JERUSALEM, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Israeli researchers at Tel Aviv University said drinking cow's milk early on can protect a child from milk allergies later in life.
Professor Yitzhak Katz and his team at TAU's Department of Pediatrics at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine checked more than 13, 000 infants. The results showed babies receiving infant formula containing cow's milk during their first 15 days of life seem to be protected from developing Cow's Milk Protein Allergy (CMA) later on.
"And the sooner, the better. If you start drinking cow's milk protein daily immediately after birth, the chances of developing an allergy to it later are close to zero," Katz told Xinhua.
The study focused on the feeding history of 13,019 infants at the Assaf Harofeh Medical Center near Tel Aviv, and was the longest and most extensive of its kind every done.
Infants started on formula with cow's milk protein in the first 15 days of life were almost completely protected from developing CMA than babies fed cow's milk protein after the first two weeks of life.
CMA can lead to rashes, respiratory problems, shock and even death in babies. The boost to the immune system early in life acts as a "vaccination," said the researchers.
The World Health Organization (WHO) currently recommends that a woman switch from breast to bottle at the three-to-five month period -- precisely the worst period to expose a baby to cow's milk, according to Katz's findings.
He suggested waiting until the child is one year old to introduce cow's milk into the diet, if the child had not been fed cows milk within the first two weeks after birth.
"The WHO looks at a lot of factors -- not necessarily allergies; allergies are important but not the only factors out there," Katz said, adding it could be that "they are right -- as far as other benefits go."
Katz suggested a single bottle-feed at night, although he said more conclusive studies are needed to narrow down the exact amounts and feeding schedule.
The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology published the researcher's results in July.
Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/health/2010-08/02/c_13426909.htm
August 2, 2010
Depressed people less likely to recognize disgust
WELLINGTON, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- A new research on New Zealanders showed psychiatric patients with severe depression find it harder to interpret facial expressions than healthy people - particularly expressions of disgust.
The study, to be published in the August issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry, was carried out by New Zealand's Otago University researchers Katie Douglas and Professor Richard Porter.
They showed a total of 96 images of faces to 68 people at Christchurch's Hillmorton Hospital who had been diagnosed with severe depression, and asked them to distinguish five basic emotions: angry, happy, sad, fearful and disgusted expressions.
The depression patients were also shown faces displaying neutral expressions, and their performance was compared with a control group of 50 healthy individuals from Christchurch.
The researchers found that the healthy people were significantly better than those suffering depression at recognizing facial expressions of disgust.
"The specific impairment we found in the ability of people with severe depression to recognize disgusted facial expressions has not been previously reported," said Porter in a media statement.
"Disgust recognition" had been shown to be impaired in patients with Parkinson's disease who were not taking medication, he said. "We know that people with Parkinson's disease don't have enough of a brain chemical called dopamine. It's possible that the ability to recognize disgust is associated with dopamine dysfunction in people with severe depression as well."
Another potential explanation was that people's emotional processing was affected when they were severely depressed.
"Admission to a psychiatric hospital is stressful, and patients are removed from their usual social environment and placed in close proximity with other distressed individuals."
The researchers have called for further research into whether the trait could possibly be used as a marker of treatment outcome for people with major depression with their ability for recognition improving as the depression abated.
The study also found people with depression were more likely than the healthy subjects to interpret neutral faces as sad, and less likely to interpret neutral faces as happy.
Source: http://www.xinhuanet.com/english2010/health/index.htm
The study, to be published in the August issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry, was carried out by New Zealand's Otago University researchers Katie Douglas and Professor Richard Porter.
They showed a total of 96 images of faces to 68 people at Christchurch's Hillmorton Hospital who had been diagnosed with severe depression, and asked them to distinguish five basic emotions: angry, happy, sad, fearful and disgusted expressions.
The depression patients were also shown faces displaying neutral expressions, and their performance was compared with a control group of 50 healthy individuals from Christchurch.
The researchers found that the healthy people were significantly better than those suffering depression at recognizing facial expressions of disgust.
"The specific impairment we found in the ability of people with severe depression to recognize disgusted facial expressions has not been previously reported," said Porter in a media statement.
"Disgust recognition" had been shown to be impaired in patients with Parkinson's disease who were not taking medication, he said. "We know that people with Parkinson's disease don't have enough of a brain chemical called dopamine. It's possible that the ability to recognize disgust is associated with dopamine dysfunction in people with severe depression as well."
Another potential explanation was that people's emotional processing was affected when they were severely depressed.
"Admission to a psychiatric hospital is stressful, and patients are removed from their usual social environment and placed in close proximity with other distressed individuals."
The researchers have called for further research into whether the trait could possibly be used as a marker of treatment outcome for people with major depression with their ability for recognition improving as the depression abated.
The study also found people with depression were more likely than the healthy subjects to interpret neutral faces as sad, and less likely to interpret neutral faces as happy.
Source: http://www.xinhuanet.com/english2010/health/index.htm
Dr Mao Listen Up: Music Affects Longevity
Music has a long history of therapeutic use -- from playing a traditional role in healing rituals around the world to its recent use as an integrative Alzheimer's disease treatment. Find out how music to your ears can add on years.
Music as therapy
For thousands of years, music has been used in medicine. Ancient Greek philosophers believed that music had healing effects on the body and soul. Singing and chanting have been a part of Native American healing ceremonies for millennia. In the Ottoman Empire, mental illnesses were often treated with music. A more formal approach to music therapy began after World War II when the positive effect of music on emotionally disturbed veterans was observed.
To date, there is evidence that music therapy can reduce high blood pressure, depression, and sleeplessness. In Alzheimer's patients, music therapy was shown to significantly reduce anxiety and aggression. While there are no claims that music therapy can directly cure diseases like cancer, medical professionals do believe that music can reduce certain symptoms, help with healing, improve physical movement, and enrich a patient's overall quality of life. Music therapy is often used in combination with meditation and visualizations. (If you are interested in relieving stress and increasing vitality with guided meditations, try Meditations to Live to be 100 and Meditations for Stress Release.)
Live longer with soothing tunes
In the past few decades, research has found that slow, soothing music is generally beneficial to one's health, whereas fast, jarring music is not. Listening to calming music enhances cognitive functions such as memory, concentration, and reasoning skills; even better, it boosts the immune system, lowers blood pressure, relaxes muscle tension, regulates stress hormones, elevates mood, and increases endurance.
Classical music and meditation music were found to have the most benefit on health. On the other hand, irritating sound can cause stress, with all its negative consequences for your health.
The composers that have been suggested to most effectively improve the quality of life are Bach, Mozart and Italian composers, such as Vivaldi and Scarlatti. Not convinced? Consider this: Classical musicians -- orchestra conductors, in particular -- are among the longest-lived professionals.
Play music to boost your brain
When you learn new things, you give your brain a workout; why not learn a new instrument? Studies have found that students who take music lessons have increased IQ levels, even showing improvement in nonmusical abilities. Also, when you play a wind instrument, such as the saxophone, flute, trumpet, trombone, clarinet -- even a pennywhistle, you get the added benefit of improving your lung capacity.
Music is for all ages! There is increasing evidence that regular mental and physical exercise maximizes overall health and functioning in older adults; for aging individuals who are prevented by disability from participating in active physical exercise, music bridges the gap -- providing the significant benefits of both mental and physical stimulation to even frail older adults. Whether enjoying the social experience of singing in a choir or reflecting on a musical recording, music can serve as an effective healing art for older adults.
Healing sounds bring balance
If your home or office is consistently overrun by disturbing sounds, such as traffic and construction, consider counteracting the noise with a subtle sound source. Try an indoor fountain with bubbling water to calm your nerves. Wind chimes made from natural materials, like bamboo or seashells also provide peace. For some, even the sound of a grandfather clock brings serenity. Find your personal tranquilizing sound, and make it the background to your day.
You can also use music to soothe yourself to sleep. Our bodies run on biological rhythms and function best with consistent routines; sleep is no exception, and forming healthy rituals before bedtime can help you fall asleep and sleep more soundly. Playing tranquil music an hour before sleep is just one way to induce an automatic sleep response. Some other helpful techniques include journaling, meditating, and drinking a cup of soothing herbal tea before bed. A specially blended tea for sleep and calm is Emotional tranquility tea.
I hope this article inspires you to get healing benefits from music! I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me.
May you live long, live strong, and live happy!
--Dr. Mao
Source: http://health.yahoo.net/experts/drmao/listen-music-affects-longevity
Music as therapy
For thousands of years, music has been used in medicine. Ancient Greek philosophers believed that music had healing effects on the body and soul. Singing and chanting have been a part of Native American healing ceremonies for millennia. In the Ottoman Empire, mental illnesses were often treated with music. A more formal approach to music therapy began after World War II when the positive effect of music on emotionally disturbed veterans was observed.
To date, there is evidence that music therapy can reduce high blood pressure, depression, and sleeplessness. In Alzheimer's patients, music therapy was shown to significantly reduce anxiety and aggression. While there are no claims that music therapy can directly cure diseases like cancer, medical professionals do believe that music can reduce certain symptoms, help with healing, improve physical movement, and enrich a patient's overall quality of life. Music therapy is often used in combination with meditation and visualizations. (If you are interested in relieving stress and increasing vitality with guided meditations, try Meditations to Live to be 100 and Meditations for Stress Release.)
Live longer with soothing tunes
In the past few decades, research has found that slow, soothing music is generally beneficial to one's health, whereas fast, jarring music is not. Listening to calming music enhances cognitive functions such as memory, concentration, and reasoning skills; even better, it boosts the immune system, lowers blood pressure, relaxes muscle tension, regulates stress hormones, elevates mood, and increases endurance.
Classical music and meditation music were found to have the most benefit on health. On the other hand, irritating sound can cause stress, with all its negative consequences for your health.
The composers that have been suggested to most effectively improve the quality of life are Bach, Mozart and Italian composers, such as Vivaldi and Scarlatti. Not convinced? Consider this: Classical musicians -- orchestra conductors, in particular -- are among the longest-lived professionals.
Play music to boost your brain
When you learn new things, you give your brain a workout; why not learn a new instrument? Studies have found that students who take music lessons have increased IQ levels, even showing improvement in nonmusical abilities. Also, when you play a wind instrument, such as the saxophone, flute, trumpet, trombone, clarinet -- even a pennywhistle, you get the added benefit of improving your lung capacity.
Music is for all ages! There is increasing evidence that regular mental and physical exercise maximizes overall health and functioning in older adults; for aging individuals who are prevented by disability from participating in active physical exercise, music bridges the gap -- providing the significant benefits of both mental and physical stimulation to even frail older adults. Whether enjoying the social experience of singing in a choir or reflecting on a musical recording, music can serve as an effective healing art for older adults.
Healing sounds bring balance
If your home or office is consistently overrun by disturbing sounds, such as traffic and construction, consider counteracting the noise with a subtle sound source. Try an indoor fountain with bubbling water to calm your nerves. Wind chimes made from natural materials, like bamboo or seashells also provide peace. For some, even the sound of a grandfather clock brings serenity. Find your personal tranquilizing sound, and make it the background to your day.
You can also use music to soothe yourself to sleep. Our bodies run on biological rhythms and function best with consistent routines; sleep is no exception, and forming healthy rituals before bedtime can help you fall asleep and sleep more soundly. Playing tranquil music an hour before sleep is just one way to induce an automatic sleep response. Some other helpful techniques include journaling, meditating, and drinking a cup of soothing herbal tea before bed. A specially blended tea for sleep and calm is Emotional tranquility tea.
I hope this article inspires you to get healing benefits from music! I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me.
May you live long, live strong, and live happy!
--Dr. Mao
Source: http://health.yahoo.net/experts/drmao/listen-music-affects-longevity
Maluku community serves record number of fish dishes
Ambon, Maluku (ANTARA News) - Maluku province broke a world record by serving 2,010 fish dishes from 30 kinds of fish at the same time here on Sunday.
The world record was broken at a National Makan Patita communal food feast with 2,010 different fish recipes from 30 kinds of fish caught from Maluku waters.
"The National Makan Patita feast with 2,010 fish recipes, organized by the Ambon City Family Welfare Movement in coordination with its district chapters has broken not only the national record but also the world`s," Paulus Pangka of the Indonesian Museum of Records (MURI) said here on Monday.
Paulus said Maluku broke the record of 4433 by serving 2,010 kinds of fish dishes which also met MURI`s halal criteria.
The food festival was held as part of the public`s contribution to the ongoing international marine event of Sail Banda 2010 whose peak event would fall on Tuesday, August 3, and be attended by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to declare Maluku as a national fish barn.
With every district in the province represented by a stand to present its unique fish dishes, the Makan Patita food festival spanned from the state treasury building to Trikora Monument on Diponegoro street.
"Previously we also grilled fishes that formed a 5.3 km long line, or the longest record with only one kind of fish, but this time we serve 2,010 recipes from 30 kinds of fish," Paulus said.
Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for People`s Welfare Agung Laksono on the occasion said Maluku had a wide sea territory and was rich in marine resources.
"In this development era, the community`s diet will improve and vary, and therefore Maluku has been able to create various fish dishes in such a fish food festival like this," Laksono said.(*)
Source: http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/1280757964/maluku-community-serves-record-number-of-fish-dishes
The world record was broken at a National Makan Patita communal food feast with 2,010 different fish recipes from 30 kinds of fish caught from Maluku waters.
"The National Makan Patita feast with 2,010 fish recipes, organized by the Ambon City Family Welfare Movement in coordination with its district chapters has broken not only the national record but also the world`s," Paulus Pangka of the Indonesian Museum of Records (MURI) said here on Monday.
Paulus said Maluku broke the record of 4433 by serving 2,010 kinds of fish dishes which also met MURI`s halal criteria.
The food festival was held as part of the public`s contribution to the ongoing international marine event of Sail Banda 2010 whose peak event would fall on Tuesday, August 3, and be attended by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to declare Maluku as a national fish barn.
With every district in the province represented by a stand to present its unique fish dishes, the Makan Patita food festival spanned from the state treasury building to Trikora Monument on Diponegoro street.
"Previously we also grilled fishes that formed a 5.3 km long line, or the longest record with only one kind of fish, but this time we serve 2,010 recipes from 30 kinds of fish," Paulus said.
Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for People`s Welfare Agung Laksono on the occasion said Maluku had a wide sea territory and was rich in marine resources.
"In this development era, the community`s diet will improve and vary, and therefore Maluku has been able to create various fish dishes in such a fish food festival like this," Laksono said.(*)
Source: http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/1280757964/maluku-community-serves-record-number-of-fish-dishes
Long, winding road ahead for RI`s nuclear energy ambition
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian government has been mulling construction of a nuclear power plant since the 1980s prompted by predictions of the increasing unsustainability of the existing and mainly oil- and coal-fired national power generation system.
"Law No. 17/2007 mandates the use of nuclear energy in Indonesia by 2015-2019, so we should have a nuclear power plant by 2019 at the latest," Dr Taswanda Taryo, deputy head for research and development result empowerment of the National Nuclear Energy Agency (BATAN), said in Surabaya (East Java) recently.
In pursuance of the law, BATAN had formed a BATAN Incorporated involving stakeholders such as BATAN, the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, the Research and Technology Ministry, LIPI (Indonesian Institute of Sciences), state Power Utility (PLN), the Environmental Affairs Ministry, and the Industry Ministry.
They would decide the technicalities such as the industry owner, technology, location, and licensing, he said.
The ownership question would be decided in 2011, but the status of the ownership had yet to be determined , the alternatives being state-owned company or entirely private.
"For sure, we have researched the question of location since the 1980s. The conclusion was that it should be located on Java`s northern coast to avoid the effect of Earth plate collisions," he said.
BATAN had surveyed 70 locations, and then decided to consider 14 locations of which only four were ultimately shortlisted, including Ujung Bumi (Jepara), Banten, and Bangka Belitung.
Thanks to Indonesia`s preparations including surveys and researches, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) considers Indonesia ready to develop nuclear energy, according to a BATAN official.
"The (IAEA) statement was issued last November 2009," said Dr Taswanda Taryo, on July 28, 2010.
Dr. Taryo gave the information when speaking in a seminar on "Technology and Safety of Nuclear Power Project". Other speakers included Prof. Mukhtasor PhD from the National Energy Council (DEN) and Ian Love from the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL).
The IAEA`s appraisal covered four readiness aspects, namely human resources, stakeholders, industry and regulations, he said.
Following the appraisal, Indonesia should enter the next concrete phase, namely the nuclear power project itself, he said.
Prof Mukhtasor PhD, a member of the National Energy Council (DEN), said his agency has hold dialogs with those who are for or against the planned nuclear power project.
Those who are against it, always ask about the safety, he said, adding that he has explained that the nuclear technology is now very different from those used in Chernobyl.
Indonesia will no longer have coal deposits by 2020, while the increasing number of the country`s population will need all kinds of energy from marine, solar, geothermal to nuclear, according to the professor.
However, a senior official concerned with the nuclear power plant project was rather pessimistic.
Hudi Hastowo, the head of the National Nuclear Power Agency (BATAN), said the government`s target of completing a nuclear power plant by 2016 would be missed because of opposition from the population of its projected location in Central Java.
Due to the objections of the people of Jepara district on Muria Peninsula, Central Java, another location for the project and more time for its implementation were now needed, he said early July.
"It will take two to three years to find another suitable location. So the execution of the plan will undergo a delay, we cannot yet have a nuclear power plant by 2016," he said.
BATAN was therefore now looking out for possible alternative locations for the project, Hadi said.
He said a number of provincial administrations in the country had actually requested the building of a nuclear plant in their respective jurisdictions but whether they really had a location suitable or safe enough for such a plant was still being determined by meticulous and painstaking studies.
Among the provincial administrations concerned were those of Bangka Belitung, Banten, Gorontalo, West, South and East Kalimantan.
One province where soil conditions had already been found to be more favorable than in Central Java`s Jepara district was Bangka Belitung.
"From the geoseismic point of view, Bangka Belitung`s soil is better than Jepara`s because it has a granite base that gives the soil a more stable structure and this would mean building the plant in Bangka Belitung would be less costly," he said.
To be feasible, Indonesia`s first nuclear plant would have to lie close to the most populous part of the country which was Java and Bali islands. Bagka Belitung was located off Sumatra`s east coast but it was not a problem as the Java-Bali power grid would in the near future be linked up with the power transmission network in Sumatra so that power produced by the nuclear plant could also be distributed in Java and Bali.
Kalimantan was not likely to be a suitable location because it was too distant from Java and Bali, and there were no plans to connect power transmission networks there with those in Java, he said.
Gorontalo province on the island of Sulawesi had proposed the building of a floating nuclear power plant but this was not possible, the Batan chief said.
Last June, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the government still had no plan at least in the next five years to develop nuclear energy as an alternative to fossil fuel to generate electricity.
"Under the government`s basic energy policy, we are striving for mixed energy, namely the combination of fossil fuel and renewable energy, such as geothermal, wind, and solar energy," he said at a meeting with journalists at the Cipanas presidential palace in West Java.
The head of state said the government was still undecided about developing nuclear in five years` time.
"The problem is that developing nuclear energy needs thorough considerations and proper locations. Therefore, on one hand I say nuclear power plants are neither banned nor tabooed but on the other hand we still have to resolve a lot of problems," he said.
After all, he said nuclear power plants might be developed in the country in the future.
"This year the government has no definitive plan to build (a nuclear power plant) in a certain place. Yet if the community can accept it any time in the future the government at that time can make preparations for its development," he said.
The House of Representatives (DPR) has given the green light to the government`s intention to go ahead with its plan to build nuclear power plants (PLTNs).
Looking ahead, Indonesia could no longer rely on unrenewable energy sources such as gas and coal to generate electricity, chairman of the House Commission overseeing energy, technology and the environment Teuku Riefky Harsya said in a press statement last March.
"About safety, I believe that nuclear power plants will not leak if managed properly," he said commenting on the results of the House Commission`s visit to BATAN in Serpong, south of Jakarta.
Japan has offered Indonesia cooperation in the energy sector including developing coal, geothermal and nuclear power plants.
The offer was made through Masaharu Nakagawa, Japanese senior deputy minister for education, culture, sports, science and technology, at his meeting with the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) Chief Marzan Aziz early this year.
With regard to the cooperation of developing nuclear power plant, he said it was challenging because lots of Indonesians had yet to accept the presence of nuclear power plants in the country.
In dealing with this matter, Nakagawa said the public awareness campaigns were important to make more people have comprehensive understanding about the benefits of nuclear power plants.
What Japan had so far planned was setting up a training center for the Indonesian nuclear researchers, he said adding that the nuclear power plants would someday be publicly accepted.
In Japan, the nuclear power plants could have been accepted for long time though the country was, like Indonesia, also vulnerable to tsunamis and earthquakes, he said.
Indonesia had uranium reserves in Kalimantan capable of producing 1,000 megawatts of electricity for 150 years.
The country has ratified all the international conventions needed to ensure the safety of nuclear power plants.
Source: http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/1280758986/long-winding-road-ahead-for-ris-nuclear-energy-ambition
"Law No. 17/2007 mandates the use of nuclear energy in Indonesia by 2015-2019, so we should have a nuclear power plant by 2019 at the latest," Dr Taswanda Taryo, deputy head for research and development result empowerment of the National Nuclear Energy Agency (BATAN), said in Surabaya (East Java) recently.
In pursuance of the law, BATAN had formed a BATAN Incorporated involving stakeholders such as BATAN, the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, the Research and Technology Ministry, LIPI (Indonesian Institute of Sciences), state Power Utility (PLN), the Environmental Affairs Ministry, and the Industry Ministry.
They would decide the technicalities such as the industry owner, technology, location, and licensing, he said.
The ownership question would be decided in 2011, but the status of the ownership had yet to be determined , the alternatives being state-owned company or entirely private.
"For sure, we have researched the question of location since the 1980s. The conclusion was that it should be located on Java`s northern coast to avoid the effect of Earth plate collisions," he said.
BATAN had surveyed 70 locations, and then decided to consider 14 locations of which only four were ultimately shortlisted, including Ujung Bumi (Jepara), Banten, and Bangka Belitung.
Thanks to Indonesia`s preparations including surveys and researches, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) considers Indonesia ready to develop nuclear energy, according to a BATAN official.
"The (IAEA) statement was issued last November 2009," said Dr Taswanda Taryo, on July 28, 2010.
Dr. Taryo gave the information when speaking in a seminar on "Technology and Safety of Nuclear Power Project". Other speakers included Prof. Mukhtasor PhD from the National Energy Council (DEN) and Ian Love from the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL).
The IAEA`s appraisal covered four readiness aspects, namely human resources, stakeholders, industry and regulations, he said.
Following the appraisal, Indonesia should enter the next concrete phase, namely the nuclear power project itself, he said.
Prof Mukhtasor PhD, a member of the National Energy Council (DEN), said his agency has hold dialogs with those who are for or against the planned nuclear power project.
Those who are against it, always ask about the safety, he said, adding that he has explained that the nuclear technology is now very different from those used in Chernobyl.
Indonesia will no longer have coal deposits by 2020, while the increasing number of the country`s population will need all kinds of energy from marine, solar, geothermal to nuclear, according to the professor.
However, a senior official concerned with the nuclear power plant project was rather pessimistic.
Hudi Hastowo, the head of the National Nuclear Power Agency (BATAN), said the government`s target of completing a nuclear power plant by 2016 would be missed because of opposition from the population of its projected location in Central Java.
Due to the objections of the people of Jepara district on Muria Peninsula, Central Java, another location for the project and more time for its implementation were now needed, he said early July.
"It will take two to three years to find another suitable location. So the execution of the plan will undergo a delay, we cannot yet have a nuclear power plant by 2016," he said.
BATAN was therefore now looking out for possible alternative locations for the project, Hadi said.
He said a number of provincial administrations in the country had actually requested the building of a nuclear plant in their respective jurisdictions but whether they really had a location suitable or safe enough for such a plant was still being determined by meticulous and painstaking studies.
Among the provincial administrations concerned were those of Bangka Belitung, Banten, Gorontalo, West, South and East Kalimantan.
One province where soil conditions had already been found to be more favorable than in Central Java`s Jepara district was Bangka Belitung.
"From the geoseismic point of view, Bangka Belitung`s soil is better than Jepara`s because it has a granite base that gives the soil a more stable structure and this would mean building the plant in Bangka Belitung would be less costly," he said.
To be feasible, Indonesia`s first nuclear plant would have to lie close to the most populous part of the country which was Java and Bali islands. Bagka Belitung was located off Sumatra`s east coast but it was not a problem as the Java-Bali power grid would in the near future be linked up with the power transmission network in Sumatra so that power produced by the nuclear plant could also be distributed in Java and Bali.
Kalimantan was not likely to be a suitable location because it was too distant from Java and Bali, and there were no plans to connect power transmission networks there with those in Java, he said.
Gorontalo province on the island of Sulawesi had proposed the building of a floating nuclear power plant but this was not possible, the Batan chief said.
Last June, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the government still had no plan at least in the next five years to develop nuclear energy as an alternative to fossil fuel to generate electricity.
"Under the government`s basic energy policy, we are striving for mixed energy, namely the combination of fossil fuel and renewable energy, such as geothermal, wind, and solar energy," he said at a meeting with journalists at the Cipanas presidential palace in West Java.
The head of state said the government was still undecided about developing nuclear in five years` time.
"The problem is that developing nuclear energy needs thorough considerations and proper locations. Therefore, on one hand I say nuclear power plants are neither banned nor tabooed but on the other hand we still have to resolve a lot of problems," he said.
After all, he said nuclear power plants might be developed in the country in the future.
"This year the government has no definitive plan to build (a nuclear power plant) in a certain place. Yet if the community can accept it any time in the future the government at that time can make preparations for its development," he said.
The House of Representatives (DPR) has given the green light to the government`s intention to go ahead with its plan to build nuclear power plants (PLTNs).
Looking ahead, Indonesia could no longer rely on unrenewable energy sources such as gas and coal to generate electricity, chairman of the House Commission overseeing energy, technology and the environment Teuku Riefky Harsya said in a press statement last March.
"About safety, I believe that nuclear power plants will not leak if managed properly," he said commenting on the results of the House Commission`s visit to BATAN in Serpong, south of Jakarta.
Japan has offered Indonesia cooperation in the energy sector including developing coal, geothermal and nuclear power plants.
The offer was made through Masaharu Nakagawa, Japanese senior deputy minister for education, culture, sports, science and technology, at his meeting with the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) Chief Marzan Aziz early this year.
With regard to the cooperation of developing nuclear power plant, he said it was challenging because lots of Indonesians had yet to accept the presence of nuclear power plants in the country.
In dealing with this matter, Nakagawa said the public awareness campaigns were important to make more people have comprehensive understanding about the benefits of nuclear power plants.
What Japan had so far planned was setting up a training center for the Indonesian nuclear researchers, he said adding that the nuclear power plants would someday be publicly accepted.
In Japan, the nuclear power plants could have been accepted for long time though the country was, like Indonesia, also vulnerable to tsunamis and earthquakes, he said.
Indonesia had uranium reserves in Kalimantan capable of producing 1,000 megawatts of electricity for 150 years.
The country has ratified all the international conventions needed to ensure the safety of nuclear power plants.
Source: http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/1280758986/long-winding-road-ahead-for-ris-nuclear-energy-ambition
Kalimantan predicted to have 50 thousand Orangutans: WWF
Palangkaraya (ANTARA News) - The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Indonesia for Central Kalimantan has predicted that there were about 50 thousand orangutans in Kalimantan.
WWF Coordinator for Central Kalimantan Adventus Panda said on Sunday that the population of orangutans in Kalimantan scattered in Kalimantan provinces but about 7,000-9,000 of them were found in the Sebangau National Park in Central Kalimantan.
He said that the number of orangutan in the Sebangau park was estimated based on a survey conducted sometime ago. The survey took notes on the number of homes of orangutans on the trees in the park.
Panda said that the population of orangutans in Sebangau park also under a threat due to illegal logging that caused disturbance to their habitat.
Besides that, forest fires that had continued to take place in the last several years also posed a serious threat to the existence of orangutans in Central Kalimantan.
He said that among the regions where of orangutan`s population was found in Kalimantan included the northern part up to the Malaysian state of Sabah borders and the Central Kalimantan region to the western borders with the Malaysian state of Serawak.
Earlier, Head of the Nature Conservation and Preservation Agency (BKSDA) for Central Kalimantan, Mega Haryanto said that the BKSDA had released 1,000 orangutans from the rehabilitation center to their free wild habitat.
Most of the orangutans which were released had undergone rehabilitation in the Reintroduction Nyaru Menteng project and the Tanjung Puting National Park (TNTP).
The orangutans were taken from the catches of local community and companies. They were released after undergoing rehabilitation in the two locations in Central Kalimantan. (*)
Source: http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/1280040165/kalimantan-predicted-to-have-50-thousand-orangutans-wwf
WWF Coordinator for Central Kalimantan Adventus Panda said on Sunday that the population of orangutans in Kalimantan scattered in Kalimantan provinces but about 7,000-9,000 of them were found in the Sebangau National Park in Central Kalimantan.
He said that the number of orangutan in the Sebangau park was estimated based on a survey conducted sometime ago. The survey took notes on the number of homes of orangutans on the trees in the park.
Panda said that the population of orangutans in Sebangau park also under a threat due to illegal logging that caused disturbance to their habitat.
Besides that, forest fires that had continued to take place in the last several years also posed a serious threat to the existence of orangutans in Central Kalimantan.
He said that among the regions where of orangutan`s population was found in Kalimantan included the northern part up to the Malaysian state of Sabah borders and the Central Kalimantan region to the western borders with the Malaysian state of Serawak.
Earlier, Head of the Nature Conservation and Preservation Agency (BKSDA) for Central Kalimantan, Mega Haryanto said that the BKSDA had released 1,000 orangutans from the rehabilitation center to their free wild habitat.
Most of the orangutans which were released had undergone rehabilitation in the Reintroduction Nyaru Menteng project and the Tanjung Puting National Park (TNTP).
The orangutans were taken from the catches of local community and companies. They were released after undergoing rehabilitation in the two locations in Central Kalimantan. (*)
Source: http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/1280040165/kalimantan-predicted-to-have-50-thousand-orangutans-wwf
Study: Climate change 'undeniable'
(FT) -- International scientists have injected fresh evidence into the debate over global warming, saying that climate change is "undeniable" and shows clear signs of "human fingerprints" in the first major piece of research since the "Climategate" controversy.
The research, headed by the US National Oceans and Atmospheric Administration, is based on new data not available for the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report of 2007, the target of attacks by skeptics in recent years.
The NOAA study drew on up to 11 different indicators of climate, and found that each one pointed to a world that was warming owing to the influence of greenhouse gases, said Peter Stott, head of climate monitoring at the UK's Met Office, one of the agencies participating.
Seven indicators were rising, he said. These were: air temperature over land, sea-surface temperature, marine air temperature, sea level, ocean heat, humidity, and tropospheric temperature in the "active-weather" layer of the atmosphere closest to the earth's surface. Four indicators were declining: Arctic sea ice, glaciers, spring snow cover in the northern hemisphere, and stratospheric temperatures.
Mr Stott said: "The whole of the climate system is acting in a way consistent with the effects of greenhouse gases." "The fingerprints are clear," he said. "The glaringly obvious explanation for this is warming from greenhouse gases."
Some scientists hailed the study as a refutation of the claims made by climate skeptics during the "Climategate" saga. Those scandals involved accusations -- some since proven correct -- of flaws in the IPCC's landmark 2007 report, and the release of hundreds of emails from climate scientists that appeared to show them distorting certain data.
"This confirms that while all of this [Climategate] was going on, the earth was continuing to warm. It shows that Climategate was a distraction, because it took the focus off what the science actually says," said Bob Ward, policy director of the Grantham Institute at the London School of Economics.
But the report nonetheless remained the target of scorn for skeptics.
Myron Ebell, of the Competitive Enterprise Institute in the US, said the new report would not change people's minds. "It's clear that the scientific case for global warming alarmism is weak. The scientific case for [many of the claims] is unsound and we are finding out all the time how unsound it is."
Pat Michaels, a prominent climate skeptic, ex-professor of environmental sciences and fellow of the Cato Institute in the US, said the NOAA study and other evidence suggested that the computerized climate models had overestimated the sensitivity of the earth's temperature to carbon dioxide. This would mean that the earth could warm a little under the influence of greenhouse gases, but not by as much as the IPCC and others have predicted.
"I think it is the lack of frankness about this that emerged with Climategate, and that seems to continue [that make people doubt the findings]," he said.
Steve Goddard, a blogger, said the conclusion that the first half of 2010 showed a record high temperature was "based on incorrect, fabricated data" because the researchers involved did not have access to much information on Arctic temperatures.
David Herro, the financier, who follows climate science as a hobby, said NOAA also "lacks credibility".
But Jane Lubchenco, the administrator of NOAA, said the study found that the average temperature in the world had increased by 0.56° C (1° F) over the past 50 years. The rise "may seem small, but it has already altered our planet ... Glaciers and sea ice are melting, heavy rainfall is intensifying, and heat waves are more common."
Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/07/29/climate.change.noaa.ft/index.html#fbid=tVioA7BQ_k6
The research, headed by the US National Oceans and Atmospheric Administration, is based on new data not available for the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report of 2007, the target of attacks by skeptics in recent years.
The NOAA study drew on up to 11 different indicators of climate, and found that each one pointed to a world that was warming owing to the influence of greenhouse gases, said Peter Stott, head of climate monitoring at the UK's Met Office, one of the agencies participating.
Seven indicators were rising, he said. These were: air temperature over land, sea-surface temperature, marine air temperature, sea level, ocean heat, humidity, and tropospheric temperature in the "active-weather" layer of the atmosphere closest to the earth's surface. Four indicators were declining: Arctic sea ice, glaciers, spring snow cover in the northern hemisphere, and stratospheric temperatures.
Mr Stott said: "The whole of the climate system is acting in a way consistent with the effects of greenhouse gases." "The fingerprints are clear," he said. "The glaringly obvious explanation for this is warming from greenhouse gases."
Some scientists hailed the study as a refutation of the claims made by climate skeptics during the "Climategate" saga. Those scandals involved accusations -- some since proven correct -- of flaws in the IPCC's landmark 2007 report, and the release of hundreds of emails from climate scientists that appeared to show them distorting certain data.
"This confirms that while all of this [Climategate] was going on, the earth was continuing to warm. It shows that Climategate was a distraction, because it took the focus off what the science actually says," said Bob Ward, policy director of the Grantham Institute at the London School of Economics.
But the report nonetheless remained the target of scorn for skeptics.
Myron Ebell, of the Competitive Enterprise Institute in the US, said the new report would not change people's minds. "It's clear that the scientific case for global warming alarmism is weak. The scientific case for [many of the claims] is unsound and we are finding out all the time how unsound it is."
Pat Michaels, a prominent climate skeptic, ex-professor of environmental sciences and fellow of the Cato Institute in the US, said the NOAA study and other evidence suggested that the computerized climate models had overestimated the sensitivity of the earth's temperature to carbon dioxide. This would mean that the earth could warm a little under the influence of greenhouse gases, but not by as much as the IPCC and others have predicted.
"I think it is the lack of frankness about this that emerged with Climategate, and that seems to continue [that make people doubt the findings]," he said.
Steve Goddard, a blogger, said the conclusion that the first half of 2010 showed a record high temperature was "based on incorrect, fabricated data" because the researchers involved did not have access to much information on Arctic temperatures.
David Herro, the financier, who follows climate science as a hobby, said NOAA also "lacks credibility".
But Jane Lubchenco, the administrator of NOAA, said the study found that the average temperature in the world had increased by 0.56° C (1° F) over the past 50 years. The rise "may seem small, but it has already altered our planet ... Glaciers and sea ice are melting, heavy rainfall is intensifying, and heat waves are more common."
Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/07/29/climate.change.noaa.ft/index.html#fbid=tVioA7BQ_k6
Sumatran tigers` population to increase in 2014
Bengkulu (ANTARA News) - The population of the Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris Sumatrae) is expected to increase by 20 percent by 2014, the Bengkulu Natural Resources Conservation Board (BKSDA) Chief Andi Basrul said here Sunday.
The number of the tiger species is only 50-70 left in Bengkulu, while actually they totalled 400 tigers in the different parts of Sumatra, according to BKSDA.
"The population of the Sumatran tiger is currently estimated at 400 in the forests of Aceh to Lampung," he said.
According to the International Tiger Summit Partners Dialogue and Meeting held in Bali recently by nine tiger countries, the number of tigers had been increasing, he said.
The meeting discussed the conservation of the remaining natural tiger population like the Sumatran tiger, along with eight other countries, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam, he said.
He said that the tiger declining population is caused by hunting them.
BKSDA data show that 40 percent of the 900 thousand hectares of Bengkulu Province`s forests had been seriously damaged.
Besides threatened by illegal hunting, the tigers are also threatened by conflict with humans in the woods.
Conflicts between humans and tigers are common in the Seluma and Kaur districts, as people`s houses and plantations are located within the habitat of the tigers.
As a result, it is common for the tigers to enter houses, as in Mekar Jaya hamlet, Seluma district, tigers often entered the homes of the residents, after their livestock.(*)
Source: http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/1280671730/sumatran-tigers-population-to-increase-in-2014
The number of the tiger species is only 50-70 left in Bengkulu, while actually they totalled 400 tigers in the different parts of Sumatra, according to BKSDA.
"The population of the Sumatran tiger is currently estimated at 400 in the forests of Aceh to Lampung," he said.
According to the International Tiger Summit Partners Dialogue and Meeting held in Bali recently by nine tiger countries, the number of tigers had been increasing, he said.
The meeting discussed the conservation of the remaining natural tiger population like the Sumatran tiger, along with eight other countries, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam, he said.
He said that the tiger declining population is caused by hunting them.
BKSDA data show that 40 percent of the 900 thousand hectares of Bengkulu Province`s forests had been seriously damaged.
Besides threatened by illegal hunting, the tigers are also threatened by conflict with humans in the woods.
Conflicts between humans and tigers are common in the Seluma and Kaur districts, as people`s houses and plantations are located within the habitat of the tigers.
As a result, it is common for the tigers to enter houses, as in Mekar Jaya hamlet, Seluma district, tigers often entered the homes of the residents, after their livestock.(*)
Source: http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/1280671730/sumatran-tigers-population-to-increase-in-2014
A blueprint for blue planet protection
London, England (CNN) -- The oceans have become so depleted by over-fishing, pollution and climate change that they can only be saved by a large global network of reserves, according to a growing consensus among marine scientists.
Campaigners say that sea life -- particularly at the top of the food chain -- is suffering to such an extent that there will eventually be no fish left if action drastic action is not taken to protect the oceans.
More than 70 percent of the world is covered by oceans. There are currently more than 4,000 marine protected areas covering just over 1 percent of the oceans, but the vast majority of reserves have only limited protection.
According to Professor Callum Roberts, of the University of York, one of the leading campaigners and author of The Unnatural History of the Sea, only about 0.1 percent of the sea is completely protected from all exploitation. This should be between 25 and 45 percent to give marine species the best chance of recovery, he said.
The Global Ocean Legacy, a project of the Pew Environment Group, issued a statement to mark World Oceans Day in June signed by 257 marine scientists in 37 countries calling for a large network of highly protected no-take reserves.
Prof Roberts told CNN: "There's strong and ample evidence that the oceans' eco systems are in trouble and need protection.
"Fishing now reaches every corner of the world's oceans, so the only refuges are those we have chosen to create.
"In the future climate change is going to loom ever more heavily as a factor in damaging marine life. The only way the oceans can remain resilient to climate change is by establishing more protection."
According to Greenpeace, 90 percent of the large predator fish stocks are gone or in trouble and 90 percent of exploited fish stocks in the European Union are in trouble.
David Ritter, head of biodiversity at Greenpeace UK, told CNN: "There's no doubt that the oceans are in crisis.
"All over the world, we are seeing a systematic degradation of the marine environment.
"In some fisheries as many as 80 percent of fish are simply thrown away as by-catch.
"Fish stocks are collapsing, taking out first the top predators, such as sharks, tuna and swordfish, and moving down the food chain.
"We now have a lot more small fish and crustaceans because their predators are gone, but eventually they will be gone too. We could end up with a situation where there's nothing left but worms."
The Pew Environment Group set up its five-year Global Ocean Legacy project in 2007 with the intention of persuading governments to set up four very large marine reserves: 410,000 sq miles in the Coral Sea off Australia; a 246,000 sq mile area around the Kermadec Islands near New Zealand; the Mariana Trench, the world's deepest trench in U.S. waters in the Pacific; and 210,000 sq miles around the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean.
So far, two of these targets, the Mariana Trench and the Chagos Islands, have been successful, and the other two campaigns are ongoing.
The Chagos Islands, protected in April this year by the UK government, became the world's largest marine reserve.
Jay Nelson, director of Global Ocean Legacy, said: "We are asking too much of our oceans and not paying enough attention to their long-term health.
"For 150 years, it's been accepted that iconic or important places on land should be protected, but in the sea it's a relatively new idea.
"Fisheries are getting further and further afield and we are getting more unusual species of fish from parts of the ocean we would not have dreamt of going to 30 years ago.
"The emergence of fish like Chilean Seabass is an example. The species is actually Patagonian Toothfish, but that's not a good name for marketing. These fish take 80 years to mature, and you can't sustainably eat a fish that's 80 years old. We are already having to go further and further south into the Antarctic Ocean to find it.
In 2009, the UK introduced a Marine and Coastal Access Act, creating new Marine Conservation Zones, although the act did not go as far as some campaigners had hoped because no target was set for the percentage of UK waters to be protected.
Other countries which have made significant progress on creating marine reserves include Germany, Australia, South Africa, the United States and the Federated States of Micronesia, according to Prof Roberts.
However, the majority of the world's oceans are international waters, where there is no single body responsible for their protection.
Nelson said: "Reserves are relatively easy to set up in national waters because governments can take unilateral action.
"However, it's more complicated in international waters because they require co-operation across nations. Surveillance and enforcement in international waters is particularly challenging."
Nelson said that one 36,000 sq mile reserve had been set up last year in international waters around the South Orkney Islands in the Southern Ocean, and that progress was being made towards others.
Any move towards creating marine reserves comes against resistance from some parts of the fishing industry, which says its livelihood is at stake.
Nelson said: "Marine reserves upset the status quo that all oceans should be open to everyone all the time, and to change that is a threat to some of those who use the oceans.
"However, our experience is that once marine reserves have been set up, everyone sees the benefits, even those who were opposed to them.
"Once reserves have been created we see the fish populations in neighboring fisheries increase and the size of individual fish increase.
"Our oceans have been so depleted that scientists don't even know what they should look like when they're healthy. However, where reserves have been set up, we are beginning to see that."
Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/innovation/07/26/marine.reserves/index.html#fbid=tVioA7BQ_k6
Campaigners say that sea life -- particularly at the top of the food chain -- is suffering to such an extent that there will eventually be no fish left if action drastic action is not taken to protect the oceans.
More than 70 percent of the world is covered by oceans. There are currently more than 4,000 marine protected areas covering just over 1 percent of the oceans, but the vast majority of reserves have only limited protection.
According to Professor Callum Roberts, of the University of York, one of the leading campaigners and author of The Unnatural History of the Sea, only about 0.1 percent of the sea is completely protected from all exploitation. This should be between 25 and 45 percent to give marine species the best chance of recovery, he said.
The Global Ocean Legacy, a project of the Pew Environment Group, issued a statement to mark World Oceans Day in June signed by 257 marine scientists in 37 countries calling for a large network of highly protected no-take reserves.
Prof Roberts told CNN: "There's strong and ample evidence that the oceans' eco systems are in trouble and need protection.
"Fishing now reaches every corner of the world's oceans, so the only refuges are those we have chosen to create.
"In the future climate change is going to loom ever more heavily as a factor in damaging marine life. The only way the oceans can remain resilient to climate change is by establishing more protection."
According to Greenpeace, 90 percent of the large predator fish stocks are gone or in trouble and 90 percent of exploited fish stocks in the European Union are in trouble.
David Ritter, head of biodiversity at Greenpeace UK, told CNN: "There's no doubt that the oceans are in crisis.
"All over the world, we are seeing a systematic degradation of the marine environment.
"In some fisheries as many as 80 percent of fish are simply thrown away as by-catch.
"Fish stocks are collapsing, taking out first the top predators, such as sharks, tuna and swordfish, and moving down the food chain.
"We now have a lot more small fish and crustaceans because their predators are gone, but eventually they will be gone too. We could end up with a situation where there's nothing left but worms."
The Pew Environment Group set up its five-year Global Ocean Legacy project in 2007 with the intention of persuading governments to set up four very large marine reserves: 410,000 sq miles in the Coral Sea off Australia; a 246,000 sq mile area around the Kermadec Islands near New Zealand; the Mariana Trench, the world's deepest trench in U.S. waters in the Pacific; and 210,000 sq miles around the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean.
So far, two of these targets, the Mariana Trench and the Chagos Islands, have been successful, and the other two campaigns are ongoing.
The Chagos Islands, protected in April this year by the UK government, became the world's largest marine reserve.
Jay Nelson, director of Global Ocean Legacy, said: "We are asking too much of our oceans and not paying enough attention to their long-term health.
"For 150 years, it's been accepted that iconic or important places on land should be protected, but in the sea it's a relatively new idea.
"Fisheries are getting further and further afield and we are getting more unusual species of fish from parts of the ocean we would not have dreamt of going to 30 years ago.
"The emergence of fish like Chilean Seabass is an example. The species is actually Patagonian Toothfish, but that's not a good name for marketing. These fish take 80 years to mature, and you can't sustainably eat a fish that's 80 years old. We are already having to go further and further south into the Antarctic Ocean to find it.
In 2009, the UK introduced a Marine and Coastal Access Act, creating new Marine Conservation Zones, although the act did not go as far as some campaigners had hoped because no target was set for the percentage of UK waters to be protected.
Other countries which have made significant progress on creating marine reserves include Germany, Australia, South Africa, the United States and the Federated States of Micronesia, according to Prof Roberts.
However, the majority of the world's oceans are international waters, where there is no single body responsible for their protection.
Nelson said: "Reserves are relatively easy to set up in national waters because governments can take unilateral action.
"However, it's more complicated in international waters because they require co-operation across nations. Surveillance and enforcement in international waters is particularly challenging."
Nelson said that one 36,000 sq mile reserve had been set up last year in international waters around the South Orkney Islands in the Southern Ocean, and that progress was being made towards others.
Any move towards creating marine reserves comes against resistance from some parts of the fishing industry, which says its livelihood is at stake.
Nelson said: "Marine reserves upset the status quo that all oceans should be open to everyone all the time, and to change that is a threat to some of those who use the oceans.
"However, our experience is that once marine reserves have been set up, everyone sees the benefits, even those who were opposed to them.
"Once reserves have been created we see the fish populations in neighboring fisheries increase and the size of individual fish increase.
"Our oceans have been so depleted that scientists don't even know what they should look like when they're healthy. However, where reserves have been set up, we are beginning to see that."
Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/innovation/07/26/marine.reserves/index.html#fbid=tVioA7BQ_k6
Licensed from AP Task force urges bone-density tests for more women
Routine screening for osteoporosis should include all younger postmenopausal women who have at least the same chance of a bone break as an older woman, a government task force said Monday.
Also, for the first time, the group weighed whether men should be checked for the bone-thinning disease, but it decided there wasn't enough evidence to recommend for or against the screening.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's draft guidelines widen its 2002 advice, when it first said that all women over 65, plus those 60 to 64 at higher risk for fractures, should get a bone density test.
The task force now says all younger postmenopausal women should get checked if their risk of a broken bone is the same or greater than the average 65-year-old woman. Factors that can increase risk include low weight, certain drugs, smoking, heavy alcohol use and a parent who broke a hip.
"The majority of the evidence supports screening and treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women," the task force wrote. "The evidence for primary prevention in men is lacking and future research is needed."
In a break from previous practice, the independent, government-appointed panel posted a draft of the guidelines online Monday to allow for public comment. The task force had been considering the move, but the reaction to its controversial mammogram guidelines last fall spurred the group to open the process earlier, said Dr. Ned Calonge, head of the panel.
Also Monday, the Annals of Internal Medicine published a review done for the task force of the latest research on screening methods, bone-building drugs and tools to calculate one's risk of low bone density and fractures.
Since the 2002 advice, a number of new osteoporosis drugs have been released and heavily advertised, such as Genentech's Boniva, promoted by actress Sally Field.
Osteoporosis weakens bones and leads to painful and crippling fractures primarily in the hip, spine and wrist. In women, it's mostly caused by a drop in bone-strengthening estrogen after menopause. The government estimates that 10 million Americans have the disease and half of all women will suffer an osteoporosis bone break in her lifetime.
The task force used a Web-based risk calculator called FRAX — http://www.shef.ac.uk/FRAX — that estimates one's odds of a fracture within 10 years. It shows women as young as 50 may meet the threshold for a bone test depending on their risk factors, the panel said.
A bone-mineral density X-ray is the one most frequently used tests to check for bone loss, and many women start getting the scans once they reach menopause. How frequently the checks are made varies. The task force said there's not enough evidence to say how often they should be done, but that a couple of years between tests are needed.
One large study found no advantage to repeating the test even after eight years, said Dr. Heidi Nelson, who led the scientific review done at the Oregon Evidence-based Practice Center at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland.
"So we can really lay off a lot of these repeat screening tests," she said.
Other medical or advocacy groups support screening women over 65, and generally advise tests for younger women based on risk factors. The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends screening men over 70; the American College of Physicians says doctors should check older men for risk factors.
Source: http://health.yahoo.net/news/s/ap/us_med_osteoporosis_screening
Also, for the first time, the group weighed whether men should be checked for the bone-thinning disease, but it decided there wasn't enough evidence to recommend for or against the screening.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's draft guidelines widen its 2002 advice, when it first said that all women over 65, plus those 60 to 64 at higher risk for fractures, should get a bone density test.
The task force now says all younger postmenopausal women should get checked if their risk of a broken bone is the same or greater than the average 65-year-old woman. Factors that can increase risk include low weight, certain drugs, smoking, heavy alcohol use and a parent who broke a hip.
"The majority of the evidence supports screening and treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women," the task force wrote. "The evidence for primary prevention in men is lacking and future research is needed."
In a break from previous practice, the independent, government-appointed panel posted a draft of the guidelines online Monday to allow for public comment. The task force had been considering the move, but the reaction to its controversial mammogram guidelines last fall spurred the group to open the process earlier, said Dr. Ned Calonge, head of the panel.
Also Monday, the Annals of Internal Medicine published a review done for the task force of the latest research on screening methods, bone-building drugs and tools to calculate one's risk of low bone density and fractures.
Since the 2002 advice, a number of new osteoporosis drugs have been released and heavily advertised, such as Genentech's Boniva, promoted by actress Sally Field.
Osteoporosis weakens bones and leads to painful and crippling fractures primarily in the hip, spine and wrist. In women, it's mostly caused by a drop in bone-strengthening estrogen after menopause. The government estimates that 10 million Americans have the disease and half of all women will suffer an osteoporosis bone break in her lifetime.
The task force used a Web-based risk calculator called FRAX — http://www.shef.ac.uk/FRAX — that estimates one's odds of a fracture within 10 years. It shows women as young as 50 may meet the threshold for a bone test depending on their risk factors, the panel said.
A bone-mineral density X-ray is the one most frequently used tests to check for bone loss, and many women start getting the scans once they reach menopause. How frequently the checks are made varies. The task force said there's not enough evidence to say how often they should be done, but that a couple of years between tests are needed.
One large study found no advantage to repeating the test even after eight years, said Dr. Heidi Nelson, who led the scientific review done at the Oregon Evidence-based Practice Center at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland.
"So we can really lay off a lot of these repeat screening tests," she said.
Other medical or advocacy groups support screening women over 65, and generally advise tests for younger women based on risk factors. The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends screening men over 70; the American College of Physicians says doctors should check older men for risk factors.
Source: http://health.yahoo.net/news/s/ap/us_med_osteoporosis_screening
Screening speech may aid autism diagnosis - study
Washington (ANTARA News/Reuters) - A device may be able to automatically screen young children for autism based on how they talk, U.S. researchers said on Monday.
The small recorder fits into a child`s pocket and analyzes the words the child says during the day, and a software program evaluates how the child makes certain sounds.
A team of researchers led by Kimbrough Oller of the University of Memphis analyzed more than 3 million syllabic utterances, collected from almost 1,500 all-day recordings from 232 children aged 10 months to 4 years.
The program correctly identified an existing autism diagnosis 86 percent of the time. The analysis also predicted the age of a typically developing child, said the study
published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"Although clinicians have been saying for many years that they think that autistic kids sound strange when they talk, there`s been no practical way to use vocalization as a part of the diagnostic or screening procedure in working with autism," said Oller, professor of audiology and speech-language pathology.
Oller identified the speech patterns the device analyzes and helped develop the screening method.
The tests were conducted in English, but Oller said the technique may apply to other languages. "It hasn`t actually been tried yet, but there`s every reason to think it should," he said.
Doctors now diagnose autism by testing children for a range of behavioral and speech issues including how much they talk by a certain age and whether they make eye contact with other people.
"Autism is a multi-factoral disorder and it has many behavioral dimensions to consider. And vocalization is clearly an important one," said Oller. "But I certainly don`t think it should be used exclusively."
Oller, who studies language learning and language evolution, has identified how the formation of different syllables changes during a child`s first four years.
Instead of saying "ba" as part of a longer word, for instance, a young child might at first say "ba-a," with "sort of a staccato or tremor kind of pattern," said Oller. The
speech development of autistic children does not follow those typical patterns, the analysis shows.
The software distinguishes among speakers and processes sounds made only by the child being studied. The day-length recordings enable the researchers to examine a child`s natural speech.
Parents send the recorder back to the company after the child has worn it for a day and the company analyzes the recording for language development progress and autism.
Infoture Inc developed the device and the software. The company dissolved in February 2009 and was reconstituted as the LENA Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, which continues to fund the research. The foundation sells the device along with clothing with a pocket to hold the recorder.
Oller received consultation fees from Infoture before it dissolved and several of the other researchers are employees of the LENA Foundation. (*)
http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/1279618857/screening-speech-may-aid-autism-diagnosis-study
The small recorder fits into a child`s pocket and analyzes the words the child says during the day, and a software program evaluates how the child makes certain sounds.
A team of researchers led by Kimbrough Oller of the University of Memphis analyzed more than 3 million syllabic utterances, collected from almost 1,500 all-day recordings from 232 children aged 10 months to 4 years.
The program correctly identified an existing autism diagnosis 86 percent of the time. The analysis also predicted the age of a typically developing child, said the study
published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"Although clinicians have been saying for many years that they think that autistic kids sound strange when they talk, there`s been no practical way to use vocalization as a part of the diagnostic or screening procedure in working with autism," said Oller, professor of audiology and speech-language pathology.
Oller identified the speech patterns the device analyzes and helped develop the screening method.
The tests were conducted in English, but Oller said the technique may apply to other languages. "It hasn`t actually been tried yet, but there`s every reason to think it should," he said.
Doctors now diagnose autism by testing children for a range of behavioral and speech issues including how much they talk by a certain age and whether they make eye contact with other people.
"Autism is a multi-factoral disorder and it has many behavioral dimensions to consider. And vocalization is clearly an important one," said Oller. "But I certainly don`t think it should be used exclusively."
Oller, who studies language learning and language evolution, has identified how the formation of different syllables changes during a child`s first four years.
Instead of saying "ba" as part of a longer word, for instance, a young child might at first say "ba-a," with "sort of a staccato or tremor kind of pattern," said Oller. The
speech development of autistic children does not follow those typical patterns, the analysis shows.
The software distinguishes among speakers and processes sounds made only by the child being studied. The day-length recordings enable the researchers to examine a child`s natural speech.
Parents send the recorder back to the company after the child has worn it for a day and the company analyzes the recording for language development progress and autism.
Infoture Inc developed the device and the software. The company dissolved in February 2009 and was reconstituted as the LENA Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, which continues to fund the research. The foundation sells the device along with clothing with a pocket to hold the recorder.
Oller received consultation fees from Infoture before it dissolved and several of the other researchers are employees of the LENA Foundation. (*)
http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/1279618857/screening-speech-may-aid-autism-diagnosis-study
Chemistry teacher claims to have found anti-cancer tree species
Cimahi, W Java (ANTARA News) - A chemistry lecturer at Jenderal Achmad Yani (Unjani) University, Valentina Adimurti, claims to have discovered a tree species with medicinal properties that could be used to fight cancer.
The anticancer properties, she said, were to be found in the bark of the Hopea odorata tree, a genus of the Dipterocarpaceae family which is widely available in Indonesia.
She had succeeded in isolating the methanol extract from the Hopea odorata`s bark in three oligomeric stilbene compounds. The structure of the compounds was analyzed through the spectroscopic method, including UV, IR and 1HNMR and by comparison to the standard compound.
"Two of the isolated compounds proved to have the ability to eliminate leuekemia P-388 murine cancer cells, while one of the compounds showed strong cytotoxic properties," Valentina said.
In addition, the compounds were antibacterial and effective against fungi like Staphylococcus aureus, Propionic Sp and candida albicans. While the other isolated compound had the ability to neutralize bacteria like S.aureus and Propionis Sp, fungi like C albicans and worked as antioxidants against DPPH.
"The merits of my discovery have been recognized and are now in the process of being patented. Eventually, I will package extracts from the tree bark in capsules for use by the community," she said.
For those who want to try the Hopea odorata`s medicinal effect, Valentina suggested to find the tree, take pieces from its bark and boil them in water, and then drink the liquid.
Valentina said that the Hopea odorata`s antimicrobial qualities also made extracts from its bark useful as a cosmetic to reduce acne, while its anti microbial properties could also be used as herbicide antidote for fungi in some plant types.
Based on her research on several Dipterocarpaceae species, it was now known that the chemical compounds commonly found in this plant are terpenoids, phenylpropanoid, flavonoid, benzofuran derivatives and phenolic acids, and resveratrol oligomer.
"Considering Indonesia`s natural richness such as the various species of Dipterocarpaceae plants, a lot of research must be done constantly and continuously to explore the chemical compounds they posses through biological activity tests," she added. (*)
Source: http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/1279759793/chemistry-teacher-claims-to-have-found-anti-cancer-tree-species
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