During the on-field celebrations right after New York Giants won the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots, linebacker Greg Jones got down on bended knee and proposed to his girlfriend Amanda Piechowski amid the confetti and the rapturous screaming and cheering from fans.
Greg Jones’ girlfriend, who he refers to as Mandy, said yes and immediately started crying.
Speaking to the New Jersey Star-Ledger, Greg Jones said: “She was bawling. I was like, <<I don’t know how long she’s going to keep crying>>.
“She definitely knows how I feel. A speech wasn’t even needed.
“Just everything we’ve been through together. She’s been here since day one and she knew me long before everything else.”
During the on-field celebrations right after New York Giants won the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots, linebacker Greg Jones got down on bended knee and proposed to his girlfriend Amanda Piechowski
Greg Jones said if his team had lost, he would have proposed another time.
The linebacker and Amanda Piechowki met three years ago at Michigan State but only started dating a year ago.
Amanda Piechowski is a former Spartans basketball player and model.
The joyous moment – captured on camera – was reminiscent of Boise State’s Ian Johnson getting engaged after the Fiesta Bowl a few years ago.
Greg Jones, a sixth-round pick, began the season as a starter on defense and has been a contributor on special teams.
Airbus has been ordered by The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to inspect the wings of all 67 A380 superjumbo planes currently in service.
Airbus said the cracks were not an immediate threat to safety and that repairs would be carried out if any damage was found.
Last month, EASA ordered checks of 20 A380 jets worldwide.
An EASA spokesman said: “In view of the outcome of those checks, it was decided to expand them to the entire fleet currently in operation.”
Airbus has been ordered by The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to inspect the wings of all 67 A380 superjumbo planes currently in service
Following the earlier checks, Qantas Airways, Australia’s largest carrier, said on Wednesday it had suspended the use of one of its Airbus A380 passenger jets for as long as a week after discovering 36 small cracks in key wing components.
Qantas workers found the cracks, measuring less than 2cms long, in the wing rib feet – the metal brackets that connect the wing’s ribs to its skin.
The discovery was made after the aircraft hit severe turbulence on a flight from London to Singapore last month.
Qantas said the cracks were not related to the turbulence, but to “manufacturing issues”.
Singapore Airlines, which took delivery of the first A380, has also repaired some of its A380s after finding cracks, and has since put the jets back into operation.
The wings, land gear and fuel systems of the A380 are made at plants in Broughton, near Chester, and Filton in Bristol.
The A380 was first unveiled in January 2005, but production delays meant deliveries did not start until October 2007.
In addition to Singapore Airlines, Emirates and Air France are among the firm’s biggest customers for the jet.
Sea researchers have found that noise from ships causes a high level of stress for whales nearby.
Ships’ propellers emit sound in the same frequency range that some whales use for communicating, and previous studies have shown the whales change their calling patterns in noisy places.
Researchers have measured stress hormones in whale faeces, and found they rose with the density of shipping.
The species studied in the Bay of Fundy in Canada, the North Atlantic right whale, is listed as endangered.
It had been thought that hunting by the Basque people a few hundred years ago brought a robust population down to barely sustainable levels.
But recent research suggests the big population decline happened much earlier, for reasons that are unclear.
Sea researchers have found that noise from ships causes a high level of stress for whales nearby
Dr. Rosalind Rolland of the New England Aquarium in Boston, US, who led the new study, said the population was now up to an estimated 490 individuals from about 350 a decade ago.
North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) roam up and down the east coast of North America, coming to the Bay of Fundy typically in late summer to feed.
Aquarium scientists have been studying them in the bay since 1980.
But the new study, reported in the Royal Society Journal Proceedings B, came about through chance.
Following the al-Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington DC on 11 September 2001, ship traffic in the bay dropped off.
Whale researchers registered a 6 decibel (dB) fall in the intensity of underwater noise, with the change particularly pronounced at frequencies below 150Hz.
Fortuitously, another team had just begun a five-year project to gather and examine faeces from the right whales.
Trained dogs are taken on boats, their noses guiding researchers to the bobbing faecal matter, which is then pulled inboard in nets.
“We were working on different boats, we knew the different studies were going on without any real interaction,” said Dr. Rosalind Rolland.
“And it was only when I was preparing for a workshop on ocean noise and stress in 2009 that I realised we had this data and analysed it this way – it was just one of those opportunistic things.”
Faeces gathered during the 2001 period of light shipping showed a significantly lower level of metabolites of glucocorticoid hormones, which are associated with stress, than in subsequent summers when marine traffic returned to normal levels.
“This is the first time that anyone’s documented any physiological effect – these are after all 50 tonne animals so they don’t make terribly easy things to study,” said Dr. Rosalind Rolland.
“Past studies have shown they alter their vocalization pattern in a noisy environment just like we would in a cocktail party, but this is the first time the stress has been documented physiologically.”
Precisely how much it matters to the animals is unclear.
Ocean noise has risen substantially in recent decades along with the growth in global shipping; one analysis showed that the north-eastern Pacific is 10-12dB louder now than in the 1960s.
Past years have seen significant numbers of right whales hit by ships and entangled in fishing nets.
In the Bay of Fundy, relocating shipping lanes away from the feeding grounds in 2003 has reduced ship strikes by 80-90%, while similar measures have been taken elsewhere along the coast.
The research team would now like to establish a study that could relate stress hormones to ocean noise in a range of locations.
This could include studying the differences between the North Atlantic right whales and their close relatives in the southern hemisphere, the Southern right whales, whose numbers are increasing much more vigorously since the era of industrial hunting.
Human brain cells that are an exact replica of genetically caused Parkinson’s disease have been successfully created in the lab by US scientists.
The breakthrough means the scientists can now see exactly how mutations in the parkin gene cause the disease in an estimated one in 10 patients with Parkinson’s.
And it offers a realistic model to test new treatments on – a hurdle that has blighted research efforts until now.
The team told Nature Communications their work was a “game-changer”.
“This is the first time that human dopamine neurons have ever been generated from Parkinson’s disease patients with parkin mutations,” said Dr. Jian Feng who led the investigations.
“Before this, we didn’t even think about being able to study the disease in human neurons.
“The brain is so fully integrated. It’s impossible to obtain live human neurons to study.”
Human brain cells that are an exact replica of genetically caused Parkinson's disease have been successfully created in the lab by US scientists
Studying human neurons is critical in Parkinson’s disease since animal models that lack the parkin gene do not develop the condition, rendering them useless for this research purpose.
To make the human neurons the scientists used a technique already successfully tested by others which can turn donated skin cells into brain tissue.
They used skin samples from four volunteers – two healthy people and two with Parkinson’s disease caused by a parkin gene mutation.
This allowed them to observe the parkin gene at work.
Normally, parkin controls the production of an enzyme called MAO (monamine oxidase) which, in turn, keeps a check on the brain-signalling chemical dopamine.
When parkin is mutated, that regulation is lost and levels of MAO increase, which can be toxic to dopamine-producing brain cells.
The scientists now want to test new treatments that might prevent this damage occurring and stop this form of Parkinson’s.
They have already shown that they can reverse the defect by putting a normal parkin gene into diseased neurons.
Proposition 8, known as Prop 8, that interdicts same-sex marriage in California, was declared unconstitutional by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday, February 7.
A lower court judge declared in 2010 that Prop 8 violated the civil rights of homosexuals and a three-judge panel of the federal appeals court ruled 2-1 that the judge correctly interpreted the U.S. Constitution.
“Although the Constitution permits communities to enact most laws they believe to be desirable, it requires that there be at least a legitimate reason for the passage of a law that treats different classes of people differently. There was no such reason that Proposition 8 could have been enacted,” said the court.
“Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California, and to officially reclassify their relationships and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples,” wrote Judge Stephen Reinhardt.
Because of the judge’s personal life, Prop 8 backers had asked the federal court to overturn Chief U.S. Judge Vaughn Walker’s ruling.
It was the first time when an American jurist’s sexual orientation was mentioned as a motive for ruling against a court decision.
There is no evidence that former Chief U.S. Judge Vaughn Walker was subjective when he issued his decision regarding Prop 8, the federal court said.
Vaughn Walker was in a long-term relationship with another man and he brought out his sexual orientation after he retired.
Prop 8 backers said they would appeal to the Supreme Court to declare invalid the 9th Circuit ruling.
“We are not surprised that this Hollywood-orchestrated attack on marriage — tried in San Francisco — turned out this way. But we are confident that the expressed will of the American people in favor of marriage will be upheld at the Supreme Court,” said Brian Raum, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal aid group.
Although the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has jurisdiction in nine western states, it issued a decision that applies only to California.
“We emphasize the extraordinary significance of the official designation of ‘marriage’. That designation is important because ‘marriage’ is the name that society gives to the relationship that matters most between two adults. A rose by any other name may smell as sweet, but to the couple desiring to enter into a committed lifelong relationship, a marriage by the name of ‘registered domestic partnership’ does not,” said the court mentioning Shakespeare.
“Whether under the Constitution same-sex couples may ever be denied the right to marry, a right that has long been enjoyed by opposite-sex couples, is an important and highly controversial question. We need not and do not answer the broader question in this case,” said the court.
Prop 8 was declared unconstitutional by a federal court of appeal.
In November 2008 Prop 8 was voted by 52% of California voters, after in June 2008 California Supreme Court had legalized same-sex marriage.
The one man-one woman marriage provision was inserted into the California Constitution. It was the first interdiction to take away marriage rights from same-sex couples, after the rights were already established. The most expensive campaign on a social issue in the nation’s history has followed.
Around 18,000 same- sex couples married during the four-month window before Prop 8 took effect, estimated the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and the Law.
The California Supreme Court confirmed those marriages but decided that voters had properly enacted the law.
If and when same-sex marriages might resume in California remain unclear. Prop 8 sponsors have a deadline to appeal to a larger panel and this court’s ruling would remain on hold until it’s resolved, if an appeal is filed.
Love Honor Cherish, a gay rights group based in Los Angeles, plans to start gathering signatures for a November ballot initiative asking voters to repeal Prop 8.
NedCar, the Dutch plant of Mitsubishi Motors, is offered to be sold for one euro, a day after the Japanese car-maker said it was halting production there.
As 1,000 workers blocked entrances to the plant, unions reportedly called a strike on Friday against the closure.
Union leaders say shutting the plant would be a “disaster” for the southern Netherlands.
Mitsubishi Motors has blamed the difficult operating environment in Europe for its decision.
NedCar, the Dutch plant of Mitsubishi Motors, is offered to be sold for one euro, a day after the Japanese car-maker said it was halting production there
The NedCar plant in the south-eastern province of Limburg currently employs 1,500 workers, producing Colts and Outlanders.
Under Tuesday’s offer, announced by Mitsubishi Motors President Osamu Masuko according to a spokesman, the plant would be sold for a euro “if the payroll of about 1,500 factory workers can be maintained”.
As things stand the factory is due to close down at the end of this year.
The workers decided to go on strike to show they were not prepared to accept the decision “like lambs to the slaughter”, Dutch broadcaster Nos reported.
But it added that the unions wanted to find a suitable buyer for the plant.
Maria Menounos had to strip down in Times Square after she lost her bet on the New England Patriots at the Super Bowl.
If the Patriots lost, Maria Menounos would “bare all“, said the bet. The correspondent A.J. Calloway, Giants fan, would have to wear a Patriots cheerleader outfit, if they won.
In a cold weather Maria hosted an entire broadcast of her show “Extra” in a red, blue and white bikini and a pair of warm, furry, black Ugg boots. It was around 50 degrees (10° C) in New York yesterday.
A. J. Calloway, co-host Mario Lopez, and a group of Giants fans admired her toned figure.
Two weeks ago Mario Lopez also stripped down to his underwear on Ellen DeGeneres’ show.
After she lost a Super Bowl bet on her beloved Patriots, Maria Menounos hosted the entire "Extra" show wearing NY Giants bikini and a pair of Uggs.
“I hate bets. I’m never doing this again,” said Maria Menounos taking off her white robe.
“God is a Giants fan!” A. J. Calloway exclaimed.
“My girl @mariamenounos lost a Super Bowl bet & had to wear a NY Giants bikini! Big props..Look great,” Lopez wrote on Twitter.
Maria posted a picture of herself wearing the white robe with the comment: “Ready to face the music.“
She had to leave Indianapolis to arrive in Times Square and wrote on her Twitter’s page:
“Flying to ny now…today is gonna stink. At least it’s not bitter cold there. Should be 50 degrees I hear.“
Maria Menounos was born in Massachusetts and she is a longtime fan of the New England Patriots.
“Sorry, but you know what – I love the Pats for fighting to the bitter end. #PATRIOTpride,” Die-Hard Patriots fan wrote on Twitter.
Last weekend, Maria Menounos attended ESPN’s Super Bowl party and had a ball with celebs in Indianapolis Saturday night, including tebowing with Denver Broncos’ quarterback Tim Tebow. It was the first time he had ever done his signature knee drop with someone else, Tebow said.
Maria Menounos wears bikini in Times Square during her show “Extra” (video):
The Start button, an iconic part of Microsoft’s operating system since it was introduced in Windows 95, is missing from the latest test version of the upcoming Windows 8.
The Start button evolved to become the operating system’s “launchpad”, offering access to software, files and search functions.
Earlier test versions of Windows 8 had flattened the recognizable “orb” – but the new build removes it altogether, according to leaked screenshots from tech site The Verge.
Microsoft has not announced a release date for the new operating system, built to work with touchscreens as well as on conventional PCs, but it’s widely expected to release in the second half of this year.
“Fear not though, the Start button functionality isn’t as dead as it seems,” reports The Verge.
The Start button, an iconic part of Microsoft's operating system, is missing from the latest test version of the upcoming Windows 8
Although the button itself might be absent, the functions are still there, just accessed via a “hot corner” designed to work equally well with touchscreens or computer mice.
“We have confirmed with sources close to Microsoft’s Windows 8 development that a hot corner has replaced the Start button orb,” says The Verge.
A thumbnail-like user interface will appear in Metro or desktop mode, providing a consistent way to access the Windows desktop and Start Screen in Windows 8 regardless of touch or mouse input.
Windows 8 is a radical reinvention of Microsoft’s operating system.
Windows 8 is built to operate on tablets as well as PCs, and looks more like the Windows Phone operating system – with a tile-based “start” screen akin to the menus of apps offered in smartphone operating systems.
Navigation is done by swiping a finger across a touchscreen – although you can also use a mouse or even the direction keys.
The system will also be built to rely heavily on “cloud” information storage, with a Windows Live login used to access some features, and heavy integration with online storage services such as Microsoft’s SkyDrive.
A US judge is considering a complaint by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) against SeaWorld claiming that five killer whales at its marine parks are treated like slaves because they’re forced to live in tanks and perform daily.
The case, which went to court Monday, could determine whether animals enjoy the same constitutional protection against slavery as human beings.
The five whales – Tilikum, Katina, Corky, Kasatka, and Ulises – have been named as the plaintiffs in the case. Attorney Jeffery Kerr is representing them and argues that SeaWorld is violating their 13th amendment, which prohibits slavery.
It is reportedly the first time a US court has heard legal arguments over whether animals should enjoy the same constitutional protections as humans.
SeaWorld’s legal team said the case was a waste of time and resources.
The marine park’s lawyer, Theodore Shaw, told the court in San Diego: “Neither orcas nor any other animal were included in the <<We the people… >> when the Constitution was adopted.”
Theodore Shaw said that if the case were successful, it could have implications not just on how other marine parks or zoos operate, but even on the police use of sniffer dogs to detect bombs and drugs.
PETA says the killer whales are treated like slaves for being forced to live in tanks and perform daily at the SeaWorld parks in California and Florida
PETA says the killer whales are treated like slaves for being forced to live in tanks and perform daily at the SeaWorld parks in California and Florida.
It is not considered likely that the whales will win their freedom, but campaigners said they were pleased the case even made it to a courtroom.
The lawsuit invokes the 13th Amendment to the constitution, which abolished “slavery or involuntary servitude” in the US.
Jeffrey Kerr, the lawyer representing the five whales, said: “For the first time in our nation’s history, a federal court heard arguments as to whether living, breathing, feeling beings have rights and can be enslaved simply because they happen to not have been born human.
“By any definition these orcas have been enslaved here.”
Hearing the arguments for about an hour, US District Judge Jeffrey Miller raised concerns over whether animals could be represented as plaintiffs in a lawsuit.
He will issue a ruling at a later date.
PETA names the five wild-captured orca plaintiffs as Tilikum and Katina, at SeaWorld Orlando; and Kasatka, Corky, and Ulises, at SeaWorld San Diego.
It is not Tilikum’s first time in the media spotlight – he drowned his trainer before horrified spectators in February 2010, prompting a ban on the Florida park’s employees entering the water to perform tricks with the orcas.
The same whale has also been linked to two other deaths.
Researchers at Yale University found that both obesity and liver disease can be triggered by a family of proteins called inflammasomes that alter the balance of microbes in the stomach.
The study, published in the online version of Nature, suggests this altered intestinal environment can be passed on – making obesity an infectious condition.
The finding came to light during a study on stomach bacteria in mice.
The research team found that a deficiency in components of two particular inflammasomes in mice resulted in the development of an altered microbial community associated with increased bacteria.
This determined the severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and obesity in the mice.
Senior study author Professor Richard Flavell said: “When healthy mice were co-housed with mice that had altered gut microbes, the healthy mice also developed a susceptibility for development of liver disease and obesity.”
Researchers at Yale University found that both obesity and liver disease can be triggered by a family of proteins called inflammasomes that alter the balance of microbes in the stomach
NAFLD is the result of metabolic syndrome, a collection of disorders that includes obesity and diabetes, and is the leading cause of chronic liver disease in the western world.
It is estimated that up to 30 million people suffer from NAFLD in the United States alone.
Prof. Richard Flavell said the next step will be to extend the research to see if the same effect can be seen in humans.
“We found, in mice, that targeted antibiotic treatment brought the microbial composition back to normal, and thus eased the liver disease. Our hope is that our findings may eventually lead to a treatment for humans.”
In the meantime, overweight adults should use the tried and tested formula of eating a healthy diet and performing half an hour of moderate exercise at least three times a week.
Mining company Xstrata has formally announced plans to merge with the world’s biggest commodity trader, Glencore.
The deal would value the combined new business at $90 billion, of which Xstrata would comprise $39 billion.
The announcement came as Xstrata revealed a 20% increase in profits for 2011, to $5.9 billion.
But two major Xstrata shareholders say they will vote against the deal as it undervalues their shares.
The deal was described by the two firms as a “merger of equals” with the new company to be named “Glencore Xstrata International PLC”.
Glencore chief executive Ivan Glasenberg said the merger would create “a new powerhouse in the global commodities business”
Xstrata chief executive Mick Davis will head up the new firm, with Ivan Glasenberg becoming deputy chief executive. The Xstrata finance head will likewise take the senior role in the combined firm.
The valuation of Xstrata translates to a share price of 1,290 p – compared with the 1,100 p at which shares were trading before news of the deal emerged last week.
Xstrata’s shareholders – other than Glencore – would have a 45% stake in the new company.
But Standard Life Investments, and Schroders, which own 3.6% of Xstrata said the deal undervalued the firm and they would vote against the merger.
News of the unease saw Xstrata shares fall 3% in morning trading.
“This is a fabulous deal for Glencore, it’s probably a great deal for the Xstrata management, but it’s a poor deal for Xstrata’s majority shareholders,” said Schroders’ Richard Buxton.
Xstrata’s 2011 financial results were well above market expectations, according to stock brokers Charles Stanley.
“Given this performance, shareholders of Xstrata are entitled to ask if this is the best deal available, as Glencore paper has been disappointing,” the brokerage said.
Shareholders will be able to vote on the merger in April, after Glencore’s full year results have been announced.
Glencore only floated on the stock exchange in May last year in a record share offering in London.
The traditionally secretive Swiss firm buys and sells metals, crops and fuels in the financial market and invests in mining companies, but – unlike Xstrata – Glencore does not typically itself extract the stuff out of the ground.
For its part, Xstrata owns vast reserves of coal, copper and nickel across Africa, South America and central Asia.
About half of its revenues came from its copper business in 2011, while coal contributed the most to its profit growth.
Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed has stepped down after weeks of demonstrations and a mutiny by some police officers.
In an address on state TV, Mohamed Nasheed said it would be “better for the country in the current situation” if he stood down.
Vice-President Waheed Hassan has been sworn in as president after Mohamed Nasheed stepped down.
Tensions escalated after the Maldives army arrested a senior judge last month, prompting bitter street protests in the Indian Ocean island chain.
A source close to the president described Tuesday’s developments as a “coup by the former regime”.
But the army and the vice-president have denied a coup has taken place.
Waheed Hassan’s office denied widespread reports the military pressured Mohamed Nasheed to resign, the AP news agency reports.
“It was not a coup at all, it was the wish of the people,” said Ahmed Thoufeeg, Waheed Hassan’s secretary.
Mohamed Nasheed announced his resignation during a televised news conference.
“It will be better for the country in the current situation if I resign. I don’t want to run the country with an iron fist. I am resigning,” Mohamed Nasheed said.
Earlier, a group of mutinying police officers took control of the state broadcaster in the capital, Male, and began playing out messages in support of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.
Several journalists were said to be detained in the facility.
Sources in the office of Mohamed Nasheed said Tuesday’s protest took place in front of military headquarters, a high-security zone.
Soldiers used tear gas to break up a demonstration by supporters of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.
On Monday, around 50 policemen stood down in favour of the protesters and refused to obey orders.
The president’s office denied reports that the army fired rubber bullets at the protesting police officers.
Last month the army arrested a senior criminal court judge, Judge Abdulla Mohamed.
The government alleged that the judge’s rulings – such as the release of an opposition activist detained without a warrant – were politically motivated.
It claimed the dispute with the judge was not an isolated incident, but indicative of a more deep-rooted problem with the Maldives judicial system and the checks and balances it has to ensure it stays independent.
Human rights groups added their voices to calls for the judge to be released – and, as matters grew increasingly heated, there were demands for the United Nations to be brought in to resolve the dispute.
Mohamed Nasheed was elected in 2008, in the first multi-party poll.
Since then, correspondents say, the country has been gripped by constitutional gridlock – because parties opposed to the president dominate parliament.
Mohamed Nasheed, a former human rights campaigner, beat long-time ruler Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who had been in power for 30 years and was widely seen as autocratic, in the country’s first multiparty election.
A one-time political prisoner, Mohamed Nasheed became a vocal figure in office on issues relating to the environment and climate change.
That pressure has intensified with the prospect of fresh elections, scheduled for next year. Opposition parties are jockeying for power as they try to extend their influence.
The wider question is how this crisis will affect the forthcoming elections – and what it says about the transition in the Maldives to mature democracy.
Kourtney Kardashian displayed her pregnancy shape while lapping up the sunshine in Mexico with boyfriend Scott Disick and her son Mason recently.
Kourtney Kardashian, 32, looked in great shape as she displayed her mother-to-be curves in different bikinis during the holiday.
The couple, who revealed they were expecting their second child in November stayed at their friend’s Joe Francis’ Punta Mita estate for the four-day trip last month.
Kourtney Kardashian looked great in an emerald and gold bikini and a pink abstract print two-piece as she relaxed with her family.
As well as relaxing by the pool Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick were seen enjoying romantic walks by the beach spending quality time with two-year-old Mason.
It seemed that Kourtney Kardashian was keen to top up her tan and was seen sporting a white bikini with tassels as she made the most of the time alone with her beau.
They looked more in love than ever and enjoying a break with their son Mason, and another child on the way, it’s not hard to see why.
Beyoncé made her first public appearance after she gave birth to her baby daughter last month in a simply striking red dress to showcase her enviable figure without a hint of an unwanted lump or bump.
Beyoncé, who gave birth to the couple’s first child Blue Ivy Carter last month on January 7, embraced her voluptuous silhouette and smiled proudly as she paraded her curves.
She made her first public appearance last night to celebrate Jay-Z’s two anticipated shows at Carnegie Hall to benefit United Way of New York City and The Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation.
Beyoncé opted for an elegant Alice Temperly frock, teamed with Ofira & Lorraine Schwartz jewels, a quirky Alexander McQueen clutch bag and a pair of sparkly Christian Louboutin heels.
Her straightened hair, which was perfectly groomed and primped but without being overstyled with products, hung loosely over her shoulders as a pair of large gold hoop earrings peeped through.
The singer walked with a confident stride and a sexy swagger, proving she hasn’t lost any of her girl power since becoming a mother.
Beyoncé made her first public appearance after she gave birth to her baby daughter last month in a simply striking red dress to showcase her enviable figure without a hint of an unwanted lump or bump
Jay-Z, 42, took to the stage in a bow tie and dinner jacket, flanked by a 36-piece orchestra.
Not only did he deliver with songs Public Service Announcement, Thank You and Most Kingz, Jay-Z was also joined by Alicia Keys for a rendition of their epic track Empire State of Mind.
Alicia Keys focused on her vocals instead of her looks by slipping into an androgynous suit and scraping her hair back into a bun, adding a splash of femininity with large drop earrings.
Celebrity guest rapper Nas also took to the stage with the new father to perform N.Y. State of Mind, before launching into his own hit If I Ruled the World.
Both musicians seemed to ignore the fact they were indoors after sunset, both donning their obligatory celebrity shades.
Jay-Z couldn’t resist a gushy dedication to his daughter, telling the audience: “Put a hand in the air for Blue,” before belting out Glory, which he wrote especially for the one-month-old.
For his encore, Jay-Z ditched the suited and booted look for hip-hop attire, including a black T-shirt and gold chain, signing off with Dead Presidents and Money Ain’t A Thang in the audience box.
Jay-Z also told the sea of admirers he had “a beautiful time”, praising the crowd for looking “exquisite”.
A host of famous faces showed their support, with models Jessica White and Brookyln Decker turning up, alongside the legendary Liza Minnelli in an oversized Cruella De Vil-inspired winter coat.
A video clip showing a toddler from Plymouth playing table tennis became viral on video-sharing website YouTube.
The footage of 18-month-old Jamie Myska-Buddell knocking balls back to his father Kevin is a major hit on the internet site, with more than 800,000 views.
The toddler was filmed showing his skills at table tennis at the Woolwell club where his father is vice chairman.
Kevin Buddell made the film to send to his partner Marketa Myskova’s family in the Czech Republic.
A breakthrough discovery has been made by Russian scientists after they drilled down through four kilometres of Antarctic ice to Lake Vostok that has been sealed for the last 20 million years.
Professor John Priscu, veteran Antarctic researcher, says that he expects to see “unique organisms” in the lake.
But it was revealed this may not be the only surprise from sub-glacial Lake Vostok, a body of water as large as Lake Ontario.
As scientists began the search for new life, a state-run news agency in Russia claimed that an extraordinary cache of Hitler’s archives may be buried in a secret Nazi ice bunker near the spot where yesterday’s breakthrough was made.
“It is thought that towards the end of the Second World War, the Nazis moved to the South Pole and started constructing a base at Lake Vostok,” claimed RIA Novosti, the Russian state news agency.
The news agency cited Admiral Karl Dontiz in 1943 saying: “Germany’s submarine fleet is proud that it created an unassailable fortress for the Fuehrer on the other end of the world, in Antarctica.”
According to German naval archives, months after the Nazis surrendered to the Allies in April 1945, a U-530 submarine arrived at the South Pole from the Port of Kiel.
The crew is rumored to have constructed a still undiscovered ice cave “and supposedly stored several boxes of relics from the Third Reich, including Hitler’s secret files”.
A later claim was that a U-977 submarine delivered remains of Hitler and Eva Braun to Antarctica in the hope they could be cloned from their DNA. The submariners then went to Argentina to surrender, it was claimed.
A breakthrough discovery has been made by Russian scientists after they drilled down through four kilometres of Antarctic ice to Lake Vostok that has been sealed for the last 20 million years
Microbiologists say that the lake could offer a glimpse of unique life forms. The project has been closely watched by both NASA and the Russian Space Agency.
One hope is that it will give a glimpse of conditions on Jupiter’s moon Europa where water is also believed to exist under a thick ice cover.
“The discovery of microorganisms in Lake Vostok may mean that, perhaps, the first meeting with extraterrestrial life could happen on Europa,” said Dr. Vladimir Kotlyakov, Director of the Geography Institute at the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Specialists at the Russian Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute will now test a sample of water that has been sucked from the lake, and frozen.
Last year, the expedition stopped 10 to 50 metres short of the lake after the weather closed in and the scientists were forced to abandon the expedition.
Academics say they have found “the only giant super-clean water system on the planet”. They forecast the extraordinary 5,400 cubic kilometres of pristine water will be “twice cleaner than double-distilled water”, and any life will have developed in total isolation.
“We’re not talking a new Loch Ness Monster – though we actually cannot really predict what to expect,” an expedition source told Ria Novosti.
“The lake water is a moving body, and despite being almost 4 km under the ice, there is an oxygen supply, and microorganisms have already been found in the ice drilled from close to the roof of Lake Vostok.”
Professor John Priscu told usnews.com in an email that the crews had been working “round the clock” to finish the project before the Antarctic summer ended, which meant no planes could fly from the remote Vostok Station, where temperatures are currently around minus 66C.
“If they were successful, their efforts will transform the way we do science in Antarctica and provide us with an entirely new view of what exists under the vast Antarctic ice sheet,” Prof. John Priscu said.
Geothermal heat under the ice keeps the lake liquid, and its conditions are often described as “alien” because they are thought to be akin to the subterranean lakes on Jupiter’s moon Europa.
“I think we’ll find unique organisms,” Prof. John Priscu, a microbiologist at the University of Montana, and a veteran Antarctic researcher who is on the trip told Scientific American.
On January 13, Prof. John Priscu said the team was progressing well, drilling 5.7 ft a day. He said they had switched from an ice drill to a thermal drill to melt through the last 16 to 32 ft of ice.
“This was the plan, but when you’re in the field, things can change,” Prof. John Priscu, who had been communicating with the group from his office in St. Petersburg, said.
“This has never been done before,” he told OurAmazingPlanet.
“It’s a one-of-a-kind drill, a one-of-a-kind borehole, and a one-of-a-kind lake, so I’m sure they’re making decisions on the fly all the time.”
The team had a deadline of Tuesday, before already ice-cold temperatures in the desolate spot drop another 40 degrees centigrade.
Valery Lukin, chief of the Russian Antactic Expedition, said last month: “We do not know what is waiting for us down there.”
On July 21, 1983, temperatures at Vostok Station hit the lowest level ever recorded on Earth – minus 89.2C.
When the breakthrough moment comes they must take care not to contaminate the hidden underground world with bacteria and fluids from the drilling.
To make sure the water stays completely pure, the machinery will not even touch the lake.
Instead suction will be used to suck samples of the unique water into the borehole, where it will freeze before being raised to the surface for analysis.
The team also faces the risk of an explosion with oxygen and nitrogen trapped below.
They are trying to make sure only a small amount of air can escape to avert the risk.
The scientists have been drilling 24 hours a day in three shifts as they race to break through before winter descends.
Environmental groups have criticized the work on the site – and the chemicals used such as kerosene to keep the hole open.
Others have said the site should not be explored but instead left in pristine condition.
Romanian president Traian Basescu has nominated the country’s intelligence service chief as prime minister, hours after Emil Bloc resigned amid austerity protests.
“The ruling coalition agreed to appoint Mihai Razvan Ungureanu as prime minister designate,” President Traian Basescu said in a statement.
The nomination now requires approval by Romania’s parliament.
Former PM Emil Boc, 45, said he was stepping down to “defuse political and social tension” in the face of three weeks of protests.
Speaking after a cabinet meeting, Emil Boc said he had given up the government’s mandate as “it is the moment for important political decisions”.
Emil Boc has imposed a 25% cut in public sector wages and a freeze on pensions.
Sales tax was also increased to 24%, in a country seen as Europe’s second poorest.
Romania said it needed to implement the measures to qualify for the next instalment of a 20 billion-euro ($25 billion) bailout loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
After Emil Boc resignation, President Traian Basescu took the procedural step of appointing the former Justice Minister Catalin Predoiu as caretaker prime minister, before announcing the nomination of Mihai Razvan Ungureanu.
Mihai Razvan Ungureanu, 43, has a master’s degree from Oxford University and was foreign minister between 2004 and 2007 during Traian Basescu’s first term of office.
“Reforms will continue. The added value that I will bring resides in my experience as a manager,” said Mihai Razvan Ungureanu after his nomination.
Mihai Razvan Ungureanu, 43, has a master's degree from Oxford University and was foreign minister between 2004 and 2007 during Traian Basescu's first term of office
Protests broke out last month, initially against the resignation of popular junior health minister Raed Arafat, but soon became an expression of discontent against austerity and corruption.
The left-wing opposition USL alliance, headed by Victor Ponta and Crin Antonescu, is currently leading the opinion polls. Victor Ponta suggested last week that Romania should either have early elections similar to Spain, or temporarily install a technocrat administration, like Italy.
Victor Ponta has said he favours continuing the current, $26 billion standby credit agreement with the IMF, but would like to gradually adjust it.
NASA looks set to pull the plug on its joint missions to Mars with the European Space Agency (ESA), ExoMars programme.
NASA has told ESA it is now highly unlikely it will be able to contribute to the endeavors, which envision an orbiting satellite and a big roving robot being sent to the Red Planet.
The US has yet to make a formal statement on the matter but budget woes are thought to lie behind its decision.
Europe is now banking on a Russian partnership to keep the missions alive.
A public announcement by NASA of its withdrawal from the ExoMars programme, as it is known in Europe, will probably come once President Barack Obama’s 2013 Federal Budget Request is submitted.
This request, expected in the coming days, will give NASA a much clearer view of how much money it has to implement its various projects.
“The Americans have indicated that the possibility of them participating is now low – very low. It’s highly unlikely,” said Alvaro Gimenez, ESA’s director of science.
“They are interested, they know it’s a very good option for them – but they have difficulties putting these missions in the budget,” he said.
“We have to wait for the Americans to have a definitive say, but we also have to study alternatives.”
A public announcement by NASA of its withdrawal from the ExoMars programme, as it is known in Europe, will probably come once President Barack Obama's 2013 Federal Budget Request is submitted
The pull-out by NASA – if that is confirmed – will be just the latest twist in what has been a long running saga, and it will leave Europe’s Mars ambitions in a precarious position.
As currently planned, ExoMars would see an orbiting satellite launched in 2016 to “sniff” for methane and other trace gases in the Martian atmosphere, followed by an autonomous rover in 2018 to drill beneath the planet’s surface.
The Americans were supposed to be providing instruments and a communications package for the orbiter, and a great swathe of equipment for the rover, in addition to the rocket to send it on its way and the descent system to get the robot safely down on to the Martian terrain.
Concerns last year in the US about the state of NASA’s Mars budget had already prompted ESA to inquire whether the Russian space agency (Roscosmos) would be interested in entering the ExoMars programme.
But the latest signals from Washington have now pushed ESA into discussing a full bi-lateral agreement, with the intention that Roscosmos pick up many of the responsibilities expected to be dropped by the Americans.
This would include instruments for the orbiter and the provision of two Proton rockets to get both missions to their destination.
It could not be a straight substitution of roles, however, because the Russians do not possess all of the skills that NASA was proposing to bring to ExoMars.
For Europe, it means returning to an earlier, smaller design for the 2018 rover. It would also have to resurrect ideas it had for vented, or dead-beat, airbags to cushion the vehicle’s touch-down.
But the technical challenges of having to reframe the ExoMars missions may pale in comparison to the difficulties of meeting the additional costs involved.
Changes in architecture would inevitably push the budget profile beyond the one billion Euros that ESA member states had agreed should be the cap for ExoMars.
“I cannot pretend the situation is not grim,” commented Dr. David Parker, director of science, technology and exploration at the UK Space Agency (UKSA).
“It’s come as a major surprise to us that the Americans don’t want to play. We now have to take some cold, sensible decisions about what we do with public money, and it may be that some national activities will have to be put in the deep freeze until we have a clearer sense of what is going to happen.”
ExoMars was formally initiated in Europe by ministers in 2005. ESA has already spent in the region of 200 million Euros on technology development, and would be loath to give up on the flagship project.
“ExoMars is really important for Europe and its role in future exploration,” said Dr. Gimenez.
“It’s important for science and it’s important for industry. There are a host of reasons to continue with ExoMars and that is why I am working so hard to try to make it happen,” he added.
A NASA pull-out of ExoMars would be met with dismay by American planetary scientists.
The 2016 and 2018 missions were seen as the first steps in a series of missions that would lead to the eventual return of Martian rocks for study in Earth laboratories.
A recent panel reviewing the future of US planetary science considered this goal to be a top priority.
Withdrawal also has grave implications for transatlantic relations.
The US has already left Europe high and dry on several projects of late. Last year, it walked away from three multi-billion euro missions-in-the-planning, forcing European scientists and engineers to head back to the drawing board after three years of feasibility work.
A lower jaw created by a 3D printer has been fitted to an 83-year-old woman’s face in what doctors say is the first transplant of its kind.
The transplant was carried out in June in the Netherlands, but is only now being publicized.
The implant was made out of titanium powder – heated and fused together by a laser, one layer at a time.
Technicians say the operation’s success paves the way for the use of more 3D-printed patient-specific parts.
The surgery follows research carried out at the Biomedical Research Institute at Hasselt University in Belgium, and the implant was built by LayerWise – a specialized metal-parts manufacturer based in the same country.
The patient involved had developed a chronic bone infection. Doctors believed reconstructive surgery would have been risky because of her age and so opted for the new technology.
A lower jaw created by LayerWise 3D printer has been fitted to an 83-year-old woman's face in what doctors say is the first transplant of its kind
The implant is a complex part – involving articulated joints, cavities to promote muscle attachment and grooves to direct the regrowth of nerves and veins.
However, once designed, it only took a few hours to print.
“Once we received the 3D digital design, the part was split up automatically into 2D layers and then we sent those cross sections to the printing machine,” said Ruben Wauthle, LayerWise’s medical applications engineer.
“It used a laser beam to melt successive thin layers of titanium powder together to build the part.
“This was repeated with each cross section melted to the previous layer. It took 33 layers to build 1mm of height, so you can imagine there were many thousand layers necessary to build this jawbone.”
Once completed, the part was given a bioceramic coating. The team said the operation to attach it to the woman’s face took four hours, a fifth of the time required for traditional reconstructive surgery.
“Shortly after waking up from the anaesthetics the patient spoke a few words, and the day after the patient was able to swallow again,” said Dr. Jules Poukens from Hasselt University, who led the surgical team.
“The new treatment is a world premiere because it concerns the first patient-specific implant in replacement of the entire lower jaw.”
The woman was able to go home after four days.
Her new jaw weighs 107 g, just over a third heavier than before, but the doctors said that she should find it easy to get used to the extra weight.
Follow-up surgery is scheduled later this month when the team will remove healing implants inserted into holes built into the implant’s surface.
A specially made dental bridge will then be attached to the part, following which false teeth will be screwed into the holes to provide a set of dentures.
The team said that it expected similar techniques to become more common over the coming years.
“The advantages are that the surgery time decreases because the implants perfectly fit the patients and hospitalization time also lowers – all reducing medical costs,” said Ruben Wauthle.
“You can build parts that you can’t create using any other technique. For example you can print porous titanium structures which allow bone in-growth and allow a better fixation of the implant, giving it a longer lifetime.”
The research follows a separate project at Washington State University last year in which engineers demonstrated how 3D-printer-created ceramic scaffolds could be used to promote the growth of new bone tissue.
They said experiments on animals suggested the technique could be used in humans within the next couple of decades.
LayerWise believes the two projects only hint at the scope of the potential medical uses for 3D printing.
Ruben Wauthle said that the ultimate goal was to print body organs ready for transplant, but cautioned that such advances might be beyond their lifetimes.
“There are still big biological and chemical issues to be solved,” he said.
“At the moment we use metal powder for printing. To print organic tissue and bone you would need organic material as your <<ink>>. Technically it could be possible – but there is still a long way to go before we’re there.”
Scientist Terry Moore of the New York-based Radius Foundation explains in a three-minute presentation to a TED conference that he found out he’d been tying his laces the wrong way his whole life – and shows the audience why.
“I have reason to believe that many, if not most, of you are actually tying your shoes incorrectly,” Terry Moore says.
“I know that seems ludicrous.”
Speaking to the TED audience, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to “Ideas Worth Spreading”, Terry Moore says he made the discovery after buying a new pair of running shoes.
Terry Moore says that while the shoes were great, he disliked the laces, and so returned them to the store.
The store manager told him: “You’re tying them the wrong way.”
Terry Moore insists on going the other way, wrapping it in the opposite direction to usual, thus creating a stronger form
Terry Moore then uses the video presentation to pass on his newfound knowledge to the audience, demonstrating how to tie your shoe laces using the stronger method of bow tying.
Most of us are taught that after making the first bow, you wrap the lace in an anti-clockwise direction around it.
But Terry Moore insists on going the other way, wrapping it in the opposite direction to usual, thus creating a stronger form.
“It will come untied less often, and will let you down less often,” Terry Moore assures the audience.
George Michael narrowly escaped death last year after contracting a serious bout of pneumonia, but it seems he is well on his way to making a full recovery, judging by pictures of the singer enjoying his sunshine holiday this week.
Fadi Fawaz, George Michael’s boyfriend, posted a picture of them cuddled up on his Twitter page with the caption: “Isn’t he cute?!”
In the picture, George Michael is seen smiling widely while hugging Fadi Fawaz, who is also beaming with delight.
In another close-up shot of the pair, they are seen grinning from ear to ear as they don sunglasses to shield themselves from the bright sunshine.
George Michael is seen smiling widely while hugging Fadi Fawaz, who is also beaming with delight
While George Michael has not disclosed where he and Fadi Fawaz are holidaying, he did reveal they are still in the “southern hemisphere”.
And it seems the sunshine is doing wonders for George Michael’s recovery, as he has been keeping his followers updated with his progress on his Twitter page.
George Michael wrote earlier this week: “People, I’m excited….just finishing a ballad that I think is going to make you think my eighties self has been re-born hich I suppose it has in a way 🙂
“Even my tracheostomy scar is healing nicely in the sun, was looking a bit Bride of Chucky for a while.
“Spoke to doctors before I came away and they told me my recovery is way quicker than can usually be expected so I’m happy as Larry!”
George Michael recently revealed he is hoping to find time to play the 14 dates he originally shelved on his Symphonica tour last year after he was taken ill.
The singer said: “Realistically, I can’t see my vocal cords being ready till the summer.
“But then I have to think about people losing out if they are on their summer hols. So, September seems most likely.”
British naturopath and nutritionist Max Tomlinson teaches us how to fight against the stubborn fat deposits in his new book, “Target Your Fat Spots: How To Banish Your Bulges”.
For the past 25 years, Max Tomlinson is been running a successful fat spot reduction programme at his London clinic, targeting what he calls the “weird, disproportionate fat deposits” that frustrate so many of his clients.
Max Tomlinson says: “I see young women who have tried rigorous diets and exercise regimes to get rid of a big bottom, only to lose weight from their chests and faces, and menopausal women who tend to accumulate fat on their stomachs and under their upper arms as they age.”
He believes the reason fat gets laid down in specific areas is often hormonal.
“A multitude of processes in the body are co-ordinated by hormones, and hormones govern where we store fat,” naturopath says.
Problems arise because many of us live in a state of hormonal imbalance caused by poor diet, stress, environmental pollution and lack of effective exercise.
British naturopath and nutritionist Max Tomlinson teaches us how to fight against the stubborn fat deposits in his new book
Max Tomlinson believes that each fat spot (whether it’s stomach fat, the bra-bulge kind, big thighs and bottom fat or “bingo wings”) is caused by the action or inaction of a specific hormone.
By correcting your own personal hormonal imbalance through targeted diet, exercise, supplements and lifestyle changes, he is convinced you can shift those stubborn fat spots.
Max Tomlinson recommends a healthy Mediterranean-style diet (fruit, vegetables, fish, a little meat, healthy oils, but no sugar, junk food and little dairy or alcohol), a daily multi-vitamin and mineral and fish oil capsule, and a programme of regular exercise.
But then the advice for each troublesome fat spot is very specifically tailored to redress the hormonal imbalance that might be causing it.
Here is an extract from his book, in which Max Tomlinson shows you how to zap those problem areas.
LOVE HANDLES
Fat bulging over the back and sides of your jeans could be a sign of a problem with the hormone insulin, which regulates blood sugar levels and can lead to unsightly deposits of fat above the hips.
A sugary diet forces the body to pump out insulin (to move the sugar out of the bloodstream). But over time, if sugar intake remains high, the cells can stop responding correctly, causing more insulin to be released, excess glucose to build up in the bloodstream and stubborn areas of unsightly fat are laid down.
ACTION PLAN: To calm insulin production and trim “love handles” you need to manage the sugars and carbohydrates in your diet. So stick to a Mediterranean diet and avoid sugar and quick-burn foods (alcohol, white bread, biscuits, cakes, chips, crisps, processed sweetened breakfast cereals, rice, sweets and fizzy drinks).
Eat foods rich in antioxidants (this helps prevent damage from free radicals and reduces insulin resistance) such as cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, fresh herbs, chilli, cranberries, blueberries, broccoli and green tea.
In addition to multi-vitamins and fish oils, consider supplements in the form of chromium (great for controlling blood sugar levels), magnesium, zinc (helps insulin bind to receptors in cells) and glucomannan fibre in water which improves blood-glucose control and reduces cholesterol levels.
BRA-BULGE FAT
Fat that bulges out of the sides of your bra could be a sign of a sluggish thyroid. This gland governs the rate at which you burn calories from food. Low thyroid function can cause bra-bulge fat as well as stubborn overall weight gain, fatigue and depression.
ACTION PLAN: Certain raw foods can interfere with the correct functioning of the thyroid gland, so limit intake of broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, swede, turnips, peaches, soya bean products, spinach and strawberries. But cooking these foods appears to deactivate the bad compounds.
Boost your intake of iodine and selenium to support your thyroid by eating Brazil nuts, brown rice, garlic, kelp, liver, onions, salmon, tuna, wheatgerm and wholegrains.
And relax – the stress hormone cortisol can alter thyroid function. Also, use fluoride-free toothpaste as fluoride can mimic the action of one of the thyroid hormones.
BINGO WINGS
Fat accumulation on the underside of your upper arms can be due to falling testosterone levels as women reach middle age. Boosting testosterone levels can, along with targeted exercise, help to restore shape to the arms.
ACTION PLAN: Have more sex! Falling in love increases your testosterone levels and regular sex sends out signals to the body to make more of the hormone.
Ensure you’re getting enough sleep to maximize testosterone production.
Relax and de-stress – stress suppresses testosterone production.
Lack of exercise suppresses testosterone levels, too, but weight-bearing workouts (such as weight-lifting) cause muscles to signal the cells for more energy and to request more testosterone.
Cut sugar and refined carbohydrates from your diet as high blood sugar levels decrease testosterone production, but don’t starve yourself – long-term calorie restriction can further deplete levels of the hormone.
Boost your intake of healthy fats – found in oily fish such as salmon, linseed and avocados – which are required for testosterone production.
BIG THIGHS AND BOTTOM
The female hormone oestrogen promotes fat storage around the top of the legs, and many of us are exposed to high levels of both natural (in water and farmed meat) and synthetic oestrogens (chemicals in plastics and non-stick coatings) in the environment.
ACTION PLAN: Eat more fruit, vegetables and wholegrains as they contain special substances which bind to, and help excrete, excess oestrogen.
Cut down on alcohol, painkillers and drinks laden with chemical preservatives and colouring agents as these hamper the liver’s efforts to clear excess oestrogens.
Eat live natural yogurt to boost the friendly bacteria in your gut which help clear oestrogen via the gastrointestinal tract. And cut back on coffee. A study found that the caffeine in more than two cups per day can trigger the release of higher oestrogen levels in women.
POT BELLY
A paunch may indicate a problem with the adrenal glands and over-production of the hormone cortisol. Unmanaged long-term stress causes the body to produce too much cortisol which can raise blood glucose levels. This, in turn, triggers the release of insulin, which instructs the body to store excess glucose as stubborn deposits of fat around the stomach.
The main dietary culprit is too many sugar-based calories especially in the form of alcohol and refined (white) grains and flours.
ACTION PLAN: Relax – anything that helps you to unwind reduces stress levels and breaks the hormonal cycle that is causing your body to lay down belly fat. Studies show that rest will also decrease cravings for calorie-dense foods.
Keep blood glucose levels stable in the face of stress-induced cortisol surges. Increase consumption of slow-burn, low-GI foods (wholegrains, vegetables, pulses, fish and meat) and cut out high-GI foods (processed foods, cereals, sugar, dairy products, dried fruit, beer, wine, fruit juice and coffee).
Moderate exercise can reduce stress, but don’t over do it.
A recent study indicates that infants, under 3 years old, exposed to at least two general anesthesia procedures might have a higher risk of developing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
The study was published this month in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
For the research, the Mayo Clinic scientists processed the data from a previous epidemiological study, that involved children born between 1976 and 1982 in Rochester, Minnesota, and identified those with learning disabilities or ADHD. There were 341 children younger than 19 with ADHD
Researchers looked for exposure to surgery and anesthesia before age 3 in the medical records of the Rochester Epidemiology Project, a decades-long database of all patient care in Olmsted County, Minnesota.
ADHD appeared in 7.3% of the children with no exposure to anesthesia and surgery, and the percentage in the children with one exposure to anesthesia and surgery was around 11.
“With Cesarean section with a general anesthetic, only a single anesthetic, we didn’t find any effect,” said study author Dr. Juraj Sprung, professor of anesthesiology at the Mayo Clinic.
Multiple general anesthesia exposures in infants under 3 might be associated with ADHD.
When children had at least two exposures to anesthesia and surgery, the percentage of ADHD rose to 17.9.
The scientists made adjustments for other factors (gestational age, sex, birth weight, co-morbid conditions, maternal age and education), but the rate of ADHD was still high.
These results may not be applicable to all racial or ethnic groups.
“The population in 1976 and 1982 was mostly white/Caucasian here in Minnesota,” said Dr. Juraj Sprung.
A previous research published in Pediatrics in November 2011, suggested an association between early multiple anesthesia exposures and learning disabilities in language, reading, and math. The study was performed by the same team.
There were animal studies that showed how anesthetics could affect the brain. Rats had damages in the cortical areas of the brains and became hyperactive after anesthesia. The abilities to perform tasks involving executive function were affected in monkeys exposed to ketamine for 24 hours as new-born.
However, it is important to take in consideration the influences of both procedures (anesthesia and surgery), as well as other factors that may lead to ADHD.
“Essentially, we did an observational study and we examined whether there is association with exposure to anesthesia, but not only to anesthesia,” said Dr. Juraj Sprung.
“This is an observational study. A wide range of other factors might be responsible for the higher frequency of ADHD in children with multiple exposures. The findings certainly do suggest that further investigation into this area is warranted, and investigators at Mayo Clinic and elsewhere are actively pursuing these studies,” said study author Dr. David Warner, Mayo Clinic pediatric anesthesiologist.
This study does not suggest that parents should avoid surgery for their infants (as a method to prevent ADHD), if the surgery is needed.
“At the present time, we shouldn’t make any recommendations based on the study, to do or don’t do the surgery. If you need the surgery, if you need the procedure, you certainly should go for it. What I would personally say: If it’s the type of surgery, the type of procedure that can wait, maybe it’s better to wait,” said Dr. Juraj Sprung.
ADHD appears in around 3-5% of children world wide and it is diagnosed in about 2-16% of children over 6 years old. It is a chronic disorder and almost half of those diagnosed in childhood have symptoms into adulthood. Around 4.7 percent of American adults have ADHD, it is estimated. Genetic and environmental factors are implicated in the development of this disorder. ADHD impede attention and focus, and includes restless and impulsive behavior.
Researchers at Newcastle University, UK, say the risk of birth defects quadruples if the pregnant mother has diabetes.
The study, published in the journal Diabetologia, analyzed data from more than 400,000 pregnancies in the north-east of England.
The risk of defects such as congenital heart disease and spina bifida were increased.
UK National Guidelines already recommend having good control over blood sugar levels before trying to conceive.
Both Type 1 diabetes, which tends to appear in childhood, and Type 2 diabetes, largely as a result of diet, lead to problems controlling the amount of sugar in the blood.
Researchers at Newcastle University, UK, say the risk of birth defects quadruples if the pregnant mother has diabetes
Diabetes is known to cause problems in pregnancy, such as birth defects, miscarriage and the baby being overweight due to too much sugar.
There is concern that rising levels of diabetes, particularly Type 2, could make the issue worse.
Researchers analyzed data from 401,149 pregnancies between 1996 and 2008 – 1,677 women had diabetes.
The risk of birth defects went from 19 in every 1,000 births for women without pre-existing diabetes to 72 in every 1,000 births for women with diabetes.
The report suggests that sugar levels in the run-up to conception were the “most important” risk factor which could be controlled.
The lead researcher, Dr. Ruth Bell from Newcastle University said: “Many of these anomalies happen in the first four to six weeks.”
Dr. Ruth Bell said the number of pregnancies with poor sugar control were “more than we would like”.
“It is a problem when the pregnancy is not intended or when people are not aware they need to talk to their doctors before pregnancy,” she said.
Guidelines from the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence say women should reduce their blood sugar levels to below 6.1% before trying to have a baby.
Sugar levels at conception Risk of birth defect
6.1% One in 34
7% One in 26
8% One in 17
9% One in 12
10% One in nine
Dr. Ruth Bell said: “The good news is that, with expert help before and during pregnancy, most women with diabetes will have a healthy baby.
“The risk of problems can be reduced by taking extra care to have the best possible glucose control before becoming pregnant.”
The study was funded by charity Diabetes UK. Its director of research, Dr. Iain Frame, said: “We need to get the message out to women with diabetes that if they are considering becoming pregnant, then they should tell their diabetes healthcare team, who will make sure they are aware of planning and what next steps they should be taking.
“It also highlights the importance of using contraception if you are a woman with diabetes who is sexually active but not planning to become pregnant.”
Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc has resigned today in order to “defuse political and social tension” after more than three weeks of protests against austerity measures.
Speaking after a cabinet meeting, PM Emil Boc said he had given up the government’s mandate as “it is the moment for important political decisions”.
Although Romania’s economy grew last year, the government has been hit by three weeks of demonstrations.
Emil Boc government has imposed a 25% cut in public sector wages and a freeze on pensions.
Sales tax was also increased to 24%, in a country seen as Europe’s second poorest.
Romania needs to implement the measures to qualify for the next installment of 20 billion Euros ($25 billion) bailout loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc has resigned today in order to "defuse political and social tension" after more than three weeks of protests against austerity measures
In a statement, Emil Boc, 45, said that in a time of crisis, his centrist government had not taken part in a popularity contest but had acted to save the country.
“I know that I made difficult decisions, but the fruits have begun to appear,” PM Emil Boc said.
Elections in Romania are scheduled to take place in November and there is speculation that President Traian Basescu may seek to appoint a technocrat-led government until the vote.
Protests broke out last month, initially against the resignation of popular junior health minister Raed Arafat, but soon became an expression of discontent against austerity and corruption.
The left-wing opposition USL alliance, headed by Victor Ponta and Crin Antonescu, leaders of Social Democrat Party and Liberal Party, is currently leading the opinion polls. Victor Ponta suggested last week that Romania should either have early elections similar to Spain, or temporarily install a technocrat administration, like Italy.
