smileband general news

Article was written by Alexandra Robertson,  

A gang of women who killed an Egyptian student in a suspected race attack had abused her in the street months earlier, it has been claimed. The mother of Mariam Moustafa says her daughter had been assaulted by the same thugs four months before but police in Nottingham 'did nothing'.

Mariam, 18, was left in a coma after being jumped by the group of female yobs outside a shopping centre while she waited for a bus on February 20.

The teenager had been shopping in Nottingham city centre before she was repeatedly assaulted by the women in an unprovoked attack on Parliament Street.

The engineering student was rushed to Nottingham City Hospital and placed in an induced coma but died on Wednesday.

Her family believe she was targeted in a racially-motivated attack by a group of women who had previously hurled abuse at her in the street.

According to an Egyptian newspaper, Moustafa's mother Nessrin Shehata posted a video on social media saying: 'Four months ago, two of the same ten women abused my daughter in the street with no specific reason.

'We went to the police station and issued an official complaint; however, nothing happened'.

She added that when the women saw her in the street walking alone, they attacked her once again and dragged her about several feet in the street.

Nessrin told Egypt Today: 'She managed to get up and run towards one of the buses, but they went after her and started to beat her again.

'Just one man tried to defend her, but no one else tried to interfere'.

A 17-year-old girl was arrested on suspicion of assault occasioning grievous bodily harm and was subsequently released on conditional bail.

A Home Office post-mortem examination is due to take place.

Mariam, who was a Central College engineering student in Beeston, is understood to have suffered a bleed on the brain as well as a stroke during the attack.

She was reportedly punched several times before she was further verbally assaulted after getting onto the number 27 bus. <!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->

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smileband general news

Article written by Saqib Shah, 

A SILICON Valley billionaire is paying the ultimate price for the chance of immortality — death.

Well that, and a spare $AU12,686.

Entrepreneur Sam Altman is one of 25 people who have splashed the cash to join a waiting list at Nectome — a start-up that promises to upload your brain into a computer to grant eternal life to your consciousness. The method is “100 per cent fatal”, claims the company.

“The user experience will be identical to physician-assisted suicide,” Nectome’s co-founder Robert McIntyre revealed to the publication.

“Our mission is to preserve your brain well enough to keep all its memories intact: from that great chapter of your favourite book to the feeling of cold winter air, baking an apple pie, or having dinner with your friends and family,” writes Nectome on its site.

“We believe that within the current century it will be feasible to digitise this information and use it to recreate your consciousness.”

The reality, however, is that physician-assisted suicide is currently only legal in five out of 50 US states, and individuals seeking it must have a terminal illness, as well as a prognosis of six months or less to live. <!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->

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smileband health topics

Article written by cheyenne roundtree,  

A Tesco delivery driver has won a legal battle with the supermarket after contracting a potentially fatal disease believed to have been caused by handling items soaked in rat urine. Darren Finn, 42, is lucky to be alive after he was hospitalised with Weil's disease which spread through his body turning his skin 'Homer Simpson yellow' as his kidneys began to fail.

Doctors believe the lorry driver contracted the disease through a minor cut on his eye after handling empty packaging and food waste while carrying out deliveries from the now-closed Harlow, Essex, depot.

The father-of-two was admitted to hospital on November 15, 2012, where doctors treated him for kidney failure, jaundice and loss of liver function while they struggled to establish what had caused his body to go into near-fatal shutdown.

It wasn't until five days later that test results finally pinpointed Weil's disease.

Mr Finn, who now works for logistics company DHL, has received a five figure settlement after Tesco ended a five-year legal battle, prior to trial. Tesco said they take health and safety issues on their sites very seriously.

Mr Finn, a former Tesco employee from Harlow, Essex, said: 'I honestly believe if I hadn't gone to hospital when I did, I wouldn't be here now.

'After two weeks of battling extreme flu-like symptoms my eyes and skin both turned a violent shade of yellow and I could barely walk.

'By the time I arrived in hospital it felt like every part of my body was bruised and my head was going to explode with the pain.

'If I had waited another day to go to hospital the disease would have spread to my heart and lungs. <!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->

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Smileband general news

Article written by Sara Malm,  

These haunting images of a 14-year-old Polish girl who was murdered by Nazis in Auschwitz in 1943, have come to life through the work of a Brazilian artist. Czesława Kwoka was photographed by a fellow prisoner as part of a project by Auschwitz-Birkenau officials to 'document' those taken to the death camp, just moments after being beaten up by a female prison guard.

Now, 75 years later, artist Marina Amaral painstakingly colourised Miss Kwoka's portraits, down to the blood on her busted lip. Miss Kwoka was deported from her home in Zamość, southeastern Poland in December 1942, along with her mother, to make room for a German colony that the Nazis were building.

They were deemed 'political prisoners', and her categorization can be seen on her prisoner's uniform which has a red triangle with a 'P'.

The photographs show her on the verge of tears, her bottom lip sporting a cut.

Shortly before the photos were taken, she had been beaten up by a female prison guard for not understanding orders being barked at her in German. <!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->

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Smileband health topics

Article written by idaz medical, 

Pneumocystis pneumonia is a fungal infection caused by Pneumocystis jirovecii which is one of the most common opportunistic fungal infections. Symptoms can include fever, dry cough, shortness of breath and fatigue. In individuals with HIV or weakened immune systems the infection presents sub-acutely and they will have a low-grade fever. In HIV-unifected patients the symptoms will include a high fever and the infection will develop more quickly.

 

Transmission

Transmission is unknown but there is some evidence to suggest that transmission in humans in airborne.

Incubation period is unknown.

Lab Tests & Specimen Info

Test*	Specimen
Microscopic examination	Sputum, Bronchoalveolar Lavage, Lung Biopsy, Transbronchial Biopsy
PCR	Sputum, Bronchial Washing, Bronchoalveolar Lavage, Body Fluids

 Isolation Precautions

Standard precautions are recommended in healthcare settings. 

Prevention for Patients
Pneumocystis pneumonia is a very rare infection that usually only affects individuals who are immunocomprised. 

For those individuals at high risk, chemoprophylaxis may be recommended. <!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->

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Smileband general news

Article written by Ruth Lythe,  

Large cash payments to tradesmen could be banned in a crackdown on the black economy. Plumbers, builders and even child-minders could be barred from receiving sizable payments to ensure they pay the full tax for the work they carry out.

The proposals, published in the Spring Statement yesterday, are a bid to rake in as much as £3.5billion a year in tax from the UK’s hidden economy. Another suggestion is that receipts could be made compulsory across Britain – forcing workmen to write down any payments received.

But business experts warned that the Government must not launch measures that would see innocent businesses unable to use cash when needed.

Cash-in-hand payments are considered a scourge by tax officials, who believe some workers are flouting the system.

Any income received for work carried out should be taxed at someone’s individual tax rate – even babysitting.

But it is common for many tradesman to accept a cash payment for a certain amount of the work they carry out in exchange for a slightly cheaper deal. This suits the customers, as they get money off, but also the tradesman who can avoid tax.

In 2015, former shadow chancellor Ed Balls came under fire for suggesting people should get a written receipt for all transactions.

The Labour politician said he always asked for a written record because it was the ‘right thing to do’. <!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->

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Smileband health topics

Article written by Holland and Barrett, How to identify and treat Vitamin D deficiency

Why is Vitamin D important for health?

Vitamin D plays a role in a number of fundamental functions in our bodies. These include absorbing calcium, promoting bone health, supporting cell growth, and reducing inflammation. You might know about the link between Vitamin D deficiency and rickets (which is called osteomalacia in adults). Rickets is a condition which affects the bones. It causes them to become soft and weak, often leading to deformities and fractures. In fact, Vitamin D3 was first recognised when scientists were trying to work out why cod liver oil was so effective in treating rickets. But our bones are not the only parts of our bodies that rely on enough Vitamin D.

Lack of Vitamin D has also been linked to muscle weakness, fatigue, and even mental health. Studies have shown that Vitamin D deficiency can contribute to an impaired immune system, making it more difficult to fight infections. Vitamin D receptors in our brains help brain cells receive and understand chemical signals- a lack of Vitamin D is likely to affect the way our brain communicates.

What are the symptoms of vitamin D deficiency?

A healthy diet might not be enough to keep your Vitamin D levels boosted all year round. 90% of the Vitamin D our bodies need comes from getting out in the sunlight and only 10% is from diet choices. Even if you eat fortified foods, you could be at risk of Vitamin D deficiency. If your routine and lifestyle keeps you away from sunlight, look out for these symptoms:

Low mood

The so-called happy hormone (serotonin) falls with lack of sun exposure. If you feel low or irritable, it could be a sign.

Ageing

If you are over 50, you lose some of your natural ability to produce Vitamin D from sun exposure. Your kidneys also become less efficient at converting the vitamin. Stay active and spend plenty of time outside in your 50s, 60s, and beyond.

Body weight

If have recently become overweight or obese, this could be a sign of low Vitamin D. Heavier people will also need more Vitamin D than a lighter person. This is true if you are heavy due to muscle mass. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin.

Digestive problems

Because Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, any gut problem which affects your ability to absorb fat could also impact your Vitamin D levels. Something to be aware of if you have IBD, Crohn’s, celiac, or gluten sensitivity.

Achy bones and joints

Vitamin D deficiency affects bone health, and can result in a throbbing or achy feeling in your bones. This is often most noticeable in the knees and back. People who don’t have enough of this important vitamin can develop rickets. Vitamin D also plays a role in osteoporosis, bone pain, and an increased risk of fractures.

Head sweats

A common sign of Vitamin D deficiency is a sweaty scalp (this is one reason newborn babies are monitored for head sweats). A sweaty scalp could be an early sign of Vitamin D deficiency.

If you think you are at risk, ask your Doctor for a blood test to assess your Vitamin D levels. With your Doctor’s support, start taking a quality Vitamin D3 supplement to meet new Government guidelines.

Are you at risk of Vitamin D deficiency?

Our bodies can only make Vitamin D when our skin is exposed to enough sunlight. So if you don’t get outside much, have dark skin, or like to cover up, you are naturally at risk of Vitamin D deficiency. Are you at risk of low levels of Vitamin D?   

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Smileband health topics

Article written by Great Ormond Street Hospital Myelomeningocele

Myelomeningocele is a type of spina bifida. This is when the neural tube has failed to close and the neural tissue is exposed on the baby’s back. The myelomeningocele will look like a sac sticking out from a baby’s back. 

In early development, the brain and spinal cord start as a tube-like structure called the ‘neural tube’ that is open at either end. These openings close within the first weeks of pregnancy, and the neural tube continues to grow and fold, eventually forming the brain and spinal cord.

If the tube fails to close properly, this results in a group of problems called ‘neural tube defects’. There are two types of neural tube defect: open, also called spina bifida aperta or myelomeningocele, or closed, also called spina bifida occulta.

This information explains about the open myelomeningocele type, which accounts for 75 per cent of all cases of spina bifida.

In myelomeningocele, the neural tube has failed to close and the neural tissue is exposed at a place on the baby’s back called the ‘neural placode’. This most commonly happens in the baby’s lower back just above the bottom, but could occur anywhere along the spine. The myelomeningocele will look like a sac sticking out from the baby’s back. 

How is myelomeningocele treated?

Without the protective covering of skin, the spinal cord will become further damaged, spinal fluid often leaks from the area and there is a very high risk of infection. Surgery is usually recommended within the first few days of life.

The aim of surgery at this stage is to put the spinal cord back into the spinal canal and repair the defect in the back so that the area is covered with normal, healthy skin.

Before surgery, the affected area is covered with a dressing and the baby will be nursed on their front. A number of specialists will visit to examine the baby, including a neurosurgeon, physiotherapist, paediatrician, orthopaedic surgeon and anaesthetist.

After the operation, the infant will be nursed on our neurosurgical ward, still on their front for most of the time, although parents will be able to feed their baby by breast or bottle and pick up the child as normal.

The physiotherapist will see the child after the operation. They will assess how much strength the baby has in each muscle group and measure their sense of feel. When taken together, muscle strength, sensation and reflexes give us a picture of how well the messages are getting from the brain to the arms and legs via the spinal cord.

The physiotherapist will also give advice on how to position and handle the child to stretch out tight muscles and to help with normal development. They may also refer a child to local physiotherapy services who can continue to see the child and monitor their development. They will also monitor the movement in the child’s muscles and joints and may refer them to an orthopaedic doctor at a local hospital.

Once the baby is recovering well, they will be able to go home. We will need them to come back to the ward between 10 and 14 days after the operation, so that we can check the operation site, carry out an ultrasound scan of the baby’s head and measure their head circumference.

Four to six weeks afterwards, they will need to come to clinic for a further check up appointment. <!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->

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Smileband general news

Article written by Dominic king, 

Jamie Carragher has been axed from his Champions League TV pundit role tomorrow night after he was filmed spitting at a 14-year-old girl. The former Liverpool and England star was due to be working for Danish channel TV3 Sport and cover the match between Manchester United and Sevilla.

But they have pulled the 40-year-old from their line-up as Sky Sports bosses hold crunch talks to decide whether he should present Monday Night Football this evening.

Carragher arrived in London this morning as his £1million-a-year pundit jobs hangs in the balance and claims he 'did not see' the schoolgirl before he spat from the window of his Range Rover. She was left in tears after his saliva hit her in the face and said he should have 'taken it as a joke' when her father shouted '2-1, 2-1, unlucky Jamie lad, 2-1 lad' following Liverpool's loss to Manchester United on Saturday.

Carragher, who is worth around £15million, said today: 'I'll speak to the family again. I'm sorry. I'll apologise again today properly.

'I didn't (see the girl), to be honest, she was leant back. I wish she wasn't involved. I hate that she was involved more than anything.'

The unnamed girl told the Mirror: 'I have never been spat at by anyone before. I thought, "Why has he done that". I thought I had done ­something wrong.

'People in school take the mick and it is just a laugh. Someone like him who is older should be able to take a joke.

Her 38-year-old mother was 'extremely angry' and said that what Carragher did was the 'lowest of the low'. <!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->

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Smileband health topics

Article was written by idaz medical, 

Brucellosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria. The main reservoir for Brucella species is animals. The most common species are usually associated with cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, and rarely dogs.

In the acute form of illness (less than 8 weeks from illness onset), nonspecific and "flu-like" symptoms may include:

• fever
• sweats
• malaise
• anorexia
• headache
• myalgia
• back pain

In the undulant form of illness (less than 1 year from illness onset), symptoms may include:

• undulant fevers
• arthritis
• epididymo-orchitis in males

In Arizona the most common risk factor is consumption of unpasteurized milk, milk products or cheese.

Arizona 5 year median: 1 case

Transmission

Contact with tissues, blood, urine, vaginal discharges, aborted fetuses and especially placentas, and by ingestion of raw, unpasteurized milk and dairy products from infected animals.

Airborne infection of animals occurs in pens and stables, and of humans in laboratories and abattoirs.

Brucella is rarely transmitted from person-to-person.

Mothers may transmit the infection to their infants congenitally or through breast-feeding.

Sexual transmission has also been reported.

Although uncommon, transmission may also occur via contaminated tissue transplantation. <!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->

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