pros and cons of GM crops

Opponents say GM foods have not been adequately tested and could pose unknown risks to human health. But producers like Kilian say they hold many pluses, particularly in a region that regularly suffers from food shortages.

"About 20 percent of my maize crop is GM," says Kilian.

"They help to increase your yields and reduce your input costs. If you have a crop that is resistant to being eaten by pests you don't have to spend money on spraying with insecticide."

Work Stress Leads To Heart Disease And Diabetes

Researchers examined the association between work stress and the metabolic syndrome (a cluster of factors that increases the risk of heart disease

A dose-response relation was found between exposure to job stress and the metabolic syndrome, even after adjusting for other risk factors. For example, men with chronic work stress were nearly twice as likely to develop the syndrome than those with no exposure to work stress

药物专家:抗防禽流感不要过度依赖达菲

英国医学杂志《柳叶刀》（The Lancet）在网上发表的专家报告指出，没有证据显示，达菲能制止H5N1禽流感病毒，而且，一旦病毒变异成引发大流行病的形式，达菲恐怕功效有限。

　　达菲（Tamiflu）和另一种抗流感药瑞乐砂（Relenza）的效用在于减轻流感症状，缩短发病时间，但它们不是治愈流感的仙丹。

　　即使如此，许多卫生监察机构相信，这两种属于神经氨酸酶（neuraminidase,即H5N1中的N）抑制剂的药物，只要及时服用，在阻缓大流行病蔓延方面能扮演关键角色。各国政府因此拼命囤药，尤其是较方便的口服药达菲。

　　不过，《柳叶刀》中的文章劝戒人们不要过度信赖这些药物。

　　文章指出，它们在某些方面确实有效益，但应该和其他简单且成本低的措施一起配合来抗防大流行病的爆发，包括隔离受感染者，以及鼓励公众戴口罩、勤洗手等。

　　以罗马组织“科克拉内疫苗场”（Cochrane Vaccines Field）的杰弗逊为首的报告作者们，评估了达菲、瑞乐砂和另外两种药物金刚烷胺（amantadine）和金刚乙胺（rimantadine），在对付季节性流感病毒的整体效用和安全性。

　　结果发现，达菲和瑞乐砂确实能舒缓症状和缩短发病时间，但病患必须在感到不适的48小时内服药。它们也能协助防止从流感并发的肺炎和支气管炎。

　　两种药物大量减少了通过打喷嚏散播出来的病毒，但不能完全加以制止。这个发现相当重要，世界卫生组织领导的研究发现，感染H5N1病毒的人打喷嚏喷出的病毒，比普通季节性流感要多出高达10倍。

　　打喷嚏和咳嗽是流感病毒散播的最有效途径，因为病毒是通过空气中的飞沫，以及借由握手、门手把、电梯按钮、电脑键盘等接触传播的。

　　杰弗逊等人找不到任何证据显示达菲在亚洲有助于减少H5N1病患的死亡率，这当然也可能和医生让病人服药太迟有关。

　　在日本和越南，一些病例显示出相对偏高（16%）的达菲抗药性比例。

　　专家们的结论是：“我们找不到神经氨酸酶抑制剂治疗禽流感有效的可靠证据”，它们在控制流感（无论是季节性或未来的大流行病）疫情方面效用低，公众切莫太自信。

　　至于金刚烷胺和金刚乙胺，则完全无效，而且会产生副作用

New facility for a diabetes cure?

A state-of-the-art Human Islet Isolation Facility was officially opened in Oxford today, making it the leading centre in the UK and one of the very best in Europe.

One of the major challenges facing the new facility will be improving the extraction of the insulin-producing islet cells from donor pancreases.

2 years later

same group, 3 sisters in a family, same birthday ( not twin ! only) 

natural triplets

wonders of sarawak: fresh air, clean water and fertile land 

Spring festival approaching

there are 385 days for the new chinese new year 

information about chronic cough with sputum

Especially to Mr. C Ang *****

conitnuous cough can be a caused by many things and the Doctor can
run some tests to see what's causing it...You didn't mention much about the cough.

Bronchitis is an inflammation of the bronchi causing excessive mucous production and swelling of the bronchial walls. Many people suffer a brief attack of acute bronchitis with fever, coughing and spitting when they have a severe cold. Chronic bronchitis, however, is the term applied when this coughing and spitting continue for months and even for years.

Spring is round the corner

Pink, orange, new green leaves...

mist and cool bleeze...and warm twilight sunshine 

Marriage Brings Wealth, Divorce Steals It

A new study confirms what any divorced person probably suspected: Scrapping a marriage robs you of wealth.

But the misfortune is more severe than merely divvying up the goods.

The study of about 9,000 people found divorce reduces a person's wealth by 77 percent compared to that of a single person.

Likewise, getting married makes people richer by more than just adding their assets together. Each married person, on average, sees his or her wealth nearly double. Married people increased their wealth about 4 percent per year just as a result of being married

( US figure may be applicable to some other countries, but not to countries where housing, cars and other expenses is high )

Vein Finder Would Reduce Errant Needle Pricks

In the adding-insult-to-injury department, being pricked multiple times with a needle while a nurse tries in vain to find a vein ranks pretty high. The problem can be acute with infants and the obese.

Jim Larsen, a researcher at the Georgia Institute of Technology, was in the hospital once and required several blood tests. All the poking caused swelling and inflammation in his arms, which made it increasingly difficult for nurses to find his veins.

"It often took seven or eight tries," Larsen recalls. "It wasn't long before I felt like a pin cushion."

The vein finder works by using the Doppler effect, a well-known phenomenon also employed to detect rainfall and even find extrasolar planets. The Doppler effect is what makes an ambulance siren change pitch when it passes you. Sound waves are compressed when the ambulance is coming at you, and they are stretched when it drives away, changing the sound's pitch.

By applying a narrowly focused beam of ultrasonic energy at a certain angle, the vein finder uses the Doppler effect to detect moving blood and determines the direction of flow. Arteries carry blood away from the heart, and veins carry it back.

Like a stud finder used by contractors, the vein finder beeps when it detects a target. A nurse would then activate an attached needle

researchers envision the thing ultimately being the size of a fat fountain pen that could be used by ambulance services and the military. But it would be welcome in any hospital or nursing home.

Finding veins is especially difficult in dehydrated patients because their blood vessels lack normal volume

eye damage in men

patients with a history of myocardial infarction (heart attack), a strong link between the use of Viagra and/or Cialis and an increased risk of non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (NAION) was observed. NAION is the most common cause of acute optic nerve disease in people over 50 years old. It can cause permanent loss of vision in one or both eyes.

服用壮阳药者失明危险

美国伯明翰的亚拉巴马大学科学家们最近通过研究证明，有心脏病史男性在服用壮阳药后，患非动脉性前部缺血性视神经病变的几率增高了10倍。患高血压男性患此病的几率也增高了。

　　非动脉性前部缺血性视神经病变，俗称“眼部中风”，是一种50岁以上的老年人易患的眼病，可能造成患者终身失明。

　　这项研究对76名服用壮阳药物的男性进行了跟踪调查，其中38人患有“眼部中风”

服用壮阳药者失明危险高

Italy

Italy's Industry Minister Claudio Scajola has called a crisis meeting with energy firms to discuss the issue.

The announcement by ENI came after news agencies reported that Russia's state-owned Gazprom had cut supplies by 20% to parts of Europe because of cold weather.

Europe import 40% of their gas. Important energy source for heating especially during winter

Making Proteins To Fight Cancer

The universal mechanism which regulates genes' activity is DNA methylation, where a methyl group is joined to a certain section of a molecule. Special methyl-DNA binding proteins come into action, bound with a section of the methylated DNA and this suppresses gene activity. The researchers are interested in one of such proteins named Kaiso. They assume that this protein plays an important role in the intestine cancer development, and it can be used for diagnostics and treatment.

炭疽热解药

炭疽热又名脾热，是一种急性传染性疾病，由炭疽杆病毒引起。这种病毒通过皮肤、消化系统和呼吸系统传播，主要被当作生化武器使用。2001年，恐怖分子曾将装有炭疽病毒的邮件寄往美国一些政府机构，引发美国全国性恐慌。

　　韩国联合通讯社16日报道说，这种解毒剂可以有效清除动物体内炭疽病毒中的两种致命毒素，即保护性抗原（PA）和致命基因（LF）。

　　研制者说，当今世界还没有投入商业生产的炭疽热解毒剂，该公司正在美国等地申请专利，同时寻求合作伙伴，将研究成果商业化，并在欧洲和美国专利销售。

　　美国食品和药物管理局资料显示，炭疽病毒感染者死亡率最高可达80％或更高。这种病可以通过注射疫苗来预防

油价恐破百美元

如果联合国安理会因为伊朗的核子计画而祭出经济制裁，国际油价必定大涨，届时后果极其严重。分析师也说，如果伊朗遭受石油禁运，油价可能涨到每桶一百美元

美国国会出现对伊朗动武呼声

一些美国国会中两大主要政党的议员们纷纷表示，应该考虑对伊朗采取军事行动，阻止伊朗发展核武器。

　　美国共和党资深参议员麦凯恩在哥伦比亚广播公司电视论坛会上表示，伊朗总统大肆宣扬灭绝以色列国已经向世界展现了伊朗的真面目。

　　美国国会两党议员普遍表示，武力解决伊朗核问题应该是最后选择，但是美国绝对不能放弃这一选择。

　　很多美国政客指称说，伊朗长期资助支持针对西方的国际恐怖主义。他们担心，伊朗一旦获得核武器，将会把核武技术教授给国际恐怖组织。

美太空船远征冥王星

美联社消息：美国太空总署周二发射大小如钢琴的无人驾驶太空船“新地平线号”，这艘太空船将随即展开长达9年、48亿公里的征途，进行探索冥王星之旅

油价隐忧仍在

　虽然有长远规划，但短期内中国对石油的需求仍然甚大，石油企业因此会继续对外进行收购。中国海洋石油昨天（1月9日）就宣布以22亿6000万美元收购 了尼日利亚海上石油开采许可证所持有的四成五权益，开拓更稳定的石油新来源。　　石油企业“走出去”找寻适合的收购目标，对急需大量石油供应的中国来说是 自然不过的事，但由于中海油试图收购总部位于加州的石油企业优尼科遭美国中途阻截成功，令内地石油企业对外收购变质成为政治问题。事实上，收购优尼科虽然 失败，但余波未了

Emergency angioplasty better than clot-busting drugs

cardiologists reports that patients are less likely to die during their hospital stay, and will receive faster treatment, if they have their emergency angioplasty at hospitals where it is the "default" treatment, used on the vast majority of heart attack patients.

By contrast, the in-hospital death risk and risk of delayed treatment were both higher for angioplasty patients treated at hospitals where emergency angioplasty was used in a minority of heart-attack patients. On the whole, they were significantly more likely to die before leaving the hospital, and waited an average of 20 minutes longer for treatment, than those treated at hospitals where most heart attack patients received angioplasty. Many waited far longer than the 90 minute "window" during which emergency angioplasty is thought to have an edge over clot-busting drugs.

儿时胖心脏得病几率高

家有肥仔胖妞的家长若不尽早帮助孩子减肥，孩子长大后患上心脏疾病的几率会很高。　

　　值得关注的是，就算他们成年后体重恢复正常水平，他们罹患心脏疾病的机会还是比那些儿时没有肥胖问题的人来得高。

　　一项针对本地13到16岁中学生展开的最新试验性调查，披露了一些令人担忧的结果：不少肥胖少年表面上看似无恙，但事实上体内潜伏着罹患心血管疾病的风险因素，而这些问题偏偏容易隐形于正常的胆固醇指数背后。

　　研究员从11所中学抽样选出20名体重正常和20名超重的学生进行体检，发现肥胖少年血液内的C反应蛋白质指数，比体重正常少年高出很多。

　　领导调查的南洋理工大学国立教育学院体育教育与运动科学部研究员王崇慧医生说：“这显示这些肥胖少年日后产生动脉硬化或其他心脏疾病的可能性，比体重正常少年高出很多。”

　　C反应蛋白质指数近年来成为预测心血管疾病的重要指标：血液中C反应蛋白质如果很高，病人产生心血管疾病的危险就增加。

　　C反应蛋白质由肝脏制造，原本就是体内急性发炎的指标。无论是受伤、遭感染，或受其他发炎刺激，都会让血液内C反应蛋白质上升数百倍。

　　它所以是预测心脏疾病的危险因素，是因为它会造成血管粥状斑块剥落。一旦这些脂肪块进入血液循环，就会造成血栓、心肌梗塞、中风

伟哥

如果正常人把伟哥当春药吃，首先可能出现的是诱发阴茎异常勃起。“我们曾经诊治过一位30岁的年轻男性，因为乱服伟哥，导致阴茎勃起长达36小时，引发了严重的阴茎炎。”

　　其次，正常人长期服用伟哥，还会导致心理上的药物依赖，使体内控制阴茎疲软的酶的分泌下降，造成永久性ED。“这样的病例在年龄较大且自行服用伟哥类药物者中很常见。”

　　另外，个别病人还可能发生视觉辨别障碍，特别是无法分辨蓝色和绿色。所以很多国家规定，飞行员服用伟哥6小时内不准驾机

Noise pollution a growing menace

bringing the volume of amplified music down to a more acceptable level (i.e. so that it is not disturbing others in the area) and secondly, limiting the times at which such heavily amplified music might be played (in many holiday resorts and in residential areas around the world, it is deemed unreasonable to play loud music after midnight)

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia could have a 90 pcnt cure rate in future

improvements in ALL treatment are also helping to reduce the long-term toxic side effects of therapy by enabling clinicians to reduce or avoid the use of certain drugs or radiation that can damage major organs or cause secondary cancers.

认识电脑“干眼症”

网络公司或是文书处理者，还有儿童沉迷于玩计算机游戏中，因为一般计算机桌非专为儿童设计，屏幕较高，一旦沉迷于计算机游戏而不知节制，就更容易造成近视加深。 　　因长时间紧盯屏幕，用眼过度而造成了这些视觉症候群，偶尔还会头痛及肩膀僵硬等症状，尤其是喜欢熬夜上网的网络迷，对眼睛更是一大伤害。

眼球长时间暴露在空气中，使水分蒸发过快，造成眼睛干涩不适，长期如此就容易造成干眼症，严重的甚至会损伤角膜。

　　另外，电脑荧光屏由小荧光点组成，眼睛必须不断地调整焦距，以保证视物清晰，时间过长，眼肌会过于疲劳。电脑荧光屏的电磁波、紫外线、放射线、刺眼的颜色和红外线等也会刺激眼睛，引起眼睛干涩、疲劳、重影、视力模糊甚至头颈疼痛等毛病。

　　为了缓解症状，一些人频繁地滴用眼药水。其实眼药水不可乱用，何况有些眼药水不仅不能缓解症状，甚至可能会加剧眼干的症状。尤其不能乱用含有抗生素或激素的眼药水。

　　因为人工泪液较安全，并能适当地补充并储留泪液，可适当使用人工泪液产品减轻和消除干眼症所引起的眼睛不适症状。

　　预防干眼症最重要的是应当注意健康用眼：

　　★　使用电脑时，应多眨眼，每1—2小时要休息15分钟；

　　★　荧光屏应在视线之下；

　　★　为了避免反光和不清晰，电脑不应放置在窗户的对面或背面；

　　★　不要在黑暗中看电脑，因为黑白反差对眼睛有损害。

CDC: Flu virus resistant to two drugs

the drugs rimantadine and amantadine during the current flu season.

The two drugs have been used for years to combat the type-A, or most common, strain of influenza.

丙戌年长达385天 2000多年第一次

出现闰月是因为华人的农历是以太阳（阳历）及月亮（阴历）来计算。

　　他说，由于以前的华人社会是农耕社会，因此必须以阳历来计算，即春（天）种（田），秋（天）收（成），但是节日如初一新年、十五元宵节却是以阴历计算，因此结合成了农历。

　　“不过阴历1年大约只有354天，而阳历则有365天，因此就会出现11天的差距。在要平衡两者间的差距之下，或是说类似拉长补短的情形下，就出现了闰月。”

　　不过，他表示，虽然农历会出现闰月，但是却不会落在正月或12月。

　　蔡崇正指出，除了出现闰月，丙戌年也是非常特别的一年，因为在近两千多年以来，这将是第12次出现最长的闰年，即有385天。

　　“从公元前221年至2100年，长达2321年的时间里，间中只有12年拥有385天的农历闰年，最后一次是发生在1944年。

More countries planting GM crops

Worldwide herbicide-tolerant soybeans were still the biggest crop on the GM front (with 60% of global plantings) followed by maize (24%) cotton (11%) and canola (5%). Last year Iran became the first country to plant genetically modified rice.

About 90% of the 8,5-million farmers planting genetically modified crops are poor people from developing countries, says the ISAAA. The crops boosted farmers’ income and helped curb poverty.

International travellers face burden of tropical disease

• The travel industry to inform customers of the health risks they may face.
• Doctors to publicize the benefits of pretravel medical care.
• Health-care systems to provide care specific to travellers visiting their countries of birth.
• Physicians to be educated in assessing the health risks of travel.

Travellers may need to take drugs and vaccines that fight malaria before, during and after trips.

骨髓干细胞可有效治疗心血管疾病

研究上，发现取自活体骨髓的干细胞，同样有助于治疗人类的心血管疾病。该公司计划于2006年下半年，进一步开展该项 研究的第一期和第二期临床试验，试验将从患有心脏病的病人体内，提取源自CD133+细胞的活体骨髓，研究这种自体同源的活性骨髓对心血管疾病的具体治疗 作用。

伊朗核谈判陷僵局

要求伊朗永远放弃浓缩铀计划的谈判已陷入僵局，并说经过两年多徒劳无功的谈判后，联合国安理会应插手处理这个问题

他们在联合声明中指责伊朗“有意拒绝同国际社会搞好关系”，并呼吁国际原子能机构举行特别会议决定将这个问题提交给安理会处理。安理会可能采取制裁措施。

　　伊朗最近拆除了三座核设施的封条，重新开始核研究。此举遭到美国等西方国家的强烈反对。

维生素D有助呼吸顺畅

最新的研究发现，人体内维生素D对呼吸器官有保护作用，有助于呼吸顺畅，这或许是吸烟者、哮喘病患者和其他呼吸道疾病患者的福音。

　　■体内维D高，呼吸器官较好

Pressure mounts on defiant Iran

Iran's resumption of nuclear research will probably result in referral to the UN Security Council.

UK Prime Minister Tony Blair said European ministers meeting on Thursday would decide how to proceed, but taking the matter to the UN looks "likely".

A US State Department spokesman agreed it was now "more likely than ever".

Methane research key to climate change

scientist says new research into methane emissions could have a profound effect on the global battle against greenhouse gases and climate change.

The research, conducted by a group of Dutch scientists, is published in Nature magazine. It claims plants produce vast amounts of methane, a gas which contributes to global warming.

greetings for spring festival 

天文学专家答疑今年春节为何会没有大年三十

春节是中国传统农历中的新年，其编排是一种阴阳合历，所以它既要考虑太阳，又要考虑月亮。中国农历历法是以“朔望月周期”来计算一个月的天数，“朔”所在日为初一，是人们完全看不到月亮的时刻；“望”所在日为十五、十六，就是满月的时刻。

　　由于月球、地球、太阳三者之间的相对运动并非一成不变，因此“朔望月周期”有长有 短，农历一年中就出现了大月30天、小月29天的分法。同时，为了保证农历每月的初一必须是朔日，所以大小月的安排也不是固定的，这需要通过观测和科学推 算加以确定。今年农历腊月的“朔”(初一)到正月的“朔”(初一)恰逢小月，因此年三十就被省略了。

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children swimming in blue transparent pool 

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the wonderful view of clean natural environment

of the lost horizon

really good for health...for ever

China confirms new bird flu outbreak in southwest

More than 1,800 poultry were found dead on December 22 on a farm in Sichuan's Dazhu county and Agriculture Ministry officials sent to the area confirmed the birds had the H5N1 strain of the virus.

Since then, 12,900 poultry in the region had been culled to try to contain the virus, which is found mostly in birds but which scientists fear could mutate into a form that can pass easily between people, leading to a pandemic.

In response to the latest outbreak, Hong Kong's government said it had stopped processing requests to import live poultry and poultry meat from Sichuan.

Scientists are worried because the virus, although hard for humans to catch, has killed more than half the people reported to have been infected.

瘦人也会有高血脂

如果血脂超过一定的范围，容易造成“血稠”，使血流变慢，严重时血流被中断，容易引发心脑血管疾病、诱发胆结石、胰腺炎，加重肝炎、导致男性性功能障碍等疾病。

　　轻度高血脂患者通常没有任何不舒服的感觉，致使很多人错过了最佳的治疗时间。所以，有下述情况的人需要定期检查血脂。比如，有高血脂家族史者， 肥胖、高血压或已有冠心病、脑中风，糖尿病、肾脏疾病、中老年、绝经后妇女、长期高糖饮食，习惯于静坐的人而生活无规律、情绪易激动、精神处于紧张状态 者。据了解，一般来说，普通人每2年检查一次血脂；40岁以上的人每一年检查1次血脂；高危人群和高血脂患者在医生指导下定期复查。

　　高血脂可以分成原发性与继发性，前者目前认为主要与遗传因素有关，而后者则与其它疾病及生活饮食结构改变有关联。无论是遗传还是其它疾病引起的 高血脂，都需要注意平时生活起居饮食的调节。为了防患于未然，人们应减少食用红色肉类和奶制食品，多食蔬菜、水果、豆类和鱼类。此外，注意控制体重仍然是 非常重要的。

　　但是，如果这些方法做足后，仍不能使血脂降至理想水平时，就必须开始药物治疗。不过，由于血脂增高是一个缓慢过程，血脂调节也需要一个持续作用的过程

Blue sky. blue lagoon, green trees and nice mountain view. take a deep breath and put on music... 

Ozone is harmful at high altitude. mountain around one thousand metres with good vegetation is nice for mountain climbing and hiking. Fresh air 

fresh air treatment at Sentosa 10th mile public garden