Saturday, July 12, 2014


News Clips For The Day


Veteran dies waiting for ambulance in VA cafeteria
CBS NEWS July 12, 2014

For months, the Department of Veterans Affairs has been rocked with accusations of delayed appointments and substandard care at some of its 150 medical centers nationwide.

In Albuquerque, New Mexico, the family of a veteran who died while waiting for an ambulance at the hospital cafeteria wants to know if bureaucratic regulations got in the way of compassion and common sense.

CBS News correspondent Wyatt Andrews reports the first call to 911 came from inside the VA cafeteria from a woman upset that the VA's emergency room had just rejected her first plea for help.

"We called our rapid response here at the hospital, but unfortunately they won't respond to him because he's out of the main medical building," the caller said.

A patient later identified as 71-year-old Jim Garcia, a veteran of Vietnam, had collapsed in the cafeteria, but under the VA's rules in Albuquerque the cafeteria, which is about four blocks away, is outside the zone that emergency room staff are allowed to go.

The VA said in a statement it is reviewing "all details of this tragic incident" to learn "whether policy changes are needed to best serve veterans," but it is still not clear if a faster response could have helped Garcia. Several 911 callers said even in the cafeteria, Garcia got expert care immediately.

"We got people doing CPR," a caller said.

"Nurses? Doctors?" a dispatcher asked.

"Nurses," the caller said.

"Nurses? OK," the dispatcher said.

Nurses and paramedics responded but according to one caller none of the doctors.

"There's a table of doctors sitting right next to us, and none of them are doing [expletive]," a caller said.

"OK, I'm sorry about that," a dispatcher said.

According to callers and the VA, the veteran who collapsed was surrounded by physician assistants, paramedics and nurses, all of them trained in emergency care, which may account for why the doctors were simply watching.

The family of the veteran says it is hearing conflicting VA accounts of Garcia's death and is considering a lawsuit.




Okay, so the doctors lunching nearby saw lots of nurses and paramedics responding to the man, but they probably noticed that no doctor was there. Of course, the man needed to be taken to the ER immediately and put into the ICU, but they possibly could have helped. It looks like a terribly uncaring attitude on the part of the doctors. It comes at a bad time for VA with the current scandal going on. I hope the family does sue. Doctors get paid enough to get up and interrupt their lunch when they are desperately needed.






Pneumonic plague infects Colorado patient and pet dog
CBS/AP July 11, 2014

A rare case of pneumonic plague has been diagnosed in a patient who is hospitalized in Colorado. Health officials say it is the first confirmed case in the state since 2004.

Plague was also confirmed in the family dog, after the dog died unexpectedly.

The plague -- the illness that killed millions of people across Europe in the Middle Ages -- is a bacterial infection spread by fleas from rodents. Pneumonic plague is caused by the same bacteria as bubonic plague but it attacks the lungs. It can be treated with antibiotics, but sometimes is still deadly.

State health officials did not say whether the infected patient is a man or woman, but confirmed that the person has been hospitalized. Officials believe the patient and dog may have been exposed in eastern Adams County, northeast of Denver.

Officials are looking for people who may have had contact with the patient so they can be treated with antibiotics.




In order to pop up like this miles away from any other known human case, there must be a substratum of cases among rodents in the wild. Luckily, we don't have lots of rodents in our houses anymore, as there were in the Middle Ages. I wonder if her dog caught an infected rat prairie dog, or chased an infected cat and once infected transmitted it to his owner. Also, the woman could have contracted it by breathing the same air as a human or animal victim. Maybe there are other undiagnosed human cases in Colorado. At any rate it is said to be more dangerous than bubonic plague because it can be transmitted through the air. You could catch it in the supermarket doing your grocery shopping. Hopefully this will turn out to be an isolated case.


http://www.cdc.gov/plague/faq/

What is plague?

Plague is an infectious disease that affects rodents, certain other animals and humans. It is caused by the Yersinia pestis bacteria. These bacteria are found in many areas of the world, including the United States.

How do people become infected with plague?

People most commonly acquire plague when they are bitten by a flea that is infected with the plague bacteria. People can also become infected from direct contact with infected tissues or fluids while handling an animal that is sick with or that has died from plague. Finally, people can become infected from inhaling respiratory droplets after close contact with cats and humans with pneumonic plague.

What are the different forms of plague?

There are three forms of plague:

Bubonic plague: Patients develop sudden onset of fever, headache, chills, and weakness and one or more swollen, tender and painful lymph nodes (called buboes). This form is usually the result of an infected flea bite. The bacteria multiply in the lymph node closest to where the bacteria entered the human body. If the patient is not treated with appropriate antibiotics, the bacteria can spread to other parts of the body.

Septicemic plague: Patients develop fever, chills, extreme weakness, abdominal pain, shock, and possibly bleeding into the skin and other organs. Skin and other tissues may turn black and die, especially on fingers, toes, and the nose. Septicemic plague can occur as the first symptoms of plague, or may develop from untreated bubonic plague. This form results from bites of infected fleas or from handling an infected animal.

Pneumonic plague: Patients develop fever, headache, weakness, and a rapidly developing pneumonia with shortness of breath, chest pain, cough, and sometimes bloody or watery mucous. Pneumonic plague may develop from inhaling infectious droplets or from untreated bubonic or septicemic plague that spreads to the lungs. The pneumonia may cause respiratory failure and shock. Pneumonic plague is the most serious form of the disease and is the only form of plague that can be spread from person to person (by infectious droplets).

What is the basic transmission cycle of plague?

Fleas become infected by feeding on rodents, such as chipmunks, prairie dogs, ground squirrels, mice, and other mammals that are infected with the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Fleas transmit the plague bacteria to humans and other mammals during a subsequent feeding. The plague bacteria survive briefly (a few days) in the blood of rodents and for longer periods in the fleas. An illustration of plague ecology in the United States is available.





New research on sex addicts' brains – CBS
By ROBERT PREIDT HEALTHDAY July 11, 2014

In people with sex addiction, pornography affects the brain in ways that are similar to that seen in drug addicts as they consume drugs, a new study finds.

"There are clear differences in brain activity between patients who have compulsive sexual behavior and healthy volunteers. These differences mirror those of drug addicts," study author Dr. Valerie Voon, of the University of Cambridge in England, said in a university news release.

Voon's research involved 19 men with sex addiction and a "control group" of 19 men without the disorder, also known as compulsive sexual behavior. The men with sex addiction had started watching pornography, and more of it, at an earlier age than those in the control group.

"The patients in our trial were all people who had substantial difficulties controlling their sexual behavior and this was having significant consequences for them, affecting their lives and relationships," Voon explained.

"In many ways, they show similarities in their behavior to patients with drug addictions," she said. "We wanted to see if these similarities were reflected in brain activity, too."

The study participants' brain activity was monitored while they watched either pornographic videos or sports videos. While watching the pornographic videos, the men with sex addiction showed much greater activity in three areas of the brain compared with men in the control group.

These three areas of the brain -- the ventral striatum, dorsal anterior cingulate and amygdala -- are involved in processing reward and motivation, and also become highly activated in drug addicts in response to drugs.

The study was published July 11 in the journal PLoS One.

"Whilst these findings are interesting, it's important to note, however, that they could not be used to diagnose the condition," Voon cautioned. "Nor does our research necessarily provide evidence that these individuals are addicted to porn -- or that porn is inherently addictive. Much more research is required to understand this relationship between compulsive sexual behavior and drug addiction."

According to the researchers, prior studies have suggested that sex addiction -- an obsession with sexual thoughts, feelings or behavior that they are unable to control -- affects as many as one in 25 adults.




"'There are clear differences in brain activity between patients who have compulsive sexual behavior and healthy volunteers. These differences mirror those of drug addicts,' study author Dr. Valerie Voon, of the University of Cambridge in England, said in a university news release.… Voon's research involved 19 men with sex addiction and a "control group" of 19 men without the disorder, also known as compulsive sexual behavior. The men with sex addiction had started watching pornography, and more of it, at an earlier age than those in the control group....Much more research is required to understand this relationship between compulsive sexual behavior and drug addiction."

When I think of “OCDs” I think of that hysterically funny movie called “What About Bob?” not a scary compulsion to rape little children or, almost as bad, watch others do it. Many sex criminals aren't “insane” in any sense, but especially not in the legal sense – that they can't tell right from wrong. They know that what they are doing is wrong. They just can't stop themselves from doing it. They need to be put permanently in prison with no parole, or in an asylum to be kept forever. Unfortunately they are generally put away for a few years and then let out again, to continue their patterns of assault. If they actually kill someone they will get more time behind bars, but they still may get out again. It's an endless circle of immense pain, with more and more children growing up with those terrible memories if they were not, in fact, killed. It is truly depressing. Everyone has sexual urges, but most people are able to restrain themselves. I notice this article didn't say anything about treatments for the condition. Even if drugs work, I wouldn't trust a sex addict to keep taking them as he should.




Mystery company has no money but is valued at $4.5B – CBS
By JONATHAN BERR MONEYWATCH July 11, 2014

Ordinarily, a money-losing company like Cynk Technology Corp. (OTC:CYNK) would languish on the over-the-counter stock market and attract little attention from either investors or the media.

Cynk, though, has managed to attract plenty of attention, along with a market capitalization of $4.5 billion. That's an astonishing feat for a company with no products, no revenue, no website and exactly one employee.

To put this in perspective, the New York Times Co. (NYT), whose roots date back to 1851, sports a market value of $2.1 billion, while restaurant chain Zoe's Kitchen (ZOES), which has 111 locations in 15 states, is valued by the market at $572 million after its recent IPO. No one has a clue how a company that few people had heard of became a stock market juggernaut.

For the nine months ended Sept. 30, 2013, Cynk announced a net loss of $1.5 million, up from a loss of roughly $16,000 in the year-ago period. It reported no assets and total liabilities of $33,688. The company, formerly called Introbuzz, said it has accumulated a total deficit of $1.6 million.

Cynk, which is incorporated in Nevada, also said the company's management has examined the startup's internal disclosure controls and procedures. Their findings? "Based on their evaluation, our chief executive officer and chief financial officer have concluded that, as of November 4, 2013, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective."

As Bloomberg News noted, Cynk shares were worth 6 cents as recently as May 15. Before the Securities and Exchange Commission ordered its shares halted on Friday, the stock was priced at $13.90. The stock has risen 24,000 percent in the last month alone.

Writing in Seeking Alpha, Paulo Santos of Think Finance speculates that Cynk insiders may trying to jack up the company's price by shutting down the supply of shares available for short-sellers to acquire. Short-sellers make money by borrowing shares in the hopes that they can buy back the stock at a lower price and pocket the difference as profit.

In regulatory filings, Cynk's CEO is identified as a Marlon Luis Sanchez. He is also listed as the company's president, chief financial officer, chief accounting officer, secretary, treasurer and director.

According to a Bloomberg account, Sanchez was recently having his young son screen his calls. He did his job well. The news site noted that "the little boy who answered the phone at Sanchez's home couldn't have been more polite or well drilled in phone manners."

In its latest quarterly earnings, Cynk describes itself as a development-stage social networking company, saying that it plans to "develop a database of professional and other business persons as well as other interested persons in providing and utilizing contacts."

The company also lays out some of the challenges the company expects to face.

"Cynk Technology Corp. plans to introduce a new model for social networks that we believe will require some acceptance," the company said in the filing. "Selling a stranger your record collection via online auction was a stretch for some people to adopt, and Cynk Technology Corp. is likely to face similar challenges from late adopters. Cynk Technology Corp. believes its planned social network may disrupt an inefficient model of meeting people that is currently based on vague notions of social capital by making it clear `I want to meet this person, and I will make it worth your while.'"

According to Cynk, instead of accepting payments, members would collect money for non-profits, though exactly how that is supposed to work isn't spelled out. The company also warns that its business plans may be hurt by what it calls "social network user fatigue," noting that Internet users may be getting tired of being invited to join new services.

"The company has not yet emerged from its development stage, has not established an ongoing source of revenues sufficient to cover its operating cost and requires additional capital to commence its operating plan," Cynk said.

Cynk said it has received money from 30 investors, raising a total of $54,000.




Cynk Technology Corp, formerly called Introbuzz, purports to be a social network, giving introductions which can be exploited for business reasons. See the Wall Street Journal article at this website – http://online.wsj.com/articles/sec-suspends-trading-in-cynk-technology-1405088036?mod=rss_whats_news_us&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wsj%2Fxml%2Frss%2F3_7011+(WSJ.com%3A+What%27s+News+US). According to that article, “Cynk, a Nevada-based company with a business address in Belize City, Belize, is based on the premise that "people will pay for introductions that are meaningful," its federal filings say.” According to the WSJ article, this business location is actually nonexistent.

Cynk “has managed to attract plenty of attention, along with a market capitalization of $4.5 billion. That's an astonishing feat for a company with no products, no revenue, no website and exactly one employee.” The owner of this “business,” has a great imagination and has built up a name without having a product or a website, and its stock value has grown “24,000 percent in the last month alone.” That's an astounding figure. I would like for this article to give more information about how this scam artist did it. He's better than Kenneth Lay of Enron fame. The WSJ article gives more information, if you would care to read it. This story reminds me to be very careful about doing any business on the Internet or, for that matter, trying to trade in stocks without a good adviser. If some people hadn't lost money on it, it would be funny.






http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/the-skunks-shall-inherit-the-united-states

Welcome To the United Skunks of America
Written by FRUZSINA EÖRDÖGH
September 8, 2013

The closest I’ve ever been to being a Disney Princess happened last summer, when two baby skunks along with their mother and five kittens (and their mother) all crowded around my back porch and ate the cat treats I tossed at them. I was close enough to touch them, but I didn’t dare. Once I got over my fear of being sprayed, it was magical, adorable, and random. I still kick myself for not videotaping the whole thing. The weird little animal herd never came back, but if they did, I wouldn’t feed them again—not because I am heartless but because the United States currently has a skunk problem.

Headlines coming out of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Missouri, Colorado, California and Texas this summer are all suggesting their respective state skunk populations are on the rise. One Pennsylvanian man has seen more skunks this year (dozens!) than the entire 70 years he’s lived in Somerset. In a 2013 first, the Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles has had seven skunk sightings, though the team still denies having a skunk problem.

This increase in skunks isn’t a new development: one suburb in New Jersey started a relocation program to deal with their “excessive skunk population” in 2009, and is expected to keep relocating the animals until next year. Relocating skunks is illegal in some states however, like Colorado for example, because of disease concerns.

New York City’s skunk problem began in 2009 too, though it appears to have dwindled after Hurricane Sandy. Last year, the Chicago Tribune—from where I live—reported the skunk population was at an all-time high in Illinois, while the year before, one suburb claimed their skunk population was reaching “epidemic proportions.” Martha’s Vineyard saw a “very unusually large” amount of skunks last October, which will probably make another appearance this year.   

Marty Johnson, a biologist working for Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources, told the Associated Press that the population explosion in Wisconsin is probably due to the abundance in food (aka human garbage) and shelter. Wisconsin has battled a foreclosure crisis for the last seven years, and it appears once the people moved out, the skunks moved in. The national foreclosure crisis was probably good for skunks outside of Wisconsin too, if you think about it.

The state budget crisis that started a few years ago is also great for skunks, as one of the departments almost every state reduced or altered was their trash and waste budget—which affects how often trash is picked up. Wisconsin reduced its trash budget, as did Colorado. You get the picture. Could this have led to more food for the black and white critters? Possibly.

Another reason for the increase in skunk population are mild winters. From now until late October, skunks are out and about fattening themselves before the first frost, but if the coming winter is gentle the skunks eat more, getting bigger and healthier. The result is larger litters once the weather heats up again. Normally skunks give birth to two to 10 babies, but lately its been 10 to 12.  If the trend of warm winters continues, the skunk population will only continue to grow.

A growing skunk population doesn’t just mean the likelihood you will be sprayed increases, however, though it goes hand in hand with an increase in rabies, which is not just fatal, but a rough way to go. Skunks are the second most likely animal to get rabies, after raccoons. The disease occurs naturally, and while some states don’t keeps statistics on their skunk population, they do keep stats on rabies.  

Compare the Center for Disease Control's rabid skunk chart from 2009: 

The number of rabid skunks in Missouri reached a 15-year high this summer, indicating a larger than normal population. Arkansas, which does not have data on their skunk population, reported 91 cases of rabid skunks by July, an “unusually high number” compared to their second highest rabid animal statistic, three bats. Virginia currently has a “rabies epidemic” among its skunk population, while Texas will be dropping 100,000 rabies vaccine food packets—up from 38, 000 last year—via helicopter in one county to deal with their rabid skunk problem.

It's possible that an outbreak of rabies could reduce skunk populations, but that did not happen in Texas. After a five-month-old baby was bitten in the face by a rabid skunk in Minnesota following sightings of rabid skunks in a nearby town, Sheriff Michel Wetzel told CBS “there might be a little outbreak going on.” You think?

From the warmer winters, more garbage and the growing dystopian suburbs, things are looking pretty swell for the skunks of America.  




I started with the CBS story on this recent skunk population explosion, but it only gave a video, so I went to the Net to find more. I came up with this fascinating article on Motherboard. I'm an animal lover, and I especially like beautiful animals – which skunks certainly are. However, I'm afraid when wild animals come into town and especially if they frequently carry rabies, a disease I grew up hearing about especially during the summers in NC. There was a case here in Jacksonville within the last month of a raccoon, which according to this article is the second most likely animal to carry it. I was surprised to find that skunks are the most likely species. I would have thought the dog family would be. “Arkansas, which does not have data on their skunk population, reported 91 cases of rabid skunks by July, an “unusually high number” compared to their second highest rabid animal statistic, three bats.” I have heard that if you see a raccoon rambling around in the daytime it may have rabies, because they are primarily nocturnal. Personally, I stay away from all wild animals and even cats or dogs if they are unknown to me.

I was looking on the Net for an article on ancient DNA which might have traced rabies DNA to its earliest origins. I couldn't find that, but the Wikipedia had something as interesting – a bonafide case of a number of humans who contracted it, but lived. The following is a quotation from that article.

“In 2004, American teenager Jeanna Giese survived an infection of rabies unvaccinated. She was placed into an induced coma upon onset of symptoms and given ketamine, midazolam, ribavirin, and amantadine. Her doctors administered treatment based on the hypothesis that detrimental effects of rabies were caused by temporary dysfunctions in the brain and could be avoided by inducing a temporary partial halt in brain function that would protect the brain from damage while giving the immune system time to defeat the virus. After 31 days of isolation and 76 days of hospitalization, Giese was released from the hospital.[55] She survived with all higher level brain functions, but an inability to walk and balance.[56] On a podcast of NPR's Radiolab, Giese recounted, "I had to learn how to stand and then to walk, turn around, move my toes. I was really, after rabies, a new born baby who couldn't do anything. I had to relearn that all...mentally I knew how to do stuff but my body wouldn't cooperate with what I wanted it to do. It definitely took a toll on me psychologically. You know I'm still recovering. I'm not completely back. Stuff like balance and, um, I can't run normally."[57]

Giese's treatment regimen became known as the "Milwaukee protocol", which has since undergone revision with the second version omitting the use of ribavirin. Two of 25 patients survived when treated under the first protocol. A further 10 patients have been treated under the revised protocol, with a further two survivors.[11] The anesthetic drug ketaminehas shown the potential for rabies virus inhibition in rats,[58] and is used as part of the Milwaukee protocol.
On June 12, 2011, Precious Reynolds, an eight-year-old girl from Humboldt County, California, became the third reported person in the United States to have recovered from rabies without receiving PEP.[59]”





Spread Of Palm Oil Production Into Africa Threatens Great Apes – NPR
by MAANVI SINGH
July 11, 2014

In recent years, consumers have grown increasingly aware that the explosion of palm oil plantations to supply food companies making everything from Pop-Tarts to ramen noodles has taken a heavy toll on the environment.

In Malaysia and Indonesia, where most of the world's palm oil is produced, environmental groups have been putting pressure on suppliers that convert rain forests into plantations.

Now it seems palm oil production in Africa is picking up, too. And the new farms there are threatening great ape populations in West and Central Africa, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Current Biology.

"Africa seems to be the new frontier," says Serge Wich, a primate biologist at Liverpool John Moores University and the lead author of the report. Sixty percent of African oil palm concessions — or land that's been set aside for the development of oil plantations — overlaps with the ape habitats.

Most of the areas in Southeast Asia that are suitable for palm oil production are already in use, Wich says. And as producers have scouted for new terrain suitable for growing palm, they've landed on Africa. That may be bad news for chimpanzees and gorillas in countries like Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon.

Although oil palms are native to Africa, they grow better in Southeast Asian climates, Wich tells The Salt. So palm oil companies that are moving to Africa have to use more land to keep up with the high yields of Asian plantations.

That may have an especially big impact on species like the bonobo — a kind of miniature chimp found mostly in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Wich says. Bonobos are already endangered, and much of their habitat overlaps with the palm oil land concessions.

Wich says he started looking into palm oil production in Africa after seeing the damage the industry did to ape habitats in Asia. "I've seen the impact of oil palms on orangutans in Borneo," he says. "And I began to get worried that the same thing would happen to African apes."

This doesn't necessarily mean we need to stop consuming palm oil to save forests, Wich says. "I think it's difficult to ask consumers to use less oil."

Plus, oil palms are a more efficient source of vegetable oil than say, soybeans or rapeseed, he says.

What palm producers could do is switch to more sustainable growing practices. Producers often prefer to chop down forests because they can sell the wood to pay for the overhead costs of developing a plantation. But "there are areas without forest where oil palm development can happen," Wich says.

As we've reported, in response to pressure from environmental groups, consumers and investors, companies like Kellogg andDunkin Donuts have committed to using sustainable palm oil.

Glenn Hurowitz, the campaign director at Forest Heroes, a rain forest protection coalition, says the African rain forests and the apes that live there can be saved. "I'm cautiously optimistic," he says. "We're pushing for companies to adopt no-deforestation policies."

And some producers are listening. Wilmar and Golden Agri-Resources, both big palm oil producers working in Asia and Africa, have such policies.

Wich says that's a bit of good news for apes. "There is some progress but it's going very slowly," he says. "And oil palm development is happening very fast."




It's the old story of wasteful methods of farming rather than trying to use the open land which is already available. Farmers “prefer” to cut all the trees because they can sell the timber, but there is existing open land which they can use instead. “What palm producers could do is switch to more sustainable growing practices. Producers often prefer to chop down forests because they can sell the wood to pay for the overhead costs of developing a plantation. But "there are areas without forest where oil palm development can happen," Wich says.

“Glenn Hurowitz, the campaign director at Forest Heroes, a rain forest protection coalition, says the African rain forests and the apes that live there can be saved. "I'm cautiously optimistic," he says. "We're pushing for companies to adopt no-deforestation policies."And some producers are listening. Wilmar and Golden Agri-Resources, both big palm oil producers working in Asia and Africa, have such policies. This is good news, and hopefully other companies will follow suit. Not only are trees beautiful and required habitat for thousands of species, they are one of the earth's best hedges against CO2 pollution.