Aimee Copeland, 24, is currently at JMS Burn Center in Augusta battling necrotizing fasciitis.

(Credit:Facebook) (CBS News) Aimee Copeland, the 24-year-old graduate student who is fighting for her life against the flesh-eating disease necrotizing fasciitis is very responsive and coherent, according to a blog posted on a University of West Georgia Psychology department student website.

Aimee Copeland, 24, battles flesh-eating necrotizing fasciitis following zip-lining accident

in a post written Thursday afternoon, Aimee’s classmate Ken Lewis  provided an update for those following the tragic story, saying Aimee unfortunately will need her hands and her remaining foot amputated because the blood vessels have died.

Last week doctors had performed a hip-high amputation on Aimee’s left leg. not all the news was bleak, with Lewis writing that Aimee is responding to specific commands and has even selected the music she wants to hear.

“The neurologist says that there is no indication of any brain damage,” Lewis wrote. “The cardiopulmonologist says that her lungs are slowly healing.”

Aimee’s sister Paige also wrote an update today on the Facebook page their father had set to raise awareness about Aimee’s condition.

“Seeing Aimee this morning was so refreshing,” Paige wrote Thursday afternoon. “Her eyes are wide open and she is nodding or shaking her head to the questions we ask. My hope for her recovery is stronger than ever!”

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a “Love Aimee” vigil is being held tonight at the University of West Georgia campus. Blood donations are also being accepted at the JMS Burn Center in Augusta where she has been hospitalized since last Friday.

Last Friday, emergency room doctors at Tanner Medical Center in Carrollton, Ga., diagnosed Copeland with necrotizing fasciitis. According to the Journal-Constitution, Copeland received a nasty cut on her leg last Tuesday on a homemade zip line she was using that broke as she and her friends kayaked along the little Tallapoosa River in Carrollton.

Doctors closed the gash with 22 staples, but her conditioned worsened over the next few days until she was eventually hospitalized and diagnosed with the disease. The paper reports the bacteria that caused the disease was Aeromonas hydrophila, which is typically found in freshwater.

Symptoms of necrotizing fasciitis include a small red painful lump or bump in the skin that changes to a very painful rapidly growing bruise (sometimes within an hour), and the center of the bruise may become black and die, or break open and ooze fluid. Other symptoms include fever, sweating, chills, nausea, dizziness and shock. immediate treatment, such as with powerful IV antibiotics or surgery is necessary to prevent death.

WebMD has more on necrotizing fasciitis.

I remember the first time a friend told me she was using the birth control injection, Depo-Provera. she lamented that no matter what she did to lose weight, she seemed to be gaining. and it gave her mood swings. But, hey, at least she wasn’t overweight and moody from being preggers! (Though you would think with symptoms like that, you might as well be!) well, now research has gone and found another lovely side effect of the birth control shot: a 50 percent higher risk of breast cancer.

Women who used the shot of synthetic hormones for at least a year had double the risk of getting breast cancer, according to the study published in the journal Cancer Research. Family history, obesity, age, and pregnancy history didn’t seem to make a difference. Creepy, no?

There is some silver lining: Users’ risk dropped to that of non-users after several months of being injection-free. Plus, risk is low to begin with in younger women — like those in their 30s (1 in 233, according to the National Cancer Institute) — who tend to be the ones on Depo.

But here’s my Q … have they studied the long-term effects that do linger? there are plenty from certain types of birth control pills (vaginal dryness, gallstones, low libido), so I wouldn’t put the same past the shot. especially because the fake progesterone in the shot is the same used in the postmenopausal hormone therapy pill, Prempro, which was shown to boost women’s risk of breast cancer by 24 percent.

That finding plus this new one just serve as further proof that women need to be very cautious about using any drug made with fake hormones. It’s clear the body simply doesn’t know what to make of them, and they are prone to throwing our super-individual, delicate lady hormone balance off. even the maker of the drug, Pfizer, notes that women have to consider the “benefits and the risks” of their birth control. and if they’re admitting it, you know it’s true!

Does this study freak you out?

February 18, 2012    07:20 am Sabrina Ambler, MML News Reporter

Sonora, CA — the first case of influenza was positively identified yesterday in Tuolumne County marking an unusually late start to flu season.

According to Tuolumne County Health Officer, Dr. Todd Stolp, “flu season is any month, usually from October to March, in which officials expect people to contract influenza.” Dr. Stolp noted that last winter reports of positive tests for influenza started January 25th and peaked February 26th. he noted that hundreds of people likely had the flu last year but many do not report their symptoms and even fewer are tested for influenza. in the winter of 2009 the peak of the reports occurred much earlier at the end of October.

According to an associated Press report, this year is the slowest start to a flu season in nearly 25 years. Citing CDC officials, it was noted that the flu season hasn’t occurred this late since the winter of 1987-1988. the report noted nationally only California in the last two weeks, and Missouri, have documented cases so far.

According to Dr. Stolp numerous cases of RSV, (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) a fairly common respiratory virus, with similar symptoms to influenza have been reported in Tuolumne County this winter.

Influenza is highly contagious, health officials recommend frequent hand washing, coughing into your elbow, and staying at home when you are sick.

Written by Sabrina Ambler

AN Adelaide woman has contracted measles from a stranger in a rare transmission of the virus in Australia.

The woman’s case has been linked to that of an Adelaide man who picked up the highly infectious virus while travelling overseas earlier this year.

SA Health yesterday warned South Australians to be alert for symptoms of the disease, which can cause brain damage in severe cases.

It is understood the woman, 44, was in the same vicinity as the man, 23, at some stage during his infectious phase.

They are not believed to be known to each other.

Measles cases have been rare in Australia since the measles vaccine was introduced in 1966.

In SA, 87 per cent of kindergarten-aged children receive vaccinations to protect them against infectious diseases including whooping cough, measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus and diphtheria.

Almost all cases are unimmunised travellers bringing the disease from overseas. There were four in SA last year but none spread to a stranger.

SA Health chief medical officer Professor Paddy Phillips said the infectious phase lasted about two weeks and the disease could be spread by coughing and sneezing.

He said the airborne virus was highly contagious among those who were not fully immunised.

"The illness begins with fever, cough, runny nose, and sore eyes, followed by a rash which begins on the head and then spreads down the body," he said. "Complications of measles can be severe."

Anyone who was at any of the following locations around Adelaide at the listed times should watch for symptoms over the next two weeks, Prof Phillips said.

Tuesday, January 31: 10am-2pm, West Lakes Shopping Centre.

Wednesday, February 1: 10am-3pm, Cyprus Community Club, Welland.

Thursday, February 2: 9.30am-12pm, Uniting Care Wesley, Adelaide; 10am-4pm, Thebarton Neighbourhood House, Mile end; 12pm-3.30pm, Woodville Bowl.

Friday, February 3: 9.30am-5pm, Cheltenham Community Centre; 10.40am train from Cheltenham to the city; 11am-2pm, Jasper’s Coffee shop, Adelaide; 12.07 pm train to Cheltenham.

SA Health has alerted each business and GPs.

20 c Will the Arabian Gulf confederation will boost the GCC process? name : E Mail :  SubscribeUnsubscribe your subscription has been

  the 6 W’s: Who, what, where, when, why and what of it

Stocks took-off in a jet propelled run last week … Euro news will determine if the plane continues to climb or if market passengers should prepare for a hard landing. According to technical GPS, the direction for higher prices is queued up.  in the past year, the NASDAQ has had 4 bullish MACD crossovers when the indicator is below zero … every single time, the index moved significantly higher in a hurry.

 I still don’t see the markets’ momentum affecting (with any drama/momentum) the RegMed universe …  as  residiual affects have not yet planted … but, my bell weathers are blooming (under winter sunlight); Athersys (ATHX) is responding with a $0.54<+32.53%> increase to $2.20; while NeoStem (AMEX: NBS) is starting to blossom UP $0.045 <+8.20%> to $0.595, Osiris (OSIR) is UP +$0.20 <+4.120> to $4.96, Cytori (CYTX) sloggs-on UP $0.02 <+0.76%> to $2.66 and Aastrom is UP $0.05 <+2.22%> to $2.17 (most, flat-lined for these turbulent times) while others continue to flat-line UP incrementally  $0.02 – $0.08.  

The key to measurement of true universe momentum will be the pricing movement beyond the $1.00 (NASDAQ/AMEX) mark for … a few below the minimum pricing to stay listed into the new year … I DO BELIEVE  … it will happen … KOOL and NBS … into January!

Mid-Day: the NASDAQ is UP +46.80 (+1.78%) to 2,673.73. the Dow is UP +143.19 (+1.19%) to 12,162.61.

Mid-Day Movers: Aastrom (ASTM), Athersys (ATHX), BioTime (AMEX: BTX), Cytori (CYTX),Dendreon (DNDN), ImmunoCellular (OTC BB: IMUC), NeoStem (AMEX: NBS), Osiris (OSIR), Pluristem (PSTI), StemCells (STEM), Tengion (TNGN) and ThermoGenesis (KOOL)

What’s new in the regenerative medicine/stem cell market:

Drug eases GVHD symptoms in patients who had stem cell transplant: Daily, low-dose injections of interleukin-2 eased symptoms of graft-versus-host disease, or GVHD, in cancer patients who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, according to a study published in the new England Journal of Medicine. Of 23 patients given the drug for 8 weeks, 12 showed improvement, according to the study.

Researchers develop iPS cells from Pompe disease cells:  Taiwanese researchers have developed induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, from the skin cells of patients with Pompe disease. the researchers tested drugs on the iPS cells and were able to pinpoint marker genes whose expression correlates with the effect of drug treatment. the findings could aid in early diagnosis, drug testing and disease marker identification.

Researchers use nanofiber scaffold to grow trachea for transplant:  Swedish researchers used a nanofiber scaffold from Nanofiber Solutions to grow a synthetic trachea for transplant. the researchers used the patient’s own stem cells to grow the organ in the lab. the procedure is the world’s second successful synthetic trachea transplant, according to Harvard Bioscience.

Court says bone marrow donors can be compensated: The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that bone marrow donors can be compensated for their donations because bone marrow cells, which are obtained from a donor’s blood, can be considered as blood parts and not organ parts. Because of the ruling, bone marrow donations can now be exempted from the ban set forth by the 1984 National Organ Transplant Act, which prohibits compensation for donated organs and donated organ parts. the move is expected to spur a significant increase in the number of bone marrow donors in theU.S.

Researchers grow partial pituitary gland using stem cells: Japanese researchers used embryonic stem cells to grow partial pituitary glands, then transplanted the tissue in the kidneys of mice without pituitary glands. the transplanted tissue returned hormone levels to normal, according to the study published in Nature. the initiative is part of a worldwide effort to grow complete organs in a lab setting using stem cells.

Researchers attain functional muscle regeneration in mice:  Researchers from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute and CellThera have successfully regenerated functional muscle tissue in mice by growing stem-cell-like human muscle cells on biopolymer microthreads, which were found to help accelerate the process of tissue generation. Findings suggest that “fibrin microthreads alone have tremendous potential for reducing fibrosis and remodeling large muscle injuries,”

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Meet Deepak Chopra

Acknowledged as one of the world’s greatest leaders in the field of… more »

Acknowledged as one of the world’s greatest leaders in the field of mind body medicine, Deepak Chopra, M.D. continues to transform our understanding of the meaning of health. Chopra is known as a prolific author of over 49 books with 12 best sellers on mind-body health, quantum mechanics, spirituality, and peace. a global force in the field of human empowerment, Dr. Chopra’s books have been published in more than 35 languages with more than 20 million copies in print. « less

Meet Deepak Chopra

Acknowledged as one of the world’s greatest leaders in the field of… more »

Acknowledged as one of the world’s greatest leaders in the field of mind body medicine, Deepak Chopra, M.D. continues to transform our understanding of the meaning of health. Chopra is known as a prolific author of over 49 books with 12 best sellers on mind-body health, quantum mechanics, spirituality, and peace. A global force in the field of human empowerment, Dr. Chopra’s books have been published in more than 35 languages with more than 20 million copies in print. « less

Achoo! what does your, ah, snot say about you?

By Cari Nierenberg

You might be wearing the tell-tale colors of a cold: your nose is dripping a clear liquid, and the skin near your nostrils is red from sniffling and sneezing. 

A doctor’s exam may find the lining of your nose and throat is inflamed and red. And you could have white patches on your sore tonsils. 

But what about the gross gunk clogging up your nose, throat, and lungs? Can the shades of your secretions — mucus and phlegm — tell you anything about how long you’ll be under the weather or what kind of bug you have? 

Dr. Stacey Tutt Gray is a sinus specialist at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston, and she says it’s not unusual for her patients to bring in their mucus-covered tissues to show her what’s coming out of their bodies. So Gray is quite familiar with these secretions and her color-inspired last name makes her an ideal expert to explain their various hues. 

But first she points out that mucus is a liquid gel made up of mucin, a protein, and infection-fighting substances. it acts as a protective blanket over the lining of your nose, and the sticky substance can help trap and clear dust, allergens, bacteria, and viruses. 

You make roughly a quart of clear, thin mucus a day, which you usually just swallow. But snot production often cranks up, thickens, and discolors when you catch a cold, have allergies, or get an infection. 

Phlegm is also mucus that’s coming from the chest and lungs. Technically, doctors call it sputum. most people don’t normally have phlegm, says Gray, but the lining of the airways has mucus in it to keep the lungs clear. 

A rainbow of mucus and phlegmAs far as color goes, mucus is typically clear. But when the immune system sends white blood cells into the nose to fight off infection, they contain a greenish enzyme that shades the substance yellow or green. These are the same tones mucus takes on when it dries and clumps into boogers.  

Red- or brown-tinged snot could occur when tiny blood vessels in your nose break from frequently blowing it. Black mucus can come from the noses of smokers or people who work in coal mines or dusty environments.

The phlegm palette is similarly multicolored to mucus with clear or white sputum being normal, yellow or green hues from frequent coughing, and red or brown shades from blood that’s new or old. If you’re seeing a lot of blood in phlegm, give your doctor a call. 

To thin down mucus or loosen phlegm, drink plenty of hot or cold liquids, and take a hot shower or inhale steam. Nasal rinsing with warm water can also help flush out congestion to make breathing easier. 

Gray says she is often asked by her patients with sinus trouble whether the color of mucus means a person has a bacterial infection and if they need an antibiotic. “The color in and of itself doesn’t necessarily mean anything,” she explains.

 A physician will determine whether an illness is viral or bacterial, an allergy or a sinus problem based on what a patient is saying about their other symptoms — fever, body aches, nasal congestion, how long they’ve felt this way — not just the color of mucus.  

So if you have a cold, you might see a rainbow of gook from your nose and chest. But it doesn’t tell you much and it’s usually nothing to worry about.

Related:

• Symptom tracker: cold? Flu? Or something else?

Want more weird health news? Find the Body Odd on Facebook.

Nkoranza (B/A), Aug. 12  GNA – mr Idris Buabeng, Programme Manager of Medical assistance Programme (MAP) International, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) based in Sunyani, has urged the general public not to attribute Buruli Ulcer cases to superstitions and witchcraft.

Speaking at a refresher training workshop, organised for 35 community-based surveillance volunteers (CBSV) at Nkoranza at the weekend, mr Buabeng explained that the disease was curable and it is not caused by witchcraft.

He said MAP International, which originated from the United States, arrived in Ghana in the year 2008 and started work in Nkoranza District with the objective of offering necessary financial and logistic support towards the control of Buruli Ulcer.

The workshop was organised by the Nkoranza South District Directorate of Education to update the knowledge of the volunteers on the symptoms of the disease, to enable them to detect cases of the disease and report to the health facilities.

Mr Buabeng said MAP was currently supporting health facilities in Nkoranza South and North districts, as well as Sunyani West and Dormaa districts, in managing Buruli Ulcer cases.

He said the Programme offered capacity building for nurses, provided community health volunteers with updated information on the disease and also increased community awareness to control the disease.

The Programme Manager deplored the negative practice and attitude of some pastors, fetish priests/priestesses and herbalists, who kept Buruli ulcer and tuberculosis (TB) patients in homes with the intention of treating them.

He called on prayer camps, religious ministers and fetish priests/priestesses not to place their welfare above the health and attention of patients but rather to refer them to the hospitals.

Mr Charles Kwasi Gyamfi, Nkoranza South District Disease Control Officer called on traditional rulers, religious leaders and teachers to educate Buruli ulcer and TB patients to visit the hospitals.

He noted that, diseases such as leprosy, elephantiasis, yaws and trypasomiasis still existed in some communities and urged the volunteers to report any strange skin disease to health facilities.

Mr Gyamfi later distributed some onchocerciasis drugs to the volunteers for supply to the communities in the disease endemic zones.

The Nkoranza South District Director of Health Services, Madam Salamatu Ibrahim, commended the volunteers for their immense support to the Ghana Health Service, towards the provision of quality health service delivery to the people in the area.