About 21 percent of women were infected with genital herpes, compared to only 11.5 percent of men. Also, about 39 percent of blacks were infected with genital herpes compared to about 12 percent for whites, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
About 48 percent of black women are infected with genital herpes. The increased rate of infection in blacks is not due to increased risky behavior but likely due to biological factors that make women more susceptible. There is a higher rate of infection within black communities. The CDC estimates that more than 80 percent of people with genital herpes do not know they are infected.
The statistics make genital herpes the most common sexually transmitted disease (STD)There is no cure for genital herpes, or herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), which can cause recurrent and painful genital sores and also increases the likelihood of acquiring and transmitting the AIDS virus. It is related to herpes simplex virus 1, or oral herpes, which causes cold sores.
Several drugs are available to treat herpes symptoms and outbreaks. Acyclovir, which is available generically or under the Zovirax brand name, and valacyclovir, known generically as Valtrex, are both made by GlaxoSmithKline PLC. Ganciclovir, sold as Zirgan, is made by privately-held Sirion Therapeutics, Inc.
Intestinal bacteria contribute to changes in appetite and metabolism/Implications for Metabolic Syndrome
Bacteria that helps digest food can cause obesity if the bacteria becomes unregulated and certain bacteria overpopulate and cause a low-leval inflammation that leads to a pre-diabetic condition and elevated appetite.
Scientist discovered that mice genetically deficient in Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5), a component of the innate immune system that is expressed in the gut mucosa and that helps defend against infection, exhibit hyperphagia (excessive appetite) and develop hallmark features of metabolic syndrome, including hyperlipidemia, hypertension, insulin resistance, and increased adiposity.
After breaking the record for the 100-meters with a time of 9.69 set at the 2008 Olympics exactly one year ago today, Usain Bolt, 22, set a new record of 9.58 seconds at the IAAF World Outdoor Championships in Athletics in Berlin, Germany.
On a Sunday night, August 16, 2009 in Berlin, with a tailwind of 1 mile per hour, the 6′ 4″ 168-pound Jamaican put his 100-meters world record to an amazing level.
FRI JUL 31 2009 — Michael Phelps, Ricky Berens, David Walters and Ryan Lochte clocked 6 minutes 58.55 seconds to shave one-hundredth of a second off the previous record of 6:58.56 set by a recent US team that one the Olympic gold in Beijing last August.
13th FINA World Championships Men’s 4x 200 meter Freestyle — WR
Name R.T. 50m 100m 150m 200m Time
PHELPS Michael 0.73 24.73 51.26 1:17.97 1:44.49 (2) 1:44.49
BERENS Ricky 0.26 24.30 50.84 1:17.80 1:44.13 (1) 3:28.62
WALTERS David 0.28 23.35 49.22 1:16.65 1:45.47 (1) 5:14.09
LOCHTE Ryan 0.32 24.15 50.65 1:18.00 1:44.46 (1) 6:58.55
SAT AUG 01 2009 — Michael Phelps became the first human to break 50 seconds in the Men’s 100 meter butterfly with a time of 49.82 seconds at the 13th FINA World Championships 2009 in Rome, Italy.
On Monday March 16, 2009 Natasha Richardson, 45, was taking a ski lesson without a helmet (she declined the offer to wear a helmet) on a beginner slope at the Mont Tremblant ski resort north of Montreal, with an instructor. Toward the end of the lesson, Richardson fell and struck her head and the ski instructor called the ski patrol for assistance. She was alert and conversational afterward, even joking about her fall, and did not complain of any ill effects. One hour later, in her hotel room, she developed a severe headache.
Ambulance dispatch records obtained by the New York Times show that Richardson was not hospitalized until almost four hours after suffering the brain injury that ultimately killed her — three hours after developing symptoms.
Yves Coderre, director of operations for Ambulances Radisson, which provided the emergency transport for Natasha Richardson, had told the Toronto Globe and Mail that when paramedics initially arrived 1 p.m. at the Mont Tremblant resort, they were told they were not needed. As they were turned away, paramedics did observe from a distance that Natasha Richardson was sitting on a stretcher at the resort.
The next request for the ambulance for Natasha Richardson, still conscious, came at about 3:00 p.m. followed by a reported “enroute hospital” time of 3:42 p.m. to Centre Hospitalier Laurentien in Ste. Agathe — a 25-mile trip from Mont Temblant.
At 4:20 p.m. Natasha Richardson was examined by a physician.
A transfer was ordered to a larger hospital in Montreal, the Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal. Natasha Richardson arrived at the Montreal hospital at about 7:00 p.m. Monday.
Tuesday, Natasha Richardson was accompanied by husband Liam Neeson and flown to Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City in critical condition, where she died on Wednesday after surgery.
Epidural or extradural hematoma (haematoma) is a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in which a buildup of blood occurs between the dura mater (the tough outer membrane of the central nervous system) and the skull. The dura mater also covers the spine, so epidural bleeds may also occur in the spinal column. Often due to trauma, the condition is potentially deadly because the buildup of blood may increase pressure in the intracranial space and compress delicate brain tissue. Because the bleed come from an artery the pressure can build up quickly while there is an eye before the storm giving the condition the name ‘Talk and die syndrome.’ The condition is present in one to three percent of head injuries.Between 15 and 20% of patients with epidural hematomas die of the injury. Epidural hematoma is usually found on the same side of the brain as impact.
Skull fractures often accompany epidural hematomas.
Signs & Symptoms of Epidural Hematoma
Expanding hematoma causes headache, nausea, and vomiting. Shifting brain tissue causes local brain dysfunction such as weakness, numbness, or speech problems. If severe progression of the hematoma occurs, central areas of the brain and the brainstem become displaced, causing loss of conscious, abnormal positioning of the arms and legs (decerebrate posture). At this point irreversible brainstem damage can occur. Documentation exists of rapid deteriorating conditions from injury to decerebrate posture in as little as two hours.
Full symptom list in severe head injury:
A lasting headache which worsens, or is still present over six hours following the injury.
Extreme difficulty in staying awake, or still being sleepy several hours after the injury.
Two or more bouts of vomiting.
Unconsciousness, either for a short or extended period of time.
Unequal pupil size.
Straw colored or blood stained fluid coming from the nose or ears. This is cerebrospinal fluid which normally surrounds the brain.
Severe dizziness or loss of balance.
Confusion or strange behavior.
Problems with memory.
Bleeding from the scalp that cannot be quickly stopped.
Not being able to use part of the body, such as weakness in an arm or leg.
Difficulty seeing or double vision.
Slurred speech
Unusual breathing patterns.
Ringing or deafness in one or both ears.
Having a seizure or fit (when your body suddenly moves uncontrollably).
An autopsy revealed that a torn artery bled between the outer lining of the brain and the skull.
Chicago Police Department Supt. Jody Weis is a wellness, fitness and exercise advocate for his members.
“It is essential that recruits begin the academy with a minimum level of physical fitness to ensure safe and successful participation in training,” according to a statement of the Chicago Police Department released Friday, March 13, 2009.
Under the State of Illinois POWER test (Peace Officer Wellness Evaluation Report), a man in his 20’s must do a minimum of 37 sit-ups in a minute and run 1.5 miles in 13:46. A woman in her 20’s is required to do 31 sit-ups and run the same distance in 16:21. The test also includes a bench press and a sit-and-reach (flexibility) evaluation.
Male
Female
TEST
21-29
30-35
21-29
30-35
1. Sit and Reach
16.0
15.0
18.8
17.8
2. One-Minute Sit-Up
37
34
31
24
3. Maximum Bench Press Ratio
(ratio of weight pushed divided by body weight)
0.98
0.87
0.58
0.52
4. 1.5 Mile Run
13.46
14.31
16.21
16.52
Several recruits typically fail in each class. New recruits are given the option of resigning or getting in shape for the next class. The POWER test is videotaped for legal documentation.
The City of Chicago is pushing for mandatory fitness tests for veteran officers. Failing officers would be assigned a trainer and be recommended special diets. Details and resolution are part of ongoing contract negotiations with the police union.
Currently, veteran officers may volunteer to take the POWER test and get a $250 award if they pass. There’s no remedial action if they flunk.
