Swine Flu....

A leading microbiologist from the University of Southampton has told a conference that his research has found copper is effective in inhibiting the influenza A H1N1 virus.

Copper appears to have broad spectrum antiviral activity because it is also effective, not only against RNA-based influenza, but also against DNA-based adenovirus 40/41 which causes gastrointestinal infections.

Speaking at the BIT Life Sciences 2nd Annual World Summit on Antivirals in Beijing, China this week, Professor Bill Keevil, from the University's School of Biological Sciences, added that he believed copper could be used to reduce the spread of flu in public places.

"With the ongoing threat of contamination by influenza A viruses, such as H1N1, there is a real and pressing need to utilise all appropriate and effective measures with proven antimicrobial qualities," commented Professor Keevil. "It is recognised that many infectious diseases are spread by hand contact and studies have now repeatedly shown that the use of copper as a surface material in key public places such as hospitals and food preparation areas offers the potential to substantially restrict and reduce the spread of harmful infection".

The influenza aspect of the study, completed in 2007, involved a series of experiments testing incubation of influenza A on copper and stainless steel surfaces. Results showed that, after incubation for 1 hour on copper, 75% of the virus was eradicated, and after 6 hours, less than 500 viral particles remained active (greater than 99.99% or 10,000-fold decrease). Similar inactivation rates have now been observed for adenovirus 40/41.

Professor Keevil added: "These public health benefits, supported by extensive antimicrobial efficacy testing, are underpinned by the fact that copper, brass and bronze are capable of killing a range of harmful and potentially deadly micro-organisms."

The study has contributed further to the understanding of copper's antimicrobial qualities, which actively inhibit the growth of bacteria, fungi and viruses.

What are the symptoms of influenza A (H1N1) in humans?

When people are infected with swine flu viruses, their symptoms are usually similar to those of normal seasonal influenza. These include fever, tiredness, lack of appetite, coughing and a sore throat. Some people may also have vomiting and diarrhoea. In Mexico, some people infected with influenza A (H1N1) have had severe illness and died. However, in almost all cases outside Mexico, including the India, the symptoms of influenza A (H1N1) have been mild, and people have made a full recovery.

How does influenza A (H1N1) spread between people?

This new influenza virus is thought to spread in the same way as seasonal flu; in tiny droplets, expelled from the mouth and nose of an infected person when they talk, cough or sneeze. People may get infected if they breathe in these droplets or if they touch someone or something that is contaminated with the virus (e.g. a used tissue or door handle), and then touch their nose or eyes.

Is there a vaccine to protect people from influenza A (H1N1)?

There is no vaccine available to protect people from the influenza A (H1N1) virus currently causing illness in humans, and we don't yet know if the normal seasonal flu vaccine can provide any protection. It could take four to six months to develop an effective vaccine.

Is treatment available?

Antiviral medicines, such as oseltamivir or zanamivir, are available from your GP. These may shorten the illness and reduce the risk of complications. These drugs may cause side-effects and are not suitable for everyone, so your GP will only prescribe them if the benefits outweigh the risks.

What precautions can I take to help protect myself and my family?

Good hygiene can help to reduce the spread of a wide range of viruses, including influenza viruses. The Health Protection Agency advises everyone to follow these precautions at all times:

• Frequently wash your hands with soap and water.
• When coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue if possible.
• Dispose of used tissues promptly and carefully. Put them in a bag and then bin them.
• Clean hard surfaces (e.g. door handles) frequently.
• Ensure children follow this advice.

If you intend to travel to an affected country, you should check the advice provided by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Health Protection Agency website provides comprehensive advice for people returning to the India from a country affected by influenza A (H1N1). If the disease begins to affect more people in the India, more information will be made available through leaflets, websites and the media. This will tell you how you can help protect yourself and your family and what to do if you think you are infected.

How can washing my hands help to protect me?

Washing your hands frequently is the best way to protect yourself from a wide range of illnesses, including influenza. Everytime you touch something, germs can transfer to your hands. Touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands could transfer the germs from your hands into your body. Washing your hands frequently, helps to remove the germs and stop them spreading to you and other people.

How can I remove flu viruses from surfaces?

An infected person could spread germs to surfaces around them when they cough or sneeze, or touch them with unwashed hands or used tissues. Cleaning surfaces regularly can help to stop influenza viruses and other germs spreading around your home, to you and other people.

Cleaning surfaces with detergent and water can remove germs from an item provided you scrub all the surfaces and rinse them thoroughly with clean water. However, where proper rinsing is not possible (e.g. large or fixed surfaces such as kitchen worktops, toilet flushes and door handles) it is important to use a disinfectant to help kill the germs. It is particularly important to clean and disinfect surfaces that people often touch with their hands, such as;

• handles and switches
• taps and toilet flush handles
• kitchen worktops
• telephone receivers
• computer keyboards.

Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces using products that destroy influenza viruses will give extra reassurance.

If someone develops flu symptoms, what should they do?

If you live in or have recently travelled to an area affected by by influenza A (H1N1), and are experiencing flu-like symptoms, you should stay at home to limit contact with others, and seek medical advice by telephoning your GP, NHS Direct or (in Scotland) NHS 24. You can contact NHS Direct by telephoning 0845 4647. In Scotland, you can contact NHS 24 by telephoning 08454 24 24 24.

If the risk of catching influenza A (H1N1) increases in the India, the Health Protection Agency will issue further advice.

Is this the start of a human flu pandemic?

Although this influenza A (H1N1) virus can spread from person to person, and is causing outbreaks of flu in some countries, it is too early to say whether this particular virus will cause a global human pandemic. The World Health Organisation is closely monitoring the situation.

Ghost available...?

A ghost has been defined as the disembodied spirit or soul of a deceased person, although in popular usage the term refers only to the apparition of such a person. Often described as insubstantial and partly transparent, ghosts are reported to haunt particular locations or people that they were associated with in life or at time of death.

Phantom armies, ghost-animals, ghost trains and phantom ships have also been reported.The English word ghost continues Old English gást, hypothetical Common Germanic *gaisto-z. It is common to West Germanic, but lacking in North and East Germanic (the equivalent word in Gothic is ahma, Old Norse has andi m., önd f.). The pre-Germanic form would have been *ghoizdo-z, apparently from a root denoting "fury, anger", cognate to Sanskrit hedas "anger", reflected in Old Norse geisa "to rage". The Germanic word is recorded as masculine only, but likely continues a neuter s-stem. The original meaning of the Germanic word would thus have been an animating principle of the mind, in particular capable of excitation and fury (compare óðr). In Germanic paganism, "Germanic Mercury", and the later Odin, was at the same time the conductor of the dead and the "lord of fury" leading the Wild Hunt.

Ghosts or similar paranormal entities appear in film, theatre, and literature; legends and myths, and some religions.

Common attributes:

Another widespread belief concerning ghosts is that they were composed of a misty, airy, or subtle material. Anthropologists speculate that this may also stem from early beliefs that ghosts were the person within the person, most noticeable in ancient cultures as a person's breath, which upon exhaling in colder climates appears visibly as a white mist.^[18] This belief may have also fostered the metaphorical meaning of "breath" in certain languages, such as the Latin spiritus and the Greek pneuma, which by analogy became extended to mean the soul. In the Bible, God is depicted as animating Adam with a breath.

In many traditional accounts, ghosts were often thought to be deceased people looking for vengeance, or imprisoned on earth for bad things they did during life. The appearance of a ghost has often been regarded as an omen or portent of death. Seeing one's own ghostly double or "fetch" is a related omen of death.^[23]

White ladies were reported to appear in many rural areas, and supposed to have died tragically or suffered trauma in life. White Lady legends are found around the world. Common to many of them is the theme of losing or being betrayed by a husband or fiancé. They are often associated with an individual family line, as a harbinger of death. When one of these ghosts is seen it indicates that someone in the family is going to die, similar to a banshee.

Legends of ghost ships have existed since the 18th century; most notable of these is the Flying Dutchman. This theme has been used in literature in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Coleridge.

IN SIMPLE ENGLISH:

A ghost is considered to be the spirit of a dead person. Scientists say that there are no real ghosts, but many people believe that there are.

There are many stories about ghosts in books and movies. Sometimes the ghost is the spirit of a person who was killed by enemies or who died in a scary way. The ghost may stay on Earth because he or she is angry due to some problem in life and wants to scare people or to harm his or her enemies. Sometimes ghosts are said to live in a particular locality, for example an abandoned house, and when occupants come they tease them to drive away or cause serious damage to the occupants.

Sometimes the ghosts in these stories exist because of some problem the person had during life, that was not solved before he or she died. The ghost stays on the Earth trying to fix the problem. If the problem is fixed, the ghost can leave the Earth. Many ghosts stay on Earth also because they have died younger or have had sudden or abrupt deaths. Many people claim to have seen or heard ghosts. People who try to talk to ghosts as their job are called Mediums.

Many people believe they have seen ghosts. Others believe they have felt ghosts near them. Often the ghost is said to appear as a feeling of cold and a light or a misty cloud, but sometimes people say they have seen ghosts that look more like people. Sometimes ghosts are said to come in human form, that is, in the body of a person. Some ghosts might cause fear in the person who sees them, by being seen suddenly. Some ghosts are said to be friendly and help people who are in problems. The ghost might also appear as they did at the time of their death, including any blood or injuries. Ghosts can also appear and disappear as they wish. Many ghosts haunt the place they have died or a living loved one. (Or their murder, in some cases). Some may seek revenge or stay simply because they are confused.

Ghosts can form right after they die, or even centuries later. Many people make up stories or urban legends. many try to prove the existence of these paranormal creatures with special technology such as heat sensors. They also make TV shows dedicated to proving the existence of ghosts, often investigating cases where a person has seen one or visiting a place where there was a sighting.

Size zero(0) in a pill

The global obsession with losing weight was never more apparent as it is this week. A clutch of new studies showed how some of the world's best research centres are spending millions in the hunt for the elusive no-pain, no-sweat weight-reduction pill. The Excercise pill*

The most different slimming solution came from scientists from the Harvard Medical School, which reported that they were a close to developing a pill to help people exercise. Their study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, showed that physical activity in very overweight mice doubled when a hormone called leptin was switched on in their brain. Leptin was identified 15 years ago as a hormone that curbed appetite and led to weight loss. Harvard scientists now hope to build on the research to create pills to help people get more active without realising it. Next came the July 13 study in Nature Chemical Biology, which reported how new fat-busting pill led fat mice losing one-fourth of their body weight. The drug reduced the body weight of mice by a quarter and fat mass by 42 per cent after a week, with follow-up experiments over the month showing even more dramatic loss of up to 62.9 per cent! The fat-burners

There's more. On July 17, the journal Diabetes reported that a pill derived from naringenin, which gives grapefuit its bitter flavour, caused weight loss by prodding the liver to burn fat after a meal instead of storing it. Simply put, the pill causes weight loss without a change in diet. The bad news is that these wonder drugs are still in the pipeline and will take some years to hit the chemists. Till then, you have to fall back on the tried-and-tested weight-loss mantra of diet and exercise.For a one kilogram loss in a week, you have to survive on a near-starvation diet of 400 calories (one masala dosa or one large McDonald's Fries) a day if you are a sedentary women (recommended intake is 1,500 calories a day) and 700 calories if you are a man (recommended intake is 1,800). Only aerobic exercise and weight training, not yoga - can help you lose weight and keep it off.

Water is it really important..?

Many physicians, dietitians, diet plans, etc. recommend that you drink 6-8
glasses (8 oz./glass) of water per day, quoting one or more of the following
reasons:

* Most people already drink far less fluids than they should, and dieters in
particular should avoid the physical stress that dehydration can cause.

* You can be dehydrated without being thirsty; drinking this amount of water
ensures adequate levels of hydration.

*Fluids temporarily distend your stomach, relieving the hunger pangs that
some dieters experience.

Well, maybe. You should definitely drink whenever thirsty, and if you
exercise regularly (as you certainly should), then it's an excellent idea to
drink an extra glass of water both before and after you exercise. (Sipping
cool water during exercise is also great, but may be impractical.) An easy
way to tell if you're getting enough fluids is to check the color of your
urine in the toilet bowl: if it's colorless or light yellow then you're
adequately hydrated; if it's medium or dark yellow, you need to drink more.
There's also a lot of controversy about whether you must drink only water,
or if other fluids (Gatorade, fruit juices, diet pop, etc.) are acceptable.
Gatorade and other "exercise drinks" are expensive ways to get sugar and
minerals that you probably don't need unless you exercise for long
periods (at least 90 minutes at a time); the calories from fruit juices can
add up quickly, especially when ingested in large amounts; some varieties of
soda pop (and coffee and tea) contain caffeine that you really don't need,
and the carbonation can cause cramping in some
people. Your best (and cheapest!) bet is plain water.

Advantages of water:

Flush Toxins - Water helps remove toxins from the body, in particular from the digestive tract. Our kidney system is unique in its filtering capabilities and totally dependent upon water in order for it to work. Daily fluid intake is essential to its efficient operation, particularly because there is some decrease in function with age. Water helps get rid of excess nitrogen, urea, and ketones, so it is particularly important when following a high protein diet. You need even more water to help your kidneys do their work if you’re eating big to gain weight.

Burn More Fat - Increased water consumption can help you control weight by preventing you from confusing hunger with thirst. Water will also keep your body systems, including metabolism and digestion, working properly and give you the energy (and hydration) necessary for exercise.

Add a squeeze of lemon or lime to water - Warm water with the juice of 1 lemon taken in the morning on an empty stomach is a great liver detoxifier, and has been shown to aid in weight loss.

Do dogs die eating chocolates..

There is a substance in chocolate called theobromine which poisons the dog and can cause vomiting, diarrhea and other abdominal issues. Dogs take longer to digest chocolate so you may not see symptoms right away. Overconsumption of theobromine can lead to epileptic fits, shock and possibly death.

With this in mind, however, it's important to note that different chocolates contain different levels of theobromine, with white chocolate being the least and dark chocolate (think Belgian chocolates) containing the most. If Fido picks up a Milky Way from the floor and munches on it - and happens to be a 100lb Labrador - you're probably OK. A smaller dog might get sick or even die depending on the concentration of theobromine in a small chocolate, but a larger dog may be all right.

For gardeners, reconstituted cocoa bean shells are available as mulch and while they smell great, if you have dogs or wandering neighbourhood dogs you may want to rethink your purchase of these items in the interest of general canine health.
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Types of Chocolate
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The different forms of chocolate and its by-products contain different amounts of theobromine.

The following list is in decreasing order of quantities of theobromine:

Cocoa Beans
Cocoa Powder
Plain (Dark) Chocolate
Milk Chocolate
Drinking Chocolate (Powder)
White Chocolate
For example, little Tiddlely-pom-pom, a 3 Kilo Pomeranian would need to gobble up a whole slab of chocolate, all at once, to be seriously affected. Furthermore, scientific studies on the subject do not seem to exist either … take my word for it, millions of healthy dogs, with fat butts, all over the world, enjoy the odd chocolate with no serious ill effects.