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Helping Drug Addicts Is Now A Political Priority

February 10, 2016 By Brian Galloway Leave a Comment

More Americans die from drug overdoses now than from car crashes.

Recent news inform us that helping drug addicts is now a political priority.

The so-called ‘use of drugs’, as we know it, is one of the biggest problems our society confronts nowadays. Heroin is a highly addictive, illegal drug. It is used by millions of addicts around the world who are unable to overcome the urge to continue taking this drug every day of their lives.

It is clear that a person dealing with addiction needs the help and support of family members and friends. It takes an understanding support system to deal with the ongoing challenges. Nationwide, about 2.2 million people need treatment for opioid abuse, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, but about only 1 million manage to get it.

To help make that happen, the federal government is looking to increase funding for heroin addiction programs. The Obama administration is proposing a significant boost in federal spending to battle the nation’s heroin addiction epidemic. They will seek a $1 billion increase in spending over two years to expand access to treatment. The administration will spend about $127 million on such treatment programs this year.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers has also proposed legislation focused on authorizing grants to expand local treatment and recovery programs to dispose of excess painkillers. Florida Republican, Marco Rubio just signed on to co-sponsor the legislation, on the eve of the New Hampshire primary:

This bill will improve treatment options, increase prevention efforts, and help law enforcement fight drug abuse.

he stated in a declaration.

New Hampshire is a state that has been particularly ravaged by drugs. It has one of the highest rates of fatal opioid overdoses in the country. That means a lot of voters in New Hampshire want to talk about drug addiction. They want to know what the men and women running for president can do to help. They want to know what those in Congress can do about it and for good reason.

Another recent graph representation shows that more Americans die from drug overdoses now than from car crashes. In 2014, that was about 47,000 people. Most of these people took opioid painkillers prescribed by a doctor; many others died from heroin, the cheaper alternative.

Now, returning to the political report, one could easily say that the Obama administration and Congress are acting more because it’s politically expedient than because it’s the right thing to do for millions of Americans.

Even if it were true, it wouldn’t matter. More help and treatment services need to be made available for all the drug addicts and this proposal is a good step in that direction.

Image Source: slate.com; turner.com.

STDs, The ”Most Distinctive” Killers in New York, Study Says

May 16, 2015 By Deborah Nielsen Leave a Comment

Chlamydia and gonorrhea lead to the most “distinctive” killer in New York, a new research said. According to the study, pelvic inflammatory disease is the premier unusual cause of death in the Big Apple, according to a research published in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease.

The infection of female reproductive organs, which is typically caused by sexually transmitted diseases, is responsible for killing more people in New York than in any other city in the country, according to the study carried out by employees at the New York Department of Health.The report, published Friday, reveals the most “distinctive” causes of death in the state and compares it to the national average. Common causes, such as cancer or heart disease, were excluded. Other unusual causes around the New York area include syphilis, septicemia and, also, intervention by law enforcement officers.

“I feel like there’s really almost 51 stories to tell with this. Many of these states have an idea of what’s going on and some are kind of mysterious, like New York,” study author Francis P. Boscoe told the Daily News. “.”

The death rate for PID in New York is more than double compared to the national average, at 6 deaths per 10 million, while 97 New York women lost their lives of PID between 2001 and 2010, said the researchers..

Around 1 million U.S. women contact PID every year, and teen girls are enduring the highest rate of infection, according to the study. There are no precise tests for it, and women probably do not even realize they have it, Some of the symptoms are fever, lower abdomen pain, a burning sensation during urination, pain during sex and unusual bleeding or vaginal discharge.

New Yorkers could be most affected considering their higher STD rates, explained Dr. David Samadi, chairman of urology at Lennox Hill Hospital. STDs are “overwhelmingly the leading” in the communicable diseases charts in New York, according to the Department of Health.

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not mention PID can be fatal, the agency is listing it as one of the 113 causes of death. In 2013, the last year the data is available, 129 people died of it in the U.S.

Samadi added he’s never known of a patient dying of PID. But the disease can cause a lot of frustration and stress, which can lead to fatal problems, he explained. The disease can be cured with antibiotics if detected in its early stages, but can have long and lasting effects. One in eight women who contact it have problems getting pregnant.

Image Source: Great News

Undiagnosed Sleep Disorders in Firefighters

November 14, 2014 By Brian Galloway Leave a Comment

A recent study reveals that the sleep disorders such as insomnia, sleep apnea, change work disorder and restless leg syndrome are widespread among firefighters. In addition, the research carried out by the scientists at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) described that due to the truth that firefighters are at higher risk of sleep problems, this might lead to illness and elevated chance of motor accidents.

The CDC signifies that about a quarter of People in America complain of the periodic sleeping disorder, while about 10 % of the U.S. population is affected by chronic insomnia. The scientists observed the existence of sleep problems as well as their related adverse safety and health final results in roughly 7,000 firefighters from 66 different fire departments over the U.S. The firefighters were examined for common sleep problems along with other health problems too. The participants were also requested regarding their probability of dropping off to sleep at the wheel, their participation in vehicle accidents, in addition to any injuries or close calls they’d while driving. Out of all of the firefighters participated in the study, 37% were identified as having a sleep disorder.

Laura K. Barger, Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders associate physiologist said, “The findings of the study demonstrate the impact of common sleep problems on firemen safety and health, as well as their link with the 2 main reasons for dying among firefighters. Regrettably, greater than 80 % of firefighters who tested positive for any common sleep problem were undiagnosed and untreated.”

The research is published in the Clinical Sleep Medicine journal on 13^th November. The study finds a connection between sleep disorders and certain health issues in firefighters, however, it botched to prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

Czeisler, chief BWH Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders said, “Firefighters with sleep disorders also had a higher prevalence of conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression and anxiety. Occupational sleep disorder screening programs can identify individuals who are vulnerable to adverse safety and health consequences, including those that are leading causes of death in firefighters. This study provides the rationale for further research evaluating the effectiveness of occupational sleep disorders management programs on disease risk, mental health and safety outcomes.”

Global Warming Might Cause More Lightning Strikes

November 14, 2014 By Germaine Hicks 8 Comments

Recently, climate researchers conducted a new study stating, “If global warming continues, then the lightning strikes should be expected to become more recurrent. Within an extreme scenario where temps go up by 4 levels, the rise may be as much as 50%.”

David Romps, Climatology professor at Berkeley said, “Thunderstorms become more explosive with global warming. It is related to water vapor that is the fuel for explosive deep convection within the atmosphere. Global warming causes there to become more water vapor within the atmosphere, and when you’ve more fuel lying around, when you get explosion, it can go big time.”

Romps and the co-workers make their conjecture on the way forward of lightening by considering a factor referred to as CAPE – convective available potential energy – that is measured through the radiosonde balloons usually released over the USA to watch the weather.

“CAPE is actually a way of measuring how potentially explosive the atmosphere is, that’s, how buoyant a parcel of air could be if you got it convecting, should you first got it to punch through overlying air into the free troposphere,” states Romps. “We hypothesized the product of precipitation and CAPE would predict lightning … I was amazed by how amazingly well that worked out.”

These techniques produced the following results;

Normally, the models conjectured an 11% rise in CAPE within the United States per degree Celsius increase in global average temperature by the end of the twenty-first century. Since the models envisage little average precipitation increase countrywide over this era, the product of CAPE and precipitation gives in regards to a 12 % increase in cloud-to-ground lightning strikes per degree within the neighboring United States, or perhaps a roughly 50 % increase by 2100 if Earth sees the expected 4-degree Celsius increase (7 levels Fahrenheit) in temperature.

Lots of people think that global temps can and really should be avoided from growing any more than 2 levels Celsius, in which scenario there’d simply be one fourth rise in lightning strikes. Others would explain that there’s really been no warming during the last 15 years and more, so maybe there won’t be much of it this century and lightning strikes will stay in their current level.

However, presuming Romps and the co-workers are right and you will see 50% more lightning around 2100, what would that mean?

Well, the present possibility of an individual being struck by lightning in the United States is one in 700,000 in a year: that’s 0.0000014. Growing this by 50% brings it up to roughly 0.000002.

The study is published in major boffinry mag Science.

Improper Contact Lens Care Might Lead to Keratitis, CDC Reports!

November 14, 2014 By Brian Galloway Leave a Comment

If you are among the regular users of contact lens, then beware of Keratitis – an eye infection that is on the rise in U.S. Scientists state that the recent increase in the infection is because of the prolonged use of contact lens. Keratitis is an infection within the cornea generally triggered by bacteria. However amoeba, viruses and fungi are the major causes of infection.

Recently, the CDC Scientists carefully observed nearly 38 million contact lens users in the USA and discovered that due to lack of precaution while using the contact lens as well as the delayed replacement of contact lenses, patients often reported inflammation in eyes and many other contact lens related illnesses. Scientists also compared the number of people using contact lens and struggling with Keratitis, to the number of folks that doesn’t use contact lens and struggling with Keratitis, they discovered that contact lenses were more vulnerable to the infection.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states, “Among 38 million contact lens users within the US, poor storage case hygiene, infrequent storage case replacement, and overnight lens put on are believed to be the major factors causing microbe Keratitis, contact-related inflammation, along with other eye complications.”

Though, individuals who required good care and adopted all of the preventive measure weren’t vulnerable to the infection. “Keratitis connected with poor contact lens hygiene is avoidable. Prevention efforts will include surveillance, enhanced estimations of the burden of disease, and energetic health promotion activities centered on contact lens customers and eye care professionals (eye specialists, opticians, and opticians). Elevated surveillance capacity is required for microbe Keratitis, particularly data from eye doctor visits,” the CDC explains.

“Keratitis affects all age groups, including teens and seniors. Though, the research revealed that woman are more likely to get affected from the infection than men. Of all the affected patients 63% were women,” Jennifer Cope, MD, MPH, medical epidemiologist at the CDC said.

WWF Report Shows How The Last 40 Years Affected The Population Of Wildlife: Report

September 30, 2014 By Rebecca McGhee Leave a Comment

According to the recent reports of WWF (World Wide Fund), the population of fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles chop down by 52% within 1970 to 2010, which believes to be far faster than ever thought.

On the other hand, the report of conservation group’s Living Planet, published every 2 years, stated that, the demands of human kinds are increased by 50%, which seems more than that the nature bears, trees felled, ground water pumped, CO2 emissions increased more than the Earth can bear (Reuters).

Ken Norris (Director of Science at the Zoological Society of London) stated, “This huge damage is not foreseeable, though the outcome of the way we choose to live.”

Moreover, the report stated that we can still cope with this situation if politicians and businesses took the right actions to save nature.

International Director of WWF, General Marco Lambertini stated, “It’s quite vital that we grab the opportunity in order to develop a sustainable future where people could live and prosper in harmony with nature.”

He further stated that we can’t preserve the nature by only protecting wild places, though it’s also about conservation of the humanity’s future, indeed, our only way to survive.

The major declines were in tropical regions, especially Latin America, report results on the populations of vertebrate wildlife discovered. WWF, which believes to be a “Living Planet Index”, is relying on the trends in 10,380 populations of 3,038 mammal, bird, reptile, and amphibian and fish species.

WWF told, the average 52% decline is much larger than the previously published reports, partially because these studies has based on more readily accessible information from Europe & North-America. According to the same report published 2 years back, stated the decline of 28% within 1970 to 2008.

Certainly, the worst decline was believed to be amongst the population of fresh water species, which is declined to 76% till 2010. On the other hand, marine and terrestrial decline is by 39%.

The report stated that, the major reason for the decline in populations happened due to the loss of natural habitats, exploitation due to hunting and fishing and most importantly due to climate change.

In order to measure the variation between the statistics of different countries experimental impact, the report gauged that how large an ‘ecological footprint’ each one had and how much productive land and water area, or “bio-capacity”, each country accounted for.

Furthermore the report revealed that Kuwaitis followed by Qatar and UAE had seems to be the largest ecological footprint so far, as they are consuming and wasting more resources as compared to any other nation.

The report stated, “ If everyone on this planet have the same footprint as of Kuwait & Qatar resident, then we probably need 4.8 planets and if we lived similar to an USA resident, then we need 3.9 planets.”

Some poorer countries such as India, Indonesia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo also had ecological footprint that seems fine with the planet’s ability to absorb their demands.

Topological Insulators -The Secret Behind Superfast Computing

September 23, 2014 By Jason Leathers Leave a Comment

The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America has reported a tremendous work by engineers from Utah University, U.S.A. The engineers are claiming that they have developed a material that is a key to speedy computing; the material that will lead computers work at a fantastic speed without getting over heated.

The technology that is put forward is a silicon semiconductor with a layer of metal deposited atop of it , the makers have entitled it as a “topological insulator”, the material behaves as a conductor and insulator simultaneously. The surface acts as a conductor to electricity while the interior working as an insulator. Discovered a decade back, the topological insulators provide quintessential speed to the computers.

But the major hurdle in developing the material is to create one with big energy gap. Energy gap is described as the amount of energy needed for electrons to conduct electricity in any material. With larger energy gaps, electrons tend to flow over the surface rather than its interior as a result a computer can function at super fast speed without getting over heated at room temperature.

Professor Feng liu with his fellows are able to deposit a layer of bismuth a top a silicon semiconductor, this yields a topological insulator with big energy gap. The professor also shared that this combination provides the largest energy gap ever foreseen and therefore this technology can easily enhance the working speed of appliances used on room temperature. The finding will provide a possibility of using quantum computers and fast spintronic devices on room temperature.

Quantum computers, the upcoming application of quantum mechanics, are predicted to provide billions of energy to computers as compared to conventional operating systems used today. Spintronic devices-the gadgets using spin of electrons for data storage and transmission in electronic items are yet another anticipated technology in terms of super-fast computing.

The research by Liu and his colleagues was sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy.

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