Giving birth in hospital raises risk of new mothers bleeding to death

Women who choose to give birth at home are less likely to suffer from life-threatening bleeding than those who have their baby in hospital, a study has found.

The report, by researchers at the University of Southampton, says reliance on drugs to speed up contractions, surgical incisions to ease delivery and emergency caesareans may be compromising the safety of women in labour

Excessive bleeding after birth – Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) – is one of the main causes of childbirth-related deaths in the UK.
It occurs more often in maternity units than during planned home deliveries, according to an analysis of the medical records of more than 500,000 women.
Now there are calls for a change in hospital procedures after researchers concluded that the over-use of medical intervention techniques during childbirth may be partly to blame.

 

Movie ya ‘Expendable 2’yaburuzwa tena mahakamani, ni baada ya mlipuko wa ukweli uliomuua actor mmoja na kumjeruhi vibaya actor mwingine.

Expendable two iliyowashirikisha action movie stars kibao wakiongozwa na Sylvester Stalonne (Rambo), Jean Claude Vanndamme, Jet-Li, Arnold ShwazNiger, na wengine, imekumbana na tatizo la kisheria. 

Waandaaji na wawezeshaji wengine wanakabiliwa na mashtaka yanayotokana na scene ambayo haikwenda sawa na kupelekea mtu mmoja kupoteza maisha na mwingine kujeruhiwa vibaya.

Mtu mmoja anaejulikana kwa jina la Nuo Sun alijeruhiwa vibaya katika mlipuko ambao ulisababisha kifo cha muigizaji Kun Liu, ambapo kwa mara ya kwanza familia ya marehemu iliiburuza mahakamani ‘Expendable 2’ wakidai fidia mbalimbali ikiwa ni pamoja na fedha kiasi cha dola za marekani 25,000.

Taarifa za hivi karibuni zinasema Nuo Sun ambae alijeruhiwa vibaya na kupelekwa jijini Munich huko Ujerumani kwa matibabu akiwa chini ya the best specialist amewafungulia mashtaka waandaaji na washiriki wengine wa movie hiyo.

Katika mashitaka hayo yenye kurasa 12 Sun amedai kuwa, “mlipuko na similar extra-hazardous activities vilisababisha tukio la hatari juu ya rubber boat wakati wa kushoot sehemu ya pili ya filamu hiyo October 27, 2011.

“Kwa uzembe wa moja kwa moja wa washitakiwa, kutojali, na matendo kinyume na sheria, mlalamikaji aliumia na kupata majeraha katika afya yake, uwezo wa kufanya kazi, mshituko wa kiasi kikubwa na majeraha katika mfumo wake wa fahamu, shingo, kichwa, mwili, mikono na miguu, majeraha yote haya yanaweza kuwa ya kudumu, na majeraha haya yamesababisha na yanaendelea kusababisha madhara katika fahamu zake na mwili wake kwa ujumla. Hivyo mlalamikaji anadai fidia .” Haya ni baadhi ya maandishi yanayopatikana kwenye faili la mashtaka lenye kurasa 12.

Akiwakilishwa na Robert M. Klein, Sun anadai fidia ya hasara ya kipato chake kwa wakati uliopita, uliopo na ujao. Lakini pia anadai fidia ya jumla zaidi ya $25,000, gharama za matibabu ya wakati uliopita, uliopo na hata baadae, gharama za kuendesha kesi na mengine ambayo mahakama itaamua.

Baada ya mlipuko huo ulioua mmoja kati ya actors wa movie hiyo na kumjeruhi vibaya Sun, uongozi na watayarishaji wa movie hiyo walitoa tamko kuomba radhi na kuwaitakia pole familia ya marehemu na vilevile kuendelea kusapoti kwa karibu sana familia na kumhudumia Sun akiwa hospitalini.

Hata hivyo Sun alikanusha kauli iliyotolewa na waandaaji hao kuwa Jet-Li alikuwa pia karibu na mlipuko huo, na kusema hakuna star yoyote aliyekuwa karibu na mlipuko huo.

B.o.B Didn't Have His Dad's Support Before He 'Made It'

"My dad will tell you that he wasn't too fond of me when I first started rapping," the Atlanta native explained. "My dad was a preacher. When your dad is a preacher ... the things you wanna say as an MC, they don't really go hand in hand.
"I remember I was walking through the house with a rap book, a do-rag on and some headphones or something, and my dad stopped me," he said, recalling one pivotal moment. "He was like, 'Why are you trying to be something that you're not?' "
As you can imagine, young Bobby Ray didn't react well to his dad's comment. "I was appalled," he admitted. "I was like, 'What do you mean, something I'm not?' I'm an MC, I' m a lyricist, I'm a rapper — I love this. If someone tells me I [can't] do something, I'm going in the exact opposite direction."
Although the journey was difficult without having his dad in his corner, B.o.B said that it pushed him to work even harder. "I think if I would've went through life and there would've been nobody hating on me, and there would've been nobody writing 'you're wack' in my rap book, if I didn't get booed at the talent show, I don't think I'd be here. I wouldn't have wanted it badly enough."






On the road to becoming a best-selling rapper, there are bound to be a few bumps — not to mention a few detractors — but what if your own family doesn't support you?
Then you keep on pushing, just like B.o.B did.
On the latest episode of MTV's "This Is How I Made It," which premieres Saturday at noon, Bobby Ray — who landed at #1 on the charts with his major-label debut, B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray, in 2010 — reveals that his father was not too thrilled about his career choice.

French Montana Challenges 'Old Man' 50 Cent After DJ Khaled Jabs

French Montana isn't going to just let 50 Cent's taunts go unanswered. On Friday (November 30) Fif made some pretty damaging accusations against the "Pop That" MC, saying that French aided the G-Unit head in his feud with DJ Khaled. And while Montana didn't address that issue directly, he sent some pretty clear shots Fif's way this afternoon.

In response, Montana issued 50 a good old fashioned sales challenge. They both have albums coming next year. "@50cent if u really about Dat life lets drop our album da same day and see who sell more u had your turn old man," he wrote.

It didn't stop there. "#Dunkeykong should send @Eminem & @adamlevine flowers for TRYINN to save his career come catch this fade monkey," he said in reference to 50's new single, "My Life."

The battle-tested 50 didn't pass up the opportunity to throw more shots at the Bad Boy recording artist. "LMAO @Frenchmontana gonna find out what we already know. Puffy gonna run like a b!tch you on ya own boy," he wrote on Twitter.The two have been bickering since October after Montana commented on Fif's penchant for beef in a Complex.com interview, but during the past week the drama has ramped up. In a recent interview, Montana called 50 a "donkey" and then named himself as the most important artist at Interscope Records, dismissing Fif's role on Jimmy Iovine's all-star roster.

Chemicals in gills could be used to create surfaces that kill bacteria

 Chemicals found in fish gills could be the key to engineering surfaces that kill bacteria responsible and hospital-acquired infections, a new study claims.
Living in an environment teaming with bacteria and fungi, fish have evolved powerful defences against water-borne pathogens, including antimicrobial peptides located in their gills.
Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts are studying the bio-mechanics of one of those peptides with the hope adapting it to create engineered surfaces that kill bacteria.

Atlantic Salmon: Living in an environment teaming with bacteria and fungi, fish have evolved powerful defences against water-borne pathogens, including antimicrobial peptides located in their gills

The research team, led by Terri Camesano, professor of chemical engineering, believe their findings, published in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, could revolutionise materials used in kitchens and hospitals.
'Fish have a wonderful solution for blocking bacterial and fungal infections,' Professor Camesano said. 'In this study, we are working to better understand the biochemical mechanics of that process.'


As fish filter water through their gills to extract oxygen, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), including Chrysosphin-1, trap and kill pathogens before they can invade the fish's bloodstream.
Scientists around the world have been exploring the potential use of these molecules to prevent human infections.
For their study, the WPI team attached AMPs to silicon and gold surfaces using two different approaches and measured the bound peptides' ability to kill the bacterial pathogen E. coli.
In the first method, the AMPs were absorbed directly onto gold and silicon crystals, forming a single layer of molecules with the AMPs lying flat on the surface.
In the second method, the tips of the AMPs were attached to the surfaces with a glue-like substance so that the peptides rose vertically, like blades of grass extending up from the ground.
Surfaces with both AMP configurations were cultured with E. coli cells. Results showed that when the AMPs lay flat they killed 34 per cent of the bacteria in the culture, but when they stood up vertically they killed 82 per cent.

Fluorescence microscopy images of the E. coli. cultures: The green cells are alive, while the cells in red are dead. On the left, the peptides were bound flat on the silicon crystals. On the right, the peptides were bound vertically

'The hypothesis is that when peptides are attached vertically to the surfaces, they are better able to move and bend so they take on a shape that is more effective in binding to and disrupting the E.coli cells,' Professor Camesano said.
Gold and silicon surfaces were selected for the current study because their chemical properties are well-suited for AMP binding, she added.
Her team now hopes to adapt the process to other materials that would have greater utility in food preparation and healthcare like titanium, stainless steel and plastic.
'What is also notable about this study is that it is the work of undergraduates,' Professor Camesano said.
'They've done excellent work here that will inform future graduate studies in our lab.'

Scientists create 'most realistic artificial human brain yet' that can count and even pass simple IQ reasoning tests

A group of scientists have created what they say is the closest model to a functioning brain ever seen.
The simulated brain - which runs on a supercomputer, has a digital eye which it uses for visual input, a robotic arm that it uses to draw its responses - is so advanced it can even pass the basic elements of an IQ test.
Neuroscientists and software engineers at the University of Waterloo in Canada say it is world’s most complex, large-scale model simulation of the human brain so far created, reports www.extremetech.com.
The brain, called Spaun (Semantic Pointer Architecture Unified Network), consists of 2.5 million simulated neurons, allowing it to perform eight different tasks.

Test: The 'brain' was able to process visual cues and reproduce them on a piece of paper

These tasks range from copy drawing to counting, to question answering and fluid reasoning.
During the tests the scientists flashed up numbers and letters, which Spaun reads into memory, and then another letter or symbol acts as the command, telling Spaun what to do with its memory. The output of the task is then inscribed by the robotic arm, the team reports in the journal Science.
Spaun’s brain consists of 2.5million neurons that are broken down into a bunch of simulated cranial subsystems, including the prefrontal cortex, basal ganglia, and thalamus, which are wired together with simulated neurons that very accurately mimic the wiring of a real human brain.
The basic idea is that these subsystems behave very similarly to a real brain: Visual input is processed by the thalamus, the data is stored in the neurons, and then the basal ganglia fires off a task to a part of the cortex that’s designed to handle that task.
All of this computation is performed in a physiologically accurate way, with simulated voltage spikes and neurotransmitters. Even the limitations of the human brain are simulated, with Spaun struggling to store more than a few numbers in its short-term memory.

Brain power: A simplified diagram showing the process of Spaun

The end result is a brain that is mechanistically simple, but which is surprisingly flexible.
The researchers say there are some tantalising hints as to how the brain evolved: starting with simple tasks, and then building upon and weaving them together to build complex functionality.

The next step, say the research team, led by Chris Eliasmith, is to imbue Spaun with adaptive plasticity — the ability to rewire its neurons and learn new tasks simply by doing, rather than being pre-programmed.
As for the ultimate end goal, Eliasmith is excited about Spaun’s prospects. 'It lets us understand how the brain, the biological substrate, and behavior relate. That’s important for all sorts of health applications,' he says in an interview with PopSci. In testing he has 'killed' synthetic neurons and watched performance degrade, which could provide an interesting insight into natural aging and degenerative disorders.
Spaun is built upon Nengo, a graphical open-source software package for building simulated neural systems. You can actually download the Spaun neural model, if you want to simulate your own brain — though you may need a little more processing power than your desktop PC.

North Korean historical institute 'declares it has discovered unicorn lair belonging to founder of ancient kingdom’

In yet another outlandish claim to come out of North Korea historians have allegedly announced that they have unearthed a unicorn lair.
A report released by the History Institute of the DPRK Academy of Social Sciences claims that archaeologists discovered the lair of the mythical animal just outside a temple in the capital Pyongyang.
And, unsurprisingly, the lair - according to the report - means that Pyongyang was the focal point of an ancient, united Korea.

Odd: The unicorn lair has apparently been discovered just outside Yongmyong temple on Moran Hill, in the capital Pyongyang

In what appears to be a suggestion of superiority over nearby enemies South Korea, the report says: 'The discovery of the unicorn lair, associated with legend about King Tongmyong, proves that Pyongyang was a capital city of Ancient Korea as well as Koguryo Kingdom.'
The dubious report, released by the state news agency, says the lair clearly belonged to King Tongmyong, founder of the ancient Korean kingdom Koguryo.
It goes on to say: 'A rectangular rock carved with words "Unicorn Lair" stands in front of the lair.
'The carved words are believed to date back to the period of Koryo Kingdom (918-1392).
'The temple served as a relief palace for King Tongmyong, in which there is the lair of his unicorn.'

Jo Hui Sung, director of the Institute, told KCNA, the state news agency, that the findings is in keeping with the country's history.
He said: 'Korea’s history books deal with the unicorn, considered to be ridden by King Tongmyong, and its lair.
'The Sogyong (Pyongyang) chapter of the old book ‘Koryo History’, said Ulmil Pavilion is on the top of Mt. Kumsu, with Yongmyong Temple, one of Pyongyang’s eight scenic spots, beneath it.
'The temple served as a relief palace for King Tongmyong, in which there is the lair of his unicorn.'
The legend of unicorns is thought to have stemmed from European folklore, in which the animal resembles a white horse with a single horn.
Until the 19th century the beast, considered a symbol of purity and grace, was still thought to exist - even by academics and theologians.
But since then there has been little to suggest that there are lairs elsewhere in the world.

Discovery: Archaeologists in North Korea have apparently discovered a unicorn lair in the heart of Pyongyang

Bold claims: Former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il was at the centre of some other dubious claims before his death

The unbelievable news does however follow a number of bizarre claims to come out of the country.
It has been suggested, however, that the release of the story could be in retaliation against a spoof North Korea related story which tricked a newspaper in China.
Written by satirical website The Onion, China's Communist party newspaper, The People's Daily, fell for claims that Kim Jong-un was named as the sexiest man alive.