niebuhr

Researchers have long suspected that certain childhood infections contribute to the development of schizophrenia by young adulthood, although scarce evidence supports that hunch. http://louis7j7sheehan7esquire.blogspot.comTwo new studies published in the January American Journal of Psychiatry do just that.

The first investigation found that Swedish youngsters exposed to viral infections of the central nervous system by age 12 displayed elevated rates of psychotic illnesses, including schizophrenia, by ages 17 to 29. Infections with mumps virus or cytomegalovirus showed especially strong links to later psychotic conditions, according to a team led by psychiatrist Christina Dalman of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.http://louis7j7sheehan7esquire.blogspot.com

Dalman and her coworkers studied a national sample of 1.2 million Swedes born between 1973 and 1985. Government registries recorded their childhood hospitalizations for viral and bacterial infections as well as for psychiatric hospitalizations through 2002 for various mental ailments.

The researchers calculated a slightly increased risk of developing schizophrenia or any of several other psychotic illnesses among individuals who had been treated for viral infections that invade the central nervous system. This finding held after accounting for other factors that raise the chances of developing a psychotic disorder, such as living in a city and having a psychotic parent.

Further analysis revealed that childhood infection with mumps virus roughly doubled the risk for later hospitalization for psychosis. Cytomegalovirus had an even greater effect. Previous evidence indicates that both viruses infect brain cells.

Even in such a large sample, only 23 individuals exposed to childhood viral infections of the central nervous system displayed a psychotic illness later in life. Further studies need to examine how viral infections interact with an individual's genetic makeup to promote psychosis, the researchers say.

The second study suggests that infection with the common parasite Toxoplasma gondii, carried by cats and farm animals, also boosts a person's risk of developing schizophrenia.

A team led by epidemiologist David W. Niebuhr of Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Md., studied 180 U.S. military personnel discharged because of schizophrenia. For each participant, the researchers analyzed archived blood samples collected before and after physicians diagnosed the severe mental disorder. Niebuhr's group looked for elevated levels of antibodies that fight toxoplasma infection.

The scientists similarly scrutinized blood collected from 532 military recruits with no psychiatric ailments.

Of those who developed schizophrenia, 7 percent had been infected with the parasite before their diagnosis. Toxoplasma infections affected 5 percent of healthy individuals.

Although that difference appears small, people exposed to toxoplasma experienced a 24 percent greater chance of developing schizophrenia than did those who avoided such infection, the researchers say.

Previous research had identified toxoplasma infections in some people with schizophrenia but hadn't shown that the infection preceded the mental disorder.

Niebuhr's team stresses that the parasite may foster schizophrenia only in those genetically predisposed to this mental disorder. Most people infected with toxoplasma never develop schizophrenia.

"Taken together, these two articles provide further evidence that certain infections during childhood and adulthood might be risk factors for schizophrenia," remarks psychiatrist Alan S. Brown of Columbia University.

solar

Oh, for the good old days, when asteroids were asteroids and comets were comets! In the simplest model of the solar system, which most planetary scientists had accepted for decades, asteroids are rocky, geologically dead bodies and comets are icy objects that flaunt majestic dust tails when they near the sun।
http://www.blog.ca/user/Beforethebigbang

That definitional dividing line began to blur a few years ago when several astronomers, including David Jewitt of the University of Hawaii at Manoa in Honolulu and Henry Hsieh, now at Queen’s University Belfast, noticed that three known asteroids had sprouted dusty tails, just like comets.

Now, detailed simulations of the environment and evolution of these three asteroids — now considered hybrid bodies — and new observations of the composition of another asteroid are further eroding the differences between asteroids and comets।
http://www.blog.ca/user/Beforethebigbang

Researchers presented the findings on July 16 at the Asteroids, Comets, Meteors meeting in Baltimore.

All three of the objects, dubbed main-belt comets or icy asteroids, have circular orbits that lie in the same plane in which the planets orbit the sun, just as ordinary asteroids do. That’s an indication that the objects formed where they now reside, in the asteroid belt, the band of rocky material between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, rather than emigrating from either of two frozen reservoirs of comets that lie at the fringes of the solar system, says theorist Nader Haghighipour of the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

“It is probable that the main-belt comets represent a new comet class in the solar system, one located unexpectedly close to the sun and revealing a previously unsuspected reservoir of ice nearby,” says Jewitt.

As a comet approaches the sun, the ice on its surface suddenly converts from solid to gas (a process called sublimation). This change drags out dust as the ice vents into space, supplying the force that drives comets. However, most of the asteroid belt is now too warm for ice to remain stable on the surface of any of its denizens.

Haghighipour and Jewitt suggest that early in the solar system, the asteroid belt was cooler, and they note that the sun didn’t produce quite as much heat when it was very young. More importantly, some of the sun’s radiation was absorbed by the much larger population of dusty debris floating around the belt during those formative years, which would have given icy objects a chance to form there. As the asteroid belt heated up, surface ice would have melted, but pockets of ice just beneath and insulated by a cover of dirt or rock could have endured.

New simulations by Haghighipour show that collisions between these ice-laden asteroids and smaller bodies common in the asteroid belt can readily knock off the surface dirt and expose the hidden ice. Then, the next time one of these icy asteroids nears the sun: Voilà! It turns into a comet, replete with a dusty tail.

Two of the three main-belt comets lie within the Themis family of asteroids, and the third resides just outside that group. At the meeting, Andy Rivkin of the Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., reported the first evidence that another family member, 24 Themis, not known to have a tail, has water ice on its surface. The new observations confirm that “sublimation of ice is the only real possibility for driving cometary activity in these Themis family objects,” says Rivkin.

diagnosis

Rather than surrendering to despair and impersonal medical treatments, growing numbers of cancer patients are empowering themselves with information and control over their therapies। The trend is finding acceptance in mainstream medicine and helping people with cancer lead healthier lives। http://louis1j1sheehan1esquire1.blogspot.com

The experiences of author and filmmaker Kris Carr, who was diagnosed with a rare, incurable malignancy, illustrate how successfully one can manage cancer as a chronic disease। http://louis1j1sheehan1esquire1.blogspot.com

The following resource guides offer tips on developing a strategy for managing the illness, asking the right questions of physicians and getting the right professional and personal support.

1.You Have Cancer: Now What?
Diagnosis: cancer. Your head is spinning, and you feel like the wind has been sucked out of you. In a split second, life as you knew it is gone. “Getting diagnosed throws your entire universe into a free fall,” Carr writes in her 2007 book Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips. “There’s no sugarcoating it: cancer is a devastating blow, one that takes time to process.”

The first things you should do (after taking a deep breath and trying to chill):

• Find the best doctor for your disease: Be willing to travel and always get second, third and even fourth opinions to make sure that you’re getting the best treatment.
• Design a healing plan: Pull together a team of Western physicians as well as integrative doctors (to teach you how to build up your immunity and spiritual grit) to create the best get-healthy recipe. Ask family and friends to chip in and scour the Internet and bookshelves for information. “If you want to heal, you have to take initiative, have a voice and use it,” Carr says.
• Focus on lifestyle changes: “The only thing that you can control is what you eat, what you drink and how you move,” Carr says. She recommends exploring healthy diets, exercise and alternative therapies such as massage, yoga and meditation to boost and maintain your physical and emotional well-being.
• Create a support system: “Nobody understands you quite like another cancer survivor,” Carr says. “There is incredible strength in that.”
• Live! “Don’t wait for permission to live. Just because you have cancer does not mean that your life is over,’’ Carr insists. “Start living. It’s that simple.”

2. Questions to Ask
Studies show that cancer (and other) patients who arm themselves with information typically fare better and experience fewer side effects than those who simply follow doctors’ orders, no questions asked. Being informed gives them some control over their disease—and that feeling of empowerment plays a role in the healing process. No. 1 rule: do not be cowed by your doctor. Ask him or her to explain anything and everything you don’t understand. Prepare questions in advance of appointments (to reduce stress and the odds of forgetting any)—and bring a notebook to jot down answers and other important info. Below are some questions you should ask:

• What causes this type of cancer?
• What are the risk factors? If it’s genetic, are other family members at risk?
• What lifestyle changes (diet, exercise, rest) do you recommend?
• What are my treatment options?
• Are there activities that should be avoided because they might trigger or
  exacerbate symptoms?
• What happens if new symptoms crop up or existing ones worsen?
• What medical tests or procedures are necessary? How often?
• What stage is my cancer? What does that mean?
• What is my overall prognosis or chance of recovery?
• What are the average survival and cure rates?
• Could my disease go into remission?
• What is the recommended treatment?
• How often will I have to undergo treatment—and for how long?
• What are the potential side effects?
• What are the benefits versus the risks of each treatment option?
• Are there alternative therapies? What are they?
• What are the expected results of treatment?
• Is the treatment painful? If so, is there a way to make it more bearable?
• How long is the recovery? Will it require a hospital stay?
• When can I resume my normal activity (if it’s been curtailed)?
• Has my cancer spread? If so, how does this change treatment decisions?
• Am I eligible for any clinical trials?
• What happens if my disease progresses while I’m in a clinical trial?
• Who foots the bills if I participate in a clinical trial?
• Where can I find emotional, psychological and spiritual support?
• Whom should I call with questions or concerns after office hours?
• May I contact you or a nurse if I have questions or more symptoms? (If the
  answer is “no,” find another doctor.)

3. Your Odds of Beating Cancer
Success in the battle against cancer is often measured in terms of the “five-year relative survival rate.” That rate is the number of patients who are still alive five years after being diagnosed, relative to the number who would be expected to survive if they had not come down with the disease. Five years might not seem like a lot, but it is, considering that 67 is the median age for diagnosis.

Below is a sampling of five-year relative survival rates for common types of cancer diagnosed between 1996 and 2004. These rates are calculated by the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program, which collects survival data from state registries covering about 26 percent of the U.S. population.

Survival rates have increased dramatically over the years, thanks to earlier detection and better treatments. The five-year relative survival rate for patients diagnosed with any type of cancer in 1975 was 50 percent; the rate jumped to 67 percent in 2000.

Bear in mind that survival rates vary widely depending on the type of cancer and the patient’s age, gender, general health, lifestyle and ethnicity. You can find more detailed statistics at http://seer.cancer.gov

Five-Year Survival Rates
Prostate 99%
Melanoma (skin) 91%
Breast 89%
Endometrium 83%
Urinary bladder 80%
Kidney 67%
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma 65%
Colon and rectum 64%
Ovary 46%
Lung and bronchus 15%
Pancreas 5%

4. Getting Support: Tips, Tools and Tenderness
You’ve just been diagnosed with cancer. Now what? First and foremost, do not try to handle this on your own. Allow family and friends to help, and find others in your situation to lean on.
Online resources:

• www.crazysexycancer.com: Carr’s Web site. Have questions? Want to dish? You can visit her online community, www.crazysexylife.com.
• http://berniesiegelmd.com and www.ecap-online.org: These sites of physician Bernie Siegel, author of Love, Medicine & Miracles and Peace, Love & Healing (both from Harper Paperbacks, 1990), offer info and tools based on the science of mind-body-spirit medicine.
• www.cancercare.org: Need a professional cancer assistant? Try the next best thing. This site is designed to help patients navigate their way through cancer—answering questions, finding help or just “listening” when they need to vent.
• http://nccam.nih.gov: The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine of the National Institutes of Health provides information here on alternative and complementary therapies, discoveries and clinical trials.
• http://hippocrateshealthinstitute.com: Site of the Hippocrates Health Institute, a world-renowned healing center in Florida.
• www.mercola.com: An alternative medicine and education site.
• www.heardsupport.org: This site is specifically geared toward patients with hemangioendothelioma, the rare cancer that Carr has.
• www.livestrong.org: Site of seven-time Tour de France winner and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong.
• www.ulmanfund.org: Provides support programs and resources for patients and their families. Also helpful: a downloadable book penned by founders Doug and Diana Ulman.
• www.thechinastudy.com: The China Study, by T. Colin Campbell, probes the relationship between diet and cancer and other diseases.
• www.cancer.gov: This site of the National Cancer Institute is a comprehensive source of state-of-the-art treatments and clinical trials (including a database of open trials).
• www.imtooyoungforthis.org: An invaluable source of support and research for survivors in their 20s and 30s and their families.
• www.cancersurvivorsunite.org: Camps and support programs for young adults with cancer.
• www.youngcancerspouses.org: A site designed to connect couples dealing with the ups and downs of cancer.
• www.cancerconsultants.com: Contains detailed, consumer-friendly information on the latest treatment developments.
• www.americancancersociety.com: This American Cancer Society site provides basic information, alternative therapies, ways to manage the disease, and support programs .
• www.oncolink.com: This University of Pennsylvania site offers key cancer info and pointers.
• www.cancerguide.org: A how-to on researching your disease, searching for clinical trials, and finding out about the latest traditional and alternative therapies.
• www.cancer.net: American Society of Clinical Oncology site provides oncologist-approved information to help patients make informed decisions about their health care.
• www.gildasclub.org: Named for Saturday Night Live comedian Gilda Radner, who died of ovarian cancer, this site provides a support network for patients and their families.
• www.thewellnesscommunity.org: The Wellness Community provides support and education for cancer patients and caretakers—and hooks them up with others going through the same thing. It provides info on local wellness communities and even offersa virtual wellness community in Spanish.

5. Medical Resources
Finding a doctor who specializes in cancer care and choosing a treatment facility are essential steps in any patient’s recovery program. One good place to start is with the 63 cancer centers that the National Cancer Institute recognizes for “scientific excellence and the capability to integrate a diversity of research approaches” (http://cancercenters.cancer.gov/cancer_centers).

You can also check whether the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer (www.facs.org/­cancerprogram) approves of a given program. Some of the things to look for in a cancer center include a low mortality index, a high ratio of nurses to patients and opportunities to participate in clinical trials. For more tips, see www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Therapy/doctor-facility. Here is a selection of some of the most respected cancer treatment centers around the country:

Dana-Farber Cancer Institutehttp://louis1j1sheehan1esquire1.blogspot.com
866-408-DFCI
www.dfci.harvard.edu

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
New York City
212-639-2000
www.mskcc.org

Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins
Baltimore
410-502-1033
www.hopkinshospital.org/health_info/Cancer/index.html

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
215-590-1000
www.chop.edu/consumer/jsp/division/service.jsp?id=26696

Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center
Durham, N.C.
888-ASK-DUKE
www.cancer.duke.edu

University of Texas M. D. Anderson
Cancer Center
Houston
877-MDA-6789
www.mdanderson.org

University of Chicago Medical Center
888-UCH-0200
www.uchospitals.edu/specialties/cancer

Mayo Clinic
Rochester, Minn.
(facilities also in Arizona and Florida)
507-284-2511
www.mayoclinic.org/cancer-treatment

University of Washington Medical Center
Seattle
206-598-4100
http://uwmedicine.washington.edu/PatientCare/MedicalSpecialties/SpecialtyCare/UWMEDICALCENTER/Cancer

UCLA Medical Center
Los Angeles
800-UCLA-MD1
www.uclahealth.org

6. The 411 on Health Insurance
Worried that your health insurance won’t cover your treatment? Wondering if you’re entitled to disability benefits? These Web sites may help:

www.healthinsuranceinfo.net
www.patientadvocate.org
www.patient.cancerconsultants.com
http://cancerguide.org/disability.html
www.thedisabilityexpert.com
www.ssa.gov/applyfordisability

7. How to Stay Healthy
Patients undergoing treatment can shore up their physical (and emotional) reserves by eating well, exercising and cutting stress (which impairs the immune system). The American Institute for Cancer Research, which funds studies on the role of food and exercise in cancer prevention and treatment, recommends a diet that’s at least two-thirds vegetables, fruit, whole grains and beans. Below is a roundup of research related to staying healthy:

• A study of 22,000 healthy Greeks showed their “Mediterranean diet,” rich in vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, fruit and fish, reduced their risk of dying from cancer by at least 25 percent. Other studies have found that nutrients in dark, leafy greens may inhibit the growth of tumor cells in breast, skin, lung and stomach cancers and that green tea may thwart cancer development in colon, liver, breast and prostate cells. (A leading theory: flavonoids in tea and carotenoids in leafy greens, which act as antioxidants, may protect against cancer by rooting out free radicals.)
• A pair of 2006 studies showed that regular exercise reduced by up to 61 percent the odds of death in colorectal cancer patients. The findings held even in patients who did not start exercising until after diagnosis.
• A 2005 study showed that 92 percent of nearly 3,000 women with breast cancer who walked or did other exercise three to five hours weekly were still alive 10 years after their diagnosis, compared with 86 percent of those who exercised less than an hour a week.
• A 30-year review of the scientific literature, published in 2004, suggested that cancer patients who feel helpless or who suppress negative emotions may be at greater risk of having their cancer spread than those who play a role in their healing.

8. Looking Ahead: Start a Family?
Does a cancer diagnosis spell the end of your dreams to have a family? In a word—no. Note to readers: check your options before undertaking treatments that may cause infertility. In the event that you cannot become pregnant, there is always surrogacy and adoption. Despite what you’ve heard, it is possible to adopt if you’ve had cancer. The key: pick an agency and country that are open to working with cancer survivors.

phelps

May 21, Saturday। Last night I was at a party at Mr. Chase’s, or his daughter Mrs. Sprague’s, and late in the evening he spoke to me of the great abuses in cotton speculations. It was a new and singular theme for him, and I said it could not be otherwise than demoralizing. He said, “Yes, your whole fleet out West is infected; Porter devotes his attention to getting cotton and has a boat to himself, with a piano and his pipe, on these cotton raids.” http://louis5j5sheehan5.blogspot.comI replied this could not be so. The naval men could capture and retain nothing, which the courts do not adjudge to be good prize. We were interrupted at this point. I conclude the Committee on Commerce have notified Chase that they disapprove of his “Trade Regulations,” and this outburst on the Navy is to turn off attention from his officials. But we shall see. http://louis5j5sheehan5.blogspot.com

Lieutenant-Commander S. L. Phelps has been with me this evening and given me many interesting details concerning the Red River expedition and the incompetency of General Banks. Among other matters he relates some facts in regard to cotton speculations by persons connected with General Banks — some of his staff — that are exceedingly discreditable. Among others whom he specially mentions is one Clark from Auburn, New York, who appears to be managing director of the cotton operations.

Our gunboats are detained above the falls at Alexandria and we may lose them, though it is possible there yet may be a rise before June. The expedition has many bad features, of which we shall be better informed hereafter.