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Pop singer Whitney Houston has cancelled a concert in Paris because of illness.
Organisers say Houston is suffering from a respiratory infection.
A new date will be announced soon.
The concert, at the Paris-Bercy arena, was to have been the first date in Houston’s European tour.
Houston endured a controversial tour of Australia in February, marked by fan walkouts and poor reviews.
Washington, September 15 (ANI): Changes in humidity and temperature may trigger asthma among kids, suggests a report.
Published in the journal Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the report says that such weather changes have been found to result in a rise in Emergency Department (ED) visits for paediatric asthma exacerbations.
“We found a strong relationship between temperature and humidity fluctuations with pediatric asthma exacerbations, but not barometric pressure,” said Dr. Nana A. Mireku, an allergist at Dallas Allergy Immunology private practice in Dallas, formerly at Children’s Hospital of Michigan, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit.
“To our knowledge, this is the first study that demonstrated these correlations after controlling for levels of airborne pollutants and common aeroallergens.
“Our study is also one of the few to examine the possibility that the weather one or two days before the asthma exacerbation may be as important as that on the day of admission, as the additional ED visits occur one to two days after the fluctuation,” she added.
The authors of the report write that patients experiencing an asthma attack often complain that weather fluctuations are a major trigger.
Dr. Mireku said: “the latest National Institutes of Health guidelines list ‘change in weather’ as a possible precipitating factor for asthma, but no previous studies have really examined this potential trigger in a rigorous fashion.”
According to the report, the retrospective 2-year study was performed at a large urban hospital of 25,401 children visiting the ED for an asthma exacerbation.
The researchers collected data on climactic factors, pollutants and aeroallergens on a daily basis.
They used time series analysis to evaluate the relationship of daily or between-day changes in climactic factors and asthma ED visits, controlling for seasonality, air pollution and aeroallergen exposure.
The effects of climactic factors were evaluated on the day of admission and up to five days before admission.
The researchers found that a 10 percent daily increase in humidity on a day or two before admission was associated with approximately one additional ED visit for asthma.
The authors write that between-day changes in humidity from two to three days prior to admission were also associated with more ED visits.
Daily changes in temperature on the day of or the day before admission increased ED visits, with a 10 degree F increase being association with 1.8 additional visits.
“Asthma is the most common chronic illness in childhood. Allergists have long known that weather conditions such as extremely dry, wet or windy weather can affect asthma symptoms. This study further defines the role of temperature and humidity on children’s asthma and confirms the importance of working with patients to identify the source of their symptoms and develop treatment plans that help prevent them,” said allergist Richard G. Gower, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI). (ANI)
Washington, Sept 15 (ANI): Veteran actor Patrick Swayze died of pancreatic cancer on Monday, aged 57.
The ‘Dirty Dancing’ star lost his battle to cancer after struggling for at least 20 months.
“Patrick Swayze passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months,” People magazine quoted Swayze’s representatives as saying in a statement.
Whoopi Goldberg, who starred with Swayze in one of his biggest movies ‘Ghost’, remembers Swayze as “funny man”.
“Patrick was a really good man, a funny man and one to whom I owe much that I can’t ever repay,” said Goldberg,
“I believe in Ghost’s message, so he’ll always be near,” she added.
“Patrick lived a hundred lifetimes in one,” said Rob Lowe, who appeared with Swayze in ‘The Outsiders and Youngblood’.
“I will remember him for that, and I will remember him for how much he loved his wife Lisa. He was such an intense actor, so full of passion and vigor. He definitely made the most out of it. It’s a sad day,” he added.
Swayze was diagnosed with advanced stage of pancreatic cancer in January last year.
However, he kept shooting for A and E series ‘The Beast’ while undergoing chemotherapy and never lost hope. (ANI)
Washington, Sep 10 (ANI): Researchers at Michigan Technological University have identified three genes that play a major role in the most common type of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), generally known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
The team of mathematicians, led by Shuanglin Zhang, isolated the genes from the many thousands scattered throughout human DNA.
Zhang noted that the discovery does not mean an end to ALS, but it could provide scientists with valuable clues as they search for a cure.
“I felt very urgent to find the genes for ALS,” Zhang said.
“This is very nice work. It’s very challenging to map genes for complex diseases, and while many statistical methods have been developed, most don’t work well in practice. Zhang’s group has developed a method to detect genes and gene-gene interaction in complex diseases and provided evidence that it works,” said Xiaofeng Zhu, an associate professor of epidemiology at Case Western Reserve University’s School of Medicine.
“Their findings will need to be confirmed by other researchers, but I think this will be very useful for the investigators who are trying to find genes underlying complex diseases such as ALS,” said Zhu.
According to the ALS Association, only about 10 percent of patients have familial ALS, a directly inherited form of the usually fatal neuromuscular disorder, while the remaining 90 percent are diagnosed with the sporadic form of the disease.
While everyone has the three genes in question, but in people with sporadic ALS, they differ from those in people who don’t have ALS.
The mathematicians were not surprised when they tracked down the location of the genes.
“Everybody has 23 chromosomes, and the three genes on chromosomes 2, 4, and 10 interact. If you have this combination of the three genes, you are at high risk of developing the disease. It’s really exciting, especially because my husband has sporadic ALS. Maybe they can find a cure by blocking the genes,” explained Zhang’s wife Qiuying Sha.
ALS destroys the nerves in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary movement, eventually leading to paralysis.
Zhang’s team used a new statistical method to analyse the genetic codes of 547 individuals, 276 with sporadic ALS and 271 without.
The method, a two-locus interaction analysis approach, allows the researchers to identify multiple genes associated with a complex illness.
The data set they analyzed was provided by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Human Genetics Resource Center at the Coriell Institute, a publicly funded “bank” or repository for human cells, DNA samples, clinical data, and other information that aims to accelerate research on the genetics of nervous system disorders.
The study has been published in the open access journal BMC Medical Genetics. (ANI)
London, Sep 3 (ANI): England’s star footballer Jermain Defoe has relived the horrifying moment when he learned that his half-brother was dying after a brutal street attack.
The Spurs striker was at the team’s training ground when his mother broke the news that Jade Defoe, 26, was in intensive care.
Speaking for the first time about April’s attack, he said: “The manager said, ‘Your mum’s in the car park’. I knew when I saw her face it was bad news. She basically said to me I think he’s got two hours to live. So I had to get myself straight to the hospital and just be there for Jade.”
Jermain, 26, was at Jade’s bedside when the urban musician also known as DJ Esco Bars died of head injuries after the beating in Leytonstone, East London, The Sun reported.
He said: “It was crazy. All his family and friends were in intensive care. It was a harrowing time and I think it changed me as a person. I was really close to Jade and his death hit the family hard.”
Jermain said he and Jade used to play football together when they were younger.
“It was difficult for us to see each other a lot because I was always travelling for my football. But we were very close as a family. It was so hard for us to accept him going at such a young age.
“When people die after a long illness it’s easier because you have time to prepare. But when it’s a phone call out of the blue it’s difficult to come to terms with,” he said. (ANI)
Washington, September 3 (ANI): American scientists have for the first time shown how exposure to diesel fumes causes cancer.
Qinghua Sun, an assistant professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Ohio State University, says that diesel exhaust has the ability to induce the growth of new blood vessels that serve as a food supply for solid tumours.
The researchers found that in both healthy and diseased animals.
According to them, more new blood vessels sprouted in mice exposed to diesel exhaust than did in mice exposed to clean, filtered air.
They say that this finding indicates that previous illness is not required to make humans susceptible to the damaging effects of the diesel exhaust.
The researchers say that inhaled diesel particles are very tiny in size, which is why they can penetrate the human circulatory system, organs, and tissues.
This suggests that diesel fumes can cause damage just about anywhere in the body, they add.
Diesel exhaust exposure levels in the study were designed to mimic the exposure people might experience while living in urban areas and commuting in heavy traffic.
The levels were lower than or similar to those typically experienced by workers who use diesel-powered equipment, who tend to work in mines, on bridges and tunnels, along railroads, at loading docks, on farms and in vehicle maintenance garages, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
“The message from our study is that exposure to diesel exhaust for just a short time period of two months could give even normal tissue the potential to develop a tumour,” said Qinghua Sun, senior author of the study.
“We need to raise public awareness so people give more thought to how they drive and how they live so they can pursue ways to protect themselves and improve their health. And we still have a lot of work to do to improve diesel engines so they generate fewer particles and exhaust that can be released into the ambient air,” Sun added.
A research article on the study, supported by Health Effects Institute awards and grants from the National Institutes of Health, has been published in the online edition of the journal Toxicology Letters. (ANI)
London, Aug 29 (ANI): Researchers have developed a new tool that would help predict a patient’s risk of dying from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
What’s more, it would also help determine the effective level of treatment.
Boffins have come up with an ADO index that can help physicians assess the severity of the illness.
Presently, the BODE index is used by chest physicians to estimate a patient’s risk of death from COPD. It assesses body-mass index, airflow obstruction, dyspnea and exercise capacity.
However, the BODE index is rarely used in primary care settings where most patient treatment options are managed, because exercise capacity cannot be easily measured in the typical doctor’s office.
“The burden from COPD is so enormous that we need to reach out to any doctors who care for COPD patients,” The Lancet quoted Dr Milo A. Puhan, associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and lead author of the study.
“The ADO index can be used in any setting and we hope that it will serve as a basis for more individualized treatment selection in the near future,” Puhan added.
For the study, Puhan and colleagues developed a simplified BODE index and the ADO index, which included age, dyspnea and airflow obstruction.
The research team compared the predictions of the BODE index with the 3-year risk of all-cause mortality from 232 COPD patients from Switzerland.
The updated BODE index and the new ADO index were then validated with a cohort of 342 COPD patients from Spain.
The findings showed that updated BODE and ADO indices accurately predicted 3-year mortality compared to the original BODE index, which performed poorly at predicting 3-year risk of mortality. (ANI)
Martha’s Vineyard (Virgina, US), Aug.26 (ANI): US President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, on Wednesday condoled the death of former Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy.
Kennedy, the family patriarch, died of complications arising out of brain cancer at his Hyannis Port home on Tuesday. He was 77.
In his statement, Obama said: ” Michelle and I were heartbroken to learn this morning of the death of our dear friend, Senator Ted Kennedy.
For five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health and economic well being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts.
I valued his wise counsel in the Senate, where, regardless of the swirl of events, he always had time for a new colleague. I cherished his confidence and momentous support in my race for the Presidency. And even as he waged a valiant struggle with a mortal illness, I’ve profited as President from his encouragement and wisdom.
An important chapter in our history has come to an end. Our country has lost a great leader, who picked up the torch of his fallen brothers and became the greatest United States Senator of our time.
And the Kennedy family has lost their patriarch, a tower of strength and support through good times and bad.
Our hearts and prayers go out to them today-to his wonderful wife, Vicki, his children Ted Jr., Patrick and Kara, his grandchildren and his extended family. (ANI)
London, August 26 (ANI): Scottish officials have noticed a 20 per cent rise in cervical smear tests linking it to Jade Goody’s high-profile battle against the disease.
The British reality TV star, who lost her life to cervical cancer aged 27 earlier this year, left a lasting legacy, prompting tens of thousands of Scottish women to attend examinations.
Authorities observed more than 45,000 cervical smears were processed north of the Border in 2008-09, the highest number for almost a decade.
“The rise in uptake coincides with the HPV immunisation campaign, which promotes the importance of cervical screening, and the very sad illness and death of Jade Goody, who worked hard to raise awareness of cervical cancer,” the Telegraph quoted Shona Robison, Scottish public health minister, as saying.
“This is clear proof that being more open about this illness and the need for screening can and does encourage women to come forward,” Robison added.
The largest increase in tests was recorded among women aged between 20 and 24 with the figures jumping from 50.2 per cent to 56.4 per cent, while for those between 25 to 29 years of age, the leap was from 63.3 per cent to 68 per cent.
NHS statisticians confirmed this “most likely reflects the impact of the publicity surrounding Jade Goody’s death from cervical cancer.”
Elspeth Atkinson, Macmillan Cancer Support’s director for Scotland, said: “It is good news that more women are attending for routine screening and we hope this is a trend that will continue.
“Abnormalities that are detected early by a smear test can usually be treated successfully. This is why it’s also vitally important that women attend any follow up appointments for further tests.” (ANI)
Kathmandu, Aug 26 (ANI): Nepal Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala has said that she failed to accompany Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal in his maiden visit to India purely due to health reasons.
At the Nepali Congress Parliamentary Party office where she was summoned to furnish clarification as to why she dropped out of Prime Minister’s visit to India, Koirala, said that there were no other intentions behind it other than the sudden illness she developed on the eve of departure.
Earlier, Koirala had turned down the parliamentary party’s call to be present at the party headquarters on this case, instead sending a written statement where she said she was compelled to cancel her India trip because she was ill.
However, there were rumors that she pulled out of the scheduled India visit due to her dissatisfaction over Madhav Kumar not promoting her to the post of the Deputy Prime Minister.
At the previous parliamentary party meeting majority of the Nepali Congress lawmakers had said that Koirala’s decision to skip the visit to India not only damaged the party’s and country’s credibility and demanded that Koirala be recalled from the cabinet, Nepalnews reported. (ANI)
Melbourne, Aug 24 (ANI): A good laugh is considered to be the best medicine, but a new research suggests that it may trigger serious asthma attacks.
This makes laughter a serious matter for 40 percent per cent of Australia’s 2 million asthma sufferers, according to a new study.
The online poll of 200 sufferers, conducted by drug company AstraZeneca’s, has backed university research that revealed laughter can spark the chronic respiratory illness in up to half of asthmatics.
A more serious concern from this research is that three quarters of asthmatics believe their asthma is well managed but the majority put up with lifestyle restrictions because of their illness.
The survey reflected both a University of NSW 2004 study published in the Journal Of Asthma and a New York University 2005 study Laughter May Trigger Asthma Attacks.
Almost two thirds found themselves breathless when doing housework or shopping, while half struggled to do their favourite activities.
More than one third felt tired because of disturbed sleep.
A further one in five cancelled social engagements because of their asthma.
Concord Hospital thoracic physician Professor Christine Jenkins said well-managed asthma should not hamper the enjoyment of any of life’s pleasures.
“Worryingly, these findings show that while many believe they have their asthma under control, the asthma is actually controlling them and their lifestyles,” the Daily Telegraph quoted her as saying. (ANI)
London, Aug 21 (ANI): The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned people with HIV, TB and malaria to stay away from the use of homeopathic medicines.
The WHO’s statement came following concerns of young researchers who fear that encouraging the use of homeopathy in developing countries could risk people’s lives.
A group called Voice of Young Science Network, which is part of the charity Sense About Science, had also campaigned for “evidence-based” care.he BBC quoted Dr Mario Raviglione, director, Stop TB department, WHO, as saying: “Our evidence-based WHO TB treatment/management guidelines, as well as the International Standards of Tuberculosis Care do not recommend use of homeopathy.”
Speaking on the use of Homeopathy to treat diarrhoea in children, a spokesman for the WHO department of child and adolescent health and development said: “We have found no evidence to date that homeopathy would bring any benefit.
“Homeopathy does not focus on the treatment and prevention of dehydration – in total contradiction with the scientific basis and our recommendations for the management of diarrhoea.”
Medics from the UK and Africa had written to the WHO in June asking the body to discourage the use of homeopathic treatment. They had said: “We are calling on the WHO to condemn the promotion of homeopathy for treating TB, infant diarrhoea, influenza, malaria and HIV.
“Homeopathy does not protect people from, or treat, these diseases.
“Those of us working with the most rural and impoverished people of the world already struggle to deliver the medical help that is needed.
“When homeopathy stands in place of effective treatment, lives are lost.”
Dr Robert Hagan, a biomolecular science researcher at the University of St Andrews and a member of Voice of Young Science Network, as saying: “We need governments around the world to recognise the dangers of promoting homeopathy for life-threatening illnesses.
“We hope that by raising awareness of the WHO’s position on homeopathy we will be supporting those people who are taking a stand against these potentially disastrous practices.”
Dr Nick Beeching, a specialist in infectious diseases at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, said: “Infections such as malaria, HIV and tuberculosis all have a high mortality rate but can usually be controlled or cured by a variety of proven treatments, for which there is ample experience and scientific trial data.
“There is no objective evidence that homeopathy has any effect on these infections, and I think it is irresponsible for a healthcare worker to promote the use of homeopathy in place of proven treatment for any life-threatening illness.” (ANI)
Washington, Aug 18 (ANI): A cheap blood pressure drug could help keep multiple sclerosis at bay, claim researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
The study’s boffins came to the conclusion after finding a link, in mice and in human brain tissue, between high blood pressure and multiple sclerosis.
While neurology professor Lawrence Steinman, MD, senior author of the new study, cautioned that extensive clinical trial work is needed to determine if the drug, known as lisinopril, can do in humans what it does in mice, he is excited that “we were able to show that all the targets for lisinopril are there and ready for therapeutic manipulation in the multiple-sclerosis lesions of human patients. Without that, this would be just another intriguing paper about what’s possible in the mouse.”
The paper has been published online Aug. 17 by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic and occasionally lethal autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system mounts recurring assaults on the myelin sheathing of nerve cells in the brain.
This causes nerves to malfunction and can lead to blindness and paralysis. Both multiple sclerosis and atherosclerosis involve inflammatory processes.
Drugs currently used to treat MS are of limited effectiveness. Some cost up to 15,000 pounds a year.
Lisinopril, in contrast, costs as little as 2p per pill.
Research by Steinman indicated that the chemical, called angiotensinconverting enzyme, also played a role in the inflammation responsible for the damage caused by MS.
Steinman, of Stanford University in the U.S., showed that samples of brain tissue from MS patients had high levels of angiotensin-converting enzyme.
He then gave Lisinopril to mice before giving them a chemical that normally causes an MS-like illness in mice.
The creatures remained healthy, suggesting the blood pressure drug was holding MS at bay.
Strikingly, when he gave Lisinopril to mice after giving them the MS-causing chemical, paralysis was reversed.
Tests showed that Lisinopril boosted production of immune cells called regulatory T cells. These protect against autoimmune diseases such as MS by dampening down the rogue immune response that damages the body. (ANI)
London, Aug.15 (ANI): Troubled former British soccer star Paul Gascoigne paid a heartfelt tribute to Sir Bobby Robson on Friday, saying that the latter had saved his life.
Re-emphasising the fact that he always saw Robson as his second father, Gazza said the former England manager played a significant part in his fight against addiction and mental illness.
“I know that Sir Bobby is up there now, looking down, thinking that I’m still daft as a brush. But you know what? He’s still got his arm around my shoulders and he always will have,” The Sun quoted Gazza, 42, as saying.
He revealed that he was so grief-stricken after Sir Bobby’s death last month that he was dealing with his grief by listening to Van Morrison songs – and writing poetry non-stop.
His pieces include one written on hotel notepaper that pays tribute to the “great man” and father figure he first met when he was just 12.
Gazza also said he was no longer afraid of death after seeing his mentor’s courage as he finally succumbed to cancer after a 17-year battle against the disease.
Gazza said: “I couldn’t have dealt with all the problems without the help of a lot of people. My family obviously come first, but a close second was Sir Bobby. He was always there for me, whatever sort of trouble I was in.” (ANI)
Jaipur, Aug. 14 (ANI): The craze of knowing about the life of Gayatri Devi, the Rajmata of Jaipur, is on rise after her demise.
Hundreds of curious readers are visiting the local bookstores in Jaipur to buy books based on her life.
Touted as one of the most beautiful women in the world by the Vogue Magazine, Gayatri Devi breathed her last on July 29 after a prolonged illness. She was 90.
The most sought after books include an autobiography ‘Princess Remembers: The Memoirs of the Maharani of Jaipur’ and a biography ‘Rajmata Gayatri Devi’.
Readers, who are curious to know more about her personal life, the childhood days in particular, are thronging the bookstores.
“Gayatri Devi used to be an icon. She was also known as Rajmata and among the royalties, she was one lady whom you can say that she was literally down to the earth and who used to go to the masses and people really loved her. That’s the reason her books are in demand,” said Rajiv Chaudhary, an avid reader.
Another curious reader Yadav Singh said that by reading the books people would come to know more about her private life.
“The past life of the Rajmata of Jaipur has been really great. The more you read about her, the more things you discover about her. In these books, her life has been described well, which we normal people are unaware of,” observed Yadav Singh, another reader.
Rajiv Kapoor, Manager of Crossword Bookstore in The Pink City disclosed that the sale of books on Gayatri Devi has witnessed a rise upto the extent of 60 percent.
“After the death of Gayatri Devi, the sale of books based on her life has gone up by approximately 50 to 60 percent and people of all age group especially the younger ones, who are more curious to know about her life are buying the books,” noted Kapoor.
Born into the royal family of eastern Cooch Behar, Gayatri Devi married Sawai Man Singh, the then ruler of the princely Jaipur state, in 1939. She was his third wife.
During her lifetime Gayatri Devi involved herself extensively in charity works and supported education for women. She even contested elections and was elected as a member of Indian parliament thrice. (ANI)
Washington, Aug 8 (ANI): Using scary metaphors for any kind of natural disaster or health scare can not only make people notice it, but it can also spread panic or cynicism among populations, according to a study.
“Such terms can make people sit up and listen, but they can also lead to panic or cynicism,” said Professor Brigitte Nerlich, who led the research.
She added: “Recent advice on swine flu has centred on basic hygiene, which makes people feel they can do something practical, instead of being mere victims of so-called “superbugs” or “killer viruses”. But obviously this is easier to do when a disease is relatively benign.”
She pointed out that easier Internet access might also help people to feel in control-an issue that emerged from a previous ESRC project on foot and mouth disease carried out in Nottingham.
These days, especially in the context of swine flu, “email, Twitter, and public health sites all give information and advice which can be useful to worried individuals and may dampen down panic. ‘But more research needs to be done in this area,” she said.
The research focused on MRSA along with avian flu and was conducted by a multidisciplinary team with expertise in nursing, the social study of health and illness, environmental studies and linguistics.
The study compared the language of biosecurity, hygiene and cleanliness used in policy documents and media coverage with the language used by hospital matrons and poultry farmers dealing with the realities of MRSA and avian flu.
“We found that the way people communicate about a threat largely determines how they understand it and behave towards it. Additional findings established that media coverage of hygiene and cleanliness in hospitals tended to portray doctors and nurses engaged in a heroic “battle” against “intelligent super bugs.This was personified by the modern matron wielding the weapon of “cleanliness,” said Nerlich.
After conducting interviews with hospital matrons, the researchers found that a gap between the media portrayal and the reality on the wards.
Matrons said that the limitations in their authority over contractors, and time constraints made it impossible for them to spend even half their time as a “visible presence” on the wards.
“This was another example of the control issue. Modern matrons have limited powers to limit the spread of infection or improve hygiene. For instance, they can’t hire extra nursing staff for barrier nursing or deal with problems with cleaning contractors. Our findings highlight the need for policy messages to be translated more accurately into practice,” said Nerlich. (ANI)
London, July 16 (ANI): Scottish professional tennis player Andy Murray was in a tizzy when his pet dog had to be rushed to the vet, after it ate many rocks from the garden.
Murray, 22, became worried when his border terrier pet dog Maggie started suffering from a mystery illness.
He had a pet ambulance collect Maggie from his 5million-pound home in Oxshott, Surrey, and an X-ray revealed the rocks.
Vets removed them, and Maggie was back to her playful self in a couple of days.
“Stones are usually left to pass through a dog’s body but these were too big,” the Sun quoted a source as saying. (ANI)
Nevada (US), July 10 (ANI): Hindus have urged Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie to undertake the cause of apartheid of 15-million Roma people of Europe.
Rajan Zed, acclaimed Hindu statesman, in a statement in Nevada today, said that Jolie, world’s most powerful celebrity, would be very effective in focusing public opinion world over on Roma apartheid. Many Hollywood and other entertainment bigwigs had successfully worked against South Africa’s apartheid in the past.
Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, argued that Jolie had promoted humanitarian causes world over and Roma would be the next worthwhile cause for her to undertake. If she wanted his services in regard to Roma cause, he was willing to support her.
Alarming condition of Roma people was a social blight for Europe and the rest of the world as they reportedly regularly faced social exclusion, racism, substandard education, hostility, joblessness, rampant illness, inadequate housing, lower life expectancy, unrest, living on desperate margins, language barriers, stereotypes, mistrust, rights violations, discrimination, marginalization, appalling living conditions, prejudice, human rights abuse, racist slogans on Internet, unusually high unemployment rates, etc., Rajan Zed pointed out.
It was like an undeclared apartheid and it was almost total societal exclusion of Roma. The maltreatment of Roma was outside even the European Union norms. Roma issue should be one of the highest priorities of human rights agenda of Europe and world, Zed stressed and added that he was hopeful that Jolie would not stay apathetic and silent spectator when fellow Roma brothers/sisters were reportedly facing blatant injustice and discrimination in Europe.
Ultra famous-talented-rich-beautiful 34-year old Oscar winner Angelina Jolie (Changeling) is a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency and is known for her refugee projects, conservation work and philanthropy. She has received Citizen of the World Award, Global Humanitarian Award, Freedom Award, etc. (ANI)
London, July 9 (ANI): An international group of researchers have for the first time come up with genetic evidence linking schizophrenia to a specific region of DNA – on chromosome 6.
Lead researcher Nancy Buccola, Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, says that this is the same area where key genes for immune function are located.
The researchers recruited study participants, people with diagnoses of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, as well as controls from the general population.
They analysed data collected and also conducted a meta-analysis of data from the Molecular Genetics of Schizophrenia, International Schizophrenia Consortium and SGENE data sets – thousands of DNA samples.
The team point out that while a single gene does not appear to be the source of the development of schizophrenia, variations on chromosome 6 appeared to be associated with higher risk.
According to them, these variations were found most often in people with schizophrenia, leading the scientists to believe that these common variations contribute to the development of schizophrenia.
They further said that the area of chromosome 6, in the same area where genes important to the immune system function, provokes questions about whether or not treatments for autoimmune disorders might also be helpful in treating schizophrenia.
“Schizophrenia can be a devastating disease, and while treatments are improving, there are still people who do not respond or only partially respond,” Nature magazine quoted Buccola, principal investigator on the LSUHSC study, as noting.
“Understanding the underpinnings of this illness will open doors to new and potentially better treatments,” the researcher added.
The research was supported by funding from the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression.
“Scientists have been looking for schizophrenia susceptibility genes since the early 1900s. This study shows that these genes can be found and sets the stage for future research,” says Buccola. (ANI)
Melbourne, July 8 (ANI): Four more Australians have died of swine flu in Victoria, the state’s health department has confirmed.
Victoria’s deputy chief health officer, Dr Rosemary Lester, said on Monday that the Department of uman Services had been informed about the deaths over the past few days.
Three died after being admitted to hospital with flu-like symptoms, Dr Lester stated.
The most recent death was a 68-year-old man who died in a Melbourne hospital, The Age reports.
Dr Lester said the department did not have permission from families to release details on the three earlier deaths.
“All four had underlying health conditions which made them more susceptible to illness,” he added.
The state has had 11 deaths associated with human swine flu, a health department statement said.
At least 18 people with swine flu have now died throughout Australia. (ANI)
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