The program, initiated by publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, found that 78 percent of participating students advanced their scores in the California Standard Test for spring 2011, compare with just 58 of students who were given traditional text books.

iPad Can Help Improve Math Score

HMH also found the students using iPads to be “more motivated, attentive, and engaged than traditionally educated peers.”

“By engineering a comprehensive platform that combines the best learning material with technology that embraces students’ strengths and addresses their weaknesses, we’ve gone far beyond the capabilities of an e-book to turn a one-way math lesson into an engaging, interactive, supportive learning experience.” [HMN]

When it comes to computer-based learning there are two schools of thought, those all for increasing the amount of computer-aided learning through the use of such devices as iPads would argue that technology is essential to learning, especially being as many job these days are technology-related. The other side of the coin is that technology in the classroom is distracting and in some cases, can actually hinder the transfer of knowledge.

Personally I think its more a case of tailoring the best learning applications to best situations. It’s hard to deny that all people, including children get attached to their pads, and if educational software can then help tablet wielding kids learning faster and think more intuitively, then I’m all for it.

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Left with a cut on his forehead and in relatively little pain, Autullo thought that gun had simply hit his forehead.

When cleaning the wound at home, his fiancée, Ms. Glaenzer, also overlooked the full extent of the damage. However, when Autullo started to become nauseous the next day, the bride to be quickly took him to the Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois for examination.

At the hospital it became clear that the nail gun did not only strike Autullo’s forehead, it also send a 3.25inch nail into his skull. Luckily the nail came within just a few millimeters of the area used for motor function.

Dante Autullo Shots Himself In The Brain With Nail Gun

There are pain-sensitive nerves on the person skull, however there are none within the brain itself, which is why Autullo only felt the pain of the nail penetrating the skull.

To remove the nail, a section of the skull was removed and replaced with a titanium mesh. Ms. Glaenzer, told the Associated Press on Friday that he was in good spirits after the two-hour surgery.

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The research, being carried out at Israel’s Tel Aviv University psychology department, aims to replace parts of the brain with digital equipment. Prof Matti Mintz, a psychobiologist at Tel Aviv University who is involved in the international project, explained.

“Imagine there’s a small area in the brain that is malfunctioning, and imagine that we understand the architecture of this damaged area…

“So we try to replicate this part of the brain with electronics.”

To do this researchers implant electrode 1 cm deep inside the rat’s brain. The electrodes are then connected to a microchip embedded under the rodents’ skull.

Scientists Implants Electrode In Rats Brains To Repair Brain Damage

The chip receives sensory information from the brainstem then interprets it and sends the info back just like healthy brain tissue would.

Animal activists claim the research is ‘grotesque’ however researchers claim it could lead to discover effective ways of fixing the brain. Prof. Mintz explains:

“For example, there’s a region of the brain that controls one simple motor movement – breathing…

“Right now, if a patient loses this area, there’s no way to recover. But if we’re able in the future to replace such an area that is responsible for very discrete but extremely essential movement, it will be great…

“And it is on the horizon.”

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The first of its kind study, conducted at a Surrey University in England suggests that eating eggs for breakfast helps reduce calorie intake at lunch and dinner. Researchers say this because eggs keep us fuller for longer compared with other breakfast foods. Eggs also help reduce the urge to snack on biscuits, cake or chocolate during the day.

Eggs For Breakfast Aids Weight-Loss

The study compared three typical breakfast meals, all containing the same amount of calories – eggs on toast, cornflakes and milk, and croissant and orange juice.

Participants who ate eggs breakfast all said they felt fuller for longer and had a lower desire to eat during the day. This was echoed in the results, which showed eating eggs led to a significant decrease in energy intake at lunch and dinner.

The study didn’t look at how bacon and sausage compare to other breakfasts, however since these contain high levels of fat, it’s no doubt that eggs are the healthier option when it comes to your morning meal.

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Cathy Bukaty of the Laser Center of Orlando, one clinic offering the treatment, said:

“If you sweat profusely, clinical studies show that you can burn up to 600 calories in a hour of being in there.”

Infrared Sauna Burns Calories

Developed by NASA in early 80s, the infrared sauna creates the same rays as the sun but without the UV radiation. Studies have shown how traditional saunas do not cause the body sweat out toxins, but with the infrared sauna, this actually happens.

This is because the heat is different. The infrared sauna reaches temperatures up to 140 degrees and this extreme heat breaks up the water molecules that hold toxins. Bukaty explained:

“The traditional saunas of the past go a half inch into the tissues. This goes an inch and a half, so three times deeper. Even the sweat produced for this is different.”

Studies conducted by the Mayo Clinic show that infrared saunas can also help treat people with high blood pressure and heart failure.

“It’s amazing everything that it can do from helping cancer patients, heart patients,” Bukaty added.

Another major benefit is that the sauna is not hot and stuffy; it’s lighted and even has music playing! All things designed to help you stay in there for longer, and according to Bukaty, “the longer you stay in, the more benefits.”

Reports show that everyone can benefit from the infrared dry heat sauna, and according to the Mayo Clinic, no adverse side effects have been reported.

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Strange Side Effects

Ambien

Ambien is designed to help insomniacs get a good night’s sleep. However many users report strange side effects such as sleep-walking, sleep-driving, and sleep-eating, and most of the time the person has no recollection of this when they wake.

Statins

Statins are taken to help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. Unfortunately, this drug can also cause amnesia in some users.

Alli

Alli is the only FDA approved diet pill. It works by blocking some of the fat you eat; however it also requires the user to reduce their intake of fat. This is because the drug causes the fat that wasn’t absorbed to pass straight through the body, which can lead to unpleasant side effects such as gas and loose stools.

Xeloda

A cancer drug capecitabine, marketed under the brand name Xeloda, can produce severe side effects such as inflammation of the hands and feet, peeling of skin, blistering and bleeding, and in extremely rare cases the medication can even cause finger prints to disappear – however these do return once the medication has been stopped.

Vasotec

Vasotec is often used to control high blood pressure and treat congestive heart failure, but it can also cause users to lose their sense of smell and taste.

Chantix

Chantix is a drug taken by smokers to help them quit. However it has been shown to cause insomnia, and vivid dreams and nightmares when the user does eventually falls asleep.

Viagra

Aside from helping men with ED, Viagra even has beneficial side effects for those with heart problems. However in rare cases excessive uses can cause sensitivity to light and a self-explanatory condition known as blue vision.

Mirapex

Mirapex can help those with restless leg syndrome relax when they are in bed, it is also prescribed to patients with Parkinson’s disease. However some users taking Mirapex report having problems with gambling, compulsive eating, and increased sex drive. While these symptoms may seem like fun, they are in fact very serious and anyone experience such side effects should see the doctor immediately.

Pepto Bismal

Pepto Bismal is the mainstay in many households to relieve heartburn or an upset stomach. But the commonly taken medicine can cause black and furry tongues, as well as black/grey stools.

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Doctors at the Hinduja National Hospital where the bacteria was first reported, say they have been treating patients with a range of drugs but so far nothing has worked.

The infected patients came from slum areas of the city where close contact between people means further spreading was likely. The Indian Health Ministry has now sent a team of doctors to Mumbai to investigate.

Drug Resistant Strain Of TB Found In India

The cause of the small, but worrying outbreak is still unknown. In some cases the growth of drug-resistant strains can be spurred on when patients do not finish their course of treatments. This creates an ideal breading ground for the bacteria to grow more resilient to the onslaught of medications.

The very first cases of multiple drug-resistant TB happened in Italy in 2003, and in Iran in 2005. Partially drug-resistant TB can also be found in countries such as China and Russia.

Typically a patient with TB is given a six to nine month course of antibiotics to eradicate it. However, the new strains appear completely resistant to all drugs on the market, confirmed the American Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Kenneth Castro, director of its Division of Tuberculosis Elimination, said:

“Anytime we see something like this, we better get on top of it before it becomes a more widespread problem.”

Dr Ruth Mcnerney, a senior lecturer at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a trustee of charity TB Alert, said the new cases represented a “serious threat” to global efforts to control TB:

“What we’re seeing is probably just the tip of the iceberg. We don’t know how widespread this is because so few people are tested for drug resistance.”

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Amy Joyce Francis, 77, was scheduled to have her kidney removed at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Wales, instead the doctor tried to remove her liver. The complications lead to a huge loss of blood and as a result, Mrs. Francis suffered a fatal heart attack.

At the inquest, consultant urologist Adam Carter, the surgeon who performed the operation, explained that Mrs. Francis underwent keyhole surgery to remove a cancerous right kidney. After making the incisions, Mr. Carter asked a trainee doctor to remove the organ because that is easiest part of the procedure.

However, inside the body the trainee found the peritoneal sac – the organ the thin membrane protecting the liver –covered by more fluid and matter than normal. Not confident enough to proceed Mr. Carter took over.

At this point of the surgery the endoscopic camera cannot be used, and the doctors must work by touch alone.

Mr. Carter mistakenly grabbed hold of Mrs. Francis’s liver and pulled down on it causing it to rupture. The anesthetist immediately reported a fall in the patient’s blood pressure. Carter said he knew at that point he had torn the wrong organ. Two senior surgeons were called to the scene but were unable to save her.
Mr. Carter said it was possible that the trainee had breached the peritoneal sac while she was trying to reach the organ:

“I think that what happened is that the peritoneum had been breached and the liver fell down and became more accessible than it usually is.” [BBC]

The courts declared the verdict an unintentional mistake. The coroner for Gwent released this narrative:

“Whilst undergoing keyhole surgery for the necessary removal of the cancerous right kidney, Mrs. Francis’s liver was ruptured when it was mistakenly and unintentionally identified as the kidney and was catastrophically torn and damaged, resulting in death.” [BBC]

The family, saddened by their loss but grateful for the doctors efforts accepted the verdict. Mrs. Francis’ son, Alan, said:

“We accept the decision and we also accept that Mr. Carter and his team acted in good faith to prolong my mother’s life…

“We appreciated Mr. Carter’s honesty and him coming along here today and hope that we can put it all behind us now…

“I think that it was the honesty that saved the hospital. If we thought that they had not answered our questions it would have been different. This was an honest mistake.” [BBC]

As a result of the tragic death, the procedure has been modified to prevent any similar mistakes, and these adjustments have been communicated to the medical community worldwide.

Since the death, Mr. Carter has carried out the operation 20 times without complications.

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The study involved around 800 adult smokers who had recently quit smoking. During two three year periods, from 2001 – 2006, doctors recorded any nicotine replacement therapy used – which included patches, gum, inhalers, and nasal sprays – as well as any counseling they had received.

Within each two-year time frame, approximately one-third of those who had quit began to smoke again. NRT was found to have no impact on the relapse rate, regardless of accompanying counseling. Participants who took NRTs for any duration of time were just as likely to start smoking as those who didn’t, and this was true for both heavy and light smokers.

Nicotine Replacement Therapies May Not Work In The Long Run

Lead author of the study Hillel Alpert, a research scientist with the Harvard School of Public Health’s Center for Global Tobacco Control in Boston, said:

“Even though other well-controlled studies have shown that nicotine replacement therapy can be effective, our study looked at real-world use over the long-term…

“And in the real world, cigarettes are simply a very powerful addiction. And NRT is apparently not an effective replacement for that addiction.”

The study noted that 70 percent of the smokers interviewed said they wanted to quit, and more than 45 percent said they tried to so in the past year.

Researchers concluded that the findings raise “serious questions” about the effectiveness of NRT, outside a carefully controlled clinical setting.

Stanton Glantz, a professor of medicine in the division of cardiology at the University of California, San Francisco’s Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, said the new study “is a real challenge to the routine use of over-the-counter NRT outside of a clinical setting.” However he also noted that:

“This is just one study, and it’s not terribly huge. And this study isn’t saying that these pharmacologic aids don’t work at all. It just says that NRT doesn’t work in the unsupervised, over-the-counter context. So we don’t necessarily want to throw out the baby with the bathwater.”

Alpert’s study, which was funded by the U.S. National Cancer Institute was published in the Jan. 9 online edition of Tobacco Control.

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Sean Wingrove-Smith from Walderslade, England, was born with a rare genetic disorder known as Goldenhar Syndrome.

The condition stops babies’ ears, lips, mouth, or nose from developing properly, it can even scoliosis or hearing loss. As a result Sean was born with part of his right ear missing, and deaf in the same ear.

Boy Gets New Ear Grafted From Cartilage

To replace the ear, doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital, took cartilage from Sean’s rib cage and carved it into the shape of an ear. The cartilage was then grafted on to the remaining part of ear and the side of his head using skin from his scalp.

The operation took one year to heal completely, and although Sean’s is still deaf in his right ear, his is able to wear glasses for the first time.

The new organ does not feel the same as an actual ear, it’s harder because of the cartilage, but it has helped boost his confidence according to his parents.

Goldenhar Syndrome is a rare condition first described in 1952 by Dr. Maurice Goldenhar. Unfortunately it exact cause remains unknown.

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