Emma Stone says her mother's cancer diagnosis was ''terrifying''.
The 'Amazing Spider-Man' actress was devastated when her mom Krista Stone was found to have triple negative breast cancer in 2008 and although she was living in Los Angeles at the time, Emma flew home to Arizona as much as possible while Krista underwent treatment.
She told People.com: ''I was oddly stoic, the opposite of how I usually am. But it was terrifying.''
Despite Emma's fears, Krista has been cancer-free for five years following a double mastectomy and chemotherapy and praised her daughter for her bravery.
She said: ''I'm sure, in private, Em lived in fear and anxiety. But she really shifted into this [mode of], 'We're going to take care of this, and everything's going to be fine'.''
Emma, 24, is extremely close to her mother and has previously credited her for telling her what to avoid wearing when growing up and giving her confidence.
She said: ''When I was a teenager and all the cool girls were wearing their pyjama pants in school, my mother would forbid me to do that - or to let my bra straps show.
''Everybody has parts of their body that they dislike, but I'm not going to lose any sleep over them.''
The last time we met with the folks from Scanadu, we had a very limited look its much buzzed-about line of gadgets that aim to bring vital sign monitoring beyond the realm of the hospital and available to anyone with a smartphone. This week, the company's CEO Walter De Brouwer stopped by TechCrunch TV with an update to allow us to demo an updated version of the SCOUT and show that Scanadu is coming a significant step closer to actually having its devices in the hands of real users. As you'll see in the video, De Brouwer says that Scanadu has discovered in recent months through early testing that there are a few features that people really want in their personal medical devices, so the company has made key updates to the Scout and its other tools -- and we got a hands-on look at those.
(Teachers carry children away from Briarwood Elementary school after a tornado destroyed the school in south Oklahoma City, Okla, Monday, May 20, 2013. Near SW 149th and Hudson. (AP Photo/ The Oklahoman, Paul Hellstern))
The teachers at Plaza Towers Elementary School had a sixteen-minute warning. As one of the most destructive tornadoes barreled towards the school, educators evacuated the older children?the fourth, fifth, and sixth graders?to a nearby church. But the younger children sought shelter within the school building, and teachers stayed with them.
Sixth-grade teacher Rhonda Crosswhite was among those who stayed behind. She hid in a bathroom stall with six of the children and draped herself across them as the tornado struck. Students screamed and begged for her not to die. She shouted reassurances back and prayed. By the time the tornado had passed, it had completely shredded the school building around them. There were children who didn?t survive. But Crosswhite and the children she protected all lived.
Crosswhite?s story is already one of the best-known examples of teacher heroism to emerge from Monday night?s devastation in Moore, Oklahoma. There are others: educators at Plaza Towers and Briarwood Elementary pulled children out of the rubble, shielded them from harm, or just comforted them in the face of unimaginable destruction. Last December, several teachers and a principal at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, died along with students when a gunman entered the school and opened fire. Other teachers hid their students in classrooms and closets, helping them to be quiet and safe until the shooting stopped.
?You don?t go into teaching for the money,? ?Oklahoma Education Association president Linda Hampton told MSNBC Tuesday.??You go into teaching because you care about the kids. You spend more of your waking hours as a teacher with those children than anyone does, and they become your children. And just like any parent, you?re going to protect them at all costs.?
Yet the role of protector during the hours in which children are in their care sometimes seems to have been lost in the public debate about education. Rarely recognized as champions of their students, public educators are more often targets of small-government conservatives and education reformers. Teachers across the country have watched their profession chipped away by school closures, mass layoffs, budget cuts, and other measures. Pressure to deliver top test scores has led to backlashes in some areas of the country. And cheating scandals, in which some educators altered scores to help advance their schools or protect themselves, harmed the reputations of teachers nationwide just as many were struggling to keep their jobs.
Since 2009, local and state-level budget cuts have cost public educators over 300,000 jobs. Tens of thousands more could disappear as a result of the federal government?s across-the-board spending cuts known as the sequester. In Chicago, teachers are currently fighting what could be the largest round of school closures ever to occur in a single American school district with 54 schools on the line. In Michigan, more than 50 districts?face budget deficits and the specter of a state-imposed Emergency Manager who could order further cuts. In?2011, teachers in Wisconsin lost the right to collective bargaining. And across the country, educators are being squeezed by high-stakes testing, concessionary contract bargaining, and charter schools which sap their student populations. These policies are usually implemented in the name of fiscal prudence and school reform.
?The biggest trend that has impacted [teachers] has been the cuts to education funding, and that translates into a whole lot of different things,? including mass layoffs, larger class sizes and limited resources, said National Education Association president Dennis Van Roekel.
An equally significant issue for teachers has been years of education policy focused on test results. Teacher assessment tied to test scores, educators argue, undercuts traditional methods that emphasized a greater connection between students and their teachers.
?We see everything being standardized,? said Xian Barrett, a public school teacher and community activist in Chicago. ?The metrics being foisted upon teachers and students have little to do with a real education, Barrett said.
In Chicago, the city government has been locked in a prolonged struggle with labor and community activists over the future of public education; the Board of Education may soon close dozens of schools deemed ?underutilized.? For the city school system, which supports the closures, this is a simple math problem. There are no longer enough students in the city to justify keeping that many school buildings open, so the student population should be ?consolidated.?
?The changes we are making will allow us to focus our resources on our children and their education, and I look forward to parents and community members continuing to play a significant role in moving our work forward,? said the head of the school system, Barbara Byrd-Bennett.
What Byrd-Bennett ignores, says Barrett, is that at-risk students need to be able to build stable bonds with educators. When students are uprooted from their older schools, it ?has devastating effects on young people, and their future is very much in doubt.?
Van Roekel was quick to stress that he does see value in testing and evaluations.?However, he emphasized that those tests should not be imposed from above without any reference to the concerns of local educators.
?Nobody knows better what?s happening in the classroom than the people who work there, the educators, so we need to trust them,? he said. One-size-fits-all evaluations and high-stakes testing disregards the differences between different populations of students.
?I remember watching my two little boys when they were young, going to school, and thinking: Gosh, I?m giving the adults in that site the two most important things in my life,? said Van Roekel. Any parent who sends a child to school, he said, gives teachers ?the most precious thing in their life, their children, and we ought to respect and honor that profession.?
WASHINGTON (AP) ? A leading Senate Democrat says the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative groups was intolerable, and he is promising to get to the bottom of how it happened.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus made his remark Tuesday as his panel began Congress' second hearing on the extra scrutiny the IRS gave tea party and other conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status.
The Montana Democrat says his committee will follow the facts wherever they lead.
Scheduled to testify to Congress for the first time was former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman, who headed the agency for most of the period when it was improperly focusing on the conservative groups.
Blame your parents for bunion woesPublic release date: 20-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Dawn Peters sciencenewsroom@wiley.com 781-388-8408 Wiley
Common foot deformities are inherited says framingham foot study
A novel study reports that white men and women of European descent inherit common foot disorders, such as bunions (hallux valgus) and lesser toe deformities, including hammer or claw toe. Findings from the Framingham Foot Studythe first to estimate the heritability of foot disorders in humansappear in Arthritis Care & Research, a journal published by Wiley on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).
Previous studies show that as many as 60% of older adults have foot disorders which may limit mobility and reduce their quality of life. In fact, bunions affect 23% of individuals 18 to 65 years of age and 36% of those over 65 years according to a study by Nix et al. While experts suggest that women, older adults and those with a higher body mass index (BMI) are at greater risk for foot disorders, there is little understanding of the genetics involved in their development.
The study, led by Arthritis Care & Research Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Marian Hannan from Hebrew SeniorLife and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Mass, included 1,370 participants enrolled in the Framingham Foot Study. Participants had a mean age of 66 years and 57% were female. Foot exams to identify hallux valgus, lesser toe deformities and plantar soft tissue atrophy were conducted between 2002 and 2008. The team estimated heritability using software that performs genetic analyses of familial data (pedigree structures).
Results show the prevalence of bunions, lesser toe deformities and plantar soft tissue atrophy was 31%, 30% and 28%, respectively. Hallux valgus and lesser toe deformity, two of the most common structural foot disorders that affect up to half of older adults in the U.S. and Europe, were found to be highly heritable depending on age and sex. The team reports that plantar soft tissue atrophy did not demonstrate significant heritability in the study cohort.
"Our study is the largest investigation of the heritability of common foot disorders in older adults, confirming that bunions and lesser toe deformities are highly inheritable in Caucasian men and women of European descent," concludes Dr. Hannan. "These new findings highlight the importance of furthering our understanding of what causes greater susceptibility to these foot conditions, as knowing more about the pathway may ultimately lead to early prevention or early treatment."
###
The Framingham Foot Study was funded in part by grants from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS R01AR047853) and supported by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study.
This study is published in Arthritis Care & Research. Media wishing to receive a PDF of the article may contact sciencenewsroom@wiley.com.
Full citation: "Hallux Valgus and Lesser Toe Deformities are Highly Heritable in Adult Men and Women: the Framingham Foot Study." Marian T. Hannan, Hylton B. Menz, Joanne M. Jordan, L. Adrienne Cupples, Chia-Ho Cheng and Yi-Hsiang Hsu. Arthritis Care and Research; Published Online: May 20, 2013 (DOI: 10.1002/acr.22040).
URL Upon Publication: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/acr.22040
Author Contact: To arrange an interview with Dr. Hannan, please contact Bill Burgey with Hebrew SeniorLife at WilliamBurgey@hsl.harvard.edu or Sarah Lewis at SarahLewis@hsl.harvard.edu.
About the Journal
Arthritis Care & Research is an official journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), and the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ARHP), a division of the College. Arthritis Care & Research is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes both original research and review articles that promote excellence in the clinical practice of rheumatology. Relevant to the care of individuals with arthritis and related disorders, major topics are evidence-based practice studies, clinical problems, practice guidelines, health care economics, health care policy, educational, social, and public health issues, and future trends in rheumatology practice. The journal is published by Wiley on behalf of the ACR. For more information, please visit the journal home page at http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/acr.
About Wiley
Wiley is a global provider of content-enabled solutions that improve outcomes in research, education, and professional practice. Our core businesses produce scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, reference works, books, database services, and advertising; professional books, subscription products, certification and training services and online applications; and education content and services including integrated online teaching and learning resources for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners.
Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (NYSE: JWa, JWb), has been a valued source of information and understanding for more than 200 years, helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfill their aspirations. Wiley and its acquired companies have published the works of more than 450 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, and Peace. Wiley's global headquarters are located in Hoboken, New Jersey, with operations in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Canada, and Australia. The Company's website can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com.
New! Follow us on Twitter @WileyResearch
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Blame your parents for bunion woesPublic release date: 20-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Dawn Peters sciencenewsroom@wiley.com 781-388-8408 Wiley
Common foot deformities are inherited says framingham foot study
A novel study reports that white men and women of European descent inherit common foot disorders, such as bunions (hallux valgus) and lesser toe deformities, including hammer or claw toe. Findings from the Framingham Foot Studythe first to estimate the heritability of foot disorders in humansappear in Arthritis Care & Research, a journal published by Wiley on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).
Previous studies show that as many as 60% of older adults have foot disorders which may limit mobility and reduce their quality of life. In fact, bunions affect 23% of individuals 18 to 65 years of age and 36% of those over 65 years according to a study by Nix et al. While experts suggest that women, older adults and those with a higher body mass index (BMI) are at greater risk for foot disorders, there is little understanding of the genetics involved in their development.
The study, led by Arthritis Care & Research Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Marian Hannan from Hebrew SeniorLife and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Mass, included 1,370 participants enrolled in the Framingham Foot Study. Participants had a mean age of 66 years and 57% were female. Foot exams to identify hallux valgus, lesser toe deformities and plantar soft tissue atrophy were conducted between 2002 and 2008. The team estimated heritability using software that performs genetic analyses of familial data (pedigree structures).
Results show the prevalence of bunions, lesser toe deformities and plantar soft tissue atrophy was 31%, 30% and 28%, respectively. Hallux valgus and lesser toe deformity, two of the most common structural foot disorders that affect up to half of older adults in the U.S. and Europe, were found to be highly heritable depending on age and sex. The team reports that plantar soft tissue atrophy did not demonstrate significant heritability in the study cohort.
"Our study is the largest investigation of the heritability of common foot disorders in older adults, confirming that bunions and lesser toe deformities are highly inheritable in Caucasian men and women of European descent," concludes Dr. Hannan. "These new findings highlight the importance of furthering our understanding of what causes greater susceptibility to these foot conditions, as knowing more about the pathway may ultimately lead to early prevention or early treatment."
###
The Framingham Foot Study was funded in part by grants from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS R01AR047853) and supported by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study.
This study is published in Arthritis Care & Research. Media wishing to receive a PDF of the article may contact sciencenewsroom@wiley.com.
Full citation: "Hallux Valgus and Lesser Toe Deformities are Highly Heritable in Adult Men and Women: the Framingham Foot Study." Marian T. Hannan, Hylton B. Menz, Joanne M. Jordan, L. Adrienne Cupples, Chia-Ho Cheng and Yi-Hsiang Hsu. Arthritis Care and Research; Published Online: May 20, 2013 (DOI: 10.1002/acr.22040).
URL Upon Publication: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/acr.22040
Author Contact: To arrange an interview with Dr. Hannan, please contact Bill Burgey with Hebrew SeniorLife at WilliamBurgey@hsl.harvard.edu or Sarah Lewis at SarahLewis@hsl.harvard.edu.
About the Journal
Arthritis Care & Research is an official journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), and the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ARHP), a division of the College. Arthritis Care & Research is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes both original research and review articles that promote excellence in the clinical practice of rheumatology. Relevant to the care of individuals with arthritis and related disorders, major topics are evidence-based practice studies, clinical problems, practice guidelines, health care economics, health care policy, educational, social, and public health issues, and future trends in rheumatology practice. The journal is published by Wiley on behalf of the ACR. For more information, please visit the journal home page at http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/acr.
About Wiley
Wiley is a global provider of content-enabled solutions that improve outcomes in research, education, and professional practice. Our core businesses produce scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, reference works, books, database services, and advertising; professional books, subscription products, certification and training services and online applications; and education content and services including integrated online teaching and learning resources for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners.
Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (NYSE: JWa, JWb), has been a valued source of information and understanding for more than 200 years, helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfill their aspirations. Wiley and its acquired companies have published the works of more than 450 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, and Peace. Wiley's global headquarters are located in Hoboken, New Jersey, with operations in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Canada, and Australia. The Company's website can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com.
New! Follow us on Twitter @WileyResearch
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) ? Country music performer Toby Keith says he grew up in the area near Oklahoma City that was hit by a devastating tornado.
Keith issued a statement saying Monday's tornado in Moore, Okla., devastated the community in which he grew up.
The city has embraced Keith's celebrity and his name is on the Moore water tower.
Keith says he remembers riding his bicycle through the stricken neighborhoods. Rescuers are still working to pull people from the rubble in the community that's southwest of Oklahoma City.
Adelphic is announcing that Michael Collins (pictured), previously global CEO at WPP-owned mobile marketing agency Joule, has joined the mobile ad startup as its new chief executive. The current CEO Changfeng Wang will remain on-board as CTO. Wang and his co-founder Jennifer Lum both worked at Apple-acquired mobile ad network Quattro, and they announced last year that they had launched a new company. Adelphic says it helps mobile advertisers find the most desirable audiences for their ads, addressing the lack of a persistent ID for mobile users by analyzing different signals that allow it to predict a visitor's demographic data.
Chart displays the rise in percentage of veteran disability claims for military sexual trauma that have been approved since 2011.
Chart displays the rise in percentage of veteran disability claims for military sexual trauma that have been approved since 2011.
WASHINGTON (AP) ? More than 85,000 veterans were treated last year for injuries or illness stemming from sexual abuse in the military, and 4,000 sought disability benefits, underscoring the staggering long-term impact of a crisis that has roiled the Pentagon and been condemned by President Barack Obama as "''shameful and disgraceful."
A Department of Veterans Affairs accounting released in response to inquiries from The Associated Press shows a heavy financial and emotional cost involving vets from Iraq, Afghanistan and even back to Vietnam, and lasting long after a victim leaves the service.
Sexual assault or repeated sexual harassment can trigger a variety of health problems, primarily post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. While women are more likely to be victims, men made up nearly 40 percent of the patients the VA treated last year for conditions connected to what it calls "military sexual trauma."
It took years for Ruth Moore of Milbridge, Maine, to begin getting treatment from a VA counseling center in 2003 ? 16 years after she was raped twice while she was stationed in Europe with the Navy. She continues to get counseling at least monthly for PTSD linked to the attacks and is also considered fully disabled.
"We can't cure me, but we can work on stability in my life and work on issues as they arrive," Moore said.
VA officials stress that any veteran who claims to have suffered military sexual trauma has access to free health care.
"It really is the case that a veteran can simply walk through the door, say they've had this experience, and we will get them hooked up with care. There's no documentation required. They don't need to have reported it at the time," said Dr. Margret Bell, a member of the VA's military sexual trauma team. "The emphasis is really on helping people get the treatment that they need."
However, the hurdles are steeper for those who seek disability compensation ? too steep for some veterans groups and lawmakers who support legislation designed to make it easier for veterans to get a monthly disability payment.
"Right now, the burden of proof is stacked against sexual trauma survivors," said Anu Bhagwati, executive director of the Service Women's Action Network. "Ninety percent of 26,000 cases last year weren't even reported. So where is that evidence supposed to come from?"
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has said reducing the incidence of sexual assaults in the military is a top priority. But it's a decades-old problem with no easy fix, as made even more apparent when an Air Force officer who headed a sexual assault prevention office was arrested on sexual battery charges.
"We will not stop until we've seen this scourge, from what is the greatest military in the world, eliminated," Obama said after summoning top Pentagon officials to the White House last week to talk about the problem. "Not only is it a crime, not only is it shameful and disgraceful, but it also is going to make and has made the military less effective than it can be."
The VA says 1 in 5 women and 1 in 100 men screen positive for military sexual trauma, which the VA defines as "any sexual activity where you are involved against your will." Some report that they were victims of rape, while others say they were groped or subjected to verbal abuse or other forms of sexual harassment.
But not all those veterans seek health care or disability benefits related to the attacks. The 85,000 who sought outpatient care linked to military sexual trauma during the latest fiscal year are among nearly 22 million veterans around the country.
The VA statistics underscore that the problems for victims of sexual abuse do not end when someone leaves the service.
Psychological issues, including PTSD, depression and anxiety, are most common, according to the agency. Victims also can develop substance abuse problems.
Some victims like Moore are so disabled that they are unable to work. Others need ongoing care at VA outpatient clinics and hospitals.
In the final six months of 2011, an average of 248 veterans per month filed for disability benefits related to sexual trauma. That rose by about a third, to 334 veterans per month in 2012, an increase the VA attributed in part to better screening for the ongoing trauma associated with sexual assault. Of those who filed in 2012, about two-thirds were women and nearly a third were men.
"We do a lot more awareness, and as we educate everyone on the potential benefits and that it's OK to come forward, I think you see an increase in reporting," said Edna MacDonald, director of the VA's regional office in Nashville.
To get disability benefits related to sexual trauma, veterans must be diagnosed with a health problem such as PTSD, submit proof that they were assaulted or sexually harassed in a threatening manner and have a VA examiner confirm a link to their health condition.
Many lawmakers and veterans groups support allowing a veteran's statement alone to serve as the proof that an assault or harassment occurred. An examiner would still have to find there's a link to the health condition diagnosed.
The VA's records indicate that veterans seeking compensation related to military sexual trauma had about a 1 in 2 chance of getting their claim approved last year, up from about 34 percent in June 2011.
The VA does not break out the cost of treating and compensating individual veterans for sexual abuse or trauma. A veterans combination of disabilities are unique to each individual, so it's not able to attribute specific spending levels for individual disabilities.
Benefits depend on the severity of the disability. For example, a veteran with a 50 percent rating and no dependents would get $810 a month. A veteran with a 100 percent rating and a spouse and child to support would get nearly $3,088 a month.
Moore estimates the government's cost for her disability benefits and treatment could well exceed $500,000 over the course of her lifetime.
It wasn't until June 2011 that the VA began recording monthly disability claims related specifically to military sexual trauma. Veterans file claims for conditions that are a result of the trauma, not for MST itself, which made it particularly difficult to track. The VA came up with a special process for doing so in 2010.
There's no time limit to filing a claim. "We have veterans who call our help line who have been assaulted way back in time. They're still suffering from the effects of World War II or Vietnam. I wish I were exaggerating," said Bhagwati, whose organization advocates for female veterans.
The VA's undersecretary for benefits, Allison Hickey, a 27-year veteran and former Air Force general, has required all workers handling disability claims to undergo sensitivity training in dealing with military sexual trauma.
Hickey also assembled a task force to review the claims process for veterans claiming sexual assault or harassment while serving in the military. The group looked at 400 claims and determined that nearly a quarter were denied before all the evidence was presented. That led to another training program on the evidence needed or establishing a PTSD claim connected to military sexual trauma. The approval rate is now much closer, though still slightly behind that for other PTSD claims.
Even though the VA's statistics indicate that a greater percentage of military sexual trauma are getting benefits, lawmakers believe more action is required.
"If half of them are being denied their claims, that's still a lot of people, said Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine.
Pingree and Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., are the lead sponsors of the legislation that would allow the veteran's word to serve as sufficient proof that an assault occurred. The legislation is named after Moore, who spent years fighting for disability benefits.
The VA originally opposed Pingree's bill, saying the legislation didn't allow for the minimal evidence "needed to maintain the integrity of the claims process." But VA spokesman Josh Taylor said Thursday that there's been a change of heart and that the VA no longer opposes the legislation.
"VA supports the goals of the legislation, and will continue to work with Congress on the best approach to accomplish it," Taylor said.
An amended version of Pingree's bill passed the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs two weeks ago and could go to the full House as early as this week. The bill no longer requires the department to alter its regulations for military sexual trauma claims. Instead, the bill says that it's Congress' sense that the VA should update and improve its regulations regarding military sexual trauma. And until it does, it must meet extensive reporting requirements, which include a monthly report to all veterans who have submitted a claim that would, among other things, detail the number of claims relating to MST that were granted or denied, the three most common reasons for a denial and the average time it took to process a claim.
Supporters are hoping that the reporting requirements prove so cumbersome that the VA agrees to ease the evidentiary burden for the veterans.
DAMASCUS, Va. (AP) ? About 50 to 60 people were injured Saturday when a driver described by witnesses as an elderly man drove his car into a group of hikers marching in a parade in a small Virginia mountain town.
It happened around 2:10 p.m. during the Hikers Parade at the Trail Days festival, an annual celebration of the Appalachian Trail in Damascus, near the Tennessee state line about a half-hour drive east of Bristol.
Washington County director of emergency management Pokey Harris said no fatalities had been reported.
The injuries ranged from critical to superficial, he said. Three of the victims were flown by helicopters to regional hospitals. Another 12 to 15 were taken by ambulance. The rest were treated at the scene.
At a news conference, Damascus Police Chief Bill Nunley didn't release the driver's name or age but said he was participating in the parade. Multiple witnesses described him as an elderly man.
Nunley said the man's 1997 Cadillac was one of the last vehicles in the parade and the driver might have suffered an unspecified medical problem when his car accelerated to about 25 mph and struck the crowd on a two-lane bridge along the town's main road. The driver was among those taken to hospitals.
"It is under investigation and charges may be placed," Nunley said.
There were ambulances in the parade ahead of the hikers and paramedics on board immediately responded to the crash.
Nunley cited the "quick action" by police, firefighters, paramedics and hikers to tend to the victims, including a Damascus volunteer firefighter who dove into the car to turn off the ignition. The firefighter, whose name wasn't released, suffered minor injuries.
Nunley said about 1,000 people participated in the parade. Nunley said the driver was a hiker, too ? someone who had traversed the Appalachian Trail in the past.
What caused the car to drive into the crowd wasn't immediately known. A thud could be heard, people yelled stop, and at some point, the car finally stopped.
Witnesses said the car had a handicapped parking sticker and it went more than 100 feet before coming to a stop.
"He was hitting hikers," said Vickie Harmon, a witness from Damascus. "I saw hikers just go everywhere."
Damascus resident Amanda Puckett, who was watching the parade with her children, ran to the car, where she and others lifted the car off those pinned underneath.
"Everybody just threw our hands up on the car and we just lifted the car up," she said.
Keith Neumann, a hiker from South Carolina, said he was part of the group that scrambled around the car. They pushed the car backward to free a woman trapped underneath and lifted it off the ground to make sure no one else was trapped. Another person jumped inside to put it in park.
"There's no single heroes. We're talking about a group effort of everybody jumping in," he said.
Mayor Jack McCrady encouraged people to attend the festival on Sunday, its final day.
"In 27 years of this, we've never had anything of this magnitude, and is it our job to make sure it doesn't happen again," he said.
McCrady said a donation fund was being set up to assist the injured, some of whom don't have medical insurance.
"We want to make sure they don't suffer any greater loss than they already have," he said.
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Two men arrested in the fatal beating of the grandson of U.S. civil rights activist Malcolm X were sent to prison on Saturday to await trial, a Mexico City court spokesman said.
David Hernandez and Manuel Perez, waiters at the Palace nightclub near Mexico City's popular Garibaldi Square, face charges of murder and robbery, the official said.
Malcolm Shabazz, who police have said was 29, died May 9 at the Palace after a dispute over a $1,200 bill. Hernandez and Perez were arrested on Monday.
Shabazz, who was convicted of manslaughter as a 12-year-old for setting a fire that killed his grandmother and went to prison as an adult for attempted robbery, was in Mexico City to visit Miguel Suarez, an immigration activist who was recently deported from the United States. Shabazz
On the night of May 8 Shabazz and Suarez visited the run-down area around Plaza Garibaldi, a popular tourist area where Mariachi music groups play on the streets amid seedy strip clubs, dive bars and bordellos.
Despite its proximity to the city's grand colonial center, the area is infamous for petty crime.
Malcolm X was a civil rights activist and leader of the black Muslim movement in the United States. He was shot to death before a speaking appearance in New York City in 1965.
(Reporting by Elinor Comlay; Editing by Bill Trott)
May 18, 2013 ? By day, insects provide the white noise of the South, but the night belongs to the amphibians. In a typical year, the Southern air hangs heavy from the humidity and the sounds of wildlife. The Southeast, home to more than 140 species of frogs, toads and salamanders, is the center of amphibian biodiversity in our nation. If the ponds and swamps are the auditorium for their symphonic choruses, the scientists of the U.S. Geological Survey's Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative, or ARMI, have front-row seats.
Amphibians, which rely on water for part or all of their life cycle, must adjust to often atypical weather. Some years bring heavy deluges, such as the region's notorious hurricanes, and others bring the transformations that come with drought. Amphibians around the world seem to be experiencing the worst declines documented among vertebrates. While habitat loss is the number one reason for population declines, research suggests that disease, invasive species, contaminants and perhaps other factors contribute to declines in protected areas.
And then there's climate change, another stressor for amphibians to contend with. Climate change projections indicate that rainfall will increasingly come in pulses, with greater deluges and longer periods of drought. Scientists have long suspected that climate change is an important factor in amphibian declines, and resource managers are asking whether conservation measures might help species persist or adapt in a changing climate. Three recent U.S. Geological Survey studies offer some insight into the issue.
Why amphibians?
Amphibians, which are declining throughout the world, play an important role in ecological systems. They eat small creatures, including mosquitos, and they are food themselves for larger creatures, such as birds and snakes. Because amphibians are the middle of the food chain -- and sensitive to environmental disruption because of their aquatic or semi-aquatic lives -- their existence is often used as an indication of ecosystem health.
Scientists in ARMI, a program started by Congress in 2000 in response to concerns about amphibian declines, have been working to unravel the ups and downs of amphibian populations to support effective conservation and resource management decisions. To do this, ARMI scientists and field crews monitor the status of amphibians, research the causes of declines, and scientifically evaluate projects undertaken to sustain these species and their habitats across the country.
Pond life -- it's not easy being green!
ARMI scientists looked at a range of amphibian species found in the Southeast and posed the question, "What will happen to their populations under a scenario of changes in rainfall patterns -- more deluges alternating with droughts -- which is being predicted by current climate models?"
It turns out that understanding how climate affects amphibians requires "thinking like the ponds" in which they live. Amphibians have unique life cycles -- most alternate between living in water as juveniles, to maturing and dispersing on land, then returning to water again as adults to mate and lay eggs.
When USGS scientists reviewed what was known about amphibian responses to rainfall, it turned out that both extremes in rainfall -- drought and heavy rainfall events -- can decrease the number of amphibians. The amphibians' response depends on a balance between these two key factors. If ponds dry up while aquatic juveniles are developing, survival of the next generation is lowered. However, if a deluge occurs at that time, nearby pools that often contain fish will be physically connected with the pools containing juvenile amphibians, and the fish will eat the juveniles.
In essence, the study showed that extreme rainfall events are key to predicting amphibian responses to climate, because such events affect the amount and timing of water in ponds that they depend on. The full review of species' responses was published in March 2013 edition of the journal Biology.
Drought and declining salamanders
Knowing that each species responds to droughts and deluges based on the particulars of their biology, scientists set out to test just how these dynamics played out in the southeastern U.S. by looking at larval mole salamanders in small isolated ponds in St. Mark's National Wildlife Refuge, Florida.
Larval mole salamanders have a similar life cycle to the flatwoods salamander, a federally threatened species found on the refuge. Because it is difficult to study the flatwoods salamander directly, and mole salamanders are ecologically similar, scientists study the mole salamander instead, knowing that whatever affects them will likely impact the flatwoods salamander as well.
In the four years of the study, drought consistently decreased salamander occupancy in ponds. To support young salamanders, rain has to fill a pond during the breeding season and then the pond has to stay filled long enough for larvae to transform into the next life stage. Therefore, scientists confirmed that drought did indeed cause short-term declines in mole salamanders -- suggesting that the listed flatwoods salamander may face a similar fate under climate change.
The results of the mole salamander study are published in the April 2013 edition of the journal Wetlands.
Can habitat conservation make a difference for frogs and toads?
To answer this question, USGS scientists examined whether the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service Wetlands Reserve Program was helping address the problem. The Wetlands Reserve Program is a voluntary USDA program offering landowners the opportunity to protect, restore, and enhance wetlands on their property. To assess the potential benefit of WRP restoration to amphibians, in this case, frogs and toads, USGS scientists surveyed 30 randomly selected WRP sites and 20 nearby agricultural sites in the Mississippi Delta in northwest Mississippi.
The scientists found that WRP sites had more kinds of species and was home to more numbers of amphibians than the agricultural sites studied. The restoration of wetland hydrology appeared to provide the most immediate benefit to the animals.
Marina and Kevin Krim, whose two young children were stabbed to death allegedly by their nanny, announced good news on May 16 ? they?re expecting a baby boy in the fall. What a happy moment after such a horrific tragedy.
Marina and Kevin Krim suffered unspeakable horror on Oct. 25 when Marina discovered her precious kids Lulu, 6, and Leo, 2, stabbed to death in their New York City apartment, allegedly by their nanny Yoselyn Ortega.?But the resilient couple revealed on Facebook on May 16 that they are expecting another baby in the fall ? and so excited to begin a new future filled with hope.
Marina Krim Pregnant ? Family Expecting Baby Boy
The couple announced the good news on Facebook on May 16, and revealed that Marina is expecting another baby in the fall. They also revealed that their daughter Nessie, 4, is excited to welcome her new baby brother.
Although they are excited, the Krims understandably wrote that they are ?filled with many emotions? as they ?look to the future.?
Krim Family Devastated After Nanny Murders
On Oct. 25, Marina and Nessie returned home from the little girl?s swim lessons to discover the lifeless bodies of Lulu and Leo lying in a pool of blood in an upstairs bathroom of their Upper West Side apartment. The horrific murders were allegedly committed by the family?s nanny, Yoselyn Ortega, who had also allegedly stabbed herself.
The Krims left New York City and sought refuge with family in California.
Yoselyn was charged with the murders of the two young children, and was found fit to stand trial on April 5 after undergoing extensive mental health examinations. Her lawyer is arguing that Yoselyn is not mentally stable. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Krim Family Announces Baby News On Facebook
Marina and Kevin posted a message on their Facebook page for the Lulu & Leo Fund, a foundation created in memory of their slain children. The message posted on May 16 read:
?Hello everyone,
We are very happy to let you know that Marina is expecting a baby in the fall. Nessie can?t wait to welcome her new baby brother. We are filled with many emotions as we look to the future, but the most important one is hope.
We are very grateful to you all for your amazing support.
- Marina and Kevin.?
More Tragic Child Deaths:
Woman Allegedly Killed Baby Girl, 2, By Feeding Her Chili Powder
Pennsylvania Mother Suffocates Twin Babies To Death In Jealous Rage ? VIDEO
Mom Of 3 Girls Killed By Aunt In Car Crash Shares Struggle To Go On
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - An older brother of the 19-year-old arrested in connection with a Mother's Day shooting in New Orleans was arrested Thursday in connection with the shooting, police said. Akein Scott, 19, and Shawn Scott, 24, have both been charged with 20 counts of attempted second-degree murder, New Orleans police??
Now in its longest recession since World War II, Europe is the world economy's weakest link. But as it achieves financial stability, it must now focus on structural overhaul to spur innovation and worker retraining.
By the Monitor's Editorial Board / May 16, 2013
A worker taps a blast furnace in Duisburg at Europe's largest steel factory, part of Germany's industrial conglomerate ThyssenKrupp AG.
Reuters
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In recent surveys on both sides of the Atlantic, top business executives gave a similar forecast: Europe and the United States are both losing their competitive edge. Of the two economies ? which are the largest in the world ? Europe is struggling the most to restore its edge.
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It?s a struggle the rest of the world cannot ignore.
The Continent is dealing with its longest recession since World War II. Many of its major economies are shrinking, even France. Germany, despite past reforms, had only 0.1 percent growth last quarter, revealing just how much it relies on its neighbors.
The European economy still commands a fifth of the global economy, but it is now its weakest link. Japan and the US are sporting a growth rate of more than 2 percent. Unless Europe can retool its workers, liberate its entrepreneurs, and finance its small businesses, China will reach or pull ahead of it in innovation by 2023, say a majority of European business leaders in a survey done by Accenture consultancy.
While European leaders have been able to stabilize financial markets and start to whittle down government deficits, the hard work of structural reform is still in progress. France, for example, just passed a measure that allows employers more leeway to lay off unneeded employees and encourage worker mobility.
?Just because there is zero growth across Europe doesn?t mean there are not segments of good growth within that,? stated Mark Spelman, strategy chief at Accenture.
A refocus on Europe?s inherent strengths, such as design and engineering, are key. But so is lifting a gloom over the stark economic figures, such as unemployment at a record high of 12.1 percent.
Many European leaders look to the US for optimism. One of their models is Google and its operating approach. Its chief executive, Larry Page, offered advice this week to the high-tech industry that would apply to Europe as well:
?We should be building great things that don?t exist. Being negative is not how we make progress,? he said, adding that his industry has grown because it didn?t see its future as a zero-sum game.
That expansive attitude is what European industry needs right now. The Accenture survey of executives, for example, found business leaders want to end the Continent?s ?innovation deficit? with more public funding of research.
The two core countries of the European Union, Germany and France, also need to restore trust in the unified approach of the EU?s 27-member countries. A survey by the Pew Research Center in Washington found French support for the EU dropped from 60 percent last year to 41 percent today. In Germany, 60 percent still support the EU.
?[T]he French and the Germans differ so greatly over the challenges facing their economies that they look as if they live on different continents, not within a single European market,? stated the Pew report.
Europe is not alone in this struggle. A Harvard survey of 7,000 of its alumni in business found 58 percent expect US economic competitiveness to decline.
Americans need to both watch and support Europe as it finds its feet again. The global economy needs every link.
WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No have enjoyed one of the best ? and not to mention, most interesting ? title reigns in WWE history. In the course of their eight-month run as champions, Kane & Daniel Bryan have gone from being two opposing forces destined to clash at every turn, to two opposing forces (somehow) destined to work as a cohesive and efficient tag team unit.
To the shock of ? well, pretty much everyone, we?d venture ? Kane & Bryan found a way to harness all the negative feelings that plagued their early days as a team and developed into one of the most impressive and longest-reigning title-holding pairs of all time by unleashing their fury?on the competition. But that reign becomes even more impressive when measured against those of other great tag duos. In the case of Bryan & Kane, the list of teams they?ve surpassed in terms of title reign length is staggeringly impressive.
This weekend, as they head into Extreme Rules to face off against The Shield?s Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins, Team Hell No will overtake Money Inc., while The British Bulldog & Owen Hart are next on the list.
In honor of that achievement, WWE.com takes a look at five other popular tag teams surpassed by Team Hell No on that illustrious list.
May 16, 2013 ? Pharmaceuticals that inhibit a specific enzyme may be useful in treating progeria, or accelerated aging in children. As reported in the journal Science, a new study performed at the Sahlgrenska Academy indicates that the development of progeria in mice was inhibited upon reducing the production of this enzyme.
"This study is a breakthrough for our research group after years of work. When we reduce the production of the enzyme in mice, the development of all the clinical symptoms of progeria is reduced or blocked. We have also studied cultured cells from children with progeria, and can see that when the enzyme is inhibited, the growth of the cells increases by the same mechanism as in mouse cells," says Martin Berg?, Professor at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg and research director at the Sahlgrenska Cancer Center.
Progeria is a rare genetic childhood disorder characterized by the appearance of accelerated aging. The classical form of progeria, called Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS), is caused by a spontaneous mutation, which means that it is not inherited from the parents.
Children with HGPS usually die in their teenage years from myocardial infarction and stroke.
The progeria mutation occurs in the protein prelamin A and causes it to accumulate in an inappropriate form in the membrane surrounding the nucleus. The target enzyme, called ICMT, attaches a small chemical group to one end of prelamin A. Blocking ICMT, therefore, prevents the attachment of the chemical group to prelamin A and significantly reduced the ability of the mutant protein to induce progeria.
"We are collaborating with a group in Singapore that has developed candidate ICMT inhibitor drugs and we will now test them on mice with progeria. Because the drugs have not yet been tested in humans, it will be a few years before we know whether these drugs will be appropriate for the treatment of progeria," Martin Berg? explains.
Although there are only a few hundred children in the world with progeria, the disease, children, and research have attracted a great deal of attention.
"The reason is obvious: the resemblance between progeria patients and normally-aged individuals is striking and it is tempting to speculate that progeria is a window into our normal aging process. The children develop osteoporosis, myocardial infarction, stroke, and muscle weakness. They display poor growth and lose their hair, but interestingly, they do not develop dementia or cancer," says Martin Berg?, who is also studying the impact of inhibiting ICMT on the normal aging process in mice.
We live at an interesting time of scientific knowledge. Scientists say that you cannot gain an advantage over the Casino, since the odds are stacked against you. Scientists also say that Astrology does not seem feasible, since it does not fit in with known scientific laws. However, it is estimated that approximately 100 million people in the world either follow Astrology or see that there is some truth in it.
Are all these people gullible or stupid? Do people just follow something in their millions, century after century, if there is nothing there? Are humans really this fickle, or is it because each of them has had personal experiences or discoveries that have made them see that something very real and valid is going on? Avoid being too fickle yourself when answering this question!
Why this is an interesting time is because of this disparity in scientific and common knowledge. One day, probably in the not-too-distant future, when science has begun to unravel t he causes and effects of Astrology in more detail, several areas of life will change form or lose their appeal. Can you imagine a world where Insurance companies would work out your motor vehicle premiums based on how accident-prone your birth-chart was? Or where police would be able to short-list you with regards to having committed a crime on a specific date? Or where employers would first look at your Astrological compatibility with the existing staff-members? Or where mothers would choose the time of their child's Caesarian birth so as to avoid a Scorpio moon, a Saturn opposition or whatever? Can you imagine a world of Astrological discrimination? Are you beginning to appreciate why Astrology is known as 'secret' or 'hidden' knowledge? Why it is 'protected'? Why you can argue with someone or spell it out to them until you are blue in the face, and they still won't see it? They are not thick. They are just excluded.
Astrology is a gift. It 'forces open' your Third E ye. Certain aspects in a person's natal chart, especially to or from Mercury and Uranus, enable (or permit) them to see its truth. For the rest, it is simply blocked. They just don't get it, or are not interested. They cannot, or may not, take advantage of the influences affecting their lives. Without a doubt, there are times which are favorable for one to undertake various tasks or activities, and times when it is extremely unadvisable to undertake these same activities. The sterile world of scientists, insurance companies, criminal investigators, psychiatrists, and... yes, casinos, is still mostly unaware of these hugely deterministic influences that affect our lives and fortunes.
Thank goodness! Would you rather be one of the first people to take advantage of a gold rush, or only get in when the millions in their hordes were frantically trying to make their fortunes? Be grateful for your your knowledge, your 'gift', and things as they stand. Take advantage of esoter ic knowledge, before it becomes common knowledge.
http://www.luckydays.tv
About The Author
27 years habitual gambler, studied Astrology for 15 years and believes he has found a way to predict lucky days based on planetary transit shapes.
Author:: Adrian Fourie Keywords:: Astrology,Arts,Entertainment,Stars,Universe,Spirituality,Belief,Humanities,Zodiac,Tarot,Signs,Horosc Post by History of the Computer | Computer safety tips
Entrepreneurs and music industry icons Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre (Andre Young), already known as forward-thinking visionaries in music and business, are giving $70 million to USC to create a unique undergraduate experience.
The duo?s gift will establish the USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation, an environment for those rare undergraduate students whose interests span fields such as marketing, business entrepreneurship, computer science and engineering, audio and visual design, and the arts. The program will prepare them to become a new generation of inspired innovators.
The goal of the academy is to shape the future by nurturing the talents, passions, leadership and risk-taking of uniquely qualified students who challenge conventional views of art and industry. The academy will attract students who are motivated to explore and create new art forms, technologies and business models ? and who will benefit from a stimulating environment that fosters exploration and discovery beyond traditional educational and disciplinary boundaries.
?The vision and generosity of Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young will profoundly influence the way all of us perceive and experience artistic media,? said USC President C. L. Max Nikias. ?USC provides an extraordinarily rich academic, research and artistic environment. We are committed to encouraging our students to use their intellectual and creative resources to effect change in all segments of society. Our goal is to ensure that the academy is the most collaborative educational program in the world.?
Iovine and Dre?s gift is part of The Campaign for the University of Southern California, a multiyear effort to secure $6 billion or more in private philanthropy to advance USC?s academic priorities and expand its positive impact on the community and world.
To meet student interests and to meld inspiration with education, the academy?s specially designed courses will provide students with a solid background in the integration of technology with all aspects of creativity along with a thorough understanding of existing and potential business, marketing and distribution strategies. Drawing on the expertise of top faculty from the USC Marshall School of Business, the USC Roski School of Fine Arts, the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and the USC Thornton School of Music, the academy will also host industry icons and innovators as visiting faculty and guest speakers. It will offer a highly select group of students an integrated, four year course of study that will provide in-depth learning in engineering and computer science, fine arts and graphic design, business, and leadership models. Team-taught interdisciplinary courses will be developed and adapted specifically for the program.
The Iovine and Young Academy will focus on four core curriculum areas: arts and entrepreneurship; technology, design and marketability; concept and business platforms; and creating a prototype.
The academic program will include one-on-one faculty mentoring, opportunities to interact with luminaries from the arts and entertainment industry serving as guest speakers and lecturers, and a broad array of internship opportunities for students.
During their fourth and final year, academy students will take up residence in an experiential setting called the ?Garage.? Grouped into self-directed teams, which may include nonacademy students from across the university, these students will determine a project that can be developed into a prototype over the course of the year.
Appropriate faculty members, other artists and business leaders will serve as mentors to each group, and venture capitalists and other real-world experts will be introduced to give students advice and direction. All of these elements will combine into one unique educational experience, where working together, students will challenge one another to take even greater risks in innovation.
?Flexibility is a hallmark of USC, and the academy?s curriculum is incredibly adaptive,? said USC Roski Dean Erica Muhl, who will serve as the academy?s inaugural director. ?The curriculum was created to take full advantage of a newly designed, revolutionary educational space that will offer students very powerful tools. Academy students will have the freedom to move easily from classroom to lab, from studio to workshop, individually or in groups, and blow past any academic or structural barriers to spontaneous creativity.
?The academy?s core education will create a common, multilingual literacy and fluency across essential disciplines,? she continued. ?This ?big picture? knowledge and skill will equip graduates with a leadership perspective that is unparalleled in an undergraduate degree, and that will be applicable to virtually any industry.?
USC?s strategic location in Los Angeles ? widely viewed as the creative and media capital of the world ? provides an opportunity for students to take advantage of a living laboratory where music, film and visual arts are deeply intertwined. In addition, the university?s proximity to the city?s burgeoning ?Silicon Beach? as well as Northern California?s Silicon Valley provides access to an array of technological advances from which students can draw inspiration. The academy will enroll its first class of 25 students in fall 2014. Applicants will be accepted based on a rigorous review process encompassing demonstrated academic excellence as well as proven ability for original thought. Students who complete a course of study in the academy will graduate with a degree that recognizes each individual?s ability to engage and succeed in an educational experience that is constantly asking the question, ?Why not??
Iovine, chairman of Universal Music Group?s Interscope-Geffen-A&M Records, is one of the music industry?s most accomplished and respected leaders. Iovine began his four-decade career as a recording engineer, working with the likes of John Lennon and Bruce Springsteen. As record producer, he was instrumental in the career breakthroughs of artists such as Patti Smith, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, U2, Stevie Nicks, Dire Straits and The Pretenders.
Iovine co-founded Interscope Records in 1990, widely regarded as the home of music?s greatest artists, including Dr. Dre, Nine Inch Nails, Mary J. Blige, No Doubt and Lady Gaga, among others.
Born in Compton, Calif., hip-hop pioneer/producer Dre began his career as a member of the World Class Wreckin? Crew. In 1986, he co-founded N.W.A. and won critical and commercial acclaim with the group?s 1988 landmark rap album Straight Outta Compton. In 1992, Dre released his solo debut, the G-funk masterpiece The Chronic, which Rolling Stone hailed as one of the greatest albums ever made.
With the launch of his own record company, Aftermath Entertainment, in 1996, Dre went on to discover and nurture such next-generation hip-hop superstars as 50 Cent, The Game, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem.
In 2006, Iovine and Dre co-founded Beats Electronics, a high-performance headphone and sound transmission company intent on recapturing the fidelity of the studio. With its expansion into smartphones and car audio systems, Beats by Dr. Dre has captured 40-percent market share of the entire billion-dollar headphones industry.
May 16, 2013 ? Men who are heavy drinkers and homeless for long periods of time have 400 times the number of head injuries as the general population, according to a new study by researchers who said they were shocked by their findings.
These men have 170 times as many severe head injuries as the general population and 300 times as many injuries that cause bleeding in the brain.
The study by Dr. Tomislav Svoboda, a family physician at St. Michael's Hospital, appears online in Emergency Medicine Journal.
The study also looked at head injuries in the general homeless population and among people who are vulnerably housed, meaning they live in crowded, unsafe or unaffordable housing or are in danger of becoming homeless. Both these groups had about 23 times the number of head injuries as the general population, but rates much lower than the chronically homeless.
Previous studies of head injuries among people who are homeless have been based on interviews. Dr. Svoboda, a researcher in the hospital's Centre for Research on Inner City Health, said his study is the first based on actual Emergency Department records over five years and the first to compare people who are homeless with the general population based on that data. They looked at all head injuries from slight concussions to brain hemorrhages.
"We were shocked by the number if head injuries," said Dr. Tomislav. "In medicine, we worry when something occurs two or three times more often in a particular patient group, but to talk about magnitudes of 300 or 400 is unheard of."
Dr. Svoboda also found the length of time between head injuries shortened as the number went up. The mean interval between head injuries was 231 days. That decreased by an average of 11.8 days with each subsequent head injury.
Having a seizure disorder, drug dependence or a head injury in the previous year were the main predictors of whether someone would have another head injury. Previous research has found that people who are homeless are at greater risk of being assaulted or being victims of violence. Dr. Svoboda said the numbers in his study suggest that head injuries are causing physical changes such as dizziness, memory loss, impaired cognitive functions and mental health issues, which lead to more head injuries.
"We need to do something for this group--we're seeing data that suggests they are in a downward spiral," said Dr. Svoboda. "We need to develop programs to understand and treat this serious and permanent problem. When the brain is injured, you can't fix it. We need to identify and support these people."
Dr. Svoboda said one answer could be to do more CT scans on people identified as being at risk.
In the general population in Canada, about 12 in every 10,000 men have a head injury that might involve a brain injury each year. Among the chronically homeless the number is 4,800 every year. Among men who are in low income housing each year, 370 in every 10,000 have such a head injury.
This study was funded by the Central East Health Information Partnership, the former City of Toronto Shelter, Housing and Support Division, Physician Services Inc. and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research.
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Public release date: 20-May-2013
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