Now that the veil has been lifted from the AMD Radeon HD 7990, it's time for the usual enthusiast review sites to reveal their thoughts -- and benchmarks -- on the latest graphics card from Sunnyvale. As we've mentioned, the 7990 has effectively two 7970 GPUs on board, promising over 8 TFLOPS of power and the chops to handle full 4K resolution under maximum settings. However, it's a pricey little thing at around $1,000, which doesn't set it too far away from the competition and its unique cooling system means an airy case is a must. What do our sample of reviewers think? Find out in our roundup after the break.
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Using nitrous oxide for anesthesia doesn't increase -- and may decrease -- complications and deathPublic release date: 22-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Lisa Webb lisa.webb@wolterskluwer.com 215-521-8319 Wolters Kluwer Health
2 studies add new data to debate over safety of N2O as surgical anesthetic
San Francisco, CA. (April 22, 2013) Giving nitrous oxide as part of general anesthesia for noncardiac surgery doesn't increase the rate of complications and deathand might even decrease the risk of such events, according to a pair of studies in the May issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).
But an accompanying series of editorials points out some important limitations of the two studieswhich can't completely overcome previous concerns about the safety of using nitrous oxide (N2O) as a surgical anesthetic.
Is Nitrous Oxide Safe for Surgical Anesthesia?
Nitrous oxide is the world's oldest general anesthetic, but there's a long history of debate regarding its appropriate role in modern surgical anesthesia. Although nitrous oxide provides effective sedation and pain control, it has known disadvantages and side effects. A previous study, called "ENIGMA-I," reported a small but significant increase in myocardial infarction (heart attack) among patients receiving nitrous oxide as part of anesthesia for noncardiac surgery (procedures other than heart surgery).
The two new studies, based on large patient databases, question the harmful effects of nitrous oxide. Dr Kate Leslie of Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia, and colleagues analyzed data from a previous study of more than 8,300 patients undergoing surgery. That study was designed to assess the effects of giving one type of blood pressure drug (beta-blockers) during surgery, not the effects of nitrous oxide.
Dr Leslie and colleagues compared the risk of death or serious complications after surgery for patients who versus did not receive nitrous oxide as part of anesthesia. Twenty-nine percent of patients in the study received nitrous oxide.
The results showed comparable rates of adverse outcomes between groups. With or without nitrous oxide, the overall rate of death or serious complications was approximately seven percent, including about a six percent rate of myocardial infarction. Risk of death after surgery was about three percent in both groups.
Outcomes remained similar on "propensity score" analysisa technique accounting for characteristics making patients more or less likely to receive nitrous oxide. Use of nitrous oxide varied widely between the different countries and hospitals participating in the study.
No Increase in Risks with N2OBut 'More Definitive' Studies Needed
Dr Alparslan Turan of the Cleveland Clinic and colleagues outcomes reviewed more than 49,000 patients undergoing noncardiac surgery between 2005 and 2009. In this study, 45 percent of patients received nitrous oxide.
The results suggested a significant reduction in the risk of death after surgery for patients receiving nitrous oxide: about one-third lower than in patients who did not receive nitrous oxide. There was also a significant 17 percent reduction in the combined rate of major complications and death.
Surprisingly, nitrous oxide was specifically associated with a 40 percent reduction in the risk of major lung- and breathing-related complications. However, the authors acknowledge the risk of "selection bias"anesthesiologists may have avoided using nitrous oxide in patients at risk of lung problems. Again, the findings remained significant on propensity score analysis.
In one of three accompanying editorials, Thomas R. Vetter, MD, MPH, and Gerald McGwin, Jr, MS, PhD, of University of Alabama at Birmingham highlight some important limitations of the study data. They note that, although both studies were large, they were not randomized trialsthe strongest type of scientific evidence.
Drs Vetter and McGwin emphasize that even sophisticated techniques like propensity score analysis can't account for all of the differences between groups that may have affected responses to nitrous oxide. They note that a randomized "ENIGMA-II" study is underway, and may provide "additional, perhaps more definitive insight" on the risks and potential benefits of using nitrous oxide as part of general anesthesia.
###
Read the article: "This Wonder-Working Gas"
Read the article: Comparing Apples to Oranges: Just Say No to N2O?
Read the article: Nitrous Oxide and Cardiovascular Outcome: Perspective from the POISE Trial
Read the article: Association Between Nitrous Oxide and Postoperative Mortality and Morbidity After Noncardiac Surgery
Read the article: Nitrous Oxide and Serious Morbidity and Mortality in the POISE Trial
About the IARS
The International Anesthesia Research Society is a nonpolitical, not-for-profit medical society founded in 1922 to advance and support scientific research and education related to anesthesia, and to improve patient care through basic research. The IARS contributes nearly $1 million annually to fund anesthesia research; provides a forum for anesthesiology leaders to share information and ideas; maintains a worldwide membership of more than 15,000 physicians, physician residents, and others with doctoral degrees, as well as health professionals in anesthesia related practice; sponsors the SmartTots initiative in partnership with the FDA; and publishes the monthly journal Anesthesia & Analgesia in print and online.
About Anesthesia & Analgesia
Anesthesia & Analgesia was founded in 1922 and was issued bi-monthly until 1980, when it became a monthly publication. A&A is the leading journal for anesthesia clinicians and researchers and includes more than 500 articles annually in all areas related to anesthesia and analgesia, such as cardiovascular anesthesiology, patient safety, anesthetic pharmacology, and pain management. The journal is published on behalf of the IARS by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW), a division of Wolters Kluwer Health.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Using nitrous oxide for anesthesia doesn't increase -- and may decrease -- complications and deathPublic release date: 22-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Lisa Webb lisa.webb@wolterskluwer.com 215-521-8319 Wolters Kluwer Health
2 studies add new data to debate over safety of N2O as surgical anesthetic
San Francisco, CA. (April 22, 2013) Giving nitrous oxide as part of general anesthesia for noncardiac surgery doesn't increase the rate of complications and deathand might even decrease the risk of such events, according to a pair of studies in the May issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).
But an accompanying series of editorials points out some important limitations of the two studieswhich can't completely overcome previous concerns about the safety of using nitrous oxide (N2O) as a surgical anesthetic.
Is Nitrous Oxide Safe for Surgical Anesthesia?
Nitrous oxide is the world's oldest general anesthetic, but there's a long history of debate regarding its appropriate role in modern surgical anesthesia. Although nitrous oxide provides effective sedation and pain control, it has known disadvantages and side effects. A previous study, called "ENIGMA-I," reported a small but significant increase in myocardial infarction (heart attack) among patients receiving nitrous oxide as part of anesthesia for noncardiac surgery (procedures other than heart surgery).
The two new studies, based on large patient databases, question the harmful effects of nitrous oxide. Dr Kate Leslie of Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia, and colleagues analyzed data from a previous study of more than 8,300 patients undergoing surgery. That study was designed to assess the effects of giving one type of blood pressure drug (beta-blockers) during surgery, not the effects of nitrous oxide.
Dr Leslie and colleagues compared the risk of death or serious complications after surgery for patients who versus did not receive nitrous oxide as part of anesthesia. Twenty-nine percent of patients in the study received nitrous oxide.
The results showed comparable rates of adverse outcomes between groups. With or without nitrous oxide, the overall rate of death or serious complications was approximately seven percent, including about a six percent rate of myocardial infarction. Risk of death after surgery was about three percent in both groups.
Outcomes remained similar on "propensity score" analysisa technique accounting for characteristics making patients more or less likely to receive nitrous oxide. Use of nitrous oxide varied widely between the different countries and hospitals participating in the study.
No Increase in Risks with N2OBut 'More Definitive' Studies Needed
Dr Alparslan Turan of the Cleveland Clinic and colleagues outcomes reviewed more than 49,000 patients undergoing noncardiac surgery between 2005 and 2009. In this study, 45 percent of patients received nitrous oxide.
The results suggested a significant reduction in the risk of death after surgery for patients receiving nitrous oxide: about one-third lower than in patients who did not receive nitrous oxide. There was also a significant 17 percent reduction in the combined rate of major complications and death.
Surprisingly, nitrous oxide was specifically associated with a 40 percent reduction in the risk of major lung- and breathing-related complications. However, the authors acknowledge the risk of "selection bias"anesthesiologists may have avoided using nitrous oxide in patients at risk of lung problems. Again, the findings remained significant on propensity score analysis.
In one of three accompanying editorials, Thomas R. Vetter, MD, MPH, and Gerald McGwin, Jr, MS, PhD, of University of Alabama at Birmingham highlight some important limitations of the study data. They note that, although both studies were large, they were not randomized trialsthe strongest type of scientific evidence.
Drs Vetter and McGwin emphasize that even sophisticated techniques like propensity score analysis can't account for all of the differences between groups that may have affected responses to nitrous oxide. They note that a randomized "ENIGMA-II" study is underway, and may provide "additional, perhaps more definitive insight" on the risks and potential benefits of using nitrous oxide as part of general anesthesia.
###
Read the article: "This Wonder-Working Gas"
Read the article: Comparing Apples to Oranges: Just Say No to N2O?
Read the article: Nitrous Oxide and Cardiovascular Outcome: Perspective from the POISE Trial
Read the article: Association Between Nitrous Oxide and Postoperative Mortality and Morbidity After Noncardiac Surgery
Read the article: Nitrous Oxide and Serious Morbidity and Mortality in the POISE Trial
About the IARS
The International Anesthesia Research Society is a nonpolitical, not-for-profit medical society founded in 1922 to advance and support scientific research and education related to anesthesia, and to improve patient care through basic research. The IARS contributes nearly $1 million annually to fund anesthesia research; provides a forum for anesthesiology leaders to share information and ideas; maintains a worldwide membership of more than 15,000 physicians, physician residents, and others with doctoral degrees, as well as health professionals in anesthesia related practice; sponsors the SmartTots initiative in partnership with the FDA; and publishes the monthly journal Anesthesia & Analgesia in print and online.
About Anesthesia & Analgesia
Anesthesia & Analgesia was founded in 1922 and was issued bi-monthly until 1980, when it became a monthly publication. A&A is the leading journal for anesthesia clinicians and researchers and includes more than 500 articles annually in all areas related to anesthesia and analgesia, such as cardiovascular anesthesiology, patient safety, anesthetic pharmacology, and pain management. The journal is published on behalf of the IARS by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW), a division of Wolters Kluwer Health.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
AAA??Apr. 20, 2013?10:32 AM ET AP PHOTOS: Scenes from the past 48 hours in Boston By The Associated PressBy The Associated Press, Associated Press??
A police officer reacts to news of the arrest of one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, Friday, April 19, 2013, in Boston. Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured in Watertown, Mass. The 19-year-old college student wanted in the bombings was taken into custody Friday evening after a manhunt that left the city virtually paralyzed and his older brother and accomplice dead. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
A police officer reacts to news of the arrest of one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, Friday, April 19, 2013, in Boston. Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured in Watertown, Mass. The 19-year-old college student wanted in the bombings was taken into custody Friday evening after a manhunt that left the city virtually paralyzed and his older brother and accomplice dead. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
A crowd gathers at Boston Common after the final suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing was arrested, Friday, April 19, 2013, in Boston. Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured in Watertown, Mass. The 19-year-old college student wanted in the bombings was taken into custody Friday evening after a manhunt that left the city virtually paralyzed and his older brother and accomplice dead. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
El presidente Barack Obama habla en la Casa Blanca, el viernes 19 de abril de 2013, luego de la detenci?n del sospechoso por los atentados en Boston (AP Foto/Charles Dharapak)
Andre Savazoni, 38, of Brazil, who participated in his second Boston Marathon this week, takes a photo of a crowd gathered at Boston Common after the final suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing was arrested, Friday, April 19, 2013, in Boston. Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured in Watertown, Mass. The 19-year-old college student wanted in the bombings was taken into custody Friday evening after a manhunt that left the city virtually paralyzed and his older brother and accomplice dead. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Two women applaud after the arrest of a suspect of the Boston Marathon bombings in Watertown, Mass., Friday, April 19, 2013. Two suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing killed an MIT police officer, injured a transit officer in a firefight and threw explosive devices at police during their getaway attempt. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
For a time, it seemed like the dragnet that had shut down a metropolitan area of millions while legions of police went house to house looking for the suspected Boston Marathon bomber had failed. But then there were cheers of jubilation as the suspect, who had been holed up in a boat in Watertown, was driven away by police, captured at last. The manhunt was over.
Here is a gallery of photos looking back at the past 48 hours in the search for the Boston Marathon bombers.
The American Revolutionary War started on April 19, 1775, at the towns of Lexington and Concord. But how accurate are some of the key facts that have been handed down to us through the generations?
Corcord engraving
The battle at Concord.
We?ve done some historical sleuthing to find out what the real deal was with Paul Revere and the shot heard ?round the world.
To set the scene: The Battles of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts were the official start of hostilities between colonists who objected to British rule and British soldiers sent to restore order in the Colonies.
Not all colonists favored the Revolution and by some estimates, about 20 percent were Loyalists, while another 25 percent were mostly neutral.
But parts of New England were a hotbed of Patriot activity. British troops were garrisoned in Boston and their commander, General Thomas Gage, sent a force from Boston to seize military supplies stored by the Patriots in nearby Concord.
The rebel forces knew of the plans and were well-organized and armed. The British troops confronted one small group in Lexington, and for some reason, a shot rang out. The British upon the Patriots and then started a bayonet attack, killing eight local militia members.
The British ran into much stiffer resistance approaching Concord. Another shot rang out, and the British quickly found themselves outnumbered and outflanked by a combined force of Patriot minutemen and militia.
The British regulars then made a difficult retreat to Boston, which was greatly aided by the arrival of reinforcements led by Lord Percy. Today, we estimate that 49 Patriots and 73 British troops died in the fighting.
So let?s start with a few famous reports and quotes related to the first battle of the war.
1. Did Paul Revere really say, ?The British are coming??
That seems highly unlikely for several reasons. Revere was on a secret mission to warn the Patriots about the advance of British forces, and at the time, the colonists were British. His more likely response was, ?The regulars are coming out.?
2. Did Revere ride by himself at midnight to warn the Patriots?
There were multiple riders as part of the intelligence effort set up by the Patriots. Two other men, William Dawes and Samuel Prescott, rode with Revere. In fact, Revere never reached Concord as part of the ride. He was detained by the British after leaving Lexington. It was Prescott who rode from Lexington to Concord.
3. Who shot the shot heard ?round the world?
In Ralph Waldo Emerson?s ?Concord Hymn,? the ?embattled farmers? fired ?the shot heard ?round the world? at the British regulars in Concord. More likely, the shots were fired at Lexington, where the British fired on the Patriot militia, who also may have taken a few shots in the confusion.
One eyewitness to the skirmish was Paul Revere, who had been detained but not arrested by the British. He couldn?t tell who fired the first shot, in his account. Both sides later accused the other of firing first.
4. Were the colonists just a bunch of farmers fighting against the British?
In reality, the Patriots at Lexington and Concord were well organized and well supplied. Many were veterans of the French and Indian campaigns, and they better understood the battle tactics in the area than the British. After withdrawing back to Boston, Lord Percy said, ?They have amongst them those who know very well what they are about, having been employed as rangers among the Indians.?
5. Did the Patriots engage the British from a distance using rifles?
The Colonists primarily used muskets, and not rifles, and had to get fairly close to the enemy in small-group formations to be effective.
An article on the American Rifleman website makes a convincing argument that the Patriots were better shots than the British, but only 2 percent of their shots were on target.
Much of the fighting in the British retreat was in hand-to-hand combat, and the British were able to use bayonets. The Patriots used circling tactics to constantly harass the British while building up their own troop strength. In the end, about 15,000 Patriot militia and Minutemen surrounded Boston as they trailed the British retreat.
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Marathon runner Nathan Finney of Boston and his daughter Mckenna, 5, gather with others ahead of an interfaith service with President Barack Obama at Cathedral of the Holy Cross, held in the wake of Monday's Boston Marathon explosions, which killed at least three and injured more than 140, Thursday, April 18, 2013, in Boston. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Marathon runner Nathan Finney of Boston and his daughter Mckenna, 5, gather with others ahead of an interfaith service with President Barack Obama at Cathedral of the Holy Cross, held in the wake of Monday's Boston Marathon explosions, which killed at least three and injured more than 140, Thursday, April 18, 2013, in Boston. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
President Barack Obama attends an interfaith healing service at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston, Thursday, April 18, 2013, for victims of Monday's Boston Marathon explosions. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Lizzie Lee of Lynnwood, Wash., pauses near the finish line of Monday's Boston Marathon explosions, which killed at least three and injured more than 140, Thursday, April 18, 2013, in Boston. Lee said she almost completed the marathon before the blasts. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Investigators inspect the area between the two blast sites near the Boston Marathon finish line, Thursday, April 18, 2013, in Boston. Boston remained under a heavy security presence, with scores of National Guard troops gathering among armored Humvees in the Boston Common. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Mourners attend a candlelight vigil in the aftermath of Monday's Boston Marathon explosions, which killed at least three and injured more than 140, Wednesday, April 17, 2013, at City Hall in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
BOSTON (AP) ? The painstaking work to identify a bombing suspect from reams of Boston Marathon footage yielded a possible breakthrough as investigators focused on a man seen dropping off a bag, and then walking away from the site of the second of two deadly explosions.
The discovery of the image ? found on surveillance footage from a department store near the finish line ? was detailed by a city politician two days after the attack that left three people dead, wounded more than 170, and cast a dark shadow over one of this city's most joyous traditions. The footage hasn't been made public.
President Barack Obama attended the interfaith service honoring the victims Thursday in Boston, and closed his eyes at times while listening to speakers. There was a heavy police presence around the city's main Roman Catholic cathedral as residents lined up before dawn, hoping to get one of the roughly 2,000 seats inside. By 9 a.m., they were being turned away.
Streets were blocked off around the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston's South End.
Among the hundreds in line was 18-year-old Eli Philips. The college student was a Marathon volunteer and was wearing his volunteer jacket on Thursday morning.
He said he was still shocked that "something that was euphoric went so bad."
Ricky Hall, 67, of Cambridge, showed up at 8 a.m. but was turned away from the line to get inside that was already stretching down at least two city blocks, so decided just to stay outside.
"I came to pay my respects to the victims," he said, but was also angry that someone would desecrate the marathon and urged maximum punishment for the perpetrators.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Thursday the FBI wants to speak with individuals seen in at least one video from marathon, but she says she isn't calling them suspects.
Without providing details of the men's appearance or what the video shows, Napolitano told the House Homeland Security Committee on Thursday that "there is some video that raised the question" of individuals the FBI would like to interview. She said the investigation is continuing "apace."
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick said he shared the frustration that the person or people responsible were still at large, but he said solving the case will not "happen by magic."
"It's going to happen by doing the careful work that must be done in a thorough investigation," Patrick said. "That means going through the couple of blocks at the blast scene square inch by square inch and picking up pieces of evidence and following those trails, and that's going to take some time."
The bombs were crudely fashioned from ordinary kitchen pressure cookers packed with explosives, nails and ball bearings, investigators and others close to the case said. Investigators suspect the devices were then hidden in black duffel bags and left on the ground.
As a result, they were looking for images of someone lugging a dark, heavy bag. Investigators had appealed to the public to provide videos and photographs from the race finish line.
City Council President Stephen Murphy, who said he was briefed by Boston police, said investigators saw the image of the man dropping off a bag and matched the findings with witness descriptions of someone leaving the scene.
One department store video "has confirmed that a suspect is seen dropping a bag near the point of the second explosion and heading off," Murphy said.
Separately, a law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss the case publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity confirmed only that investigators had an image of a potential suspect whose name was not known to them and who had not been questioned.
Several media outlets reported that a suspect had been identified from surveillance video taken at a Lord & Taylor department store between the sites of the bomb blasts.
At least 14 bombing victims, including three children, remained in critical condition. Dozens of victims have been released from hospitals, and officials at three hospitals that treated some of the most seriously injured said they expected all their remaining patients to survive. A 2-year-old boy with a head injury was improving and might go home Thursday, Boston Children's Hospital said.
On Wednesday, investigators in white jumpsuits fanned out across the streets, rooftops and awnings around the blast site in search of clues. They picked through trash cans, plastic cup sleeves and discarded sports drink dispensers.
Marian Wilson said she tried not to notice the men slowly pacing and looking for evidence on the street behind her as she ate a tuna sandwich at Stephanie's on Newbury, a restaurant a block from the site of the bombings.
"I just go in and out of being completely freaked out," she said.
Boston remained under a heavy security presence, with scores of National Guard troops gathering among armored Humvees in the Boston Common.
Kenya Nadry, a website designer, took her 5-year-old nephew to a playground.
"There's still some sense of fear, but I feel like Boston's resilient," she said. "The fine men in blue will take care of a lot of it."
Dr. Horacio Hojman, associate chief of trauma at Tufts Medical Center, said patients were in surprisingly good spirits when they were brought in.
"Despite what they witnessed, despite what they suffered, despite many of them having life-threatening injuries, their spirits were not broken," he said. "And I think that should probably be the message for all of us ? that this horrible act of terror will not bring us down."
Obama and his challenger in the last election, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, planned to visit Boston on Thursday to attend the vigil.
The blasts killed 8-year-old Martin Richard, of Boston, 29-year-old Krystle Campbell, of Medford, and Lu Lingzi, a Boston University graduate student from China.
___
Associated Press writers Jay Lindsay, Pat Eaton-Robb, Steve LeBlanc, Bridget Murphy and Meghan Barr in Boston; Eileen Sullivan, Julie Pace and Lara Jakes in Washington; and Marilynn Marchione in Milwaukee contributed to this report.
I recently tried to download Juice today only to find out that it would not install on my Windows 7. And after searching online forums I saw that others had the same problem. I really would like to find a free software program that I can use in Windows 7 to download my favorite podcasts. Any suggestions.
Ah, the age-old question. I was waiting for this one. I actually pondered this question myself many a night trying to get the wax out of my son?s ear while he slept. I know what you?re thinking. I?m a sneaky mommy. Well, I can?t argue there. I also cut his nails, trim his hair, and feed him vegetables while he sleeps (kidding about that last one). But you would too if your child screamed and ran from you every time you tried going near his ears.
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But I digress ?
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The truth is that earwax ? called cerumen by medical professionals ? is actually a protectant for our ears and isn?t all bad. In fact, it?s pretty darn good. You see, earwax serves a very important purpose: to lubricate and protect the ear from outside intruders, such as dirt, debris or worse (like roaches). Without earwax, our ears would not only itch like crazy, but also put our inner ear and our brain at serious peril. Imagine earwax as the castle guards, if you will.
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Once earwax has served its purpose, it travels from the inner ear to the outer ear and eventually falls out on its own. You also might need to occasionally scoop some out yourself if you see it sitting there. But be wary of Q-tips ? they can actually pack the earwax in tighter instead of taking it out, or worse, puncture your eardrum. Instead, to practice good earwax hygiene at home, clean the skin outside the ear with a damp cloth and that?s it. As my kindergarten teacher used to tell us, don?t stick anything in your ear smaller than your elbow (after a snot-nosed boy named Mark tried to see how far he could put a crayon in his ear). Go ahead ? try it. You can?t stick your elbow in your ear. Point being: Nothing should be in there.
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If you suspect you may have too much earwax buildup, which can happen to some people, you might be experiencing symptoms such as an ear infection, hearing loss, feeling as though your ear is plugged up, or even ear pain. If this is the case, you can try an over-the-counter earwax removal solution. I?ve done it, and it burns, burns, burns, but is definitely effective on small buildups. Some people also recommend putting in a few drops of mineral or baby oil into the ear to loosen up the earwax, then lying ear-side down on a cloth to let the earwax run out. (This should not be done if you suspect you have a hole in your eardrum).
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If you?ve tried these solutions and are still feeling discomfort, or if you think you may have a more serious buildup, you can have your doctor take a look at it. If he determines that too much earwax is your problem, he can use a special instrument (that looks like the top side of a needle, but softer) to take it out. This is probably the safest and most effective way to deal with the issue. Again, I stress, don?t try to stick something in there yourself.
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As fun as it may be, don?t get into the habit of cleaning your ears too often. Earwax is one of those things our body makes that helps and protects us, no matter how much it may gross us out. So raise your glass, people ? let?s hear it for earwax!
After completing his prayers around 1 a.m. on April 13, Yasser fell asleep with his wife, two young children, and sister, who all shared a bed in a modest home in Sheikh Maqsood, the Kurdish-majority frontline neighborhood of Aleppo.
"I heard something explode on the roof. I thought it was a shell and called my brother for help," Yasser said. His eldest son, 1.5-years-old, started mumbling and was soon hyperventilating. Yasser's infant, only 4 months old, was also struggling.
"I knew then that there were chemicals in the air and I told everyone to get out. I screamed for help and saw my neighbors come in," Yasser said, recounting the horror he experienced while recuperating at a hospital in Afrin, north of Aleppo.
He hasn't been told that his wife and children are dead, as his doctors don't think he can handle the shock in his fragile state.
Opponents of the Assad regime have accused the military of using unknown chemical weapons in rebel controlled territories, such as in Homs, Damascus and Aleppo. The Syrian government said rebels deployed a chlorine-based agent in Aleppo last month, and formally requested that the U.N. send observers to investigate, but it hasn't granted permission for the team to enter.
Given that the Obama administration has repeatedly stated that the use of chemical weapons in Syria would be considered a "game changer," confirmation that these weapons have been deployed could significantly alter the course of Syria's war.
Dr. Hassan, the director of the hospital in Afrin who did not want his full name used, said he didn't have evidence about who was responsible for the attack in Sheikh Maqsood or what kind of chemical was released. But he said the symptoms and treatment clearly indicate that chemical agents caused the deaths of a woman and two children, and injured more than a dozen people. Medical personnel involved refused to give their last names, citing fear of retaliation.
Patients exhibited hyper-salivation, increased secretions, eye pain, muscle spasms and seizures, and loss of consciousness, Dr. Hassan said. Volunteers who helped rescue Yasser's family and medical staff who came in contact with the victims all exhibited the same symptoms.
Roughly 1,500 doses of atropine were used to counter the poison, exhausting the local supplies in Afrin. A group of Syrian doctors and activists who run Bihar Relief Organization provided an additional 2,000 units to the hospital in Afrin. The haphazard response portends catastrophe if chemicals weapons are used in a larger scale.
"We are very pleased that the injured responded to the treatment," Dr. Hassan said, adding that they were all likely to survive.
A man prays at the grave of a Free Syrian Army fighter at a cemetery at al-Karak al-Sharqi in Deraa March 30, 2013. Picture taken March 30, 2013. REUTERS/Thaer Abdallah (SYRIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST ... more? A man prays at the grave of a Free Syrian Army fighter at a cemetery at al-Karak al-Sharqi in Deraa March 30, 2013. Picture taken March 30, 2013. REUTERS/Thaer Abdallah (SYRIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST RELIGION) less? ?
Hamish de Bretton-Gordon OBE, a chemical weapons expert and the founder and COO of London-based SecureBio, said, "Atropine is the antidote to nerve agent poisoning, so it's used widely [to treat poisoning] in the U.K., and the U.S. It's the recognized antidote."
"The British Foreign Security William Hague mentioned in the House of Commons on Monday that they had very strong evidence that chemical weapons were being used in Syria. On Sunday, we saw a number of reports that those three people were killed in Aleppo. We were sent a load of photos, a load of stuff. The symptoms that were described would be similar to nerve agent poisoning, and the use of atropine would have been an effective method to treat these people."
He said that though certainty was impossible, the likely answer was that improvised chemical weapons had been used, and that they are possibly being used by both sides -- "by the regime to show that the opposition are using chemical weapons, and by the opposition to show that the regime is using them. Obviously if the regime is using them, then a red line is crossed and things are changed."
Improvised chemical weapons are a term for chemical phosphates, a key component to pesticides that have the same biological structure as nerve agents. "I think that a lot of these events have been organic phosphates or pesticides which have been blown up," de Bretton-Gordon said, adding that "thousands" of people die around the world from these each year.
In addition, "there's been a lot of reporting of a chemical called CL 17, which is basic domestic chlorine being used and being blown up. It gives off similar symptoms to mustard gas poisoning...
"You can get on the internet and quite easily figure out how to make these improvised chemicals. But until we get people on the ground and get some proper testing, we're not going to get answers. The U.N. is sitting on the ground in Cyprus waiting to get visas. I don't see Assad giving them visas at this stage. And so either than smuggling samples out, it's hard to get a surefire reading," de Bretton-Gordon said.
A Kurdish journalist who filmed the aftermath of the attack in Aftrin was also recuperating at the hospital. He said there were two canisters in the house, one plastic and the other metal, with valves used to deploy the gas. He said residents in the area say they heard a helicopter earlier that night, but none of the survivors confirmed the presence of a helicopter immediately prior to the strike.
Yasser's neighbors ? who, like Yasser, are Arabs living in a Kurdish neighborhood ? were the first to respond, and they described smelling a sharp, bitter odor that stung their eyes when they entered the home. One of the men tried to carry the baby, but collapsed once he reached him.
Other survivors described a similar odor. Medical staff said the chemicals from the victims caused some symptoms among nurses and doctors hours after the initial exposure.
The two children died shortly after the attack. Their mother survived for a few hours, but her heart stopped at the hospital in Afrin, according to Turki, an anesthesiology technician. The staff resuscitated her and tried to transport her to Atme, Idlib, to hook her up to a respirator there, because the sole device was occupied in Afrin, but she didn't survive the journey.
One of the last moments that Yasser remembers before losing consciousness was getting dizzy and falling to the ground. "I saw my wife nearby; I crawled over to her and hugged her. Then I woke up in Afrin."
His neighbors told him that the house was intact, that the bomb was just gas and didn't cause much damage. "I wish my whole house was destroyed rather than have to deal with this smell," Yasser said. "I just want to know that my wife and children are fine."
BOSTON (AP) ? Authorities investigating the deadly bombings at the Boston Marathon have recovered a piece of circuit board that they believe was part of one of the explosive devices, and also found the lid of a pressure cooker that apparently was catapulted onto the roof of a nearby building, an official said Wednesday.
A law enforcement official briefed on the investigation confirmed to The Associated Press that authorities have recovered what they believe are some of the pieces of the explosive devices. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because this person was not authorized to publicly discuss evidence in the ongoing investigation.
A person close to the investigation previously told AP the bombs consisted of explosives put in 1.6-gallon pressure cookers, one with shards of metal and ball bearings, the other with nails.
Investigators in white jumpsuits fanned out across the streets, rooftops and awnings around the blast site in search of clues on Wednesday. They combed through debris amid the toppled orange sports drink dispensers, trash cans and sleeves of plastic cups strewn across the street at the marathon's finish line.
Also Wednesday, a doctor at Boston Medical Center said two patients, including a 5-year-old child, remain in critical condition there. Dozens of others have been released from hospitals around Boston.
Law enforcement agencies pleaded Tuesday for the public to come forward with photos, videos or any information that might help them solve the twin bombings that killed three people and wounded more than 170 a day earlier. Investigators circulated information about the bombs, which involved kitchen pressure cookers packed with explosives, nails and other lethal shrapnel ? but the FBI said nobody had claimed responsibility.
"Someone knows who did this," Richard DesLauriers, FBI agent in charge in Boston, said at a news conference where he detailed the type of clues a bomber might have left. "Importantly, the person who did this is someone's friend, neighbor, co-worker or relative."
President Barack Obama branded the attack an act of terrorism. Obama plans to attend an interfaith service Thursday in the victims' honor in Boston.
This image from a Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security joint bulletin issued to law enforcement and obtained by The Associated Press, shows the remains of a pressure ... more? This image from a Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security joint bulletin issued to law enforcement and obtained by The Associated Press, shows the remains of a pressure cooker that the FBI says was part of one of the bombs that exploded during the Boston Marathon. The FBI says it has evidence that indicates one of the bombs was contained in a pressure cooker with nails and ball bearings, and it was hidden in a backpack. (AP Photo/FBI) less? ?
Scores of victims of the Boston bombing remained in hospitals, many with grievous injuries. Doctors who treated the wounded corroborated reports that the bombs were packed with shrapnel intended to cause mayhem. In addition to the 5-year-old child, a 9-year-old girl and 10-year-old boy were among 17 victims listed in critical condition.
The trauma surgery chief at Boston Medical Center says most of the injuries his hospital treated after the marathon bombings were to the legs.
"We have a lot of lower extremity injuries, so I think the damage was low to the ground and wasn't up," Dr. Peter Burke said. "The patients who do have head injuries were blown into things or were hit by fragments that went up."
Dozens of patients have been released from hospitals around the Boston area.
At Massachusetts General Hospital, all four amputations performed there were above the knee, with no hope of saving more of the legs, said Dr. George Velmahos, chief of trauma surgery.
"It wasn't a hard decision to make," he said Tuesday. "We just completed the ugly job that the bomb did."
An intelligence bulletin issued to law enforcement includes a picture of a mangled pressure cooker and a torn black bag that the FBI said were part of a bomb that exploded during the marathon.
The bombs exploded 10 or more seconds apart, tearing off victims' limbs and spattering streets with blood. The blasts near the finish line instantly turned the festive race into a hellish scene of confusion, horror and heroics.
The blasts killed 8-year-old Martin Richard, of Boston, and 29-year-old Krystle Campbell, of Medford. The Shenyang Evening News, a state-run Chinese newspaper, identified the third victim as Lu Lingzi. She was a graduate student at Boston University.
Officials found that the bombs in Boston consisted of explosives put in ordinary, 1.6-gallon pressure cookers, one with shards of metal and ball bearings, the other with nails, according to a person close to the investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity because the probe was still going on.
Both bombs were stuffed into black bags and left on the ground, the person said.
Pressure-cooker explosives have been used in international terrorism, and have been recommended for lone-wolf operatives by al-Qaida's branch in Yemen.
But information on how to make the bombs is readily found online, and U.S. officials said Americans should not rush to judgment in linking the attack to overseas terrorists.
Pressure-cooker explosives have been used in Afghanistan, India, Nepal and Pakistan, according to a July 2010 intelligence report by the FBI and the Homeland Security Department. One of the three devices used in the May 2010 Times Square attempted bombing was a pressure cooker, the report said.
Investigators in the Boston bombing were combing surveillance tapes from businesses around the finish line and asking travelers at Logan Airport to share any photos or video that might help.
"This is probably one of the most photographed areas in the country yesterday," said Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis. He said two security sweeps of the marathon route had been conducted before the blasts.
___
Sullivan reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Pat Eaton-Robb, Steve LeBlanc, Bridget Murphy, Rodrique Ngowi and Meghan Barr in Boston; Julie Pace and Lara Jakes in Washington; Paisley Dodds in London; Lee Keath in Cairo; and Marilynn Marchione in Milwaukee contributed to this report along with investigative researcher Randy Herschaft in New York.
Facebook promised that other countries would be getting Home for Android sometime after the US rollout, but it didn't have much more to offer in the way of specifics at its launch event earlier this month. It turns out the wait wasn't too long for some countries, though, as the Home app is now available for download in at least Canada and the UK. You'll still need one of the phones already approved for use to actually run it, though -- namely, the Samsung Galaxy Note II, Galaxy S III, HTC One X+, One X or One. As for the one phone that Home actually ships pre-installed on, the HTC First, it remains a US-exclusive on AT&T; EE and Orange have confirmed that they'll be carrying it across the pond, but there's still no word on Canadian availability.
Tired of accidentally downloading apps to your Android tablet that look best on a smartphone? If so, it appears that Google has heard your cries. The company recently updated its developer console to accept app screenshots that are specific to 7-inch and 10-inch tablets. While it's not the most monumental change, once developers fulfill their end of the bargain, you'll be treated to UI images that best suit your device. Until then, you'll still have to endure a few more games of app roulette.
This illustration of a bright comet over Mars was created by artist Kim Poor.
By Space.com
A comet that had a slim chance of crashing into Mars in 2014 will almost certainly fly harmlessly past the Red Planet, scientists say.
NASA researchers had given?Comet C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring)?a 1-in-8,000 chance of striking the Red Planet in October 2014, but revised calculations now put the possibility of an impact at just 1 in 120,000.
While the odds of a?Mars?comet strike are now exceedingly remote, the new information also suggests that Siding Spring will fly closer to the planet than originally expected.
"Based on data through April 7, 2013, the latest orbital plot places the comet's closest approach to Mars slightly closer than previous estimates, at about 68,000 miles (110,000 kilometers)," NASA officials wrote in a statement on Friday.
It is possible that the fleet of NASA spacecraft on and orbiting Mars will be able to catch sight of the passing comet, but it might be challenging.?
"The issue with Mars Odyssey and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will be the ability to point them in the right direction; they are used to looking down, not up," Jim Bell, a planetary scientist and Mars imaging specialist at Arizona State University, said in a statement. "Mission designers will have to figure out if that is possible."
NASA's Opportunity and Curiosity rovers also might have difficulty observing the event.
"Opportunity is solar-powered and so would need to dip into reserve battery power to operate the cameras at night," Bell said. "Whether or not we will be able to do this will depend on how much power the rover is getting from dusty solar panels in the daytime. On the other hand, Curiosity is nuclear-powered, so it could have better odds at night-time imaging."
Comet Siding Spring will make its closest approach to Mars on Oct. 19, 2014, according to NASA officials.
The comet was discovered on Jan. 3 by astronomer Robert McNaught using the Siding Spring Survey Observatory in Australia, during a search for asteroids that might pose a threat to Earth.
Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook?and Google+. Original article on?Space.com.
Copyright 2013 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Two young siblings reported missing on New York's Long Island died Sunday after their fully clothed bodies were pulled from the black waters of a neighbor's pool in 50-degree temperatures, police said.
Police received a 911 call at about 3:30 p.m. from a mother reporting that her 5-year-old son and a 7-year-old daughter disappeared from their home in Central Islip, said Detective Sgt. Edward Fandrey of the Suffolk County police homicide squad. While searching the neighborhood, an officer spotted a shoe floating in a next-door neighbor's aboveground pool, which was uncovered and contained blackish water, Fandrey said.
Officers jumped into the 4-foot-deep pool and discovered the unconscious bodies of Ralph Knowles and Sharon Knowles. The brother and sister were taken to Southside Hospital, where efforts to resuscitate them failed, Fandrey said.
The pool is surrounded by a deck. Both are sunken into the ground and surrounded by a low, wooden fence.
Fandrey said the pool's owner had been cited by the town for improper fencing.
"The exposed side of the stockade fence was facing out, instead of the smooth side," he said, adding that the slats made it easier to climb over the shared fence.
Telephone calls to numbers listed for the addresses of the victims and the pool's owner went unanswered Sunday night.
The home where the children lived is owned by a nonprofit that provides housing to homeless families, Newsday reported.
The children's uncle, Henry Valentine, 32, of Jamaica, Queens, told the newspaper that the childrens' mother, whom he identified as Tia Knowles, was "devastated."
"She's not doing good at all," he said.
This story was originally published on Sun Apr 14, 2013 8:41 PM EDT
? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
This set of images shows what might be hardware from the Soviet Union's 1971 Mars 3 lander, seen in a pair of images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
By Clara Moskowitz Space.com
Russian space enthusiasts poring through photos from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have spotted what looks like the remains of the Soviet Mars 3 lander that arrived at the Red Planet in 1971.
The Soviet Union lander was the first spacecraft to survive a?Mars landing?long enough to transmit data back to Earth. However, after transmitting for just 14.5 seconds after landing on Dec. 2,?1971, Mars 3 went dark for unknown reasons.
Now a group of Russian Mars fans, who track the progress of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity online, may have found the lander after all these years. [Dead Spacecraft on Mars: A Countdown]
The citizen enthusiasts, led by Vitali Egorov of St. Petersburg, Russia, undertook a crowdsourcing effort to search for the vehicle in photos of the projected landing site from the?Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter?(MRO), which has been circling Mars since 2006. MRO launched toward the Red Planet in 2005 and is NASA's youngest and most powerful orbiter to study Mars from above.
In an image from 2007, they found features that resemble the Mars 3 lander, along with its parachute, heat shield and terminal retrorocket. The features are the right size and shape for the equipment, and they're arranged in the configuration expected from the mission's entry, descent and landing plan, but it's too early to say for sure whether the photo actually depicts Mars 3.
"I wanted to attract people's attention to the fact that Mars exploration today is available to practically anyone," Egorov said in a NASA statement. "At the same time we were able to connect with the history of our country, which we were reminded of after many years through the images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter."?
A Russian scientists and adviser to the group, Alexander Basilevsky of the Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry in Moscow, contacted the MRO team and requested the orbiter take a follow-up image to confirm the features. The satellite's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera?took a second image on March 10 of this year, which confirmed the features.
"Together, this set of features and their layout on the ground provide a remarkable match to what is expected from the Mars 3 landing, but alternative explanations for the features cannot be ruled out," said HiRISE principal investigator Alfred McEwen of the University of Arizona. "Further analysis of the data and future images to better understand the three-dimensional shapes may help to confirm this interpretation."?
Following the Mars 3 mission, the Soviet Union attempted twice more to land spacecraft on the Red Planet with the Mars 6 and Mars 7 missions in 1973, but both of those failed. The first vehicle to survive a landing on Mars was the U.S.?Viking 1 lander, which touched down in July 1976.
Follow Clara Moskowitz on Twitter and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
Copyright 2013 Space.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman recently told the Vancouver Sun ?half the league? takes Adderall.? Then he said he didn?t say it, essentially blaming the reporter for lying about Sherman?s words in order to boost the reporter?s career.
The reporter then released the transcript of the discussion with Sherman, and there it is:? ?There?s about half the league that takes it.?
Some have suggested that Sherman?s comments were taken out of context, a claim that frankly makes no sense.? The context is Adderall use and the quote is half the league takes it.? With a prescription, without a prescription, with a therapeutic use exemption, or without one.? Half the league takes it.? That?s the context, and that?s what he said.
Sherman has yet to challenge the accuracy of the transcript or demand that the tape be released, and he?s probably wise not to.? A talkative guy, Sherman needs to realize the importance of precision and consistency in the words he chooses.? And before recklessly rattling off that the didn?t say something he actually said, he needs to be sure he didn?t say it.
Otherwise, no one will ever believe him when he says he didn?t say something that he was quoted as saying.
That?s not to say he should stop talking.? He just needs to be more careful.? And that?s precisely what he needs to hear from someone he trusts, or he?s going to continue to say things that will get him into unwanted controversies ? and he?ll continue to be tempted to talk his way out of trouble by denying saying what he said.
POSTED 10:37 p.m. ET:? Sherman doesn?t need to demand the audio.? Because the Vancouver Sun has released it.? Video too.? ?Half the league.?
NEW YORK (AP) ? Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has formally launched a political group aimed at revamping immigration policy, boosting education and encouraging investment in scientific research.
Zuckerberg announced the formation of Fwd.us in an op-ed in The Washington Post late Wednesday. In it, he says the U.S. needs a new approach to these issues if it is to get ahead economically. This, he writes, includes offering talented, skilled immigrants a path to citizenship.
He also calls for higher standards and accountability in schools and increased focus on learning about science, technology, engineering and math.
Also backing the group are tech leaders such as LinkedIn Corp. CEO Reid Hoffman, venture capitalists John Doerr and Jim Breyer, as well as Ruchi Sanghvi of Dropbox, who was Facebook Inc.'s first female engineer.
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Public release date: 22-Apr-2013
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