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Showing posts from September, 2012

Breast cancer fighters shares their stories at breast-health symposium

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A number of breast cancer fighters shared their stories during a breast-health symposium at the News-Journal Center on Saturday. Sponsored by Halifax Health & Radiology Associates of Daytona Beach, the half-day breast-health symposium offered a platform for patients to share their experience, and local doctors and experts to discuss breast-cancer issues. Lisa Masters, who was diagnosed with breast cancer around six years back, said, “I can't control the cancer, but I can control what I do with it.” Lisa said optimism and positive attitude played a crucial role in fighting breast cancer. She said that she organized a head-shaving party and dressed herself as if she was going to dinner party when she went for a treatment, with the main objective of not letting the disease to dominate her life. She bravely added that she underwent several surgeries and battled infection numerous times during reconstruction after a bilateral mastectomy. During Saturday's event, w

Researchers find male DNA inside female brains

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A new research led by a Canadian scientist has discovered male DNA inside the female brain, and raises the hypothesis that in case male DNA creeps into s a woman’s brain, then it might have some masculinizing affect on the brain of the female. In a press release, the study was described under headline "Men on the mind: Study finds male DNA in women's brains". But, the title is somewhat misleading, as it doesn’t aim to indicate that women were thinking about men. Rather, the team of researchers studied the brains of 59 women, who died between the 32 and 101 years of age, and discovered male DNA in the brains of 63 per cent of the subjects. The researchers called the phenomenon male microchimerism. They suspected that the male DNA in female brains had come from a male fetus that the women might have carried at some point of time in their lives. However, they were not cent per cent sure of that because they did not have pregnancy histories for all the participants

Thomas Cook records good summer bookings

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UK-based travel company, Thomas Cook has said that that it has seen good numbers of bookings in the late summer as British tourists tried to escape the wettest summer season ever. The company said that bookings in summer has been good and gave much needed hope to the investors that the company will move on recovery path gradually after almost collapsing in the previous year due to high amount of debt. Investors now believe that the full year financial results will be in line with the market expectations. The company has kept its full year guidance unchanged as the bookings recovered due to tourists choosing countries including Turkey, Spain and Greece. The total number of bookings at Thomas Cook's UK business recorded a moderate fall of just 1 per cent after almost falling apart due to a price hike in the summer offering. Thomas Cook's newly appointed chief executive officer, Harriet Green said, "My priority has been to ensure a renewed focus on delivering to ou

Dangerous YouTube stunts taking kids’ lives

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YouTube is a well-known platform for sharing everything ranging from music, comedy clips to medical procedures, but many teens and pre-teens imitate dangerous stunts in these videos and jeopardize their lives. There is no dearth of videos in which teens and pre-teens can be seen choking and beating each other, or performing dangerous stunts. Most of these bloody acts are performed and posted to YouTube with an aim to attract more and more viewers, but unfortunately, many kids end up in emergency rooms or in some cases suffered the loss of their lives after imitating these dangerous videos. Only last week, a fifteen-year-old boy died while imitating a choking game in a YouTube video. After seeing the video with his friends, the boy stood, passed out, fell forward, and crashed into an empty drinking glass. He got his collarbone fractured and a broken piece of the glass sliced through his interior jugular vein. He was rushed to a hospital, but his life could not be saved. Dr. T

George Walker Bush

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Born: 7/6/1946 Birthplace: New Haven, Conn. George Walker Bush was born on July 6, 1946, in New Haven, Conn., the first child of future president George H. W. Bush. In 1948, the family moved to Odessa, Tex., where the senior Bush went to work in the oil business. George W. grew up mainly in Midland, Tex., and Houston, and later attended two of his father's alma maters, Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., and Yale. After graduating from Yale with a history degree in 1968, Bush joined the Texas Air National Guard, where he served as a part-time fighter pilot until 1973. After receiving an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1975, he returned to Texas, where he established his own oil and gas business. In 1977 he met and married his wife, Laura Welch, a librarian. The couple has twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara, born in 1981. Coming from a prominent political family—his grandfather Prescott Bush had been a senator from Connecticut and his father a U.S. congressman and p

George Washington

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Born: 2/22/1732 Birthplace: Westmoreland County, Va.  >>George Washington was born on Feb. 22, 1732 (Feb. 11, 1731/2, old style) in Westmoreland County, Va. While in his teens, he trained as a surveyor, and at the age of 20 he was appointed adjutant in the Va. militia. For the next three years, he fought in the wars against the French and Indians, serving as Gen. Edward Braddock's aide in the disastrous campaign against Ft. Duquesne. In 1759, he resigned from the militia, married Martha Dandridge Custis, a widow with children, and settled down as a gentleman farmer at Mount Vernon, Va. >>As a militiaman, Washington had been exposed to the arrogance of the British officers, and his experience as a planter with British commercial restrictions increased his anti-British sentiment. He opposed the Stamp Act of 1765 and after 1770 became increasingly prominent in organizing resistance. A delegate to the Continental Congress, Washington was selected as commander in c

Short Biography of Johann Gutenberg

Short Biography profile and facts about the life of Johann Gutenberg: The following biography information provides basic facts and information about the life and history of Johann Gutenberg a famous Medieval character of the Middle Ages: Nationality: German Lifespan: c1400 - 1468 Date of Birth: He was born c1400 - his exact date of birth is unknown Family connections : He was the the son of a Goldsmith merchant called Friele Gensfleisch zur Laden. The family adopted the surname "zum Gutenberg" after the name of their neighborhood Career: German metal-worker and inventor Date of Death: Johann Gutenberg died on February 3, 1468 Character of Johann Gutenberg: Determined, tenacious and ambitious Accomplishments or why Johann Gutenberg was famous: the inventor of the art of printing with movable types Johann Gutenberg The story and biography of Johann Gutenberg which contains interesting information, facts & the history about the life of t

The White House

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The White House, the official residence of the president, is at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC 20500. The site, covering about 18 acres, was selected by President Washington and city planner Pierre Charles L'Enfant, and the architect was James Hoban. The design appears to have been influenced by Leinster House, Dublin, and James Gibb's Book of Architecture. The cornerstone was laid Oct. 13, 1792, and the first residents were President John Adams and First Lady Abigail Adams in Nov. 1800. The White House has a fascinating history. The main building was burned by the British in 1814 during the War of 1812. Afterward, when the building was being restored, the smoke-stained gray stone walls were painted white. The name “White House,” however, was not used officially until President Theodore Roosevelt had it engraved on his stationery in 1901. Prior to that, the building was known variously as the “President's Palace,” the “President's House,” and the “Exe

Biography of Edison

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Thomas Edison Born : 1847 - 1931 He was born in Milan, Ohio in America. When he was seven, his teacher lost patience with his persistent questioning and selfish behaviour and suggested that Thomas might be mentally unstable. (Today, he would probably have been labelled as having attention deficit syndrome and given Ritalin). His mother was not happy with this and started teaching him from home instead of sending him to school. He managed to read everything in his local library including some really difficult books like Isaac Newton's "Principia", which is so difficult, not many adults have ever read it. He started to lose his hearing about this time, and became almost totally deaf. He felt this helped him concentrate on his inventions, and when he was offered an operation to help him hear again later in life, he refused to have it done. Thomas Edison died On Oct. 18th, 1931 in New Jersey at age 84. On the evening of the day that he was laid to rest, people al

Holidays in U.S

January >>New Year's Day (Tues., Jan. 1, 2013) A federal holiday in the United States, New Year's Day has its origin in Roman times, when sacrifices were offered to Janus, the two-faced Roman deity who looked back on the past and forward to the future. >>Epiphany (Sun., Jan. 6, 2013) Epiphany (from Greek epiphaneia, "manifestation"), falls on the 12th day after Christmas. It commemorates the manifestation of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, as represented by the Magi, the baptism of Jesus, and the miracle of the wine at the marriage feast at Cana. One of the three major Christian festivals, along with Christmas and Easter. Epiphany originally marked the beginning of the carnival season preceding Lent, and the evening preceding it is known as Twelfth Night. >>Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday (Mon., Jan. 21, 2013) A federal holiday observed on the third Monday in January that honors the late civil rights leader. It became a federal

Australia

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Sovereign: Queen Elizabeth II (1952) Governor-General: Quentin Bryce (2008) Prime Minister: Julia Gillard (2010) Land area: 2,941,283 sq mi (7,617,931 sq km); total area: 2,967,893 sq mi (7,686,850 sq km) Population (2012 est.): 21,015,576 (growth rate: 1.13%); birth rate: 12.28/1000; infant mortality rate: 4.55/1000; life expectancy: 81.9 Capital (2009 est.): Canberra, 384,000 Largest cities: Sydney 4.429 million; Melbourne 3.853 million; Brisbane 1.97 million; Perth 1.599 million (2009) Monetary unit: Australian dollar The first inhabitants of Australia were the Aborigines, who migrated there at least 40,000 years ago from Southeast Asia. There may have been between a half million to a full million Aborigines at the time of European settlement; today about 350,000 live in Australia. Dutch, Portuguese, and Spanish ships sighted Australia in the 17th century; the Dutch landed at the Gulf of Carpentaria in 1606. In 1616 the territory became known as Ne

The History of Computers

Computer History Year/Enter Computer History Inventors/Inventions Computer History Description of Event 1936 Konrad Zuse - Z1 Computer First freely programmable computer. 1942 John Atanasoff & Clifford Berry ABC Computer Who was first in the computing biz is not always as easy as ABC. 1944 Howard Aiken & Grace Hopper Harvard Mark I Computer The Harvard Mark 1 computer. 1946 John Presper Eckert & John W. Mauchly ENIAC 1 Computer 20,000 vacuum tubes later... 1948 Frederic Williams & Tom Kilburn Manchester Baby Computer & The Williams Tube Baby and the Williams Tube turn on the memories. 1947/48 John Bardeen, Walter Brattain & Wiliam Shockley The Transistor No, a transistor is not a computer, but this invention greatly affected the history of computer

Keyword keyword View Fact Sheets by Topic Cancer Type Risk Factors and Possible Causes Prevention Diet and Nutrition Detection and Diagnosis Cancer Therapy Support, Coping, and Resources Tobacco and Smoking Cessation Information Sources About NCI Cancer Health Disparities Cancer Advances In Focus Index En español Page Options Print This Page Email This Document View/Print PDF Bookmark & Share RSS Feed Popular Resources NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms NCI Drug Dictionary Search for Clinical Trials NCI Publications Español Bone Cancer

What is bone cancer? Bone cancer is a malignant (cancerous) tumor of the bone that destroys normal bone tissue . Not all bone tumors are malignant. In fact, benign (noncancerous) bone tumors are more common than malignant ones. Both malignant and benign bone tumors may grow and compress healthy bone tissue, but benign tumors do not spread, do not destroy bone tissue, and are rarely a threat to life. Malignant tumors that begin in bone tissue are called primary bone cancer. Cancer that metastasizes (spreads) to the bones from other parts of the body, such as the breast, lung, or prostate, is called metastatic cancer, and is named for the organ or tissue in which it began. Primary bone cancer is far less common than cancer that spreads to the bones. Are there different types of primary bone cancer? Yes. Cancer can begin in any type of bone tissue. Bones are made up of osteoid (hard or compact), cartilaginous (tough, flexible), and fibrous (threadlike) tissue, as well as element

The Effects of Smoking on Human Health

Toxic ingredients in cigarette smoke travel throughout the body, causing damage in several different ways. Nicotine  reaches the brain within 10 seconds after smoke is inhaled. It has been found in every part of the body and in breast milk. Carbon monoxide  binds to hemoglobin in red blood cells, preventing affected cells from carrying a full load of oxygen. Cancer-causing agents ( carcinogens ) in tobacco smoke damage important genes that control the growth of cells, causing them to grow abnormally or to reproduce too rapidly. The carcinogen benzo(a)pyrene binds to cells in the airways and major organs of smokers. Smoking affects the function of the immune system and may increase the risk for respiratory and other infections. There are several likely ways that cigarette smoke does its damage. One is oxidative stress that mutates DNA, promotes  atherosclerosis , and leads to chronic lung injury. Oxidative stress is thought to be the general mechanism behind the aging process,

The Eagle

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The eagle is a (generally) large sized bird of prey meaning that the eagle is one of the most dominantpredators in the sky. Eagles are most commonly found in the Northern Hemisphere including Europe, Asia and North America. Eagles are also found on the African continent. There are more than 60 different species of eagle in the world with only 2 of these eagle species being found in the USA and Canada. However, one of these eagle species is one of the most common species of eagle, the bald eagle. Despite it's name the bald eagle has a full head of feathers but their bright white colour makes the bald eagle very distinguishable. The golden eagle is the only other species of eagle found on the American continent. The size of an eagle is dependent on the species of eagle. Eagles can range in size from 40cm to over 1m in height. The wing span of an eagle tends to be at least double the length of the eagle's body. Eagles have feathers on the ends of their wings which the eag

African Wild Dog

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African Wild Dog Classification and Evolution The African Wild Dog (also known as the Painted Dog and the Cape Hunting Dog) is a medium sized species of canine found across sub-Saharan Africa. The African WildDog is most easily identified from both domestic and other wild Dogs by their brightly mottled fur, with it's name in Latin aptly meaning painted wolf. The African Wild Dog is said to be the most sociable of all the canines, living in packs of around 30 individuals. Sadly however, this highly intelligent and sociableanimal is severely under threat in much of it's natural habitat, primarily due to habitat loss and having been hunted by Humans. African Wild Dog Anatomy and Appearance The most distinctive feature of the African Wild Dog is it's beautifully mottled fur which makes this canine very easy to identify. The fur of the African Wild Dog is red, black, white, brown and yellow in colour with the random pattern of colours being unique to each individual. It