Estimating the asbestos-related lung cancer burden from ...

Quantifying the asbestos-related lung cancer burden is difficult in the presence of this disease?s multiple causes. We explore two methods to estimate this burden using mesothelioma deaths as a proxy for asbestos exposure.

Methods:

From the follow-up of 55 asbestos cohorts, we estimated ratios of (i) absolute number of asbestos-related lung cancers to mesothelioma deaths; (ii) excess lung cancer relative risk (%) to mesothelioma mortality per 1000 non-asbestos-related deaths.

Results:

Ratios varied by asbestos type; there were a mean 0.7 (95% confidence interval 0.5, 1.0) asbestos-related lung cancers per mesothelioma death in crocidolite cohorts (n=6 estimates), 6.1 (3.6, 10.5) in chrysotile (n=16), 4.0 (2.8, 5.9) in amosite (n=4) and 1.9 (1.4, 2.6) in mixed asbestos fibre cohorts (n=31). In a population with 2 mesothelioma deaths per 1000 deaths at ages 40?84 years (e.g., US men), the estimated lung cancer population attributable fraction due to mixed asbestos was estimated to be 4.0%.

Conclusion:

All types of asbestos fibres kill at least twice as many people through lung cancer than through mesothelioma, except for crocidolite. For chrysotile, widely consumed today, asbestos-related lung cancers cannot be robustly estimated from few mesothelioma deaths and the latter cannot be used to infer no excess risk of lung or other cancers.

Source:British Journal of cancer

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Source: http://zedie.wordpress.com/2012/02/03/estimating-the-asbestos-related-lung-cancer-burden-from-mesothelioma-mortality/

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Malaria kills twice as many as thought: study

By Kate Kelland

LONDON | Fri Feb 3, 2012 4:58pm EST

LONDON (Reuters) - Malaria kills more than 1.2 million people worldwide a year, nearly twice as many as previously thought, according to new research published on Friday that questions years of assumptions about the mosquito-borne disease.

Past studies had overlooked hundreds of thousands of deaths because they had wrongly assumed malaria overwhelmingly killed babies and focused their findings on under-fives, said the study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) in the United States.

The new study, published in The Lancet medical journal, found 42 percent of deaths were actually among older children and adults.

The higher number of victims showed the need to increase funding to fight malaria, even as governments came under pressure to cut their aid budgets amid the global economic crisis, said the researchers.

"You learn in medical school that people exposed to malaria as children develop immunity and rarely die from malaria as adults," said Christopher Murray, who led the study as IHME Director. "What we've found in hospital records, death records, surveys and other sources shows that just is not the case."

In their work, which used new data and computer modeling to build a historical database for malaria between 1980 and 2010, they found that more than 78,000 children aged five to 14, and more than 445,000 people aged 15 and older died from malaria in 2010. This means more than four in 10 of all malaria deaths were in people aged fives years and older.

Overall, malaria deaths worldwide rose from 995,000 in 1980 to a peak of 1.8 million in 2004, before falling again to 1.2 million in 2010, the study found.

The World Health Organization's (WHO) latest global report said the estimated number of malaria deaths fell to 655,000 in 2010, almost half the number in the IHME study.

The WHO, a United Nations agency, said on Friday it stood by its figures and said that much of the data used in the Lancet study had been based on verbal testimony by relatives of how people had died, not on laboratory diagnosis of samples.

"So we would say that again the great majority of deaths would be in children under five and we stand by our estimates," WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl told a news briefing in Geneva.

Both studies showed a downward trend in deaths in recent years, thanks largely to the use of anti-malaria drugs and insecticide-treated bed nets.

The new findings are part of an ongoing series generated by the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors 2010 Study. Global trends in child deaths, maternal deaths, breast cancer, and cervical cancer were released last year [ID:nL5E7KF0NP] and more will be released in coming months.

IMPACT

Malaria is endemic in more than 100 countries worldwide but can be prevented by the use of bed nets and indoor spraying to keep the mosquitoes that carry the disease at bay.

Effective malaria drugs known as artemisinin-based combination therapies, or ACTs, can cure the infection but access to these medicines is often hampered in poor countries, where funding is limited and health services are patchy.

The IHME researchers said much of the decline in deaths was down to efforts by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis, which was launched in 2001, and other anti-malaria organizations such as the WHO's Roll Back Malaria campaign.

"We have seen a huge increase in both funding and in policy attention given to malaria over the past decade, and it's having a real impact," said Alan Lopez of the University of Queensland and one of the study's co-authors.

"Reliably demonstrating just how big an impact is important to drive further investments... This makes it even more critical for us to generate accurate estimates for all deaths."

Commenting on the findings, Sunil Mehra, executive director of the Malaria Consortium advocacy group, said they raised "the need to re-think how we deliver healthcare."

"We have to continue to achieve a significant reduction of populations at risk of malaria, therefore control efforts have to be more universal," he said in a statement.

The IHME researchers also warned, as the WHO did in its December 2010 malaria report, that recent gains in the fight against the disease malaria could be reversed if global economic troubles stifle funding efforts.

It said an announcement by the Global Fund in November that it would cancel its next round of funding "casts a cloud over the future of malaria programs.

"If the Global Fund is weakened, the world could lose 40 percent of all the funding dedicated to fighting malaria," said Stephen Lim, also at IHME and a co-author on the study.

(Additional reporting by Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/scienceNews/~3/2f40x884U7c/us-malaria-numbers-study-idUSTRE81218420120203

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Beautiful Brisbane Of Australia : Travel and Leisure

You are here: Home / Outdoors / Beautiful Brisbane Of Australia

Australia?s standing among one of the world?s best tourists destinations has always been proven year after year. In almost all the seasons of the year, tourists flock to enjoy the beautiful scenery, wonderful beaches and indigenous flora and fauna of Australia. There are various attractions and locations that cater to all kinds of travelers and tourists. The culture, landscape and wildlife makes Australia one of the most unique and remarkable places to visit.

One of the more popular destinations in Australia is the capital of Queensland, Brisbane. The city, which is located in the eastern most part of the island, is named after the river that runs through it. Brisbane ranks third among the most visited cities in Australia. Despite its size compared to other cities in Australia, Brisbane is still among the most visited cities, locally as well as internationally.

There are various recreational areas found in the outdoor locations of Brisbane. There is the South Bank Parklands, with picnic areas and a view of the riverfront. There?s the world?s largest subtropical garden located in Roma Street Parkland. Tourists can also enjoy various rare plants that can only be found in Australia, in the City Botanical Gardens and Brisbane Forest Park.

There are also various cultural attractions in Brisbane. Located in the city is a hefty museum named Queensland Gallery of Modern Art. The Queensland Museum, which houses numerous human and natural artifacts, is found in the Queensland cultural center. If you?re in the mood for a night out with theatre, there are numerous shows featured in the Queensland Performing Arts Center where several famous plays, shows and operas are shown weekly.

Brisbane is also famous for attracting most of the backpackers in Australia. Aside from having numerous parks and recreational outdoor attractions, Brisbane also features over 27 kilometers of bike pathways located near and around the Brisbane River. The River itself is a tourist attraction and features many activities including swimming areas and various boating activities.

There are also a variety of climbing activities because of the rock climbing formations and cliffs at Kangaroo Point. These are just some of the attractions in Brisbane. The cultural center of the city is considered an active night life hub and features many quality casinos and lively music centers. Brisbane is also considered to be the music scene capital of Australia. Because of the music, the casinos and the entertainment centers, the city garnered the nickname ?Bris-Vegas?.

Written by: Dan on February 3, 2012.

Posted by Dan on Friday, February 3, 2012 at 7:04 am?
Filed under Outdoors ? Tagged with Attractions In Brisbane, Australia Brisbane, australia travel deals, Beautiful Scenery, Brisbane Forest Park, Brisbane River, Capital Of Queensland, Cities In Australia, Fauna Of Australia, Flora and Fauna, Flora And Fauna Of Australia, Gallery Of Modern Art, Indigenous Flora, Picnic Areas, Queensland Gallery, Queensland Museum, Queensland Performing Arts, Remarkable Places, Roma Street Parkland, South Bank Parklands, Tourists Destinations, travel, villapantai bali, ziimeo

Source: http://www.theyellowads.com/travel_leisure/beautiful-brisbane-of-australia

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First Lady Pushes Jay Leno to Eat Healthy (Time.com)

(BURBANK) ? Jay ate the veggies.

First lady Michelle Obama cajoled Jay Leno into nibbling on apples, sweet potato fries and a pizza made with eggplant, green peppers and zucchini on the "Tonight Show," breaking his long-held aversion for all-things-healthy in his diet.

Leno once told a magazine he hadn't eaten a vegetable since 1969, and he insisted he tasted his last apple in 1984. That didn't dissuade the first lady, who's promoting her "Let's Move!" campaign to get kids excited about fitness and healthy eating habits. (See photos behind the scenes with Jay Leno.)

Earlier, Obama poked at him in a Twitter post, hinting she'd "get Jay to eat some veggies" on the NBC show.

He did.

"That does smell very good. I assume this is sausage-pepperoni," the comedian quipped as he eyed the pizza made with a whole-wheat crust.

She convinced Leno to dip an apple in honey made from beehives in the White House garden: "It will help it go down easier," she assured him.

"White House honey? That sounds bad," Leno told her. "You know, with a different president that could mean a whole different thing, 'a little White House honey.'" (See photos of Michelle Obama's best fashion moments.)

The first lady is on a two-day swing through California where she'll promote her initiative while attending two events to help Democrats raise money for the upcoming elections.

She told Leno she's not doing anything special to prepare for what's expected to be a tough re-election campaign for her husband, President Barack Obama.

"You know, there's really no way to mentally prepare for it. You take each day as it comes," she said.

Republican Mitt Romney has been ridiculing the White House and might face the president in November, but the first lady graded the former Massachusetts governor's singing voice with something like a sly endorsement. Romney surprised supporters in Florida with an on-pitch version of "America the Beautiful" on Monday, and Leno asked the first lady for her opinion. (See more on the First Lady's healthy food initiative.)

"It's beautiful," she said after a pregnant pause, with a laugh and raised eyebrows. "And it is America's song, and it's a song that's meant to be sung by every American," the first lady said in a taped appearance for the NBC show.

Leno told her, "That is right, regardless of political affiliation."

But she swooned over her husband's singing ? Obama took a brief turn as a soul singer earlier this month at a New York fundraiser, crooning a bar from an Al Green classic. She says he does a little Marvin Gay, too.

"He does have a beautiful voice, and he sings to me all the time," she told Leno.

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/time_rss/rss_time_us/httpwwwtimecomtimenationarticle08599210583800htmlxidrssnationyahoo/44374182/SIG=12ltghi1n/*http%3A//www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2105838,00.html?xid=rss-nation-yahoo

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Petition is pushing for Pluto postage stamp

Dan Durda / SwRI

This concept art for a 2015 stamp celebrates NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto.

By Alan Boyle

The next three years just might be prime time for poor little Pluto, thanks to NASA's New Horizons mission ? and?if the?leaders of that mission are successful,?a brand-new Pluto postage stamp will be part of the celebration. But they need your help.

Today marks the start of an online petition campaign?at Change.org, calling for the creation of a stamp commemorating the $700 million mission and its 2015 Pluto flyby. It would mark only the second time the dwarf planet has appeared on a U.S. postage stamp. The first time was in 1991, when a 29-cent stamp labeled Pluto as "Not Yet Explored."

---

Back then, some planetary scientists saw that stamp?as a challenge ? and that gave an early boost to the efforts that eventually led to New Horizons' launch in 2006. The mission's principal investigator, Alan Stern of the Southwest Research Institute, even included one of the old stamps as a pint-sized payload on the spacecraft.?Now the postal connection is coming full circle, just in time to render that "Not Yet Explored" label obsolete.

"We're asking people to sign the petition because the post office considers not just the merits of a new stamp proposal, but also whether it is supported by a significant number of people," Stern said in today's kickoff announcement. "This is a chance for us all to celebrate what?American space exploration can achieve through hard work, technical excellence, the spirit of scientific inquiry and the uniquely human drive to explore."

USPS

The 1991 stamp was part of a solar-system set.

The petition would be sent, along with the stamp proposal, to the U.S. Postal Service's Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee, which sifts through thousands of suggestions?and?recommends which?subjects?should be transformed into commemorative stamps. Last year, for example, one set of stamps paid tribute to Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard's?history-making?flight in 1961 as well as the Messenger mission to Mercury.

It takes about three years to?move from the?submission of a proposal?to the issuance of a new stamp ? which is why Stern and his colleagues are making a big push now for a stamp that would be unveiled in 2015. The more signatures they can get, the better the chances?of?winning the?approval of the committee and the postmaster general.

"If we get 10,000 signatures, we'll get a stamp ? that's the impression I get," Stern told me. "But we're aiming for 100,000."

Stern?said he'd like?to turn in the signatures as well as the stamp proposal during the week of March 13, which marks the 82nd anniversary of the announcement of Pluto's discovery. That's not entirely out of the question, even though the International Astronomical Union reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet in 2006. After all, how many other celestial bodies have been the subject of letter-writing campaigns, legislative action, street protests?and petitions by planetary scientists?

Dan Durda, an artist and space scientist at the Southwest Research Institute whose?works appear on the?New Horizons website and in many other places (including my book, "The Case for Pluto"), has drawn up a concept for the Pluto stamp ? but if the stamp proposal is approved, the stamp's design may well be out of his hands.

"Stamp designing is an unusual art form requiring exacting skill in portraying a subject within very small dimensions," the Postal Service says. "Due to the demands of stamp design and reproduction requirements, it is our policy not to review nor accept unsolicited artwork."

The?design?isn't uppermost in Stern's mind right now. "You know, I'm sure it will turn out fine," he told me. "Our goal is to commemorate the historic?nature of the mission and celebrate U.S. leadership in space exploration. And involve the public."

That's where you come in.

"Sign the petition, and mention it on Facebook," Stern said. "Let's see how high we can drive the numbers for Pluto and for space exploration."

---

Alan Boyle is msnbc.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter or adding Cosmic Log's Google+ page to your circle. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for other worlds.

Source: http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/01/10284883-petition-pushes-for-a-pluto-stamp

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Charge hurts UPS profit, but US business surges (AP)

NEW YORK ? The tide has turned in UPS' global business. Earnings at the world's largest package delivery company are now being powered by an economic "uplift" in the U.S., while growth in the formerly red-hot international division has slowed.

UPS said a stronger than expected U.S. economy and a surge in online holiday sales led operating profit higher in the fourth quarter of last year. While net income was lower due to an accounting charge, adjusted profit rose 21 percent and topped Wall Street's expectations.

UPS expects to see faster growth this year in the U.S. economy than in 2011. That will be in contrast to other parts of the world, where UPS predicts the pace of growth will slow.

The Atlanta company said results in the U.S. ? a 30 percent rise in operating profit and 7 percent increase in revenue ? improved twice as fast as other segments in the last three months of the year. The U.S. segment primarily ships small packages between businesses and consumers. It separates the shipments of heavier goods like refrigerators into its supply chain and freight segment.

"While I wouldn't call it a robust economy right now, I do think the small package market is performing better than we would have thought four and five months ago," UPS Chairman and CEO Scott Davis said in a conference call.

UPS has also cut costs in its core U.S. business since the recession. That includes reducing the number of workers and trucks. Higher prices helped, too.

Meanwhile, the international business, which had been wracking up double-digit quarterly gains, has slowed down. UPS noticed a falloff in shipments from Asia to the U.S. and Europe last summer, said CEO Scott Davis. The company cut flying out of Asia by about 10 percent in the fourth quarter.

Two significant events ? the Japan tsunami in March and flooding in Thailand later in the year ? affected exports from Asia in 2011. UPS said part of the reason that trade from Asia to the U.S. slowed is that some businesses are choosing to locate manufacturing facilities in Mexico or other countries closer to home, to keep a tighter handle on inventory.

Still, the company's international division earned more than half a billion dollars in the fourth quarter. And UPS notes that growth in Asia, while slowing, "is projected to outpace the rest of the world."

Across all segments in the fourth quarter, United Parcel Service Inc. earned $725 million, or 74 cents per share, compared with $1.3 billion, or $1.02 per share a year earlier. Excluding a charge tied to how it accounts for pensions and retirement plans, UPS earned $1.28 per share in the latest quarter. Analysts expected an adjusted profit of $1.27 per share.

Revenue rose 6 percent to $14.17 billion. UPS said the holiday season was its busiest ever. It shipped 480 million packages between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

For the full-year, the company earned $3.8 billion, or $3.84 per share, compared with $3.33 billion, or $3.33 per share, in 2010. The full year 2011 results also include the impact of the accounting change.

Excluding one-time charges, UPS made more money in 2011 than any year since before the recession. Adjusted full-year profit was $4.35 per share. It made $4.17 per share in 2007, excluding one-time items. The recession began in December of that year.

For 2012, the company expects to earn between $4.75 and $5, an increase of 9 to 15 percent over adjusted 2011 results. Analysts currently expect $4.80 per share.

Shares followed the broader markets lower in midday trading, losing 78 cents to $75.39.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120131/ap_on_bi_ge/us_earns_ups

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Florida GOP voters lift Romney on electability (AP)

Voters in Tuesday's Florida Republican primary chose Mitt Romney as the candidate best able to beat President Barack Obama in the fall, preferring electability over ideology in lifting the former Massachusetts governor to a broad victory despite concerns that his issue positions are not conservative enough.

ROMNEY RECAPTURES ELECTABILTY: A majority of Florida GOP voters said Romney is the candidate best able to beat Obama in a general election matchup; only about 3 in 10 said the same of Newt Gingrich. And Romney carried 58 percent of the votes among those seeking a candidate who could defeat the president in November. Gingrich had a strong showing among those seeking a true conservative and a narrow edge over Romney among those seeking an experienced candidate.

CONSERVATIVES THEN AND NOW: In 2008, Romney carried the mantle of conservative alternative to eventual Republican nominee John McCain. This time around, 41 percent of Florida voters said Romney's issue positions are not conservative enough, and very conservative voters were more apt to back Gingrich than the former governor of Massachusetts. Strong supporters of the tea party movement also favored Gingrich over Romney, but Romney carried 50 percent or more among those who support the movement somewhat, are neutral or oppose it.

THE GENDER GAP: Romney won by a wide margin among women after a deeply negative campaign in Florida raising questions about Gingrich's character. Women were more apt than men to say they were influenced by campaign advertising, and were a bit more likely to say a candidate's "strong moral character" was the most important factor in their vote. In the end, only 45 percent of women in the poll report holding a positive opinion of Gingrich as a person, compared with 79 percent who have a positive opinion of Romney.

ECONOMIC CONCERNS TRUMP ALL: About 6 in 10 said the economy was their top issue in choosing a candidate, about half said foreclosures were having a major impact on their community, and 3 in 10 said they were falling behind financially.

SEEKING OTHER CHOICES: Thirty-eight percent of voters said they would like to see someone else run for the nomination, more than said so in New Hampshire a few weeks ago, though the window for another candidate to join the field is nearly closed. Just over half of voters said they would be satisfied if Gingrich or Rick Santorum became the nominee. More, 65 percent, said they'd be satisfied with a Romney candidacy, including 43 percent who voted for Gingrich and 46 percent who backed Santorum.

LATINO VOTERS: A majority of Hispanics in Florida backed Romney, a sharp improvement over his 2008 showing of 14 percent among Hispanic voters. He improved even more among Cuban voters, climbing from 9 percent in 2008 to 57 percent now.

IMMIGRATION: Very few voters called illegal immigration a top consideration in their vote, though the issue was raised frequently as the candidates battled to win this first state with a sizable Latino population. According to the exit poll, GOP primary voters this year were less apt than in 2008 to say illegal immigrants working in the U.S. should be deported to the country they came from, and about 4 in 10 feel they should be offered the chance to become citizens.

EARLY BIRD SPECIAL: Florida's voters say they made up their minds early. Just 26 percent say they made a final decision about whom to support in the last few days, compared with 55 percent in South Carolina and 46 percent in New Hampshire and Iowa.

The survey of 2,835 Republican voters was conducted for The Associated Press and the television networks by Edison Research. This includes results among 2,235 voters interviewed Tuesday as they left their polling places at 40 randomly selected sites in Florida. In addition, 600 who voted early or absentee were interviewed by landline or cellular telephone from Jan. 23 to 29. The survey has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120201/ap_on_el_pr/us_gop_campaign_voter_attitudes_glance

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