.
She added that black and Asian children were more at risk of rickets because it takes darker skins longer to absorb Vitamin D. ‘This effect can be exacerbated if they have covered up for cultural reasons,’ she said.
Figures on the number of patients admitted to hospital with rickets were revealed following a parliamentary question.
They showed that in 1997/98, 147 people ended up in hospital with a primary or secondary diagnosis of rickets.
By 2003/04, the total had more than doubled to 329. Within five years, the number had more than doubled again to 723.
Overall, between 1997/98 and 2010/11, the number of rickets sufferers increased more than fivefold from 147 to 762.
While the figures did not specify ages, experts say the vast majority are children, as Vitamin D deficiency manifests itself as rickets in the young and osteoporosis in adults.
Rickets is a major problem in third-world countries, where it is caused by a shortage of calcium.
It became endemic in the growing cities of 19th century Britain, because of a lack of access to sunlight and poor diets, but rates fell during the 20th century.
Last year, a group of doctors warned that people were not getting enough Vitamin D due to skin cancer fears
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2072377/Keeping-sun-bringing-rickets-cases-increase-fivefold-14-years.html#ixzz1g8v5WOUs
08 December 2011
DEATH from opioid FENTANYL PATCHES in bath
DAILY MAIL
A grandmother died when a hot bath caused a patch she was wearing on her arm to give her an overdose of medication.
Barbara Reynolds, 67, was killed minutes after getting into the bath at her Leicestershire home as the heat sped up the release of the painkilling drug.
She had been using Fentanyl patches for chronic pain since 2002 - but the 'surge' of the drug into her body made her heart stop.
Painkillers: The Fentanyl patches Barbara Reynolds was wearing released the drug too quickly when she got in the bath and made her heart stop
Mrs Reynolds normally wore just one patch on her arm that released 100mcg of the medicine every hour, Loughborough Coroner's Court heard.
But on the morning of her death, she put a new patch on without removing an old one.
Mrs Reynolds was also feeling groggy that day from the effects of taking anti-depressant Amitriptyline, which she also wore as a patch.
Her distraught husband Charles, 72, told the inquest on Tuesday that he returned to their home in Birstall, Leicestershire, to find his wife dead.
PAINKILLER PATCHES
Fentanyl is a strong painkiller similar to morphine, and is released slowly into the bloodstream via a sticky patch, according to the NHS website.
Patients can take a quick-acting painkiller in addition if the patch is not having enough of an effect.
But NHS warns users it is 'very important' -
Not to stick on any extra patches.
Not to let anyone else use your patch.
Not to cut or divide a patch.
Not to apply immediately after a bath or shower - allow the skin to cool first.
Not to apply direct heat to the area with the patch, e.g. a hot water bottle.
Similar drugs include oxycodone and buprenorphine.
He said: 'I ran her a bath as normal before making Barbara a drink and taking the dog for a walk.
'After an hour walking the dog I came back and the bath water was still running.
'She used to keep the water running to keep the bath hot.
'I went upstairs and she was dead in the bath.'
The inquest was told both the USA's Federal Drug Administration and the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulations Authority (MHRA), advise against wearing the patches in the bath.
When asked by Coroner Robert Chapman if his wife read the warning on the label, Mr Reynolds replied: 'She probably read it in the first place but you don't read it every time if you're taking it for a long period and some of it is difficult for the layman to understand.'
Dr Tim Johnson, a consultant in pain management, said: 'If you were in a hot bath and lay down into it, the effect of the patches would be to provide a surge of Fentanyl which would anaesthetise you.'
Recording a narrative verdict, Mr Chapman said: 'The real issue is that Barbara Reynolds may not have understood what she was doing.
If she didn't read the patient information leaflet she might not have been aware of the danger.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2071492/Grandmother-dies-freak-accident-hot-bath-caused-medical-skin-patch-overdose.html#ixzz1fwQVwxPU
A grandmother died when a hot bath caused a patch she was wearing on her arm to give her an overdose of medication.
Barbara Reynolds, 67, was killed minutes after getting into the bath at her Leicestershire home as the heat sped up the release of the painkilling drug.
She had been using Fentanyl patches for chronic pain since 2002 - but the 'surge' of the drug into her body made her heart stop.
Painkillers: The Fentanyl patches Barbara Reynolds was wearing released the drug too quickly when she got in the bath and made her heart stop
Mrs Reynolds normally wore just one patch on her arm that released 100mcg of the medicine every hour, Loughborough Coroner's Court heard.
But on the morning of her death, she put a new patch on without removing an old one.
Mrs Reynolds was also feeling groggy that day from the effects of taking anti-depressant Amitriptyline, which she also wore as a patch.
Her distraught husband Charles, 72, told the inquest on Tuesday that he returned to their home in Birstall, Leicestershire, to find his wife dead.
PAINKILLER PATCHES
Fentanyl is a strong painkiller similar to morphine, and is released slowly into the bloodstream via a sticky patch, according to the NHS website.
Patients can take a quick-acting painkiller in addition if the patch is not having enough of an effect.
But NHS warns users it is 'very important' -
Not to stick on any extra patches.
Not to let anyone else use your patch.
Not to cut or divide a patch.
Not to apply immediately after a bath or shower - allow the skin to cool first.
Not to apply direct heat to the area with the patch, e.g. a hot water bottle.
Similar drugs include oxycodone and buprenorphine.
He said: 'I ran her a bath as normal before making Barbara a drink and taking the dog for a walk.
'After an hour walking the dog I came back and the bath water was still running.
'She used to keep the water running to keep the bath hot.
'I went upstairs and she was dead in the bath.'
The inquest was told both the USA's Federal Drug Administration and the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulations Authority (MHRA), advise against wearing the patches in the bath.
When asked by Coroner Robert Chapman if his wife read the warning on the label, Mr Reynolds replied: 'She probably read it in the first place but you don't read it every time if you're taking it for a long period and some of it is difficult for the layman to understand.'
Dr Tim Johnson, a consultant in pain management, said: 'If you were in a hot bath and lay down into it, the effect of the patches would be to provide a surge of Fentanyl which would anaesthetise you.'
Recording a narrative verdict, Mr Chapman said: 'The real issue is that Barbara Reynolds may not have understood what she was doing.
If she didn't read the patient information leaflet she might not have been aware of the danger.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2071492/Grandmother-dies-freak-accident-hot-bath-caused-medical-skin-patch-overdose.html#ixzz1fwQVwxPU
07 December 2011
UK DAILY MAIL: DUTCH MOBILE EUTHANASIA UNITS.
By Simon Caldwell
Dutch Health Minister Edith Schippers revealed the proposals during a debate on euthanasia in the Dutch parliament
The Dutch government is considering plans to use mobile medical teams which would administer euthanasia to people in their homes.
The units, dubbed 'grim reapers on wheels' by critics, will be called in to kill patients when their own GPs refuse to administer lethal drugs.
The mobile teams of doctors and nurses would be sent out from a clinic following a referral from the patient’s doctor.
The proposals were revealed by Dutch Health Minister Edith Schippers during a debate on euthanasia in the Dutch parliament.
In answer to questions from Christian Union MPs she said that mobile units 'for patients who meet the criteria for euthanasia but whose doctors are unwilling to carry it out' was worthy of consideration.
'If the patient thinks it desirable, the doctor can refer him or her to a mobile team or clinic,' the minister wrote.
The mobile units are being aggressively promoted by Dutch euthanasia campaign groups who want to expand the eligibility criteria for euthanasia and also to open facilities specifically for euthanasia along the pattern of the Dignitas centre in Switzerland.
They claim that 80 per cent of people with dementia or mental illnesses were being 'missed' by the country’s euthanasia laws.
They are supported by the Dutch Medical Association which this summer issued guidance effectively saying even people who complained of being lonely could qualify for euthanasia if it constitutes 'unbearable and lasting suffering'.
Pain: To qualify for euthanasia in Holland, patients must convince doctors they are making an informed choice in the face of unbearable suffering - which can include extreme loneliness (posed by model)
Pro-life campaigners in Britain, however, were appalled. Phyllis Bowman of Right to Life said the incremental liberalisation of Dutch euthanasia practice sent a 'terrifying warning' to the British people.
She said she found the proposals to set up mobile death squads 'too dreadful for words'.
'Not even the Nazis thought of that one,' she said.
In Holland, euthanasia is usually carried out by administering a strong sedative to put the patient in a coma, followed by a drug to stop breathing and cause death.
To qualify, patients must convince two doctors they are making an informed choice in the face of unbearable suffering.
It has long been suspected that numbers of cases are being under-reported, however, as doctors apply a liberal interpretation of the law.
Earlier this year official figures revealed for the first time that doctors have been killing dementia sufferers, including Alzheimer’s victims.
A total of 21 people diagnosed as having early-stage dementia died at the hands of their doctors last year, according to the 2010 annual report on euthanasia.
At the same time, a series of public meetings were held to encourage the elderly to learn about their 'right to die'.
The figures from last year also showed another year-on-year rise in cases with about 2,700 people choosing to death by injection compared to 2,636 the year before.
In 2003, the year after Holland became the first nation to legalise euthanasia since Nazi Germany, there were just 1,815 reported cases.
The Dutch government, however, insists that the law is not being abused.
'The greatest care has been taken to regulate care for patients who are suffering unbearably with no prospect of improvement,' said a spokesman.
'Euthanasia may only be carried out at the explicit request of the patient
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2070662/Mobile-euthanasia-teams-planned-Holland.html#ixzz1frBldaI1
Dutch Health Minister Edith Schippers revealed the proposals during a debate on euthanasia in the Dutch parliament
The Dutch government is considering plans to use mobile medical teams which would administer euthanasia to people in their homes.
The units, dubbed 'grim reapers on wheels' by critics, will be called in to kill patients when their own GPs refuse to administer lethal drugs.
The mobile teams of doctors and nurses would be sent out from a clinic following a referral from the patient’s doctor.
The proposals were revealed by Dutch Health Minister Edith Schippers during a debate on euthanasia in the Dutch parliament.
In answer to questions from Christian Union MPs she said that mobile units 'for patients who meet the criteria for euthanasia but whose doctors are unwilling to carry it out' was worthy of consideration.
'If the patient thinks it desirable, the doctor can refer him or her to a mobile team or clinic,' the minister wrote.
The mobile units are being aggressively promoted by Dutch euthanasia campaign groups who want to expand the eligibility criteria for euthanasia and also to open facilities specifically for euthanasia along the pattern of the Dignitas centre in Switzerland.
They claim that 80 per cent of people with dementia or mental illnesses were being 'missed' by the country’s euthanasia laws.
They are supported by the Dutch Medical Association which this summer issued guidance effectively saying even people who complained of being lonely could qualify for euthanasia if it constitutes 'unbearable and lasting suffering'.
Pain: To qualify for euthanasia in Holland, patients must convince doctors they are making an informed choice in the face of unbearable suffering - which can include extreme loneliness (posed by model)
Pro-life campaigners in Britain, however, were appalled. Phyllis Bowman of Right to Life said the incremental liberalisation of Dutch euthanasia practice sent a 'terrifying warning' to the British people.
She said she found the proposals to set up mobile death squads 'too dreadful for words'.
'Not even the Nazis thought of that one,' she said.
In Holland, euthanasia is usually carried out by administering a strong sedative to put the patient in a coma, followed by a drug to stop breathing and cause death.
To qualify, patients must convince two doctors they are making an informed choice in the face of unbearable suffering.
It has long been suspected that numbers of cases are being under-reported, however, as doctors apply a liberal interpretation of the law.
Earlier this year official figures revealed for the first time that doctors have been killing dementia sufferers, including Alzheimer’s victims.
A total of 21 people diagnosed as having early-stage dementia died at the hands of their doctors last year, according to the 2010 annual report on euthanasia.
At the same time, a series of public meetings were held to encourage the elderly to learn about their 'right to die'.
The figures from last year also showed another year-on-year rise in cases with about 2,700 people choosing to death by injection compared to 2,636 the year before.
In 2003, the year after Holland became the first nation to legalise euthanasia since Nazi Germany, there were just 1,815 reported cases.
The Dutch government, however, insists that the law is not being abused.
'The greatest care has been taken to regulate care for patients who are suffering unbearably with no prospect of improvement,' said a spokesman.
'Euthanasia may only be carried out at the explicit request of the patient
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2070662/Mobile-euthanasia-teams-planned-Holland.html#ixzz1frBldaI1
02 December 2011
FASEB: PAS (phosphorylated alpha-synuclein) test for Parkinson's Disease
Professor David Allsop
Professor of Neuroscience
Office C38
Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences
Faculty of Health and Medicine
Lancaster University
Lancaster
LA1 4YQ
UK
Tel: +44 1524 592122
Fax: +44 1524 593192
E-mail: d.allsop@lancaster.ac.uk
Simple blood test diagnoses Parkinson's disease long before symptoms appear
New research in the FASEB Journal suggests that phosphorylated alpha-synuclein, a substance found in the blood of Parkinson's patients, could lead to definitive diagnostic tool
Bethesda, MD—A new research report appearing in the December issue of the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) shows how scientists from the United Kingdom have developed a simple blood test to detect Parkinson's disease even at the earliest stages. The test is possible because scientists found a substance in the blood, called "phosphorylated alpha-synuclein," which is common in people with Parkinson's disease, and then developed a way to identify its presence in our blood.
"A blood test for Parkinson's disease would mean you could find out if a person was in danger of getting the disease, before the symptoms started," said David Allsop, Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work from the Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences and the School of Health and Medicine at the University of Lancaster, in Lancaster, UK. "This would help the development of medicines that could protect the brain, which would be better for the quality of life and future health of older people."
To develop the blood test for Parkinson's disease, Allsop and colleagues studied a group of people diagnosed with the disease and a second group of healthy people of a similar age. Blood samples from each group were analyzed to determine the levels of phosphorylated alpha-synuclein present. They found those with Parkinson's disease had increased levels of the substance. Based upon these findings, researchers developed a blood test that detects the presence of phosphorylated alpha-synuclein, which could allow for diagnosis of the disease well before symptoms appear but when brain damage has already begun to occur.
"When most people think of Parkinson's disease, they think of the outward symptoms, such as involuntary movements," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of the FASEB Journal, "but many people with Parkinson's also develop neurological problems that may be more difficult to detect right away. Having a blood test not only helps doctors rule out other possible causes of the outward symptoms, but it also allows for early detection which can help patients and their caregivers prepare for the possibility of the mental, emotional, and behavioral problems that the disease can cause."
.
Professor of Neuroscience
Office C38
Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences
Faculty of Health and Medicine
Lancaster University
Lancaster
LA1 4YQ
UK
Tel: +44 1524 592122
Fax: +44 1524 593192
E-mail: d.allsop@lancaster.ac.uk
Simple blood test diagnoses Parkinson's disease long before symptoms appear
New research in the FASEB Journal suggests that phosphorylated alpha-synuclein, a substance found in the blood of Parkinson's patients, could lead to definitive diagnostic tool
Bethesda, MD—A new research report appearing in the December issue of the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) shows how scientists from the United Kingdom have developed a simple blood test to detect Parkinson's disease even at the earliest stages. The test is possible because scientists found a substance in the blood, called "phosphorylated alpha-synuclein," which is common in people with Parkinson's disease, and then developed a way to identify its presence in our blood.
"A blood test for Parkinson's disease would mean you could find out if a person was in danger of getting the disease, before the symptoms started," said David Allsop, Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work from the Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences and the School of Health and Medicine at the University of Lancaster, in Lancaster, UK. "This would help the development of medicines that could protect the brain, which would be better for the quality of life and future health of older people."
To develop the blood test for Parkinson's disease, Allsop and colleagues studied a group of people diagnosed with the disease and a second group of healthy people of a similar age. Blood samples from each group were analyzed to determine the levels of phosphorylated alpha-synuclein present. They found those with Parkinson's disease had increased levels of the substance. Based upon these findings, researchers developed a blood test that detects the presence of phosphorylated alpha-synuclein, which could allow for diagnosis of the disease well before symptoms appear but when brain damage has already begun to occur.
"When most people think of Parkinson's disease, they think of the outward symptoms, such as involuntary movements," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of the FASEB Journal, "but many people with Parkinson's also develop neurological problems that may be more difficult to detect right away. Having a blood test not only helps doctors rule out other possible causes of the outward symptoms, but it also allows for early detection which can help patients and their caregivers prepare for the possibility of the mental, emotional, and behavioral problems that the disease can cause."
.
MICRIMA Ltd. BRISTOL UNIVERSITY developed MARIA BREAST IMAGING SYSTEM
Technology
Introducing the MARIA imaging system
Breast tumours may be distinguished from normal breast tissue by their dielectric value. This has led to various attempts to exploit this property for imaging. These attempts include early work at Bristol dating back to 1992.
In recent years, a novel breast imaging technique has been developed based upon a synthetically-focussed but real-aperture multistatic radar and is known as MARIA (Multistatic Array processing for Radiowave Image Acquisition).
An ultra wideband pulse is synthesized using a Vector Network Analyser that sweeps in frequency from 4GHz to 10GHz. The signal is transmitted from each element in a multiple antenna array and then received by all the other elements. The large aperture and wide bandwidth theoretically allow collection of reflected and scattered signals from objects as small as 1.7mm.
The transmitted radiowave signal has a peak power of less than 1mW, the public limits for exposure to radiowaves are not even approached and hence the technology is intrinsically safe and is freely-repeatable.
The technique was initially validated through highly-sophisticated computational models before moving on to experimental validation in complex breast phantoms (models of the breast using simulated tissues with literature dielectric values for skin, fat, and tumour).
Introducing the MARIA imaging system
Breast tumours may be distinguished from normal breast tissue by their dielectric value. This has led to various attempts to exploit this property for imaging. These attempts include early work at Bristol dating back to 1992.
In recent years, a novel breast imaging technique has been developed based upon a synthetically-focussed but real-aperture multistatic radar and is known as MARIA (Multistatic Array processing for Radiowave Image Acquisition).
An ultra wideband pulse is synthesized using a Vector Network Analyser that sweeps in frequency from 4GHz to 10GHz. The signal is transmitted from each element in a multiple antenna array and then received by all the other elements. The large aperture and wide bandwidth theoretically allow collection of reflected and scattered signals from objects as small as 1.7mm.
The transmitted radiowave signal has a peak power of less than 1mW, the public limits for exposure to radiowaves are not even approached and hence the technology is intrinsically safe and is freely-repeatable.
The technique was initially validated through highly-sophisticated computational models before moving on to experimental validation in complex breast phantoms (models of the breast using simulated tissues with literature dielectric values for skin, fat, and tumour).
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