Ebola: Virus Exists In Survivor's Semen For 9 Months

An electron micrograph scan shows the Ebola virus emerging from an infected cell.

Researchers have long known that the Ebola virus can linger in certain bodily fluids even after an infected person begins to recover. But a new study shows that remnants of the virus remained in the semen of some male survivors in Sierra Leone for 9 months after the onset of symptoms, raising new questions about how long Ebola might remain transmissible.

"These results come at a critically important time, reminding us that while Ebola case numbers continue to plummet, Ebola survivors and their families continue to struggle with the effects of the disease," Bruce Aylward, the World Health Organization's top Ebola official, said in a statement. "[The study] provides further evidence that survivors need continued, substantial support for the next 6 to 12 months to meet these challenges and to ensure their partners are not exposed."

The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, are part of a long-term effort to decipher the mysteries that still surround the deadly disease. While the unprecedented Ebola outbreak in West Africa has killed more than 11,000 people, it also has left behind something previous outbreaks did not -- thousands of survivors that researchers hope can teach us more about the virus.

The study involved analyzing semen samples from 93 Sierra Leonean men who had survived Ebola.

Researchers detected the presence of the virus's genetic material in the semen of all nine men tested in the first three months after their illness began. More than half of the 40 men tested between four and six months after the onset of their symptoms also tested positive, as did a quarter of the 43 men tested between seven to nine months after their illness began.

The findings shed new light on how long the virus can remain in the body. As recently as last October, the WHO noted that while the virus is spread primarily through contact with blood, feces and vomit -- and typically during the height of illness -- it also had been detected in breast milk, urine and semen. "In a convalescent male, the virus can persist in semen for at least 70 days; one study suggests persistence for more than 90 days," the organization wrote then. The study suggests that the virus can hang around even longer than many researchers expected.

But plenty of questions remain. The authors acknowledged that they still lack data about how the presence of Ebola virus RNA in semen relates to the likelihood of actual transmission. Despite some suspected instances of Ebola being spread through sexual activity, it is exceedingly rare, and "the risk of sexual transmission is unknown and is being investigated," the study states.

The explanation for why some men retain fragments of the Ebola virus in their semen for months while others clear the virus also remains unclear. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are conducting more tests on the samples to determine whether the virus is live and potentially infectious. In the meantime, health officials have urged the more than 8,000 male Ebola survivors to abstain from sex or use condoms until no remnants of the virus remain in their semen.

The study, conducted jointly by the CDC, the WHO and the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health, comes as the countries hard-hit by the Ebola crisis are pushing to end the outbreak nearly two years after it began. The epidemic is now confined to small areas of Guinea and Sierra Leone, the WHO said. Liberia remains free of Ebola. In general, the epidemic is considered over in a country when no new cases are identified for 42 days, twice the incubation period of the virus.

However,  it is believed that, so long as there is a case of Ebola in any part of the world, there is the risk that it could be imported into any other part of the world.

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Why Marriage Could Lead To Obesity In Both Men And Women

Marriage, the legal contract between spouses has now been shown to be a risk factor for weight gain, a new study has suggested. According to the research, which is published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, when one spouse becomes obese, the other’s risk of obesity almost doubles.

“Normal weight people whose spouses went from being normal weight to obese were more likely to become obese,” said Laura Cobb, who led the study as a researcher at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. “This suggests that changes in one spouse are likely to also be reflected in the other spouse, likely because of similar changes in diet, physical activity or other behaviors that impact obesity,” Cobb disclosed.

Weight gain is an increase in body weight which could ultimately result to obesity, a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have a negative effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems.

Some health challenges that could arise from obesity include cardiovascular disease (mainly heart disease and stroke), type 2 diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders like osteoarthritis, and some cancers (endometrial, breast and colon).

In African societies, weight gain due to marriage is mostly experienced by women. This has been attributed to a whole lot of factors ranging from sexual to dietary. But, with this new research, both men and women are liable to obesity due to marriage.

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Danger: Children Addicted To Phone Could develop Hunchback

Children as young as seven are developing hunchbacks and curved spines because of the hours spent bending over smart phones and tablets, a chiropractor has claimed.

Dr James Carter warned that he had seen an "alarming increase" in the condition.

He said patients often came in complaining of a headache but that a simple heel-to-toe test revealed that they had developed a backwards curve in the neck having spent hours hunched over electronic devices.

"I have started seeing lots of cases over the past two years, especially in young schoolchildren and teenagers," Dr Carter told Daily Mail Australia.

"The condition is called 'text neck' because it is often caused when people sit with their heads dropped forward looking at their devices for several hours at a time. nstead of a normal forward curve, patients can be seen to have a backwards curve. It can be degenerative, often causing head, neck, shoulder and back pain. Many patients come in complaining they have a headache, but we actually find text neck is the cause of it. They often fail a simple heel-to-toe test and tend to fall over," he added.
 
Sammy Margo, from the UK's Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, agreed that "text neck" was on the rise.
She said: "When you drop your chin on to your chest for a long period you are stretching the whole structure. Eventually, in conjunction with a sedentary lifestyle, it could lead to serious consequences."
Dr Carter, from Niagara Park on Australia's New South Wales Central Coast, warned that the condition could lead to anxiety and depression as well as spinal damage.

And he said 50 per cent of the patients he diagnosed were school-aged children and teenagers.

A recent survey by the consultancy ComRes for Channel 4 News found just over half of parents worried their kids were exposed to sexual content on their electronic devices, while 52 per cent said they were worried about them meeting strangers online.

It also found that children spend an average of nearly three hours a day in front of their screens – whether playing games, watching videos on YouTube or using social media.

Dr Carter advised avoiding using laptops or phones while sitting or lying in bed and raising monitors or devices to eye level.

Dr Chris McCarthy, a consultant spinal physiotherapist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in London, cautioned against the use of X-rays to diagnose such a condition.

He expressed concern that patients suspecting they had the condition would go to their GP and expect to have an X-ray, which he said were not recommended in the treatment of neck pain and would expose them to unnecessary radiation.

Whilst he said he had heard of "text neck", he suggested that the broader problem was more likely to stem from a sedentary lifestyle and a general lack of exercise.

"Non-specific neck pain can be related to sedentary postures," he said.

"As physios, we would support a notion that if a child does not do any exercise and stays in a static position playing computer games and on Facebook there is more chance they will get spinal pain, including in the neck."

 

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Herbal Remedy For Male Infertility

According to Hethir Rodriguez, a renowed researcher with Natural Infertility, low sperm count and infertility in men is more prevalent than most couples think. People tend to think that if a woman is not getting pregnant the fertility issue must be with the woman, but that is not necessarily always the case. There is an equal chance that male factor infertility can be the cause of a couple’s difficulty in achieving pregnancy. While women have many tests to try to find out the cause of infertility, men have only a couple, the sperm analysis being the easiest.

If you have been trying to get pregnant for more than a year, make sure that both of you go and get fertility test. There are at-home sperm count tests available in stores, or you can have a complete semen analysis performed at your doctor’s office.

The results of a good test would be a sperm count of 20 million or more sperm with healthy motility and morphology. Suboptimal levels are less than 20 million sperm. If you find that your sperm levels are low or are having issues with mobility, motility or morphology, it is necessary to consider some natural therapies you can use to help improve sperm count and health.

There are many potential causes of low sperm count and male infertility. Fortunately, we have control over many of them by reducing their exposure.
Here is a list of the top culprits:

• EMF’s – Electromagnetic frequencies (EMF’s) have been shown through studies to lower sperm count due to the heating of the testicles from the EMF’s. Do not keep your cell phone in your pocket and do not place your laptop computer on your lap.
• Radio frequency electromagnetic waves (RF-EMW) – A study performed in 2011 (Fert. Ster. 1/2012) showed that RF-EMWs emitted from devices connected to Wi-Fi (wireless internet) decrease sperm motility, while increasing sperm DNA fragmentation. Men should avoid using laptop computers running on a Wi-Fi connection directly on their lap. In addition, be sure to avoid carrying a smart phone in your front pocket.
• Cigarette smoking – Smoking damages the sperm. Period. The good news is the damage done from smoking can be reversed as long as you quit smoking.
• Pesticides and hormones in foods – The pesticides found on produce and the hormones added to dairy and meat have a HUGE effect on a man’s hormonal balance. Pesticides mimic estrogens in the body while the added hormones in meat and dairy are actual hormones (like estrogen) you do not want in your system.
• Soy foods – Highly processed soy foods (soy milk, TVP, soy burgers, etc.) contain concentrated amounts of isoflavones, a type of phytoestrogen shown to block estrogen receptor sites that are needed for testosterone.
• Alcohol– In a study of men with poor sperm quality, excessive alcohol consumption was associated with a decrease in the number of normal sperm.
• Plastics – When plastics are heated they release xenohormones which mimic estrogen in the body.
• Hyperthermia (overheating) – The testicles need to keep the sperm at a healthy temperature (which is less then the body’s temperature). It is thought that this may be in part why the male reproductive organs are external. Heat is known to damage sperm, so it may be best to avoid repeated exposure to activities that may elevate the temperature of the testicles. Examples are frequent use of saunas or hot tubs. In addition, tight underwear like briefs can keep the testicles from being able to hang and regulate their temperature. Boxers could be an alternative to briefs.
• Stress – Stress can have a big impact on hormone balance which can in turn have an affect on sperm production...
• (TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK)
• For effective herbal cure for male infertility, call or sms +2347031040178.

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Getting The Best Out Of Your Hands Washing Therapy

As the world marks Global Hands Washing Day, we cannot but look into those issues bothering on hands washing and how it can help promote the health of the individual. Washing your hands correctly (or using an alcohol-based hand rub) is the most effective thing you can do to protect yourself against a number of infectious diseases, such as influenza (the "flu") and the common cold; infact, hand washing is now a spotlight in view of the recent cases of ebola virus disease invasion. Not only will it help keep you healthy, it will help prevent the spread of infectious diseases to others.

Even if your hands appear to be clean, they may carry germs. Hands pick up micro-organisms (germs) in a number of ways.

When people who are sick sneeze or cough, the germs that are making them sick are expelled into the air in tiny droplets. If these droplets get onto your hands, and then you touch your mouth, eyes or nose without washing away the germs, you carry the infection. You can also get sick if you don't wash your hands before and after preparing food, after handling raw meat, and after using the toilet.

Washing your hands not only prevents you from getting sick, but it also reduces the risk of infecting others. If you don't wash your hands properly before coming into contact with others, you can infect them with the germs on your hands. Other people can also get sick from the germs unwashed hands leave on shared objects like doorknobs, keyboards, and other equipment in the home or workplace.

Hand-to-hand contact can spread mild conditions, such as the common cold, but also more severe or life-threatening diseases. Infectious diseases are a particular risk to the very young, the elderly, those with a pre-existing disease, and people with a compromised immune system, such as those with HIV or AIDS.

Although hand washing might seem like a simple task, you should follow these steps to thoroughly rid your hands of germs.

• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Alcohol-based hand cleansers are useful when soap and water are not available. In most cases antibacterial soap is not necessary for safe, effective hand hygiene.
• Remove any hand or arm jewellery you may be wearing and wet your hands with warm water. Add regular soap and rub your hands together, ensuring you have lathered all surfaces for at least 15 seconds. How long is 15 seconds? The length of time it takes to sing Happy Birthday.
• Wash the front and back of your hands, as well as between your fingers and under your nails.
• Rinse your hands well under warm running water, using a rubbing motion.
• Wipe and dry your hands gently with a paper towel or a clean towel. Drying them vigorously can damage the skin.
• Turn off the tap using the paper towel so that you do not re-contaminate your hands. When using a public bathroom, use the same paper towel to open the door when you leave.
• If skin dryness is a problem, use a moisturizing lotion.

If you have sensitive skin or are in a position where you must wash your hands constantly (as a healthcare worker must), you might want to use an alcohol-based hand rub instead.

• An alcohol-based hand rub can be used if soap and water are not available.
• If your hands are visibly soiled, it is best to use soap and water. If it's not possible to wash with soap and water, use towelettes to remove the soil, then use an alcohol-based hand rub.
• Use hand rubs according to the manufacturer's instructions. Make sure your hands are dry, as wet hands will dilute the product.
• Use enough product to cover all the surfaces of your hands and fingers.
• Rub your hands together until the product has evaporated. If dry skin is a problem, use a moisturizing lotion.

 This article was produced in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada.

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Why Some Lipsticks Can Cause Cancer

Can wearing lipstick lead to cancer? Researchers who tested different types of popular lipsticks found at drug and department stores have found levels of toxic metals that can potentially lead to health problems.

"This preliminary study of metal content in lip products suggests potential public health concerns," wrote the authors of the new study, published May 2 in Environmental Health Perspectives, a government-funded journal.

For the study, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley's School of Public Health enlisted a group of 12 girls between the ages of 14 and 19 who were part of an Asian youth group and lived in low-income neighborhoods of Oakland, Calif. They were asked to record the brands and product names of all lipsticks and lip glosses they regularly carry and use at home.

The researchers then took this list to stores and purchased the products, 32 in all (8 lipsticks, 24 lip glosses).

Back at the lab, researchers conducted spectrometry tests to determine the contents of the lipsticks. They found detectable levels of lead, cadmium, chromium, aluminum and five other metals in the products.

Lead, a neurotoxin, was found in 24 products -- 75 percent of all tested -- and all examined products contained the metals manganese, titanium and aluminum.

Half the products contained lead in concentrations higher than 0.1. parts per million cap the U.S. Food and Drug Administration places on candy frequently eaten by small children.

Concentrations of metals varied greatly across products. For example, one product had the highest chromium concentration (9.72 ppm) and the second highest concentrations of cadmium, manganese, and lead (2.16, 35.3, and 1.25 ppm, respectively). The researchers did not find a clear pattern to predict toxin levels in terms of brands, color, whether it was lip gloss or lipstick or in the cost of the products, which ranged from about $6 to $24.

The researchers also analyzed potential risk for toxin exposure by comparing how often the lip products are used to the concentration of the toxins found in the products. Results were measured in term of average use and heavy use.

They determined the estimated chromium intake from 10 products tested exceeded acceptable daily intake levels when measuring average use. Chromium is a known human carcinogen, according to the researchers, that has been linked to lung cancer and stomach tumors through inhaling the metal or swallowing it.

Heavy use of lip products could lead to too much aluminum exposure for one of the products tested, and too much chromium for 22 products tested, and potentially dangerous levels of manganese in 7 of the products tested.

Cadmium, another metal found, is a carcinogen linked to lung cancer and damage to the respiratory system when inhaled. It's also found in low levels in drinking water, and the researchers suspect exposure through drinking water and heavy use of 10 of the products they tested may lead to too much exposure.

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