Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Oil spill hits 60th day
Saturday will mark 60 days since the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon and beginning of one of the worst oil spills in history. On Friday, signaling a shift in strategy to fight against the ruptured well in the Gulf, the Coast Guard began ramping up efforts to capture oil closer to shore. Adm. Thad Allen said an estimated 2,000 private boats in the so-called "vessels of opportunity" program will be more closely linked through a tighter command and control structure to direct them to locations less than 50 miles offshore to skim the oil. Allen, the point man for the federal response to the spill, previously had said surface containment efforts would be concentrated much farther offshore. Estimates of the oil being siphoned from the well a mile below the Gulf are growing. Allen said more than 1.2 million gallons was sucked up to containment vessels Thursday.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Autism in a test tube? Research suggests link between IVF treatments and autism
In a recent study, Dr. Ditza Zachor of Tel Aviv University's Sackler School of Medicine reported a strong link between IVF and mild to moderate cases of autism. Her findings were presented last month at the International Meeting for Autism Research in Philadelphia.
According to her research at the Autism Center at the Assaf Harofeh Medical Center in Israel, which Dr. Zachor directs, 10.5% of 461 children diagnosed with a disorder on the autism spectrum were conceived using IVF, a significantly higher number than the 3.5% autism rate in the general Israeli population.
Other factors in play
While the study doesn't draw any definitive conclusions, it presents some urgent questions, says Dr. Zachor. "It's too early to make a serious deduction based on that evidence alone," she says, citing other birth-related factors in her study, such as low birth rate and prematurity. Dr. Zachor's ongoing research will attempt to separate out these risk factors to come up with more precise numbers for autism and other prenatal conditions in IVF.
The key may be "imprinting," a biochemical procedure during cell division which determines which genes will be selected or "expressed" in the embryo. Research into epigenetics -- changes in gene expression that occur without a change in the DNA sequence -- suggest that the malformations may be caused by imprinting abnormalities introduced into the embryo while it's in a test tube environment, says Dr. Zachor. One such disorder linked with IVF appears to be Angelman syndrome.
However, Dr. Zachor does not want to discourage infertile couples from undergoing IVF implantation, which most often results in a healthy child.
Age-appropriate fertility treatments
Dr. Zachor notes that mothers in her study who had IVF tended to be older ― with a median age of 32.6 years. Also significantly, nearly 4% of the children with autism were born prematurely, and about 5% of those had a low birth weight. In the general population, only about 1% of all newborns are delivered with a low birth weight.
Aware of these risks, however, health practitioners may be able to intervene and find ways to avoid the problems, the researcher says. For example, they might recommend that IVF treatments be delayed for a longer period, despite any psychological stress this might cause to would-be parents. Some researchers believe that unassisted fertilization is a better way to avoid negative health effects.
"Many infertile couples choose this procedure, and they need to know whether there is a risk of autism," concludes Dr. Zachor. She stresses, however, that most women who undergo fertility treatments should not be scared away from IVF procedures: the majority of children born using IVF do not have autism, and most children who have autism were not conceived using IVF.
According to her research at the Autism Center at the Assaf Harofeh Medical Center in Israel, which Dr. Zachor directs, 10.5% of 461 children diagnosed with a disorder on the autism spectrum were conceived using IVF, a significantly higher number than the 3.5% autism rate in the general Israeli population.
Other factors in play
While the study doesn't draw any definitive conclusions, it presents some urgent questions, says Dr. Zachor. "It's too early to make a serious deduction based on that evidence alone," she says, citing other birth-related factors in her study, such as low birth rate and prematurity. Dr. Zachor's ongoing research will attempt to separate out these risk factors to come up with more precise numbers for autism and other prenatal conditions in IVF.
The key may be "imprinting," a biochemical procedure during cell division which determines which genes will be selected or "expressed" in the embryo. Research into epigenetics -- changes in gene expression that occur without a change in the DNA sequence -- suggest that the malformations may be caused by imprinting abnormalities introduced into the embryo while it's in a test tube environment, says Dr. Zachor. One such disorder linked with IVF appears to be Angelman syndrome.
However, Dr. Zachor does not want to discourage infertile couples from undergoing IVF implantation, which most often results in a healthy child.
Age-appropriate fertility treatments
Dr. Zachor notes that mothers in her study who had IVF tended to be older ― with a median age of 32.6 years. Also significantly, nearly 4% of the children with autism were born prematurely, and about 5% of those had a low birth weight. In the general population, only about 1% of all newborns are delivered with a low birth weight.
Aware of these risks, however, health practitioners may be able to intervene and find ways to avoid the problems, the researcher says. For example, they might recommend that IVF treatments be delayed for a longer period, despite any psychological stress this might cause to would-be parents. Some researchers believe that unassisted fertilization is a better way to avoid negative health effects.
"Many infertile couples choose this procedure, and they need to know whether there is a risk of autism," concludes Dr. Zachor. She stresses, however, that most women who undergo fertility treatments should not be scared away from IVF procedures: the majority of children born using IVF do not have autism, and most children who have autism were not conceived using IVF.
Monday, July 5, 2010
IVF Babies and Major Birth Defects
Slightly more than 4% of babies born via assisted reproductive technology such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) may have major birth defects, such as heart and urogenital tract malformations, according to a new study.
But U.S. experts are quick to point out that these risks are not much different from what would be expected in the general population. And the risks are much lower than what has been found in some other studies of babies born as a result of fertility treatments. The new research is slated to be presented at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Genetics in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The study looked at the rate of major and minor birth defects among 15,162 births from 33 French fertility clinics. Parents and their pediatricians filled out questionnaires regarding infants’ health status, and this information was compared with data from national registers and other studies. Children in the study were born via IVF, a process in which egg and sperm are fertilized in a petri dish and then implanted in the woman’s uterus, and/or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), which involves injecting a single sperm into an egg. IVF can also be performed with ICSI.
The major birth defects seen in babies born via IVF and/or ICSI included heart defects and malformations of the urogenital tract, such as hypospadias (an abnormality in the position of the opening of the urethra in boys). In the study, 110 children had genetic disorders, including six children with Beckwith-Weidemann syndrome, which is marked by body overgrowth, and may increase risk of certain cancers. Five children also had bilateral retinoblastoma (cancer of the eye’s retina).
Children born via assisted reproductive technology had a five times higher rate for minor birth defects such as angiomas (a benign tumor of small blood vessels causing a red growth on the skin). Angiomas were twice as common in girls as in boys, the study found.
It is not fully understood whether these birth defects or genetic diseases are caused by the infertility treatment itself or the underlying reason for infertility. Follow-up studies are planned, the researchers say.
Major malformations were more common among children born at low birth weights, but not those born prematurely, the study showed. Parental age at conception did not influence the rate of birth defects.
“Fertility doctors must be informed about the increased risks of imprinting disorders and major malformations because if couples raise questions specifically on this topic, they have to answer as precisely as possible,” Geraldine B. Viot, MD, a clinical geneticist at the Maternité Port Royal Hospital, Paris, France, says in an email. Imprinting disorders occur because of a mutation in a gene inherited from either the mother or the father.
“I'm not sure that women and men undergoing [fertility treatment] should be informed systematically about these risks, as couples having children naturally ignore the risk of major malformations,” she says.
What’s more, “our results are not so different from the general population and I consider them rather reassuring as some previously reported studies showed increased risk of major malformations around 9% to 11%,” she says.
Zev Rosenwaks, MD, the director of Perelman/Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York, tells WebMD that more information is needed before any conclusions can be drawn about risks associated with assisted reproductive technology.
The rate of multiple pregnancies is often higher in children born after fertility treatment, he says. “Multiples have higher rates of abnormalities, and this may have affected the findings,” he says.
Counseling about possible risks associated with fertility treatment and informed consent are an important part of the fertility treatment process, he says.
“On our first visit, we review the risks,” he says. “I tell them they have to basically look at what their risk truly is and then determine whether they would choose not to have a baby or choose to have a baby despite a possible increased risk of certain birth defects.”
Not all birth defects are considered serious, he says.
“Angioma is a minor abnormality that can disappear,” he says.
“Even in the worst case scenario, the risk [of birth defects] is low,” says Jamie Grifo, MD, PhD, program director of New York University Fertility Center in New York City. “Your risk may be higher because you are infertile or because you are being treated for infertility, but it is still a low number,” he tells WebMD.
“The risks are about the same that you take getting pregnant at home in bed and no one gives informed consent for that,” he says. “Discuss your concerns with your doctor, but don’t be alarmed. Understand the risks and make decisions based on these risks. There are millions of babies and millions of parents who would not be parents if not for reproductive technology."
But U.S. experts are quick to point out that these risks are not much different from what would be expected in the general population. And the risks are much lower than what has been found in some other studies of babies born as a result of fertility treatments. The new research is slated to be presented at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Genetics in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The study looked at the rate of major and minor birth defects among 15,162 births from 33 French fertility clinics. Parents and their pediatricians filled out questionnaires regarding infants’ health status, and this information was compared with data from national registers and other studies. Children in the study were born via IVF, a process in which egg and sperm are fertilized in a petri dish and then implanted in the woman’s uterus, and/or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), which involves injecting a single sperm into an egg. IVF can also be performed with ICSI.
The major birth defects seen in babies born via IVF and/or ICSI included heart defects and malformations of the urogenital tract, such as hypospadias (an abnormality in the position of the opening of the urethra in boys). In the study, 110 children had genetic disorders, including six children with Beckwith-Weidemann syndrome, which is marked by body overgrowth, and may increase risk of certain cancers. Five children also had bilateral retinoblastoma (cancer of the eye’s retina).
Children born via assisted reproductive technology had a five times higher rate for minor birth defects such as angiomas (a benign tumor of small blood vessels causing a red growth on the skin). Angiomas were twice as common in girls as in boys, the study found.
It is not fully understood whether these birth defects or genetic diseases are caused by the infertility treatment itself or the underlying reason for infertility. Follow-up studies are planned, the researchers say.
Major malformations were more common among children born at low birth weights, but not those born prematurely, the study showed. Parental age at conception did not influence the rate of birth defects.
“Fertility doctors must be informed about the increased risks of imprinting disorders and major malformations because if couples raise questions specifically on this topic, they have to answer as precisely as possible,” Geraldine B. Viot, MD, a clinical geneticist at the Maternité Port Royal Hospital, Paris, France, says in an email. Imprinting disorders occur because of a mutation in a gene inherited from either the mother or the father.
“I'm not sure that women and men undergoing [fertility treatment] should be informed systematically about these risks, as couples having children naturally ignore the risk of major malformations,” she says.
What’s more, “our results are not so different from the general population and I consider them rather reassuring as some previously reported studies showed increased risk of major malformations around 9% to 11%,” she says.
Zev Rosenwaks, MD, the director of Perelman/Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York, tells WebMD that more information is needed before any conclusions can be drawn about risks associated with assisted reproductive technology.
The rate of multiple pregnancies is often higher in children born after fertility treatment, he says. “Multiples have higher rates of abnormalities, and this may have affected the findings,” he says.
Counseling about possible risks associated with fertility treatment and informed consent are an important part of the fertility treatment process, he says.
“On our first visit, we review the risks,” he says. “I tell them they have to basically look at what their risk truly is and then determine whether they would choose not to have a baby or choose to have a baby despite a possible increased risk of certain birth defects.”
Not all birth defects are considered serious, he says.
“Angioma is a minor abnormality that can disappear,” he says.
“Even in the worst case scenario, the risk [of birth defects] is low,” says Jamie Grifo, MD, PhD, program director of New York University Fertility Center in New York City. “Your risk may be higher because you are infertile or because you are being treated for infertility, but it is still a low number,” he tells WebMD.
“The risks are about the same that you take getting pregnant at home in bed and no one gives informed consent for that,” he says. “Discuss your concerns with your doctor, but don’t be alarmed. Understand the risks and make decisions based on these risks. There are millions of babies and millions of parents who would not be parents if not for reproductive technology."
Sunday, July 4, 2010
A brief but complete History of India written by a 10th Grader
Please pay special attention to the spellings and the "derived" nomenclature.
The original inhabitants of ancient India were called Adidases, who lived in two cities called Hariappa and Mujhe-na-Darao. These cities had the best drain system in the world and so there was no brain drain from them.
Ancient India was full of myths which have been handed down from son to father. A myth is a female moth. A collection of myths is called mythology, which means stories with female caricatures. One myth says that people in olden times worshipped monkeys because they were our incestors.
In olden times there were two big families in India . One was called the Pandava and the other was called the Karova. They fought amongst themselves in a battle called Mahabharat, after which India came to be known as Mera Bharat Mahan.
In midevil times India was ruled by the Slave Dienasty. So named because they all died a nasty death. Then came the Tughlaqs who shifted their capital from Delhi because of its pollution. They were followed by the Mowglis.
The greatest Mowgli was Akbar because he extinguished himself on the battlefield of Panipat which is in Hurryana. But his son Jehangir was peace loving; he married one Hindu wife and kept 300 porcupines. Then came Shahajahan who had 14 sons. Family planning had not been invented at that time. He also built the Taj Mahal hotel for his wife who now sleeps there. The king sent all his sons away to distant parts of India because they started quarrelling. Dara Seiko was sent to UP,Shaikh Bhakhtiyar was sent to J & K, while Orangezip came to Bombay to fight Shivaji. However, after that they changed its name to Mumbai because Shivaji's sena did not like it. They also do not like New Delhi , so they are calling it Door Darshan.
After the Mowglis came Vasco the Gama. He was an exploder who was circumcising India with a 100 foot clipper. Then came the British.They brought with them many inventions such as cricket, tramtarts and steamed railways. They were followed by the French who brought in French fries, pizzazz and laundry. But Robert Clive drove them out when he deafened Duplex who was out membered since the British had the queen on their side.
Eventually, the British came to overrule India because there was too much diversity in our unity. The British overruled India for a long period. They were great expotents and impotents. They started expoting salt from India and impoting cloth. This was not liked by Mahatma Gandhi who wanted to produce his own salt. This was called the swedish
moment. During this moment, many people burnt their lion cloths in the street and refused to wear anything else. The British became very angry at this and stopped the production of Indian testiles.
In 1920, Mahatma Gandhi was married to one wife. Soon after he became the father of the nation. In 1942 he started the Quiet India moment, so named because the British were quietly lootaoing our country. In 1947, India became free and its people became freely loving. This increased our population. Its government became a limited mockery,
which means people are allowed to take the law in their own hands with the help of the police. Our constipation is the best in the world because it says that no man can be hanged twice for the same crime. It also says you cannot be put in prison if you have not paid your taxis. Another important thing about our constipation is that it can be
changed. This is not possible with the British constipation because it is not written on paper. The Indian Parlemint consists of two houses which are called lower and higher. This is because one Mr Honest Abe said that two houses divided against itself cannot withstand.
So Pandit Nehru asked the British for freedom at midnight since the British were afraid of the dark. At midnight, on August 15, there was a tryst in Parlemint in which many participated by wearing khaki and hosting the flag.
Recently in India , there have been a large number of scams and a plaque. it can be dangerous because many people died of plaque in Surat . Scams are all over India . One of these was in Bihar where holy cows were not given anything to eat by their elected leader. The other scam was in Bofor which is a small town in Switzerland. In this, a lot of Indian money was given to buy a gun which can shoot a coot.
Presently India has a coalishun government made up of many parties, left, right and centre. It has started to library the economy. This means that there is now no need for a licence as the economy will be driven by itself. India is also trying to become an Asian tiger because its own tigers are being poached. Another important event this
year was the Shark meeting at Malas Dive. At this place, shark leaders agreed to share their poverty, pollution and population.
The original inhabitants of ancient India were called Adidases, who lived in two cities called Hariappa and Mujhe-na-Darao. These cities had the best drain system in the world and so there was no brain drain from them.
Ancient India was full of myths which have been handed down from son to father. A myth is a female moth. A collection of myths is called mythology, which means stories with female caricatures. One myth says that people in olden times worshipped monkeys because they were our incestors.
In olden times there were two big families in India . One was called the Pandava and the other was called the Karova. They fought amongst themselves in a battle called Mahabharat, after which India came to be known as Mera Bharat Mahan.
In midevil times India was ruled by the Slave Dienasty. So named because they all died a nasty death. Then came the Tughlaqs who shifted their capital from Delhi because of its pollution. They were followed by the Mowglis.
The greatest Mowgli was Akbar because he extinguished himself on the battlefield of Panipat which is in Hurryana. But his son Jehangir was peace loving; he married one Hindu wife and kept 300 porcupines. Then came Shahajahan who had 14 sons. Family planning had not been invented at that time. He also built the Taj Mahal hotel for his wife who now sleeps there. The king sent all his sons away to distant parts of India because they started quarrelling. Dara Seiko was sent to UP,Shaikh Bhakhtiyar was sent to J & K, while Orangezip came to Bombay to fight Shivaji. However, after that they changed its name to Mumbai because Shivaji's sena did not like it. They also do not like New Delhi , so they are calling it Door Darshan.
After the Mowglis came Vasco the Gama. He was an exploder who was circumcising India with a 100 foot clipper. Then came the British.They brought with them many inventions such as cricket, tramtarts and steamed railways. They were followed by the French who brought in French fries, pizzazz and laundry. But Robert Clive drove them out when he deafened Duplex who was out membered since the British had the queen on their side.
Eventually, the British came to overrule India because there was too much diversity in our unity. The British overruled India for a long period. They were great expotents and impotents. They started expoting salt from India and impoting cloth. This was not liked by Mahatma Gandhi who wanted to produce his own salt. This was called the swedish
moment. During this moment, many people burnt their lion cloths in the street and refused to wear anything else. The British became very angry at this and stopped the production of Indian testiles.
In 1920, Mahatma Gandhi was married to one wife. Soon after he became the father of the nation. In 1942 he started the Quiet India moment, so named because the British were quietly lootaoing our country. In 1947, India became free and its people became freely loving. This increased our population. Its government became a limited mockery,
which means people are allowed to take the law in their own hands with the help of the police. Our constipation is the best in the world because it says that no man can be hanged twice for the same crime. It also says you cannot be put in prison if you have not paid your taxis. Another important thing about our constipation is that it can be
changed. This is not possible with the British constipation because it is not written on paper. The Indian Parlemint consists of two houses which are called lower and higher. This is because one Mr Honest Abe said that two houses divided against itself cannot withstand.
So Pandit Nehru asked the British for freedom at midnight since the British were afraid of the dark. At midnight, on August 15, there was a tryst in Parlemint in which many participated by wearing khaki and hosting the flag.
Recently in India , there have been a large number of scams and a plaque. it can be dangerous because many people died of plaque in Surat . Scams are all over India . One of these was in Bihar where holy cows were not given anything to eat by their elected leader. The other scam was in Bofor which is a small town in Switzerland. In this, a lot of Indian money was given to buy a gun which can shoot a coot.
Presently India has a coalishun government made up of many parties, left, right and centre. It has started to library the economy. This means that there is now no need for a licence as the economy will be driven by itself. India is also trying to become an Asian tiger because its own tigers are being poached. Another important event this
year was the Shark meeting at Malas Dive. At this place, shark leaders agreed to share their poverty, pollution and population.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Book Report
Students at a local school were assigned to read 2 books, 'Titanic' and 'My Life' by Bill Clinton.One student turned in the following book report, with the proposition that they were nearly identical stories!
His cool professor gave him an A+ for this report.
Titanic:... Cost - $29.99
Clinton:....Cost - $29.99
Titanic:..... Over 3 hours to read
Clinton:..... Over 3 hours to read
Titanic:.....The story of Jack & Rose,their forbidden love, & subsequent catastrophe.
Clinton:.....The story of Bill & Monica,their forbidden love,& subsequent catastrophe.
Titanic:.... Jack is a starving artist.
Clinton:.....Bill is a bullshit artist.
Titanic:.....In one scene, Jack enjoys a good cigar.
Clinton:.....Ditto for Bill.
Titanic:..... During the ordeal, Rose's dress gets ruined.
Clinton:..... Ditto for Monica.
Titanic:..... Jack teaches Rose to spit.
Clinton:..... Let's not go there.
Titanic:..... Rose gets to keep her jewelry.
Clinton:..... Monica's forced to return her gifts.
Titanic:..... Rose remembers Jack for the rest of her life.
Clinton:......Clinton doesn't remember Jack.
Titanic:..... Rose goes down on a vessel full of seamen.
Clinton:......Monica... ooh, let's not go there, either.
Titanic:..... Jack surrenders to an icy death.
Clinton:......Bill goes home to Hillary - basically the same thing.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Sex will not be used to have babies in just 10 years, as couples turn to IVF
Couples will stop having sex to conceive babies within a decade and use IVF instead, scientists said last week.
They say 30-somethings will increasingly rely on artificial methods of fertilization because natural human reproduction is 'fairly inefficient'.
It means that in future, sex will be nothing more than a leisure activity - the latest blow to the Christian idea that the role of sex is to produce children.
If the experts are right, it means the sci-fi world of books such as Brave New World, in which all children are born in 'hatcheries', could soon be closer to reality.
And it raises ethical questions over whether greater use of IVF will lead to eugenics, with couples screening out characteristics they regard as undesirable.
The startling vision of the future comes from John Yovich, a veterinary doctor from Murdoch University in Perth, Australia.
He believes IVF can ease the pressure on couples who have delayed having children to pursue a career, because going for the test-tube option will be more effective than trying for a baby naturally.
Even young adults have no more than a one-in-four chance every month of reproducing through sex. Among the over-35s, this falls to one in ten.
This compares to the near 100 per cent success rate that Dr Yovich believes will be possible with IVF within ten years.
Dr Yovich, co-author of a new report in the journal Reproductive BioMedicine, said: 'Natural human reproduction is at best a fairly inefficient process.
'Within the next five to ten years, couples approaching 40 will assess the IVF industry first when they want to have a baby.' He based his hunch on the fact that in cattle, IVF works almost every time. He said there was no reason that success rate could not be replicated in humans.
His co-author, fellow Australian vet Gabor Vajta, said test-tube embryo production in cattle was 100 times more efficient than natural means. He said there was no reason why IVF in humans should not become 100 times more efficient than sex.
At present, IVF has only a 50 per cent success rate - among the most healthy couples.
Gedis Grudzinskas, a Harley Street infertility specialist, said: 'It wouldn't surprise me if IVF does become significantly more efficient than natural reproduction, but I doubt whether you could ever completely guarantee that it would work.'
In Aldous Huxley's 1932 novel Brave New World, human reproduction has been done away with and is replaced by a hatching process, in which groups of identical children are produced from surgically-removed ovaries and incubated in bottles.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
I won't risk second IVF baby...59 is too old!
The woman about to become the oldest to receive fertility treatment in Britain has backed out - admitting her first IVF baby nearly killed her.Susan Tollefsen, 59, was due to start her course this month at a private London clinic.
But the retired teacher told The Sun: "We've basically decided the risks are too great and I'm too old.
"My advice to older women wanting children is don't risk it."
Two years ago Susan had daughter Freya at age 57.
She had to visit a Russian clinic when refused treatment in the UK because of her age.
A donor egg was fertilized with sperm from husband Nick Mayer, 11 years her junior.
But Susan said: "After I had Freya I had a burst ulcer in my stomach and I nearly died. I don't want to leave behind two young children for my husband to look after on his own.
"He is a bit nervous that we are tempting fate with my age. I should just be happy with the child I've got.
"We've been talking about the pros and cons for months and I'm worried about having another baby at my age."
Government guidelines say the NHS should not recommend IVF to women over 40.
Private clinics generally will not treat women older than 50. But doctors at the London Women's Clinic on Harley Street had unanimously agreed in January to help Susan conceive again.
The consultation was filmed for a BBC documentary.
Susan, who was quoted about £5,000 for the treatment, said at the time: "I don't see any reason why I shouldn't be treated."
But speaking yesterday at home in Laindon, Essex, she said: "We try to make the right decisions in life.
"We want a sibling for Freya for when we are not around but we had to seriously reconsider it.
"The doctors didn't have any problems treating me but I know there are huge risks. I wish I was 35 again but I'm not - and I've got to realize that, however hard it is.
"I had hoped to set a precedent for older women but that's not going to happen."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)