Helene weakens to tropical storm over Atlantic

MIAMI, Sept 23: Hurricane Helene weakened to a tropical storm as it raced across the central Atlantic Ocean on a course that would keep it far from land, forecasters said.

Tropical Storm Helene was centered about 1,370 km east-northeast of Bermuda, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said yesterday.

Its top sustained winds dropped from 140 kph to 113 kph, below the threshold for a hurricane, the center said.

Helene was speeding east-northeastward at 37 kph) -- a swift pace for a storm -- and was expected to become an extratropical cyclone in a few days, becoming essentially a low-pressure system with strong winds.

Forecasters were also watching a tropical disturbance far out in the Atlantic about 1,600 km west-southwest of the Cape Verde Islands but said it had not grown more organized overnight.

Some computer models took it near Bermuda next week but several others suggested it would follow Helene over the open Atlantic on a track that did not threaten land.(AGENCIES)

Chinese chemical leak cuts water to thousands

SHANGHAI, Sept 23: A leak from a Chinese chemical plant into a river has polluted water supplies for more than 4,100 people, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

The spill of turpentine from a plant in the eastern province of Anhui contaminated the Jindong River on Thursday, Xinhua said. Authorities yesterday warned residents not to use water from the river and sent fire engines to distribute water.

Many residents and more than 1,100 primary and secondary school students in the area drank the polluted water before they were warned about the incident, but so far have shown no symptoms of poisoning, Xinhua said.

Such incidents are common in China's industrial areas. An arsenide pollution case in Hunan province this month cut water supplies to 80,000 people, and an explosion at a chemical plant in northeast China last year poured toxic benzene compounds into the Songhua River, which supplies water to millions. (AGENCIES)

Japan launches satellite to explore sun

TOKYO, Sept 23: Japan launched an observation satellite today on a joint mission with the United States and Britain to explore the sun.

Led by Japan's space agency JAXA, the Solar-B mission was launched to improve scientists' understanding of solar flares and eruptions that can have devastating effects on satellite systems.

The 900-kg satellite was launched from Kagoshima, southern Japan, and was headed for a north-south orbit around the earth pointing continuously at the sun.

''In this modern world, we can't separate communication, broadcast and weather satellites from our life,'' said Takeo Kosugi, Solar-B project manager at JAXA.

''So it is becoming very important to protect satellites from solar eruptions,'' he said.

Solar-B is Japan's third solar observation satellite after launches in 1981 and 1991. It will begin full-scale observations around late November.(AGENCIES)

Racial gap in endometrial cancer survival

NEW YORK, Sept 23: Despite receiving similar treatment, black women with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer fare worse than their white counterparts, according to a report in the September 25th online issue of Cancer.

While the current study is not the first to identify a racial gap in uterine cancer survival, it had still been unclear if black women had poorer survival rates because they received treatment that was not comparable to that received by white women.

To clarify this issue, Dr. G. Larry Maxwell, from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, and colleagues analyzed data from 169 black women and 982 white women with stage III, stage IV, or recurrent endometrial cancer who were enrolled in one of four randomized treatment trials.

Compared with their white peers, black women were more like to have advanced stage disease and higher grade tumors. As such, it is not surprising that median survival was significantly shorter in black women: 10.6 vs. 12.2 months.

However, even after adjusting for disease stage, tumor grade, and other factors, survival was still significantly worse in black women.

The authors note that several reports have suggested that differences in treatment contribute to the racial disparity in survival for several malignancies, including lung, breast, prostate, and colon cancer.

The present findings, however, suggest that this is not the case for endometrial cancer.

''Although the causes of this survival difference remain to be elucidated, socioeconomic, biologic, and cultural etiologies may be involved,'' the investigators conclude. (AGENCIES)

Golden Gate Bridge suicide barrier study approved

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept 23: Officials took the first step to stop would-be suicides from using a world-famous landmark -- San Francisco's graceful Golden Gate Bridge.

The Bridge's board of directors yesterday approved a two-year, 2 million dollars study into the feasibility of erecting a suicide barrier on the span.

''We're looking at trying to identify if there is a workable solution,'' spokeswoman Mary Currie said.

There have been more than 1,200 reported suicides since the bridge opened in 1937.

This means that every few weeks on average the 3.2 km-long bridge serves as a platform for people intent on taking their lives by climbing over its 1.2-metre-high barrier and leaping to their deaths into the chilly waters 67 metres below.

The twin-towered bridge connects San Francisco with Marin County to the north and spans the narrow strait known as the Golden Gate that joins San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. (AGENCIES)

Emergency docs spell out when to visit the ER

NEW YORK, Sept 23: Having difficulty breathing? Sudden pain? Sudden changes in vision? Get to the emergency department, advises the American College of Emergency Physicians.

In their recent statement, ''When Should I Go to the Emergency Department?'' the physicians' group details the symptoms that constitute a medical emergency.

''If you or a loved one think you need emergency care, come to the emergency department and have a doctor examine you,'' Dr Frederick Blum, ACEP president, said in the ACEP statement.

''If you think the medical condition is life-threatening or the person's condition will worsen on the way to the hospital, then you need to call 911 and have your local emergency medical services provider come to you,'' he added.

Each day, over 300,000 individuals receive treatment in emergency departments throughout the country. Some people may be unsure of when to go to the emergency room, however, or may wonder if their symptom requires emergency care.

According to the college, the symptoms than necessitate an emergency department visit include the following:

* If you are experiencing difficulty breathing and/or shortness of breath

* If you have chest or upper abdominal pain, or feel pressure in the chest area

* If you have fainting spells or experience sudden dizziness or weakness

* If you experience vision changes

* If you are confused or otherwise experience any mental status changes

* If you have uncontrolled bleeding

* If you have severe or persistent vomiting or diarrhea

* If you are coughing or vomiting blood

* If you have any suicidal or homicidal feelings

Bottom line? ''If you think you have an emergency or if you think the problem may be something serious, don't wait,'' Dr. Mary Pat McKay, of George Washington University Hospital, in Washington, DC told Reuters Health. ''Go and get it checked out,'' she said.

Yet, the signs indicative of a medical emergency may vary according to the age of the individual, experts say.

''The significance of symptoms does change with a person's age and their ability to communicate their symptoms,'' according to McKay, director of the hospital's injury center.

For example, a two - or three-month-old infant with a fever should be taken to the emergency department, whereas a six- or seven-year-old child, or an adult, may not need such emergency treatment, she explained.

To get the best care while in the emergency department, ACEP advises that patients know their immunization status and bring along a list of the medications they are taking and any allergies they have.

Too often, many emergency department visitors do not know what medications they are taking or why they are taking them. In her practice, McKay has encountered many individuals who refer to their medications by color, rather than name, as in ''I take the pink pill,'' or ''I take a little white pill,'' she said.

For more information about emergency department care, or to view the warning signs of a medical emergency online, visit the American College of Emergency Physicians at http://www.Acep.Org/webportal/PatientsConsumers. (AGENCIES)

Racial gap in endometrial cancer survival

NEW YORK, Sept 23: Despite receiving similar treatment, black women with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer fare worse than their white counterparts, according to a report in the September 25th online issue of Cancer.

While the current study is not the first to identify a racial gap in uterine cancer survival, it had still been unclear if black women had poorer survival rates because they received treatment that was not comparable to that received by white women.

To clarify this issue, Dr G Larry Maxwell, from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, and colleagues analyzed data from 169 black women and 982 white women with stage III, stage IV, or recurrent endometrial cancer who were enrolled in one of four randomized treatment trials.

Compared with their white peers, black women were more like to have advanced stage disease and higher grade tumors. As such, it is not surprising that median survival was significantly shorter in black women: 10.6 vs. 12.2 months.

However, even after adjusting for disease stage, tumor grade, and other factors, survival was still significantly worse in black women.

The authors note that several reports have suggested that differences in treatment contribute to the racial disparity in survival for several malignancies, including lung, breast, prostate, and colon cancer.

The present findings, however, suggest that this is not the case for endometrial cancer.

''Although the causes of this survival difference remain to be elucidated, socioeconomic, biologic, and cultural etiologies may be involved,'' the investigators conclude. (AGENCIES)

Newsletters get co-eds to eat more veggies

NEW YORK, Sept 23: South Dakota researchers have come up with a relatively simple and inexpensive way to get college kids to eat more fruit and veggies -- send them newsletters.

Dr Kendra K Kattelmann of South Dakota State University in Brookings and colleagues designed a series of four one-page newsletters on the benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables. The newsletters were ''stage-based,'' meaning the first was targeted to individuals who had not begun to think about eating fruits and vegetables, and chiefly addressed why it's important to eat enough of them.

Subsequent newsletters were designed for people preparing for or contemplating this change, and provided more how-to tips and recipes. ''They were messages that were tailored for the person's readiness to change,'' Kattelmann explained.

The researchers randomized 314 college students aged 18 to 24 to receive the four newsletters over a four-month period along with a half-hour motivational counseling session with a registered dietitian, or to a control group that didn't receive newsletters or counseling.

Students who participated in the intervention increased their fruit and vegetable consumption by one serving a day, while those in the control group added less than half a serving daily.

Encouraging young adults to adopt good eating habits can help them stay healthy for life, Kattelmann noted in an interview with Reuters Health. College students are at a pivotal stage, she and her colleagues add in their report, because they are often living away from home and preparing their own meals for the first time.

The researchers suggest that other colleges could use their program over the course of a semester to help students eat a healthier diet. ''It is a practical and relatively inexpensive intervention that has the potential of not only improving the long-term health of young people, but also their future children as well,'' they conclude.(AGENCIES)

Water’ is Canada’s official entry for Oscar nomination

TORONTO, Sept 22: Indian filmmaker Deepa Mehta’s controversial film ‘Water’ is in the running for the prestigious Oscar award this year as Canada’s official entry in the best foreign language category.

The decision to enter ‘Water’, which is made in Hindi language with some portions in English, was announced yesterday by Telefilm Canada.

A special Oscar committee will screen ‘Water’ and 82 other entries to determine the five nominees.

The film starring John Abraham, Lisa Ray and Seema Biswas deals with the subject of the plight of Hindu widows and is Mehta’s third film, completing her elemental trilogy series after ‘Fire’ and ‘Earth’.

All the three movies were Indo-Canadian co-productions.

Toronto-based Mehta, who began shooting the film in the holy city of Benares in India in 1999, had to shelve the project following an opposition from the Hindu fundamentalists. She later shot the film in Sri Lanka.

‘Water’ was the official film for the opening of the 2005 Toronto film festival and has been widely appreciated in the Canadian city. (PTI)