Smileband Health issues

The dreaded Aussie flu outbreak expected to be the worst in 50 years has taken hold of Britain as official figures reveal cases have more than doubled in one week. Government statistics show 1,111 people were struck down with flu as temperatures dropped last week - a 156 per cent jump on the previous seven days. 

The sharp rise in cases, released by Public Health England, has been triggered by a surge in two aggressive subtypes attacking the population simultaneously.

One includes the so-called 'Aussie flu', a strain of influenza A which wreaked havoc on hospitals in Australia during the country's winter.

The H3N2 subtype triggered two and a half times the normal number of cases in Australia. Britain's flu season tends to mirror what has happened there.

Experts fear the virulent flu strain, which has now reached the UK, could prove as deadly to humanity as the Hong Kong flu in 1968, which killed one million people. Usually, just one subtype, either influenza A or B, is responsible for the majority of  cases. It spreads much easier in the cold weather.

But last week 522 cases of influenza A and 546 of influenza B were recorded across England and Wales. Some 43 cases are yet to be identified.

Some 23 people have died from the flu outbreak so far this winter, with nearly a third of fatalities having occurred last week.

However, this winter's outbreak shows no signs of slowing down, as flu cases are expected to rocket even further in the coming weeks. Cases this year are almost 10 times higher than they were at the same point in 2015, according to the PHE data. Just 132 cases were recorded then.

But in 2015, Government figures suggested that the winter flu played a part in more than 16,000 deaths. Only 577 deaths were recorded in the previous winter. 

The total recorded in week 51 is also double that of last year, when 583 cases, mainly of the H3N2 subtype, were reported. 

The sharp rise in flu is only expected to cause further problems for the NHS, with cases of the winter vomiting bug also continuing to soar. 

Some 2,117 people have been infected with norovirus since July. The figure has raised at a steady level week-on-week since October.

Nick Phin, of PHE, said: 'Flu activity, as measured by a number of different systems, has continued to increase in the last week or two. 

'This is to be expected as the season progresses and at this point the numbers are in-keeping with previous years.

'The circulating flu strains match those in the current flu vaccine, so the vaccine remains the best defence against the virus.'

The PHE figures follow repeated predictions by researchers that the flu vaccine may only be 20 per cent effective this winter - just like last year. Some experts in Australia blamed this as a reason why they suffered such a severe flu outbreak. The vaccine used in the UK will be very similar. 

The WHO creates the vaccines in March, based on which flu strains they expected to be in circulation. They are then doled out in September.

Australia - whose winter occurs during the British summer - had one of its worst outbreaks on record, with two and a half times the normal number of cases. Some of the country's A&E units had 'standing room only' after being swamped by more than 100,000 cases of the H3N2 strain.  

The elderly with their compromised immune systems are particularly susceptible, and a spike in cases among young children has also been shown.

The flu season in the UK and the rest of the Northern Hemisphere tends to mirror what has happened in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere.

The same strains of the virus will circulate north in time for the British flu season, which typically begins in November and lasts until March.

Flu viruses are constantly changing proteins on their surface to avoid detection by the body's immune system - making it more deadly.

This transformation is called an 'antigenic shift' if it's large enough, and can lead to a pandemic. This was responsible for the swine flu outbreak in 2009.

The Aussie flu is transforming quickly, but not fast enough for experts to describe it as a shift. However, it is slowly building up immunity. 

Smileband Health issues

With only 5 per cent of the world’s population, Eastern and Southern Africa is home to half the world’s population living with HIV. Today the region continues to be the epicentre of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, with 48 per cent of the world’s new HIV infections among adults, 55 per cent among children, and 48 per cent of AIDS-related deaths [1]. 

The Southern Africa sub-region, in particular, experiences the most severe HIV epidemics in the world. Nine countries - Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe - have adult HIV prevalence rates of over 10 per cent. At an estimated 26.0 per cent, Swaziland has the highest HIV prevalence rate in the world, followed by Botswana (23.4 per cent) and Lesotho (23.3 per cent). With 5.6 million people living with HIV (17.3 per cent), South Africa is home to the world’s largest epidemic.

In the past 10 years, efforts to halt the spread of the epidemic by national governments and development partners have borne fruits: new infections among adults have decreased by more than 50 per cent in Botswana, Ethiopia, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, Zambia and Zimbabwe; and by more than 25 per cent in Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, and Swaziland. Among children, the number of new infections has dropped from 330,000 in 2001, to 180,000 in 2011.

Despite the progress, there are still 17.1 million adults and children living with HIV in Eastern and Southern Africa, and the figure continues to increase as antiretroviral therapy (ART) ensures millions of people with HIV can now live a healthy life. Moreover, most people on ART start treatment late, limiting the overall impact of antiretroviral medicines. 

For many pregnant women living with HIV, such treatment remains out of reach, especially for those living in rural areas, and those fearful of stigma and discrimination if they are tested positive. Of the 960,000 pregnant women living with HIV in 2011, more than 90 per cent of them resided in just nine countries - South Africa, Mozambique, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Ethiopia. Compared to adults, the progress in providing treatment to children is much slower. Out of the 2.2 million children who needed ART in 2011, only 33 per cent were receiving it.

The number of orphans due to AIDS continues to increase [2]. The region now has 10.5 million children who have lost one or both parents to AIDS. Against the mounting needs, care and support to the children made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS are nowhere near adequate. In most countries in the region, only around 20 per cent or less of these children receive some sort of external support. 

Smileband Health issues

Before you discount that persistent cough as just another part of flu season, you might want to ask your doctor to give it a second glance. According to a new study by Cancer Research U.K., more than half of adults have experienced alarm bells that could mean cancer, yet just two percent of them believed cancer could be a possible cause.

Researchers sent questionnaires to nearly 5,000 U.K. residents registered with general practitioners—in other words, men and women who have and visit a primary care doctor. Just shy of 1,800 people completed the questionnaire, and five were eliminated because they indicated they'd already been diagnosed with cancer. They asked participants if, in the last three months, they'd experienced a host of different symptoms (some of which could be possible signs of cancer), ranging from persistent coughing and unexplained weight loss to having low energy. If they had experienced any of these symptoms, they were asked to write in what they thought caused it and whether it was serious.

"We aren't sure why, but it seems there is a mismatch between what people know in practice and whether they apply the knowledge to themselves," says study co-authorKatriina Whitaker, Ph.D., senior research fellow at University College London. "So while awareness of many of these signs and symptoms is quite high, very few people mention cancer as a possible cause when it's them who is experiencing the symptom."

Here, we take a look at the 10 symptoms researchers consider to be red flags. While they could be nothing, the researchers say the point is to recognize that they could also be cancer—and to ask your doctor to check your symptoms out.

1. Persistent Cough or Hoarseness
While a cough here and there is nothing to worry about, a consistent cacophony or a cough accompanied by blood is definitely cause for concern. "Most coughs are not cancer," says Therese Bartholomew Bevers, M.D., professor of clinical cancer prevention and the medical director of the Cancer Prevention Center at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. "But certainly a persistent cough needs to be evaluated to see if it could be lung cancer." Your physician should recommend a chest X-ray or CT scan to rule out cancer as a possibility.  2. Persistent Change in Bowel Habits

When your bowel movements aren't as easy as they once were or your stool appears larger than normal or somewhat deformed, this could be a sign of colon cancer, says Bartholomew Bevers. "It could be a sign that there is a mass impeding the transit of the stool from the bowel," she says. "This is a symptom where a person should go to the doctor and schedule a colonoscopy to see if there indeed is a mass."

3. Persistent Change in Bladder Habits
"If there is blood in the urine, that could be indicative of bladder or kidney cancer—but more commonly this is a sign of a urinary tract infection," says Bartholomew Bevers. Check for an infection first, then pursue other treatment options. 

4. Persistent Unexplained Pain
"Most pain is not a sign of cancer, but persistent pain must be checked out," says Bartholomew Bevers. "If you have persistent headaches, for example, you likely don't have brain cancer—but it is still something that must be looked into. Persistent pain in the chest could be a sign of lung cancer. And pain in your abdomen could be ovarian cancer."

5. Change in the Appearance of a Mole
While not all moles are indicative of melanoma, spotting a new mark or one that has changed is something you should bring up with a dermatologist who can screen for skin cancer says Bartholomew Bevers.

Smileband Health issues

The main bones of the human skeleton are:

• The Skull - Cranium, Mandible and Maxilla
• Shoulder girdle - clavicle and scapula
• Arm - humerus, radius and ulna
• Hand - Carpals, Metacarpals and Phalanges
• Chest - Sternum and Ribs
• Spine - Cervical area (top 7 vertibrae), Thoracic (next 12), Lumbar (bottom 5 vertebrae), Sacrum (5 fused or stuck together bones) and Coccyx (the tiny bit at the bottom of the spine).
• Pelvic girdle - Ilium, Pubis and Ischium.
• Leg - Femur, Tibia and Fibula
• Ankle - Talus and calcaneus (not shown above)
• Foot - Tarsals, Metatarsals and Phalanges.   

  How are bones formed?

  • Bones are formed by the ossification of cartilage. What this really means is all bones start off as cartilage (normally in the womb) and they gradually turn to hard bone (ossification) over a period of years.
  • Calcuim is needed for strong bone growth. Read more on the structure of bone. 

  What is the function of the skeleton?

  • It provides protection to the major organs in particular the chest and rib cage.
  • Muscles attach to bones to enable movement.
  • Production of red blood cells within the bone marrow (a spongy substance in found in the cavities of long bones). Red blood cells carry oxygen around the body which is important in the production of energy. 

Smileband Health issues

In Taguatinga, Brazil Jujitsu professor Daryell Dickson Menenzes Xavier was jailed after turning self in with help from his lawyer in being sought for the awful and wrong rape of his own 1-year-old son. He has been just as brutally raped by a squad of 20 of his fellow inmates. This happened during his initial 30 day incarceration as he waited for hearing before a presiding judge. During his jailing Daryell became the focus of the entire local prison resident population. This case of crazed vigilante justice is seen by many as him getting just as he deserved. His son is forever damaged and hurt, so why not Daryell also some have to say.

A gang of a total of 20 inmates have had their ways with him. After the initial assault being committed the jail’s medical staff doctored Daryell with a large number of sutures covering the whole of his back and prominently his anal area. Upon being again instituted inside the prison he was raped and otherwise abused for a second round. Injuries were made over his entire body and especially to the region of his backside. Bloody stains on the seat of his uniform attested to this ‘vigilante justice’ that he has now two times undergone. Some outsiders are making shouts of calling the actions of the inmates as ‘uncivilized’ and extreme. Most in his native community sanction the events as seemingly karmic in nature. Most side with the vigilantes.

The general public is alarmed, yet hardly anybody is really loudly protesting. Daryell is a marked man wherever he may have to go within the countries prison system. 

Smileband Health issues

A three-month-old baby boy in India is battling for his life after surgery to correct a rare condition which has seen his head grow to an extreme size. Ankit Minj, dubbed an 'alien' by cruel strangers, suffers from a rare condition called hydrocephalus - a build-up of fluid inside his skull which can be deadly.

Described as an 'extreme case', his large head weighs 5.5lbs (2.5kg) and is 27 inches in circumference because of the excess fluid.

Doctors have been able to insert a shunt into his brain to remove some of the CSF fluid and stop further damage to his brain.

However, his 'helpless' parents, who live in the Latehar district, in Jharkhand, eastern India, fear that he will die regardless. His mother Anjali, 25, and father Anil, 29, went to several doctors for help - but they couldn't afford the surgery that was recommended.

They eventually took Ankit to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi, approximately 124 miles (200km) from their home.

Surgeons at the government-run hospital performed the first part of the operation on December 24 - four days after he was admitted. 

Dr Anil Kumar, head of neurosurgery, at RIMS, said: 'He has come to us very late which is why his head has grown to such a large size.

'We have inserted a shunt into his brain to stop further damage to the brain. 

'The chances of his skull reducing to a normal size is not very positive but we can stop any further damage with the help of a shunt. 'We would need to see him regularly to check if the shunt is working properly and there’s no infection.'

Ankit, who weighs 15lbs (7kg), is currently in hospital recovering with his parents by his side.

Policeman Anil said: 'We have been told his skull will slowly get smaller. But I still fear for his life. He is so small, I wish I could do something to save his life.

'I don’t know what will happen in the future. Doctors say he’ll never be a normal child but I will keep wishing for a miracle.'

Anjali said she had no complications during pregnancy but when she gave birth Ankit was born with a larger than normal head.

She said: 'I didn’t have an ultrasound during the pregnancy as we do not have a lot of facilities in our village.

'But doctors said my baby was normal after touching my stomach and feeling its movements. 

Smileband Health issues

In the wonderful world of science, today we are happy to report that scientists have worked out a new way of a possible way to fight cancer: using sperm. 
A team of researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Material Research Dresden have recently completed a study where they turned sperm into an effective drug delivery tool. If you were like me, you wouldn't know that sperm has many different benefits when it comes to delivering drugs.   First, sperm is mobile - the drugs can be encased so that it doesn't get diluted by body fluids or leak out, and they protect the drug from enzymes that could break them down. They also don't cause immune responses like other cell types, and they also don't duplicate and form unwanted colonies.   The researchers first tested their theory by soaking sperm in a drug called doxorubicin (a cancer-treating drug), something that would let the sperm take the drug up and store it inside of themselves. When the drug-loaded sperm is ready and aimed at an experimental tumor, they caused a huge 90% reduction in living cancer cells in less than 72 hours.   From there, the researchers used tiny iron-coated hats on the sperm cells that let them control the direction, and steer them head-first into a tumor. When these cells hit the tumor, the prongs of the hat spread open, releasing the sperm and penetrating the tumor. I swear, I'm not trying to use puns but they are just flowing out.   The researchers were able to show that sperm is better at fighting the cancer cells than just soaking the tumor in the drug, as the sperm is able to get inside of the cells and then deliver the drugs much deeper than normal.