Month: August 2014

MADRID (AP) — A Spanish priest being treated for Ebola died Tuesday in Madrid despite having received an experimental drug while the World Health Organization announced it is ethical for unproven drugs and vaccines to be used amid an unprecedented outbreak in West Africa.

By Kathryn Doyle NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – After age 75, recurrences of colon cancer are rare and the risks of repeated colonoscopies may outweigh the benefits, according to new research. “Our study was different in that we specifically examined patients that were undergoing surveillance examinations because of a previous history of colonic polyps or cancer,” said lead author Dr. An Hong Tran of Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center in California. “We found that recurrent colorectal cancer in this population was significantly less likely after age 75,” Tran said. “We also found that the risk of post-procedure hospitalization following a surveillance colonoscopy increased significantly after age 75 compared to younger patients, even after adjusting for the effects of chronic illnesses.” People with colorectal cancer or high-risk polyps usually undergo repeat colonoscopies every few years to make sure the disease hasn’t recurred.

I was shocked and deeply saddened when my daughter, who happened to be checking her phone about something else and stumbled onto a tweet, announced at the dinner table last night that Robin Williams had died of an apparent suicide. My wife and I and the three of our children home at the time all pretty much gasped audibly in unison, and then…

By Carlvin Odera and Drazen Jorgic JUBA (Reuters) – The risk of famine and reports of growing arms imports could bring fresh woe to South Sudan, a delegation from the U.N. Security Council warned on Tuesday, urging the state's warring leaders to resolve their differences. At least 10,000 people have been killed since fierce fighting erupted in South Sudan in December, pitting President Salva Kiir's government forces against supporters of Riek Machar, his former deputy and longtime political rival. Adding to the country's many problems, aid agencies say South Sudan could be headed for the worst famine since the mid-1980s, when malnutrition swept through East Africa and killed over a million people. "There is a grave risk of famine that now looms, that hangs over this visit," United States ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Powers told reporters, saying 50,000 children under five were at risk of dying of malnutrition in the coming months.