mengele

cunfuion over sunlight

2012-01-26T08:49:00.001Z

Concerns over vitamin D deficiency -

A quarter of toddlers affectedThe chief medical officer for England, Dame Sally Davies, is to contact medical staff about concerns young children and some adults are not getting enough vitamin D.

Government guidelines recommend some groups, including the under-fives, should take a daily supplement.

However, recent research found that many parents and health professionals were unaware of the advice.

There has been an increase in childhood rickets over the past 15 years.

According to Dr Benjamin Jacobs, from the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, links to heart disease and some cancers are also being investigated.

“

The consultant paediatrician told BBC Breakfast that the hospital saw about one severe case a month of rickets - softening of bones through lack of vitamin D in childhood.

He said: "There are many other children who have less severe problems - muscle weakness, delay in walking, bone pains - and research indicates that in many parts of the country the majority of children have a low level of vitamin D."

The Feeding for Life Foundation report, published in October last year, suggested one in four toddlers in the UK is vitamin D deficient.

However, this may be an underestimate as only vitamin D from food was included, and not any vitamin D obtained through sun exposure.

Vitamin D supplements are recommended for all people at risk of a deficiency, including all pregnant and breastfeeding women, children under five years old, people aged over 65, and people at risk of not getting enough exposure to sunlight.

Vitamin D is mainly obtained from sunlight. However, too much sun exposure increases the risk of skin cancer.

According to one recent study, nearly three-quarters of parents and more than half of health professionals are unaware of the recommendations.

The Department of Health has asked the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition to review the issue of current dietary recommendations on vitamin D.

Dame Sally Davies: "We know a significant proportion of people in the UK probably have inadequate levels of vitamin D in their blood. People at risk of vitamin D deficiency, including pregnant women and children under five, are already advised to take daily supplements.

Free supplements

"Our experts are clear - low levels of vitamin D can increase the risk of poor bone health, including rickets in young children.

"Many health professionals such as midwives, GPs and nurses give advice on supplements, and it is crucial they continue to offer this advice as part of routine consultations and ensure disadvantaged families have access to free vitamin supplements through our Healthy Start scheme.

"It is important to raise awareness of this issue, and I will be contacting health professionals on the need to prescribe and recommend vitamin D supplements to at-risk groups."

It has long been known that vitamin D prevents rickets and children were once given food supplements like cod liver oil.

However, this practice was stopped in the 1950s because it was thought unnecessary.

In the last 10 years, doctors have been seeing more cases of vitamin D deficiency, leading to a debate over the use of food supplements and concern that many medical staff are unaware of the problem.

mengele: Good communication reduces reliance on drugs

2012-01-24T07:59:00.000Z

mengele: Good communication reduces reliance on drugs

Thorkil Sonne an extraordinary memory and a remarkable eye for detail.

2012-01-22T13:37:00.001Z

Four years ago Thorkil Sonne realized that his young autistic son

possessed an extraordinary memory and a remarkable eye for detail. Those traits are prevalent among people with autism, and Sonne saw an opportunity to help individuals with the disorder find productive employment. As the technical director of a Danish software venture, he knew those qualities were critical in software testers. So he went out on his own and launched Specialisterne, a Copenhagen-based software-testing firm that now has 51 employees, including 37 with autism, and revenues of $2 million.

You started your company to improve the lives of people with autism. Why not just create a nonprofit focused on research or job training?

I wanted to do more than just provide a sheltered workplace for people with a disability. My goal is to create opportunities for people with autism on an international scale. You might find money to support sheltered working environments in Scandinavia but not in Poland or Spain or Brazil. To extend its reach, our organization needs the kind of funding that only a profit-making venture can generate. It must succeed on market terms.

Is it hard to reconcile two missions—serving customers and aiding people with a disability?

We’re constantly asked whether we support customers or a cause. We want to do both, of course, but we’re always fighting against the suspicion that we’re just a charity. Our corporate social responsibility profile might open doors with CEOs, but executives in charge of software testing aren’t evaluated on CSR, only on getting the most for the company’s money. To wipe away their suspicions, we must exceed performance expectations every time.

All our business comes from the private sector. Because Denmark has no tradition of social enterprises, the government doesn’t earmark contracts for companies like ours or give them tax breaks. We have to compete head on.

How does managing autistic workers differ from managing other people?

Most of our consultants with autism have a mild form called Asperger’s and are high functioning. Still, because they’re often hypersensitive to noise, they can be uncomfortable in open-concept office spaces without doors or walls. They also have trouble working in teams and understanding social cues, such as gestures, facial expressions, and tone of voice. You have to be precise and direct with them, be very specific about your expectations, and avoid sarcasm and nonverbal communication. Though we expect employees to do their jobs well, we don’t ask them to excel socially or to interact all the time with others. We just find them the right role. That takes tremendous stress off them. I think normality is whatever the majority decides it will be, and in our company people with autism are the norm.

What about the relationships between customers and your autistic consultants?

About 70% of our work is done at customer sites. The customer appoints a contact—someone who’s good with special people, who will select the right tasks and a comfortable place for them. We also give our clients a short introduction to autism and to our firm’s unique culture. After working with our consultants, the customers start being more direct with their own colleagues and stating their expectations more clearly. That’s helped them improve in an area that many companies struggle with.

In what other ways might firms benefit by adopting your techniques for managing autistic employees?

Companies sometimes unknowingly employ autistic people because the condition often goes undiagnosed. But people with autism aren’t the only employees who don’t thrive in open offices or in the traditional management system, with its emphasis on teamwork and unclear instructions like “Figure out on your own how to deal with this.”

You have to get the most from employees, especially when labor is scarce. Our sector is crying out for manpower, but Specialisterne has many job seekers knocking on the door. The key is to find situations that fit employees’ personalities and ambitions, not force everybody into one mold. That just causes stress, and workplaces already produce too much of that.

NHS plans: Unions move to 'outright opposition

2012-01-19T08:32:00.002Z

The unions representing nurses and midwives have joined others in stating their "outright opposition" to the government's NHS plans in England.

The Royal College of Nursing and the Royal College of Midwives had expressed concerns in the past, but said they were willing to work with ministers.

However, now they want the entire bill covering the changes to be dropped.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said the unions wanted to "have a go" at government about "pay and pensions".

The colleges' stance comes after a similar move by the British Medical Association last year.

It also mirrors the stance adopted by Unison, which represents a host of administration and support staff, such as porters.

But what impact this intervention has remains to be seen.

The Health and Social Care Bill is still working its way through Parliament, and the bill is in the Lords at the moment.

In many ways it is over the worst political hurdles and it seems the only way it could be stopped would be if the Lib Dems blocked it when it returns to the Commons - but that is considered unlikely.

On the ground, changes are already being made to pave the way for the new system to kick in, in 2013.

For example, while the doctors union is against it there has still been enough GPs coming forward to pilot the new plans in 97% of the country.

Anger

Under the plans, GPs are being put in charge of much of the NHS budget, while the health service is being opened up to greater competition from the private and voluntary sector.

In June the government announced a series of changes to the original proposals in the face of mounting opposition.

These included giving health professionals other than GPs more power over how NHS funds were spent, as well as watering down the role of competition.

The health unions initially gave the changes a cautious welcome, but they have been left disappointed by the finer details that have emerged during the parliamentary process.

One of the key developments was the news, which emerged just after Christmas, that NHS hospitals would be allowed to do 49% of their work in the private sector.

Peter Carter, general secretary of the RCN, which represents 410,000 nurses, midwives, support workers and students, said: "The RCN has been on record as saying that withdrawing the bill would create confusion and turmoil, however, on the ground, we believe that the turmoil of proceeding with these reforms is now greater than the turmoil of stopping them.

"The sheer scale of member concerns, which have been building over recent weeks, has led us to conclude that the consequences of the bill may be entirely different from the principles which were originally set out."

Cathy Warwick, of the RCM, said: "The government has failed to present sufficient evidence that its proposals are necessary. They have failed to present evidence that the upheaval will result in an improvement in services to the people of England.

"And they have failed to answer the concerns of the people who fear for the future of the NHS under these plans."

Savings plans

Both unions also expressed concerns that the changes were compromising the ability of the NHS to make the £20bn of savings it has been asked to make by 2015.

Mr Lansley said that nurses had previously been "right at the heart" of the process of planning reforms to the NHS to deliver better care for patients.

"The only thing that has happened in the last few weeks that has led to this situation with the Royal College of Nursing, is that the two sides of the Royal College of Nursing have shifted," he told BBC Breakfast.

"They used to be a professional association that was working with us on professional issues, and will carry on doing that, but now the trade union aspect of the Royal College of Nursing has come to the fore.

"They want to have a go at the government - and I completely understand it - they want to have a go about things like pay and pensions."

A Department of Health spokesman said: "The bill is needed to empower doctors, nurses, and other front-line healthcare workers across the NHS to take charge of improving care.

"We will continue to work with nurses and all other health professionals to ensure that the NHS delivers the best possible care for patients."

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham said it was time to scrap the bill.

"A reorganisation on this scale needs a professional consensus for it to succeed. A year since the bill was introduced, it is abundantly clear that the government's plans do have failed to build that."

Analysis

The move by the two unions is unlikely to see the bill stopped in its tracks.

But it is clear the government's relationship with NHS staff is fracturing, possibly beyond repair.

Some inside government were saying the move by the royal colleges was being driven by their dissatisfaction over pensions.

That has undoubtedly played a role. So too has the drive to make £20bn of savings by 2015 - the equivalent of 4% of the budget a year.

This is putting more and more pressure on hospitals and waiting times in particular.

It means there is a toxic cocktail brewing inside the health service - and this spells trouble for the government.

It came to power saying - in private at least - that the NHS was its good news story, but all too often it is finding the headlines are negative.

Indian TB

2012-01-19T08:28:00.000Z

Indian TB cases 'can't be cured'

Some strains are becoming resistant to antibiotics

Tuberculosis which appears to be totally resistant to antibiotic treatment has been reported for the first time by Indian doctors.

Concern over drug-resistant strains of TB is growing, with similar 'incurable' TB emerging in Italy and Iran.

Doctors in Mumbai said 12 patients had a "totally drug resistant" form of the infection, and three have died.

The Indian Health Ministry is investigating the cases and has sent a team of doctors to Mumbai.

TB is one of the world's biggest killers, second only to HIV among infectious diseases.

Normally a patient with TB is given a six to nine month course of antibiotics to eradicate it.

However, new strains of the bacterium have developed which are increasingly resistant to the antibiotics most commonly used to treat it.

Partially drug-resistant TB can now found in countries across the world, and "multi-drug resistant" strains affect countries such as Russia and China.

'Serious threat'

The Indian reports will fuel concerns over the ability of doctors to contain the disease in years to come.

“Start Quote

Anytime we see something like this, we better get on top of it before it becomes a more widespread problem”

Dr Kenneth CastroCenters for Disease Control

The doctors at the Hinduja National Hospital in Mumbai who discovered it said they had treated patients for up to two years with a battery of drugs, to no avail.

The patients came from slum areas of the city, they said, where close contact between people meant further spread was likely.

The American Centers for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed that the Indian strain did appear to be completely resistant.

Dr Kenneth Castro, director of its Division of Tuberculosis Elimination, said: "Anytime we see something like this, we better get on top of it before it becomes a more widespread problem."

Patients who do not finish their lengthy course of treatment also present the bacterium with the perfect environment for developing further resistance.

However, there have been repeated calls for the pharmaceutical industry to make more efforts to develop fresh antibiotics.

TB

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that usually affects the lungs
It is transmitted via droplets from the lungs of people with the active form of the disease
Symptoms of TB include coughing, chest pains, weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats
Tuberculosis is usually treatable with a course of antibiotics

Dr Ruth Mcnerney, a senior lecturer at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a trustee of charity TB Alert, said the new cases represented a "serious threat" to global efforts to control TB.

"What we're seeing is probably just the tip of the iceberg. We don't know how widespread this is because so few people are tested for drug resistance."

She said the high prevalence of TB in India, coupled with high population density within its cities, meant that the new type of TB could be a bigger problem than previous "totally resistant" strains.

"It's going to take a massive effort and change in political will to get to grips with this - not just from the Indian government but from everyone else. This is a global problem, not just an Indian one."

Depression drugs ‘causing falls’

2012-01-19T08:23:00.001Z

Falls are the leading cause of accidental death in the over-65s

Elderly people with dementia are more likely to suffer falls if they are given anti-depressants by care home staff, a study claims.

Many dementia patients also suffer from depression and drugs known as selective serotonin uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are frequently prescribed.

But the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology reports that the risk of injuries from falls was tripled.

The Alzheimer's Society called for more research into alternative treatments.

The risk of falls following treatment with older anti-depressants is well established, as the medication can cause side effects such as dizziness and unsteadiness.

It had been hoped that a move to newer SSRI-type drugs would reduce this problems, but the latest research, from the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, appears to show the reverse.

'Worrying'

Dr Carolyn Sterke recorded the daily drug use and records of falls in 248 nursing home residents over a two-year period.

The average age of the residents was 82, and the records suggested that 152 of them had suffered a total of 683 falls.

The consequences of falls were relatively high, with 220 resulting in injuries including hip fractures and other broken bones - and one resident died following a fall.

“Start Quote

More research is now needed to understand why this anti-depressant is having this effect on people with dementia and if there is an alternative treatment for depression that they could be prescribed”

Professor Clive BallardAlzheimer's Society

The risk of having an injury-causing fall was three times higher in residents taking SSRIs compared with those not taking the drug, and this risk rose further if the patient was being given sedative drugs as well.

Dr Sterke said that these risks needed to be taken into account when assessing whether anti-depressants were required.

She said: "Physicians should be cautious in prescribing SSRIs to older people with dementia, even at low doses."

Professor Clive Ballard, from the Alzheimer's Society, said it was "worrying" that such a commonly prescribed anti-depressant was causing increased risk.

He said: "It is important to highlight any aspect of care that might be causing risk to a person with dementia. We want to ensure that people with the condition are always receiving the best care possible.

"More research is now needed to understand why this anti-depressant is having this effect on people with dementia and if there is an alternative treatment for depression that they could be prescribed.

"One in three people over 65 will die with dementia yet research into the condition continues to be drastically underfunded. We must invest now.'

meat 'linked to pancreatic cancer

2012-01-13T08:56:00.001Z

Processed meat 'linked to pancreatic cancer'A link between eating processed meat, such as bacon or sausages, and pancreatic cancer has been suggested by researchers in Sweden.

They said eating an extra 50g of processed meat, approximately one sausage, every day would increase a person's risk by 19%.

But the chance of developing the rare cancer remains low.

The World Cancer Research Fund suggested the link may be down to obesity.

Eating red and processed meat has already been linked to bowel cancer. As a result the UK government recommended in 2011 that people eat no more than 70g a day.

Prof Susanna Larsson, who conducted the study at the Karolinska Institute, told the BBC that links to other cancers were "quite controversial".

She added: "It is known that eating meat increases the risk of colorectal cancer, it's not so much known about other cancers."

The study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, analysed data from 11 trials and 6,643 patients with pancreatic cancer.Increased risk

It found that eating processed meat increased the risk of pancreatic cancer. The risk increased by 19% for every 50g someone added to their daily diet. Having an extra 100g would increase the risk by 38%.Prof Larsson said: "Pancreatic cancer has poor survival rates. So as well as diagnosing it early, it's important to understand what can increase the risk of this disease."

She recommended that people eat less red meat.

Cancer Research UK said the risk of developing pancreatic cancer in a lifetime was "comparatively small" - one in 77 for men and one in 79 for women.

Sara Hiom, the charity's information director, said: "The jury is still out as to whether meat is a definite risk factor for pancreatic cancer and more large studies are needed to confirm this, but this new analysis suggests processed meat may be playing a role."

However, she pointed out that smoking was a much greater risk factor.

The World Cancer Research Fund has advised people to completely avoid processed meat.

Dr Rachel Thompson, the fund's deputy head of science, said: "We will be re-examining the factors behind pancreatic cancer later this year as part of our Continuous Update Project, which should tell us more about the relationship between cancer of the pancreas and processed meat.

"There is strong evidence that being overweight or obese increases the risk of pancreatic cancer and this study may be an early indication of another factor behind the disease.eating red and processed meat and your chances of developing bowel cancer, which is why WCRF recommends limiting intake of red meat to 500g cooked weight a week and avoid processed meat altogether."

2012-01-12T10:24:00.002Z

Routine aspirin 'may cause harm'

Healthy people who take aspirin to prevent a heart attack or stroke could be doing more harm than good, warn researchers.

An analysis of more than 100,000 patients, published in Archives of Internal Medicine, concluded the risk of internal bleeding was too high.

The UK-led study said only people with a history of heart problems or stroke should take the tablets.

Experts said any decision should be made with a doctor.

Aspirin helps people who have had a heart attack or stroke. It prevents blood clots from forming by preventing cells, known as platelets, from sticking together. By reducing the number of clots formed, the tablets reduce the risk of another heart attack or stroke.

There have also been suggestions that the drug can prevent some cancers, however, the drug is known to increase the chance of internal bleeding, including bleeds on the brain.

The discussion has been whether at-risk or even healthy people should also take aspirin.

Official guidelines were issued in 2005 by the Joint British Societies, which includes the British Cardiac Society, British Hypertension Society and The Stroke Association. It recommended 75 mg of aspirin a day for high risk patients over the age of 50. The Drugs and Therapeutics Bulletin said in 2008 that preventative aspirin should be abandoned unless there was already evidence of cardiovascular disease.

Good or bad?

Researchers analysed data from nine trials, from a total of 102,621 patients.

They said that while there was a 20% reduction in non-fatal heart attacks in people taking aspirin, there was no reduction in deaths from heart attack, stroke or cancer.

Meanwhile the risk of potentially life threatening internal bleeding increased by 30%.Prof Kausik Ray, from St George's, University of London, told the BBC: "If you treat 73 people for about six years you will get one of these non-trivial bleeds.

"If you treat about 160 people for the same period of time, you're preventing one heart attack that probably wouldn't have been fatal anyway.

"It suggests that the net benefit for aspirin is not there, it certainly doesn't prolong life. If you think about it the net benefit, actually there is net harm.

The study followed patients for an average of six years. An analysis led by Prof Peter Rothwell, from Oxford University, suggested that regularly taking aspirin reduced the risk of a series of cancers, when patients were followed for much longer.

Prof Rothwell said the new study was "very nicely done, but I don't think it develops [the argument] much further".

He added: "It really just emphasises the need for a more detailed analysis of how risks change over time."

Natasha Stewart, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: "Aspirin can help reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke among those with known heart disease, and this group of people should continue to take aspirin as prescribed by their doctor.

"Our advice is that people who don't have symptomatic or diagnosed heart disease shouldn't take aspirin because the risk of internal bleeding may outweigh the benefits.

"If you're taking prescribed aspirin and have any concerns, don't simply stop taking it. Always talk to your doctor first."

Sotiris Antoniou, from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said: "People who buy aspirin should consult with their pharmacist to make sure that it is appropriate for them based on their individual likelihood of having a heart attack or stroke and their likelihood of experiencing a side effect such as stomach ulceration.

"If you are already taking aspirin, don't simply stop taking it, speak to the pharmacist about your individual circumstances."

breast implants

2012-01-12T06:15:00.001Z

PIP breast implants: Pressure mounts on Lansley

Around 40,000 women in the UK have been fitted with PIP implants

The Health Secretary for England, Andrew Lansley, is facing calls for more decisive action to help women concerned about PIP breast implants.

The Independent Healthcare Advisory Services (IHAS) says women are more confused and anxious than ever.
Mr Lansley says private clinics that fitted implants have a "moral duty" to remove them.
But IHAS director Sally Taber says its members are "as much a victim of this fraud as the NHS and the patients".
In a statement on behalf of the trade body - which represents many of the companies involved - she said: "If there is any moral or ethical obligation outstanding it lies with the government's regulatory agency, the MHRA.
"But the overriding issue here is that it is in everyone's interest to work together to ensure that patients are treated with compassion."
Around 40,000 women in the UK have been fitted with PIP implants.
The implants by French firm Poly Implant Prothese were banned last year after they were found to contain a non-medical-grade silicone filler.
"Unclear" On Wednesday the Harley Medical Group - which fitted 13,900 women with the implants between September 2001 and March 2010 - said it would not replace them free of charge.
Its chairman Mel Braham said the company didn't have the resources, surgeons or operating facilities necessary.
Mr Lansley said the NHS would pay to remove, but not replace, implants if a private clinic refused or no longer existed.
But speaking in the House of Commons, he said it was not fair for the taxpayer to foot the bill and that if the NHS was forced to remove an implant "the government would pursue private clinics to seek recovery of our costs".
Ms Taber said whilst the intention was to offer guidance, Mr Lansley had confused patients.
She said: "With the current government position remaining unclear, patients want to know the timeline for the further investigations into PIP implants by the MHRA."
She went on to complain that IHAS has been unable to meet officials to discuss a solution, something the Department of Health strongly denies

neglect at Partridge Care Centre in Harlow

2012-01-09T07:57:00.001Z

Evidence of neglect at Partridge Care Centre in Harlow

uncoveredIn August 2011 Partridge Care Centre, in Harlow, was at the centre of a police inquiry after three people were taken to hospital with "diabetes related problems".Two women in their 80s died, although Essex Police dropped the investigation saying there was no evidence of "any relevant criminal offences".

The home's owner Rushcliffe Care Limited acknowledged there had been problems in the past, but claimed it had taken steps to make sure residents' "health and well-being are paramount".

But documents seen by BBC Essex show there were serious problems at the home before the police investigation.

Partridge Care Centre is a residential nursing home specialising in looking after people with a range of neurological conditions.

It is run by Rushcliffe Care, which also owns 23 other homes.

The centre has rooms for 117 residents, although at the moment it is less than half full, and presently employs about 120 staff.

Former worker at the home Graham Flack said he had witnessed abuse and neglect of residents during his time there.

"There was an incident where a certain member of staff was sitting on a resident, who was quite challenging… I would say restraining someone like you see on telly via the police," he said.

"At the end of the day no-one deserves to be held or pushed in any form or manner. It was not nice, not nice."

Lesley Minchin's mother Eileen Jarvis suffered from dementia and required specialist care.

She moved into the home in February 2011, with instructions that she should not be left alone because she was likely to fall.

According to a letter from the centre's manager to the family, Mrs Jarvis was left unattended during a shift change.

She got up, fell and broke her hip. It was two hours before staff at the home called the emergency services.

Mrs Minchin said she had got to the home at the same time as the paramedics.

'Screamed out'

"She was screaming out in pain when I arrived there and they were trying to ask her where the pain was," Mrs Minchin said.

"She said she didn't know but was hurting. When they touched her leg, she just screamed out."

Mrs Minchin claimed many of the problems at the home were caused by a lack of employees.

"The staff, on the whole, were very, very good. There just wasn't enough of them," she said.

The Care Quality Commission has carried out a series of inspections at Partridge Care Centre since May.

In the most recent report published in December, the health watchdog said it had minor concerns over staffing levels.

"Overall we found that there were sufficient numbers of staff available in the home, however there was a lack of effective leadership and deployment due to the large numbers of agency staff working there."

The CQC also found failings in four of the five basic standards during this inspection, including concerns about whether residents were safe in the home and whether they are receiving appropriate treatment.

Written warnings

BBC Essex has seen a report written after a surprise visit to the home by two managers in May 2011.

They found that several staff were asleep while on duty, a serious disciplinary offence.

The managers found one resident lying on an unmade bed that was smeared with faeces. Another was found sitting on the floor and had soiled themselves.

Other residents were found wandering around on their own, yet more were found in bed fully clothed.

The building was said to have smelt of urine and one of the units had no lights on.

Further documents show that some of the staff involved were only given written warnings.

An internal audit carried out by staff at Partridge Care Centre in July found that most of the residents' rooms were dirty.

Of the 21 homes run by Rushcliffe Care Limited, eight of them are failing at least one of the basic standards expected by the CQC.

'Unsubstantiated allegations'

According to its accounts, in the past year the company posted a £1.6m profit.

In a statement, the company said: "Following a series of unfortunate locally mismanaged events at Partridge Care Centre over the past nine months, Rushcliffe Care Group have taken measures so that the health and wellbeing of the centres' residents are paramount.

"We are unable to comment on individual unsubstantiated allegations, which have been made, but we... take all complaints and allegations seriously and when brought to our attention they are dealt with promptly and fairly."

Essex County Council said it had suspended the placement of residents at the home after the hospital referrals related to diabetes in August.

In a statement, Ann Naylor, cabinet member for adult health, said: "The formal suspension of placements at Partridge Care Centre will remain in place, in consultation with Rushcliffe Care management, until such time that partners are fully satisfied that sustainable improvements in the wellbeing and care of residents have been achieved."

Kindoki Witchcraft in South London

2012-01-07T17:29:00.002Z

News: Kindoki Witchcraft in South London

The BBC Radio 4 Today programme produced a remarkable investigative report on Kindoki (Witchcraft) that may have led to the death of a man, Nzuzi Mayingi, found hanging from a tree in Crystal Palace Park in July 2005. The man was part of a 400 strong congregation of a Congolese Christian Cult led by Pastor Dieudonne Tukala who also lives in South London.

It was alleged that Tukala declared women and children to be possessed by the devil. This led to one man beating and branding his 9 year old with a steam iron and led Nzuzi to commit suicide. The BBC report showed how the children were terrorised into admitting they were possessed. If they refused it was said that Tukala encouraged the families to send the children back to the Congo where he could pray for them to die.

Nzuzi Mayingi and his pregnant wife and son arrived in the UK as asylum seekers in 2002. They began attending Pastor Dieudonne Tukala's church in North London. Tukula diagnosed the wife, boy and unborn child to be Kindoki (possessed). Nzuzi believed this and, according to a church elder was encouraged by Tukala to beat his family and witnessed the child's wounds. Nzuzi eventually threw his family out onto the street. Members of the congregation pursued the wife with abusive calls calling them witches "who will choke on your dead husband's flesh".

Within 18 months Nzumi was dead. The family have fled to the north of England. The BBC investigation detailed other allegations of Tukala taking money, jewellery and credit cards.

4 hours after the BBC broadcast Scotland Yard said officers from its Child Abuse Investigation Command had arrested a man, 40, in south London on suspicion of inciting child cruelty.

Last June three people in another Kindoki case were convicted at the Old Bailey on Friday on child cruelty charges, after an eight-year-old African girl accused of being a witch was tortured in East London. This is part of growing concern in London by the exploitation of vulnerable Congolese and Angolan refugees by Christian fundamentalist evangelical cults.

An MP3 of the BBC broadcast can be downloaded
Old Bailey (June 2005) case BBC report

sdg 12/01/06

witch torture

2012-01-07T01:33:00.003Z

Kristy Bamu 'witch torture' couple 'had attacked before'

Kristy Bamu, 15, from Paris, was found dead in Newham, east London, on Christmas Day in 2010.

His sister Magalie Bamu and her boyfriend, Eric Bikubi, both 28 and living in Newham, deny murder.

The Old Bailey heard they made a woman cut her hair to "release the witchcraft".

Prosecutor Brian Altman, QC, said Naomi Ilonga, 19, was a family friend who stayed with the couple for a month in August 2008.

He said Mr Bikubi told Magalie Bamu to throw anything away that Naomi had touched, including articles of clothing and pots, pans and plates.

"Bikubi did not allow them to eat for three days and told Naomi to pray. He prayed to release Naomi's 'spiritual soul'.

"They stayed and slept together in the living room for the three days but prayed all night and slept little.

"Naomi had to consent to the cutting of her hair, which was long and of which she was so proud, to release the witchcraft."

It was also alleged in court that Ms Ilonga had also been grabbed and slapped hard on the back.

'Armoury of weapons'

On Thursday, the court heard that Kristy Bamu had 101 injuries and died from drowning and being beaten with a metal bar.

Prosecutors talked of acts they described as "depraved", "wicked" and "cruel".

Kristy and his siblings were visiting the couple for Christmas, but Mr Bikubi had accused the boy and two of his siblings of witchcraft.

Kristy Bamu and his siblings were visiting London from Paris during the Christmas holidays

All three were beaten and other children were forced to join in the attacks. But it was Kristy who became the focus of Mr Bikubi's attention, the prosecution said.

The teenager was said to be in such pain after days of being hit with an "armoury of weapons" including sticks, pliers, a metal bar, hammer and chisel, that he begged to die.

Jurors were told that Kristy died when he was "too exhausted" to resist and keep his head above water when Mr Bikubi put him in a bath. Mr Bikubu realised too late Kristy was not moving.

Mr Bikubi has admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, a plea not accepted by the prosecution.

He has also admitted assaulting Kristy's siblings.

Ms Bamu denies the murder charge, as well as two charges of causing actual bodily harm to her other siblings.

Mr Altman said she had taken part in the abuse and had been "stoking the fire of violence".

The defendants are originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo where witchcraft or sorcery - called kindoki - is practised in some churches, said Mr Altman.

The trial continues on Monday.

Demonic Possession, Oppression & Exorcism

A West African / Fundamentalist
Christian syncretistic religion in the UK

Sponsored link.

Dr Richard Hoskins of King's College, London, UK is a consultant to the Metropolitan Police on religiously-motivated crime. He testified in 2005-JUN at a trial of three adults charged with the physical abuse of a ten year old child, whom we will call "AB."
In this case, a West African woman had brought her niece, AB, to Britain from Angola in 2002 by passing her off as her own daughter. The girl's actual parents are believed to be dead. The aunt, the girl, and two other adults lived together in an apartment in Hackney, East London. An eight-year-old boy who lived with AB accused her of attacking him in the night with witchcraft. The adults agreed that the 10-year old girl was a witch and practiced an evil form of witchcraft. It is quite possible that the adults were terrified of the harm that they felt AB would do to them or to others.
"Witchcraft" is a term with over a dozen different meanings, some mutually exclusive. Definitions range from evil sorcery to Wicca, a benign, earth centered religion. In this case, the word is used to refer to a blend of evil sorcery and black magic -- a practice intended to harm or even kill other humans.
According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC):

	Dr. Hoskins said that: "...belief in 'ndoki' - the [Lingala] word for witchcraft - is widespread in West Africa and among some immigrant communities in London, fuelled by a massive growth in small fundamentalist Christian churches. The abusers in this case - who worshipped at such a church in Hackney - may have believed they were carrying out a form of exorcism, driving out evil spirits. All of the accused are committed Fundamentalist Christians.
	"Correspondent Angus Crawford said community workers believed the growth of 'breakaway churches' could be one possible cause of the abuse. A minority of these preach a powerful blend of traditional African beliefs and evangelical Christianity."
	One of the accused, Sita Kisanga, "said the girl was possessed by an evil spirit, known as kindoki. 'In our community, kindoki happens. It is killing people. It is doing bad things,' she said." Subsequently, when interviewed on the radio, Kisanga said that "Kindoki is something you have to be scared of because in our culture kindoki can kill you and destroy your life completely. Kindoki can make you barren. Sometimes kindoki can ruin you chances of staying in this country. The authorities will arrest you and deport you and kindoki can be part of it."
	Another of the accused is reported as believing that AB, as a witch, transported herself to Africa during the nighttime to do bad things.

According to the News.telegraph:

Kisanga was a regular at a church called Combat Spirituel, based in Dalston, East London. Police found notes which suggested that she had been to a prayer meeting about the little girl's possession. A diary entry found at her home read: 'On retreat there was indeed a prophecy that [the girl] has got ndoki'."

Children affected by what is known as "ndoki" were usually treated as suffering from an "external" affliction that could be dealt with by a curative medicine, without violence. However, the beliefs of some fundamentalist Christian sects in "internal" possession and the need to exorcise evil forces had mixed with traditional beliefs to create incidents in which children were beaten to be cured. "The exorcisms are usually confrontational, much more aggressive," Mr Hoskins said.

One BBC article showed a drawing of the girl with 43 scars on her body where she was cut.
There are allegations that the three adults hoped that an exorcism would drive out the demons and end the danger that the girl represented to the adults. An exorcism required the use of extreme physical pain in order to force the demons to leave AB. The girl testified that the adults slapped, punched and kicked her repeatedly. One pushed a kitchen knife into her chest until it drew blood. She told police, "It's because my auntie says I have witchcraft. She dances and laughs when she hits me." AB was beaten with belt buckles and a high-heeled shoe. She was only fed tea and bread. The adults seemed particularly concerned that the girl would practice her evil powers at nighttime. So they woke her up twice and rubbed chili-peppers into her eyes. They forced her into a large plastic bag, allegedly to "throw her away for good" by drowning her in a nearby river. But they changed their mind at the last moment.
She was discovered on a cold November morning, covered in cuts and bruises, with swollen eyes, on the steps to her block of apartments. According to the person who found her, she seemed "freezing cold and terrified."

Is this case unique?

According to the BBC: "Dr Hoskins says there are a growing number of reports of children being abused as a result of accusations of witchcraft and social services are currently investigating four other almost identical cases - although he says this may be only the 'tip of an iceberg'."
Detective Superintendent Chris Bourlet, of the Metropolitan Police leads Project Violet. a program to prevent religiously-motivated child abuse. Bourlet said: "the aim will be prevention, working with churches and communities - not to challenge their beliefs but to raise their awareness of child abuse." A group of about five officers will gather intelligence on the problem and try and persuade churches to follow child protection procedures.
There may be similarities between the current case and the abuse of Victoria Climbe. Her relatives believed that she was possessed by evil spirits. She was subjected to physical abuse to drive out her demons. She was eventually murdered. Dr Richard Hoskins: "It was sheer chance that this little girl [AB] was rescued in time. If she hadn't been then the injuries and abuse would in all probability have escalated and she could well have ended up as the next Victoria Climbie."

References used:

The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.

" 'Witch' child abuse jury sent out," BBC News, 2005-JUN-01, at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/
James Westhead, "Abuse case sparks new fears," BBC News, 2005-JUN-03, at:http://news.bbc.co.uk/
"Abuser speaks of witch belief," BBC News, 2005-JUN-04, at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/
"Witchcraft case sparks abuse fear," BBC News, 2005-JUN-04, at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/
John Steele, "Aunt helped to torture girl, 8, for being a witch," News.telegraph, 2005-APR-06, at: http://news.telegraph.co.uk/
Vikram Dodd, "Police investigate religious links after witchcraft abuse of child, 8," Guardian Unlimited, 2005-JUN-04, at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/

First 'mixed embryo' monkeys born

2012-01-06T07:41:00.003Z

First 'mixed embryo' monkeys born The monkeys' cells are derived from more than one embryo,

yet they are normal and healthyThe animals were born after researchers combined cells from different embryos and implanted them into female monkeys.Such animals, which contain genetically distinct groups of cells from more than one organism, are called "chimeras".A US team, which has reported its work in the journal Cell, says the advance could have "enormous" importance for medical researchChimeras are important for studying embryonic development, but research has largely been restricted to mice.The rhesus monkeys, which are normal and healthy, are made up of a mixture of cells representing as many as six distinct individuals.

"The cells never fuse, but they stay together and work together to form tissues and organs," said co-author Shoukhrat Mitalipov of the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, US.

Early decisions

Initial efforts by Dr Mitalipov's team to produce living monkey chimeras by introducing cultured embryonic stem cells into monkey embryos - a well-established means for generating chimeric mice - failed.Stem cells are the "master cells" that can transform into a variety of more specialised cells required in the body.

The embryonic stem cells the team tried and failed with were at a developmental stage known as "pluripotency". This means they can transform into any tissue type in the body, but cannot turn into the placenta or an entire animal.

The researchers were only able to make monkey chimeras when they mixed cells from very early stage embryos, in which each individual embryonic cell was "totipotent".

These totipotent cells are capable of giving rise to a whole animal as well as the placenta and other life-sustaining tissues.

Dr Mitalipov said it appeared that primate embryos prevented cultured embryonic stem cells from becoming integrated as they do in mice.

The study also suggests that cultured primate and human embryonic stem cells, some of which have been maintained in labs for as long as two decades, may not be as potent as those found inside a living embryo.

Primate embryos seem to resist the integration of cultured embryonic stem cells

Prof Robin Lovell-Badge, from the UK National Institute for Medical Research in Mill Hill, called the advance "very important".

The researcher, who was not involved in the study, told BBC News: "Assumptions about the way human embryos develop have always been based on the mouse."

But he added that this could be a "dangerous assumption".

Chimeras can be used to understand the role of specific genes in the development of embryos as well as for studying the overall mechanisms of development.

For example, if studying a genetic mutation that causes cells to die, it is much more useful if the embryo is rescued by normal cells that allow the scientists to continue their work.Prof Lovell-Badge said there had been a growing feeling for some time that pluripotent stem cells from humans and monkeys were different from those in mice.

The latest research suggests the biological pathways to restrict cells in their ability to form different tissue types are passed earlier in monkeys than they are in mice.

"We cannot model everything in the mouse," Dr Mitalipov explained. "If we want to move stem cell therapies from the lab to clinics and from the mouse to humans, we need to understand what these primate cells can and can't do.

"We need to study them in humans, including human embryos."

But he stressed there was no practical use for producing human chimeras.

Stem cell therapies hold promise for replacing damaged nerve cells in those who have been paralysed due to a spinal cord injury and, for example, the brain cells lost in Parkinson's Disease.

CONCEPT OF BEAUTY

2012-01-02T16:04:00.002Z

CONCEPT OF BEAUTY!

faulty breast implants

2012-01-02T13:24:00.000Z

One in 12 of the 40,000 British women who have received faulty breast implants containing industrial silicone is at risk of developing serious medical complications, The Independent on Sunday has learned.

Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, ordered an urgent review yesterday into the quality of data about the proportion of women who have had problems with the French-made Poly Implants Prothèses (PIP) implants at the centre of the scandal.

The IoS can exclusively reveal the investigation was triggered by a leading cosmetic surgery firm, which privately warned ministers that the proportion of women at risk is as high as 8 per cent, rather than the 1 per cent previously claimed in the UK.

The company is responsible for about 4,000 of the UK's PIP implants, but if an 8 per cent rupture rate proves accurate and is widely replicated, it could mean a total of 3,200 women are affected. In France, where authorities shut down PIP last year, the risk of rupture is said to be about 5 per cent, and women have been advised to have the implants removed – a move backed by British surgeons but not, so far, by ministers.

But if the risk rate is confirmed as being substantially higher in the UK than in France, pressure will grow for the Department of Health to follow the French Health Minister, Xavier Bertrand, in urging women to have them removed. Abnormal rupture rates of the implants, which contain industrial-strength silicone commonly used in mattresses, emerged in 2009. Symptoms can include lumps around the implant or in the under-arm, inflammation in the breast tissue and a hardening of the breast.

"Our priority is making sure that women get the correct advice so that they are kept safe," Mr Lansley said, as he announced that the NHS medical director, Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, will review the data given to the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

An emergency report is expected on Mr Lansley's desk early this week. The MHRA will audit all data held on the quality of the implants, including information from private clinics, which are responsible for about 95 per cent of implant procedures.

More than 250 British women are said to be suing the clinics that treated them. Mr Lansley said: "I want to reassure women that if any new data calls into question the safety of these implants, we will act swiftly to help them." He highlighted concerns about the "content and quality of the data that cosmetic surgery providers are sharing with the regulator".

Last night, surgeons accused the MHRA of downplaying the true extent of the problem and called for an implant register to track when things go wrong. The MHRA is now considering such a move. If British women are advised to have the PIP implants removed, the NHS could be left to pick up the bill as many of the clinics responsible are no longer in business.

Fazel Fatah, president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, said: "[It could be] better to take them out now rather than wait for them to rupture, which makes the procedure more complicated. We think the French decision is not unreasonable at all."

Andy Burnham, the shadow Health Secretary, said: "The Government should provide more advice and support to women who may be affected by this announcement. I have heard reports that some women are experiencing delays or difficulty in accessing records from private cosmetic surgery companies, or in some cases large fees. That is unacceptable."

Dr Susanne Ludgate, clinical director of the MHRA, said concerns had been raised by "conflicting data" coming from the cosmetic surgery industry. "It raises doubts about the surveillance and reporting of incidents by these companies. We will urgently work to identify where problems may be," she added.

Paul Balen, of Freeth Cartwright solicitors, has spent years representing British women who have been fitted with PIP implants. The implant company came to the attention of the MHRA more than a decade ago, when concerns over its Trilucent implants led to them being recalled in 2000; the MHRA advised removing them, according to Mr Balen.

Peter Walsh, from the patient safety charity Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA), said there can be "no doubt that the systems of regulation which are supposed to protect patients have already been shown to be wanting". The AvMA is now calling for the Commons Health Select Committee to investigate.

Breast Augmentation with Silicone Implants

2012-01-02T13:12:00.000Z

Indian products

2012-01-02T11:23:00.003Z

New Delhi:

Chinese manufacturers are increasingly "faking" popular Indian products of consumer goods giants such as Dabur and ITC, undermining the legitimacy of brands and causing losses worth as much as $5 billion annually, officials said.

"A lot of counterfeit Dabur products are made in China. We have conducted at least 20 raids in China but no proper action has been taken by the Chinese," said Ashok Jain, general manager of finance at Dabur India, the country's fourth largest FMCG firm.

He said such fake products manufactured in China with "Made-in-India" tag are supplied across the world, mostly in India and African countries.

"It causes huge damage to the brand. Those fake products are obviously not up to our standards and supplied at very low prices," Jain told IANS.

Dabur, which has nearly $4 billion market capitalisation, operates in key consumer product categories like healthcare, skin care, hair care and oral care. The company's revenue last fiscal was $910 million.

Pradeep Dixit, a senior official of ITC, a $33-billion conglomerate, said the popular FMCG brands of the company were counterfeited by unscrupulous firms and supplied in domestic as well as foreign markets.

"Our popular cigarette brand is faked and supplied widely in the states like Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh," he said.

"China is a big problem everybody is facing," said S.K. Goel, chairman of the Central Board of Excise and Customs, told IANS.

Goel said the big international brands like Nokia, Adidas, Reebok and Nivea were also widely counterfeited in China and supplied in India and other parts of the world.

Chinese manufacturers are also faking drugs, endangering lives of patients. Fake drugs, carrying " Made in India" tags, supplied from China were recently detained in Nigeria and other African countries.

K.K. Vyas, Delhi's deputy commissioner of police (crime), said the police have seized and confiscated a lot of fake and counterfeited products of popular brands in the national capital recently.

Vyas emphasised on the need for enhancing punishment for unscrupulous manufacturers and importers. "Punishment needs to be enhanced. Also there is need that judiciary addresses these issues quickly."

"Counterfeiting is a big menace. It is hurting everybody - consumers, industry and the exchequer," said Anil Rajput, chairman of the anti-smuggling and anti-counterfeiting committee of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

Recently, FICCI formed a panel called "FICCI-Cascade" that expands into a committee on anti-smuggling and counterfeiting activities destroying the economy. Chaired by Rajput, the committee is working closely with the government to curb this menace.

According to a report by think tank Indiaforensic Research Foundation, the total loss to the economy annually due to crimes such as counterfeiting, commercial fraud, smuggling, drug trafficking, bank fraud, tax evasion and graft is estimated at Rs.22,528 crore.

Christmas trees

2012-01-02T07:31:00.003Z

Unwanted Christmas trees

Christmas trees help Teignbridge Scouts and zoo animals

Unwanted Christmas trees could benefit both scouts and zoo animals in Devon.

Teignbridge Scouts, who are trying to raise funds for new headquarters in Kingkerswell, plan to collect trees and take them to Paignton Zoo in January.

The zoo said many of its animals will enjoy playing with the Christmas trees, provided they have not been sprayed with toxic fake snow or glitter.

The scouts, who are asking for a minimum donation of £5, will carry out tree collections on 7 and 8 January.

'Novelty value'

In order to help the scout troop's venture, a number of local Christmas tree retailers handed out flyers with the trees.

Scout spokesman Steve Michaels said it was a service with multiple benefits.

"It's great to be able to deliver the trees to the zoo rather than send them off to landfill," he said

"This is helping young people, helping the environment and helping the animals at the zoo."

Paignton Zoo spokesman Phil Knowling said meerkats, primates and tapirs were among the animals that would benefit.

"The new textures and scents are stimulating - and you can't underestimate the sheer novelty value of a small conifer tree suddenly appearing in an enclosure," he said

Tainted milk product in China

2011-12-28T18:27:00.000Z

Tainted milk product scare causes outrage in China

Food safety scandals have blighted China's dairy industry in recent years.

The Chinese dairy company 'sincerely' apologizes to customers for the problems
The products, containing high levels of a potentially carcinogenic substance, have been destroyed
The company says the products did not go on sale and remained in storage
Chinese microblog users urge others to boycott the company's products

Beijing (CNN) -- Criticism of lax food safety standards at Chinese companies abounded on microblogging sites in China on Tuesday following the latest scare involving dairy products in the country.
Tests found that cartons of milk made by Mengniu Dairy Co., the largest Chinese dairy company, had excessive levels of aflatoxin M1, a substance that can cause liver cancer.
The tests were carried out by the Chinese Administration of Quality Supervision in an inspection of nationwide milk products on Saturday.
The toxin came from contaminated feed consumed by the cows that produced the milk, China's official news agency, Xinhua, reported.
The milk cartons did not make it to market but remained in storage during the inspection, according to a statement from the company on Sunday. Mengniu said that it had destroyed all the toxic milk as it sought to reassure consumers on its commitment to product safety.
Mengniu "once again would like to sincerely apologize to all consumers," said the statement. "We should earnestly learn from this lesson and comply with state and company quality and inspection standards with precision and care, making sure our product quality from every sector is approved in the future."
Users commenting on Chinese social media sites offered scathing opinions about the management of Chinese companies following Mengniu's admission of problems.
"Businesses in China are destroyed by Chinese businessmen themselves," said one user on Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter. "Don't ever blame us on buying foreign goods."
"If I have a baby one day, I will also buy safer milk powder produced overseas," the user wrote Tuesday.
"Let us boycott Mengniu altogether, show the shameless businessmen our strength." said a posting by another user.
Food safety scandals have blighted the dairy industry in China since 2008, when melamine-tainted milk killed at least six babies and caused kidney stones and urinary tract problems in hundreds of thousands of children.
Twenty-one people were tried and sentenced for their roles in the scandal, and two of them were executed.
In April, the police in Southwestern China seized more than 26 tons of melamine-tainted milk intended for use in ice cream, according to local officials.

2011-12-19T14:13:00.002Z

U.S. Will Not Finance New Research on Chimps

Tim Mueller for The New York Times

A chimpanzee at the New Iberia Research Center of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where hepatitis C research is done.

By JAMES GORMAN

Published: December 15, 2011The National Institutes of Health on Thursday suspended all new grants for biomedical and behavioral research on chimpanzees and accepted the first uniform criteria for assessing the necessity of such research. Those guidelines require that the research be necessary for human health, and that there be no other way to accomplish it.

In making the announcement, Dr. Francis S. Collins, the director of the N.I.H., said that chimps, as the closest human relatives, deserve “special consideration and respect” and that the agency was accepting the recommendations released earlier in the day by an expert committee of the Institute of Medicine, which concluded that most research on chimpanzees was unnecessary.

The report and the quick response by the N.I.H. do not put an end to research on chimps, but they were claimed as victories by animal welfare groups that have long been fighting for a ban on such research, arguing that chimps should not be subjected to experimental use. They said that the move was a step toward eventually ending chimp research, already a tiny segment of federal research.

Jeffrey Kahn, chairman of the Institute of Medicine committee that produced the report and a professor of bioethics and public policy at Johns Hopkins University, said the group’s recommendations would make it harder to use chimps in research.

“What we did was establish a set of rigorous criteria that set the bar quite high for use of chimpanzees in biomedical or behavioral research,” he said. He also said that, in effect, the writing was on the wall: “One of the important themes in the committee report is that there is a trajectory toward decreasing necessity for the use of chimps in biomedical and behavioral research.”

Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, which is strongly opposed to any experimentation on chimpanzees, said, “We’re tremendously encouraged.” He said the report’s “overarching conclusion was that chimps are largely unnecessary” for research, and that the report and N.I.H. action could influence two other continuing efforts to stop research on chimps.

One is the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act of 2011, now before both houses of Congress. Another is a petition before the federal Fish and Wildlife Service to declare captive chimpanzees endangered, as wild chimpanzees are. The exemption has allowed research to continue and permits the use of chimpanzees in entertainment and as pets.

“ ‘Endangered’ stops all those uses,” Mr. Pacelle said, and the report’s skeptical assessment of the value of chimps in research would provide support for the Fish and Wildlife Service to categorize all chimps as endangered.

At the same time, people involved in chimp research said they, too, were happy.

Dr. Thomas Rowell, director of the New Iberia Research Center in New Iberia, La., which houses 471 chimpanzees, more than any other center in the country, also said he was “quite pleased” with the report. “It just confirms what we’ve been saying all along in regard to the chimpanzee model for advancing public health research,” he said, referring to the necessity of the chimpanzee for some research on public health.

Dr. Collins said the N.I.H. would set up a working group to decide how to carry out the recommendations. Until the group finishes its deliberations, no new grants would be awarded and all N.I.H. chimpanzees that are not already enrolled in experiments would not be involved in any further research projects. Dr. Collins did not offer a timeline or say how many chimpanzees were currently involved in research.

Use of chimpanzees has already been waning, partly because it is expensive. The report covers only chimps owned or supported by the government, 612 of a total of 937 chimps available for research in the United States. Only a few are in experiments at any one time.

The committee identified two areas where it said the use of chimpanzees could be necessary. One is research on a preventive vaccine for hepatitis C. The committee could not agree on whether this research fit the criteria and so left that decision open.

In the second area, research on immunology involving monoclonal antibodies, the committee concluded that experimenting on chimps was not necessary because of new technology, but because the new technology was not widespread, projects now under way should be allowed to reach completion.

The report offered two sets of criteria, one for biomedical experiments, which it said could be considered necessary when there was no other way to do the research — with other animals, lab techniques or human subjects — and if not doing the research would “significantly slow or prevent important advancements to prevent, control and/or treat life-threatening or debilitating conditions.”

For behavioral and genomic experiments, the report recommended that the research should be done on chimps only if the animals are cooperative, and in a way that minimizes pain and distress. It also said that the studies should “provide otherwise unattainable insight into comparative genomics, normal and abnormal behavior, mental health, emotion or cognition.”

The report also recommended that chimpanzees be housed in conditions that are behaviorally, socially and physically appropriate. All United States primate research centers are already accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care, and Dr. Kahn said that this accreditation meets the committee’s recommendation.

That was one area where the Humane Society disagreed with the report. “That language,” said Mr. Pacelle, referring to the requirements for adequate cages and enclosures, “was disappointing to us,” because it could mean that chimps that were not in experiments would stay at research centers.

“I’m arguing for the movement of all of them to the sanctuaries,” he said, where large open enclosures are much more common.

The N.I.H. commissioned the report after an outcry over its plan in 2010 to move a colony of chimpanzees it owned out of semiretirement in Alamogordo, N.M., and back into medical research at a primate center in Texas.

The N.I.H. responded in January 2011, by announcing it would leave the chimps in New Mexico for the time being, and by commissioning the Institute of Medicine to do the study released on Thursday. Dr. Collins confirmed that for now, the Alamogordo chimps would stay where they were
.

chickenpox

2011-12-19T07:58:00.003Z

Sun 'stops chickenpox spreading'

Exposure to sunlight may help impede the spread of chickenpox, claim researchers.

The University of London team found chickenpox less common in regions with high UV levels, reports the journal Virology.

Sunlight may inactivate viruses on the skin, making it harder to pass on.However, other experts say that other factors, including temperature, humidity, and even living conditions are equally likely to play a role.

The varicella-zoster virus is highly contagious, while it can be spread through the coughs and sneezes in the early stages of the infection, the main source is contact with the trademark rash of blisters and spots.

Pollution

UV light has long been known to inactivate viruses, and Dr Phil Rice, from St George's, University of London, who led the research, believes that this holds the key why chickenpox is less common and less easily passed from person to person in tropical countries.

It could also help explain why chickenpox is more common in the colder seasons in temperate countries such as the UK - as people have less exposure to sunlight, he said.

He examined data from 25 earlier studies on varicella-zoster virus in a variety of countries around the world, and plotted these data against a range of climatic factors.

This showed an obvious link between UV levels and chickenpox virus prevalence.

Even initially confusing results could be explained - the peak incidence of chickenpox in India and Sri Lanka is during the hottest, driest and sunniest season.

However, Dr Rice found that, due to atmospheric pollution, UV rays were actually much lower during this season compared with the rainier seasons.

He said: "No-one had considered UV as a factor before, but when I looked at the epidemiological studies they showed a good correlation between global latitude and the presence of the virus."

Professor Judy Breuer from University College London said that while UV could well be contributing to the differences in the prevalence of chickenpox between tropical and temperate regions, there were other factors which needed to be considered.

She said: "Lots of things aside from UV could affect it - heat, humidity and social factors such as overcrowding.

"It's quite possible that UV is having an effect, but we don't have any firm evidence showing the extent this is happening."

1,000 children a year in England are being adopted for the "wrong" reasons and should stay with their families

2011-12-14T07:59:00.000Z

MP claims 1,000 children "wrongly" adopted every year

A Liberal Democrat MP is claiming up to 1,000 children a year in England are being adopted for the "wrong" reasons and should stay with their families.John Hemming says the threshold for taking children into care is also often too low.

He is calling for a parliamentary inquiry into the secret court decisions that lead to many adoptions.

But his claims have been strongly disputed by the government's adoption adviser Martin Narey.

Both men have been giving evidence to the Commons Education Committee inquiry into child protection.

Mr Hemming who set up the Justice for Families to help families who believe their children have been wrongly taken into care, said the child protection system is in "crisis"

He told the MPs that into two cases when parents talked to their children in a manner that a court believed "undermined their self-esteem" the children were taken into care and later adopted.

"Secrecy without accountability"

He also highlighted another case: "Somebody fails an assessment because mum puts a baby on a mat with another baby and that's deemed to be risky to the baby and that's just not on."

He says the threshold at which children are initially taken into care - when social workers "believe" there is a risk - is too low.

“Start Quote

To suggest that a 1,000 out of 1,300 forced adoptions were inappropriate is I believe very misleading”

Martin NareyGovernment adoption adviser

Once a child is in care system it often proved difficult for them to return to their parents.

He said too many are being "wrongly" adopted.

"I estimate is about 1,000 a year based on looking at comparative statistics over a number of years," he said.

"The difficulty is that it is all done without real transparency. The whole process has not got integrity because it operates in secrecy without accountability."

But Martin Narey, who is the ministerial adviser on adoption and was previously chief executive of Barnardo's, said the number of adoptions is too low and should be increased by about 50% a year.

"I differ very strongly from Mr Hemming," he said. "Last year there were 3,040 adoptions 1,360 were without the parents' consent.

"Overwhelmingly in all the cases that I have looked at, in all the research I have read I don't think there's anything to suggest that a significant proportion of those are inappropriate."

"The proportion would be tiny, 1 or 2%. And to suggest that a 1,000 out of 1,300 forced adoptions were inappropriate is I believe very misleading."

The latest official statistics show that the number of children being adopted is falling.

In the year ending 31 March 2011, there had been a 5% decrease in the number of children in care placed for adoption

24,000 diabetes deaths a year 'could be avoided'

2011-12-14T07:42:00.003Z

Up to 24,000 deaths from diabetes could be avoided in England each year, if patients and doctors better managed the condition, a report concludes.

The first-ever audit of patient deaths from the condition said basic health checks, a good diet and regular medication could prevent most of them.

Diabetes UK said it was vital the 2.3 million sufferers had top quality care.

The Department of Health in England said shocking variations in care and an unacceptable death toll were evident.

About a third of people in the UK affected do not realise they have the condition.

It means their bodies cannot use glucose properly. If they do not manage it, they can develop potentially fatal complications like heart or kidney failure.

The report, by the NHS Information Centre, compared information about people with diabetes in England with data from death records.

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Around 70-75,000 diabetic patients die every year.

The study estimated that a third of them were dying from causes that could be avoided if their condition were better managed.

That includes basic health checks from doctors, and patients taking medication and keeping to a healthy diet.

For patients with Type 1, the risk of dying was 2.6 times higher than it was for the general population.

With Type 2, the risk was 1.6 times higher.

But in younger age groups, the risk was far greater. Women between the ages of 15 and 34 with diabetes were nine times more likely to die than other women of the same age.

Men in the same age group were four times more likely to die if they had the condition.

It is the first time there has been such a comprehensive assessment of the number of affected people dying.

The National Diabetes Information Service said the number of people with the condition was rising, so if nothing was done, the number of deaths would also increase.

'Shocking' variations

"Many of these deaths could be prevented," said Dr Bob Young, diabetologist and spokesman for the National Diabetes Information Service.

"Doctors, nurses and the NHS working in partnership with people who have diabetes should be able to improve these grim statistics."

Diabetes UK described the figures as alarming.

"We know that half of people with Type 2 and more than two thirds of people with Type 1 diabetes are not receiving the care they need to stay healthy," said Barbara Young, Diabetes UK chief executive.

"It is imperative we take action now to stop even more lives being needlessly cut short.

"We will be holding the NHS to account wherever it fails to deliver high-quality care."

The Department of Health in England said the audit had revealed shocking variations in care, and an unacceptable death toll.

Care services Minister Paul Burstow said: "I expect the NHS to learn from the best. It's not rocket science - integrated health care can help people manage their diabetes, and stay well and out of hospital.

substitute for fossil fuels.

2011-12-11T18:26:00.001Z

Billions of dollars each year are poured into the development of solar, nuclear, biological, and other energies to substitute for fossil fuels. But so far, issues of cost, efficiency, and scalability call into question the arrival of the next era of energy. Can any alternative sources become viably competitive with fossil fuels? What can we -- as individuals, businesses, and governments -- do to accelerate the rise of clean energy?

Selected videos are available above and at right; the full day's recordings will be posted here as they become available.

In this video, Steve Coll talks with Craig Venter about acting on scientific discovery and dramatic changes to come.

low-carbon aviation fuel

2011-12-11T18:21:00.001Z

Uploaded by ThisIsVirginAtlantic on 11 Oct 2011

We are announcing a world-first, low-carbon aviation fuel with half the carbon footprint of the standard, fossil-fuel alternative. The partnership represents a breakthrough in aviation fuel technology that will see waste gases from industrial steel production being captured, fermented and chemically converted for use as a jet fuel. The revolutionary fuel production process recycles waste gases that would otherwise be flared off into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide -- so is the next step forward from our previous biofuels work. We anticipate that within two to three years, Virgin Atlantic will use the new fuel on its routes from Shanghai and Delhi to London Heathrow, as LanzaTech develop facilities in China and India. We also hope that the technology will be retrofitted to UK facilities, as well as other facilities worldwide, enabling us to uplift a significant proportion of low-carbon fuel across the world.

The LanzaTech Process

The LanzaTech Process can convert carbon monoxide containing gases produced by industries such as steel manufacturing, oil refining and chemical production, as well as gases generated by gasification of forestry and agricultural residues, municipal waste, and coal into valuable fuel and chemical products. The robust process is flexible to the hydrogen content in the input gas and tolerant of typical gas contaminants.

The carbon monoxide containing gas enters the process at the bottom of the bioreactor, and is dispersed into the liquid medium where it is consumed by LanzaTech's proprietary microbes as the reactor contents move upward in the reactor vessel.

The net product is withdrawn and sent to the product recovery section.

The product recovery section makes use of an advanced hybrid separation system to recover the valuable products and co-products from the fermentation broth. The water is recovered and returned to the reactor system, minimizing water discharge from the process. The products and co-products are collected for downstream use.

In some cases, these products can be used directly as fuel or chemical products. In many cases it is also possible to convert products from the LanzaTech process in to common chemicals or ‘drop in’ fuels that are normally derived from petroleum.

The LanzaTech process provides a route from waste gases and solids to valuable fuel and chemical products, reusing carbon along the way to minimize environmental impact.

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