Welcome To Rss Feed

Brain 'wash out' may help premature babies

A technique that "washes out" the brains of severely ill premature babies may aid survival, a study suggests.

Bleeding in the brain is one of the most feared complications for the most premature babies as it can lead to brain damage or death.

The Bristol University study of 77 babies found the technique - involving draining the brain while introducing new fluid - could reduce the risk.

It is thought the technique could benefit about 100 babies a year.

The therapy, pioneered at Bristol's Southmead Hospital, is carried out over a couple of days and requires close monitoring to ensure the pressure in the baby's brain does not rise too high, researchers say.

Experts have described the findings as encouraging.

It would be used only on the most premature babies with large haemorrhages, which cause the brain and head to expand excessively - a condition called hydrocephalus.

Standard treatment currently involves repeatedly inserting needles into the head or spine to remove the build up of fluid over a number of months before a shunt is inserted to drain fluid into the abdomen.

But the study, published in the Pediatrics journal, found the new treatment called Drift was more effective.

Of the 39 babies to receive the treatment, by the age of two 54% had died or were severely disabled, compared with 71% who were given the standard treatment.

Paediatric neurosurgeon Ian Pople, one of the lead researchers, said he hoped the technique would soon be used in the NHS.

"This is the first time that any treatment anywhere in the world has been shown to benefit these very vulnerable babies."

One of the first babies to be given the treatment before the study took place was nine-year-old Isaac Walker-Cox, from Yate, near Bristol.

He was given a 1% chance of survival when he was born 13 weeks early.

His mother, Rebekah Walker-Cox, said that while he has mild paralysis on the left-side of his body, he is living a normal childhood.

"Mentally he has no problems at all, he has an above average reading age and is very good with computers. He just gets on with life and is an outgoing, happy little boy."

Andy Cole, of Bliss, the premature baby charity, said: "This is a very interesting piece of new research and we always welcome anything that has the potential to improve outcomes for babies born sick and premature.

"The early results of this technique are encouraging and we look forward to seeing how these findings might be translated into treatments that could ensure better outcomes for these vulnerable babies."

Iraq election turnout 62%, officials say

The voter turnout in Iraq's general elections was 62%, officials said, despite attacks that killed 38 people.

Preliminary results are not expected for several days but the turnout figure is down from the 75% who voted in the 2005 general elections.

Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's State of Law Coalition is widely expected to win the most seats.

But it is unlikely one party will form a government alone and there may be months of negotiations on a coalition.

Officials from the Independent High Electoral Commission estimated the turnout in Sunday's elections was 62% of the 19 million eligible voters.

The final official results will not be declared until the end of March, though preliminary results are expected in two or three days.

Mr Maliki's State of Law Coalition said it had done well, especially in Baghdad and in the Shia south of Iraq.

Unnamed Iraqi officials told the news agency AFP that he was leading in nine of Iraq's 18 provinces.

Mr Maliki faces competition from the Shia-dominated Iraq National Alliance and the secular coalition of former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.

An official with Mr Allawi's Iraqiya alliance said the bloc was leading in the northern and western provinces.

Election officials gave further breakdowns of the turnout by region.

Voter turnout was reported to be 61% in the mainly-Sunni province of Anbar, which sprawls from west of Baghdad to the borders with Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

In the northern Kurdish-controlled autonomous area of Dohuk the turnout was 80%, news agency AFP reported.

Dortmund boss Klopp praises Zidan

Borussia Dortmund boss Juergen Klopp dished out praise for Mohamed Zidan, in the wake of the Egyptian forward's scintillating performance against Borussia Moenchengladbach.

The 28-year-old bagged a second-half brace in Saturday's Bundesliga game and was quite impressive till he was taken off after 76 minutes.

Klopp believes that Zidan, who also netted the opener in Egypt's 3-1 friendly defeat to England last week at Wembley Stadium, is at his best in these days.

"It was one of his best games for Dortmund," said the German tactician. "This is the Zidan whom I know."

Klopp is convinced that Zidan's goal against the Three Lions boosted his morale before Moenchengladbach visited Dortmund's Westfalenstadion.

"This goal has done him good," he stated. "he came back very confident."

Jumonah Murad in a new comedy series

The famous Syrian actress Jumonah Murad has agreed to star in a new comedy television series called "Shahed Ithbat" (The Witness), written by Fouad Al Shandooli and likely to be directed by Muhammad Al Rashidi.

"Shahed Ithbat" is also a drama and the selection of the remaining cast is still in progress.

Filming is scheduled to begin next month to have the series ready by next Ramadan season.Jumonah's last film "Al Farah" (The Celebration) was screened last summer season. She is now getting ready to start filming her new film "Al Lailah Al Kibirah" (Te Big Night).

Obese children show signs of heart disease

Obese children as young as three years old show signs of future heart disease, say US researchers.

A study of 16,000 children and teenagers showed the most obese had signs of an inflammatory marker which can predict future heart disease.

In all, 40% of obese three-to-five-year olds had raised levels of C-reactive protein compared with 17% of healthy weight children, Pediatrics reported.

But more work is needed to prove the link with heart disease in later life.

The study, carried out by a team at the University of North Carolina (UNC), looked at children aged one to 17.

Overall, nearly 70% were a healthy weight, 15% were overweight, 11% were obese and 3.5% were very obese.

In the older age groups, the proportion of those in the very obese category with high levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) increased even further.

By age 15-17, 83% of the very obese had increased CRP compared with 18% of the healthy weight children.

Iran 'not co-operating' says new IAEA chief

Iran is not co-operating with the UN nuclear watchdog's investigation into the country's nuclear programme, the new head of the agency has said.

Iran's insistence its nuclear programme was peaceful could not be confirmed, Yukiya Amano told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna.

Mr Amano is taking a more critical line than his predecessor, analysts say.

The news is likely to strengthen calls for sanctions on Iran. Iran's foreign minister has rejected Mr Amano's claim.

"The agency continues to verify the non-diversion of declared nuclear material in Iran, but we cannot confirm that all nuclear material in Iran is in peaceful activities because Iran has not provided the agency with the necessary co-operation," Mr Amano said.

He was speaking at a 35-nation board meeting of the IAEA in Vienna, the first since he took over as the head of the organisation in December.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki rejected Mr Amano's statement.

"We have fully co-operated with the agency. This co-operation will continue," he told journalists.

Hind Sabri, “Hunger is a product of conflict.”

The Tunisian actress Hind Sabri and UN goodwill ambassador said that hunger is often the product of civil wars and conflicts between political groups, rather than poverty during a press conference at the Samaris Intercontinental Hotel in Cairo.

Sabri said that hunger is the enemy of democracy, education and prosperity.Sabri said that her fight against hunger started in 2009 during the aftermath of Israel’s 23-day offensive in the Gaza Strip. Sabri worked to help Palestinians suffering from food insecurity in Gaza due to the destruction of agricultural lands during the war and prolonged border closures.

Iran's supreme leader denies nuclear report claims

Iran's supreme leader has denied it is developing nuclear weapons, after a new report from the UN atomic watchdog, the IAEA, sparked an international outcry.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said any fears were "baseless" as Iranians' beliefs "bar us from using such weapons".

The blunt report raised concerns Iran was working on nuclear weapons.

Russia said it was "very alarmed" over the report while the US warned Iran it faced consequences if it failed to meet international responsibilities.

According to the unusually forthright report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran's level of co-operation with the agency was decreasing, adding to concerns about "possible military dimensions" to its nuclear programme.

Donia Samir Ghanem denies engagement

The young Egyptian actress Donia Samir Ghanem denied rumors circulating in the media that she is engaged to the producer Karim Al Sabki.

She said that her relationship with Karim is only a good friendship. She also said that she is not thinking of getting engaged for the time being, because she is focusing on her acting career. However, sources close to Donia said the couple has postponed their engagement and that Karim has made the necessary arrangements with Donia’s father, the famous Egyptian comedian Samir Ghanem.As for her acting career, Donia is reading a number of different television and cinema scenarios. She is also preparing for a new theatre play, but has yet to reveal the details.

Four different production companies have offered to produce Donia’s future music albums, but she has yet to select one.

Grandparents who care for children 'boost obesity risk'

Young children who are regularly looked after by their grandparents have an increased risk of being overweight, an extensive British study has suggested.

Analysis of 12,000 three-year olds suggested the risk was 34% higher if grandparents cared for them full time.

Children who went to nursery or had a childminder had no increased risk of weight problems, the International Journal of Obesity reported.

Nearly a quarter of preschool children in the UK are overweight or obese.

The researchers said very little research had been done on the influence of childcare on weight.

Yet childcare may have an effect on weight through diet and physical activity.

The study used data from the Millennium Cohort Study, which looked at the health of children aged between nine months and three years old, who had been born in the UK between 2000 and 2001.

The results showed that those looked after by grandparents part-time had a 15% higher risk of being overweight for their age compared with those solely looked after by their parents.

Those who were cared for by their grandparents full-time had a 34% increased risk of being overweight, the University College London team found.

Further analysis taking into account the child's socio-economic background, found the increased risk was only apparent in children from the most advantaged groups - whose mothers had a managerial or professional job, had a degree, or lived with their partner.

There was also an increased risk of being overweight associated with other informal care provided by relatives or friends but only if that was full-time.